[Canuklehead]

Heya. I posted here a long time ago, but have been lurking on and off since. I used to play FFXI ages ago, when it first hit NA... then stopped after about a year... and came back when it hit the 360... then stopped. And now here I am.

I want to play again, but was wondering how friendly the game is to a new player. See, I don't pick up old characters when I return to a game... I start from scratch every time. It was easy in '03 because everyone else was pretty new and in the same boat as me. It was tougher last year because only a handfull of people were new too. But now?


If I were to come back and go from scratch, how tough a time would I have?

[IfritnoItazura]

The first 10 levels is the same as always; solo, accumulate gil for first set of party gears, etc. This is a pretty decent time to rejoin, since there should be more people playing lower level jobs than usual, thanks to the Wings of Goddess expansion's new jobs.

Maybe you should tell us more about why you left? It's hard to encourage you to return when you had left the game a few times already. Knowing what bothered you about the game and made you quit may help us figure out if you should rejoin FFXI or not?

[Canuklehead]

I'd be happy to...

The first time I left was because of a move. I had just finished college, moved for a job and didn't get internet for another few months. I guess you could say that the addiction wore off.

The second time was more to do with time restraints. I had a lot going on and just didn't have the time to devote to the game.

Not that I still have a lot of time... I have a long commute to and from a full time job with a dozen other things on the side. If I rejoin, I'd be playing pretty casually, whenever I get the chance to.

One thing that bothered me is the eliteism. the "you have to have the best armour and use a certain weapon on a certain job" mentality.

[Ellipses]

I'm on my third restart, so I'm in something of the same boat, though I do have fairly reliable chunks of time to play (3ish hours on randomly scattered weeknights, most Friday nights, a few weekends).

Everyone has a different definition of "elitism," so that's a bit hard to pin down. Most players will not expect you to have all HQ gear, especially not on your first time through. They may suggest you get some, and depending on their personality, it may come out something like "lol get a hairpin nub," but it's not going to keep you from getting parties.

But most people will expect you to have decent gear (appropriate to the level), and to use a weapon that lets your job perform to its full potential. Warriors with swords suck. It'd be nice if they didn't, but they do. Paltry damage output compared to axes and great axes, and damage output is what a Warrior is for. You could honestly probably get away with it early on, because low-level parties are desperate, but that fades more and more as you rise in level.

And that's about the way it goes, depending on your job. The higher you go, the more important gear becomes to performance, so the more people will expect.

All that being said, my experience so far has been fine. Party invites are the same as they've ever been (actually right now, I'm getting tons of invites because I'm neither a Dancer nor a Scholar). The only things that have really changed for me are travel times (Outpost Warps are easier), and the fact that the starting cities' auction houses don't have very much in stock most of the time. That's moot once you get to Jeuno anyway.

But I've got no problem farming and crafting, etc. for a good while in between leveling sessions. If you want to level straight through and never, ever have to stop to build up gil for the next set of gear/food/etc., that part hasn't changed.

[Canuklehead]

Thanks, Ellipses... that was very helpful! It doesn't sound like a lot has changed. It seems similar to how I remember it.

What about the population? The best times I had was a month or two before the PS2 release... not TOO many people around, but enough that you were never waiting too long for a party.

[Ellipses]

The low-level population has significantly decreased. There are more people now, because of the expansion, and there might be a Christmas influx, too. But in general, there aren't nearly as many low-level jobs around.

That's a big part of why the starting cities' auction houses are so empty; there just aren't as many people hanging around as there used to be.

This has advantages and disadvantages. Places like the Dunes used to be packed, with plenty of people seeking. Enough that people would be left waiting because parties could afford to be selective about who/what they'd invite. And once you did get into a party, there would be a good bit of competition for mobs.

Now, there aren't that many people seeking. You may end up waiting on a healer or tank, just like always, but because the pool is smaller, it's easier to get snagged up by any party that does need a slot filled.

Like I said, for me, the invite rate has seemed to be just about what it always was. It's been even better recently, because of the new jobs, but those ripples won't last forever, and they depend on the job you play.

Soloing has also gotten (ever so slightly) easier. Depending on when the last time you tried, anyway. I think the buffs to Signet would be the only big change in that department since 360 release.