Final Fantasy XIV

[Dark Faith]

At the risk of sounding rude... does this game get better towards mid/high levels?
I bought it after a friend recommended it to me and after playing 8ish hours I'm very disappointed: Combat feels sluggish (that global cooldown...) and quests are generally dull and uninspiring.

Do things pick up once I get dungeon access? And does combat ever get more fluid, or am I stuck playing pretend turn-based strategy? I went with Lancer for starters, but I suspect I'll end up leaning towards the tank classes later.

On the bright side, even on my old machine the game runs very smooth and looks gorgeous... but unless things pick up I don't see myself playing it for long.

[TinyRedLeaf]

Originally Posted by Dark Faith

I bought it after a friend recommended it to me and after playing 8ish hours I'm very disappointed: Combat feels sluggish (that global cooldown...) and quests are generally dull and uninspiring.

Your mileage may vary, of course. Personally, I've found combat in FFXIV to be overly simple, compared to what I've experienced in Guild Wars 2, for example, which uses a class/job system that's similar to FFXIV's Armory System. I miss the tactical planning required in early FFXI combat, for example, when parties had to think about which skillchains to use, on top of worrying about the elemental weaknesses/strengths of the monsters they were fighting.

This is largely a consequence of making FFXIV more friendly towards solo players. When you're playing on your own, you would be less concerned about playing at optimal levels. I find that the peer pressure is simply not there to force you to play at the top of your game, at all times.

I'm not so bothered by the global cooldown. But speaking as someone who has played World Of Warcraft, I can understand how FFXIV's combat would seem artificially slow to some players. That said, I find that combat still generally moves fast enough that I seldom get bored. That may be because arcanist/summoner is my main job, which I find slightly more complex and engaging than thaumaturge/black mage, or conjurer/white mage. As for the melee classes I've experimented with so far, I find lancers to be more fun than marauders. But I prefer archers over lancers. In my opinion, archery involves more tactical decisions than spear-fighting, and I enjoy having to make such choices on-the-fly.

Originally Posted by Dark Faith

Do things pick up once I get dungeon access? And does combat ever get more fluid, or am I stuck playing pretend turn-based strategy? I went with Lancer for starters, but I suspect I'll end up leaning towards the tank classes later.
long.

In a word, YES. The fun factor does pick up once you get dungeon access. FFXIV is, after all, an MMORPG, and MMORPGs are fun only when you actively play with other people. What's more, storyline dungeons are, in my opinion, "easy mode" instances. Once you hit end-game content, the challenge level goes up dramatically. You'll feel the pressure to put in your best effort in order not to drag other people down. Speaking only for myself, I'd feel rotten if a dungeon run fails because I couldn't pull my own weight.

[Kotohono]

Well I managed to heal turn 1-4 today with FC, and turn 1 definitely is a heal spamming fight on the tanks, though turn 2 was easy to heal, really only tricky since first I've done it the non-enrage tactic, so rot was fun to deal with , while turn 4 was pretty healing intensive due so many mobs and fair bit of AoE damage since regen and medica II are a bit dangerous to use in it, so we had a close call during double Dreadnought, where I am pretty sure one of the tanks would have died and wiped us if I didn't benediction .

Originally Posted by Dark Faith

At the risk of sounding rude... does this game get better towards mid/high levels?
I bought it after a friend recommended it to me and after playing 8ish hours I'm very disappointed: Combat feels sluggish (that global cooldown...) and quests are generally dull and uninspiring.

Do things pick up once I get dungeon access? And does combat ever get more fluid, or am I stuck playing pretend turn-based strategy? I went with Lancer for starters, but I suspect I'll end up leaning towards the tank classes later.

On the bright side, even on my old machine the game runs very smooth and looks gorgeous... but unless things pick up I don't see myself playing it for long.

Combat system is largely made complex by proper weaving for off-GCD skills between your GCD skills on something like lancer, which really doesn't show at lower levels, nor does having to manage boss mechanics while doing it properly as boss fights have numerous different things to deal with in end-game, so I think it does pick up a good bit as you get higher.

[synaesthetic]

Originally Posted by holybell84

If u are attempting the coil of bahamut, u will need to have 448-450 accuracy in turn 5.

Nope, this was fixed. Garuda-egi doesn't need 450 accuracy to never miss on Twintania. I've been running with 433 accuracy on SMN for a while and my parses show that Ruru isn't missing.

Magic accuracy requirement for Twintania is 432.

[holybell84]

Originally Posted by synaesthetic

Nope, this was fixed. Garuda-egi doesn't need 450 accuracy to never miss on Twintania. I've been running with 433 accuracy on SMN for a while and my parses show that Ruru isn't missing.

Magic accuracy requirement for Twintania is 432.

Hmm... digged around the net for the ninja fix, someone claimed that parsers are not picking up misses:
http://www.bluegartr.com/threads/118...epth?p=6040846

Not sure about this but ffxiv app was broken by 2.16 lol and requires an update. I think I will check garuda the hard way via going to the dummy and visually check for misses while wearing lower accuracy equipment.
Edit: oh wait nvm, dummies cannot substitute for twin.....

[SaintessHeart]

Made the switch over to Tonberry and starting to regret my decision.

Plenty of low quality players without problem solving skills; even the simplest Haukke Manor requires 3 tries on final boss to make it. Couldn't even get my heals up to speed even with PoM and Surecast while the bloody DPS just tries to finish off the boss before the adds kill everyone else, starting from me as the healer.

Maybe I am too used to the environment of Masa where the JP/EN speakers bridge the gaps immediately after the first wipe.

