How am I meant to level with a friend now?

[Dubont]

You have got to be kidding me. Took less than 4 months for me to get to 90 with two different sub jobs and a lot of missions under my belt.

I grinded in XIV for 6 months and got to 33.

I mean FFXI BEFORE it went to easy mode. Your first 75 took an easy 9-12 months, but you wouldn't know that because you either summoner burned or abyssea burned. At any rate, my first 50 in FFXIV took only 3 months and that was with me only playing a few days a week and trying out different jobs. 14 is literally one of the easiest games to level up in.

[Bled]

Casuals = $$$$$$, 10 year MMO vets = $

False

Casuals = Burst of $$$$$$, then they leave after being bored.

10 Year MMO vets = $$$ sustained over 10 years.

[SuzakuCMX]

I'm on Selbina, i know we have a good pop of both french, American, and JP's however i do not know if we are "well" populated in respects to the other servers.

Selbina is one of the most populated servers :P That's why I joined it (and also why it was the only one that had its Market Wards crash in the 2 weeks-ish before the patch).

Anyways, leveling is still pretty easy going in this game. Try doing more than just leves and behests (which are mob grinding anyways).

EDIT: I've ranked up 4 times in the past 2 days and I've only done some leves and a bit of grinding.

[Bled]

Selbina is one of the most populated servers :P That's why I joined it (and also why it was the only one that had its Market Wards crash in the 2 weeks-ish before the patch).

Anyways, leveling is still pretty easy going in this game. Try doing more than just leves and behests (which are mob grinding anyways).

Well then talk about luck of the draw i just jumped on it because of the fond memories in Valkrum... lol.

[LuxLex]

Part of the reason why people take your post so hostile is because you are judging the game blindly... like you said you log in once and while. Riddle me this, if you logged into FFXI once and while would you find it fun? and this question is even more relevant back in the day, before Hello Kitty Island Adventure mode that abysea made the game.

"Honestly the game needs less blind cheerleading" is what you said, how do you think you have the right to call people blind cheerleading when your blind criticizing.

I played for six months straight. I play every time there is a major patch. I play in between sometimes too, when I feel like fishing especially (since I like it better than fishing in XI). I am not "criticizing blindly." The game needs to bring people like me back to survive. I know folks don't want to believe that, but it is true. The game can't survive on people who have liked it all along. If it could, they would be charging right now.

As for would I enjoy XI if I just logged in once in awhile? Yes. I have in the past, and I do now. Although I play it pretty regularly there are times I can't play as much, and I enjoy the times I do play I still enjoy it.

Part of the reason is, I can log in, accomplish a goal, and log out. Did so today. Worked on one of my pet 10% -pdt magian axes. Did one trial in a string of many. Got one step closer to my goal. Logged out.

The other part of the reason is, XI is actually fun, so a lot of people continue to play it. So if I don't log in for a week, when I come back, my LS hasn't broken. or isn't completely empty. You can criticize Abyssea all you want, but it is fun, and the evidence is in all the returning players I meet.

I play games to have fun, not to measure my non existent virtual peen against other people. I find stuff challenging there all the time. Does it mean I suck? I don't care. My goal is to have fun, not to impress people.

I'm sorry but if this game was so hot, my 4 LS would not be empty every time I log in. It needs criticism a lot more than it needs blind love.

I am sincerely happy that folks are enjoying the game. You are important to the game's survival too. The game does need people who believe in it. Heck, I believe in it. But criticism is healthy.

[Forbin]

Why even bring up the teabag thing? Grow up.

Depends what kind of grind. Mindlessy killing the same mobs over, and over, and over, and over, and over again. Fun? Not a chance. Good luck trying to sell that game to the audience that SE NEEDS in order for this game not to get shut down.

There are a quite a few very popular MMOs that have a rewarding, lore-filled, exciting, content-rich leveling process.

Thats the same thing people said about FFXI... 10 Years Later'd it's still going very strong.

[LuxLex]

False

Casuals = Burst of $$$$$$, then they leave after being bored.

10 Year MMO vets = $$$ sustained over 10 years.

Yeah that is why farmville is losing money, amirite?

[LuxLex]

Thats the same thing people said about FFXI... 10 Years Later'd it's still going very strong.

yeah, because the devs decided to make the game more fun when they saw people leaving the game in droves.

[Warp]

Thats the same thing people said about FFXI... 10 Years Later'd it's still going very strong.

Very strong? Debatable.

But guess what brought back a surge of players to FFXI? Casual content... because you don't get much more ezmode than Abyssea.

[Dubont]

yeah, because the devs decided to make the game more fun when they saw people leaving the game in droves.

By "fun" you mean "easy" with the release of Abyssea...and that was still...what..8 years after the game's release? Your point is invalid. Also, at least acknowledge my rebuttal to your statement about FFXIV being a longer grind than the GOOD FFXI..