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MMO Couple seeks, future ex-MMO
Long time listener, first time poster.
So here's the rub.
My g/f and I like to play MMOs. In fact, (/insert snide comment) we met playing EQII (concidentally my first MMO, but not hers).
So many years later, our MMO experience has come full circle and we find ourselves bored with most of the games we've tried. We've play mostly mainstream games, call us purists or lamesauce, it's thus far been the best approach to population.
Our Experience:
In playing, living and loving this woman, I've come to get a good feel for her playstyle. So in an effort to help get some great advice I figured I'd post a little bit about our playstyle:
| Me | Both | Her |
|
|
- The Grinds and the challenge - Mature community with toons in All tiers (obivously more difficult the longer a game has been our) - Wide open spaces, an expansive world |
- She is EXTREMELY Reward driven, hearing the level "DING" was the highlight of any 4 hour. BUT if it's acheived TOO easily, then ... no go - * Here's the catch, typicalyl once we're max level, and Alt-ed out, she's done. Unless there exists a unique enough end-game to hold her attention. - Enter the Soap-Box, I thought a game liek this with no REAL cap would be great, BUT the lack of pre-defined roles, apparently a MAJOR turn-off. - She is also very social, we're typically in guilds, and the chattier the better |
The History:
The "Good"
- Everquest 2 (4+ yrs) several max level characters, most of mine with max AA pre-Shadow Odyssey. We participated in moderate raid content, but not really our thing. Left the game with a good feeling, on a high note, having explored the entire world, and knowing my quests like the back of my hand (always thought that was an odd phrase).
+ Really loved the community, good getting groups at any level/tier
+ GRINDING and instances, one of the things that DRIVES her up the wall are games that when people group, it's only for 1 quest, or 1 mob. Drives her BONKERS!!! ** In EQII 3-4 grind sessions were not uncommon, in the same spot, taking time only for BIOs and to replace your tank/healer when they had to leave.
- World was a little small (compared to EQ 1) but not a huge turn off
- Little to do at level 80, once we each had a couple toons there, it was time to move on, we're not "BIG" on raiding, we like the family style guilds. - Evequest (her 1yr+, me 6months) - it made sense that after leaving a game like EQ2, to made try the original, the UI was tough to nail down, and the graphics ... well, you know. Still a pretty good game, so long as you're max level. Since we weren't, that joy ride didn't last too long.
+ Definitely the right idea and genre
- No Low level population
- Graphics, well not that we didn't know what we were getting ourselves into, but yeah it was a tough transition.
The "Okay"
- Vanguard:SoH (1 yr +) - We played at launch, we loved SOOOOO many things about this game, but the unyielding and unrelenting issues were enough to drive us away. We had toons up in the mid 40's, with a decent guild, our lovely houses in the middle of no-where. And it was the first game I was temp suspending from for leveling the ol' bard from 9-35, on a bugged quest turn in. 4 hours and about 65,000,000,000 mouse clicks later ... ding! Well that was short lived. hehe, still a grea game in concept, but can't save a sinking ship. We even tried coming back to it recently (past 3 months) and well ... no one from level 1 - 20 it seems ... population kicked our
+ The dungeon grinding, spending hours at the wardship looking for candles and etc, etc.
+ Good community, and IMMENSE world (well that's a positive and a negative)
+ Graphics, were pretty, but can you say stu-stu-stutter?
- Travel, I know they fixed this but too much of a good thing?
- Population ... yeah I know, but it sucks. - LOTRO (1.5yrs+) - Another well designed game, but it's in the okay section for a reason. Realistically, we only played this game as long as we did because we had a friend in RL playing with us. I thought the epic quest line was an awesome idea, but Lore and Epic Quests are more my thing, not hers. The small number of classes hurt us a little too, since we each had 1 of every class over 20+ in the first couple months, the game because sort of a bore-grind.}
+ Graphics: I liked them, she hated them
+ Good system performance, and server stability
- Epic quests are like hummingbird feeders, if you want a group you have to be within 10 feet of one. It made this MMO feel too linear, more like an FF game on a console than an immersive world that can be explored the way you want to explore it.
