Trials Of A Noob

[Tosheden]

[align=center]Whose the noob with the low post count? I know I know. Well the names Tosheden. And I have a screenshot addiction. :frustrated: Anyway I complied this up to basically give people an idea on how the game looks from someone else's perspective as I enjoy reading player made entry blogs myself. If I bump into you in game you may find yourself in here. In the mean time, while the servers are down, or if you're bored, enjoy my personal Trials Of A Noob. If it gets some good thumbs I'll update it more. [/align]

 

Entry #1

 

E1:1

Tosheden Muramasa a name with many reincarnations. Mostly my entire online gaming career I've used the alias Tosheden, Toshiro, and if the last name permits Muramasa. I came up with this name playing a game called Way Of The Samurai some years ago. Since then the name has stuck. This time however, it belongs to a character in FFXIV. I've never played any online Final Fantasy games, ever. I did grow up playing the ones on playstation/2 as mostly everyone here. And some how was lucky enough to Beta test this one since Phase 2. I immediately thought, in order for me to enjoy this game in its entirety I'm going to need to join a guild. And it just so happens Night Blades were recruiting and welcomed me with open arms. (Shout out to you guys!) Most of them are from the original version of the game. Which I've never played before so everything from the scenery to lore I'm completely new to. And so far it's a hell of an experience. 

 

 

E1:2

I was walking out of a town (name slips my mind at the moment) and the music kicked in. That along with me being able to slowly see the sun rise up in the distance was absolutely breath taking. FFXIV is the second game where I was completely taken in by the visuals alone. To me that's what MMOs are all about. Being able to become immersed, rally up with your friends and kill some monsters, or people if you are into PvP. I just remember sitting there as I positioned my camera for the right angle thinking... "Wow, this game is amazing". I don't know if the sun rising triggered the music or not but regardless it was one of those small experiences we've all had in a game where we just knew.. "I'm going to be here for awhile." And so it begins in Eorzea.

 

 

 

E1:3

One of the perks of this great game was it's dungeons. Here you can see one of the founders Loki, with the awesome photobomb. Loki is pretty cool and entertaining to talk to, seems to know her way around the world a bit. She's like me, reader then researcher when it comes to learning new games. I would have taken more pictures but I was slightly busy trying to figure out how everything worked. I had to tank and nervous as I was I didn't want to wipe the group. To me everyone in a group has a role to play and you have to play that role really damn good or you're more of a burden then actually helping. That's always been my mentality so if I'm in a party I want to make sure I do my part. Luckily we completed all three dungeons for Ul'dah, Limsa, and Gridania. It's fitting that we finished all these a few hours prior to the servers being taken down. This marks the end of Test number 3 of Phase 3. Which is only a step closer to Phase 4 (Open Beta) and following Launch. And I can honestly say I've not looked forward to the release of an MMO in a long time. 

 

 

 

E1:4

Another great scenery of the night time sky. If you've played any mmos with time cycles you should know how amazing these things are. I've been guilty of always looking up just to see how real it actually looks. This pretty much reaffirmed how amazing this game really is. And it's a credit to the visual artists on the team. They really out did themselves. I forget exactly where I was heading, I know I was leaving town but something told me to just turn around and look up and this was the result of that. I'm glad I did as these gems and experiences are irreplaceable. Imagine how you felt the first time you looked into the eyes of your freshly created character, you can't replicate that feeling. You can only keep coming back for more....

 

 

(Click the links below to quick jump to my posts)

Entry #2

Entry #3

Entry #4

Entry #5

Entry #6

Entry #7

Entry #8

Entry #9

[Khaze'to Zhwan]

Looking good there Tosheden,  I've been planning on doing a photo diary once phase 4 starts and I can start Khaze'to properly.  Seeing yours just gives me inspiration to do mine properly.  Keep on doing what you are doing.

[Tosheden]

Looking good there Tosheden,  I've been planning on doing a photo diary once phase 4 starts and I can start Khaze'to properly.  Seeing yours just gives me inspiration to do mine properly.  Keep on doing what you are doing.

