Should I buy the game?

Hi,
I also just started out a few weeks ago and totally love it! The game did indeed feel very lonely and more like a single player game at the start with no general chat (but that's probably because some of us are so used to having silly general chat to read from time to time while questing/leveling). It got SO much better once I was invited to the Novice Network chat. People are always spamming away there, team up for dungeons etc or exchange info. You most definitely should join! It makes the game so much more social.

I also played the trial so I know you cant sends tells to anyone (or make more than one character) so just go to one of the main towns' shopping mall and /shout for an invite to the Novice Network chat.

I guess it depends on what server/world you're on but on Phoenix for example Limsa's shopping street looks almost as full as Prontera's used to be in RO. :D

Also, as FFXIV nears its third expansion it's only natural that the regions/zones/towns from the first expansion are a bit more empty than the ones in the higher level, currently relevant regions as the high level people are probably not doing much in the lower level regions anymore but hang out in the higher level places so I wouldn't be too worried about that part.

The end game doesnt suit everyone. Some people dont like grinding for tomes. If you know what a theme park mmo is, good. If not, I suggest you google final fantasy endgame and see if its right for you.

well a few things for the OP

most people hang around the end game area and the other thing is that number on FFXIV dip running up to a major patch which is due to hit next week when numbers will go up

Quote:

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Originally Posted by JotaHowl

but for me the social interaction is primordial, and so far I've seen none of it.

I'm currently at lv 20, at Brynhildr server, and I've only walked through Limsa Lominsa surroundings.

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i would really recommend you to move or start new char since you are still low level on a more population server, where you can find a lot of social Linkshells or FCs.
i am basicly only chat with friends via LS which i really love it you also can use Chat filters to read only the stuff you interessting in, since most ppl already gone from my FC and some ppl are changing FCs like underwear every day seems LS a good task.
anyway Linkshells seems to be the best social thing in this game.

regards hobbit

I started about 3 weeks ago myself, and I was worried about the social aspect of the game being too dead (ie, idle chatter is hard to find.. I miss general chat). I found that it's a matter of getting out of the starting zones, finding a good FC fit, and making some friends later where grouping is encouraged more. Big cities are lively and zones in the 40+ range have a lot of grouping going on (for Fates, hunts, ect). If you just want to shoot the breeze, you'll mostly rely on your FC or a good linkshell. Once you make a few friends, all those avenues open up more quickly. The right pick for an FC can help a lot in that regard. I'm hooked on FXIV now, but I can't really say if it's the right MMO for you.

I played RO a lot back in the day. Experience there varied by server, but the communities were always tight knit. The game was designed in a unique way with a niche community making it hard to compare to modern MMOs. Those RO memories are among my best game experiences.