Emma Withington with a guide for beginners on Final Fantasy XIV: Stormblood…
Boosted into Stormblood? Don’t know what to do? Neither did I for the most part, aside from a few years of World of Warcraft experience behind me – which did, admittedly, put me at a slight advantage. Let’s say you don’t have that advantage, or you’re stepping into the game solo to begin with, an MMO can feel like an overwhelming undertaking. So I’ve put together some pointers to ease you into the world of Eorzea via my wee Lalafell.
SEE ALSO: Video Game Review – Final Fantasy XIV: Stormblood
Novice Network
When you join Final Fantasy XIV, or if you’ve taken a break for a substantial period of time, you will be invited to the Novice Network. Accept the invitation. The network has a dedicated mentor system, meaning that you can ask these players any questions to help you on your journey. If you’re brand new to the game you will have a little green plant by your name to show that you are a ‘New Adventurer’. If, like me, you played a few hours of A Realm Reborn before returning for Stormblood then you’ll have a yellow flower icon to make players aware that you might be a lil’ rusty as a ‘Returner’. You can still benefit from having the network, just in case! Target a specific mentor on the list who is nearby to you, or simply fire away in the chat box – just make sure you’ve hit the speech bubble icon and set your chat to ‘Novice Network’, otherwise you’ll end up having a one-way conversation with some trees. The best thing to talk about first is your chosen class and the fundamentals of playing it – once you’ve got that down you’re good to go questing. There is also The Lodestone, which contains the community forums, however I recommend getting yourself playing and experimenting as soon as you can, rather than trawling through forums and guides for hours – it’s overwhelming and won’t truly sink in until you take the plunge.
Discover
If you start from the very beginning of Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn, it eases you through a reasonably gentle learning curve, as you are introduced to other activities and taught your class through steady progression. However, if you have jumped in at level 60, then that is a different story – but the game does manage to slip you some nuggets here and there. Whatever stage you are at, playing through quests is the best way to start – you can worry about the finer details as you progress. The early stages of Stormblood‘s storyline returned me to Limsa Lominsa, where my Lalafell hails from, which presented a perfect opportunity to investigate quests with a purple icon. These quests unlock potentially important aspects of the game – don’t overwhelm yourself with them, but check them out and see what takes your fancy. Maybe you want to see what Alchemy or Fishing is like and decide to level as a Disciple of the Hand (crafting) or Land (gatherer) for a bit. If you’ve been boosted, you’ll probably want to continue with the content you’ve been experiencing. That being said, if you have the time and feel like levelling your crafting jobs, then this can be a useful way of learning the early areas of the world that you may not see for some time. Be aware, these jobs become costly endeavours, so I would personally recommend using this time as a set of taster sessions and return to the Stormblood content for now.
Dungeons
As you continue with the Stormblood tale, you will face a mandatory dungeon at level 61: The Sirensong Sea. This is the time to learn about dungeon running and pay a visit to the Hall of the Novice, if you have never done it before. You may be able to wing it with previous MMO experience, but it’s still worth doing for a bit of practise in any case. You’ll find it under the Duty tab and see seven training exercises for your chosen class. Go through these as many times you feel is necessary and then enter the dungeon. If you’re nervous, ask for advice from the Novice Network and make it clear to your party on entry that you’re a first timer and would appreciate some tips. Players will be happy to give it to you at the start, rather than finding out halfway through.
Duty Roulette
So you’ve done your first dungeon, hooray! Keep your hand in with the Duty Finder. In this tab you have the Duty Roulette which contains: Level 50/60 Dungeons, Levelling, Trials, and Main Scenario. If you jump into ‘Levelling’ this will synchronise you into a low-level ‘light party’ (4 person) dungeon or trial, and is a good way to learn the base content and practise your class at a variety of levels. Beware, you will not have as many moves as you do at 60, but you should have a reasonable grasp of your class at this point and so understand your role. For example, as a DPS (damage dealer) Summoner I know that DoT (damage over time) is important so you’ll use the lower part of your rotation to that effect. ‘Level 50/60 dungeons’ are what it says on the tin, ‘Trials’ are singular boss fights, and ‘Main Scenario’ puts you into a full 8 party dungeon. The roulette is a great way to gain experience points, break up questing time, and earn some extra Gil (in-game currency) – possibly to invest in that ‘ere Alchemy you tried out earlier.
Have fun!
While this is the tip of the iceberg of what’s available to you, it’s a solid foundation to work from as you make more and more discoveries on your journey. Try not to rely on assistance too much, it feels all the more satisfying if you discover the world as organically as possible, but don’t overwhelm yourself. Final Fantasy XIV is one of the most welcoming MMO’s I’ve played, and provides content for all levels of player to enjoy. The most important thing now is to enjoy your time in Eorzea and Stormblood‘s Far East – take your time, find what path suits you best and dig in!
FINAL FANTASY XIV: Stormblood continues the story of the Warrior of Light in his quest to liberate Ala Mhigo, a vast land conquered by the Garleans twenty years ago. Players will also be able to depart from the shores of Eorzea for the very first time, travelling to the Far Eastern lands of Doma and Kugane as they fight to liberate those lands oppressed by the Empire.
Follow Final Fantasy XIV on Facebook, Twitter, and community website The Lodestone. Visit the official Stormblood site for more on the latest expansion.
@EWithingtons – Ping me if you want to chat to my Lalafell in-game!
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