Hello!

[Detvix]

Hi there I'm relatively new to the game but I've finally able to get my self into if after a while of watching a load of videos and streams.

I'm quite inexperienced when it comes to MMO's as well, the only ones I have played have really been GW2 then some various smaller titles so I'm quite new to large scale MMOs (if that's the correct term?)
I didn't really know where to post this as I mainly wanted to get some help but I'd also like to meet some people I could play with as well.

If anyone has some pointers for a relatively new player to both FFXIV and MMO's in general I'd really appreciate it!
Also I'm looking for some people to play with too and I'd be willing to move servers for a nice FC to join and stuff. I live in the UK if that helps

[EveK]

Welcome, Vard. I suppose the first pointer would be to ask specific questions. =) Otherwise, we don't really know what you know already, what would be useful, and so forth. But we usually encourage new players to focus on their job and main scenario quests first.

As for a "nice" free company, what qualifies is going to be so subjective as to be contradictory depending on who's evaluating the free company. So you may have the best luck if you specify what you seek in terms of the number of players typically on at a given time of day, the sorts of activities that are done together, how much you care about having a free company estate, and so forth. I'd offer to tell you about mine, but you can't presently transfer to Balmung as it's congested anyway.

[Detvix]

Thank you! I picked marauder first but I didn't end up enjoying it so much so I've been focusing on ninja and lance a lot, will that matter?

When I say nice free company I mean really basic things like people that are actively talking a lot and just overall friendly people. I don't really want to mix with people that are elitist or anything as I know hardly anything about the game lol. As for the as actual mechanics and features of free companies, that doesn't really concern me much as I have no idea what they really do, I was just hoping for a nice group of people to play with and help me learn the basics etc

[Frizze]

I picked marauder first but I didn't end up enjoying it so much so I've been focusing on ninja and lance a lot, will that matter?

Which class you pick first only influences which city you start in and your questline for the first 15 or so levels. Once the story sends you to the other cities, everything syncs up and the story is the same for everyone going forward. Playing as a tank(marauder in your case) typically gets you into dungeons faster, but if you arent comfortable doing it then sticking to ninja or dragoon will work out fine. And the game doesnt punish you for switching(it actually rewards you with bonus exp to your lower level classes), so feel free to experiment.

As for the chat issue, if you havent already try to get an invite to your servers Novice Network(sitting in limsa/any city near the market board and shouting for an invite will probly work). Its an invitation chat channel where newer players can ask questions of more experienced players. Every servers NN is a little different, so i couldnt tell you how chatty Zodiark is, but at a minimum it can get you some help if you need it(and maybe hook you up with a good FC too). Failing that, you can use the Party Finder tool to try and find a good FC. One night when you have some free time put up a PF group and explain what kinda FC you want. Odds are youll get some info from a few recruiters and most likely an invite.

Finally, when it comes to tanking advice... ill be general and leave the good stuff to the pros. In general, you want to grab the attention of all the enemies in a group(at higher levels this can be more then one group). Use your AoE move(s) on them(like overpower). Then run past them and turn around. This will get the enemies to look away from the group and at you. You want to use your defensive skills(like rampart) to take less damage and make things easier for the healer. If you have any good self healing skills, these can be mixed in if you feel like youre in danger(but in general your healer should be able to keep you up). Once the enemies are grouped up you can use your single target attacks(still mix in AoEs too when you have good ones), and just keep switching targets every hit or two so that everyone stays focused on you. If you lose control of an enemy, try to get it back(something like provoke + tomahawk). Ideally you want the enemies to stand close together so that your party can use their AoE attacks to hit everyone at once. And once you have a hate established try not to run around too much - some of your DPS friends need to stand in certain positions to make their attacks work and if the enemies wont stay put they cant do it. For bosses this can mean dodging an attack during the wind-up(they typically cant move while charging a big attack), then moving back to the same spot once its safe. Beyond that, try to learn which attacks can/should be stunned. If you can manage that much, youre already better then probly 1/3-1/2 of the tanks out there. I would also say dont be afraid to say that youre new and dont be afraid to mess up. We all had to learn sometime.

And of course, any more questions feel free to ask. Best of luck, and welcome to Eorzea!

[Detvix]

Welcome, Vard. I suppose the first pointer would be to ask specific questions. =) Otherwise, we don't really know what you know already, what would be useful, and so forth. But we usually encourage new players to focus on their job and main scenario quests first.

