Physical level 50... while it might not be too much of an achievement, I still believe it's somewhat of a milestone. So much has transpired since I first started the game and I figured I had enough substance to finally write a blog post. However, because school starts again tomorrow, I'm going to have to keep this short too...
Final Fantasy XIV isn't a complete game, that's a fact which has been acknowledged by the developers for some time now. Various game raters have butchered the game over the media; an action that may be justified to some extent. However, sometimes I believe that a certain air of high expectations from the Final Fantasy series may have contributed to the lack of approval of XIV. It's not exactly as terrible a game most people have made it out and assumed it to be. However, it must be said that the game is incredibly adverse. Reasons for this are the steep learning curves for each job class as well as the ever present fatigue system that hampers dedicated level grinders. Compacted with the problem of lack of content, especially the lower ranks, many players new to the Final Fantasy MMO genre will no doubt find the game lackluster and become stuck.
I certainly felt that way during my first few weeks of traversing through Eorzea. However, not all is lost! Being able to find a community linkshell to progress through the game makes the experience several times more enjoyable. The one I frequent most is "Viva Eorzea". It's friendly, no pressure type of shell with both experienced and the casual types making having conversations a blast most of the time. This relieves the stress from long durations of fighting monsters or crafting. That said, however, drama really does break my heart sometimes. It's hard to see other members removed because a misunderstanding. We all have our good and bad days after all. Anyways... helping each other in levequests, working together to complete tough synthesis recipes, and exploring the beautiful scenery together definitely fuels my desire to continue playing the game. I don't regret putting my Winter vacation into it one bit and I certainly have high hopes for what will be awaiting all of us in 2011.
