My first real MMORPG, I was in my young teens, I was lonely, I was home schooled... It was a huge part of my life. Even before it launched - I had a group of internet buddies I used to talk to on the IGN message boards. We played PSO on Dreamcast first, then Halo on PC eventually, and when this game was pending release in the US we simply could not wait. They released the benchmark program and we ran it so many times, and people made sample character creators and we used to build chars for hours and try to decide what we'd be. Months of anticipation made me fall in love with the game before I ever even played it. That first time logging into POL and hearing the wind in the trees and the music. First time finally booting the game up... I started in San d'oria; Sandy for life! My first time stepping into Ronfaure, this music, the ambience, fighting worms and bunnies... My first weapon skill (dagger, Wasp Sting, Taru RDM) the first orc I ever saw who bodied me. First time feeling the satisfaction of fighting enemy types weak to your weapon. First time moving into La Theine Plains, running from elementals and realizing they literally wouldn't stop chasing you. First time making it to Valkurm because you had no choice but to escape from the elemental you aggrod with magic all the way at the Ronfaure border... First parties in Valkurm, huddling next to the exit so you could zone when you linked bunnies or dragonflies... Watching people train you with goblins and having to zone in the middle of an EXP chain... Thinking you'd never hit 20. First skill chains, first magic bursts... First boat ride out of Selbina (and that music tho.) First time making it to Jeuno, the brutality of Qufim... The excitement of what your LS buddies would say the next day when they saw you stayed up through the night and got into Japanese exp parties in Yuhtunga and got like 8 levels... Garlaige citadel bats... Eldime Necropolis skeletons... Getting your first multi-hit weaponskill, like Vorpal Blade or Hexa Strike. Being jealous of Monks and Warriors with their Azuran fists and Rampages, and of THFs for their Shark Bites and Dancing Edges. Getting AF1 armor... fighting Matt for level caps... Running Dynamis and never getting more than AF2 gloves lol. Getting your second set of AF, second round of Matt fights... Finally completing all of your subs plus the expensive BCNM spells (RDM/WHM/BLM/DRK). Knowing you could help with the big boy stuff now, the Tiamats, the Nidhoggs... That feeling of pride the first time someone in your LS could walk around Jeuno in a Kirin Osode that you helped get, even if you'd never get one. Damn. Nostalgia has made memories of this game inseparable from my adolescence. My LS leader eventually quit the game and joined the military, and the letters he sent me (wattup Az) from boot camp encouraged me to join the military too, a decision which has led to the rest of my life so far - career, family, house, etc. All tying back to this game, that linkshell, those friends, my room in my parents' house, my big comfy chair in front of my computer, and me with my whole life ahead of me. I went on to play FF14 a whole bunch later, and it was good in different ways, but nothing was ever this. Most likely nothing will ever be this again. I even tried current FFXI a year or two ago but it'd changed so much I couldn't keep up. I was able to hit cap fairly quickly completely solo with my NPC party and exp rings but mostly it was just walking through and looking at ghosts and memories.
damn bro, reading this made me shed a few tears. i dont have exactly the same experience you did but a lot of it is similar. i have a so many fond memories of this game and everything that came with it.
Come back to XI. As someone who also played XI back in the glory days, I just played xiv for several years and got every craft and several jobs to cap. I’ve been back in XI for few months now and it’s so much better. Tons of QoL adjustments and just feels a lot better than xiv. Either way, cheers
Who remembers waiting for a Dunes party to form for an hour, then everyone getting wiped on the first hard shell crab fight and leaving the group? Oh those were the days. Brutal, but so much fun.
Omg were those the days brother 🤣🤣🤣🤣🥰🥰🥰 best game ever played online payed it from 2004-2007 and again on PC and Xbox 360 back in the day I first played FFXI on PS2 when it first came out my buddy used to always read the magazines about final fantasy 11 coming out in the classes and jobs they would have and he had it all planned out he wanted to be a Red mage and that level 30 go to Black mage for a little bit and then become a dragoon and a dragoon was badass oh God I miss those days being a blade at night mountain dew Hot pockets playing up all night God those were the days I've been thinking about using my computer to do that again it's been a long time brother
One hour waiting to form the party and half hour for people to get to the Dunes hahaha. Such an amazing game and great memories. I feel so nostalgic whenever I listen to this, life was much easier then.
Gosh man this game , this starting zone, the nostalgic is real. After this game I had never ever experience another game like this in my life, this game took over my life man at that time, I remember waking up with the keyboard on my face and having like 3 jpn and Chinese dictionaries to communicate with parties, so glad I was part of this experience.
