FFXI Classic - My Private Server Hesitation

FFXI Classic - My Private Server Hesitation
Final Fantasy XI has changed a lot over the years, and if you ever doubt that ask players what their favorite era of the game happens to be. WingsXI has recently released, attempting to bring the Wings of the Goddess era experience to players once more, but why haven't I jumped on it yet?
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PC Specs: Ryzen 9 3900x
16GB 3200mhz RAM
GTX 2070 Super
Game Footage: Final Fantasy XI
Developers: Square Enix
Platform: PC
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Language and content of this video may be considered offensive to younger parties.
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#Huntin4Games #FFXI #FinalFantasyXI

[@fredsanford1437]

I hope you’re still releasing FFXI content when you’re 80 years old

[@7DragonEyes7]

wait he's not 82 yo?

[@fredsanford1437]

Lol hey H4G this comment got the most likes by far. We all expect in year 2075 the video title to be “POL terms of service, a second look”

[@PicardRiker08]

Treasures is when things plateaued for me. It was far less "fantasy" than the first 2 expansions. Bland color palette, less interesting characters, a story that didn't feel nearly as grand... We all remember meriting on imps, and Whitegate becoming the new Jeuno, but this was definitely the point where I quit as the original vibe that brought me into the game began to fade. The aesthetic of Zilart and CoP really "felt" like Final Fantasy. ToAU just didn't do it for me.

[@Trotskers]

I think it was because it felt like toau and wings were so far away from the original game in terms of the region and context. A far away land? An alternate time zone? Those felt further away then cop and zilart

[@roxaskinghearts]

magitech isnt fantasy enough for him along with the places you explore its more fantasy even here then you want to give credit for its like saying there was no fantasy in ff15

[@mrtylerdurdensir]

This is an interesting take. I started during the xbox 360 beta then taou released after that beta. Taou is my favorite era of the game I guess because its my first. Thinking from your perspective though the best missions and stories was zilart and cop and jeuno will always be the coolest place ever. Running circles around white gate is kinda sickening. I loved exping in taou tho but maybe cuz it was only so good. I also loved nyzul. Wish I could have played in the cop era to compare it.

[@vanadielwindurst8591]

Chains of P. at 2005 Was when FFXI formula was at it’s very best.

[@joshuaa.kennedy8837]

For me it was Wings

[@ggregorio777]

Totally agree. After that the game isn’t really the same any more.

[@roxaskinghearts]

@@ggregorio777 isnt the same anymore he says as if a slight exp boost sparks and egos takes anything away from your experience outside turning that grind that took months now takes a day or 2 the quest are the same story is the same personally all i see is a childish opinion based purely on nostalgic bias

[@nickv3085]

@@roxaskinghearts it’s more childish to lack depth in your perspective. If you don’t understand why games that require actual investment and social Networking / interaction end up creating a more meaningful experience, you have no business judging the opinions of others. I played retail with trusts in its current form and got a few REMAs, it was sort of meh. Hopped on Eden and started from scratch with a friend...having 10x more fun and only at lv 44. We have a year+ of fun ahead...retail is just as grindy as it ever was, just the grind is only at the end now and with sub par content compared to era.

[@scmsean]

@@roxaskinghearts Not everyone wants everything easy. Without a challenge there isn't fun. Spending hours and hours in a party is how you made friends. I still have 4-5 friends from the game even though I played for 4 years and haven't played in 13.

[@tpar83]

Aht Ughan and Wings of the Goddess were still perfectly fine for a retail classic label. We all know that things started to derail with Abyssea

[@sampen3848]

That’s when I quite, during abysses

[@80forgiven]

@@sampen3848 me too, watching this because i am thinking of coming back, but want the old experience, not kill one mob and lvl up, get 99 in a day.....

[@mattellis3297]

As someone who was born in 91 and not into a home that valued the pc I was at a distinct disadvantage at ffxi. I loved this game, from the people to the cities to the notorious monsters I was enamored. I would kill for the classic ffxi feel again. I remember fondly of long nights fishing

[@mattellis3297]

RIP Chase. One of my earliest online friends who unfortunately passed away before our plans for meeting up came to fruition. As someone whose let a negative experience ruin online gaming for me forever, take every relationship you gain as a true friendship. True friends are hard to find today and the world lost a good person when chase passed. Wish I could find people today as positive and uplifting

[@importslife9616]

Straight up I love your videos plz dont stop! I look forward to seeing them. You bring back the nostalgia of the game. Soooooo many memories of playing and the friendship we have made over the years.

[@Iam18]

the campaign music overtaking the zone music was the worst. the music in the past was so nice.

[@Bewefau]

it was good. loved that music. You knew there was a battle!

[@BeauxPhades]

I'm glad people are enjoying private servers. Like you I hate the idea of starting over from scratch, but I'd play on an official classic server in a heartbeat, especially if they trickle out expacs like how WoW is doing them. Imagine NA players getting to experience a pre-RoZ XI for the first time. That's best case scenario to me, but I'd play an official classic server regardless of how they decide to release it as long as it never leaves 75-era.

