New or Returning Players Discussion 2: SoA Homeless Veterans Edition

[Castor]

Naturally, this is a question far too broad to answer. I recommend reading through this thread to start. If not the entire thing, at least the last half of it should do you good.

Thanks for the response! That's what I was doing, looks like I shouldn't have too much of a problem getting started.

[Kohan]

Thanks for the response! That's what I was doing, looks like I shouldn't have too much of a problem getting started.

You definitely should be able to. I recommend using both this forum and FFXIAH for information, not to mention FFXIclopedia.com for older content, and BG-Wiki for anything newer (e.g., Voidwatch, Legion, Salvage 99, and so on). On BlueGartr in particular, crunching numbers is most fancied, and you'll find people blasting one another whenever they can't prove their side of the argument right. If you've played WoW, you'll recognize this kind of mindset from places like Elitist Jerks.

Meanwhile, FFXIAH contains a lot of knowledgeable people, too—many of the best being posters here, as well—and a very active userbase, which includes a lot of not-so-hardcore players. In fact, there are a few whose nonsensical understandings of FFXI's mechanics are downright comical. Since you've stated that you're new, you won't immediately know how to tell inaccurate statements from accurate ones. That's okay, as not knowing isn't the same as refusing to learn. Fortunately, BG has random question threads that you can use whenever you have a curiosity you can't satisfy on your own.

For miscellaneous questions: http://www.bluegartr.com/threads/114...uestion-Thread

For asking which pieces of armor, weaponry, etc., are better when comparing one to another: http://www.bluegartr.com/threads/110506-What-s-Better

For having more in-depth conversations about entire gear sets, often (but not necessarily) including screenshots: http://www.bluegartr.com/threads/975...-Doin-It-Wrong

When you start, you should also make use of the Tutorial NPCs.

[Ollieyk]

For a really old player looking to return, i've noticed massive changes since the Wings of the Goddess days. I've completely forgotten all login details etc...for my old account and not really interested in returning on a lvl75. I'm looking to start over from the beginning again.

My circumstances have changed completely since i used to play back in college so i'm really looking for a class that is going to be possible to solo pretty much all the way to 75 atleast. Before, this was only viable with BST so i'm assuming that i would need to look at going down that route again, but does anyone have any other insights?

Also, am i going to have to go through the pain that was Valkurm XP parties before hitting 30?

I'm not all that fussed about hitting 99 asap, but would like to potentially be able to solo Dynamis / farm at a really decent rate.

[Buffy]

DNC /sub job means virtually any melee can solo their way to 75, and campaign continues to be a viable option for those trying to level the first time.

As for your valkurm question, I doubt you could find 6 people between 10-20 at any given time on the server without level sync being involved. Gusgen mines, alliance, level sync, 12-30 in a couple hours probably. Depends on the quality of the group.

[Eldelphia]

My circumstances have changed completely since i used to play back in college so i'm really looking for a class that is going to be possible to solo pretty much all the way to 75 atleast. Before, this was only viable with BST so i'm assuming that i would need to look at going down that route again, but does anyone have any other insights?

Also, am i going to have to go through the pain that was Valkurm XP parties before hitting 30?

I'm not all that fussed about hitting 99 asap, but would like to potentially be able to solo Dynamis / farm at a really decent rate.

If you read through this thread and check out the first post in it, there's a lot of information about xping. The short answer is Fields of Valor and Grounds of Valor for xp and the change in how much xp you can get from Eps makes life easier. Everything changes at 30 when you hit Abyssea. Level synch obviously makes life a ton easier. XP won't be an issue for you. You can go from 30-75 in a few hours in an Abyssea party but as you'll have level caps etc along the way you won't be as quick. If you want to solo further than 30 it's certainly possible and as is repeated here a lot, Crawlers Nest Grounds of Valor pages are great.

If you're determined to solo (or only have time to play that way) I'd get a basic job to 30 then unlock Dancer (DNC) and BST. BLU might work too.