This game had a way to just take you "i just wanna get one more item... one more party.... I wanna play for another hour" I remember playing even when I was dead tired lol
This song makes me so emotional more than any other FFXI song. The game, the community, the long grind. Such great memories. I play FFXIV now and don't get me wrong, I love that game and the music, but FFXI was an unforgettable era and one that can't be replicated
For real I think the move from menu's and auto attacks to going crazy with focus on your rotation takes away from the somewhat slower pace, but more communicative interactions of XI... Where (I believe) the feeling of connectedness is what made the game even better.
I absolutely agree to your thoughts on this, FFXI has something deep that no other game is able to replicate. I don't know if magic exists, but if so, a big part was put in the Vanadiel creation.
My favorite game of all time I miss everything I remember nobody wanted to log off or they might miss something the music the adventures the people was truly amazing 👏
The righteous West Ronfaure, I know this map. I had 75 to 95 attempts on Jaggedy-Eared Jack. A monster that drops an item. I never got the drop, I had to move on to do end-game. I remember feeling the blood vessels popping while watching others confirm the drop
This is the zone I want to spend my final moments in this game in if they ever decide to shut the game down for good. I know it's not the prettiest or most memorable but it's still the most important place in my heart. Edit/Confession (12/16/22): I never got to play FFXI back in its early days. I did try out ffxi private servers in their early days and did eventually play retail proper in 2017, but even then I did start in Bastok instead of Sandoria. A part of me has always had such envy for the old guard who got to be there at the beginning no matter the pain and hardships it caused. I have come close to emulating that experience with some of the era-like private servers, but I know it's not truly the same. That being said, this song still fills me with a nostalgic longing, even if it's for something I was never there to see. I may have started Bastoker, but I am a San d'Orian true and true.
Fell asleep to this music so much it's engrained in my head. Final log out was jeuno ah sold my account to gilsellers. Realized your friends made the game not the game so when they stopped logging on I stopped. when my linkshells schedule conflicted and I couldn't get help to get high tier items it was either level another job in demand or quit. 75 war drk bst asura server rip British knights
It is the most important place to be truly I remember back in the day 2003 when I was deciding to be rather be bad stock Sandy oria or winhurst but above all I always chose Sandy God if I have some great great weeks on there oh my God so much fun I remember when I turned level 24 going to velcro dunes oh s*** got those days and then after when you reach like 25 26 you go to kufim God do I miss that dude I think I need to start saving up and get that game again oh God that was the best game ever played next to world of Warcraft and Halo wars cuz they were like real time strategy and MMOs in that kind of way for Halo wars I always love role-playing games
My tears are running and can't stop it. So good memories, i would die for a remaster of this game and a solo version or like diablo 3 like people can join whenever. But SE dont belive it will sell or worth it. I m so sad, i will always dream and wait for a version. I have nothing but hope!
@@cd-jk4rh it was reverse engineered and coded by hand, they dont have the original code. its all guesswork.. However eden is the best private server that captures old FFXI in its hayday. Most accurate server there is.
The devs timed the chocobo ride music. So by the time you make it close to a home country or to Jeuno the music would begin to play. In terms of immersion FFXI was an MMO done right. 👌🏼
I don't play this game anymore... But I remember my days as a San d'Orian Tarutaru! Grinding the early levels in this area was such a fun time, thanks to this music.
My journey started in Sandy back in 2007. A little late to the (party), no pun intended. I miss those days. There was something magical about Vana'd'iel, it can't be explained. Those who were there can't explain, and those not there wouldn't understand. Working your way slowly to lv75, learning your job's role in a party, collecting sub job items first go round, Ma'at fight being a rite of passage, colibri parties, skill up parties, man. It all ended for me March 31, 2016 when Square Enix dropped 360 support. I could fall right back into the gameplay today, 8 years later. I'd spend my first day rewriting pages of macros, maybe do some fishing, do some cooking, but I've lost access to my account. Every job was lv99 except for like 2-3. Fishing was 100, what a joy it was to finally hit that. Cooking 110. Man, I wanna play this game so bad. Monies are tight, can't afford a pc. Maybe one day. Long live Vana'd'iel!!!
This was the first time that I heard (or at least noticed) ambient sound in a game. Hearing the wind blow through the trees while this played was so immersive!
Check out the Eden Private server! It only goes to level 75, and only has the first 3 expansions. :) Make sure you bring a friend - the start is a struggle when flying solo!!
final fantasy is the only game series that can make me cry just from hearing the music lol. Maybe the real Final Fantasy was the friends we made along the way.
