[FFXI] LEVEL CAP 99 HERE WE COOOMMMME

Arcibi

Last update: Feb. 28, 2010

FINAL FANTASY XI: ONLINE
ITT we /cheer our heroic deeds, /sigh at bad parties, and /point and /laugh at MTs



Final Fantasy XI is Square's entry in the MMO market and if you've got a PS2/3, Xbox 360, or a half-decent PC then you too can play, because it's totally cross-platform with international servers

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Latest news: OH GOD IT'S VANAFEST

Details here


A basic rundown:
- Campaign in Castle Zvahl! Maybe you'll fight the Shadow Lord! Maybe you'll get to use his weapons and armor for yourself
- THE LEVEL CAP IS BEING RAISED TO 99, HOLY SHIT
- Since the level cap is being raised to 99, there's gotta be NEW AREAS TO XP IN, HOLY SHIT
- New augment system that lets you put whatever augments you want on any gear you want! Even Relics
- Two new avatars: Odin and Alexandar! They can only be used during your two-hour but that just means Astral Flow is now the best two-hour in the game
- A bunch of more minor job adjustments (rng, mnk, bst, rdm, drg, drk were specifically mentioned)
- Maybe more later, stay tuned! If I remember to update the OP

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Final Fantasy XIV announced!

Square announced FFXIV at last year's E3. Official site here, trailer below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uAFyFCqCEW0

Not sure if FFXI is for you? Then you should check out the 14-day free trial! It's free (as cleverly indicated in the previous sentence) and doesn't even require a credit card to play.

NA Trial
EU Trial
JP Trial

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What makes this game different?

• Job system - 20 available jobs, all of which can be played on a single character
• Difficulty - nothing in this game is easy
• Grouping - if you're going to get most anything done, you'll need to team up
• Crafting - nearly everything monsters drop is in some sort of crafting recipe and the job system ensures even low-level gear is always in demand
• Community - the playerbase is a pretty good bunch and is willing to help you out with most things
• Atmosphere - the game looks and feels like Final Fantasy through and through
• Cutscenes - yep, they're here too

Screenshots from Grinnin

http://www.gametrailers.com/player/25753.html
http://www.gametrailers.com/player/24494.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gKlEJ8SuplE&eurl=http://forums.penny-arcade.com/showthread.php?t=67384&page=10

Can I solo?
The simple answer is "Yes and no," but it is a bit more complicated than that.

As a brand new character, fresh out of the shrink-wrap, you will be soloing until you get a job to level 10 at the minimum; sometimes upwards of level 15. From that point on, it is in your best interests to find parties, or at least one or two other people to group with, for two reasons:

The monsters get a lot tougher. The power curve goes from a gentle wading pool to an olympic swimming pool to a raging river rapids.

All higher end reward content (the stuff that gets you the cool swag) needs parties in sets of three, (usually) six, and sometimes 18. How to behave in a party is a skill set that you need to cultivate: Without it you miss the whole game.

Once you have some job levels under your belt, and some other resources, you may pursue a job combination that allows you to solo at higher levels. Be advised though, that these jobs are often lonely things, and expensive to boot: Making aquantinces and sharing risks is and always has been the fastest way to advance in the game, in the long run.
(Courtesy of our (M)Bri)

Which server should I join?
Well, I'm on Bahamut but most people on PA aren't. In fact, Carbuncle seems to be the server of choice for PA people so maybe consider going there!

Here's a list of who's on what server, though I don't know how long it's been since it was updated!

(Server)

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(PA forum name) - (FFXI character name)

Asura

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Skullie - Skullie
SkannerJAT - Ramiah
SNES - Arkm
Bama - Dael
Grundlestiltskin - Treva
Kyanilis - Kyanilis
Varega - Varega
scygen - Scygen(?)
fightstrife - Paige
king awesome - Emol


Bahamut

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Ultravisitor - Dose
Arcibi - Arcibi


Carbuncle

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The Dude With Herpes - Kingshand
Just_Bri_Thanks - Bri
Xhero - Ormi
Pb - Ancalaehte
Smashism - Samash
Trevor Goodchild - Loras
ins0mniac - Dimen
Xanarios - Rikiru
Koopa_Paratroopa - Maus
Demitri Omni - Demitrion
RawrBear - Littlebear
RooX - Lumir
Dyvion - Dyvion
ProfMoriarty - Fefron
zanmatto - Misteyy