[vegetaa]

NIN could work as well.
Solo exp can be quite fast as NIN, if you can afford having good AH gear (which is easy nowadays).

[Pooke]

Is there a work around getting your playonline password found when you don't have the right name or credit card? I had an XI account that I stopped playing years ago, I can view it on my square enix account, but I can't transfer it without the playonline password. I keep getting told name, credit card, again and again, but I can't give something I made up in the first place (card was lost a year ago).

[Peace Walker]

I just got back after 6 months and right now I really need a linkshell for endgame events. I have a SCH properly geared for NNI, WHM, BST, BLU and trying to work on a DRG.

[Ollieyk]

Just a quick question...

I'm only 3 days into the 14 day free trial and it's already annoying the hell out of me not being able to list anything on the AH, send /tells to players etc...so i'm looking to upgrade to the full version.

Anyone know how to do this during the free trial period? I've looked it up on the official FFXI site and can't find any information about how to do this, although it may just be me being dumb...

Loving the new xp changes by the way, not having to go to Valkurm Dunes is a damn godsend and i got to 23 in around an hours playtime :D

Also - Anyone on Phoenix the owner of a social LS?

[Pooke]

Started a new character with my brother, and have a question about overall effectiveness of melee jobs of interest. As I understand, we'll be living in abyssea for sometime, my brother is covering the whm slot and I'm interested in mnk/sam/pld. I'm pretty sure I had read that mnk/war/nin dominated inside, but how drastically? Is monk/war the way to go in there or does the defense update negate that? Another thing of concern is the proc !!, would we regret if I was on one of those three over the another? Basically I'm just asking for opinions on what would get us moving the quickest as a duo. Thanks.

[Kohan]

Started a new character with my brother, and have a question about overall effectiveness of melee jobs of interest. As I understand, we'll be living in abyssea for sometime, my brother is covering the whm slot and I'm interested in mnk/sam/pld. I'm pretty sure I had read that mnk/war/nin dominated inside, but how drastically? Is monk/war the way to go in there or does the defense update negate that? Another thing of concern is the proc !!, would we regret if I was on one of those three over the another? Basically I'm just asking for opinions on what would get us moving the quickest as a duo. Thanks.

Since you're starting fresh, MNK is indeed an excellent choice. While WAR can handle far more procs, when you don't already have the majority of atmas, newer equipment pieces, etc., MNK has more survivability than WAR does "out of the box." Once you're comfortable and established in Abyssea, you could burn WAR to 99, skill up its various weapons, and go back to get what you don't already have. (Alternatively, you can do the same with PLD, as it also has access to a great deal of procs, missing only Scythe when compared to WAR.)

[Carraway]

MNK can cover every blue proc but Hexa Strike I think, for those miscellaneous items you'll need. It might be rough going until you have a few of the must-have atmas and abyssites, but sometimes you can catch a shout group for those. If you have SoA as well, it won't take too long to gear out both MNK and WAR on the cheap.

[gaogaostegosaurus]

I'm a bit of an Abyssea newb myself, but my impressions of the MNK/WAR/NIN domination in Abyssea (at 99 anyway) is largely due to proc utility more than damage, as 99 seems to have trivialized most encounters in Abyssea compared to how they were at release. It seems to me that there's a hierarchy somewhere, but damage output for any properly skilled/played DD in Abyssea has simply long exceeded the point where it matters anymore. As for MNK/WAR, you probably can't get away with just one SJ starting out, if that's what you're asking.

If you think you'll be farming Abyssea for more than one job, aiming to have between the both of you one (or more) BLM/BRD, /THF, WHM, NIN, and (lowest priority of the lot, I think) MNK significantly reduces time spent looking for help and getting the items/gear/atma you want. Even in cheapo AH gear, being able to flexibly fill any two major roles will make getting Abyssea gear much easier with fewer people, and if you need help (which you will) that help will probably appreciate the ability to come "as they are" or "as what they want" more often. My experience is that most people are finished with many of the things you will need starting out, so making the connected issues less painful is a nice thing. There's likely some sort of tipping point somewhere, where the time spent leveling jobs you wouldn't otherwise touch still outweighs the time saved by having those jobs, but it's semi-irrelevant if you were interested in leveling them anyway.

