FFXI Classic - Playing on a Private Server 

One of my favourite things is listening to my boyfriend regale me with tales of FFXI. I've never played, but everyone who has, all seem to have such wonderful memories and stories, and such a love of the game! Your video was another testament to how loved this game is by the community. :D Really enjoyable watch!

I spent a crapload of time farming low level areas back in the day. Crawlers in Sarutabaruta (maybe lucking out with Fruit Punches and Mist Silk Cape drops), Goblin Weavers for cotton mats and wild onions, bees and saplings in Gustaberg, shrooms in Ronfaure, etc. Leveling THF was a godsend to make money, which was definitely a huge part of fun for me.

So much nostalgia rolling off this video! I really do hope this becomes a series so long as you're having fun playing on a private server. I must say, as much as I'm nostalgic for the days of old, I am equally not missing the brutality that was FFXI at its heyday. I've never tried playing on a private server, and unfortunately I don't really have the time to invest on a time-capsuled version of FFXI. I don't think it's an exaggeration to say that old-school FFXI was the most time-consuming grind I've ever played in my life. It made any supposed "grind" from any other game look tame by comparison. Since you're always talking about your experiences with FFXI throughout the years, I thought I'd share a story, too. I actually fully pre-ordered FFXI for the PS2 late 2002 and purchased the Brady Games FFXI Fall 2003 strategy guide when it originally came out. Because the game itself was pushed back to spring 2004, that meant I had months to pour over the guide and obsess on this game. Long before I set foot in Vana'diel, I had already determined to play as a Hume Red Mage beginning in the nation of Bastok. Memories of my early experiences in FFXI - from taking two days setting up the frustratingly confusing PlayOnline account, to setting foot in Gustaberg and fighting worms for the first time, to seeing the first mass aggro-train in Palborough mines consisting of every Quadav in the zone - are as vivid today as they were when they first occurred over a decade ago. As for what I'd change from back in 2004-2005, I'd say have the airships actually wait for you and not take off when you're two steps from boarding it. Better yet, if you're already in the boarding area, have the decency to ask the player if they'd like to hop on. I don't know how many times I was in a panic about missing an airship heading to Kazham, having spoken to the NPC stating the ship will depart soon, paid for the transportation, rushed through customs, only for the ship to start backing away right in front of my face. Suffice to say, missing an airship was the cause of much rage back in the day.

I've never nodded my head in agreement more than during this video. Love your videos man!!

I remember playing FFXI at the NA PS2 launch. It was my first MMO and everything was new. Going to La Theine Plateau for the first time was scary. It was so big compared to Ronfaure Forest, it was intimidating. I played some on Nasomi last year; it was neat to try and replicate those feelings again, but it'll never be quite the same. I took it as an opportunity to try things I never got to the first time. Play a different race, job, home nation, that sort of thing.

I really hope you continue and post more of your exp with private servers!

I'm the opposite to most people. In FFXI, I've always liked starting over with new characters. The experience of being a waste of skin and scavenging anything you can find to make a profit is pretty cool and compelling. And restarting with your knowledge on things is a fun project. This is also why roguelikes are my favorite game type of the time.

FFXI,EQOA,and PSO(gamecube) were my all time favorite games. i put in so much time in all of them and still never managed to get to max lvl/ endgame.

I'm very glad you tried this out. Eden and Nasomi are great experiences as the communities on these servers are great! the 1-10 exp is great that you cannot replicate on retail. Authentic Dunes parties you cannot reproduce on retail. I started on nasomi but quickly switched to eden as it seems like it is less buggy is better supported than nasomi which is ran by one guy.

Ohh my god dude when you said “the tunnel with the bats” I got the biggest grin. I don’t know how many times I died there like 16 years ago LOL. Such good times. Only game that I choke up watching videos about.

Just downloaded the stuff for the Eden server, can't wait to start it up tomorrow after work! I started FFXI back when it released in Japan, and then had to restart once I came back to the states. I never got to cap level on my NA account, got my WHM to about 52ish I believe. I've installed and activated my sub maybe once or twice in the past 5 years or so, but I just can't justify paying for MMO subs anymore. I have no issues starting over - I'll definitely need the refresher! Looking forward to this!

