Returning Player: Impressed

[Cendres]

Hello everyone I am posting to express my gratitude to SE for the improvements made to the game in the last months. I have been away since December and involved in another new shiny MMO.

When I left I was very frustrated with the awkward moments we were having that goes with drastic changes to the fundamentals of the game, mainly things surrounding the combat and leves. As a solo player with some grouping I was hoping FFXIV would have been what FFXI only became very late in it's life, an immersive game everyone can enjoy on their own time. But I felt in December this was not happening fast enough. I was also not happy with the forthcoming changes to the classes and what I found to be the dismantling of the conjurer as an elemental class.

However I've had my curiosity piqued with the arrival of inn rooms and server merges, so I decided to play again and see what has really changed. And really I am having so much fun I am actually surprised by it. I thought I'd log, get frustrated after an hour and log out. But no I've been in Mun-Tuy cellars doing my leves, which give decent XP without me almost killing myself at every battle, and THOROUGHLY enjoying my time. I've just gained a level and am pleasantly surprised how fast it went. I thought the class changes would mean the end of my enjoyment of my class but instead I find that I want to take conjurer and thaumaturge to 50 and see what comes of it.

I would hope that one day you take magic only users into consideration for advanced classes as well if you have not already talked about it. And thank you so much for bringing back self combos and chains and keeping it simple, neat and fun. I am also very happy with the responsiveness of the game and how quickly I can now use abilities and no longer have to stop running or glide when I sheathe or unsheathe my weapon.

This is a beautiful game and I wish very hard that it enjoys a second birth with 2.0, it would be a shame for it not to take off after you've polished it well. So this post is a letter to SE and fans that I really wish I had had more faith and that I'm happy to be back for more adventures and hope that there are many, many more to come. I know there is still some ways to go but I wanted to share my experience from eyes that looked elsewhere and found the grass was greener still in Eorzea... =^.~=

[Hippo]

indeed the game has improved greatly with every of the last
few patches.

[whoopeeragon]

Yes, it has....

And welcome back, Cendres. ^^

[Urthdigger]

Glad you're enjoying it, wait until you see the job quests! I've only done the white mage one, but I really enjoyed my little race against time to save the world... even if said race took over a month of game-time trying to get a group that wouldn't wipe on the ogre midboss in Darkhold.

[Rina-ran]

Welcome back! Like you, I disappeared for a good while. Cept I think I left before summer of last year and then came back just as you left (November-December). The game was still slow when ya left, but as you just found out it took a nice jump forward.

It's always good to hear just a plain positive review. I'm sure the devs appreciate it to.

[Colino]

I'm glad you're enjoying the game.

I've been playing on and off since launch and I still believe it has a long ways to go (especially on the technical side of things for how bad the current client is), but I have many friends that have been waiting just like yourself.

I'm optimistic and think that at the current pace 2.0 will be a good success... I'm not saying millions of subscribers (the game will always be a niche title, let's be serious) but hopefully it'll be enough to keep it going for a long time. I for one would love to keep playing even 5 or 6 years down the line.

Actually I can't believe we're just 5 months away from the 2nd year already!

[kazaran]

Have to agree with the changes. IT is startign to feel like Final Fantasy online, and nto a poor mess.

I knew it woudl take time. I knew there woudl be a change in the team, and plan forward. I decided, stop for a bit, play rift, max a few 50's, then stop rift and come back to FFXIV.

FFXI was my favorite MMO, and I have played many. I do like rift. I am part of the closed Guild Wars 2 beta (and that gme has some serious bugs to work out-as well as redesign goign on hince the mass delay). Yet Final Fantasy games have a stronger story, nice cutscenes to brign you into it, and a better all around feel.

Can't wait for 2.0 and the future expansions.

[AnaviAnael]

Welcome back, and welcome to Gungnir!

[Cendres]

Glad you're enjoying it, wait until you see the job quests! I've only done the white mage one, but I really enjoyed my little race against time to save the world... even if said race took over a month of game-time trying to get a group that wouldn't wipe on the ogre midboss in Darkhold.

lol! Since the jobs are meant for group play (right?) this sounds about right. :P I hope they do give us at least one solo advanced class like beastmaster. That's all I'd like to ask for.

I do enjoy other MMOs like kazaran, they have their own style and pace and sometimes you just want to go in and blaster at things (SWTOR), but FF has always been special to me, special and frustrating.. So when I was playing last night I was so relieved and happy to see that FFXIV is going in the right direction and I wanted to share my enthusiasm and excitement. ^_^

Good job on the inn rooms, it's too bad they are already furnished though but I can understand why it's like that for now. I hope down the line we get rooms or housing we can decorate and I'd become a carpenter in a heart beat! There is a whole community in EQ2 just for decorating houses, would it not be great if we had that too? Or mog houses contests like in XI?

@ Rina-ran, nice to see others coming back, I hope as time goes by word gets out and we start to see other old faces too.

Yup 2 year already! And I've missed some events! I'm not missing another one! lol.

Welcome back, and welcome to Gungnir!

Thank you! The server merges were a very good thing I see a lot of people running around in Gridania, I can't imagine the traffic in Ul'dah. XD

[Nighthawk]

Welcome back Cendres,

The game has come a long way and still alot more coming. More and more people are coming back.