- Decent population, but poor community. It felt like too many "teens" on at any given time, and maturity certainly counts for something. - Warhammer Online (Open Beta - Present(minus 3 weeks) - So here's a game that I thought had a chance for us. Seemed like a decent launch, good number of players, we even had some RL friends playing, PQ's seemed pretty cool. I was a little worried about the PvP concept, as I didn't think that was her forte, but we actually liked the scenarios quite a bit, I played some ORvR (when it COULD be found). But Whammm, out of the blue she wants to quit
.. lost interest. No grinds,no instances, no grouping. Even the heralded PQ system wasn't even to keep her in it. It was just wasn't enough of what she liked I guess.
- We enjoyed scenarios, but man it was tough to get groups for ANYthing if you weren't doing Keeps, or PQs (and yes we were on a "HIGH" population server)
+ We both enjoyed the classes, albeit we again each had several characters well into their 20's a month and a half into the game, it sucks when we have to call dibs on classes because they're aren't enough unique ones to go around.
- Community was okay ... (don't take this the wrong way) but too many WoW Fan-bois.
The "Ugly" (IOHO)
- AoC - Well, we spent the $50 x 2 played for 2 months. Yeah. I don't think we were in a single group through our teens, and only 1 in our twenties.
- WoW - Here is a game of much debate. I liked MANY aspects of this game, lets face it, whether you love or hate it, they do many things very, very well. But, the big turn-offs here
- Community - Again, not trying to generalize, just making an oberservation based on our experience, the average maturity level is less than waht we are willing to put up with.
- Not too much of a grind, I mean when I temp-quit EQII, I played WoW for 1.5 months and had a lvl50 NE Druid (go, go feral!) but it seemed like the Staples easy button ... click, click, ding. - UO - I tried it, she didn't ... I'm glad she didn't, not our style.
- Guild Wars - I don't think F2P is our thing, I really don't know, but it just didn't work for us. It had the life span of a Diablo II, it was good for a month, but then move on, AND you don't feel bad because it's free
- City of Heroes: It was cute, but again community/ maturity, and I think she's more inclined for a more "Fantasy" style game, Sci-fi and Campy marvel is out.
- Hellgate: See GW's above
- Asheron's Call 2: It was okay. Soap-box games are an niche. One of the BIGGEST problems I see is that if you join a game like that, well after release, EVERYone, but you, has crazy, building jumping, cliff diving, maxed skills.
So there you have it folks. We've seen, we saw, we conquered, we moved on. Now if you have any recommendations for us, please do so, I'm pretty desparate to get on another MMO, it's been a few weeks and I'm itching for one (so much I've reverted to Diablo II just to pass the time).
Again, my thoughts are my own with regards to the comments made about the above games, if you think we didn't give the game a fair shake, that's a valid assessment, and I'll accept it if you want to say we should try it again.
We're looking for to, well I"m looking forward to Darkfall, and perhaps The Chronicles of Spellborn (despite DF being soapbox/ PvP and TCOS boasting an "innovative" combat system *cough, AoC).
I've come to learn from reading these forums you all have a great perception and expertise in areas I have not, with the games you have played, loved and lost. If you can share anything with me I greatly appreciated it.
Also if you're wondering what the heck the **'s were for up in the EQ2 post, here's what they are for.
** While I mentioned 3-4 hour grinds are not uncommon, this was a love hate type thing. You love to do it, but you hate that it takes up your day. So what it comes down to, and this is the craziest part, is the game we need must be a Grind, but not a Grind, Extremely Reward -Driven but also not so fast that we'll max out (once we maxes out, we're usually done with the game). Must have enough risk vs. reward that it's fun, but you don't spend 1 of your 5 hours of play on corpse runs. Diverse enough to spread the world out, but focused enough to have players in all area AT all levels ranges. pretty enough to hold her attention on her Alienware computer, but not so hardcore it lags on my 512mb Nvidia. 
The gloves are off the gauntlet is thrown ... anyone have any ideas?
Thank you ahead of time for your input, we really do appreciate it.
Comments
Maybe try FFXI?
you could try lineage 2, sounds like a good game for you, since you like "grinding" and risk vs reward kind of thingy
Originally posted by Crapsauce
** While I mentioned 3-4 hour grinds are not uncommon, this was a love hate type thing. You love to do it, but you hate that it takes up your day. So what it comes down to, and this is the craziest part, is the game we (she) needs must be a Grind, but not a Grind, Extremely Reward -Driven but also not so fast that we'll max out (once she maxes, she's usually done with the game). Must have enough risk vs. reward that it's fun, but you don't spend 1 of your 5 hours of play on corpse runs. Diverse enough to spread the world out, but focused enough to have players in all area AT all levels ranges. pretty enough to hold her attention on her Alienware computer, but not so hardcore it lags on my 512mb Nvidia.
