A few questions regarding equipment.

[Quoc]

I see. What's a "NM"? And the problem with that is, as much as I'd love to party up. There's literally no one in Gridania. If I had some friends, maybe this wouldn't be an issue. But the few people that I have talked to, either do not speak English or just completely ignore me.

And yes, I spend most of my time completing leves and gathering.

I've had lots of suggestions to head over to Ul'Dah but I have no idea on how to get there.

[Ruri]

I see. What's a "NM"? And the problem with that is, as much as I'd love to party up. There's literally no one in Gridania. If I had some friends, maybe this wouldn't be an issue. But the few people that I have talked to, either do not speak English or just completely ignore me.

And yes, I spend most of my time completing leves and gathering.

I've had lots of suggestions to head over to Ul'Dah but I have no idea on how to get there.

A "NM" is a notorious monster. It is a randomly spawning monster who is tougher than others of its type and usually drops some nice equipment. As far as how to get to Uldah from Gridania, basically head south of camp transquil following the road. Then when you zone into the desert area, go west following the road until you reach camp black brush then go south to uldah. Just follow the yellow brick road lol >_<.

Also I highly recommend joining a linkshell when you get to uldah, usually people shout for new members. Without a linkshell the game is pretty boring imo.

[VydarrTyr]

I see. What's a "NM"?

Like Ruri said, NMs are Notorious Monsters. They often look like other mobs, but have a special name. Like Uraeus, Cactuar Jack, or Downy Dunston. They're a souped up version of the normal mob, and they often drop some really nice piece of gear or something that can be crafted into really nice gear.

And the problem with that is, as much as I'd love to party up. There's literally no one in Gridania. If I had some friends, maybe this wouldn't be an issue. But the few people that I have talked to, either do not speak English or just completely ignore me.

... I've had lots of suggestions to head over to Ul'Dah but I have no idea on how to get there.

Yeah, Gridania tends to be a ghost town. Of the three starter cities, it tends to be the one that's most empty. (Which is unfortunate, because I think it's really pretty.)

Here's a map of The Black Shroud. It should look a lot like the map that you can call up in-game through the main menu. There are two green triangles in the upper middle of that red circle. Those are the entrances/exits for Gridania.

If you scroll the map all the way to the bottom (left-click on the map and drag it down), there's another green triangle all the way down at the bottom. If you hover over that triangle, it says "Thanalan." That's the zone that Uldah is in. You're going to want to run there. So, essentially, follow the road from Gridania South all the way to the end.

Here's a map of Thanalan. When you're entering from The Black Shroud, you're going to start from that green triangle in the top right. (Again, if you hover over it, it will say "The Black Shroud.") You're going to want to follow the road West until you get to the middle of that red circle. The road splits there. You're going to want to take the path South. That will run you right to the front gates of Uldah.

As long as we're talking about traveling, if you want to check out Limsa Lominsa, you're going to want to run all the way West in Thanalan. See the area on the far left with the picture of an anchor? If you hover over it, it says "Ferry Docks." You're going to want to run there. Enter through the gate, and go stand down near the dock by the water. Eventually, a ferry will arrive, and you'll automatically get on the boat.

Ride the boat -- it takes 5 - 10 minutes -- and then you'll arrive in Limsa Lominsa.

Don't forget to touch the crystal in each city. (Go stand near the crystal, open your main menu, and click on Aetheryte. That will "attune" you to the crystal.) That way, instead of running there, you can teleport. Which is sooo much faster.

Like Ruri and Xatsh said, I'd highly suggest joining a linkshell as soon as possible. In my opinion, the FFXIV community is the best thing going for it. It's generally better than any other MMO community I've experienced. They'll keep you coming back to the game for a long time.

Have fun!