If your new to a dungeon.

Do what I do, and that is I go and read up on it as much as I can. It gives me a idea of how to run it. I'm sure most of you already do this. :)

I come from years of playing Everquest from 1999 days, and those dungeons were very hardcore. It was sure fun being a Monk and pulling using FD. :)

As the tank on most of my first time dungeons, I do read up / watch up on dungeons to get a feel for them, but you don't really get the full grasp until you dive right in.

If it's your first time in the dungeon, feel free to say so and people will understand! Alternatively, if you can't type, just make sure you watch the cinematics all the way through so that people can tell who the new person is.

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Originally Posted by vanityobscene

As the tank on most of my first time dungeons, I do read up / watch up on dungeons to get a feel for them, but you don't really get the full grasp until you dive right in.

If it's your first time in the dungeon, feel free to say so and people will understand! Alternatively, if you can't type, just make sure you watch the cinematics all the way through so that people can tell who the new person is.

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I made a macro that states that I'm new. (I like macros way too much)

Problem is that most people DON'T seem to understand what "This is my first time here" (autotranslate) means.

And as a healer, I can't watch the cinematics all the way through since people will die if I do. Not even joking. One guy ran away while I was casting protect (with a macro that states it) (didn't even reach stoneskin, was still doing protect) and of course died. So generally, I skip cutscene and start stoneskin on people then soon as duty starts, I throw protect and hope it hits before anyone can run too far away then stoneskin the last person.

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Personally, I prefer to learn in the dungeon. I'll ask my friends and FC for important tidbits (pretty much the information of: Dodge a lot, Dodge EVERYTHING, Get close when it does this, etc. Though sometimes it is: Let the party know you are new).

However, most people are completely unhelpful. Even when the party wipes a few times because they didn't explain anything (each time, we'd get to another stage of the boss, but we'd wipe because I didn't know what to do-I fight with preparations, not reactions).

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Originally Posted by vanityobscene

As the tank on most of my first time dungeons, I do read up / watch up on dungeons to get a feel for them, but you don't really get the full grasp until you dive right in.

If it's your first time in the dungeon, feel free to say so and people will understand!

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I agree. just tell everyone that you are new to a dungeon and be open to their suggestion/advices.

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Originally Posted by ariaandkia

I made a macro that states that I'm new. (I like macros way too much)

Problem is that most people DON'T seem to understand what "This is my first time here" (autotranslate) means. And as a healer, I can't watch the cinematics all the way through since people will die if I do. Not even joking. One guy ran away while I was casting protect (with a macro that states it) (didn't even reach stoneskin, was still doing protect) and of course died. So generally, I skip cutscene and start stoneskin on people then soon as duty starts, I throw protect and hope it hits before anyone can run too far away then stoneskin the last person.

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Personally, I prefer to learn in the dungeon. I'll ask my friends and FC for important tidbits (pretty much the information of: Dodge a lot, Dodge EVERYTHING, Get close when it does this, etc. Though sometimes it is: Let the party know you are new).

However, most people are completely unhelpful. Even when the party wipes a few times because they didn't explain anything (each time, we'd get to another stage of the boss, but we'd wipe because I didn't know what to do-I fight with preparations, not reactions).

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"Wise men say only fools rush in."

Honestly, a tank should be checking over his shoulder, and the DDs should be making sure they're with the tank or behind the tank (if they're ranged). If you're not ready, you're not ready. Your enjoyment of the game's important too, and if you need to take extra time to get acclimated to something and people aren't listening to you in the end they're going to be the sore ones. Afterall, you're the backbone.

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Originally Posted by velric42

Do what I do, and that is I go and read up on it as much as I can. It gives me a idea of how to run it. I'm sure most of you already do this. :)

I come from years of playing Everquest from 1999 days, and those dungeons were very hardcore. It was sure fun being a Monk and pulling using FD. :)

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I understand your point, but don't expect people to "do what you do" before they enter dungeons. some people just like to wing it. it has something to do with the psychology of learning: some need to experience stuff first hand, others can work from a manual. some like to play their MMORPGs without walkthroughs, others need to know every mechanic before they dare enter character creation.

and I agree with the other replies, if you're new to the dungeon it would make a big difference when you inform the party that it's your first try. that's also how you'll know when to look for another party who'll be more open to fellow adventurers who are not afraid to face the unknown. :)

I've got to say I did Halatalli HM with my FC when 2.2 came out blind. Hands down THE most fun I've had playing this. Why would I ruin that experience by being carried through it by watching a video? So no thanks. And when I run content blind outside of FC, I tank. Lolz

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Originally Posted by ariaandkia

I made a macro that states that I'm new. (I like macros way too much)

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That is an amazing idea. I never thought of that.

