Before I consider this...

[redneckpride4ever]

I was considering WoW at one point, but after reading about the bad attitude people have for noobs, I opted out. How is the community base in FF11?
Someone said in a different thread this game does have an end, but my intent is for a never ending adventure. If the completist I am made it to the "end", would I still be able to partake in adventures? I should hope so if I'm dishing out loot to play this.
And should I get the expansion packs right off the bat? Or are they even worth it?
And will the day ever come that there is no more FF11? You know, no more servers, etc.?
Can anyone reccomend this to me one way or another?

[Levian]

I find it very easy to make friends in FFXI, just start chatting to people you're partying with. Chances are you'll find nice people with a good sense of humour. Regardless, if you start up on the Midgardsormr server, you'll have at least 5-6 friends from the start.

I don't think this game really has an end, there's always tons of stuff to do if you're looking for it, even after you reach Level 75, or maybe I should say especially after you reach Level 75. Square Enix are also releasing new material and events quite often.

You should definitely get the expansion packs right away. If you buy the 2008 version, you'll get all 4 expansion packs included. 15 pounds I think it was.

What happens to FFXI after FFXIV gets released is unknown. My best guess is that quite a few will stop playing while others will stay. Maybe they'll merge some servers to keep a high number of people on each server. I think FFXI will stick around for a long time, but you should decide whether you want to wait for FFXIV or try FFXI. Try the 2 week trial version!

[redneckpride4ever]

cool, thanks man. I'm happy to know that I won't have a bunch of immature snobs as co-players, and if I wait for FF14, chances are the folks will be friendly also if they jump from 11 to 14. What are the recommended specs to run the game? I need something better than my shoddy laptop for this.

[Ouch!]

Since the game came out in 2002, unless your laptop is older than that, you can probably run the game well enough. A lot of people these days hack the registries and use other third-party programs to make the game look prettier, but the base specs are relatively low. I don't know them off the top of my head anymore.

Like Levian said, purchase the 2008 Collection. It has all the expansion packs, most of which are necessary at some point or another. It's also very cheap, so no need to worry about spending more than you'd expect for any other MMO. I'm pretty sure that bundle is the only version on the market right now anyway. They just announced the Ultimate Edition today. It contains all four major expansion packs and also the three mini-expansion packs for $19.99.

Square Enix has said they'll continue supporting FFXI as long as they have a sufficient number of people willing to play. I imagine that means, like Levian suggested, they'll keep running even after FFXIV is released. They've referred to the possibility of merging servers as it becomes necessary, but we'll just have to wait and see how that goes.

[Darkwolf090]

Sadly FFXI in my eyes is dying but dont take what I say to heart. Im on a closed server of Odin. It is dying now and Im sad, I really dont want to leave it. Oh well a bunch of people who I played FFXI on I play Aion with as well and tbh, the people you meet in FFXI will be one of two things. A Elitest or a really nice person. I wish the best to you as I know I wont see you... I really miss newbies to be honest... Odin... open up T.T

[Ouch!]

Even on non-closed servers, the influx of new members is very much down. Having level sync really helps in hiding the disparity of new and older players, but I imagine being a newbie these days isn't an especially easy task. Don't get me wrong, you can still make friends, but I imagine you won't be encountering many other newbies.

I do think it's accurate to say FFXI is dying. I've noticed large numbers of people leaving for a variety of reasons. The most common is that they're bored with the game. That's understandable. A lot of people have been playing for seven years.

Really, with FFXIV right around the corner, I'd just wait, if only because even if you start FFXI now, by the time you break into endgame and a majority of the game's offered content, FFXIV will be out and that's going to be a huge blow to the population.