I am staring into the post-50 void and it is staring back.

[Majidae]

So I'm sure most of you are pretty aware of this already, but having only just recently came back to an Artifact-geared iLvl 55 Bard, I was mildly interested by the prospect of progressing onto higher leveled gear... I will admit, purely for vanity reasons. I was seeing really cute gear and mounts and I wanted them, damn it!

 

With no real clue of where to begin, I started looking at guides and...

 

:dazed:

 

Oh my god. There's so much. THERE'S SO MUCH. I pretty much gave a terrified squeak and closed the tab. I really have absolutely no clue what to do now... (Maybe I should just stick to RP. That's what I'm good at!)

 

Anybody else in the same boat? Or maybe you managed to slog your way through this complex mess and have some tips/tricks?

[Dasair]

... That will likely be me too, not gonna lie.

 

There are so many neat end-game glamours and things that I want, but I just. The dungeons. The mechanics. The absolute likelyhood of being That Guy; the one they are just like 'who let this nub into our raid?'

 

It is, indeed, minorly terrifying. I'm still trying to slog through the MSQ, tbh. And I don't feel I'm anywhere near done yet; only just got past King Mog.

 

Sooo I'm kinda with you on all that. u_u *takes up an oar for this boat*

[Havoc Snow]

This will probably help a lot.

[Majidae]

... That will likely be me too, not gonna lie.

 

There are so many neat end-game glamours and things that I want, but I just.  The dungeons.  The mechanics.  The absolute likelyhood of being That Guy; the one they are just like 'who let this nub into our raid?'

 

It is, indeed, minorly terrifying.  I'm still trying to slog through the MSQ, tbh.  And I don't feel I'm anywhere near done yet; only just got past King Mog.

 

Sooo I'm kinda with you on all that.  u_u  *takes up an oar for this boat*

 

Yeah, that was pretty much me: 1) I'm a ranged DPS. 2) I have no idea about any dungeon mechanics at all... 3) I will probably get vote booted instantly.

So, yeah, that's probably about 80% of the trauma right there. Nothing quite like being humiliated on the Internet.

-steers the rudder 'cause we're headed for Lame-Ass Nub Island-

 

This will probably help a lot.

 

Unfortunately that list is exactly what I was looking at. ;w;

[Tyndles]

I went through this a few weeks ago!   I came back to try Ninja and ended up really liking it and had to do the big gear up thing. 

 

Best thing to do is make sure you do the main scenario roulette daily.  That will help a LOT toward getting gear, and it's pretty easy.  Even if you have no idea what you're doing, everyone massively outgears it and it will be done quickly.  Queue for Amdapor/Wanderers Normal, Haukke/Copperbell Hard, Maybe even Brayflox Hard for the first  week too.  People in this game are generally a LOT nicer about people being inexperienced and the odds are you'll be carried through here, and as you get gear/get braver you can try new dungeons, and people will love you for it because they get the newbie tome bonuses!

 

Just TELL people you're inexperienced/new to a dungeon as soon as you start, and they'll be more open to helping/teaching than someone that says nothing and causes a wipe.   Reading brief guides on dungeons before you queue can help a bit, but until you DO it, you'll never quite be comfortable.  Good luck!

[Enzo]

I have done very little Coil and don't really think it is neccesary unless you are trying to get much higher there in the Ilevel. Definitely something you should do later. But initially the best way I can think to get gear is to get Crystal tower, Sycrus Tower, and World of Darkness as soon as possible and get those spammed for gear the sooner you can get Poetics and Soldiery the better. Of course finish the main questline (something I have neglected) and such. But I am il89 (just need to run like one dungeon to be able to get enough soldiery to zenith my weapon and be able to run World of Darkness ) and I have not done a ton of dungeons and coil. Although I will admit dungeons are better for soldiery/poetic spamming. You just always wanna make sure you get your weekly gear from World of Darkness or whatever.

[Tyndles]

also, add Jojotumi Bubutumi to your friend, I'll gladly run stuff with you if you want someone in your corner the first time you run something! (and the post above me is right about Crystal Tower and all that if you like the big raidy stuff. Good gear there occasionally!)

[Majidae]

also, add Jojotumi Bubutumi to your friend, I'll gladly run stuff with you if you want someone in your corner the first time you run something! (and the post above me is right about Crystal Tower and all that if you like the big raidy stuff.  Good gear there occasionally!)

 

Definitely will!

[Havoc Snow]

... That will likely be me too, not gonna lie.

