May 16, 2002 - The official launch of FINAL FANTASY XI piques the curiosity of many online game first-timers eager to try the first online title in the FINAL FANTASY series. In the hustle and bustle of Vana’diel, some are perplexed by the lack of a way to save their progress, while others are astonished by the sheer vastness of the world in which they could explore.

Between May and June 2002 - Adventurers approaching level 20 begin working on unlocking their support job. The unlock quest, accepted from either Selbina or Mhaura, require a Damselfly Worm, Magicked Skull, and Crab Apron or a Wild Rabbit Tail, Dhalmel Saliva, and Bloody Robe, leading droves of adventurers to hunt down monsters for the items. These quests were originally available from level 10, but were later changed to level 18 in the June 2002 version update.

Around May and June 2002 - Valkurm Dunes becomes a popular leveling area for beginning adventurers starting in San d'Oria and Bastok. Players leading "trains" of several enemies as they fled for their lives are a common sight, goblins being especially notorious for sending many an adventurer running to Selbina.

In the early days of the official release, rams are feared by adventurers leveling in La Theine Plateau and Konschtat Highlands. Notably more powerful than other enemies in these areas, the rams' hulking physique and quaking footsteps terrorize new adventurers.

Between May and June 2002 - The initial version of Bind, the black magic spell, is not resisted by tougher enemies and does not expire when damage is dealt to the target. As such, inhibiting enemies with Bind and defeating them from afar with spells becomes a prevalent leveling method.

This is addressed in the version update on June 11, and Bind is adjusted to its current specifications. Later on, the Records of Eminence objective “Stop Right There! (W)” is added under the Vana’versary category, allowing players to get a taste of this moment in history.

Between May and June 2002 - Certain methods of farming gil are exclusive to the early days of launch.

One such method is selling Shall Shells which drop from Pugil enemies.The Pugils in East Ronfaure are particularly low in level and become the target of many quarrels between adventurers. Adventurers who are quick to level also have access to Qufim Island’s Gigas enemies, which drop large sums of gil.

These two methods last about a month until the items and gil dropped by these enemies are adjusted.

May 2002 onward - Valkurm Dunes becomes a popular leveling camp for adventurers around level 15. The Flies and other enemies inhabiting the area provide a lesson in basic party play strategies, such as using Provoke to direct enmity away from the current tank, standing back to avoid AoE attacks, and removing debuffs from party members.

Despite the auction house opening on June 11, 2002, items unavailable in your nation of allegiance are still difficult to purchase due to the three nations’ markets functioning independently of each other. Some adventurers take advantage of the opportunity to stock up on starting gear and spells from various cities to sell in auction houses.

Around June 2002 - A gil farming method known as the "Mythril Marathon" gains popularity. Players would obtain Mine Gravel in Palborough Mines, refine it into Mythril Sand using a machine, which is then sold to a merchant upon returning to Bastok. This later loses popularity when item prices are later adjusted on July 9.

June 2002 onwards - Adventurers around level 20 begin gathering around Jeuno, and leveling parties around the area become more common. Qufim Island becomes particularly popular as the first leveling area in Jeuno’s vicinity. When night falls and dangerous Skeleton enemies appear, parties flee to the tunnels and scramble to claim the Worm enemies there.

June 2002 onwards - Tiger enemies in Batallia Downs become popular for leveling around level 25. One benefit of leveling there is the ability to flee into the Eldieme Necropolis in a pinch, and adventurers can be seen running around the Necropolis to find an open entrance. Because Tigers move very quickly, one strategy is to have a different member Provoke enemies during the pull so that the pulling party member isn’t knocked out before reaching the camp. Being paralyzed by the roar of a neighboring party’s Tiger is a common occurrence, since at the time, enemies still hit parties other than the one claiming them.

June 2002 onward - Upon arrival in Jeuno, adventurers of level 20 or higher begin working towards obtaining their chocobo license. Obtaining the license requires completion of the Chocobo’s Wounds quest, in which adventurers must trade Gausebit Grass to the chocobo after 0:00 Vana’diel time. As a result, leveling parties near Jeuno often took breaks to return to Jeuno and feed the chocobo.

July 2002 - Internet forum discussions suggest a summer festival in Windurst, and a player event takes place across all Worlds. This event was later officially adopted as the Sunbreeze Festival.

Around July and August 2002 - More and more adventurers are reaching level 30. The original Extra Jobs were paladin, dark knight, beastmaster, bard, and ranger. The unlock quest became available after reaching level 30 on any standard job. Certain jobs were considered harder to unlock than others, leading some players to form parties for them.

