Redo the beginning

[Kailok]

DoL and DoH are both classes in this game. If someone does not wish to partake in battle, why not let them choose the class they want from the beginning? I can only imagine how this feature even effects any of you that are pro changing it. And also, several other things should be changed before ANYTHING of this nature. Seriously, this is a ridiculous request.

It doesn't directly effect us. The OP made the point that it confuses new players. If new players start, get confused, and are bored by their beginning sequence, they won't like the game and will end up leaving. It's not really immersive to stand around and throw rocks for 1 damage per rock thrown while you wait for the overpowered NPC to one-shot the mob (which sometimes takes forever for them to kick in.)

Problem is it could potentially reduce the player-base in the long-run. Yes, the player-base is fudged already but I think this is more talking about post-overhaul updates/PS3 release. Nothing wrong with making it so if they want to be a crafter, they have to go to the crafting guild.

[AlexiaKidd]

I must say starting in Ul'dah as a fisherman and having to take down the Gobbue with stone throw was not exactly riveting. I think this is something they should really look at for new players. Also they should maybe use the beginning to run a Battle Regime tutorial and things like that.

[Venat]

Yes your all right. This is a topic we can all agree on. The only instenace it would help in battle if you were to repair the npc`s gear. XD

[BelgianRofl]

A better solution would be to have a tutorial quest that has someone visit a crafting guild and learn to make something. You shouldn't be able to destroy giant dragons 'n such as a fisherman.

[LlenCoram]

This is not a topic I agree on. Leave the gathering and crafting classes in at the beginning. I'm ok with giving us a different start, but they should not be taken out.

I chose fishing as my main class and it continues to be the only class I actually care about.

[Jinko]

They could leave the fight scene in and just have the NPC party members jump in sooner and defend you, I agree with others though that the main story quests have been significantly dumbed down due to crafting and land classes.

Which is kind of annoying in itself seeing as crafting classes have their own class missions anyway.

[InuraBera]

Sadly it does affect us, how you seen how easy the main storyline quests are? I have nothing against crafters being their own full class, but having a crafters take part in battle is ridiculous. Have them do separate quests like someone suggested earlier.

Did you realise that Gatherers and Crafters do 'Parley' in any circumstance that would involve Combat rather than fighting? I hope you did before you posted that - because otherwise you'd realise that the difficulty of Combat in the Story-Quests has no reflection on Crafters or Gatherers being involved at all. I haven't had to throw stones at anything, ever, nor have I had to bring in Combat classes to help - I played the Parley mini-game, won, and progressed.

Tough as it may be to realise, not all of us want to be involved in Combat. I've battled things in basically every game I played. What if, for once, I - Gods forbid - want to do something else, yet still get to enjoy the main Storyline of the game? As to new players getting confused, if the fact that picking a Class that is clearly non-combat confuses them, then I fear for their future.

I picked Botanist at the beginning (after looking forward to choosing it for *months* beforehand) and would never, ever want to have started as a Combat class. If it wasn't for the Gathering classes (particularly Botanist) I wouldn't even bother with the game, as I have more than enough games to get on with killing monsters.

Combat classes have the bulk of content as it is, I only have two GuildLeves per level Range per area to choose from, and a massively limited number of areas to gather from, but hey, if you want to kick those of us in the gut who enjoy playing something different, feel free. My highest Combat class is Lancer at 27 - I'm currently sitting at Botanist 40, which took a lot more time to Rank up each Rank, trust me.

*EDIT* As I see further folks echoing the 'dumbed down for gatherers and crafters' - we use Parley. No combat, no NPC fighting, nothing - just Parley. The fight could stretch miles into a dank cavern, but we would deal with it differently. Everything is instanced during Quests anyway isn't it.

*EDIT 2* A cut and paste from my 'blog' about the Rank 38 Gridania Quest: "To the story, you'll find out yourself, however at one point I had to win three Parleys, without failure and within a really, really strict time limit, or I would be stabbed to death by the Beastmen." Doesn't sound like my Botanist Combat Skill came into play much eh?

*EDIT 3* As Shiyo below says - the Combat only missions are too easy also. I'm not saying the missions are not too easy for Combat, trust me - I had more excitement with the 3 Parley in 10 minutes or tribe of beastmen spawn and stab you to death, than with the Lancer or Archer missions. Hopefully they put the difficulty up enough to be entertaining.

[Shiyo]

People may think they dumbed down a LOT of this game just for gathering/crafting classes to be able to do it, but how do you explain the DOW/DOM quests being a complete joke too? I 1 shot ALL the mobs in the R36 archer quest at R36, and the quest even told me to "Bring more adventurers(lol)?". The R30 Arc quest, the R20 Arc, the R30 conj, the R30 THM, the R20 CON and the R20 THM were all just as easy, complete boring unchallenging jokes. It just doesn't add up or make any sense.

[AlexiaKidd]

Did you realise that Gatherers and Crafters do 'Parley' in any circumstance that would involve Combat rather than fighting? I hope you did before you posted that - because otherwise you'd realise that the difficulty of Combat in the Story-Quests has no reflection on Crafters or Gatherers being involved at all. I haven't had to throw stones at anything, ever, nor have I had to bring in Combat classes to help - I played the Parley mini-game, won, and progressed.

Tough as it may be to realise, not all of us want to be involved in Combat. I've battled things in basically every game I played. What if, for once, I - Gods forbid - want to do something else, yet still get to enjoy the main Storyline of the game? As to new players getting confused, if the fact that picking a Class that is clearly non-combat confuses them, then I fear for their future.

I picked Botanist at the beginning (after looking forward to choosing it for *months* beforehand) and would never, ever want to have started as a Combat class. If it wasn't for the Gathering classes (particularly Botanist) I wouldn't even bother with the game, as I have more than enough games to get on with killing monsters.

Combat classes have the bulk of content as it is, I only have two GuildLeves per level Range per area to choose from, and a massively limited number of areas to gather from, but hey, if you want to kick those of us in the gut who enjoy playing something different, feel free. My highest Combat class is Lancer at 27 - I'm currently sitting at Botanist 40, which took a lot more time to Rank up each Rank, trust me.

*EDIT* As I see further folks echoing the 'dumbed down for gatherers and crafters' - we use Parley. No combat, no NPC fighting, nothing - just Parley. The fight could stretch miles into a dank cavern, but we would deal with it differently. Everything is instanced during Quests anyway isn't it.

When you started as a Botanist did you not have to stone throw the mobs to death at the beginning as I am positive I did not get the Parley option there when I started with Fishing in Ul'dah on an alt, I could be wrong though. I always thought the point of it was a battle tutorial which DoL/DoH have no use for currently.

Also as for DoL/DoH taking part in the main story while I don't have a huge problem with it, I really can't see how a Botanist will overthrow the Garlean Empire and put a halt to the 6th Umbral Era beginning with a round of Parley.

Maybe they could give DoL/DoH a different objective like crafting the secret trinket of Eorzea or gathering the holy branch of burnt wood that will save us all.

[Jinko]

Shiyo when you say you one shot did you mean you nocked 2 additional arrows and 3 shot the mob ?