I didn't even plan on signing up for the test server. I knew it was going to distract me from trying to make progress on my real charaters. But I thought if I ever wanted to use it in the future, I better sign up now. And what do I see when I first log in? Instant 95 on whatever job I want. Instant access to every spell. Instant access to a plethra of items I will never have in the real game including AF2, AF3+2, crazy weapons, and sky/sea items. Instant access to consumable items. Instant skill caps. Though of all of these things you've let one horible thing slip. This is how you intend people to play the game. That wouldn't be so bad if all the things I just mentioned weren't impossible to obtain.

Leveling is a lot better than it used to be, once you get a job in the 70ish range. But getting to that point? Impossible w/o paying someone for a FC PT or spending weeks trying to grind to that point. Even then, trying to get to 30 is a time consuming endeavor. Of all the things I plan on mentioning, this is the esiest, but it's still too time consuming and distracts from making actual progress in the game. Especially, for example, when BLMs are required to take up BRD just to proc.

Utsumei Ni is still over 1mil. That is the most agregious example but there are still plenty of ones like Raise 3, Phalanx, and High tier / procing BLM spells. Where are we supposed to get the gil for all of this?

The items are what hurt me the most. There is no way to get any of them unless you con a LS in to getting them for you. There are jobs like PLD, SMN and RDM that require these items to even be playable. No LS or person is going to help you get anything they want for themselves. Then there are consumable items that are so expensive I can't even level NIN or RNG for a main and I haven't even touched PUP just because I can't afford the expense to even try it.

IDK anyone with max parrying or max guard skill, let alone both. I also have trouble believeing anyone has taken a wep not native to their main job past 200. I tried for days to get past 200 with staff, club, dagger, polearm and greatsword with my PLD. The mobs are either too weak and will give no skill ups or too tough and won't give skill ups. I have sience given up.

I know you can't make the real game as easy as the test server but there has to be some kind of happy medium. Most of this could be fixed by making it easier for people who need a PT to find each other or giving multiple drops for PTs that all want the same thing. I had an idea for this that went ignored.

http://forum.square-enix.com/ffxi/th...Bulliten-Board

But ultimatly access to all these things are up to you. IDC how you do it, but if these are all the things one needs to play the game as you intend, then you need to make them easier to get. Even though I've been playing seince 2004 and have multinple 90s, (sarcasim)I'm just an english speaking n00b(/sarcasim) and my ideas are not welcome.