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Sumorogue
Member Posts: 17
Okay, well, yo my names Sumorogue and im considering on buying final fantasy XI (with all expansions ofc).
Let me first tell you a little about myself.
I am a mature gamer, who often spends around 6-12 hours a day playing MMO's or other video games, I used to play WoW, and was in a hardcore raiding guild, which i raided every day for almost 2 and a half years straight, that meant 6 hour long raids, and 4 hours a day farming potions to use on the nights raiding.
Due to the end game content not varying enough, i finally decided to depart from that game in search for something 'new'. I attempted vanguard. Vanguard in itself was a deep let down, i expected so much from the game, yet it didnt deliver (not going into detail, dont want another Vangaurd hating post).... So, i quit that.
Now here i stand, browsing the web for that 'next new game' that can keep me occupied for a while, atleast until The Chronicles of Spellborn, or Warhammer online comes out.
Now for my questions.
1. What is max level?
2. Is the game based around leveling, or is that put to the side with other things at the front?
3. How is the community?
4. Is the end game good, if anything at all?
5. How would you rate the game out of 5?
Thanks for reading everyone, and i look forward to hearing peoples responses, and hopefully being turned to buy the game.
Let me first tell you a little about myself.
I am a mature gamer, who often spends around 6-12 hours a day playing MMO's or other video games, I used to play WoW, and was in a hardcore raiding guild, which i raided every day for almost 2 and a half years straight, that meant 6 hour long raids, and 4 hours a day farming potions to use on the nights raiding.
Due to the end game content not varying enough, i finally decided to depart from that game in search for something 'new'. I attempted vanguard. Vanguard in itself was a deep let down, i expected so much from the game, yet it didnt deliver (not going into detail, dont want another Vangaurd hating post).... So, i quit that.
Now here i stand, browsing the web for that 'next new game' that can keep me occupied for a while, atleast until The Chronicles of Spellborn, or Warhammer online comes out.
Now for my questions.
1. What is max level?
2. Is the game based around leveling, or is that put to the side with other things at the front?
3. How is the community?
4. Is the end game good, if anything at all?
5. How would you rate the game out of 5?
Thanks for reading everyone, and i look forward to hearing peoples responses, and hopefully being turned to buy the game.
Comments
1) I believe it's still 75.
2) It's basically all about leveling. You spend hours looking for a group, then you grind on stuff for hours and hours and hours until you level, then you either keep grinding the same stuff, or move on to the next grinding spot. Also you lose xp, and even levels on death. I remember getting to a level at one point, heading to a new spot and taking hours to find a group, then we died on the first pull and I deleveled, so they kicked me out of the group, lolz.
3) The community is a mix of Japanese and English-speaking players, so you'll see lots of people speaking in both languages, and it'll be hard to tell sometime if the person you're trying to talk to is one or the other. Not that hard, but meh. Plus the social interaction is one of the big things that keeps you in the game, and sometimes you get a full group of people who don't speak your language and it's so boring. Though usually they'll kick you out when they realize it. It was never a bad community, but not the best.
4) From what I hear, end-game is just raiding Notorious Monsters and stuff for loot and whatever. Though apparently, unlike some games, they're actually supposed to be fun.
5) I would rate it 2/5. It had an awesome environment, was addictive, but ultimately the gameplay is completely lacking and not really fun. Crafting is the worst, if you're into that stuff. Everything is a grind, and nothing is even remotely easy to do. The game is way too time consuming, there is too little character customization, etc.
And yet, i find myself fighting off the urges to go back every few months. :P
2. Leveling, like most mmorpg's is a big part of the game. The higher you are the more stuff you can do. Unless it's certain level cap COP (Chains of Promathia - expansion) zones.
3. I've only ever played FFXI and WOW so i can't campare it over a broader range of mmorpg's, but I'll say this: FFXI has a MUCH better community than WOW. Both in maturity level and interraction. I've played numerous toons on WOW up to level 20-30th, a 40 Hunter and a 50 Rogue. Not once did I do much interacting with people. That's not a problem on FFXI, simply because people need people. It's a group oriented game and you make alot of friends along the way. The maturity level in FFXI is also much higher than WOW's.
