Does Playing FFXI Take Skill?

Ninja doesn't take skill.

Same thought; ninja takes math.

Math = skill.

Mind = blown.

If you are mostly vanilla, then skill is a composition of knowledge (knowing what TP moves, debuffs, etc. actually do, and what counters them), reflex (managing your reaction times since it's not automated), and experience (being able to prioritize your actions/reactions when slight fluctuations in gameplay arise). FFXI is so vast most people playing this game are likely not "skilled." Those that are, are likely skilled in only some small part of the game (i.e. some fraction of all the jobs).

On the other end of the spectrum, if you automate so much of this game like a lot of folks I know (gearswap, scripting, etc.) then this game takes absolutely no skill. My two year-old could play a full team of 6 players if I wanted to devote enough time into learning about gearswap and lua scripts. All anyone would need to do is start the script. When a vast amount of game knowledge has been compacted into gearswaps and scripts, then you've pretty much taken all skill -- however you want to define it (knowledge, reflex, etc) -- out of FFXI. The only arguable "skill" here is programming skill -- putting all that together.

Alright, let me clarify.

Ninja tanking takes good reflexes and a fair bit of skill.

Does drinking water take skill?
Can everyone complete the tasks required to drink water easly?
I should hope we all agree that it does not require skill to do so.we only need to learn how.

Automotive mechanics,does this require skill?
It is simply removing nuts and bolts.testing and replacing wiring.
Replacing said items back in the proper order and arrangement.
I think most might agree that skill is required.

The only reason I ask in this way is due to the OPs obdurate position.

Anything requiring no skill should,with little variance, be easily mastered by all should they attempt said subject.

I am not as skilled as many that play ffxi.
I also very much enjoy all street fighter games,I am good at them,and rarely do I have to pass my controlly amongst company.
In current iterations of SF there are a great many complexities to the game,even though casual players miss most of them.
Reflexes are and dexterity are a steep requirement,but that can only be said if your opponents necessitate this requirement. If not,it can be very laid back and easy to play.
The same can be said of FFXI.

I believe there's an important question before the one you asked in the topic, and it's about the definition of skill.

What is "skill", what defines it? Where are the thresholds?

If you define "skill" with a definition close to that of a game like WoW or FFXIV, then I wouldn't say FFXI is a game that particularly shines in term of "skill" required.
I could say the same if you were to compare FFXI to a game like Ninja Gaiden, or Bayonetta.


Still, my point is that there are many different definitions of what "skill" is and how it is required and directly (or indirectly) interconnected with your success and efficiency rate while doing game content.

each person has a different perspective to skill.

example from abyssea days. Shinryu was released and i was soloing him for the body taking a friend for his win + loot i didn't want. I made it look easy with a brew knowing when to WS between hits, knowing what to do to proc and kill it with no issues.

He thought it was skill and even said so in Ventrillo channel at the time. A friend responded saying "it's not skill, Aisu just know what he's doing." He was absolutely right.

To me it didn't feel like skill, i was just smashing buttons as i needed. but to my friend who didn't know how to do what i was doing. To him it was.

Many times over my long time playing i have been asked about my DPS at times (it's not the best before you think im trying brag just some certain people that aren't as well geared or don't know their job that well). I honestly couldn't tell them what i'm doing. All i could say was i'm just hitting buttons cause that's all it felt like but deep down there are things i may have been doing that some weren't. I'm using Arcane circle when fighting Arcana like omen bosses as a DRK. maybe it's my gearsets etc.

basically Knowledge = skill IMO. Knowing when to hit your abilities and when to swap into your DT set for example: when you see a big hit coming your way, just knowing when to use what sets and spells when needed. Knowing a mobs weakness and quick reactions to certain situations (getting dispelled and quickly rebuffing while doing what you need to). Turning on pain Sync etc etc

Skill is measured in fluid oz!

So basically, being skilled is either muscle memory learned over the course of a week or being naturally gifted with reflexes.

That's the most "I'm 16yo" post of this thread so far. DDR, GH and RB taking skill, I'm dying here. Dude could have been smart and given actual rhythm games that take solid learning but instead he literally went full Xbox.

Outside of fighting games, really, there isn't any genre of video game that really takes "skill", whichever skill you're referring to.

Actually, it's the same with FPS.

If you check CS:GO for example, there have been regular nerfs/buffs and the meta keeps changing as a result. People only use the OP guns at a given time.

You can check what happened to the CZ about 1/2y ago or the M4A1 vs M4A4, for example.