[@Rem694u2]

Classic FFXI is 75 cap. That means up to WOTG. Period. This golden age lasted like 7 years. Abyssea changed the format and balance completely with the level cap raise. That said, I am totally okay with what Eden is doing too stopping at ToAU. But WoTG added a lot of cool stuff too, and the story was great.

[@shperax]

Obviously anything and everything up to the time level 75 cap was removed. Including the Shantotto add ons. Because at that point even old content like Sky was still relevant.

[@WiggleBabies]

correct!

[@thejmoneyshow]

@@WiggleBabies broke my heart

[@xHiyami]

Nah, they would have to ner dnc, sch and even nerf field manuals because people were doing minimal parties and soloing with field manuals while having dnc sub because dnc because way too op as a sub back then so regular leveling started to become irrelevant.

[@shperax]

@@xHiyami They had already balanced those jobs by that point. It wasn't the same broken DNC that wings launched with. They had it all balanced in 2010.

[@nicknicksiren]

Man, I love WotG. I LOVED the past zones, and still do. The music and atmosphere is incredible and the storyline is also really intriguing. I also loved campaign and thought it was a really interesting design, so I'm not really sure I understand the hate that campaign may get from some players.

[@MetalMcfly]

Hey man, It's Rubix. Met you in West Ron last night and gave you a linkpearl. Hope to see you back on Wings Server. I been here roughly 3 weeks now. My son and I started the same day. So far I'm having a blast. Was on Nasomi for 6yrs and with as much time invested there, the bugs/glitches just got out of hand and I truly believe Nas is overwhelmed as he is the only one running the server. It was a tough decision to try out Wings because the thought of starting over didn't appeal to me but I can safely say, I'm so glad I did. Around the clock GM's, weekly maintenance, and a dev team that cares about their playerbase. Can't ask for much more than that. Hope to see you again and it was a pleasure meeting you.

[@Miskatonic81]

Rubix from Nasomi? This is Daturah, I was in your linkshell lol. I've been playing retail lately but I might check out Wings

[@MetalMcfly]

@@Miskatonic81 Yes, that's me. I definitely remember you lol. Come on over. The server is great.

[@DanielRenardAnimation]

Anything, that broke lvl75-cap was the breaking point for me; a person, along with an accomplice, whom had worked hard and strained for years, getting to the point that we had, with the game basically going "lol! ya gotta do it ALL over again~". Also, don't hate on Campaign! It was a cleverly disguised *"FFVII Fort Condor"* and once-(ONLY ONCE!)-you had understood the mechanics of Campaign, could you truly appreciate it... like... I was out there, my PLD75/RDM37, Solo-winning Campaign in 75-era, raking in Dynamis Currencies, before that was even a thing... LOVED it~! (except for the times, poor SqueEnix design, reared its ugly head).

[@SeiaScribs]

I'll need to check this server up, WoTG was when I started to play the game! I still remember going into the past specifically to unlock Scholar on a whim and it ended up being the only job I ever took to cap after many, many months of my shell-mates making fun of me for job hopping every week lol.

[@wmyers4769]

Hearing about Wings really truly made my day. I played dnc back in the day and absolutely loved that experience. Can’t wait to get back in there and hate myself trying to find my way through Jugner Forest S

[@andrewbest7658]

I started playing on Eden a couple weeks ago and I couldn't be happier. While DNC and SCH were fun additions as jobs, I never really got into the WoTG content. Though I love the book warp from a QoL perspective.

[@Skyshadow733]

Same

[@VampguyN85]

Same.

[@mikelk124]

Same.

[@jacoboverstreet8553]

Man I miss classic ffxi, I just re-subbed to ffxiv after a 2 year break since the new expansion is coming out. It’s still fun but definitely doesn’t feel as full as ffxi did.

[@grantbishop1961]

I feel the same way, i still love ffxi

[@therikkest310]

I miss playing. Doubt I could ever get back to where I was unless I played a very boosted server. I also think that maybe the community isnt large enough to really re-live the 2005 experience. Serious nostalgia

[@Doubleohcasper]

I still have dreams about my past life

[@makopowered5236]

Classic is pre qol adjustments and ease of play, this is obvious. Toau Era is peak classic, Zilart/cop likely true classic.

[@hiflyer000]

I still say "Classic" FFXI is anything pre-level cap raise. The fundamentals of the game did not really change until Abyssea came out so there is really no reason to exclude ToAU or WoTG like some people want to. I also think WoTG has been greatly underrated by the fan base and suffered because of the extremely slow content drip at the time when they were working on FF14. WoTG had a great mission/quest storyline, added fantastic new jobs, and introduced things like Campaign and Campaign Ops that allowed you to get decent exp on any job/level solo, which was a big deal at the time. It definitely had its negatives (world spawn HNMS, hard to navigate zones, tough enemies, no real good exp camps, WoE being an instanced zone, etc.) but I thought it was a great expansion.

[@AstonMartinStig]

FFXI was my first real MMO. So much memories rushing back to me now. The guild, the game, the friends. Such good times.