Never played the game, but I fell in love with this song thanks to Theatrhythm. It's the kind of song you can listen for hours without getting bored, perfect for an MMO, I reckon.
So much amazing music in this game, I feel sorry for you not having played it. I think almost every ffxi will attest to the everlasting feel this game left on them. It's Like a love people feel for humans. Can't explain it in words tbh
@@MrVavant Nice! beastmaster was my first job to 75 when I started. Long long time ago! I loved Courier carrie! she could never hit Kirin but she tried for 2 hours straight when I got into an endgame linkshell xD
Gustaberg had the most lit track but I'm bastok biased. Theyre all great. The first memory this brought was leveling sch to 37 for my drk PvP sub. 2008 ish
My first real MMORPG, I was in my young teens, I was lonely, I was home schooled... It was a huge part of my life. Even before it launched - I had a group of internet buddies I used to talk to on the IGN message boards. We played PSO on Dreamcast first, then Halo on PC eventually, and when this game was pending release in the US we simply could not wait. They released the benchmark program and we ran it so many times, and people made sample character creators and we used to build chars for hours and try to decide what we'd be. Months of anticipation made me fall in love with the game before I ever even played it. That first time logging into POL and hearing the wind in the trees and the music. First time finally booting the game up...
I started in San d'oria; Sandy for life! My first time stepping into Ronfaure, this music, the ambience, fighting worms and bunnies... My first weapon skill (dagger, Wasp Sting, Taru RDM) the first orc I ever saw who bodied me. First time feeling the satisfaction of fighting enemy types weak to your weapon. First time moving into La Theine Plains, running from elementals and realizing they literally wouldn't stop chasing you. First time making it to Valkurm because you had no choice but to escape from the elemental you aggrod with magic all the way at the Ronfaure border... First parties in Valkurm, huddling next to the exit so you could zone when you linked bunnies or dragonflies... Watching people train you with goblins and having to zone in the middle of an EXP chain... Thinking you'd never hit 20. First skill chains, first magic bursts...
First boat ride out of Selbina (and that music tho.) First time making it to Jeuno, the brutality of Qufim... The excitement of what your LS buddies would say the next day when they saw you stayed up through the night and got into Japanese exp parties in Yuhtunga and got like 8 levels... Garlaige citadel bats... Eldime Necropolis skeletons... Getting your first multi-hit weaponskill, like Vorpal Blade or Hexa Strike. Being jealous of Monks and Warriors with their Azuran fists and Rampages, and of THFs for their Shark Bites and Dancing Edges. Getting AF1 armor... fighting Matt for level caps... Running Dynamis and never getting more than AF2 gloves lol. Getting your second set of AF, second round of Matt fights... Finally completing all of your subs plus the expensive BCNM spells (RDM/WHM/BLM/DRK). Knowing you could help with the big boy stuff now, the Tiamats, the Nidhoggs... That feeling of pride the first time someone in your LS could walk around Jeuno in a Kirin Osode that you helped get, even if you'd never get one. Damn. Nostalgia has made memories of this game inseparable from my adolescence. My LS leader eventually quit the game and joined the military, and the letters he sent me (wattup Az) from boot camp encouraged me to join the military too, a decision which has led to the rest of my life so far - career, family, house, etc. All tying back to this game, that linkshell, those friends, my room in my parents' house, my big comfy chair in front of my computer, and me with my whole life ahead of me.
I went on to play FF14 a whole bunch later, and it was good in different ways, but nothing was ever this. Most likely nothing will ever be this again. I even tried current FFXI a year or two ago but it'd changed so much I couldn't keep up. I was able to hit cap fairly quickly completely solo with my NPC party and exp rings but mostly it was just walking through and looking at ghosts and memories.
Can check out EdenXI for the most accurate recreation of FFXI in the Treasure of Aht Urghan era. :) Best server there is.
damn bro, reading this made me shed a few tears. i dont have exactly the same experience you did but a lot of it is similar. i have a so many fond memories of this game and everything that came with it.