However, the difference with fighting games is that you can't use an OP character and be good at a fighting game. The player makes the character, not the opposite.

There is a 0% chance of a veteran player losing to an OP character while playing the shittiest character of the game himself given some training. They may lose at a given tournament, once, that's it. That's why people who bandwagon a certain character never really stay relevant beyond that specific time frame. See MenaRD on SFV as a recent example.
The difference in skill gap in fighting game is really unique.

What you're talking about is "physical" skill required by the player.
Incredibly good reaction times, in some games also physical skill in the way you interact with the game (gamepad button presses, mouse control etc).
Think about high speed Starcraft Games, some Fighting Games. They require physical skills from your hands. You can reach them through training, some have innate skills, mostly you're gonna need both to reach the peak.


If you see things from THIS point of view (which is legit! Just not the ONLY point of view) then I don't think FFXI requires more or less "skill" than a similar game like FFXIV or WoW for instance, since I often see the comparison coming up, sometimes I made it myself.
Aside from a bunch of rare exceptions the reaction times required there may be fast but nothing close to the game types mentioned above, it's stuff the majority of average players who are well versed with videogames can reach, it doesn't require superhuman skills like some of the games mentioned above.
You mostly need gear (some fights are pure gear checks, those games have straightforward and constant gear progression) and coordination.
People make mistakes, some are just harder or impossible to recover from.


If you ask me I think focusing on "physical" skills, while valid, is quite a reductive way to see the full length of the concept of "skill".
In these games sometimes, despite all the plentiful guides you can find, tehre is no "correct" answer, but many.
Finding which works best for you, creating new ways/strategies nobody thought about before, being able to react to something that's unforseen and wasn't supposed to happen and still manage to succeed.
Those do not fall under "physical" skill, but I still see those things as related to the "skill" of a player in being good at what he does in that game, above many other players.
Just because the internet made it easy to find knowledge around, doesn't mean anybody is equally "skilled" or versed to make a good use of it.

Just my two cents about it.

There is a certain level of muscle memory required in FFXI but it's very low. However, despite being very low, most people have no idea about it because at the end of the day, it's not needed.

In a game where being subpar is enough to clear most if not any content, it doesn't really matter, does it?

The only correct answer

Some people don't understand what "average" actually means.

Think about it, the "average" person. 49% of people are dumber than an average person. Think of every single person you know, and how dumb they are. Now panic about how the future looks.

yes

every time a bell rings someone gets called a noob an angel gets his wings a thread gets made on ffxiah



skill is the ability to do something well. the problem is it isn't something you can buy or lend or even force on someone else and people that have it make it look easy



first you need Aptitude because unfortunately without being born with some natural ability to do something you will probably never do it well.

second you need to build on Aptitude with Knowledge and then third you need Experience.

if someone has no aptitude, no amount of training or practice is going to make them better. If they have a problem learning then they'll never be able to develop their aptitude. And if they have no desire they won't gain the experience nessesary to achieve a skill.

ffxi doesn't necessarily require skill to participate in, however, like everything else in life, it does require skill to eventually do it well.

I used to be a noob then I read the monk guide. Now I'm a *** idiot.

+1'ed, but my trifecta is smoke weed, smoke weed, smoke weed. Just ask my LS.

I do appreciate the visual aide it helps me learn. I don't read good...well...whatever !

You're a gutsy daredevil with a give-em-hell attitude and a 4th grade education. You could've made sergeant!!!

How did you know I was in the Flyin Hell Fish !

I've been playing this game since 2005. This game is vast, wide, and has a variety of content. Some thing requires skill, some requires time, some requires luck.

Through out the games launch most, if not all, endgame content has required skill and competent knowledge of your job and the game's mechanics. To give an example, I distinctly remember doing Suzaku with my linkshell during the Lv75 days. Our Paladins went down and I, a Dark Knight, had to hold Suzaku for a long amount of time without any knowledge of tanking, enmity, or anything other DDing (consider the time and gear options of this era). Situations like that requires skill to be able to adjust and perform outside of the normal means.

I think this translates well towards today's endgame content. With Dynamis D and Omen for example, I'm noticing that unskilled players are creating a gap in performance. Those who execute their roles well are hindered by those who cannot, this has always been the case but it has become more apparent now more than ever. Try tanking an omen boss with an unskilled and unprepared healer.

Knowledge is a component of skill. You cannot perform skillfully if you have no knowledge of what you're doing.

o.O