Having trouble getting back into the swing of things...

Comments

• HellboundHeart Member UncommonPosts: 390

  March 2016 edited March 2016

  Ozreth said:

  I'm trying to make a serious comeback since the time I left the game, which was right before ARR came out, and even then I was only lvl 30. I'm into a lot of the things that have been implemented in the game and I'm eager to get playing again. However, I logged in today and I'm pretty lost. Everything about my class (BRD) has changed. Lots of systems have changed. I'm playing on PS4 now and simply getting used to switching between a controller and bluetooth keyboard is hard to get used to. I have no idea whats going on with the story, it seems convoluted but maybe as I keep going it will start to make sense.
  
  The quest I was on needed me to go into Toto-Rak for the first time. Even trying to use the party finder and dungeon finder tool thing was a chore for me somehow. I set up a thing to search for a group and was having trouble figuring out the command on PS4 to add somebody who was sending me tells while other people were asking me things in the party chat that I had no idea about. It was frustrating.
  
  Then we ran the dungeon and I had no idea what was happening. The screen is completely cluttered with all sorts of names, bars and notifications that I couldnt keep track of it all, so I simply stayed back and used a few of my archer abilities that made sense the whole time.
  
  Anyways, I don't want to completely start a new character. I know I'm only lvl 30 but I just started going back to school and Im a manager at a shop and have to play pretty casually. I know that there is an xp boost for starting a second class so I'm thinking about leveling up another class from lvl 1 to try and get the hang of things again. What is the best way to do that since there wont be quests for me? Fates? Run Dungeons? grind mobs?
  
  This is more of a vent but any advice is welcome. Thanks!
  

  I play on ps4 and pc. For ps4, use a mouse and keyboard. Turn off your controller and let it charge. Use a corded gaming mouse and keyboard, 30$ combo from wal mart.
  
  Now, i only read the first paragraph and i know where your going. Start over. You may feel that you did a lot so far but, you have not. Not at level 30. Best to just start fresh.
  
  Non biased and honest.
  
  Edit: FF is super casual dude. Plenty of time to do everything and do work/school.
• Roin Member RarePosts: 3,444

  March 2016

  Using another job that is level 1 is good idea. Grinding mobs isn't really productive. You'll be better off doing Fates, Dungeons, and a mix of Leve's.

  In War - Victory.
  In Peace - Vigilance.
  In Death - Sacrifice.
• mandog15 Member CommonPosts: 2

  March 2016

  I would just make a new character. You could get to level 30 in under a week and you would have the added benefit of going slowly and learning/relearning features. 
• Ghavrigg Member RarePosts: 1,308

  March 2016 edited March 2016

  I would also just start over in this case. But if you're dead set against that, just level that second class that you want. After you do some leves, run your guildhests as they start appearing at level 10, do your class quests, run some dungeons starting at 15 (but roulette opens at 16 for bonus rewards, so I always wait), etc., you'll get the basics down and be fine regardless. It will undoubtedly be a more boring, grindy route for starting back into it again, but it won't take you long to catch up to 30 and get used to things again anyway.
  
  Also at level 15, Hall of the Novice opens for a bit of training and a reward at the end. I haven't had a need to use it, though, so I can't specifically talk about how useful it is or anything, but it's probably helpful. 
  
  Also, if you haven't yet, unlock the Challenge Log in Limsa. There's a quest at the tavern I can't remember the name of right now for some reason. Great bonus xp for doing activities that resets weekly. 
• wanderica Member UncommonPosts: 371

  March 2016 edited March 2016

  As others have said, start over.  From a story perspective, that's the best way to catch up, because switching classes won't let you play those main missions again.  The "important" stuff has yet to happen at level 30 for you, but a lot of background has been established, and you'll feel lost if you miss / forget that first part.  If you're dead set on not starting over, then there is a middle ground.  Go to your inn room, and you can watch all of the cutscenes for the story up to level 30.  You'll miss a lot of the non voiced dialogue, but it will certainly help to refresh your memory.
  
