Then I sold my account (for quite a bit of money) and decided to try a different MMO that was a little more casual and less time consuming. After paying for playing quite a few different popular MMOs, I finally gave in and went back to FFXI.

It’s a lot of work, but I was more willing to start over from the very beginning of FFXI with zero quests done and zero jobs leveled, then waste my time playing any of the other MMOs that I had tried and found so disappointing.

I agree with many of the posters here that it does take too much time to get anything done in the game. I love grouping with players to level but I hate waiting for a party. That has always been FFXIs biggest flaw IMO…if you like a melee job like Samurai or Dragoon, without a static group you’ll most likely end up waiting for a long time.

And NM/HNM camping….This is the biggest waste of time in the game. Waiting 4-5 hours for a Spawn that has a crap drop rate…who was the one that thought of that?

There are many things in FFXI that I love and miss, especially the friends I’ve made over the years, but I’m out of College now and just don’t have the time it requires.

I really wish SE would realize, especially if they develop a new MMO to makes things a bit more casual friendly.

If you are a new player looking into to play FFXI, my advice is to find a good linkshell, otherwise you won’t enjoy the game as much.

Plays it and tries to cope with it by keeping their individuality.

This game almost exclusively caters to the Japanese fan base. I mean I laugh at American teens that wear T-shirts declaring themselves to be Otakus.
When they hate FFXI.

That is the definition of an Otaku. Overrate a game,a nd make it a pain to do something due to some small group of elites that played the game during the BETA.
My beef with the game is that the penalties are too steep, and the story line is too slow.. People tell me “it is just more worth it once you get to see the cutscene.”

Yea I’m not spending 3 months which would be almost 40 bucks to see 1 fucking cutscene.
*unsubscribes*
FFXI took all the elements of what makes a good game fun, and threw it in the furnace.

I’m sorry but SE when they made this game. Lost all appeal to many NA and EU casual gamers, and hell even the hardcore gaming nerds in western cultures hate this game after awhile.

This game serves exclusively to the Otaku fan base.

FFXI has a japanese grinding mentality that forces conformity to the superior players and serves very few. The lack of solo play makes it so that nobody breaks the mold unless someone allows it, and in this way all MMO’s are similar, but in WoW there is ALWAYS an alternative than to follow someone elses rules.

It’s an MMO that allows you to do content with up to 40 people, or just with your best friend at your side. There is a reason it’s the number 1 MMO on the market. I’m not even a fan boy, these are just facts. I quit WoW months ago, because 3 years is enough time to get sick of a game, but FFXI I played for almost as long prior, and I have to tell you. WoW was a breath of fresh air.

You will miss the community, but the only reason the FF community as as close as it is, is because it has to be. It has little choice. Friendship should not be based on gameplay shackles. It should be based on desire, a passion to fight and play together.

WoW’s greatest weakness is it’s PvP. It’s not too refined, but even that is lightyears ahead of FFXI.

Trust me, FFXI was a good game and continues to serve those that play it. However becoming a new player at this point in the game? I would call it masochistic. SE’s expansions are aimed for veterans and not new players for a reason. They know the time for new blood is over, time is running out for that game.

It’s sad, I have fond memories of it… but that’s life. Soon WoW will be overtaken by a game with better PvP and strong PvE elements, with solo and party based mechanics. Such as the new Warhammer which is going to shake the MMO world. Till’ then, you cannot lose with that game. It’s designed for the player to have fun in whatever style he or she chooses, and you can’t go wrong with that. Even with it’s flaws.

I’ll miss the linkshells, and I definitely will miss hanging around with the Japanese which I think are awesome. However it’s time to move on.

This game has been here for 5 years, I wished they put a little more effort into improving it. I do know it’s an online game and it can’t be rendered as well as an offline game, but nonetheless I think they should at least try. Especially, when half of the missions/quests you do or even exclusive battles are reserved for 6 party members. You would think they would make these cutscenes a little more top tier.