If you were starting fresh today?

[Burzum]

Hi I played FFXI on US release got to 55 (spent a lot of time crafting)I think then switched to WoW. Now I've OD'ed on WoW got the T-shirt, underwear, and sock set from the highest content there is...

So I still see FFXI with "Rose Tinted Glasses" and thought maybe I could log in some hours there during the week in between raid days... (since there isn't much for me gear wise and the guild is giving more people opportunities to gear up)

So if you just opened a new account today... what would you do?

I figure FFXI is still very cash driven... so I'll need to make gil.

I'm also going to assume that finding groups will be difficult for a fresh player since I figure most people have leveled all the sub's they'll ever need.

So is it going to be painful to get those newbie hurdles out of the way like sub-job quest and Airship pass.

What classes... errr... jobs :) would you try to level first? I would figure WHM and BRD are still a cheap way to get that first lvl 75 under your belt? Since I figure other jobs might be too gear intensive (cash driven) to level to 75 as your "first" 75.

As i would figure at this point in the game... it's not like WoW where you can lvl a fresh toon get some starting equipment through Quests and non-Heroic Instances. Then grind some Heroic Badges and entry level Raids for equipment. 6 months later (possibly sooner if your a healer) you could be doing Top-End content.

I had also hear that the leveling grind has been reduced??? It was murder from what I remember before.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

[Negklar]

Best advise I can give is, being this is a game and all, to play the class you enjoy playing the most. Also, find a linkshell of people who you enjoy talking to (and can help you with missions/quests ^^).

[Ellipses]

I came back in October. Nothing's been significantly more difficult than it ever was.

For gil, I farm and craft. I'll eventually fish and mine, too, just haven't gotten around to it. Same as it ever was, watch the market, make decisions.

What job to level first really depends on what you want. If you've got a particular job in mind, level jobs that make sense as subjobs for it (or the job itself if it's one of the starting six). How easy you have it there will depend on your play time and your server (less populated means fewer people partying, but they're not as picky; more populated means more parties going, but also more selective). If your main concern is racing to 75 for some reason, then yeah, WHM, RDM, or BRD are pretty reliable for that.

If you can't find groups, soloing's gotten easier (though it's not the best idea 1-75 for most jobs; it's just more viable to solo Easy Prey while you're seeking). For quests and missions you need help with, get a decent linkshell, just like always.

The level grind has been reduced slightly. Not enough to make it zip by. If you found it tedious and difficult last time, you'll find it tedious and difficult this time, just a little less so.

[Mhurron]

so I'll need to make gilSo sell drops like every other new character

is it going to be painful to get those newbie hurdles out of the way like sub-job quest and Airship pass.Did you find it painful the first time?

What classes... errr... jobs would you try to level first?Ones that I find fun to play.

[nanatsu]

I started a taru from scratch a few months ago just because I wanted something cute to look at. Made it to lvl 55 WHM so far with fully leveled BLM sub. Soloing Rank 3 mission and airship pass quest wasn't so bad. It was the subjob quest that killed me >_> I was determined to do it on my own and the drop rates just weren't working for me. Eventually an LS member forced me to let them help me. :p

Now I'm realizing I have to get all my runic portals again after scouring Vanadiel to get ToAU access. And I still need to pick up Sky and Sea again. If you want to get a new character up to snuff when you're used to have access to all areas and a couple of jobs at 75 it's a bit daunting. ;_;

[Zoltar]

whm and brd are always sought after for parties, go with blm to 18, whm to 37, then brd to 75....if you want to do it as fast as possible...just my two cents

plus a lot of their gear is shared...will save you some coin

[IfritnoItazura]

Solo all six starter jobs to Lv.10. Sell the drops to fund equipment. Keep in mind some stuff sells for higher prices on Auction House, while some to NPCs.

Take WHM into the parting levels first; relatively good invite rate, and having a support job which can give you Sneak and Invisible is always a nice option to have, even if you don't want to level WHM as a main.

After you unlock support job ability, then you can decide which jobs to level further.