  Also, your OP says that you quit just before ARR came out.  If this is the case, and not just a typo, then you really owe it to yourself to start fresh and at least play to level 30 with a new toon.  A lot has changed since you last played.  One last thing: Don't forget that you'll have to play through all of the story content before getting into Heavensward content.  It can feel like a bit of a slog if you're uninterested or lost in the story, but quite good if you're following it, so refreshing your memory might be a good idea.
  

  
  
• MrMelGibson Member EpicPosts: 3,039

  March 2016

  mandog15 said:

  I would just make a new character. You could get to level 30 in under a week and you would have the added benefit of going slowly and learning/relearning features. 

  I was about to post the same thing.  If you had a previously capped character I would understand why you wouldn't want to do it all over again.  But, as only a level 30 it wouldn't be so bad to restart.

  http://www.gamespace.com/members/mrlobster/  - Me on Gamespace
• Saelem Member UncommonPosts: 31

  March 2016

  Yep, level 30 isn't hard to get so unless you're attached to the character for name/RP reasons, starting over would be best. Especially with all the main story and side quests available. Doing those alongside guildhests, leves and FATEs should get you to thirty fast. A fresh start should help ease you back into the game and renew your motivation. Coming back confused and in the middle of things is no fun!
• Colt47 Member UncommonPosts: 549

  April 2016

  It feels like starting a new character requires a lot more effort than it's worth in Final Fantasy XIV because of the forced story, though.  In World of Warcraft you just made a new character, ran through the typical training day quests and went on your marry way.  Final Fantasy XIV forces you through cutscene after cutscene and fails to put you into action until after the daily choirs are done.  Combine that with an inability to skip dungeon content you don't care about because this is character number 3 or 4 and the need to have to clear all primal and dungeon content a second time at end game just to be able to do everything, it's starts to grind on you.  The best option I can think of is if they just make all the main story quest stuff optional on a second character and let people do the small stuff to grind up.  Keep primal clears and other details account bound and not bound on character.   That would solve so many problems with Final Fantasy XIV that even I'd come back to play the game (finally be free of my first toons inventory plights).
• Lord.Bachus Member RarePosts: 9,686

  April 2016

  Colt47 said:

  It feels like starting a new character requires a lot more effort than it's worth in Final Fantasy XIV because of the forced story, though.  In World of Warcraft you just made a new character, ran through the typical training day quests and went on your marry way.  Final Fantasy XIV forces you through cutscene after cutscene and fails to put you into action until after the daily choirs are done.  Combine that with an inability to skip dungeon content you don't care about because this is character number 3 or 4 and the need to have to clear all primal and dungeon content a second time at end game just to be able to do everything, it's starts to grind on you.  The best option I can think of is if they just make all the main story quest stuff optional on a second character and let people do the small stuff to grind up.  Keep primal clears and other details account bound and not bound on character.   That would solve so many problems with Final Fantasy XIV that even I'd come back to play the game (finally be free of my first toons inventory plights).

  I think you missed the point, that there is not much need for a 2nd character as you can do all the class on your main...   Atleast this is what pulled me to FF14 in the first palce, and is also whats pulling me back at this moment...

  Best MMO experiences : EQ(PvE), DAoC(PvP), WoW(total package) LOTRO (worldfeel) GW2 (Artstyle and animations and worlddesign) SWTOR (Story immersion) TSW (story) ESO (character advancement)
• Colt47 Member UncommonPosts: 549

  April 2016

  Lord.Bachus said:

  Colt47 said:

  It feels like starting a new character requires a lot more effort than it's worth in Final Fantasy XIV because of the forced story, though.  In World of Warcraft you just made a new character, ran through the typical training day quests and went on your marry way.  Final Fantasy XIV forces you through cutscene after cutscene and fails to put you into action until after the daily choirs are done.  Combine that with an inability to skip dungeon content you don't care about because this is character number 3 or 4 and the need to have to clear all primal and dungeon content a second time at end game just to be able to do everything, it's starts to grind on you.  The best option I can think of is if they just make all the main story quest stuff optional on a second character and let people do the small stuff to grind up.  Keep primal clears and other details account bound and not bound on character.   That would solve so many problems with Final Fantasy XIV that even I'd come back to play the game (finally be free of my first toons inventory plights).