[@Nelekets]

Unlike most, I think the abyssea era was the best of FFXI(or honestly the current retail after all the odyssey releases). Abyssea brought the game into what it is today, it was the first time the game started getting more small party / small alliance oriented. You could still play with your small group of friends, and accomplish end game stuff including building an empyrean weapon and upgrading empyrean armor, or do a relic with a few friends. As much fun as partying from 10-75 was fun in the previous eras of the game, end game was horrendous. Full alliance dynamis/salvage farming and only building an ultimate weapon for one or two members while the other 16-17 people in the alliance were lucky to pick up the scraps.. yeah i'll NEVER have fond memories of 75 era end game. It was horrific.

[@drew8235]

It's always worrying when there are multiple private servers out there for a game like this. It starts with 1, then it's 2, then there's 7, and pretty soon the already small playerbase is just split between all these private servers of various people who think they know best what version of the game is worth offering to people. SWG has it worse than this. There are 2 main private servers offering exactly what players want, and yet there are people here and there trying to convince people to come join their private server that does this or that. It's a slippery slope.

[@ardellansugardust1353]

I have a friend who plays the new private server called HorizonXI. He streams it on Twitch and it had over 4000 players when he was on. It just launched around 2 weeks ago. You probably have already heard of it. But just mentioned it in case. It looks really neat. They added regular and custom music to the game. And all sort of things.

[@MrDro1128]

Did private server Era 5-6 years ago, went up to ToA. 200-600 people when I played, Era made the difficulty a 6/10. The possibility of the stars aligning like they did are a billion to 1. The close nit homies during that time & the amount of bling I conquered....I got so rich & powerful I beat the game with +1 everything you could imagine. All relics, ate the finest +1 food no matter the lvl, won MILLIONS gambling...which just set me up to run that server. Was able to dual box, won a top 5 character gambling on there, befriended a dude named ZeroPowered & we just ran that server. Snatched up the #3 character when he quit for nothing, had them all properly pimped out...even had my main taru alt’s name changed to YoloSwaggins, Kraken club augmented with +20 damage, had rival LS’s to battle with, & that’s just a little ...that server was like the Wild West when they opened it up, which made it so fricking fun. The bubble popped soon there after for them, but I ended up making couple G’$ making a deal with a buddy I met on there right before it started tanking. He ended up dying in a motorcycle crash 3 weeks later....Wouldn’t even believe all the stories. That’s just a sample. I literally beat the game in about 2 years & did everything I couldn’t even imagine doing back when I was 14-18. Always gonna remember Era for that experience of redemption.

[@daddygamesatnight]

Having played the game for 12+ years, I felt the game was at its peak twice, for two audiences. Systems and content up through Wings of the Goddess was peak for pre-abyssea. NMs, HNMs, small team and large team content were all well received. Lot's of content to enjoy with others and lots of meaningful gear and abilities grind. Abyssea launches and instantly the paradigm shifts for tons of jobs, mechanics, gear, and social groups. Through all of Abyssea and Adoulin, a different audience sticks around and joins the game and eventually hits the peak where it has been for the last few years. Since then, it's pretty much plateaued.

[@chocobitties2595]

Most people would probably say ToAU or WotG. Both added quality of life improvements that made the game vastly more enjoyable. Keep the game 75 cap, WotG missions and book warps and the 3 add-on scenarios. Add in crystal warps. Keep force popped NMs. Increase the drop rates across the board - waiting real life years for Ebody and Homam pants was nuts! Adjust AV so that he's 75 killable without hacks, or allow Bood Weapon kills. Buff weapon skills and BLU spells. Reduce the re-entry time for Dynamis, Limbus, Einherjar, Assault, Nyzul, Salvage and WoE. Give a flat 50% exp increase over vanilla 2008~. And double the drop rates for ancient currencies and upgrade items. Increase the spawn rate for all NMs. 20 minutes for starter zone NMs, and a max of 4 hours for endgame bosses. Introduce something like Ambuscade with rotating rewards and enemies. Add in up to level 75 Unity (and Unity warps). Add in a couple new zones with mobs appropriate for leveling at all levels for the sake of congestion. Make Refresh and other vital spells and skills that are just over the subjob cap level 37. Increase merit caps for each category. A "classic" version with quality of life improvements.

[@masonsmythe6809]

From some digging I’ve seen forums about wings and who it’s run by and what they do, apparently the people who run it are banned people from Eden nasomi and other private servers. I’ve also read that once installed they illegally collect data from your pc etc. No idea how true it is as toxicity it rife on all private servers so who’s who and who says what is another thing all together.

[@giddra69]

I played FFXI for 1 year during launch, 1 year in ToAU, 1 year in Abyssea (90-95), and currently in retail. I feel like current retail is the best this game has ever been. I do have a bit of nostalgia for the old game, but that only carries me as far as wanting to take the airship once a year just to see the little 3d models as they go by. I don't think I want to go back and level in the dunes.

