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Casually stepped into something that, apparently, is a HUGE source of debate in the FFXIV community in a “tips for new players” video a little while back! Thought it’d be fun to revist and put this topic to bed once and for all! Dungon guides for new players? Yay or nay?!
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Settling this one once and for all – maybe – since I've altered my stance a bit since I last touched on this topic!
Should people have to watch guides? No. But, on the other hand, there is a segment of the population that basically does expect every player, new or not, to know exactly what they're doing in every single dungeon/trial even if they are completely new. In their perspective, by not being able to speed run the dungeon you are somehow actively choosing to damage their experience (by making that 12 minute dungeon run take gasp 15 minutes instead). Thankfully most of the community isn't like that but there is definitely a segment that is.
When i first started playing, i had no experience with MMOs and ALOT of social anxiety so i watched every guide i could before every dungeon and trial because i was absolutely terrified of messing up. When Stormblood got released i realized that i wouldn't be able to rely on watching guides since the people who normally make them are also levelling through the msq. I was nervous at first but I quickly noticed that all the other party members were also seeing this content for the first time and making the same mistakes I did and it put my mind at ease. When I got to SB endgame I learned to really appreciate NOT knowing what to do and now that I have Shadowbringers under my belt, I feel confident in my knowledge of the basic mechanics most fights are built around. I may die a few times when I run something new for the first time but it's not nearly as big of a deal to me as it was when I was a lil baby sprout. Nowadays, i only watch guides if i'm doing highend content (especially if its content that's been out for a while)
TL;DR Watch guides if it puts your mind at ease but i guarantee you that you'll get to a point where you'll feel you don't need to or even want to.
I'm so excited for all the new players who'll be joining us for Endwalker. Being able to explore a new expansion as a community is so magical and I can't wait for you to experience it.
A point that happens is that u may understand what is going on as it should be done but u also need to know how to react when it goes wrong.
I'm not against people using guides or not using. Im indifferent and welcome either method..
I think even if u watch a guide – just state that u are new. I'm a healer and I enjoy knowing. It alerts me to know that that person might actually get hit by more mechanics than others. Which is fine. It allows me to restructure the party lineup so I have them in a prime spot to find them. I also click on them when I know major mechanics are coming up so I know where they are standing and if they will get hit or put up extra defenses up for them etc.
Going in blind is very much the best thing, since most mechanics are really well telegraphed and the markers don't change much across all the expansions. Honestly only optional content can/may have some unique mechanics which means instant wipes etc. I also never mind explaining mechanics since most bosses can be explained in a sentence or two, only in raids mechanics really can become more of a tedious thing to explain for new players since It's usually spread across multiple phases.
But in the end, anything that is part of the main story is pretty much self explainatory… and most stuff that is considered optional don't contain a massive amount of spoilers. Everyone should do as they see fit tbh.
Dude I have been going in all content blind right from the start. I feel like if people get mad that we wipe too much then that on them it’s a game we are all there to have fun not a second job. Besides after a few deaths we can start to figure out any and all encounters on our own. But I would be remiss if I didn’t say I do like no love when someone helps buy explaining things.
So far I've only watched guides for Savage/Ex/Unreal content. For guide watching, I say stick to that, as you'll have done the normal version and thus don't have anything that can be spoiled for you.
as a dps I'll queue up for any damn thing
and wait 30 minutes for it to popblind, if I screw up the group is probably gonna be fine, just another dumbass dps playerAs tank especially though, I feel like I need to know the instance, the mechanics, the pulls, lead the group etc. Honestly it's the main reason I didn't main tank in wow even though blood dk was my favorite class. I've been maining drk and leveling back up to 50 since I unlocked heavensward, and it's been fun though. I find the tank mechanics and dungeon layouts are usually simple enough to go in blind if I have to(also people not ragequitting after one death or wipe is nice too/all heals having a brez), though since the tank queues are a little longer than in wow I usually have time to at least skim over a guide video while I wait
All the story/normal content so far has been easy enough that I think going in blind would be fine honestly, and usually theres at least one person who knows the mechanics if they need to be explained. Except the last crystal tower raid. It's still pretty easy, but the first boss specifically has some punishing mechanics. It was the first group I've had that failed, and I certainly didn't help dying multiple times(specifically I was playing ranged dps, and standing too far away from the boss rather than to the side of him, when he split the room I couldn't make it to the correct side in time), though it seemed like half the raid was having the same issues
Next group one shot the whole raid tho
all MSQ mandatory stuff as well as "normal" mode stuff including alliance raids can be and should be run blind the first time. all extreme, savage, ultimate stuff should be either progressed from release with an all-blind party/static or if you want to join in later, please look up a guide.
