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Well I guess I'll give it another try, I loved the game when I first played. But eventually I left for other games.
The main part I didnt like about the game was the early levels, they were so boring grinding off mobs and dieing all the time.
Well I have some questions before I play.
1. What is the most damaging job/subjob/race combo?
2. What is the fastest class to get through the early levels, until I can start grouping?
3. In your opinion, what lvl does the game become really fun?
4. How is the high end pve? Is it fun, exciting, and good rewards?
5. Is the game fairly soloable at higher levels?
6. How is the community? Are they friendly, helpful, etc?
Most likely I will make a warrior then get to dark knight/warrior, they seem very interesting. But im open to any opinions. Any responses would be appreciated.
Comments
1. Probably RNG/NIN, although the recent changes weakened it a bit. Be forewarned, RNG pays for its high damage; decent arrows are not cheap. Expect to spend a lot of time farming or otherwise earning gil to pay for that. Hume or Mithra is probably the best race for it, I guess, although other races aren't right out.
2. Umm, of the base six classes you can choose at the beginning, probably WAR or MNK.
3. I thought it was fun from the beginning, but maybe I'm strange.
4. I'm not high-end yet, so I can't say for certain. It does look good from what I hear about it.
5. Er, no. FFXI's unsolo-ability at higher levels is legendary.
6. There are very nice and helpful people out there and there complete jerks, pretty much like the rest of the world. I've had no real complaints except once or twice, and some very gratifying experiences.
1. Well the class that would do the most damage would be a Ranger/Warrior, but that does a bit too much damage so the practical answer is a Ranger/Ninja, which still does great damage and can handle hate. Be warned though, as if you want to play as a Ranger you'll have to spend millions in non-refundable arrows, which makes it a rough first class pick.
Out of the melee's that don't cost money to attack, I'd say a Monk/Warrior gets the nod, as they can hit rather hard and fast and can back it up with some nice WS. Dark/Warrior may be able to do more, but not with the ease that a monk can since they would need to use Soul Eater and such. Dark's usually start subbing thief around the time they start to get decent Ws anyways.
Of course there is always Black mage, which does some of the highest burst damage. Their DoT isn't as good as the melee's, but the can bring the pain in small doses. They also have the added advantage of not having to wait hours or days to get a pt. If you're looking to do damage, it's a good place to start.
Elvens>Galka>Mithra>Human>Taru is about the right order of which does the most melee damage, because Str is what matters there. With all this Accuracy food flying around these days, High Dex isn't nearly as important as it was back when I played 16 months ago, giving Elves the edge in melee damage.
2. Monk can probably carry you to 10 the fastest out of the starting 6, though I wouldn't recomend it as a first job as a Monk without a sub job isn't much help to a group. Warrior gets their almost as easy, and can actually help a group out with provoke even when lacking a sub. If you're going to be any melee class, raise a War to 18 first. You'll use it as a sub for just about every melee class in the game.
If you want to be a mage, Red mage can get to 10 almost as well as monk too, though it has fairly low mp without a sub, you can probably still get a group. Black and White mage are still useful to groups without subs too, but can be rough to solo up to 10.
3. To me, the game got fun about level 12 when I first started grouping. I really dislike the newbie levels of FFXi, which is odd, because in EQ and EQOA I loved them. Luckly, you won't be those levels for more than a few hours.
4. The game is alright, some of the stuff can be really fun to do, like Dynamis, and some of it can be a pain in the ass like HNM. I don't really like the end game that much myself, but then again I didn't enjoy EQ's endgame and many people say they like it. I enjoy the way up the ladder more than being on top myself.
5. The game is only soloable by one class, and that is the Beastmaster. They are putting some NPC helper thing in though, so that might change things up. Even Beastmaster don't solo for much, making about 3k exp an hour if they're doing good, compared to the 6K+ a good party can bring in.
6. From what I've seen the community is pretty poor, with a large amount of idiots floating around. A few things about that though, is that I play on Midgard, and from what I've heard from people who have played on multiple servers, is that we just suck. So that might be the reason. Also, since FFXI is so based around doing things with others it really magnifies the flaws in the community, unlike a game like WoW where you don't come into contact with the Community at large as often. It's probably no worse than other games, just that since you're forced to do things with these people it seems worse.
$.
Ok, just a few quick comments on your questions:
1. Don't pick a job on a) what deals the most damage or b) what levels the fastest. Find a job that fits you, and even though it may take longer, you'll enjoy it.
2. Remember that in order to unlock ANY advanced job (they are Ranger, Ninja, Paladin, Samurai, Dark Knight, Dragoon, Summoner, Bard, and Beastmaster) you must FIRST take one of the six beginning jobs (Warrior, Monk, Thief, Red Mage, White Mage, Black Mage) to level 30.
3. There is MUCH to be gained from leveling at the beginning both solo and grouping up to level 30. Don't overlook this, or once you hit mid- to high- level partying, you will be completely overwhelmed and people WILL remember....a bad reputation does a great deal for decreasing invites. And by mid- to upper levels, I mean post level 50, maybe even earlier.
4. Level MANY jobs, even if just because you're waiting for a specific event or have nothing better to do. I'm a Red Mage, so I'm leveling White and Black Mage up for parties as my subjobs, and also leveling Dark Knight and Ninja for soloing. Here's a quick rundown of what that will require, let alone what I'll WANT to do:
for a 75 RDM, I'll need lv 37 subjobs.
