I rolled various races/jobs in all 3 cities trying to keep open minded on what would work for me and what doesn't. I'm still extremely baffled how difficult they made all the starter zones regardless of where you are. I'm far more sensitive on game difficulty is as I have almost no patience so my review likely will sound whiney.
Limsa
The city itself was a bit too large and windy. It wasn't particularly attractive either. I liked the story involving a large sea serphant, but pirates were sort of boring.
The outside area really killed it for me with the annoying to navigate ledges everywhere. I didn't enjoy having to walk 5 minutes around a gorge to get to what the map displays shoudl be directly across from you.
Granted, the mobs placed around are the best to level with of all 3 cities. There were plenty of places around the camps to helm from which was good. If you don't mind the learning curve of the maps associated iwth it, its probably the best place at launch to level quickly from.
Gridania
I had high hopes for Gridania, until SE mentioned it was within a maze. And it maze it surely is.
The city is spread out, but its really not difficult and actually quite cozy. I wish the NPCS didn't believe you were the bringer of doom and destruction though. But likely, when you can do more story line, that will change.
The city also has all the guilds I'd likely use, but I'm not quite certain what purpose they hold just yet.
The outside area though......I just can't emotionally deal with being in a constant state of lost heh. Despite it supposing to be a gorgeous forest, I feel most the time in either the city or the outter zone, that I'm just running in narrow corridors and not seeing much of any enviroment at all. Sure, there's very small open areas scattered here and there, but most are full of either other players or far too high level mobs. On the subject of mobs, making the starter ones poisonous really slowed me down in leveling.
The story is a little strange and I can't quite place if I enjoyed it or not. The two npc's you meet at the start were rather cute, and I like the bar tender. But most the npc's keep reminding me that they don't want me there, and I really don't want to be there either.
Uldah
I really thought that I'd hate Uldah and love Gridania, boy did I have that backwards.
The opening was rather dramatic, and I really like the npc characters introduced. I have a feeling that the over all story may heavily delve into beastmen tribes, which I'm not too much interested in.
The city itself isnt very pretty, and the music is that of a shopping mall, but everything was very well laid out. From the bar/inn that you're dumped at from the start, almost everything you need is within a few steps of there which I really really liked.
The outside zone isnt much to speak of. However, its the only zone that felt open to me. Even if there were rises in the terrain, the system let me drop down from making it very easy for me to walk from point A to B without headaches. Neither music of the town or outter zone seems to match, may have to change the files around when retail comes out.
I couldn't find hardly any mobs to fight, I'm not sure if that's because most people settled in there or if its by design for it being a desert.
That being said, I'll probably start in Uldah, and probably do most my leveling in Limsa if its still mostly vacant at retail. Uldah was just the only place of the three which I felt I could find something if i needed it, or I could get back home from exploring outside without having to restort to porting. I haven't tried any helm there as of yet in Uldah so I hope there's enough points for harvesting.
I'm not really in love with any of the cities or zones. Making each so frustrating makes me feel the entire game will be and makes me quickly lose interest. Ishgard better be damn awesome, so I can bail out of the starter cities as soon as possible and hang out there.
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