4. The endgame in FFXI is fairly deep. People that quit and say it sucks is because they just focused on one aspect of it. There's: Dynamis, Salvage, Limbus, HNM hunting, Assault, KSNM's, BCNM's, ENM's, etc. You can also merit as mentioned earlier.
5. Overall I'd rate the game a 4.5/5 because no game is perfect
You seem to have the right amount of playtime for FFXI. This game is very time consuming. You'll find the interface different when you first start. It's nothing like WOW. But this game has so much to offer. It's such a deeper game than WOW, with an actual storyline for all 3 nations and all 3 expansion, played out in Cut Scenes. Stick with it and it'll grab you and never let go lol.
I'm a semi-new FF11 player, who also came from WoW +raiding environment. I'm extra knowledgeable about FF11 (and have had it unusually easy in the game, hehe) because my fiance is die-hard FF11 fan and a compendium of knowledge about it. So, you're getting alot of advanced knowledges from the perspective of a newbish player. BTW, I'm a switcher. WoW --> FF11, and I've never looked back. Sooo much more to do in 11. Yeah, more time consuming, but only if you *must* keep up with the Joneses.
1. Max level is 75....but don't let this concern you immediately! There's so much to do between lvl 1 and lvl 75 (quests/missions/BCNM/subjob/advanced job/crafting) that it doesn't feel like the end of the world if you aren't 75 (unlike in WoW). Alot of great dungeons with loot (which is, at the very least, valuable to you to either sell or use) are capped at lower levels - so you can't even blaze through them to farm at 75.
2. Upfront, the game is about leveling. That doesn't mean that will be your focus at all times though. For example, I've taken a break from leveling for the time being to just fish...it's inexpensive and a mini-game in and of itself. I can also make some nice gil. I suggest that you get a job to 20 first, getting your subjob quest done along the way, so you can high-tail it to Jueno and get your Chocobo license. Having a chocobo will make getting around much easier, so you can enjoy the little things (crafting/missions/quests) more.
Besides leveling: you can --> Craft. Do Quests and get fame + gil/item rewards(not EXP, like in WoW). Do Missions (You will need to level up to do some of the higher ones).
3. The community is amazing. So much more mature, in general, than WoW. You run into your elitist jerks now and then, but they are fewer. I've actually also enjoyed partying with Japanese players - they tend to be very skilled and it's fun to have some 'cross-cultural' communication, as long as you can get over not being able to understand them 90% of the time! I suggest you do some research and find a linkshell that you like and join it; it will make everything much more fun and easier. The official website has some Linkshell capabilities now, so you may be able to look up various Shells there. Note: Unlike WoW, you can have several different linkpearls (access to linkshell chat) at once, so you could be in a hard-core DYNAMIS raiding linkshell and still enjoy your family friendly linkshell when you're not doing raids.
4. I have no experience with the lvl 75 content, so don't ask me! From my friends who are in end-game raid linkshells, I've heard mixed things - lots of fun/sometimes elitist (like the min/maxing of many WoW raid guilds)/etc. I don't concern myself with that now because there's so much time between now and when I'll be ready to do that sort of thing. Remember, you need to have two jobs leveled - a sub job and a main job (sub to 37 and main to 75), and you need at least one job to 30 to get the advanced job quests...so that's alot to do in the meantime.
5. 4/5. Sometimes tedious to get places, and the fact that only a few classes can reliably solo may turn people off. I like the battle system and the challenge the game poses (the fact that a simple *trash* mob pull can wipe a group if someone messes up). The events are lots of fun too (Yukatas in the summer, items for your mog house -oh yeah, you get a little house to store stuff in and decorate!). The cut-scenes that accompany the missions/quests are great and make you feel like you are part of the story.
Well, if you happen to wind up on the Phoenix world, send me a PM and I can help you get started
BTW, the best way to *not* sit around looking for a party for hours (well, if you play a magey class, you'll get loads of invites) is to make your own - either of linkshell-mates, people in the LFG tool (very well done in contrast to WoW's btw) or friends. Once you start making parties, you'll find the tedium of 'waiting for an invite' evaporate!
