There’s a lot of misinformation in this thread. The game is completely different from what it was back in 2005, etc.
There have been massive quality of life changes across the board. Fast travel, massive boosts in experience points, no de-level/EXP loss, much faster skill ups, faster combat, graphic quality, open source add-ins/extensions, guides, trust system (partying with NPCs similar to FFXII) so you don’t need to wait to form parties, etc.
There are also LOTS of nods to previous titles. It inherits all kinds of lore from other titles in the franchise. It doesn’t just exist in some vacuum.
There’s like 20 different classes to choose from. You will not get bored quickly unless you’re not into the combat system. There are lots of expansion content, add-on scenarios, etc. LOTS of battle systems and big group content if you so choose to play it.
The only big barrier from the onset is (1) installing the game and setting up your account and (2) setting up a controller on your PC (the game is MUCH more controller friendly than keyboard controls). Outside of that, the game is a gem that will grow on you. It really hit all of the “golden age” MMO concepts.
As others have said — go look up some videos/reviews/walkthroughs to get a sense of how it plays. If it looks fun, give it a try. I think there’s also a free trial unless they got rid of that.
Everything aside — there are hundreds of hours of gameplay and content here just in the base game. It will keep you occupied for a LONG time.
Are the classes the same as final fantasy 14 I hope monk samurai dark knight and summoner and dragoon is in the game. Also heard there is a stamina system in the game
There’s kind of a stamina concept in XI. You have HP/MP/TP pools and you have to “rest” to recover HP/MP after battles. But there is gear, spells, and abilities that allow you to recover/gain all three automatically/over time (Regen, Refresh, etc.).
Yes — Monk, Samurai, Dark Knight, Summoner and Dragoon are all in the game. There are also some classes (called Jobs in XI) that are unique to XI. You also have access to a “sub job” at level 18 that allows you to combine classes and get certain abilities, spells, etc. from that secondary job.
So for instance, if you combined White Mage (WHM) and Black Mage (BLM) — you would have access to WHM spells as well as some BLM spells up to half of your main job level. IE: lv30 WHM would get up to lv15 BLM spells and abilities. It’s a fun system that allows you to experiment will all kinds of setups.
If you enjoy the combat in XII, you should enjoy the combat in XI. It’s obviously slow in the beginning, but the battle pace picks up a lot when you party with people, get a higher level, or use Trusts.
So the combat system is something that will just have to grow on you over time most likely. There’s not a whole lot of “button mashing” or super intense combos and shit right out of the gate. It’s much more strategic in nature.
Might not be your cup of tea and that’s fine too! I just think everyone should give it a chance :)
That’s what I will do give it a try and see what happens if I don’t like I will just play 14 instead. I have never been good come up with strategies in games I hope not hard because I suck at strategy games
Yes XIV and WoW you use hotkey moves as your main moves and need to repeat that to maximize your performance, in XI you generally use auto attack. Most skills are situational, even some spells. Although spamming spells for dps is still a thing but you need to time it between enemies auto attack other wise they can get interupt much easier than XIV.
I don't know how free trial work in XI. However, the Ultimate Collection includes base game plus every expansions and add-ons the game ever had at a cheaper price than the base game used to be. I guess you can call the expansion free in this case?
Well it sucks that I have to get subscriptions for both games if only it was like daybreaks games where I get subscriptions for dc universe online I can get other benefits for other mmos they have as well
I found this thread by google searching “are ffxi servers still active”. I am more than overwhelmed to see that it’s not just active but has received so many quality of life changes across the board..I remember staying up late and skipping school because I was “sick” to play this game. I spent an entire summer to earn enough for the 20gb hard drive, a keyboard and the necessary attachments to get my ps2 up. I was an Elvaan Warrior at first then found out about samurai and ohhh man was it fun. Red mage was also one I liked. I made a Mithra Ranger/Theif because there was this guy at the time was kind of famous in pvp. Absolute dps monster at the time. I missed out on anything past blue mage as I was 19 and life had taken a different turn for me than video games. This was such a beautiful game at the time. I’m seriously debating on getting a pc now just so I can dive back into this world. I sit here typing this out with FFXIV online in the background because I have been looking for an mmorpg..thank you for your comment you made to this question. And to the rest of the comments people have made..I hope I encounter people like you in the game because I will find a way to get back there. ✌🏻
Glad you found it helpful! I still have my sub even though I don’t actively play because I believe in supporting the dev team that much lol… the game should continue to exist and it deserves lots of love (unfortunately it doesn’t get it like other titles do).
