I wanna play Final Fantasy XI again!

[The Grimace]

Could those that still play may be able to give me some advice?

I have not played for quite a long time. I stopped initially around 2012, but came back again years later to enjoy some of what Seekers of Adoulin had to offer and to play through the majority of Rhapsodies of Vana'diel. I think that would have been around 2018.

Unfortunately, I used a PlayOnline account that was eventually linked to a Japanese Square-Enix Account I had made. Any information I have for that would have used my old college campus e-mail, which is now defunct, and years later I no longer have a way of accessing. I'm hoping to try and speak with Square-Enix support to try and reclaim my Japanese account, but given how distant communication is between SEUS and SEJP, my prospects are not high. I doubt they'll take me seriously. They'll probably think I'm trying to scam my way into a derelict account.

But I still want to play! So, I expect it's likely I'll need to create a new account if this doesn't work out.

[The Grimace]

What's the most popular server for multi-cultural players right now? I would love the opportunity to communicate with both English and Japanese players? Well, provided anyone still speaks at all- Last time I played, Phoenix server felt like a ghost town.

Are there any essential player add-ons that would be worth looking into? I remember the official windower function for the game was never well-received. I expect to play using a PlayOnline launcher linked with Steam, but I imagine there would still be some method of working in any add-ons required.

Also, is it worth it to seek out one of those Moogle Passes for new players?

Thanks in advance to anyone who may be able to answer my queries!

[Random Encounter]

I've been on Cerberus server for years now, along with Selbaek and Althena. Selbaek recently moved over to Bahamut, so when I resub I will probably follow him. That said, I can't comment on other servers.

As for add-ons, Windower is probably the most accessible third party option for quality of life improvements. Though I personally use Ashita, a Windower alternative, which has a pretty robust Discord server for support.

I wouldn't let the prospect of having to start off fresh daunt you. It is so much easier these days to level to cap at your own pace, enjoying the story along the way. Trusts were a huge game changer in this regard too.

[Selbaek]

Thanks in advance to anyone who may be able to answer my queries!

Still playing here, and I'm on the Bahamut server as Random pointed out. Starting fresh today is totally okay, and not much of a time sink to get max level at all! There's so much you can do now that gives boosts to exp and gets you ahead in terms of gear to the point you don't really need to farm for very much as you progress and get stronger. At least until you reach the max level and need to upgrade gear pieces...

In terms of add-ons, everything is pretty much an extension of either Windower or Ashita. Those two programs have their pros and cons, but ultimately I recommend Windower because there's a little better stability in the things that my wife and I utilize with it. I go for as close to a vanilla experience with some QoL refinements personally, but my wife has certain add-ons and plugins with Windower that change her party list to an easier to see list that shows status enhancements/ailments at a glance for each party member, timers on-screen that show when abilities or spells are ready to use again or when certain buffs will wear off, among many other things.

I'm not sure if they still do Gold World Passes anymore, but if you're interested, I can certainly look!

[The Grimace]

Thank you guys for all of the information! I'm figuring that if I do start from scratch, I may choose Bahamut server too. I wanna do a little more cognitive work to try and get my old account, but if that falls through, Bahamut it is. Is there a specific reason you switched from Cerberus to Bahamut, Selbaek?

That said, in your experience, how does Bahamut feel as a server? Do you think there are any servers at all that are more talkative with legitimate players, or would it be kind of an equal experience everywhere? My girlfriend made a test character on Asura yesterday and I was baffled at how much spam chat was going on in Bastok. There were a lot of what I guess I would call "mercenaries" offering leveling services and the like for what sounded like exorbitant amounts of gil. If they're doing it with the intent of selling any gil they earn for RMT, I'm kind of baffled gil sellers are still sticking around this game somehow.

[The Grimace]

Woof.

My girlfriend had already gotten to level 18 so I told her I'd just join her on Asura. I began to look into the process of creating a new PlayOnline Account and beginning a subscription for the game. Working with Square-Enix's Account Management System was even more of a hurdle than I expected it to be, and after doing so, I am glad I did not pursue to reclaim my old Japanese Account. That headache would not have been worth it. And I thought XIV's payment system was frustrating...

