Final Fantasy 14 (FFXIV)

ArthurG

I got my first job (BLM) to lvl76 over the weekend. The changes they made are incredible - the rotation is incredibly smooth now, with virtually no downtime. Love it.

Additionally, the main story quest is phenominal. It's almost like a single player FF game. For me this may be the best expansion yet.

Does seem there is a lot of dissatisfaction among healers though - having said that we've no idea what high end raiding is going to look like yet, and won't for at least a few weeks.

Kiith

God damn, you're really selling the story. Gotta get myself through the first 50 or so levels i guess :P

Noxin

He's not the first I've heard saying the story is top notch. Plenty of people promoting it as top xpac to date.

Personally as of yesterday, I just finished up the Heavensward story. It was really fantastic I must say, although at times I did find myself rushing through the content as I want to get up to the latest.
Will be starting Stormblood in the next day or so. Still miles off the latest content. Even find myself skipping all of the random unlock quests for various dungeons or other items at the moment.

I've swapped from Bard to Dancer as well. Bard feels very lackluster now. I found myself with too much downtime with only one skill to hammer while waiting on procs or GCD.
Dancer on the other hand is extremely fun to play and feels quite strong. They could do with making the skills feel more impactful though. Barely any sound when you're bashing someone over the head with a chakram and only get a slight swish noise. :P

Kiith

Currently playing a Lancer, and i finished the first three dungeon quests last night. Not a lot of abilities as of yet (really just 3 with a buff on my next attack, and ranged attack so far). Level 22, so i should be able to get a mount now, right?

Not sure if i'll stick with the Lancer, or try something else, but if i change class, i go back to level 1 right? Is there any speed up mechanics for 2nd/3rd etc... classes? Wouldn't mind swapping every now and again, but don't really fancy starting from scratch each time.

Doctor Jimbob

Kiith wrote: »

Currently playing a Lancer, and i finished the first three dungeon quests last night. Not a lot of abilities as of yet (really just 3 with a buff on my next attack, and ranged attack so far). Level 22, so i should be able to get a mount now, right?

Not sure if i'll stick with the Lancer, or try something else, but if i change class, i go back to level 1 right? Is there any speed up mechanics for 2nd/3rd etc... classes? Wouldn't mind swapping every now and again, but don't really fancy starting from scratch each time.

You go back to level 1, but you get a big boost to leveling classes after your first. I'm not sure what the percentage is for lower level classes at this point, but I'm sure it's very high.

Calhoun

How are you guys finding shadowbringers?

Kiith

The amount of back and forth in early quests is ****in ridiculous. Spent the last 40 minutes going back and forth for single quests, without even having a mount to help

Calhoun

Kiith wrote: »

The amount of back and forth in early quests is ****in ridiculous. Spent the last 40 minutes going back and forth for single quests, without even having a mount to help

Do you not have a mount or stuck in an area with no mounts ?

I love some of the mounts in this game as I said my personal favorite is the bike from FF7.

Kiith

Think i'm about to get it. Thought i had missed something, as everything i found was saying it when you join a grand company around level 20, but i'm 25 and that hasn't even happened yet. Must have been well over-levelled.

Is the Palace of the Dead a good way of trying other classes? Seems like you can level up pretty quick from what i've read.

Calhoun

Great update i was looking on my phone so i didnt see your original post. I am not going to lie i have been caught up in BFA as i currently raid in wow. However i am conflicted as i want to play FF14.

After a review like that i need to try find time for sure

Kiith

How relevant is the ARR story to the later expansions? I've found myself clicking through a lot of text, as its juts not interesting at all, but i'm wondering will that hurt me once i get to the actual good stuff.

I generally like stories in my games, but these haven't been great so far (even though i liked the Ifrit quests/battle).

Calhoun

Kiith wrote: »

How relevant is the ARR story to the later expansions? I've found myself clicking through a lot of text, as its juts not interesting at all, but i'm wondering will that hurt me once i get to the actual good stuff.

I generally like stories in my games, but these haven't been great so far (even though i liked the Ifrit quests/battle).