I don't like to watch videos, because it spoils the surprises in the dungeon, but I still have to watch them because people complain too much if you don't know the dungeon. Also, when I say I am new to a dungeon, people always leave and have to wait for new people, so it kind of sucks being new, period.

My first time in a dungeon I simple state "This is my first time to {Insert dungeon name} please advice me of anything vital when we get to it!"

This works well and everyone has always been helpful.

[QUOTE=velric42;2049346] I go and read up on it as much as I can. It gives me a idea of how to run it. [QUOTE]

Sometimes I feel like such an idiot haha. This has never occurred to me. There are several dungeons I haven't unlocked yet, not to mention the hard mode dungeons I have unlocked but haven't run yet....and not once have I thought to read up on how it runs to give myself an idea. Thanks so much for this post, if for nothing else than this reminder/good idea! lol

Best thing to do if you're new to a dungeon is just to say so. A lot of vet players will be a lot more understanding if you say you're new than if you charge around blindly and never say anything at all (especially if you're a tank or healer.)

If I am new to a Dungeon then I'll tell people that I am new and just wing it!!! :D Fun & Excitement! ;)

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Originally Posted by velric42

Do what I do, and that is I go and read up on it as much as I can. It gives me a idea of how to run it. I'm sure most of you already do this. :)

I come from years of playing Everquest from 1999 days, and those dungeons were very hardcore. It was sure fun being a Monk and pulling using FD. :)

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No. Absolutely not. That, to me, is tantamount to cheating. I won't look up strats for something until I've bombed on it a few times.

I much prefer to earn my wins.

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Originally Posted by Caraway

No. Absolutely not. That, to me, is tantamount to cheating. I won't look up strats for something until I've bombed on it a few times.

I much prefer to earn my wins.

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Sadly, if you're a tank and you have this attitude the whole party is going to wail on you, because they need an effective tank to make their run enjoyable. It's hard to play and be the cause of wipes because you don't know how to manage the mobs or have any idea of what to expect until your whole party is being smashed. People tend to quit on you.

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Originally Posted by Antonio_Xul

I don't like to watch videos, because it spoils the surprises in the dungeon, but I still have to watch them because people complain too much if you don't know the dungeon.

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Personally, I find the text dungeon guides in most wiki sites to be somewhat of a middle ground. They provide info about the major obstacles and mechanics you'll encounter, but at least your own run is the first time you actually see the place.

It's still a spoiler in the sense that you already know what to do and don't have to learn it the hard way, but it doesn't feel as much like a spoiler if you're getting to see the place for the first time as you run it. So I read up about dungeons before I run them, but I don't watch videos of them.

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Originally Posted by Niwashi

Personally, I find the text dungeon guides in most wiki sites to be somewhat of a middle ground. They provide info about the major obstacles and mechanics you'll encounter, but at least your own run is the first time you actually see the place.

It's still a spoiler in the sense that you already know what to do and don't have to learn it the hard way, but it doesn't feel as much like a spoiler if you're getting to see the place for the first time as you run it. So I read up about dungeons before I run them, but I don't watch videos of them.

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Any text guides worthy of looking at? I've found IGN guides to be abhorrent insofar as how many things are plainly wrong (or outdated) in their guides when it comes to FFXIV.

A lot of the early dungeons in this game are fairly self-explanatory, and actually give you clues to how fights will work later. For example, interacting with the water bubbles on the final boss in Sastasha prevents adds from appearing. This mechanic appears in several places later in the game, or something similar to it. Aurum Vale has almost the exact same boss appear in Halatali HM, so even without a guide, you knew what was going to happen. If you remember several mechanics from Ultima, you will know what to do in a few of the phases of Ultima HM, albeit to a less forgiving extent.