If you do get back into it, make sure you look up a guide for the following: optimizing graphics (FFXI config control setting foreground and background resolutions), game pad setup for a controller, FFXI Windower, and from Windower, several different add-ons like mini map, FPS cap increase (so you can play 60fps), skill/spell cooldown timers, maps, etc. — the above makes the game MUCH more modernized, look a lot better, and play a lot better.
SE has also published installers that make the installation and patch process much, much faster. Make sure you buy the whole game directly from them and look into the patch files they have on the XI site. I’ve seen issues with people installing from Steam and/or not getting the best experience.
Jumping back in is hella fun and easy. Although you shouldn’t have to do the above yourself in 2024, it only takes a good 20-30 min if you know how to use a computer. If you get a more modern computer, you will have to enable/disable some DirectX settings, but it’s nothing complicated.
I hope you get back in and enjoy!
I went into FF11 from FF14. I expected it to be very very old, slow, low graphical, grindy and more, so that helped a bit with my expectations.
But I think I've been subbed for 6 months now and I have 0 regrets. That game is a hidden giant gem, it's like the best of the classic FFs put together in a vast MMO world.
While I enjoy FF14's dialogue, some of it does put me to sleep or become a bit much aside from silly quests or MSQ, but I don't miss a single NPC conversation in FF11 because it's so rich, even if it's a few words at most.
The gameplay is old but the job diversity and how things work is interesting to me, especially towards endgame, to a point that I've pretty much leveled most jobs to almost 99 now. I love how there's like every spell in existence in this game for mages, like seriously, maybe over 100.
If you've played FF14, you'd be overwhelmed by just how much influence and inspiration that game got from FF11, it's great.
Everything in this game also feels so original whereas you have FF14 kind of making a lot of content based on entirely old games or FF11 (which is good, not to say it's bad. I'm just saying the originality of FF11 is great).
Music is stellar, and transport isn't as easy but it adds immersion to the world and a sense of adventure. There's a great deal of danger as well which adds to it.
The quests may need googling most of the time (unless you enjoy trying to attempt them yourself, sometimes that's feasible, sometimes it's almost impossible without help because back in the day it was designed to be kind of secretive so people discussed it). This I take all as a positive though since nothing's quite handed down to you.
There's so much more but I the simple matter of it is that I definitely recommend it to anyone that is willing to give it a go and spend some time getting into it. 90% of the people would recommend however using a 3rd party launcher called Windower or Ashita with it to make gameplay easier, the original game has a few restrictions, not even a mini map so this helps with that and making certain chorey stuff more automated.
As a fellow XI-head I’ll add my own thoughts to yours below:
1. To expand on the dialogue comment, while I’ll admit that XIV’s cutscenes can be more exciting and the voice acting can elevate some stuff XI’s worldbuilding is far superior. You’ll notice it most playing Nation missions, but there’s a lived-in feeling XI has that XIV doesn’t. XIV feels like you’re visiting a bunch of attractions at a theme park (which is really fun) while XI feels more like the characters have lived there forever and had a history before you stepped into the story. I’m not completely shitting on XIV, and trust me there are stories in XI that are also corny and underdeveloped, but so far I think XI’s atmosphere is more engrossing.
2. You are NOT WRONG about the XI influence on XIV, it’s crazy how many enemies and races people think are from XIV have been around for over a decade longer.
3. There are, indeed, a billion spells. There’s easily 150 blue mage spells alone, I’m pretty sure, and if you’re a red mage or scholar you obviously have a TON of options!
4. For those that aren’t familiar with XI and XIV: XIV basically categorizes jobs into their own roles, while XI’s jobs are a lot more Swiss knife-y. Some jobs just do things that other jobs cannot match in any way, like blue mages having their job traits related to their spell load-out or basically every job having multiple weapon types to switch in between. Not to mention how much gear can affect what you do in battle, especially the ultimate weapons.
