My in depth review of FFXIV:

Having played for some time now and with two jobs/classes near level cap I can safely make this review without worry of feeling that my viewpoints and opinions were narrow sighted. In this review I will be covering the following:

• Combat Gear
• Field Gear
• Materia System
• Weapons
• Combat System
• Combat Classes
• Jobs
• Field classes and Crafting system
• World
• Graphics
• Music
• Customization
• Duty Finder
• Fates
• User Interface
• Overall Gaming experience
• Linkshells and Free Companies

To make things simple, I'll start with the top of the list and make my way down.

My FFXIV review

I would post the entire thing here but it's 13938 characters. :/

Finished reviewing the review, yeah, I did that.

Combat Gear: I agree with you for the most part that gear is incredibly simple in terms of "bigger numbers? Mmmmkay using that" but I think perhaps they are wanting you to customize your gear using materia maybe?

Field Gear: Again could be more interesting with something like "Make X Skill last 2 turns more" but it doesn't bother me much.

Materia: I think their goal with this was to equip the +Spiritbond gear to make it quicker to earn and to mostly make Materia for your nice gear instead of every piece you get or maybe think of Materia as another proffession that you can dedicate time to and sell on the market?

Weapons: Agreed

Combat: I see where you are coming from however I think you are being a bit critical, the rotation so to speak for classes is pretty straightforward (if you actually read the moves) but you don't really factor in the fact that while you are doing your skills you are dodging piles of crap being flung at you. And pet classes always have the easiest job, period, so that is not really surprising.

Combat Classes: Okay now your bias is showing, Yes all DD feel similar because they are in fact DD same with tanks and healers. However to say that you could play any role with "no difference in how I deal damage aside from arcanist" is just a completely ignorant thing to say, MNK and LNC play completely differently so does BRD. Of course there is a simple "Formula" it is called a Rotation this isn't new to MMO's every single one has it and the only time it is no around is classes based on procing things and situational abilities.

Ontop of that to say the tank's role is to "Only get attacked" is incredibly stupid and simplistic, the tank's job is to yes make sure he is the one getting attacked AND TO TAKE THE LEAST AMOUNT OF DAMAGE AS POSSIBLE which is heavily dependent on knowing the fights mechanics and when to pop the respective cooldown.

Same for healers, to say "Keep everyone alive" is an incredibly simplistic way of looking at it much like saying a DD role is to "Kill it"


Jobs: I agree I was very disappointed that when I became a DRG really all it was was 5 new skills and a stat boost but hey I'd blame that more on expecting something and then being given something else.

Field Classes/Crafting: Agreed it is pretty spiffy.

World: Agree again it is a beautiful world.

Graphics: Hellz yeah, not to bring up the W word but I was looking at some WoW graphics earlier and just laughed after playing ARR for a bit.

Music: Again I agree it is great.

Customization: I know it may sound spoiled but I would of liked a few more options bout certain things like facial hair n whatnot but for the most part it was great.

Duty Finder: Both a blessing and a curse, it has its uses and also its negatives but I won't go into that unless specifically asked xP

FATES: Agreed, great idea that was used in Guild Wars 2 but they made it too spammable/blowupable/rewarding.

UI: I like it

LS/FC: Both are great and all the bad things about FC's are being fixed in 2.1

Overall Gaming Experience: You seem to be obsessing over difficulty but you haven't done any of the hardest stuff yet, ontop of that you give pretty much every aspect a good rating yet gave the game a 4/10? Should be pretty obvious I don't agree with that.

I think you touch on some good points but then have some completely terrible ones but I don't regret reading it.

TL;DR 4/10 cause its too easy. Thank you! Come again!

It's a good game but I still give it a 4/10. Yeah good games deserve bad ratings @.@.

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Originally Posted by Mazi

Stuff that If didn't break the stupid 1k text limit would be in this quote.(no offense)

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Any tank with half a brain would see the red cone or circle and go"oh yeah...avoid this." And as I said in my review: Their job is extremely easy. If they can't figure out: X ability makes monsters hit me and not others than I just don't know what to say... To say that they need to "know when to use them" is over-complicating something that is as simple as waiting on the global cooldown of said ability.

I rated it based on my review, in case you didn't notice, even though i refrained from being biased, the only things i mentioned that were decent was the graphics,music, crafting and gathering system, and customization. Which totals up to 4 good things about the game. I simply used the 1-10 rating system to rate it.

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Originally Posted by ZakarnRosewood

TL;DR 4/10 cause its too easy. Thank you! Come again!

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If you think this game is challenging, then you should NEVER EVER touch FFXI...

I had to stop reading after you started talking about how none of the classes play differently except for the arcanist. This isn't a review. This is a bash article you wrote. When someone reviews something they talk about the good and the bad. I couldn't keep reading because all you did was talk about the bad. We all get it. You're mad. Move on, this game is not for you.