Diabolos

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WillisIVIIX - Gynin


Kujata

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Murphy - Murphie


Fenrir

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Elimination - Vyles


Lakshmi

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EricKei - Erickei (Hiatus)


Midgardsormr

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Professor Snugglesworth - Jorginus
Stryker43 - Caldyen
ProfMoriarty - Ocilus


Pandemonium

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seabass - Bassiwassi


Phoenix

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Evil_Pig - Karli
GrinninBarrett - Ishmael


Quetzalcoatl

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neville - Neville


Ragnarok

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UltraMantisBlack - Ultramantis
RavynBlackheart - Vehnibi

Remora

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Tcheldor - Tortalius
Freebytes - Freebytes
mystic_knight - Everitt
Xhaztol - Xhaztol
Aoi - Squidge

Shiva

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The Laughing Man - Stompy

PM for additions or changes

Newbie FAQ that I'm totally copy/pasting from the old thread because I'm too lazy to write a new one
You've installed the game. You plugged in your keyboard. Now what?

I. New Player Guides
II. Resource Links
III. Consoles
IV. PC and third party addons

I. New Player Guides

SE's New Player Guide
These video's are hosted on the main FFXI site.
They contain easy to understand instructions for all platforms.
Watch all videos, click each section on the left column.

LBR's Gigantious Beginners Guide to Vana'diel
So this is a FFXI podcast, I'll admit the hosts are kind of annoying.
This super long podcast though has a lot of useful information to a new player.
Skim through it sometime while soloing out those first levels.

Forum Post New Player Guide
Kind of opinionated but lots of good macro tips and more.

II. Resource Links

These sites will help. Go here first if you have a question, a lot of basic (and advanced) info is out there for the taking, just look for it. Of course, ask away in this thread if you can't find an answer from these links.
Links by Grinnin!

FFXI Auction House Database
An online AH that lets you check prices and trends from any AH on any server from your browser.

FFXI Wikia
FFXI's Wiki. Just about everything you could possibly look up is in this Wiki.




BG FFXI Wiki
Another FFXI Wiki just in case the other one doesn't have what you're looking for.

Vana'diel Atlas
A site with all the maps and related information in the game. Useful if you're ever lost, or wondering what kind of treasure you can find in a zone.

Vana'diel Bestiary
Excellent source for finding out what monsters exist where; also a handy tool for deciding where to take your party to XP.

FFXI Firefox Plugin
Nifty Firefox plugin. Show FFXI times, searches, skillchains, and more.

III. Consoles

Playstation 2

Must have a fatty PS2
Need a HDD
Must have Network Adapter
USB keyboard

Playstation 3

BC confirmed for consoles that allow it

Xbox 360

Must have HDD
POL and FFXI take up about 7.5 gigs
USB keyboard
Messenger Kit mini keyboard doesn't function correctly. "/" doesnt work.
Free Silver membership required (no need for gold)

IV. PC and third party addons

Steam

FFXI hates steam. Demitri recommends running Apradar(mentioned later) through steam and renaming it FFXI.

Controller Issues

Most PC users prefer to plugin a USB controller and play mostly with that, although many players go without it. See which you are most comfortable with.

If you do use a controller, there are a few problems you may run into.
The Microsoft Xbox 360/Windows controller will have some issues. The MS drivers won't let the triggers work, which you need badly for macroes, trust me.

Xbox 360 Fan Drivers
These fan made drivers let you use the 360 controller correctly with the game.
They also allow you to use budget third party controllers too. Such as, mad catz, pelican, and so on.
MUST BE THE WIRED CONTROLLER, the wireless adapter WILL NOT work with this fan driver, thus making the wireless controller useless for FFXI.
VISTA USERS: Pay close attention to the direction on your install, it is a bit trickier.

Windower - Shhhhhhh

The first rule of windower is you do not speak about windower (in game, ever, I am serious). SE sees all third party software as potential hacks and if they can prove you use it, they will ban you.
Windower is essentially some plugins that provide a multitude of options outside of the default game. You can view other party members TP, distance from enemy, cooldown counters, and way more.
It can also increase the graphics for the game by tweaking the registry (which you can do by yourself at your own risk), so the game appears sharp.

