Hi! Multiple questions of a future new player.

[Guy Tower]

Hey, ladies and gentlemen. My name's Mike, and I am planning to play FF XIV in the near future. It will be a few months before I get my hands on A Realm Reborn, but I imagine I can already start gathering info on the game's role playing. I've got a bunch of questions, and it'd be splendid if you would help me out with them.

 

I. Perhaps the most important, which server to play on? What I need from a server is a large RP community, with a large number of European players. It doesn't matter whether the server itself is US or EU. From what I gathered so far, Balmung is the place to go. Am I right?

 

II. Where can I find as much info on game's lore as possible? Official website seems to only have the basics covered; http://forum.square-enix.com/ffxiv/forums/646-Lore have more info, but it's basically either copy-past from the wiki or players' deductions based on the game, ergo, no solid facts that aren't already on the wiki. Is there more to be found, or is that it (not that I would mind. I've played WoW - I had enough of lore the size of Harry Potter saga)?

 

III. Now a bit more specific questions about my idea for my main character. We could do a bit of a brainstorming over this one if you feel like it . Anyway, beta version of the idea is this - a Hyur Highlander named Guy Tower (duh). A young lad in his mid twenties, Guy has spent his life in a cold city of  Ala Mhigo. After Garlean Empire's invasion seized the land, Guy joined the resistance. Years passed and resistance's valiant struggle changed little. Eventually Uncle, Guy's only relative he knows, sends the lad to Eorza after making him swear that, one day, when he grows in strenght, he will return to his homeland and help reclaim it for the nation of Ala Mhigo. Coming from a family of warrior defenders, always there on the front line, he felt an inclination to travel to Ul'dah and see if the school of Gladiators can teach him something new.

 

Story as any other. There's room for a bit of drama, but who needs it. Most importantly, it creates the character I want to play. Rash, fight loving, tough around the edges but basically good-hearted. Most importantly young and new to his surroundings, open for changes and influence. But, character's story will go as it will go, that's not what I'd like you to help me with.

 

- As mentioned, I'll roll a Gladiator, taking a Paladin job in the future. Question is, how can I explain Guy having Paladin skills (items are easy) without making him another member of the Sultansword (I heard that is a cheesy thing to do)? Are there other organizations that train their members in blade and shield? Will the "self-learned" excuse pass?

 

- Are there any particular kinks towards playing a Highlander Hyur? So far, I understand that they are basically a more warlike, less rafined Midlanders, but there is surely more to it (the joke about Roegadyn mother was nice, hehe). Highlanders seem to be on the stronger, tougher side in this game, but Roegadyn at least seem stronger, especially the volcano tribe. If you were given a nerdy task of setting every playable race of Eorza's physical strenght on a scale from 1 to 10, how high would Highlanders score?

 

That's it for now, though I'm sure I'll come up with more stuff to waste time talking over in the future. Thank you for your help ^^.

[Berrod Armstrong]

Hi there, and welcome! I'll just get right to it and answer your questions:

 

I - Balmung would be a great choice yes! We have the heaviest population of roleplayers -- so much so that it's actually a hassle to get onto the server at times! However, that's easily circumvented with careful vigilance and patience. Both the US and EU populations are large and diverse, so you'll definitely find people to roleplay with whenever you get on.

 

II - Oddly enough, the best place to get lore on the game is the game itself, but the wiki and the lore team posts on the official forums SHOULD suffice for now. You seem to have a concept for your character in mind, so asking questions around it (like you did in your next section) should provide you with what you need to be comfortable until the game shows you the world! There are a lot of lore-savvy folks on here who would be more than happy to help you out.

 

 

III - First of all. HIGHLANDER. APPROVE APPROVE APPROVE. Though, if he's in his mid twenties, he'd have been less than ten years old when the occupation of Ala Mhigo began! As it stands Ala Mhigo fell twenty years prior to the games current time bubble. For him to have been taken in as a part of the resistance in Ala Mhigo itself...that area is a bit cloudy -- but you can easily come up with something to make it work (maybe his cell wasn't in the city state itself but in some nearby hidey hole in Gyr Abania? Stuff like that!). 

