Just played Final Fantasy XI

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Originally Posted by silverlunarfox

*snort* please...

The game has evolved so more people can play it (i.e. buy it).

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Was the same as FFXI it was easy to play, easy to buy. More people can play just hated the grind graphics.

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Originally Posted by Sebazy

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When XIV was directed by XI's Tanaka, it had things like that, airships on a schedule. You could sit at the docks, western thanalan, and watch the ferry get closer as it arrived to take you to la noscea. After Yoshida took charge there was still dynamic events at least until the end of v1 since they were preparing for permanent changes and could throw out the rulebook. Each patch things would get a little crazier as Garlean airships soared overhead, Dalamud got a little closer to impact, spacetime rips opened up with higher frequency making even sanctuaries no longer safe from voidal creatures. Of course now we're back to the world being frozen in time apart from what happens in cutscenes.

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Originally Posted by ManuelBravo

Was the same as FFXI it was easy to play, easy to buy. More people can play just hated the grind graphics.

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It wasn't as friendly as you think. But not everything is to start. That's why it changes and grows, hence why we now have XIV. It also wasn't that easy to buy XI, as I found out when I tried getting a copy for my xbox. But I mean, it was for xbox....

While it's fine to like and enjoy XI it doesn't mean people who prefer XIV are wrong. It's simply personal choice. They aren't snowflakes. Theyre just people with varying tastes.

Grinds are fine, but sometimes not enjoying the grind is fine too. Which is why MMO's should have options to appeal to multiple player bases. My loves/hates of both XI and XIV aside, both are fine games in their own right.

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Originally Posted by ManuelBravo

Nope this is more towards the people that complain that content is too hard and complaining within the first week and really don't know or understand what a TRUE grind is. If it hits someones nerve I would wonder why.

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I feel like I should be chiming in how I had to walk to school - uphill - in the snow, both ways, with no shoes right about now ;)

For better or worse, MMOs have changed significantly in the last 10+ years. You can still find some that provide more of a challenge if that's your thing, although it is getting more difficult. I don't think you can really fault people if they've only ever known MMOs from the XIV generation. Then there are those who may just prefer the current pacing with the game for numerous other reasons.

I personally feel SE took the extra-safe path with XIV. Understandable since their financial situation had been a wreck prior to the relaunch. But still, it's a very safe, very much wants to hold your hand and to ensure that no one gets left behind type of game.

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Originally Posted by Skivvy

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I personally feel SE took the extra-safe path with XIV. Understandable since their financial situation had been a wreck prior to the relaunch. But still, it's a very safe, very much wants to hold your hand and to ensure that no one gets left behind type of game.

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Look FFXI had issues were team work was needed, it was a must. People complained about the XP grind and when they designed FFXIV they had that in mind. XP was a lot easier. WAY WAY easier. Now the people still complained, hunts, xp books were added...what happened? it's still too hard....ok Oh look xp / jump potions....what happened? oh we can only do it on only one job -.-... see where I am going on with this? Lets skip ahead to present time.... Savage is too hard -.-....well no kidding their is a reason why it's call savage.

Relics, IF you ever did relic weapons on FFXI you would understand what a grind really is. Specially if you were one of the ones that started early. In FFXIV just about anyone can make a relic pretty fast. Just like in any other online game / gaming console cash shops are where extra income comes from and SE has the right mind set for business, lets make money. Lets face it that is the number one rule of a business.

As for my comment on generation wanting a trophy for trying...come on... I'm sure you can how people complain for just about everything. The job is not balanced...yeah and they don't know how to use CD. Items / lights for relics take for ever...even after being nerfed... PvP is unfair too many bots....Housing is unfair I have a life and can't camp on new plot release...the list can go on and on and on. Hence they cupcake /snowflake/ everyone gets a trophy for trying generation. So yes I stick by my comment.

