P L A Y E R  T I P S 

Talk to the NPC's (The character's name is in green)

 Like the other Final Fantasy’s, you are able to get a lot of info from the conversation with the NPC's (Non Playable Characters). And there might be opportunity for you to get a Quest. 

There're lots of NPC's, everywhere you go. Some are humanoid, some are monsters. They range from peasant classes to royalty. Some have very little to say, some are merchants. Some are soldiers who will give you missions to serve your country, some soldiers will cast signet on you so you can get crystals from fallen enemies and get conquest points for your country. (etc.)

At the beginning, you might not understand a lot of things and happenings in the game. Ways to get your problems solved is by talking to other players. Some of them should be able to answer them for you. I believe asking questions to a stranger might be quite scary for some of you but you can get chances to make friends with them in the game. Chatting is one of the good things about Online Games.

But other players are not like NPC's, they are real humans, please don't forget that what you are typing is an actual conversation. To let others play the game with enjoyment, please restrain from the use of obscene and unpleasant words/language.
 

Try forming a Party!

 You might face some problems when trying to proceed to some areas in Final Fantasy XI. Like any other RPG, you can either accumulate experience with one person or play along with your friends in the game. So, if you find your friend online at the same time you are playing, why not form a party with him/her? If no one you know is on, you can always try going to the entrance of the town you are in, where many gather to look for others who have the desire to form a party.

But not all people can be trusted. Verify properly when item distributions are taking place after each battle. Do not forget some of the measures/cares you have to take in the game, it is the same as actual life.


 

Manners and Ethics in FFXI Are As Important As they are in Real Life

Manners in Final Fantasy XI apply the same as if you were conversing or even fighting along side with someone in real life. Here are some situations I gathered of where people have bad manners or make poor decisions. Learn from these mistakes if it sounds like how you are/play.

1.) Using demanding English in the party, and confusing everyone with bad English (I.E. slang, bad grammar, bad spellingEit makes it makes it SO hard to understand someone).

2.) Don't understand Skillchain, when to start, or even the order. Also, those who do not store Skillchain when told. (This is ok once or twice, but when it happens so often that it becomes every time...)

3.) Mages casting wrong spells at the worst times because they don't know what they do. (Even some new players mess up like this as well; casting multi target spells is the usual mistake)

4.) Mages who don't buy spells that are important. (Every status curing and every elemental offense is important)

5.) Melee who don't use anything but the worst possible weapon for their job, and wear severely outdated equipment, taking big damage and doing none.

6.) Follow the instructions your PT leader give to you and your party members.

7.) Banshee/Bogy (etc.) hazards are being pointed out and being avoided by the whole party, yet players stay near them and get caught, causing trouble for the whole PT.

8.) Those that do not thank people, nor reply to people's questions, or honor their requests.

9.) Impatient people who tell their party members to "GO" (go as in get monsters, go as in start Skillchain, go do ANYTHING when not everyone is ready) or hunts wrong monsters without reporting to party/caring about mages MP.

10.) THOSE THAT LEAVE THE PARTY AS SOON AS IT STARTS.

11.) Those that leave their party WITHOUT NOTICE.

12.) Players that scream/cuss when something goes wrong.

13.) Players who leave party as soon as it starts, without notice, then start spamming in party about it.

14.) If you have parents possibly controlling your time, do not join parties. Joining a party and saying you will play along side that PT is like making a promise to "be reliable for/to everyone"!

15.) If you must absolutely leave the party, learn to explain your situation(s) in a nice manner and give the party members time to go somewhere SAFER before you log out.

16.)  When players check (as in other people's equipment) freely. This is considered rude in the game! If you want to check someone’s level, use the search option. If you want to see their equipment, ask for permission first. Even people I know well, I ask for permission first. Because, when you view someone, it says on their log! (I.E. "Tyreal examines you.")

Now, when you do it multiple times...

"Tyreal examines you."
"Tyreal examines you."
"Tyreal examines you."
"Tyreal examines you."
"Tyreal examines you."

All this is ends up on their log. Doesn't look pretty, huh?

17.) Players who do not know how to taunt and/or refuse to learn. If you're playing Warrior or Paladin (or even Dark Knight on special occasions) please learn how to do your job. Without proper taunting and defending, a party can be slaughtered. I can understand new players not understanding the dynamics of a PT, but after MULTIPLE explanations/times playing their job, you'd expect they'd start to catch on.

