Category Archives: Final Fantasy XIV

Team Derp Returns to FFXIV

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We’ve talked about it and we did it. We came back to XIV. To what capacity? I have no idea. At the moment we are currently on Mysidia which seems to be a server largely populated by the Japanese. Some are ranking up quite nicely while there are others like myself and Orophen who had waited to level up together and then managed to get levels pretty quickly thanks to the patches.

Right now its a good change of pace. There are still things wonky in XIV, but its also apparent things are different and are changing. There are a handful of changes that have been good and others that aren’t as much. Personally, I’m enjoying the auto-attack. My boyfriend has been very adamant against it and still doesn’t seem to like it very much. He even scorns those that now complain the battles are slow because of the introduction of auto-attack. I don’t personally see it, especially since I’ve had to deal with cool down timers a lot as a mage. What DOES suck is how much more easily I seem to get hate now than I did then (unless I am remembering things incorrectly). Curing, for example, can easily get me killed if I don’t let Orophen establish enough hate via weapon skills. It is almost as though I have dumped a bunch of Cure IVs on him and bam! I’m mowed down like a punk ass. Nuking in and of itself is also a crazy mess but it has also inadvertently saved the day many times thanks to the high amount umbral and astral damage it does; definitely more than I remember it having done when I was leveling THM aeons ago. However, I’m still eagerly waiting for BLM as it is far more potent and suits my tastes far more than the debuffer position that THM holds. Though I guess I should be more aware of how many more deaths I’m going to eat when I do make the switch over…

As for our XI exploits, they will sort of be haphazard during the month of August. My schedule will be chaotic due to a visiting relative, and I’ve left care of the team in the hands of Hiroshiko, Rubicon, and Orophen. Two of them I know I can count on. One of them is questionable at best, and has me worried if anything will happen at all during my absence. There has also been an issue within the linkshell itself, of which I go into detail here. Since then more bits of drama had been pasted onto it, and I’ve found that neither party is willing to make its move; which is fine by me. I’m OK with a stalemate because I personally see no reason to do any chasing and I’m sure the other person is feeling the same way. My only desire at this point is for my members/friends (for me and my ls the two are synonymous) to stop being stalked and checked up on for absurd reasons. Example of absurd reason: fear of being replaced despite having a.) left and b.) me asking members to overlap on jobs if they are both willing and able even when said person was still with us. We are a small LS that fills in holes for others when they aren’t there or needing to cover other areas; I would be doing us a disservice not asking them to cover jobs if they are willing and able to do so. There are also people that just want to level the job because they want to without me having to poke and prod them; who the fuck am I to tell them to stop? That is their prerogative and I won’t kick them just because they are doing something that the other person does out of sheer boredom.

/sigh Now I need aspirin…

Thoughts on FFXIV’s Battle Reform Blueprint

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Just last night S-E posted the Battle Reform Blueprint on their forums, and to be honest… I didn’t really want to click the link. My interest level on XIV had grinded to a halt; something I don’t really like admitting because of how much of a fuss I had made beforehand over the damn game. This is for a number of reasons that mostly point back to CON and my utter hatred for leveling that class as a healer. The recast timers, the problem with elevation (the SLIGHTEST bit of a difference could mean someone won’t get a buff!), and the awkwardness of healing more than one person… it just didn’t really sit well with me. THM seemed more capable as a healer, but didn’t have the spells needed to help put it out on top and required leveling CON.

With that in mind, I was pretty ecstatic when they announced the following:

By major revisions, not only do we mean the tweaking of effects and potency of existing actions – we will work from the ground up to redesign and reassign actions based on clearly identified class roles.

It was clearly the one singular move that I had been wanting; most especially for CON. I know it had the great idea of being either a WHM or a BLM, but it was a confused mess that just didn’t play out as nicely. Maybe I played CON incorrectly, but the troubles I encountered playing as CON in a party setting is one of the reasons I just can’t really feel happy playing as a mage class in XIV. However, a move I knew was coming but not in the way I imagined was the inclusion of jobs.

