Myrm
Legend
My free time lately (scarce as it is) has been put into the new Final Fantasy XIV MMO.
Here are my thoughts on this game since release 2 weeks ago:
The leveling process is probably the most fluid of any MMO, up until you decide to pick up another class.
It feels just like every other MMO in this sense, until you get into the jobs and rolling different classes on the same character. I have found that when you roll different classes on the same character, there are just not enough quests available at lower levels to help push through the leveling. Instead, you are spending hours grinding FATEs which can become very boring, very quickly (especially if you don't have a guild or group doing them).
FATES will become a botters dream.
When Bossland (owner of Honorbuddy) and other bot creators put the work into a bot for Final Fantasy XIV, I have no doubt that FATEs will be the first target of mass botting. Yes, the contribution of your DPS or Healing while in the range of the FATE does matter, but that won't be a problem for a solid bot.
Job / Class System is very convoluted for just about anyone stepping into the game.
If you buy FFXIV and just start playing without any research, you will become flabergasted at the fact that level 1 characters have mounts and you do not. WHAT THE HECK!? The fact is that you can roll each class on the same character and every time you role a NEW class, you will start back at level 1. You can always switch back and forth between classes and whatever level you left off at with the class you are switching back to.
Dungeons feel really slow with 4 people.
Having 5 people in dungeons (tank, 3 DPS, and a healer) has been the norm set by WoW and most other MMOs have followed suit. Not FFXIV. Instead, they went with 4 (tank, 2 DPS, and a healer) and because of this, dungeons just feel like they take forever in my opinion.
Duty Finder -- your gate to match-making for groups for dungeons.
If you are a DPS, get ready to wait between 10 minutes to 3 hours (can be even worse during primetime). I got a DPS up to level 22 and gave up and rolled a tank instead. I am now enjoying instant-queues for every dungeon I have queued for thus far.
Hunting / Crafting logs are just fun as hell!
I personally love the addition of hunting / crafting logs. It gives you something extra on the side to do for mass amounts of EXP or Seals (for your Grand Company).
Grand Companies
Again, another convoluted part of the game. All I can say is do your research and make sure you are up to date with your storyline quests, otherwise getting your Chocobo will take forever!
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All in all, the game is fun as hell and utterly beautiful from a graphical standpoint. There are no more issues with being able to get in to the game either.
If you want an MMO that really stands apart from the pack, I would definitely give it a shot!
- Shane
Here are my thoughts on this game since release 2 weeks ago:
The leveling process is probably the most fluid of any MMO, up until you decide to pick up another class.
It feels just like every other MMO in this sense, until you get into the jobs and rolling different classes on the same character. I have found that when you roll different classes on the same character, there are just not enough quests available at lower levels to help push through the leveling. Instead, you are spending hours grinding FATEs which can become very boring, very quickly (especially if you don't have a guild or group doing them).
FATES will become a botters dream.
When Bossland (owner of Honorbuddy) and other bot creators put the work into a bot for Final Fantasy XIV, I have no doubt that FATEs will be the first target of mass botting. Yes, the contribution of your DPS or Healing while in the range of the FATE does matter, but that won't be a problem for a solid bot.
Job / Class System is very convoluted for just about anyone stepping into the game.
If you buy FFXIV and just start playing without any research, you will become flabergasted at the fact that level 1 characters have mounts and you do not. WHAT THE HECK!? The fact is that you can roll each class on the same character and every time you role a NEW class, you will start back at level 1. You can always switch back and forth between classes and whatever level you left off at with the class you are switching back to.
Dungeons feel really slow with 4 people.
Having 5 people in dungeons (tank, 3 DPS, and a healer) has been the norm set by WoW and most other MMOs have followed suit. Not FFXIV. Instead, they went with 4 (tank, 2 DPS, and a healer) and because of this, dungeons just feel like they take forever in my opinion.
Duty Finder -- your gate to match-making for groups for dungeons.
If you are a DPS, get ready to wait between 10 minutes to 3 hours (can be even worse during primetime). I got a DPS up to level 22 and gave up and rolled a tank instead. I am now enjoying instant-queues for every dungeon I have queued for thus far.
Hunting / Crafting logs are just fun as hell!
I personally love the addition of hunting / crafting logs. It gives you something extra on the side to do for mass amounts of EXP or Seals (for your Grand Company).
Grand Companies
Again, another convoluted part of the game. All I can say is do your research and make sure you are up to date with your storyline quests, otherwise getting your Chocobo will take forever!
--------
All in all, the game is fun as hell and utterly beautiful from a graphical standpoint. There are no more issues with being able to get in to the game either.
If you want an MMO that really stands apart from the pack, I would definitely give it a shot!
- Shane