Still requiring PlayOnline to sign into FFXI, still using ~24 year old technology for updates, never making attempts to sever from this program and streamline launching the game... I understand they need to develop for the game using PS2 development kits, but I didn't anticipate about just how anti-user friendly preparing to play would still be. Simply signing into PlayOnine makes its window begin flashing randomly as it attempts to load graphical assets.

Opening Final Fantasy XI itself immediately caused problems for my new laptop. "Directplay" had to be enabled to launch, and Windows 10 and Windows 11 do not tolerate XI otherwise, causing my machine to eat itself. After searching online how to enable Directplay through Windows before launching the game, I finally finished troubleshooting and was able to play.

My gamepad was configured. The set-up program registered my screen resolution. Everything began to fit in place! I make a character, I log-in, and wow there's so much work still to be done for User preference. I've done quite a bit already, but still have plenty of adjustments to make. After the initial cutscene, I ran outside to reminisce with some combat and grabbed a Fields of Valor manual. I'm level 5 after a little bit of grinding.

I don't think I'll be sticking around very long. The rose-colored glasses are shattering and I don't have the patience, lest something happens to change my impressions. I still think that XI's plot and world are among the best I've ever experienced and hold these memories close to my heart, but I have been gone so long that the janky never-ending menus have lost their charm. I don't expect to be able to fight against the ancient gameplay even to experience the great story again.

I'm not giving up just yet, but my prospects are not optimistic.

[Selbaek]

Is there a specific reason you switched from Cerberus to Bahamut, Selbaek?

My wife was craving to see more shouts and communities for content for when she's at home playing the game and I'm either out of the house or asleep.

That said, in your experience, how does Bahamut feel as a server? Do you think there are any servers at all that are more talkative with legitimate players, or would it be kind of an equal experience everywhere? My girlfriend made a test character on Asura yesterday and I was baffled at how much spam chat was going on in Bastok. There were a lot of what I guess I would call "mercenaries" offering leveling services and the like for what sounded like exorbitant amounts of gil. If they're doing it with the intent of selling any gil they earn for RMT, I'm kind of baffled gil sellers are still sticking around this game somehow.

There's a bit of that on Cerberus, but not nearly as bad as Asura. Asura is the "catch-all" server, from what I understand. As the servers dwindle in population for an MMO, one server is going to win over as the main server everyone will recommend, and Asura is the one for FFXI. Bahamut feels lively, as there are shouts to form groups for different content often enough, though not every night during my playtime. There's a lot of good communities via the community finder in-game that will get you into some fairly active linkshells, so community isn't wanting. And ultimately in my experience, passers-by are happy to answer any questions or help out with something just like in the good old days. Nobody has treated any pleas like they were a waste of time, which has been really nice.

My girlfriend had already gotten to level 18 so I told her I'd just join her on Asura.

See what I mean? No time at all, haha.

I don't think I'll be sticking around very long. The rose-colored glasses are shattering and I don't have the patience, lest something happens to change my impressions.

Yeah, the game is not modern friendly. They have done what they can - and there's a version update coming this Thursday, October 10, that will bring some extra QoL changes to gamepad settings - but ultimately it is a game locked to its era without a remake involved. Don't force yourself. If you aren't feeling it, you aren't feeling it. But man, you have so much charm and really good story to catch up on if you can find it in yourself to keep going!

[Random Encounter]

If you want the occasional XI experience but also don't want to pay for the monthly sub, you may consider a private server. HorizonXI offers the most true-to-2007 XI experience if you're into that. I also spent a lot of time on Supernova, which is nice if you want something less hardcore.

[The Grimace]

Thanks, guys. Yeah, gonna stick around with it for a bit longer because I really do want to relive the story and world.

We did consider one of the free private servers but I really did want the full experience straight from SE so I could eventually consider doing all current content. I may reconsider that and try a private server in the end depending on circumstances; we'll see.