New player observations/questions

[GuyArcher]

So, I am a completely new player. Just picked up the game last week. So far, I have had a bit of a rocky experience.

First, I am less than impressed with the lack of a tutorial or newbie zone. After the number of expansions, I guess I expected more. So I installed the game, spent hours patching, and then had to spend another hour reading newbie guides because I had no clue what was going on.

Quests: took me a good hour to realize that there are zero indications of quest givers. Do you really have to talk to every single npc? Thats a bit much.

Next, i read that solo is pretty much not worth it. I can deal with that. However i was under the impression that it wasnt too painful up to ten.

So 3 hours after i create my character, i finally get out of town to kill some onion things only to die from poison after my second kill. I make my way back, kill another and end up having to heal for power..no biggie except i have to do it between every kill practically and its slow. Am i missing something?

I am a hume red mage. I wanted to be a bard but one day. However at this rate, i wont be playing the game much longer. I have never had such a frustrating experience in a mmorpg when starting out. That 'new game' excitement wore off quick.

I guess i am just frustrated and want to be sure that im not doing something wrong. Any tips/help?

Thanks for your time.

[Mhurron]

What exactly are you expecting in a newbie zone?

Honestly, I have no idea why new players have problems like this.

BTW there is a new player guide somewhere, but I keep loosing it.

[Murphie]

First, I am less than impressed with the lack of a tutorial or newbie zone. After the number of expansions, I guess I expected more. So I installed the game, spent hours patching, and then had to spend another hour reading newbie guides because I had no clue what was going on.

It would be nice if there was an in-game tutorial, but that's just not FFIX's way. Sorry you had such a rough time with it.

Quests: took me a good hour to realize that there are zero indications of quest givers. Do you really have to talk to every single npc? Thats a bit much.

It's just like in earlier final fantasies. You have to talk to everyone to find the quests. You can also look them up online if you're not interested in talking to everyone. But the flavor text is nice to experience.

Next, i read that solo is pretty much not worth it. I can deal with that. However i was under the impression that it wasnt too painful up to ten.

So 3 hours after i create my character, i finally get out of town to kill some onion things only to die from poison after my second kill. I make my way back, kill another and end up having to heal for power..no biggie except i have to do it between every kill practically and its slow. Am i missing something?

It's not. But when you're just starting out, depending on the job, it can be. I'd suggest sticking to bees early on if you're in Sarutabaruta, and moving to rabbits. At least until level 3. The mandies are a bitch early on, with their evasion, and ability to regen.

I am a hume red mage. I wanted to be a bard but one day. However at this rate, i wont be playing the game much longer. I have never had such a frustrating experience in a mmorpg when starting out. That 'new game' excitement wore off quick.

I guess i am just frustrated and want to be sure that im not doing something wrong. Any tips/help?

I'm surprised you're having so much trouble as a Red Mage. It's certainly one of the easier jobs to get into the swing of things with. Have you tried any of the other jobs to see if they are a better fit? You can change jobs by going to your mog house and choosing the appropriate selection from the job change menu.

What server are you on? I'm sure there are a number of people here who could probably answer some questions in-game, and maybe give you some pointers.

[Raydeus]

It's ok, XI is XI and there isn't much you can do as a newbie (or even as a high lvl player) to change the way things work.

XI is a game where you can easily take a year getting your first job to 75 and only after you get some experience (and a subjob) you'll be able to fly through the first 20 lvls solo (and by fly I mean get there a few days not hours)

WoW seems to be everything you are looking for and more.

Good luck.

[fallenintoshadows]

You're not doing anything wrong. /healing between fights is a pain in the ass but it has to be done, as you level there are things to ease this like refresh and hp/mp+ items whilst healing. Don't forget to /check mobs before you attack them so you know whether you can successfully take them on or not.

As for quests, there are countless lists/guides on the net of quests/quest givers by region/area/quest type. Pretty simple really.