It is a lot of time, but I love every moment of it. It really does bring me back to the old days of this game.

I sold my Gil and character for like $5000 back in 2009 lololololol

Thanks for joining us on Eden, Huntin! That stream was fun. :D Hope you stick to it, we love our streamer community and are happy that there are more people playing with us!

One change for early FFXI that would have been a huge positive difference IMO would be level-sync. I still remember the very first party I level-sync'd into as a 50-60-some whitemage down to Gustav tunnel (whatever level that was?) and had a blast with some friends who I had never actually gotten to party with. I wasn't a fan of the abuse of syncing at very low levels (astral flow parties, etc.) but.... overall it was incredible.

I play on this private server also and have two level 75 characters , one 75THF and the other 75COR, it took me years to get where i'm at and it's indeed fun, but it's not the end result but the journey that makes this old MMORPG so much fun, and how difficult it is vs other modern MMORPGs

I loved this game purely for the grind, there really isn't any other game out there quite like it. Getting your professions maxed out had so much heartache after failing and losing a ton of mats, but when you finally made it through the mess the accomplishment was a wonderful feeling. This game will always have a special place in my heart.

When you asked what i would change on the older game, mounts and i would keep the books and i was glad to hear you mention it. those books were a life saver for solo and early grind. I remember looking ahead of what i may need as i level and what i could afford before i made the trip from sandy to selbina, weapons armor and spells. just so i can stay relevant and be helpful to any group who picked me up from sitting near the entrance to selbina with my flag up. And remember the time the mobs didnt despawn after chasing someone to a zone? lol many MPK people would train a large amount of mobs to the entrance to the zones or a BLM bring high level mobs to a group and then teleporting from with a WHM or somehow warping and leaving us to the horror. That's another change i would had kept in the old days when they made mobs despawn and not the old way of them walking all the way back to the area they came from.

Love this video idea, would be super fun to see you get to level 75 on the pvt server over the year or something. just taking it slowly.

Chills thinking about this again. I am glad it was not just a product of me being 13 years old and playing my first mmo. This game was really damn hard. Not just the combat but surviving. Farming by finding actual items and working with the AH.

9,000 subscribers! Congratz again bud. I gotta admit, I'm probably gonna check out Eden. I am very nervous about what if they close it but then again that is the same worry of retail.

Glad to see some ffxi. RDM elvaan from san d’oria Gilgamesh server here. I eventually quit when i run out of content and the lack of players. One thing i would change about the old ffxi? RMTs they made it a nightmare at times. I get nostalgic whenever i see or hear ffxi. Last time i looked at my /playtime it was over 450days and i never afked “was on dial up then satellite internet” For Vana’diel /cheer

I love playing on a private server. Yes there was the nostalgia aspect, but I also have managed to do all of those things that I never got the chance to do way back in the day. I've been playing on FFera for about 5 years now. I'm nearing rank 10 in all three kingdoms, finished Zilart and CoP again, hit 75 on all of the available jobs (except puppeteer, am stretching that one out), joined an hnm ls with all that's implied with that, capped all my crafting, got Maat's cap and the best thing, made new friends from around the world that enjoy the game like I do. I hope you continue to enjoy playing on Nasomi. There truly is something to be said about playing the game when 75 was cap.

You’re videos got me to reinstall FFXI after 10+ years. And the nostalgia of 75 cap is strong, but the one change Is like to hear from one of these private servers is that you don’t lose exp when you die. I could swallow all the other challenges of 75 cap XI, but not that one, it’s too time consuming and too stressful. Tried poking around some of the private server descriptions and did not see any mention of this kind of change, but I hope I’m wrong

I remember experimenting with pXI about 9/10 years ago and how much work they still had to do to make it playable. It's amazing to see that it's now possible to play what looks like a fully functioning FFXI. How much content is there though? Are things like RotZ, CoP all playable?

