Swift Nightclaw

(Curses, foiled by that aquatic mammal, the manatee!) Welcome, Leencat! Let me be the first (second...manateeeee! *shakes fist*) to welcome you theoretically to Gilgamesh (and I'll officially welcome you when you buy the game and join us!). I'll try to answer some questions! 1. Is the lore and general story of the game fairly easy to learn? Is the story and lore presented coherently and logically, such that I won't feel overwhelmed by small details or feel like I need to research every other thing? (I'll try to clarify if that doesn't make sense.) Well, yes and no. There's not a wiki quite as robust as, say Wowpedia for WoW, but there are sources out there that are ever growing and of course there are plenty of helpful people on these forums happy to answer questions. That said, the only lore knowledge I had of Eorzea was basically watching the End of an Era video (which is also the opening cinematic for A Realm Reborn). But you start the game as a traveler arriving in Eorzea's city states (1 of 3), so it's actually really easy to have little to no lore knowledge because you can simply not be from around there. The main story is easy to follow and explains things and helps catch you up on prior events rather well in my opinion, though. Of course, there are plenty of little details to pour over and learn as you explore the game and ask questions. 2. Do the mechanics of the game compare to the mechanics of other newer games? (Basically, does the game offer me more than point-and-click mechanics?) It's not doing anything tremendously new in this area. If you've played WoW, you pretty much have a basic grasp of the overall feel of the UI. Target enemies, use abilities. However, the things they've taken from other games are put together beautifully in a smooth way. There are still a few things that some would argue could be streamlined for quality of life (like clicking items from inventory to put in a window to "hand over" to an NPC), but I love them. They had a tiny bit of "believable feel" to me. 3. What are some of this game's very unique features in your opinions and/or what makes it worth its monthly fee? Imagine WoW, GW2, etc, etc. Imagine getting abilities and leveling up and end game. Now imagine that ladder climb applied to crafting. Crafting has its own jobs and abilities and mini-game to make items of varying quality. It's also designed to be extremely difficult to be totally self sufficient so there is co-dependence among the crafting professions. I'm only level 17 on my highest adventuring job (pugilist) but I am really enjoying the game. There's not a lot brand new to me yet, but I would argue it's worth the monthly fee for the same reason WoW was at launch. "It takes all the good things about other MMOs on the market, polishes them, and puts them in a well made bundle." The key thing it does better than others is the story. FFXI was fantastic on main story presentation, and ARR is right there. I find myself annoyed that I'm waiting on friends to catch up because I don't care about leveling, doing other jobs, unlocking classes, or getting gear.....I want to see the next part of the story. But even when I get to max level and see the main storyline through, there's so much to do still. 4. My friend told me that this game offers a lot of PvE. Can several of you confirm this? I don't care much for PvP and prefer to have plentiful PvE, lest I get bored quickly. There is definitely a lot of PvE options. FATEs are sort of like GW2 dynamic events. There are dungeons and raids. Leves are sort of like daily quests in a way. And bear in mind that one character can access every job. I started as a pugilist (fist fighter), but I'm also level 3 archer, gladiator, and conjurer. I've also gotten to about level 6 as a cook, tailor, leatherworker. I've heard fishing is actually addictive as well. And then getting combinations like pugilist/lancer unlocks classes like monk (others are dragoon, paladin, etc). It feels like there's a lot to do. At the very least enough to make the purchase and a few months subscription worth it. 5. For anyone with very good knowledge of computer hardware, would you be able to tell me if my computer (the exact model detailed here) will handle the game at least on low settings? (I'm not getting my new video card or power supply for a few more months yet, but I know that the video card really needs a replacement. Extra points if you can recommend a video card and/or affordable power supply that you can confirm would work with my compute and fit in it that would make a significant difference. If it helps, it handled Guild Wars 2 on low settings with a few medium settings.) I'm sure someone can link the benchmark, which will let you see how your PC will run. If they don't, I'll link it from home tonight! I agree with manatee, I think you might be okay on standard settings. Your video card is better than mine and I can play on standard/high settings just fine. You only have a little less processor and RAM power than me.

"To drive back the darkness, one need only carry light into the shadows."

With them drawing from other games to include little things here and there and Lightning/Snow outfits being in later on, I wouldn't be surprised to see Auron's outfit as a cosmetic option at some point.

I'm very interested in attending this one! I might consider getting in touch to help as security, but I might just partake in the event as a guest. However, if you choose that time on a Friday, I'll be working. Hoping to see it on a Saturday!

I'm on Gilgamesh, but I 100% agree with what you're saying here. I'm actually developing a linkshell and hopefully a free company that will be dedicated to developing a group of RPers with this kind of approach in mind. Hope you find the same on Balmung!

Out of curiosity, what's your plan beyond raised by pirates? Is the character looking for redemption of a past life or anything like that? You could always look back for inspiration and develop a story for becoming a paladin ala Cecil in FF IV for how she got the paladin abilities without going the full paladin/sultansworn story angle.

