A Gamer's soul: FFXIV ARR Chapter 2 part 2

Chapter 2 part 2

"Well you sure took your time. I've redone my hair a couple times already."

I heard a sudden outburst behind me. There stands a lalafel woman with her fists rested on her hips. Her head slightly tilted to her right as she sighs with an annoyed expression. Despite the attitude, I was surprised I don't feel cross. Instead, I felt my facial muscles pull a one-sided smile instead.

"Then you wake up and what? YOU FORGOT TO CALL ME! How am I to know you are back?"

She started to pace slowly back and forth and with a serious face started an 'I am telling you' gesture with her fingers wagging back and forth.

"Not to mention everyone has been waiting! We were supposed to meet an hour ago! Keep doing this and I am telling you, we will be replaced."

She stopped pacing in front of me and had both hands folded together.

"Be serious for once, Cocozan!"

The smile never left my face. I always piss her off yet she always stays with me. We have been together for a while too... I don’t know what I would be without her. She and I are alike. She jumps consciousness too. A soul jumper.

"Nice to see you too darling. Am I late?" I waved a hand in front of me in a gesture and pulled a list out of nowhere. I don’t know how such technology exists in eorza.

"See? Our guild leader is not even on yet. Where are Krono and Midgetpants?"

"Baking some food to recover spirit. Our mages and healers can’t seem to get enough money to pay for that themselves." She rolls her eyes and looked at me from head to toe.

"Why are you not dressed? Equip your proper gear, paladin!"

"Oh, shoot sorry! I remember we took a photo before and that was what I choose to wear."

With another gesture I pulled out a screen with my old gear and changed it to my paladin's raid gear. One by one my gear disappears and another reappears sometimes giving a glimpse of my smallclothes. No one ever seems to mind in this world... And it happens often for everyone.

I inspected myself and made sure I have all important things on; a full gleaming suit of white plate chestpiece, a crown, greaves, sabatons and gauntlets on top of a blue silk shirt and nice shiny mail underneath.

I changed my weapon and shield as well. Curtana, my sword is a white glowing one handed weapon while my shield is the hold shield of the paladins.

"This feels right. I am ready."

“You have your potions?”

“Yeah, got them. Let’s head to the meeting place.”

With her in tow, I started to teleport near the Coils of Bahamut.

FFXIV: Big Yellow Birds....of Eorza!

No, not the one in the kid's show sesame street. I am talking about CHOCOBOS!

Chocobos have been a staple on most installments of Final Fantasy not to mention starring in their own spinoff games (Chocobo's Dungeon, Chocobo Tales, etc). So it is of no surprise when we saw them running around in Eorzea in FFXIV v1.x as the official mount. Problem with that though is that they were depreciated by the spells teleport and return. Players have found very little use of these cute yellow aves.

A Realm Reborn gave our avian companion a new breath of life (so to speak) with lots of aesthetic armor and the ability for the birds to answer the call to adventure!

The Chocobos can now fight alongside its adventurer as a healer, tank, damage dealer or a free thinker. They can scratch, scrape, peck, kick, heal, tank or cast chocobo spells to help best the adventurer's quarry. They still, of course, serve as mounts to help us move around from a spot to another, so no, rest assured the game is not about chocobos...the name was not changed to Chocobo RPG: Battle the Primals.

As mounts...

When a player reaches level 10 they are allowed to visit the chocobo porters stationed in all the major camps and towns in the game. They will have preset locations that the chocobo will head to (auto drive :S ). You may, however, right click on the "chocobo-mounted" icon on the top of the screen to dismount at anytime. The chocobo will run away unfortunately, prematurely ending your ride. It is also possible to rent a free-running chocobo from the main towns but you will be limited to 10 minutes of riding time before the chocobo drops you and runs away.

After you have progressed enough in the main storyline (around level 21-ish) you will be inducted into one of the grand companies and will be allowed to purchase (using company points) a chocobo whistle to summon and mount your very own chocobo! These chocobos can be freely controlled and does not have a time limit.

Barding...