 

The personality sounds pretty Highlander to me! As for Paladinhood, a Paladin needn't be a Sultansworn -- they can be a Free Paladin! Roaming the land, doing as they please in the name of defending peoplefolk, getting the girls (and losing them *cough*). There is a Gladiator's guild -- but the Paladins don't seem against teaching others what they know. There's always room for 'self learned', or that 'obscure teacher' bit!

 

You seem to have the concept of a Highlander down well...as for the scale, I'd range it from 7 to 8. Them big burly Roe boys are likely to take up the 9 and 10 spots.

 

If there's anything else you'd like to know, feel free to ask! I'm a Highlander/Ala Mhigo enthusiast myself so you mightn't get me to shut up about it (WORDVOMIT IS GOOD FOR GETTING INFORMATION). When the time comes, I'd be more than happy to roleplay with your character, even if it starts as a forum thread!

[Guy Tower]

Haha! Yeah, semi-barbarian mountainmen for the win *does the manly bro chest bump*. Thanks for telling me about the timeline, silly of me to miss that detail. Rather than make my character older, I'll probably make him hail from some more reclusive place in Gyr Abania, as you suggest. Great to hear about Paladins not neccessarily being Sultansword, too. Knowing that, I'll easily figure something out.

 

Since you're such a Highlander enthusiast, Berrod, perhaps you can help me out further with the kinks of being a Highlander. Do they have any particular customs or speech patterns, history with the rest of the world? I know Ala Mhigo was a warlike civil state, giving Gridania much trouble hundred years ago (thank gods for those even numbers).

[Warren Castille]

Paladins come in two flavors currently: Sultansworn, the Sultanate's personal guard, and Free Paladins, the unofficial adventuring side of things.

 

Sultansworn have a lively RP presence in Ul'dah with lots of folks being a part of the Order and playing the politic side of things. Free Paladins are basically told "Ul'dah recognizes you as a capable defender, go forth and protect people." This is beneficial because Sworn only really have jurisdiction inside of Ul'dah and even then only pertaining to things involving the Sultanate. Free Paladins are your roaming do-gooders.

 

Also, highlanders bestlanders.

[Berrod Armstrong]

A lot of the races in Eorzea can fall into a big old melting pot, but if we're talking Gyr Abanian stock, I've noticed that most of the Ala Mhigan Highlanders in game speak in short sentences, and are always to the point. This isn't a MUST of course, but it helps add a little flavor. For example:

 

Someone may say: "You don't have to do it this way of course, but it adds a little flavor."

 

Yon Ala Mhigan Highlander may say: "You don't have to do it like this. It adds flavor."

 

A great example is the NPC from the Monk storyline, who literally grunts everything to your character. That's just one option! There are fluent and well spoken Ala Mhigans, ones with street accents ("Ain't nothin' here for ye but a knife in the gut."), but the one thing I see them all share in common is how to the point they are. They don't beat around the bush much.

 

Highlanders...at least the Gyr Abanian stock have a very ah...interesting history with the rest of the world. One hundred years prior to the game's time bubble they attempted to invade Gridania, one of the main city-states in game. They were pressing the Gridanians so hard that the other three city states had to unite and push them back. It was called the Autumn war, and is the source of a LOT of historical tension between the Highlanders of Ala Mhigo and the populations of the other city-states. Most don't even care anymore, but there are always people who hold onto grudges of old history.

 

With the fall of Ala Mhigo, they were laid pretty low, and when they once invaded, they sought refuge in both Gridania/The Black Shroud and Ul'Dah. Gridania has refused a great many of them because of the will of the Elementals, who have deemed the some of the former invaders as enemies of the forest. The people who mediate between them have stated that it's more for the safety of the Ala Mhigans than anything else (since the elementals would harm them without hesitation). 

 

In the case of Ul'Dah...having a bunch of dirty refugees pulling a significant portion of the city-state's resources doesn't at all fare well for the coin-loving denizens of the capital of commerce. If a refugee isn't willing to work to earn his keep, he's generally looked down on. There's a lot of displaced Ala Mhigans throughout the zone -- even a place called Little Ala Mhigo where some of the resistance have set up camp! Their living conditions are horrible, however.