Oh the nostalgia. Starting at 1, with no friends to help would be a daunting task for sure. But, also a certain amount of excitement would consume me at that point. A couple changes I might make would be as follows: 1. Fields of Valor, as you suggested. 2. Access to all maps immediately, and free of charge, and/or without them being quest-locked, and yes, that includes the Crawler's Nest map (I know... I'm crazy...). 3. Maybe increase XP rate gained a bit. All of these come from exactly what your biggest concern seemed to be, time. For most of us that played retail back in the 75 cap era, life has changed pretty dramatically. Not only do I not have hours to sit and wait for a group... I don't have hours to get a level or two, if everything goes smoothly. As much as I love this game (as in currently love it, even though I haven't had a subscription to it for many years now), the time commitment is what keeps me from jumping back in.

Never played FFXI before but grew up on WoW and Lotro. I'd love to give this a try sometime though!

you made the right choice by playing on Nasomi. there's way more things that work and most importantly, the amount of players on the server. you'll get that classic ffxi experience when you're traveling to many different exp camps because some of the standard locations are full. eden is also full of players that were banned from Nasomi for cheating/exploiting/elitist/ect. i'll see you around Nasomi one of these days!

I tried out Nasomi a few years ago and I had fun for a while but I didn't even make it to Dunes before stopping. I had the same issue with JP farming in retail that made me stop playing. I just dont have the effort or care to give to a long grind anymore.

I loved starting fresh on nasomi. Having to save all rabbit hides and bat wings for some quick early gil to get me started. Trying to make sure I had multiple reason to go somewhere before making a big journey to jeuno, bastok or windy. Planning out and anticipating my next big step. Right now I finally got enough fame for nin scrolls and went to norg for 3 reasons. Brought elshimo outpost supplies so I can warp back, talking to an npc for nin quest and questing the 4-6 ninja scrolls. I'm still looking up which ones I need to quest xD norg fame 4 (Ready!)

2003-2004 FFXI needs Level Sync. Yes, the worst downside to it is that its easy to fall behind on your skill levels but the fact that you can jump into any party is amazing and if you enjoy the harder lvling jobs like drg, drk, smn and so on, it makes leveling them 1000% better. Its sad that it took untell WoTG before level sync came out.

I almost got up to the point where I could wear my V. Cloak on Nasomi. However... like you asked near the end of the video, I hit a wall; I kept thinking about the long term of things and preparations, and it got to me. I just didn't feel like logging on one day and that's what happened, I used to do BCNM's and fish in my downtime of not doing level cap quests, exp parties, etc. The dedication to just thinking of getting into an exp party or creating one is just too much sometimes. Eventually I went back into FFXIV and felt so relieved because there are a large number of activities you can do where you aren't beholden to the game for several hours, and it's fun content. I think once Shadowbringers comes out for FFXIV it'll be pushing the nail on the coffin really deep for any chance I have on returning to FFXI Nas soon. It was a good time nonetheless.

Private servers are amazing, I'd highly recommend Nocturnal Souls. It's got some crazy good settings!

I tried a private server, that I thought was pre-abyssea faithful, but it had a lot of bizarre additions, like free 9 hour super buffs, and weird teleporters that used the beetle enemy model dotted around everywhere, the accelerated xp was nice, but I didn't stick with it cause it just felt wrong.

I'd definitely follow this page if you kept this journey going. I ran this game full time in my life from ps2 release until 2012

OMG you brought back some memories lol. My first job was RDM and I died 3 times to Rabs in windurst lol cause I had now cure spells. So I to WHM and started kicking some but, Party invites were like crazy lol. But once I got the hang of the game by and got to lv 50 whm. I switched back to my RED and man I became a Refresh hog lol. But Valkurn OH The Horror. Lost or Running for your life lol. Thanks for the memories. This makes me want to go to a private server and start over. just not sure if it will get me kicked off the payed for game.

Takes me back to 04 wait 02?... can still remember 3 hours wait just for a party with a warrior with no taunt macros.

I made a friend on XI back in the day that, years later, hosted a private server. It wasn't made public though, as it was intended to just be a test project. Got to experience "GM" powers and hacks, which was interesting. Permanent Flee, teleportations, mob spawns, item spawns, infinite hp/mp, etc. Definitely would have been a great means to testing strategies or getting data on stuff. The only downside, which is pretty big, is that the server he hosted lacked certain mob abilities. Vrtra, for example, couldn't spawn the undead adds.