What you just said above is exactly what FFXI offers. FFXI is a group forced grind, but not really cause its alot of fun, and sometimes you'll hate it, most times you'll love it. Its much slower than the average MMO as you have 20 different jobs you can play as on the same character and can switch to at anytime without rolling a new char, but only after you've unlocked the other 14, as you only start with the basic 6.
Its all about rewards if you can survive the encounters...tons of risk but as I say below that rush of OMG when you do get something; no other MMO provides that feeling. The link below has a partial list of things to do...its immense...more things than you'll ever complete....heck if you tried to complete everything that FFXI offers it'll take you well over 3 yrs to finish it all.
No corpse runsas you bind yourself to certain locations, but upon death without a raise can and will result in having to get up where you were bound and can be a good run back to where you were. Plus you have to play the dodge game as most enemies will kick your ass and they do follow you till you die or zone most times. They also don't just aggro like the typical MMO....there are Sight, Sound, Smell, Low HP, Low MP, Magic, then later in the game there are mobs with true everything above that can see through ur magic if you have invis on or mask your smell and sounds...etc Its crazy in-depth to avoid mobs sometimes.
As far as diverse enough to have players everywhere, at one point it was very tough to get groups in many areas, but about 6 months ago a new Level Sync was added that enhanced the grouping system , and removed all the pains of finding players your lvl to play with. Anyone regardless of level or skill can now group together anywhere in the game at anytime...its an amazing update!
...and lastly this game is not a powerhungry high-end PC required to play it...yes its 7 yrs old this spring, and runs on DX8 using old PS2 technology but its still one of the best looking MMOs that rivals most of todays newer ones! Check here for some images I and others posted using forced high rez textures!
~Original post~
It would appear that you've played a majority of the AAA titles, but I noticed that you havn't yet tried FFXI! If' you're still looking for that hardcore experience from days of old, and a challenge everytime you log in and one of the most robust "things to do" that rival every MMO in existance then give this game a go:
Final Fantasy XI
A member here has recent;y been putting together a "things to do list in FFXI" here on the forums, and while still incomplete you'll see the massive amounts of activities! Most of which aren't things you can just jump into in a few min and defeat. They take time to unlock and prepare yourself for them and get a good well balanced group of players together to tackle many of them.
Not to mention the best ever storyline of any MMO that even rivals LOTRO. This isn't a hand-holding quick MMO like most of what you've already played. If you want something you really gotta take the time to earn it, but when you finally do its like this huge rush of OMG that was incredible feeling that no other MMO can offer because of their ease to acquire stuff.
Anyway, if you have further question do ask me or others on the FFXI forums....still tons to talk about!
FFXI Worldmap and area maps...this game is huge!
I would have to second that. I didn't see FFXI on your list of games mentioned that I could see.
I used to play FFXI and I can vouch that it is a fun game for couples to play. FFXI is really a fun, easy-going, and social game to play. There has really been alot of new changes added over the years as well to help make it more enjoyable and social such as level synch. It is somewhat social-driven but at the same time, it can be reward-driven as well. The two of you may want to join a Linkshell to help with many factors and concepts of the game. Parties and groups will be a important part in leveling together. I would definately recommend at least giving it a trial and see if it is what you and your lady are seeking.
Either way, good luck to you both!
____________________________________________________________
The views expressed in this post are solely those of my own and do not necessarily reflect the views of pyromaniacs.
Awesome posts guys
, I really appreciate the input!
I'm looking at FFXI now (online, at work, shhh) ... keep those ideas flowing
Have you ever tried the DDO(D&D online) trial? It has a lot of the things you enjoy except wide open spaces, an expansive world. If the instancing in GW didn't bother you then it wouldn't here either. At a minimum try the trial. You should be able to tell if you like it within the 10 day trial.
-Almerel
Hello my old friend.
Thanks for the heads up on D&DO.
I think the structure of GW bothered her quite a bit, it was only so-so for me. If D&DO is similar, it would probably flame out in our household.
Question on FFXI for anyone ... watching some of the videos on http://www.playonline.com/ff11us/index.shtml
the beginner's guide, the combat system looks similar to the Console FF, turn-based and menu based (e.g. FF7, FFX, FF2,3,4 lol) is that the standardized form of combat? I'd be concerned she wouldn't go for that necessarily.
