New and need help with picking a server and meeting people

I got the game the other day but realized how dead the world feels... I noticed later that I'm in a really low population world.
Social incentives play a HUGE part in me playing MMOs, I like lots of people and being social in general. What should I do?

Should I create a new character in a more populated world? If so, which one? Am I just going about things wrong? I wish there was at least some kind of global chat or something to talk to people, I've felt so lonely in-game, and honestly kind of scared about it...

EDIT: Okay so I got some info on some stuff that helped, but the last thing I'm really not sure about is if I should start in a different, more populated server. My time zone is GMT-8, I'm in California. I'm mainly seeking social interaction and maybe some casual roleplay.

I think it would be better to mention what time zone you are at first - it would help people a lot to advice the right server to you. :)
As an example, if you created a character on EU or J Data Center while living in US, you will pretty much log in when most of players are sleeping or at work/study.

There is no Global Chat in FF like for example in WoW, most of people are chatting in Linkshells (apart of the Free Companies chats).
But whatever server you'll choose, I'd suggest you to find a player with a crown above the head of their character - they are called Mentors - and ask them to add you to the Novice Network chat. All servers have this network and it exists specifically to help new players. You can connect with other new players there and actually ask any question you have no matter how "noobish" is may look.

Ok, so there are a couple factors working against you here and a few things you can do about it. So its a fact that for many players large parts of the game will feel empty and socializing will feel hindered. This is partly because of some decisions that the devs made that form the core of the game. The lack of an open global chat for instance. Another factor is that a lot of the "active content" you play through in game will take place via instancing, and thus be segregated from the world at large. The other big decision they made is that as the story progresses you will find yourself moving through different hubs - and there arent many reasons to go back to the older ones after you progress. Now on top of those dev decisions, right now(as im typing this) we're at a low point in the cycle of the game. The last content patch(which many players complained was on the small side anyway) is almost 4 months old.

So, where do we go from here? The next content patch is scheduled for the end of the month(and early indications are it should be a decent one). When that goes live a lot of people who barely/dont play now will start logging in again(or re-sub if they let it lapse). That will certainly help some. As for the hub-problem, as you catch up in level/story you will eventually reach the busier and current hubs. And indeed, its possible the story will soon be sending you to some busier locales(i dont know if your lodestone profile is up to date so its tough to say). I dont think you need to do it, but you are certainly still early enough in your characters life that re-starting on another server wouldnt be too great a hardship if thats what you do decide. If you decide to switch, my advice(based on your stated preferences) would be to find a server population list and look for the busiest one that has preferred status for your region at the time you make the character(and while i would personally say to aim for the Primal datacenter for a NA player, theres a chance that you specifically would eventually prefer Aether).

Finally, on the chat issue. While its true that there isnt an open global chat, there are still many options. First, you could join an FC(this games equivilent to player guilds). Some of them have housing with amenities that you could use, many of them have other players who can help with things, most of them put up buffs that can help you too, and all of them get their own chat channel. Beyond that, this game uses a fairly unique chat system that features "Linkshells". These are player created private chat channels. You join these(up to 8) by invite. Some LSs are focused and have a purpose(calling out hunt targets, crafting chatter, roleplaying, players who like to run specific content, etc), others are just general chat. And then each server has 1 LS that is special(not player created) in the Novice Network, which is supposed to connect newer players with more experienced ones who can answer in-game questions. The quality of the NN varies from one server to another(basically, how good and how helpful the experienced players are), but its generally good advice for newer players to join(they can leave later if they find it lacking). So based on your lodestone profile, id say you probly havent unlocked the party finder yet. That means your best bet to join the NN would be to go to the busiest hub you have access too(try the sapphire avenue exchange in uldah) and /shout that you want to join. Someone who can invite you is often nearby, and theyll take care of it. You can also /shout about any types of LSs youd like to join if you like(though there wont always be a recruiter around for any specific type of shell, so this is more random). Later once you have access to the party finder you can basically put up a listing for the types of LSs you might like. And finally, sometimes asking about other shells in NN will snag you a useful invite.

So hopefully this answers some of your questions and at least somewhat allays your fears. And as always, asking for help here is welcome too.

And lest i forget, welcome to the game and good luck!

I'm not sure if I need to bump threads or not.

Come to Jenova! The community, for the most part, is very friendly but isn't insanely overcrowded. If you do come over, look for me on one of my characters and I'll gladly friend you and help with the search for a FC that suits you (though you're welcome to join ours!). If you cant find me in-game, send me a forum message.

Isa Al'Cair
Tasty Cake
Yotan Kudoh

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Originally Posted by Yasha277

I'm not sure if I need to bump threads or not.

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No, you shouldn't bump threads. It's pretty much not in the culture of FF forums and there's zero reason to do it as you got proper answers, it's still the same day you started the thread and it wasn't buried somewhere on 3rd page of the section.

If the answers you got weren't satisfying, you can start to read General Discussion and Worlds (EU/US) sections - there are enough threads where people are asking for an advice with a server and Free Companies that are recruiting.

Good luck!

Like said, shout in a city for Novice Network invite, that's a good way to chat with other beginners as well as more experienced players and also to ask questions and receive help in progressing in the game (you can ask for company for dungeons, for example). You can also try shouting for social linkshell invites (you can be in many linkshells). Joining an active Free Company (you can only have one FC, so choose carefully, although you're of course free to leave one and join another) seems also something you should do.