The job system – that series-defining trademark – will be implemented in FINAL FANTASY XIV (details such as specific jobs TBA). Quests to unlock each job will become available once you have reached a certain rank in the corresponding class.

I can’t help but think I would be playing a weird hybrid of XI and Ragnarok Online at this point. Not that I have anything against the idea of it, but it does make me itch to play RO again. It also makes me wonder how the game will look like with such additions in the game. Probably the only thing I am certain of is that it won’t be as confining as RO; a game that forced you to stay on one track once you made a choice and to create a new character if you wanted to deviate from that choice. It will probably just be more in tune with what XI has in place but instead of having ONE class at a certain rank, you now have to have a certain class at a certain rank to get the job you want. Though… there are going to be problems if they introduce an assassin type job to XIV. Will probably have to try to talk someone else into playing a healer if that ends up happening….

Waiter, there is a fly in my soup!

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These past few weeks have been pretty crazy busy that I’ve started to think I need to cut back in some areas of my online gaming (primarily XI stuff) to focus on other things. Trying to figure out what to nix, however, is the tricky part since I enjoy all of it… but it needs to be done since I do have other commitments to attend to.

Enough of my woes, however, and onto the meat of things!

Since there are more people in mreh (the XI linkshell name), I’ve been feeling a little overwhelmed as to what to do and how to schedule things and decided to put up a poll. I wanted to cover as many things as possible that people were interested, but also keep in mind that we have other things to do to help a wide scope of my friends.

Sooooo… since the poll was leaning towards XIV earlier in the week, I decided to go ahead and schedule it in for Tuesday. Its been awhile since I had even touched the game and was a bit surprised at some of the changes. I don’t honestly keep up with all the news nowadays, because they aren’t the huge changes in game play and such I am hoping to see at the moment.

There were other changes that were kind of neat and scary at times. Changing the mob size didn’t seem like such a huge thing to me at first, until we had actually gone onto the field saw saw a Fat Dodo and my first response was, “Wow. That’s a fat dodo!”

Its more impressive when you are fighting against Gnats and well… they end up looking more hideous than they did before.

It was most definitely strange going back into Eorzea after the hiatus from the quake and self imposed due to lack of interest or time. Healing is still a pain and totally not fun at all. Then again, neither is playing an Archer solo… I really wanted to just bang my head on something when I switched to my Miqo’te and was unable to play without feeling disgruntled. About what? I wish I knew. Archer probably isn’t my job of choice anymore, but neither is the idea of wielding an axe and getting my kidneys plucked out by Dodos.

On the XI realm of things, I’ve been trying to do what I can to maximize my damage. I guess I have an e-boob (you know, because I don’t have a penis?) problem in that regard but at the same time am too darn lazy to change some things (my macros) or go out and get my staff trial done and over with. My progress on upgrading all my Goetia pieces to +1 is slightly halted in attempt to get other people their +1s as well. Am so far rocking out in my Goetia Petasos and now this little gem:

I had quested most of the seals for this one, since I had found a pretty easy quest to do so. With this quest, I was able to upgrade my Goetia Gloves to +1 and my Mavi Bazubands to +1. Although it was quite frustrating during the runs for my very last seal when I would get nothing BUT bolts, caller’s, or bale seals to be thrown away like trash. Yet the wait and time put into it was well worth it since I was able to push my damage up closer to 4k without Ascetic’s drink. Searing Cape also helped, and I’m cursing myself for having given up the opportunity to lot on it before during the other times it dropped when fighting Turul. Oh well. I have it now and am more than happy to strut around with it.

Oh, and note to self: stop equipping full attack atmas when seal hunting. ;o; Am pulling too much damage off of the MNK…

BLM 90 get, but the laundry list grows…

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At the pokings of Kyoshin, I am here writing an entry for AstralCandy. So shout out to Kyoshin for reminding me of what I usually forget only until I turn off my computer for the night, haha.

Since writing my last entry I have leveled BLM to level 90 with an under leveled subjob (will be remedied soon enough), the addition of Sorcerer’s Gloves from Dynamis – Windurst, and my desire to level BLU lessened a little due to my want of capping out my skills, getting more lunar abyssite, more Atma, and essentially doing more damage and proving Reiokyu right as to my lust over spike damage. Not that I am totally disinterested in BLU. I think more than anything I am just daunted by the idea of having to farm exactly 39 spells. I know that’s not really a lot, but whenever I look at that number and I can’t help but feel exhausted.

