Lets take a video apart and see what we can learn from it.

Watch this video, I shall take it apart in this post and write about what we can see in it.



Ok, good now I'm going to take it apart and look into what we have just seen in a bit more detail.

1) Rank and Power.

One of the first things we get to see on the video is the players Rank and Physical level.  Now Physical Level gives you stats. Rank level gives you proficiency and skills, Gear is limited by your skill rank.  In other words, same thing as weapon proficiency's in FFXI in essence, except that you have an actual level meter to measure how much time between skill levels.

2) The Secrets of the Stone.

Accessing the stone brings up this menu.  The first two options should really explain themselves.  By using 'guardian favor' during a quest, you can receive a buff. View faction standings should also be pretty clear to anyone that played FFXI (Go on the Bastok!). The last option will tell you about certain stats in the game, for example Fire melts ice, but is extinguished by wind and Ice obstructs wind, but is melted by fire.

It gives the low down on all the element and player stats in the game so it's something to read if you are unsure of anything stat related.

3) Pick a quest, any quest.

After initiating a guild leve, this menu pops up.  Put bluntley, this is a list of all the quests that are available at this time in this area.

Pick one and be on your way!  Although it looks like the translation dept at Square-Enix has not lost its sense of humour.  You have a reference to a retro game, a Prince song, an old poem, a 1950 British Play and the Flintstones.

Oh those pranksters at Square-Enix, they are just too much!

Anyway once you select which quest that you would like to do then another window pops up with some more information on it.

 This box has more setails about the quest that you have just selected.
How much Gill you will earn from the quest, who gave you the quest, what class the game recomends that you should be to undertake the quest, where the quest will take place, what you have to do to complete the quest and how long you have to do the quest.

All pretty useful information really, but once you commence the quest you get another window appear, and this is something that I think really sets FFXIV apart from other MMORPG's on the market and thst is this.

You now choose the size of the group that shall be undertaking the quest.  You can pary from 1-15 people, two stars is 2-4 people, three is 5-6, four is 6-11, five is 12-15.
Clearly a harder difficulty level will bring you a better reward.  For the question shown here on solo level you will be rewarded with Guardian points. 

Which as I wrote eariler, will allow buffs to be cast upon you as you do the quest that you have selected.
Maybe harder settings will give more points or even better items.



4) Thats an Airship!




The more eagle eyed viewer may of spotted this the first time around, but if not look again in this cut down video.
See that in the sky?  Look at the way it moves across the sky.  You know what that is?  Thats an Airship!  The prefered mode of transport from FFXI makes its return in FFXIV.

5) Marked Mobs.

Just in case you didn't read whjat you had to do in the guild leve, thje mobs you have to kill are marked with a special icon by there name.  The little icon means that they are the prey for the quest that you are on.  Simples!

6) I've got the skills.

I have writetn aleady about Rank skill an physical skill, well killing mobs will give you points towards these, as you can see in this picture.  To be honest, being an MMORPG that was really a given but it is intresting to see just how many points are awarded for killing mobs

Ok well that is the end of this post, I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed the beer I drank while I was writting it.  Bye bye!