Also, if the combat is turn based, would that infer all battles are instanced battles? You engage mob X, and it's you vs mob x like on the console?
Thank uoi!
The combat has the similar console style of menus because FFXI was original buit for the PS2 then ported to the PC. Though the combat is not per-say turn based. Its all live action and continuous just like any other MMO, but its alot slower and camp based. Like for example the dunes which you'll visit frequently...there are like 20 or so really good locations that are fairly safe to camp at.....your PT picks a loc and 1 player pulls mobs back to you and you fight them there....you don't go running around and constantly moving like other MMOs, you will die!
Like where you would stand around in a group in EQ and kinda in EQ2 at a camp location, then 1 person is the designated puller and pulls a mob or group of mobs back to the party. In FFXI it's very similar to this however you'll very rarely ever be pulling back more than 1 mob at a time unless it was a link or add in the early levels. In the higher lvl events and some groups you'll see more groups of mobs combat because the jobs have the skills to hold several mobs via sleep and other spells for much greater periods of time.
Much higher lvls during farming runs or when in easier areas you can do groups of mobs easily, but never will you be willing to take on more than 1 Incredibly Tough mob in a normal XP party!
Never watched the tutorials, so dunno what they cover, but the game is based on 6 player well balanced groups vs 1 IT = Incredibly Tough mob. When I say well balanced, most the times you won't do XP groups with just random jobs...you will need a healer and a tank, a puller, a nuker or debuffer, and some dps! Also unlike many MMOs where some skills/spells and abilities are negligable at best, FFXI will require everyone in the Party to use all their spells and avilities in most fights to win.
Don't wanna discourage you in any way, but this game is very tough....much much harder than everything you've played yet and it does take lots of practice and time to learn how it all works and what mobs do what and hurts them, etc... After you learn how things work it gets a little easier in knowing what to do, but its never easily predicted, like for example the goblin mobs which you'll encounter from lvl 1-75 are bastards and are very unpredictable in their monvements and actions during combat. As are many other types of mobs but the only way to really see what I mean is give FFXI a try. It one very intense combat style where everyone must be at the top of their game to succeed when taking on the hardest stuff.
Though along with the Level Sync added last fall, Square also increased the base XP you get from easy and Decent challenge mobs and its quite a bit easier and faster to lvl not only in a group, but its now feasable to solo into the late 20s, early 30s on most jobs and several all the way to 75. Though all of the tough storylines, mission boss fights, NMs, BCNMs, etc still require full balanced groups to succeed!
I think you two were made for FFXI, best choice out there for you. Grouping is almost required, so you'll have no problem getting into a group, provided you pick the right classes./builds. Be sure to do some reasearch on this or one or both of you might get left out in the cold in the upper levels.
"True friends stab you in the front." | Oscar Wilde
"I need to finish" - Christian Wolff: The Accountant
Just trying to live long enough to play a new, released MMORPG, playing New Worlds atm
Fools find no pleasure in understanding but delight in airing their own opinions. Pvbs 18:2, NIV
Don't just play games, inhabit virtual worlds™
"This is the most intelligent, well qualified and articulate response to a post I have ever seen on these forums. It's a shame most people here won't have the attention span to read past the second line." - Anon
Lol ... yeah, trust me, it's not ideal.
I wish I had the $50 back on several of those games ... cause man that adds up ... and then you forget to cancel and all that stuff.
But seriously, I'm the "explorer/ achiever" that likes to do/see everything. She's the grin and grind it player. And since neither of us are really that into raiding, the game loses alot of appeal at cap (+ capped alts).
Valid opinion, and too be honest I have nothing against F2P MMOs, just have never really taken the time to sit down and try one. From my naive assumptions, I always just figured the content was limited, compared to a more mainstream MMO. But definitely worth proposing to her.
Exactly true, most F2P are massive grinds that are damn near impossible to cap in unless you use a bot program or play 24/7 with no breaks and it'll still take weeks per level in the higher range! Also gear and items are very limited and mostly consist of everyone who plays has the same gear at every cap. Like new gear at 7, 13, 21, etc its all the same for everyone....
You really should give FFXI a try instead as I guarantee its what you both are looking for! Also once you get to the end game there is so much to do besides raids, and technically the raids there are are not really raids at all. They're done quite differently than the average MMO and way more fun.