Come back to XI. As someone who also played XI back in the glory days, I just played xiv for several years and got every craft and several jobs to cap. I’ve been back in XI for few months now and it’s so much better. Tons of QoL adjustments and just feels a lot better than xiv. Either way, cheers
Who remembers waiting for a Dunes party to form for an hour, then everyone getting wiped on the first hard shell crab fight and leaving the group? Oh those were the days. Brutal, but so much fun.
i still remmeber collecting the items for the subjob task, being easier to get a party if you had a subjob war/whm to make up for weak healers lol
Omg were those the days brother 🤣🤣🤣🤣🥰🥰🥰 best game ever played online payed it from 2004-2007 and again on PC and Xbox 360 back in the day I first played FFXI on PS2 when it first came out my buddy used to always read the magazines about final fantasy 11 coming out in the classes and jobs they would have and he had it all planned out he wanted to be a Red mage and that level 30 go to Black mage for a little bit and then become a dragoon and a dragoon was badass oh God I miss those days being a blade at night mountain dew Hot pockets playing up all night God those were the days I've been thinking about using my computer to do that again it's been a long time brother
@@bullythechug6438 man do I remember that u def needed a subjob to even be considered a member to party with and if they had any value
One hour waiting to form the party and half hour for people to get to the Dunes hahaha. Such an amazing game and great memories. I feel so nostalgic whenever I listen to this, life was much easier then.
@@paulasc9777 A test of patience for sure but felt so rewarding and exciting!
Gosh man this game , this starting zone, the nostalgic is real. After this game I had never ever experience another game like this in my life, this game took over my life man at that time, I remember waking up with the keyboard on my face and having like 3 jpn and Chinese dictionaries to communicate with parties, so glad I was part of this experience.
I would play till 2am sometimes then get up at 6 to go to work, get home and repeat haha. Good times
Fell asleep in so many parties, especially crawlers nest secret cave
This game had a way to just take you "i just wanna get one more item... one more party.... I wanna play for another hour" I remember playing even when I was dead tired lol
This song makes me so emotional more than any other FFXI song. The game, the community, the long grind. Such great memories. I play FFXIV now and don't get me wrong, I love that game and the music, but FFXI was an unforgettable era and one that can't be replicated
For real I think the move from menu's and auto attacks to going crazy with focus on your rotation takes away from the somewhat slower pace, but more communicative interactions of XI... Where (I believe) the feeling of connectedness is what made the game even better.
Nothing like it now. It was really amazing being in a group and have full conversation with people you never meet and forming bonds.
I absolutely agree to your thoughts on this, FFXI has something deep that no other game is able to replicate. I don't know if magic exists, but if so, a big part was put in the Vanadiel creation.
The early game of FFXI had a simplicity to it, right down to the music, that I feel has been sorely missing from FFXIV for a long time.
Running around killing rabbits and worms with the promise of grander adventure just around the corner...I really miss it
Hearing this music and getting absolutely abolished by a goblin fisher. Ah, the memories.
My favorite game of all time I miss everything I remember nobody wanted to log off or they might miss something the music the adventures the people was truly amazing 👏
The righteous West Ronfaure, I know this map. I had 75 to 95 attempts on Jaggedy-Eared Jack. A monster that drops an item. I never got the drop, I had to move on to do end-game. I remember feeling the blood vessels popping while watching others confirm the drop
This is the zone I want to spend my final moments in this game in if they ever decide to shut the game down for good. I know it's not the prettiest or most memorable but it's still the most important place in my heart.
Edit/Confession (12/16/22): I never got to play FFXI back in its early days. I did try out ffxi private servers in their early days and did eventually play retail proper in 2017, but even then I did start in Bastok instead of Sandoria. A part of me has always had such envy for the old guard who got to be there at the beginning no matter the pain and hardships it caused. I have come close to emulating that experience with some of the era-like private servers, but I know it's not truly the same. That being said, this song still fills me with a nostalgic longing, even if it's for something I was never there to see. I may have started Bastoker, but I am a San d'Orian true and true.
Same, anytime I want to relax I find this sound track.
I still miss this game so much. Last time I logged on all my friends were gone and my server was basically empty. Was a sad moment.
that is the power of music.
Fell asleep to this music so much it's engrained in my head. Final log out was jeuno ah sold my account to gilsellers. Realized your friends made the game not the game so when they stopped logging on I stopped. when my linkshells schedule conflicted and I couldn't get help to get high tier items it was either level another job in demand or quit. 75 war drk bst asura server rip British knights
It is the most important place to be truly I remember back in the day 2003 when I was deciding to be rather be bad stock Sandy oria or winhurst but above all I always chose Sandy God if I have some great great weeks on there oh my God so much fun I remember when I turned level 24 going to velcro dunes oh s*** got those days and then after when you reach like 25 26 you go to kufim God do I miss that dude I think I need to start saving up and get that game again oh God that was the best game ever played next to world of Warcraft and Halo wars cuz they were like real time strategy and MMOs in that kind of way for Halo wars I always love role-playing games
My tears are running and can't stop it. So good memories, i would die for a remaster of this game and a solo version or like diablo 3 like people can join whenever. But SE dont belive it will sell or worth it. I m so sad, i will always dream and wait for a version. I have nothing but hope!
