I started playing just after Black Friday (after buying a new computer) and I just made it through the primary story arc of the base game yesterday. The overall story was great.
The use of cutscenes got a bit brutal in spots... particularly that last raid (seriously, that last raid and the follow up was borderline-crazy with clips). It still made for a great gaming experience though.
All dungeon experiences were completely drama free, which is amazing in itself. The crafting system is the best I have ever seen in a game... so much so that I leveled all 11 crafting and gathering classes into the low 50’s before I had even hit level 33 on my combat class.
There were a few things that I could criticize, but so far, those things have been fairly minor.
Great game.
This game is awesome... wish I’d tried it years ago
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01-27-2020, 11:39 AMDmolothThis game is awesome... wish I’d tried it years ago
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01-27-2020, 11:42 AMMirassou
So glad you like it! Yes there are some long cutscenes, but if you know they are coming and allot the time they are actually awesome. I am going to tell you, it will only get better, the story is totally freaking awesome, and I hope you enjoy the ride as much as I have.
Welcome!!! -
01-27-2020, 11:47 AMSDaemonAfter ARR they've toned down the use of cut-scenes like they did in the last parts of ARR. They still use them frequently but no where near as bad and typically with a warning ahead of time to tell you to set aside the time for it before it starts playing them.Quote:
Originally Posted by Dmoloth
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01-27-2020, 11:54 AMDmolothQuote:
Originally Posted by SDaemon
I’m pretty sure that I was out of combat (in a scene) longer that I was in combat during that last raid... then there was at least 15-20 more minutes of video after the raid ended. It was very cool, but after a while it was starting to wear thin. Ultimately worth it though. -
01-27-2020, 11:59 AMDmolothQuote:
Originally Posted by Mirassou
Thanks. Since starting the game, I have done some general reading about it. From what I can tell, most people seem to agree that the story gets better after the base game. Since I was pretty impressed with the base game, I am really looking forward to it. -
01-27-2020, 12:24 PMIscahKeep in mind that this is a JRPG as much as it's an MMO. I haven't played other MMOs to know how they normally handle things, but 15-20 minutes of cutscenes (or equivalent conversation) at the end of a game - after defeating the final boss and before the credits roll - is perfectly normal to me.Quote:
Originally Posted by Dmoloth
This is, essentially, an entire series of games. Now that you've cleared ARR, you'll be working through a series of patches that build up to another finale - with a warning that there are long cutscenes incoming - before you reach Heavensward. At the end of that game, again you'll get credits and another series of patch stories, building up to a second climax partway through (it's essentially the real ending to HW, after some things are left unfinished at the point when the credits roll) and then lead in to Stormblood. And again between Stormblood and Shadowbringers.
At each of these layers of patch cycles, you'll notice that a lot of new sidequests become available once you clear a main game's finale and credits. Some of them unlock single dungeons, others are entire story arcs which - while not required to progress the main story - sometimes feed back into it or at least get referenced later on. (Side note if you haven't already noticed: any quests with a blue 'plus' marker on the icon will unlock some kind of game content or feature.)
At this point you'll be able to pick up the quest "Legacy of Allag" in Mor Dhona, which leads to the Crystal Tower alliance raids - make sure you do that, because it becomes important for understanding some things later in the story. -
01-27-2020, 12:33 PMAnienaiWelcome fellow FEM ROE!Quote:
Originally Posted by Dmoloth
:) -
01-27-2020, 01:22 PMKelani
Welcome and glad you're enjoying the game! As everyone says the story just gets better as each expansion comes along!
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01-27-2020, 01:48 PMPentheaFor anyone who enjoys the story I cannot stress how important it is to do these quests. Later on in the story the events from there are essential for understanding some extremely important plot points.Quote:
Originally Posted by Iscah
I'm glad you're enjoying the game OP :) -
01-27-2020, 01:56 PMRamessesWelcome... it really is a gorgeous game, innit?Quote:
Originally Posted by Dmoloth
I was fortunate to have played FFXI since early 2004 and as such, when FFXIV game started up the beta in 2010, I immediately jumped in-- it has vastly improved with massive leaps and bounds ever since.