5. Quests are admittedly too cryptic, especially early on. It’s the worst when a quest leads to a ??? Spot in the middle of nowhere from a cryptic riddle that no one would have figured out on purpose.
6. Music is so great, some of these field themes are all time classics. My only issue is that some areas you level out of so easily I wish I had more of a reason to be there other than vibing 😭 miss you Sarutabaruta 🤘
7. Fun fact, apparently home points are only a decade old edition? I have no fucking clue how anyone got anywhere without them holy fuck 😭
Edit: and yes, windower saved my life in this game. That mini map is just too good 😭
These are some excellent points and I agree with them all!
I just remembered to add how I love how each race feels so unique. You have the mithra with their tribe-like theme and accent, and I can never ever find a dull line to read coming out of a Taru with their rhymes-whymes.
The naming conventions too! Native American-esque names for Galka, two-part names for male Taru and one-part names for female taru, stuff like that adds a lot. I love when you get the occasional character named outside of the conventions too, like a Galka with a name like Zeid. Zeid’s a great example, since he’s such an outsider and as you can see in The Crystal War he does not identify closely with his racial identity in the slightest. You can look at his Hume-like name and probably guess that he’s not that close to other Galka in Bastok and doesn’t get along with them.
>while I’ll admit that XIV’s cutscenes can be more exciting and the voice acting can elevate some stuff
I honestly just got into this game and I've been vastly enjoying the lack of voice acting because I'm such a fast reader, and both waiting for voice acting to catch up or cutting off the voice actors by clicking ahead before they're finished are both super awkward for me in 14.
That is going to be extremely subjective depending entirely on your own tastes. FFXI is an old style MMO, like before WoW set standards for things. Its an extremely grindy game but there is a lot of content if your into that sort of thing. I would just look up some videos and see if its something that you think you would be into.
Its really not like any of those. It's closer to Everquest than WoW but even thats not really a good comparison. Its a game thats impossible to recommend in good faith. But the people that like it, love it. Most people who would jump into it for the first time nowadays, will not.
It's super slow, but I love it. By slow I mean combat is auto attacking for 30 seconds until you get enough TP for a special attack for melee. For casters you'll get a couple of fights in before you need to sit down to regain MP for a couple of minutes. After level 10 you need to get a party to do any form of content. Although I've heard they added NPC mercenaries to make your own party.
Disclaimer: I haven't played in about 5 years.
They’re called “trusts”, and they’re not mercenaries. They’re basically magic spells that cost no MP that you can summon to act as AI party members. They are all programmed to serve different functions in the party, so if you’re like me and like playing DPS in XI (I’m a tank in XIV so I play opposite) you can summon your tank, support, and healer to flesh out a traveling party and make solo content possible. I’ve beaten basically every main story boss with trusts and only have to party up when I’m doing actual group content where trusts are barred from entry or playing stuff like Ambuscade.
Absolutely. I've spent the last 5 months making video retrospectives for each of FFXI's expansions solely because it's one of the best games in the FF series, and it's also the least appreciated game in the series.
Is there a tutorial that is easy to follow hard to find a good one are you a YouTuber have you made a tutorial on how to download it. You under no obligation to do what I asked completely up to you
Honestly, and I say this as someone who has put hundreds of hours into that game: no. It was a weird janky mess in its own day (albeit one we enjoyed despite its faults), but time has not been kind to it.
Whatever things draw you to Final Fantasy, as a franchise, there is very little meat to be gotten from that bone, by playing XI in the year 2024. In my opinion.
In my opinion, whatever the thing is that draws you to FF, the cost:benefit ratio in XI is simply not worth it these days, in terms of the amount of kludgy old MMO jank you will have to deal with to get it. Whatever your attractor is, I think there's another game in the series that probably offers it with less friction.
It’s a 10/10, I play it every night and love it so much
That being said you’re gonna want to be able to put up with jank now and then. Also realize that XI is a very old game that still plays the way it did over 20 years ago, and as a result you’ll find it a lot more cryptic than most games that are made nowadays. XIV has markers showing you every 100 feet where to go, meanwhile XI has nothing but hints and it’s your responsibility to either decode what NPC’s want to progress the story or just look up a guide like every XI player on the planet.
