1-20 areas are ghost towns

I do not know if it is just on my server but on mine attempting to even fill a fate group from 1-20 is near impossible. I have checked and tried during diff times from prime time and even weekends the lower areas are void of anyone but miners and botanist.

Have you noticed this trend over this month or is my server dying?

Mmmm Excalibur seems to be fine in overall. I have noticed lower population in general though but this is natural until a patch comes out; that's what brings everyone back for a bit.

Why don't you ask your friends to help you level?

I wonder how the lower level duty finder ques are doing. maybe people are just working on 50s but I would think if we are still getting new players I would see more people from 1-25 most that I saw had at least 1 50 job on their info.

I would but they all quit the game, they did not like the forced duty finder/ grouping.

FATE guides tell you to go to Aleport - people flock to Aleport, make sure you check there if you haven't. On a very populated server, but this area is the only low level one that has any action.

Is this your first MMO? This is fairly common in all of them. Once the large rush of new players is at max level, they don't go to starting areas much.

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Originally Posted by jebali

I would but they all quit the game, they did not like the forced duty finder/ grouping.

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MMOs are not for them then.

A large reason for this is the fact that there is no way to level different classes/job aside from the FATE/instance grind. Gets very boring, very fast. SE needs to correct this. One method would be to allow players to redo quests for Exp only. For DoH/DoL classes crafting/Gathering logs similar to the Hunting logs would help.

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Originally Posted by Reiterpallasch

MMOs are not for them then.

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I think you mean this game is not for them. Not all MMOs have to force grouping and using a dungeon/duty finder. Nor do all MMOs have to offer single player content. Goes both ways and people aren't excluded from an entire genre just because they don't like the way a particular game handles the main storyline in regards to grouping and dungeons.

To the OP: As another user said, check Aleport. I've been leveling up some of my other classes lately and while the lower level zones are mostly void of people, I've always found a fate group at Aleport (unless it's really late at night). Admittedly, I've mostly leveled via dungeons, as I rather dislike the cluster-f... zerg that is fate grinding :) When I do happen to look for fates for that last half level, or whatever it may be, I usually go to the following areas:

13-20ish: Aleport in Western La Noscea (La Noscea)
20-30ish: Quarrymill in South Shroud (Black Shroud)
28-35ish: Wineport / Costa Del Sol in Eastern La Noscea (La Noscea)
35-39ish: Dragonhead in Coerthas Central Highlands (Coerthas)
39-42ish: Revenant’s Toll in Mor Dhona
42-50: Ceruleum Processing Plant in Northern Thanalan (Thanalan)

It's not a set thing, and usually varies by a few levels depending on where I feel like going and if I'm tired of a certain area.

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Originally Posted by jebali

I would but they all quit the game, they did not like the forced duty finder/ grouping.

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lets get this clear: the game DOES NOT force you to DF, it is optional. And this game is party base like most mmorpg

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Originally Posted by Sunarie

I think you mean this game is not for them. Not all MMOs have to force grouping and using a dungeon/duty finder. Nor do all MMOs have to offer single player content. Goes both ways and people aren't excluded from an entire genre just because they don't like the way a particular game handles the main storyline in regards to grouping and dungeons.

To the OP: As another user said, check Aleport. I've been leveling up some of my other classes lately and while the lower level zones are mostly void of people, I've always found a fate group at Aleport (unless it's really late at night). Admittedly, I've mostly leveled via dungeons, as I rather dislike the cluster-f... zerg that is fate grinding :) When I do happen to look for fates for that last half level, or whatever it may be, I usually go to the following areas:

13-20ish: Aleport in Western La Noscea (La Noscea)
20-30ish: Quarrymill in South Shroud (Black Shroud)
28-35ish: Wineport / Costa Del Sol in Eastern La Noscea (La Noscea)
35-39ish: Dragonhead in Coerthas Central Highlands (Coerthas)
39-42ish: Revenant’s Toll in Mor Dhona
42-50: Ceruleum Processing Plant in Northern Thanalan (Thanalan)

It's not a set thing, and usually varies by a few levels depending on where I feel like going and if I'm tired of a certain area.