NOTE: You never mentioned whether you are planning to play on PC or console. If you are planning on playing on the PC, I *highly* recommend you use a controller (if you have the cash, there's a sweet XBOX 360 controller with wireless PC compatibility). I use a basic logitech controller (looks like the PS2 ones) and my fiance uses a 360 controller. Makes the interface and moving about *MUCH* easier and intuitive.
First of all I would like to express that I hate this game. I tried to love it since I am a huge FF fan (played FF3 to FF12). Unfortunately as much as I try to like this MMO game everything about it is hinged on a massive time sink. You can't just login for 15 mins and do something worthwhile, because to do anything requires huge massive amount of time investment. Basically just like much of most mmorpgs this is a level up game. You grind XP, level up, get loot, do quests etc. There's a ton of good quests (scenarios) complete with great rewards and storyline unfortunately you can't really solo them and require you have friends to back you up. Try to get into a linkshell (aka guild) so you won't be lonely and at least you have a bigger chance of someone helping you out. This game is all about enforced grouping to do anything. You can't really solo effectively past lvl 15 (well 20 on some jobs).
The world is big, you will be hoofing it until you get your chocobo and airship license. Hoofing it means monsters will get to attack you and especially in some tough areas don't try to wander too much because you will die and if you die, you lose your hard earned XP and/or level. The graphics of this game is okay, I play on the PC version and have the graphics tweaked up on my $500 3D card but can't really say much because this game is old (2002 era ?). The Xbox360 version has better graphics and of course you require an Xbox360 to play it. The thing about this game is that you only have 1 avatar and you can freely change jobs without having to create a new character all over again. This is both a good thing and a bad thing. Good thing is you don't need to change characters, simply talk to your moogle and you can change job pronto, just like that in your mog house. Bad thing is, not all job are well suited to all races. Let's say you play a Galka warrior then suddenly you wanna play a white mage or black mage job, sure its possible to have a Galka black mage or white mage but the thing is, your final stat will be based on your race so then you get a sucky blm/whm with low mana low int but with plenty of health at least @_@; That's not all, you won't be able to get into a group because most people want the race for a specific job (like for example: tarutaru blm/whm). No party in their right mind will want a galka blm/whm over a tarutaru blm/whm, you get my drift ?
As for crafting, forget it, unless you have a shit load of gil (millions of gil) forget about crafting. It's a massive time+money sink that rarely produces anything good unless you are high level that is bored and with ooodles of cash flowing out of your ears. The economy was destroyed by RMTers and everything in the game is overpriced. But it seems SE has been cracking down on these gold sellers that there's some semblance of normality again but then again as a new player you probably can't afford anything at the start and have to scrimp and save to buy anything especially if you are a caster because your spells will eat up most of your cash reserves.
The user interface is horrible and looks just like something out of a PS2 rpg game ... well this game did start off as a PS2 game in japan then they simply port it to the PC and finally to Xbox360 without much tweaking of the UI design (cough lazy cough). You might wanna invest in a USB controller (like that Xbox360 USB controller). Keyboard + Mouse just doesn't cut it, in fact the mouse is near useless in this game.
As much as I want to enjoy this game, the design flaws are so obvious it just doesn't sit well with me.
Oh yeah guess what, if you stop playing for more than 3 months they delete your content ID (including your character information) and you have to start all over again. But lately they have the "Welcome back to Vana'diel" program where they will restore your content ID and characters if you resubscribe again.
I'm a veteran mmorpg player that has been in this genre since 1996 ever since the Meridian 59/Gemstone/The Realm days.
You're the first person to complain that a game is big. Yeah, you cant go wandering into high level areas when you're a low level but you have no business there anyways. But alas, you can still do so if you buy prisim powders and sneak oils. The graphics are the only thing you got right it seems but the game was made in 2001. And your "requires an Xbox 360 to play it" is misleading. You can play it on PC and my graphics (on my 249 dollar graphics card) looks just as good as the Xbox. Also, you can play on the PS2. Also, i've never seen (in almost 7 months) anyone say "Sorry, you're not the right race/job combo". I've seen Galka mages. I've seen taru melee's. And again, in almost 7 months i've never seen anyone say anything about this. I've heard it mentioned before though and i'll repeat what I said then. If your group sucks so badly that the fact your BLM is a galka instead of a Hume makes your group die, then your group will fail for far more reasons than that.