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Originally Posted by Scootaloo

If you think this game is challenging, then you should NEVER EVER touch FFXI...

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Aaaaand there goes all your credibility.

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Originally Posted by Scootaloo

If you think this game is challenging, then you should NEVER EVER touch FFXI...

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I was quoting the end of your review friend. not making any statement of my own. you really should have had a TL;DR like this in your OP, would have saved me the trouble.


As far as difficulty, that should not determine the rating of a game. Some of the most simplistic games get excellent ratings and provide hours of fun. I'm only level 35 and have yet to reach end game content. I would also like to add that the truly challenging end game content is yet to be released (Crystal Tower, Labyrinth of Bahamut, Extreme/Hyper difficulty dungeons/Primal fights, more optional FATES like the Lightening one and other yet to be revealed contents)

Unless of course you were somehow under the impression that this is all FFXIV:ARR will ever have by way of content.

You have zero credibility as a reviewer. You pretty much have proven that you are cynical critic. Nothing will please you, and for some reason you think the world must know it.

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Originally Posted by Bustercucumbers

You have zero credibility as a reviewer. You pretty much have proven that you are cynical critic. Nothing will please you, and for some reason you think the world must know it.

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http://dashie.mylittlefacewhen.com/m...068_medium.jpg

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Originally Posted by ZakarnRosewood

As far as difficulty, that should not determine the rating of a game. Some of the most simplistic games get excellent ratings and provide hours of fun. I'm only level 35 and have yet to reach end game content.

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The difficulty of a game has a very big impact in most games. This isn't some little 16bit facebook game we are playing here, this is a Final Fantasy title and it has an image to upkeep. and the company knows this. I also look forward to said challenging content.

It's a very biased and amateur review. Something I would expect IGN to come out with in all honesty. Some points I'll agree with, but giving your own biased opinion in a review doesn't help persuade people one way or the other in how the game actually feels for them personally.

It's obvious this game does not suit your fancy, and that's fine. There isn't one game out there that pleases every type of gamer. Perhaps another game will come along that you enjoy more so you can make a "review" about that as well.

Don't even bother with this troll thread. You've been warned. I have a feeling the gigantic my little pony images might give it away as well.

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Originally Posted by Scootaloo

Straw man arguments, generalizations and over all misrepresentation of facts

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No offense, but you have no clue what you are talking about... Don't quit your day job! IGN or GameInformer are not going to hire you. My unbiased review of your writting and reviewing skills 1/10. I said its unbiased... So that makes it so by your standard. Should expect nothing less from someone that clearly jumped on the brony wagon. Congrats, you are an Internet hipster.

Oh and if you think XI was hard it explains your review. Time sinks are not difficulty. Now go play the classes/jobs you reviewed on endgame content and suck at it while trying to force your opinion upon others in order to validate yourself. As anyone can see, you have not put in sufficient work to make an "in depth" review on any combat class or role.

http://na.finalfantasyxiv.com/lodest...acter/2233242/

I welcome you to my ignore list!

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On occasion I'll toss a cure to another player who happened to get hit with an AOE but unless the tank isn't doing their EXTREMELY EASY job of keeping all monsters focused on them, I should never have to heal another player.

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I stopped reading right there.

Have you done anything past level 40ish? Because from what I have encountered so far, is that there are a few encounters where there's some damage that can't be mitigated by stepping out of the red spot on the ground.

Also like someone else pointed out: time sinks does not equal a harder game. (Not saying this is really difficult before hardcore end game stuff.)

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Originally Posted by Claire_Farron

Don't even bother with this troll thread. You've been warned. I have a feeling the gigantic my little pony images might give it away as well.

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The exact opposite actually, but people are trying to turn it into one to discredit my review thread.

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Originally Posted by Destain

Obvious WoW player rant.

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Ah, WoW players...Gotta love to hate em. No matter how much many will deny being one though their trade mark remarks on FFXI being a time-sink always gives it away.

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Originally Posted by Scootaloo

The exact opposite actually, but people are trying to turn it into one to discredit my review thread.



Ah, WoW players...Gotta love to hate em. No matter how much many will deny being one though their trade mark remarks on FFXI being a time-sink always gives it away.

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Lol, nope XI and XIV are the only MMOs I have ever played. Nice try to discredit my obvious valid statements. Since you can make assumptions about my history I will make assumptions about yours. You are a HS or new college student that thinks he has a superior intellect and struggles to maintain that facade and you mask your insecurities by attacking others or throwing up the prototypical gif insult to any nay sayers. Can't wait to continue this. With the night off, home cleaned and a fresh bag I will hang out in your troll thread as long as you want to play this game.

