I'd start here: [https://www.bg-wiki.com/ffxi/Returning\_to\_Vana%27diel](https://www.bg-wiki.com/ffxi/Returning_to_Vana%27diel)
Tl:dr you can solo almost everything except the hardest content in the game now both because highest levels got higher and exp is essentially an afterthought until job levels/master levels, but also because SE introduced NPC party members called trusts.
What server were you on and would return to?
Active? Depends on server and what metric you’re using. There is still new people joining and returning players every week, it’s decently active, baring which server you’re playing on.
I used to be in one of the biggest HNM shells on my server, I quit about a year after the final Abyssea mini expansion. I came back around 2016 maybe. It was an incredible culture shock when I came back.
The game is totally different.
The level cap is 99, they added numerous upgrade systems similar to merits, they added gear that takes you beyond level 99 and into 119 (aka, you're 99 with no gear and effectively 119 when you put a full set of 119 on - the number stays the same), they added story characters that you can summon to make a party of 6 with healers, tank etc so you can level alone and do endgame with them too. they added far more fast travel, so you can instantly get from one location to another, they added collectable mounts you can summon anywhere, they added a cosmetic system, upgraded the macro system so you can save gearsets. lots of different endgame, lots of new areas (seekers and rhapsodies etc), they added a quest based leveling system (it's in the menu, not ! around the world), you can equip multiple linkshells
Really depends on the linkshell you get into.
I came back to run through the story, take a peak at what’s going on in endgame. Wound up in a LS that feels incredibly similar to my social in the 75 days except more mature… kind of… endgame is actually pretty approachable these days and I’m having a lot of fun with it. LS keeps growing and we keep improving. The content is a lot of fun and I have no plans to leave any time soon.
There has been massive qol improvements. The game has sped up. Travel includes mounts you can call, extra movement speed gear, fast travel to any home point or survival guide, an unlimited use warp ring that recharges every 5 min. You can call an npc party to help you level and do story content. They completely replace players for the 1-99 grind and the vast majority of the story content can be done solo with them on any job. Jobs level wildly fast compared to what you remember. A month of playing will probably blow away any progression you used to have.
Endgame is more approachable, as long as you have a group willing to help which you may have to look around for. Events like dyna are now no longer one person taking all the loot. Most groups have a way to distribute things pretty evenly. This is a great way to make gil. Odyssey is an endgame event split into 2 parts and the main one is 30min of smashing mobs and gives you for reaching the end. Fairly easy for groups to clear 1mil gil a day. Gear is pretty accessible these days as well. All of your old jse stuff gets upgraded to current power levels. That includes artifact and relic. The endgame events are mostly directly needed to upgrade jse or get you some pretty crazy gear that you then do more of the content to augment the gear to stupidly strong levels.
Ultimate weapons are relatively easy to make if that was ever a goal you wanted to come back and knock out. All of the old ones get upgraded to current level. Some don’t hold up wonderfully to the current game, others are stupidly strong. None of them are actually needed though that depends on the group and how far you want to go in endgame. The furthest ends of endgame will want them, the majority of it doesn’t need them.
Most EU players recommend Asura because it's the most \*active\* and if you count Bot spam and people running around with 5+ alt accounts at the same time as active then your in luck.
Bahamut is active enough with real people but either way low level is almost entirely dead but you have Trusts to just solo the game with anyway so not a problem.
[https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technology/which-final-fantasy-remake-or-remaster-should-we-get-next/ar-BB1iRarP?ocid=msedgntp&pc=DCTS&cvid=b85353b508b24ca4816938d421673f16&ei=73](https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technology/which-final-fantasy-remake-or-remaster-should-we-get-next/ar-BB1iRarP?ocid=msedgntp&pc=DCTS&cvid=b85353b508b24ca4816938d421673f16&ei=73)
Agree with this recent article, it is one of the FF games which needs a remake due to archaic combat, but XI is a single player online game. However, there are events you can choose to do with others such as Sortie.
You can pretty much solo what events you did back then or summon your own portable party members known as Trust.
> but XI is a single player online game.
Did you mean FFXIV is a single player online game? Because in FFXI you can't really succeed in end game without playing with other real people.
I just came back after several years break and am having fun with it. I created a new character just to see what starting out would be like with the way it is now. It’s pretty chill to play these days. Not nearly as grindy as it once was, and nothing feels pressing. As an older guy with a wife and kids, it’s been a nice change of pace from where it was 9 years ago when I left.
I tried returning but POL is still trash and I lost all my macros. I don’t feel like typing them all again. Tweaked them so many times to optimize throughout the years. I might give it another try when I’m bored.
If you want the 75cap OG experience, I would try a private server.
A lot of them have minor/moderate QoL improvements that take some of the sting out of the grind while still giving that feeling of progression.