Again, your vision of crafting is wrong too. You can actually craft the low end stuff free. You can do clothcraft and smithing off things you find outside the starting towns along with the crystals. Will you level up fast like this? No. But you're not supposed to craft with only what you farm/find. Sure, it can be a money sink, but only if you're trying to level up a lot, quickly.
Again, i disagree with your view on the economy for the most part. RMTs didn't destroy the market, they inflated it. The market is, however, recovering and the prices are stable now and everything is cheaper. If SE stays on top of this, then it's all good. Also, why do you need a controller on PC? I use my keyboard and it's hella easy with keyboard shortcuts. True the mouse is rarely used but that's actually a good thing.
And lastly, they do not delete your content after 3 months, it's a year. This has been changed for a bit now. It seems like you dislike this game because it requires time and work. The game isn't easy and i'm thankful for this as it keeps kids out of it and keeps them in the free to play/download games that are solo grindfests. And in WoW from what i hear. The game is good. There are a lot of aspects to this game that are good. From the crafting to the chocobo racing, to the leveling, quests, community, and farming. If you don't have the time and patience required, you wont like this game. It seems you lacked one or both.
EVE - Sharvala
FFXI - Shazamalicious
Guild Wars - Xavier Lucifer & Charlize the Necro
"Ranged...stuck...tree...15 random words... suck... noob fanboy... I MAKE GUIDE!"
1. Max lvl is 75.
2. Yes. That is, until you get your first job to lvl 75 and your subjob to lvl 37. From then, you really start to combine stuff. You do end-game stuff with your high-lvl, while maybe lvling new jobs when you wanna do something else. One of FFXI's greatest features, is that you can use 1 character and lvl ALL jobs with this single char. So you can, for example, swich between your lvl 75 warrior and a lvl 10 black mage without changing char. There's also lots of other stuff to do: crafting, fishing, etc for any lvls - end game stuff, see #4.
Btw, don't expect to lvl as fast in FFXI as in WoW - it will not happen! Also, in FFXI you lvl in a party, not solo, after a certain lvl.
3. The community is the best out there!
4. YES! In WoW, end-game is raids only. (WoW will change a bit after next patch, but enough about that.) In FFXI, there are LOTS of options for end-game stuff. Some end-game stuff will require a bit of work to get access. Ie, Sky is accessed at Zilart Mission 14, and Sea is accessed at some mid-lvl Chains of Promathia mission, forgot which. The last exp pack, Treasures of Aht Urghan, added lots of new stuff (Assault, Besieged, Salvage, etc), and more is frequently added via patches/updates. Last major update was March 8th.
5. Full score from me: 5. There's no perfect game out there, but this is the closest so far, imo.
I want to respond to some of the reviews people post of this game individually... but if I did that, I'd never be able to stop typing. Some of hte information - or misinformation - people post about FFXI just drives me insane. They're either extremely poorly informed, or just deliberately spewing out nonsense.
For example... One recent review (as of the time I'm posting this) says that all there is to do in end-game is Dynamis... What?! As Rpro stated.. there is *wayyyyyy* more than that. And, any one of those things he listed is not a single event. Assault alone has many different battlefields and challenges.
As for it being all about grinding. I hate to say it.. if all you're getting out of FFXI is level grinding, then that is all you're putting into it. Though it is a prominent and important part of the game play, there is far more to do than level grinding in FFXI. Grinding is a means to an end - not an end in itself. It allows you to access and participate in more challenging content. Of course, some choose to ignore all that. But that's their problem.
One thing I'll say to amend what Rpro said about the storylines... Man.. they are sick. You will not - and I mean this - *not* find a game with deeper, more powerful or, to me, more engrossing or well-presented storylines. I've found my heart in my throat at times with how sad some of the parts are. The Rise of the Zilart story cutscenes are just amazing.. you get to learn so much about the history of Vana'diel.. and of races that once inhabited the world and so forth. Amazing stuff.