As for a "nice" free company, what qualifies is going to be so subjective as to be contradictory depending on who's evaluating the free company. So you may have the best luck if you specify what you seek in terms of the number of players typically on at a given time of day, the sorts of activities that are done together, how much you care about having a free company estate, and so forth. I'd offer to tell you about mine, but you can't presently transfer to Balmung as it's congested anyway.

In terms of specifics actually, I would like some advice on tanking. I don't like doing dungeons on things like gladiator or marauder cos i'm afraid i'll mess up lol

[Canadane]

In terms of specifics actually, I would like some advice on tanking. I don't like doing dungeons on things like gladiator or marauder cos i'm afraid i'll mess up lol

As a tank main, the best advice I can give you is to throw worries to the wayside and dive right in.
As long as you have the basics down, (hold mobs, face them away from the party) you can worry about other advanced stuff later on.

Tanks are incredibly powerful classes in this game, and is very short supply as far as dungeon queues go. Everyone appreciates a tank. Nobody will care much for a slip up here and there, everyone has them.

Maurader will eventually become Warrior, which imo is the most fun tank to play as.
Keep it up and know that you're the one people want!

[ManuelBravo]

Welcome to the game;

Depending on the type of player you are there are plenty of routes. While there are several classes out there, we can all give you our perspectives so the best advice would be to try them on your own and see what best fits you. I love this game so I eventually leveled up all classes just so I could get a better understanding of what players go through in their roles. Keep in mind however that the main point is for you to have fun. So if the job is not fun it may not suit your taste. The one piece of advice I would suggest is to be flexible and at the very least have one of each role. This will help you later on joining groups who may already have your main role. master your skills and while their are classes like DoH and DoL some allow you nice benefits such as armor repair in dungeons ect. have fun and good luck ^^

[CryBloodwing]

Since you played a lot of GW2, in FFXIV it is important to remember that you have a role. Unlike GW2, you have to go as a tank, DPS, or healer. You can't be everything at once in FFXIV. Sure you can switch classes, but then you are put into a certain role.

In terms of people, I have never met anyone that is outright rude. If anything they only harass you by game mechanics, like abusing the vote kick system. But then you can report them. Happened to me recently and a few minutes after my guild mate reported it, a GM was talking to her about the issue.

Since most people are generally nice, you will be fine in the lower dungeons. Even if you fail to get aggro, it is not likely your party will die. If people see you struggling as a tank they will likely give tips. You can even say when you enter a dungeon "I am new at tanking so sorry if I mess up."

Also make sure to pay attention to your aggro meter and enemy list. The aggro meter shows below each party member's class icon. The number represents the order of who has aggro and the bar shows how close the are to moving up a number.

The enemy list has different color icons next to the enemy name. You want them to be red circles.

I often like to pull all enemies. I will do a flash after I pull them and then focus on using my aggro combo on one enemy. However when my skills are cooling down I switch between enemies just to see if I still have enough aggro. If I start losing one, like a party member is #2 and bar is almost full, I will use my aggro combo on that enemy or aggro skill until it is good again, while still switching between enemies while on CD.

If an enemy suddenly pulls away, I just use provoke on them to get them back.

This is what I have been doing on my tanks which are level 35 right now. By the time you reach 50 and get into the harder stuff where if you don't hold aggro, you are fucked....you should have it down pretty well.

I think it is good to have one of each class at least. I would say a tank, a melee DPS, and a healer. Melee DPS gets you to learn flanking, running from AOEs, etc. Healer teaches you to heal and make choices quickly, but also how to do ranged DPS. Tank teaches you to watch the aggro meters and positioning.

[Detvix]

Thank you guys, it's really nice to see such a welcoming community on the forums I'll take the advice and try tanking the lower level dungeons for a while to get used to them. Is there any particular way to learn what to do in a dungeon? as in where to go and what to do? Or is it a matter of rinse and repeating the dungeon?

Thank you all again!

[Canadane]

With very few exceptions, dungeons are linear. You'll go down one path collecting mobs until you hit the boss door.
While some advanced pulling techniques exist for some dungeons, the best way to learn them is to do them.

"Don't think, shoot!" - Solid Snake
It's like he was talking about tanking this entire time.