Thank you very much. Ironically, I was kind of nervous about posting this here because I want it to rightfully relay the experiences I've been having with FFXIV so far. Only way to do that is by simply..telling the tale. Lol anyway I'm also happy mine gives you some inspiration to start one as well. I'd be happy to read it once you have it going!

[Asyria]

Good stuff there!

[Vashies Rosada]

This was a good read be for bed :thumbsup:.

[Tosheden]

Thank you guys! I suppose I'll keep this going got more reception than I thought it would. Entry #2 will be out at the end of next weeks test. 8-)

[Magellan]

Become part of the official welcoming committee and you can get that post count way up lots of new ppl joioning everyday. Welcome!

[faceman7381]

Way of the Samurai is my favorite PS2 game ever!

 

It was like a live action choose your own adventure book!

 

I played that game sooooo mnay different ways!

 

Loved killing 100 men in that canyon or drawing my sword at anytime to scare/piss off people!

 

Anyways, welcome, my friend!

 

I would love to see your character ideas!

[Tosheden]

Thanks again guys. And I have a character in mind I made his bio on here. Again thank you lol :blush:

[Tosheden]

[align=center]Well, here we are, again. Browsing the forums, making posts, or lurking. We all got something in common though, we're anxious. All of us. There's a world that we wish to enter, yet we are so far away yet so close at the same time. August 27th, a realm will be reborn. Stories will be told and battles will be fought. Friendships will be made as well many memories. I've got a feeling that waiting for Phase 4 and the eventual early access is going to be like watching paint dry. But in the meantime, we're all just trying to find something to pass the time by until then. Whether it's picking up an old game that you never completed, or staying out the house as much as possible on the weekends. Because we all know the minute you have a realization that time is moving slow.... is when it actually does. And this wait is such a tease[/align]

 

 

 

 

Entry #2

E2:1

You ever played a game and seen something in it that reminded you of an anime? Or another game you've played before? I have a really guilty pleasure of loving a series called .hack//. For the life of me I couldn't think of what the Aetheryte portals reminded me of.. .then I thought Chaos Gates! I sat there for awhile and just kind of looked at people porting in. Each person being moved by an objective or a "To-Do-List" of things they wanted taken care of. Using the portals to close the gap. And here I was using it to observe the traffic. 

 

E2:2

One thing I've never really taken note in any MMO I've played so far, was the background NPCs and how they interacted with each other. What I'm used to is the whole...chat bubble...looping emotes that weren't even synced very well to begin with. Thus it always faded to the background for me. In FFXIV, it was different. It actually felt different. Funny thing is that during Phase 2 when I first got my invite, I actually couldn't tell the difference between the NPCs and the players at times, a noob mistake I haven't made since first playing Star Wars Galaxies. It might have had a lot to do with the names of the NPCs and players not showing up unless you clicked them. But still it was something pretty cool to see from a far. I don't know what they were talking about but it really gave the game a.."ITS ALIVE!!!!!" type of feeling. 

 

E2:3

I was on my usual wanderings, and happened across a Chocobo at a camp. I remember walking up to it and as I did, it looked at me. It...looked...at...me. It felt so real. I didn't notice before when you get within a certain range near NPCs they actually look at you. I don't know why I missed this earlier but it was one of those small aesthetics you don't always appreciate in games. I feel far as immersion goes, it does great justice. 

 

E2:4

Now up to this point I never actually seen a Chocobo fighting with it's owner before, I thought that was pretty cool and decided to spy on someone named Karanji Sama. Greeted with a /laugh and a /wave, he told me that you can later get one and even put armor on it. As you can see I was in high level area so maybe he gave me that laugh because he figured I was lost. Or it could have been my wacky colored armor I was strutting in just in case I got attacked by a pissed off monster roaming around. In any case he was polite to a complete stranger. It makes me wonder how polite the community will be post launch. I've always joined games where it was remnants of another community from a different game so it always seemed like playing with the same assholes just different faces in a different world. Here, it feels like a fresh start that.

