I’m probably going to regret this, *anticipates the flood of posts and PM’s*, but there is now a thread in the forums set up with the sole intent of requesting/distributing FFXI worldpasses to the Phoenix server. Now, you CAN get on Phoenix by random chance, but if you’ve tried and have had a rough time of it, a worldpass can be gotten here. You’ll have to wait till someone actually is able to post one, but it all works out in the end.

If all goes well, I should have the Linkshell set up this evening, thanks to my MYSTEEERIOUS BENEFACTOR’S help. :D Financial backing is a good thing.

Archamedies, on Bismarck, sent me this e-mail with info on the quicker way to run through the random server roulette wheel:

You mentioned that you can keep rerolling until you land on the server you want, but as I’m sure you’re aware it can be a VERY time consuming process. There is a trick to make it much, much faster though.

1. Make a new character
2. Select all the attributes, race, job, etc etc
3. Select starting town.

4. ***The important step*** When the screen comes up to associate a handle with your character, press Escape. This will take you back to the main menu. Go to character select and check which server your new toon is on. If he isn’t on the server you want, delete, and when you go back to Create Character it has your previous settings memorized. You can literally spam the enter key through the options, get to the handle, escape, and check again. It typically only takes 5-10 minutes to land on the server you want, as each attempt only takes about 10 seconds on a fast computer.

While it isn’t as good as, oh I don’t know, actually selecting the server you want, it does make getting your friends in the same spot a lot cheaper. Hope this helps!

Thanks, Archamedies!