Leather barding

Uldahn barding

These grand company owned chocobos can be dressed by obtaining "bardings". Currently, you may purchase bardings by company points to dress them in company's colors.

At the most current release they only serve to please the eyes but in future releases, it is rumored they will have stat boosts for their masters.

The developers have also confirmed many other bardings to dress the chocobo at launch and in patches. (There is a behemoth barding rumour running around already)

As Companions...

Now, what does separate FFXIV Chocobos from other MMORPGs? It is the companion system. Once you are able to obtain a mount from the grand companies, you can speak with the wandering minstrel (right outside the grand companies' main office) and teach your chocobo to fight alongside you. Once taught, you may open your skills page and navigate to the "companions" tab and find a lot of skills added. These skills are shown below:



You can summon your chocobo by using a gyshal greens (which can be purchased in the main towns). This will add your named companion to your party (as shown in the very first picture). They cannot be manually controlled, though, you will be able to assign them to stances. This will give them set amount of gambits (ala FFXII) that they will follow to accomplish their role.

 Attacker Stance: This stance gives the chocobo a direct-damage role. It will scratch, peck and kick until the fight is over or until you assign a different task for it to follow.

Healer Stance: The chocobo will prioritize healing you (or itself) than it's other skills. It can also cast support magic as shown on the next image (chocosurge).

Your chocobo can also take a tanking stance and take damage for you. Very handy when you are a spellcaster or direct damage dealer. 

Or you can have them think for themselves via a free stance, healing when you are low, dealing damage when you're not.

You can also ask your chocobo to follow you around Eorza (though i would rather ride a chocobo than run around with one ;) ) or if you wish to take a break on your adventure you may ask your chocobo to withdraw.

Take note though, like all pets they thrive in incentive and what's more gratifiying for a chocobo than a gyshal greens? they would want one everytime you call upon them. Actually... its more like a bribe... since you cant summon them without one. XD

These big yellow birds had a lot of screen time in this installment of Final Fantasy. And I for one am very glad they did. See you next time! 

All company, product, system names and/or company logos and marks are the 
registered trademarks or trademarks of their respective owners.

Copyright (C) 2010 - 2013 SQUARE ENIX CO., LTD. All Rights Reserved.

FFXIV Leve Quests

 Final fantasy XIV 1.0 introduced a central hub style of questing. Instead of running around talking to NPCs and gathering quests, you simply talk to a single person in each main town. They will give you a certain number of quests a day, a la WoW dailies, which after you have completed will give you job experience and gil. "Very handy!" We say. "No more time wasted running around!" We added. Well yes, it would be... If that is not the main source of exp. Unfortunately, it is. There is also a limited amount of them and that they are very repetitive. In short, boring.

FFXIV:ARR took a different direction in getting precious exp (actually, a lot of different directions). You can do your main quest, job quest, side quests, FATEs (explained in an earlier blog post), Guildhest (will be explained later), dungeons and if that is not enough, you may still partake in 1.0's patented central-hub-style questing!


If you have decided that this type of leveling is your cup of tea, you may speak with any <Levemete> tagged NPC in either the three main towns or in the camps/villages all around the world. Those in the town will give all leve quests from level 1 to your current level in increments of 5-10 levels, whilst those in camps/villages will provide you with quests in the level range of the region where the camp resides.

You can accept up to the amount of allowances you have (replenishes by 4 every 12 hours to a maximum of 100) or to a maximum of 16 leves at a time.

The quest description, location and rewards are listed to the right so you can choose the leve quests with rewards or difficulty that interests you.

You can then run to the location of the levequests indicated by a red area on your minimap/map (press m or square). If you mouse over on all red areas in your map, it will inform you of the quest/leve it belongs to. Once within the area, open your journal and click "initiate".

Your progress and timer can be viewed on the Task list to the right of your screen. This will also inform of what you need to do to complete your quest. (if you remember FATEs, it looks exactly like it)
I noticed that if you enter a FATE while under a Leve, you will not see the FATE description to the right of the screen. I am unsure if you are contributing to the fate event then.



