FFXIV First Impressions

My notes are scattered through three notebooks…oof.

Character Creation

I didn’t really make notes about the options here, which is unusual. For this post, I could have created a new character. However, it is really difficult (or was a few weeks ago when I started) to create a character at all, much less put them on a realm you wanted. That experience overwhelmed the usual character creation process.

From memory, the options were fine, though I noted facial options didn’t look much different to me from one to the other. Hair colors and styles had lots of options, always a plus. Pretty sure you could make a character tall or short, something I always like, so I made a Lalafel as short as possible, and an Elezen as tall as possible.

My first character was a Lalafel, and looking at the class options (go away, I’m going to call them Classes because Jobs has a bad feel to it.) Play, not work.

She’s soooo cute.

There are cute forest animals too.

When looking at the class options, somehow I decided being a Guardian fit her. Doesn’t she look like a perfect Tank, though? I like my small characters to be capable of big things.

I finally got a character on my son’s server one morning. Since he got all huffy at my first character being a Tank, and thus competing with him in dungeons, etc., I went with an Archer.

To me, the Elezen race fit my image of an Archer nicely.

The little tutu skirt is a bit odd, but I’m looking past that. I did like all of the character background choices you can make, very much like any traditional RPG I’ve played.

I also liked that you can have a first name and a last name. It gives a bit of character depth, also, it seems to me that you can get pretty much any name you like because the likelihood of someone else choosing your exact first and last name seems slim.

Gameplay

There’s an initial wagon ride for your character where a seedy looking, drink swilling old man questions you about your plans for adventure. It reminded me so much of the initial cart ride in Skyrim.

There’s also a narrator who sounds like something from a 1940s movie.

Logging in always puts you in a queue, that’s my experience so far, but there’s little time lost as you’re in game swiftly.

I have found the game to be “very talky” in each session I’ve played. This morning I wrote in my notes “frustratingly talky”. Toning down what else I wrote about that point, I did feel myself coiling inside to get away from the dialog.

On the one hand, I like the RPG feel of that, and how the story for the world and your character can be created that way. On the other hand. Blah blah blah.

You must respond to each line of dialog.

In the middle of this intro text, these guys show up ( I call them creepy mask guys)

So…off to the seventh hell so soon?

Eeew. This old lyric came into my head just now.

Hello, I love you, won’t you tell me your name?
Hello, I love you, let me jump in your game

Navigation

You start out with this character in the city of Gridania. It’s a maze with transitions between areas of the city. All you have to guide you is the radar map.

At least it gives coordinates. Full marks for that.

I’m reading how snuggly and helpful the community is in FFXIV, but when I looked up how to get a map of the area to show, the comments were on the order of “They’re just as good as any maps anywhere and why do you need so much help?” Oops. Someone did helpfully say bring up your current quest and click map, and that works.

Combat

I haven’t much to say here. It seems simple enough at first glance. Combat is always something to adapt to in any game you play. I would only seriously dislike it if I was dead immediately and couldn’t figure out why or avoid it the next time.

If you can find your way to the initial forest area where you practice your combat skills, there’s no question what you should be targeting for the quest. Each squirrel, Lady Bug and mushroom has its name in large letters and what level it is. Even doing a powerful level 4 quest, those sassy level 1 squirrels complete the quest.

Time’s Up!

My original plan was to temporarily subscribe and play a little here and there. Having spent a bit more time in the game, and having got better at navigation, I think I would come to like it. However, right now it seems too slow moving. I’ve got too many things going on to absorb the story and learn all of the quirks of the game. So we’ll let the trial expire and maybe this winter I’ll try again.