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Originally Posted by Justuas

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Originally Posted by Enkidoh

Things like the awful EXP loss penalty on death that would even level you backwards if you were unlucky to die while being too close to the previous level still EXP wise (you lost 10% of the total exp needed for the next level when you died, raising gave some of that lost exp back), enemies being ridiculously dangerous even for minor trash mob wildlife like rabbits and yet giving minuscule EXP for it, having to party for everything and even then certain content pretty much restricting party make up to certain Jobs, airships running on tight schedules that all too often would result in players missing one by the skin of their teeth and then having to waste 10+ minutes of real time sitting doing nothing on the dock waiting for the next one, people abusing NIN as a subjob for Utsusemi thinking it made them invincible and then not accepting that it didn't (and thus leaving WHMs like me to have to raise them for their stupidity), no minimap, quest journal that was virtually useless and told you nothing about what you needed to do for a quest (thus forcing you to look online for the (often misleading, incomplete or inaccurate) information, important quests (even main scenario ones) that were locked behind invisible 'fame' counters for each city that forced you to do thousands of pointless fetch quests just to 'build up fame', need I go on?

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The game hasn't been like that for like, how many years? You're bashing the game for something that doesn't exist anymore.

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Actually apart from most of the game is now soloable and no longer requiring parties to accomplish anything (apart from the Seekers of Adoulin and Rhapsodies of Vana'diel missions and current endgame content) due to a combination of the level cap being increased to 99, solo-orientated levelling content and most importantly, the Trust NPC system being added (probably the most important and welcomed change made to the game), said NPC system basically spitting in the face of the established 'must use this and this Job in that battle to succeed' strategy, and the 'EXP loss on death' being mostly neutered (EXP is no longer lost if you die under under level 50, and the amount you lose above that is greatly reduced), everything else I mentioned is still applicable even to the game as it is now.

Enemies are still dangerous to new/low level players (although the level cap increase means most overworld enemies are less intimidating than they used to be at high levels, some will still agro even a level 99 player in some of the more outlying areas). Airships still run on set timetables and still require you to waste time waiting at the dock for the next one if you're unlucky to miss is (and in fact, with the addition of easy home-point teleportation airships are now completely redundant, thus making it even more annoyingly apparent). People still abuse Utsusemi thinking it makes them invincible and then whine when a mob tears through their shadows and kills them in one hit (and then blames the healer for it). There is still no minimap (although the on-screen compass now shows npcs and enemies on it). Quest journal is still completely worthless. Quests and missions are still locked behind the fame counters that require you to do monotonous tasks like trading hundreds of cabbages just to unlock them.

I admit that although I am somewhat jaded by FFXI, again I must stress that I do love FFXI still (and the major changes and additions to the game over the past four or so years (many of which copied actually from FFXIV!) have only improved it considerably). It's just the harsh, unforgiving approach to gameplay I endured in it's 'prime' and that it's now greatly aging design and core systems show just how much of an anachronism the game is now fundamentally, a legacy from an earlier time when MMORPGs required enormous player investment, a time that gaming has thankfully moved on from, and which FFXIV is an example of what MMORPGs are now expected to be like.

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Originally Posted by Enkidoh

Airships still run on set timetables and still require you to waste time waiting at the dock for the next one. Quests and missions are still locked behind the fame counters that require you to do monotonous tasks like trading hundreds of cabbages just to unlock them. People still abuse Utsusemi thinking it makes them invincible and then whine when a mob tears through their shadows and kills them in one hit (and then blames the healer for it). (more coming)

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Actually there are very few reasons to use airships anymore. The fame requirements for quests and missions have been nerfed. Utsusemi isn't a thing anymore and you can only abuse it in a few NMs. Agreed on the quest journal part but you use wiki anyway.

I've not been able to play FF XI, but from what I've heard about it, it sounds like it was a very good game. I've only a little gameplay of XI, and everything seems so... big, and grand. Things like having to travel in groups (harder monsters and the like) and large open world things to do is something I would've really like to see in XIV.

Ah well, I can dream can't I? XD

I've been playing XI casually since last August to get through the storylines. I'm partway through Wings of the Goddess at the moment.

It has really made me appreciate XIV more. There are just so many small inconveniences like having to manually move gear into your Mog Wardrobe or trade Crystals to Ephemeral Moogles instead of them automatically going into the right storage. Also a pain having to have a wiki open at all times to figure out how to progress.