  I think you missed the point, that there is not much need for a 2nd character as you can do all the class on your main...   Atleast this is what pulled me to FF14 in the first palce, and is also whats pulling me back at this moment...

  I agree with you on the subject.  My reluctance to come back largely are based on rather small problems with the game, especially compared to other MMOs out there like WoW right now (they blew it on Warlords of Draenor and the ancient design + pacing of the GCD makes the game a lot less accessible than FFXIV).  
  
  With Final Fantasy XIV what would fix a lot of end game problems is making a dedicated space for crafting material storage, the elimination of legacy items from 1.0, and giving people 3 free retainers instead of 2 with Heavensward.  Additionally, end game probably needs more than two dungeons when an expansion launches.  A lot of people got burned out pretty fast buy the repetition before the content patch came.  Myself being one of them.
  
  After seeing WoD, though, I think I'll just come back to FFXIV.   There's just too much wrong with WoW at the moment to want to go back.
• SuperSumo Member CommonPosts: 2

  April 2016

  I'm actually curious about getting into this, I've never tried it but I'm a veteran at MMO's and looking for something different and unique, I've been told countless times to try FFXIV but I've never got around to doing so, is this a decent time to get into FF?
• Colt47 Member UncommonPosts: 549

  April 2016 edited April 2016

  SuperSumo said:

  I'm actually curious about getting into this, I've never tried it but I'm a veteran at MMO's and looking for something different and unique, I've been told countless times to try FFXIV but I've never got around to doing so, is this a decent time to get into FF?

  There really isn't a bad time to get into Final Fantasy XIV ARR.  People always run the random dungeon queues for money so you can generally get through a lot of the main story dungeons quickly, and the community is a lot friendlier than most.  
  
  As for how time consuming the game is, with WoW being a 1 and the original EQ being a 10, this would be around a 3 or 4.  It's not a game you could play in 15 minutes before rushing out the door like WoW is, but if you got time in the evening (like, say, an hour to an hour and a half) you can progress and have a lot of fun.  Dungeons are almost garanteed to be about 20-30 minutes in length a piece unless a group is learning, for example.
  
  Also, the game has a bit of a dark side.  If you run out of space in your bank, do NOT get hooked on paying for more retainers.  They end up ramping up your cost per year by a lot even if you just add in one retainer, as they charge 2 additional dollars a month to expand your bank space.  I got stuck on them early because I thought it was a harmless extra cost, but the reality is that it adds up to so much extra money that it easily becomes something to consider when subbing for the game.  I'm intending on starting a second character and sending all my excess non-bound goods to that character in order to get off the third retainer I have.
• mgilbrtsn Member EpicPosts: 3,430

  April 2016

  I know it isn't your first choice, but making a new character is probably the best option.  When you start at 1st level, you learn your character.  Also, you get the tutorial quests and learn a considerable amount about where the mechanics of the game are currently.

  I self identify as a monkey.
• SuperSumo Member CommonPosts: 2

  April 2016

  Thanks Colt47, Ya I've played both the original EQ and WoW and I know where you are coming from, I usually have a good amount of time to waste during the evening.. so having something that can take that time would be awesome, what server would you recommend being the best for a new player to start out on?
• Colt47 Member UncommonPosts: 549

  April 2016

  SuperSumo said:

  Thanks Colt47, Ya I've played both the original EQ and WoW and I know where you are coming from, I usually have a good amount of time to waste during the evening.. so having something that can take that time would be awesome, what server would you recommend being the best for a new player to start out on?

  I'm on Balmung, which is a Legacy server.  The primary difference between legacy and standard is that the legacy servers have characters from 1.0 FFXIV ported over with all their wealth and historic tokens, meaning the economy is a bit more inflated than on non-legacy servers.  My recommendation is pick a non-legacy english server as the gil should be a bit less inflated.  Community wise, pick one with a high pop as the low pop ones are almost never worth it.
• HellboundHeart Member UncommonPosts: 390

  April 2016

  Colt47 said:

  SuperSumo said:

  I'm actually curious about getting into this, I've never tried it but I'm a veteran at MMO's and looking for something different and unique, I've been told countless times to try FFXIV but I've never got around to doing so, is this a decent time to get into FF?

