When I first got to 50, all I did was quests to reach that point. I would say don't be afraid to pick stuff up along the way. Like leatherworking or alchemy.
When I first got to 50, all I did was quests to reach that point. I would say don't be afraid to pick stuff up along the way. Like leatherworking or alchemy.
Level a DPS class first. Tanks are expected to know where to go and what to do, and healing is easier when you know what to expect. You can learn those things as a DPS then handle them. Also, you get all that quest exp to make it easier, since tanks and heals generally have shorter ques to get into a dungeon.
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As a only-tank-class player (and not a fantastic one), I can honestly say that I disagree with the evaluations of the tank class above. I have never been expected to know what to do as a tank - particularly if I say that I'm new to the dungeon, and I don't find it a terribly stressful situation. Only time I've been stressed was in Brayflox Longstop, but that was my incompetence.
Basically do what you want to do. It's such an open game that you can really do whatever you fancy.
Of course, and you can see tanks getting slammed more often than other class types, but then you see everyone getting slated if you play enough of the game.
I just don't think it's fair to say to a new player to definitely not play tank class for X reasons, when that may not be the case at all - as it is very much individual experiences.
Advice?
Don't be afraid to ask people for help. That's what the 'shout' option is for. Most importantly - don't be an asshole.
I started playing back at the release of ARR, but only had it for a month and was busy. I have a level 19 gladiator and that's it, and despite the fact that I am not usually an MMO player I do enjoy the game, but the prospect of continuing into dungeons and raids and tanking for people terrifies me. I watched my roommate playing at higher levels and I've seen lots of tanks getting railed at for not doing well.
In my experience you get that across the board depending on what actually goes wrong (although tanks often get it bad because of their role).
If you ever do pick it back up, you should look into the Fat Chocobos Free Company (essentially EoFF's FC). They're super helpful and friendly and patient. x}
My advice is to play how you want to play. There is enough content in FFXIV that will please you whatever kind of gamer you are. You don't have to go through the story if you just like crafting and making gil. If you're not bothered about the story but you love running dungeons you can do that too. There's not right or wrong way to play.
I play a tank class sometimes and it is hard for me but mostly because I have derpy fingers and make mistakes a lot when I play tank xD BUT if I just say to the party that I'm new and not so great they'll slow it down for you and support you. Sometimes you will still get the odd douche who wants to speedrun and tries to fudge it up but they get schooled pretty quickly when they DIE. Play whatever class you want! Maybe you just like the look of something over something else - so pick that. My advice though is to at least kind of master something before you then move on. I'm a pretty good Scholar so I took that to 50 first before I started playing around. I think once you've kind of mastered something and can play it well, the rest is easy because you can just apply what you've learnt from your awesome job and use that. The game is there to be enjoyed, so enjoy it how you will! there's no rush to end game in this game!
These two things are pretty key.
The only other thing I would say in particular is that if you want to get into the social side of things, chat. Be it in /shout, /party, linkshell or Free company chat, be social and people will be social back at you. I found MMOs to be hard going when I first tried them, and eventually got bored and started talking to people at random and suddenly loved it, because people are actually pretty cool.
Bow before the mighty Javoo!
Agreed, the social side of it is the best aspect of the game.
Also, I recommend learning about the available classes before choosing one during character creation. Being my first MMO, I literally didn't know what the tank/healer/dps "holy trinity" was, and subsequently became an accidental tank who didn't understand that he was supposed to hold aggro rather than kill things.
Agree. When I started FFXIV I chose Marauder. I enjoyed the game up to level 30 but my GOD when I got to dungeons I hated it. I didn't know what aggro, enmity etc was and I was just a mess. People were moaning at me and I was like to hell with this!
I switched to Lancer for DPS and found it much more enjoyable and less stressful. So yeah, experiment, and find what suits you.
I am downloading the game right now and this thread has been rather helpful!
For people who go in blindly and want a well rounded starter class, Arcanist isn't a bad choice. You get a little mate Carbuncle so you always have backup, and you get a healing spell on top of being a dps. Great choice.