Final Fantasy 14 Players trying WOW?

[DPZ2]

One thing you'll notice pretty quickly is how little instancing there is. You can pretty much get through the entire intro scenario, without ever having to wait for a loading screen once you're in. WoW flows.

Well, at least until you use your Hearthstone set for Stormwind and spend 7 minutes flying to Booty Bay. Long distances on the world of Azeroth are not shortened by travel by Aetheryte. When I remember flight in WoW and compare that time to loading screens in FFXIV, I am no longer dazzled by rose-colored memories of "but there's no loading screen".

If you enjoy crafting and gathering in FFXIV, you may find the profession limits to be a bit meh. I enjoyed crafting and gathering in WoW, but I also created 14 alts (one for each battle class) on both Alliance and Horde side, each with the ability to send mail containing mats and funds to the other characters, but only on Alliance or Horde side - no sending your Horde character mats from your Alliance character, for example. Also, market boards were separated into Horde and Alliance, so on an Alliance-heavy server you might find things much more expensive in Horde auction houses.

Also, bags. You'll need to purchase/craft soooo many bags.

If you think the Relic Weapon grind is bad in FFXIV, wait until you try to get the appropriate reputations in WoW in order to fly in expansion zones. Or wait until you finish grinding [current expansion McGuffin] for gear upgrades .. it makes materia in FFXIV look like mana flowing from the heavens. I don't miss that.

By all means, go try out WoW. It isn't super-expensive, and you may enjoy the playstyle more. I spent over a decade playing the game, starting with Burning Crusade, and it only got really boring and grindy when Battle for Azeroth came out.

Don't believe the hype that "Classic" WoW is better. I played it when it was current in-game, and it became a slog running alt-class-character #10 through the content. Mists of Panderia is where I started losing interest, but I kept up through a few more expansions because, well, I had a lot of time to spend on the game after <insert major life change here>, and I hadn't found FFXIV at the time.

[EzekielBook]

Ok, long distance travel in WoW is a problem, especially at low levels when you discover a quest that takes you across the continent. And long Flight Paths are definitely a thing (think only being able to travel by Porter). But that's a design decision you, and everyone has to decide how important it is to them. I think of it as a chance to use the bathroom.

Bags yes. Fortunately on most servers, bags are cheap - they've made it among the first things you get in the latest expansion with tailoring, so everyone makes lots of bags. The intro quest (which I think the demo takes you through) leaves you with 4 10-slot bags, which is usually enough for a low level character.

And while you can't transfer items (in most cases) between Horde and Alliance characters, the Auction House has been shared for a few expansions now. So that's a lot less of an issue.

WoW is similar enough to FF that you'll be able to play nearly immediately. The combat system will take the greatest getting used to - the global cooldown in WoW is a lot less than in FF. Combat moves *much* faster, and there's less telegraphing of blows.

what it really comes down to is a style thing. Go in with an open mind. You may find that you prefer some of WoW's design choices. And also keep in mind that the game has evolved over 17 years, and they have not retroactively fixed everything, so there are continuity issues, and you may be confused about the overall plot when you start from scratch. It's up to everyone to decide for themself.

[DPZ2]

And also keep in mind that the game has evolved over 17 years, and they have not retroactively fixed everything, so there are continuity issues, and you may be confused about the overall plot when you start from scratch.

This is a feature of World of Warcraft. The continuity issues are exacerbated by the desire of Blizzard to tell their story outside of game. And I mean if you don't read the books that come out with any given expansio, you may be downright confused.

At the end of the Mists of Panderia expansion the final boss is captured, and a trial (with punishment) is greatly implied. Out comes Warlords of Draenor and, surprise! Said final boss escaped and we have to follow them. Again. How did this happen? you ask? The explanation can be purchased at your local bookstore for a mere $26.00.

You may also find yourself a bit outside the loop for a number of things. You do not get to defeat that final boss in the next expansion. Oh no. Can't have your character do anything like that to the Named NPCs. So, don't expect to go into this game thinking you're the Warrior of Light or anything, because, when push comes to shove, you are nothing more than expendable fodder for the story, not even the main side-kick of the protagonist. Well, because there isn't a single protagonist. The colorful Cast of Characters make the Scions look like pikers.

