“FF14 makes you feel like the hero.”
That was the sales pitch Poldaran used to get me to try out the game. Also there were bunny girls. ALSO, also the main game was free to download and play for the first sixty days or so. So (rolling my eyes in spirt) I downloaded the game onto my laptop, bought myself a cheap mouse, and made Sir Drake:
He is the Warrior of Light (FFXIV’s version of the chosen one) and a Dragoon, a spear-wielding warrior specifically trained to murder the hell out of dragons. “You basically stab, stab, jump back, and then then jump back in, and go back to stabbing ‘till the monster’s dead,” Poldaran explained, which resonated with the simple psychopath in me. Knowing I’ve never played a game like this, he did A LOT of handholding in the beginning. Thanks, buddy!
So, it was with great trepidation, that I sat down, tried to learn my hotkeys (actions linked to a specific key on the keyboard) and got to (murdering) slaying monsters. And squirrels. A lot of squirrels.
And it was boring.
Really boring.
But I’d decided to humor Poldaran, so I kept playing, if only at least an hour a day. And then it became two hours. And then three. And then, sneakily, FFXIV was making me have fun. I’ll explain, but first I should probably give a rundown on what the game is actually about.
FFXIV follows the player character’s adventures through the fantasy world of Hydaelyn. You start in the region of Eorzea, with the specific location decided by which of the starting classes you decided to play as during character creation. You’re an aspiring newb, trying to rise up in this world, both by joining a guild and (murdering) slaying progressively more dangerous beasties. But with each new quest you accomplish, it becomes more apparent to you and those around you, that you’re special. You’ve been blessed by primordial forces with the title and power of the “Warrior of Light” to push back the forces of darkness and return peace to Hydaelyn.
Or you can just gamble.
Like all games, FFXIV has a learning curve, one that was especially steep for me since I’d never played an MMORPG before. So having to learn my hotkeys, how to upgrade my equipment, having to initially WALK everywhere (thank you God for my flying unicorn), really tested my patience. It also didn’t help that I spent the first week just doing side missions because I was a dum-dum and didn’t know the difference between those and the Story variety. On the upside, I was over leveled for the first bit of the game so that made progressing easier. But playing solo wasn’t too bad, and I had Poldaran to help me search and (murder) slay specific monsters so that I could level faster. But then came the dungeons, and I had to face my worst fear.
Playing with strangers.
In FFXIV you run a dungeon with a paryt of four, split up into three player types:
- 1 Tank: A player designed to take A LOT of punishment, lead the party through the dungeon, and keep enemies off the other party members.
- 1 Healer: Mostly there to keep the Tank alive (and the DPS if they’re being reckless). They can also deal damage, but they’re basically just there to babysit the group.
- 2 DPS (Damage Per Second): These players attack. And attack. And also attack. They can also use spell effects to stun, slow down enemies, or make them take more damage. Basically, while the enemy’s focused on the tank, it’s the DPSs’ job to murder that enemy to death. DPS is usually considered the easiest job to fill because you don’t have to worry about keeping the Tank alive like the Healer has to, and you don’t have to worry about leading the group through the dungeon like the Tank has to. You just have to tag along for the ride and kill everything in sight.
Nakoda is a DPS. He’s a Dragoon now, but he started off as a Lancer. My job was still the same.
Murder.
I cannot stress how much anxiety I had going into that first dungeon. Yes, I had Poldaran there (both as the groups healer and moral support) but what if I messed up? What if I got somebody killed? Gasp! What if…what if somebody was mean to me?!
Sigh. Time to get a few things straight for the newbies who might be reading this.
Okay. 1, there are assholes everywhere. It’s the internet, of course there are some pricks playing FFXIV. I’m lucky that in my time playing, I’ve only had one player go off on me (I used a Limit-special finishing move-too early, not knowing that the boss had one stage left) and even then, all of the other players told him to calm the F down near immediately.
2, unlike World of Warcraft (which I refuse to touch), FFXIV is actually well known for being newbie friendly. As in veteran players being patient and guiding along new players is the norm, rather than the exception. Hop into a dungeon, let the party know you’ve never done it before, and 9 times out of the 10 someone will catch you up to speed on the dungeon’s layout and how the various boss mechanics work.
3, you start seeing the same faces. Despite each server having hundreds of players, it’s not uncommon to run into the same people now and again. This happens more frequently if you’re the same character class and around the same level as them. I’ve yet to make any real friend-friends online, but there’s been plenty of, “Hey, aren’t you that bunny girl white mage from that Ifrit fight yesterday?” and so on and so on. Gradually, FFXIV’s world becomes smaller the more you play it, lessoning your fear of the unknown. And internet assholes.
I just entered the first expansion, Heavensward. I haven’t been playing as often as I once did. Yet being Sir Drake the Warrior of Light is still as therapeutic as ever. Especially with how this year started. The outside world still seems to be one step forward, three steps back. But in Hydaelyn, lance in hand, I’ve been able to “meet” good, well-meaning people.
And murder soooooo many dragons.
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