 

As a result, there are resentful highlanders, determined highlanders, highlanders who have lost hope, highlanders who have turned to crime, highlanders who are fighting tooth and nail to make it, and highlanders who will do anything if it means that their people can take back their city someday. Of course there's also who have perfectly integrated into whatever culture they landed in. It's a lot to choose from! For each sort of highlander there are people who treat them differently. You have a lot of wiggle room to work with, even with semi-barbarian mountainmanhood (FOR THE WIN).

[Coatleque]

As Warren said.

 

The term "Paladin" in this game seems to be defined as "Someone who fights with XYZ style of sword and shield". This fighting style is taught and passed down by the Order of the Sultansworn which was founded some 800 years ago.

 

Recently, due to low membership, the Captain decided to open this training up to adventurers to prevent their teachings from being lost entirely.

 

Therefore, you can still be a Free Paladin without swearing fealty to the Sultana.

[Guy Tower]

Thank you! I see ARR's RP community is at least as friendly as those of other MMO's. Even thought it will be long before I get to play the game, I will allow myself some more, rather small, questions, if you don't mind.

 

I. What is the in-game's depiction of a Paladin? Coatleque already said that they are basically sword'n'board fighters, but perhaps there is more to it. Are Free Paladins really simply fighters who chose this style of combat? Perhaps they are seen as noble, chevalier protectors of the people? Or knight errants? Of course, the way my character is depends mostly on me, but the way people (NPCs) of Eorza see Paladins would be helpful.

 

II. Still on Paladins - what sort of IC skills do they possess? This one is probably both a wide and debatable question, so general and "Imho" questions are fine. When role playing an adventurer, RP combat, whether with mobs or other players, is a neccessity (whether one likes it or not is up to debate). How do Paladins fare in such struggles? Tanks are usually some of the least, hm, flashy, bang bang KAPOW! of the characters, and this is fine, but perhaps even in RP their strenght lies in their defenses? To give examples to the question; Paladin probably can't throw a fire/holy/whateverball that will pwnverize everything in its past, but can she/he block such strike? He is hardly as nimble as a Ninja, but is it generally agreeable that his armour can protect him against a mere dagger? I have a personal opinion on RP combat abilities of tanking classes, but your answers may show me what ARR RP community thinks about that subject.

 

III. Something lighter (pun almost intended!) - does Eorza know smoking? Cigars and cigarettes -may- be considered not fantasy enough, but perhaps there are people smoking tobacco or other weed in pipes? I can imagine, say, tradesmen in Ul'dah sharing a hookah.

 

IV. Speaking of useful tools such as lighters, how advanced is Eorza's technology? I am vaguely aware of Garlean Empire being powerful because of its "magitech", supplementing technology in place of their weaker magical powers. How's Eorzan technology? Do they possess gunpowder, or have they crafted steam engines? Or perhaps it is WoW-like crazy, with lasers, portals and gnome ('xcuse me - Lalafell) shaped mecha serving ancient half-gods, half-machines?

[Kage]

Since you haven't had the time to do so in-game, you may find this resource helpful. http://xivdb.com/?quest/66591/Paladin's-Pledge

It's the quest that opens up the Paladin job, more specifically, it contains dialogue.

 

You'll see a few varying opinions on Paladins but basically they're usually considered to do good for ______ peoples. This does -not- mean they are incorruptible. The monopoly of the paladin skills training is held by the Sultansworn who are above all else sworn to the sultanate, which in Ul'dah can mean bad things for people.

 

Not all of them are sword and board but they must know how to wield them. Paladins mainly use sword and board. Two attacks in the game, Shield Swipe and Shield Bash use the shield effectively. Paladins also use their body to take the hits for someone else (Cover). Armor does well against most things but all armor holds weaknesses to something. An exposed joint or slipping through the slits of the armor etc.

 

yep the game has insinuated to drugs and smoking. Moko's grass comes to mind. Somnus is an illicit drug.

