Hey all,
I jumped in to ffxiv eight months after my free trial. Never played an MMO. ffxiv forums are like trying to figure out a new language. :confused: I would appreciate tips (in very simple noob terms), but my pressing questions are:
How many hours to get to Heavensward? I want to be astrologian.
I know to level both conj and thaumaturge for the cross class skills, but what job should I pick for now?
Attribute points? Can I mess up my character putting in the wrong ones? Is there ANY way to mess up my character that I should watch out for?
I have heard my server is hard for noobs, but has a big endgame--I won't be a noob forever, so I like this. Is this still the case?
Are there any good resources for for learning to play, e.g. learning what rotations are, and where to stand, and what is expected of each role?
Can I compulsively min/max?
In short, what is the best way to go from a clueless sprout to super min/max endgametryhardexpert? :cool:
New Noob: I want to get gud.
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11-23-2016, 01:34 AMSir_SwallowNew Noob: I want to get gud.
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11-23-2016, 01:42 AMEnkidoh
Welcome to Eorzea!
The best thing to do firstly if you're not familiar with the lingo, terms and abbreviations used here on the forums and FFXIV is to check out this page: Dictionary of informal and official game terms and abbreviations.
Getting to Heavensward content sadly will take quite a long time, as you are required to play through A Realm Reborn's entire main scenario (the base game) before you are allowed into the city of Ishgard. As well, later ARR content is specifically level 50, as is the requirement for accessing Ishgard, so sadly you have quite a lot to do. Don't despair though! Take the time to get used to the game's design and your current class and stuff, as you will be better positioned once you finally enter Ishgard and unlock the 'Extra Jobs' like AST.
As for what class to aim for, there is nothing stopping you from trying them all! The way the Armoury System is set up you are free to level whatever class and Job you wish at any time, just by equipping it's weapon or tool (once you have unlocked that class that is). CNJ and THM abilities are needed for cross classing with AST true, but another class that is useful at the moment while levelling CNJ is Arcanist (ACN), which is a pet class using the Carbuncle summon - CNJ's Job upgrade of WHM actually requires it to change to the Job. But feel free to try other classes as well, as you might find you enjoy a class you were not expecting!
Each class/Job has a specific stat that their abilities are controlled by (for instance, CNJ's one is Mind (MND)), which it is best to stick pretty much all your AP into, and some stats are actually unused on certain classes (like, Dexterity or DEX is completely unused by CNJ and thus any points into it is utterly useless and wasted), however, don't fret in case you have stuck AP into the wrong stat! When you join a Grand Company (GC) later in the game's storyline, you can purchase a special item from the GC's headquarters called 'The Keeper's Hymn' with GC currency. It's a once-use item that resets all AP you have spent on a single class, allowing you to change how you have allocated AP. So don't worry if you've made a mistake with how you spend AP. :)
I'm not sure how busy Sargantanas is as I play on a different server (Balmung), however I do know Sargantanas is a 'Legacy' server, that is, it was a server from the original version of FFXIV (version 1.0) that is now shut down, and thus has a lot of end game 'Legacy' players on it who have been there from the very beginning and technically should know what they are doing. Also the Duty Fnder/Raid Finder which controls access to dungeons, trials and raids doesn't just draw players from your own server, it fills the party up with players from all servers on that Data Centre group, so you should be able to enter most content easy enough.
The best resources I find for learning how to play a class is firstly, online websites and guides like Gamerescape's FFXIV page and also, using the in-game 'Hall of the Novice' and undertaking the tutorial battles which are based on role not specifically class. Additionally, do your class (and later,. Job) quests too given by the Guild of your class (in CNJ's case, Stillglade Fane in Old Gridania) as they also do teach a little how to use the class and Job as well. Not to mention they also give you powerful abilities and sometimes gear as well. :)
Finally, due to the aforementioned stat allocation it's not really possible to min/max that much, other than just making sure your gear is up to date and boosts the right stat for that class/Job - at level 60 things like accuracy also start to become important but while you are still learning that's not really something you need to worry about too much. Just make sure your gear has a high item level (ilevel) as much as possible (which might not always line up with the actual level you can equip that piece of gear), your weapon's attack is as high as possible (even CNJ needs this, it helps affects the potency of cure spells) and make sure you are wearing the right gear for your class (in other words, don't wear gear that is more meant for melee classes on a mage like CNJ, as it will just be a hindrance than a help).
