[SUGGESTION] Trying jobs before character creation

[Hestzhyen]

A friend of mine is considering switching from WoW to XIV, and I've been trying to help him as much as I can with questing, where to go, most efficient way to get things done, etc. He's still stuck in the worst part of the story so I hope he doesn't quit before it starts to get better. However there's something he mentioned that really got me thinking: he wants to try a class before committing to playing it.

Before you guys chime in "PotD!"- we tried that. He wasn't really feeling it as a BRD so we went to get him THM and jumped in from floor one. PotD doesn't let you access job-exclusive skills if you don't have the job crystal and things die too fast for you to get a handle of how to play the class properly. It's fast, and can give you a general sense of "I might like it" or "maybe not for me", but it's not sufficient for helping people get a real feel for what they want to invest their time in. He's only got time for leveling one job right now and I feel awful telling him that there's no way for him to find out if he likes it or not until he's committed a lot of time to starting over and over again from level 1, stalling the MSQ and all the content it hides, until something sticks.

So I wonder if SE could do something like he said WoW does- you can try a class at max level before rolling it and starting the game. Like an extra, optional part of character creation when you can select your starting class, only the "try class/job" option would take you to a SSS-like instance to play around and see if it suits you. It'd really help veteran MMO players like him who are willing to make the jump but aren't willing to spend time (and possibly money) on something he's not sure he'll like after a lot of investment on his part.

I keep telling him "it gets better I swear" but he's not really sold on it (and I wouldn't be either if I was in his position- it's a really weak endorsement). He's willing to buy SB and a MSQ skip potion to catch up but only if he likes the game, which is entirely fair. If he could easily find a class he's willing to work on I think it'd be a much better experience for him. He's already had enough trouble figuring out where to go and slogging through all the hand-holding and terribad early story- why not ease the drudgery a little and convince him (and others) the game really might be worth their while by letting them see what they can look forward to?

[Paladinleeds]

The problem is, some jobs aren't available at character creation. So would your suggestion only apply to jobs available at character creation, or all jobs? If the former, maybe the one they like is not available at the start. If the latter, if it's one available at the start would they want to slog through levelling something they don't like (or buying a potion) in order to do it? Let's put in a scenario then.

Joe Bloggs would like to play FFXIV. He hates tanking and healing, and the only DPS class with a playstyle that interests him is Red Mage. He's an MMO veteran having played MMOs for 15 years. He's not willing to buy a jump potion or story skip potion and the jobs available pre-SB bore him to tears.. Referring this back to your suggestion, how should we deal with him? I understand it's an extreme example, but I put it in to try and help build your suggestion further, as I really like the idea (and didn't know WoW actually does it!)

[Pence]

I thought WoW only did it for their boost potion, not for people starting at level 1.

[Hestzhyen]

The problem is, some jobs aren't available at character creation. So would your suggestion only apply to jobs available at character creation, or all jobs?

Since SE decided to lock a those jobs behind level restrictions, I'd leave them out of the try-outs. It would just confuse new players wondering why they couldn't play that awesome DRK or SAM job they tried right away. For people who are going to skip up or are simply wanting to maximize their time, having the base classes and jobs available makes the most sense. It's kind of sucky for people who ONLY want to play those jobs, but SE has made the decision to gate access to them already. I'd be fine if those restrictions went away but since all the new ones except NIN don't have a base class it'd be awkward to start them from level 1.

I thought WoW only did it for their boost potion, not for people starting at level 1.

It's still peace of mind that SE could offer. Right now players have to pick one and hope it works or try to cobble together an idea by reading tool tips and watching vids. It's not ideal at all. What better way to encourage people to buy your stuff if you let them see what they can look forward to and make sure that they get what they want?

[Felis]

In this game, if you don't like your starting class, you can just switch to another class without creating a new character.

[JumperX]

Not a single MMO I have played let you play a class before you actually select that class. Why dont you sgow your friend some youtube video showing. People playing the jobs to give him a sense of what is the playstyle of those jobs he is interested at.

[Enla]

In this game, if you don't like your starting class, you can just switch to another class without creating a new character.

This. Legitimately once you hit the Level 15 jobquest for your beginning job you can change to whatever job you then please, trying them all out to see which one suits you for a fair bit before the first dungeon. Even then about the only bait and switch I remember existing in the character creation screen involves Conjurer and Arcanist, the latter of which being described as the healer instead of the former - and even then you can pick up on that mistake rather quickly and fix it once you finish the initial part of the MSQ.

[Naunet]

if it's one available at the start would they want to slog through levelling something they don't like (or buying a potion) in order to do it?

We have to do that already... (horrible design decision, by the way.)

[Clawbriar]

I thought WoW only did it for their boost potion, not for people starting at level 1.

Yeah, even though it's available without one, it was intended specifically for boosting a class.

[Kosmos992k]

The game already offers an extensive free trial. Try whatever job you want, and if you don't like it try another character/job. I'm really not sure what the issue is. Not to mention that you can Fantasia at any time.