 

 

E2:5

I came to a valley here and just stopped and stared for a few. It was absolutely breath taking. In a metaphorical way the bottom of the valley was Phase 3. This was my last screenshot before jumping off the cliff and killing myself, only to reincarnate again in Phase 4. Or at least that's what we'll go with for now. Really though it seemed like an ideal location to log out in. I feel slightly compelled to visit this same valley throughout my time in FFXIV. It's one of my personal places of interest and relaxing spot for when I'd want to go to clear my head and brainstorm about what my next move will be in game. Surely you've all had that insignificant area or place in a MMO that wasn't exactly special to others but it was your special place that you went and just /sit and hung out. And I found mine.....

[MrHeat]

Great valley pic.

[Asyria]

Another good post!

Do you plan on making more like this after launch or is it a beta thing?

[Tosheden]

Another good post!

Do you plan on making more like this after launch or is it a beta thing?

Hmm...yeah, it'll keep going from here and beyond launch. But the updates for it may be spread out a bit more due to juggling RP, Raids, and learning and enjoying the game. Right now since it's Beta and I'm not RPing and basically wandering around learning the mechanics it's relatively easy to churn these out. AND I just found out that Phase 3 got extended lol or maybe I missed the memo. In any case the next entry will be....fruitful due to it lasting longer than a few days.  :thumbsup:

[Tosheden]

Wanted to give an update on this since I've been getting a few PMs. YES this is still going. And due to the nature of beta tests are and what not. I figured it would be a nice cliff hanger to leave there until most of it comes to fruition so think of this break as a filler to a timeline lol. I REALLY hope that makes sense. Anyway stay tuned more to come.

[Tosheden]

[align=center]Saturday, August 17, 2:00 a.m. to Monday, August 19, 2:00 a.m. (PDT), it was on this day that the servers were flooded for this final Beta test before we reach Early Access. Now lets be honest here; some of took the weekend off, purposely made no plans in hopes of not being bothered until the weekend was over, or tried to get in as much play/test as possible. All those minor distractions to pass the time by as we patiently waited for Open Beta. And it was on that day we were able to get a taste of what we've been so patiently waiting for. 

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[align=left]Entry #3

E3:1

EORZEA!! Oh how have I missed thee!!!...No seriously, longest wait ever. This screenshot marks the first official step of my journey in FFXIV. Particularly, in Limsa whereas last phase I started in Ul'dah. It was a reason for this, free company picked Limsa as it's HQ and I finally got around to crafting a RP Bio that mentions living here so it was an obvious choice for my new starting city. It's Mind blowing to think about what sort of things I'll get into from this moment on. But it's also cool too. I didn't log in soon as the servers came up like a lot of people did I'm sure. It was 1pm when I logged in (after deleting Tosheden and remaking him because instead of using the load appearance data option I tried to make him from scratch and realizing his skin tone was off) and it was literally people everywhere. I'm pretty sure Night Blades had at least 15 members on. Since Open Beta progress is being saved and will carry over into launch, this made logging in feel like....well....launch.

 

 

 

 

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E3:2

Fifth-teen levels and one airship pass later, I ended up in Gridania. Loki suggested we should all meet up for a guild photo and Aurek Tau, being the explorer of realms he is, said he'd take us to a place for just the right shot. Strangely enough, since the beginning of my MMO gaming career in 2006, I've only been apart of one guild. Night Blades reminds me a lot of my first guild some of the members I'm great RL friends with despite we live miles away from each other. They have time in. I appreciate that because I know how precious it is. I'm fresh meat but it's nothing but welcoming vibes from these guys. 

 

 

 

 E3:3

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I don't remember exactly where we were on the map I was too busy looking around as we followed Aurek further and further away from the Gridania. However, I think it was somewhere close by the snowy mountains of Dun Mouro. I can't help but think of when I'll remember the area names and locations though. It's also reaffirming how big this game is compared to others. We got to some dungeon looking building and got into poses/emotes for the picture. And here was my version.[/size]

 

 

 

