Observations From A Relatively New Player

[XxClavainxX]

I am a relatively new player in both this game and mmo's in general. I played ffxiv for about 3 months, took a break and have now been back for about 3 months. Since I have returned and started to run some of the post 50 dungeons there have been some things I have noticed within the community that tarnish the enjoyment of the game, especially for those of us who are not vets.

1. Every dungeon is treated as if its a speed run. Even though repeatedly letting other players know that it is a first time run, the party will inevitably rush through with little to no explanation of the mechanics or what to expect.

2. Following point 1, after not explaining the mechanics or offering any tips, vets will inevitably begin to curse, TYPE IN ALL CAPS, or berate the new player.

If vets would simply slow down and offer guidance (without being condescending), the run would go much quicker simply due to the lack of wipes! Alienating new players does nothing but hurt the game overall.

[Monty]

It's a common problem in all MMOs. People forget where they started and just assume everyone has been playing since release. I've seen people change over time from nice, easy going noob to hardcore elitist jerk. Not everyone follows this path, but it's crazy how people often forget it's a game for enjoyment.

[Saseal]

I agree. I know most of these fights (lacking on the EXs, though) but I'm empathetic with those that may not. I find it even stupider that people don't even do a ready check in the very very very least when they see "One or more people are new to this", etc.


I was on my bard, last night, in Garuda HM. They did the usual - run in like their asses were on fire and Garuda had the water. I'm used to this, by now, from WHMing. But the one poor guy that was new.... There was really no time, with feather plumes (yeah, they can be ignored if the party are all geared, but that just lessens the chance of getting through untarnished, in my opinion), etc, for me to explain anything. All I could advise was "I guess just follow us x.x".

I felt terrible about it, but there's not much you can do at a speed ran primal (though, I've done it during Ultima HM, type short/fast directions - 'in, out, back, center', etc when there are new people - but that was on my infinitely better geared WHM. I could take a hit if I needed to). It's difficult to type about mechanics when they're already happening.

Mega props to the new guy, though - he didn't die, at all xD

[cookiecutter]

This is just me but, I used to look up the mechanics of dungeons beforehand. It just saves more time to look it up before instead spending more time wiping or getting ko'ed. I understand some people don't play that way and that it isn't their cup of tea; however, think you save more time overall by being prepared for the dungeons mechanics beforehand. Now on to your other point. Unfortunately you're joining many df groups that have already cleared the content and at this point they're probably just doing these dungeons for their random duty roulette to level their alts. There really isn't anything you can do about vets berating a newbie but at the same time there is no place for it since everyone was new at some point like the poster of above me mentioned. Maybe some day down the line SE will implement a new to duty option so that new players or players that want to help new players can join without having to deal with the harassment of other players. The que time might be longer but you'll probably get a better experience overall.

[Leigaon]

Unless you're the tank you won't be able to really control the flow of the run. I thank a tank each time he lets things run smoothly, not so rushed.

People who are use to content have no patience in this game for others. I for example am finding I am enjoying tanking. So I've been trying to get runs down but as a healer I'm not use to some of the aspects of tanking, they get upset leave yell and scream. We have a bi polar community it seems. Some people are just wonderful, others are horrible.

Videos / quick guides aren't a bad option but nothing beats good old fashioned being thrown right into the fire, but both are good! Sad to say I hope there is no new duty option..people just need to be a bit nicer to people but that's wishful thinking. I find it hard to believe that a lot of people who act like they do are the same to people in the real world, if they are their either very good at what they do and have the power to be jerks or the opposite.

[XxClavainxX]

thanks for all the great replies! Its good to see some long time players who are helpful. I agree with the above poster that there is probably no way to eliminate people being jerks in runs, but I certainly think it would go a long way if vets would speak up in runs where they see others treating new players poorly. When nobody says anything, it gives consent for the behavior to continue. Letting a rude player know that their behavior is unacceptable might make a small difference. It would certainly let the new player know that the community is not all bad.

[Saseal]

I never used videos when I first started *Embarrassed admission* - and only recently did I start (meaning, I went into the original dungeons, some primal HMs and Labrynth/ST, blind - but EXs, coils, etc with videos. Admittedly, I liked running the three new dungeons completely blind with FC mates for the fun of figuring out the mechanics on our own. Wipes don't matter to us.)

Either way - some might not know the vids exist (I certainly didn't for a long while - nor did a newbie friend of mine who recently started), and even after watching videos, it's not the same as actually doing it. You won't be completely blind, but you won't be impervious to mistakes or not knowing what to do in experience-specific situations. Experience learning always trumps watching.

I'd advocate watching the dungeon vids if you don't want vet guff or want to know what you're getting into, and definately for primal/coil/etc stuff (*took one look at the Twintania guide vid's lengthy mechanics and went into eternal hiding*), but I think other players need more patience regardless.
Mistakes will still be made, video'd or not, and people need to understand this.

[Aldora]

I firmly believe that the game will be more enjoyable if your dungeon/trial runs are smooth due to sharing your experience with people who are less experienced in the content you’re doing. It is a lot less stressful and a hell of a lot more fun that way.

Therefore, whenever i see the message that someone hasn’t cleared the dungeon yet, i’d start off by saying “If you need any tips/pointers, just let me know.” So far, i haven’t had people actually ask me for pointers on what to do in the dungeon. This has partly caused by people aggressively saying that they “need to learn their jobs”, “need to watch video’s before queuing up”, “should watch the cutscenes in their own time”, “use the party finder to form parties if they don’t want to / can’t speed run instead of using the duty finder”, etc. Last night i came across a tank who literally said “Doing large pulls. Pls keep up.” at the start of the dungeon and then rushed off to pull all the mobs he could find.

So, after seeing that “bonus tomes”-message i’ll slip in some tips along the way, mark monsters that should/need to die first, etc. I can explain every boss battle in detail if people want me to. (^_~ )

I’ve had quite a few people thank me for the guidance after clearing the dungeon.

I will also change my playstyle accordingly based on the party i’m in. For instance, personally i hate speed running. It will only create more unnecessary risks and puts more stress on you as a player. Since you can never know for sure how the other party members can handle certain situations, (as a tank) i will start off with a simple pull and assess if i should stick to small groups or increase my pulls. If i’m a healer, i’ll check if i should focus on healing only, slap in a few DoT’s here and there or go full Holy on their butts. (^_^ )

The only advice i’d like to give to the new players in this game is to not be afraid to speak up if you are new to a dungeons. There are still plenty of players who (like me) will you guys out and give advice if you need it. But, you will have to speak up, otherwise we won’t know that you are struggling. (^_~ )

We’re all playing a game, so let’s all have fun doing it!

[XxClavainxX]

[QUOTE=Aldora;2641287] "snip"

Wish you were on my server! Love it when I run across the rare player like yourself.

[Eye_Gore]

I haven't cleared all dungeons, so I end up being the new guy sometimes. Being the tank though I always start of with my usual hello to everyone. Then ask what the group wants to do, clear the whole dungeon, just get to the bosses, go after loot, exp, whats your pleasure? Also if their are any issues, say something. If I don't know the boss fight I'll ask about it. Sure looking it up online is fine, but I want to know, can people handle the adds, do I need to tank them, should I stay on the boss.

Little bit of communication goes a long way. Though I have had groups that don't respond at all through the whole dungeon. Though I haven't run many dungeons, I only had one bad group, but I guess you could blame me on that one was still a new tank and didn't know what I was doing, still don't but doing better.