Mercer

There have been some rumblings that pre-orders do in fact work if the XIV promotion is displayed on the store page. Some people are getting their codes now by talking to customer service and simply asking. Your mileage may vary.

Play what you want, enjoy the character however way you want and be as discreet about it as any rational person should. You'll be fine.

PUBLIC RP EVENT When: 7PM PST 8.25.15 Where: Hidden Falls

I've got the need. The need for speed.

A couple thing might be wrong. You should check and see what your power profile is in your graphics options and your PC options. Make sure they are set to prefer max performance. You might also have a processor setting problem in your Bios. Modern processors have an option to variable raise or lower their clockspeed depending on use. This is great for normal use, but for gamers this severely limits your performance.

This is a good question, Aaron. I'll tell you how me and Draco handled this. We asked a third party to come up with a short little event-- some sort of emergency. Casually, both knights were in the observatorium when this emergency occurred, and both rushed out gallantly to aid this caravan in distress. The attack on the caravan was more than it seemed, and Draco was forced to use his great power to ensure victory. At that point my character went googly eyes, and much later on, after they'd saved the victims of the skirmish, he'd complain to Draco about his lack of any power to make a difference and ask Draco for tutelage. There was a thread where we were posting all the cool spoilery stuff from the MSQ, and side quests, and I remember specifically shaking my head vehemently at someone who seemed to just dismiss that quest as sillyness. Heck no. That was probably the most informative quest as far as how DRK's are supposed to work. Not to mention the character development of the questgivers. I like that quest. Hey, my man. You keep using the word Void here, but... unless that's the flavor you're going for which is totally fine, the Void's got little to do with DRK's. It's the Darkside you're referring to. Right, sorry. Easy to get the powersource confused on DRK, they call it the Abyss instead and is completely different.

Perhaps for a chaotic evil character. Voidsent are devoted consuming the Aether of Hydaelyn and the world after all. They are other worldly, maddening creatures that exist to destroy the world.

With respect (and I really don't mean this to be condescending) but that's misinformation. While it's true that soul stones are rare, "one in the world" is completely false. Both the Summoner and Dark Knight storylines show that there's certainly more than one of each. (Tristan is collecting them, and Frey and Sidurgu both hold them in the Dark Knight storyline.) I see, then I was misinformed. I mistakenly thought so based on the whm questline, as they make a big deal out of it. I believe the same applies to the sch, but I suppose I have to re-investigate. Thank you for this. I'm still very reluctant to apply soulstones to rp as many people still regard it as something a mary-sue would do, I personally don't mind it, but I've seen it happen. WHM is very unique in that the stones are exceedingly rare and the only known practitioners are from a single family line. On the flip side Scholars are increasing in number as the Nimian Tonberries have become friendly and are actively teaching Scholarly ways.

I don't think this is a 'rift' kind of issue. As I said previously it's not something I'd recommend but I'm definitely no authority to say what can be or can't be RPed. Do your own thing, discussion is healthy for people to form their own opinions. I most certainly wouldn't ignore you for having your own background/past/lore. Sure there may be conflict, but RP is bred on IC conflict and OOC cooperation. We're the Dark Knights, take some of the order's rules to heart. Go ahead and let the conflict brew IC, but OOC we're an RP family and should enjoy the conflict that outside the box ideals can bring.

Striking on the point made by Virella as well. There isn't a government loyalty but there IS a loyalty to cause. Dark Knights exist to stomp out the Holy See and Temple Knights. Full stop, that's their goal. Stop their corruption, their manipulation and stop their exploitation. For DRK to leave Ishgard for extended periods of time hampers that goal. Otharian Dark Knights aren't something I would recommend RPing due to the very confrontational essence of their motivation. That's just me talking about lore though, if it works for you then it works for you.

Sounds pretty spot on then, yeah I would say that the ruleset you listed is perfect for any DRK not just Otharian. It makes sense considering the vast number of Au Ra DRK around with the very anti Au Ra attitude of Ishgard.

Oswin is out doing his new manager job for the Heart of Coeurl and silently brooding about responsibility. He doesn't like acting like a grown up, so he spends equal parts drinking and gambling on the company's dollar. No one said he was a role model. Ghunan is training. If he's not actively being played he's out honing technique and muscle into a lethal killing machine. And eating. So much eating. Did you know there are types of squid jerky? Ghunan didn't. He's getting fat.

