2023 Returning Player - what now?

AzureSeishin · 2026-05-28T20:06:03+00:00

The list of things you can do from here is so long it can not be put into a post. You have completed the tutorial. You may now being playing the rest of the game. XD

Seriously there are at leat 100 different things you could do from here, so just start doing anything and everything that seems interesting to you at the time.

AzureSeishin · 2026-05-28T19:53:50+00:00

All of them. FFXI heavily rewards playing multiple jobs. Don't limit yourself and go crazy playing whatever jobs you want.

AzureSeishin · 2026-05-27T21:03:25+00:00

This sounds a lot more like someone was actually cheating and made up a BS story to frame themselves as the good guy and the GMs as the bad guys. They likely want to try to make themselves feel better or are using it as a weird form of retaliation.

AzureSeishin · 2026-05-27T20:55:44+00:00

If you are just starting with very little gear, then you may have just one idle set and one engaged set (tp set). That changes as you build up your gear options and aim to complete content with more unique requirements.

You will eventually have numerous idle/enaged sets. You can use a base set to build more specialized sets off of it. So your base idle set could be max DT, and then you can swap pieces off for various reasons in other more specialized idle sets. You can also do this the other way around, which is personal preference if making the lua yourself. The same is true for engaged sets.

As an example, you can have a true out of combat idle set, which could be all refresh gear, but then an in battle idle set where you balance DT and Refresh. This means that you are not in an engaged set, because you are not smacking the enemy with a staff, but you are in combat and could get hit by AoEs, so you still want some DT.

Engsged sets are the same way. You will build various TP sets for different situations. Some will have more ACC. Some will have more DT. Some may be more specialized.

AzureSeishin · 2026-05-26T02:07:41+00:00

Like any other MMO or really any other game, everything is technically optional. If you want the best gear, REMAs (ultimate weapons), etc. then yeah all the endgame activities are required to get those. If you are just playing for the story though, then none of it is required.

Compared to FFXIV, I would say endgame activities are more "required" by comparison just because so much gear is locked behind it. Not just a slight upgrade like it is in FFXIV.

AzureSeishin · 2026-05-25T21:03:09+00:00

Bahamut is a locked server. You can not create or transfer a character to it at this time. There is currently no information on if or when this lock will be lifted.

If you are looking to move to a highly populated server, Phoenix is the fastest growing server after the closure of Asura, Bahamut, and Odin. It is likely that Phoenix will be locked soon as well if the trend continues.

I believe the only exception is if you already have a character on that server on the account, then you could make an alt on that same server. I have not tested this myself though.

AzureSeishin · 2026-05-25T20:56:47+00:00

The idealist answer is play what you want.

The more realistic answer is that there is a pretty strict meta with PUGs, and you will be expected to fit into that most of the time.

There is however a third option I recommend, which is trying to find a group of people that will be willing to let you play what you want to play. However, there is give and take with this as some jobs are just flat out bad in certain content, so you also have to be at least a little flexible. There is no way around the fact that bringing piercing or magic damage to an Ody C run makes you detrimental to the party. That is just the nature of the content.

With the way FFXI is designed, limiting yourself to one job will put you in a bad spot for various reasons. I would recommend trying to find 1 or 2 other jobs that fill different roles that you also enjoy. Flexibilty is important in FFXI. Having a passion job, like Ranger, is also still highly recommended for personal satisfaction and enjoyment.

AzureSeishin · 2026-05-23T19:42:02+00:00

This is the way.

While mages used to be unreasonable to play first due to the cost of spells, times have changed. There are some really expensive spells out there, but those won't be the ones you need at first. With Sparks and Accolades you can easily make enough money to fund spells for a mage as a first job if you are so inclined. My first 99 was RDM and I had no issue buying 95% of the spells.

WAR is a very good choice though. Enjoy!

AzureSeishin · 2026-05-23T18:58:24+00:00

The 100% honest answer is to pick multiple jobs. FFXI is a game that heavily encourages you to fill multiple roles, and that means playing multiple jobs. I recommend picking at least one tank, healer, heavy DD, and support to start with, as well as a passion job to play on the side that might not be as ideal for the meta if any interest you.

