Eorzea: Ripe for Recruiting

In the wake of Final Fantasy XIV's failed launch, many players are open to joining new linkshells.

While we patiently wait for Square Enix to add meat to Final Fantasy XIV, why not grab the bull by the horns and revamp your own in-game experience?

I’m talking about linkshells. Final Fantasy XIV may (currently) be a solo-centric game, but roaming Eorzea is much more fun when there are other adventurers to keep you company. If you’ve been suffering from the lonely linkshell blues, now is the perfect time to do something about it. There may never be a better time.

In the absence of content, a little fellowship can go a long ways. And there are many, many players out there who are the lone survivors in linkshells that had big plans just a few months ago. If you want to join a new linkshell, these players will be happy to invite you. If you want to recruit for your linkshell, these players are ripe for recruiting.

Discuss this in the ZAM forums!

Or you can do what I did – combine efforts with a few of these linkshells to create an entirely new group of intrepid, active players.

Seriously, building a linkshell has never been easier. I actively recruited for my social linkshell during my six years of Final Fantasy XI. Getting new players was easy, but prying people away from their existing linkshells was always tough. Now, things are different. I’ve never found people so willing to change linkshells as they are right now – and that includes me.

If there’s a silver lining to the botched launch of Final Fantasy XIV, then this might be it. Those who remain in Eorzea have persevered through the disastrous launch of an empty game. Build a linkshell with the players in Eorzea today, and you’ve got yourself a group that will probably stick around for a very long time.

Unfortunately, the fact that people are so willing to move around right now is a reflection of how poorly this game was launched. Scores of linkshells from Final Fantasy XI had big dreams for Final Fantasy XIV. The delay in the Playstation 3 version was the first disappointment for friends who had planned on playing together. Then launch day came, followed by a forgettable first month in which players ran for the exits.

Many of us who kept playing were suddenly without our in-game allies. The thing we knew we could count on – our linkshells – were gone.

My social linkshell, Imperial, was among the Final Fantasy XI linkshells that failed to succeed in Eorzea. In the ZAM forums, I’ve read numerous accounts from others who endured similar losses in their groups. In game, I chatted with a player whose linkshell had more than 70 members, but the vast majority of them are gone.

After spending most of my day in Eorzea alone, I finally thought to myself, “Why not try to connect with others?” I logged into my ZAM server forum and found a couple of posts from people who were seeking linkshells. I sent each of them /tells, and asked if they would be interested in joining my group. The two players each had small groups of friends who wanted to stick together. In a matter of minutes, the conversation turned from “would you like to join my linkshell?” to “why don’t we all start a new linkshell together?”

That night, the linkshell Divine Might was born.

We’re still fairly small in the grand scheme of things. We’re close to handing out our 20th pearl. But on Monday night, at 9:45 p.m. PST, we had 13 of 16 members logged in. Those are numbers you can build on.

I must also give props to Square Enix. In Final Fantasy XIV, your name always appears in the membership list of any linkshell you carry. You can also read the chat logs of any linkshell you don't have equipped. This means you never need to toss out your old social linkshell, which is good in case you're worried about old friends returning to the game weeks or months down the road.

Had the launch of Final Fantasy XIV fared better, then more players would have stayed and far fewer linkshells would have failed. Joining a new group or creating a new linkshell isn’t always easy. Saying goodbye to your old social can be difficult, even if you're talking to an empty linkshell. It’s the thought that matters. You had big plans, and those plans never had a chance to pan out.

That said, what’s done is done. From the ashes of failed linkshells have come the survivors of Eorzea. They have played through this game’s darkest hour, and they have endured despite the loss of their in-game friends.

And now, they need new homes.

Comments

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Linkshell Removal - Answer
# Dec 19 2010 at 12:33 AM Rating: Decent
Quote:
Just to add to this, I think there might be a way to boot members, I was a member of a linkshell for about 2 weeks then one day logged on to find I was no longer a member. I have checked and the linkshell is still going so somehow I was booted, I know I havent left the linkshell as I at the time I didnt know how too!!


This just means that the linkshell leaders disbanded the linkshell by force at the Linkshell NPC and recreated it most likely because the way the current administrative abilities are assigned equate to garbage. Perhaps you have not been active on their website to have seen that announcement? That's the case we're finding with our own members who return from the "dead".

Edited, Dec 19th 2010 1:48am by LasherMayfair
LS recruitment
# Dec 16 2010 at 7:04 PM Rating: Decent
Monsters is recruiting on Wutai

We are a Casual Crafting / LEVE /Grinding LS

We have active members and a decent environment.

