[Later edit: some of the info was put out in a bit of a haphazard order, so afterwards I re-ordered some of my notes based on category.]
Adventuring Primer - Combat
-Already it’s bearing fruit! I didn’t know I could strafe.
-F8 targets the closest monster.
-9 and 3 on the number pad can zoom in and out.
-Level Sync is a thing. When I party with others, we can sync to the levels of one party member under certain circumstances. This only seems to be available when the target character is at max level, and has done a “limit break quest.”
-Some monsters will be more hostile than others.
-There’s a “disengage” command in combat. This makes it so I can start running away from the target and permits others to help me. VERY interesting! Apparently, if I’m fighting in the world, unless I disengage and use the “Call for Help” command, others can’t help me when I fight. This must be to prevent kill-stealing, which was a huge problem in EverQuest.
-If someone helps me after I use Call for Help, I don’t get any of the loots/experience from killing the monster.
-When self-healing, the amount of healing/mana recovery increases the more time I heal. So if I heal for 20 seconds straight as opposed to healing for five seconds, getting up, and then repeating that three times, I’ll heal for more.
-Combat skill points impact the weapon’s damage and accuracy. So I’ll do more damage with a high sword skill than a low sword skill, even if I’m using the same weapon.
-Combat and magic skills only increase by targeting a monster similar to my skill level. What’s interesting here is that it’s not just similar to my job level, but to my skill level. Presumably I could fight a much lower level monster with a new weapon and gain weapon skill-ups.
-Combat macros are… a thing.
Looks complex. I'm never great with macros and commands in MMOs.
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Adventuring Primer – Jobs
-Summoning spells are possible, but as is typical in FF, you have to pass a trial of some sort with the summoned monster.
-Blue magic is (of course) learned from enemies.
-The game mentions “indicolure geomancy.” The primer makes it sound like these are mostly buffs and debuffs. Learned from “geomancy plates, a type of scroll-like object.” I loved geomancer in FFIII and FFV.
-Regarding blue magic: “Players must have a blue magic skill that corresponds to the level at which that spell can be used.” Makes sense – as a newbie blue mage, I wouldn’t be able to learn some super high end blue magic.
-There are four pet-based jobs: Beastmasters, dragoons, summoners, and puppetmasters (??!?!?!! Like Calcabrina-style?).
-Dragoons can “Call Wyvern.” Ok. That’s fucking cool.
-Corsair seems to be the Setzer/Lady Luck job. Uses dice, rolls, etc.
-Puppetmasters work with “automatons,” their pets.
Creepy af.
-I can change jobs in a Mog House.
-I can eventually unlock a quest for a “Support Job.”
-When I reach level 30, I can accept quests for extra jobs. The manual shows me where the quests to get those extra jobs start.
[Non-rhetorical question, and a big one: if I pick up an extra job – say, dragoon – does that lock me into it? Does it mean I can’t try out other jobs, that if I wanted to later go blue mage then I’d have to reroll a new character? Is there a limit on the number of jobs I can take on?]
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Adventuring Primer – Quests
-There are quests called “supply quests” with home nations, and I can teleport to them. One teleporter in Bastok is in the Mines District. Not sure what this means, but definitely will try a supply quest.
-Limit Break quests are a level 50+ things. Same with Merit Points, and Job Points for 99+.
-Field Manuals, Ground Tomes, and Individual/Elite Training are different kinds of leveling things I’ll keep my eyes open for.
-Coalition Assignments are a level 99+ thing. They have to do with “pioneering” which an NPC told me briefly about.
-AHA! There IS an NPC-helper mechanic. There’s a quest in Jeuno to get an “Adventuring Fellow.”
-The game goes even further, mentioning a “Trust.” This looks like an NPC party – can that be right? Available starting at level 5. Definitely checking that out.
-Unity Concords look to be group things. If I complete 10 Records of Eminence (those timed challenges, like where I have to kill 20 lizards or something), this opens up. Whatever it is.
-The last thing here is information on quests. Most of it is pretty straight forward, but it’s really helpful to know that there are quest guides in many zones who will point out where the questgivers are.
-Doing enough quests in an area can make me famous locally, which sounds like a really cool mechanic. A reputation.
-I get Allegiance Missions by talking to guards in my nation, and doing these raises rank and opens access to new quests.
-There are a ton of other sections in this Primer, but when I flipped through, most of it had to do with more advanced stuff. Quests and options open when I hit level 50+ or 90+ or whatever the game’s max level ends up being.