[@BobBob-kw2xq]

i think you made the best point in your first video, that made me think for a long time on it. When the game was in its NA pc release, DRGs penta was so over powered that they were the dream dd job but then i remember the nerf came and they were devastated for like 6 years or better. Plds were in demand but then nerfed and also COP was not very pld friendly, so as a pld my golden era was pre-COP. SE took so much pleasure in destroying the jobs one by one. Add to that the feeling of everything you had worked years for becoming obsolete in the next expansion. It took me a year to hit 75 because plds were dead at 65+. i made it to 75 and got in a hnm ls and would set my alarm clock for 2am on work nights for the ls to get pops for sky. we did this for years and earned those rewards and then some expansion would make all that gear worthless. Every expansion came with nerfs. Every nerf took away the fun of some poor job and the work they had did for months was in vain. The point to that is that it depends on what job you were because they nerfed us all but at different times. I miss the first year when everything was still unknown and mystery was still out there in most zones. If they had just left the game alone it would have taken 5 years to complete it but you would have had a sense of accomplishment with it but now its hollow no matter when you started.

[@smallville4351]

I would like them to do a classic starting with Zilart and then slowly release the Expansions. Maybe not as long a time as they originally where but somewhere close to it

[@Doubleohcasper]

Golden!

[@zlk718]

If square did this I would sub for life.

[@elected0nes741]

I miss the old days of FFXI, but I could never start all over again. 😉 I will say this, it was Abyssea that killed old school FFXI(just my opinion)!

[@craigjohnston5781]

I agree, WoTG had aspects of it that were minor flesh wounds to old school FFXI, abyssea came in like a damn atomic bomb to destroy everything about "old school" ffxi. I played and even enjoyed retail post abyssea but there is no denying it was the destruction of original final, there is pre abyssea FFXI and post and they really are two different games.

[@Beatstinger]

I could play FFXI damn near solo...in fact I pretty much did in the past. I was stuck playing during JP prime during ToAH. So Beastmaster became my most played job and eventually became my favorite job. Although it was near worthless in a party, I was able to play and progress on my own. It was not always easy though, if any of you played BST back in the pre-WotG days, you know what I'm talking about.

[@Lional]

For the love of Carbuncle, please do not quit ffxi! Maybe dabble in some lesser grade games like WoW or ffxiv, but never leave ffxi. Trust me, I've learned my lesson over the years lol. Ffxi is the only game out there that not only welcomes you back with a hearty hug, but also rewards you. But it's still not worth leaving it. Also, you have some of the best, unique content on this game (and others), and I love your channel bro.

[@barner44]

I wish I would have never quit... I stopped playing in 2011 and I severely regret it. I have been playing ff14 on and off since ARR and the game always makes me sad as it doesn't feel like it has a soul really. It just feel like copy and paste WoW. I miss ffxi so much and I always want to go back, but I also feel super intimidated (although I know retail is a different beast than the 75 cap days) for being away so long and not having the time available as I did in the mid 2000's to dedicate to it. I need to just say screw it, sub up and make a new toon and just enjoy my favorite world again...

[@Lional]

@@barner44 Well, I'm pretty sure it's free to play right now, because it's the 19th anniversary. So retuning/new players can hop on for free. Leveling is soooo easy right now, but there are some new limit breaks to get to max level, which is 99, if you didn't know. I'd say just try it, see how it goes. The community is as amazing, as it's always been, and if you /shout or /yell, people are sure to help. And if you're on my server, I will personally help out.

[@barner44]

@@Lional I will definitely consider it. I got a few games to finish on my ps5 so I can sell them when I am done, but man ffxi is always on my mind. What world are you on and what time zone are you? I'm Est and would maybe be able to play from 8pm-midnight if I do boot it up. I also very much appreciate the response and people like you always prove to me why I miss this game. Always such a helpful and amazing community!

[@Lional]

@@barner44 I'm on Quetzalcoatl, originally on Midgardsomr before the server merge. I'm also est, but I normally play during the day. I will play nights though, I just haven't had a reason since I came back lol. My server isn't hugely populated, but there are more than enough players on it to keep things going. If you want to be on a massively populated server, Asura is the place to be. But yea, if you decide to ever jump back on, and you are on my server, my main is Shadast. Just send me a tell.

[@barner44]

@@Lional cool. I'm pretty sure my main was on or is on Quetzy. 10+ years ago was in a ls called The Flock. If I do come back at some point I'll be sure to dm you!

[@twocatsyelling723]

I loved WoTG. For me the game changed utterly and they crossed that Rubicon with Abyssea.

[@Huntin4GamesChannel]

can't wait to finish it!

[@lee1130fromtwitter]

Classic would be all 75 content and jobs. Before they raised cap to 80. The end.

[@barner44]

Well said. 75 cap was the best of times and the best memories I ever made in gaming that I will always remember and adore.

[@Skyshadow733]

Totally agree.

[@GreatHammurabi]

It's way more open ended than that. The cap was 75 for both ToAU and Wings but they're quite different due the added jobs in Wings and many other factors. Many players definition of 'Classic' aren't going to be the same and some may not like the changes in Wings for a Classic based server. Nothing wrong with either, of course, just different styles and preferences.

[@slowlesaca8634]

Thank you for mentioning multi-boxing. it really does change gameplay and community elements dramatically. I feel like wingsxi made the right decision by excluding it.