Either way, hopefully this hasn't been too confusing. Good luck! :D -
11-23-2016, 01:53 AMAxxion
Since im at work i dont have my folder with all my info but here are some links that help you out with jobs and etc. http://ffxiv.consolegameswiki.com/wiki/Jobs , http://www.ffxivguild.com/ , dungeons : http://www.ffxivinfo.com/dungeons/a-realm-reborn.php
its up to you truly. if you you go cnj you will have a bit of a faster que time in dungeons , just my two cents -
11-23-2016, 01:56 AMMartin_Arcainess
How many hours to get to Heavensward? I want to be astrologian.
That depends on if you watch CS or not, how offten you put into the game and everything but less then a week for the average player.
I know to level both conj and thaumaturge for the cross class skills, but what job should I pick for now?
CJR which will you need to upgrade to a WHM later on. Since WHM is a healer class and you want to AST and there is some Cross class skills you can get from WHM.
Attribute points? Can I mess up my character putting in the wrong ones? Is there ANY way to mess up my character that I should watch out for?
Each Class/job has it's own set. For CNJ/WHM it would be mind. Same for AST.
But yes you can put it in the wrong one but you can easily reset it with a item you can buy from your GC.
I have heard my server is hard for noobs, but has a big endgame--I won't be a noob forever, so I like this. Is this still the case?
Well most of the levelling time you be on your own and even then when you get into HW the only time you be doing content with other people is dungeons and that is cross server. If you mention you are new people will take it easy on you.
Are there any good resources for for learning to play, e.g. learning what rotations are, and where to stand, and what is expected of each role?
The internet \o/
Now as learning to play, getting a basic understanding of your jobs is a good starting point and then learning it by playing helps. Now for healers there isn't a set rotation just more like knowing the fight as for standing each fight is different.
Can I compulsively min/max?
In short, what is the best way to go from a clueless sprout to super min/max endgame
For a healer it's more like knowing when to turn Cleric stance on and DPS then knowing when to turn if off to help heals if your other healer needs help.
As for when it all depends on the fight and how good your other healing buddy is. -
11-23-2016, 02:54 AMTaikaThis is very far from truth, in fact it will probably take you at least a few weeks, even if you'd be playing a few hours every single day. But as Enkidoh said, better not try to rush it, but take your time and enjoy your journey through the ARR (original game before Heavensward expansion) story and content.Quote:
Originally Posted by Martin_Arcainess
If you're planning to be Astrologian, I would advice you to play through the ARR story as another healer job to get a feeling of how healing works in this game. Those are White Mage (base class Conjurer) and Scholar (base class Arcanist). White Mage is a bit more similar to how Astrologian is usually played than Scholar, and it's also a bit more straightforward (Scholar is a pet job). -
11-23-2016, 05:29 AMLunaFayeIt is true, since SE has buffed the exp from the quests as well as armoury bonuses and what not, it takes 4 full days to open up heavensward (2.1-2.55 is still a B... lol) if you play 6+ hrs a day, skip all cut scenes and quest text. Focusing mostly on MSQ, but some side quests you need to do anyways to unlock couple of dungeons. That applies to tanks/heals since you have instant queue when it comes to the dungeons, however even as a dps class most of the queue times don't take longer than 10 minutes (at least on levi not sure about sarg).Quote:
Originally Posted by Taika
I haven't tried it that way, however some of my friends told me that if you unlock PoTD and than just level to 50 that way, it's a little bit faster, but you still have to do the whole story line quest, so at the end it's kinda the same since you're backtracking if you chose to do the PoTD method. After all I would agree that a week is a pretty good time frame if you are just unlocking HW itself. -
11-23-2016, 06:16 AMTaikaOk sure it might be possible if you use all your free time on this game, but definitely not for an average player, and definitely not if you want to play the actual game instead of just skipping everything and trying to run through it as fast as possible. Even if you would do one main scenario dungeon or trial every day, it would take you over three weeks (and leave you with 13 quests to complete every day for those 3 weeks).Quote:
Originally Posted by LunaFaye