37 WHM and BLM, no problem, they can sub eachother as a WHM/BLM and BLM/WHM.
for a 37 NIN and DRK, I'll need an 18 WAR
for an 18 WAR, I'll sub NIN, no problem there.
I'll probably want a 37 THF for subbing with my RDM while farming to increase drop rates as well. So again, I'll utilize the NIN sub.
That's 7 jobs, one to lv 75, 5 to level 37, and one to level 18....not to mention I may level summoner as well.
----I don't do this ONLY to make level 75 as fast as I can...I could easily just have leveled white mage to level 18, get my subjob quest, then level black mage to 37, then level red mage to 75 with only a black mage sub and probably do fine. I do it to get a better understanding of other jobs/classes, something I think all players can utilize. For me, knowing how a melee class does damage in relation do my enfeebling spells is important; it teaches me what to cast in what situations. Playing a tank class shows me how to heal properly without removing hate from them, and if they need haste or other buffs. And playing a WHM shows me how and when I as a RDM need to think about joining the healing duties for the party. Playing BLM teaches me what black magic spells are most effective, since as a RDM I need to be picky with my MP.
5. I think may people only gain enjoyment from the game in its engame material. This need not be the case! There is much to enjoy in FFXI, throughout the experience. And with new changes to soloing (increased EXP for low proc mobs, an NPC friend to fight with you quest, etc.) ALL jobs will be able to solo easier so the line of "I don't enjoy waiting for a party for 3 hours so F*%! you!" has lost some of its lustre.
Wow....this is much longer than I wanted, but I hope it helps. If you still want the shortest route to endgame, take warrior to 18, get your subjob, get a group to quest the Ninja quest, and play NIN/WAR to 37. Unlock Ranger, and play RNG/NIN to 75. Be warned, this is a fast route to 75 but a VERY EXPENSIVE ROUTE!!!! Ninja tools and arrows are money, big money; and it basically just disappears into the wind. You'll also need some incredibly expensive gear along the way. So ideally, just play what feels right for YOU as far as character selection, and remember this order of importance:
skill > equipment > race
Yes, some races are simply BAD choices for certain jobs but you can always change your job....you can't change your race without deleting your character. If you want a good all around race without any weaknesses, take hume or mithra. If you feel the call of the mage and YOU ARE SURE, take taru. If you want to deal or take damage, go with Elvaan or Galka. But remember ANY JOB IS PLAYABLE BY ANY RACE. My favorite WHM in the game is a Galka, and my favorite Ninja is a taru, just for examples.
Hope this helps, and doesn't just hurt your eyes from reading white text on a black background.
Server: Pandemonium
Race: Hume
Country: Bastok
Rank: 6
Jobs: 60RDM,33WHM,32BLM
Wow tons of info ill be reading this thread for weeks lol
Guys I am starting as warrior I'm only level 5 right now but I want him to be the best tank he can be and am gonna be doing blacksmithy also so I want to know what combo would be best.
Also important to me is WHEN do I need to start worrying about doing what subjobs when. I'm brand new at this but I was thinking Warrior and ranger so I can pull and having Ninja for the drops for smithy. I have really very little idea what I'm talking about maybe one of you could shed some light on what I should pick and when my path should change course. Thanks in advance.
congrats on your decision- here's a few quick (sorta) things you have to look forward to:
1. Level WAR to 18 (obviously). At this point, do your subjob quest. All the items are available in Valkrum Dunes, the newbie leveling area (oh you'll love it, SAY YOU LOVE IT!!!), but I won't get into that here. Needless to say, to a google search and bookmark the good sites for FFXI info, not just forums.
2. A good sub for WAR until level 30 (when you can unlock advanced jobs) is MNK. A little more damage in your attacks, and makes more sense than any mage class....please please please don't think a WAR/WHM is a paladin! So what I would do is the minute I get my subjob ability, go level MNK to level 15. This will cover you until your WAR hits 30.
3. Go unlock NIN quest- you'll need help, again search away for details. Then the decision- WAR/NIN or NIN/WAR? A WAR/NIN is not only a good tank but also a great damage dealer, esp. once you can "dual wield" two weapons at once with the NIN subjob. A NIN/WAR is probably a more efficient tanker, but a weaker damage dealer. So your call. Whatever your sub is, level it to 37, then return to your main job- that way you'll never have to level your subjob again. (note: I haven't done this- once I got subjobs I leveled my WHM to 18 as well, then leveled my BLM to 30 and then WHM to 27...I just can't stay away from my RDM that long!) The real moral of this story is NEVER have a gimpy subjob! Always make sure your subjob will keep up with your main job level..... i.e. never be a 30WAR/10NIN- just level NIN to let's say 20 so your can then level WAR safely to 41 without having to worry about it!
4. Have fun. Don't believe you can't have fun until level 75.
Server: Pandemonium
Race: Hume
Country: Bastok
Rank: 6
Jobs: 60RDM,33WHM,32BLM
Thanks dude, that helps a ton. I'm on it
If I can ever update that is 
EDIT: update finally worked, only took about 32 minutes not 8 hours like earlier lol