Final Fantasy XIV

[Paragon Fury]

SO after finally, maybe getting to the end of my straw with WoW, I decided that I wanted to try Final Fantasy XIV since I'd heard pretty good things about it and it got pretty good reviews. I downloaded the game and started my free trial. I only got to Level 4 so far, but I'm alright with it so far.

+ Looks nice
+ Character Customization is great
+ Actual story in an MMO? Well, blow me down!
+ Combat seems like it could be fun

- Even though I used a population site to find a good population NA Server (Adamantoise), the area where I started (Ul'dah) seemed kind of empty for a weekend
- I must've blacklisted 20 Gold Sellers in the 45 minutes I played.

So I wanted to ask of those who have played/still play some questions:

- What is the end game like? Raiding? PvP? Is it mainly large or small groups?
- Is the game more social than WoW (which has been fragmented and isolated because of queues and easy content)?
- Is the game actually hard, or is it easy-snooze-mode like WoW (which is only difficult in high-end Progression Raiding or bleeding edge PvP)?
- Are the classes pretty balanced or useful, or will I find myself locked out of a lot of stuff due to my class choice?
- As for the server thing; what is a good high pop NA server that uses EST or CST for its server time? Adamantoise is 5 hours ahead of me (which puts it in EUROPE, NOT NA, despite the listing), and I know even from WoW having a difference in server and local time makes scheduling things and group content a massive pain in the ass.


Thanks.

 

[Maximum Bert]

Ive only been playing for about 2 months and only recently hit 50 on one of my classes so im no expert but im enjoying it and will give my opinion on some of your questions.

I am on Chaos fragment Phoenix server and have had 1 gold seller in 2 months and hardly any spams in chat I have been really surprised so maybe I was lucky or you were unlucky I dunno.

Endgame so far for me is PVP in the frontlines which is large groups and tbh its great fun mostly because it seems you cant do premades or if you do then its kept separate at least thats what I am imagining happens as I havent encountered the problems I saw in WOW and WAR where premades would be put against random thrown together groups meaning an almost assured loss for the randoms and a lot less fun for those without a guild that likes and is good at PVPing. Also winning only gets you extra gold and PVP xp and wolf marks which tbh mean shit what you want is the items and win or lose you always get the same so people are less likely to ***** about you for making a mistake and just be more chill in general.Other endgame content is ofc there in many dungeons, primal fights and raids but I have not tried them (there seems to be a lot)

The community in my experience has been excellent honestly in WOW or WAR people would get very irate if you messed up here although I have seen it happen I have seen much more acceptance of such actions that cause a group wipe they just try to help you more and even when I have seen someone get real mad they were much more constructive in displaying the reasons why they were mad (healer was terrible and did not listen to what the group was saying resulting in 5 successive wipes) finally resulting in the offending player being kicked by a vote and no name calling. I have only ever seen a kick like this once and that was because of them refusing to listen or even try and play properly.

The comunity does tend to be quiet though but I think that is because a lot seem to play on PS4 and dont bother with a keyboard still in PUGS I almost always get a hello and GG from people if nothing else.

The game isnt hardcore its pretty casual mostly although I am certain there is hardcore content their if you want it its just I havent unlocked it yet (behind on story quests) but overall its not a hugely punishing MMO which is why I think people are more accepting of less experienced players. So yeah its more like WOW in your description PVP is not really massively competitive except perhaps the arena but no one seems to play that at least on my server.

Classes are pretty well done imo but follow the same trinity as most others your character can be every class so you never have to re roll and no apart from separating trade craft classes and war type classes you will never be locked out of content due to your class although if you want to find groups for dungeons faster dont be DPS be Tank or Healer.

Im afraid I dont know a good server I just went on name alone and ended up finding a great Free Company and some nice players.

I have a Monk class btw and yes combat is pretty nice I enjoy the flow better than WOW and WAR but really its no revolution its more of the same only just better imo I personally like PVP combat a lot more as you get PVP only skills which add a nice adjustment to strategy.

Its a fun game but its nothing amazing just a solid MMO. I have only played WOW, WAR and this but I would say overall my experience with FFXIV is better than those to but I was never a super hardcore player although I definitely put some hours in sometimes back when I was first playing WOW I could afford to put in 100 hour weeks on the game when on holiday which I cant now. Luckily you dont fall as far behind in FFXIV for not playing as obsessively.

 

[scotth266]

- What is the end game like? Raiding? PvP? Is it mainly large or small groups?

Raiding is presently limited to 8-mans (the good content) and the 24-man duty finder raids (the boring content you use to get gear to do the good content.)

PvP is widely regarded as pretty lame, especially if you chose to follow the Brass Blades (who tend to get roflstomped for some reason).

- Is the game more social than WoW (which has been fragmented and isolated because of queues and easy content)?

The game is about as social as your average MMO.

- Is the game actually hard, or is it easy-snooze-mode like WoW (which is only difficult in high-end Progression Raiding or bleeding edge PvP)?

Yes and no. Certain dungeons can be cheesed (including most pre-50 dungeons), but lategame dungeons tend to feature more dangerous mechanics. Endgame raids are pretty unforgiving of mistakes, and even old raid content can still kill you if you try to simply brute-force your way through it.

- Are the classes pretty balanced or useful, or will I find myself locked out of a lot of stuff due to my class choice?

