New or Returning Players Discussion (Or Anything Old FFXI Then Vs. Now)

[bungiefan]

You don't need groups to do most of the older content now, meaning you can make progress solo or with 1-2 other people. A typical play session now is logging in and doing what you want to do with almost no wait. Abyssea, Voidwatch, and Trial of the Magians are the main grinds now to obtain high level gear. Leveling can be slow or super fast, depending on what method you choose to level with.

You might find some linkshells on GuildWork to do old content with in a more traditional way, but there's not going to be a lot of shouts for that anymore.

[Rehwyn]

Leveling can be slow or super fast, depending on what method you choose to level with.

"Slow" is still a relative term here. I came back after 7 years and, thanks to Grounds Tomes, can make more xp/hr soloing EPs than I used to in geared groups killing VTs/ITs. With level sync, I'll take showing up in Gusgen or CN and instantly getting invited into the xp alliance making 20-35k/hr over waiting potentially hours for an xp party invite to (maybe) get a level or two any day. Not that I really do that to level after 30, as joining an Abyssea group and making 100-200k/hr (depending on my level) is way faster.

I've actually spent a fair amount of time leveling, but that's because I've gotten 6 jobs, with subs, to 95 since I started 3 months ago. It's kinda fun playing a variety of jobs compared to the past. Unfortunately, skillup speed isn't increased nearly as much as leveling speed, so unless you abuse phalanx + mandragoras for combat skills or scripts/bots for magic skills, any new job you level from 1 is going to take quite a while to skill up outside of leveling. That being said, yesterday I went 0 -> 303 staff skill and 0 -> 230 club skill in about 8 hours using Martial Master + Saltena for low levels and PLD/MNK tanking (often with Counterstance) vs ~15 mandragoras in abyssea for 150+ skill. So there are obviously tricks you can use now to greatly speed combat skillups as well, if you have the right job combinations/atmas (retaliation for war/xx is rediculous for skillups) and/or a rdm/xx or sch/rdm friend that is very generous with their time.

As for what a play session might be like, bungiefan covered it pretty well. Two of my friends I used to play with back years ago also came back, so we've been having fun trioing all the missions and expansions we never finished, though I could solo the vast majority of them if I prefered. Pretty much all level-capped mission content is no longer capped (such as CoP), so going through them is easy, but nice for story and seeing new zones. For stuff that is still level capped (such as BCNMs), your gear "scales" down in power to match your level, so you no longer have to stock sets of level 40 gear etc. We've also been going through Dynamis (which is free entry after you pay 50k a single time for a Prismatic Hourglass) to get both currency for gil and some relic gear. You can get pretty much all the base city zone clears with 3-5 people without much problem and farm currency/relic duo (or even solo if you're a good job combination, namely bst/dnc).

Asides from that, most of the rest of our time has been spent working on AF3 +1/+2 gear or weapons from Trial of the Magians. We're still working on this and lack most of our AF3+2 and any empyreal weapons, so unless you have a LS that specifically gears you up, you'll be spending quite a bit of time working on gear for all the new jobs you've leveled. Again though, most the NMs for this gear can be killed with small groups and in relatively short time compared to how long it took to get top gear in the past (which is a good thing).

And bungiefan is right regarding traditional methods of doing older content: you're not likely to find many shouts for it, whether it's something like a traditional xp group or missions (asides from a select few fights that I occasionally see shouts for, such as Divine Might).

[bungiefan]

The way a typical play session works now actually kind of ticks me off, not because of how easy it is to get things done, but because when I was finally getting a melee job leveled to start doing the things I wanted to do solo, they changed the payment system and locked me out of the game. I don't want to start all over when I could be using my same character and having my items and mission progress, rather than having to redo stuff for a few months to get back to where I was, with a different name. Otherwise, support is telling me to take a several thousand dollar trip to Japan to be able to pay my <$15/month fee or giving me instructions to follow, and then rejecting my application after I follow them to the letter (or kanji) because it would change my region (which is what I specifically asked for and why they gave me the instructions).

[Rogan]

Hello,

I'm an old veteran player of FFXI. I began playing in March, 2004 with the PS2 release, and stopped playing about two years ago in November, 2009.

