This is a fairly long rave, so TL;DR: I REALLY REALLY enjoy this game and am extremely glad I started playing it.
I don't usually play online games - it's hard for me to schedule consistent blocks of uninterrupted time, and I'm also not very good at playing most games so I don't want to drag others down with my weaknesses and bad play. MMOs, too, I've always been skeptical of and thus avoided it. A big part of that was always the subscription fee - I figured that it'd wind up getting pretty expensive to play over time.
In any event, I came across an article on Kotaku recommending FF14, and saying it was one of the best FF games out. I was intrigued - it seemed to be a very glowing endorsement, and I've been wanting to finish an FF game for years but never done so, so I thought that if this was such a good game it could be worth trying. But I was still skeptical about the subscription fee. Here I was really fortunate to talk to a friend of mine who'd played it before, and they explained a few things. Firstly, they mentioned how the sub fee helps pay for developing extra content, like patches etc, so paying a sub fee helps to guarantee you updates. This sounded like a good idea to me, because it sounded better than the idea of "buy game, get patches + updates for 6-9 months, then the devs move on". The other thing they mentioned was that it wasn't actually that expensive because you could potentially only play that 1 MMO and nothing else, and you'd be saving money vs buying multiple games and not playing them (which is admittedly something I do far too often). What I also liked was the explanation of the patch cycle - adding raids, dungeons, quests, items, and other stuff into the game with each patch - every 3 months. It all sounded like a really good idea and I liked what I was hearing, so I started researching it more, trying to figure out what it was like, and if I'd like it. I learned that the community is held up as being very helpful, so I decided to take the plunge, and found a server that looked like it'd be a good fit.
Actually playing was a bit of a challenge, as I wanted to join that specific server, but it didn't character creation available for the day I was off (despite multiple checks), and I even woke up in the early hours of the morning to try and create my character, to no avail. I was finally able to make my character though, and started playing, but initially wasn't too impressed. I mean it was kind of just there. But I kept playing, and playing, and noticed that I was spending longer and longer with each session, and by the time the free trial was coming to an end I was thinking that I didn't want to stop playing, so opted to buy the game. I was really fortunate here in that it was on sale, so I was able to use the free trial till it finished, then register my copy, which let me have a few extra days in which to play and decide. And things were going swimmingly - I was getting more invested, and wanted to see how things went.
Then came Sastasha. I was really worried here, because now I had to do content with others, and I didn't know what to do. I mean, what If I played badly, right? Plus when would I be able to play without being interrupted? And besides all that, I was a healer, so if I screwed up then it'd be harder on everyone, and I didn't have a second class at that point. But I was really fortunate here (as well) to get paired with a really nice party that were supportive, helpful, and understanding. I mentioned that I hadn't done it before and to please take it slow, and sure enough they did and gave some tips along the way, as well as a few commendations afterwards. We didn't wipe, we didn't struggle, and it wasn't nearly as intimidating or long as I'd imagined it would be. Of course immediately after Sastasha came Tam-Tara, and (surprise surprise), I really enjoyed that too, for some of the same reasons. I was really happy about that, and finally I was able to progress with the MSQ.
I'm REALLY enjoying the game so far. That friend mentioned that the game doesn't start until level 50 - I didn't really understand what they meant by that, until I got to the next section of the game and unlocked 8 or 9 quests in one spot: I still need to do most of those. I’ve joined a really great FC so there are plenty of people to play and interact with, and something happens pretty often. Plus there are dailies for leveling (which have become one of my favorite activities - Sastasha especially), and multiple dungeons I haven't tried yet. There's the relic quest I want to do, and I also want to try Crystal Tower, and of course continue with the MSQ. I want to try Astrologian, and maybe even Bard or Dancer or Samurai or Red Mage. There's just so much content stuffed into this that I have to keep telling myself to take it one bit at a time, but even with that in mind I feel like I could keep playing for quite a long while yet. And the nice thing is it feels like I can help out and pay the favor forward. Since I'm playing mainly as a healer, sure it's nice to get the "adventurer in need" boosts, but it also means a chance to help others get through content, and also get better myself. After all, every party needs a healer, right?
I'm reminded by a comment in the patch delay announcement:
"While many of us worldwide remain inside our homes, we should remember to let joy and laughter fill them─because in times like these, it’s especially important to find happiness where you can. I certainly hope that in delving into parts of FFXIV that you have yet to try─battles to be won, new jobs with which to hone your skills─connecting with in-game friends, and having fun together, your days will seem a little brighter. ".
It's a small thing, I know, but I agree with the sentiment and it has been the case. It's been a pretty tough year even before the current situation, but it's definitely been helpful and appreciated to be able to log on and focus on adventuring in Eorzea, instead of everything else going on. Funny enough though, I'm not playing it as much (or more) than other games I've played - I'm just playing it more consistently, and it feels like any other game in that regard. I feel extremely silly for having been worried about the sub fee though – at this point it’s not really a consideration at all, and the game is DEFINITELY worth more than $15/mo. If someone is reading this and considering trying the game, give it a shot - it's almost too fun
.
submitted by /u/snowbell55
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I don't usually play online games - it's hard for me to schedule consistent blocks of uninterrupted time, and I'm also not very good at playing most games so I don't want to drag others down with my weaknesses and bad play. MMOs, too, I've always been skeptical of and thus avoided it. A big part of that was always the subscription fee - I figured that it'd wind up getting pretty expensive to play over time.
