Koninbeor

"Forgive my musings. My questions are largely unimportant. You are clearly very happy here and that is the only answer that truly matters." The large man's eyes grow less intense and more curious as Abaigeal holds her carefree composure through all of the banter. "I do not see things in black and white. There are, however, only two possible outcomes. You are either completely correct or you are not. A man is in a tree and tells his two friends down below that he is getting ready to jump. The first friend looks to the second, claiming that the man in the tree will surely land on his feet. The second friend disagrees, arguing that the height is too great and the man will fall into his back into a pile of leaves down below. Finally, the man jumps from the tree. He does indeed land on his feet but finds that the fall was too great. Unable to hold his footing, the man then tumbles backward and falls onto his back on the pile of leaves located conveniently behind him. So which friend was right? They both were from a certain point of view. And yet from another point of view they were both incorrect. Ours is not to judge whether or not what we say is completely without fault. The best that we can do is speak as truly as we know how and hope that our view holds as much water as possible. After all, the desert is a treacherous place, especially when you have nothing to drink." The armored man watches the woman's reactions closely and gives them careful consideration. He nods his head slowly as he listens to her reasoning. "Too few. What good are ten thousand men if you need ten times that? I have given you no frame of reference, and for that the fault lies with me. You need not be burdened by such things so I will spare you. I also offer my apology. I look for something inside of you that you simply do not need. The world is better for the fact that you do not." His gaze remains locked on her green eyes but it is clearly softened. He eases himself back into his seat with great care, regarding her for a moment longer before speaking. "I will take the twelfth item on your menu. In addition, I will take whatever you feel is appropriate if you are so inclined." He allows himself the slightest of smiles, nodding his head just a touch as he does so. "You have been the highlight of my day, Abaigeal. Thank you for not being what I expected to find. I would have words with you another time when you are not on duty if it please you. Perhaps we could establish a camaraderie."

Careful attention is given to Abaigeal as she takes a sip of water. The large man seems to relax slightly, reaching out to take the glass when she offers it back to him. He wastes no time, immediately pressing the glass to his lips and gulping down the cool liquid as if he will never get the opportunity to do so again. In a matter of seconds the glass is drained and hammered onto the table loudly when the man's hand comes crashing down, giving a satisfied nod. His eyes never leave hers, his gaze piercing and seeming to be constantly searching for something. He speaks again, this time his tone strengthened by a refreshing drink, and his baritone voice booms forth unrestrained. "Each and every word we speak has meaning. Everything that leaves your lips, no matter how insignificant you may believe it to be, defines who you are. You come to me and greet me as a fellow Gladiator, yet you lack something that a true Gladiator possesses. You think me strange. And rightfully so, for you are a creature of the coast. You are not fit for the desert. I will give you enough credit to say that this is by choice rather than ineptitude." The patron rises to his feet as fluidly as plate armor will allow, still holding the tall woman's gaze. He stands to his full height and looks down to her, forcing her to look up if she wishes to continue looking into his eyes. "There are so few of us. How is it that I find you in the most unlikely of places? Who are you? Why are you here?" His commanding tone carries a strong hint of curiosity, his gaze constantly searching for an answer as if it cannot be spoken.

The issue with Vitality is that it lacks diversity and gives a static bonus. Now this is certainly old information so we cannot know for certain until we can do thorough testing of the new system. In 1.0, Strength and Dexterity worked on a percentage based system where Vitality gave a flat bonus to HP. Strength affects the amount of damage that you deal in addition to determining how much damage you are able to mitigate by blocking. Dexterity determines your ranged attack damage and increases the likelihood that you will block. Vitality, however, only increases HP. No one, as far as I ever saw, was able to give an example of any battle in which a tank was better off buffing his HP rather than increasing damage and damage mitigation in blocking. The fact that Gladiators and Marauders both get bonuses to their health helps to diminish the significance of pumping points into vitality. There is a long road of theory crafting ahead of us, of course. Only time will tell what serves a tank better. The other classes tend to be a bit more clear cut. I do look forward to seeing results no matter which path the numbers end up favoring.