Summer 2002 onward - Leveling around level 30 primarily involves defeating Evil Weapon enemies in the three areas neighboring Jeuno. Evil Weapons are popular targets due to the fact they only use Smite of Rage, which can be dodged after seeing the attack being readied. Their popularity later declines after they begin to use Whirl of Rage.

Summer of 2002 onward - Beetle and Bat enemies in Garlaige Citadel become popular targets for leveling around level 30 to 35. Leveling camps often situate themselves near the entrance and the first gate, and can be seen pausing to help press the switches when solo players want to pass through the gate.

Summer of 2002 onward - Skeleton enemies in Behemoth’s Dominion become popular for leveling around level 40. Monks are particularly useful there, but the boundary to the neighboring area is quite far. Battles are often fought next to where enemies can spawn, often leading to cases where Skeletons respawn in the middle of battle. Although enemies don’t respawn quickly enough for multiple leveling parties, a single party runs the risk of being unable to deal with surrounding monsters; therefore the area becomes less popular over time as other leveling areas become available.

Summer of 2002 - Monastic Cavern in Davoi becomes the final leveling destination during the level cap 50 era. Many of the earliest adventurers reach the level cap here, and Davoi later becomes a popular leveling destination when the level cap is raised to 60.

Summer of 2002 - The surge in adventurers trying to reach level 50 result in many different areas being used for leveling, some as far as Fei’Yin. Without Teleport-Vahzl or outpost teleportation at the time, traveling there requires long treks through Ranguemont Pass and Beaucedine Glacier.

Summer of 2002 - The earliest strategies of party play involve using Provoke to disperse damage between players. By receiving damage, players accumulate TP, then use Red Lotus Blade to start a fusion skillchain.

Furthermore, elemental weapon skills are primarily used over physical weapon skills for their sure-hit effect. Chaining dark knight’s Red Lotus Blade to white mage’s Earth Crusher is a common fusion skillchain strategy unique to this era.

August 8, 2002 - Warp II is added as a reward for completing the quest "Curses, Foiled A-Golem!?" Adventurers formed alliances to take on Fei'Yin in this high-difficulty quest.

September 12, 2002 - As adventurers approach level 50, there are quite a few opportunities for them to level up in the Eldieme Necropolis undergound by fighting Skeleton enemies. The battle area where players face an NM in the quest Blue Ribbon Blues is particularly popular. Skillchains of the time primarily use Red Lotus Blade and Raging Fists, and together with the fact that hand-to-hand is effective against Skeletons, the Eldieme Necropolis remains a popular leveling area until Skeletons are powered up on April 15, 2003.

September 12, 2002 - Invisible, Sneak, Deodorize, and their medicine equivalents are added, and avoiding combat en route to a destination becomes commonplace. As the original duration of these effects were quite limited, adventurers used abbreviated phrases to indicate that they were wearing off.

Around Autumn 2002 - Many adventurers move their base of operations from the three nations to Jeuno, causing a surge in Jeuno’s population to the point where the congestion renders the city inaccessible during certain hours of the day. At the time, auction houses are only available in the Ru’Lude Gardens and Lower Jeuno areas, which become particularly overcrowded.

December 19, 2002 - Players leaving their characters logged into Jeuno for prolonged periods to sell items from their bazaar is a contributing factor to Jeuno’s overcrowding problem. To address the overcrowding, a tax is imposed on all bazaars hosted in Jeuno, with a hefty 10% being charged in the particularly popular Ru’Lude Gardens and Lower Jeuno. As a result, players relocate their bazaars to neighboring fields such as Batallia Downs and Rolanberry Fields. The location of the “bazaar district” varies with each World and could be considered one of the distinctive features of each culture.

From December 2002 onward, more and more adventurers begin challenging the Shadow Lord, widely considered to be the final boss of the base game. Very few level 55 adventurers emerge victorious against the Shadow Lord encountered in the Nation Missions, and many end up waiting until they reach level 60 to take him on.

Around December 2002 - The number of adventurers attempting their artifact armor quests surges. Many of the quests involve confrontations against powerful foes, leading players of the same job to form artifact tour parties. In various dungeons, on the other hand, players struggle over the Treasure Coffers, which contain a piece of the artifact gear.

Winter 2002 onward - Crawlers’ Nest begins to be recognized as an optimal leveling camp for a wide range of levels starting from level 40. Following November 26, players shift from farming Skeletons to Vermin enemies as they experiment with skillchains other than fusion skillchains.

With that said, caution is required when pulling enemies in Crawlers’ Nest, as many of its inhabitants link with each other. High-level enemies are a common cause of mayhem as they chase fleeing adventurers and bunch together at the entrance of the cave. This phenomenon is later addressed on December 13, 2005 when enemies are changed to disappear upon leaving a certain radius.