If you die while under a Leve, as long as you are saved in the same region, you may continue your quest without starting over. If you leave the region though the leve will fail and will penalizes you 1 leve allowance for every retry.

Once you have completed the task, you have the choice to run back and reap your rewards or continue questing and stay in the area.

Regardless of when you speak to the NPC again, all completed Leves will be rewarded with gil, exp and sometimes, an item or piece of equipment.

Instead of becoming your primary source of exp, these leve quests now allows us different avenues of leveling. get bored with one, there are always other ways to achieve your level 50. With all that explained, I will see you again next time!

-Yanyi

All company, product, system names and/or company logos and marks are the 
registered trademarks or trademarks of their respective owners.

Copyright (C) 2010 - 2013 SQUARE ENIX CO., LTD. All Rights Reserved.

FFXIV FATEs: an explanation

Final Fantasy XIV beta boasts Full Active Time Events (FATEs)

Hi guys! Its Yanyi giving you insights on Final Fantasy XIV!

When FFXIV 1.0 came out, there was an awful big void to fill after you finish your daily leve quests. It also felt too monotonous just going from one main town to another asking for leves and completing them after. The development team of FFXIV have released a whole lot of content to fill-in the gaps on questing and going into dungeons in FFXIV. One of these would be Full Active Time Events or FATEs.

FATEs are dynamic quests appearing in the world without anyone activating them. They are not instanced for a group (like leve quests) nor are they first-claim-first-serve. They simply either pop up in your mini map or an NPC will start offering the FATE quest. Regardless, you can join them whenever you want(within a set amount of time that the FATE is occurring), in a group or solo. "Now wouldn't that make it too easy if there are a lot of people going for them?" you ask? No, it adjusts itself dynamically according to the number of people attempting the FATE. It ranges from killing all FATE enemies in the area, killing a Notorious Monster, gathering key items either on the floor or by killing a certain monster and giving it to an NPC, defending a town and keeping the inhabitants(NPCs) from being abducted, or if they were abducted, rescuing the said inhabitants. This makes FATEs a lot of fun to play through. It is, to simplify my description, "dynamic".

You will notice FATEs by looking at your mini map. FATEs will have a range indicator around a FATE icon and will give you the level range when you pass over it with the mouse. Once you go to the location, a prompt saying that you have joined the event will show up in the middle of the screen. You can then either join in or ignore the quest. Then again, how can anyone ignore a starving kid asking you to gather/fight cactuars for cacti meat? You don’t want to make them cry do you? well, do you?!? ahem, moving forward. If your level is too low, your contribution will not amount to much. If you are too high, there will be an icon on the mid-right of the screen called "level sync" this will remove some of your abilities to match what the level range is for the event. Allowing you to contribute and receive rewards on par with those within the level range. This will encourage everyone to simply go at it.

The objectives for a FATE event can be viewed on the mid-right of the screen right above the quest viewer. Since there won’t be an NPC to start the quest for you, this is the only way to know what you were supposed to do. Be warned, if it’s one of those quests where you need to turn in items to an NPC, if you simply keep killing and stock up the items, once the NPC have enough items, you cannot turn them in. Therefore, no contribution... no rewards T.T Healers will be happy to know that starting phase 3 of beta, healing will not add contribution as well. YEY healers!

Once a FATE event is done, you will be given a screen providing you with the spoils, usually in the form of gil and experience.

A Gamer's Soul: FFXIV:ARR Chapter 2 part 1

My first entry for the game Final Fantasy A Realm Reborn, an MMORPG. I am actually pretty excited about this game. It comes out on the 27th of August. This is the reawakening of my character into the new remade world of Eorza.

I have played this game when it first came out, so my character remembers the world...

Chapter 2: Awakening

My consciousness drifted for some time... I allowed myself to drift through the darkness. Nothingness is soothing, peaceful even. For some time, I considered this a rest after one adventure and a herald for the next. It happens often... I feel like I am a soul jumping from one body to another. Each of them belonging to a different world.. All of them having unique adventures...

