SE Wants You To Bring Along "gimp" Players...

I was in the same boat as both of you when I first came back to FFXI over two months ago. I was like a noob again at level 90, but the difference was that I still knew how to play my jobs, but have to shift and upgrade a lot of gear because of Delve. That has not been easy or cheap for that matter.

Due to outside circumstances in my life, my progression since restarting at the end of April has been pretty much like this:

It took me a week to cap jobs at level 99. It took two weeks to cap skills on certain jobs. It took a month since April to finish 4 out of 8 level 99 jobs most of their +2 armors, with WHM being the first to 5/5 +2 Empy Armors since returning. It took a month and a half of Delve farming to get my first bow, so around first half of June. It took a week to get it to Rank 5 which I'm still upgrading slowly but surely, and a few pieces of Delve gear mostly for WHM and BRD. I've switched my Empyrean weapon upgrade thanks to reading a guide on FFXIAH Ranger forums from Gandiva to Armageddon and am now halfway on Carabosse Gems since returning. (I'm doing them slowly at the moment since I'm busy with other things outside the game.) Gjallarhorn is finally at Stage 3 as well. And, Salvage is coming along nicely but slowly.

All in all, it takes time. That's all it is, even for someone like me that has limited time and can only spare three weeks at a time to devote to the game right now.

But, in the end, like you two, I'm still new to a lot of things that were released between the time I quit and the time I returned. I'm still learning Delve as much as possible every run I do-- both failed ones and successful ones. I'm already 6/6 on the key items so I am able to do the Delve bosses. I'm still new to Voidwatch but would love to do more of it and learn how the fights are done, especially get access to Provenance. It took me a bit to get a grasp on triggers but I learn fast thankfully. I still want to do Legion but doesn't seem a lot of interest on Bismarck or it's done with specific LSes I'm not a part of. Then, there's that Meeble Burrows but not many seem to be doing it either on my server or are only doing it with specific groups of people I'm not a part of as well.

Again, if I was invited to them and if I can do more of them, I'll be able to learn how they're done and I'll be able to lead runs myself. Salvage I was the same way years ago to me. However, if I don't get invited to them, then how am I able to learn anything. That's the same problem with Delve, these people will have to learn one or way another, and they have to be WILLING TO LEARN because this is not easy if people do not listen or are geared inappropriately. If you're not willing to learn, then you have to rethink your priorities. Go back and get at least some +2 Empy gear, upgrade an Empy weapon to 95 minimum, 99 recommended even if it's just the Empy weaponskill ones, the elemental staves, the Cure potency staff Arka, or the STR path weapons (or accuracy ones if they have it). Or, go on as WHM or BRD job and be very attentive to what's going on and be very quick to react. Things can change every second in the newer content.

I'm also doing the majority of my Delve runs as WHM, RDM, or COR. Heck, I'm probably WHM for 95% of the runs now. But, I'd like to use my other melee jobs such as DRG or RNG. I already have a Rank 5 bow and may eventually get the Surefire Arquebus, or start work on Annihilator or finish Armageddon. Time (and health) is my enemy at the moment on those, however. So, DRG, has been sitting at the wayside for now since I'm doing things piece-by-piece without overwhelming myself.

Again, everything will take time even if can't devote a whole lot of time to it. Even a few hours upgrading a Magian trial weapon or skilling up or doing pre-SoA content will add up in the end like it has for me, and it will eventually pay off. Trust me.

The problem for any new or returning player is coming back to endgame events that are already given up upon by current players and are no longer done, or the newer events are currently in mid-cycle and many of the current players are now expecting anyone starting them to have specific weapons like R/E/M weapons at level 90 or 95, or even 99, or a Delve weapon at least. And, those same current players are also expecting players doing these runs to be at a certain level of skill and knowledge by this point of time in the endgame event(s)' life cycle, unfortunately.

It can't be helped sadly. It's how the game has been like since Abyssea was introduced. Old content gets replaced with newer content, and gear and skill is now expected by many players doing the newer content. All this can be blamed on Square-Enix right now since they've mimicked a lot of gameplay content and gear acquisition to be similar to other MMOs, especially World of Warcraft at this of point in time. At the same time, they've introduced other difficulties such as a high barrier to get some of the gear. It's practically a habit of theirs by now. As a result, players have had to adjust to it and are now holding higher expectations for these newer content. Do not be surprised this will happen in FFXIV, which again SE has mimicked more and more gameplay from WoW in A Realm Reborn (v2.0). It's already evident in the questing system. Both of these changes in FFXI and FFXIV are, in my opinion, a way for SE to do two things: Maintain a playerbase and acquire newer players into the game, especially for FFXIV v2.0 and for a game as old as FFXI. A lot of us will have to put up with this for the foreseeable future.

In the end, everything takes time, effort, and hard work. At the same, as well, other players have to be willing to invite the newer and returning players to these endgame events eventually so they can learn their jobs and strategies how to do these. This means even failing a few runs. "Why do we fall, Bruce?... So, we can pick ourselves back up..." The players being invited must also sacrifice a bit as well-- they have to be willing to learn, no exceptions whatsoever. You cannot progress forward unless these two requirements occur-- one willing to teach and one willing to learn. That is how the game is now.

Lastly, I apologize if I have offended anyone with my posts. My posts on these pages have been a reflection from both the experiences I've had so far since returning to the game; and how I expect players to be after playing for seven years. I'm fortunate that I am a nice person, and willing to help others with newer content or getting reacquainted to the game unconditionally, but the other person will have to be willing to learn regardless. That is how I was raised, and it reflects a lot of what I do in this game. And, no I'm not anal or picky or an *** to a lot of things in this game. If I was, I'd be just another elitist player ignoring a newbie player. I have already helped nearly a dozen people since returning with some older content or gear or quests/missions. It's my time and I choose how I want to spend it.