There is another problem I have on my hands, and that is the possibility that we will have our main healer (Hiroshiko) going on hiatus due to computer problems. Although we have two or three capable healers on our hands, nothing can replace WHM… or at least a person I can pick on at will while cackling with pleasure. With that in mind, I have been thinking of leveling WHM more despite my reservations of doing so. I am not as comfortable in the primary healer role as I was before, and I worry plenty if I will do a decent job on it. The last thing I want to be is one of those healers that just doesn’t know what the hell they are doing. Not to mention, I have no incentive of doing well since I typically compete with Hiroshiko in performing WHM duties.

I suppose I could trick myself into thinking I will be training myself to be a better WHM than him, but I think seeing him there and beating him to other things is what I enjoy more than anything…

Yet I will probably press on forward with BLU, finish up BRD, and then finally get around to WHM when I have leveled SCH to use as a subjob. Oh, and after I get a slew of RL obligations taken care of as well.

On the XIV front, I wasn’t able to play with the gang on Thursday like I had wanted to. Stress from work had prevented me from sleeping well and wanting to enjoy myself, and I had decided instead to take an extended nap and do activities that were a little less intense. It doesn’t help I feel like I am at an impasse when it comes to leveling CON. It would help if I didn’t have to play awkwardly with a controller in one hand and switch from mouse to keyboard, or even if my keyboard could work with XIV (for some reason it doesn’t). So I am left wondering if I should level THM on the side once in awhile, or if I should just wait until they do something to “fix” CON to something more palatable. I know that changes are coming, but who knows what that will entail or when it will come.

On a non-MMO front, more things should come out of vending machines in the US! I went to Tacoma Mall today and in a little area in the middle of the mall, I found this place called the Pokemon Center. Its a cute little set up with a display of plushies, cards, and figurines alongside vending machines and machines with touchscreen games. On my way out of the mall I decided to buy a little Pichu plushie from the vending machine that also housed video games, cards, and figurines. Needless to say, I was in love. Not just with the convenient machine but with the fact I got to walk home with an adorable Pichu plushie. Unfortunately my phone is being a pain, but do look for the picture of the plush on my twitter sometime soon!

My right isn’t your right; its your left.

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As many people know, I have come back to the world of Vana’diel. I haven’t really abandoned Eorzea, but Vana’diel IS holding my interest more firmly at the moment and has brought about much amusement with old and new friends.

Since my return in late December, I have leveled a little bit here and there, tried to skill up here and there, joined a Dynamis shell, and tried to help along friends so that we can tackle more things together. First off, the jobs I’ve leveled:

BLU 68 > 84
BRD 76 > 81
BLM 64 > 81
WHM 62 > 69

Yeah, I’ve flip flopped a lot and had a hard time focusing for awhile. I’m a little more settled on BLM at the moment, since I am enjoying the idea of nuking things to death. I have a LONG way to go, however, in order to be a competent and better BLM. I’m hoping to get there one day, but so far am pleased that I am able to get my nukes up past 200 in Abyssea Ule. with the help of Teal armor and Ascetic’s Tonic. Though, despite what Reiokyu and Orophen are claiming, I am STILL deciding to hold my right to complain. They state I can’t with the damage I doled out, but I say I can since its not nearly as consistent nor as high as I would like for it to be.

And that damage was done while I was level 80 or 81. One of the two. Atma of the Beyond, however, is my friend sometimes and is probably the only reason why I was lucky enough to deal out those numbers along with Ascetic’s Tonic and the Teal gear. Now to work on getting more Atma and Lunar Abyssites to push that damage higher…

I am still intent on wanting to level WHM. It sounds sadistic of me, considering my good friend Hiroshiko has told me numerous times NOT to fall into that trap and to just run away. Yup. Not walk. Run. Run far and fast. I don’t blame him, really. He is usually stuck as that job and has reminded of me of the times I’ve wanted to stuff dirty diapers into the mouths of needy DD who think their needs is more dire and of importance than of the entirety of the party. Though I think I’d need to take it slow since the very idea of main healing sometimes gives me anxiety attacks. Sort of like when I was summoned to be a BLM in Dynamis last Wednesday and was worried to death I was playing like a total noob. I’d rather play as BLU but some part of me wouldn’t mind attempting to play as BLM again in the future.