 

Eorzea's technology is all over the place. We have airships. Ul'dah has water irrigation systems and trains (some sort of locomotive system). Gas lamps. Limsa uses gunpowder, muskets. Ishgardians use cannons.

[Warren Castille]

In order!

 

1) The game's depiction of Paladin (capital P) is either Sultansworn of Free Paladin, as mentioned. Free Paladins are adventurers who are recognized as continuing the overall moral and sword/shield combat disciplines of the Sworn, without being bound to the Sultanate.

 

Interestingly, Paladin is known as Knight in the other regions. Borrowing from that sense, paladins are simply the fantasy-fare knight in shining armor, doing good and saving princesses and slaying dragons monsters because we are NOT opening that can of wyrms here.

 

The typical stereotypes of loyalty, chivalry and fealty apply but are by no means required.

 

2) ICly, paladins are recognized as being skilled with sword, shield and heavy armor. The fighting discipline is practiced amongst all who'd wear the title and while we don't get very many instances of paladin-specific fighting, you can imagine the result. Warren's competent with a hammer and anvil as well, so he's not too worried about blocking EVERY attack; Being a highlander means he's got some advantages in the reach and strength departments, and big metal plates to protect him mean he's less likely to worry about knives and daggers and shorter bladed weapons from getting through. This allows him to be a bit more "reckless" with his combat; If the armor is soaking the blows, and he can repair the armor, then he's free to worry about ending a fight decisively without needing to worry too much about protecting himself. Not to say he doesn't use his shield, but it's easier when your armor is thicker than some people's blades.

 

3)There are hookahs on the tables in some places! Smoking isn't unreasonable by any means, though it's likelier to be done in pipes or hand-rolled casings.

 

4)Gunpowder exists. There are rifles behind the counters in the Maelstrom HQ. Steam engines don't seem to be a thing, but aether-powered airships and the like exist. Said airships still use a bladder (think a zeppelin or balloon) to stay afloat.

[Guy Tower]

My thirst for impractical but ah, so pleasant to gather knowledge drives me towards more questions:

 

I. Is there a general agreement towards can or cannot a character have more than one Job IC'ly? Personally I imagine this shouldn't be a problem, but perhaps community thinks otherwise. Surely it depends - e.g. nobody would believe that a skinny, nerdy Scholar can be a Ninja (debatable, I know!), or that semi-barbaric Highlander Paladin's second life calling is that of a wordy Bard (maybe a Skald... hmm, there's an idea...).

 

II. On a bit more practical side, do separate world "chunks" pose a problem during the role playing? Sort of things like people not seeing those on the other side of the river, due to land there being another region with its own loading bar, or separate general chats?

 

III. How RP-friendly the game is, overall? I have heard that it's quite good, with housing and many armours and clothes to choose from. Are there all the important emotes? Can a PC interact with game's environment, e.g. sit on chairs or smoke hookahs? Are there some good places to role play in the "actual" game world, or is it mostly (that would be very bad for my adventuring character) houses?

 

:tonberry:(No idea what this "smiley" is, but I love it)

[Kage]

It's a tonberry! One of the more iconic monsters in the Final Fantasy universe.

 

1. This is a little contended by some people. Some consider the jobs to be more like "masters of their craft". Why would a master swordsmen be a great axemaster plus a sorcerer? HOW WHEN THEY ARE ONLY 25?! Some play it off easier when their character is still developing. Perhaps "ok" and not 'great"

 

2. The general chat type everyone uses is /say. The problem with /say is the fact that it can reach a large radius. You have to be careful sometimes, if you are trying to speak privately. Maybe the guard you are trying to avoid that is 15 feet away from you is able to hear it, etc.

 

3. You can sit on things! But the poses and emotes will be things you will want to investigate. The only people who have a long term kneel pose are... highlanders? Highlander women? And that is because it's their /sit pose?... or so. You won't be able to actually smoke or drink mugs of alcohol but if you eat food or drink the food (consumables) it'll show something similar to your character eating a small chunk of bread or drinking from a small waterskin. There are some places where you have monsters that have permanent agro. If you fall within a certain level or are lower than the monsters' level, if they catch sight/hear you they will start to run after you. others will leave you alone. There is an icon that will let you know if they are dangerous or not, etc.