I think most of the Airship and Ferry rides can be avoided now with the Unity teleport system. I haven't used it though since I've been trying to visit each zone for the first time by old methods so I have a better feel for the layout of the world.
In any case most areas have fast travel options now through Home Point or Survival Guide teleportation so you only have to reach them the long way once.

All that being said I am enjoying the stories the game has to share. FF never disappoints me with its music and world and XI is no exception. Eorzea will always feel more like home (regardless of quality it has first MMO nostalgia on its side) but I like Vana'diel as well.

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Originally Posted by Skivvy

I feel like I should be chiming in how I had to walk to school - uphill - in the snow, both ways, with no shoes right about now ;)

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This is pretty much how I treat anyone rambling on about XI and about how things were better in XI and blah, blah, blah. It's kinda like listening to some old fart ramble on about the Cold War and it's being drowned out by that voice in your head screaming "OMG, NO ONE CARES!!"

Sure, XI had its share of good ideas and even had its share of new ones like Puppetmaster, a job which had never been completely present in any Final Fantasy game made prior to it. XIV deserves those same liberties as well in being able to offer its share of new ideas, but because of people calling out for stuff they wanted from XI that bars any new ideas from adequately presenting themselves in a positive light. In fact, I'm almost entirely convinced that it's because of how Blue Mage worked in XI and all the players that want stuff like it was in XI that we're never going to see it in XIV.

I'm sure XI had its share of nostalgia and fun memories to be had along with a number of ideas that have inspired some of my job concepts. Unfortunately though, profit comes before difficulty, as is the way of MMORPGs marketed in capitalist societies, hence why XI's outdated brand of masochistic grinding stays rightfully in the past.

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Originally Posted by ManuelBravo

Look FFXI had issues were team work was needed, it was a must. People complained about the XP grind ..

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People will always complain about something.

FFXI was built for a certain type of gamer, then later changed to attract a broader spectrum because they wanted more money.

FFXIV was originally built to cater to that 2nd wave of FFXI players.. but badly. Then adapted to cater to the larger playerbase because it brought in more money.


I think a lot of people here are resenting the fact that you've indirectly called them all snowflakes for wanting to play FFXIV instead of FFXI and also for saying FFXI was demanding. You may not have intended it but you're insulting and belittling people for enjoying a certain game.

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Originally Posted by Kazrah

Unfortunately though, profit comes before difficulty, as is the way of MMORPGs marketed in capitalist societies, hence why XI's outdated brand of masochistic grinding stays rightfully in the past.

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XI is about the journey, not the destination
XIV is about instant gratification. If people can't one shot it, most don't bother with it. People wanting rewards with no effort is a problem that goes beyond FFXIV.

The difficulty of XI made those that didn't want to put in the effort reconsider playing. This makes XI a haven for those that want to get away from the "you don't pay my sub" folks. The 2 games are vastly different. Thats why I play both. I can go back and forth based on the type of game I feel like playing. If you don't like listening to people talk about FFXI, you don't have to click on the thread.

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Originally Posted by Kazrah

Sure, XI had its share of good ideas and even had its share of new ones like Puppetmaster, a job which had never been completely present in any Final Fantasy game made prior to it. XIV deserves those same liberties as well in being able to offer its share of new ideas, but because of people calling out for stuff they wanted from XI that bars any new ideas from adequately presenting themselves in a positive light. In fact, I'm almost entirely convinced that it's because of how Blue Mage worked in XI and all the players that want stuff like it was in XI that we're never going to see it in XIV.

I'm sure XI had its share of nostalgia and fun memories to be had along with a number of ideas that have inspired some of my job concepts. Unfortunately though, profit comes before difficulty, as is the way of MMORPGs marketed in capitalist societies, hence why XI's outdated brand of masochistic grinding stays rightfully in the past.

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To be fair, I still really enjoy XI :X I think it was, and still is, a great game.

My (quoted) comment was more of a tongue-in-cheek response to claiming modern MMOs are just here to hand out participation rewards, and that players are snowflakes who don't to put forth any effort. It just felt very much like how older generations will always harp on the younger generations for being lazy. The cycle never stops :X

XIV is just a vastly different game. Both games have a lot of good qualities as well as their fair share of negative. And different things appeal to different people.

