New or Returning Players Discussion 2: SoA Homeless Veterans Edition

[Savanah]

Return home campaign snared me too.

[bungiefan]

So Adoulin has a bunch of stuff for me to catch up on, like what armor to actually shoot for as SAM and BLM mains (currently only in Sparks Gear), and where to store all these items I'm getting from Adoulin events. The Currencies2 menu shows a bunch of stones I can store (Leaforb, Snowdim, Leafslit, Ghastly, Verdigris, Wailing) and no information on which NPC will bank them for you so I can clear out my horribly full inventory without selling them. There's so many iLevel 119 items from upgrading (Relic, Artifact, all the Unity upgrade paths), and I missed the first 6+ months of Adoulin to know which Bayld vendors are worthwhile.

[Hitou]

Divainy-Gamainy by the inventors guild stores stones. Trade them one type at a time. You have to ask for them back in order to use them, which is a bummer, though. SAM you'll mostly wanna shoot for AF/AF2 reforge, skirmish for PDT, and maybe some delve II armor depending on your TP set preference. Tsurumaru or any old 119 GKT for weapon. Cibitshavore rank 15 path C is something to aim for. BLM depends on how serious you are about the job. You can get a way with full skirmish gear for a lot of stuff, but you might want to get some fast cast gear etc. A lot of people use AF body to get mp back from cheap nukes.

[bungiefan]

I've never worked with multiple sets of gear, just swapping elemental staves when they were in fashion. The plugins to do so were time consuming to learn when I play less than 10 hours a week (and learning the language to build sets would have eaten into that playtime) and I played mainly on PS2 until Abyssea. I also don't have inventory space free for juggling multiple pieces in each slot, with trying to be able to build up stacks of things to sell to make money (I've had above 1 million gil only a handful of times). I'm still working on obtaining SAM AF and Relic, but I have a full set of both for BLM. I believe I upgraded the SAM AF Body to level 109, but that's all the chapters I've been able to get so far.

[Hitou]

Well there's gear sets now just put what you want on it and then put /equipset 1 etc in a macro to swap gear. I've played Vanilla since '04 and never had issues using macros to change gear. It was just very limited compared to now. A little less so when they added extra macro books. With mog wardrobe you have to have space for at least a few sets, especially if those are your only jobs. If you don't wanna swap gear that's fine, but it's way easier now than ever.

[Souj]

Ok, so a friend of mine is gEtting back into ff11 and since I haven't been in touch with the game for a few years, I thought I'd ask here.
I Know this is going to probably be really subjective, and I'm not really sure how to ask this exactly, but what's the "best" server to go to, assuming he's starting fresh bUT has decent knowl edge of the game and it's mechanics? Like which one has a good, healthy population of people, not filled with super douchebags.

[bungiefan]

I have other jobs leveled, those are just the only ones I'm looking at trying to gear up. My wardrobe is full with various stuff I don't know if I'll use anytime soon yet. Sorting out inventory after a 14 month absence isn't something I've gotten around to yet. I saw the update on gearsets, but working out the logic of what I want to do when and building up a swap list doesn't sound appealing right now, especially when I don't have enough gear to swap. I've rarely been max level when that level was current, and I'm used to being perpetually out of gil. I reached 75 the first time, after starting at JP launch, 2 weeks before Abyssea was announced, and was blowing any gil I got on completing my spell set. I reached 99 when Voidwatch was mainstream, but didn't get an Empyrean +2 set until coming back from my forced break after Adoulin was released, and using the login campaign items to get that, so I did Abyssea in Teal gear. Just getting one up-to-date piece for each slot is going to take up my play time while I try to complete missions and other storylines. I'm going for most practical in each slot for all-purpose for the job. Swapping can come if I ever get more playtime, but it doesn't fit with my play style at this time. I get 2-4 hours on Saturday, and maybe 1-2 hours after work on 2-3 weekdays. I'd rather spend it playing than building swap scripts or macros.

I haven't even stepped into Delve or hard mode battles yet. Skirmish and Reives are about my experience in Adoulin.

[Damane]

Ok, so a friend of mine is gEtting back into ff11 and since I haven't been in touch with the game for a few years, I thought I'd ask here.
I Know this is going to probably be really subjective, and I'm not really sure how to ask this exactly, but what's the "best" server to go to, assuming he's starting fresh bUT has decent knowl edge of the game and it's mechanics? Like which one has a good, healthy population of people, not filled with super douchebags.

i think asura has a reddit linkshell where most people crash on that return to the game/restart/or start totally new.