[Warren Castille]

I'm helping!

 

1) Generally speaking people stick to one class. I subscribe to the "one class, one craft, one gather" mindset since those don't have a lot of overlap. It's not unreasonable to think of a paladin who's handy with an anvil and can swing a pickaxe (OH LOOK I PICKED ALL OF MINE) but if you compare that to the eighteen year old Warrior who is also a Summoner who is also a Black Mage and is a Dragoon you get a lot of "...and when exactly did you find the time to master all of these arts?"

 

2) XIV is plainly separated by zonelines, and you can't see across them. Generally speaking, draw-distance is law. Chats seem to be a bubble centered on you, with /say and /yell having different reaches and /shout being zone-wide, regardless of size.

 

3) On Balmung the whole game's pretty damn RP friendly. There's typical MMO etiquette in play (don't assume everyone's IC, it's polite to send a tell if you're not sure if someone's a roleplayer, etc) and it's fairly difficult to hang out in a city and not find roleplayers doing their thing. Edit: Oh, and yeah. Furniture can be sat on, and every character's got multiple sitting/standing poses. There's also a decent range of emotes, varying in usefulness and silliness. There's like, six dances.)

 

FINALLY THAT SMILEY IS A TONBERRY THEY ARE THE BEST CREATURE IN FF EVER

[Gegenji]

I'm nowhere near a veteran of FFXIV RP but...

 

1.) I've seen people switch between jobs as the skillsets are needed - NIN for stealth and sneaky stuff, caster classes for spells. And more than a few that know one "Job" and are working on learning another - learning different magic types, learning to use an axe over sword and board. I think as long as you can reasonably explain it, you... should?... be fine?

 

2.) The zones are actually divided up decently well, so I don't think that issue comes up very much. A good section of Ul'dah is all in one area, for example, so people in the Quicksand tavern can hear a citizen shouting for help catching a robber along one of the streets outside. The distance that normal conversation and emotes is a bit more limited, but there's yells and even shouts to spread out to wider ranges.

 

3.) There's a lot of fun emotes, I know I like to use a lot of them. Changing standing positions, facial expressions, full on movements. There's a lot and I often find myself popping open the emote window so I can remember how to do various ones. You can sit on chairs and stools and benches or just sit on the floor, and many of the emotes can be done from those positions as well (and are marked as such in the emote window)! I don't believe there's a smoking animation, but a lot of the shortfalls of the game can be hand-waved with a descriptive enough default /em emote.

 

Also, that emote is of a Tonberry, a rather famous Final Fantasy enemy. It and the Cactaur (the dancing green cactus thing) are two of my favorite creatures in Final Fantasy. :thumbsup:

 

I hope that helps!

[Berrod Armstrong]

My thirst for impractical but ah, so pleasant to gather knowledge drives me towards more questions:

 

I. Is there a general agreement towards can or cannot a character have more than one Job IC'ly? Personally I imagine this shouldn't be a problem, but perhaps community thinks otherwise. Surely it depends - e.g. nobody would believe that a skinny, nerdy Scholar can be a Ninja (debatable, I know!), or that semi-barbaric Highlander Paladin's second life calling is that of a wordy Bard (maybe a Skald... hmm, there's an idea...).

 

II. On a bit more practical side, do separate world "chunks" pose a problem during the role playing? Sort of things like people not seeing those on the other side of the river, due to land there being another region with its own loading bar, or separate general chats?

 

III. How RP-friendly the game is, overall? I have heard that it's quite good, with housing and many armours and clothes to choose from. Are there all the important emotes? Can a PC interact with game's environment, e.g. sit on chairs or smoke hookahs? Are there some good places to role play in the "actual" game world, or is it mostly (that would be very bad for my adventuring character) houses?