[@timd1191]

I love playing the classic eden FFXI - It's just so tough, reminds me off the de leveling good ole days

[@MrReebok808]

The new server Limitbreak with an 75 era up to ToAu is pretty good for anyone who like this era it’s Perfect nearly everything perfectly coded even fishing is working like retail. I’m really happy there it’s a new server so population isn’t that high yet so good time to start there.

[@Something5059]

The only good thing about these servers trying to emulate 75 era FFXI is that it gives an idea as to what it was like during that time, but ultimately most of these servers are plagued with bugs and are missing key pieces of content. There is also the fact that 75 era is effectively "solved" and the only thing left is the time sink, which is probably why you started feeling the dread of having to relevel once you hit 50. Personally, though, I like the current FFXI more but wish they could reduce the number bloat a bit. The QoL that they've introduced over the years make the game far more playable and I feel that job balance isn't nearly out of wack, while maintaining differences among the jobs and how they play.

[@kenshinhimura9387]

From what I know and have heard from players is that Abyssea is the start of the game going bad. As soon as Abyssea was around nobody wanted to do any of the content in the game before it and I was left by myself trying to play the game for the first time and experience all the low level story and quests but wasn't able to because I couldn't find a party. Then I saw your video about Eden private server and i joined it. I made a bunch of friends and played more of the game than I ever have before. I miss FFXI and am thinking about getting back into it. I want to play the more classic FFXI when you needed a party to do most things. I don't really care for modern MMO type content.

[@blazeknight4120]

This is the first I've heard of Wings 11. Sounds interesting. I never got to play Dancer, but, like you said it's a big investment.

[@danny123451]

I always liked campaign. It was something to do and some ok EXP while waiting for a party.

[@bloodfurypk666]

Rise of the Zilart is the prime of ffxi :) for population but also gameplay

[@TheDeFiler316]

See that's the thing. People are so obsessed with not being left behind instead of just enjoying the game. Play at your own pace and just enjoy the ride no matter what server you decide to play on.

[@thevreelander]

I play on Supernova FFXI which is an easier QOL server. it’s like a player vs environment server smaller, closer family and I love it. I didn’t think I’d ever return to FFXI before Supernova but this video hits hard for me. I think when the emulator catches up to abyssea I’ll join a server that has abyssea.

[@ChristenSmith604]

I would say that the hay-day, at least for me, for FFXI was right after the Aht Urghan expansion. There was a ton of mystique and intrigue taking that first long ferry ride to Whitegate. Aht Urghan itself was so foreign and exotic compared to the other zones, and seeing all these high level players convening there was awesome.

[@sfkingalpha]

The days of Zilart and CoP at the 75 cap where the best times. Literally life changing. I'm still friends with some of my set party 18 years later.

[@girodleo31]

I started playing during CoP era, but to me, the peak era is ToAU, simply because that was the best and most inovative events i've seen. Salvage? amazing. Nyzul isle? Amazing. Besieged? Fucking epic (laggy sure, but epic!)

[@neilclarkwork]

I couldn’t imagine having to get to sandoria rank 10, finish all the expansion storylines, beat the Divine Might fight, go through over a year of sky farming to get all the god armor and dynamis. God, I could never do it again. It would take 7 years like it did the first time.

[@grantbishop1961]

I agree, if I were wealthy and didn't need a job for a living, I'd do final fantasy xi over again, since I'd have the time available to play it. But its way to much a time sink and i have to many RL responsibilities to focus 100% on FFXI, I will always love the game and wish I could play it but I don't have enough money or time to afford it.

[@bitterbuffalo8997]

@@grantbishop1961 I just play on Wings casually like 2 times a month. Maybe some mornings over coffee.

[@NeraThun]

QoL wise : - Right before Abyssea. Best QoL, full Lv75 content at its peak. QoL compromise : - Right before WotG and Level Sync. I can't see FFXI end-game without Nyzul / Salvage neither the trigger pop change in Sky. ToAU killed some of the level exp grinding experience but enable merit party at an respectable level. And the real party exp killer (area wise) was level sync (aka crabs & colibri hell). Odd wise : - Right before Voidwatch... because as much as I was sceptical with the first iteration of Abyssea when it went live... even took a break from the game. When I got back with the 2nd part... it took me and my LS mate ... really. It was a fresh fun change to the game and allowed many of my friends that never could enjoy previous/old end-game content casually. But Voidwatch and the Lv99 cap killed everything for me... at least until Adoulin but then vertical iLevel progression didn't appealed to me either :P

[@LMach1]

I've played since day 1 in NA, level sync was the best. After that, it doesn't matter. I wasn't a fan of fast travel as I liked the travel in the world and having to have a WHM or know one to be able to get around effectively.

[@TheColeTruth]

I switched to Wings from Nasomi. The no dual boxing sold me once I realized how much it screws with the overall experience. The server also just feels better to play with some of the qol Ashita add-ons. I feel your pain with re-leveling, getting all the OP warps, etc. But I love FFXI and i don't mind. Also helps they just celebrated their 1st anniversary and gave a 100% XP bonus ring. I unlocked my subjob in no time! Otherwise I just don't play unless I'm in the mood haha. Turns out a very famous streamer (aka Ninja) streams Wings so its having a big buzz and feels kind of like the exciting place to be.

