I think one point I would clarify on, the MSQ can feel like a prolonged tutorial, but its not. The game simply has an extremely casual, Story first approach for the MSQ. it can be annoying that ultimately all the gameplay features are locked behind it, so you feel like you need to progress through it to get to the content you want, but ultimately, at level 10 or level 100, the MSQ functions more or less the game, just modernized in terms of animations, voice acting, etc. The story is worth playing through, not saying its bad, but I just got the vibe you're waiting for the game to "open up" and let you freely roam and explore the world without the MSQ being in the way, but that really doesn't happen until you catch up to the MSQ, it'll always be blocking some content off from you until its fully completed. Something people don't really comment much on, but I absolutely adore coming from WoW where it really wasn't the case, I love that in FFXIV, content is never obsolete. You can put modifiers on your party to throttle your Item level, or sync down to the level of the content to experience it "mostly" as it was back in the day. You can get a group of people together and go progress through Savage raid fights from 8 years ago, and the game fully supports this, which I think is really cool \o/
Really good video. I too am experiencing the early game slog and came to get some inspiration to keep going because I desperately want to experience this amazing story everyone always goes on about. Glad to hear that the voice acting eventually picks up because, as much as much as I love classic final fantasy text based stories, it will always be better with a good voice cast. It’s just human nature to connect more with a voice than reading text. I’m excited to push my hyur lancer further and experience this game.
Yeah, ARR definitely has some lulls. Heavensward is where everything including the voice acting picks up in quality, but I thought it got better at the third trial of ARR, but that doesn't include the voice acting
The problem with the VA in ARR is that VA is expensive and SE was going broke. As the $$ started coming in to spend on it, the MSQ shifts much more towards VA, but there will always be text boxes in the lowkey parts and side quests.
Can confirm that combat overall does get more intense and faster, more off global cool down abilities to weave in. But also the 'dance' gets more and more intricate. Yet other then some unique scenario solo duties, the difficulty never seems to high.
As a longtime veteran, welcome to the fold. A bit of advice though. I understand the want for B roll, but you may want to stop... Alot of video from scenes further in the game spoil alot. ESPECIALLY the the trailer for Heavensward. If you care anything about stories in games, DO NOT WATCH the trailer for Heavensward!!!!!!
@@BloxomaticMy advice as someone who started playing when endwalker came out, you CAN watch the trailers. Just wait until you START the expansion the trailer is for to watch it
@@Bloxomaticthe edits are quick enough that there isn't much to worry about, it's all too out of context 20hrs in, but that will change. As for the trailers, they vary, but it can't be explained in more detail without spoilers. While they don't spoil the expansion they're for, they might spoil the expansion prior.
While I'm told ARR can be a slog(I did it 10 years ago) for some, the journey is time well spent. Take it in, go at your comfortable pace, and one day you'll look back on it fondly.
Though I wouldn't say it's the best MMO, the story alone will stay with you forever. It's not something you go through and forget. I keep thinking about it even though I'm not playing FF14 much anymore these days.
