Buy FINAL FANTASY® XI: Ultimate Collection Seekers Edition

I played this game for many years when it first came out. I played all the way up to wings of the goddess. So when this came out, and it was on sale, I decided to give it a try again. To say things had changed was an understatement.

What was once a game you couldn't even TRY to solo before, and took hours and hours to get anything you wanted, within a week I was playing how I wanted. With the addition of Trust magic, an easily accessible magic that makes it so you can summon up to three NPCs, leveling has never been easier. Level caps on a lot of the content has been removed as well, so with any high level character you can do most of the previous content without the help of others (Not that you have to do it like that).

With the addition of the field support manuals (which help you level as well), A new sub menu to quests (That also help you level!) and the ability to teleport between home points for a small fee, the game is worth picking up again. Not a perfect MMO, but it's a classic as far as they go.

I remember May 16, 2002 first walking out of San d'Oria into Ronfaure and being killed by a wild rabbit. Hooked 10/10

Final Fantasy XI is a very enjoyable and content-filled game, with a bit of a steep learning curve. Due to the game being out for such a long amount of time there is an insane amount of content to experience and to play through, and all of this can be exteremly overwhelming to a new player, especially if they don't know what they are getting into beforehand. Some of the more recent updates and patches make it easier for new players to advance and get caught up, but you will definitely need to put in a very large amount of hours to really even begin to scratch the surface of what this game has to offer. I'd reccomend reading guides as you play so that you are better able to understand what you are doing as you play, and what you should be working toward.

Gameplay wise I found the game to be extremely enjoyable, the battle system is a bit slow to start out but becomes more intricate and interesting as you advance with the introduction of skill chains and its very party-centric battle system. That is one of the main features of this game, the almost necesarry party interaction that is required to advance. This was particularly true early on in the game's life-cycle, but it has become considerably easier to solo with the introduction of some new jobs, the tuning of enemy strength, and especially the recent trust system that has come about. The trust system is basically the ability to build a party with three npc party members, making it much more accessible for new players to advance, and making it more possible for players to solo in general.

One of the interesting mechanics that I most enjoyed in this game is the job system that it has in place. Similar to Final Fantasy III or V, you are able to assign your character to a job/class and change that job as many times as you'd like. This allows a player to experience everything that the game has to offer on one character rather than having to make alternate character to play with.

Community wise the game may seem a little bit dead or slow if you're just starting out, as most players spend their time in the end game zones, so the starting cities and anywhere else may be a bit empty compared to other MMOs. In my experience it wasn't too noticeable however, there were still people running around Bastok (one of the starting cities) and plenty of people sitting outside of the auction house at any given time. I would reccomend looking into the more active servers before playing though, doing a google search for Final Fantasy XI server population would probably help you make a decision if you're looking for activity. However, I'd personally reccomend trying to find a linkshell or a group of people to play with before starting the game, and then joining a server where they are to get the most out of the game. This game, like many MMOs, is a lot more fun to play with other people, and it is a lot easier to make friends as a beginner outside of the game than it is in-game due to how far most older players have progressed.

Overall I'd recommend the game despiting it looking a bit dated, the gameplay is extrememly enjoyable and the community is pretty great and mature as well.

I've played alot of MMO's over time. You name it I've tried it but I usually can't stand to stick around past the 2 week mark. This game is a game that has broken that cycle. There is so much content and so much to do that if you are a new player.. you have LOADS of fun ahead. It plays alot like the SNES Final Fantasy when it comes to the combat but with more timing involved. I've been playing this for 26 days now and my current main class is only 56 and the cap is 99! There is 22 Classes in all but only 6 basic classes availible from the start Warrior, White Mage, Red Mage, Black Mage, Monk, Thief. Your best bet when first starting out is to ask around your starting town for a friendly linkshell. That's what I did. Fair warning however. If you don't like working with others you are not going to like this game. This game is very team effort focused and it works well that way. Overall, it's my favorite MMO and now my personal favorite Final Fantasy. If you want someone that's different from all the WOW clones out today give it a try!

Note: I still play, I just can't get the steam overlay to work anymore.

If you want a more old-school MMORPG that has actual story and where everything isn't automatically handed to you, this is it. It's not as hard core as it used to be, but there is still plenty of challenge left.

I first played this game in 2003 on a PS2 at age 13. I am now 25 years old and still have so much fun playing this game that it can take up an entire weekend in the blink of an eye.

That being said, this game is not for casual gamers. Even in its current state with so many QoL improvements since its release, the game is still extremely grindy, challenging, and truly frustrating in certain aspects. It is very rewarding to those who are willing to invest the time into it, though.

I love every single thing about this game including all of the stress-inducing aspects of it and the clunky combat/macro system. But if you don't have the same feelings of nostalgia as I do, you might find yourself beyond frustrated with the game and quit within your first month.

If you have time to invest and love Final Fantasy (and don't have a significant other because this game may cause you to get a divorce) and you want to try one of the greatest MMORPGs of all time, this game is worth every penny.

Final Fantasy XI is strictly an online MMORPG with a subscription fee of $12 a month. The game play is archaic at best. That's not saying it's bad, but compared to more recent MMO's it's quite different. It is fun to acquire new classes (22 in total!!!) just to see how they play and with the new Alter egos, released in 2014, you can now level in the game solo and quite easily.

Alter egos are basically companions that fight with/for you and make playing solo a breeze. You can join groups in group play and tackle on bosses and harder enemies. It's highly recommended that you join Linkshell, which are guilds, in order to advance at higher levels. The community is quite good and people are very friendly and willing to help you out. There's been 5 expansion packs and a handful of addons released for this game. Many people still play it and it's far from dead.

You will have to jump through quite a bit of hoops just to get this game up and running though. You'll have to activate the game on Square Enix's home page Playonline and that does take quite a while. You'll have to also update the game a few times too through THEIR service and not through Steam. Needless to say you probably won't be playing the game on the 1st day you activate it.

The graphics are old and the game play is different. Though you CAN use a controller to play the game, but the game is still enjoyable with a mild learning curve. It's not like WoW and like games with combat. In FFXI it's more of a turn based game. After you win a battle you won't just acquire loot either. You'll have to pick locks and/or use combinations on locks in order to open them to get loot. You can fail this and get nothing.

Fun game and worth a try. You can grab the COMPLETE version of this game with all expansions, addons and DLC usually for $20 and the 1st month is free. Recommended for die hard old school Final Fantasy players.

The best MMO I have ever played. So much detail and nostalgia in this game I don't even know what to say. Been playing since early 2008 on the 360. I enjoyed every moment of it back in the 75 level cap days. Way better than FFXIV imo. I know now it's a lot more easier and casual but still I enjoy this game just for the battlesystem and for the content they seem to be pumping out every other month, Also probably one of the best soundtracks for an MMO I have ever heard as well.

I started this game sometime in 2005. Since then I have had an on again, off again relationship with it. It was my first true mmo, and because of that, it will always have a special place in my heart. I decided to give it another try with a new character a few weeks ago, and I am having more fun than ever. If you haven't experienced this game yet, and are a fan of the final fantasy series, this is a must play.

I've been playing this game since 2003 and I still have an active subscription. Why? I am in love with Vana'diel and it's a home away from home, and a constant in my life. I know that my character will be there even if I take an extended hiatus, and that the current dev team has made the quality of life in the now-senior game to make things much less time-consuming for its players; players who mostly started in their teens and early 20s, myself included, who now have full life commitments. There's more in this game than I will ever be able to see or do I'm happy just logging in to chat with friends I've had for ages or go out on a bard-battling adventure with my trust NPCs.