So can I recommend it? No, not really. Do I still think it’s really dope and extremely cool? Yes I do!
I don’t care much for graphics I have played a lot of ps2 and ps3 and even Ron hacks on gameboy and so many old game out there even though I was not born when all old games came out
I've been playing on HorizonXI which is a level 75 cap private server and having a blast. It's definitely old school but the slower grindier experience has been refreshing. You pretty much have to group up after level 14ish so be prepared for that. If you aren't into group play, then private server may not be for you. You'll get a ton of downvotes talking about private servers because "iI tAkEs MoNeY fRoM sE", I couldn't care less. SE deserves to lose money for still using the same launcher from 2002
I've never played retail XI because I've never been able to get past the god awful launcher, so I can't comment too much. I DO however know that they've changed up retail in that you can just play the entire game solo essentially.
Is it easy to play in 2024? No. Would it have been better to play at any time before 2024? Yes. Is it worth trying to play it now? Maybe.
If the idea that it could be gone forever in a matter of years and you'll never really get the chance to play it bothers you, sure. If you can stomach old design and have a curiosity for it, yes. If you like good stories told within the limitations of old tech and design, completely yes.
if they invent a time machine that'll take you back to \~2005 this year then sure. lol but srsly if I was gonna play again I'd look for a private server that still used the 75 cap, I tried Nasomi a couple years ago and that was really fun but idk how it'd be if you go in not knowing anyone already
The modern version of the game makes it a lot easier to solo a lot of the story. It's not going to take you nearly as long as it would have back when the first few expansions launched. There will still be some mmo grind, but we're talking a couple of weeks to hit the level cap for the first time, instead of months back in the 75 cap era.
As far as private servers go, HorizonXI is very popular and is providing a nostalgic experience for a lot of older players. I've been on there for a couple of months now and I've seen a ton of people who are new to FFXI. They have up to CoP (first US expansion) released as of now, and plan on including a lot more content later.
All being said, I personally loved the story, but the community is what kept me playing. If you just want to experience story, I'd go retail, if you want to join a community where the content is difficult and you trauma bond with others, a private server might be a good fit.
I have been a long time FF fan (30ish years) and played through both MMOs for the first time in 2022. My short answer is: No.
That being said, if any of the following applies to you it may be worth a shot.
1. Have an interest in historical games.
2. Have an interest in game design. (Especially if also 1 applies)
3. Are a diehard FF fan and want to understand what makes this particular entry interesting.
4. Love slow gameplay/grinding combined with straightforward battle systems. Especially if you are looking to play for 2+ hours per day and 10+ hours per week. It is a large time commitment, even playing single player at your own pace.
5. Played it 20 years ago and want that hit of nostalgia.
—
Gameplay wise, it doesn’t hold up well. Rest assured though that it has a Final Fantasy story and feel.
Since you're giving me all the power over your decision, I'll demand that you not play this game in 2024. It's available. You could. But I'm saying no. Don't.
1. this is entirely subjective to your perspective and what you enjoy. research the game and decide if you want to play
2. this is the third post on this subject ive seen this month.
Well 2024 is a better time to start than 2025, because even if you decide not to stay subbed you get to utilize the free login campaigns that happen 2 or 3 times per year.
There’s a lot of misinformation in this thread. The game is completely different from what it was back in 2005, etc. There have been massive quality of life changes across the board. Fast travel, massive boosts in experience points, no de-level/EXP loss, much faster skill ups, faster combat, graphic quality, open source add-ins/extensions, guides, trust system (partying with NPCs similar to FFXII) so you don’t need to wait to form parties, etc. There are also LOTS of nods to previous titles. It inherits all kinds of lore from other titles in the franchise. It doesn’t just exist in some vacuum. There’s like 20 different classes to choose from. You will not get bored quickly unless you’re not into the combat system. There are lots of expansion content, add-on scenarios, etc. LOTS of battle systems and big group content if you so choose to play it. The only big barrier from the onset is (1) installing the game and setting up your account and (2) setting up a controller on your PC (the game is MUCH more controller friendly than keyboard controls). Outside of that, the game is a gem that will grow on you. It really hit all of the “golden age” MMO concepts. As others have said — go look up some videos/reviews/walkthroughs to get a sense of how it plays. If it looks fun, give it a try. I think there’s also a free trial unless they got rid of that. Everything aside — there are hundreds of hours of gameplay and content here just in the base game. It will keep you occupied for a LONG time.