Wardens of Light Linkshell: Wardens of Light IC For Linkshell Invite: Contact Swift Nightclaw in game or respond here to be contacted. Free Company: Wardens of Light [To be created] Wardens of Light The Wardens of Light is a Linkshell and to be a role play Free Company that bases itself on lore compliance and free form role play revolving around a group of adventurers exploring Eorzea and keeping involved in monitoring and reacting to threats. Motto: "We carry the light of the crystal into the shadows to keep the darkness at bay." OOC Mission Statement: Wardens of Light is founded on building a group of experienced role playersthat have a mutual interest in one thing: Good, tasteful roleplay that focuses on adventuring and participating in the events shaping the world around them. IC Mission: A secretive, independent group of adventurers of exceptional ability dedicatedto fighting any threats to Eorzea wherever they might be found. They hold no headquarters in any of the nations of Eorzea, their members freely moving from place to place as the winds guide them. They ignore recruits’ racial, national, social, and even criminal backgrounds if they deem them valuable by merit of their character or abilities. Inspired by the tale of the Warriors of Light and how they,adventurers from other lands, contributed to such great changes in Eorzea’s history, the Wardens consider themselves guardians of Eorzea, traveling great lengths to follow whispers and rumor of threats to the land. Though members may ally with the three nations, they secretly hold their allegiance to their order and their duty above all others. They come together at regular meetings to share informationthey’ve discovered and determine if any threats are of high enough importance for them to unify their efforts in addressing them above other tasks. History: After the vagabond miqo'te Swift Nightclaw found himself swept up by events in the city state of Ul'dah, he came to realize the impact and importance of the Warriors of Light in the events leading up to the Calamity. But it was not their deeds leading directly to the fateful battle, but their origins that stirred him. Adventurers from beyond the nations were responsible for the unification of nations against the Garlean Empire and those willing to follow in their footsteps could have the same impact on history again. Believing in the widespread suspicion that the Garlean Empire would again attempt to conquer Eorzea, Swift set about seeking others who would be willing to put aside their allegiances to do what's necessary to uncover any threat to Eorzea and face it. Adventurers who would travel the lengths and breadths of the land for signs and rumor, merchants to develop networks of informants, or crafters to simply provide supplies and boarding to those who do travel. As he found others, they organized into a loosely structured company held together by the bonds of their duties rather than a strict structure of command, unified in their mutual dedication to keeping Eorza free and secure. Ranks: Commander Officer Warden Initiate Recruit Non-RPer (Friends and family of members of the guild who don’t RP) While the Company does have ranks, they are not controlled by the hierarchy of structure. When the members of the Wardens of Light gather for their meetings, all members present anything they feel is pertinent for further action or investigation and their comrades discuss and collectively determine what, if any, action to take. The officers and Commander only extend any authority in the event that an agreement of action cannot be met during the meeting. Rules: Rules will be defined when the Free Company is formed.

MMORPG Background I started in EverQuest in 1999 and was part of a long standing RP guild, the Champions of Marr. From there, I briefly played Final Fantasy XI (friends outleveled me and it became difficult to continue playing). Primarily I played World of Warcraft starting in January 2005 until now (subscription still active) and have been heavily active in roleplay in that game. I've also dabbled in EverQuest II, Lord of the Rings Online, Dungeons & Dragons Online, The Secret World, and Guild Wars 2, but none of them captured my interest. RP Experience My primary experience with RP has been free form roleplay interacting with others in various MMOs. Technically my first "MMO" was an IRC Chatroom called the Coalition of Galactic Fleets where we roleplayed in IRC chat and took to Star Wars X-Wing vs TIE Fighter and Jedi Knight for action/battle. I've played in less graphical MMOs and through the MMOs listed above as well as a little bit of tabletop experience. Character Ideas/Info Swift Nightclaw, or truthfully K'Swihft Tia, is my miqo'te pugilist I'm playing in A Realm Reborn. He's skilled in combat, but a smooth talker as well. I'm thinking he may even be a bit of a con artist, though he doesn't take advantage of the downtrodden. I haven't fully fleshed out his backstory, but a friend of mine is taking the name Kairi Swift (K'airi Swihft if we're appropriate) as his daughter who has a less than favorable view of him. We're thinking he was not a nunh of the tribe when she was conceived, which contributed or directly resulted in him leaving the tribe. Beyond that, though, I don't have too much fleshed out just yet. What kind of a role-player are you aiming to be? Light, medium, or heavy? I would like to be a heavy roleplayer and build a heavy roleplay free company that focuses on the story and the events of the world more than the interpersonal drama I've seen in many games. More focus on the efforts against the dangers of the world, and the Garlean Empire, more than who's sleeping with who and who's pregnant. Not that those can't factor into storylines, but it gets tiresome when relationship problems are the focus of all conversation rather than the war that's escalating all around the characters. I do have an idea for the Free Company and I'm working on hammering out a few details before posting that information here as well!