[Duo Maxwell]

That's strange. All of my entire life in Tonberry I haven't met any newbie that's struggling at Haukke. Actually, it has come to the point that there isn't much newbie at Tonberry anymore. For the past 2 weeks I don't recall seeing anyone that hasn't have at least 1 single class at 50.

What is your IGN?

[holybell84]

Originally Posted by Duo Maxwell

That's strange. All of my entire life in Tonberry I haven't met any newbie that's struggling at Haukke. Actually, it has come to the point that there isn't much newbie at Tonberry anymore. For the past 2 weeks I don't recall seeing anyone that hasn't have at least 1 single class at 50.

What is your IGN?

Actually u re lucky, I wiped a few times before on a low level duty roulette in a single haukke run. Rather than newbie, I will consider some players trollish; encountered 2 tanks in 2 separate instance that has even lower hp than anyone of us. Have to make the decision to consistently overheal that as a simple cure heals for more than 50% of his max hp.... Oh and some tanks that do not use any damage mitigating skills.....

Saw a BLM in aurum vale whose rotation is fire3->fire spam->transpose->blizzard3->thunder.... He wasn't happy when I pointed out he can take out the transpose.

[Duo Maxwell]

Originally Posted by holybell84

Saw a BLM in aurum vale whose rotation is fire3->fire spam->transpose->blizzard3->thunder.... He wasn't happy when I pointed out he can take out the transpose.

Correct me if I'm wrong, since I'm not familiar with BLM, but why would you take out Transpose? Blizzard 3 doesn't give you full stack of Umbra Ice if you're still in Astral Fire state.

Also, this is maybe just my biased perspective, but I'm not queuing with E players so that could be why I haven't encountered any trollish/noobish party members.

[holybell84]

Originally Posted by Duo Maxwell

Correct me if I'm wrong, since I'm not familiar with BLM, but why would you take out Transpose? Blizzard 3 doesn't give you full stack of Umbra Ice if you're still in Astral Fire state.

Also, this is maybe just my biased perspective, but I'm not queuing with E players so that could be why I haven't encountered any trollish/noobish party members.

Blizzard 3 will remove AF3 and give u a full stack of UI3 and vice versa In addition, if u are in AF3, ice spells take half the time to cast and fire spells take half the time to cast in UI3, so it's much more efficient.

lol, I queued with both, but I forgot which ones I ended with for the wipe.

[Scarletknive]

Originally Posted by SaintessHeart

Made the switch over to Tonberry and starting to regret my decision.

Plenty of low quality players without problem solving skills; even the simplest Haukke Manor requires 3 tries on final boss to make it. Couldn't even get my heals up to speed even with PoM and Surecast while the bloody DPS just tries to finish off the boss before the adds kill everyone else, starting from me as the healer.

Maybe I am too used to the environment of Masa where the JP/EN speakers bridge the gaps immediately after the first wipe.

What is your IGN? I am also at Tonberry now... (Ugh, I sure hope I can train my BLM now since I am stuck at level 31 due to no healers in Tonberry wanting to join low level roulette...)

Tbh, it took me 0 tries to clear the final boss of that, but the adds took out my healer... while I am tanking. (My first time in Haukke.)

[Kotohono]

I attempted healing Titan EX today (though I still haven't even downed it on my drg) after I had managed Garuda EX and I just hate Titan EX, it freaking insane fight regardless if I am healing or dpsing it.

Though on our best attempt we did manage to make it past super bomb with me healing .

[Om Nerabdator]

i beat titan ex 2 days ago and got my elfin bow ^^, that fight isnt that bad if the other members actually know the fight! they scared me a little at the end though, titan was like 5% health and almost everyone misjudge a bomb phase(not the super bomb) so me and 2 others were fighting like crazy lol, thank christ for misery end

[Mow Yun]

During Titan extreme, on our free company's first first win run, on the first attempt when we got past the heart and it looked like we were going to win, our main tank got too excited and accidentally walked off the edge (laugh)

[Om Nerabdator]

lol that would suck!

[barcode120x]

So I played ARR back in like October using their 14 day trial or whatever and ended up stopping. I got to lvl 40 I think as a bard. I logged in at the website because I was interested in coming back, but it says no characters exist. Do they delete trial accounts/characters after a certain period?

[relentlessflame]

Originally Posted by barcode120x

So I played ARR back in like October using their 14 day trial or whatever and ended up stopping. I got to lvl 40 I think as a bard. I logged in at the website because I was interested in coming back, but it says no characters exist. Do they delete trial accounts/characters after a certain period?

I'm assuming your characters won't be visible unless you buy a subscription, but not sure...

[Scarletknive]

Originally Posted by barcode120x

So I played ARR back in like October using their 14 day trial or whatever and ended up stopping. I got to lvl 40 I think as a bard. I logged in at the website because I was interested in coming back, but it says no characters exist. Do they delete trial accounts/characters after a certain period?

I dont think so... They are supposed to keep your character from the 14 day trial too.

Mayybe try buying a month's subscription, like what relentlessflame said.

[barcode120x]

Mmm, I hope so, I don't wanna start from scratch :x

[Celestia Ludenberg]

This game is amazing. It's my first MMO too, Might even be my favorite Final Fantasy atm.

Haven't played it recently though, I can't finish one of the main quests because these people who join my party for a dungeon always end up leaving or have made a mistake(?) I think my free 30 days ends soon and I haven't had many shifts lately so I can't pay for an extra month :c

On another note, I have the PS3 version to hold me off until I finish my PC.
I like the UI for consoles. Thought it was going to be weird to play an MMO on a Console. If anyone wants to add me my name is Celestia Yasuhiro, I play on the Gilgamesh server.