I'm sure that I am not the only one in the boat of being a new player deciding whether to join a legacy or fresh server. I was hoping to start a serious dialogue about the Pros and Cons of each choice to help both myself and others. It would be great if anyone with experience in playing on a server in a game and then starting on a fresh server in the same game (like WoW for instance) would chime in. I'll start with some of my thoughts but they will by no means be all-encompassing or even infallible for that matter.
Also I'm going into this assuming that the player(s) has/have no friends that played during 1.0.
Legacy Server
Pros
An established supply of items and crafters to make goods
Gathering could prove very lucrative as those crafters buy mats to create said items
High leveled and experienced players to provide assistance when needed
A larger number of established Linkshell and Company groups
Possibly lower population in starter areas
Cons
A large amount of Gil in circulation may cause serious inflation until the market is established
Items might be far too expensive for the beginner to purchase
End game content might be a bit harder to get into by the time you reach it (depends on the influx of new players I suppose)
May be harder to get into established LS/Company groups (this will probably be a non-issue as most groups will be welcoming a new roster)
Fresh Server
Pros
Equal starting ground for all players to make their mark in the world
More players to complete like minded tasks
An unestablished market could prove profitable for the avid craftsman
Items may be much more affordable for the starting player (or more expensive because of the low supply and high demand, hell I don't know)
Cons
Item supply will be low for a while while market is established
No high level players to assist you out of the gate
Few established LS/Company groups (could also be a good thing for some people I suppose)
This is what I've come up with thus far. I know there is plenty of points I haven't thought of so hopefully you guys can help shed some light on this subject.
Edited, Apr 30th 2013 8:19pm by DamienSScott