The only class that seems to be somewhat crap/disliked is Summoner. Other than that pretty much everything has its niche.

- As for the server thing; what is a good high pop NA server that uses EST or CST for its server time? Adamantoise is 5 hours ahead of me (which puts it in EUROPE, NOT NA, despite the listing), and I know even from WoW having a difference in server and local time makes scheduling things and group content a massive pain in the ass.

I live on Lamia, which appears to have a majority EST population.

 

[That Annoying Guy]

Well I play on the European server: Cerberus and most of the time it still appears to be well populated, at least during the evening (which for them is mid-day).


So to answer you questions:

The end game content recently mostly comprises of raids (about 24 people I think, also small group stuff (4-8 people)), extreme boss fights, acquiring legendary gear, and the soon to release expansion: Heavensward which promises more/new classes, a new race, an additional area(s), and more of the usual (bosses, raids, new gear). There is PvP which can be unlocked via a quest later in game but PvP gear like many games should strictly be used for PvP NOT PvE or dungeons.

Unfortunately the social aspect of FF14 has taken a blow since lots of players left the game due to either the subscription fee being too high or lack of options in which to pay, so it can seem pretty quiet even in the cities. All that being said if you join a guild (preferably a large one) people tend to be a lot more talkative and social, but I don't know how things are on the American servers.

Now for the difficulty, because FF14 is a level based MMORPG there is a set limit to how strong you can be which in hindsight can be both good and bad for both casual players and those seeking to challenge themselves; extreme boss fights are probably the most difficult content besides the "Coil of Bahamut" and will always require knowledge of the fight before a group even thinks of inviting you, that said these are just boss fights, not dungeons so once you learn each boss' pattern(s) then they can be more manageable. There are dungeons at level 50 but you'll mostly play them for the tomes, a form of currency, to put towards the best gear.

Classes in FF14 work differently than in any other MMO since FF14 allows the player to change classes at any time, with the exception of while being in instances (dungeons, boss fights, etc.). All you need to do to unlock each respective class is to visit their guild and talk to the guild master (lancer's guild, conjurer's guild,etc.), this will be crucial later in game when you want to use a class like Paladin or Dragoon which have level requirements from to jobs i.e. Dragoon needs Lancer level 30 and marauder level 15.

As for the last bit, that sounds like more of a rant than it is a question so I'm gonna let that be, all I can say is that each of the NA time-zones correlate with different areas of the US and Canada, same goes for Europe and Japan.

EDIT: Oh, also what you think is bad now for gold farmers was FAR WORSE back when the game first came out, day one was the worst especially when there is a limited number of people that can play at one time. If they still cause you trouble, go to your friends list and black list them, works wonders.

 

[Lilani]

- What is the end game like? Raiding? PvP? Is it mainly large or small groups?

Yes, lol. All of these, if you want. Right now the main goal of endgame is getting the best gear (of course) which is achieved by doing raids either to get gear or earning what are basically points to purchase gear. Eventually you will start fighting "primals" which are basically you're big-ass Final Fantasy avatars--Ifrit, Titan, Garuda, Ramuh, etc. There's some lore as to how these guys come about as well. There are "extreme" versions of these fights which are basically made for high-level raiders and give special drops. And there's also a series of dungeons called the Binding Coil of Bahamut which drops near gear and items, as well as has a cool story.

As for group size, it's a mix. So far there are three raids which are 24-player raids (3 parties of 8 players). Those drop gear and items to purchase gear. Then there are the regular dungeons which only require 4 people. The primal fights require 8 people. And of course there's lots of stuff you can do on your own as well, so you should never be just sitting around waiting for a group (unless you want to, then by all means). And PVP is completely optional, and personally I've never done it but I've heard it's not bad.

- Is the game more social than WoW (which has been fragmented and isolated because of queues and easy content)?

I've never played WoW so I can't compare.

- Is the game actually hard, or is it easy-snooze-mode like WoW (which is only difficult in high-end Progression Raiding or bleeding edge PvP)?

Again, haven't played WoW, so I don't know. Compared to Final Fantasy XI this game is a total cakewalk, but that's more due to XI being a very intensive game until the last few years where they made it really casual friendly. The extreme primals and coil can be difficult at times, especially as you're learning the mechanics. But once you get it down and find or assemble a good group, every challenge is possible to surmount and satisfying when you do.

- Are the classes pretty balanced or useful, or will I find myself locked out of a lot of stuff due to my class choice?

I would not recommend a tanking class as a first class in the game (gladiator or marauder) simply because you're sort of expected to lead the party through raids and dungeons, which is tricky and frustrating when it's your first time. Tank and healer classes will definitely get you into parties for dungeons faster, but as far as content you won't really miss a lot. It's also pretty easy to level a second class once you've got one up (and the game will encourage you to do this at level 30, at least a little bit), so diversifying is not difficult.

- As for the server thing; what is a good high pop NA server that uses EST or CST for its server time? Adamantoise is 5 hours ahead of me (which puts it in EUROPE, NOT NA, despite the listing), and I know even from WoW having a difference in server and local time makes scheduling things and group content a massive pain in the ass.

I'm on Excalibur which I think is pretty close to central time, but the server is restricted from character creation at the moment due to population :x

Anyway, I hope you continue to enjoy the game! In the latest content patch they seriously pulled a red wedding sort of a deal and really shook things up, so if you like story prepare to have your world rocked.