The early going in the game is definitely a slog, but compared to others MMOs its not too bad i think. The combat also won't start to feel "good" until lv 60 for most jobs, which for new players can feel a real ways off lol Also, if youre still in 2.0 areas, know that they'll be getting the graphics update treatment in just a few days! Will def be good for new players
@@Bloxomatic I didn't mean it in THAT way. It's just coping on my part bc heavensward and shadowbringers made me cry buckets. Those are beautiful stories and I hope u enjoy your stay. :3
This game is perfect for casuals. Midcores & hardcores can speedrun+optimize just fine, playing seasonally alongside other mid/hardcore MMOs like WoW. FFXIV is directly aimed at the average, working-class "normie" & very often disappoints NEETs + its own community of full-time Twitch streamers. There are plenty of speedrun/optimization MMORPGs in the industry - this title is NOT one of them (again, unless played seasonally). Beware of 'new player tips' & 'you've been doing this wrong' videos right here on TH-cam from full-time FFXIV content creators: they just want to rush you to endgame content, which is definitely NOT worth the time/money investment unless you're comfortable skipping the entire story, literally sitting down to study the mechanics+systems of the game before playing, & you're mentally prepared to fit in with the (VERY vocal) minority of players who are comfortable with criticism/unsolicited advice/feedback/competition. The devs, especially Yoshi-P, have made it abundantly clear that the point of this game (except for the roughly 1-10% of high-end player content made specifically and only for high-end play) is to experience a lived-in, narrative-based, non-optimal, role-playing, team-player oriented, cooperative experience where the group is expected (via enforcement of the conduct clauses in the ToS) to cater to the weakest link(s) in their present group composition. Like I mentioned earlier, raiders are disproportionately vocal in online spaces like Reddit & Twitter, while being the extreme minorities of the in-game population of players. FFXIV hits the target demographic of casuals like 9-5 workers, those with accessibility/disability needs, & folks with already-busy social lifestyles. Too many speedrunners & optimization junkies get burnt out and disappointed with this title, and while their opinions & perspectives can often be valid criticism, they should be taken with a grain of salt (no pun intended) because most of the complaints surrounding the game are coming from an emotional place rather than a logical one. Misery loves company, especially when it comes to a sunk/cost addict who the devs have made crystal clear (no pun intended) that they'll cater to only 1-10% of the overall content, seasonally, and no more than that. It is on-purpose and by-design that backseating & damage meters are prohibited on a don't-ask-don't-tell basis. It's worth noting that every generation of MMORPGs' most casual title will always be the most popular, with so-called "elitists" giving tough-love advice + criticism that directly contradicts why the title is so popular in the first place. This has been a life cycle from Dungeons & Dragons to EverQuest to early-WoW - currently, it's FFXIV. This is a casual game for casual players. Expect midcores & hardcores to have disproportionate & contradictory expectations of players in random-matchmaking, as that's simply how gaming culture is at the present. They have access to tools like the Party Finder, Discord, & entire Reddit boards + Twitter accounts wholly dedicated to dunking on other players in order to simply pre-form - they CHOOSE to use random-matchmaking & bully casual/inexperienced players because they themselves are scared of receiving judgment + tough love advice from their peers/superiors. It's best to just mute/blacklist anyone being pushy or demanding. Don't let them bait you into acting irrationally: they're just trying to get you to violate ToS so they can snitch on you to the in-game moderators and punish you for sticking to your guns / learning the game at your own pace (as opposed conforming to theirs). "Toxic Casuals" is the label that these players use to bully, exclude, & socially-dominate others & I highly recommend using the mute and blacklist feature to save yourself the trouble of them trolling/backseating you. They absolutely know better & they won't stop until they realize all they are doing is socially isolating themselves & not helping anyone, least of all themselves, with such behavior.
"40 hrs in" I didn't expect to see spoilers, lol. I'm in post-endwalker patches, and am avoiding the dawntrail trailer till I get there. Not 100% sure that's what I was seeing in the vid, but it looked new, so I'm out
Welcome, my friend. Enjoy the ride, and i hope you have fun and make lots of friends. We welcome you with open arms
I think one point I would clarify on, the MSQ can feel like a prolonged tutorial, but its not. The game simply has an extremely casual, Story first approach for the MSQ. it can be annoying that ultimately all the gameplay features are locked behind it, so you feel like you need to progress through it to get to the content you want, but ultimately, at level 10 or level 100, the MSQ functions more or less the game, just modernized in terms of animations, voice acting, etc.
The story is worth playing through, not saying its bad, but I just got the vibe you're waiting for the game to "open up" and let you freely roam and explore the world without the MSQ being in the way, but that really doesn't happen until you catch up to the MSQ, it'll always be blocking some content off from you until its fully completed.