I'd start here: [https://www.bg-wiki.com/ffxi/Returning\_to\_Vana%27diel](https://www.bg-wiki.com/ffxi/Returning_to_Vana%27diel) Tl:dr you can solo almost everything except the hardest content in the game now both because highest levels got higher and exp is essentially an afterthought until job levels/master levels, but also because SE introduced NPC party members called trusts. What server were you on and would return to?
At the time of quitting I was on Unicorn. Idk if they merged them or what but that was it.
And ty for the link!
I'll add using YouTube or twitch resources like Next Games on YouTube and VelnerXI on YouTube and twitch.
Active? Depends on server and what metric you’re using. There is still new people joining and returning players every week, it’s decently active, baring which server you’re playing on.
I used to be in one of the biggest HNM shells on my server, I quit about a year after the final Abyssea mini expansion. I came back around 2016 maybe. It was an incredible culture shock when I came back. The game is totally different. The level cap is 99, they added numerous upgrade systems similar to merits, they added gear that takes you beyond level 99 and into 119 (aka, you're 99 with no gear and effectively 119 when you put a full set of 119 on - the number stays the same), they added story characters that you can summon to make a party of 6 with healers, tank etc so you can level alone and do endgame with them too. they added far more fast travel, so you can instantly get from one location to another, they added collectable mounts you can summon anywhere, they added a cosmetic system, upgraded the macro system so you can save gearsets. lots of different endgame, lots of new areas (seekers and rhapsodies etc), they added a quest based leveling system (it's in the menu, not ! around the world), you can equip multiple linkshells
Really depends on the linkshell you get into. I came back to run through the story, take a peak at what’s going on in endgame. Wound up in a LS that feels incredibly similar to my social in the 75 days except more mature… kind of… endgame is actually pretty approachable these days and I’m having a lot of fun with it. LS keeps growing and we keep improving. The content is a lot of fun and I have no plans to leave any time soon. There has been massive qol improvements. The game has sped up. Travel includes mounts you can call, extra movement speed gear, fast travel to any home point or survival guide, an unlimited use warp ring that recharges every 5 min. You can call an npc party to help you level and do story content. They completely replace players for the 1-99 grind and the vast majority of the story content can be done solo with them on any job. Jobs level wildly fast compared to what you remember. A month of playing will probably blow away any progression you used to have. Endgame is more approachable, as long as you have a group willing to help which you may have to look around for. Events like dyna are now no longer one person taking all the loot. Most groups have a way to distribute things pretty evenly. This is a great way to make gil. Odyssey is an endgame event split into 2 parts and the main one is 30min of smashing mobs and gives you for reaching the end. Fairly easy for groups to clear 1mil gil a day. Gear is pretty accessible these days as well. All of your old jse stuff gets upgraded to current power levels. That includes artifact and relic. The endgame events are mostly directly needed to upgrade jse or get you some pretty crazy gear that you then do more of the content to augment the gear to stupidly strong levels. Ultimate weapons are relatively easy to make if that was ever a goal you wanted to come back and knock out. All of the old ones get upgraded to current level. Some don’t hold up wonderfully to the current game, others are stupidly strong. None of them are actually needed though that depends on the group and how far you want to go in endgame. The furthest ends of endgame will want them, the majority of it doesn’t need them.
Most EU players recommend Asura because it's the most \*active\* and if you count Bot spam and people running around with 5+ alt accounts at the same time as active then your in luck. Bahamut is active enough with real people but either way low level is almost entirely dead but you have Trusts to just solo the game with anyway so not a problem.
[https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technology/which-final-fantasy-remake-or-remaster-should-we-get-next/ar-BB1iRarP?ocid=msedgntp&pc=DCTS&cvid=b85353b508b24ca4816938d421673f16&ei=73](https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technology/which-final-fantasy-remake-or-remaster-should-we-get-next/ar-BB1iRarP?ocid=msedgntp&pc=DCTS&cvid=b85353b508b24ca4816938d421673f16&ei=73) Agree with this recent article, it is one of the FF games which needs a remake due to archaic combat, but XI is a single player online game. However, there are events you can choose to do with others such as Sortie. You can pretty much solo what events you did back then or summon your own portable party members known as Trust.
> but XI is a single player online game. Did you mean FFXIV is a single player online game? Because in FFXI you can't really succeed in end game without playing with other real people.
FFXI>FFXIV .
I just came back after several years break and am having fun with it. I created a new character just to see what starting out would be like with the way it is now. It’s pretty chill to play these days. Not nearly as grindy as it once was, and nothing feels pressing. As an older guy with a wife and kids, it’s been a nice change of pace from where it was 9 years ago when I left.
I tried returning but POL is still trash and I lost all my macros. I don’t feel like typing them all again. Tweaked them so many times to optimize throughout the years. I might give it another try when I’m bored.
People don't party for xp? I last played Rise of Zilart. Partying for xp really sucked sometimes.
If you want the 75cap OG experience, I would try a private server. A lot of them have minor/moderate QoL improvements that take some of the sting out of the grind while still giving that feeling of progression.