* * *

Long term gil outlook wise, FFXI provides more and more varied opportunities roughly corresponding to job level and which jobs one has available. For a beginner, here are two good resources to look at:

How to make money as a newbie (http://www.ffxionline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=67145)
Selphiie's FFXI Farming Guide (http://ffxifarming.blogspot.com/)

[Malacite]

I would figure WHM and BRD are still a cheap way to get that first lvl 75 under your belt?

When is this mentality going to die off once and for all? I hate it when people level X job because "it's cheap", particularly BRD because it's a support job and ppl who level it with just one instrument thinking it's cheap easy ticket to 75 drive me up the wall.

[Mog]

Play what job you want to....not what's the fastest way to hit 75. If it means farming as you go along, then do it.

[Sevv]

So if you just opened a new account today... what would you do?


Quit and never come back this shit is addicting lol.

[Burzum]

So sell drops like every other new character






Fair enough... I mean I quit during the time of the great economic super inflation... so I'm unsure of the current state of the economy.

Did you find it painful the first time?

Not really I had some RL friend who all got into it with my at the same time... since we were all moving from EQ... but alas this time I'll be a lone adventurer.


Ones that I find fun to play.

Well often a class might seem "fun" to many people ... but be torture to play due to player base bias "dragoon" I think had a tough time with this when I first played.

As well some jobs are very gear dependent and cash flow dependent in relation to other jobs... I remember Ninja and Ranger both being exceptionally expensive to level in relation to other jobs.

I am a player who doesn't like to play characters that are slackers :) So I have sense enough to know that I should likely start my first level grind to 75 (which will create a lot more opportunity for cash flow) with a job that is relatively in expensive to be able to play at the level I find acceptable. My moto is that I can always level a second job to 75 down the road when economics will not be as limiting of a factor.

For I'm sure any job could leveled as a particular characters first lvl 75 job... the question is do I want to spend a year doing so or a few months? Personally a few months is more why I'm leaning toward. :)

[mw21]

I started fresh again in December. I've taken my time making gil so it may be unimpressive that I'm only a 33 whm/blm and nin/thf/war at 10. I think the hardest part about starting fresh on a new server was finding a quality social ls.

[Gentoo]

So if you just opened a new account today... what would you do?
What classes... errr... jobs :) would you try to level first?

I didn't open a new account today, but I did start fresh not too long ago. Like you, I wasn't entirely sure what job I wanted to play this time around so I made the decision to take some utility jobs and the corresponding subjob to level 20 (Thief, Warrior, Monk, White Mage, Black Mage).

This allowed me to re-acquaint myself with the game as well as find where my tastes in jobs fell this go 'round.

I had also hear[d] that the leveling grind has been reduced??? It was murder from what I remember before.

There's been some nice tweaks that speed xp'ing up a little. The Chariot, Empress, and Emperor rings provide a nice XP bonus. A long while back Easy Prey monsters got a boost in the amount of XP they give making solo'ing a bit more viable.

You'll still need to get a group eventually -- although it's easier to solo to 20'ish now.
At some point, you'll still end up xp'ing off Crabs in Valkurm and Qufim Island.
Sometimes you'll have problems getting a party together because there's no healer or tank.
Same as it ever was.

[Burzum]

PS are there are recent new servers?

I would like to go to a newer server if there happen to be any... just in the fact that I would hope there might be a larger population of people still leveling jobs 1-37.

The prospect of LFG in the dunes for two weeks to get my sub-job quest done is not exactly enticing :).

Thanks for all the replies as well :)

[Mhurron]

No.

[Pteryx]

Fair enough... I mean I quit during the time of the great economic super inflation... so I'm unsure of the current state of the economy.

Considerably better now. Crystals aren't so much of a cash cow as they were at the height of inflation, but they're a somewhat safer bet, too.

Not really I had some RL friend who all got into it with my at the same time... since we were all moving from EQ... but alas this time I'll be a lone adventurer.

I don't envy you; one of the key points of FFXI for me from the get-go was playing with friends.

Well often a class might seem "fun" to many people ... but be torture to play due to player base bias "dragoon" I think had a tough time with this when I first played.

As well some jobs are very gear dependent and cash flow dependent in relation to other jobs... I remember Ninja and Ranger both being exceptionally expensive to level in relation to other jobs.