I started on Nasomi a while back; having no prior FFXI experience, it was a brutal beginning. I started as a WHM, thinking, "Oh yeah, healers are always wanted in MMO parties, right?" Little did I know I was making my start much more painful than it needed to be for a newb in an already punishing game, haha. I definitely want to eventually climb my way to my first 75, but I've actually been thinking of getting a retail sub, too, though, as you suggested. I've been thinking about that for awhile now. I'm sure I'm one of plenty of other people who'll say it, but let's {party} sometime on Nasomi! On that note, if anyone else reading this plays on Nasomi, /tell Haari!

I just started FFXI for the first time a couple of days ago, my only other experience with MMOs coming from Runescape. I am enjoying it so far, but the controls and command system feels a bit telling of the time of release. I'm sure I'll get a lot of fun out of it though, and I was kind of surprised to see that there were indeed other new players starting too.

You should look into Edenffxi! Also a private server. Started a few months ago and absolutely love it! Would be fun to play with you there 😁

You should have farmed Saplings in Gustaberg, and sell the Grain Seeds for 18,000 Gil / stack in the AH! :D That's what I did back in 2005, ohh all the memories! I love Vana'diel so much!

I leveled an RDM up to 10 (derping in King Ranperre's Tomb) on Eden. I didn't have too hard of a time but after hitting 10 i knew this is where the real game begins. It was hard to find low level groups which is a shame. The old school vibe is really addicting but the inevitable time sink of countless hours is really daunting. If the server had players in the thousands instead of hundreds, maybe getting a foothold in the server would be easier. It's a damn shame because the difficulty curve is fun. I'm glad the server exists though and the people behind it are actively making it a better experience (i mean it actually works really well) I really want to play there but man, i don't know if i have the time and patience (to wait for parties) I highly recommend the server as an experience at least. It was a different time and mind set and this is a chance to experience it all over again (in good and bad)

@Huntin 4 Games what server did you used, as your personal experience of a stable server, i've been meaning to play it with a lot of players and so and so

I think if the private servers were to merge and actually keep the things exactly like they were before it would be great. As for me I experienced the game for a bit twice, once up to level 59 then again up to level 80. The problem back then was to actually look for parties and find groups, but once you did your experience was amazing and rewarding. Even though I used to check how many active players were in the world several times while logged in and it used to show me “~2500” players, many other times over 4000... and many times you still had problems to find parties (hours) and took time do stuff,(I can’t imagine with a server with less than 1000 people), but was really fun, I met many great people that I’ve never met those kind of people in other mmos (ex: one person helped me once like for 4+ straight hours to do several difficult quest and that person didn’t even speak my language so we used to communicate by the in game translator a little and mostly by in game gestures). And so many other great experiences. This game is old and not that many new players are trying it out so it’s difficult to revive that experience since most new players are returning players that come back to finish the content/story they couldn’t before, and to try new things/new jobs, etc. This old experience could be SLIGHTLY revived if most private servers were to merge and leave the game how it originally was in my opinion. That could bring the population to a couple thousands connected at the same time, reviving that experience. I remember going to “valkurm dunes” and seeing like 10 parties at least fighting for experience. But as I see it now, it’s still a lonely place. So if you are going to solo most of the stuff I rather go retail. At least I get to experience all the new expansions, all the story, all the jobs I want that I didn’t try and all those things I always wanted to do but couldn’t because of lack of people. On private servers There are many changes that were not there and suddenly they decide to make which turn things upside down for many people. You cannot transfer your character in case you decide to go to another server or retail. And you could lose it anytime if square Enix or the developer decides to close down that server. So it’s nothing secure there. I can log it with my character I played in the early 2000s if I wanted on retail, and I know it will always be there. So if the private servers were to collaborate with each other that would change things but as it is now? I don’t think so. It is good to try them for a little though if you have a friend or group of people that you know will play with you constantly. Other than that Retail in my opinion.