I've wanted multiple times to come back to the game, but it seems as though so much as changed, that I was wondering if it would even be worth it. When I quit, there was no Abyssea, the level cap was still 75, etc. My server, Caitsith, doesn't even exist anymore.

My question goes out to veteran players. I'm again considering coming back to the game. How much really has changed, and is it worth it?

This may be posted in the wrong spot, but seeing as how I also haven't frequented BG in a while, I was unsure as where to post a topic such as this. Moderators, feel free to do whatcha' gotta' do if it's in the wrong spot.

Feedback would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks much,

[Royal]

Id prob take alook at this thread. http://www.bluegartr.com/threads/104...I-Then-Vs.-Now)

Also i stopped playing in 09 and just came back about a month ago. Its way different and leveling is easy as fuck. End game is way different also you would have to experience it to see if you liked it or not.

[Francisco]

I'd say it's worth coming back... you'll probably be surprised how much stuff has changed.

The game was pretty stagnant in late 2009, but Abyssea added a lot of content, great rewards, can mostly be done duo or trio, a lot even solo.

[Rogan]

Two things I'm primarily worried about:

First, I don't remember any of my login information. Also, I had the login authenticator key chain, and that's been long missing. Will I even be able to reactivate my account?

Second, the thing I miss most about FFXI that I haven't been able to find in any game since was the challenge of it. Sure, it sucked grinding for hours and hours for EXP that wanes in comparison to Abyssea EXP, but it made leveling much more worth it.

Also, I'm quite curious about how the economy has changed. When I left, I gave away all of my non Ra/Ex items to shellmates, along with all of my remaining Gil.

I left my character with 75 NIN, RDM, and THF. Along with all subjobs capped, but at 37... Would I even be able to integrate back in?

[Kohan]

Second, the thing I miss most about FFXI that I haven't been able to find in any game since was the challenge of it. Sure, it sucked grinding for hours and hours for EXP that wanes in comparison to Abyssea EXP, but it made leveling much more worth it.

Well, there's only one thing I've got to say to you: fuck returning.

You're one of those people who doesn't recognize the difference between a legitimate "challenge" and a "time sink," believing both are one in the same. You feel that things have to suck—hey, they're your own words—to make them worthwhile. Can you say "masochist"?

You know what? Don't come back. EXPing isn't such a huge waste of time. People actually have fun now. You'll fucking hate it.

[Darkmagi]

FFXI is currently extremely easy in difficulty and there is very little time sink compared to the old days. If you are looking to come back purely based on the old experience of grinding for weeks to level, then I don't think you will have much fun. Getting gil and items has never been easier, anyone can make 2+mil a day in dynamis soloing, and you will be able to make plenty of gil off of random npcable drops while leveling as well. A new character can be fully leveled and geared+ an empyrean in under a week if you have some help.

[Rogan]

Well, there's only one thing I've got to say to you: fuck returning.

You're one of those people who doesn't recognize the difference between a legitimate "challenge" and a "time sink," believing both are one in the same. You feel that things have to suck—hey, they're your own words—to make them worthwhile. Can you say "masochist"?

You know what? Don't come back. EXPing isn't such a huge waste of time. People actually have fun now. You'll fucking hate it.

Haha. This post was ridiculously unnecessary. I appreciate feedback, however, I wasn't asking for your opinion on whether or not I should return. It wasn't necessarily the amount of time it took to level that made it challenging, although time was part of it. Because it took much longer to hit the cap, one was able to become more experienced and knowledgeable about how to play their job correctly. To be fair, I haven't played since Abyssea, but from what I can tell, it looks like a large cluster fuck of people. Hell, half the time the people partaking in Abyssea for leveling purposes aren't even doing anything.

I don't want a time sink, however, I don't want World of Warcraft either. I want to play the game, I don't want it to be played for me. Also, I don't agree with your use of "masochist" here, because frankly I don't think it applies. Sure, I'm looking for a challenge, but in the end FFXI is still just a game. Can you say "pretentious?"

Also, you have anime as your avatar, so anything you say is invalid anyway.

Have a nice day!

[Rogan]

FFXI is currently extremely easy in difficulty and there is very little time sink compared to the old days. If you are looking to come back purely based on the old experience of grinding for weeks to level, then I don't think you will have much fun. Getting gil and items has never been easier, anyone can make 2+mil a day in dynamis soloing, and you will be able to make plenty of gil off of random npcable drops while leveling as well. A new character can be fully leveled and geared+ an empyrean in under a week if you have some help.