 

There are so many neat end-game glamours and things that I want, but I just.  The dungeons.  The mechanics.  The absolute likelyhood of being That Guy; the one they are just like 'who let this nub into our raid?'

 

It is, indeed, minorly terrifying.  I'm still trying to slog through the MSQ, tbh.  And I don't feel I'm anywhere near done yet; only just got past King Mog.

 

Sooo I'm kinda with you on all that.  u_u  *takes up an oar for this boat*

 

Yeah, that was pretty much me: 1) I'm a ranged DPS. 2) I have no idea about any dungeon mechanics at all... 3) I will probably get vote booted instantly.

So, yeah, that's probably about 80% of the trauma right there. Nothing quite like being humiliated on the Internet.

-steers the rudder 'cause we're headed for Lame-Ass Nub Island-

 

This will probably help a lot.

 

Unfortunately that list is exactly what I was looking at. ;w;

Most dungeon mechanics are relatively easy to figure out even without help, though for those who do need the extra "boost" that is definitely what youtube is for. MTQ tends to come out with fantastic guides shortly after content goes live, and they're typically no longer than 5 or 10 minutes each, breaking down the mechanics piece by piece and explaining them. I definitely recommend looking her up on youtube if you need help figuring out how to clear a dungeon.

 

Getting caught up to the ilvl is probably the hardest part, but now that they have made it so that dungeons always drop gear it's a bit easier to get caught up. I would recommend going through the story as far as you can, doing every dungeon at least once until you come to a point where your ilevel needs to increase, at that point start farming the highest dungeon you can to up your ilevel. Additionally you could run Labyrinth of the Ancients to at least boost yourself to i80-ish, while picking up solidery gear on the sides. Then you can move on to Syrcus Tower for i100 gear while still picking up Soldiery gear.

 

I'm always happy to help new or returning players, so if you need someone to run with you toss me a friend request, my display name here is the same as my character name in game. I can help as either Tank or DPS.

[Dasair]

 

Yeah, that was pretty much me: 1) I'm a ranged DPS. 2) I have no idea about any dungeon mechanics at all... 3) I will probably get vote booted instantly.

So, yeah, that's probably about 80% of the trauma right there. Nothing quite like being humiliated on the Internet.

-steers the rudder 'cause we're headed for Lame-Ass Nub Island-

 

HOME AT LAST, TO LAME-ASS NUB ISLAND. *lays down, sobs quietly*

 

Yeah, my main is BLM and while I have heard it's pretty easy as far as rotation and class 'jobs in dungeons' go, I AM ALL OF THOSE NUMBERED THINGS TOO. The struggle is real.

 

I've lately been trying to look up quick guides some before I queue, though. I always ALWAYS make note that I'm new, have never done the thing before, and that my internet is crap. And every time, I am basically the slowest mover ever under no volition of my own (I still can't handle how this game has movement speed dependent on game latency. 8| It's so bad). But with endgame, it will just get to a point though, when I can't just attempt and fail at getting out of every red damage-line, and instead stand there admitting everything is meaningless and just get hit by the thing, because they will ONE SHOT ME DEAD. Some of those dungeons, man. Some of those dungeons.

 

I've never been booted from a party yet (somehow) but it will likely be my destiny. I might, though, join one of those LS's for this. The one called months behind or something? Apparently they help out citizens of Lame-ass Nub Island, or so I am inclined to believe.

 

This will probably help a lot.

 

I.. never knew this was a thing, but oh my gods, even though the OP has seen it, I appreciate this greatly. *favorites*

[Steel Wolf]

I had made a post about this sort of thing and how I turned the corner with the help of folks here in the RPC.

 

I wish to pay that forward.

 

Steel Wolf usually appears online around 6pm-7pm EST and I am MORE than happy to tank whatever stuff you like and be part of your learning party. MSQ advancement, CTs, HMs, Relic Weapon, whatever you're looking for. Though I can assure you that you can make great progress in iLevel and whatever else without ever setting foot inside of Coil.

 

Give me a poke. Srsly. I wanna help.

[Warren Castille]

Something I want to stress about the community: If you're new and are seriously dead weight (I'm talking getting lost in hallways, fighting with broken equipment, having 1.5k HP at level 50 and playing with an Atari joystick that only lets you do one attack) most people will STILL try to carry on and finish the dungeon without kicking anybody. The most common thing that gets people booted? Bitching about the rest of the people in the run.