And it's not only the main storyline missions that have amazing stories or cutscenes. I just recently finished my full Dragoon AF (Artifact Armor - a Job specific set of armor you quest for between levels 52-60) set and the final cut scene for that is just... bitter-sweet is the only way to describe it. It's awesome; very powerful. It wraps up a storyline begun when you are first questing to unlock the Dragoon job/class, and does a fantastic job of it.
Seriously.. I cannot overstate how amazing the storylines/cutscenes are in FFXI - and it shouldn't be surprising as its always been one of the cornerstones of a Final Fantasy game.
For those who miss out on it, or just skip through the cut-scenes and don't follow the stories because they're too busy playing FFXI as a pure grinding game.. well, I'm sorry you missed out. But that's your choice to do so; not a lack of content on the game's part.
In my opinion, of the 26+ MMOs I've played - this is the one I keep coming back to. It is - again, to me - the deepest and most interesting MMORPG out there. Square doesn't do anything half-way and something as seemingly mundane as what furnishings you place in you rmog-house have an impact on the game in some way for you.
Players were asking for the ability to own chocobos for the longest time. SE finally granted them their wish.. but not in any simple way.. They implemented an entire system of raising a chocobo from an egg, to a chick, to a youth to a full grown chocobo.. with the ability to choose how you train it to determine its stats.. such as speed, endurance, intelligence, and so forth. What you feed it has an effect on it. It will get sick.. it will get injured.. it will fall in love (yes I'm serious) and all kinds of other things that can affect it. And if *that* wasn't enough... they implemented the ability to race your chocobo against other players' as well as the ability to breed yours with another's and receive a new chocobo egg to raise. Think that's enough? There's more. They will be (if they haven't already) implementing an old FF game, "Chocobo Hot and Cold" into FFXI so now not only do you get your own chocobo that you can raise and call on when out in the field.. You can now compete against others' in a game geared specifically for them. All the players were asking for was a personal chocobo to ride around on. SE turns around and goes all-out. Do you *have* to raise a chocobo? Not at all. You can continue renting them as people always have. But the option is there for those who want to do it.
This kind of depth is typical of things in FFXI. Nothing is done half-way or as an after-thought.
But again.. the more you put into it... the more you get out. And if all you're getting out of it is "a grinding game".. then you're the limiting factor.. not the game.
and the cash shop selling asphalt..." - Mimzel on F2P/Cash Shops
I want to respond to some of the reviews people post of this game individually... but if I did that, I'd never be able to stop typing. Some of hte information - or misinformation - people post about FFXI just drives me insane. They're either extremely poorly informed, or just deliberately spewing out nonsense.
For example... One recent review (as of the time I'm posting this) says that all there is to do in end-game is Dynamis... What?! As Rpro stated.. there is *wayyyyyy* more than that. And, any one of those things he listed is not a single event. Assault alone has many different battlefields and challenges.
As for it being all about grinding. I hate to say it.. if all you're getting out of FFXI is level grinding, then that is all you're putting into it. Though it is a prominent and important part of the game play, there is far more to do than level grinding in FFXI. Grinding is a means to an end - not an end in itself. It allows you to access and participate in more challenging content. Of course, some choose to ignore all that. But that's their problem.
One thing I'll say to amend what Rpro said about the storylines... Man.. they are sick. You will not - and I mean this - *not* find a game with deeper, more powerful or, to me, more engrossing or well-presented storylines. I've found my heart in my throat at times with how sad some of the parts are. The Rise of the Zilart story cutscenes are just amazing.. you get to learn so much about the history of Vana'diel.. and of races that once inhabited the world and so forth. Amazing stuff.
And it's not only the main storyline missions that have amazing stories or cutscenes. I just recently finished my full Dragoon AF (Artifact Armor - a Job specific set of armor you quest for between levels 52-60) set and the final cut scene for that is just... bitter-sweet is the only way to describe it. It's awesome; very powerful. It wraps up a storyline begun when you are first questing to unlock the Dragoon job/class, and does a fantastic job of it.
Seriously.. I cannot overstate how amazing the storylines/cutscenes are in FFXI - and it shouldn't be surprising as its always been one of the cornerstones of a Final Fantasy game.
For those who miss out on it, or just skip through the cut-scenes and don't follow the stories because they're too busy playing FFXI as a pure grinding game.. well, I'm sorry you missed out. But that's your choice to do so; not a lack of content on the game's part.
