Returning player questions..

[RoadieB]

Hello all. I am a former FFXI player who is returning to the game. I had quit when the level cap was 75 and ZNMs were the new thing to do. I'm sure there will be a ton of things, but what's changed since I left? I know the level cap raised to 95, but I'm clueless as to what else was added/changed? I'm glad to be back though, I missed this game.

[svengalis]

Abyssea and Voidwatch were added. Read up on it on FF XI wiki I am not sure when ZNM were added cause I was gone then to.

[RoadieB]

Abyssea and Voidwatch were added. Read up on it on FF XI wiki I am not sure when ZNM were added cause I was gone then to.

Ah, thank you. The wiki has some great info.

[RoadieB]

Since I'm starting out at 75, do people still run xp parties at that level or is there a better way to get to 95?

[Twille]

People exp in alliances in Abyssea mostly. Or level sync and do Grounds of Valor parties.

[Alhanelem]

Hello all. I am a former FFXI player who is returning to the game. I had quit when the level cap was 75 and ZNMs were the new thing to do. I'm sure there will be a ton of things, but what's changed since I left? I know the level cap raised to 95, but I'm clueless as to what else was added/changed? I'm glad to be back though, I missed this game.
About the best advice I can give is to peruse the version updates section of this forum. The notes for the last several updates have been posted here instead of on the main site. But the changes to the game since you played are so vast that it's hard to say it all concisely.

[Greatguardian]

Most important advice anyone could ever give: Make friends.

You can do any casual content in this game, from leveling to Abyssean NMs and KCNMs, with a couple of solid friends. Learning the new content will come over time. But you will find that doing that content is a lot harder when you have to shout for people or join shout groups. This game is not meant to be played alone.

[Elphy]

You will also find that the game is TONS easier now. No more hrs lvling ur jobs as u can go from 1-95 in a couples days if you have the patience to sit and do it. We have foods that help you skill your stats so those go up faster. No more cash on gear since most ppl will stay in lvl 1 gear to 30 then burn up to 95 via aby equipping free aby gear til they get thier af3 and even if they do buy gear its mostly not good. Very few bother/know how to gear well (alot of bsts, wars and brds full time af1-2 for example) Spells have gotten out of hand in prices tho so if you wanna lvl a mage its kindda tough. lvl restrictions have been abolished from CoP so you can solo nearly all of the missions. Expect alot of repitition in nm farming to get drops if you want the new "best" weapons..50 of this from this nm then 50 of that from that one and so on. (just dont be fooled as they are not *always* better than other things out there, some yes, but some no: see Hvergelmir), Dyna has completely changed and can be entered freely once a day. And (on my server at least) if you want help on anything you will most likely be charged hundreds of thousands to millions of gil, unless you have a good ls.

On the bright side if you are a casual and not hardcore player the game will be much more suited for you now. There is alot less time sunk into lvling subs or mains so it frees up time to do other things. The downside is the elitests have been replaced by overpowered noobs who have no respect for their fellow players, and they seem to multiply faster than the elitests did.

Sorry if I sound kind of pesimistic but the game has changed radically in both content and player base, some is for the good but not all.

[Tsukino_Kaji]

Yeah. The Grind from 1-30 is longer then abyssea 30-95. It can be done in a day with some dedication.
Things you're going to need: Kindred Crests, lots of merits and some superfluous item they decided you needed.

[Greatguardian]

You will also find that the game is TONS easier now. No more hrs lvling ur jobs as u can go from 1-95 in a couples days if you have the patience to sit and do it. We have foods that help you skill your stats so those go up faster. No more cash on gear since most ppl will stay in lvl 1 gear to 30 then burn up to 95 via aby equipping free aby gear til they get thier af3 and even if they do buy gear its mostly not good. Very few bother/know how to gear well (alot of bsts, wars and brds full time af1-2 for example) Spells have gotten out of hand in prices tho so if you wanna lvl a mage its kindda tough. lvl restrictions have been abolished from CoP so you can solo nearly all of the missions. Expect alot of repitition in nm farming to get drops if you want the new "best" weapons..50 of this from this nm then 50 of that from that one and so on. (just dont be fooled as they are not *always* better than other things out there, some yes, but some no: see Hvergelmir), Dyna has completely changed and can be entered freely once a day. And (on my server at least) if you want help on anything you will most likely be charged hundreds of thousands to millions of gil, unless you have a good ls.

On the bright side if you are a casual and not hardcore player the game will be much more suited for you now. There is alot less time sunk into lvling subs or mains so it frees up time to do other things. The downside is the elitests have been replaced by overpowered noobs who have no respect for their fellow players, and they seem to multiply faster than the elitests did.

Sorry if I sound kind of pesimistic but the game has changed radically in both content and player base, some is for the good but not all.

The elitists still exist. We simply haven't really cared that much about "Drammaz" in a long time. The loud, obnoxious kids, who really annoyed us as much as the rest of the community, generally quit or got banned so the elitist community is mostly adults now.

I still maintain that good friends are more important than a linkshell for Casual content. If you get both, that's nice. But large linkshells always tend to have some sort of personality conflicts or whatnot develop. If you're just starting out and trying to get the basics done, there's really no need to subject yourself to all that crap when you can do most of the stuff at your level with a couple friends.