As for XIV adventures, I think Reiokyu is really putting himself in the position of a sheep/goat conspirator. It is the ONLY way to explain how the hell he has managed to walk by a NM goat in Nophica’s Wells and not get a single scratch on him. Or the fact that sheep were spamming Sheep’s Song like it was no one’s business in Dynamis today. I’m thinking maybe he has beat them on the head too many times that they are scared of him and have offered instead to be his evil little minions…

Changing the Game — A New Direction for Eorzea

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When Square-Enix announced changes to its staff almost a month ago, its former Director/Producer, Hiromichi Tanaka, had left a message that left some people wondering if the game would take a complete overhaul in the stead of Naoki Yoshida. In fact, Tanaka had clearly stated:

We are aware, however, that in many cases, addressing these issues will call for a reworking of game elements.

At the moment, I never gave this much thought. I knew some were worried and some were excited, but it didn’t seem to really hit me until the clock had hit 12:00 on January 1, 2011 and I received the e-mail on my phone. I took the poll not too long after that and was floored when I read the very last question:

Would you welcome changes to FINAL FANTASY XIV that would drastically alter the rules already set in Eorzea?

Now, I was stumped for all of a minute. I was really torn on how to answer the question. Part of me was getting used to how Eorzea was. Yes it was clunky and frustrating. I don’t make it hidden my disdain on the targeting and how utterly useless and awful I feel as a healer in the game. On the other hand, I have also grown used to several things. I realize I am one of the few people who like the Market Ward system, retainers, and the like. I have a disdain for Auction Houses, and I can’t imagine myself liking the game any better when one is finally implemented in the game. I LOVE the crafting in this game despite a good friend of mine making constant complaints of wanting something to similar to WoW. However, if I wanted something like that then I would be on WoW and not on XIV. Soloing has never been a problem and party play? I get that with friends easily and have thoroughly enjoyed playing with them, and once in awhile the random stranger.

I know there are many other problems with the game that can’t go unnoticed. When retail version came out, I was puzzled beyond belief as to why my friends and other people couldn’t understand simple mechanics of the game. If one had actually read the dialogues it seemed easy to figure what to do or where to go. Then there is the biggest problem of the UI; targeting makes me want to pull my hair out, sometimes my own keyboard doesn’t respond in the game (it works fine in other games), and even the way macros work is slow and very clunky.

There are other numerous quirks in the game I know that could be improved upon or changed entirely, and no matter how much I loved the game… it could not get any worse than what is already set. There is a community that needs to be brought closer together, there needs be a clearer and more defined focus, and the rough edges need to be smoothed out and polished. It is with that thought, I clicked yes.

Do I regret this? No. Does it make me any less of a fan of XIV? I know supposed “fans” would argue that I am not. I am, after all, listing things that need to be fixed in the game vs taking it in for what it is. However, I want to see this game do better. I want the PS3 players to come and want to stay in Eorzea vs. saying, “I’ll come back when it gets better” or saying they don’t want to come back at all. I also want to see this game do as well as XI; a MMO I’ve loved for many years and have many cherished memories from.

Am I scared of what the changes could entail? You bet I am! Even the poem left to us at the end of Yoshida’s letter has left me wondering what would be in store for us:

Ne’er till land consumes sun can sea bear moons,
Heavens spew crimson flame, hells seep black dooms.
Stray seeds quicken in ash’s grey embrace,
Valiant blades forged under the Twelve’s good grace.