 E3:4

Well...this is awkward. Here I thought I was going to be able to grind all night and get to cap. Unfortunately, I didn't realize Bahamut had an ultimate move called Error 3102 that DC's you and keeps your toon stuck in limbo. I was affected by this error when leaving Ul'dah. I got DC'd and thrown into limbo. I didn't initially try and log back in. Unknowing thousands of others (literally) were dealing with Bahamut's rage. I figured I'd update Windows in order to fix my graphical issue during cut-scenes. Fixed it...check. Okay now more FFXI right?.................................NO. I was locked out of the server all day and most of the night, some were even locked out for 40hrs or more. And the number of people effected were increasing as the day went on. SE didn't address the community right away and that caused complaints as well. People canceling preorders, more nay sayers, etc. I had the exact opposite reaction to Error 3102. Simply put "I'd rather deal with this during Open Beta than Live". This happened right on schedule if you ask me. Now they will have a more polished and stable product upon release. SE did extend beta for 6hrs which gave me more to play time since I was suffering from a major episode of insomnia.

 

 

 E3:5

The first thing I could think of doing when the flood gates finally opened again was to go do the Dye quest in Vasper Bay. However, I haven't traveled that far yet since I started in Limsa so it was going to be a lonnnnnng walk. There were plenty of FATES on the way which was good exp for my other unlocked classes. But I had to keep on keeping on. I want to point out that I'm big on individuality and style in MMOs so you can imagine I was getting rather tired of wearing purple gloves, lime green chest armor and other oddly colored gear that you accumulate as you level up. And the only thing that stood in my way was....Orange Juice.  

I dyed some clothes and armor to wear whenever I'm in town. My style... and I'm not running around like someones twin or like rainbow threw up on me. Perfect. Dyeing in FFXIV is really simple and effective not ridiculously expensive *cough* TOR *cough*.

 

 

 

 E3:6

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After figuring out how to Dye my gear I realized I haven't fished in a MMO in a long time. So why not try it out since I had already unlocked my Armory Chest and the guild was close by. I Pestered the guild for a rod and some bait and I was off... But I wanted to see what Costa Del Sol looked like also. That was one thing I meant to explore in Phase 3 and never got a chance to do so. Not realizing that on the way there would be such an adventure. I was getting chased by mobs stronger than me but I was determined to not get caught and die and have to teleport back from Limsa. I spent most of my money buying dye, potions, and stuff. So dying was not an option, at least not before I got there. 

 

 

 E3:7

"Houston, we have a problem." I made a wrong turn and assumed well it's one big circle I can go around and still get there. This was an awesome plan, except for the fact that I was in a really hostile level 49 area in some type of compound. I remember almost dying in there because the mobs were so thick and I was trying to find an exit while being chased hoping to not get one shotted. I eventually made it back to exit and took the right path with little to no issues at all. Thank god because I wanna catch some fish!

 

 

 E3:8

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[/align]

[align=left]*Achievement Unlocked* "Made it to Costa Del Sol alive +20" Finally, getting here was rewarding. The music, sound of the waves, the sun beaming. This place was awesome! And perfect for RP events or just hang out in general. I noticed you get rested exp from being here for awhile this was a really cool idea--give us a hangout spot that comes with rested exp, good job Yoshi-P. The only downside to this solo trip was I didn't have the right kind of bait to actually fish. Regardless, the trip getting here was fun and at least being able to look around was enough for me. 

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[LandStander]

Ahahaha another great addition to your ongoing series . The end was depressing and funny at the same time.

 

Is Loki dcing in the group picture? lol

[Tosheden]

Ahahaha another great addition to your ongoing series . The end was depressing and funny at the same time.

 

Is Loki dcing in the group picture? lol

Thank ya thank ya. And yea I was victim of yet another NOOB MOVE lol. AND I DIDN't notice that was her DC'ing! I think had just learned what that symbol was when Ellion said she DC'd I was like..."oh thats what that is" haha hope she doesn't mind :blush:

[Asyria]

Yay more trials!

I've done some exploring myself, except I was trying to go to Gridania from Ul'dah... and I ended up in the middle of some lvl 49 Magitek Badass Thingies of Doom. o_O

 

And Costa Del Sol looks pretty!

[Jove]

This was a pleasure to read, seriously. It's nice to know that we're not all experienced players from XIV 1.0 and XI.

