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Well I just bought the game!
blunder1983
Member Posts: 52
So if it sucks I'm gonna blame you all.
I'm back from Korea next weds so if anyone wants to give me a shout and help a total noob learn the ropes I'd be most grateful. (Though I do appreciate you cant select servers).
If people have links to start up guides etc. I'll enjoy perusing them for now, I've found a few but I dunno if they're up to date. I'm going to be a catwoman white mage.
How fast will leveling to 10 take as a white mage? Normally "helping classes" suffer from a horribly slow leveling process.
Also how much time do i have to put in to see rewards? I played SW:G like a second life and I dont wanna do that again, perhaps spending 3 4hour sessions in a week, that doable in this game?
See you in Vana'diel or whatever its called!
I'm back from Korea next weds so if anyone wants to give me a shout and help a total noob learn the ropes I'd be most grateful. (Though I do appreciate you cant select servers).
If people have links to start up guides etc. I'll enjoy perusing them for now, I've found a few but I dunno if they're up to date. I'm going to be a catwoman white mage.
How fast will leveling to 10 take as a white mage? Normally "helping classes" suffer from a horribly slow leveling process.
Also how much time do i have to put in to see rewards? I played SW:G like a second life and I dont wanna do that again, perhaps spending 3 4hour sessions in a week, that doable in this game?
See you in Vana'diel or whatever its called!
Comments
Yes, levelling WHM up to 10 can be a little slow. It helps if you remember you need to outfit yourself for meleeing at those levels; in particular, use a pole or a club/hammer, not a staff or a wand. And eat meat jerky (which is always for sale cheap from NPC vendors). But you do make up for it later on, WHMs are *always* in short supply for parties.
FFXI can be a real time sink, no lie. But here, WHM is going to be a good choice to playing part-time, as you aren't going to be spending much time LFP.
Chriis Mattern
QFT
Honestly i've never had a big problem LFP as a WAR/MNK. I believe the longest i've sat lfp was 30 minutes. I don't know how it'd be at higher lvls, but i'm just going to get 30 then go NIN.
For links, i go to Http://ffxi.allakhazam.com for info. I haven't found or heard of a better place.
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The pen is mightier than the sword, and authority is mightier than the pen, but the sword is mightier than authority.
If you can't beat 'em, hold 'em off 'till you come up with a better plan.
Your first 10 levels as WHM should not be so slow, mostly because of the relative ease of soloing at levels 1-12.
Here's a lil info about PTs.
Every mob has experience multiplier. If the mobs have a multiplier of 1, only 1 person will receive the full experience points from the fight.
Mobs from levels 1-12 have a multiplier of 1, and from levels 12-75 the multiplier is increased to 6. This is why 6 people parties becomes the most efficient way to generate experience points after level 12.
Soloing as white mage, a healer classe, will mean you'll be dealing low damages, while having have to keep your eyes on your MP. If you die, you loose 10% of the experience points that is required to advance to next level. For example, if you are level 8 and experience points required to advance to next level is 2000, you automatically loose 200 experience points when you die.
So my advice is to keep safe, don't take risks, and fight mobs that give mediocre xp.
As for rewards... the friends you make along the way, are the best rewards you'll see. Try to find groups of people that you can trust, but DO NOT give them your blind trust. Theft of items are by no means rare. Each jobs have special traits that makes them shine, but the jobs that are considered most "useful" in end-game contents are bards, redmages, blackmages, white mages, ninjas, paladins. End-game bosses have heavy resistance against melee damages, so generally speaking melees take the back seat when it comes to end-game "raids".
Here's a link to one of the more bigger community forums: http://ffxi.killvoid.com/
Good luck in your journey
Welcome to FFXI,
Here are some tips to get you started:
Explore the city! NPC Vendors sell all level 1-10 Spells, Armor and weapons cheap. Don't buy them in the Auction House. Shops have little signs that make them easy to spot.
Main Menu: - (minus) Key on Num Pad
Some commands that are usefull:
/map
/s(ay)
/t(ell) Otherplayer blah blah blah
/sh(out)
A very usefull command to lock your default chat is /cm (eg. Chat Mode). You can set your chat mode to anything you want. The good thing is that you can just type away and it will send to the "channel"
/cm t Playername (talk to Playername)
/cm s (talk to people around you)
/cm p (Party)
/cm l (talk to Linkshell)
You can also use CTRL-R to reply to the last person that send you a /tell. Pressing it more than once will cycle through the players you talked too.
F-8 to select nearest enemy (beware, this is only selecting enemies in your cone of view, not behind you)
TAB (Shift-TAB) to cycle through targets.