18.) Certain players who believe that other players owe them something. I've run into several people who think that a high level WHM on the search menu means INSTANT SPRING LEVELING. I've even heard of people asking high level players for spring leveling. So, JOIN A PARTY! High level players have other things to do. If you don't know them, you're compounding the insult. Face it, you're going to have to level just like everyone else.

19.) Players who have no etiquette or common sense.

20.) Veteran players who think too highly of themselves and belittle inexperienced players under their care. This may even apply to veteran players who also have the tendency to put themselves on their ranks and I have witnessed a lot swaying to this tendency. Every player should be treated equally in this game as long as they are displaying manners and interest. Lack of knowledge does not equal lack of commitment.


 The Game Masters

Game Masters, or GMs if you prefer, play an important role in Final Fantasy XI. They serve many useful purposes in the game. They are seen as players within each game world, except they have the letters "GM" in bold white next to their name, which is in red. They have special armor which only they can wear, which is a red and silver color scheme. This equipment they have is called Judge equipment within the game (As you can see in the picture) besides the special armor, they have an aura about them that sets them further apart from other players. Not only does it make them seem powerful and pretty awesome, but it also helps them stand out to the novices who may be looking for them.

According to the official PlayOnline site, a GMs role includes:

- If a player gets stuck in some fashion in the world and are unable to move, the GM is able to move the character to a safe location in the world.

- The GM will punish and reprimand any player which discriminates or belittles another character for whatever reason. This also includes using vulgar language to accomplish this.

- In the instance that a player creates a vulgar or obscene name, the GM will delete that character or change it's name.

- If the player has a particular question about the game, whether it is about progressing the story, a location in the game, or any other informational inquiry, the GM will be there to answer it.

Basically, they work as policemen in the game. They are there to guide people who need help, keep those who try to cause trouble in line, and resolve any in-game problems.


Status

These are the things that will be shown under "Status" in the Final Fantasy XI menu.

  • Lv
     - Level

  • HP
     - Hit Point

  • MP
     - Magic Point

  • TP
     - Tactical Point

  • STR
     - Strength

  • DEX
     - Dexterity 

  • VIT
     - Vitality 

  • AGI
     - Agility 

  • INT
     - Intelligence

  • MND
     - Mind

  • CHR
     - Charisma 

  • EXP
         - Experience 

  • NEXT Level
         - Amount of exp. needed to gain the next Job Level
     

Equipment System

  • There is equipment which is limited to certain races or jobs only. To know whether you are eligible for certain equipment, please check the log window which would explain about the characteristic of the equipment.
     

  • In relation to the race and job, some are able to hold two weapons on their arms while some are only able to hold one. Of course, those who hold two weapons will not be able to equip defensive shield or others on.
     

  • When equipping a weapon, there will be "Main Weapon" and "Sub Weapon" for you to equip on. 
     

Places which you can equip items on

Main
- For one-handed weapon or two-handed weapon.

Sub
 - For two-handed weapon (two-handed weapons use both main and sub slots) or shield.

Range
- For weapons like Bows or guns.

Ammo
- For arrows or throwing weapons.

Head
- Helmet or Hat.

Neck
- Necklace etc.

Ear 1
- Earring or pierce.

Ear 2
- Earring or pierce.

Body
- Clothes, armor etc.

Hands
- Gloves or armlet. 

Ring 1
- Rings.

Ring 2
- Rings.

Back
- Wind cover, cape.

Waist
- Belt, band.

Legs
- Pants, leggings.

Feet
- Shoes, boots.
 

Search System

 This is one of the special function available in Final Fantasy XI. The "Search" system in Final Fantasy XI allows you to find a player by various definition. This is very useful when you need to find a specified players with certain job, level or country of origin. 

To search for a player, you can do so by...

Search Name
- Search through player's name/nick. If you don't put anything in the search box and press "search" it will list out the players in the same area you are at.

Search Job
 - Search for a player through their job. 

Search Country of Origin
- Searches player from the country that you have specified. 

Search Race
- Searches player from the race that you have specified. 

Search Level
- Searches players from certain level.

Search Friend
- Searches player from your "Friend List".

Search Link Shell
- Searches player from the Link Group you are in.

Search Area
- Searches players from certain area.


 Time Difference

The time in Vana'diel is very different from the real life. One hour of our actual time equals to one day in the world of Vana'diel. Which means ten minutes of our actual time is four hours in Vana'diel. Which also mean, two minutes five second of our actual time is one hour in Vana'diel. And finally, one minute in Vana'diel is roughly 2.5 seconds in real life.