I suppose I am not understanding why most of those who need a soulstone, can't just RP a quest to find one? Â As shown here, by many of the people who study their job/class lore well enough, there are ways of obtaining soulstones apart from those shown in the game.
Not all adventurers are strong...true enough, however barring being the actual WoL above all others, there is no reason, a learned and hardworking member of each and every job here, cannot work up to, and make themselves worthy of a soulstone, both in terms of IG and OOC goals.
Not all soulstones are readily available...true enough as well, however! Â We know what soulstones are essentially. Â We know what it basically takes to make one from piecing bits of lore together, and each job has been blessed with beyond enough lore to make the search for one much easier than some would make it out to be. Â Do your homework, study down to the detail, find that place where Black Mages and their magic were most active, find that black market trader in Ul'dah where all sorts of rare stones can be found, and have your character feel it out. Invite your friends, hire an NPC, hire a PC, to be that person who helps you find or obtain that soulstone you need to continue your work. Â We are a creative community in general, and I think it is reasonable to assume, that given a goal, we can work that goal out with enough examination and cross-examination of the facts.
For those of you who don't wish to use the soulstone to "upgrade" their class, be the best Gladiator or Ascanist or Thaumaturge you can, and forget the rest. Â If you are coming into situations where the kind of power those "upgraded" jobs are needed often, figure out what you think it will take to make your power at a reasonable enough level to handle these sorts of situations (also question your RP a bit, because these sorts of things shouldn't be happening everyday more than likely, though that is dependent on the character of course!) without needing to come into possession of a soulstone, or hell, lose a battle if you have to!
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Before anything is said to the contrary, the Gem of Shanotto is a soulstone, one of a kind as much as any soulstone is I suspect, and there is nothing that could stop one from not finding another, if anything, wait until Void Ark comes around, if it is all that it has been rumored to be, my guess is that a reasonable amount of information could be released as to point us in the direction of where Black Mages would be in concentration, or perhaps even have your character travel back into the ruins of the Belah'dia, and find a Black Mage soulstone hidden among the civilization which we believe came from Mhachi! Â There are ways to do these things, be creative!
I am not 100% certain, but I think White Mages do not need a soulstone to access Succor as we have already established? Â Technically, Succor is accessible to those outside the blessings of the Elementals, but it is rather nicer to have it passed down from them. Â That being said...Lost City is still as open as ever it was to us, and wouldn't take all that much to RP entrance into, if for the soul purpose of obtaining your own, once lost soulstone from the ancient ruins of the Amdapori, the greatest nation of White Mages that ever lived.
And so on and so forth with these sorts of things....
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My top suggestion! Â Don't be so over embellished with your RP that you are the WoL come again to free us all from the rules of lore, but never be so minimalist as to lock out yourself and everyone around you, from having well thought-out and meaningful RP which is supported by current lore, as with the case of soulstones!
Not all adventurers are strong...true enough, however barring being the actual WoL above all others, there is no reason, a learned and hardworking member of each and every job here, cannot work up to, and make themselves worthy of a soulstone, both in terms of IG and OOC goals.
Not all soulstones are readily available...true enough as well, however! Â We know what soulstones are essentially. Â We know what it basically takes to make one from piecing bits of lore together, and each job has been blessed with beyond enough lore to make the search for one much easier than some would make it out to be. Â Do your homework, study down to the detail, find that place where Black Mages and their magic were most active, find that black market trader in Ul'dah where all sorts of rare stones can be found, and have your character feel it out. Invite your friends, hire an NPC, hire a PC, to be that person who helps you find or obtain that soulstone you need to continue your work. Â We are a creative community in general, and I think it is reasonable to assume, that given a goal, we can work that goal out with enough examination and cross-examination of the facts.
For those of you who don't wish to use the soulstone to "upgrade" their class, be the best Gladiator or Ascanist or Thaumaturge you can, and forget the rest. Â If you are coming into situations where the kind of power those "upgraded" jobs are needed often, figure out what you think it will take to make your power at a reasonable enough level to handle these sorts of situations (also question your RP a bit, because these sorts of things shouldn't be happening everyday more than likely, though that is dependent on the character of course!) without needing to come into possession of a soulstone, or hell, lose a battle if you have to!
~~~~
Before anything is said to the contrary, the Gem of Shanotto is a soulstone, one of a kind as much as any soulstone is I suspect, and there is nothing that could stop one from not finding another, if anything, wait until Void Ark comes around, if it is all that it has been rumored to be, my guess is that a reasonable amount of information could be released as to point us in the direction of where Black Mages would be in concentration, or perhaps even have your character travel back into the ruins of the Belah'dia, and find a Black Mage soulstone hidden among the civilization which we believe came from Mhachi! Â There are ways to do these things, be creative!
I am not 100% certain, but I think White Mages do not need a soulstone to access Succor as we have already established? Â Technically, Succor is accessible to those outside the blessings of the Elementals, but it is rather nicer to have it passed down from them. Â That being said...Lost City is still as open as ever it was to us, and wouldn't take all that much to RP entrance into, if for the soul purpose of obtaining your own, once lost soulstone from the ancient ruins of the Amdapori, the greatest nation of White Mages that ever lived.
And so on and so forth with these sorts of things....
~~~~
My top suggestion! Â Don't be so over embellished with your RP that you are the WoL come again to free us all from the rules of lore, but never be so minimalist as to lock out yourself and everyone around you, from having well thought-out and meaningful RP which is supported by current lore, as with the case of soulstones!