CTRL-C VERY IMPORTANT! This tells you how strong an enemy is. Here is an explanation of the CON system and experience you should get. This will vary and change depending on your level and is just rough figures.
The CON system is composed of 2 Phrases. The overall strenght and more detailed strenght information. Example would be:
"The Forest Hare seems like Easy Prey.
It has low Evasion and Defense."
Overall Strenght Indicator:
"Too weak to be worthwhile" (TW)
As it says, no experience and no challange
"Easy Prey" (EP)
Very easy to kill, low experience (20-45exp)
"Decent Challange" (DC)
Best for experience vs. downtime (50-75exp)
"Even Match" (EM)
Around the same level your are. (80-125exp) These are very easy at the lower levels (1-5) but be carefull later on.
"Tough" (T)
You can win if you got a good plan (130-150exp). Stay away from those.
"Very Tough" (VT)
Will certainly kill you in a few seconds (150-180exp). Avoid at all cost.
"Incredible Tough" (IT)
You are already dead. Will kill a party of 6 people if something goes wrong.
Detailed Strength Information:
High/Low Evasion (this tells you how likely you can hit it with your current weapon and gear)
High/Low Defense (this tells you how much damage you will do and how much HP it has)
Either or both of the above can be missing meaning it has average Evasion or strength.
People will use the abbrevations to indicate strength in chat. They will say DC+ (for Decent Challange High Evasion) or DC++, DC- etc.
CTRL-A Attack. Press again to stop attacking. Moving during attacks does nothing, Monsters will still hit you. You have to face the Monster to hit it.
Resting: *
This serves 2 functions. When you have nothing targeted (press ESC to untarget) you will kneel down and rest (Monsters will attack you if they see you resting). If you have something targeted it will lock/unlock from your current target.
CTRL-I to Open your inventory, Press + to go to the Sorting Menu and stack up your items.
CTRL-E to open your equipment Screen. Also shows your stats and money.
ESC will get you out of all the Menus/Subscreens.
Talk to a Gate guard to Receive a "Signet". This will give you Conquest Points that can be used to purchase gear/items from the gate guards as well as make Monsters drop crystals. The crystals can be sold at the Auction House. They sell incredibly fast and are a good way to make money early in the game.
Do NOT throw away those strange Beastmen Seals. They can be used to enter special Instanced fights later on. Those fights will reward you with a treasure chest and very valuable items. Just collect them in your Moghouse until you are level 20-30.
A Collection of usefull WHM Macros, they are all single line and use seperate Macros (eg. Alt-1, Alt-2 etc.)
Solo Macros:
/ma Cure <me>
/ma Regen <me>
/ma Dia <t>
/ma Slow <t>
/ma Paralyze <t>
...
Party Macros:
/ma "Cure" <stpc>
/ma "Cure II" <stpc>
/ma "Poisona" <stpc>
...
<stpc> targets a player character. It will bring up a Blue Cursor on current target or yourself, Press F-1 to F-6 to target a party member then press Return to cast.
Party Buff Macros (Multi Line Macros):
/p Gather Together for Protectra and Shellra in 5 seconds! <call12>
/wait 5
/ma "Protectra" <me>
/wait 10
/ma "Shellra" <me>
Let them know your MP is low:
/p Warning my MP is at <mpp> <mp>. Let's Rest for a while! <call4>
Hope this gets you started. Don't be frustrated if you die alot in the beginning. Exp can always be gained back and you will get better over time. It's a very challangeing game. Most important, try to make some friends in those early levels. Talk to people that experience in the newbie areas. They are probably high level starting a new job and may give you a linkshell and help you with your questions.
-/-
EDIT: You can use CTRL- or ALT- for the commands, whatever suits you more. Both do exatly the same.
Very well done indeed, but let me add this about /checking mobs:
Note that IT is the highest rating and is open ended. IT++ (High defense and high evasion) can vary all the way from "will kill a party of 6 people if something goes wrong" to "will kill a party of six people in a matter of seconds no matter what they do."
Also, there's an eighth catagory: "Impossible to Gauge". This means you've hooked a Notorious Monster, a special mob who will generally drop a special item, usually connected with a quest, or something valuable. Some NMs can be rather weak: Bubbly Bernie in South Gustaberg is only level 9, and can be trivially soloed by even a player in his teens, or a small party of beginners. As a general rule, an NM will be several levels tougher than the normal mobs found in the area he appears in, but of course you can't tell how tough one is from the game, since they're all "Impossible to Gauge". Looking them up on the net (allkhazam is a good source) can give you info on this.