This comment is from someone who held the Lorekeeper titles (plural) from Wrath, when it meant you managed to go through all 2000+ available quests on both Horde and Alliance.

The books were entertaining, but the developers depended too much on them and the lore books that Blizzard also sold for 'backstory'. Also, the books were apparently thrown away when the entire WoW Universe was retconned to death in the current expansion. I know a number of ex-players that want to believe the Warlords expansion was only a nightmare, and they'll wake up like Pam, with Bobby in that shower, towards the end of the Dallas TV series.

Go on, play the game. I doubt Blizzard has ripped the story entirely to shreds in the early leveling areas. They were still pretty decent through Mists of Panderia, only becoming weirder as time went on.

I'd try out the free Starter Edition first, just so you can figure out if you like this game or not. Apparently, you only need to pay a monthly fee to get all of the expansions except the current one. And be prepared for a 77 gigabyte download, and being tied to Blizzards Battle.net login utility.

[DPZ2]

I'd try out the free Starter Edition first, just so you can figure out if you like this game or not.

Well, that was entertaining, for a few hours at least. Tried the Horde side free intro. It's much better at telling you what the buttons do, takes you through some nice areas that are not actually part of the original game, and then dumps you in, um, Battle for Azeroth? Not going to lie, it's as good an introduction to every DPS-specialization of every class as you can get. Just don't expect it to explain how your Priest heals during combat.

So, Burning Crusade, Wrath of the Lich King, Cataclysm, Mists of Panderia, Warlords of Draenor and Legion might as well not exist. Level 10 Priest with 2 minutes of "welcome to your new specialization" gets dumped into the Wonders of Battle for Azeroth.

From scrub recruit during the few hours of quest lines on "starting area where you were washed ashore" (a trope found in more than one MMORPG these days) to Champion of the Horde! after a few cut scenes once you're out of that area.

At least it makes the Classic game worth considering, just to get some kind of background about "who is this Warchief?" and "Why does she show up in the latest expansion video that you watch after logging in, before you create a character?"

I don't know if I'd have played for 10 years with that swift of a change-over. Love what they did with the Trust dungeon at the end of that introductory story line, but I've always felt a bit over-the-top as a [Shadow] Priest in WoW anyway ... the big bad "it'll take 3 of you to take this mini-boss out" just took a few minutes of my time. Alone. Hurray for healers with shields?

Do give it a try. Just don't look for a particularly in-depth story, nor a clue as to what really happens next (and why).

[Miles064]

Well, that was entertaining, for a few hours at least. Tried the Horde side free intro. It's much better at telling you what the buttons do, takes you through some nice areas that are not actually part of the original game, and then dumps you in, um, Battle for Azeroth? Not going to lie, it's as good an introduction to every DPS-specialization of every class as you can get. Just don't expect it to explain how your Priest heals during combat.

So, Burning Crusade, Wrath of the Lich King, Cataclysm, Mists of Panderia, Warlords of Draenor and Legion might as well not exist. Level 10 Priest with 2 minutes of "welcome to your new specialization" gets dumped into the Wonders of Battle for Azeroth.

From scrub recruit during the few hours of quest lines on "starting area where you were washed ashore" (a trope found in more than one MMORPG these days) to Champion of the Horde! after a few cut scenes once you're out of that area.

At least it makes the Classic game worth considering, just to get some kind of background about "who is this Warchief?" and "Why does she show up in the latest expansion video that you watch after logging in, before you create a character?"

I don't know if I'd have played for 10 years with that swift of a change-over. Love what they did with the Trust dungeon at the end of that introductory story line, but I've always felt a bit over-the-top as a [Shadow] Priest in WoW anyway ... the big bad "it'll take 3 of you to take this mini-boss out" just took a few minutes of my time. Alone. Hurray for healers with shields?

Do give it a try. Just don't look for a particularly in-depth story, nor a clue as to what really happens next (and why).

