Ten Level Test: Final Fantasy XI vs Lineage II

Lineage II: levels 7 to 10

I leave the Keltir killing fields behind in search of more worthy opponents for Tenlevels, the miserably overpowered, Regency-Emo avenging angel. I don't find any.

After a walk through the wilderness - dark brown to FFXI's washed-out grey, and no more appealing for it, although it does at least boast some trees - I find an encampment of goblins and wolf-men. I need 50 of their teeth for a "useful item", so I commence clicking.

They die. Straight away. All of them. The very first inkling of danger comes with the revelation that they will aggro if, and only if, you attack another that's standing next to them, but I could easily take five or ten of these guys on at once in any case.

If you're being charitable, you could say that there's a Diablo feel to the fast-paced, click-powered slaughter. There's definitely a base, gluttonous satisfaction to be had from each stinging one-shot kill, the fast-accumulating piles of buffs and loot, the scene of decimation in your wake; it's every MMO players' secret wish-fulfilment. But, without any need to think for a second, it's ultimately pointless, and devoid of interest.

It takes about fifteen minutes to get to level 10. I've killed dozens upon dozens of enemies, but only collected 18 of the 50 gold teeth.

Was the beginning of Lineage II always like this? Surely not. Was it better before? You'd have to assume that it wasn't; everything about the boosts I receive suggests that all they do is make a completely blank and featureless grind a lot shorter. After the long slow struggles of Final Fantasy, this deep, gushing draught of XP is briefly refreshing - but flavourless.

Final Fantasy XI: levels 5 to 10

In search of something, anything to give me an advantage for the long road ahead, I go shopping for food buffs and potions. The vendors don't have any, and those on the auction house are more than I can afford. I try exchanging crystals with guards but I don't have a high enough standing with Bastok, my industrial capital city.

In order to gain standing, I try out some missions. The first takes me into a mine, a proper, old-school Final Fantasy dungeon-crawl. I get killed when I have the audacity to attack a couple of Leeches, but otherwise, success - and a bit of determined grinding gets me to level 7. "7 down, 3 to go," says a little Tarutaru player jogging alongside me as I go to hand the mission in. We both know how much that means in this game.

After another mission ends in death, I decide to give the Fields of Valor system a go. This is a recent addition to FFXI that was introduced in December last year, which gives much-needed bonus XP and buffs for killing certain numbers of certain creatures - something like a traditional MMO quest, although you can only complete one every hour or so. Much has been made of how it eases the solo grind in the early levels before FFXI's famous group game kicks off, but to be honest, it only speeds things up a tiny amount, and the important goals in this game will always be the ones you set yourself.

Once level 8, I decide to give Konschtat another try. The immense journey passes without incident this time. I arrive in the narrow ravines of the highlands at night, and don't see any monsters for a while. Finally I spy one; the moment has arrived, but I've learned my lesson, so I select Check, and read the dreaded words.

"The Strolling Sapling seems tough."

I try a few times, but I know in my heart that the dream is over. I can't beat this tiny sentient tuber. It's still too soon.

I'll draw a veil over the rest of the last two levels, a determined but dull churn through Fields of Valor training regimes to make the magic two digits. It's a Pyrrhic victory: Strolling Sapling is still out there, laughing at the big blue failure.

The verdict

In a way it's a similar pairing to the last test; one rough and demanding game that only allows soloing under sufferance (that was Vanguard, last time), versus another that's so eager to speed you through the early levels that it has bled all the colour out of them (EverQuest II). But compared to the yawning gulf between these two games, the Americans are so close you can barely see a crack of light. The only similarity between FFXI and Lineage II is in the primacy of grind, the fact that the only thing that really matters is the next level.

But where the winner of the last round was an easy - if unexpected - decision, this is a very hard one. It's tempting to consider continuing with Lineage II for an easy life, and the thought of an even longer slog through Final Fantasy XI - with the joy of waiting for groups to make any kind of progress one I still have to look forward to - is not one to relish.

But I have to admit that, while it's given me so little on the surface, Final Fantasy XI has ultimately given me far more. There are the hints of community spirit, or at least a communal bond between players, hidden by the lack of a general chat channel, but evidently there, and nowhere to be found in Lineage II. There are the finely-drawn characters and grand design of the Final Fantasy world, even if it's lacking in detail. There's big old lovable Tenlevels himself, already far more of a friend that the pouting, posing, imperious slayer of small mammals over in Lineage II.

And more importantly, there's the Strolling Sapling. If I commit to another ten levels, I can kill it.

Lineage II - you are uninstalled.