My very first consistent income was bazaaring Insect Paste at 30g apiece (360g/stack) overnight outside the Mog House in Windurst Woods (pre-CoP). Waking up the next morning 3000g richer was a good night.

Come to think of your question... If they had actually made a good work out of our Adventuring Fellow early on, making it equivalent to current Trusts, but limiting it to 1 per player, then, maybe, those party of 3 PCs you’ve mentioned, each with their Fellows, would be possible without “breaking the game” or making it too easy.

I was always addicted to new jobs when I played FFXI, I understand this idea

i remember me and my brother buying this going home to play it, we both made a character and stood outside bastok killing bees, we couldn't understand why we couldn't see each other, we both laugh about it now we were on different servers, then we argued who was going to start again pmsl, miss those times.

There was a two year window when this game was magical for me. And it's not changes to the game or subsequent expansions or anything that made the magic fade. It was just the time in my life when I was playing. But there's no going back.

My 37WAR on Nasomi just waiting for me to come back. Although it has been like 2 years now and I'm pretty sure I wouldn't recognize anyone. I had a blast during my time on there though. I still keep tabs on how this server is updated.

We waited too long for this!

Personally I don't think XI live servers are like WoW at all, today's ffxi there are MORE options not less, jobs really gained more complexity and job identity with level 99 and job point system, trusts are one of the best battle NPC systems added to any mmo ever. WoW needed classic because the current game is less than vanilla its lost something, XI only gained imo.

6:04 Goblin: O shi--

You were the reason i got back to ff11 last year... now you'll be the reason why i will go try a private server !!..

One thing I would change is to get rid of playonline. Since we already have that change thanks to nasomi I would say.. balance the things with the game volume.

If you see an Elvaan RNG named Didgeron running around, give me a shout. There's solid population here, and it's a great way to recapture the old school feel.

I'm going to have to try to play on private servers again, the only one I've seen recently with a sustainable population is Nasomi and when I started on it a year ago or so it was buggy as hell in the nation areas tons of NPCs that didn't work or really out of place text, the DSP based ones I'd been on were better generally speaking but had maybe 50 people then petered out, I'll have to give it a shot again soon though hopefully he's made some more progress on it now, gotta be hard having deviated from DSP's source and working on it on his own

#NeverforgetValkurmeDunes , man i missed this game, it was like a Darksouls MMO lol it did not hold your hand, man best memories ever

For the lower lvls, you will make the best Gil in giddues

I so want to play it one more time. It's been 10years since I played. I still got my ps2 that I played on. I played it for 7years be for I stoped and went back to the real world. Lol

Awesome you are trying it out! I did this a little while back & ended up quitting. It was incredibly fun but...I just don't have the time to play a game like that any more. I was out in Yhoator Jungle fishing up forest carp while at work when I realized this was going to be a problem. Ripped off the band-aid & deleted my character before I could talk myself out of it. The main thing was that the server population just wasn't substantial enough to make for a good leveling experience. I see the population has gone up slightly since I've played, but for this type of game I think you need a lot more. Even playing whm or rdm I was struggling to find and put together groups. I'm just not willing to waste a weekend sitting around trying to gain a few levels in a game. Especially when xp bands were unusable most of the time. Also, I think the situation there for a new player in regards to gil is much more punishing than old school retail was. YMMV though.

Could you make a how to on private server creation? Ty. Only tuto ive found was kinda not clear.

Dang dude you should have farmed some bounding boots since you started in bastok anyway

Wow! Awesome to see you log onto Nasomi, and playing from the beggining! I've loved watching your videos, and it's what got me to start playing on Nasomi as I don't want to play in the 99 era. I'd love to party with you some times if we can. My IGN is Takelli if you are ever interested!

1:40 I SAY I'm listening to H4G but really I'm just staring at that tunnel worm.

Also Nasomi is a little worrying, the person in charge of doing things is pretty sketch. Eden is a solid second option. A bit smaller of a population but made up for with great management and less bugs.

I played on private server for a few weeks. It just made me want to play retail.

Great marketing campaign for FFXI in 2002: "Final Fantasy XI - Everything is Dangerous and Terrifying."

