I miss party grinding (as a viable option)

[SgtPepperUK]

As long as it doesn't become mandatory to level i wouldn't have a problem adding specific zones that require a party and having the mobs give a lot more xp, however 200 mobs to gain a whole level is WAY to fast imo.

If it becomes mandatory then its a very bad idea, groups are common on launch but no so common 3 years after launch.

They already exist, they're called dungeons

I did a Stone Vigil run today simply for exp, more fun and less laggy than chasing FATEs and I get to help someone who needed it for their storyline quest, win-win.

[Steeled]

No, it shouldn't be the only way to level, it shouldn't even be the best, but it should be competitive. I'd trade a little xp/hr loss for a chance at not following a herd of players.

Combine dungeons and grinding. Give us a dungeon, so that we have our own camps, at leach 5 level increment, where the goal is just to kill mobs for an hour and a half. Randomize the pops so it stays fun.

Make the mobs drop exp and a few (like 2-5) GC seals each.

[SolidWolf]

Having exp parties back like in FFXI would be AWESOME!

[misterrpg]

I completely agree with the OP.

I miss camping from XI. It was the best experienced I've had in any MMO.

Fates are boring. They don't each anyone how to play their class and give way too much EXP. At least give dungeon mobs more EXP. They give hardly any at all.

[ponysteak1]

I only got up to lvl 30 something as a RDM on FFXI, but I absolutely loved party grinding (what you're talking about I think) and I was assuming that was also in FFXIV going into it. Not that it's omission deters me from playing in the least, however I am a bit disappointed it isn't there.

I remember specifically grouping up in some beach environment and grinding fish (called Pugils I think). There were other groups around as well, and we'd kinda fight over mobs which was fun. I miss that. Bring it back, please.

EDIT: Come to think of it, that was what made the original Everquest so much fun. Finding a group, sticking together, and camping/farming mobs.

[misterrpg]

<snip>

It was Valkurm Dunes, the beginning of every XI player's journey. It is my favorite zone out of any MMO.

Unfortunately don't expect Yoshi P and the development team to bring this back. They will say something along the lines of "The FATE system is already a ground-breaking, intuitive, and powerful way to get experience points." When in reality, FATEs is one of the game's weakest points.

[ponysteak1]

Ah yep, it sure was.

I agree about FATE's. I joined a "FATE train" (lol) only once and stuck around for 2 FATE's before I bailed. It feels so cheap and takes literally no skill (as a Bard at least). I'd much rather quest or do dungeons and feel a sense of accomplishment. I don't see how people can enjoy doing them for hours on end, but to each his own.

Though saying that, it is nice to join a FATE if it's nearby while questing just to shake things up a bit and get in some group play while waiting for the dungeon finder to pop.

[d0e1ow]

Do you guys miss grinding mobs specifically, or do you miss the social interaction that you perceive to have come from these activities? I played Flyff before I started WoW years ago and I remember the one thing about WoW that put me off was the insular nature of the leveling experience. Past a certain point in Flyff you absolutely needed to be in a party in order to maximize your efficiency. It paid off. I also met many people through doing this.

The action we were doing was not particularly exhilarating, but the people we played with were interesting to us. It seemed like MMO's back then were way more about just making friends and "being in the world". Now they are all about gameplay first and foremost.

I don't know if the answer lies in going back to old school party grinds out in the world, but maybe somewhere else. I certainly dislike how insular MMO's have become, and for all the good that it does do, I fear FFXIV has not changed the current trend of the "lonely MMO".

[Asiaine]

XP Parties
- Learning how to play your job
- Practicing techniques and skills in combat
- Experience working with others
- Opportunity to make friends


Fate Grinding
- No opportunity to learn your job
- No experience working with others
- Limited capability to make friends

In a FATE event, I would, as an ACH:
<tab> 1 (bio), <tab> 1, <tab> 1, <tab> 1
No need to do any other skill (no time even really).
After 3-5 minutes, I got 20k+ XP. I was shocked at how fast I could level.

The end result, is now I go into dungeons and have no idea what my skills do or how to use them, and spend dungeon runs LEARNING how to play (when in reality, you should learn in XP camps and dungeon runs are where you use your experience to accomplish missions).

Sadly, those who are happy with FATE (to the exclusion of 'XP Camps') need to forfeit their right to complain when using Duty Finder and get paired with someone who knows not how to play.

[ponysteak1]

Do you guys miss grinding mobs specifically, or do you miss the social interaction that you perceive to have come from these activities?

I think both kind of. A bit of chit chat is always nice, otherwise I'd just play something offline. But at times there was also real challenge there. Like fighting mini-bosses over and over and mastering them, even though they are just mobs. At other times it could be easy, it all depended on the content/level/skill of the group. But in times like that there was chatting, which is one of the main reasons I prefer online RPGs over offline RPGs.