Something people don't really comment much on, but I absolutely adore coming from WoW where it really wasn't the case, I love that in FFXIV, content is never obsolete. You can put modifiers on your party to throttle your Item level, or sync down to the level of the content to experience it "mostly" as it was back in the day. You can get a group of people together and go progress through Savage raid fights from 8 years ago, and the game fully supports this, which I think is really cool \o/
Welcome to Eorzea!
Thanks you so much! You’re all so kind!
Really good video. I too am experiencing the early game slog and came to get some inspiration to keep going because I desperately want to experience this amazing story everyone always goes on about. Glad to hear that the voice acting eventually picks up because, as much as much as I love classic final fantasy text based stories, it will always be better with a good voice cast. It’s just human nature to connect more with a voice than reading text. I’m excited to push my hyur lancer further and experience this game.
Yeah, ARR definitely has some lulls. Heavensward is where everything including the voice acting picks up in quality, but I thought it got better at the third trial of ARR, but that doesn't include the voice acting
The problem with the VA in ARR is that VA is expensive and SE was going broke. As the $$ started coming in to spend on it, the MSQ shifts much more towards VA, but there will always be text boxes in the lowkey parts and side quests.
@@Lordoftheapes79 I'm just hoping that at least those text boxes become less boring and uninteresting and actually make me WANT to continue.
For all its peaks and valleys, hope you enjoy the journey.
Can't wait!
Can confirm that combat overall does get more intense and faster, more off global cool down abilities to weave in. But also the 'dance' gets more and more intricate. Yet other then some unique scenario solo duties, the difficulty never seems to high.
Unless you choose to do the more difficult content.
@@Lordoftheapes79 That was kinda implied, was talking about MSQ and the base tier group stuff. It can indeed get gloriously messy difficult.
@@Eucep I understood, just clarifying for the sprouts This early on, it can be difficult to see the light.
Hope you'll enjoy the ride. 😁
😁
As a longtime veteran, welcome to the fold.
A bit of advice though. I understand the want for B roll, but you may want to stop... Alot of video from scenes further in the game spoil alot. ESPECIALLY the the trailer for Heavensward. If you care anything about stories in games, DO NOT WATCH the trailer for Heavensward!!!!!!
Alrightyyyyy! Thank you so so much!!!!
@@BloxomaticMy advice as someone who started playing when endwalker came out, you CAN watch the trailers. Just wait until you START the expansion the trailer is for to watch it
Also I'd stay away from release trailers (ones that show cutscenes) 11 years later they still spoil so much 😂 I'm looking at you shadowbringers
..
Yes, someone else mentioned that. My editor just kinda through them in as footage, let’s hope I didn’t spoil myself…
@@Bloxomaticthe edits are quick enough that there isn't much to worry about, it's all too out of context 20hrs in, but that will change.
As for the trailers, they vary, but it can't be explained in more detail without spoilers. While they don't spoil the expansion they're for, they might spoil the expansion prior.
Welcome to Eorzea! Hear, Feel and Think about the game
660 hours left for complete endwalker, It will be a fantastic trip. And flow will cause PTSD attacks...
While I'm told ARR can be a slog(I did it 10 years ago) for some, the journey is time well spent. Take it in, go at your comfortable pace, and one day you'll look back on it fondly.
Welcome!!
Though I wouldn't say it's the best MMO, the story alone will stay with you forever. It's not something you go through and forget. I keep thinking about it even though I'm not playing FF14 much anymore these days.
I audibly laughed as early as "living breathing world." Oh the honeymoon period.
The early going in the game is definitely a slog, but compared to others MMOs its not too bad i think. The combat also won't start to feel "good" until lv 60 for most jobs, which for new players can feel a real ways off lol
Also, if youre still in 2.0 areas, know that they'll be getting the graphics update treatment in just a few days! Will def be good for new players
I see Catboy, i like.
Fam, we got ANOTHER one. *laughs maniacally* - This is your reminder that by playing the game you DO indeed sign up for EmOtional dAaamage.
