Hi,
Firstly, happy new year! Following an insane year with a number of tragedies, dramas and outright bad situations that I ought not to discuss - I have come into 2016 with lists. There are lists of things I wish to do before I die, places I want to see but there are also lists of games, movies and books I wish to experience. Final Fantasy XI is on this list, the main reason for that is that I have played every main series numbered FF title to completion except V, XI and XIV (I am working on V) but it is also because I spent a lot of time reading about FFXI in its early years but never played for more than a couple of evenings. I would like to rectify this, I would like to experience the core story/gameplay of FFXI including the social experience that comes with it - it is a goal of mine (albeit a weird one I admit) but before I can do so, I was hoping the ZAM community could help me clarify a couple of points?
1. What is the current state of the game? Is there anything I should be aware of going in?
2. What is the best server for an EU player (based in the UK) to start a new character on?
3. What is the best way to find an active and supportive Linkshell that can help me get through the game's obscurities along the way (I remember it having some)?