MMORPG.com Final Fantasy XI Correspondent Thomas Winkle writes this look at Final Fantasy from the eyes of a beginner, trying to clear up some of the confusion that might surround early stages of this unique MMO.

As a newcomer to the Final Fantasy series, I know as well as anyone that Final Fantasy XI can seem a little bit intimidating at first. Most avid MMORPGers are used to some sort of learning curve, maybe a tutorial to teach them about all of the different features that they'll be using throughout the game. It could be a small storyline-based mission, similar to that of Star Wars Galaxies, or a more straight-forward tutorial, that teaches you exactly how to do what you're going to be doing. Most MMO players are also used to quest markers appearing above NPC heads to tell us who exactly is needing what, and where to go. So, as you can imagine, dropping into a realm with no tutorial and no marked quests can be a little intimidating and even frightening for the regular MMOer.

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thankyou for your honest non WOW based opinion of this game. I have been a loyal player since 6 months after launch and this is by far the least exposed and underhyped mmo out today. When I say this you have to take into account the game is going on 7 years old and still has a fan/player base in the hundreds of thousands, and also that they are still releasing content and updates at pretty regular intervals. It would greatly appreciated on behalf of the FFXI community if you would continue to progress through the game and write more stories about it and try to revive the title by bringing in more fresh blood. Yes the game has a learning curve to it that most other games do not but that is the greatness to this game, the fact some random "noob" isnt gonna pick it up and be lvl 75 in a month. Like some other games ive played like WoW and AoC and LoTRo for example, those games are and can be fun but they are so easy and dumbed down you can eat up the content in no time (i maxed out the 10 day free trial limits in a 24 hour period in WoW for example was highest lvl in AoC in 2-3 weeks of casual play). I can honestly say after years of playin FFXI there are still activities im yet to even start  on (different events/story lines) and im a multi lvl 75 char with merits and access to almost every corner of Vanadiel. So please by al means continue through the game explore more then just the begining areas see what a dated game still has to offer, I can promise if you get to the end of a nation story line or huge mission set like CoP the cutscenes can be breath taking and the story line in genral rich challenging and enjoyable =) (warning this game is addicting if you give it a chance kinda like a bad drug habit almost)

I really did enjoy this article too.   Unfortunately for me, I left April 30th of this year  after having a blast for 2 months.  I'm not really one to trash a game for being dumbed down because a game doesnt have to be under-documented or mind numbingly hard to be good - it's all about what you enjoy and what fulfills your need.

Anyway, the game may be older and dated; but I still think the graphics are very well done and hold up well.  The game play seems fun, but I managed to get to level 24 without having ever grouped and never managed to find a linkshell to join.  When the parties and linkshells didnt materialize after the first couple of weeks, I just started grinding and using the field manuals and before I knew it, I was a level 24 warrior that had no clue what it was like to group or be part of a community in FFXI.  I guess as a result, I ended up not looking anymore as I realized it would be awful to admit I'm level 24 and never even had to use any of my abilities or skills; and had never evlolved my warrior in groups and learning how the groups in this game worked.

It's a bummer for sure, but even soloing, I managed to get my chocobo license, all of my supply quests and teleport locations set and see the landscapes.  I wasn't able to find any mentors either but did try for the last week plus in an attempt to be able to stay with the game.

Does anyone know if this is typical on Midgardsormr?  If I can find some way to move servers, I may try again and hope to find people willing to help a lost and slightly bewildered warrior learn his way.   Does anyone know how to get a world pass and if that allows you to move permanently? 

Now seems like a good time to start if you're a noobie to the FFXI universe too - SE recently announced they hit the 2 million mark going into it's 5th year, so there must be alot of new players heading into the game. I just wish I could find out where!

I'd vote to give it a try if you're not hung up on top notch graphics!  I'll miss it.

server transfer for your current char is only available through the transfer service in member services, There is a fee of 25 dollars for this servce and you must not have any items in your delbox or on the auction house as they wil be lost, basically take anything you want to take with you and put it in inventory or moghouse. As for a more friendly server well that is hard for me to say as i have only played on 3 differnt servers myself.

I started out on Asura server way way back in the day i was ther only for a week and found like you it wasnt that friendly to new comers so i moved. (back then moving entailed spin the wheel of fortune and end up someplace or obtain a worldpass from a friend and i didnt have any ingame peeps at the time so it was erase and recreate) Any ways i spun the wheel and ended up on Cerberus and it turned out to have a more newer/friendlier/english speaking population. This server was good for me in the end but after a few years on this server they introduced transfer services and a bunch of us (like 1/2 the LS) moved to Unicorn. Unicorn server was fun alot of fun as it is a more endgame based community and turned out to be good for learning more end game skills and developement of skills in other areas. Well we all got home sick within 3 months and transfered back to Cerberus. When we arrived we reunited with all of our other LS mates and added our experiences and new skills to the group and also in the process brought a couple of people from Unicorn with us. So any ways I hope you get from this that servers are varied and with 20+ of them to choose from it could take a bit of shopping around to find one that you enjoy and can find your nitch in.

I would welcome you though with open arms to enjoy Cerberus as I have found while we have our fair share of ups and down it is a well rounded and general helpfull server. I cant promise anything or promise to help you progress with your warrior as im a multi lvl 75 mage and my melee skillz arent up to par as much as a striaght melee. However there is a strong base of melee type players on our server and from what I have noticed in my travels that we still have alot of people playing at lower lvls, especially now with the lvl sync =) Dont give up on the game like you said even though its dated the graphics are still good the game play smooth and community in general strong.  At lvl 24 you have barley scratched the surface of the game as at lvl 30 you can start to unlock advance jobs and go to other story lines like CoP (in my opinion that xpac has the best cutscenes and is just epic, and a true test of skillz at lease before it was gimped slightly)  So shop around or come over its your choice.

One last thing dont get discuraged about the linkshell thing most linkshells you see around are for higher lvl to vetran players. You may find a lower lvl shell or even a smaller static party shell shouting for members and alot of times you will find a  high level player that will adopt or assist the shell as a mentor type deal =) If you want general help or advice I may suggest you check on http://ffxi.allakhazam.com/ or maybe http://wiki.ffxiclopedia.org/wiki/Main_Page as both are loaded with information. There are many other websites out here you can get great info from use goole or your choice of websearch with FFXI in the inquirey =) I wish you luck in your adventures dont toss out veastman seals they are your friend later =)

Great article thanks...