Ever since the FFXIV Dawntrail Alliance raid was announced back in October 2023, I’ve been playing FFXI and in this video I wanted to share my experience so far!
0:00 Intro
1:10 Installation Process
2:36 Character Creator
3:15 Features
5:05 Gameplay
17:37 Story
21:08 Subscription & Private Servers
22:06 Daily Login & Glamour
22:40 Outro
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God I miss playing this game played it for its whole ps2 run, like 14 years? I have played 14 for at least 9 years, and I like 11 better overall ..
I really wish theyd release this and support it for ps5..
I actually bought XI on launch for PC and it took all day just to figure out how to launch the game. The web of account setup, game installation (I think it was six CDs) and navigating PlayOnline was all so poorly done and confusing.
I’m playing FF11 right now and I think I like it more than FF14. I don’t know if I would necessarily recommend playing it because there’s a ton of bs mechanics, outdated systems and purely stupid solutions which nobody cared to fix at some point and there are times I want to throw my gamepad across the room. If you’re autistic enough to deal with some rage-inducing functionalities then try it out and maybe it’s worth it for you like it is for me. Big advantage FF11 has over FF14 is lack of coomers / egirls community and glams that are made to attract Honkai Starrail players. FF11 is mostly a Final Fantasy game and it feels like one. I think I’m staying here for now as I don’t really miss ff14 despite playing since 1.0.
Interesting, I was looking for a video like this, that's not based on nostalgia, but someone that just tries it today.
I played XI from 2005 to 2014. I miss it dearly and nothing since has compared.
Shoulda downloaded it back in day on dial up/dsl internet that was an all nighter install 😂
current endgame does have dailies and weeklies or even some that are every few days
With a little bit of reworking, FF11 can be a cool, refreshing experience for the modern era of gaming. I'm only talking of putting a drag-and-drop kill system to the number bar instead of having to write macros. FF11 now has warps and easier ways of traveling, we can keep that because why not, you already made the journey and still have to walk to some places. A more forgiving EXP loss, no hard level-downs, like maybe a sync-down so you can still wear your equipment and get some of the stats… it's a fun game.
To be fair, back in like 2004 when i started the playonline process took like 12 hours, it was nuts
11 had trusts before 14. theres also adventuring fellows which are older than trusts. similar to 14 chocobo, but worse
there are 4-5 daily endgame grinds on top of the multiple weekly grinds. content has a history of 20hr or 72hr cooldowns
as well as monthly reset content.
combat is much faster with maxed haste gear and flows much better at endgame. solo skillchains are possible on every class
support classes are required in party setup when solo. always have a bard or red mage trust
gear swapping and macros are the blood of this game. constantly swapping for every occasion multiple times per fight
20yr vet here. still welcome new players
A big issue with XIV is the lack of "flavor" to the characters. Just as you pointed out, the races in XI are actually distinct in their mannerisms, speech and animations. Comparing the two makes XIV feel kind of hollow and soulless. I was on XI at NA launch for a few years and then picked up XIV more recently when I needed something to occupy myself after I was housebound from a surgery. I vastly prefer XI, maintaining a retail sub while also playing on a couple of private servers for their unique flavor.
2 hours for install is actually an improvement. At its worst point was 6+ due to never updating the installer for several expansions.
I've been wanting to play this game and nobody has put up a good concise video explaining it. thanks for doing so
I got 11 on its NA launch in 2003, so I'm very nostalgia biased, but the fact that the game was so simple on the surface while simultaneously having so many complex hidden mechanics that the community discovered and mastered made playing it a treat. Sub jobs will always be one of the best ideas ever implemented into an mmo, the amount of variety and flexibility it allowed was insane. While I understand why trusts were added, it takes away from the pure experience of leveling in 11, which I could never get used to and eventually quit.
FFXI was a lot different back in the day and 300 hours is really nothing in this game.
Ah, ffxi so many late nights leveling where we had party members pass out at their desks. Some of my fondest memories were playing my taru puppetmaster. Even earned coin in town putting on shows.
Here's to hoping FFXI will live on rather than just get shut down when SE thinks it's not making money anymore. MMOs deserve to be preserved and playable. Maybe even tweaked to be faster for a modern MMO audience.
XIV veteran and 300hrs in XI is hilarious qualifications. Might aswell ask a walmart greeter to explain this stuff.
1:52 The PlayOnline client was Square's first swing at an online service that was intended for all of their upcoming games, sort of like Origin and Steam. Unfortunately it was designed assuming a PS2 with a 56k modem, and FFXI's file structure is literally thousands and thousands of DAT files representing areas, music, mobs, equipment, and more, and PlayOnline downloads those files ONE AT A TIME.
PlayOnline never really took off beyond the Japan-exclusive Front Mission Online and Tetra Master (which you had to pay more money for). To this day it's an albatross of a launcher and Square has neither the funds nor the incliation to replace it with something better.
No other game will have the elite aspect FFXI had. Not even private servers now have it. But the rep behind Linkshells, the feel you would get when someone Checked you out. And you knew you was balling but not from gilbuying but legit hardcore time grinding and team building was amazing.
And current FFXI does not give you that experience. If you didnt play it back then you will never know what it was or what it meant to be on the top of the ls of ur server.
The hate of MPK the other ls who claimed Nidhogg, spamming cures on their PLDs, and flailing the whole zone. Those who know…. know.
i need to get back to playing some XI, i never played back during the "golden" era but i've enjoyed ffxi retail, did try some horizonxi but its hard juggling wow, wow classic, ffxiv, ffxi, and the odd eso and gw2 at times
The issue with FF11 servers now is that its nothing like it originally was like with Trusts and systems in play that changes the experience. To be fair its not bad for getting a very brief over-view of the game without being hampered too much by needing groups for things, it also doesn't feel anything what it use to be like.
There are classic era servers you can find (Can't post due to obvious reasons) that do give a feel for what it actually was like back in the day which could be interesting to explore, although expect it to be VERY group based, though you will find out just how social games use to really be.
I wanted to play FF11 on PS2. I found out it was not out yet at that point. By the time it released I did not care. They ruined the game at launch by requiring a specific type of internet. FF14 looked cool. The community makes the game look bad before I even play it. Plus, I lack the system needed to play the game currently. It is clear the game is suboptimal still using older suboptimal concepts to define the MMORPG genre. I do not have faith in the MMORPG genre as someone who played it starting with Fly for Fun in 2006. A few of the games I played before that could be defined as MMO games.
So you basically played for 200 hours, and scrolled the wiki for 100 hours.😅