Final Fantasy XIV (Guide in first post)

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Cybsled

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Once you hit max level on one job, you get bonus XP gains (including roulette bonuses) on all subsequent jobs below the level of your highest job. Makes leveling the other jobs much easier.
 

Morrow

Trakanon Raider
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This is something a lot of people coming from WoW have real problems with: it's the telegraph that counts. If the telegraph vanishes while you are in it, you have already fucked up. On the other hand, once the telegraph is finished you can immediately run back in. Even when you see the AoE spell effect go off and right on/through you: you won't get damage.

I'm still a little unclear. So a mob starts doing something, and I see a circle on the ground, but the animation is still going and continues after the circle disappears. Am I safe to move back in the instant the circle or whatever is gone? Or do I need to wait for the full animation. Big mob raises its weapon, and there's a big line on the ground, line disappears a few seconds later, but then the big mob smashes the weapon down afterward. I'm safe when?
 

Neranja

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Once you hit max level on one job, you get bonus XP gains
You get 100% "armoury bonus" for any job below your max level job, even when that is not yet max level. This is until level 70, after which it's a 50% bonus. You can level three to four jobs with the "road to 70" buff on preferred servers with the MSQ and job quests plus hunting log alone.

Caveat for new players: you only have one rested XP bar, and it scales back and forth with your job level. So you may want to use it on a high level job you want to level and not your level 10 alt job.

Do your "Hall of the Novice" quests at "The Smith" in the inn of your city state. At the end it gives a 30% xp bonus ring until level 30 with nice stats for the level. This stacks with any pre-order bonus earrings (or the moogle cap) and food and/or free company buffs.

New jobs usually go like this: get level 1 job quest, your starter weapon, do the level 1 job quest + hunting log and then the level 5 job quest + hunting log. After that it's level 10 job quest, hunting log plus guildhest roulette (level 10), and after that it's the duty roulette (level 15).
 

Neranja

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Am I safe to move back in the instant the circle or whatever is gone? Or do I need to wait for the full animation.
Yes, you can jump immediately back in, taking no damage from the AoE/cleave/whatever. Caveat: high level trials (and some dungeons) have mechanics that aren't telegraphed on the ground. I think the first you could encounter while leveling was the "coincounter" in Aurum Vale, who had no telegraph for his 360 noscope cleave, which hit hard. The hint for him was: 100-Tonze Swing on the cast bar and he had his mace in both hands. This has been changed now, though.

Chimera's were another one of those mechanics that weren't telegraphed on the ground and could kill a PUG. The end boss of Cutter's Cry is one. Handy cheat sheet:
  • Eyes glow violet (dragon): everyone in (melee range)
  • Eyes glow blue (ram): everyone out
Trials usually have some mix of telegraphed/non-telegraphed abilities. This shows how this looks like:

 
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Juvarisx

Florida
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Man does this game know how to make boss fights fucking epic. I wish the "arenas" were a bit more complicated, but I did Thordan today and yea it was fan service but damn it beats the shit out of anything WoW has ever done.
 
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bolok

Molten Core Raider
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I’m starting wayyyy back. I mean I’m talking not even finished the original game. But sounds like I have a lot of content to chew on.
If you poop sock hard you can pretty much catch up to current in about a month give or take. But DO NOT do that. This really is not that type of game. There is metric fuck ton of side content to do, but if you rush it all and hammer skip on all the story, you're bound to be disappointed. There are call backs upon call backs from NPC's you met ages ago.

Unlike wow where everything less than max level is useless, FF tries it's best to keep the entire game in play. If your main job is past whatever thing you que'd into and it looks cool, sweet bank it for another job. Take your time, the ARR story line is like B tier at best, but it ramps. That said, it's weirdly trivial to outlevel the shit out of the MSQ if you stick with a single job, and I'd personally recommend leveling another job so it isn't soo out of wack. But to each their own.
 