  
  
  Also, the game has a bit of a dark side.  If you run out of space in your bank, do NOT get hooked on paying for more retainers.  They end up ramping up your cost per year by a lot even if you just add in one retainer, as they charge 2 additional dollars a month to expand your bank space.  I got stuck on them early because I thought it was a harmless extra cost, but the reality is that it adds up to so much extra money that it easily becomes something to consider when subbing for the game.  I'm intending on starting a second character and sending all my excess non-bound goods to that character in order to get off the third retainer I have.

  Unless they get the 12.99$ sub, then they add an additional retainer for 2$ and they will have 3 retainers instead of 2 and still keep a 14.99$ a month sub lol.
• Colt47 Member UncommonPosts: 549

  April 2016

  HellboundHeart said:

  Colt47 said:

  SuperSumo said:

  I'm actually curious about getting into this, I've never tried it but I'm a veteran at MMO's and looking for something different and unique, I've been told countless times to try FFXIV but I've never got around to doing so, is this a decent time to get into FF?

  
  
  Also, the game has a bit of a dark side.  If you run out of space in your bank, do NOT get hooked on paying for more retainers.  They end up ramping up your cost per year by a lot even if you just add in one retainer, as they charge 2 additional dollars a month to expand your bank space.  I got stuck on them early because I thought it was a harmless extra cost, but the reality is that it adds up to so much extra money that it easily becomes something to consider when subbing for the game.  I'm intending on starting a second character and sending all my excess non-bound goods to that character in order to get off the third retainer I have.

  Unless they get the 12.99$ sub, then they add an additional retainer for 2$ and they will have 3 retainers instead of 2 and still keep a 14.99$ a month sub lol.

  That's probably the best idea in this game if a player isn't interested in the veterans rewards program.  Also I forgot you can't actually trade between characters on the same account in FFXIV so you'd need a third party to move stuff from one character to another.  They did this to combat RMT supposedly, but it also hurts regular players as well and makes the inventory a problem by denying what allows other MMO inventories livable via the bank alt.
• HellboundHeart Member UncommonPosts: 390

  April 2016

  Colt47 said:

  HellboundHeart said:

  Colt47 said:

  SuperSumo said:

  I'm actually curious about getting into this, I've never tried it but I'm a veteran at MMO's and looking for something different and unique, I've been told countless times to try FFXIV but I've never got around to doing so, is this a decent time to get into FF?

  
  
  Also, the game has a bit of a dark side.  If you run out of space in your bank, do NOT get hooked on paying for more retainers.  They end up ramping up your cost per year by a lot even if you just add in one retainer, as they charge 2 additional dollars a month to expand your bank space.  I got stuck on them early because I thought it was a harmless extra cost, but the reality is that it adds up to so much extra money that it easily becomes something to consider when subbing for the game.  I'm intending on starting a second character and sending all my excess non-bound goods to that character in order to get off the third retainer I have.

  Unless they get the 12.99$ sub, then they add an additional retainer for 2$ and they will have 3 retainers instead of 2 and still keep a 14.99$ a month sub lol.

  That's probably the best idea in this game if a player isn't interested in the veterans rewards program.  Also I forgot you can't actually trade between characters on the same account in FFXIV so you'd need a third party to move stuff from one character to another.  They did this to combat RMT supposedly, but it also hurts regular players as well and makes the inventory a problem by denying what allows other MMO inventories livable via the bank alt.

  HUH? You get vet rewards for the 12.99$ sub LOL, I have over 700 days and have Clouds Outfit and have never payed 14.99$ sub, only 12.99$.
• SylvrFlwr Member CommonPosts: 3

  June 2016

  I wouldn't bother starting over. The early storyline isn't the greatest, in my opinion, but it does get MUCH better as it progresses. Duty Finder can suck if you're DPS and/or playing during off peak hours, but if you have a Free Company that will help you (shop around until you find a good one!) and can partner with a tank or healer, it will be much easier!
  
