Final Fantasy XIV
is not a typical MMOG. Its filled with unique mechanics and new ways
of doing things that may throw you off your game. Understanding the
different facets of the game takes time to discover, and may surprise
you along the way. To lessen the shock of these discoveries, and smooth
out some of the speed bumps on your road to enjoying this rich title,
Ive assembled my list of the Top
Ten Things You Need To Know About FFXIV.
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1)
Pay Per Character Slot
The first surprise I encountered while setting up my FFXIV account, was
that the monthly subscription fee is not a set amount. Instead,
Square-Enix has set up an account structure that changes with your
needs.
There is a base fee of $9.99 per month. This monthly amount can be
reduced slightly by buying your subscription time in bulk (several
months at a time). But thereafter, the amount you pay monthly is
determined by the number of character slots you choose to utilize. Each
full character slot costs $3.00/mo, or you can also purchase limited
accounts that can be used as extra item storage for just $1.00/mo.
Now, before all you alt-addicts flip out over the cost, remember that
your main character can be ANY profession, and progress in ALL
professions at the same time, with no penalties. So there is no
mechanic-driven reason to have multiple characters in this game.
2)
Everything Can Change
When creating your first character, keep in mind that your profession
and stats can and will change dramatically over the course of the game.
Neither is set in stone, so dont sweat the details too much. They will
have a negligible impact on your early game play, and can later be
changed on-the-fly at very little cost.
The facets of your character that appear to be permanent after creation
are your name, race, your physical appearance, birth date and guardian.
What effect, if any, that those last two have on your game play
experience is not known at this time.
3)
Starting Stats Will Not Matter
As I mentioned in the previous tip, your starting stats do not matter.
You will have the choice at each progression point to reallocate your
stats as you progress. The amount that you start with in each stat is
also quite small when compared to the amount that you will gain over
the life of your character. You gain 8 points per level, which can be
spent in whatever manner you choose. Given that most starting stats are
in the range of 15-25, this slight difference is unlikely to impact
your overall gaming experience.
4)
Choose Disciples of War or Disciples of Magic To Start
When you start off in Eorzea, it will be much easier to progress as a
combat-oriented character. Getting a feel for the various key commands,
menu systems and other mechanics, is easier when you start by doing
something familiar. Disciples of War are the best choice for someone
brand new to FFXIV, with Magic being a close second. Both work
similarly in combat, and are capable of defending themselves and
quickly completing the starting Guildleves. Furthermore, each of these
profession types are outfitted with decent combat-oriented gear that
the Disciples of the Hand and Land simply are not given.
Disciples of the Hand are crafting professions. They have a much
different starting experience, and its difficult to earn gil if you
dont have combat capabilities.
Disciples of the Land are even more difficult to get started, unless
you enjoy collecting items and then spending copious amounts of time
standing idle waiting for players to buy your found goods.
Remember that you can try out any profession at any time, but its
highly recommended that you stick with a combat-oriented profession out
of the gate.
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5) Forget the Standard Keybinds (aka RTFM!)
There is no jump.
But thats not the least of your worries, when learning to move and
operate your character in this game. I cannot recommend enough that you
read the manual included with your game, and familiarize yourself with
the unique key bind layouts used in this game. Im under the impression
that they are similar to FFXI so youll have a leg up if you played
that title.
The keyboard layout actually favors two hands on the keys (WASD and
IJKL), which is unlike any other MMOG that Ive played. This layout may
seem unintuitive to most, and its not necessarily how you have to play
the game. But if you keep it in mind as the basis for the way other
commands are spread around the keyboard, it may help you understand how
to execute certain commands.
Also keep in mind that many of the command functions have been
optimized for console play. They work decently with a gamepad, so
setting up your own USB controller may be a good plan. I personally
found neither control method (keyboard or gamepad) noticeably more
user-friendly than the other, so its really a matter of personal
preference.
You can rebind most commands if you'd like a different layout, but I
recommend at least trying the default for a bit before going that route.
6)
Lack of Documentation is Purposeful
Other than the manual included with the game, which gives relatively
little information on how the game works, you will be hard-pressed to
find any explanations for most of the mechanics within FFXIV.
Before you get riled up with internet-rage and go rant at Square-Enix
about their shoddy documentation, let me tell you a secret: this lack
of information is purposeful.
The creators of FFXIV have chosen to give very little information to
users up-front as a way of encouraging players to work together to
experiment and figure out how different mechanics function, and how to
use them most efficiently. Their hope is that by forcing players to
cooperate in order to understand these things, it will forge stronger
community bonds over the long term.
So be prepared to READ, and be prepared to LEARN. And never be afraid
of asking a question of your fellow players.
7)
Press - on the Numpad for your main menu
Most actions are accessible from this menu, and many can be executed
ONLY from this menu. While this is completely unintuitive for most MMOG
veterans, it actually makes a certain amount of sense for a console RPG
gamer, which is a market this game is actively attempting to engage.
So one of the first things I would recommend to any player is to open
up the main menu and familiarize yourself with the various screens and
menus that are accessible via this interface. And, as you progress
through the game, if you ever reach a point where you feel as if youve
hit a wall, open this menu and seek out new options that may have
surfaced.
8) You Will Be
Penalized If You Play Too Much
Players interested in FFXIV have likely already heard about the Fatigue
system present in this title. Put simply, it is a mechanic thats been
put in place to prevent players from progressing too quickly up a
single profession path. Once you have passed a certain threshold, your
experience gain will begin to decrease until the point that you receive
ZERO experience for completing tasks, or defeating monsters.
However, this cap is only in place for the profession you used to reach
that threshold. In other words, if you defeated enough monsters as one
profession so that your experience gain is beginning to diminish,
swapping to another profession will allow you to continue gaining
experience in that new profession. This can be especially useful since
any ability you have learned from any profession can potentially be
equipped on your character at any time, regardless of your current
profession. So leveling up multiple professions in this manner can not
only allow you to continue progressing, it can also flesh out your
available ability combinations in unique ways.
9) There Is No
Auction House
alt="market ward"
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vspace="3">At this time, there is no centralized interface
for purchasing items from your fellow players, or selling your own
items to others. The current method is handled via the Market Wards. If
you are a buyer, simply make your way to the nearest Market Ward and
feel free to browse to your hearts content. Finding the right item at
the right price can be difficult since you will need to search each
Retainers inventory one by one. The best I can recommend here is to be
patient while searching. It may also be a good plan to bring along a
friend or two to help you search.
If you are attempting to sell the items youve gained on your
adventures, or those that youve crafted yourself, youll need to hire
a Retainer from the local tavern, and then set up your own vendor in
the Market Wards. The process of hiring and setting these up is pretty
straight-forward, so I wont go into detail. Just keep in mind that
your Retainers can only be used in the Market Wards.
10)
style="font-style: italic;"> Besaid is
the Unofficial Roleplay Server
Are you looking for the opportunity to immerse yourself completely in
the mystical world of Eorzea, and truly submerge yourself in the rich
tapestry of your characters life? There is a robust and lively
roleplaying community that wants you to join them on the
style="font-weight: bold;">Besaid server.
This initiative to have the server Besaid
set aside for roleplay activities is being entirely headed up as a
href="http://www.ffxiv-roleplayers.com/forum/" target="_top">player-run
movement, and will not be in any way enforced by the customer
service staff at Square-Enix.
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