As far as Blue mage implementation, I don't think XI fandom is what's holding them back. Several of the jobs that are in XI play far differently than they do in XIV. DRK is a tank in XIV, DPS in XI; Ninja was a tank in XI, DPS in XIV; BRD was pure support in XI, DPS in XIV, etc. I don't think they have much of an issue implementing jobs from XI with a new spin.

All that aside. I'm actually a bit excited. One of my XIV buddies is going to be starting XI soon. Will be interesting to see a fresh take on the game through someone else's eyes. :)

They still have mobile version of FF XI in the pipeline, quietly getting closer to completion. That should be the best way for a new generation to experience XI since they are forced to throw out that ancient user-interace to accommodate touch screen play. Could be a hit if they get the price right. Imo should be free-to-play to get the biggest audience. That model is incredibly successful on mobile.

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Originally Posted by Rufalus

They still have mobile version of FF XI in the pipeline, quietly getting closer to completion. That should be the best way for a new generation to experience XI since they are forced to throw out that ancient user-interace to accommodate touch screen play. Could be a hit if they get the price right. Imo should be free-to-play to get the biggest audience. That model is incredibly successful on mobile.

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I keep remembering the 4-8 hour leveling sessions I used to have... I can't see that translating to phone very well. I'm sure they have something else, but it makes me laugh a little to imagine someone glued to their phone for that long.

Well ninja was never intended to be a tank in Final Fantasy XI. People using Utstusemi made it a tank we're able to tank with that.

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Originally Posted by Krotoan

I keep remembering the 4-8 hour leveling sessions I used to have... I can't see that translating to phone very well. I'm sure they have something else, but it makes me laugh a little to imagine someone glued to their phone for that long.

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Can adjust any number of ways. Increase leveling speed. Sell level jumps. Sell exp boosters. I'm sure it will be modified enough to turn off the hardcore XI purists, but I think a certain expansion already did the damage to that part of the audience.

I think FFXI appealed to me because it was that quintessential Ultima Online / Demon's or Dark Souls / Zelda Breath of the Wild experience where your hand isn't held and the wilderness can be very dangerous. But that's also a recipe for making you very invested in the world because you're not just playing it easily on sleepy autopilot.

FFXIV is the modern game design where your hand is held, the difficulty outside of Savage might as well be zero (it certainly is in "expert" roulette), and there's really nothing interesting going on outside of instances to make you care or invest yourself.

Never got to play XI but to be honest I'd probably get annoyed by a lot of things in that game because I've never played it and I'm not used to it. Or maybe I'm a casual lol

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Originally Posted by Krotoan

I keep remembering the 4-8 hour leveling sessions I used to have... I can't see that translating to phone very well. I'm sure they have something else, but it makes me laugh a little to imagine someone glued to their phone for that long.

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Have you played Final Fantasy Brave Exvius? That fight against Aigaiton was a pain in the arse. Even with power creep, it is still a trial of endurance on the player, and there used to be (might still exist) a bug whereas if your phone goes to sleep at all, it will reset all progress. To my knowledge at the time of release, most players who were fortunate enough to even survive his very first attack were in for an hour long fight at a minimum.

So in a nutshell XI is a pain in the butt gameplay wise but destroyes XIV feel wise. At least that's kinda what I'm getting from this thread.

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Originally Posted by Balipu

So in a nutshell XI is a pain in the butt gameplay wise but destroyes XIV feel wise. At least that's kinda what I'm getting from this thread.

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That's a good way to put it. FFXI felt much more like a real world - in large part, because it included a lot of the things that make a real world annoying. XD

FFXIV is a much less immersive experience, but it's reasonable to say it's a much better GAME.

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Originally Posted by LineageRazor

That's a good way to put it. FFXI felt much more like a real world - in large part, because it included a lot of the things that make a real world annoying. XD

FFXIV is a much less immersive experience, but it's reasonable to say it's a much better GAME.

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Now if they could only combine both without ruining it. Maybe too much in asking for Dissidia combat style for PvP :P

Both XI and XIV have their good points and bad points. The one thing I have told people in my FC, XIV needs its CoP expansion. I do not know if the player base these days could handle going through something like CoP was before it got nerfed, but to me it is one of the best story lines to play through. The final cutscene with Distant Worlds playing was worth the hell going through that expansion.

