Recollection -- Missing the FFXI feeling...where is the feeling of a LS 'family'

Looking around at all of the FC and LS available in the game, I've found one or two that are fun and nice to be with, but one thing they all seem to share is the feeling of being 'rushed' to get to 50 and endgame. People using the FATE-grind method to get to 50 easily, sometimes bypassing the story quest in order to do so. Already with a gearscore coming, elitism will be even more evident than it is already.

Whatever happened to the days when a LS/FC was a group of people who just like playing TOGETHER? The days of getting on the game and looking to see who among the LS list was available to go adventuring, help with a quest (LB1...AF, coffers, etc.). I miss these things and wonder if anyone, anywhere, has a LS or FC that fosters this kind of feeling and that isn't focused on 'progression and the rush to endgame'.

And in before all those already 50s chime in calling me a casual, as though it is an insult. I played FFXI for 8 years from the time it was released // partied 1-75 pre-ToAU days and ended with a 90 WHM and NIN with full af3 +2, so I know what 'grinding' really is, and there is none of it in FF14...

I just wonder if there are any others out there who, despite all the flaws FFXI had, miss the kind of community we built there and have tried to rebuild something similar here? Seeing so many 'ragequit' posts and some of the ways people using DF are talked to, I worry..

I feel you, I think the lack of a grind actually hurts this game b/c in FFXI you knew you really weren't going to get anywhere fast so everyone was a lot more relaxed about it.

I personally don't do any fates unless they spawn near me or I am leveling an alt job that needs some help getting exp.

I believe you are having issues finding a FC you enjoy because of how early it is. The game just launched, and as usual, any FC out there is either a zerg rush of new players with little to no personal communication (spamming random invites to anyone and everyone) or endgame level 50 FCs for people who rushed to endgame content. I think things will begin to settle down as casual players get closer to 50 and also after the influx of new players stops coming in (which isn't now, we still can't buy digital copies of the game).

Patience is key with this one, I too have been searching for a FC where I feel like I'm actually friends with people in it, so far I haven't found one yet.

Keep in mind that all these new FCs have not really discovered how they want their FC to feel, and end up inviting tons of players just to find a few that stick and make up the FC. It's not really the way I would go about inviting people but this is how a lot of people do it at launch.

I myself made a casual FC a few days ago. Doesn't get members as fast as those "omg join us now for best gearz and lvl 50 asap" groups, but slowly gaining members who enjoy being social and stuff. I realize this is what an LS is kinda supposed to be, but I really wanted that group with FC perks. We can team up endgame anyway if we want to, just no hurry, and no forcing. Shame you are not on Goblin. :)

My wife and I have been kind of in the same boat as you, Mirelle. We joined an FC on Ultros that advertised itself as a friendly, helpful group with the intent to get it's members to endgame and be that progression based FC. Which was fine. That was what we wanted. We loved doing endgame in XI for so many years. But we expected to be able to get there in our own time. We don't fate grind, for a few reasons, and we don't skip story stuff, so that put us behind a big portion of our FC members who also had early access.

Of course, our FC kept recruiting even after official launch began, to the point it grew to a little over 120 members. A lot of whom were obviously not as far as the people with early access. Whenever anyone, including my wife and I, would ask if anyone could help with a story progression dungeon or a primal battle, we would be met with nothing but silence, a vast majority of the time. Not even an acknowledgement. A "hey, we see you need help, but we are in the middle of our 20th AK speed today, but we would be glad to help when we are free."

It got to the point where there were apparently two separate fights over FC chat that I wasn't online for but heard about afterwards. So the FC's leaders were aware people were really feeling ignored and left by the roadside.

Last night after getting no response whatsoever after requesting help with story mode Garuda for about 4 hours and thus relying on DF and that not going at all well, we decided it was time for us to move on. There really was no point in being in the FC. For my wife and I, personally, we are long time FFXI players so we know how people online CAN be and we are having a lot of fun with the game itself, so we aren't going to up and ragequit the game. But I really feel for people who are new to MMOs that get into a group like this.

I too had a great experience with community in FFXI and I can only hope we can find groups like that in XIV, Mirielle. If not, I can see the game not holding us as nearly as long as XI did.

I'm also worried about people that skip all the story content and quests just to grind up their chars to 50. If not totally disturbed by those that hit 50 in a week, that is. Jeez, am I the only one here that finds such fanatical devotion to grinding up the max level in a game REALLY creepy?

I mean, come on! Why buy the game if all you are going to do is grind and rush to endgame? Why even bother if you're going to skip more than half of the content? What about the lore, story, quests? You could have just got a FREE MMO and grind there!

The only people I have on my LS are those I know IRL. Other players I met were on speed or something. Rushing from one instance/fate to another as fast as possible. It's kinda depressing when the whole point of an MMO, playing the game’s content with a group of people from around the world, is just ignored by the horde of grinders. I can't get the "leveling by grind>quests" and rushing to the end "manic style" mentality. It’s plain disturbing.

well this isn't FFXI...

@Soul and Dad - yep, I know what you mean and I'm still searching :/
@Kat - maybe I'll stalk you there :P
@Blaine - yep, I agree. Maybe many of the 50s are trying to finish as much as they can before they have to start, like, paying to play...

@ Maple - Aww Maple - yeah, that really is sad. I know the feeling, having many characters on many servers now, and none above lvl 21. I've been like a nomad making/deleting and remaking characters over many, many servers always looking for that 'right' fit, where people actually talk in chat and say 'hello' or 'goodbye' when they login. Even if you can't help someone, a little acknowledgment makes a world of difference. Maybe I'll make yet another character on Goblin and start over again in Kat's FC >.> <.<