New to MMORPGs in general, tips?

I just bought FFXIV:ARR two days ago, it's my first MMORPG and I don't really now a lot of things. If you guys have any tips or whatnot that would be helpful, please let me know.

A couple questions I have are, I still don't quite understand what Free Companies are for.. I have gotten invited to a couple and they are all just a bunch of people telling life stories and don't want me to interrupt them with any questions I have.
Also, how easy is it to switch between classes? Is there a cool-down period after you switch before you can switch again? And how do you go about doing so?

free companies are called guilds in most other MMOs. Guilds are basically a group of players who choose to associate themselves with one another under a single banner. Usually a Free company/guild if like your in game group of friends/people you hang out with, who you do stuff with. Being in one is not neccisary to play the game, but joining the Right one can be very helpful for a new player. Take a look at the server message board, of your particular server, that is the place where people post about and recruit for their free company, browse there and see if one interests you. There is no real committment involved, you are free to join and leave one at any time.

There is a short cooldown on abilities when switching classes outside of main cities ~ 10 seconds for regular ones, cooldowns (abilities that need to recharge) take their normal time to recharge before you can use them, otherwise the only thing you need to do is be out of combat.

The most important tip I can give is to keep up with your story quests (the quests that have the ! in the meteor symbol) many game mechanics are unlocked by doing these quests.

You can't switch classes until you reach level 10 and complete your level 10 class quest. At which point you need to undertake a quest for each class you'd like to be able to play at each class's respective guild. You can't change classes in instances or while in combat and there is a ~10 second global cool down on abilities after switching classes, but you can change however often or frequently you wish.

Free Companies are essentially a social hub that should, at the best of times, be a group of people who are friendly, helpful, and whom you get along with and enjoy playing with. Different free companies have different goals so it doesn't hurt to be a little judicious in your choice for one, browsing the Free Company/Linkshell forum for the lamia server is a good way to get an idea of what is out there, but it's not terribly imperative you find a free company immediately. Though since this is an MMO the social aspect of the game is generally an important one to cultivate, a good community can make up for a mediocre gameplay experience.

Best of luck on your first foray into the MMO world... Be warned though... here there be trolls... and they don't all wield clubs and live under bridges.

To switch classes, first you need to get your starting class to 10 and do the level 10 class quest. Once you accomplish that you will get access to the Armory System. It's where you change your gear. But now you will gain access to the ability to create gear sets for each class.

To do so, head to any Guild you're interested in. Since you're in Ul'dah, let's say you want to try Pugilist. Head to the PGL Guild and speak to the receptionist twice, once for introduction, and a second time to confirm your interest. Thye'll then tell you to talk to the Guild Master, who's behind you. Talk to them and they'll give you a level 1 weapon. Equip it and talk to them again. That will complete the first quest and get you started. At this point you can once again equip the level 1 starting gear you had at the beginning of the game, and then hit the icon above your weapon on the gear equip screen. It kinda looks like an index card. Hit the + button and you'll create a new gear set for that class. Now, every time you want to change to that class all you have to do is select that gear set. If you update your gear use the button above the shield slot that looks like a reload button. That will update your gear for that set.

As for Free Companies, honestly, if you're asking for help and your FC is asking you to shut up and stop interrupting their socializing, you might want to drop them and find a new FC.

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Originally Posted by Scribble

I just bought FFXIV:ARR two days ago, it's my first MMORPG and I don't really now a lot of things. If you guys have any tips or whatnot that would be helpful, please let me know.

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Take your time. Read the instructions and information that comes up in the tutorial window. Then when something doesn't make sense, ask about it either here or (if you find a better Free Company) in game. It's a lot easier to answer specific questions than to try to guess what someone else will need to know.
And most importantly, have fun. :D

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A couple questions I have are, I still don't quite understand what Free Companies are for.. I have gotten invited to a couple and they are all just a bunch of people telling life stories and don't want me to interrupt them with any questions I have.

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Free Companies are groups of people who want to play together. There can be various different reasons for that, so there are different approaches to what a Free Company will do. Some are focused exclusively on getting groups together to run raids in level 50 content. That wouldn't be very helpful to a new player at level 13. Some FCs are essentially just social groups for chatting together. That may or may not be helpful (though it sounds like the particular ones you got into weren't). Some are focused on helping new players learn the early-game content. That's really what you likely want at this point. It may just take a bit of looking around to find a good group to join. As others have said, the Lamia forum is a good place to start.

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Also, how easy is it to switch between classes? Is there a cool-down period after you switch before you can switch again? And how do you go about doing so?

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To switch between classes, you first have to unlock the other class(es) by doing a quest at that class's guild. Once you've done that, the actual switching between classes is simply a matter of changing your equipped weapon or tool. Whenever you have a thaumaturge's wand or staff equipped, you're a thaumaturge. Whenever you have a sword equipped, you're a gladiator. Whenever you have a bow equipped, you're an archer, etc. There's no cooldown before you can switch again, but most skills have a cooldown when they're used, and when you switch classes the skills for the new class will all start with that cooldown set, so it may be a few moments before you can use your class skills.

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Originally Posted by Niwashi

the actual switching between classes is simply a matter of changing your equipped weapon or tool. Whenever you have a thaumaturge's wand or staff equipped, you're a thaumaturge. Whenever you have a sword equipped, you're a gladiator. Whenever you have a bow equipped, you're an archer, etc.

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Oh, one other thing about switching classes: Your level is tied to your class, and each class has to be leveled up seperately. So for instance, if as a level 13 thaumaturge you decided to join the gladiators guild, you would become a level 1 gladiator. Experience earned while a gladiator would advance your gladiator level and experience earned while a thaumaturge would advance your thaumaturge level. (On your character window, there's a section for classes that will show your current level in each of the game's 19 classes.) One effect of this is that some gear you can equip at level 13 may not be able to be equipped at level 1, so when you pick up a new class, you'll need level 1 equipment to wear. You'll need to keep equipment on hand suitable for the level of each class you're pursuing.

As mentioned, unlocking new classes involves doing a quest at that class's guild. Then there are class quests to complete at levels 1, 5, 10, 15, 20, etc. and those are also from the class guild. Those guilds will be in one of the game's three starting cities.

In Ul'dah, there are guilds for:

• thaumaturge
• gladiator
• pugilist
• weaver
• goldsmith
• alchemist
• miner

In Gridania, there are guilds for:

• conjurer
• archer
• lancer
• leatherworker
• carpenter
• botanist

In Limsa Lominsa, there are guilds for:

• arcanist
• marauder
• blacksmith
• armorer
• culinarian
• fisherman

As a thaumaturge, you'll have started in Ul'dah, so that first set are the ones most readily available. When you reach the main story quests for level 15, you'll gain the ability to travel by airship to the other two cities. (It's actually possible to reach Gridania before then by traveling north-east through central and eastern Thanalan and then north through the south and central Shroud. Limsa Lominsa, on the other hand, is an island with no overland routes to it, so you cannot get there until you have airship access.)

Thanks a bunch :)