FFXIV 🌱 tips for people with social anxiety from someone who actually has bad social anxiety.
A lotta guides sum up with "Just do your best and have fun!" which is true of course. I'm here to share some details from a VERY shy person's experience that might help you loosen up a little.
⚠️ (Take my advice with a grain of salt PLEASE.)
⚔️ DPS: for the really shy/anxious
Pros - mistakes are very recoverable, you engage with mechanics more often but learn them faster
Cons - low defense/survivability, complicated rotations, longer queue wait times
Priorities - damage, mobility
🌱 Very good to start with. With such few responsibilities, learning an MMO for the first time will be easier to digest. Recommended starting class: Archer. Later on, Dancer is very easy. I play it on days when I'm feeling too nervous.
-> If you play badly, it's generally overlooked. But if mobs are taking too long to die, folks might start pointing fingers.
🛡️ TANK: for the studious
Pros - mistakes are mostly recoverable, high survivability, easy rotations, often stationary, you set the pace for the whole team
Cons - your KO can lead to failure if healer is unprepared
Priorities - lead, attract enemies, stay as still as possible, position mobs and bosses "correctly"
🌱 Good to start with. Read up on your responsibilities for a less stressful time. Majority of the community is very patient, especially if you speak up. Gladiator is the standard choice. Marauder can self heal in later levels, great for solo play.
-> If you play badly, people will probably speak up with advice. Don't take it personally. Nice people genuinely want you to learn.
-> Whenever I mentioned I didn't know the way, someone else gladly took up the lead.
❤️🩹 HEALER: for the confident
Pros - damage rotation is one button, quicker queue wait times
Cons - your KO usually leads to failure (unless there's another healer or phoenix down), can get boring or suddenly stressful, your reaction time determines the fate of the party
Priorities - predict incoming damage, quick reactions, damage in between
🌱 Good to start with if you enjoy babysitting. You still need to damage and be spatially aware. Be familiar with how each Tank plays (by playing them or research) for a better time. Conjurer (the only choice at first) is more forgiving with reacting. Sage is the other easy one: get past the confusing ability names, realize how simple it is to have one or two regen/shield up at all times (generally) and be okay.
-> There are two ways to play badly (other than purposefully letting people get KO'd): not DPSing (which prolongs fights) and/or saving OGCDs only for emergencies (which may cause emergencies).
-> A good tank should slow down if you can't keep up.
For keyboard users, being good at typing really helps (as in, you know where the buttons are without looking).
MOST people are patient. You're allowed to type in chat about your concerns or state that you're new.
Typing quickly under stress? -> Set up macros to send pre-made messages fast.
Don't let max-level rotation guides stress you out. Perfection is for difficult content that requires things like DPS checks. Find guides for your current level and below first. I don't know the optimal rotations, but I understand my combos and the "ABC - always be casting" rule.
"Always be casting" = if you freeze up and don't know what to do, at least press a damage button.
Free Companies benefit from number of people. So... join a big FC and get lost in the crowd, you're less obligated to talk to them.