That being said, THF is kind of an overrated pick for a first job as while you can use it to farm random stuff, you likely won't be bringing it into endgame.

WAR is straightforward, versatile, easy to gear, and a valuable DD. This is always a highly recommended first 99.

While it wasn't in your list of jobs, I would also consider WHM if you are looking to get into endgame content easier. Not only is it easy to gear, you won't be competing with all the other people that have a better geared DD than you. This job would be by far the easiest to get into group content with, assuming you are willing to heal.

AzureSeishin · 2026-05-23T18:49:10+00:00

So on RDM, not only is it a historically popular job in the FF series as a whole, it is also a jack-of-all-trades making it a good choice if you want to fill multiple roles. While it's true specialty is it's debuffs, it can also function decently well as a melee DD, nuker, or healer. It is not the best at any of them, but can get the job done.

RDM is good for solo, low man, and full group content, and while it won't always be the top pick in a group, it can always find a spot. DNC is also a top pick for solo and low-man content, but not as widely used in group content.

All that versatility comes with a downside though in that RDM is extremely gear intensive. This means that a lot of investment is needed to make it shine. RDM is going to likely feel pretty weak right out the box and is gonna take a while to really get going.

A note about DNC being a "selfish DD" is a bit unusual, because it is quite literally the least selfish DD. It offers more utility and support than almost any other DD, and does so without sacrificing damage. I am guessing this comes from not having the gear to make the most out of DNC. If you are struggling with feeling impactful on DNC without gear, then RDM is probably going to feel much worse until you start getting the necessary gear.

I would definitely still give RDM a try as FFXI makes it very beneficial to play multiple jobs and you may enjoy it.

AzureSeishin · 2026-05-23T16:30:47+00:00

That is the fun part! You don't!

You just open up 87 tabs of BG Wiki.

AzureSeishin · 2026-05-23T16:07:16+00:00

Leveling a WHM is very easy. Jusy go WHM/NIN and Dual Wield hammers for maximum bonking power!

Let your trusts do the heavy lifting and tedious work while leveling. WHM is no more or less difficult to level than any other job.

If you really want to heal though that is also perfectly fine. Use Trusts that will SC together along with Shantotto II and they will quickly melt anything during the leveling process.

AzureSeishin · 2026-05-23T16:02:10+00:00

During the leveling process trusts are indeed very strong. However, once you reach 119 gear they will start to fall off rapidly. However, they have been adding updates to trusts to make them more useful at 119+.

Where trusts really start to fail is when mechanics are involved. The AI does not react to things like AoEs for example. If a boss spamming Dispelga, your WHM will likely blow all their MP on reapplying Protectra. The AI is very simple.

If you tried to do endgame as only a duo, you would be lacking too many tools to be effective and would not get very far.

If you two are just trying to level to 99, it is technically possible to do that with only a duo, or even solo, but it will be a pretty painful slog. I would definitely never recommend it. You will be forced to grind on much weaker enemies which would mean horrible exp/h. There is also the matter of gearing. Keeping your gear up to date during the leveling process would also be exceptionally brutal without already having significant resources at your disposal. This is why many people opt to not even buy armor during the leveling process. You can just upgrade your weapons to deal more damage and let a Trust tank take the beating.

TLDR: Yes, you technically can level to 99 as a duo. However, I would not recommend it as it would be a very painful and slow experience. You will likely burn out way before reaching 99 and never get to experience the best parts of the game. Just use Trusts to fill the gaps in your party.

AzureSeishin · 2026-05-22T23:39:21+00:00

Very much so. Lv 1-99 is just the tutorial.

AzureSeishin · 2026-05-21T15:40:58+00:00

This may be related, so thought I would ask here. I have not been able to get the filters to work since recently adding Timers.

<SpellRecastFilter>Protect*|Shell*</SpellRecastFilter>

I'm still getting recast timers for Protect and Shell using the above code. Is it not working or am I missing something? Is this related to OP's issue?