 

:tonberry:(No idea what this "smiley" is, but I love it)

I. People generally sneer and frown at folks having more than one job, but as a roleplayer it's ultimately up to you to explore the lore for the jobs and see for yourself. There's a distinction between 'classes' and 'jobs' in this game wherein a 'class' is more of an everyday pursuit that fits a character's lifestyle. Gladiator, Marauder, Archer etc. JOBS are ancient arts that are being revived that bear superior similarity to these classes. Most of them are strapped down pretty hard by lore, but not impossible! Having one alone is considered somewhat amazing, in character. More than one requires a certain flair of WOW. It's NOT impossible, however, if you're willing to bear a tide of murmuring. For example, my character is a legit Monk, taught by a surviving member of the Fists of Rhalgr and left to build on what he had been given. That's one job. However, he also spent a couple years learning to swing an axe, and went to seek out the Warriors in La Noscea to become one. He wasn't successful, but if I decided that he was, he'd have two jobs. That'd probably make a lot of people rip their hair out and nitpick until the cows came home but really, if you find a way to do it that's fun for you and whoever your roleplay with...go right ahead! Just make sure to study the jobs very carefully first because like I said, most of them are strapped down pretty tight. As a beginner, I'd recommend you choose one job for roleplay, and grant your character a bit of skill in one or more other -classes-.

 

II. The world chunks haven't posed any problem so far! You should be fine . The way the zones are built works pretty well!

 

III. The game is -stupidly- RP friendly. Like...poses, emotes, armor, housing, and amazing environments both in and out of housing areas. You'll have a ball! Eorzea is neat as hell.

 

Also that smiley is a Tonberry and you should fear it.

[Warren Castille]

Ignore Berrod he's having fun wrong and is wrong.

[Kage]

Ignore Berrod he's having fun wrong and is wrong.

Yep.

 

The wind-up tonberry minion is the best thing ever. So love it. Cuddle it. Don't fear it.

 

If you can find it.

 

Or get rich enough to buy it but I think prices for it have dropped real well now.

[Guy Tower]

Indeed, it scares me a little, but... it's frickin' cute! Aww! Little cute fishmen Jedi with a kitchen knife! *hugs and keeps on hugging - nevermind the stabbing*

 

:tonberry:

[Kage]

Indeed, it scares me a little, but... it's frickin' cute! Aww! Little cute fishmen Jedi with a kitchen knife! *hugs and keeps on hugging - nevermind the stabbing*

 

:tonberry:

The wind-up tonberry in game chases you and trips.

 

While attempting stabbies.

[Warren Castille]

He's super floppy and flops around when he runs and is all bouncy and floppy and when you're in combat he tries to stab the thing you're fighting and he's the best pet ever

 

Don't judge me.

[Melkire]

He's super floppy and flops around when he runs and is all bouncy and floppy and when you're in combat he tries to stab the thing you're fighting and he's the best pet ever

 

Don't judge me.

 

You think a wind-up toy modeled after the most terrifying creature to ever crit with a knife for absurd amounts of damage across multiple games in this series is cute.

 

Judging you.

[Berrod Armstrong]

He's super floppy and flops around when he runs and is all bouncy and floppy and when you're in combat he tries to stab the thing you're fighting and he's the best pet ever

 

Don't judge me.

 

You think a wind-up toy modeled after the most terrifying creature to ever crit with a knife for absurd amounts of damage across multiple games in this series is cute.

 

Judging you.

Warren has a Tonberry problem...

[Guy Tower]

*melts from the overload of cuteness*

 

This thing makes my avatar, at least until I actually play the game and make my old friend draw my character. 

 

I'd also like to mention, again, that it's really nice to see ae helpful, non-aggressive community. Oh, I'm sure you people have your moments, but when I think back to my time on LOTRO's forum... uuurgh. Just try naming your guild "Cavaliers" there. I dare you, I double dare you. Or WoW forums, who were fine whenever they weren't trollish.

 

So, yeah, you guys are alright.

 

:tonberry:

[Kage]

I don't know... it's better than Mike's Thomberry problem.

 

Get it?

 

No?

 

... gdi.

 

((I think it's a great avatar and I snorted vitamin water. Onto my desk. Thank god no calibration certs were being worked on))

[Warren Castille]

What would give you that idea?

 

 

[Steel Wolf]

What would give you that idea?

 

 

 

Looks completely normal to me...

 

*slink slink slink away*