SE said that they dont have a copy of game in its original state. That is why SE wont make a classic edition.
@@TheWiiplay how do all these private servers and progressiosn servers have it?
@@cd-jk4rh it was build from scratch search up project dark star.
@@cd-jk4rh it was reverse engineered and coded by hand, they dont have the original code. its all guesswork..
However eden is the best private server that captures old FFXI in its hayday. Most accurate server there is.
I can still relive this era on EdenXI.
So much nostalgia that it hurts! Reminds me of happier days.
this is and will always be home
The devs timed the chocobo ride music. So by the time you make it close to a home country or to Jeuno the music would begin to play. In terms of immersion FFXI was an MMO done right. 👌🏼
On the hunt for Jaggedy-Eared Jack!
I don't play this game anymore... But I remember my days as a San d'Orian Tarutaru!
Grinding the early levels in this area was such a fun time, thanks to this music.
Funny how this video can make me so happy and sad at the same time.
We were so young.
My journey started in Sandy back in 2007. A little late to the (party), no pun intended. I miss those days. There was something magical about Vana'd'iel, it can't be explained. Those who were there can't explain, and those not there wouldn't understand. Working your way slowly to lv75, learning your job's role in a party, collecting sub job items first go round, Ma'at fight being a rite of passage, colibri parties, skill up parties, man. It all ended for me March 31, 2016 when Square Enix dropped 360 support. I could fall right back into the gameplay today, 8 years later. I'd spend my first day rewriting pages of macros, maybe do some fishing, do some cooking, but I've lost access to my account. Every job was lv99 except for like 2-3. Fishing was 100, what a joy it was to finally hit that. Cooking 110. Man, I wanna play this game so bad. Monies are tight, can't afford a pc. Maybe one day. Long live Vana'd'iel!!!
Man.......... this is how the game was meant to be seen/heard.
This was the first time that I heard (or at least noticed) ambient sound in a game. Hearing the wind blow through the trees while this played was so immersive!
Good times this game was all i needed. They needa remaster version asap everybody starts level 1and fresh
Check out the Eden Private server! It only goes to level 75, and only has the first 3 expansions. :) Make sure you bring a friend - the start is a struggle when flying solo!!
final fantasy is the only game series that can make me cry just from hearing the music lol. Maybe the real Final Fantasy was the friends we made along the way.
Never played the game, but I fell in love with this song thanks to Theatrhythm. It's the kind of song you can listen for hours without getting bored, perfect for an MMO, I reckon.
So much amazing music in this game, I feel sorry for you not having played it. I think almost every ffxi will attest to the everlasting feel this game left on them. It's Like a love people feel for humans. Can't explain it in words tbh
Best MMORRRPG meow has been in, in her whole lifetime, too
Thank you for this! you just made my day :))
Best game ever made needs a remaster
thank you for making this
Ahh, bring back memories :)
Windurst & Sarutabaruta coming up anytime soon?
Saruta soon hopefully, Windy not so soon :( no HD mods there yet.
@@vgambience8155 keep it up! Looking forword too it i played ff11 from apr 2004-2017(August) 2007-2017 was playing beast master lol :)
@@MrVavant Nice! beastmaster was my first job to 75 when I started. Long long time ago! I loved Courier carrie! she could never hit Kirin but she tried for 2 hours straight when I got into an endgame linkshell xD
@@vgambience8155 well i never used bst for anything at 75 in sky i wasnt aloud by my ls lol i did do void walker nm with 5 bsts tho even the t4 dragon
Nostalgia ♥️
Vana'd'iel. Oh how I miss thee.
man, thanks alot for posting this
Gustaberg had the most lit track but I'm bastok biased. Theyre all great. The first memory this brought was leveling sch to 37 for my drk PvP sub. 2008 ish
Gustaberg is my second favorite. It's so good!
Thanks for this :)
FF XIV is getting XI themed raids. I'm mad if they don't use this song.
Love this
Hunting bat wings while waiting for dune party.
Cait Sith forever!
Also taru sacrifice
loveeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee this
この場所は、画面左奥にAmanitaがpopするところではなかろうか
Ff11 been my home from apr 21st 2004 to Nov 2020 the range nerf to bst and the out of range bug made me quit been a bst for almost 16yrs
JEJ hunting anyone?
WHY DID I CLICK ONO THIS VIDEO? *furiously installs the game again* This timestamp tho...... ua-cam.com/video/a2hrfQbAdUs/v-deo.html
join private server CatsEyeXI