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I do about the same .Working on my 3rd 50 i go Aleport to 20 Querrymill to 25 Casa Del Sol to 30 Dragonhead to 40 Processing Plant to 50 Long as you stay in a 10 level gap you gain great exp and chains and the reward at the end increases as you level . Example your level 25 in Casa and you fight any normal fate you will get a end bonus of about 6k on gold and chain exp in the 300+ range per kill . At 30 you get less exp on chain kills but more exp on Gold the 6k will be more around 12k or more

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I do not know if it is just on my server but on mine attempting to even fill a fate group from 1-20 is near impossible

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I actually see this as good, haha. I'm pretty much over Zerg fest FATE's if I can avoid them.

I usually go to Moraby from 10-15 now. There's not a lot of people there and I enjoy it a lot more than dealing with the hordes at Hawthorne. 4-6 people is usually enough, and they might not be as fast as other zones, but I have way more fun.

Most popular spots:
(10-15) Swiftperch/Hawthorne Hut/Horizon
(15-20) SwiftPerch/Aleport

Where I usually go:
(10-15) Moraby Drydocks/Horizon
(15-20) Aleport

Maybe people don't like doing FATEs? So you can't find a party? I went from 1-45 never touching FATEs unless they spawned right on me. Perhaps people like doing the game content for leveling, despite being slower, rather than doing a monotonous grind. You know, so they can play through the 1-50 tutorial like they're supposed to.

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Originally Posted by Rizon

A large reason for this is the fact that there is no way to level different classes/job aside from the FATE/instance grind. Gets very boring, very fast. SE needs to correct this. One method would be to allow players to redo quests for Exp only. For DoH/DoL classes crafting/Gathering logs similar to the Hunting logs would help.

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Coming with 2.1
Battle guildleves get an exp bonus.
I hope enough that people do them. Because in momemt, why would someone do a battle leve for 2k exp if he can get 6k exp from FATEs?

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Originally Posted by Jaine

Is this your first MMO? This is fairly common in all of them. Once the large rush of new players is at max level, they don't go to starting areas much.

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Wrong. Not all mmorpg are (were...) theme park about instant gratification.

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Originally Posted by Taruranto

Wrong. Not all mmorpg are (were...) theme park about instant gratification.

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I actually noticed this as well..

I remember 5 years after FFXI there were still lots of people in starting zones, Hell.. there still were last year lol


But yeah, I rarely see anyone in the starting areas out leveling, or doing anything.. It's really kinda strange that this game is dead before level 20 before the first update.. Oops?

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Wrong. Not all mmorpg are (were...) theme park about instant gratification.

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Yeah, some of them you had to run for half an hour to get to an exp camp, and you couldn't teleport there until you were above the appropriate level range. If only I could have all those hours of running to Valkurm dunes back. Fits more into the "sadistic" and "pointless time sink" game design category if you ask me.

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But yeah, I rarely see anyone in the starting areas out leveling, or doing anything.. It's really kinda strange that this game is dead before level 20 before the first update.. Oops?

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Hawthorne Hut and Aleport are always busy, and you don't need to do fates before level 10. You're imagining that really.

since aleport fates get you through the 10-20 range in like 2 hours it would be expected to not see many lingering in that range

Game Design is the problem, you make progress with gear and equip.
To gain those you farm one single content untill you have gotten what you desire...
Even worse, that you often outlevel the gear progression and can skip lower tier gear!

The Problem is the currency - once at higher level there is apsolutely NO progression if you do any low content again...
That way low content is dieing out with time because there is not an unlimited flow of new players joining.
With 2.1 they fix the problem a bit when adding stones to join a random Dungeon on DF, but what about FATES and villages that makes the world more lively?