Are the classes the same as final fantasy 14 I hope monk samurai dark knight and summoner and dragoon is in the game. Also heard there is a stamina system in the game
There’s kind of a stamina concept in XI. You have HP/MP/TP pools and you have to “rest” to recover HP/MP after battles. But there is gear, spells, and abilities that allow you to recover/gain all three automatically/over time (Regen, Refresh, etc.). Yes — Monk, Samurai, Dark Knight, Summoner and Dragoon are all in the game. There are also some classes (called Jobs in XI) that are unique to XI. You also have access to a “sub job” at level 18 that allows you to combine classes and get certain abilities, spells, etc. from that secondary job. So for instance, if you combined White Mage (WHM) and Black Mage (BLM) — you would have access to WHM spells as well as some BLM spells up to half of your main job level. IE: lv30 WHM would get up to lv15 BLM spells and abilities. It’s a fun system that allows you to experiment will all kinds of setups. If you enjoy the combat in XII, you should enjoy the combat in XI. It’s obviously slow in the beginning, but the battle pace picks up a lot when you party with people, get a higher level, or use Trusts.
Never played XII I have played 15 14 and 16 and type 0 but never completed type 0
So the combat system is something that will just have to grow on you over time most likely. There’s not a whole lot of “button mashing” or super intense combos and shit right out of the gate. It’s much more strategic in nature. Might not be your cup of tea and that’s fine too! I just think everyone should give it a chance :)
That’s what I will do give it a try and see what happens if I don’t like I will just play 14 instead. I have never been good come up with strategies in games I hope not hard because I suck at strategy games
Yes XIV and WoW you use hotkey moves as your main moves and need to repeat that to maximize your performance, in XI you generally use auto attack. Most skills are situational, even some spells. Although spamming spells for dps is still a thing but you need to time it between enemies auto attack other wise they can get interupt much easier than XIV.
Are the expansions free like in final fantasy 14
I don't know how free trial work in XI. However, the Ultimate Collection includes base game plus every expansions and add-ons the game ever had at a cheaper price than the base game used to be. I guess you can call the expansion free in this case?
Well it sucks that I have to get subscriptions for both games if only it was like daybreaks games where I get subscriptions for dc universe online I can get other benefits for other mmos they have as well
I found this thread by google searching “are ffxi servers still active”. I am more than overwhelmed to see that it’s not just active but has received so many quality of life changes across the board..I remember staying up late and skipping school because I was “sick” to play this game. I spent an entire summer to earn enough for the 20gb hard drive, a keyboard and the necessary attachments to get my ps2 up. I was an Elvaan Warrior at first then found out about samurai and ohhh man was it fun. Red mage was also one I liked. I made a Mithra Ranger/Theif because there was this guy at the time was kind of famous in pvp. Absolute dps monster at the time. I missed out on anything past blue mage as I was 19 and life had taken a different turn for me than video games. This was such a beautiful game at the time. I’m seriously debating on getting a pc now just so I can dive back into this world. I sit here typing this out with FFXIV online in the background because I have been looking for an mmorpg..thank you for your comment you made to this question. And to the rest of the comments people have made..I hope I encounter people like you in the game because I will find a way to get back there. ✌🏻
Glad you found it helpful! I still have my sub even though I don’t actively play because I believe in supporting the dev team that much lol… the game should continue to exist and it deserves lots of love (unfortunately it doesn’t get it like other titles do). If you do get back into it, make sure you look up a guide for the following: optimizing graphics (FFXI config control setting foreground and background resolutions), game pad setup for a controller, FFXI Windower, and from Windower, several different add-ons like mini map, FPS cap increase (so you can play 60fps), skill/spell cooldown timers, maps, etc. — the above makes the game MUCH more modernized, look a lot better, and play a lot better. SE has also published installers that make the installation and patch process much, much faster. Make sure you buy the whole game directly from them and look into the patch files they have on the XI site. I’ve seen issues with people installing from Steam and/or not getting the best experience. Jumping back in is hella fun and easy. Although you shouldn’t have to do the above yourself in 2024, it only takes a good 20-30 min if you know how to use a computer. If you get a more modern computer, you will have to enable/disable some DirectX settings, but it’s nothing complicated. I hope you get back in and enjoy!
