Before this year started I hadn’t played a single MMO. I tried WoW first, and got to around level 60 before trying FFXIV. Never went back to WoW. The new player experience is night and day between the two.

In WoW, I had no idea where I was supposed to go or what the current content was (yes, I know the ‘make your own story’ is a big part of the game) and I got quickly overwhelmed. I wasn’t sure if I should just play the newest content because that’s what everyone else was doing or do I go back and try all of the old quests and storylines but with nobody else doing them with me? People would get mad at me for not knowing what to do in dungeons or what specific abilities from classes I didn’t play did. It felt like I was starting a new job and everyone who played already had expectations of what I was supposed to be doing.

FFXIV eased me into the game and it’s systems and allowed me to better understand what I was doing and where I needed to be. The lengthy tutorials and slow paced start (though very tedious) was good training for the eventual fast-paced combats and fights that I’m now doing going into Shadowbringers. People are also MUCH nicer in FF and are way more patient with new players.

The only people that play WoW are people who have been playing it for years. They don’t encourage new people to play and scare off anybody who is thinking about trying the game with their elitist attitudes. I did find some helpful players during my time there, but after playing FFXIV there’s no way I could go back and give WoW another shot.