Icy blue orbs reflexively move to the glass of water as it is placed onto the table. The large man simply watches the glass with an absent stare as Abaigeal speaks to him, seemingly in his own world. His lips move as she comments on his armor, speaking just above a whisper, "That is probably for the best." The armored Gladiator never looks to the dancing girl until she asks if he wants something stronger than water. He blinks his eyes a few times as if suddenly waking from a dream. The orbs quickly become more alert and dart to the tall woman. The massive figure starts at bare feet, his gaze inching up slowly until he finally looks directly into Abaigeal's eyes. "Would you mind doing me a service first? Take a drink for me?" An armored hand snatches up the glass and offering it to the friendly woman.

Metallic clanging of steel rings up from the floor as the tavern door swings open. A massive Highlander strides in at a march. His mountainous form is covered in full plate. The battle armor has seen better days. Once a blood-red masterpiece, the protective suit has been horribly battered in fierce combat. Ominous paint has been chipped off in more places than one can quickly count, revealing spots of bright silver and tarnished grey. Scorch marks appear almost everywhere, marring the steel so badly that any intricate designs are lost to any but the most scrutinizing of gazes. Incorrect shaping around the shoulders is further evidence of enduring an intense heat as the metal has clearly melted to a degree and hardened before the warping effect could be counteracted. Smatterings of arrows have also found a new home, embedded in the thick steel without fully penetrating. Most of the projectiles are little more than arrowheads and broken sticks but a few with full fletching linger about in more difficult-to-reach areas. A large shield bearing the emblem of Ul’dah rests against the Hyur’s back, serving as protection from physical harm and a warning to would-be enemies. The wicked longsword hanging from his belt quickly identifies the man as a Gladiator as the shape and design lend as much to wow onlookers as to being effective in combat. Steady hands pull a battered helmet from the Highlander’s head. Features are difficult to make out, his face covered in soot and grime. He clearly has very short hair that is most likely light in color but one cannot be completely certain. His state of uncleanliness makes the man’s icy blue eyes stand out even more than usual. His gaze is fierce and intense as it sweeps the room, moving slowly from person to person. He allows his eyes to momentarily rest on each person, making no apologies of measuring them and quickly calculating whether or not anyone poses a threat. Anyone who meets his gaze and holds for more than a brief moment is examined more closely. Piercing eyes shift to an empty table closer to the stage than the bar and the monstrous Highlander resumes his march. He is no more than a few ilms shy of 7 fulms and clearly has a deal of bulk by the armor’s shaping. The Gladiator reaches his destination after several quick, long strides. He carries himself with great confidence and pride, every movement seeming to have a purpose. Great care is taken as the man lowers his helmet onto the table and slides his shield off his back, leaning it against a seat and the table for stabilization. He eases himself into a seat carefully as if to keep from breaking something. Finally, the Highlander draws in a long, deep breath and exhales slowly, allowing his gaze to fall down to the tabletop and examine the surface’s grain.

You can't place a new order on the CE because it's sold out. You can do this with the standard version, though.

For those of you looking to preorder a PS3 CE, there is STILL HOPE! That's right. I did some digging around today because I could have sworn that there was at least one retailer out there who still had some copies left. So tell me, who wants to be a Toys "R" Us kid? Happy hunting.

I guess I could have done a little reading. Here we go, straight from the chocobo's mouth: Pre-order and Get $10 Amazon.com Credit, Early Access and more Pre-order Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn and receive $10 in Amazon.com credit toward the purchase of items shipped and sold by Amazon.com (certain exclusions apply, including but not limited to Kindle books, Gift Cards, and Amazon Appstore for Android apps). We will send you a promotional code via email within two days after your order ships. You will also receive a token for early access to the game and digital in-game content including a Mog cap and minion pet. The token for early access will be emailed with instructions prior to early access opening. Offer valid when shipped and sold by Amazon.com. Amazon reserves the right to change or terminate this promotion at any time. Limited to one per customer order. Very nice. Very nice, indeed. Time to flex my email muscle.

Griefers only matter on a PVP server. Don't run away from a server because you're worried about some punks talking smack about you. It's easy enough to put people on ignore. They can only ruin your fun if you let them. This is YOUR game. Make what you wish of it. Now... who's with me?