[@wingsxi4178]

Glad you're having fun!

[@InimicalWit]

I would say any point which allowed the Lv75 cap to function well, whatever expansions work with it. The time before the jobs were made too similar via additional abilities and spells were given to second jobs; all the ridiculously powerful abilities available at Lv40 that made it less necessary to have certain MainJobs. When the level caps still existed, so dungeons stayed challenging and having Trusts (because playing FFXI solo is .... I mean, imagine playing any FF with only one character - you need a party). And the only reason I multi box is so I can have that party, because too few people wanted to play how I played. Trusts were a huge savior for my experience, but the level caps are gone, so things are .... broken. It’s weird, because there are certain things the game has now that would have been very handy; but now there are certain other things that are true and negate the benefit of the first thing. I’ve played other games that let you start new servers solo, or rent servers online to have others join you; but in both cases you are given admin controls to make tweaks. For SE to grant us those settings and make those tweaks certain stages of FFXI’s history, that’d be awesome. It could be as simple as renting additional retainers in FFX|V, to unlock creating a new server; something along those lines.

[@importslife9616]

For me I was on Alexander Server it was 2008-09. The dunes were flooded with players with a wait on average 2-4 hour wait to get a spot in a party. Running SMN burns in Korroloka tunnel. Doing missions with your linkshell Dyna runs just having fun. Then abby lvl.80/5/90/5/99 just blah. Now I play on Nocturnalsoul server. It's a endgame server of what FFxi should have been.

[@Aaron-mj9ie]

FFXI ain't bad, nowadays. It's just not the game that I want to go back and play. It's changed so much that MECHANICALLY it's almost completely different.

[@megasiege2147]

I'm so glad I didn't get into private servers. I would have been so upset if I went hard on Nasomi (when I was played for a very brief period) just to see all these other private servers pop up. I haven't heard anything about Nasomi for years either. Everyone just talks and streams from wings and eden.

[@joshz8803]

Continue on WingsXI! The struggle is real and the nostalgia strong.

[@dumba9558]

Level Sync killed it for me.

[@anthonylasalle7392]

Peak was pre-abyssea. we're were hyped as all hell for the LV cap raising. Then the Abyssea exp mechanic killed off alot of the fun. you could afk at level 30 and come back level 99 with enough merits to cap a job. spend a hour to cap skills and thats it.

[@NudawnLinkshell]

So much has changed in retail for the good that most just don't play long enough to give it a fair chance. Most people mention Story and Community when talking about "How FFXI used to be." You can now actually enjoy the early stories even more because it's less spending weeks just planning fights. You can instead invest that time reading more of the dialogue and diving deeper into the lore. That hard experience is now geared towards end game content. However, with the 20th anniversary announcement coming this might change? I believe there is a place for the private server. But this experience is best left in the communities hand and not official server. I think that's why SE does not shut them down. I really believe they are highly aware and ultimately just let them live on in order to provide the OG experience that many people would like.

[@EdibleOneNine]

I hesitated on getting on wings too, but it didn't stop me. Jumped from Eden to Wings is a different experience, they're messing with the worms too much.

[@Huntin4GamesChannel]

Who’s messing with the worms? Those damn worms deserve to be left alone!

[@gmUkko]

I've played all 3 of the private servers and personally WingsXI is my favorite hands down, no dual boxing and [S] zones are the main reasons. However honestly right now I'm not playing much of any of them, I'm just relaxing with my sights set on Pantheon for now.

[@hiflyer000]

There are actually way more than 3 private servers, but the ones you mentioned are the most popular. I played on a 99 private server for a while, and it did give me somewhat of a nostalgia fix, but I really wish someone would fix all the ToAU and WoTG missions so I can replay them. This server did have WoTG zones but only the first 3 nation quests were available and mission only up till the ones you can unlock the Maws. I may try out Wings since they have added extra missions and may add more in the future.

[@wisdomandy9361]

Interesting perspective. You'd assume treasures but that's because most private servers are in that format. Though wings was my favorite and I want to play wings private server but man... I have started over on like 4 private servers already 🤦. If everyone just started .. sure yeah but people are already 75.

[@Skyshadow733]

lol yeah I just started on Eden after playing retail and nasomi....just hit 30 and unlocked a few jobs. Fields of Valor is such a nice chance thats the only thing I wish Eden could get.

[@wisdomandy9361]

@@Skyshadow733 yep. I played nasomi, a hardcore(die = lvl 1 ) server, blackwing ( gone ), and Eden as of 3 months ago. Ugh.. I want dancer but I just don't think I can do it over again because Everytime I tell myself "this is the last time" 🤦.

[@xHiyami]

@@Skyshadow733 FoV is one of the main reasons we don't have WotG. It breaks the game, the only way we'd be able to have it on Eden is if it was several;y nerfed. Back in the day when WotG came out everyone started subbing dnc and making minimal parties with FoV because it became the best way to party so..unless dnc/sch and FoVs were severely nerfed in someway I wouldn't want it on Eden.