 

XIV's got a pretty good tendency to help teach, and even if that "help" comes from seemingly-completely-random "tactics" explained on the way to pulling a boss, it can be a good learning experience. You likely won't know what it means when someone says "Hit snowballs" or "get lamps" or "blm feed worm" or "kill arms only" might not make a lot of sense without context, but you'll learn. It's scary to jump in when you can't see the bottom, but it's not that deep, I promise.

[Gegenji]

Though I can assure you that you can make great progress in iLevel and whatever else without ever setting foot inside of Coil.

 

I can absolutely confirm this. Just by doing your roulettes - after unlocking them, of course - and capping your poetics tomes (which I do regularly just by doing Expert and Trial roulettes once a day after work), you can pick up i100 and i120 gear. A run in the Crystal Tower instances or two for more gear of the same level and items to upgrade the tome gear... and I have two characters sitting with i116 load-outs.

 

It might be even easier now with the three new dungeons straight up dropping green i100 gear, it's just a matter of getting them unlocked.

 

It was surprising how quickly Chachan got geared up once he started unlocking the level 50 dungeons. Remember, a lot of the first times in dungeons will provide EXTRA Soldiery for you and those with you - and people love that stuff. A run with people willing to help you (out of kindness or F R E E S O L D I E R Y) through all the level 50 dungeons and trials should easily get you up to at least the ilevel you need to get into Crystal Tower, which will only help you further.

 

And this was with a healer and tank, respectively. Just be open with how new you are to things, keep and open mind, and reach out to folks. You'll get there soon enough. :thumbsup:

[g0ne]

I'm usually online late, 10pm PST onwards, due to time zone differences. ( :dodgy: ) More GMTish.

 

But if you see C'eleni Meztli online, send her a poke, and I'll help you out with whatever I can help you out with. :3

 

Oh, and Steel, I also help you... but that online hours time...

 

Actually, I'll try and help pretty much anyone I can. Be it RP wise or gameplay wise, pick me! Pick me! Do it! Do it, I say! :bouncy:

 

(Please note that I am not the best player, but I will try and help to the best of my abilities. :3)

[Unnamed Mercenary]

Come find me in game some time. I throw i90 gear at people.

 

And I like doing all the dungeons and primals.

 

 

If I were to give advice on gearing up, I highly recommend unlocking Crystal Tower. It's a large 24 person raid and while the chat in it isn't always nice, it's very forgiving in mechanics and there are always new people.

 

CT requires i50 to enter, and drops unlimited i80 gear

ST requires i80 to enter, and drops unlimited i100 gear

WoD requires i90-100(?) and drops i120 once a week

 

Alternatively, if you don't mind grinding, Hunts are an easy way to get i100 gear that can be upgraded to i110

[Cliodhna Eoghan]

soo keeping track of this thread. i put most the end game stuffs on tthe back burner but i need to get onto it at some point soonish. (most likely after i get the rest of my cross classes i've been ignoring >.>;; ) i've done the primals hm. easy enough, but can still get ko'd with a random aoe if i'm super lucky and don't see it (aren't ps3's great?? ) so yeah, there's that if i'm not super careful, which is the other reason i'm not attempting more endgame stuffs till i upgrade.

[Melkire]

For fresh 50s:

 

• Complete your level 45 and level 50 Job Quests to acquire AF (Artifact) armor. This is i55 for your chestpiece and i50 for the other armor pieces. 
  

• Run Wanderer's Palace (Normal) and Amdapor Keep (Normal) to acquire i55 armor and weapons.
  

• Run Pharos Sirius, Copperbell Mines (Hard), and Haukke Manor (Hard) to acquire i60 armor and accessories.
  

• Complete your Relic Quest to acquire your i80 relic weapon.
  

• Run Labyrinth of the Ancients (commonly referred to as "CT") to acquire i80 armor.
  

• Unlock and run all dungeons under Hard Roulette to start earning soldiery and poetics tomestones, while acquiring higher and higher Average Item Level through new gear.
  

• Easy upgrade using soldiery tomestones to take your Relic Weapon from i80 to i90.
  

• Begin purchasing Soldiery and Poetics gear from the appropriate vendor in Mor Dhona.
  

 

That should be enough to get anyone started. From there, you can bootstrap yourself into higher level content (Expert Roulette, ST, WoD). You should be ready to jump into Binding Coil of Bahamut at around i80.

[Aris]

I remember how daunting it felt when I first hit 50! It can feel quite overwhelming with so much to catch up on, but you'll get used to the post-50 lifestyle soon, promise.  