Hehe, though I wouldn't do that if you have the PS3 CE since that is presently sold out. Letting go of your order might result in actually losing it. Pretty glad I snuck in and got my CE when I could a few weeks ago! But yeah, look at the availability first before you do this! Yes, it would suck something fierce to lose your preorder by trying to save $10. I'm just going to fork out the extra cash. The Amazon price guarantee should automatically lower the rate by $10, but I don't see that reflected in my purchase price when I look at my pending orders.

The block rate by increasing DEX will have to be substantially better than 1.0 to justify tanks putting points there. The percentage was so negligible that it was simply a waste to put any points there at all. STR was a much better choice than DEX because it helped to increase threat. Holding threat had a more significant impact on most parties than a slightly increased block rate. This is what all the number crunching I've seen indicates.

I'm a stickler for following naming conventions. I place so much time and effort into naming my characters that I become lost if I don't have at least a rough set of guidelines. Following known naming conventions adds to immersion for me. There are always exceptions to the rule, of course. I just prefer for the exception to remain the exception rather than to become the rule.

Yeah, Amazonians are underrated. +1 for the freakin' huge setting!

If "freakin' huge" was a setting, I would pick that instead of 100.

Good news is that you can still get early access and the early access bonus items by preordering the regular edition. Then you can always upgrade your account with the digital upgrade later. Of course, for the physical items... I guess there's always ebay?

Does this inside joke have anything to do with a whale?

The name of the game is to have FUN! You can't RP too much or too little. You just roll with whatever you're comfortable with. If you feel like RPing then give RP a shot for a while. If you've had your fill and/or would rather level then have at it. And don't think that you can't do both with the same character. I typically play only one character regardless of how many I'm allowed. I find time for RP and grinding.

Am I the only one who got stuck reading endless forum debates over the definition of "dork" because of this thread's title? Anywho (I will not be converted to anyroad!) welcome aboard. Oh, and keep your eyes open for a guy who likes to leave pie. Don't let anyone steal it.

Raubahn is the freaking man...

This will get you the in-game Collector's Edition items, yes. What it will not get you is the preorder bonus items and early access to the game. I am personally spending my play money on FFXIV, so that's my vote. However, you still have some time. Weigh the pros and cons of both and choose whatever you think will mean more to you down the road than right away. Instant gratification is overrated.

That chart is excellent. Having anything that's evasion based as a tank makes me sad, though. It's called TANKING, not HUMMINGBIRDING!

Amazon is listing PS4 games at $59.99, and they aren't going to take a loss. Sony is committed to keeping game prices the same for the PS4 as the PS3. I've been boycotting EA for its policies for some time. If they really do want to sell their games for $20 more than every other publisher, which I suppose they can choose to do, then it's no skin off my back. Edit: Also, as I look at that thread, the price is not listed in USD. Prices range very differently from region to region. Games tend to be cheaper in the US than they do in other areas so I wouldn't put much stock in a monetary conversion.

Gladiator = single target tank. Marauder = multiple target tank.

Early Access is for preorders of ARR and for 1.0 Legacy accounts. If Legacy access is enabled on your account then you qualify. Based on what you've said here, I'm guessing probably not. What you will receive for having a 1.0 CE is all of the in-game content that comes with the 2.0 CE without any purchase required. To the best of my knowledge, even Legacy accounts must pre-order a PS3 game in order to qualify for the in-game preorder bonuses, though they do qualify for Early Access automatically.

I agree with most of what you have said. Where I differ is mostly on the last sentence of your post. One of the most significant factors dividing the clans of each race is distance. Our characters are exceptional and travel the world, seeing things that most people would never even consider. While Hyur would probably be the most likely to interbreed simply due to the fact that there are Midlanders in Ul'dah, where the majority of Eorzean Highlanders reside, this would not be true of the Lalafell. The Lalafell of Ul'dah have adapted to their environment over an extended period of time as evidenced with their eyes. Again, interclan breeding is certainly possible but physical location on the planet's surface is probably going to be a bigger deterrent to this than even social and/or religious views. I am not opposed to "mixed" characters in any way, I simply expect a good character background. Of course, I expect good character backgrounds out of everyone.