don't make people watch guides for MSQ dungeons. that's ridiculous.
No. You should never look up a guide for a dungeons in FFXIV. Dungeons are easy content. If you need a guide to get through a dungeon, you're a bad player. The solution isn't to waste 15 minutes of your life watching a youtube video. The solution is to understand that you suck, and then just stop being bad.
If i play dps i don't care about knowing the fight. But if i play tank for sure i'm going to watch a guide… you're supposed to be the leader of the group. It's a personal thing, i like to not fuck it up when people depend mostly on me.
Lv50 lost city of amdapor last boss
As someone who played WoW in the past, and got bullied off of the game all the way back in TBC, I have two pieces of advice for you guys coming in from WoW. The first I realize is going to be counterintuitive. Please, please, please, speak up. Say I'm new, say first time, ask if there's any hard mechanics. PLEASE. Especially with all the new people! ASK! Tell people! Don't tank like your car is being towed and you're being evicted because you think that's what's expected of you! Even WITH watching guides(I do on trials first time unless I'm day one and figuring out with everyone else), I STILL have trouble with some mechanics until I've experienced them. Basically do what you need to do to feel comfortable. The second bit of advice is dungeon specific and takes a bit of work, but! If you're nervous about dungeons, get your rank up with the Grand Company you joined. Specifically, Second Lieutenant rank and do the lvl 47 quest Squadron and Commander. You'll gain access to the Company Squad, which will allow you a set of bots that you can run dungeons with so you can experience the dungeon/practice some of the dungeons so you can get used to mechanics/your role. Note: The system is a little janky but it helps(and I use it sometimes to wipe the ring rust off my tank). This system makes a reappearance after lvl 70 in the form of the Trust System where you can run dungeons with the Scions. Once again, its not PERFECT, but full transparency, I ran every single dungeon post 70 with the Trust System first to get a handle on the mechanics and help others who weren't. I love you new guys. Don't make things harder on yourself because you're afraid!
I do read up on guides when they are available. Because I'm the type of person who likes to be prepared. But content drop week, you better believe I'm running everything blind. I'm even going to watch all the cutscenes in the intro and boss reveal. 😁😂
Play this game enough and you will know certain "tells" from the fights because of the use of universal language for mechanics. Which SE started streamlining in HW. Even when you go blind, you'll find yourself thinking "I know that mechanic". Outside of end game raiding, it's perfectly acceptable to run everything blind. And at EX and Savage, unless indicated as blind run, it's only polite (and expected) that you are familiar with the strats. At least looked up a guide when you join a PUG.
When I started FF14 3 years ago, I only knew about WoW, and felt I had a responsability to watch dungeon video guiides, but after making some mistakes anyway, not dying from mist of it, and with people usually being friendly anyway, I just stopped watching guides for anything that's not extreme/savage content, and, it was great!
Wiping in FF14 is not a huge setback, and that's a really important difference to early wow (stopped a Wotlk so no clue if it changed). When you wipe in a trial, you restart right at the boss, no walking back as ghost and stuff. Its very forgiving. Wiping in a dungeon / alliance raid? There's a teleporter shortcut.
Nowadays, I only ask the following when going blind:
"Hey there! First time here. Is there anything not obvious that will one shot me that I should know of?"