That sounds like something odd with the starter edition. Each race(well some share) has a starting area that would start in cata(vanilla wow revamp) areas. The undead starter area has you coming out of a tomb after just being raised and being introduced to the Forsaken for example. Once you beat that area, you can then go to the main city and while it does default to WoD for some reason a gnome named Chromie should let you pick which expac to go into from that point. If you pick burning crusade it will then prompt you with a starter quest that leads you to outlands(BC area) and you can quest from there. You can pick from any of the expacs(but again picking "classic" or w/e it is called will be the cata revamped zones, not the og vanilla zones) which also determines what dungeons you get pulled from from the dungeon finder.

Full warning though. The story is in-depth but it isn't forced on you so it can be missed for the stuff that is in game. A good chunk of some of the later background events also happen in books which is super lame if you care about the story.

[Larirawiel]

Ok, long distance travel in WoW is a problem, especially at low levels when you discover a quest that takes you across the continent. And long Flight Paths are definitely a thing (think only being able to travel by Porter). But that's a design decision you, and everyone has to decide how important it is to them. I think of it as a chance to use the bathroom.

And this is a thing i love in WoW and i do not like so much in FF14. I like long distance traveling without instant teleports because it is immersive. When i accept a quest to collect something which is far away then i can understand the NPC why he will give me that quest. But if i must collect something and, thanks to the teleporters everywhere, i need only 30 seconds to complete that quest then i think: why doesn't the NPC collect the things himself? It is only 30 seconds away because he can use the teleporter.


Cheers

[Shurrikhan]

And this is a thing i love in WoW and i do not like so much in FF14. I like long distance traveling without instant teleports because it is immersive. When i accept a quest to collect something which is far away then i can understand the NPC why he will give me that quest. But if i must collect something and, thanks to the teleporters everywhere, i need only 30 seconds to complete that quest then i think: why doesn't the NPC collect the things himself? It is only 30 seconds away because he can use the teleporter.

Admittedly, it also helped back in the day that some zones were more dangerous than others. When a lv28 NPC gave you a quest to deliver something to his far more combat-capable friend or superior on the front, at a hub surrounded by level 40s and for which routes have patroling enemy-faction units, you couldn't help but think, "Yeah, fair enough." Now, with everything being scaled to player level... it's a little wonkier (and, sadly, removes choice of fighting enemies weaker or stronger than you, since anything and everything is almost precisely your level anyways).

[DPZ2]

And this is a thing i love in WoW and i do not like so much in FF14. I like long distance traveling without instant teleports because it is immersive. When i accept a quest to collect something which is far away then i can understand the NPC why he will give me that quest. But if i must collect something and, thanks to the teleporters everywhere, i need only 30 seconds to complete that quest then i think: why doesn't the NPC collect the things himself? It is only 30 seconds away because he can use the teleporter.

Spoken as someone who doesn't remember the ARR storyline post 2.0. If all there was to complete remote quests was airships, ships at sea, and chocobo travel, players would have given up the second time they had to go from some MSQ quest location in La Noscea to the Waking Sands or Rising Stones.

[Larirawiel]

Spoken as someone who doesn't remember the ARR storyline post 2.0. If all there was to complete remote quests was airships, ships at sea, and chocobo travel, players would have given up the second time they had to go from some MSQ quest location in La Noscea to the Waking Sands or Rising Stones.

I cannot remember 2.0 because i have never played it. But i can remember WoW vanilla and classic and i still love it. And in WoW classic you have to travel a lot. From Ironforge to AQ raid instances? It means 20 minutes traveling inclusive babysitting a ship, which roams between the two continents.


Cheers

[Illmaeran]

But i can remember WoW vanilla and classic and i still love it. And in WoW classic you have to travel a lot. From Ironforge to AQ raid instances? It means 20 minutes traveling inclusive babysitting a ship, which roams between the two continents.
Cheers

That's one thing I love(d) about Vanilla and Classic, the travel restrictions reinforced a sense of scale, even if they got painful over time. Snagging the AFK Express from Orgrimmar to Thunder Bluff or Gadgetzan or, God Forbid, Undercity to anywhere, eventually became my time to make snacks, use the bathroom, and otherwise IRL prepare for the next stage of gaming. Even now, I'll frequently fly myself to locations within a zone rather than hop the 70 gil teleport. It's not much, but it does help preserve a sense of scale and narrative.