A Plea for Sanity

[Darkillumina]

Besaid currently has a large NA/EU population (and RP). I just started recently myself and have run into many of the same issues but they are somewhat alleviated by the fact that Besaid's market isn't too top heavy. I've been able to find the materials I need to craft gear for myself and everything seems to be reasonably priced at the moment.

I've actually run into more North American/EU players than JP players which makes things a lot easier.

Your points are very valid however. Even simplified, signing up for the game is a chore. I had the benefit of coming from FFXI and did careful research before I came to the game which helped me with server selection and getting things organized. I can only imagine what a nightmare it is for people who are trying the game on a whim.

[Stanislaw]

We can't thank you enough for your feedback. I am curious to see anecdotal data on NA server populations if anyone would care to oblige.

One thing to keep in mind is that with server mergers coming soon, restarting over and going to a new server may not be the best of ideas. I'd say stick with Cornelia for now and try your best to expand your ring of friends with your current character(s).

Again, I would like re-offer my helping hand if you send me a tell while I'm in-game. I will also try to look for you two while I'm on as well.


Edit: For reference, a quick search determined Cornelia's current online population as I'm writing this as 507.

[Coglin]

I have a question based on information the OP mentioned. Are you looking at the unconjoined market wards of Gridania? or are looking at market wards in Ul'Dah?

If you looking at anything outside of Uldah, you won't find much. The games situation design at the moment tends to push everyone to uldah. Not so much as it used to, but once everyone got used to it being the central hub, it will be hard to break that mentality. As of now though, there is little reason for players to congregate or focus on LL or Grid.

[darkstarpoet1]

my honest suggestion for the op and hs friend is to hold off moving to another server for the time being. i'd wait until after the merge, at the very least, and see if the situation improves once you get to know a few good people on there. with the merge you could also get a major influx of other players that you could band together with that are lower levels like yourself.

most servers are top heavy right now, but i'm sure once you get involved into the community on any server your gaming experience will improve. i know it's difficult right now, but hang in there. the game is improving and hopefully soon we will start seeing alot more new players coming in.

[charlemagne]

I'd also suggest you try the level 15 dungeon just outside Limsa you can pick up a lot of gear in there for lower levels.

[Hubbington]

Thanks for all your feedback everyone. Things are going better so far. After listening to your input and getting in touch with a few of you from this forum we were able to join up with a linkshell and connect with Stanislaw who helped us out with some crafted stuff. As of right now we're working our way through the level 15 dungeon outside of Limsa as recommended, and having a good time. The cave is absolutely gorgeous and the size of it helps add to a general feeling of exploration.

I have to say as a vet of many many many mmo's it's nice to see a community that's actually supportive and helpful. I have yet to encounter a single troll and that's very refreshing, so thanks to all of you for trying to make mine and Saeb's experience in the game more enjoyable.

[Elexia]

I write this because we are on our last leg. I want to salvage my enjoyment of this game, but it seems like Squenix is only aiming to infuriate me. IT SEEMS, that this company made sure to create a game but hire NO ONE who knew how to create an MMO. Why do I write this? I don't know, perhaps I am just seeking some solace, perhaps there's a light at the end of the road which I do not see yet. Therefore I call out to all who read or even skimmed this message. Help us.

I don't know, FFXI and FMO were pretty good.

[Kinseykinz]

It seems you are starting to find your way but here are a couple things I'd tell a friend if they started playing today:

1. Look on the Lodestone Forums, guildworks, ffxivpads etc sites and see if you can find a shell that either caters to new players or at least welcomes them.
2. Pick your favorite battle class and go have fun. Do all the storyline when you reach the correct level for it because you actually make a nice little gil pile this way. Also, as you level, you will notice ? pop up above people's heads in town. These are small mini-quests you can do that give a small exp reward and usually a small gil or equipment reward. Again, these all help towards creating a small bankroll for yourself.
3. Consider picking up a DOL class. You'd be surprised how quickly you can gather mats/gather sellable items this way..again work on that nest egg.
4. Go to Uldah as soon as you can. Most of the people on your server are there. It is the best place to meet other players/find linkshells etc.
5. Don't be afraid to ask others questions...the community overall will help you. Plus, a lot of us are a little bored atm and might even be down to helping your kill that NM or do that quest you need help with.
6. Throw up your 'Seek Party' flag while soloing leves/mobs...best way to meet people is in a party.
7. Consider leveling a craft via leves (so you don't need to buy mats) at your leisure (it's semi-hard to make money leveling a craft quickly...but having at least one rank 50 crafting class is helpful).
8. The level 15 dungeon will drop some nice gears you can wear through your 30's level wise. After that, there are small NM's (like Old SixArms and Catuar Jack) that drop some nice rare/ex gears. These are free and some are even great until you hit close to rank 50. Also, while you would be good to have a friend or two help out at low levels, this is something you could /sh in Uldah and probably get a bite or two. '/sh newer player here needing assistance killing Catuar Jack pm if interested' I strongly believe you'd get at least 1-3 rank 50 ppl to come assist (you'd only need one 50 to help)
9. Even if you decide that you'd rather try out a NA based server (I believe mine is pretty NA centered), just wait until the merge. Take the time now to build up some gil, work on your levels slowly etc. That way, while you feel like a hermit right now, you can still be productive while you wait the 6 weeks or so until the merge. Because even if you stick with Cornelia, there will be a flurry of 'join my ls!' 'no join my ls' 'we are an awesome ls, join us!' happening once we do server merges and ALL the ls's have to re-form/ re-invite. So even if making friends is hard now, if you can make it six weeks, you'll have plenty of ls joining options (on all servers)
10. If you can get your battle class to at least rank 30 before patch 1.21 comes out, there should be a lot of people looking for parties then (level 30=job system once 1.21 is released). So you might make more friends then.
11. Bookmark websites like mooglebox.com ffcivpro.com yg.com. While not every site is perfectly up to date, they give you a reference where you can look up recipies, quests, items, armor etc.
12. Create a ffxivpad. for yourself. It helps track what quests/milestones you've achieved...but you can also see what quests/milestones you still have yet to do. This can help you know what quest you need next,etc.

Lastly, you might need to be around level 30 before you can start getting into pick-up exp groups on a consistant basis. BUT the good news, exping goes super-fast from 30-50. So you can feasibly have a rank 50 before the server merges happen. And also know a couple people who will help craft gears for you add materia etc. I know it must be daunting to walk into a world with so few new players...but just ask, the 'vets' really don't mind helping usually AND we want new players to stay. So ask and we'll help.