So I've been really itching to play an MMO the last month or two and just haven't found one I wanted to play.  I tried a lot of the free browser based ones and they just didn't do much for me and I didn't want to start WoW again because I'm still a little upset about being banned when I hadn't even logged in for a month or two and I didn't love it in the first place.

Then last week I saw a new program they're doing with FFXI where you can get old characters back!  I thought this was great because I had always wanted to play FFXI again but I didn't want to start over and previous attempts to get my character weren't so good.

So I do their little application thing and all I see are mules and characters I created day one trying to get on a certain server.  Major suck.

I talked to technical support and they said I was just unlucky I couldn't get my main character back and that right there put away all hopes of my ever returning to FFXI again.  I told my old linkshell with a heavy heart that it looked like I really couldn't come back but one of them suggested trying to talk to one more person since I never really asked for a reason why I couldn't get those specific characters back.

I was fine with I'm just unlucky but I didn't have much better to do so I tried and got through to someone almost immedietly.  He said the same thing-- I was just unlucky but there was the very off chance I could reactivate my content ID and that *might* get my characters back.  The only hitch with that is that I would have to pay $12.95 (monthy charge) whether I get my character or not.

I debate a little while and decide, what the Hell, and tried it.  To my complete overjoyment, I see my character!  I click to log into the game and then starts the grueling 10 hour update (it is a seven year old game and I was playing off of original discs >_>).

A good 10 hours later I'm sucked back into the FFXI and I'm loving it!

I had thought the game was dying but it's still very much alive.  It's not as full as it once was, but the noobs who don't really try and the RMT's are pretty much gone leaving the dedicated players.

So yeah, I'm sucked into FFXI again.  -_-

Are Dragoons still useless and shunned? I swear that game gave me a complex.

It is still very much alive and I guess it's because there's such a sense of community and people really enjoy playing with each other. My bf still plays it (though less now that I'm with him).

I didn't get a chance to really get into it but I guess I will once FFXIV comes out.

Final Fantasy XI is a very good game, but with the recent FFXIV announcement, me and my friend broke the rules and sold are accounts. But hey, we got a PS3 and 360 out of it, so who cares. :D

I played XI for close to 5 years, and had a blast with it. I am very interested to see what XIV will bring us.

They deserved to be shunned for all time after those stunts Kain pulled. It's been almost 20 years, and I still can't get over that shit.

loldrg.  Not sure, I know they're done a lot of job adjustments (though still not much for SMN ;_;).

And yeah, FFXIV is what really pushed me to try to get into FFXI again.  I consider this my last hurrah for FFXI and I'm going to start FFXIV day one (and hopefully sooner if I can get into the beta).

Dragoons are ok, if you know how to use them well. Drg/blu is an insane combo for soloing. But their have been some recent job adjustments granting some insane new abilities to certain jobs. Especially White Mage. They were great at soloing before, but now they are gods.

The new expansions they have been releaseing for 10 dollars is giving us INSANE benefits to.

I never played it but i was tempted.

Would you recommend it to someone new to MMO's?

Actually I wouldn't, I would tell you to wait for FFXIV.

FFXI is, in my honest opinion, the greatest MMO out there but it is not beginner friendly.  Someone who is starting new, knows what they're doing, and already has old higher level friends can start new and do well, but someone starting completely from scratch at this point in the games life will have an incredibly difficult time.

The game requires an insane amount of knowledge for each job, requires a huge time commitment for even low level parties, requires you to have top tier (or near top tier) equipment at each level, requires you to have a lot of money, and requires you do most everything in a group and that just isn't easy for someone starting completely new.

I believe they still offer a free 10 day trial but I'm just warning you it will be incredibly tough.  You would really be better waiting for FFXIV.

-edit-

Also, if you're new to MMO's, this is a pretty unforgiving game.  You have to rely on other people, you have to be good at your job, and you will be punished for mistakes.  FFXI isn't WoW where dying is no big deal and you can make it to level 75 in a month without trying or talking to another person, FFXI is actually pretty difficult for the most part.

Ahh, in that case il just wait for FF14.

Thanks for the info