How do you know it's safe to use?
There is no way that SE can detect you using the program, SE has never detected anyone and just banned them for using the program. Now if you run around Sandoria shouting I USE WINDOWER, I don't think I can guarantee your accounts safety.
Even if you discuss it in a party nobody will probably respond, so you are better off just not mentioning it in game, at all, ever. EVER.

How do I use it?
Download the program first. Unzip it to a more permanent location.
Open up "Launcher_GUI"
Click the Advanced box. Set the Overlay Resolution to whatever resolution you want FFXI running at (desktop resolution).
Under: Registery > Background, is where you can change the texture sharpness. Make sure they both match. If X is greater than your background resolution it will create an in game AA effect. Nifty, AND HOW!
Now launch FFXI from this launcher from now on.

I also recommend the DrawDistance plugin to cut down on the fog in game and the infobar plugin to show you enemy details.

Higher Resolution Sprites - UI icon's

Brandson first made some higher res sprites for the game and Emiko has recently taken up where he left off. These icons IMO are clearer than the FFXI default icons and much more clean looking. There is also a widescreen version so no more icon stretching.

In game map replacements

Another old project of Brandson continued by Emiko. Replaces in game maps with more detailed variants that include path information, NM spawns and more.

ApRadar - The third party minimap!

If I could marry a plugin it would be this one. Simply unzip and open when you have FFXI running. It will display a minimap of your current location. Also displays maps regardless if you own them or not, so useful.

WillisIVIIX

Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum.

Back in East Ronfaure hit DNC56, Chocobo Jig is mine!

Just_Bri_Thanks

New thread, yay!

On the game front, I am 16 on Blue Mage, and still trying to get Healing Breeze.

Ryadic

I hit 22 (maybe 23, can't remember) on my DNC last night.

Also, in the OP add me to the Phoenix server. Character name is Jania.

Murphy

DNC 28 yesterday. I'm pretty sure that DNC is trying to sap my will to live. God this job is tedious. If I didn't need/want it at 37 to sub to everything else, I'd drop it right now.

Ryadic

I love DNC. It is such a fun job for me. I like the fact that I can solo while I search for a party so it doesn't feel like there's downtime.

Neurotika

(From last thread)

http://wiki.ffxiclopedia.org/wiki/Character_Reactivation_Service

This is great! I've been wanting to try out the new QoL low-level stuff (tomes, etc.). Does anyone happen to know if the general leveling areas are the same?

Starter zone/Starter zone 2 > Dunes > Quifirm > Garliage? (kinda hazy past this point).

Just_Bri_Thanks

Yeah, more or less.

Neurotika

So, where do the 55+ characters hang? My RDM is up there, and I've heard something about this Whitegate or somesuch. I did go there once to get the COR/PUP/BLU jobs, I think.

Murphy

Ryadic wrote: »

I love DNC. It is such a fun job for me. I like the fact that I can solo while I search for a party so it doesn't feel like there's downtime.

I like that I can solo while LFG (though honestly, you can do that on most any job at this point), but the kills are so fucking slow that I'm pretty sure the mob just dies of boredom. Sure, I'm not going to die or anything, but I'm sure as hell not going to kill quickly.

Tcheldor

Got blu to 30 and am up to date on spells. Dnc is such a fun job especially once you get enough haste gear going. Still chilling on Remora if anyone's looking for a server to join.

Just_Bri_Thanks

ForceVoid wrote: »

So, where do the 55+ characters hang? My RDM is up there, and I've heard something about this Whitegate or somesuch. I did go there once to get the COR/PUP/BLU jobs, I think.

That is a good place to go, yes. You might get a kick out of besieged, as well.

Neurotika

Is it like the "new" Jueno now?

Just_Bri_Thanks

No, they are trying to shift emphasis back onto Jeuno itself now, but it has plenty to do for 55 on up to the top.

WillisIVIIX

Yea I'm trying to stick to Aht Urhgan parties now because I want Imperial Standing and I need to start feeling like my DNC is growing in power. While getting better invites, I can't stand going back to being below level 40 and losing Reverse Flourish. I can't do it.