– Seventh Verse of the Divine Chronicles
Mezaya Thousand Eyes

If it were references to the in game atmosphere, I am all for nuking the Black Shroud and restructuring the place from the ground up. But even the keywords left by Yoshida’s New Year’s message (fun, live, reboot, and rebuild) has left me and others wondering if a complete overhaul of the game is in Eorzea’s future despite what our last answer could be on the poll. Even if this were so, I am eagerly anticipating what the future will hold for Eorzea. At the moment the only place to go is up and I am hoping Yoshida and his new team will take great strides towards that path.

Welcome to the land of Eorzea!

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Now that the collector’s edition for Final Fantasy XIV has been out for a few days, I feel like I have gotten the initial rush out of my system and can safely blog about it without feeling hyper anxious about staying on the game for hours on end. Well, and it helps that my wrists are a tad sore and I am in dire need of doing other things at the moment. That said, I am incredibly excited for what is to come with this game in the coming months and beyond.

First of all, I was utterly floored when my best friend decided to take a break from the land of Azeroth and come check out the world of Hydaelyn. I have been keeping my WoW account active every so often so I can go on and chat with her when I can, but its been hard since I was not really into WoW. It was a great time waster, but nothing I could feel really invested or immersed in. That’s what I have been missing terribly since I’ve pulled away from Vana’diel; the whole immersion experience of feeling like you are in a living, breathing world instead of having to feel the intense pressure of going from one quest to another without wait. I don’t know how she feels about XIV so far; I know its buggy, I know it has its flaws, and I know it lags as hell on the Lindblum server. I do hope she is enjoying herself, but I am also keeping my WoW account active in case she doesn’t. I told her I’m ok with her leaving XIV; which is true. I would rather her be happier elsewhere than frustrated playing XIV.

Second, 8 hours leveling!? Who would have thought! I am usually not one to enjoy sitting down for long periods of time, but I found myself doing so the other night to team up with people from Save Point doing leves and behests. It was kind of insane, a lot of fun, and also really exhausting as it started to get to 2 a.m. and Naked Moles were hunting us down and knocking us down dead. Then I started to fall out of my chair, and well… lets just say I needed a serious break after that because it was the first time in a very long time I had sat down and just gamed so seriously. Will it happen again? Who knows. Maybe. Maybe not. I did have a lot of fun, and am looking forward to getting a chance to play with the people I’ve met from FFXIVblog and Save Point.

By the way, I seriously think either I’m very well liked or I am the sore butt of jokes with some of the guys on the LS. You guys know who you are!

Anyway, the only problem I have, really, is with the complainers. I guess its because after following this game so intently, working on FFXIVblog, doing the Orzcast, playing the beta, and what have you… it feels like XIV is in a way my child. Now this is a problem; when a parent really loves their child, it is easy to get annoyed and get into downright denial when someone says there is something wrong with your child. You come up with excuses, you defend remarks made against your child, and sometimes you just want to strangle the other person and tell them they are wrong. I’ve had to catch myself a few times, because it is SO easy to feel frustrated with some people when the things they are complaining about has already been mentioned to be future fixes. Then I have to remember… not everyone has been following the game as intensely as others and there is a disconnect of information and what not.

Eorzea has its rough sides right now. Its new, its shiny, and those who have been playing the other games right now tend to forget where their beloved games originally started out; which wasn’t always at a pretty place.

I do hope people give it a chance, and that people who are like me and getting impatient with the complainers remember that some of us are coming from different perspectives and might have a harder time seeing what a beautiful gem we see before our eyes. XIV is new and has the potential to build a great community like XI, and definitely better than the mess that is known on WoW forums and chat channels. I’m definitely looking forward to seeing more of what is to be offered us, and to be able to enjoy the journey with new and old friends alike for some time to come.

Wanted: New Friends in Hydaelyn

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So, opening day for Final Fantasy XIV is coming near and I can’t help but be excited. I remember the last game I was excited about was Aion, but it had quickly become such a bore for me that I didn’t really stay too long to get too high. The grinding, the idea of knowing I’d HAVE to do PvP, and the fact that RMT were spamming the areas left and right didn’t help any. Even if the problem was solved quickly enough, it was the culmination of issues that just left such a sour taste in my mouth that I worried I would never find another MMO to enjoy again after FFXI.