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Originally Posted by ManuelBravo

Now if they could only combine both without ruining it. Maybe too much in asking for Dissidia combat style for PvP :P

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A completely different combat system for PVP? Yes that IS too much to ask.

You make me want to resub...but I only have enough money for one subscription based MMO...by the gods I wish it was F2P right now, I'd be on there and exploring the world once again. T_T

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Originally Posted by Gurney

Both XI and XIV have their good points and bad points. The one thing I have told people in my FC, XIV needs its CoP expansion. I do not know if the player base these days could handle going through something like CoP was before it got nerfed, but to me it is one of the best story lines to play through. The final cutscene with Distant Worlds playing was worth the hell going through that expansion.

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This i could totally get into. +1. That expansion was just epic in every single way, and it completely opened up the game in a lot of ways.

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Originally Posted by Lord_Zlatan

This i could totally get into. +1. That expansion was just epic in every single way, and it completely opened up the game in a lot of ways.

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WotG has good storyline too, maybe better than CoP.

Back when it came out, I did buy it but wasn't able to play because I was too young to have a credit card. However I used to stare at the big instruction book and imagine how playing it would have felt. For a book this big, the game had to be amazing (my thoughts then lel)

It wasn't until '06 that I actually tried it for the first time. There is a certain timeless charm in its graphics. Compared to XIV it's like reading a book and watching the movie of that book. XIV looks sharper, but XI has more depth and gives off another level of immersion. Getting lost in the forest, running around with not too exact instructions on how to go where, dying 2-3 times while trying to finish a quest at 4 am lol

The soundtrack of XIV is good, but not as memorable. Listen to Ronfaure one time, and you'll get it stuck in your mind

If I could go back in time, I would play it on an Japanese PS2. People say it was really great on its heyday, can anyone who played it then elaborate as to how/ why?

I loved the WotG , doing all 3 story lines was fun. Bastok could of been better though :/ Though having something like that in FFIV would be nice or even something similar to Dynamis. I actually miss that lol

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Originally Posted by Mixae

Never got to play XI but to be honest I'd probably get annoyed by a lot of things in that game because I've never played it and I'm not used to it. Or maybe I'm a casual lol

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I've never played XI either. Till now. The game was on discount on the SE store (9 bucks the base game+all expansions+30 free days), now it's currently at 30 bucks. It's definitely not a game for everyone, as it might feel slow and clunky (specially if you play with KB+M, highly recommended to play it with controller), the graphics are not the greatests but the feeling is there. They buffed the experience you receive by a lot with rings, pieces of gear, the Rhapsodies of Vana'diel questline+other stuff. It's not the grind it used to be (based on what my friends told me).

I believe the game is worth it, just to have a glance of what the game was, even if they dumbed it down (Which I don't care). The game is almost soleable with your Trusts (some sort of squadron that follows you everywhere. You get a huge variety of those through quests, events, etc), so even the partying up got taken away. It's also very crowded in Asura. You see players everywhere.

I'm personally amazed by XI. I wish XIV could use some ideas from there. I also see they already stole a lot from XI. In any case, see it as a vacation if you ever want to take a break from XIV.

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Originally Posted by ManuelBravo

I loved the WotG , doing all 3 story lines was fun. Bastok could of been better though :/ Though having something like that in FFIV would be nice or even something similar to Dynamis. I actually miss that lol

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WotG was good but it tool them so long for SE to finish it. I would love to have Dynamis (Die-in-a-mass) zones in this game. Make it like old school Dynamis, low drop rates one wrong move and you aggro the whole zone. Having up to 72 people in there and being able to communicate and coordinate together. The other thing I would love to see but it would take to much is bring back the elemental wheel. Talk about making BLMs having to pay attention when casting. Lets see them cast Flare in Ifirit and see what happens.

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Originally Posted by Gurney

..... I would love to have Dynamis (Die-in-a-mass) zones in this game. Make it like old school Dynamis, low drop rates one wrong move and you aggro the whole zone. Having up to 72 people in there and being able to communicate and coordinate together. The other thing I would love to see but it would take to much is bring back the elemental wheel. Talk about making BLMs having to pay attention when casting. Lets see them cast Flare in Ifirit and see what happens.