I hear for ARR it picks up after Titan and gets good. Then heavenly sword and story after is supposed to be really good.

As i said i am going through it for the first time like you and was having some of the same concerns but heard it picks up.

Kiith

I can't stand how gated WoW has become. Everything from story to gameplay is locked behind mechanics to keep you playing constantly. The classes have also been ruined, and any fun abilities or things that made them unique have been taken away. I enjoy it for the lore, but that's about it at this stage.

In this, I'm torn between sticking with my current character, and going to a different one i started a while ago (lvl27 or lvl17, so not much difference). I generally prefer playing female characters in mmo's now, as they tend to look better in most armour, and if i'm going to be leveling multiple classes with one character, i think i'll stick with the one i prefer for the long run. Figure i'll just blitz through a few fates and levequests to get my level up to around where i was. Mainly just to get my mount, and then it won't be quite as painful.

Noxin

I dropped wow some time back as well. I had been tempted for 8.2 as it does look to include some improvements... but right now I'm so addicted to FFXIV it's unhealthy :pac:

I'm almost onto the latest content, having finished ARR, HW and almost through SB now having just stepped foot in The Lochs. (and man did it take a long time to get here. Every time I thought I had finished all sidequests, two more would pop. Like bloody cockroaches)

Once I'm through this last bit I'll just have to take care of whatever post-expansion quest lines there are and I'll finally be into ShB. I'm already a level 70 dancer so will be 80 way before finishing the latest content quests for sure.

Heard nothing but good things about ShB so looking forward to seeing it for myself... and finally making enough money to maybe buy a house. Just hit the 4.5mil mark by selling all gear rewards from quests that were not my class during SB. Some fetched a hefty gil influx

Noxin

Very nice little video. Actually gave me some yearnings for my BLM again.
Only reason I put it down was because the cast times were quite long (at least in leveling gear) and the bosses were becoming increasingly movement based. I'd spend half the battle moving out of damage areas so it's nice to see that casting looks quicker and movement a bit better.
I share your feelings on BRD. It was my main before the changes but now it just feels boring to play. Maybe it improves later but that was when I changed to Dancer. I'll definitely be getting this one to 80 before any others.
Funny enough with regards to healers - Whenever I've played one, I've always focused on...healing. Dealing damage was never in my mind. Any reading I've done on them for FFXIV says to do damage as well. It'll be an interesting change when I decide to level one for sure.

Sadly my crafting / gathering is severely lacking with gatherers each to 20 and crafters each to 10-15. It's on my "to do" list for sure as I do enjoy the way it is done, but seeing as I needed to get through all content from scratch, it was fairly down the list. Same with a lot of other things. I've left many Trails still locked such as Odin etc.. Pretty much all of the optional ones in favour of leveling and finishing the story.

Onto the post SB quests now and really enjoying them. The story so far has been better than the actual SB quests themselves

Calhoun

I have been aiming for the MCH, it's been my goal since starting lol.

Although the gunblade has me torn even though I haven't tanked much.

Noxin

Just finished the 4.x or ShB pre-quests. All I can is... wow. Did they change writers or something?
This entire line feels very different to any quest line from before and I absolutely loved it. Some of the characters were amazing.

The Tsuyu story was beautiful. I had hoped she would remain innocent minded but kinda figured she wouldn't. Felt so bad for her and Gosetsu after you learn his story

The scenes leading into ShB were so well done. I actually had goosebumps on my arms at times. That sh1te ain't happened to me in a long damn time. :pac:

What is it with Final Fantasy games eh? They can really get to you. So amazingly done. I'm currently in the middle of a FFVII play through as well. (overall intention is to play through them all again for sh1ts and giggles)
I'm almost at "that scene" and the feels are already upon me even though I've been through it plenty of times before.

Damn I love this series. First games I ever fell in love with and they just keep it going so well.

Calhoun

Yah they are some games, my primary FF console if the switch, finished 7 moved on to 9 and I have 10 and 12 after that.

Also going to get FF8 remake when it comes out. All the while playing FF14 .

I had kinda moved away from FF games but 14 got me back into it them.

Calhoun

Haven't they needed the damage dealing of healers in shadowbringers or did I watch a bad video.

