few questions on parties/partying

[xjubezx]

im new to ffxi and i heard that partying is very important. however i could never get a party going, im only lv 12 so maybe that has something to do with it but neways these are my questions.

1. how important is partying and at what level should i relle be trying to get parties going

2. how should i go about finding parties

3. and how much of a difference in level should there be between the highest level'd person and the lowest level'd person.

[Vessiran]

Since you're new, partying is pretty important, not only for leveling but for also learning the party dynamic as it pertains to whatever job you happen to be playing. So to your first question, most people start partying at around level 10-12. Soloing past that will greatly slow your exp down.

As for level differences, no more than two or three levels in between the highest level and the lowest level, though I'd suggest keeping it at no more than two at lower levels. Also a good idea to make sure, if there is a level difference in your party, that the tanking class job is the highest level so that they're able to deal with taking hits easier.

[DakAttack]

Some people solo to twenty, but the dunes is a great place to get to know party mechanics. To find parties you can simply type /inv to flag yourself, and set up a comment under the search menu. You'd type out any information relevant to people interested in inviting you. Parties do best with a two level difference between the highest and lowest members, but towards the later parts of the game it's possible to find a larger spread.