• SoulSurfer Member UncommonPosts: 1,024

  June 2016

  Roll a healer or tank, it will make your return much easier lol
• LumiLumi Member UncommonPosts: 48

  June 2016

  Tbh I'd recommend to start again. Mainly because of how many changes have been implemented recently, especially for new classes, it's worth just taking the very brief hit.
  
  Here are some general pieces of advice: 
  
  

  • Follow the story quests. I know, I know, but seriously, the story quests will take you everywhere you need to go, at the right time and give you so much bloody XP! The increased XP from 1-50 now makes getting to 30 so quick it’s crazy. Most of your questions will be answered by simply following the story.
  • I personally like to be quest clear because it makes maps less confusing. You’re in no rush to hit end-game and getting to 60 and unlocking everything will take time but that’s an MMO. There will be a lot of satisfaction if you take the time to complete as many quests as possible. It will honestly make playing the game less intimidating as you stick your teeth into it, as you’ll have fewer markers all over the place.
  • As you work full time and do school, you'll be able to take advantage of that offline time but logging out in a town or city. When you've logged out in these areas you gain "rested" XP which speeds up your levelling when you do log in and play.
  • Gamer escape has a full unlock guide for A Realm Reborn and the expansion. Here’s the Realm Reborn one (1 to 50) http://ffxiv.gamerescape.com/wiki/Guide:Progression_and_Level_Locked_Content that’ll give you a good indication on what quests you should do. I 100% encourage you to unlock the challenge log at level 15. The bonus XP you get from doing just normal everyday things is insanely good.
  • Do your class quests! Every 5 levels you’ll get a notice to say a new class quest has unlocked and it’s at the guild where you unlocked your class. You should 100% do them as soon as they unlock as they give new skills, gear and advice.
  • Try level a bunch of your war classes (tanks, heal, dps) to level 15. This will save you time in the long-run.
  • Make sure to do the guildhests when you unlock new ones. They start at level 10. You’ll need to complete them all later in the story (level 50+) but the bonus XP they reward for first time completion is really good.
  • ROULETTES: do your roulettes. Open Duty Finder when you log inand do your daily Levelling roulette (post level 15) and guildhest roulette (post level 10) while you’re under level 50. Then continue to do story.
  • I play Bard and Machinist so I have a lot of experience with the class you’re playing. Make sure to keep Straight Shot up (use it once at the start and when the effect is about to drop off use it again). Heavy Shot is your general filler skill you use when your dots are up.

  General Levelling Advice

  ·        Pre-level 10: fates and early quests. This won’t take long at all!

  ·        Level 10: Unlock Guildhests. Do your guildhest roulette. Do fates. Your hunting log should be unlocked so get your teeth stuck into that too.

  ·        Level 15: Unlock the first dungeon and also do your levelling roulette. Unlock challenge log and do the challenges for fates, leve quests, guildhests, dungeons and more. You have a week to do this. The fate one is very quick J Amazing bonus XP and money!

  ·        Level 30: You’ll need to level an alternate class to level 15. I recommend levelling them from 1-15 via Horizon and then Aleport. The fates there are brilliant. Level 30 get your job quest and unlock your new job! Then carry on with story.

  ·        Level 50: I highly recommend unlocking all the level 50 dungeons – this will save you time when you hit level 50 and is INSANE XP at level 50. There will be HARD versions of older dungeons to unlock which are very easy to do and easy XP too.

  ·        Level 56: Doing all the unlocking of dungeons and level 50 content will get you to level 56 before you tackle the story mode of Heavensward. You’ll get to level 60 so quick you’ll be shocked  
• Syanis Member UncommonPosts: 140

  June 2016

  I'd also suggest just starting over. Level 30 isn't so hard to catch back up to. Also benefits of starting over is being able to pick a better server if your server died. Sometimes also just playing the first 10 levels which is a few hours can get enough of a swing back into things and jog your memory to go back to your higher character.