Thats why I said something about currency, it can easily fix the problem if at least you can progress from lower content too. It musnt be stones, what about a buff to increase chance of crafting or dodging ... something with a longer duration than just 30 minutes or 10 secunds... As example Diablo (1, 2 or 3): The Gems you can farm in low content too and get high quality out of it (2 or 4 low quality merging to one better quality) even when never seen high content... there is some progression and the player can choose how fast his progress will be.

currently we have a passive lockout system and in coil even an active lockout system... that needs to change to prevent the playerbase to die out!

Edit: To progress you have to shout, but that forces you to stay in a village where others are searching too... not sure if the playersearch in 2.1 will fix that, because in 1.x it havnt helped at all.

Well I'm also 50 on all classes before the first update, kinda nuts, but I certainly still have stuff I can do it's just strange

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Originally Posted by OrionInerghem

I actually noticed this as well..

I remember 5 years after FFXI there were still lots of people in starting zones, Hell.. there still were last year lol


But yeah, I rarely see anyone in the starting areas out leveling, or doing anything.. It's really kinda strange that this game is dead before level 20 before the first update.. Oops?

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I hang out in central shroud on Balmung quite a bit looking for new players to help.. and yeah, 4 out of 5 players I see there now are bots.. .though most I can't see because they're glitched into the floor, lol. Not much activity outside of relic-seekers and diremite web farmers in North shroud, though you do get the occasional fate party. East shroud is slightly more active, but less and less every day. Usually South Shroud is active with the lv 20-30 fates, but it seems the night shifters have mostly finished with it as early morning hours (PST) sometimes drop so low you can't even make a full fate party.

It's just sad because so few people actually enjoy the world and the content... it feels like the majority are just in it for the gear treadmill so that in some aspect of their life they can finally have something that others don't. I don't really get it, but it's definitely there.

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Originally Posted by jebali

I do not know if it is just on my server but on mine attempting to even fill a fate group from 1-20 is near impossible. I have checked and tried during diff times from prime time and even weekends the lower areas are void of anyone but miners and botanist.

Have you noticed this trend over this month or is my server dying?

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What? There's plenty of people still in aleport and I'm on the same server as you. Then again, if your typical playtime is around 3am that might be the problem. (This is the time you posted on the forums.) That's well past prime time in the very very early morning hours when most people are asleep.

I still see plenty of people around the Central Shroud on Ridill, and they're not bots too (they're often doing levequests or the occasional FATE). Just because the zone isn't filled with a hundred level 1s all trying to do the same content doesn't meant the game is 'dying'.

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Originally Posted by Shneibel

lets get this clear: the game DOES NOT force you to DF, it is optional. And this game is party base like most mmorpg

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What mushrooms have you been eating, it forces you to use DF for story content which you need to complete to unlock further content progressions.

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Originally Posted by jebali

I do not know if it is just on my server but on mine attempting to even fill a fate group from 1-20 is near impossible. I have checked and tried during diff times from prime time and even weekends the lower areas are void of anyone but miners and botanist.

Have you noticed this trend over this month or is my server dying?

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There's no problem in Leviathan.

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Originally Posted by flavored

What mushrooms have you been eating, it forces you to use DF for story content which you need to complete to unlock further content progressions.

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You do not need to use the DF to complete those story dungeons. You can group with friends or a shout group and still enter and complete the dungeon for quest credit.

I don't see many lowbie characters outside of Aleport, but they are there. I see a few newbies in places like the shroud, but I am on a heavily populated world. You should see those newer servers, they are near complete ghost towns in very many zones.

I joined a low level dung on the DF and had to wait 24 minutes... on a tank! Average queue time for WP: 0.3 seconds.
This is becoming a problem, its hell for a new player that just started.
We dont want the game to lose players on both ends, do we?
Lowbie dungeons could drop a small amount of tomes (provided you are being capped from lvl 50) to encourage players to run them more often... when i only need 10 tomes to cap i would be happy to run sastasha for once instead of doing one more WP run.