Looking into this: Some Questions

ThumbtackJ · August 2013

So right off that bat, I'm going to say that the main reason I'm looking into it is because it's new. I know that because of that, it'll keep me playing for at least the first months time. The "new and shiny"-ness factor and all. Whether it'll keep me playing and offer me the longevity I'm looking for is what I'd like to know. I also know next to nothing of the game. I was sent a closed alpha or beta key a long ass time ago, but never got around to playing (school, work, people, other games, etc).

Crafting: What's it like? Professions? Are you limited to only a few? Is the high end crafted stuff comparable to gear found by running dungeon and whatnot?

Combat: Tab-target? Does it root you in place?

Leveling: What's the level cap? Is leveling fast or will it take a fair while (playing only a few hours a day, 2-4 hours).

PvE: Dungeons? Raids? Quest hubs? Multiple leveling paths?

Classes: How many classes are there? Skill trees?

Endgame: Is it a gear treadmill?

Thanks bunches,

TJ

MrBum21 · August 2013

Crafting: You are not limited to one or two crafts, you can learn them all. in fact you almost need to learn several of them. what you make as a carpenter can be used as a blacksmith and so on. I personally can't make a comment about the high end crafting gear compared to dungeon, but I can say that high end crafting gear is in demand.

Combat: it is tab-tagert, but doesn't always root you. The archer is great at kiting mobs around because of this.

Leveling: cap is 50, it will take a while if for no other reason that it benefits you to level up a few classes at a time. You are able to use some skills from another class that you have leveled. an example would be you could use cure on your gladiator to minimize down time.

PvE: yes. you have all of these. the leveling paths might not be more linear at the higher levels though, I cant say.

Classes: 3 casting classes, and 5 melee classes. each class has a job you can unlock to give it extra abilities

Endgame: don't know, never got there

MrBum21 · August 2013

go here for class info

http://na.finalfantasyxiv.com/pr/game/

Yaevindusk · August 2013

Originally posted by ThumbtackJ
So right off that bat, I'm going to say that the main reason I'm looking into it is because it's new. I know that because of that, it'll keep me playing for at least the first months time. The "new and shiny"-ness factor and all. Whether it'll keep me playing and offer me the longevity I'm looking for is what I'd like to know. I also know next to nothing of the game. I was sent a closed alpha or beta key a long ass time ago, but never got around to playing (school, work, people, other games, etc).

Crafting: What's it like? Professions? Are you limited to only a few? Is the high end crafted stuff comparable to gear found by running dungeon and whatnot?

Combat: Tab-target? Does it root you in place?

Leveling: What's the level cap? Is leveling fast or will it take a fair while (playing only a few hours a day, 2-4 hours).

PvE: Dungeons? Raids? Quest hubs? Multiple leveling paths?

Classes: How many classes are there? Skill trees?

Endgame: Is it a gear treadmill?

Thanks bunches,

TJ

1) Crafting is treated differently in this game in that they are actual classes with storylines, equipment and being fairly entertaining. They aren't an afterthought of the game, they're actual class that you level up through work and "questing".

2) Tab target. The melee and physical range allows you to move at your leisure (with archer being pretty great at that). Most of the magic casters will have to stand to still focus / channel non-instant casts.

3) The level cap at the moment is 50 per class. You are able to level every class and every profession on the same job. So technically the max level is something like 950 for each character (until new classes are introduced).

4) 19 classes I think (off the top of my head and doing no math). 9 Combat classes and the rest split between crafting and gathering classes. The combat classes are able to do special questlines to unlock Jobs (such as Paladins). No skill trees, but there is a system whereby you are able to use pretty much any skill from any class on any class so long as you level up. If you level conjurer to a certain level and unlock the Protect spell, you are then able to use that spell on your gladiator (you get one cross skill choice every 5 levels of that class you're playing and are able to switch any time).

5) There should be a treadmill, though we don't know exactly how it is yet. It has a lot of systems that open up every 5 levels or so (10,15,20,25,30...) such as dungeons, leves, guildhests, chocobos, chocobo companions, etc. The beginning of the game is fairly slow as the tutorial is basically the 1-15 questline. By then you'll probably be hooked if you stay that long and unlock the Airship pass and make your first trip to a foreign nation as a dignitary. It also has quite a few Dynamic events and hunting logs to get caught into when you're traveling from one place to the next or just admiring the world.

imrobertjames · August 2013

It quite literally took you more time to write this entire post than it would have to go to google and look up the answers to your questions.

Crafting and Gathering are basically their own classes with their own gameplay style. It's extremely fun and rewarding, but requires more work than, say, WoW crafting.

Combat is tab targeted, not action oriented. Yes, casters are generally rooted while casting spells with a cast time. Melee are not as most of their abilities are instant hit. There is a global cooldown before you can use a next ability. Combat goes fast enough to not be boring, but slow enough to where you can make smart decisions on what you're going to cast next.

I believe the level cap is currently 50. Leveling is not as fast as other games, but it's not for a lack of something to do. Usually in other games I hate the pace of leveling that this game runs at, but I'm so absorbed into this world that I don't mind it at all. Playing only a few hours a day it would take you a decent amount of time to cap.

There are classes and there are jobs. Your character can be any class and all the classes. After your first level 10 class quest, you can go apply a class guild to learn another class. It resets your level to 1 for that class. When you switch your weapon, it changes your class and level to however far you've progressed with that class. When you get a certain class to level 30, and another to level 15, you can specialize into a job. For instance a level 30 arcanist, with a level 15 conjurer class, can specialize into a Scholar, which is one of the healing classes in FF XIV. I love the class system as I have no need to roll alts.

Endgame.. haven't gotten there yet. I'm enjoying the ride while leveling. I'm sure it'll be just as high quality as everything else in the game (minus this early access debacle)

Next time, google. It's your friend.

Jagarid · August 2013

Just as an addendum to the other great answers, the combat does not root you for most of the Discipline of War classes, but it does root you for spellcasting except for instant-cast if you are Discipline of Magic. I imagine this is pretty much a no-brainer, but just in case I thought I would throw it out there.