In my opinion, of the 26+ MMOs I've played - this is the one I keep coming back to. It is - again, to me - the deepest and most interesting MMORPG out there. Square doesn't do anything half-way and something as seemingly mundane as what furnishings you place in you rmog-house have an impact on the game in some way for you.
Players were asking for the ability to own chocobos for the longest time. SE finally granted them their wish.. but not in any simple way.. They implemented an entire system of raising a chocobo from an egg, to a chick, to a youth to a full grown chocobo.. with the ability to choose how you train it to determine its stats.. such as speed, endurance, intelligence, and so forth. What you feed it has an effect on it. It will get sick.. it will get injured.. it will fall in love (yes I'm serious) and all kinds of other things that can affect it. And if *that* wasn't enough... they implemented the ability to race your chocobo against other players' as well as the ability to breed yours with another's and receive a new chocobo egg to raise. Think that's enough? There's more. They will be (if they haven't already) implementing an old FF game, "Chocobo Hot and Cold" into FFXI so now not only do you get your own chocobo that you can raise and call on when out in the field.. You can now compete against others' in a game geared specifically for them. All the players were asking for was a personal chocobo to ride around on. SE turns around and goes all-out. Do you *have* to raise a chocobo? Not at all. You can continue renting them as people always have. But the option is there for those who want to do it.
This kind of depth is typical of things in FFXI. Nothing is done half-way or as an after-thought.
But again.. the more you put into it... the more you get out. And if all you're getting out of it is "a grinding game".. then you're the limiting factor.. not the game.
WSIMike, I do believe sir, that truer words have not been spoken. I think that last line could be prophetic of any game "The more you put into it, the more you get out of it. You're the limiting factor, not the game". And that could not apply more, i feel, to FFXI. If all you see in this game is leveling and grinding. You have SO missed a good 70% of this game. I spent 5 hours last night in Garrisons and had a BLAST. I want to go again already but my LS hasn't set the new date yet. I was planning on this being my last month but I may stick around as I've found a new love. And her name is "Garrison"
EVE - Sharvala
FFXI - Shazamalicious
Guild Wars - Xavier Lucifer & Charlize the Necro
"Ranged...stuck...tree...15 random words... suck... noob fanboy... I MAKE GUIDE!"
I want to respond to some of the reviews people post of this game individually... but if I did that, I'd never be able to stop typing. Some of hte information - or misinformation - people post about FFXI just drives me insane. They're either extremely poorly informed, or just deliberately spewing out nonsense.
For example... One recent review (as of the time I'm posting this) says that all there is to do in end-game is Dynamis... What?! As Rpro stated.. there is *wayyyyyy* more than that. And, any one of those things he listed is not a single event. Assault alone has many different battlefields and challenges.
As for it being all about grinding. I hate to say it.. if all you're getting out of FFXI is level grinding, then that is all you're putting into it. Though it is a prominent and important part of the game play, there is far more to do than level grinding in FFXI. Grinding is a means to an end - not an end in itself. It allows you to access and participate in more challenging content. Of course, some choose to ignore all that. But that's their problem.
One thing I'll say to amend what Rpro said about the storylines... Man.. they are sick. You will not - and I mean this - *not* find a game with deeper, more powerful or, to me, more engrossing or well-presented storylines. I've found my heart in my throat at times with how sad some of the parts are. The Rise of the Zilart story cutscenes are just amazing.. you get to learn so much about the history of Vana'diel.. and of races that once inhabited the world and so forth. Amazing stuff.
And it's not only the main storyline missions that have amazing stories or cutscenes. I just recently finished my full Dragoon AF (Artifact Armor - a Job specific set of armor you quest for between levels 52-60) set and the final cut scene for that is just... bitter-sweet is the only way to describe it. It's awesome; very powerful. It wraps up a storyline begun when you are first questing to unlock the Dragoon job/class, and does a fantastic job of it.
Seriously.. I cannot overstate how amazing the storylines/cutscenes are in FFXI - and it shouldn't be surprising as its always been one of the cornerstones of a Final Fantasy game.