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Folanlron

Trakanon Raider
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So on AoE's

The game uses a "Snapshot" feature for hitting you during AoE's, as soon as the circle is gone it is safe too walk right back into that same spot. This takes a bit of getting use too.

ALL Bosses have tells for what they are doing(And also they have a routine), there are some bosses that don't have tells, The Knave, Hansel and Gretel, and False Idol are some I can think off the top my head(Ones that don't give tells will "ALWAYS" give you enough time to get out of it)

For instance .. E9S

Cloud of Darkness has several "tells" for what she is doing you don't need too see the aoe circles too figure it out(And in Savage the life span of the circles is so short you're gonna get hit by it anyway)

IF Clouds hands are glowing it's a "spread"(basically groups will set positions before the pull for clock spots were you will stand, 99% of the time Tanks take N/S Healers take E/W and DPS take inter-cardinals)
IF Clouds chain chompers are glowing it's a 2 person stack mechanic.
IF Clouds Left/Right Hand + Left/Right Chain chomper is glowing, it's a Cleave on that side of the stage.
This is only during the first stage, but it's basically the same though the whole fight. she does have 1 new trick up her sleeve when you're in the tiles part though but that's it.

Man does this game know how to make boss fights fucking epic. I wish the "arenas" were a bit more complicated, but I did Thordan today and yea it was fan service but damn it beats the shit out of anything WoW has ever done.

You're just getting started, they get much better the further you go in.. Byakko's stage is awesome.. as is Ruby/Emerald/Diamond Weapons, honestly everything past HW they just keep getting better and better..
 
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Cybsled

Avatar of War Slayer
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Man does this game know how to make boss fights fucking epic. I wish the "arenas" were a bit more complicated, but I did Thordan today and yea it was fan service but damn it beats the shit out of anything WoW has ever done.

They try to mix some of the arenas up for some of the bosses...floors explode, you get teleported to different rooms, active time events. They mentioned there are engine limitations that force them to use the arena setup, but they do use it to good effect and ya, the boss fights are usually pretty epic. Most of them have specific musical themes and there is always other cool shit happening.
 

ronne

Nǐ hǎo, yǒu jīn zi ma?
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What controls the speed of my chocobo? Why is it faster in the forest area than the desert area?
 

sleevedraw

Revolver Ocelot
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What controls the speed of my chocobo? Why is it faster in the forest area than the desert area?

First * in the 2.0 areas is controlled by completing certain main story quests. Second * can be purchased with Allied Seals from hunts.
 

...

Goonsquad Officer
5,600
13,420
Bought it while it was on sale. Level 25 Gladiator. Kinda going crazy with no abilities, sure hope I start to get a bunch at 30+ when I split to Pal.

Do I really need to not skip story and dialogue bubbles and cutscenes if I'm not an anime nerd? Everyone says not to, but I have a hard time believing I'll get absorbed in it, but if everyone says it's that good, I guess I better read about their weeb problems and not skip?
There are recaps of the arr story that are way faster than doing it. I like to follow it because the story bulds heavy momentum off of early concepts. Once you finish arr (praetorum, ultimate weapon) don't skip. Setting up heavenswaed gets awesome.
 

Morrow

Trakanon Raider
3,221
897
So as a Gladiator I have to do stuff near Ulduh, right? When will I see non desert-like stuff. I really like the look of Gridania, but yeah, I guess there's not much I can do about that as Gladiator? Will I get to leave Ulduh stuff soon?
 

Morrow

Trakanon Raider
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Level 15 in the MSQ, where all three intro quests from the city states converge. You'll get sent around and the first dungeon is Limsa Lominsa and not Gridania, though.

I'm like 25 now. I guess that's from the huge exp bonus. So just focus on my main quests, the ones at the top left, right? I can't stand this desert environment. I created another character on another server (is it only 1 char per server, even with full sub status? I know you can be all jobs on one character, but I kind of like having different races/chars sometimes...). Anyways I created another character that starts in Gridania and damn I love this place, I wish I'd have just started with a character that started here, and then gone Glad/Pal later.