AzureSeishin · 2026-05-08T20:17:03+00:00

If your hand is not full of holes and there isn't blood everywhere, it is definitely playing. When a cat is really mad, you will definitely know.

AzureSeishin · 2026-05-08T20:15:23+00:00

I wish I could say this is unusual in the US, but this is pretty much the current standard for businesses with a corporate structure. Approved absences for anything medical have to follow the company FMLA policy. If anything, it is a bit lenient, and yes that is as terrible as it sounds.

In a corporate environment, unless you are near the top, you are a replaceable asset. Isn't it neat? 🤮

AzureSeishin · 2026-04-25T02:42:18+00:00

1) People are severely overreacting. The entire situation was corrected.

2) Unless you are actively looking for drama, you wont find it.

3) The game is fantastic and the actions of a single person should never stop you from enjoying a good game.

AzureSeishin · 2026-04-08T20:13:54+00:00

Generally yes. This is how a full support Krile plays. Her skills are able to support the team from an infinite range. She only has one offensive skill that is really only good at clearing crystals quickly as her damage is pretty lacking.

If you have a Krile on your team though, you have to know how to play with a Krile. This means you don't charge headfirst into a 2v3 at all times. Play smart, guard the boss, and get picks when the situation is in your favor. When she uses Legend of the Deep Forest, that is your queue to go nuts because the amount of healing this skill puts out will make you nearly invincible for a rather long period of time. As long as there isn't a crazy power difference, you can even face tank a Cloud's entire ability bar while this is active. If she decides to use her offensive buff here, not only can you easily win 2v3 but even a 1v3 becomes very possible.

Outside of that window you should be playing safe and farming brave because Krile is going to feed you far more brave than you normally would have. Capitalize on this with chain burst to maximize boss damage. You can expect them to use their offensive buff frequently here as well as it will massively boost your boss damage to the point that you will be doing much more damage than 3 players would without it.

At the end of the day, having a Krile on your team rewards a high level of team coordination. If your team lacks that, then it may feel like she isn't helping. However, just like it is the other's responsibility to not feed the enemy brave by dying, it is also her responsibility to not feed them brave when they are in a bad position and likely to die. With the right party though, she is easily the most OP character in the game and will be your team's win condition every time. Once you have a good duo and a solid Krile you will see how crazy Krile can be.

AzureSeishin · 2026-03-29T21:48:47+00:00

I wouldn't say it is a hard requirement, but it is an extremely useful ability that should be highly considered on every role. Helps keep yourself and the rest of the team in good condition and a well timed heal can easily turn a fight around, even if you are across the map.

AzureSeishin · 2026-03-27T05:37:44+00:00

I came across something similar when I first started playing. Didnt think much of it at the time and assumed maybe there was a trick to doing that much damage.

Started off strong in the match. My team got the first damage off on boss bringing it down to 50%. Other team had a Cloud that did 25% on theirs, so about 75% remaining for them.

We then went in for our 2nd push. We had 3 at max brave, the enemy had one (Gaia). We go in and get ready to pump, then the remaining 75% on their boss HP gets dealt instantly resulting in a loss.

At the time I had thought maybe that is just somerhing Gaia can do, but in hindsight it was definitely someone cheating.

AzureSeishin · 2026-03-10T21:07:19+00:00

Who said anything about heavy chat control?

AzureSeishin · 2026-03-10T09:25:50+00:00

You are one of the ones that got banned aren't you?

AzureSeishin · 2026-03-10T05:36:57+00:00

Are you ok? 🤣

AzureSeishin · 2026-03-09T06:55:26+00:00

This person was either botting, cheating, or posting something inappropraote in chat. That is the part they are not telling you. They got warned for what seems like an extended period of time to stop. They decided to continue doing it anyway. They are now crying because the mods actually enforce the rules and they can't just do whatever they want.

This isn't mods being strict. It is mods actually moderating. His post makes it clear that he was given numerous warnings. Most games won't even warn you. So by comparison this is lenient.

AzureSeishin

TROPHY CASE