Thanks for your constructive advice! It seems a lot has indeed changed, but I'm willing to role with it as long as the challenge is still a part of it. I can imagine that endgame has changed a lot too, and it's safe to say some aspects of end game are now just as difficult as in the old days.

[Rez]

One thing that hasn't changed is their shitbag level of customer service. If you're looking for a challenge, you will most certainly find one there.

You may find difficulty reactivating if your security token is still attached to the account but no longer usable, and there are a few other changes that may or may not affect you. They've changed the payment system which, if it hasn't impacted your account, is all dandy. If it has, for example if the 3D Secure was/is a problem for you, then you can look forward to more bullshit.

I've been affected by the new payment gibberish, where in the past it was fine. Personally I've had my fill of dealing with SE customer service and I wouldn't bother coming back if I knew I had to deal with them.

Game is fun though, shame really.

[Kohan]

Haha. This post was ridiculously unnecessary. I appreciate feedback, however, I wasn't asking for your opinion on whether or not I should return.

You weren't?

My question goes out to veteran players. I'm again considering coming back to the game. How much really has changed, and is it worth it?

Where did that come from? Weird.

It wasn't necessarily the amount of time it took to level that made it challenging, although time was part of it. Because it took much longer to hit the cap, one was able to become more experienced and knowledgeable about how to play their job correctly.

No, idiots are idiots whether they've played for a day or a year, and you're posting on the forum where that's pointed out every day. Morons leveled to 75 and remained morons well before Abyssea was implemented. Domaru, anyone?

Educating one's self beyond learning how to push keys is what yields the best players, as you're either handicapped (excusable) or a willful moron (inexcusable) if you don't care to enrich yourself. Wasting time doesn't do shit for wisdom.

To be fair, I haven't played since Abyssea, but from what I can tell, it looks like a large cluster fuck of people. Hell, half the time the people partaking in Abyssea for leveling purposes aren't even doing anything.

I don't want a time sink, however, I don't want World of Warcraft either. I want to play the game, I don't want it to be played for me. Also, I don't agree with your use of "masochist" here, because frankly I don't think it applies. Sure, I'm looking for a challenge, but in the end FFXI is still just a game. Can you say "pretentious?"

Also, you have anime as your avatar, so anything you say is invalid anyway.

Have a nice day!

Have you ever heard of sarcasm? If you think abandoning the bullshit that was old EXP accumulation sounds like a fun time, resubscribe. I'm one of the hardest campaigners for how much better FFXI has become, because it's seriously night and day. Abyssea was a phenomenal transformation that FFXI needed, and the only people who piss and moan are the ones that believe the old FFXI was perfect. I loved it too, but there's no fucking way I'd waste my time blowing smoke up someone's ass about it like a white-knighting bitch.

As you can see, I'm not going to sprinkle fairy dust on your fucking face. Don't call shit a challenge when it's not a challenge. That's not an opinion, it's fact, unless you're shit at games, and hammering near-identical macros for an extended period of time exhausts you. If it doesn't, and you liked anything about FFXI, play again and enjoy Abyssea. It's great.

Don't be a bitch.

[Mairja]

I've been playing for 5 1/2 years, I don't know if that's veteran enough, but I'll say my piece anyway.

First, I never really understood why people that's been on a long (1 year+) break ask if it's worth coming back. Nobody will know if it's worth it or not for you, the only way to find out is to try.

Having friends that still play, helps a lot. Being able to dual box helps a lot. Being able and willing to read up on things, and take initiative to get things done (i.e. make your own shout groups and suffer through them), helps a lot. Knowing and expecting that things have changed a LOT and being able to adapt without whining, is a must.

The majority of all the grinding that once was FFXI, is gone. If you truly believe that grinding exp the old way was the way to learn the different jobs, then you'll most likely hate the game now. But like Kohan said, there were idiots before and there are idiots now, and it makes no difference how long they've been playing for. The only difference is that there are more idiots with good gear now (and because they have good gear they actually believe they ARE good, and thus they are louder and more "in-your-face", at least compared to how I remember it).

