Nomadic player looking to settle down and finally get stuff done

[Totema]

Tl;dr: I need some guidance on how the game actually works now, and possibly a group to help me out and that don't mind that I might have to disappear every now and then.

I don't want this to end up sounding like a whiny "I'm lonely, come help me" post, but hear me out...

I've been playing the game on-and-off since 2007, since I was in high school really, and the one thing I've never had while playing is a consistent group of other players. And now that I'm working on my undergraduate degree, it's harder than ever. Trying to play this at a decent pace while being in school really sucks, and it's been holding me back from actually making good progress in the game. Occasionally I do find a LS that is willing to take me in, and then times are usually pretty good; but my erratic workload and schedule usually leads me to having to take a hiatus for a couple of months, and when I return I find that my LS is completely empty without any word as to what happened, and I'm back to square one. So over time, I sort of became disconnected from the actual game community, and only had a very vague idea of what's expected from a typical player.

The reason I'm back now is one of my best RL friends wanted to take a crack at returning to it himself, so I took it upon myself to help him get into it again. But it's sort of a case of the blind being led by the not-quite-as-blind. I don't want either of us to feel turned away from the game again, so I'm asking for help.

I really do like the overall direction the game has made since Abyssea first was released. It meant that a lot of previously-daunting tasks are now in my reach, even with my lackadaisical play schedule. But a lot of the new additions have left me confused on how to actually play it. For a while the biggest problem was making money; I had previously been making a meager living on low-level alchemy, but now that market is shot to hell. I'm now working on using AN from campaign battles to get voiddust to sell on the AH, and while it's considerably more lucrative than what I'd previously been doing, I keep feeling that there's some potential I'm missing out on.

More than anything I'd like to find a play group that I can comfortably fit into, so that I can re-learn everything that the game now has to offer. And, equally importantly, that I can meet up with again in case the LS dissolves.

I guess in a way this is kinda like a typical "new/returning player" post, except that I'd already started acclimating to the game again, and that I need some more in-depth advice.

Thanks!

[Godofgods]

good luck in your search!

[odericko]

I was going to suggest the Siren world forums, but they seem to be deader than dead :x

[Infidi]

Should transfer to Unicorn...Errrrr... Fenrir. We cool guys here. I would say its the best server , but I would probably be horribly mutilated. Naw, Jk, it is a good server though. I like it. ^^

[Arbalest]

Phoenix has a growing community of ex-FFXIV players that are going to be playing FFXI for awhile until ARR gets on its feet.

I'm probably going to join them eventually, once I find time to start playing again in the coming week or so..

[Glamdring]

need to find and join one of those LS's that has been arround for over 5 years and still going strong, with a large membership. Problem, most of the good ones expect players to be regular contributers, and if you aren't they get rid of you for someone who is. Also, continued absence usually puts you solidly at the end of the line if more than 1 member wants something, but that's only fair if you aren't there doing the work (and alot of the grind IS work).

So good luck; I'm not on your server so I really have no idea of the good social shells there.

[Totema]

Thanks for the suggestions, but on a fundamental level, I need advice the most.

For example, I'm a DRG96 who's still traipsing around in Perle armor and accessories that would have been fine if the level cap were still 75. I do know what gear to aim for, but I can't acquire much of it by myself. (That's sort of why my aforementioned friend got back into the game, for us to help each other out in this facility) What could I get easily (IE, through the AH or through something I can easily handle solo) to not look like a complete fool? That's just for starters, but that would already be a great help.

[Moppet]

Hey Totema,

I'd suggest getting 99 then trying for some +1 seals for empyrean armor. An easy way to level in Abyssea would be to do dom ops. I prefer the bluffalos in Abyssea - Uleguerand [conflux #5]. As a 99 pup I'm able to solo them easily, but you may be able to duo them if you're careful, you would probably be able to find exp parties doing this too. These will not only get you the xp from the bluffalos but a good chunk of xp and currency every 5 you kill.

For the +1 seals the way it works is basically look up what Abyssea NM drops the seals you need, then there will be a spawn spot surrounded by mobs similar to the NM which you can kill for a special drop item you use to spawn the actual NM. (For most of them) This can be done pretty quickly, but the NMs vary in difficulty. You can increase the amount of seals that can drop from them by bringing someone that can "proc" the NM's weakness (By casting a particular spell or using a certain elemental WS). This increases the number of seals dropped, but you -can- still do it without proccing, it's just slow going. You need 8 seals for most armor pieces, and 10 for the body piece, most of the base pieces are bought in Abyssea areas with currency, but the feet usually have to be found in golden boxes that drop in particular Abyssea areas.

It's the same deal for +2 empyrean armor, but the NM difficulty is greatly increased, you'll very likely not be able to duo this stuff (although I've seen 2x smn do it etc).

Beyond that, there's VW stuff that I'm not knowledgeable enough to talk about. :c

Too bad you're not on my world, I'd help you guys out, but good luck!

[Totema]

The NMs that give +1 seals - Are they easy to kill in small groups, or even solo?

Also, does Siren have some kind of reputation for being inhospitable? If it does, I might consider transferring after all...

[Demon6324236]

Seal NMs can be soloed by some jobs, they are designed for low man parties. The average group is THF/NIN, BLM/BRD, BLU, and WHM. However jobs with high evasion can often solo seal NMs without much of a problem.