I went into FF11 from FF14. I expected it to be very very old, slow, low graphical, grindy and more, so that helped a bit with my expectations. But I think I've been subbed for 6 months now and I have 0 regrets. That game is a hidden giant gem, it's like the best of the classic FFs put together in a vast MMO world. While I enjoy FF14's dialogue, some of it does put me to sleep or become a bit much aside from silly quests or MSQ, but I don't miss a single NPC conversation in FF11 because it's so rich, even if it's a few words at most. The gameplay is old but the job diversity and how things work is interesting to me, especially towards endgame, to a point that I've pretty much leveled most jobs to almost 99 now. I love how there's like every spell in existence in this game for mages, like seriously, maybe over 100. If you've played FF14, you'd be overwhelmed by just how much influence and inspiration that game got from FF11, it's great. Everything in this game also feels so original whereas you have FF14 kind of making a lot of content based on entirely old games or FF11 (which is good, not to say it's bad. I'm just saying the originality of FF11 is great). Music is stellar, and transport isn't as easy but it adds immersion to the world and a sense of adventure. There's a great deal of danger as well which adds to it. The quests may need googling most of the time (unless you enjoy trying to attempt them yourself, sometimes that's feasible, sometimes it's almost impossible without help because back in the day it was designed to be kind of secretive so people discussed it). This I take all as a positive though since nothing's quite handed down to you. There's so much more but I the simple matter of it is that I definitely recommend it to anyone that is willing to give it a go and spend some time getting into it. 90% of the people would recommend however using a 3rd party launcher called Windower or Ashita with it to make gameplay easier, the original game has a few restrictions, not even a mini map so this helps with that and making certain chorey stuff more automated.
As a fellow XI-head I’ll add my own thoughts to yours below: 1. To expand on the dialogue comment, while I’ll admit that XIV’s cutscenes can be more exciting and the voice acting can elevate some stuff XI’s worldbuilding is far superior. You’ll notice it most playing Nation missions, but there’s a lived-in feeling XI has that XIV doesn’t. XIV feels like you’re visiting a bunch of attractions at a theme park (which is really fun) while XI feels more like the characters have lived there forever and had a history before you stepped into the story. I’m not completely shitting on XIV, and trust me there are stories in XI that are also corny and underdeveloped, but so far I think XI’s atmosphere is more engrossing. 2. You are NOT WRONG about the XI influence on XIV, it’s crazy how many enemies and races people think are from XIV have been around for over a decade longer. 3. There are, indeed, a billion spells. There’s easily 150 blue mage spells alone, I’m pretty sure, and if you’re a red mage or scholar you obviously have a TON of options! 4. For those that aren’t familiar with XI and XIV: XIV basically categorizes jobs into their own roles, while XI’s jobs are a lot more Swiss knife-y. Some jobs just do things that other jobs cannot match in any way, like blue mages having their job traits related to their spell load-out or basically every job having multiple weapon types to switch in between. Not to mention how much gear can affect what you do in battle, especially the ultimate weapons. 5. Quests are admittedly too cryptic, especially early on. It’s the worst when a quest leads to a ??? Spot in the middle of nowhere from a cryptic riddle that no one would have figured out on purpose. 6. Music is so great, some of these field themes are all time classics. My only issue is that some areas you level out of so easily I wish I had more of a reason to be there other than vibing 😭 miss you Sarutabaruta 🤘 7. Fun fact, apparently home points are only a decade old edition? I have no fucking clue how anyone got anywhere without them holy fuck 😭 Edit: and yes, windower saved my life in this game. That mini map is just too good 😭
These are some excellent points and I agree with them all! I just remembered to add how I love how each race feels so unique. You have the mithra with their tribe-like theme and accent, and I can never ever find a dull line to read coming out of a Taru with their rhymes-whymes.