/tell Cornyboob Funnyname for invites
Sounds Like what Our linkshell has been doing
# Dec 16 2010 at 8:58 AM Rating: Decent
On Rabanaster that is pretty much what the Carnivorous Care bears/ CCB Cousins have been doing. Currently Been inviting a nice amount of disenfranchised people. I do not find it honorable and against recruiting people from other linkshells to ours, but there seem to be many people out there without an active LS. It could be horridly bad for the game in my opinion to let people wander around in empty shells. Moral could drop for these people. Those have been the type of people we have been recruiting and now our two link shells are filling up, but at least with active people now. Who knows maybe the Care Bears will have to create a third linkshell soon. Too many orphans in this game keep hungry for social contact. I am a support of strong Linkshells, mine or especially others. I find the game needs strong LS , small or large to keep moral up. I know my officers and I are trying to do our part to make this game a successful one.

But hey if you are on rabanaster and looking for a linkshell. Come Join us. Either the Carnivorous Care Bears for higher ranks, or the Carnivorous Care Bear Cousins for fresh off the Limsa boat till what ever rank. Our polite staff will be standing by. /tell Epolight Lavalle if you would like more information or apply at http://ccb.enjin.com/recruitment Come join the many Purple lightening bolts out in the world today. If you do not like large linkshell /tell Epolight Lavalle in game and I may know of a few other smaller Link shells I know are filled with good people. 2 come to mind right now. I just want people to enjoy the game. With us or others, after all it is just a game.
Linkshell Losses
# Dec 15 2010 at 5:17 PM Rating: Decent
Started the game on day 1 with the perfect LS. We capped out at 125 members or so and couldn't invite anyone else. Eventually people started getting frustrated at how poor the game mechanics were (and other reasons too related to game play or wanting to play Fable or WoW) and the LS population dropped faster than we could imagine. The only recourse we were left with (since we couldn't remove dead members without those members being online and targeted -- very annoying, hope this is fixed ASAP) was to disband and reform the LS. Even with that done, today we still have about 50% active members after the fact. What really needs to happen to prevent these LSs from failing is allowing LS leadership the ability to manage their linkshell. Be it dead members or someone just wanting to disrupt the community in general, it's a PITA to go hunt someone down and waste anima just because you decided you wanted to have a linkshell.
Seriously? lol
# Dec 15 2010 at 4:28 PM Rating: Decent
17 posts
Quote:
That night, the linkshell Divine Might was born.


Ha! I couldn't believe this. Our linkshell on Wutai is also called Divine Might. It's mostly a bunch of FFXI vets that played together, but we've been picking up a few folks whose original linkshells have gone empty in the last couple weeks as well, like your article points out.
Shameless Plug/palamecia
# Dec 15 2010 at 4:28 PM Rating: Decent
I'm gonna go ahead and use this thread to promote my 2-week old LS family, Shinma Syndicate and Tyrants, as we're looking for R30+ players on Palamecia. We're NA/JP and we have something for everyone.

Shinma Syndicate is a social/crafting/leve LS. Network yourself and make some new friends. The core group played FFXI together on Alexander and we have fun. If you want to log in, flag your leves, go mining, and get some leves done, join SS. If you can't find a reliable source of those damn oak hammer grips, join SS. We facilitate the average-to-berserk player.

Tyrants is a NMLS. The only way in is to be recruited from SS. Here, the hardcore badass (you know who you are) can align with other personally hand-picked hardcore badasses and do their 5-star leves, NM leves, NM activities, and generally break the game open. Tyrants will house 30 members to promote rapid mob HP loss and rapid gearing up.

Send me a /tell. Shinma Alexandre.

*Nipponjin senshu ga de hanasu Memoria Blue.
limits
# Dec 14 2010 at 10:30 PM Rating: Decent
As a footnote there is a limit for the size of shells at around 173 members. To further exasperate the issue there is currently no known way for ls masters to remove inactive members. Hopefully this will be corrected in the coming updates.
limits
# Dec 15 2010 at 8:16 AM Rating: Decent
Just to add to this, I think there might be a way to boot members, I was a member of a linkshell for about 2 weeks then one day logged on to find I was no longer a member. I have checked and the linkshell is still going so somehow I was booted, I know I havent left the linkshell as I at the time I didnt know how too!!
limits
# Dec 15 2010 at 9:12 AM Rating: Decent
16 posts
The only way to remove members is to be near them.... same with taking away leadership or granting leadership. They need to fix that system - it just doesn't work when you are trying to remove or demote someone in your shell....

-Mang-
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