CHris Mattern
OP: Post the server you are on. I am on Pandemonium, if you end up there, send me a /tell and i can come help you out a bit. (name is skyrant)
I am now going to Ulegulerand Range to most likely get my ass kicked by a rabbit. If i fail to Charm it. I hate that place, but it's a good place to level BST 58+. /sigh
Well thanks for all the advice, if you are indication of the community online then it's looking like I'll have a laugh online.
I'm reading alakazam now, thanks for the link. I'll drop my server name when i finally start playing next week.
As an example, I was walking back from Ulegulerand Range yesterday after getting killed 2 times while leveling BST. Upon entering Battalia downs i spot "Lumber Jack" on my Widescan. It's an old school HNM Beetle that drops a really nice Sword (Bloodsword). I was scared to attack it as level 58 BST with only level 28 Pets to Charm so i called them for help. Within 5 Minutes we had an alliance of 11 people all gathering to save my Tarutaru butt.
Some came with low level jobs cause they didnt want to waste time switching job and getting gear. A few died 2 times in a row (Stonega IV = OUCH!). We did not get the sword but it was fun anyway.
All excellent advice/information you've gotten. Heck I'd print out the one post with all the shortcuts, etc for handy reference :-).
You will, indeed, find that XI has perhaps one of the strongest communities of all MMOs out there.. it's, I believe, a direct result of one of the things most people hate about it - its heavy focus on grouping. By having to group with people, you get talking to people. By talking to people, you get to knowing them... eventually befriending them. After a while, you realize that you're grouped with someone with whom you share a friend in common.. and on and on. You do build a reputation across your server and many people do get to know who you are - for better or worse (that's up to you
In fact, I believe each server has its own sort of "personality" because of its players. I didn't realize this until I tried to start over on another server. I also play on Pandemonium, and have since the North American PC release (though I was away for a time.. another story). I tried to start over on a friend's server, Leviathan.. and.. you know what. It felt wrong. Even people I never talk to... like the two tarus, Poognish and Boognish sitting near the entrance to the Windurst Woods Residential area with their bazaars up. Or, Arcticrain sitting just near the same RA's stairs... Those are all PC's that become "part of the landscape". I've never uttered a syllable to any of them in my time playing.. yet not seeing them while on Leviathan just really made me feel completely wierd. So.. I went back to Pandy.. and it felt "right'.
Sappy and sentimental as it might sound.. I think it's absolutely true - and I have never experienced that on any other MMO I've played. There is definitely a strong community in FFXI.. and each server has its own distinct "personality".
Aside from that.. take your time. Experience the game in its entirety - there's *alot* to do. Don't make it into a grind-only experience. You will burn out. Do the quests.. they're interesting and, in some cases, acommpanied by some great cinematics/dialog ('least out of Windy :-). And, completing them gains you Fame in the given city.. which helps you later on and unlocks more quests.
Find a craft that looks interesting to you and give it a try... this is something you should start relatively early as it can take a while to level up to a point where you can really start making consistent money and you don't want to be level 40+ with all your crafts starting at 0 (I speak from experience :-). Gear is expensive enough at those levels... training a craft from 0 up to a profitable level is extremely difficult if you put it off 'till later.
Be social. Talk to people. Ask questions. Let them know you're new.. ask for advice etc.. You'll find many players are more than happy to help you out.
Starting out now, you've got, easily 2 years of content to get through... if not more.
If you happen to land on Pandemonium, feel free to give me a shout, too.. My character's name is Shanree.
Enjoy and happy hunting!
and the cash shop selling asphalt..." - Mimzel on F2P/Cash Shops
Second, yes, the controls for FFXI are a bit different at first. I personally used a gamepad for about 98% of my time playing the game. This time around i started again using the keyboard only (not even the mouse), because I didn't have a gamepad handy and I'm actually finding it much faster and easier in many ways. For one, you don't have to put down the gamepad to type.. you just.. type :-). Which setup are you using? If you decide to use keyboard (or are using keyboard), I'd recommend the "compact" setup... It's very straight forward.
As for playing a Taru, I'm assuming you started in Windurst? If so, cool! :-) That's the "preferred" Taru starting nation, along with Mithra, and you get a bonus item (Windurstian Ring) for starting there.
As for playing WHM.. it can be slow. In most cases for a new player, I would recommend a melee class first, like Warrior or Monk first. They have more survival power and you'll have overall less down-time. I'm going to be making sure to sub War with any mage class I play down the road. This way you get to use Warrior as a subjob, giving the mage main job more survivability. Of course, I know plenty of people who have started on WHM and have been fine with the progression. It's up to the individual.
As for choosing RDM, BLM or WHM... again, that's up to you. Try each of them. You can do fine with the starter gear for the first few levels.. get a feel of each one and see which suits you best. You can switch jobs at will.