Happy gaming. -
01-27-2020, 03:50 PMFrizzeThe Praetorium instance(and to a lesser extent, Castrum Meridinum before it) are infamous for the number and length of the mid-instance cutscenes. Rest assured, this was a lesson that the devs learned from and you really dont run into it much going forward. Most instances from that point on will have an opening scene(usually just a quick flythrough), and a boss appearance scene, plus a super short victory dance scene. The longer story bits are usually taken care of before you join the instance, and after you leave.Quote:
Originally Posted by Dmoloth
As the others have mentioned the CT raids already, ill mention another. If you care, the Coils raid series offers a lot of interesting lore and really helps explain the calamity from a couple of angles. Now unlike the Tower raids that you can just que up for using the duty finder, the Coil raids were the hardest fights in the game at the time and took dedicated groups to clear back when they were relevant. These days they are mostly completed in unsynced groups made via the party finder tool. They do have a lot of cutscenes, but if you make a party specifically for it you shouldnt have trouble finding people willing to sit back and let you watch the scenes(helping new players through runs gets veterans a bonus, and 13 coil instances means 13 bonuses if they help you through the whole thing). -
01-27-2020, 04:05 PMpurgatoriI wish I shared your affinity for the crafting system. I've been playing since 2.0's launch, and I've yet to get any of the DoL/DoH classes to 50.Quote:
Originally Posted by Dmoloth
That aside, glad to welcome you to the community. You have an incredible journey ahead of you with the expansions, and I wish you all the best along the way! -
01-28-2020, 02:11 AMNeoom
As someone who adored the game since the first time I launched it (on free trial too, ended up buying sub before it ended) I'm happy to see you share the same passion! And as everyone else have said, it will get only better, with story wise and dungeon wise. I really hope you enjoy your stay, and will continue to have alot of fun (fighting or crafting or why not both!) ^^
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01-28-2020, 04:59 AMGoji1639
Congratulations. You're about halfway through the base game. The second half can drag a little, but the end is pretty great and the expansions are a considerable step forward in story telling for this game. You've got a lot to look forward to.
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01-28-2020, 05:57 AMMrKusakabe
The cutscenes are super long. Normally I dislike when the "It might take longer" popup comes up. But as soon as the cutscenes actually run, I enjoy them. As my mom (and me) are both massive Lalafreaks I recorded the cutscene before...something happens in Ul'Dah and that scene alone was 45 minutes straight.
I kept recording the event cutscenes and the main cutscene with Nanamo and I ended up with 1:30 hours of footage - that we both watched on my parent's living room TV as I hooked up my USB harddisk. And even my mom liked them ("[Lalafell] are so cuuute" and "[Yshtola's] eyes are creepy"), so that speaks about their quality when random cutscenes are enough to keep her occupied for 90 minutes. I just hate that we are mute and just nod. In Guild Wars 2, the (German) voice acting is absolutely fantastic and it does not remotely ruins any immersion as the developers of XIV say ("We want you to imagine your voice" - while providing sound effects of someone else's voice...). But yeah, that stoic nodding is terrible. Later, you can choose answers and I pick the meanest now to make up for all the smiling errand boy years.
FFXIV has something very, very special. I can't really point on it, but it's very cozy. I ended up here eventually, too. I'd never want to play something else than Red Mage and Scholar, both are very great professions only Japanese game designers can make and in XIV, I like those professions so much. Rapier-wielding magician with healing abilities and a Dr. med. Scholar far off the typical shiny White Magic healers. Find that in U.S. games! No stupid nonsense like other Asian MMOs pull off, like "Pirate" and such. And the engine is actually running super good - back then on my GTX670 and now on my GTX1080. You always get fantastic performance while having good graphics even on low settings. The ingame community is older than the usual playerbase, but also more mentally instable. I ran into more helicopter mothers in their late 30s than in real life. If you want to stay on the forums, you should get accustomed to a love-hate relationship and enjoyable toxicity.
It's a good deal and it's time people enjoy the game as a piece of art - not as a job/chore.
Sincerely,
https://imgur.com/9mjol58.png -
01-28-2020, 06:01 AMInfinitygirl
I just started too. Took me a while to get used to the combat system as I am still so used to WoW's fast combat system but other than that I am really enjoying the game too. I tried the game about a year ago but I had too many things to play at the time so I couldn't play it so I tried it again a year later and now I am addicted! It's great to have another MMO to play. :D
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01-28-2020, 10:05 AMFrosthaven
Hated the game back in 2013 when I picked it up. Grinding fates until my eyes bled to max jobs was not my idea of fun. Quit after maxing 2 jobs.
Came back a few months ago and there is so much to do I can't step away! It's such a major difference to the 2013 offering. -
01-29-2020, 10:16 PMAveraxAh yes, the praetorium. For more experienced players it's an opportunity to open up whichever your preferred streaming service is tab back in every 10 minutes to do the next thing.Quote:
Originally Posted by Dmoloth
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01-29-2020, 11:17 PMSigSauer
OP: do you believe in Eorzea? I certainly don't, because a wise man said, to believe in Eorzea is to believe in nothing.