 

I personally had a lot of fun figuring out how to tank in Sastasha with with a bunch of other newbs, I actually got KO right at the end but we managed to finish off the fishdude and I was raised, fortunately completing the quest.

 

Although when I got to Gridania I had to mentally pump myself for the new challenge as I found tanking kind of stressful (I don't like being relied on), so of course I finally hook up to the duty finder and lo and behold, a group was found straight away!

 

"Wow" I thought to myself, "let's do this!".

 

And then Sastasha loaded up. I forgot to select the new dungeon :C

 

Although it's nice to know that I can participate in a raid half a continent away and as much as I love being a marauder, I think for parties I'm going to level up lancer.

[Tosheden]

Yay more trials!

I've done some exploring myself, except I was trying to go to Gridania from Ul'dah... and I ended up in the middle of some lvl 49 Magitek Badass Thingies of Doom. o_O

 

And Costa Del Sol looks pretty!

I'm pretty sure that happened to me before. Tried to run from one city to the next and ended up some where waaay out of my league lol. I think I was in Gridania trying to get to Ul'dah. I'm starting to learn the maps a bit more though thankfully. haha 

 

 

 

This was a pleasure to read, seriously. It's nice to know that we're not all experienced players from XIV 1.0 and XI.

 

I personally had a lot of fun figuring out how to tank in Sastasha with with a bunch of other newbs, I actually got KO right at the end but we managed to finish off the fishdude and I was raised, fortunately completing the quest.

 

Although when I got to Gridania I had to mentally pump myself for the new challenge as I found tanking kind of stressful (I don't like being relied on), so of course I finally hook up to the duty finder and lo and behold, a group was found straight away!

 

"Wow" I thought to myself, "let's do this!".

 

And then Sastasha loaded up. I forgot to select the new dungeon :C

 

Although it's nice to know that I can participate in a raid half a continent away and as much as I love being a marauder, I think for parties I'm going to level up lancer.

Thank you! I had no idea that this even had a 1.0 version which I'm kind of glad because I'm pretty sure I'd be slightly annoyed to the game being closed down months later. But at least they did a relaunch and this time I get to be a noob in a more polished product lmao. It's always fun literally..tripping over that learning curve. I'm having a blast though finding new stuff out and doing the dungeons. More fun than I've had in any MMO in a long while actually.

[Sophia]

Haha wow.

 

I just read through this! It's such a great read and the pictures add a lot to it!

 

The beach resort place looks so good on your computer, it seems! I'm wondering if it'll be that nice on my own... Stupid piece of hardware. /kicks.

 

Either way, I'm looking forward to the next entries! I found myself smiling while reading through the ones so far!

[Yuria]

ah I also have low post count LOL sadly everytime I want to take screenshot on my ps3 it always said "screenshot failed"

[Tosheden]

Haha wow.

 

I just read through this! It's such a great read and the pictures add a lot to it!

 

The beach resort place looks so good on your computer, it seems! I'm wondering if it'll be that nice on my own... Stupid piece of hardware. /kicks.

 

Either way, I'm looking forward to the next entries! I found myself smiling while reading through the ones so far!

Thank you  FFVIX actually was responsible for me building my own. Think it turned out pretty well. I got most of my parts from a store called Microcenter. 

 

 

ah I also have low post count LOL sadly everytime I want to take screenshot on my ps3 it always said "screenshot failed"

That sucks.  Hopefully it's a one of the fixes they patched in the update >_>.

[Tosheden]

[align=center]August 27th 2013 was officially launch day. Everyone will remember this day years from now after you may or may have not moved on from this MMO. See the thing about mmos is they aren't just games. They become part of you after experience what they have to offer. You've made friends or in some cases lovers, and even enemies. By definition games are meant to just merely provide entertainment. But MMOs like Star Wars Galaxies, World Of Warcraft, The Old Republic, Aion, Final Fantasy XI or even Final Fantasy XIV A Realm Reborn, are by no means just "games". You've spent countless hours on these types of games and you've experienced all sorts of emotions or met all kinds of people. MMOs are something else. Something special. For some of us FFXIV will have that "first mmo" experience feel if you've never touched the series before like myself. This is my first FF MMO, and depending on how the future pans out it may not be my last. And now it's this day to officially add another knot to my MMO belt. [/align]