Got my first 75 (and 99) on Valhalla, then had to quit because people stopped partying, and the devs had strong opinions on Trust NPCs. Looks like they also completely changed the entire server since then. Whoops!

I just returned to FFXI after being away for 10+ years. It's funny, all these things you say are hardships and so awful I'm just thinking "uh, that's just the way it is, and I love it." LOL

2019, I'm 34. Mentally, I just couldn't slog through CoP again. Let alone making REM weapons.

13:12 for me basically it was once I got 60. after that the grind really becomes a bigger deal and I just dont have the time...nor am I really interested in spending a couple hours to gain 1 more lvl. Im running around in full AF NIN feeling like a badass casually camping NMs once in a while and im pretty content with that.

I started as an Elvaan Warrior on Nasomi and I didn’t have any major issues. I soloed until around 15 because I was farming to get those constant gear upgrades. I started as a white mage the first time I played FFXI and I was like “Yeah, I’m just going to wait to touch any mages.” Lol

I’m happy with how the game currently is. I love how much end game content we have right now in 2019

i'm so itching to go back to FFXI AGAIN

This is how I start this game in 2002 with my ps2 I took over 2 years to get 75 and solo for 1 year to lv 18. This was painfull but so fun people will no get it until they do it there is real magic in this game.

I love the game but I can't play more than 5 hares. I think playing with someone might help but I doubt it.

Please.... I REPEAT: P.L.E.A.S.E continue this for a few "episodes" Im begging. This is amazing, Stick with RDM or something out of the ordinary for you. Stay Hume. This is amazing.

I'm playing on Eden at the moment. Closing in on level 30 so I can unlock BST and get back to charming pets, since it has been pointless from retail since Abyssea for the most part.

HomepointXI is where it's at!

God I'd really would enjoy a stream archive youtube channel of you playing through vanilla XI. My net doesn't play well with twitch and it would be much easier to watch old content in order with yt playlists.

I play on Era, we used to be able to go into dynamis unlimitrd times a day, but then they made u have to sac a 100 pieces to re enter

Looks like fun.

Hi, sorry, im new in final fantasy XI i just want to know which is the easier way to play for free, without pay fee every month. The private servers is a way to play it for free or not? I also want to reach odin prime, defeat him and summon him after that, how can i do?

3:08 This is what is so sorely missing in today's games. Challenge. Everything is made to be a comical pushover, so that everyone can get those warm and fuzzy feelings in them. Pretty sad really. Also, the Nasomi server, is a pretty great community. Love that server.

The only wall i hit was getting level 30 and unlocking jobs. I REALLY wanted to be a Samurai or Ninja but i forgot how hard those NMs are... plus i dont have an active LS on Nasomi.. :(

Also dont forget ur promise badge from windy when u can get there lol

Where did you find a private server? I would love to play thus again.

I remember that starting as a mage was a bad idea. Not only you need to buy gear but also spells and your defence is paper and hardly any cc skills lol

ya low lvl is brutal in classic. It's both cool and uncool at the same time. I have fond memories of the gaming with groups to survive, but i couldn't do it today. It used to take HOURS to get pts. Also if this is a classic server, fish for gil-- the NPC prices for fish will be good.

I would prefer if they had the modern mount system in old XI, but not the aetheryte teleports etc. I know they had the chocobo whistle but you have to do chocobo raising and be over level 20, 5 mins cooldown etc. Also wish you could teleport to a crag without taxi'ing

All the feels FFxi forever

The one downside to playing on a private server like Nasomi or Eden is the lack of Homepoint Warps for me. I love old school FFXI private servers, but that addition would just make it so much better in my opinion

Loved the early versions of FF11, played on and off for a couple years. But now with a full time job, married and with a baby I’d have zero time for it. I don’t even have time for FF14

Ah man I just left nasomi for Eden. Been kewl to play with ya.

Did they increase movement speed in retail version at some point? Your character here seems to be slow--moving compared to what I'm used to seeing at normal speed.

Let's all make a pact to get together and play this when we're old and grey and retired. =)

I bet I could figure it out!

I tried Nasomi, it's FFXI hard mode. I did it once, I earned my FFXI easy mode (modded private server).