[Celebrindor]

I have other jobs leveled, those are just the only ones I'm looking at trying to gear up. My wardrobe is full with various stuff I don't know if I'll use anytime soon yet. Sorting out inventory after a 14 month absence isn't something I've gotten around to yet. I saw the update on gearsets, but working out the logic of what I want to do when and building up a swap list doesn't sound appealing right now, especially when I don't have enough gear to swap. I've rarely been max level when that level was current, and I'm used to being perpetually out of gil. I reached 75 the first time, after starting at JP launch, 2 weeks before Abyssea was announced, and was blowing any gil I got on completing my spell set. I reached 99 when Voidwatch was mainstream, but didn't get an Empyrean +2 set until coming back from my forced break after Adoulin was released, and using the login campaign items to get that, so I did Abyssea in Teal gear. Just getting one up-to-date piece for each slot is going to take up my play time while I try to complete missions and other storylines. I'm going for most practical in each slot for all-purpose for the job. Swapping can come if I ever get more playtime, but it doesn't fit with my play style at this time. I get 2-4 hours on Saturday, and maybe 1-2 hours after work on 2-3 weekdays. I'd rather spend it playing than building swap scripts or macros.

I haven't even stepped into Delve or hard mode battles yet. Skirmish and Reives are about my experience in Adoulin.

If you're smart with your sparks setup (Records of Eminence, or RoE as you'll see it mentioned on forums) you can earn sparks for the Rem's Chapters. 1-5 are relatively cheap, and that will take your AF and Relic gear to level 109. You can easily solo Dynamis these days to fill out the relic gear you need. Chapters 6-10 (needed to take that same gear to level 119) is much more costly in terms of sparks AND the number of pages needed, but once you've gotten your character up to the 109-112 range you won't be in the dust. Plus, there are RoE/Eminent weapons that, while not sufficient, again will get you thru transitioning to the post-adoulin world. Hell, go out to the Wildskeeper Reives that don't require you to be tops at your game to join the crowd, and you'll get a box for the one-tier down weapons and gear from the Delve version HNMs.

I know all this is said frequently, but in a 67 page thread, it never hurts to repost it for the returners who feel overwhelmed and undergeared.

[Petitssk]

Yep, thank you very much for the reposts. A lot of the older information is completely outdated again and it's hard to figure out from which page on I can find relevant information.

I'm currently pondering to start playing again in the next two weeks, so I definitely appreciate any useful information, as I quit without ever having seen Adoulin.

[Dizzy's]

I used to play years ago (ifrit server, name Dizzy) I made a new character and stopped playing a year and a half ago. I'm thinking about playing again. Would anybody on odin be willing to give me a hand if I came back? If I remember correctly I have 99 whm, blm, and bst.

[Francisco]

I haven't played in probably more than a year... I was around barely long enough to get full Otronif with "decent" augments and I have an Oatixur.

Seems like quite a bit has changed in the hierarchy of gear, however. I might jump back into the game a bit - possibly with some pre-Adoulin friends.

From where I stand, is their any content I should immediately look into, or fairly easy to make upgrades? I don't know much about all the new AF/relic/JSE type gear, nor do I know about the new NPC system or whatever that new merit system was called.

Has upgrading RME weapons gotten any easier? Any monk nerfs? Etc?

[Rehn]

I don't recall when records of eminence was added but... that's a good place to start. The buyable gear there are i117, so they can bridge you between your current (whatever that may be) gear and i119:
https://www.bg-wiki.com/bg/Category:Records_of_Eminence

I also suggest signing up for a Unity as well, as it seems to be their new "thing" they want to expand:
https://www.bg-wiki.com/bg/Category:Unity_Concord

I frankly wish something like RoE was around years ago, as its something anyone can jump into and the rewards like REM chapters are very good for just about everyone.

There's high-tier BCs as well that gives i119 gear along with chapters:
https://www.bg-wiki.com/bg/Category:...n_Battlefields

For gears, I just lurk in FFXIAH job specific forums for gearsets and tweak with what I can obtain. For the most part, it has worked well enough.

Also, trust system also you to play solo much more easily with WHM/BRD/RDM that will follow you around and support you:
https://www.bg-wiki.com/bg/Category:Trust

[bungiefan]

http://www.reddit.com/r/ffxi/comment..._improvements/

I just took a break from compiling that, trying to get a good timeline of when various changes happened. I also looked at the Returning to Vana'diel page, and I'm the last edit, in November of 2014. I might have to see about integrating some of that list into it.

