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Worth starting as a new player?
syntax42
Member UncommonPosts: 1,385
I have played almost every major MMO that has been produced for American audiences. I tend to avoid Asian MMOs due to their long level grinds. Is this game any different?
One of the other aspects that is important to me is the end-game. Of the past MMOs I have played, the ones that frustrated me the most were WoW and others like it. Their gear-treadmill end-games meant you completed one dungeon so you could move on to the next. People rarely went back to previous dungeons to help others because there was no incentive to do so. As a result, I game up on games like that due to the frustration of fruitlessly shouting in "LFG" for days on end just to catch up to content that others had already completed. Joining a guild isn't a solution for that due to my play times being unusual because I work night shifts. In my experience, people who help others catch up on end-game content tend to do so in smaller cliques.
So, is the end-game in this just a treadmill or did they do something different? If it is a treadmill, did they at least provide incentives for assisting others through content?
Comments
FFXIV is a themepark , with gear treadmill , however , ppl do low lvl dungeons all the time, hell at max lvl doing low level dungeon using dungeon finder (queue solo ) provides 100 tomes for lvl 60 gear , so yes low lvl dungeons are done all the time!, u can use the duty finder and if is your first time to that dungeon u get queue priority (a way to keep new players advancing faster) , atm low lvl dungeon queues are instant even for dps (lots of people leveling dark knights !)
Imo now is the perfect time for you to start playing
They provide a LOT of incentives to help people through content.
Group finder has its own queue for "low level" which you can only queue for solo but which awards you a huge amount of the tokens required for max level gear once per day. They also add an extra incentive for which ever archetype is holding up the queue.
In addition if you get in a dungeon and one player is new to it you get a bonus for it being their first time, which can pretty much double the amount of tokens you get, its a clever system. You obviously still get the odd arse that bails as soon as they see a newbie, but no amount of clever design is going to stop that, but on the whole the people on my data center are patient with new players, and most people are more than happy to help you learn a fight.
I would however strongly suggest not going into higher level stuff blind. Watch videos or read a quick tactics guide.
This is want I love about Ffxiv. The game constantly gives you a reason to come back to old dungeons. People run them all the time and it feels quite varied as a result. Also because the fights can have a lot of one shot mechanics even a low level dungeon can wipe you if you completely ignore the mechanics.
this game requires you to do a lot of group content as part of the main storyline and I never found it difficult to find people to complete the content with,
Mission in life: Vanquish all MMORPG.com trolls - especially TESO, WOW and GW2 trolls.
I was mostly worried about progression-blocking content that is only doable in a group. Low-level dungeons are usually skippable in most MMOs. I'm getting a slight impression that they might have some mandatory story progression in them from reading the responses, though.
End-game progression that is only doable in a group is frustrating if I can't find a group. My play hours are far from ideal, which is why I'm hesitant to try MMOs with gear treadmills. Queue systems have improved the experience for casual players and those who play at odd hours over the days of vanilla WoW LFG spam, so my hesitations might be for nothing.
This isn't a signature, you just think it is.
To put it plainly yes dungeons ARE mandatory in the storyline. Almost every dungeon must be done in the storyline (think there are only 2 that can be skipped completely as far as the main story goes). Also the story line requires Trials (single boss only fights of 8 players), main story scenario fights which are fairly easy 8 player story run, and raids which can be 24 players (3 groups of 8 in teams).
However its really not so bad if your thinking of some other games. In high end stuff people can be very much @$$holes but in the story content stuff people are very friendly and helpful and things really don't take so long. Just be ready to accept that a story player has tons of cutscenes for their first time (which can be viewed anytime later as well) and old players don't wait on cutscenes as they could easily add 15 minutes to a 10 minute run.
I'm kind of a noob when it comes to MMORPG scene, and i dabbled with ArcheAge, ESO and did a lot of research on WoW. i'm really glad i started playing it. There is a lot of mystery behind the game b/c the map doesnt show off much. It's not like ESO or WoW where you can see the entire map, FF14 keeps everything sort of hidden.
