The "Wow Refugee's" impact on the FFXIV Community?

[TheUltimate3]

What is one thing you would want to say to "Wow Refugee's" before they enter the community?
The story and lore are deeper than you think. Please don't skip cutscenes and really let the story lead you by the hand.

I can say from experience, quite a few refugees are fleeing WoW because the story is so jaaaaaank.

So I think those guys will at least find XIV's consistent story a treat.

[drashrock]

2. Playing World of Warcraft for 10 years means nothing in FFXIV.

Very much false. As someone who played wow for 12 years, transitioning to XIV during the latter half of ARR was a near non-issue. I found it very simple to get a grip on specifically because its so similar to WoW. The GCD difference meant nothing, tanks dont kite bosses or mobs in WoW to begin with unless doing high m+ keys. A better dungeon cimparison would've been to stress the importance of dps waiting for the tank to pull. But again, anyone with 10 years of wow experience will know that instantly and flip the switch in their head that says "treat this like Burning Crusade"

The differences are so negligable that anyone with a year of wow experience can easily transition to xiv. The differences are so small, its nothing more than "oh, ok, thats how the gcd works" before you've hit level 2. If i didnt have 12 years of wow experience, yeah, i'd have a tough time learning when i first played. But i do have that experience, so learning was nothing more than making mental footnotes in my reservoir of wow knowledge and rebranding it the XIV reservoir of knowledge.

Dont mistake my post for animosity, i absolutely love xiv, and because of blizzards performance recently, i believe im here to stay instead of spliting my time between the 2 games as i have been doing.

[Caitlyn]

snip

I was more refering to new FFXIV players, who experienced a few years in WoW and thought they could beat any high end raid easily. Last year, I ve met someone who said something like "I played WoW world first for x years. I know how to tank!" (he was actually kiting the boss and doesnt know how to tank swap). Maybe a troll, but I m not sure. I just want to say, that not anything from WoW will work FFXIV, too.

[Raelsar]

Do you think the mass influx of "Wow Refugee" players will positively or negatively effect the community as a whole? And how so?

As a general rule, I think the trend has been largely positive; the influx of new players who have to learn the ropes of the game (even with the similarities, there's a few quirks) usually has a positive effect on the community trying to help them.

That being said, as a long-time WoW player myself (been playing both games for years)... I am keeping an eye out for certain "problem behaviours", hoping that I can correct the problems before they become bigger ones.

Just as an example, one trend I'm seeing as of late is a large number of new tanks recklessly rushing on ahead in lower level dungeons without any regard for the well-being or capabilities of the party. Between the influx of "WoW refugees" and this sort of "tanking" being VERY common in WoW (where it actually works, though I still consider it an issue there), I feel there's a need to try and rein those players in a bit before people start emulating them.

---

Another oddity was that I actually encountered a legitimately toxic player in FFXIV about a week and a half ago... who was a sprout tank in a low level dungeon.

Got a bad feeling when these things happened at the start:

• Running into the first group of mobs without waiting for half a second
• The first thing the guy said, about a minute into the run, was "what the hell sort of name is raelsar"
• The guy himself had a fairly vulgar name, which I won't repeat here
• Other obnoxious things, like holding one letter until it shows up 50 times in a row in chat.

Not quite sure why I toughed out that run, but the guy was blacklisted immediately afterwards... but yeah, it felt like the worst parts of the WoW community had discovered FFXIV. Small and isolated so far, which can be tolerated and dealt with accordingly... I just hope it's that, small and isolated incidents.

[Floortank]

It's a mixed bag, some good, some bad.

WOW is a lot more toxic than FFXIV, and the community is a lot dumber on average, just judging by the stupidity of WOW's trade chat. While shout chat in FFXIV has its low moments, the arguments tend to be less frequent. Whereas in WOW, it is a 24/7 episode of Jerry Springer or Maury, mixed with Alex Jones and a KKK rally. Truly some of the most vile and reprehensible people on Earth play that game.