[@lawless7859]

@@xHiyami meanwhile people are lvling in blm burns and arrow burns. Seems like a fair trade off.

[@xHiyami]

@@lawless7859 and you what know the reason that they can do that is? Because we have ANOTHER certain mechanic that belongs to WotG. Hummmm I wonder what that is.

[@edwardb4730]

I loved the CoP era. Dynamis twice a week limbus twice a week with sky, sea, hnms, bcnms sprinkled in whenever we could was amazing. Then it all changed when Salvage released and our ls went from doing things with alliance to little salvage clicks forming until eventually we broke up. Einherjar znms were great but salvage being so grindy combined with having the best rewards plus only allowing 6 to enter and really only a few of those 6 actually participating was horrible game design.

[@mikeymo9363]

Going on ffxi nowa days is like visiting a childhood home you grew up in but the new owners have had a new roof and done the garden. It's a strange feeling. I played from around 2003 to the launch of abbysea then quit as soon as you could go from 1-90 in an afternoon. Are these private servers populated enough to have a good experience? For me that's what ffxi was. A social experience

[@Phyrefly6]

I played on Nasomi for a few years and started a character on Wings, but a few months ago, I went back to retail. It's certainly a different game than it used to be but it's still fun. The problem with private servers (or a classic server if they made one) is you will eventually run out of stuff to do if you play it long enough. I suppose that can happen with retail too but they're at least doing something different every month or so. I miss the community aspect, but I like being able to get stuff done when I'm able to play, instead of having a day off but spend the day with my flag up or trying to form a good party to do something.

[@enyaliosares4301]

Personally for me. 2007/2008 era. Level 75 was the best. I miss those days.

[@HTSBarren]

I wouldn't play on a private server, too much time was invested into retail. It was a different world when I played FF11 between 2006-2011. Even if there was an official classic FF11 made I'd have to think about it.

[@Varchesis]

Unlike the FATE system of FFXIV and other Rift-like large scale battles, Campaign battles gave you a reason to care about what you did because progress could be lost. Something was actually at stake. Your effort mattered! Campaign couldn't really be "won" or bought. Take too long of a break and the beastmen were back in power... Previous expansions weren't as alive as in WoTG. All the content was exactly the same as your last login - same goes for Abyssea (which I also loved, but for different reasons). But WoTG was a little bit more real to me than most content BECAUSE of campaign. I also loved how you were put into the history on Vana'diel not as a common soldier as most games have you, but as a founder-of-the-future. WoTG: Loved it! Still 99.9% better than most MMO content - if even just for the the way its post-Conquest / post-Beseiged large-scale battle system was evolved to make the world feel more alive - giving each player's contribution meaning albeit temporary.

[@FUall19956]

What they could do is just do a fresh server, slow down the leveling, not too much, keep the qol changes and just make it so you need community, thats the best thing about ffxi, playing with people, not spending hours doing mundane tasks

[@dislikebutton6596]

FFXI holds a very special place in my heart. The only game I know each zones theme (up to Treasures) by heart because of the countless hours of me being in them. I like private servers because they're free, and theres a plethora of them for me to jump into super easy. But retail I know I will have my characters safe. Private servers make me scared that they'll just shut down one day.

[@Juantonz]

This private server reintroduced me to the MMO that started my addiction XD. But the experience has been great and enjoyed the honesty in the video. Look forward to more content!

[@SwordChux]

I used to Multi-Box. I had my Main Desktop PC, and a laptop. I wouldn't hardcore MB, it was just for outside heals in xp parties if we couldn't find a healer. But it's main purpose was to watch for NM pop times, Craft, or be my Alt account in Dynamis so we could do more than 2 runs per week.

[@scizorunleashed]

Best decision I ever made was moving from retail to a private server called NocturnalSouls, having main and sub at 99/99 opens doors to so many unique playstyles.

[@Goldrush1988]

Played retail for 15 years then stopped for a while. Downloaded Nasomi and got hooked for 2 years but dual boxing ruined the server. Moved to wings last year and its great. Wings is best Era for being able to solo enough while also needing to group up to accomplish goals. Went with Nin to 75 first and lvled Dnc for sub so I could solo alot. Now working on Rng to 75 it is so OP. I highly recommend Wings. If anyone joins feel free to /tell me Im always looking to help. /tell Asgardian.

[@lynchmob72]

I wont say anything bad about the Wings server people, but wait till you see the AH.

[@bankait_rex1860]

I know this video is 2 years old, but that is exactly why I stopped playing horizon and decided to go back to my old account and play retail, this is how i see it, you can have some fun in horizon, but the problem is that its a private server after all, and redu everything ! we did in retail the old way it would be impossible for me to achieve do to real life changes, back when xi came out i was a little young kid that had hours and hours to play and do things, i could afford falling sleep with the keyboard on my face and wake up brush my teeth and continue, I hardly can play 1 hour without anyone bugging me about something, life too busy, so yeah I can check it out for the nostalgia, but if I want to invest time i do it retail, that way the game would continue.