And no more. It adds "discovering the mechanic" to the fun experience, and rarely do things one shot you while also not being obvious. And with rezzes mid combat being so easy (except when all healers die), it's a lot a fun! Rezzing impact dps a bit and it only truly matter in endgame content where there is a timer to stuff.
Going blind and asking if anything is not onvious AND is deadly has been my most fun approach so far, highly recommanded.
Lvl 40 dps sprout here. Got to be honest, I've watched every dungeon guide so far, 6 or 7 of them. With that being said, if you watch the guide and everyone else does, which seems to be the case cause I'm yet to match with non sprout, it is not fun. Every dungeon seems to be breeze if people know what to expect.
Now tbh, few dungeons had interesting mechanics that group of people who are not aware of it would definitely wipe.
Solution is, I believe, if you have a group of friends or guild who wants to go in blind and have fun. Figure things on their own. But if using DF, I think most new players don't want to look bad and embarrass themselves.
I'm yet to die in a dungeon, hell even to be threatened or w/e. Fun but not fun….
I've played FFXIV off and on for years, but shadowbringers patch content is the first time I have ever run new content on the day it releases. As someone with dungeon/trial anxiety I LOVE doing new content when nobody has any real idea what to do! Doing the Nier Raids blind on launch have been one of my favorite experiences– EVERYONE DIES, raids wipe, and everyone has to figure out what to do, together. I never expected to like doing day 1 content as much as I do. It's great to be able to go in with no real expectation that you're gonna be flawless.
First of all, a lot of people that play FFXIV probably never played a game in their life by the looks of it. Second, the mechanics up to lvl 50 and some lvl 60s are a fucking design mess. They're inconsistent, they're all over the damn place, markers make ZERO fucking sense and I must say that after over a thousand hours in the game there are still some mechanics I don't fully understand; and this is coming from someone who has played mmorpgs most of his life.
I don't think it's necessary to watch any guides for content besides Savage, Extreme is pretty damn easy all things considered, it's just that it all ties down to the first issue I mentioned. A good player will get hit by a mechanic and probably never be hit by it again, while on the other side of the spectrum there's people who don't seem to know what planet they're living on.
It may be nice if the community develops a "how not to get one-shot killed" written guide for various content. That way people can avoid instant wipes, but still go through the rest bind.
Imo as long as you get to heavensward you can pretty much start to guess work the dungeons because a lot of them share mechanics
imo, i've played FFXIV for three years and never once looked up dungeon guides. Dungeons aren't like Wow's where they're designed with specific mechanics that can scaled up for higher difficulty. Dungeons in FFXIV are designed for you and your group to be able to go in blind. And even if u wipe on a boss once or twice, if you pay attention to what your doing and the boss, then you'll quickly figure out what your group needs to do to clear. Yes there are some dungeons that aren't as obvious, but i would estimate the 80-90% of the community is not gonna get mad at your if you say "hey i'm new" or "what killed us that time?" the opposite happens, if you have a player that knows the dungeon well then they'll happily take a few mins to type out what you need to know.
The thing i'm seeing most is because FFXIV doesn't really have "hard" dungeons, that a lot of WoW players come in with the stigma that there still might be higher difficulty dungeons that you can't clear. sorry to say that isn't that case. but dungeons are more of a set pieces for story and EXP, not meant to be difficult content wise. the same applies for more NORMAL MODE trials. u might wipe once or twice but it's very unlikely you "can't" clear it going in blind. the only time u might ever have to leave a dungeon is because your group decided to vote abandon, or you get salty at your group and leave.
the exception to the rule is when your queue for extreme/savages/ultimates. And SOMETIMES alliance raids(World of darkness, and Orbonne Monestary are two that come to mind). Anything that says "Minstrel's Ballad" is also considered an extreme. It's actually a running joke because to unlock of the extreme's the quest is basically a bard (whom looks a lot like Yoshi-P) is retelling the story of your encounter in the story with embellished details, and it's those details that make the fight and mechancis harder lol.
