The test server is more fun than the real game.

[Tamoa]

Calling out things that are wrong in an MMO isn't wanting something handed to you.

I don't see the OP's post as calling out things that are wrong with FFXI.

He's been playing since 2004. Everything in this game has gradually been made easier since then, especially since the release of abyssea. And yet he basically says the game is too hard. The only thing I can agree with to an extent, is that the price of certain scrolls is ridiculous.

I see it as whining.

[Defiledsickness]

only Raise3 is too expensive too buy for a casual player. but who cares, its not like it would ever effect you (reraise3 is cheap). get utsusemi from the bcnm it takes 3 people and is incredibly easy (and great gil to buy your other stuff).

af3+2 is not hard to get, you take 6 people who all can get online together and go get your stuff. the reason it gets hard is when people get greedy and dont share the loot or leave after they are done with their stuff (that's why you have linkshells).

i had all weapons for War up to 200+ before the easier skillups, its not hard. stop paying to leech XP and actually PLAY during book burns. you'll skill up just in time for 70-75 and abyssea invites and you can cap your skills doing endgame stuff. stop whining, cop was horrifying before the cap (still got it done) but nothing else is hard. i leveled pup and blm recently through book burns and abyssea; pup20-90 and blm45-90 in only two weeks (including all pup AF1 some af3+1, and most Blm af1).

test server is not as fun as the real game, but it is fun to play jobs before putting actual effort into leveling them.

[Zagen]

only Raise3 is too expensive too buy for a casual player. but who cares, its not like it would ever effect you (reraise3 is cheap). get utsusemi from the bcnm it takes 3 people and is incredibly easy (and great gil to buy your other stuff).

On my server Raise 3 runs around 1mil, 400k Cru = 1mil gil. How is that too expensive for a casual player?

[Defiledsickness]

well if you really want to sell away your cruor then go for it. it takes 200k per brew so i save my cruor (i only have 1.2mil cruor). i've had a mil in gil a few times but i always spent it on stuff i wanted more then Raise3.

[Yarly]

This is how the game should be. Except add relics/mythics/real empyreans to the gm moogle and you're golden.

But you'd have to make it so that you have to have your job leveled to 30 before you can adjust it to 95 to add some difficulty (otherwise it'd be too easy and people would get bored)

[Soranika]

The day FFXI makes me lose all since of accomplishment is the day I'll officially quit. As it stands, I thoroughly enjoy my DNC90 now... which took a grand total of a week and a half roughly with interruptions (LS events, doing things with friends, taking care of quests). Not only that, I broke dagger of trials latent in one sitting, got the dagger WS, capped dagger skill and evasion in three days after leveling. So I did that in the span of week in a half, mean while three years ago it took a grand total 3 full months of very diligent leveling (Solo, waiting for invites into parties or up and making my own) to take SMN from 1 to 75 with little to no interruptions other than sleep and work.

The game is significantly MORE easier than what it was post abyssea. People who still say it's hard and complain about it are supremely lazy and got their priorities wrong on the reason they play the game.

[Kimara]

The game is significantly MORE easier

I couldn't help myself. lol <3

Though I have to agree with the last thing you said. If people are saying the game is too hard they are being really lazy because it's nothing compared to how it use to be. However, I am still having fun.

[noodles355]

What you wrote:

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.

What I read:

Leveling is hard QQ
I can't make gil QQ
I can't get any items myself QQ
I can't skillup QQ

Suck less.

I have 8 Lv90 jobs over 2 characters and haven't paid for a leech spot once.
Dominion Notes and Cruor can both be used to purchase stuff that sells for gil. You gain that rapidly.
Of all my +1 and +2 gear, I only got one +2 piece through a linkshell. Everything else I farmed-pops then shouted in PJ or asked friends to help pop. I'm 33/50 on my Lv80 Empy trial which I farmed completely by myself. I will be able to farm my Lv85 upgrade by myself as well.
Skilling up is easy if you chose the right mobs. Stop fighting stuff that's too weak or too strong. Fight stuff appropriate to you combat skill level. Once you get higher, do it in abyssea where you are pumped up with atma and buffs. Guard and parry take dedicate methods to skillup. Stop expecting them to skillup like regular skills. If you want them capped, go turtle up with def/regain atmas/etc in abyssea, link a load of mobs, engage a far away mob and let them wail on you.

It's really no way near as bad as you're making it out to be. Just because you suck, doesn't mean the game is too hard.

[SpankWustler]

S-E was on a good track with Visions of Abyssea, making the game accessible to everyone regardless of their job choice. Then the loudmouths at the cool kids forum started rambling on about FFXI being made too easy (i.e. killing the cronyism that was prevalent in too many endgame linkshells).

The result? An Empyrean weapon/shield/instrument system that encourages cronyism and mercenary behavior reminiscent of the Dynamis days, not to mention a new level of job discrimination.

So, between the one person hitting the thing that drops an Empyrean upgrade item and the other person healing him or her, which one is the crony?

If possible, please provide a diagram.

[chubrocka]

And I thought I got lazy!! WOW