I love the game so far, its a good balance between an awesome theme park with just enough freedom.
Worth starting as a new player? No.
I want to like this game. But at level 32 I tried to return, and just didn't enjoy my time or look forward to logging in. I imagine it would be worse for a new player once the shine quickly wore off.
/opinion off
I'm all for trying free games, or games with trials. But this one is retail box cost, plus subscription. On top of that their account management web sites (yes plural) are a PitA to use.
FFXIV has the "treadmil" for those who want it. Though with frequent -- and meaty -- content updates and years of adding new systems to the game, it has a lot more to it. In fact, I've yet to even touch most of Heavenward's content due to be enthralled by the myriad of things to do in the game.
Without writing page after page, I'll just describe things in single words.
"Depth." "Complexity" "Content" "Attunements" "Work" "JRPG" "Lore" "Storyline" "Crafting" "Difficulty" "Graphics" "Music"
Personally, I'm a crafter. The crafting system has its own meta -- in fact, it has several metas. From melding, crafting, HQ crafting, desythesis, etc. Each craft is its own craft, with its own gear, with its own storyline with storyline quests, it's own rotations, materials, crafted items (and housing items), aesthetic items, etc. All intertwined with Gathering and Combat classes, that are able to collect things and have their own meta in making money to sell to crafters. From setting up your own shops with retainers, to even outfitting your home into being an item shop with new housing designs (though this is mainly for fun / show -- Guild Houses will use this more with members purchasing from them. Most of the solo crafter's coin will be sold in the market or the chat).
Every class can be played by one character. It's typically only plausible to "main" one at a time, as each class uses different gear for the most part (different end-game gear, at least). With new patches, come new craftable items or ways to get gear for other classes. Though patches have, traditionally offered new raids, 3 new dungeons, dozens if not hundreds of new story quests / side quests, new systems like marriage, chocobo racing, triple triad card game (FFVIII style), Gold Saucer, Treasure Hunting, Monster Hunting, chocobo training, housing, guild housing, New Classes (Ninja was put into a patch), new PvP maps and changes, etc. I know next patch you'll be able to share houses with your in-game spouse among other things. There are even rumors of Snowboarding and Blitzball being implemented at some point. Not to mention all the little touches they keep on putting, like dozens of new dances, idle stance (your character doing such things as butting hands to waist, folding their arms, putting arms to the back of their head, or doing other poses -- of which you control the time when they do such auto or turn it off in general -- or simply tell them to do it).
The Dragoon classes had a 32 button rotation in ARR (no addons to help), and they further added a fourth combo attack and five additional abilities beyond that -- including a new finishing move and the new limit breaks they added. So far, they are unwilling to "simplify" things. If you aren't willing to learn, the class isn't for you. That's pretty much their stance with everything.
There are also many things to discover and learn on a daily basis. Most of the systems are unlocked by attunements of sorts. Whether it's a questing attunement, a level one, a class one, item, raid, dungeon, etc. In most cases, you aren't told about the system or how to unlock it, and simply must stumble on it. Though there are plenty of guides out there. This is also true with four of the classes in game. You can only play Ninja once you have a class at level 15 (10 if you start in Limsa), and Dark Knight / Machinist / Astrologian when you're level 50 and completed the level 50 storylines.
Then there's the cross class skills. If you level a class to level 30 and decide to play another. You will get a 100% experience boost for classes below 30. In addition, you will also be able to pick abilities from the level 30 class and use them with your level one class, with limitations that lift as you level that class more.
In terms of dungeons. There are dozens and dozens and dozens. Like some 50+ in ARR alone, and even more with Heavensward. People keep on playing them due to roulette -- which gives you increased experienced on classes not at max, and gives you special rewards if you are. It puts you into groups with level 15-60 people and level syncs you down to the dungeons. Most of the time, this is to help form groups for low levels that need it. But there's always variety once you do it.