[Francisco]

How difficult are the new "hard" BCNMs, and can they be done by three with Trust NPCs?

Able to farm i119 stuff with i99-110 players?

[Heslon]

a friend and i quit a few years ago, i think the last "endgame" was abyssea (? the thing with the atmas)
we quit because we didnt have much time new job / school etc, but now we have time again and wanted to start a mmorpg again
we tried ff14 because its "new", i like it but my friend doesn't like the gameplay so we talked about ffxi, but every single person that we knew quit the game
some left for ff14 and some just dont play anymore, so we would be just 2 people alone back in the game, how hard is it to find a eu ls (I think we were on odin) and what is the endgame content atm?
how many people do you need for the new endgame, is there any content that can be done with 2-3 people?
and which jobs would be good? i think he liked mnk / nin back then and i was rdm / brd
is it even worth to return for people like us, with no friends / ls left in the game and gimp gear (we dont have any relic, emp etc) or should i just tried to get him to play ff14 lol

[Hitou]

How difficult are the new "hard" BCNMs, and can they be done by three with Trust NPCs?

Able to farm i119 stuff with i99-110 players?

You mean the Micro/macrocosmic orbs? I've done a few of them on "Difficult" with just 3 real players and trusts. And normal and below with just 2 people and trusts. Should be able to get away with using sparks/bayld gear i117, but obviously better off with AF/Relic and skirmish gear if you can swing it. Probably best to bring a real healer but I've done it with trusts healing. If you mean the merit point hard mode mission fights, you can't take trusts to those. But you can trio some of them on normal and below.

[Kyreth]

a friend and i quit a few years ago, i think the last "endgame" was abyssea (? the thing with the atmas)
we quit because we didnt have much time new job / school etc, but now we have time again and wanted to start a mmorpg again
we tried ff14 because its "new", i like it but my friend doesn't like the gameplay so we talked about ffxi, but every single person that we knew quit the game
some left for ff14 and some just dont play anymore, so we would be just 2 people alone back in the game, how hard is it to find a eu ls (I think we were on odin) and what is the endgame content atm?
how many people do you need for the new endgame, is there any content that can be done with 2-3 people?
and which jobs would be good? i think he liked mnk / nin back then and i was rdm / brd
is it even worth to return for people like us, with no friends / ls left in the game and gimp gear (we dont have any relic, emp etc) or should i just tried to get him to play ff14 lol

"Endgame" nowadays is still stuff like working on RME weaponry (just to further levels), upgrading your AF/relic armor, Delve, etc. etc. We're talking single-party to solo-level content in many cases. MNK is still relevant, RDM as well (stunner), BRD (getting a 3-song instrument is just a matter of a BCNM/Delve clear and gil) as well. NIN, not so much. Heck, I'm in an international (all time zones, but we have plenty of EU players including the founder) on Ragnarok.

Relic or emp armor is pretty much soloable/duoable with the gear you can get from Records/spending gil, and relic armor (and old AF armor) can be upgraded to item level 109 and 119, so you're definitely not SOL. Odds are you'll pick up the 117 armor from Records and then just start upgrading in bits and pieces from there with login point items and other rewards. Dynamis is soloable in that gear for anything but the most heinous stuff (and certainly farmable). Ditto working on a Mythic. And there's a straightforward way that you can get Mythic WS's like Rudra's Storm quested to any weapon instead of, say, needing to build up a Twashtar.

In addition, you'll see there's NPCs that are called "Linkshell Concierge" that actually store pearls for recruiting LSes along with a brief description of playtimes, goals, etc. So finding a LS isn't as rough as you might have thought, a lot of quality-of-life stuff has happened in the post-Abyssea era.

[Rehn]

Current endgame is higher difficulty rehashed BCs, delves, and incursion.

At this point, its more prudent to ask in places like ffxiah server specific forums and see if there are socials taking in people. Unless you multibox or are willing to wait for shouts to fill, I'm not so sure you can do the endgame stuff by yourselves.

However, you can still get i119 gear through things like skirmishes. You can further augment them, but its RNG-infested. Skirmish Ra'kaznar can be done with 2-3 + trusts for sure if you can stick to NMs you can handle.

Other i119 gears are reforged AF/relic +1, but these can be pricey to +1.

EDIT: Forgot linkshell thingers were added. Mostly can join casual/socials through these, but a network still needs to be built to do the harder content. Some I've seen are mainly just chatting.

[shepardG]

se ever fix their fucked up billing system?