Chocobo License quest is very off-putting for newcomers and inconvenient for everyone

[bungiefanNA]

Exactly, it's not like you have to stand there and wait while doing the quest. You can go do other things and homepoint back. I did the quest while I was playing another game and just set a timer to check on it every hour. Now with homepoint warps, you can just come back now and then, and the reason to even need a chocobo is almost gone.

[Demonjustin]

I did the quest while I was playing another game and just set a timer to check on it every hour.

If the game is not keeping you engaged and playing it, rather than another game, there is something wrong with the game in question.

[bungiefanNA]

I multitask a lot since I have multiple monitors, and a lot of games to play. Heck, I'm playing now, and posting to 3 forums, and running a DS game.

[Xantavia]

I am new and I ended up farming the grass in wadi. I didn't bother going to Jueno until I left the dunes around 32. Once I hit town I turned in one grass and went outside to batalia downs to exp and farm boxes for armor I needed. I barely felt the quest being annoying, I just kept myself busy so it wasn't bad at all actually. I did however have money for the grass but I am stubborn and rather just go get it then spend money when it just takes a little effort on my side.

We need more people like you, who realize it is possible to do one thing while waiting for a time to count down for something else.

Unrelated to the topic title, but have you done any Record of Eminence? Sparks you get as rewards can be used to buy low-mid level armor. Might work better than relying on the RNG to give you something to wear from a casket.

[Ashbel]

The chocobo license quest stands out as very archaic in its structure now that virtually everything else has been streamlined. My brother is joining FFXI next month, and I know he's not going to react positively to this quest. And anyone who's tried to explain this quest to a noob knows that it's frustrating. And right now, I'm working on it for a mule. If you somehow forgot how ridiculous and convuluted the quest is, read this link.

Issues

1. "Chocobo on the Loose!": players are forced to flag this quest when they approach the stables. This is misleading and confusing. The ONLY way to know that this is not the chocobo license quest is if you're following a walkthrough or if a veteran is explaining it to you. This early in the game, not many players are following FFXI wikis like they're the Bible, so this is very misleading and inconvenient. Even after it's flagged, dialogue for this quest prevents the flagging for the license quest unless you talk to Brutus multiple times in a row.
2. The quest takes a minimum of 6 game days (6+ hours) to complete. Noobs have trouble making it back to Jeuno, and if they set it as their home point, they have trouble making it back to their home nations. Forcing them to either dink around in Jeuno this many hours on such an inconvenient and uneventful quest or forcing them to chug along at a wamouracampa's pace without a chocobo because they don't want to stay in Jeuno for 6 hours is like begging noobs to unsubscribe from the game.
3. Gausebit Grass is classified as a weapon in the auction house. No noob in the history of noobdom has ever figured out on his own that he should look in the weapons category of the AH for freaking grass. Also, it has a tendency to be sold out or prohibitively (by new players' standards) overpriced.

Modern-day FFXI Solutions

1. Make completion of "Chocobo's Wounds" required before "Chocobo on the Loose!" can start. Players who flag the quest before the update can complete it normally, but after the update, the cutscene should only activate for players who already have a chocobo license.
2. This is the WORST-case scenario, but the minimum required to make it reasonable: Remove the two days from the quest that the chocobo refuses your grass. Make the rest of the trades once per GAME hour. For example, Noobynoobnoob could trade at 3:53 VT, 4:01 VT, 5:30 VT, and 6:02 VT, where VT = Vana'diel Time. Or better yet, cut down the required trading even more.
3. Add Gausebit Grass to the nearby chocobo shop NPC.

Please?

I can help when he start playing. Just look me up.

[Windwhistler]

The first time I ever played XI I had my husband complete this quest for me while I was at work. Ain't nobody got time for that...

[Camate]

Greetings,

Thanks for the feedback!

The development team is endeavoring to make improvements to any inconvenient aspects when it comes to character growth speed and play time, so if there are additional requests or suggestions please be sure to let us know!

Please note, though, that there are parts of the game where the development team would like players to experience cutscenes and other aspects, so they do not plan on simplifying everything, but they will be looking into addressing various things.

As a side note for other planned improvements, we will be making adjustments so that that a single person can open the door in Sacrarium, which currently requires the use of the Sealion Crest Key and the Coral Crest Key.

Additionally, we'll be making adjustments to the door in Phomiuna Aquaducts that utilize lamps, so a single person can open it more easily.

While it will be a bit difficulty to implement the above two adjustments in the January version update, we are planning to address them in the version update to follow.

[Tile]

What about getting around solo in The Eldieme Necropolis that's a pain in the butt

[Alhanelem]

Please note, though, that there are parts of the game where the development team would like players to experience cutscenes and other aspects, so they do not plan on simplifying everything, but they will be looking into addressing various things.

Please be a little more vague. You're not vague enough.

[Xantavia]

Please be a little more vague. You're not vague enough.

Well, I'm sure they are proud of the ladder climbing in Phomiuna Aquaducts, so you know that is there to stay.