Um hello

[Gabethegreen]

hi i just joined a couple days ago. Im still new to a lot of things in this game so i would appreciate any advice you guys are willing to share.

[Jerbob]

First of all, welcome!

One of the things you may have already learned about FFXI is that there is very little in the way of in-game help available. Most players turn to community wikis to help with various aspects of the game, and they're extremely helpful. I use two - the first is ffxiclopedia, which is really good at dealing with questing and basic to intermediate content in the game. The second is bgwiki, which focuses much more on recent content. If you need almost any question answered, chances are one of these sites can help you.

More specifically, I would recommend checking out the new(ish) Records of Eminence system. You may have already been directed to it by the New Player quest. It's a wonderful system that you can use for almost anything you're doing in FFXI, and it grants bonus experience points and other currencies when you complete custom-set "objectives". Definitely get to grips with this as early as you can, as it'll make things much easier in the long run.

While you're levelling, it's worth investigating "Fields of Valour" and "Grounds of Valour" systems. You may have seen the floating books that are dotted around Vana'diel - Field Tomes and Grounds Tomes let you select a "page" of monsters to defeat, granting bonus exp and other currencies when you complete it. Another nice boost to levelling up your job.

Finally, try to find yourself a nice, relaxed linkshell so you can make some friends. There are NPCs called "Linkshell Concierges" in all major cities that can help you find a linkshell that you like - you can use bgwiki and search Linkshell Concierges to find the location of the NPCs. While it's perfectly feasible to solo play through a lot of the early parts of the game, as you progress friends will be invaluable, and they can teach you a lot of the tips and tricks of the game.

Oh, and of course, keep asking questions here on the forums too! Hope that helps a little.