For those who miss out on it, or just skip through the cut-scenes and don't follow the stories because they're too busy playing FFXI as a pure grinding game.. well, I'm sorry you missed out. But that's your choice to do so; not a lack of content on the game's part.
In my opinion, of the 26+ MMOs I've played - this is the one I keep coming back to. It is - again, to me - the deepest and most interesting MMORPG out there. Square doesn't do anything half-way and something as seemingly mundane as what furnishings you place in you rmog-house have an impact on the game in some way for you.
Players were asking for the ability to own chocobos for the longest time. SE finally granted them their wish.. but not in any simple way.. They implemented an entire system of raising a chocobo from an egg, to a chick, to a youth to a full grown chocobo.. with the ability to choose how you train it to determine its stats.. such as speed, endurance, intelligence, and so forth. What you feed it has an effect on it. It will get sick.. it will get injured.. it will fall in love (yes I'm serious) and all kinds of other things that can affect it. And if *that* wasn't enough... they implemented the ability to race your chocobo against other players' as well as the ability to breed yours with another's and receive a new chocobo egg to raise. Think that's enough? There's more. They will be (if they haven't already) implementing an old FF game, "Chocobo Hot and Cold" into FFXI so now not only do you get your own chocobo that you can raise and call on when out in the field.. You can now compete against others' in a game geared specifically for them. All the players were asking for was a personal chocobo to ride around on. SE turns around and goes all-out. Do you *have* to raise a chocobo? Not at all. You can continue renting them as people always have. But the option is there for those who want to do it.
This kind of depth is typical of things in FFXI. Nothing is done half-way or as an after-thought.
But again.. the more you put into it... the more you get out. And if all you're getting out of it is "a grinding game".. then you're the limiting factor.. not the game.
WSIMike, I do believe sir, that truer words have not been spoken. I think that last line could be prophetic of any game "The more you put into it, the more you get out of it. You're the limiting factor, not the game". And that could not apply more, i feel, to FFXI. If all you see in this game is leveling and grinding. You have SO missed a good 70% of this game. I spent 5 hours last night in Garrisons and had a BLAST. I want to go again already but my LS hasn't set the new date yet. I was planning on this being my last month but I may stick around as I've found a new love. And her name is "Garrison"
Heheh.. Thanks!
Yeah, I've picked up a few of the Garrison items in my travels.. Going to be trying one of those out, hopefully, in the near future.
If you played FFXI and have seen even a hint of what all there is to do, it is seriously impossible - even laughable - to suggest that it's nothing but a grinding game. When I see or hear someone say that.. I'm bewildered.
I mean.. the story arcs alone are enough to keep you engrossed for a while.
But as far as actual action-based content...
Promyvion, Dynamis, Ballista, Garrison, Assault, Besieged, Brenner, Salvage, BCNMs, ENMs, Limbus, Sky, HNMs... Each of those things I listed are an entire sub-activity unto themselves, almost all involving their own dedicated battlefields/areas and their own unique challenges. None of them involve "just grinding". You could spend *months* working your way through all those. Then you have all the storylines/missions to work through... All the side activities... synthing (crafting), farming, gardening, mining, chocobo racing, questing.. and on and on... FFXI is simply massive.
and the cash shop selling asphalt..." - Mimzel on F2P/Cash Shops
I want to respond to some of the reviews people post of this game individually... but if I did that, I'd never be able to stop typing. Some of hte information - or misinformation - people post about FFXI just drives me insane. They're either extremely poorly informed, or just deliberately spewing out nonsense.
For example... One recent review (as of the time I'm posting this) says that all there is to do in end-game is Dynamis... What?! As Rpro stated.. there is *wayyyyyy* more than that. And, any one of those things he listed is not a single event. Assault alone has many different battlefields and challenges.
As for it being all about grinding. I hate to say it.. if all you're getting out of FFXI is level grinding, then that is all you're putting into it. Though it is a prominent and important part of the game play, there is far more to do than level grinding in FFXI. Grinding is a means to an end - not an end in itself. It allows you to access and participate in more challenging content. Of course, some choose to ignore all that. But that's their problem.
