Have you improved since you first started playing?

[Vnecat]

Playing on PS4, I sometimes used to save videos when I first started. I was browsing through my Capture Gallery when I came across an old run of my first Chrysalis attempt.

I used to Aero the enemy and spam Cure until I got the Freecure proc for Cure II, otherwise casting Stone II... outside of Cleric. It was very enlightening to see my old habits and how I've improved since then. My Divine Seal and Regen love me to pieces nowadays.

How have you improved since first playing? I'm curious to know!

[Kio]

To be honest, I have no idea. There's no way to get feedback in this game unless someone tells you you're doing it wrong but there's no guarantee that person knows what is correct either or just want to be confrontational. This is why meters are important but SE seem so afraid to put any into the game due to claims it will cause harassment. Funny enough the lack of meters is exactly what causes lots of harassment because of my previous point.

[Teraluna]

To be honest, I have no idea. There's no way to get feedback in this game unless someone tells you you're doing it wrong but there's no guarantee that person knows what is correct either or just want to be confrontational. This is why meters are important but SE seem so afraid to put any into the game due to claims it will cause harassment. Funny enough the lack of meters is exactly what causes lots of harassment because of my previous point.

It's a two edged sword - introduce metering and the next thing you'll see is posted performances all over the place, public shaming the lower figures.

I think personal improvement can be judged without this. You know how much effort you've put into learning your class - rotations etc.
You know how much effort you've put into learning boss mechanics.

But it's not only this - what is improvement?

Are you going more out of your way to help people?
Are you more patient with others in the group who may be struggling a bit
Do you not rush off ahead when a new player is in your 8 man group and take time to give them tips during the run?

Improvement is a wide description, and rightly so.

[SpiritMuse]

Well, I can tell you this: the first time I attempted Ttian HM for my BLM relic, I spent more time dead than alive. I got carried, basically, but not for lack of trying. Nowadays, I find it a relatively easy trial.

[Joe_Schmoe]

A player that's been playing longer than me: (paraphrasing) And I have no idea how to put items/abilities on your hotbar as opposed to your Xbar.
Me: Hold L1 and press down the right analog stick to turn on the virtual mouse. L2 to left-click and R2 to right-click. Hold L2 to click and drag.
Him: Wooot thanks man.
Me: ;]

(Paraphrasing here. Can't remember much)
Healer: I'm new here (Aurum Vale)
Me: Okay sec
Me: Don't stray too far off. Lots of monsters around here. Easy to pull them.
Me: Basically, stay behind me at all times.
Healer: Kk
At the 1st boss
Me: Sec
Me: See the fruits? When you get 2 stacks of......... can't remember the name, eat one.
Me: Healer, this boss casts bad breath. Keep dispel handy in case I screw up.
At the 2nd boss
Me: Sec
Me: Remember the cyclops FATE boss in Coerthas Central? This boss is exactly like him.
Healer: Never seen him but ok
Me: This boss has no telegraphed AoE. You have to watch his cast bars to see what he does.
Me: Stay at his back at all times.
Heading to the 3rd boss
Me: Sec
Me: Kill the eggs quickly before they hatch into adds. Watch for bad breath healer.
At the 3rd boss
Me: Same as the 1st boss, but every so often he "lays eggs".
Me: Eggs > adds > boss

Yeah, I think I'm improving :]

[Gramul]

Yes. I used to just wait till content got easier before doing them and now I'm doing weekly end game raids like a normal MMO slave.

[KinnisonArc]

When I first started the game as Archer, I used to have the habit of locking target on random mobs outside of Gridania and spin around them and backing off at the same time to avoid getting hit too frequently. Leveling painfully slow that way before I understand the usefulness of FATE later on.
Then I picked up Conjurer for abit after knowing I can crossclass Cure for solo-ing before 30. I used to have a lot of problem selecting someone on the party list to cast Cure so when I got Medica I spammed that one instead because targetting allies and Cure was too hard for me. 8D

Those were the days, now I bard hard by playing the corresponding song and DPS standing still as well as can stance dance as healer after a significant APM improvement in the game.

[AskaRay]

Yeah, I've absolutely gotten better since I started playing...

[SaitoHikari]

I used to get destroyed by things like Titan normal and had a far slower reaction speed to things happening as a WHM. I was pretty much the heal-only person for the first four months of playing, then I started figuring things out like Divine Seal + Regen and abusing Asylum every chance I got to buy myself more time, and now I am extremely comfortable with DPSing as a healer in dungeons. (To the point where these past few weeks, I ended up in two separate runs of Amdapor Keep HM where the tank bailed on the group, and I ended up healer tanking through the rest of the dungeon while STILL DPSing.)

My Bard performance likely improved by a ton over time as well, as I adjusted to using Wanderer's Minuet.

I still can't play melee classes to save my life though.

[Caitlyn]

I m getting slightly better, but to be honest, most things just getting easier. Back then, there was much more challenging content.

Remember the time, where Titan Hard was actually hard? Pepperidge Farm remembers.