In the work to game videos they were basically saying the damage dealing abilities were simplified.

Calhoun

I really like this video, I cannot tell how accurate it is but it describes how the raiding philosophy changed once they realized healers not only could but should DPS.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9U0FGnHMiB4

Kiith

**** me...this back and forth questing is killing me. Have a quest to stop a Primal, city in danger, must hurry...only for some lad to send me back and forth to get wine and cheese for a party. Now i'm going back to the middle of nowhere to find a leaf to help a winery. Sure who cares about the impending destruction of a city...

Good thing i'm enjoying the lancer/dragoon, or i'd have given up by now.

Calhoun

I hear that lol I am doing the same but I'm also enjoying the opportunity to use mounts.

Luckily you get so much exp from the MSQ, I also got some ear ring from shadowbringers pre order which is good.

I am half tempted to give tanking or healing a go as I like the nature of FF14 where you aren't just stuck to a role but expected to do more.

Doctor Jimbob

Kiith wrote: »

**** me...this back and forth questing is killing me. Have a quest to stop a Primal, city in danger, must hurry...only for some lad to send me back and forth to get wine and cheese for a party. Now i'm going back to the middle of nowhere to find a leaf to help a winery. Sure who cares about the impending destruction of a city...

Good thing i'm enjoying the lancer/dragoon, or i'd have given up by now.

If it's any consolation you've hit what's probably the worst part of the entire game. Gradually picks up from here, significantly picks up in the expansions.

Noxin

The back and forth quests are a real killer alright. I remember doing one in the Sea of clouds and it was a constant 30 second run back and forth between the same two npcs 3 or 4 times in a row. Nearly lost it. Dunno why they add rubbish like that when it has nothing to do with any story lines.

Finished the first two dungeons from ShB now. The cutscenes after the first are so damn good. Both quite fun dungeons too.

DPS meter wise - I'd love to see what I'm doing as I really have no clue. Is there an easy way to get it or is ACT still the only way? I can't use ACT cause my game goes screwy in windowed mode for some reason.

Kiith

Yeah, i know i sound like i'm bitching about the game all the time, but i do actually enjoy it. The Dragoon is fun to play, though i definitely want to try a few other classes. I might stick on a show, and grind through some fates/levequests to get one or two others to 15-20 and see what they are like.

I really enjoy the dungeons so far. They aren't hard, but the slower pace is preferable to the lightening fast "pull everything" style of Warcraft's ones.

YouSavedMyLife

Finished SHB storyline few days back, its the best one yet. Didn't have me in tears but really gave me the "feels" as people are want to say, getting goosebumps on my arms recalling it as i type this

Working on my bringing WAR to 80 now, at about 76. Was leveling an AST but stopped at 77 when i couldn't keep a tank alive after a wall to wall pull. Not sure if the Paladin was managing his CDs correctly or not, but i just couldn't keep him alive, it was shameful. Meanwhile i ran the same dungeon with a DRK who had The Blackest Night unlocked and it was stroll in the park.

kevovek

Just a quick question do the older DLC content become free when new ones are released?

Lone Stone

kevovek wrote: »

Just a quick question do the older DLC content become free when new ones are released?

Shadowbringers includes the previous expansions, according to a search anyway, contemplating picking it up hmm

Lone Stone

so i picked it up on steam and when i go to the mog station it only shows up that i own the base game and none of the expansions are showing up as owned =/

Calhoun

Lone Stone wrote: »

so i picked it up on steam and when i go to the mog station it only shows up that i own the base game and none of the expansions are showing up as owned =/

You need to go to mogstation and add the code to upgrade. FF14 is really bad in terms of its steam integration, it basically uses it as a launcher but everything else including the sub is controlled by square.

https://secure.square-enix.com/oauth/oa/oauthlogin%3Fresponse_type%3Dcode%26redirect_uri%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fsecure.square-enix.com%252Faccount%252Fapp%252Fsvc%252Ftop%253Frequest%253Dmogstation%26client_id%3Dffxiv_mog%26alar%3D1%26lang%3Den-us%26facflg%3D1