Another tip I would give is to invest in some inexpensive foods early on, for example, some juices can be bought from vendors which will regen your magic points more quickly. Also, selbina milk will naturally recover your HP while you fight, also helping reduce downtime. If you go with a melee class, buy some meat jerky.. it's like a "light" version of "meat mithkabobs" which you'll see melee classes using quite a bit in the future. Meat Jerky and Mithkabobs both increase your attack, helping you deal more damage, which means shorter fights and faster xp gain over time.
Also, when you go to the War Warlord (the tarus at each exit gate out of Windurst (for example), you can have them cast signet on you, allowing you to earn Conquest Points. This is a sort of alternate, non-physical currency you earn each time you kill a mob. When you've earned enough, you can buy a special ring from the WW which will give you a bonus 50% xp for each fight. Each ring has 7 recharges, each charge lasting for up to 180 minutes, or 1000xp, which ever comes first. Equipping and using that, as well, will help with the xp gain.
But mostly, I would recommend just focusing on finding a job you enjoy and get comfortable with the game. Learn your way around town. Use the map *alot*. The cities can be confusing, especially at first - and even later. If you find a spot that you want to find again, set up a bookmark in the map screen so you can find your way to it again when you need to. If you stay with FFXI, you're in it for a long haul no matter how you slice it.. so there's no hurry. There's no finish line, nor reward for getting to 75 faster than anyone else. Take your time now, learn the game system and move at your own pace.
and the cash shop selling asphalt..." - Mimzel on F2P/Cash Shops
WHM is gonna be slow, no doubt about it. I suffered the 1-9 grind and was grateful to finally be able to group up in the dunes. Definately take the time out to look up any information you can, it helps alot in the long run. My favorite source is Killing Ifrit (www.killingifrit.com)
FFXI has it's ups and downs, but in the end it's really the greatest experience I've ever had in an MMORPG. As alot of people have already stated, the community in the game is something that just gets to you and makes you feel more like you're a part of something. Add onto that some really well-designed PvE gameplay and you have one of the better (if not best) MMORPG experiences available to you. It took me almost two years just to sit down and play the game enough to learn it, but once I did I regretted all the time wasted. Thats the last time I ever let my friends drag me away from a game that I'm not ready to leave
Oh, and if you don't mind some minor story spoilers, this video might give you something to look forward to:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ov3-K2aRwQY&search=ffxi
I agree, XI is the only MMO I've played where the quests are not compriesed entirely of errand-boy tasks, or "kill x # of y" type tasks (well, aside from EQII which also has interesting quests.. just not as deep or "intertwined" in an unfolding story as XI's.. which is what sets them apart, IMHO). I think that's what makes it better in PvE (among other things) than other MMOs out there. It almost makes me believe that many other MMO's content developers are rather lazy in that regard. Then again, they don't have the RPG experience SE does. So, that says something, too.
Another aspect is the NPCs.. talk to *any* NPC in FFXI. Any one.. they all have something to say... all have some little story of their own.. In fact, in many cases, those little stories evolve later into quests (/em thinks of the Galka and the clock tower in Jeuno). It's just a very "complete" experience. Nothing you're doing seems like a pointless task. THere's *always* a reason why you're doing something, oftentimes leading on to other quests... turning into a string of related quests that grow steadily more challenging.. like the Star Onion Brigade in Windurst.
This is why it drives me nuts when people say the game is nothing but grind. It's so far from that it's not even funny. THe problem is, the *players* make it a grind. If all you're doing is spending day in and day out, hour after hour, in parties, grinding.. or looking for parties.. then of course that's all you're going to experience. But there's this entire game's worth of content all around you to partake in. The players choose not to... then blame the game for being too boring. /huh ???.
Anyway... I agree.. it really is a unique game among MMOs. It has its own feel and its own style and is far from a derivative of anything that's out there.
Oh.. and is that a Male Dark Elf I see in your avatar pic there? LII player as well, eh? (<=== 64 Bladedancer on Hindemith :-).
and the cash shop selling asphalt..." - Mimzel on F2P/Cash Shops
Hehe, I was looking forward to L2 when I first signed up here way back when, then never played actively after getting caught up in other games of that time and just never posted here enough to change it. Maybe I should go back and fix that hehe...
And I completely agree with having to go out and make the game something more than a grind. All MMORPGs require that extra effort, but FFXI is one of the few that really rewards it.
Edit: Changed the avatar to something more FF-appropriate
If you're Taru, YOU MUST KNOW THE /panic motion EMOTE!!!
Law demands it!