Dragoon in particular is finally more accepted now, thanks not so much to adjustments to the job itself as adjustments to how two-handed weapon damage is calculated and huge tectonic shifts in party composition and common tactics. (I hope skillchains weren't your favorite part of the game...) Note that these same changes have forced black mages to invent their own style of soloing, too. :cry:

As far as expense goes, Corsair is up there too, particularly if you actually play it right. I can't really think of a job that doesn't run into some significant expense along the way, though. -- Pteryx

[Omgwtfbbqkitten]

To be fair, every job has a high expense at some point - especially so if to play them at the peak of thier potential or at least close to it. That said COR, RNG, NIN, THF and BST are jobs that are high-maitenence - the expense of these jobs never goes away.

COR and RNG are unique in that a lot of thier best gear is Rare/Exclusive, which goes a long way in helping you keep gil reserved for ammo. NIN, THF and BST expenses could be considered more minor by contrast, but a lot of thier good gear is crafted and that gets them a little more expense on armor and weapons than COR and RNG, so they can get up there too.

Going the El Cheapo route, depending on class, may be tolerated by PT members, just don't expect much respect in the long run if you don't work hard on your gear at all.

[IfritnoItazura]

To be fair, every job has a high expense at some point - especially so if to play them at the peak of thier potential or at least close to it. That said COR, RNG, NIN, THF and BST are jobs that are high-maitenence - the expense of these jobs never goes away.

COR and RNG are unique in that a lot of thier best gear is Rare/Exclusive, which goes a long way in helping you keep gil reserved for ammo. NIN, THF and BST expenses could be considered more minor by contrast, but a lot of thier good gear is crafted and that gets them a little more expense on armor and weapons than COR and RNG, so they can get up there too.
A typical THF really doesn't burn through so much consumables to warren comparisons with NIN, I think; the differences between my THF42 and NIN41 was pretty dramatic.

Also, BST is pretty much self-paying to play if soloing or duo'ing thanks to being able to keep half/all of the drops; everyone I know who has a high level BST also has multiple stacks of Kindred and Beastmen seals, to boot. Plus, BST players can often choose to farm EPs for drops and still make minor progress on leveling. Like any job, it has its expensive items, but with a little planning it shouldn't be difficult to have the gil ready for those must-have gears when one hit the levels.

Honestly, I've never heard of any BST having trouble paying for pet food and (reasonable) jug pets. Heck, they don't even need to use RR items much once Reraise becomes accessible from /WHM.

[Neomage]

If I was starting fresh... I wouldn't, quite honestly. I spent way to much work getting to where I am, then to do it all over again. As for your particular situation, I would have to say the game is much more balanced and newbie friendly then it was all those years ago, though there are much less players at lower levels.

[Jaice]

Hi I played FFXI on US release got to 55 (spent a lot of time crafting)I think then switched to WoW. Now I've OD'ed on WoW got the T-shirt, underwear, and sock set from the highest content there is...

So if you just opened a new account today... what would you do?

I'm also going to assume that finding groups will be difficult for a fresh player since I figure most people have leveled all the sub's they'll ever need.


I got a drg to 51 and had the same feelings, went to WoW for a few years and came back. I did start all over last october :) this time around i'm taking my time with the game, just enjoying the company of my friends that are still around and showing all of my trade secrets to my girlfriend when we both get the time to play, aside from that if I dont have the time to be in a party I start working on one of my level 1 jobs or look to unlocking more advanced jobs.

I havent had any difficulties finding a party yet but I've been trying my hand at mage jobs so far, out of brd/whm/blm/rdm I think my lowest level is 15 I've yet to try playing as my all time favorite tank type critter but from what i've gathered weekends are a good time to go seek in the dunes and weekdays (pending on time of day) might be best used to farm/level subs

[Brielle]

With everyone talking about returning to the game, it makes me wish that all of the interns would just leave for the summer already!

I feel his pain in wanting to plan ahead and decisively figure out every move you are going to make long before it actually happens. As I have seen, though. Most people do recommend playing what you are going to enjoy most, which honestly makes me feel better. As with any online game, there will be classes/jobs that do some things better than others. The nice aspect of Final Fantasy XI is that one character can be all of those things, rather than having six characters.

When I return to the game in May, I will be looking for other new people who may want to join me in starting out. You can never have too many friends!