There isn't much of a tutorial but from my own experience I found trial and error to be far better than being told what to do. It encourages you to develop your own way of playing the game/your job etc.

[Murphie]

Suggesting that someone who has problems with FFXI during his first few hours of play should just quit and go to WoW is kind of shitty. Is that the sort of advice we want to be giving here?

[Ellipses]

As far as quest givers and general information, you're not really missing anything. This game doesn't make those things easy. Other players and online resources are your best bet when it comes to gathering information.

There's no way to tell what, if anything, you're "doing wrong" when it comes to battle, without knowing what you're actually doing. Did you equip the weapon (Onion Sword? Onion Dagger?) and learn the spell (Dia) you started with? Assuming you did, are you casting it every fight (there's no need to)? Did you get Signet from the guard at the gate (Guy with "W.W." after his name, since you're apparently from Windurst)?

You might want to fight the bees instead of the mandragoras. The bees can't poison you.

The first trip up to level 18, when you can get your subjob, is honestly very rough if you don't read a lot first. Even then, it's not that easy, and it's not fast. Especially as a mage job. Once you've made it that far, you'll have a slightly better handle on game mechanics, and hopefully you'll have found a couple ways to make gil so you can buy better equipment and food and such.

[fallenintoshadows]

Like any game you just need to get into the swing of things and once you do you'll be wondering how you got so confused to begin with. I look back at my newbie days and laugh.

WoW is just the slackers way out, if you want to play a game which takes minimal effort and no real sense of achievement then go ahead but please let's not inflict the suggestion of such a thing on other players.

[Murphie]

WoW is just the slackers way out, if you want to play a game which takes minimal effort and no real sense of achievement then go ahead but please let's not inflict the suggestion of such a thing on other players.

What? No. It's an alternative to FFXI. It has it's own series of challenges, it's own (admittedly less steep) learning curve, etc. It is not "the slacker's way out." What does that even mean? Some games appeal more to one person than another. If someone finds that FFXI isn't the right fit, that doesn't mean there is something wrong with the game, and it doesn't mean there is something wrong with the person.

[Mhurron]

Suggesting that someone who has problems with FFXI during his first few hours of play should just quit and go to WoW is kind of shitty. Is that the sort of advice we want to be giving here?

Ummmm ...
...
...

Yes?

[Murphie]

Ummmm ...
...
...

Yes?

We're not all quite as cynical as you are, Mhurron. So just assume I was addressing that question to everyone else.

[GuyArcher]

I already played wow. Got to 70 and that was that...boring.

Thanks for the tips....at least im not doing anything glaringly wrong.

I guess I'll try doing more research and sucking it up til 18. We will see how I feel then.

Thanks again. Nice to see a helpful community.

[Murphie]

What server are you on?

[Mhurron]

Ok now, really. I don't see the problem with the beginning of the game. I started with nothing more then reading the manual that came with the game. I'd never played an MMO before and I was able to start the game, find quest givers, kill mobs, level up, make gil.

I didn't talk to anyone until level 8 when I got my first linkshell. (except to that one person who was killing bunnies and yelling at them for running away. I told them I didn't think that was going to work). I didn't read any fan site until I was somewhere around level 15.

It's just not that hard.

[fallenintoshadows]

What? No. It's an alternative to FFXI. It has it's own series of challenges, it's own (admittedly less steep) learning curve, etc. It is not "the slacker's way out." What does that even mean? Some games appeal more to one person than another. If someone finds that FFXI isn't the right fit, that doesn't mean there is something wrong with the game, and it doesn't mean there is something wrong with the person.

I've known many FFXI players to leave for WoW purely because they "can't be asked" and they prefer it because it's simpler and they don't have to work as hard to get somewhere in the game. That is why I think of it as a "slackers way out".

Add:

Mhurron has a good point, get a decent linkshell asap (you can generally /shout politely asking for one) and if you have a problem or question generally the linkshell will help you.