I spent several weeks trying to get through the dunes. I don't need hand holding, I needed people, and none of the ones ran into stuck around.
Valkurm is the first place where you start seeing what I mentioned in regards to job role in a party influences your experiences of the game's leveling process. Its not really that different than here with DF. Tank and healer tend to get into parties almost immediately but if your were a job that offered nothing but damage output you had to compete with 80% of the player population on the server your level to get a party. One of the issues I saw with NA players when the game launched in NA about the time rise of zilart was released is that a majority of the NA players I saw would just sit with a LFG flag up doing nothing waiting for a group instead of gaining exp at a slower pace while waiting for a party invite in a location with enemies they can kill solo. They would then frequently complain about making no progress at all in game for days or weeks.
{Party} {Valkurm Dunes} {Can I Have It} Have PL.
I think there were probably two components to your issue. The first is that I suspect you played pre-Level Sync; prior to that functionality, stopping before the level cap would make for a rough re-entry if you'd been playing with friends or as part of a more communal Linkshell.It's entirely possible my experience was totally anecdotal and I was in the minority, I didn't mean for my post to come across as painting a universal experience for everyone who played, only that the game inevitably left some people sitting around for hours from time to time.
The second is likely your choice of job, as well. Unfortunately, there was a lot of luck involved in whether or not you had an 'in-demand' job or not. You could work around not being an in-demand job if you were outgoing enough to form your own groups (usually), but if you were more passive (and I count myself in this group), not playing an in-demand job like WHM was painful.
It's a shame you never saw level cap in FFXI. It really was a great experience, one that FFXIV does not remotely match. But, such is life - and I'm sure your time was spent forming your own great experiences away from FFXI, too =)
------------------
Edit / Aside: One thing that FFXI really emphasized, too, was a focus on improving your character. Being lazy about gear, or not having your subjob fully leveled, or not having bothered to get Utsusemi? That type of behaviour could really create a reputation in XI, since invites were manually done. There are still a few people's names I remember who I would never, ever party with because of how little they cared about their performance. I know in the Dunes, since a few people are talking about that above me, I'd actually run to the beginning of the zone line where people tended to wait and /check them before sending invites. Using a leather vest (level 7, DEF 19) instead of scale mail (level 10, DEF 29) when you're starting in the Dunes? Iffy. And if I see someone using Solid Mail (HQ scale mail), they've got nearly double the defense of someone in a leather vest (19 vs. 34); guess who's getting my invite?
Was it difficult to acquire this stuff? Yeah, at that level. It was expensive, and Gil was hard to come by. But that showed others that you were a dedicated player who wanted to present your best self to people you'd party with, and that's the type of person I want joining my group.
I don't say this as a dismissal of people who are discussing their struggles, of course. Simply as an added piece to the discussion, because Valkurm was one of those areas that chewed out people who wanted to focus more exclusively on leveling early on, rather than on also doing a lot of the small things like low-level Gil grinding and/or crafting.
Last edited by Vhailor; 05-23-2018 at 05:34 AM.
Good thing about that is that Valkurm itself was a nice filter for players you knew would give a damn and those who wouldn't and just leave, right there and then. FFXI being that way was an insurance of a healthy community who would work hard for everything. In short, where some people look at it as if it was something bad, I always saw it the other way around. And man, did it pay off, especially when compared to theme park MMO's such as FFXIV.Valkurm is the first place where you start seeing what I mentioned in regards to job role in a party influences your experiences of the game's leveling process. Its not really that different than here with DF. Tank and healer tend to get into parties almost immediately but if your were a job that offered nothing but damage output you had to compete with 80% of the player population on the server your level to get a party. One of the issues I saw with NA players when the game launched in NA about the time rise of zilart was released is that a majority of the NA players I saw would just sit with a LFG flag up doing nothing waiting for a group instead of gaining exp at a slower pace while waiting for a party invite in a location with enemies they can kill solo. They would then frequently complain about making no progress at all in game for days or weeks.
It is definitely something I wish I'd been able to push through to see. Despite my limited experiences, I was able to see the depth from afar and through stories told by people in the various LS's I had been in, so I feel like even as a low-level "commoner", I still miss that world, even if maybe I don't miss the struggle I had with leveling up.
I often play the Vana'diel March as bard in FFXIV (especially fun now with the revamped/new instruments! Being able to hold long notes? I swear this was the entire source of my hype for the latest patch XD) and while I tend to get more attention/applause for things like the Final Fantasy prologue or Kugane's Day Theme, I do occasionally get the teary-eye'd /tell from someone who played FFXI.
Valkurm Dunes? Ohhhh boy I spent a lot of time there. Mostly leveling and helping others hunt the Valkurm Emperor. Who remembers the camps after maintenance where everyone was competing with the one THF/RNG or RNG/THF who knew how the enemy lists worked? Good times! I promise that THF/RNG wasn't me
I think someone mentioned this already, but one of my fondest memories was seeing all the peeps LFG at the zone, when 2-3 could be made amongst everyone standing around. I remember hoping a group wiped so you can take over their camp. I remember all the MPKs. I remember no one attacking the lizzies despite the yummy exp they gave because for some reason, peeps thought Petrified Gaze was worse than Bomb Toss!
Really awesome stuff that I don't EVER want to go through again^^
Lack of End Game content right now is the biggest issue I have with the game. There is high end gear.... that is only useful in Savage and Ultimate. Everything else is easily done with DF.
Great thread. I was a FFXI player myself, and while I wasn't successful, there was never a lack of things to do in progressing your character. It lacks that right now. Want to do everything except Savage? 8 Weeks, 1 or 2 days during 3 hour sessions will get everything you want done. There is just not enough end game content. Even Eureka, which I enjoy, was rolled over in a week for 1 main job.
Have you done the raids and EX primals? There is quite a bit of end game content to do.Lack of End Game content right now is the biggest issue I have with the game. There is high end gear.... that is only useful in Savage and Ultimate. Everything else is easily done with DF.
Great thread. I was a FFXI player myself, and while I wasn't successful, there was never a lack of things to do in progressing your character. It lacks that right now. Want to do everything except Savage? 8 Weeks, 1 or 2 days during 3 hour sessions will get everything you want done. There is just not enough end game content. Even Eureka, which I enjoy, was rolled over in a week for 1 main job.
|
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
|
Cookie Policy
This website uses cookies. If you do not wish us to set cookies on your device, please do not use the website. Please read the Square Enix cookies policy for more information. Your use of the website is also subject to the terms in the Square Enix website terms of use and privacy policy and by using the website you are accepting those terms. The Square Enix terms of use, privacy policy and cookies policy can also be found through links at the bottom of the page.