-With one exception.
-One glorious exception.
-“A Moogle Kupo d’Etat.” This is apparently open to me starting from level 1. The Primer doesn’t tell me much beyond that, and that I start it by going to the Mog House, but its tagline (“Participate in the most pointless struggle of Vana’diel’s history”) is a work of art.
-Oh, and the list of expansions also mentions “Rhapsodies of Vana’diel,” that main story I got started on. Doesn’t really say anything more about this other than that it starts at level 3, which I knew.
-Linkshells seem like FFXI’s version of guilds, but geared towards types of players and perhaps set up by the game rather than players? Not sure. This Primer makes it seem that I join a linkshell depending on my playstyle.
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Adventuring Primer – Storage/Housing
-There’s a “Mog Wardrobe” I can access to store extra sets of equipment. Not sure on the details, so I’ll try to remember to come back here once I have extra stuff for context.
-Mog houses. These seem like player housing, but it’s unclear whether it’s just functional like WoW’s garrisons, or super customizable like housing in Wildstar and Rift. Somewhere in the middle perhaps.
-Oh wait – definitely customizable. Furnishing, “moghancements” (lol), the works.
-I can even do gardening inside my mog house.
-There are equipment storage NPCs. Not sure if they’re like banks.
-Porter Moogles are NPCs that can carry individual items and give me a ticket. I have to trade the ticket back to them if I want the item back. I don’t really get this.
-There’s a quest in Lower Jeuno to increase my inventory space. Hell yes.
-Mog Sack, Mog Satchel, and Mog Wardrobe are all other storage things.
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Adventuring Primer – Crafting
-Synthesis definitely is crafting of some sort.
-THERE’S FISHING!! YAY!!
-There’s also synergy, which is… different from synthesis? Somehow.
-There are gathering professions, that require pickaxes, hatchets, and sickles. While in most modern MMOs, to gather from a node I equip the tool (or even just have it in my inventory) and right click on the node, it’s different in FFXI. Here, I have to trade the tool to the node.
-Mining, logging, and harvesting are the three gathering professions.
-Enough about jobs and all that nonsense. Let’s talk about what’s really important. FISHING!!!
-To fish, I target myself while near a body of water and pick “fish” from the action command window. I equip rods in the ranged slot and bait in the ammo slot. There’s more detail, but I won’t worry about it until I actually try fishing.
-There’s a messaging system for fishing similar to the varieties of “kweh” in FFIX’s Chocobo Hot n Cold. I can even catch monsters.
-It seems like fishing is more than just clicking. I actually have to reel the enemy in with my analog stick to weaken the catch and decrease it’s stamina. That sounds legitimately fun and interactive.
-oh my god. There are fishing quests, competitions, rankings, a headquarters… this is ridiculously exciting. I love silly side-stuff like this.
-YES! There are synthesis guilds. I thought crafting would be all trial and error, but it seems like I might be able to find manuals somewhere in the game that provide recipes.
-Synergy is interesting too. There is group crafting available. Fewells and Evoliths are things used for this.
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Adventuring Primer – Travel, Trade
-SPEAKING OF CHOCOBO HOT N COLD, THERE’S CHOCOBO DIGGING STARTING AT LEVEL 20
HAHAHAHHA YESSSSS BEST MINI GAME EVER RETURNS!!! I know it’s not the same thing at all, but every time my chocobo pecks into the ground I’ll no doubt have that wonderful music in my head.
-So there’s also a Bazaar feature. Back in EverQuest, you could only sell items by trading them directly with others at first. Then a few (four?) expansions in, they added a Bazaar feature where you could go afk in a certain zone and set your character up as a vendor. That’s what this bazaar feature is.
I wonder if anyone really uses it since FFXI also has an auction house.
-To ride chocobos, there is a quest in Jeuno I can get at level 20. Not sure if that just lets me ride them temporarily or lets me purchase one.
-Ships travel between continents. Airships travel between major cities. There are also barges and manaclippers. Hm.
-Waypoints will be a thing eventually.
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-By the way, something I really appreciate about this Adventuring Primer: it mostly focused on what mechanics were present in the game, sometimes telling me where in the world I have to go to get started on the path, and then it leaves it off. Just enough information to be useful without me feeling like it’s giving shit away. Perfect for a tutorial.
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Next time: …I don’t know. There’s so much to do here! Not sure what I’ll try next. I have options.
