For new players out there: A Review

[Draxia]

I could laud my experience with MMOs, but it won’t matter. Let me be straight. This game is primarily about three things.

1) Look good. You will want to, and the game will encourage it. You probably did it with your last MMO. Your guild will probably hold glamour contests. Embrace it. Shallow? Yes. Do you enjoy it? Maybe, but also probably yes. Be that Barbie you always want to dress up as and be the He-Man you never could.

2) This game is about big battles. There has always been a strain in Japanese-originated games about big battles. Dodging the yellow circle or ray of death will be your life. Be not only cognizant of it, but learn it. Watch videos of the dungeons and trials and raids. Will it save your life? No, not immediately, but perhaps eventually. As you do it more, you will die less and become less of a nuisance to your party.

3) Third, you will most likely be grouped with people that have been playing this game far longer than you have. It is a friendly community, and they are really nice, but you’ll notice they know where to stand to not die. This game has been around for a long time. Some people are die hard and will fall on this FFXIV sword on that hill for this game. Accept it. Don’t cast blame for it, it is a good game, particularly if you follow points 1 and 2.

Summary: Like to look good? Like to know how a dungeon works before you even do it? Then stick with FFXIV, it’s actually a pretty good MMO.

But, at the end of the day, not the game for me. Please refrain from the comments on the door kicking me on the way out.

/honest

[Draxia]

I am not entirely sure what your problem is with what I said. I think this is an English translation problem.

[Jeeqbit]

This post will get lost in the General forum quickly, even quicker because of all the benchmark feedback. I would suggest putting it in the New Player forum.

Look good. You will want to, and the game will encourage it. You probably did it with your last MMO. Your guild will probably hold glamour contests. Embrace it. Shallow? Yes. Do you enjoy it? Maybe, but also probably yes. Be that Barbie you always want to dress up as and be the He-Man you never could.

Looks is for some people and not others. Just like in real life, some people will buy clothes constantly and struggle to decide what to wear, or they will be like me and just not really care and buy any old thing that looks passable from Amazon.

I made a few glams but it's rare and then I just stick with them for years.

This game is about big battles. There has always been a strain in Japanese-originated games about big battles.

Big battles, but usually fought by a small team of 4-8 people, unlike a lot of MMORPGs that do them more like Alliance Raids.

But, at the end of the day, not the game for me.

It's not really for everyone and in fact the start will usually filter a lot of people out. Some people will only play it for the story as well.

There is a bit more to it than you said though because there are high-end raids that a lot of people form statics for, PvP, mini-games in the Gold Saucer like chocobo racing or Triple Triad both of which have PvP. You mentioned glamour being popular but another popular social aspect is the houses and decorating them and hosting social, roleplaying or bard music events at them. Some other social aspects are hunts and treasure hunts.

But as you said, it's not for everyone, and regardless you don't have to play it a lot. Many people just play it at an expansion launch and then unsubscribe for 2 years.

[LianaThorne]

To be fair, OP has a point...just not in the way they originally phrased it. With modding now becoming a standard thing in the community, I've heard a growing number of comments related to looks being....a determining factor in whether or not someone will engage with you. To speak plainly, if you don't have Mare or participate in cosmetic modding, it's becoming less likely that people will want to RP with you. I think we are becoming a shallow community in some form compared to how things were a few years back.

[Gokki]

To be fair, OP has a point...just not in the way they originally phrased it. With modding now becoming a standard thing in the community, I've heard a growing number of comments related to looks being....a determining factor in whether or not someone will engage with you. To speak plainly, if you don't have Mare or participate in cosmetic modding, it's becoming less likely that people will want to RP with you. I think we are becoming a shallow community in some form compared to how things were a few years back.

It's more of an arms race, as people get more choices it's only natural to gravitate towards more personalized and creative ones. I do agree that it's not nice to be ignored, not sure there's a solution to that since this is completely organic behaviour. I haven't encountered the problem myself but it's not like i RP every day out there.

That said - the people who maximise their efforts to look modded are exactly the same people who would be shallow and pay less attention to those who don't. It's.... predicable.

[LianaThorne]

It's more of an arms race, as people get more choices it's only natural to gravitate towards more personalized and creative ones. I do agree that it's not nice to be ignored, not sure there's a solution to that since this is completely organic behaviour. I haven't encountered the problem myself but it's not like i RP every day out there.

That said - the people who maximise their efforts to look modded are exactly the same people who would be shallow and pay less attention to those who don't. It's.... predicable.

It's not so much ignored as being told that they're not interesting enough/worth their time because they're vanilla. I feel there's a difference there.

But otherwise yeah, it's unfortunate.

I spend a bit of time helping out newbies when I can and this is moreso where I'm hearing it coming from. New players ask how to get into RP -> I point to venues, etc. -> They come back asking what Mare is and how they can get it because someone made them feel bad/rejected them at an event for not having it.

[GoatOfWar]

Any new players out there expecting fair balance, don't.
Devs play favourites.