What was I last? It takes time to remember.. sometimes I cannot remember at all... Oh right, I was an old man, a penny-pincher.. Not a bad trait really... I was adventuring in a world called "the world of twelve". Alone. hmmn... That sounds sad.. Why would i let myself be alone... Wait, I remember a beautiful woman... No, thats a different "life"... Right, the one before the last... Dang what am I now?

It feels like I am still floating in nothingness but as I shift my attention to whats around me, sensation starts to form at the small of my back. It then turned to pressure. Am I leaning on something? Maybe... I am feeling gravity now on my bottom... Im sitting on the grass... I can recognize its smell...and also leaning on something hard and rough.. Oh.. A tree.. I can most definitely feel the wind too.. As the wind blew I also recognized the distinct song of birds chirping. Wow what a peaceful place. Where am I?

Slowly I opened my eyes. Ouch! A blast of color and light blinded my initial attempt to take in the world around me. I squinted a few times and tried to make out the blurred colors. I stretched my fingers and felt sensation in my hands. Whoa! Pretty small hands! My eyes began focusing on the tiny leather gloved hands that I am holding infront of my face. Am I a child this time? I leaned forward and put my hands on my face, eagerly searching for clues of what manner of creature I have become.

Between my fingers I saw something glint on my waist, no, on my belt. An iron scabbard with an iron xiphos. Im not a child. Im a warrior.. A very small one at that! Oh! I remember this life... in my distant past. Is this Vana'diel? Am I a Taru ta-.. No this is more recent, a lalafel, This is Eorza!

I took a good look at myself from my feet to my arms and my chest. Shiny brass and copper sabatons covers my feet to my knee, a tightly double-chained haubergion covers most of my body and a pair of iron vambraces along with a scutum lays on the grass. A swordsman! more accurately, a gladiator! Oh grand!

I jumped up and unsheated my sword and listened with glee to the distinct metallic ring it made as it cleared the scabbard.

Schhiiiing!

I twirled the Xiphos from my left to my right and held it upright in a combat stance. Closed my eyes as I danced a heavy choreographed routine. Looking into the darkness, I imagined my quarry. A short upward stab right under his chin, pull the sword back and drew a quick over head strike to his right temple. Ah! exhilarating!

I opened my eyes to a dodo staring straight at me. (well, sideways really... the other eye is on the other side of his.... never mind...) I kept from moving a muscle, breathing slow deep breathes watching the dodo and its next move. It started a step forward. He wants to dance.

I bolted into a sideways roll and grabbed the scutum on the floor, the leather straps are hard on my lightly gloved hand. I dont have time to put my vambraces on. The dodo went to a strut and started squawking. I need to shut this up. he will be calling his pack!

With the shield in between the frenzied bird and myself, I braced my shield arm to receive the initial tackle and readied my Xiphos for a stab. The heavy body of the dodo crashed on my shield and tried to peck my face a couple times. I dodged two and allowed the last one to glance my celata near my temple to get the timing right. A quick sword stab went deep into the bird's neck. I smiled, I did had the timing is right.

The bird kicked then staggered back. glaring as it squawks unintelligible.. well.. squawks... Im glad I dont understand dodo... for it was probably cursing me through hell and back....

As I was making fun of the bird in my mind, I was caught unaware, It crouched and launched itself into another tackle. The bulk of its feathered hide hit my scutum near the bottom propelling the other end of it to my face. The world swam.

With my shield lowered it took a couple swipes to my right shoulder. I desperately tried to keep my sword from dropping, my fingers grasping the hilt of my Xiphos with the pinky tightly around the pommel. As the world goes back into focus, I saw the bird going for another tackle, with my sword lowered, I tightened my grip and swung upwards. Putting my entire weight into its momentum, my sword opened a huge gash on the monster's side. with a rasping screech, the bird dropped to an eternal sleep.

I closed my eyes as I reviewed the fight in my mind. breathing steadily as I study each stroke, each dodge, every mistake and every triumph.

I am back in this world. Eorza. I smiled in the understanding and shivers in the excitement.

A whole new world of adventure!