I personally would be cautious about having an Othard order versus Coerthas order considering it's explicitly stated that the first Dark Knight was Ishgardian. I'm sure it's possible that the teaching could have spread to Othard before the closing of Ishgard's gates but having an independent sect kind of messes with established lore. The actual code you've written though is how Ishgardian knights carry themselves written out in rule form. Every point you make is exactly how a DRK should carry themselves and associate with other DRK.

Further more, MCH has shown that they produce their own soulstones meaning more can be created although they will not have the memories and souls accumulated inside the stone. Soulstones have two purposes after all. The first is that if there have been other wielders, their experiences are inscribed on the stone for the next generation to use. The second is to manipulate the more complicated Aether needed for high level abilities. Even if you strip away the first ability, having a teacher to guide you through the second enables the learning and use of a Job. Now this doesn't mean you can just hand them out like candy, there is a lot of responsibility that goes into using a soulstone. The powers they help focus can be world ending, such as the BLM and WHM abilities. They are much more rare for a reason. On the flip side, the hardy abilities of PLD offer little reason not to use a soulstone which is why they are much more common. Every Sultansworn you see in the game has one and there are many just hanging around the Chamber of Rule. Soulstones are not a good excuse to dismiss Job RP. There are a growing number of sources for them and many of the post 50 quests talk about training the new generation (BRD and MNK specifically).

War has some really good points here too, actually a lot of people do. It's a great thread full of really interesting thoughts and concepts. If you don't want to be spoiled I'd suggest going through with how Oswin suggested play through 30-50 and see what's all going on. Otherwise you'll have to do a lot of retconning, likely. Another thing I would recommend people to is really pay attention to the level 58 Class quest. This right here is a very important distinction on the origin of the Dark Knight's powers. The dark powers can be brought out through anger, hate, sadness, suffering but they are not essential. Other emotions can be used as fuel as well, the point is to bridge that gap from the Ego to the Id. The Void is a complex concept, it's a power source that is created through hate and resentment but can be nurtured through love and compassion. There has to be the violent, powerful separation that splits the soul in two but there also must be the reconciliation of that split and becoming 'whole' again as well. Being a Dark Knight involves a journey that rends a man down to his most base features and then must be built back up again stronger than ever. In the end the Void is fueled by powerful emotion. The most common are hatred, anger and suffering but they aren't pure emotions. Compassion for the weak and love for family gives them just as much if not more power because those emotions are essentially bottomless. They do not poison the mind and soul as hate does.

Oswin is not a stereotypical DRK going the typical DRK route. What I mean to say is that Oswin already has some familiarity with the more aggressive parts of his personality through previous Marauder and Warrior training, though he was never truly able to temper the Beast Within like so many Warriors before him. It's lead to him having very aggressive, violent tendencies in battle as he loses himself to the base instincts below even the Id and Ego, simply the state of survival. His journey to becoming a Dark Knight is stereotypical and... very not typical. In truth, Oswin is a half breed between Midlander and Highlander, with his Midlander father hailing from Ishgard long before the gates closed. His father, often called Rook among the Dark Knight circles, died in the past year. His few effects were left with a trusted companion in Ishgard, waiting for his long lost son to finally discover his inheritance. People who are familiar with the Dark Knight quest line know how cruel the process of becoming a Dark Knight can be. Rook's soulstone was hidden inside of his signet ring and when Oswin discovered his father's effects and tried on the soulstone, the process of becoming a Dark Knight started. He's currently going through fitful nights full of nightmares and days full of whispers and visions. His story is very similar to the WoL's transformation as a Dark Knight. Instead Oswin is currently supported and taught what it means to be a DRK by his father's old apprentice and a rival Dark Knight, letting him form and understand over a much longer period of time. Heck, over a month and a half later and he's just starting to understand what this darkness is and the battle raging behind the scenes.

It's a shame that the Emo/Scene trend of the last decade has poisoned emotional and dark storylines There's a lot of great, classic conflict that can be explored with DRK including the traditional conflict of Superego, Ego and Id. In fact, I would say that conflict between the Ego and Id is more important than any 'darkness' or 'emotional' aspect to the DRK character. The motivation of a DRK is not in the pain or suffering they have gone through but the conflict between primal even self protective behavior versus responsibility and morality. This conflict between primal aspects of the mind creates more of the 'void' and it's power than any outright 'dark' characteristics.