TLDR: dungeons and Normal Mode Trials/Raids are easy, and designed so that you could figure it out without a guide. but the over all attitude the community has towards newer players isn't what i feel a lot of people might be assuming depending on what your experience in other MMOs.
I watched a lot of guides back when I started playing in 2015, but they were all slightly out dated so they didn't help as much. I stopped once I got to HW because it had just launched so everyone was still new to the content.
I will still watch guides for the Extreme trials though. I'd rather go in with some general idea than completely blind, especially since there's (generally) no new lore or story involved in them to have spoiled.
I mean, the reason you can find dungeon guides online is because people went in blind and figured out all the mechanics to create the guide. And everyone is going in blind when a new EP launches. Anyone getting a World First on new Extreme/Savage/Ultimate content? Probably going in blind.
Every one of the dungeons can be completed with just the tank and healer/or a very competent healer and two smart dps, the idea that sprouts should google stuff is fine but the expectation would be moronic…but the arr 24 mans I pity the group of majority sprouts who don’t use google. my first and only time wiping more than twice (eye boss) during msq progression
I dont think new players need to watch a guide just do one easy thing say "I'm new here"
The most fun is when the 24 man comes out, and I go in blind with friends… it's a giant, hilarious clusterfuck.
For a lot of players, the prospect of tanking is really high anxiety because tanks are expected to set the pace in ffxiv. This kind of creates a self-fulfilling expectation of tanks, such that people who are used to tanking have generally just become used to stepping up and taking charge.
Even when playing WOW I would go in blind. I could read and watch all the guides, but still going to make mistakes without seeing mechanics first hand. Was nice mostly playing with people who knew that and knew I wouldn't make those mistakes a second time.
XIV makes most things easy with how it telegraphs what is coming, along with the age old mentality of adds > boss. Definitely works often enough.
Find duty roles in your abilities and put it on an empty bar, there will be raids/trials eventually where it is useful to have
When I started the game, since I had 0 experience with MMOs, I watched dungeon guides. I really was terrified of making mistakes. This was back in 2014. 7 years later, I still play the game, I know my way around a FFXIV dungeon, even if they are new.
I'm near the the end of Shadowbringers and played all of ARR to Heavensward without any dungeon guides. Now from Stormblood on I watch them for the the Trials and Raids due to their complex mechanics. I still like playing the Dungeons blind though. I think it's completely fine either way if you watch them or don't.
for all dungeons that are already in the game you can do as you like. I played every dungeon blind. And with evrey new Expension now knows the dungeons and everyone goes in Blind. When you two reach Shadowbringers, i recomend both of you use the Shadowbringers system to go through shb doungeons. For me personaly it was more fun and i got some more story/character details.
I have never looked up a guide for any dungeon in my almost 150 hours of playing(currently a lvl 68 white mage). And if we did wipe, I would ask what do I look out for. And I’m about to head into Stormblood real soon.
For the most part, you really don't need a guide for anything the msq puts you thru. Until you get to extremes and raids the mechanics aren't complicated.
I mean, a guide isn't going to teach you how to dodge an AoE.
My way of playing is if I don't know a duty, I'll DPS it. Not that dps are stupid. But with Healer, you are so focus on party HP levels, you can miss boss tells easily if you don't know them. Every other role is focused on boss cast bar and have easier situation awareness. And while you may have your focus set, you eye may be on party list hp bars when a bad boss cast goes off.
Also since tanks lead a group, I prefer knowing a duty before I take a leadership role. Like which paths lead to the next boss, and which are a dead end with trash that will make the duty take longer. Some players may not have much time. It may be a school night and they wanted to get in a quick one. Or someone has to go to work soon. So it's better for tanks to know how to lead efficiently.
I think its better to not care so much about time. To take time to help players that will listen. It is better to teach so their next group will have more fun.
There is a selfish benefit to helping others in mmos. A community that helps others enjoy the game, that leads to more paid subs. More money for devs means more content for everyone.
I did unfortunately had a bad one but just one the healer was shithead drunk and admitted as well lol alot of wipes but we finished it 😆🤣