For the OP, if you want to know the amount of things to do before Heavensward, this page has them listed: http://ffxiv.consolegameswiki.com/wi...Scenario_Quest
The things you have to complete before Heavensward are 7th Umbral Era quests and 7th Astral Era quests. -
11-23-2016, 06:46 AMNiwashiIn other words, it's very far from the truth. The statement wasn't about whether it was possible to do a speed run in under a week. If you don't have a job or take some time off to play all day, and you race through skipping everything you can, then yes, you can get all the way to Heavensward in just a few days. But stating that that's the normal time to expect "for the average player" is blatantly false.Quote:
Originally Posted by LunaFaye
The normal time for getting all the way through ARR and reaching the start of Heavensward is probably around a month or two. It can vary quite a bit, tough. Some get there in as little as a couple weeks. Some take several months. It depends both on how much of the content you want to do and on how much time you have available to play. -
11-23-2016, 07:15 AMLunaFaye
I didn't state anywhere that a new player should skip the whole game and rush towards HW as quick as possible, nor did I say anywhere that this is the normal game time and to be expected. I however pointed out that if you're willing to skip nearly everything and if you're not interested in the story of the game itself, and lets say just want to do end game content or play with your friends, there's a possibility of accomplishing that task within 4 days or less.
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11-23-2016, 07:26 AMSigmar_Heldenhammer
I say don't worry about all this stuff.
Play the game, enjoy the story. I'm rolling up on 150 hours and am just starting 2.1 story section.
Internet has a lot of tips and tricks, and help with finding where what is, but for the most part, just enjoy the game.
You'll git gud by the time it's needed. -
11-23-2016, 01:41 PMSir_Swallow
Thanks for all the advice, everyone. To clarify, the reason I specified how many HOURS to get to heavensward was to prevent exactly this kind of discussion. :rolleyes:
I am watching all cutscenes and MSQ dialogue, but not much sidequest dialogue; sidequests I rush through in general, since they are all of the fetch-quest or kill a few things variety so far. I am going fast, but enjoying myself, not leaving any quests undone that I can find. After 3 days I am ready to leave Gridania as envoy, but I'm gotta clear up a couple more class quests first. :D
Edit: Oh, another question. What is up with the "Target out of range/target not in range" things that pop up? When it says 'not in range' I can't cast--Ok, I understand. When it says 'out of range' I can cast just fine. It says it all the time with enemies pretty close after I have already attacked them from a distance, so they are definitely in range. -
11-23-2016, 02:24 PMLunaxia
You've already had some sound advice, but I'd actually recommend leveling THM before CNJ. Swiftcast is very important as a healer, and it's better to get it as soon as you can. Also, DPS queues for dungeons can take a lot longer than healer ones - I'd use MSQ/ sidequest XP to quickly get THM to the required level, and then switch to healer.
I can't give you an exact estimate as to how long it will take to get to HW - it depends entirely on how long you play and what you do while you're playing - but I'd say a week or two at the very least. CNJ/ WHM is very similar to (and easier than) AST's Diurnal stance, so use that to practice your healing and get familiarized with it, and just enjoy the experience. You'll soon be on the endgame grind like the rest of us and wondering what you were in such a rush for. -
11-23-2016, 03:56 PMTaikaYes, if you end up taking White Mage to level 50 first and use it to get to Heavensward and unlock Astrologian, you should also get the important cross-class abilities for it. Most important one is Swifcast (Thaumaturge level 26), as Lunaxia mentioned. Eye for an Eye is also very useful (you can use it to give your tank a buff that has a chance of making enemies hit for less damage), and you get that from level 34 Arcanist (so Scholar or Summoner).Quote:
Originally Posted by Lunaxia
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11-25-2016, 01:49 AMFunkYeahDragons
Getting Astrologian will take a while (if you play a few hours a day and focus on MSQ, I'd say HW in ~ 2 weeks?), but playing Conjurer/White Mage until then will help you learn a lot about the healing role. Some features of the jobs are similar so learning one will help you on the other.
If you're ever looking for guides on content that can show you some key mechanics, you can check out Mizzteq's guides on YouTube. Some of them are older and people just push past mechanics now is all.
