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I wanted to see some posts of what people think are the top 10 things you should try to do on FFXI as soon as possible!

1. Get Chocobo licence
2. Get Mission 5 in home nation
3. Get fishing skill up
4. get cooking skill up
5. get WHM up high enough to get the teleports.
6. Do the lure of the wildcat quests for Aht Teleports
7. unlock as many jobs as you can, but level 1 to max
8. Find a good farming spot to waste time in
9. Find a good linkshell with nice people in it who will do stuff with you and you can do with them! (do with them is important)
10. Do your mog house quests as soon as you can get the reputation

I would love to add gobbybags in there but not sure where to put them...

my only other bit of advice would be
dont rush towards end game, stop and smell the flowers for as long as possible, because once you hit the ceiling the only way is backwards.
and Try do as much as you can yourself rather than get someone else to do it all with you. It will mean more that YOU acomplished it rather than you and the 5 lvl 75's who Pl'd you there... (trust me it means more).


NOW what do you think are the most important things to do in FFXI???

This is not as starting out, but just to do period:

1. Level your first job to 18 for subjob
2. Level a starter job (meaning 1 of the 6) to 30 to start advance jobs
3. Chocobo license
4. Kazham airship pass
5. Lure of Wildcat quests (all 3 nations & jeuno)
6. Learn a craft & level it
7. Get an emperor band
8. Make friends, get a linkshell or many
9. Kill all creatures, best way to get more conquest points that you can use to get goodies, such as instant warp scrolls & instant raise scrolls
10. Get signet from your homenation all the time before you leave or get it in Jeuno before you leave on you adventure.

This list is in no particular order.

1. Lvl the job you want to play as to 18.
2. Unlock subjobs at 18.
3. Lvl the subjob of the job you want to play as to 37.
4. Find a Linkshell while in Jeuno at lvl 20+.
5. Get help with missions for airship pass.
6. Get Chocobo license at lvl 20.
7. Get Kazham key at lvl 24-25.
8. Unlock advance jobs at lvl 30+.
9. Get access to Aht Urghan at lvl 30+.
10. Get access to WotG areas at lvl 30+.

Then you should be good until lvl 50 where you start the Limit Break quests.

Top 10 eh? In no particular order.... Okay, Well maybe in a particular order...

1. Crag crystals.
2. Sub-job.
3. Choco license.
4. Airship Access.
5. Unlock ninja. (You will probably need it as a sub for ANY job, eventually.)
6. Find source of income. (Farming spot, crafting, etc.)
7. Get ToAU access.
8. Max inventory. (Safe, Locker, Gob Bag, Storage.)
9. Level 75 job. (With necessary subs all to 37.)
10. Dynamis/Sky/Sea access.

Perhaps most importantly is a good linkshell. The sooner, the better. They can help you with anything you miss and help you with things to make the going easier.

Recommended extras:
SAVE YOUR BST and KINDRED SEALS!
If you can spare the room, keep all unwanted drops to sell to npc.
Outposts.
Always remember Signet, Sigil, or Sanction.
Rank Up!
Learn the repeatable quest/s for each nation/territory and max your fame.
Always keep powders and oils on you once you can afford them.
Obtain an xp ring.
Research your food and make use of it in parties!
Quest the portal charm for the 3 mage door in Windurst!
Unless you're blm or sub blm, keep a warp cudgel or warp scroll on you at all times!
Skill up parties are niiice.
Learn what certain mobs aggro to by heart. (rofl)

I'll edit if I think of something else. (lol)

1) Start out in Windurst city
2) Make a tarutaru character (Yes, tarus will rule the world!)
3) Start out as a black mage so you can later manaburn the world with all the other tarutaru black mages
4) Talk to every single NPC in the city so you can learn about the game and start out dozen of quests (Yes, I did this when I was new to the game and started out. It took me a few hours to do this...)
5) Run outside of the city to fight, but run straight to a tough Yagudo, not knowing it's a tough, and it kills you instantly, causing you to home point. (Later on you can get your revenge)
6) Allow random people to give you free gil/items and give you a linkshell
7) Run around as a noob asking for free gil in your bazaar comment but later finding out that people hate those who do that so please avoid doing it in the first place!
cool Wear gimp to nothing gear in exp parties
9) Unlock your subjob but later you do not lvl your subjobs to catch up to your main job, only to be told that you should lvl your subjob.
10) Become an uber player, reaching a lvl 75 job after a few months... and that's when FFXI really begins...

Just to let you all know. I started FFXI back in August of 2005 as a tarutaru rdm in Windurst. I quit the game just last month. I accomplished a lot in that game, but the game is sort of dying, but I still hope it'll continue even with the new FFXIV coming out, so that maybe one day I'll return to it.