Also you said your female 1/2 loves to grind but gets bored once she hits the cap. On top of getting lvl 75, you can then switch from XP to earning Merit XP, which is used to purchase extra points in all your main stats, magic, def, off, etc...
Like I mentioned earlier, you only start with the basic 6 jobs, but there are 14 more you can unlock throughout the game, some very easy...others very very hard to get. So your talking getting to the cap on 20 different jobs if you want + Merit XP on 20 diff jobs. Its insane the amount there is to do.
heh, I'm really tempting myself into returning....been several years since I played longer than 1-2months straight but I read every update; keeping myself in the loop of whats going on in Vana'diel and frequently contact friends still playing. Ask me anything you wanna know, and I can prolly give ya an answer!
Great advice everyone, I really appreciate it.
Next comes the daunting task of getting her to play it.
I figure it should be an easy sell, $19.99 digital download, and 30 days free. Couldn't be that bad right?
Just to point out DDO is nothing like GW, they both have instances but from that point on they couldn't be any more different.
DDO instances are handcrafted dungeon crawls designed for a small party working as a team. You don't get xp from killing things you get xp from finishing the quest. It also has twitch combat, backed up with some decent projectile physics so you could dodge a fireball or arrow, dive behind scenery, or even jump in front of another person and take the shot for them. Add in some very complex build options and sensible 12 man raids, certainly worth a trial.
This post probably sums up a new couple experience very well.
www.mmorpg.com/discussion2.cfm/thread/219199
Well you could always do a trial of FFXI for 14 days before-hand! Even though $19.99 for FFXI plus all expansions is quite cheap, doesn't hurt to give it a try first, just in case you don't like what we've been describing. I don't see why you wouldn't like it though as its exactly what you both would greatly enjoy.
Final Fantasy XI Trial Website ~ Thie trial button is on the bottom right of screen after it loads and it'll send you to Fileplanet to DL the client.
Probably too late now - but be prepared for crappy keyboard and mouse controls with FFXI - it plays best with a controller!
- Syn
Nope not too late, she's still thinking about it.
Thanks for the warning though, I thought I caught whispers of "odd" style of controls.
Not sure if that bodes well for us or not, but I still think it's worth a shot
You may want to give VG:SoH another go. It's fixed a good bit from launch and may be what you're looking for. As a plus there is now a trial.
Coincidentally I talked her into it, our old server Woefeather having been merged into Xeth (sp?) (about 3-4 weeks ago).
We started some new toons and ran around, enjoying the new "Newbie Island" but once we hit the mainland we discovered something of a ghost town. We even "sucked it up" and logged into our 40's toons, and joined a guild, but there just wasn't quite enough activity for us over the course of those couple of weeks.
But I appreciate the heads-up, I'd say it was a good call, and certainly a fun couple of weeks, but still, the population issue is pretty paramount for us.
tyvm 4 the suggestion
Yeah the controls are different but entirely playable with just a keyboard! I know it plays good with a controller since it was designed for PS2 and then ported to PC, but I never have gotten around to using a controller with it when I played. I just use the standard 9-key for movement/targeting/menu etc that it comes standard as, and the arrow keys for the camera, and then ALT/CTRL+1-0 for all the macros.
Sounds odd but I've grown to love that control style and since FFXI plays about 70% slower than the average MMO is works very well!
You can change all your controls though to the style of a modern MMO with WASD and Mouse control, but with the menu style combat its very awkward to use and once you see how slow and radically different combat plays out than your average MMO you'll see it doesn't work well at all with a mouse!
Don't let that discourage you though, take a bit of time to learn the new style of controls and you'll find that FFXI is one of the most amazing MMOs and has "the best" storyline ever...
That's pretty much my typical setup as well, WASD movement, and 1-0, CTRL 1-0 and ALT 1-0 for hotbars.
Because the combat is "slower" does that attribute to why the game is a grind? in the sense that you kill slower, thus you level slower.
That's pretty much my typical setup as well, WASD movement, and 1-0, CTRL 1-0 and ALT 1-0 for hotbars.
Because the combat is "slower" does that attribute to why the game is a grind? in the sense that you kill slower, thus you level slower.
Not really....technically I don't see it as a grind but the real way an MMO should be played. Instead of killing 10 enemies for a quest and getting several thousand experience reward which is usually 10 times as much XP then what those mobs gave you to level. in FFXI you don't get XP from quests, so to me its like you're really playing your character and doing all the work to advance.