[@pcgamingeconomico3057]

played on nasomi, eden and wings. and wings no dual box rule is a game changer. yes there probaly are some dual boxers with vpn and such, but this pretty much limits most of the population to do that. So wings no dual box rule sets the server apart.

[@GeneisHavoc]

I'm the opposite, I hated the books because it became cheese for alliances to just wreck for easy exp. Books should have been party size restricted or something but I understand it was to account for the fact that a lot of folks were max level on all jobs, hard for anyone new to get groups that wanted to chill in the dunes.

[@Dsrikers]

As someone who had a rdm I used to have to PL it was a huge pain in the butt as I played PC my alt was Xbox 360

[@YaYa-ex8cu]

I started on Wings about 3 weeks ago and that server is great.

[@ray.b.75]

CoP was hell and heaven on earth, the absolute pain and absolute release from the missions was incredible.

[@sagepirotess6312]

Campaign was great. So was raiding the three beast strongholds for cool gear. I made a guild and did that long ago. And sch.... BLM may as well be sidelined permanently.

[@lorrainecoon1750]

Only square enix knows the date that they started using fan emails for ideas

[@Trotskers]

I'm on Wings, jumped over from Nasomi which was dying out. Wings has a lot of people that have been banned from other servers. And the wings part is literally just dnc and sch no campaign or campaign battles.. People seem to be investing into this server because the general consensus is that this server will one day be the most populated with the most content.

[@Trotskers]

@Joe Schmoe who is ninja?

[@_krivbeknih]

I'm split with 2boxing. I do it on Eden and it's a way to make the game easier AND have new challenges, playing pld + rdm at the same time is reallly hard. But Events are a mess and it's so hard to find WHMs that are not just alts....

[@princessrayneshia1293]

So i never played back in the day i started a couple months ago and am about to get my first job to 30(rdm) on eden and I've been loving the game so far but if square offered a feature complete classic server for that era with to my understanding edens change to outposts so you can tp to one's you've done supplies for but don't control it, i would totally hop over to the official servers so i an support the devs

[@mwilliford1982]

I'd rather play a crappy MMO with friends than the best MMO ever by myself. Play what your friends are playing!

[@craigjohnston5781]

Couldn't you make new friends in the better game? Or get your friends to come play the better game?

[@mwilliford1982]

@@craigjohnston5781 Believe me I've tried. I'm currently about 100 hours into SWTOR and made no friends yet. These older games especially, people already have their cliché. People are super nice and all, but finding actual friends is hard yo.

[@craigjohnston5781]

@@mwilliford1982 that's fair definitely have to find the people that haven't established their cliches

[@Terixofevermore]

The problem is ffxi was dependent on having a rather large player base at all levels of play. This is why trusts had to be brought in. I think they would be better off balancing the trusts and re do the new player experience.

[@nickv3085]

Love your channel bud. Friend and I just started on eden a month or so ago...I really enjoy the dbox aspect of it. No parties i've had felt like they were full of dboxers, nor were people disengaged or anything....honestly feels just as I remember it. I love being able to fish on my alt while I xp, have a pocket tele etc. Practically never see PLers, as most people probably find more productive uses of their time for their alt while they xp. Good luck on wings! Totally agree that I can't redo this shit again LOL even though it's been fun....no way I would move to wings and redo all OP warps, SJ quest, leveling multiple subs to 37, rank, etc etc etc.... I am only 35 rdm / 32 blm / 19 whm /// 42 whm alt....and holy hell that was a lot of work already haha. enjoyed it all though. Also got fishing to 70, but that wasnt that hard

[@kelog5446]

Wings was my first pvt server but I get what you are saying, the top of how long does a private server last comes up in ls chat from time to time...and I signed up with Horizon. I did about as much if not more content in the last 11 months on wings than the first few years on retail.

[@joshuaa.kennedy8837]

To me WOTG was the peak of the game. Because I started ToAG and by the time I got high enough for me to do end game stuff WOtG came out and I was having a blast with TOAG and WOTG campaign. I was BLM and I loved the save MP campaign gear!!! It got me excited about Paladin.

[@tali6844]

I mean as cool as it would be to play DNC and SCH, im not starting over again unless eden just dies lol i already started over from nasomi once and I'm not doing it again

[@ace2044]

hi i just started on nasomi a week ago and just realised only like 250 ppl online and eden/wings 6/700, u think i should leave nasomi and join eden or wings?

[@Khaltazar]

I'd like to see a version before level sync and those book hunts for more experience and buffs back when a BLM couldn't level from 20-75 in Qufim Island for example like they can easily in WingsXI.

[@MrReebok808]

There is a new sever for what you’re searching it’s LimitBrreak 75 era 2007 before wings… really nice server

[@kotavideo7142]

I loved the world maps of WotG and the big crystal war. Gotta have it in a classic server.

[@spectreman2532]

That running speed is a big no for me. Time is so limited when you are an adult, can't stand 15minutes to reach dunes from bastok anymore. Also lack of teleports.

[@nickbolt9977]

Let's go Wings! Having a lot of fun there. Book are really helpful and convenient. No need to sit idle and wait. You can solo with books while seeking. Great add to the game.

[@nathanlee6099]

It was perfect right at launch and for years after.