 

 

 

Entry #4

E4:1

Error 1017 versus Early Access Players. The battle was a horrible loss to the players. Millions lost their lives in the battle of "Login to FFXIV". I was one of these victims. I remember seeing the load screen in my sleep only to be booted out again and seeing Error 1017 in big red letters!!.....No not really but this launch was pretty rocky a lot of MMO launches are but I think a lot of us may have forgot that small detail unfortunately. I didn't always log in when I wanted but when I did I at least tried to make the most of my time before unexpectedly getting DC'd or crashing only to be taunted by the 1017 Error again for the next half day. This won't last long though and again like I said...not all MMO launches are smooth.

 

 

E4:2

I came outside the Inn in Ul'dah and just stood at the stairs after finally getting in. I thought, "this is where the fun begins". I myself am still unsure what route I'm going so I decided to level everything. (My classes will be WAR and BSM though) It'll keep me busy for awhile especially since I have yet to play most of the classes to really get a feel for which I like versus what fits my character's RP persona. (Which is a pretty common issue...for now I'm dealing with it, HURRY UP SAMURAI/NINJA!!!)

 

 

E4:3

About 20 levels later I had my first encounter with that firey bad ass we all know as Ifrit. I took this before myself Ellion, Loki, and Siben fight began. We beat him on a second attempt because Siben got Dc'd during the fight and we wiped so we had to wait on him to get back so he'd get credit also. I know the Primal battles later get harder but this was a pretty cool way of introducing new people to that aspect of the game. And besides...did I mention Ifrit=Badass?

 

 

E4:4

Crafting...no matter what I always end up getting lost in it. The first crafting class I picked up was Blacksmith and I fell in love with crafting in FFXIV. It's really a breath of fresh air for me and a hell of a lot more engaging than in most games. I've always liked creating weapons when crafting is a thing. Fellow guildie Dennthota Ahtahrmwyn, also suffers from the Crafting bug. I believe we are chasing the same end game result and that's being self sufficient far as crafting goes. 

 

 

E4:5

Blacksmithing eventually led me to gathering such as mining and botanist. I had to pick these up to make sure I had supplies to grind with/make my own equipment. Gathering reminds me a lot of how resource hunting worked in SWG. The only catch is you can't just drop a harvester and go about your way. You have to actually go out and get this stuff. This was an amazing concept and I truly think they did it correctly. Gathering is more of a hands on approach and you do get a some sort of fulfillment for traversing the many terrains of Eorzea. 

 

 

 

E4:6

The fun thing about grinding all these classes as I go is I can actually see how they all play. I think that's an effective way of fully understanding a game is by trying out all the aspects of it. So on my way to better gathering nodes I tend to grind my other classes on fates as I come across them. Ironically, I find myself being drawn to archer. I like the play style and the damage. But I also shy away from ranged classes. What makes this one a bit different is the fact that it's a bit more mobile than I'd originally imagined. Being able to shoot arrows and being able to move around at the same time gave Archer a more different feel for me. So we'll see where this goes.... 

 

 

 

E4:7

And just when I thought SE couldn't surprise me any more they do. I don't know these two players personally but I'd like to personally thank them for being at the right place at the right time. Otherwise I would have probably not noticed this until way later in the game. I've never seen this in a MMO where players can actually sit on the same thing in a rather realistic manner. I mean we've all seen sitting in the same chairs before but the same tree stump? Maybe I'm exaggerating...maybe I'm not regardless I thought this was pretty cool to see. So thanks you two (Ariadne Bajhiri and Euphemia Starchild). Not only this but you can start to see individuality begin to spark throughout the player base. Not everyone all looks the same or wearing wacky armor because it's the only thing available. Nope...this was real. It made the world feel even more..."alive". 