Sure, I played and sometimes still do play WoW but it was mostly a way for me to keep in contact with a friend and to pass time with. Final Fantasy XIV, on the other hand… lets just say that if it isn’t apparent how excited I am then maybe you aren’t the one looking at me foaming at the mouth in anxious anticipation.

The only part that I’m truly sad about is the fact I would not be able to play with two friends. I knew that one would be iffy and the other would be unable to join until the PS3 launch. I know its not THAT bad, but I guess I was just so focused on continuing the adventures from Vana’diel to Hydaelyn that I forgot that not everyone can make the trip. I should and most likely will make new friends, but… most will be male and hardly the female friend I’ve managed to keep over the years. Which seems so strange; the idea of being so worked up over a person whom I have never met, never really exchanged e-mails with, and only know through a digital avatar via experiences in a virtual world. It has made me wonder about the meaning of friendships and such… and how I should probably try to branch out more even if I detest the idea of it.

But I realize that in the end, my friendships I build really have helped in whether I stay in a MMO or not. After all, it is a rather social game whether people want to admit it or not. When you get to the end of things, even if you are as much of a hermit as I can be at times… teaming up with people is what will really help you get through the hurdles that are placed in the game that are just a virtual representation of hurdles that one might face in real life. Sure, losing a job and needing moral support from friends isn’t the same as needing a team of people to help you get a shiny piece of equipment… but in the end, you still need someone to watch your back, right? Right.

Final Fantasy XIV Open Beta

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As some may know, I have been in the Final Fantasy XIV Closed Beta since the tail end of Alpha. It has been amazing to see the game grow and change since its alpha testing stages to the current stage it is at right now in open beta. Yeah, sure, there are bugs, but what MMORPG isn’t buggy upon release? And that hasn’t even been in another country for a year to work out those said bugs? I think its fine. Sure, people are complaining about this and that but I’m not particularly worried that it will affect my enjoyment of the game. Even in its current state, I find myself having fun with what I am able to play with. Others may not feel the same way, which if fine. In the Western MMO market there are other options (both free and pay to play) people are able to choose from that doesn’t have to be FFXIV.

Though I have to admit, after not having really played Final Fantasy XI actively for a year, it was a little hard getting used to the pace of enjoying the journey vs. getting to the destination (though, from my current understanding of the XI environment, getting to the destination quickly seems to be made easy due in part of the Abyssea expansion). The hand holding experience of WoW and Aion almost had me fumbling over Final Fantasy XIV, but it was quick and easy to get back into the groove of things and settle into the rhythm Hydaelyn had to offer. The environments itself made me remember why Final Fantasy XI was such a special gem and why I felt that magical return to me for Final Fantasy XIV; it was so easy to feel so immersed in the world itself and not feel that it was a game where I needed to quickly hit enter to get to the next thing. Even though finding an NPC can sometimes be like finding a needle in a haystack, it is in successfully finding those NPCs or learning something how to craft that just tickles me with delight and wonder at what else I can learn and accomplish.

Crafting, by the way, is the most fun I had ever had in any sort of crafting system I have tried to date. Granted there are still some aspects I feel could use tweaking (I’ve never been a fan of having to individually select my items to craft with), but in general I’ve found myself wanting to craft. Yes, that’s right. I WANT TO CRAFT. Not often does that happen or that I’m not just willing but excited to do something like crafting.Stranger still? Me like a hand-to-hand job. Yes, that’s right, a hand-to-hand job. Hard to believe, yeah? But here I am! Playing a hand-to-hand job and loving every moment of it!

I’m actually trying very hard not to play too much because I don’t want to ruin how things will be when the game finally comes out for its retail version. There is so much I want to do and try out, even though I know that in two weeks time all that data will be wiped clean. ( ;^;) Still… I’m really excited to play Final Fantasy XIV and to be more full immersed in its community than before. The people I’ve met and talked to have been generally great and supportive of not just the game but of each other. Even better is being able to reconnect with friends from Final Fantasy XI whom I have missed during my absence. ♥ I definitely feel at home in this game compared to WoW and Aion, and am eagerly looking forward to seeing how the game will develop from here on out.