Now I'm going to Campaign 6 merit points on my MNK so I can up Dagger Skill. Then once I hit level 59, I'll have Dancing Edge and won't have to horde 300%TP and have nothing to do with it besides the occassional Waltz.

Edit: The way my character looks right now is a crime against humanity. DNC Tiara, Scorp Harness, Republic Subligar, Battle Gloves and DNC Shoes. I look like an employee in a S&M Dungeon, and doing dances doesn't help my case either. God help us all.

Just_Bri_Thanks

Pics or it didn't happen. Which, by your description, isn't such a bad way to be.

RavynBlackheart

So I came back to FFXI after basically abandoning it for WoW (which was, I'll admit, a mistake) and started leveling scholar. Man this is fun!

Just_Bri_Thanks

Healing Breeze can suck it.

TheStig

Just_Bri_Thanks wrote: »

Healing Breeze can suck it.

Are you doing /whm with dia spam?

Just_Bri_Thanks

No, I don't want to dot the monsters while I am trying for the Blue Magics. Them dieing before they use the skill I want is irritating.

I finally got it though, now moving on to Bludgeon

Just_Bri_Thanks

Bludgeon learned, now off to the other side of the world for Blastbomb. Cursed Sphere is right out until I get closer to where it would be usable.

Lilithium

I wish I had an appetite for this game.

Just_Bri_Thanks

Blastbomb learned.

Time to go back to the dunes for levels 17 through 20.

I seem to have gotten cursed sphere some time prior, perhaps while I was waiting for a party to sync last I was int he dunes.

Just_Bri_Thanks

On an unrelated note, good books are good. Not much play time for me, and partially because I am finding Blue Mage not to my tastes.

Lilithium

I remember when Blue Mage was announced. I was so goddamn pleased because I had called it back on SomethingAwful.com in the FFXI thread there. But then, the expansion came out, and I played it, and I got really sad with how awfully tedious it was to play, and how many lemmings jumped to the class. -.- I remained steadfast after that in my initial job choice.

WillisIVIIX

Well this is FFXI we're talking about here, and if (especially when it comes to a new toy) something is remotely interesting you can bet your ass SE is going to challenge your patience to the brink of insanity.

korodullin

Welp, new FF MMO announced, due out just next year. It looks a lot like FFXI in its aesthetic.

Smashism

FFXI 2, IT EXITS. OMG FREAKING OUT

lionheart_m

Hmmm...only for PS3?

Well, color me interested. I loved FFXI when it came out. I do hope it moves away from the WoW/EQ style and tries something completely different.

korodullin

I highly expect FFXIV to get a PC port as well. It would be mind-boggling if it didn't.

NovembersChopin

This is bad news for me...I use to be a major FFXI addict so this will be hard to resist.

TheStig

Yeah, I have a ps3 but theres no way I'm playing an mmo on it. PC or nothin'

Oh and Red Mage day one.

lionheart_m

They have to make Paladins a starting class.

NovembersChopin

PLD and BRD for me please. :winky:

Aoi

In Japan at least, XI started out PS2 only at first before finally moving to PC. I'm sure it'll get ported within a few months.

lionheart_m

Yeah but I already have a PS3 and it always is cool to be there when the community is still fresh.

Aoi

Same, though I must admit I'm kind of disappointed that they're going with a console for their launch platform again. I love FFXI, but the controls feel so funky when playing it on the pc if you don't have a controller.

lionheart_m

I just hope that FFXIV moves away from WoW/EQ clone. Also, I'm kinda worried how are they gonna handle two MMOs. The whole EQ/EQ2 fiasco comes to mind.

Mumblyfish

So hey here's the teaser website for FFXIV. It's for the PS3 and PC and there are Galkas and there are Mithra and there are Tarutaru and there are Humes and there are Neckbeasts and there are Jobs and... that's all.

The teaser painting is pretty, though.

lionheart_m

Ugh...just realized. This is Square. This could very well be Xmas 2010...well it gives me enough time to kick my WoW habit, get addicted to SC2 and quit that too.

korodullin

Tail-less Galka, even. Makes me wonder why they seem to be revisiting the Vana'diel races rather than go with the more exposed FFTA ones.