There are two types of raids, as well. One is a casual raid -- with it's own storyline, bosses and drops. The other is the main raid with the same. The second one has multiple difficulties such as "Extreme" / Savage or whatnot. Though I'm not privy to most of the expansion's way of going about these things. The first, you have a group of 8 people (or are put into one) that is then put into three groups of 24 to work about doing the dungeon. The second, is a single group of 8 people and requires more organization, whereas the first is more of a drop-in, drop out.
The music and weather are also pretty amazing.
If you enjoy JRPG games and intend to play it as such. It's not a game that suits people who like to rush to the end, though. As it really makes you work for everything you have. In addition to having a lot of text to read and lore to understand.
There is a free trial available on their site or steam. Though most of the story, naturally, exists beyond.
Just another warning to any who might consider it, again. The game expects you to work and isn't really that great at making things easy or convenient just for the sake of doing such. Granted, though, the 1-50 experience has been made slightly easier for those who want to get to Heavensward.
Balmung is the RP server for those who enjoy the immersion. Though it's hard to get into due to being so popular. Sometimes it opens up character creation in the early, early morning. That, or one could simply transfer a character they already have or created to it and bypass the system.
Their account system can be infuriating. It is your first dungeon challenge. If you can conquer it by navigating the paths to the correct site and tab and ultimately conquer the moogle site boss you are awarded entrance to the game.
Last month when trying to cancel my subscription, they tried to redirect me to another site that wanted another login process. That one I was unable to access because it did not agree with me, my mother or my birth certificate about the day I was born. However I did manage to find where my CC was stored for recurring payment. I deleted that info and at the end of month my subscription had to be cancelled due to no funds associated with account.
It depends on how much time (over the long term) you are willing to invest. It starts a bit slow (lots of story and fetch quests), but as you unlock more and more there is a LOT to do, and the world is reasonably fun to explore.
From my experience the community is fairly friendly (with the exception of higher end raiding / challenges), and due to the design of the duty finder / dungeons there is plenty of incentive for high level players to do lower level content... and that's not even counting those leveling their nth class (you can level all classes on one character, and there are cross class skills, so it's worth doing for a least a few).
If you're not into the whole end game gear grind I wouldn't worry about it, there is more than enough to do without it. There are also a few ways to work towards decent (i.e. good enough to see 99% of the content) gear at level cap that are casual / solo friendly (e.g. tokens / hunts). Also, unlike WoW, the story isn't gated behind raids. Yes there are required instances / group boss fights / large group story quests, but they are all fairly easy (and fun) and people do them fairly frequently (due to random duty finder rewards).
To answer your question more directly, if don't mind a good (and highly polished) theme park with plenty to do, a Japanese sense of style, and measured combat, then yes, it is absolutely worth starting as a new player.The story is gates behind Group content in FFXIV. You have to unlock all Dungeons and Primals via group finder - else you won't progress through the story.
You won't be abel to play the new expanion unless you finish the whole story quest line. - that's how things are in FFXIV. And it's not like there are 1 quest pr lvl or something. When you reach lvl 50 and ready to go to the new expansion, another 100+ Story quetsts awaits you, befor you can play the Expansion.
The whole game focus a lot on quests.
He most likely logged into the old account site and still had that bookmarked and not Mog station.
So then, to cancel he might have been refered to Mog station and if he has never used it before, they might ask for verification. Which is only good, to reduce hacking attempts. Not a big deal, but apparently it was for him. /shrug
Now is good as anytime to start new in FFXIV. It's a fantastic game with a great community!
The dungeon finder (duty finder) works great!
In all my time (and I have used Duty finder 100+ times) I had maybe 3-4 bad groups. Which is a farcry compared to other MMO's where dungeon finders can be problematic with tons of ass hats ruining the experience. Not so in FFXIV in my experience. One of the better communities out there.
To the OP, it's a great time to start. There are many, many new players running around, and/or experienced players leveling up new classes. So you'll have plenty of company.
SE have helped people progress by increasing XP rewards for the main story quests for ARR, and with the incentives for higher level players to queue up and do lower level content, you'll seldom have trouble finding a group for a dungeon or trial you need to do.