What was actually challenging back @ 75 cap? Exping wasn't - aside the challenge of getting an invite on an unpopular job, finding a tank or a healer, and a camp. Apart from that, it was just slow and repetetive, not really challenging at all.

Either way, nobody can really tell you if it's worth it to come back or not. That's something you have to find out for yourself.

[Enedin]

The biggest change for me was the exp increase. It's pretty easy to get 200k exp/hour now.

[Byrthnoth]

They eliminated xping as an event, so now all there is to do is 8 years of endgame content. To me, XPing was a filler for when there weren't interesting things to do other than xping. Now there are plenty of things to do regardless of how large your group of friends are and what your time dedication to the game is.
* If you're a casual player, maybe working towards +2 armors is your "goal" in game. You can do it with just a handful of friends in an hour. If you don't have the handful, shout and find people.
* If you're a medium player, work towards a level 90 Empyrean.
* If you're a more hardcore player, farm Dynamis and Salvage every day for ~1mil/hr and then turn your gil into relics/mythics/95 empyreans.
* You log in to do things with your 18-man LS? I guess you're doing Voidwatch!

All the old endgame events still exist, and none of them are really truly "dead." I thought it was going to be a huge pita to get an Einherjar group, but at the moment I'm doing it with 4 other players (2 mules) and we go up through Odin. There has been a lowman shift in the game (6-30 person events -> 1-6 people), but that doesn't make it less enjoyable. There is still Voidwatch if you're interested in big group stuff.

[Enedin]

The neat thing about the level cap increase is that you can take a few friends to Sea or Sky and really slaughter a lot of NMs. For oldskool players like us, that is a great feeling.

[ArchDizzle]

I started playing from NA launch to WotG before I quit. (couple short breaks in between) I came back exactly 1 mnth ago and started from scratch with 4 friends, we play very casually 2-4x a week for a few hours. In that month i have been able to get two jobs to 75 one to 60 and a few others in the 40 range, have got all low-mid level rare/ex gear for all 4 of us (hairpin/boundingboots/pamulet/sallets/kotes/fumas etc) CoP to sacrarium, almost sky access, as well as camped numerous other NM's.

This week we will get sea/sky access and farm those for gear and progress through the expansions to abyssea and dynamis mixed in as well. This is the first time playing this game in a long time where I actually have a sense of enjoyment, it no longer feels like a job or chore logging in. I for one love the changes that were made in my absence.

Being able to solo/lowman content and having multiple ways to make gil (made 6m from Royal Jelly last night alone which can be done in your sleep lol) have made starting over a great experience, it is a much more enjoyable game then when I left.

[Taint]

I started the same time as you, 2004 PS2 release.

The game is more enjoyable to me now. I don't feel the need to drive home at lunch for Nidhogg. I don't rush home to make events on time and I don't skip outside of work things to be logged in. I went from playing DRK and WAR only to having just about every job ready to go. When I get bored I just hop on a mage job and help a LS mate out. The economy is much more forgiving as well. You can make a few mil in a day and get your items or put it towards a larger goal.

The downside is there isn't that sense of accomplishment. There aren't any real items that are worth bragging about and no titles worth boasting about. Gone are the days of AFKing in a Relic and being on top of the world. Or being the first LS to slay Vrtra and keeping that title so people knew you did it. There also aren't those races to Tiamat with 7 flee boots all ready or killing Cerb with no ToD mules around and rushing to WG to change your titles so nobody knew you killed.

Its still a great game and I enjoy it, there is a lot more to do, just don't expect the same rush when you finally do it.

[Kipling]

I appreciated the feeling of accomplishment that came with grinding a job to 75, but that was more along the lines of "Thank god it's over".

I don't think people were actually supposed to enjoy it other than using it as a means to an end. I leveled 8 jobs to 75 before smn burns came along and I still have no idea how.

Either way, if you can deal with the changes to the Exp system/the game in general then you will find lots of things to keep yourself entertained. I did this myself when Abyssea was in full swing.

Ps. Unless you have a friend who is always on/always wants to help you, I'd suggest getting or making a mule if you want to be able to be efficient on your own in today's FFXI. Can do some things solo, just makes it go faster.

I just realized I changed my avatar last night so, disregard this post?!