If you've ever seen Egoraptor's Sequilitis series, particularly on Megaman X, this kind of system comes to mind. You may learn best through the gameplay, not someone telling you what to do.

Also, as stated before, guides, both video and written can be incredibly unreliable. They will explain the mechanics once and how they dealt with it, and not offer alternatives, or they will not update their content when a new idea comes up, so you have to cross-reference dates and information. This has been happening to me frequently with T5, as everyone seems to have done it a different way, and do not explain the mechanics well. "Do this." is much less helpful than "Do this because this can happen." Depending on your group, there is not 1 end all be all strategy that will get you a clear.

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Originally Posted by vanityobscene

Any text guides worthy of looking at? I've found IGN guides to be abhorrent insofar as how many things are plainly wrong (or outdated) in their guides when it comes to FFXIV.

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Eorzea Reborn has some nice ones. I usually just Google the dungeon name and check the first two or three guides that pop up on the list. (Checking at least a couple provides some protection against bad info in one.) Those tend to be some combination of consolegameswiki, gamerescape, ign, ffxivinfo, ffxivguild, or eorzeareborn.

(Note: I've only completed up through Brayflox's Longstop in the story, so can't vouch for how good anyplace's guides are on endgame content.)

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Originally Posted by Clavaat

A lot of the early dungeons in this game are fairly self-explanatory, and actually give you clues to how fights will work later. For example, interacting with the water bubbles on the final boss in Sastasha prevents adds from appearing. This mechanic appears in several places later in the game, or something similar to it. Aurum Vale has almost the exact same boss appear in Halatali HM, so even without a guide, you knew what was going to happen. If you remember several mechanics from Ultima, you will know what to do in a few of the phases of Ultima HM, albeit to a less forgiving extent.

If you've ever seen Egoraptor's Sequilitis series, particularly on Megaman X, this kind of system comes to mind. You may learn best through the gameplay, not someone telling you what to do.Also, as stated before, guides, both video and written can be incredibly unreliable. They will explain the mechanics once and how they dealt with it, and not offer alternatives, or they will not update their content when a new idea comes up, so you have to cross-reference dates and information. This has been happening to me frequently with T5, as everyone seems to have done it a different way, and do not explain the mechanics well. "Do this." is much less helpful than "Do this because this can happen." Depending on your group, there is not 1 end all be all strategy that will get you a clear.

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Great reply. I alluded to some of what you said in an earlier reply about how you simply won't get the full grasp until you're in the thick of it. My main class is tank, and I feel very much like a bafoon on every new dungeon I enter because I'm fumbling around all the time figuring it all out, even after checking a guide to get some idea. Moving up the lvl30s, I'm now finding guides to almost be an information overload, and I often forget everything I watched or read until the last second anyway.

There's a lot of pressure on the tank, and after feeling really quite dull the last few dungeons I've decided to go back to basics and practice my skills, and not move on till I feel confident. But this pressure isn't helped by the fact that as a new player I didn't know to join the servers that were new because I didn't know they were newbie servers. So I find myself on coeurl, often teamed with people much higher leveled than I am, and often expecting much more from me than I am currently capable of. But to digress, I've come this far and that means I've committed to the server I'm on. No point in changing now, and paying for a transfer seems a tad silly.

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Originally Posted by velric42

I'm sure most of you already do this. :)

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I'm against watching videos to learn content before even attempting it. It ruins the experience in my opinion. Figuring stuff out is part of the fun, when the new dungeons in 2.2 came out I was lucky to do all three dungeons with people who have never done them before. Those were some of the funnest times I had in dungeon content in a long while.

Knowing content beforehand is like hearing a big spoiler to a story or movie I was excited to hear/watch/play; it ruins it. Lessens the impact it may have had if you hadn't known. If any of the story content in The Last of Us had been spoiled for me I'm positive I wouldn't have appreciated the story as much as I do. If I knew how to do everything in Amdapor City beforehand I wouldn't have enjoyed the dungeon so much. It would have just been another dungeon my first time trying it, no sense of excitement knowing what comes next.

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Originally Posted by vanityobscene

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I understand the tank pressure. You'll get the hang of it as you go along. Just remember the lessons you learn while going along and you can pick up on certain mechanics quickly. And like I said, guides are different from player to player, so what someone thinks is the "right way" of doing may be different from what you've found or learned. In all honesty, I've met more players that will help you along and discover/explain strategies to you in a calm manner as opposed to particularly rude people. As a tank, you have the most control over the pace of a dungeon, and that can irk some people if it's not up to their standard. For the most part, though, people will either not say anything or not press the issue if you aren't going super fast.