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Originally Posted by Tristaris

I stopped reading right there.

Have you done anything past level 40ish? Because from what I have encountered so far, is that there are a few encounters where there's some damage that can't be mitigated by stepping out of the red spot on the ground.

Also like someone else pointed out: time sinks does not equal a harder game. (Not saying this is really difficult before hardcore end game stuff.)

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Not to mention the red circles start to disappear as you hit the higher-level encounters. And then you have those rather unforgiving encounters where if a single player forgets to do a single thing, the entire party gets one-shotted (e.g. missing a stun/silence on Dhorme Chimera). Even relatively simple fights with predictable patterns, like Ifrit or Demon Wall, are really easy to wipe on if one person doesn't do his job right.

And this stuff is just starter, lowbie end game.

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Originally Posted by alexhatesmil

Not to mention the red circles start to disappear as you hit the higher-level encounters. And then you have those rather unforgiving encounters where if a single player forgets to do a single thing, the entire party gets one-shotted (e.g. missing a stun/silence on Dhorme Chimera). Even relatively simple fights with predictable patterns, like Ifrit or Demon Wall, are really easy to wipe on if one person doesn't do his job right.

And this stuff is just starter, lowbie end game.

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Well, I have said that my character highest character is 47, so at the present time I have yet to do end game content like the stuff you guys are talking about.

On a side note: I made my review based on my experience in the game so far. That's what reviews are about usually, one's perception of said game based on what they have experienced in game. with that said, it can change as time goes on.

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Originally Posted by Scootaloo

Well, I have said that my character highest character is 47, so at the present time I have yet to do end game content like the stuff you guys are talking about.

On a side note: I made my review based on my experience in the game so far. That's what reviews are about usually, one's perception of said game based on what they have experienced in game. with that said, it can change as time goes on.

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Ah right, right, I missed the part where you stated your level- my bad.

A bit higher on the dungeon difficulty ramps up quite a bit- coupled with the tank having to most certainly work for threat. It's very easy to mis-time one ability and a very solid DPS to pull threat right now on multiple packs.

I'm confused...I thought the OP said 2 jobs/classes near level cap, yet I'm only seeing one with his main at 47 and his next highest at 26, therefore you've not even touched the real content the game has to offer, in terms of difficulty for instances starting at 50...it makes everything under it seem like a tutorial in which tbh, they possibly are exactly that.

I find it very hard to take your review seriously at all when you're bashing the most BASIC CONCEPT of any MMO that has a tank, healer and DD within it.
I'm using an Archer (Bard) class which makes me a support DD simply from being able to give off MP or TP regeneration and if needed, the ability to boost the effects of the regens by 100% for 30 seconds with a 5 min cooldown if thing's go to shit and the healers need an MP boost. (cont)

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Originally Posted by Tristaris

Ah right, right, I missed the part where you stated your level- my bad.

A bit higher on the dungeon difficulty ramps up quite a bit- coupled with the tank having to most certainly work for threat. It's very easy to mis-time one ability and a very solid DPS to pull threat right now on multiple packs.

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If this end-game content is as challenging as you say, I look forward to it! I will say this though, Dzemael Darkhold is challenging and groups I pair up with rarely complete it. Though the lack of completing is partially due to the fact that I get slapped with first timers a lot.

Please don't title your review as "in-depth" when you have only experienced the basic content that any new player can achieve with some time. A proper in-depth review would include end game content such as Hard Mode Primals and unlocking Coil of Bahamut.

I have experienced this content and it is nothing like leveling up in the main story, doing the easy dungeons or fates. I have nothing against you attempting to review the game, but please label it as a basic new player review next time.

Also at the end you say you found it far too easy to level, all I can say to that is "Good", why should every game have to be a massive grindfest to 50? besides, a lot of games have been going the quicker to level route these days, especially for the western audience as most of us generally speaking don't like to endlessly grind like the Korean players like to, the end game instances require general reaction skills and also a general tactic in order to beat them, if you fail then you can die/squad wipe if played carelessly, I personally just think you're bashing on the game for what ever reason you could possibly have and don't agree with any of your bad points.

As someone already mentioned, the game obviously isn't for you and that's fine, but reviewing a game based on your opinions without even doing end game stuff while attempting to "thoroughly" review the game and how "easy" it apparently is for tanks and such is generally a poor way to review anything.

OP says game is easy when he hasn't even touched End-game content yet. He must be speaking the truth.

You should also note that YoshiP claims "the game starts at level 50", so writing an 'in-depth review' prior to that level is a little... Misleading.

ITT: I wanted FFXI-2.

I didn't get it.

I'm angry and am now declaring this game for casuals.

Good grief man, have you even started going through endgame yet?