Returning Player Has Some Questions

i'm a returning player who has been on siren,remora,levi,titan and i've been gone for a few years (around right after the WoTG expansion missions came out acp/shantoto) i'm looking to return and unsure which server would fit me best... i do have 1-3 friends on levi (im currently on siren) i'm wondering if switching to levi would be a smart thing basically trying to catch up to where everyone is now... (i do know i have lots to catch up on so it will keep me busy) however i'm afraid when i come back would players be willing to help on levi basically getting done all the "new" things to me i'm not saying "help me help me and you wont get help" once im caught up to atleast "playable" aspect of things i'll always be willing to help anyone as much as i can.. just want to know really would levi be a good move for me? or any thoughts? i mean i am a really hard worker so i know i can accomplish the things i need to do if i even have the slightest help... and as for my jobs i have like 6-7 75s (left before the uncap) and everything else 30+.

also... are there any LS's out there that focus on or works on the lower end stuff? to help out a player like myself catch up.. and again, its not all about "me,me,me" or "help me and you wont receive" i dont even care about waiting for items or w/e just want to be able to catch up and i'll always be willing to help others with no problem.

i play on a different server (sylph) but from what ive seen the player base isnt nearly as nice as it was back then, ive been playing since 04 and i honestly duo/trio everything IG now because of it....hopefully you find someone willing to help tho, the advantage is exp is cake walk now so u can get lv 99 pretty easly by joining shout exp parties (100k+ exp per hour even in bad ones) and the af3 gear you can almost always form a shout group for as well...high end gear is basicly voidwatch currently and always shouts for that too, treasure pool is random for it tho so depends on luck...if u can get af3+1 gear ull be ahead of over half the player base anyway....any job that has af3+2 can basicly do their job to par

thanks for the response i've been playing since the release in 03 very on and off but as of duo/trio things i do have a friend entering the game with me (he played back then too but only 1 job is leveled up to 75 but again xp is easy so no worries there) and also i do have 2 friends on levi that said they would "help" me when i come back.. so in turn do you think i'll be ok? based on what you know since your an old player too... from back then (b4 level increase etc...) you think i'll be ok as an "old school" player getting into the new play type? also since all the gear back then is most likely obsolete, does my old gear matter? since my account was wiped of all "sell-able" gear due to someone having a B--ch fit and took over my account before i was able to deactivate 4 yrs ago.

Played off and on since NA release. Started a mule myself couple months back. Took about a week to get it from 1-99 and I was somewhat lazy with it. But I had my main to leech GoV pages then abyssea. Which even if you can't leech between you and a friend doing pages should still be decently quick.

Abyssea might be slow to start(lacking atma's, gear) but after you pick a few keys ones depending what you play can solo or duo almost all of its content once you get into a grove of things. Most average gear sets come from there now. AF3, Accessories, Empy's(if you choose so). Voidwatch later if you so wish. Older content like sky items, cursed gear can be augmented if you had any. Can roam forums, wiki, etc to get a better insite.

All in all its a lot easier to catch up then it was in the old days. Only negative really other than maybe not having big linkshells anymore(if you enjoyed the old HNM, sky, sea, etc. scene) is like what Citrelautame said, people's general attitude has gone down the crapper. Not that it wasn't in the old days but its just seemly become more and more socially accepted to be an @ss now if you so choose. Goodluck though hope you have fun.

Go where you have friends.

On Leviathan, I've ran into very few people who mock you because of your gear or because of your play style, I've honestly met more hostility on this website from players of other servers. Not that everyone here is hostile, they I would say have a strong sense of self-righteousness.

(Keep in mind I mostly stick to a small group, helping friends outside and asking for help from those friends every now and then. So I may be part of those "***".)

I don't expect you to find much help from groups, as most are busy playing catch up or trying to further themselves to meet the requirements of magian accession. I would say the server is much more casual now, and you won't find as much hostile aggression or competition when it comes to things. Every now and then at EXP areas you'll find a few players who rush around zone claiming and holding to maximize the experience point gain for their group. And every now and then the drunk or adolescent who'll start shouting F*** YOU U DUMB MOTHER F&***** because someone stole their monster.

You are better off finding pick up groups shouting for things, there are more than you'd imagine, and not as many as you'd like. But if you go to the stuff that is going on rather than just focusing on doing what you want to do you'll be caught up in no time.
Finding a small group and just doing stuff with them also works wonders too. The games become somewhat really easy and if your goal is to come back and level up its best spent as just a casual player or weekend "warrior".
Otherwise I'd look to bigger picture things like obtaining empyrean,relic, or even mythic weapons. (Given you will be an all week player).

Go to where you have friends, they can at least help with your questioning about stuff (which will be a lot, it's a different game).

Start off in learning Abyssea before you even consider doing Voidwatch. Your priority should be getting all abyssea bosses clear, which you can easily do it for yourself. Just go to where they pop and wait for a party to show up to kill them, and ask if you can join to get the clear - no one will refuse to do that.

Getting you geared and atmas, however, it's a different story. Depending on how far your friends have progressed you may find yourself asking for help a lot. But once you get the gist of it, you can easily solo if you have a job like thf, dnc, nin or bst. It's not the best option, but you can still do it.

About the same topic, I once had a returning friend that came back right when our group of 4 were in the middle of gearing up our core jobs and farming empyreans.

He just asked for help, help, help, help! We had our own business going on, and couldn't always find the drive or time to help him. We did, however, said he was welcome to join us and get the spare +2 items, seals, atmas of whatever it was WE were doing, and that we were eventually do stuff on the same zone he needed stuff and therefore help him. However, he NEVER came along. He was a BLU at the time and we were missing a BLU for procs, which would be helpful at the time.

Eventually, everyone alienated him, he left shell and I never spoke with him again.

I can offer you a linkshell to help get going again.

PM me and I can arrange a pearl for you.

Lol if you actually come back to levi let me know ill be sure to log on and slap you.