I'd also recommend starting a PF group for new people when it's your first time. It may take awhile to find members, so I'd recommend doing other stuff while you wait (you can change jobs once registered and it won't reflect that). You can make a lot of friends that way and generally you might have a better time. Good luck!

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Originally Posted by velric42

Do what I do, and that is I go and read up on it as much as I can. It gives me a idea of how to run it. I'm sure most of you already do this. :)

I come from years of playing Everquest from 1999 days, and those dungeons were very hardcore. It was sure fun being a Monk and pulling using FD. :)

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Honest question...

How is it fun to read about every mechanic of every fight beforehand?


I completely understand getting your butt handed to you a few times and caving in and reading a guide (I had to have Garuda Extreme explained to me after a few fails). Or, getting beat by a mechanic and having a member of the group chime in with what to do.

I don't understand the mentality of hopping online before even attempting the content once, and reading step by step walkthroughs of everything you will encounter.

Why even bother playing the game if you aren't going to attempt anything on your own? Why not just watch walkthroughs of everything?

Meh, to each their own though.

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Originally Posted by OSUBuckeye4

Honest question...

How is it fun to read about every mechanic of every fight beforehand?


I completely understand getting your butt handed to you a few times and caving in and reading a guide (I had to have Garuda Extreme explained to me after a few fails). Or, getting beat by a mechanic and having a member of the group chime in with what to do.

I don't understand the mentality of hopping online before even attempting the content once, and reading step by step walkthroughs of everything you will encounter.

Why even bother playing the game if you aren't going to attempt anything on your own? Why not just watch walkthroughs of everything?

Meh, to each their own though.

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I don't like having a complete guide for my first time unless I'm doing a speedrun. However, I do like a few things such as knowing at least the things that could cause a wipe. Since these days, everyone already knows how to do the dungeon except for first timers, they tend to rush things. So there is no "Oh, hey, let me scout ahead a little and examine some stuff before we start so I know what will happen and can plan accordingly.

Please, please, please. State you are new to something when you are.

Many times it pops up that someone is new, but when politelly asked who's new, no-one replies. Even after everyone typed "hi". Who is new can change their role in boss fights, 2nd boss in Stone Vigil, ranged DD has a different part to play than melee. Also level 50 dungeons dont even have the pop up that someone is new, so if no-one says they are. How is anyone supposed to know or are we expected to wipe before learning that someone is new when, with a bit of advice, it would have been a lot less frustrating and people more forgiving.

Ran Hali HM, new BLM, said before, boss fight, told to eat a ball when he does the demon eye cast. He ran around and ate all 4 lol. We laughed about it with them (not at ) joked about that if he ate all 4 he would get fat and only eat one. Did again, went great. Was a fun run, just because he said at the start "This is my first time". Just 5 little words.

I had the most fun ever when going in blind. I will only go read up on something once I beat it OR if I can't get passed it(and even then I prefer to try to train it).

If people leave when you mention you're new then really you're better off not being teamed up with them. I know when I was leveling CNJ/WHM I always stated on each run that I'm new to healing that run. I did the same as DD.

I still have an utmoste respect for someone that I ran brayflox longstop with and the whole party was polite but they didn't tell me the mechanics - let me figure it out on my own - and to this day is still one of my favorite dungeons because of it(nobody spoiled it with you need to do this, that etc...). So when I run as a high level a low level dungeon I will only help with explanations if I see the rest struggling. But in general will leave them be other than hi - and so far has always worked out.

Have to agree with Sapphic completely, sure there are a ton of people who don't care if you're new and will just rush through a dungeon regardless, but there's still a lot of people out there who will take the time out to explain some basic mechanics to you esp in the event that you're on an important job that could cause a wipe if its not done. Example being not knowing about Siren's Song in Pharos Sirius being one of those debuffs that can't be Esuna'd.

If you see me in a dungeon and say you're new to it I'll help explain it, if you don't.... you're on your own because I can't help someone who can't be arsed to speak up when they don't know something.