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Dynamis would be great for relics actually. as for the other ideas...What and make the game challenging? perish the thought. Then people will really complain that the content is too hard :P

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Originally Posted by ManuelBravo

Dynamis would be great for relics actually. as for the other ideas...What and make the game challenging? perish the thought. Then people will really complain that the content is too hard :P

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Well lets put it this way. No matter how good you were or how great your gear was there was always a damn rabbit that could kill you in a heart beat.

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Originally Posted by Gurney

Well lets put it this way. No matter how good you were or how great your gear was there was always a damn rabbit that could kill you in a heart beat.

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Yeah those rabbits were a pain -.-...they were smart too they would chase you down and call for back up now that is survival of the fittest....that and they took your xp.

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Originally Posted by Lilseph

specially if you play with KB+M

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If you are playing with the mouse, that is why its clunky. Use just the kb and you will be amazed at how easy it is.

The keybinds are a lil off though as you do not use wasd to move, so either look at the keybinds and use em or just set em to be the way you like. But I would not recommend wasd as you generally use your left hand for executing macros and this is a very macro extensive game.

Right hand: movement and menus, left hand: macros

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Originally Posted by Gurney

I would love to have Dynamis (Die-in-a-mass) zones in this game. Make it like old school Dynamis, low drop rates one wrong move and you aggro the whole zone.

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The players of XIV could not handle content like Dyna...or salvage or assault, def not sky or sea, NMs or most of the bcnms for that matter, imo anyway. Look at the way they freak out about everything. A very small and select group would be able to have fun with it and the rest would be flooding the forums screaming demands of nerfs because god forbid you make anything even a teeny tiny bit difficult. Even the minutest amount of challenge is met with a hailstorm of whining in this game, which is why everything but top tier endgame is an absolute faceroll.

Im mixed. I loved XI but before they changed the game to where you can power level to using the EXP camps. I miss the days where you had to group up and grind goblins or crawlers for EXP. The game that I loved is gone, so i will say FFXIV is better now.

I missed spell bursting and chain skilling.

Its wrong to place the blame fully on ffxiv we just came into a generation that is use to having most of their gameplay being spoon fed to them without them having to think about anything.

I'm just going to talk about my own feelings about XI and XIV. I'll try to keep it unbiased as I talk simply about how I see them. I'll start with XI, as it's the subject of the thread after all. This might be a little long, I'm afraid, sorry for that.

Note that just because I say something in one game's section, it doesn't mean that the other game is not like that. It's just the way that game I'm talking about is.

FFXI was my first step into the world of the MMO genre, as such I didn't know what to expect when I was getting into it, and I was incredibly impressed with it. So much so, I subbed to it three months after it's NA release, back in Oct. 2003, and am still subbed to it to this day, along with XIV at it's side. The world was incredibly, truly massive. It took me at minimum an hour to fully explore Bastok, my starting city, and talk to every NPC with glee, hungry for the lore of the game. It only got bigger as I left Bastok and went into the wilds. Stepping into the lands beyond the Konschtat Highlands was frightening beyond belief, stepping into either a dark marsh where everything wanted to kill you, into a mine full of undead, or into the desert that was Valkrum Dunes. I remember the first time I crossed La Theine Plateau. It had taken so long to cross, that at the half way point or so, I had asked my cousin who was acting as my guide if we were still in the same zone. I was fast to make friends, landing in a linkshell named AsuranBBQguild, because I went to complete a quest that involved putting sheep meat on a campfire, and there were other people there, also BBQ'ing their own sheep meat. It was silly things like that, that I remember so fondly from FFXI. The story to it, as stated by many others, is worthy of an FF title. It was captivating, and I was always hungry for the next bit of story to see what happens next. I totally didn't see the main villain of Rise of the Zilart coming from having just done the Bastok Rank Missions, for example. The combat is a lot more slow-paced then it is in FFXIV, allowing for more conversation to happen during battle. At least, it used to be, it's gotten faster now. The skillchain system was pretty neat, and I liked the idea of party composition being Tank, Healer, Support, DDx3. Support was a very interesting role to me, and while I understand it's removal/integration into DD, it kind of makes me sad that the pure Support role has fallen to the way side. As a final note, the music in FFXI was fantasic, and as stated tended to enhance the mood of the setting it was in.

