So many questions...

[MOZZYSTAR]

Yo!

• What is the highest level one can reach? I'm seeing a lot of level 50's but nothing higher than that (yet).
• What's the best way to start saving up for a cottage/house/mansion early on? They cost about 8million-21million from what I've noticed thus far.

And the next few are probably general MMO questions:

• I've been invited to two free companies and received friend requests. I turned them all down as I don't really know what to expect. There's literally no communication before hand. So: what do people generally expect when they add some random(?) player to their company or friends' list? (Aside from kicking butt.)
  
• Speaking of: how are people generally when it comes to groups? As I'm new, I'm probably not that convenient to play with (which is one reason I'm wary of joining groups).
  
• What are some abbreviations used on FFXIV?

If anyone answers any of these (possibly ridiculous) questions, I earnestly appreciate it.

[Squintina]

Yo!

• What is the highest level one can reach? I'm seeing a lot of level 50's but nothing higher than that (yet).
• What's the best way to start saving up for a cottage/house/mansion early on? They cost about 8million-21million from what I've noticed thus far.

And the next few are probably general MMO questions:

• I've been invited to two free companies and received friend requests. I turned them all down as I don't really know what to expect. There's literally no communication before hand. So: what do people generally expect when they add some random(?) player to their company or friends' list? (Aside from kicking butt.)
  
• Speaking of: how are people generally when it comes to groups? As I'm new, I'm probably not that convenient to play with (which is one reason I'm wary of joining groups).
  
• What are some abbreviations used on FFXIV?

If anyone answers any of these (possibly ridiculous) questions, I earnestly appreciate it.

1- 50. Until the expansion comes out which will be 60. (Do remember you can level ALL the classes so it's a lot of level cumulatively)

2 - dunno. I'm the broke type of player.

3 -
Friend Requests: Many "friend" invites are actually RMT spammers who just want to convince you to spend your money on gil (and risk being punished as that's not allowed). I wouldn't accept a friend invite from a random person who I've never talked to and isn't in my FC or any Linkshell I trust.

FC invites: They probably just want more members. It's not necessarily a bad thing as you can always leave it later if you don't like it. FCs like that tend to be casual. FCs that actually require a lot of commitment don't typically hand out invites to random people without talking with them first.

4 - Like any game. There are nice people and there are jerks. Grouping with random people = higher likelihood of jerks. If you do find a nice FC or Linkshell, you can group up with people you actually like.

5 - http://ffxiv.gamerescape.com/wiki/Di...%20and%20Slang <- link with many abbreviations. It's also a very good website overall to get familiar with.

[MOZZYSTAR]

This is great! Very thorough. Thank you very much. (Some answers are so "common-sense," doh.) I'll definitely bookmark that link.

[Camalott]

2 - This really isn't a thing. Crafting and gathering is probably where you're going to get the bulk of your money from (in terms of crafting, selling, playing the market board, etc). Without a craft or a gathering class under your belt, you're probably not going to be running into the scenario where you have enough money for a house.

3 - I avoid blind invites. They're all about quantity and lacking on quality.

4 - Truth be told, in most Duty Finder dungeons - nobody talks. Maybe they say hi. Maybe they don't. Otherwise it's one of those "shut up and lets get this over with" affairs - usually propagated by high levels on their Daily Roulettes.

[MOZZYSTAR]

Heh, good to know. I guess I'm all set thanks to you both. ^^

[Niwashi]

50 is the highest level currently. After that, a series of gear upgrades takes the place of traditional leveling as the way to continue advancing your character.

It does get significantly easier to make gil through regular game rewards as you advance in levels, and you won't be able to get a house until level 50 anyway. But when you want to really focus on making money, gathering and crafting classes are the standard ways to do that.

I wouldn't accept a blind Friend request from someone who hadn't either talked with me or run content together with me beforehand.

As for FC requests, those are likely from groups who just want more members. It doesn't really say anything one way or the other about what sort of group they are, so you may get lucky or may not. There's a chance that particularly those groups specifically targeting new players to invite in are ones made up of people who like introducing the game to people, helping out with getting people through the early-game content, etc. So you may find some friendly people there who can help you through learning the game. Or it's also possible it's someone who is just spam-inviting everyone they see and they don't care about you in particular, just about boosting their numbers. So you could find yourself in a group that doesn't talk much, doesn't help each other out, or is focused on only doing end-game content while you still need to get through the early game content. The problem is that it's hard to tell the difference until you join and see how it goes. I'd say, give it a try, and if after a while you find you don't like that group, leave so another FC can invite you.

In group content, when you run a particular dungeon for the first time (or second time if you're not confident with it yet), let people know you're new. It's true that occasionally this draws out the jerks who don't want to play with new people, but more often it draws out the players who like being helpful and can offer advice, or simply lets people know to take the run a little slower than they would if the whole team were made up of top level players who've done it dozens of times. This also applies to when you add additional classes and are running a dungeon that you've run before but only in a different role.

A couple really basic notes on group play:
The tank is the player who's job it is to hold the attention of all the enemies you'll be encountering. Because there is a significant amount of aggro directed to whomever the mobs notice first, this also means the tank generally leads the group and begins every encounter. In this game, that's the gladiator or marauder, or their corresponding jobs, paladin or warrior. Damage dealing classes like your lancer should let the tank begin each fight, and then attack whichever mob the tank attacked first. The main difference you'll notice between group and solo play as a lancer is that with the tank holding the attention of the enemies, they won't keep continually turning towards you, so you'll finally have the opportunity to make use of those positional bonuses you get for different skills. Learn which attacks do more damage when you're behind the enemy or when you're beside it and move to the position that will make the most of them.

[Sapphic]

I would never accept a blind invite from a FC. As all they care about is numbers, otherwise they would introduce themselves tell you a little about their FC and ask if you wanted to join instead of "Durrr person not in FC lets spam em with invites". If they have to resort to those tactics then they can't be much of an FC. Don't trust em. Just blacklist them.

Same with random friend requests.

But join Linkshells that help new players, can always shout out if there is one or ask in your server forums. Join in with stuff, ask for help with dungeons etc and chat ith people, if there some you get along with ask if their FC is recruiting. Good way to find out how some are in the FC before joining.

Regarding parties, best way is just to dive in, also do not be afraid to ask for advice. Most will be happy to give some pointers, the rest which is a small number, well with all communities there is always the turnip brigade XD