I'd like to just reiterate what Warren has said - even if you are truly awful, most pug groups will stick it out and try to finish. Honestly, everyone was new once, and no-one really thinks twice when someone says 'I'm new'. There are some horror stories but that's because people rarely talk about the good experiences. To be honest I'm sure you're pretty good, so I wouldn't worry about that any way! If you are concerned about the mechanics there are lots of video and text guides for pretty much everything. 

 

I'm not sure if you've got your relic yet, but that's an easy i80-90 weapon. I highly recommend Crystal Tower as it's friendly to people at i50, the queues aren't as long now and it drops i80 gear. And the first few times you've run it it's quite exciting.

 

I'm just repeating what people have said already though :blush: But I'm also more than happy to come along and help if you would like some friendly company. I know it can feel a bit odd to reach out and actually ask people who've offered things but we wouldn't offer if we didn't want to help.  I can heal or DPS, and it's much needed healing practise for me, so please send a /tell to Aris Frey if you'd like a hand! There are a few HM dungeons I've not done yet either so we can be newbies together.

[Aya]

There are so many ls's in this community that will leap to help you too!  If you're not part of any of these yet, I am sure that we can help you there as well

 

Warren really is right in his observation about people generally being willing to help new people!  It may be grudging  but they are helpful ^^  The exception is the "raid" content generally, but none of that is really needed.

[Warren Castille]

I want to reiterate on something because I don't want my post scaring anyone off: It is imperative to understand that "new" is never a synonym for "bad." Generally speaking, as soon as a dungeon loads I look at everyone's HP. If I get a New Player Bonus message and there's a black mage with 2.8k HP? Mystery solved! I fully expect that person to die to tricky mechanics and not really feel comfortable in their skin yet.

 

As mentioned, everyone was new once. Don't be afraid that making mistakes is going to make you look bad - it's going to make you look new, and if you mention you're new, well, most folks aren't going to fault you. At the worst you'll get a stubborn elitist who drops and eats a 30m time out because they're a jerk, but your spot in the run isn't jeopardized by that.

 

Communication, as in all things, is key. Let people know what to expect and you'll be alright. I've always found it helpful to just drop a "Hey, I'm new. Any specific tricks to look out for?"

 

Source: Accidentally killing everyone in the final story fight this week. I tried to catch the big one in the middle. It went as well as you'd think.

[Tyndles]

People here are freakin awesome.  Just wanted to say that.

[Siha]

I think I say this in every thread I see about this, BUT, I'm always willing to help and I have some waiters in the wings I can usually cajole into helping as well when it comes to new players! We really like doing it and don't mind any mistakes, like many have said, everyone was new once and even not new we still die in newer dungeons. It happens. And it's no big deal!

 

That being said you'll find a lot of helpful advice flying your way from these guys, and if you're at a lack for help (which I doubt) feel free to friend me on Siha Xinkei and I'd be glad to help you get going in whatever way I can, even if it's running things until you get comfortable. ^^

[Majidae]

People here are freakin awesome.  Just wanted to say that.

 

I would really like to second this! After seeing all the advice given in this thread, and the reassurances, I am feeling a lot more confident in getting started.

Looks like I'll be doing hunts (that one vanity piece I wanted requires seals dropped from them, apparently) but I'll also make an effort to look up Crystal Tower fights.

 

Thank you all so much for your advice and support!

[Chris Ganale]

If anything, on the nature of hunts, they're really spoiled at the moment because everybody and their brother is trying to grind the seals to buy the unstained tomes so they can upgrade their Ironworks. Because of that, the average life expectancy of an A or S rank hunt (the most lucrative) can be measured in seconds. It's further my observation that there are 'snipers' as I've heard them called, groups that go find a mark, only tell their own people, wait until they've all gathered, announce it, then pull less than five seconds later.

 

It is my recommendation that if you're doing hunts, you focus on your dailies and weekly. Sure it will take a hell of a lot longer but you won't have to deal with the frustration of not getting credit, or getting a pittance credit, on a bigger mark.

[Melkire]

I would advise against gearing up solely via hunts, if only because hunting in this game teaches you nothing about how to play your role.

 

For tanks, hunting is "Build hate! Taunt target! Don't die!"

For damage dealers, hunting is "Press all your buttons! Don't die!"

For healers, hunting is "DoT the target and then AoE heal! Don't die!"

 

You won't learn how to play your class/job well. You won't learn mechanics. You'll still be apprehensive about running dungeons, raids, and new content.

 

Feel free to disregard if you have no intention whatsoever of ever running instances.

 

Have fun, and good luck!