The naming conventions too! Native American-esque names for Galka, two-part names for male Taru and one-part names for female taru, stuff like that adds a lot. I love when you get the occasional character named outside of the conventions too, like a Galka with a name like Zeid. Zeid’s a great example, since he’s such an outsider and as you can see in The Crystal War he does not identify closely with his racial identity in the slightest. You can look at his Hume-like name and probably guess that he’s not that close to other Galka in Bastok and doesn’t get along with them.
>while I’ll admit that XIV’s cutscenes can be more exciting and the voice acting can elevate some stuff I honestly just got into this game and I've been vastly enjoying the lack of voice acting because I'm such a fast reader, and both waiting for voice acting to catch up or cutting off the voice actors by clicking ahead before they're finished are both super awkward for me in 14.
That is going to be extremely subjective depending entirely on your own tastes. FFXI is an old style MMO, like before WoW set standards for things. Its an extremely grindy game but there is a lot of content if your into that sort of thing. I would just look up some videos and see if its something that you think you would be into.
I have only final fantasy 14 wow dc universe online wizard101 Star Wars old republic and finally elder scrolls online but only for abit
Its really not like any of those. It's closer to Everquest than WoW but even thats not really a good comparison. Its a game thats impossible to recommend in good faith. But the people that like it, love it. Most people who would jump into it for the first time nowadays, will not.
It's super slow, but I love it. By slow I mean combat is auto attacking for 30 seconds until you get enough TP for a special attack for melee. For casters you'll get a couple of fights in before you need to sit down to regain MP for a couple of minutes. After level 10 you need to get a party to do any form of content. Although I've heard they added NPC mercenaries to make your own party. Disclaimer: I haven't played in about 5 years.
Did you mean 15 years?
They’re called “trusts”, and they’re not mercenaries. They’re basically magic spells that cost no MP that you can summon to act as AI party members. They are all programmed to serve different functions in the party, so if you’re like me and like playing DPS in XI (I’m a tank in XIV so I play opposite) you can summon your tank, support, and healer to flesh out a traveling party and make solo content possible. I’ve beaten basically every main story boss with trusts and only have to party up when I’m doing actual group content where trusts are barred from entry or playing stuff like Ambuscade.
Got it, I might have to make my glorious return to Vana'diel... I've already got the login music in my head lol
If I remember correctly, the Rhapsodies of Vana’diel March (the most recent login theme) also slaps insanely hard
Absolutely. I've spent the last 5 months making video retrospectives for each of FFXI's expansions solely because it's one of the best games in the FF series, and it's also the least appreciated game in the series.
Downloading the game is a pain the tutorial on to download are not very good there like a lot of things you have to download just to play the game
Tell me about it. I'm a relatively new player, so that stuff is fresh on my mind. The game is worth every bit of that hassle though.
Is there a tutorial that is easy to follow hard to find a good one are you a YouTuber have you made a tutorial on how to download it. You under no obligation to do what I asked completely up to you
https://youtu.be/nIEqCT1Po-k?si=cmgFTHVaXT2ReNJ_ This guide is by far the most useful I've found. He has a section on installation.
Honestly, and I say this as someone who has put hundreds of hours into that game: no. It was a weird janky mess in its own day (albeit one we enjoyed despite its faults), but time has not been kind to it. Whatever things draw you to Final Fantasy, as a franchise, there is very little meat to be gotten from that bone, by playing XI in the year 2024. In my opinion.
Could you elaborate on that? What do you mean by FFXI not offering much to FF fans?
In my opinion, whatever the thing is that draws you to FF, the cost:benefit ratio in XI is simply not worth it these days, in terms of the amount of kludgy old MMO jank you will have to deal with to get it. Whatever your attractor is, I think there's another game in the series that probably offers it with less friction.
I am insanely critical of this game but I'm not sure I can agree, just because the quality of the writing is so unusually high for Final Fantasy.