The game starts off a bit slowly, which is deliberate, as the beginning of the game is tuned for people new to MMOs - not to those experienced with them. Thus, the beginning could seem a bit boring to someone who already knows the basics.
But, as you progress beyond that, the first 20 levels or so, the difficulty ramps up, fights get more frantic and more options open up to you.
If in doubt, do the 14 day trial and kick the tires that way.
Woohoo, someone with reading comprehension skills read my post and provided clarification! Nice to not just be attacked by replies for once.
Obviously the main point of my frustration was that the account verification was asking for my birthdate and telling ME that I wasn't telling it MY correct birthdate. If you can't understand that, you must not be human.
Yes.
There has been a wave of new players recently with the expansion. It's a great time to jump in.
Regarding the end game. There are a couple of different ways you can approach it.
Some people look at it traditionally - you have your one (or two) "Main" classes, and you get up to max level, and a gear treadmill starts. Some people really enjoy that, some people detest it. For those that detest it, it can be safely and totally ignored, and you can still very much so enjoy the game. For those that love it, it is possible to get ahead of the content that S/E releases, but they release content pretty quickly - if your one of those out on the bleeding edge you won't be without something to do for long.
For people who aren't into the spear-headed, focused treadmill approach, S/E has a very robust horizontal progression model. Your one character can be every class, every gatherer, and every crafting class there is. They all level independently, and there is a cross-class ability sharing mechanism that encourages (or requires, depending on how you look at it) you to level various classes to at least some degree.
The crafting is robust and engaging, although it does go through cycles where items will be in high demand, and then get almost completely obsoleted by a new raiding content release. The gathering is even pretty robust - a bit more involved than just "Travel here and farm nodes" once you get up into levels. Both have very pointed progression - almost on par with raiding if you want to get into the very high end aspects of them.
Also worth noting - the story arcs are worthy of the Final Fantasy name, and there are multiple arcs - the main story line, each class (all off them, combat/gathering/crafting) has an arc that's pretty interesting (or entertaining). The Grand Companies have arcs. There are periodic or seasonal story arcs as well. Even the release of a new dungeon will often be accompanied with a small story arc just to provide lore and immersion.
FWIW, the accounting (Mog Station/S/E account) is a mess. It always has been, even dating back to FFXI and their PlayOnline crap. Fortunately, for most people, it's a setup-once-and-be-done-with-it experience, but yeah, it does act more or less like a test in intelligence, patience, or both.
I started the beta and quited because it felt shallow and added not much new.
This summer vacation i tried it again and man i enjoyed it a ton more for some reason, perhaps in the beta i had a mmo fatigue or something as i played ff arr non stop this whole vacation.
Things i liked alot is the whole Final Fantasy story and the way its being told, while i play on the PC with max settings i still wished some textures would be improved but still it looks quite good maxed out.
I havent done much side quests and only followed the main story up till level 54 and i realy loved it.
Dungeons at the start are boring but getting more difficult once you get near level 50 and can become realy intense with lots of stuff happening ( i play as a Scholar )
I realy want to try out the pvp at 60 as i love pvp in mmo's, and while FF ARR isnt realy a pvp game Naoki Yoshida is doing great stuff every few patches !
Havent realy raided yet, but my guild does and its hard depending wich mode you play it on.
I love the fights against Primals and wish to enter my real raid within 2 weeks !!!
Crafting is hard, its like playing a class and not something you do easy, you need to dedicate yourself to it and once you master it a little you can make serious profits, even on level 30 you can make tons and tons of gill very easy.
FATE's are good spots you can do to level sub classes, tons of exp and if unlocked Grand Company seals to buy gear for you and your chocobo !
My overal sentence is that FF ARR doesnt do something new nor does it try to hide it, but it offers everything you need and what you expect from a modern mmo.
I am having alot of fun, but understand people who cant stand the commen themeparks, i was one of those players myself and just coulnt have fun in mmo's anymore, but after a few days of playing i was just having tons of fun.
just do the free trial and join a free company (guild) hang out and chit chat a little as i find the community a tenfold better then WoW / ESO / GW2.
/busy
/blist