Though the new player tutorial and a few quests in recent years have added a small XP reward to them, its not enough to level on.
Take it you havn't played yet, but when I say slower combat this isn't like where in the newer MMOs and most of what you've already played where you're running around and attacking several mobs or groups of mobs solo and destroying them in a few secs. Instead you have to slow down and take your time on deciding which enemy to strike next, how powerful is that enemy in relation to me and the job I'm playing.
Most of the enemies look very similar and even right outside the gate at the very beginning a newbie mob can and will kill you if you don't pay attention and check its power. Checking an enemy is what its called by using Alt+C or maybe its CTRL+C when you have your cursor on an enemy and it'll list in the chat box:
The Savanna Rarab seems like a decent challenge.
It seems to have high defense.
That basically says that the Rarab is a decent challenge in relation to your level, but it also says it has high defense, so basically its going to be a bit harder to kill and could quite possible kill you. There is also high agility I believe which also going to make it even harder. When you get to group stuff and fight Incredibly Tough mobs you'd call a mob like that to your group an IT+ for having the additional Defense, and an IT++ for having high defense and high agility. Though you won't meet many of those in the starter areas, but there are many there if you look in the right places.
Its very wise to always check your enemies before you fight them, cause with them looking similar to each other that rarab to your left could check as easy prey, but the rarab to your right could check as an even challenge. They look identical but that EC rarab would kill you.
There are 2 zones for each of the 3 starting areas that you'll mostly find solo-able mobs as long as you level up as you move through them, but after that and move out to two zones away from the main cities then the mobs pretty much turn into duo/small group mobs, but can be solo'd if you're careful, and then three zones away it pretty much turns into 4-6 man groups to survive and thats when your at the level range for that zone. If you come back when your level 30 to that 3rd zone out you can then solo those mobs but they won't give any xp, and minimal drops, and from that 3rd zone out and further into the game its pretty much all group forced.
Once you decide on which enemy to fight, either hit it with range or walk up next to and select atk....every wep and even spells have short and some much longer delays and you have wait every sec of them too before you swing, and you also don't ever wanna spam you spells if you're playing a mage. This isn't anything like what you've played before and you want to conserve your mana in case of an emergency during a fight. Your HP and MP "do-not" auto-refill ever during combat and nor does it after. You have to press the * key on the 9-key to crouch to the ground and stay in that position and only then after a time will your HP and MP start to refill via a silent/invisible tick, and after each tick the amount restored becomes greater and greater overtime. You will do this alot, and many times after every battle depending on how you play.
I prefer to fight the lesser easy prey mobs and since they give much more XP now and don't pose as great a threat as a decent or even prey mob...I don't lose as much HP during the fight and they drop fast. Nor do I waste alot of MP so I can roll through them pretty quickly and while I'm not getting as much XP as the decent of even prey ones give, the lesser/faster XP does add up and much quicker than what you'd get from 1 decent or even prey mob and then down-time afterwards to refill your HP and MP. Course this mostly while solo or duo, but in a group sometimes chaining the weaker mobs happens and is great fun just non stop fighting. However most the time you'll be doing the hardest IT mobs in 6-man groups for max XP per kill.
Before last fall you got very little XP playing solo or duo after a certain lvl, but with that last major patch all the easy and decent prey mobs now give much more XP than they used to making it easier for players of all jobs to solo quicker. Most jobs can now solo well into their 20s, and several can solo all the way to 75, but it takes a very long time to solo. FFXI is based on group play and you'll have the most fun in a group, but you can and will solo when waiting for other players to form a group, harvesting components for crafting or to sell on the AH or camping Notorious Monsters for their rare drops.
One thing that is great about this game is every single item that drops off any enemy in the game has a use by you or someone else in crafting, quests, missions, etc. Always be checking the AH for what other players are buying things for and sell the drops. There are no crap; vendor trash dropped in this MMO. Thats how you make your money cause about 90% of enemies do-not drop gil....only the beastmen do, which are the main threat of the storylines and while you'll be meeting them frequently its not a great means of earning gil just killing them as they don't drop much.
Woah, thats a huge response, and just barely talking about the combat....its pretty intense and like nothing you've ever experienced! Ask away if you have more questions, I love talking about FFXI, or heck send me a PM if ya have Ventrilo and we can talk on my friends server where its much easier.