Ugh! Just returned and am frustrated.

[Ozreth]

I'm a legacy player returning for ARR. I was a Bard before, but now I am 30 archer and 15 conjurer, as it looks like prereqs for Bard have changed. So now I have to level PUG to 15...no big deal except for I need to get to Ul Dah to do the class quests. So I go to the airship...turns out I cant ride it anymore! I look online and find out I have to do all of the main quests again and will get the airship pass after doing the level 15 man quest. Frustrating but ok. Problem is I cant find the main quest anywhere to pick it up! Im in Gridania and the lady at the Inn has nothing for me. Grrrr!

[Espon]

You can actually walk from Gridania to Ul'dah. Just travel to Central Shroud -> South Shroud -> Eastern Thanalar -> Central Thanalar -> Ul'dah. You should be relatively safe if you stick to the roads and sprint if anything aggros.

I would check your quest log first then areas you've been to for the main quest. It has sort of a fireball icon, unlike other quests.

[Mikedizzy]

I would look up the Quest Progression online and then see what your log says the point you are at is. That is how I found my way when I got lost.

[Ozreth]

You can actually walk from Gridania to Ul'dah. Just travel to Central Shroud -> South Shroud -> Eastern Thanalar -> Central Thanalar -> Ul'dah. You should be relatively safe if you stick to the roads and sprint if anything aggros.

I would check your quest log first then areas you've been to for the main quest. It has sort of a fireball icon, unlike other quests.

Right, and I could walk, but I just feel like I should be able to get on the dang airship at level 30 haha.

I would look up the Quest Progression online and then see what your log says the point you are at is. That is how I found my way when I got lost.

Good call! Thanks!

[Rufalus]

If you already have the Bard soul stone you should still have it regardless of if the requirements changed to get one. As a returning player be sure to enlist retainers; they will inherit all the items your old retainers had.

[Antanias]

If you already have the Bard soul stone you should still have it regardless of if the requirements changed to get one. As a returning player be sure to enlist retainers; they will inherit all the items your old retainers had.

Also, check with any of the Calamity Salvager for the rest of your missing items.

[Ronyx]

It could had been worst. If you would had started in Limsa XD haha then you would have to do a lot of quest before getting to Uldah/Gridania.

[Enkidoh]

Welcome back to Eorzea! If you cannot find where to pick up the main storyline, after doing the initial tutorial quests in the Adventurer's Guild (where you're sent to attune to the city's aetheryte, to speak to an npc at the markets and enrol in your starting class's Guild), after you finish that quest, just speak to the Adventurer's Guild proprietor again (Miounne in your case) to continue the storyline (the next one is a level 4 story quest). She'll send you to the Bannock, a small camp in the Central Shroud.

If Miounne doesn't have a quest currently available, either you still have the tutorial quest active or she's already given you the one to go to the Bannock. You can check by opening your journal - it will automatically open to the main storyline and any story quests you currently have active. You can also view the map on the journal if you're unsure where to go.

As for the changes to the game that a returning player has to contend with, there was a page on the old Lodestone that listed everything that had changed in the transfer and the differences a returning character has over a new character (certain features are unlocked by default to a returning character which normally require a new character to play through the storyline to unlock), can be found here: http://lodestone.finalfantasyxiv.com...a1dd51085f4be3 It should be noted that some of the content available to a returning character is actually dependent on whether or not you actually gained it in 1.0 - for instance, the Armoury System is actually locked by default in ARR to a new character until they reach level 10 in their starting class and complete the class quests for their class's Guild to level 10, by which it's then unlocked. They then have to go to each Guild in turn and enroll at that guild to actually unlock that class.

A character returning from 1.0 however has all their classes (and Jobs) already unlocked, provided you had gained exp in them. If you neglected to level a class in 1.0 it will be locked and unavailable until you play through your starting class's guild quests and 'unlock' the Armoury System just like a new character. This happened to me when I started in ARR (back in Phase 4) - I only had exp in CNJ and GLA in 1.0 and hence was only able to switch between the two until I had done all the CNJ Guild quests to the level 10 one, and then unlocked every other class after this. It's confusing and restrictive I know, compared to how in 1.0 you could simply change class at will from the start, but that's the decision SE has made. As someone else mentioned if you unlocked a Job in 1.0 you'll also have that Job crystal at the start as well, and can simply switch to if you so desire - although I'm not sure if you can do the class quests while the Job is active.

As you found out airships are not available in this way however - you indeed have to play through the starting city's storyline and at the end airships are unlocked for you FFXI style. There is a story reason which is revealed in time which I won't mention, but for technical reasons I believe the restriction was placed so as to allow new players to gradually work through the content in a more formal structured way instead of being inundated with content and options right from the start (and before you pass judgement we didn't have airships available from the start in 1.0 either - they didn't come til patch 1.19 after all ).

[Defmetal]

Yeah if you already have the bard soul you should be fine.