One thing I'll say to amend what Rpro said about the storylines... Man.. they are sick. You will not - and I mean this - *not* find a game with deeper, more powerful or, to me, more engrossing or well-presented storylines. I've found my heart in my throat at times with how sad some of the parts are. The Rise of the Zilart story cutscenes are just amazing.. you get to learn so much about the history of Vana'diel.. and of races that once inhabited the world and so forth. Amazing stuff.
And it's not only the main storyline missions that have amazing stories or cutscenes. I just recently finished my full Dragoon AF (Artifact Armor - a Job specific set of armor you quest for between levels 52-60) set and the final cut scene for that is just... bitter-sweet is the only way to describe it. It's awesome; very powerful. It wraps up a storyline begun when you are first questing to unlock the Dragoon job/class, and does a fantastic job of it.
Seriously.. I cannot overstate how amazing the storylines/cutscenes are in FFXI - and it shouldn't be surprising as its always been one of the cornerstones of a Final Fantasy game.
For those who miss out on it, or just skip through the cut-scenes and don't follow the stories because they're too busy playing FFXI as a pure grinding game.. well, I'm sorry you missed out. But that's your choice to do so; not a lack of content on the game's part.
In my opinion, of the 26+ MMOs I've played - this is the one I keep coming back to. It is - again, to me - the deepest and most interesting MMORPG out there. Square doesn't do anything half-way and something as seemingly mundane as what furnishings you place in you rmog-house have an impact on the game in some way for you.
Players were asking for the ability to own chocobos for the longest time. SE finally granted them their wish.. but not in any simple way.. They implemented an entire system of raising a chocobo from an egg, to a chick, to a youth to a full grown chocobo.. with the ability to choose how you train it to determine its stats.. such as speed, endurance, intelligence, and so forth. What you feed it has an effect on it. It will get sick.. it will get injured.. it will fall in love (yes I'm serious) and all kinds of other things that can affect it. And if *that* wasn't enough... they implemented the ability to race your chocobo against other players' as well as the ability to breed yours with another's and receive a new chocobo egg to raise. Think that's enough? There's more. They will be (if they haven't already) implementing an old FF game, "Chocobo Hot and Cold" into FFXI so now not only do you get your own chocobo that you can raise and call on when out in the field.. You can now compete against others' in a game geared specifically for them. All the players were asking for was a personal chocobo to ride around on. SE turns around and goes all-out. Do you *have* to raise a chocobo? Not at all. You can continue renting them as people always have. But the option is there for those who want to do it.
This kind of depth is typical of things in FFXI. Nothing is done half-way or as an after-thought.
But again.. the more you put into it... the more you get out. And if all you're getting out of it is "a grinding game".. then you're the limiting factor.. not the game.
WSIMike, I do believe sir, that truer words have not been spoken. I think that last line could be prophetic of any game "The more you put into it, the more you get out of it. You're the limiting factor, not the game". And that could not apply more, i feel, to FFXI. If all you see in this game is leveling and grinding. You have SO missed a good 70% of this game. I spent 5 hours last night in Garrisons and had a BLAST. I want to go again already but my LS hasn't set the new date yet. I was planning on this being my last month but I may stick around as I've found a new love. And her name is "Garrison"
Heheh.. Thanks!
Yeah, I've picked up a few of the Garrison items in my travels.. Going to be trying one of those out, hopefully, in the near future.
If you played FFXI and have seen even a hint of what all there is to do, it is seriously impossible - even laughable - to suggest that it's nothing but a grinding game. When I see or hear someone say that.. I'm bewildered.
I mean.. the story arcs alone are enough to keep you engrossed for a while.
But as far as actual action-based content...
Promyvion, Dynamis, Ballista, Garrison, Assault, Besieged, Brenner, Salvage, BCNMs, ENMs, Limbus, Sky, HNMs... Each of those things I listed are an entire sub-activity unto themselves, almost all involving their own dedicated battlefields/areas and their own unique challenges. None of them involve "just grinding". You could spend *months* working your way through all those. Then you have all the storylines/missions to work through... All the side activities... synthing (crafting), farming, gardening, mining, chocobo racing, questing.. and on and on... FFXI is simply massive.
QFT!
If I was able to play any game 6-12 hours a day, it would be ffxi. Limitless stuff, especially if you start now!