In any event, I came across an article on Kotaku recommending FF14, and saying it was one of the best FF games out. I was intrigued - it seemed to be a very glowing endorsement, and I've been wanting to finish an FF game for years but never done so, so I thought that if this was such a good game it could be worth trying. But I was still skeptical about the subscription fee. Here I was really fortunate to talk to a friend of mine who'd played it before, and they explained a few things. Firstly, they mentioned how the sub fee helps pay for developing extra content, like patches etc, so paying a sub fee helps to guarantee you updates. This sounded like a good idea to me, because it sounded better than the idea of "buy game, get patches + updates for 6-9 months, then the devs move on". The other thing they mentioned was that it wasn't actually that expensive because you could potentially only play that 1 MMO and nothing else, and you'd be saving money vs buying multiple games and not playing them (which is admittedly something I do far too often). What I also liked was the explanation of the patch cycle - adding raids, dungeons, quests, items, and other stuff into the game with each patch - every 3 months. It all sounded like a really good idea and I liked what I was hearing, so I started researching it more, trying to figure out what it was like, and if I'd like it. I learned that the community is held up as being very helpful, so I decided to take the plunge, and found a server that looked like it'd be a good fit.
Actually playing was a bit of a challenge, as I wanted to join that specific server, but it didn't character creation available for the day I was off (despite multiple checks), and I even woke up in the early hours of the morning to try and create my character, to no avail. I was finally able to make my character though, and started playing, but initially wasn't too impressed. I mean it was kind of just there. But I kept playing, and playing, and noticed that I was spending longer and longer with each session, and by the time the free trial was coming to an end I was thinking that I didn't want to stop playing, so opted to buy the game. I was really fortunate here in that it was on sale, so I was able to use the free trial till it finished, then register my copy, which let me have a few extra days in which to play and decide. And things were going swimmingly - I was getting more invested, and wanted to see how things went.
Then came Sastasha. I was really worried here, because now I had to do content with others, and I didn't know what to do. I mean, what If I played badly, right? Plus when would I be able to play without being interrupted? And besides all that, I was a healer, so if I screwed up then it'd be harder on everyone, and I didn't have a second class at that point. But I was really fortunate here (as well) to get paired with a really nice party that were supportive, helpful, and understanding. I mentioned that I hadn't done it before and to please take it slow, and sure enough they did and gave some tips along the way, as well as a few commendations afterwards. We didn't wipe, we didn't struggle, and it wasn't nearly as intimidating or long as I'd imagined it would be. Of course immediately after Sastasha came Tam-Tara, and (surprise surprise), I really enjoyed that too, for some of the same reasons. I was really happy about that, and finally I was able to progress with the MSQ.
I'm REALLY enjoying the game so far. That friend mentioned that the game doesn't start until level 50 - I didn't really understand what they meant by that, until I got to the next section of the game and unlocked 8 or 9 quests in one spot: I still need to do most of those. I’ve joined a really great FC so there are plenty of people to play and interact with, and something happens pretty often. Plus there are dailies for leveling (which have become one of my favorite activities - Sastasha especially), and multiple dungeons I haven't tried yet. There's the relic quest I want to do, and I also want to try Crystal Tower, and of course continue with the MSQ. I want to try Astrologian, and maybe even Bard or Dancer or Samurai or Red Mage. There's just so much content stuffed into this that I have to keep telling myself to take it one bit at a time, but even with that in mind I feel like I could keep playing for quite a long while yet. And the nice thing is it feels like I can help out and pay the favor forward. Since I'm playing mainly as a healer, sure it's nice to get the "adventurer in need" boosts, but it also means a chance to help others get through content, and also get better myself. After all, every party needs a healer, right?
I'm reminded by a comment in the patch delay announcement:
"While many of us worldwide remain inside our homes, we should remember to let joy and laughter fill them─because in times like these, it’s especially important to find happiness where you can. I certainly hope that in delving into parts of FFXIV that you have yet to try─battles to be won, new jobs with which to hone your skills─connecting with in-game friends, and having fun together, your days will seem a little brighter. ".
It's a small thing, I know, but I agree with the sentiment and it has been the case. It's been a pretty tough year even before the current situation, but it's definitely been helpful and appreciated to be able to log on and focus on adventuring in Eorzea, instead of everything else going on. Funny enough though, I'm not playing it as much (or more) than other games I've played - I'm just playing it more consistently, and it feels like any other game in that regard. I feel extremely silly for having been worried about the sub fee though – at this point it’s not really a consideration at all, and the game is DEFINITELY worth more than $15/mo. If someone is reading this and considering trying the game, give it a shot - it's almost too fun
.submitted by /u/snowbell55
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Continue reading...