Try turning on auto-face target under Character Settings. I had this disabled once and I think this was the cause of the problem for me, because the target wasn't in my "line of sight". I could be remembering wrong.Quote:
Originally Posted by Sir_Swallow
Keep in mind that if there are mechanics in fight where you have to turn away from a boss during a specific spell, if you heal someone between you and the boss you'll turn back towards them. -
11-28-2016, 01:54 PMTeiren
First forum lesson off the bat if it wasn't stated before in this thread: Edit Post to make posts longer than 1000 characters. I think that limit is either there to reduce spam or because the forum admins just don't know what they're doing.
I'm pretty sure the slightly different "Target not in range" error message you're seeing is from Auto-attack. If you're playing on controller and press your Confirm button while targeting something without a cross hotbar highlighted, the game will toggle on Auto-attack, but that only works for melee range, so it gives an error. If you're playing on keyboard, maybe right-clicking on an enemy toggles it on? Btw, this is what the Delay stat on weapons means: Every 3.12 seconds, or whatever the weapon's Delay is, you will do one Auto-attack while it's toggled on if you're in melee range. This is useless for Healers and Casters because it's all physical damage, something that they don't do, but they technically can Auto-attack, so there you go.
Others have answered your questions in nice detail, but for fun I'll go through them too:
1. I realized why you asked for hours, but it's hard for me to give even a ballpark estimate of that. In any case, you can access the Astrologian job immediately after Heavensward's intro (which is itself somewhat sizable).
2. It sounds like you've already learned about Swiftcast from Level 26 Thaumaturge and how much it really will help, so that's good. I'd say you shouldn't need to worry about instant Raises until about Level 42. You will have to be Level 50 for ARR's story, so Conjurer Level is irrelevant. You will have to also be a Level 15 Arcanist, so you'll already know Virus, which is good for reducing an enemy's physical damage dealt, but if you take Arcanist to Level 34, you'll learn Eye for an Eye, which is another helpful skill to reduce enemies' damage dealt. It's not that great of a skill because of its very long cooldown, but it's something.
3. Attribute Points are an utterly failed design idea. Primary stats are so strong that there's no serious reason to increase anything but your primary stat, sadly. As a healer, you can make a weak argument for Piety, so you can increase that a bit if you want, but it just doesn't increase max MP enough to be truly worth it. They can be very easily reset from a Grand Company item if you feel you messed up.
4. I don't put much stock into what is a "raiding server" or not. It's that kind of mentality that kills communities.
5. That's already been covered, so I'll give my personal experiences and opinion. Over all the years I've played MMOs, of all the time I've spent "theorycrafting" (figuring out) how all the parts of a game worked, I ended up at the same exact result 95%+ of the time: The correct answer is the one that makes the most sense, so stop overthinking it. That's never been more true than in this game. Just read every word and number of every Spell/Weaponskill and Ability, and just think a little about what makes the most sense about when and how to use each one, and you'll be right. The rest will only come from practice and experience. And most important: Don't be afraid to admit when you're wrong. That doesn't mean always be paranoid that you're doing it wrong, but being wrong is just another learning experience. So in short: Don't overthink things and be adaptable.
6. There's no serious min/maxing in this game. Some people play games with the Critical Hit and Determination stats, but it's all for negligible increases in damage/healing. I will admit that Skill Speed does trail considerably behind those two stats for physical Jobs (Disciples of War), and Spell Speed for Casters and Healers (Disciples of Magic), except Thaumaturge/Black Mage, basically just makes them run out of MP faster, so that also trails behind. But it's not like those stats are 2x or 3x worse than Crit or Determination, so you never have to worry about it because they're good enough. Like I said before, don't overthink things. The only stat that is virtually worthless is Parry, which is only for tanks anyway. You can technically meld materia up to 5 times on some gear to increase select stats enough to make it equivalent or slightly better than gear with a higher item level, but that's very expensive and not worth it.
7. Just have to restate what I said before: Always be learning and don't overthink things. To me, games are always about learning in some form. Even in an MMORPG where you've learned everything about the game, you can still be learning, for example, how to play with the group of people you're currently playing with from the Duty Finder or Party Finder or perhaps how to do the same task more efficiently.