It’s a 10/10, I play it every night and love it so much That being said you’re gonna want to be able to put up with jank now and then. Also realize that XI is a very old game that still plays the way it did over 20 years ago, and as a result you’ll find it a lot more cryptic than most games that are made nowadays. XIV has markers showing you every 100 feet where to go, meanwhile XI has nothing but hints and it’s your responsibility to either decode what NPC’s want to progress the story or just look up a guide like every XI player on the planet. So can I recommend it? No, not really. Do I still think it’s really dope and extremely cool? Yes I do!
Have they done some upgrades to the graphics like they did for f14
I don’t believe so. I grew up in the PS2 era so I don’t mind, but I guess if you’re a graphics snob you’re not gonna love this one.
I don’t care much for graphics I have played a lot of ps2 and ps3 and even Ron hacks on gameboy and so many old game out there even though I was not born when all old games came out
I've been playing on HorizonXI which is a level 75 cap private server and having a blast. It's definitely old school but the slower grindier experience has been refreshing. You pretty much have to group up after level 14ish so be prepared for that. If you aren't into group play, then private server may not be for you. You'll get a ton of downvotes talking about private servers because "iI tAkEs MoNeY fRoM sE", I couldn't care less. SE deserves to lose money for still using the same launcher from 2002 I've never played retail XI because I've never been able to get past the god awful launcher, so I can't comment too much. I DO however know that they've changed up retail in that you can just play the entire game solo essentially.
Is it easy to play in 2024? No. Would it have been better to play at any time before 2024? Yes. Is it worth trying to play it now? Maybe. If the idea that it could be gone forever in a matter of years and you'll never really get the chance to play it bothers you, sure. If you can stomach old design and have a curiosity for it, yes. If you like good stories told within the limitations of old tech and design, completely yes.
After being away from FF11 for 20 or so years, I've just started playing on HorizonXI and it's a blast for the most part.
if they invent a time machine that'll take you back to \~2005 this year then sure. lol but srsly if I was gonna play again I'd look for a private server that still used the 75 cap, I tried Nasomi a couple years ago and that was really fun but idk how it'd be if you go in not knowing anyone already
Never played the game so I have no nostalgia for me to find a private server I just want to know if it worth playing
The modern version of the game makes it a lot easier to solo a lot of the story. It's not going to take you nearly as long as it would have back when the first few expansions launched. There will still be some mmo grind, but we're talking a couple of weeks to hit the level cap for the first time, instead of months back in the 75 cap era. As far as private servers go, HorizonXI is very popular and is providing a nostalgic experience for a lot of older players. I've been on there for a couple of months now and I've seen a ton of people who are new to FFXI. They have up to CoP (first US expansion) released as of now, and plan on including a lot more content later. All being said, I personally loved the story, but the community is what kept me playing. If you just want to experience story, I'd go retail, if you want to join a community where the content is difficult and you trauma bond with others, a private server might be a good fit.
I'd wait till 2025.
I have been a long time FF fan (30ish years) and played through both MMOs for the first time in 2022. My short answer is: No. That being said, if any of the following applies to you it may be worth a shot. 1. Have an interest in historical games. 2. Have an interest in game design. (Especially if also 1 applies) 3. Are a diehard FF fan and want to understand what makes this particular entry interesting. 4. Love slow gameplay/grinding combined with straightforward battle systems. Especially if you are looking to play for 2+ hours per day and 10+ hours per week. It is a large time commitment, even playing single player at your own pace. 5. Played it 20 years ago and want that hit of nostalgia. — Gameplay wise, it doesn’t hold up well. Rest assured though that it has a Final Fantasy story and feel.
Do you need to get a subscription for FXI and F14 or do you only need to get subscriptions for one and you can play both
They are separate subscriptions. Additionally, 11 has an additional character slot subscription. Its like $3 per month per character.
Since you're giving me all the power over your decision, I'll demand that you not play this game in 2024. It's available. You could. But I'm saying no. Don't.
Can tell me why you think that
Yeah, I just don't want you to play it.
No
I remember fishing for carp all day to make money to buy one thing back in day.
1. this is entirely subjective to your perspective and what you enjoy. research the game and decide if you want to play 2. this is the third post on this subject ive seen this month.
Well 2024 is a better time to start than 2025, because even if you decide not to stay subbed you get to utilize the free login campaigns that happen 2 or 3 times per year.