So when some of that flotsam finds its way to FFXIV, of course there's repercussions. If you track Steam users of FFXIV alone, from the drop of WOW's 8.1 patch onward, Steam users of FFXIV have increased by the thousands. Like two or three thousand. I say this, because 8.1 was absolutely hated by the WOW playerbase, and there was a mass exodus to Eorzea as a result. Since then, I've seen things in shout I've never seen in FFXIV, like people using the N word straight up.

We also got an update to the Terms of Service addressing toxicity during this time. Coincidence? Maybe. But still, worth considering.

Which is not to say that WOW refugees aren't welcomed. There's a lot of great people coming over, who will contribute to the community. I've followed several on Twitch in the last couple of months. They're the sort of people who've played WOW for 10+ years and finally made the switch to FFXIV, and are enjoying the game and willing to answer questions to WOW players who are looking to switch. These kinds of players are already making a positive impact, because their optimism and helpfulness starts refugees out on the right path, with the right mindset.

So like I said, it's a mixed bag.

[Coltvoyance]

Welcome, first of all.

Second, it's always great to have more people playing. It's the sign of a healthy game, and it's up to us to show people the way.

Third, FFXIV definitely has its share of sinners and saints and most are normal people; just like the real world. That said, the community can be a lot of fun and there's a great deal of encouragement from the developers and the community itself to reach out and help those in need. Now, people don't run around being helpful goodie two shoes all the time, but the game has fostered a spirit of altruism that can often be the tipping point in your average joe choosing to do a community action once in awhile and make a helpful impact on those around them.

That's what makes it feel magical. Because it seemingly comes from nowhere in places you don't expect.

As for what WoW refugees' effect on this ecosystem will be? I'd say minimal if anything at all. People adapt to new lands and fortunately for us, this is Eorzea. A land that's had an established community and culture for 6 years; or really 9 years if you include 1.0. We're millions strong with players from probably every corner of the MMO, gaming and non-gaming world. And we're ready for you to join us.

Lastly, advice for WoW players before joining us?
Have fun. Take a breath and take in the world. Know that things may work differently in Eorzea; it's a different land after all. So be inquisitive, explore, ask questions and learn about the new land you're in. Those who approach you with instruction, mostly, just want to help. So listen with care. A lot of times, it's not because what your doing bothers them personally, but they know others may take issue with it and they want to spare you from that conflict.

So enjoy your new grand adventure! It's a wonderful time.

[LalaRu]

"Refugees" from other games are always welcome, when they add a nice experience on iteration with other players.

[Derio]

First of all Welcome.

Secondly yes most people like to help. Even though the MSQ kind of mends your character to be that way. The WoL helps everyone no matter big or small and I guess you can say that kind of attitude even if its only the MSQ rubs off on people.

[DarkMasamune]

Welcome

The only thing I'd say about those refugees, is to not think you'd know everything right off the bat just because you played World of Warcraft. I knew someone who was like that. Since he actually mocked me because I said I couldn't get into WoW because I was so used to FFXIV (and didn't have the time anyway) he acted like all MMOs were the exact same thing. That he'd be a top player first try, see ? lmao

Regardless, new players are always welcome in the community, and I sure hope you'll have fun ! Many players are there to help, mentors or not.

[MrKimper]

I was more refering to new FFXIV players, who experienced a few years in WoW and thought they could beat any high end raid easily. Last year, I ve met someone who said something like "I played WoW world first for x years. I know how to tank!" (he was actually kiting the boss and doesnt know how to tank swap). Maybe a troll, but I m not sure. I just want to say, that not anything from WoW will work FFXIV, too.

I had a similar friend like this, he was an old oooold WoW player who used to do high end content, very toxic and would curse out healers or not properly use cooldowns while tanking. He got better(After a judge smack) but it was always rather embarrassing, that being said I've also dealt with the XIV "this is my playstyle" type of player who uses doton on one mob, or kaiten to reset mudras before a fight, or PLD's who don't use oaths, or RDM's who use jolt and scatter on single targets OR RDM's who don't "like to use their melee side". It comes from all sides and I think this community at base has a certain level of toxicity.