FFXIV was my third step into the MMO genre, coming after FFXI and WoW respectively. This being the case, I did actually have an idea what I was getting into, as opposed to FFXI. Even with this being the case, I was also incredibly impressed by it, just not in the same way. Unlike FFXI, I wasn’t scared exploring the world, but I do NOT blame FFXIV for this fact. I blame my decade of MMO experience for this, looking at it objectively. I have no doubt in my mind that had FFXIV been my first MMO ever, and having started in Ul’dah, stepping into the seriousness of Northern Thanalan, stealthing carefully around through Zanr’ak, or the first step into Coerthas Central Highlands where the battle music changes and the NPCs want nothing to do with me, undoubtedly would’ve been pretty intimidating. The world is pretty big still, and the dungeons are amazing. I saw a comment earlier stating that FFXIV’s overworld isn’t as impressive as FFXI’s because of tiny little details, and while that might be true, FFXIV’s isn’t to be understated. For example, when you go to Central Thanalan and Southern Thanalan, did you know that you can see the Burning Wall’s corrupted cystals from Eastern Thanalan if you look up? The details are there, if you look for them. When I go through new dungeons for the first time, I always wait until everyone is gone, turn around and run back through the dungeon to look at everything. I was in awe of the sheer attention to detail the devs had when I saw the bookcases in Great Gubal Library. Friends came pretty quickly in this game to once I finally landed on Goblin. I’m afraid I don’t have any amusing stories for this one though. The story this game has is also worthy of an FF title. I won’t lie, once I got past the slow start that is the opening nation up until joining the Scions of the Seventh Dawn, I could. Not. Stop. I needed more of that MSQ, and never felt so………well, you know, the ending of ARR. I didn’t see that coming at all and the emotions it created were real. Someone said earlier that FFXI music is far more memorable then FFXIV. I don’t agree. While FFXI does indeed have great and memorable music, FFXIV has its own share of masterpieces. Great Gubal Hard is by far my favorite piece of music in this game.

At the end of the day, I appreciate both FFXI and FFXIV for what they are. Despite the fact that they are both “MMO’s” they are not trying to be the same game. I’m not going to claim one is better than the other, all I know is I have fun in both. In the end that’s all that matters.
If I had to pick one thing that one game does better than other, both ways, I liked that in FFXI gear was hard earned and lasted a really long time, owing to horizontal progression vs. vertical. My endgame linkshell eventually came view me as the best main healer and gave me the Aristocrat’s Coat, I was humbled that my LS gave me an item with a 8-10% chance to HQ(Noble’s Tunic was the NQ, Aristocrat’s was the HQ) with items worth millions in a game where gil is hard to get and used it until the game switched to vertical progression. Aristocrat’s was WHM BiS for healing, straight up. While in FFXIV you do have to put in effort to get gear, it just doesn’t have meaning to it like it did in FFXI, outside of “More stats! I do better now!” I understand that in the vertical progression system FFXIV simply can’t support it, and the closest we’ll get is the anima weapon. I felt a humongous sense of accomplishment when I finished creating the Deathlocke Lux, no doubt about that. It wasn’t quite the same though. Something I wish FFXI would do that FFXIV does, is that FFXIV’s crafting system is VASTLY superior. Like, there’s no question. I wish FFXI’s crafting was basically FFXIV’s crafting. FFXI’s crafting is really bad. Though tbf FFXI’s crafting makes HQ items worth a ton of gil, compared to FFXIV’s, where it’s easy to HQ if you know what you’re doing.

The last thing I’d like to note, is with the four gods becoming FFXIV fights(For the love of all that is good and holy, they need to put in a Kirin fight. You fought the four gods in XI to spawn Kirin.), there could potentially be a Divine Might fight in the future. If I could pick 1 thing to transfer from FFXI to FFXIV, it’d be the Divine Might fight(or RUN, I guess, but that’s besides the point)