FFXIV: The Login Saga Continues
After many attempts and many days trying to get on a server I am interested in, I was finally able to get a character created on a server I care about. I decided on a Miqo'te Conjurer – my intention being to eventually become a White Mage and be a healer – at least I think the White Mage is the healing class in this game. Being new to the Final Fantasy world, I am still learning the ins and outs of classes and races in Hydaelyn, but look forward to experiencing this world.
Server games
When I started what became the character creation grind in FFXIV, I had 2 servers I wanted to get on: Gilgamesh and Excalibur. These two servers were where the guilds I was interested in playing with were going to be. I am not sure exactly, but these servers appeared to be locked almost instantly when the Early Access period started – they may have even been locked before then. I never saw a moment in the Early Access time where these servers were available for character creation. It frustratingly seemed that most servers were closed to character creation whenever I tried to get on. Eventually though, one of the guilds decided to try using Goblin as a backup location to meet up and I was finally able to get a character created, leaving the character I created on Sunday to stagnate.
Class choice
As usual, I wanted my first character to be a healer, and White Mage appears to be the class most focused on healing. To become a White Mage, I have to start as a Disciple of Magic. According to the game, these types of characters become an 'erudite researcher of all things esoteric.' Considering my lack of knowledge of Eorzea, I think becoming a researcher is appropriate. As my first effort in research, I learned that there are four disciplines in the game: War, Magic, Hand, and Land. Followers of the Magic discipline that I am interested in fall into the Conjurer, the Thaumaturge, and the Arcanist classes. Once a certain level is obtained in various classes, a job can be chosen which focuses a character on more specialized abilities. White Mage is the job that focuses most on healing and it's primary class is Conjurer, so that is my first class selection. Apparently a single character can gain levels in multiple classes and jobs so it will be interesting to see how this cross class mechanic works – how similar is it to Rift souls or The Secret World's ability wheel?
Race choice
Along with a class, a race must be chosen, and it appears that there are no limitations on class, job, and race combinations that I see. From what I've read, the recommendation is to pick a race you like the aesthetics of because there are only marginal differences in races in the long run. So with that in mind, I chose a Miqo'te – a cat person. It was a close call between them and the Lalafell, but I liked the tail and wanted to see how they integrated it into the game.
With a race and a class, and more importantly, a character actually created, I am set to start my adventures in Final Fantasy XIV.