One thing that is important with DRK is to make sure you get through the 30-50 quests first before RPing. There's a lot going on that doesn't come into fruition until that post 50 story. Nature of DRK, their powers, their origin and more is locked away. That being said, DRK is fantastic for RP. There are a lot of ways to approach the RP, from the grizzled war veteran barely hanging on to their sanity or the raw recruit going through the downright bizarre and surreal transformation into a DRK. There is a ton of potential out of Dark Knights that I wish people would enjoy or explore more.

Aris is correct but it's important to remember that you're not paying just 20 million for a house from another person. That 20 million is for them to relinquish the land leaving you to go buy it with your own money. The real total of buying a house from a third party is closer to 25 million to 35 million depending on location. Prime location spots typically sell for more. If you want to live in Mist, you're going to pay about 10 million more. People do not like to let go of their Mist real estate.

It is time to rest, Zyrusticae. You've fought hard and long but complaining about raiding on a fan board about role playing is not going to change the tide at all. You'd have a better chance at taking this to the official forums but past precedence for the genre does not speak well on the chances of change. The nature of successful modern MMOs requires a gear grind to keep both casual and hardcore player bases engaged. There have been instances of older MMOs having a more horizontal experience but those simply no longer exist. Catering to a smaller crowd is not successful or sustainable for as an expensive genre as MMO. XIV is still very much a fairy tale story of a game, from likely the worst launch of any MMO in history to being one of the most successful if not the MOST successful of the post WoW era. Game mechanics were streamlined in a WoW fashion while keeping a distinct XIV flare to it. It's success is largely reliant on what WoW has done right and wrong in the last five years and it shows. There will be more casual content coming but so will hardcore content. Generally patches alternate between catering to the two styles, from more casual 24 man raids to expanded questlines to new systems. 3.1 will likely give more attention to the casual crowd. Heavensward is full of growing pains for the community. Many players now were not around for 2.0 when we were in a similar position. There is a ton of time, story and content dedicated to the leveling experience that left the end game hollow for more casual players. This changed during 2.1 and continued to change as time went on. Give it time or take a break. If the game isn't catering to you, don't play it. Walk away and if you feel like coming back, do so. If you don't then XIV just isn't for you anymore and that's ok. It's ok to outgrow MMOs, game or RP. It's ok to say "I'm done". You haven't wasted time, you've had many hours of enjoyment out of the game and genre. Those are memories and people that you won't forget. Unless you've been unhappy playing this entire time then you might want to reconsider your life.

As soon as you went offline we went back up to 200k. Hell man, the augment market is stupid.

Anything we've gleaned about Doma is applied to the Raen and vice versa. The Ninja quests offer good insight into the culture which focuses on an Edo Japan style feudal system. There are clearly defined roles within the culture, from the ruling class down to the working class and everything in between if we focus on the Edo culture.

Nobility outside of the Sultana is a foreign concept for Ul'dah. Wealth and power are the only things most citizens of Ul'dah recognize, leading to it's upper class more concerned with amassing wealth than any kind of bloodline or nobility. To most high society Ul'dah, it's all about the political games of wealth and power while trampling or using the little people to their own games.

The issue does not stem from your character concept, Zedrick. The issue stems from what people want to RP with. You are as free to make whatever character you like as anyone else on the forum or in the game is. For some people, they look for a certain mood or atmosphere to RP in. In my personal case, playing with an extra-planar character just doesn't fit the mood and atmosphere I enjoy. It's no insult to you, your character or your role playing ability it's simply not for me. Just as much as it's your right to play a character you enjoy it's just as much my right to say no thank you. I understand you are passionate about your character and concept. I hope you're able to find the free company and RP group that would be happy to include you. I would suggest looking in the linkshell hall or if you have run out of resources, perhaps making a free company of your own so you can set the mood that you enjoy. Who knows maybe there is a silent minority out there clamoring for such a niche.

Another lore bending option is based on 50-60 SMN quests is the fact that basically everything has been doused with Bahamut Aether. Tapping into and manipulating primal energies is much easier now that Bahamut is well and truly dead.