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02-01-2020, 01:16 PMDmolothQuote:
Originally Posted by Penthea
I made it to this point tonight. Ran the quest chain and opened up access to the alliance raid.
I doubt I will do the raid but I have access should I get the chance.
Thanks for the info! -
02-01-2020, 01:18 PMDmolothQuote:
Originally Posted by Ramesses
Other than combat (which I feels is so flashy that it becomes distracting) the visuals in this game are stunning. -
02-01-2020, 01:24 PMDmolothQuote:
Originally Posted by Infinitygirl
Although it’s been a while since I played it, I too am basically a WoW refugee. I left over the flight situation years ago. -
02-01-2020, 01:32 PMIscahIf you're thinking "raid" means it will be difficult, it isn't.Quote:
Originally Posted by Dmoloth
It's essentially a 24-man dungeon, and people run it daily - just sign up, and you'll get in.
Once you've got the second raid unlocked, it'll open up a daily roulette, so queues fill easily. -
02-01-2020, 02:39 PMPentheaIf the idea of it being in a raid scares you, don't worry. Those raids are not difficult to do.Quote:
Originally Posted by Dmoloth
You get put into a group of 24 players, which are divided into three teams of 8. Usually the three teams will act independently, so it really is like those trials you have done already, but instead there's three teams of 8 instead of just one team. The main difference really is the experience of exploring an actual zone, instead of just having one boss room. If you can do trials okay, you will have no issue getting used to 24 man alliance raids. -
02-01-2020, 11:01 PMFrizze
Ill echo the people saying to just try the alliance raid. The first instance(Labyrinth of the Ancients) is super easy and accessible. The instance is fairly open, so the 3 groups running around together dont feel cramped. It consists of the same type of trash fights and boss fights as youve done in regular dungeons, so the format isnt foreign. Alliance raids tend to have 4 bosses and a smattering of trash pulls, with each mini-boss dropping a chest for every group and the final boss having a bonus chest for raid-wide items. The types of mechanics you see can be anything from standard(avoid the aoe or stand on the platform type) to the bigger varieties(hide behind something or this attack will kill you or all 3 groups kill 3 adds at the same time without them touching) to the unique(purposefully go inside the monsters belly to give him a tummy ache or do math!). Most of the mechanics are easy enough to figure out without needing a guide(if all else fails, follow the other members of the group). But even the mechanics failures will typically only result in some damage and a vulnerability up stack(so punishing but survivable - just dont get too many). Sometimes failing means your death, but one person failing is never enough to wipe the raid(most fights can see half the group dead and still be winnable if the other half is good).
But the biggest reason to give LotA a try is that it isnt much more of a time commitment then any dungeon you might run. Your typical LotA run is done in 20-25 minutes. Some of the later and more involved alliance raids will last longer(the current one seems to usually take 35-45 mins, depending on a handful of factors), but the first few are easy and short enough that they fit into a dungeon timeslot. -
02-02-2020, 04:30 AMJojoyaI do agree all the combat effects can get overwhelming.Quote:
Originally Posted by Dmoloth
You do have some control over them in Character Configuration (Control Settingsl - Character then scroll to the bottom). I tend to leave my own on, limited for party and off for everyone else. Play with it and find a combination of settings that works best for you. -
02-02-2020, 09:42 AMPacketdancerI often view it as an opportunity to work on my improv stand-up comedy in party chat.Quote:
Originally Posted by Averax
(Opinions on whether this is a good thing or a bad one may differ.)
(Bolding mine.) You really, really should do the three Crystal Tower alliance raids. They're worth it for the storyline, and the story isn't just excellent lore about Allag; there's things you learn during it which are relevant to the main story later. If the reason you wouldn't run it is that you're concerned about not getting the raid right:Quote:
Originally Posted by Dmoloth
- Don't worry. 90% of the people will be massively overgeared; I don't think I've actually seen a wipe in the Crystal Tower raids in ages.
- If you mention in chat that you're new to them, there'll usually be someone helpful willing to explain the mechanics.
- If you're still super self-conscious about it, try to find higher-level friends or FC members who are willing to run it with you. That can be fun anyway since they can explain the mechanics that aren't going to happen because people just blow through the fights. My FC did this for me when I came back and finally moved on past ARR last year, and I've now done the same for sprouts who've joined since then.
- If all else fails, put up a party finder mentioning you're a sprout going through them for the first time, and that you're hoping for a party who can give you guidance. You might be surprised and find folks are fairly willing to help.