Can’t wait for the Bloxomatic Crying Reel to come in
@@Bloxomatic I didn't mean it in THAT way. It's just coping on my part bc heavensward and shadowbringers made me cry buckets. Those are beautiful stories and I hope u enjoy your stay. :3
Oh I know! I just meant from what I’ve heard, I’m so going to ball my eyes out
This game is perfect for casuals. Midcores & hardcores can speedrun+optimize just fine, playing seasonally alongside other mid/hardcore MMOs like WoW. FFXIV is directly aimed at the average, working-class "normie" & very often disappoints NEETs + its own community of full-time Twitch streamers. There are plenty of speedrun/optimization MMORPGs in the industry - this title is NOT one of them (again, unless played seasonally). Beware of 'new player tips' & 'you've been doing this wrong' videos right here on TH-cam from full-time FFXIV content creators: they just want to rush you to endgame content, which is definitely NOT worth the time/money investment unless you're comfortable skipping the entire story, literally sitting down to study the mechanics+systems of the game before playing, & you're mentally prepared to fit in with the (VERY vocal) minority of players who are comfortable with criticism/unsolicited advice/feedback/competition. The devs, especially Yoshi-P, have made it abundantly clear that the point of this game (except for the roughly 1-10% of high-end player content made specifically and only for high-end play) is to experience a lived-in, narrative-based, non-optimal, role-playing, team-player oriented, cooperative experience where the group is expected (via enforcement of the conduct clauses in the ToS) to cater to the weakest link(s) in their present group composition. Like I mentioned earlier, raiders are disproportionately vocal in online spaces like Reddit & Twitter, while being the extreme minorities of the in-game population of players. FFXIV hits the target demographic of casuals like 9-5 workers, those with accessibility/disability needs, & folks with already-busy social lifestyles. Too many speedrunners & optimization junkies get burnt out and disappointed with this title, and while their opinions & perspectives can often be valid criticism, they should be taken with a grain of salt (no pun intended) because most of the complaints surrounding the game are coming from an emotional place rather than a logical one. Misery loves company, especially when it comes to a sunk/cost addict who the devs have made crystal clear (no pun intended) that they'll cater to only 1-10% of the overall content, seasonally, and no more than that. It is on-purpose and by-design that backseating & damage meters are prohibited on a don't-ask-don't-tell basis. It's worth noting that every generation of MMORPGs' most casual title will always be the most popular, with so-called "elitists" giving tough-love advice + criticism that directly contradicts why the title is so popular in the first place. This has been a life cycle from Dungeons & Dragons to EverQuest to early-WoW - currently, it's FFXIV. This is a casual game for casual players. Expect midcores & hardcores to have disproportionate & contradictory expectations of players in random-matchmaking, as that's simply how gaming culture is at the present. They have access to tools like the Party Finder, Discord, & entire Reddit boards + Twitter accounts wholly dedicated to dunking on other players in order to simply pre-form - they CHOOSE to use random-matchmaking & bully casual/inexperienced players because they themselves are scared of receiving judgment + tough love advice from their peers/superiors. It's best to just mute/blacklist anyone being pushy or demanding. Don't let them bait you into acting irrationally: they're just trying to get you to violate ToS so they can snitch on you to the in-game moderators and punish you for sticking to your guns / learning the game at your own pace (as opposed conforming to theirs). "Toxic Casuals" is the label that these players use to bully, exclude, & socially-dominate others & I highly recommend using the mute and blacklist feature to save yourself the trouble of them trolling/backseating you. They absolutely know better & they won't stop until they realize all they are doing is socially isolating themselves & not helping anyone, least of all themselves, with such behavior.
"40 hrs in" I didn't expect to see spoilers, lol. I'm in post-endwalker patches, and am avoiding the dawntrail trailer till I get there. Not 100% sure that's what I was seeing in the vid, but it looked new, so I'm out
Bleh my editor used trailer footage, I didn’t really think that would give much spoilers for the story I’m sorry 😞