How important is completing the Hunters log? I enjoy it, but with the exp bonus I'm flying by and just wondering if I should be backtracking to places that have the mobs I need for it.
 

Neranja

<Bronze Donator>
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So just focus on my main quests, the ones at the top left, right?
Yes. You can cross-reference this handy guide to the MSQ, albeit the quest titles may contain spoilers.

(is it only 1 char per server, even with full sub status?
There are two sub tiers: entry with 1 per server for a maximum of 8. The full sub gives you 8 per server for a maximum of 40. However, and this will surprise you: You can't mail stuff from one character to another.

Only friends can mail each other stuff, and every possibility to friend yourself has been patched out.

How important is completing the Hunters log?
Not very. It fizzles out after ARR with level 50. There is an ARR grand company hunting log, too, but people only do that for the company seals and the minion it gives.

It was basically replaced in Heavensward with the "Wondrous Tails", which complements the challenge log (unlocked at Limsa Lominsa) for weekly stuff to do. Contrary to the automatic challenge log, you have to pick up and turn in your journal weekly.
 
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Morrow

Trakanon Raider
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Man being an MMO player in Europe sucks dick. You either pick American servers anyways, and deal with 100+ ping, which is deadly in high end content, like WoW mythic prog + huge time zone differences for raiding. Or you play on European servers and you get like 55% of the population speaking English.

It basically halves your playerbase.

Also, French gamers suck. Germans are fine, but there's still language barrier issues, so it reduces your playerbase.
 

Malkav

French Madman
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1,583
Man being an MMO player in Europe sucks dick. You either pick American servers anyways, and deal with 100+ ping, which is deadly in high end content, like WoW mythic prog + huge time zone differences for raiding. Or you play on European servers and you get like 55% of the population speaking English.

It basically halves your playerbase.

Also, French gamers suck.

I gather you chose the Chaos DC? It's the DC with Moogle, which is the main french shitty server.

Light DC is better. More germans, but at least germans speak english. Most french can't speak english for shit.

I'd probably look into switching while it's early if I were you.
 

Morrow

Trakanon Raider
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I gather you chose the Chaos DC? It's the DC with Moogle, which is the main french shitty server.

Light DC is better. More germans, but at least germans speak english. Most french can't speak english for shit.

I'd probably look into switching while it's early if I were you.
Yeah that's why I don't mind Germans, many of them speak English or at least try to or don't mind English players. I've had Germans runwhat I said through a google translate and then translate back to me and vice versa. A French player would NEVER do that.

I mean, whatever, it's Europe. I can't expect everyone to speak english, but I'm just ranting as a spoiled english speaking American.

French players get personally offended and snobby if you speak English to them. They are also just rude little fucks.

I'm on Loisloix. I looked at a graph and it appears that Loisloix is 53% English, which is better than Moogle's shitty 45% (Odin 68%, Phoenix 63% Cerberus 67%).

Also I wanted to play Cerberus or Spriggan or Odin, but it won't let me, so I can't even really do much better than Loisloix 's 53%. Not sure what to do. I hate being trapped on low pop servers, but the 200% exp bonus is so nice.

How often do they toggle letting players onto servers that are "full"? Can I keep spamming and eventually get onto Spriggan?
 
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  • 1Worf
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Neranja

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Or you play on European servers and you get like 55% of the population speaking English.
You can select the languages you speak in your duty finder and the game tries to match you. JEDF for Japanese, English, German and Baguette. The French seem to do the same though, and check every language even if they don't speak it.

dutyfinder.jpg


There is an auto-translator function built into FFXIV though, even if most people don't use it or aren't aware. You see these predefined sentences with the green/red scroll arrows. You can access this with Tab while entering chat, either with a category menu or as an auto-complete. Tab - 1 - 1 is for "Please use the auto-translate function", Tab - 1 - Page Down - 6 is for "Can you speak English?"


autotranslate.gif
 
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