[Damane]

I'm a bit of an Abyssea newb myself, but my impressions of the MNK/WAR/NIN domination in Abyssea (at 99 anyway) is largely due to proc utility more than damage, as 99 seems to have trivialized most encounters in Abyssea compared to how they were at release. It seems to me that there's a hierarchy somewhere, but damage output for any properly skilled/played DD in Abyssea has simply long exceeded the point where it matters anymore. As for MNK/WAR, you probably can't get away with just one SJ starting out, if that's what you're asking.

If you think you'll be farming Abyssea for more than one job, aiming to have between the both of you one (or more) BLM/BRD, /THF, WHM, NIN, and (lowest priority of the lot, I think) MNK significantly reduces time spent looking for help and getting the items/gear/atma you want. Even in cheapo AH gear, being able to flexibly fill any two major roles will make getting Abyssea gear much easier with fewer people, and if you need help (which you will) that help will probably appreciate the ability to come "as they are" or "as what they want" more often. My experience is that most people are finished with many of the things you will need starting out, so making the connected issues less painful is a nice thing. There's likely some sort of tipping point somewhere, where the time spent leveling jobs you wouldn't otherwise touch still outweighs the time saved by having those jobs, but it's semi-irrelevant if you were interested in leveling them anyway.

if you have a mule BLU/NIN in combo with your mule being BLM is the best solo/dualbox combo for anything when farming seals/+2 items. for the red KIs stick to WAR or NIN and for Blue procs MNK

[Shadowhusky]

Is the expansion worth coming back to? I quit during the first abyssea expansion. Do RUN and GEO have their AF yet? I might return if they do otherwise I'll just wait for that update I guess.

[Isiolia]

Is the expansion worth coming back to? I quit during the first abyssea expansion. Do RUN and GEO have their AF yet? I might return if they do otherwise I'll just wait for that update I guess.

I wouldn't say that SoA is worth returning for all on its own merits. At least not yet.

That said, there are a lot of other changes or additions since you last played, many of which are detailed here.

RUN and GEO AF is not yet implemented, no.

[Jubotski]

I quit back in late 06/ early 07. I just came back and want to make some quick Gil and saw some scroll prices that were through the roof. I noticed alot are quest able and checked my character to see if I completed them as I couldn't remember. Unfortunately I did most that I could think of back in the day, all the teles were done, warp II, etc. So I guess my question is where there any good non-repeatable quests added after 07 I can do on my character to get a big ticket item or 2 that I could sell? Thanks!

[vegetaa]

The scroll of Retrace is the only one I can think of, right now.

[Buffy]

Recall x3 too.

[In Flames]

I finally have a bit of free time now that uni is coming to a close and my thesis is complete, so i wouldn't mind playing again. Problem is my account was hacked and banned a year and a half ago and so is permanently gone. I have a few questions about starting fresh:

1. How much of the game is playable as a solo player? I'd like to go back to playing nin, and wouldn't mind bst as i never had it levelled, but the enmity changes seem to have fucked pet jobs over?

2. Do people form groups for older content like abyssea, some sky/sea, bcnms, etc? I quit just before voidwatch came out so i'm not sure what else is out there

3. Although i have more free time it's not nearly as much as i used to have - how long would it take at a solo pace to get into endgame? I wouldn't be in any rush and wouldn't mind taking my time this time around, just curious really.

4. I can't really think of anything else, so, any advice for somone who used to play a lot 2 years ago who is starting fresh? Any cool quality of life stuff i wouldn't know about unless i stumbled onto a wiki page by chance?

Cheers guys.