 

 

 

E4:8

While running around like a chicken with its head cut off, I came across two players from a guild called named Ahza'to Palme and U'mi Khou RPing in Gridania. W00t RPers! It's weird that even though I play on Balmung I don't see random RP as much I thought I would. But it may have a lot to do with my play style or the fact that half the RPC can't log in......or people are just focused on leveling right now and casually RPing as they go. I love RP because it was really the first element I was exposed to while playing MMOs. But over the years I got converted into more of a PvPer. That love and appreciate for RP is still there however. I hope to get back to my roots and meet some interesting characters through RP. Because I honestly miss it. For now I don't mind being a bystander to these kinds of events. I didn't stick around to really catch the meat and potatoes of all this but it was really refreshing to see these two RPing.

[Tosheden]

[align=center]**Attempts to login**.......(Load screen appears)... O_O FINALLY!!!! Well as I said in my last entry, the login pressure would eventually wear off as things kept rolling, and it did. Now I know some people are still getting Error 1017 however it's now a lot easier to login. Still no AFK kicker yet but I, and probably many others, feel a bit more comfortable logging out at the end of the day knowing I'll be able to play again tomorrow. Now we can make this an inside joke among the community that were here for the Battle of the Errors and put this behind us. Maybe the devs will give us an easter egg to laugh at about this whole idea, who knows....

 

 

[align=left]Entry #5 

E5:1 

The screen lit up and there I was standing in the same place I got DC'd and slapped with a nice Error 9000 followed by the complimentary Error 1017. So far so good post maintenance, notice the time is 5:50am (EST), I was already up early finishing homework for my next class in a few hours (yay college,right?). Believe it not I actually parked my character in my room at the Inn and logged out so I'd have some rested exp when I got back. It was an act of trust that all these errors are surly being squashed and the need to not log out seemed to all disappear...

 

 

E5:2

I was doing leves and a couple side quests for exp after my RL duties concluded. An hour or so into this I realized the weather became really gloomy and eery. I eventually found out that this was the result of Odin spawning in one of the areas close by. I had no idea that we'd be able to fight some of the Primals in open world FATES. I really like this idea a lot because it adds a bit of immerison to the game. From what I know thus far, we are pretty much on the same side and band together to fight the Primals. Additionally, you get reward items from participating so I need to put my camera down next time and try to get in on that.

 

 

 

E5:3

One thing that's new to me are the guild wide buffs you that you can purchase once you reach a certain rank. These buffs can range from anything to extra crafting/battle exp, equipment decays slower, and even reduced teleportation costs, which we went with this time. Honestly, I favor the reduced teleportation buff a lot more. FFXIV is the first game in a long time that I've had to do so much traveling and it can get rather expensive if you hate riding the airship. Hell that can get expensive too, if you're like me and kill a lot of your money buying crafting supplies. In any case I think I caught onto what Yoshi was aiming for. Rewarding people for coming together--these aren't available to solo players. So I get the feeling that by adding this they made the game more social in a way. 

 

 

E5:4

2000 Grand Company Seals later and I was given a Chocobo I named, Jin. It took me awhile to focus on grinding FATES for seals because I was so busy leveling my gathering most of the time. Little did I know I could have been getting them the entire I was grinding crafting and running out of inventory space. Either way it worked it self out and I think we can add that to list of yet another noob move by yours truly. 

 

 

 

E5:5

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[align=left]Rain, rain, go away, come again another day..... (You sang that didn't you?). Seriously, I think I notice it raining more than the other weather elements in game. Especially the crazy tropical storms in Limsa. However, you can't help but admire the level of detail that they constantly put into account when constructing this game. Even the sounds have this organic feel to them. Almost as if it was really raining with the additional lightning. I can attest that these guys did an amazing job because thunderstorms make me sleepy and it's been quite a few times where I had to turn the sound off and listen to music until the weather passed because it was actually making me sleepy. How's that for realism?

 

 

 

 

 

E5:6

Remember what I said in E4:6? Well I think it happened. Leveling Archer is so fun for some reason. The DPS is good in the early levels and with the right equipment you can pretty much mow down mobs with little to no effort. And shooting at target markers as a quest is pretty awesome if you ask me. I've noticed a trend in a lot of MMO quests as you level it's always delivery or go kill x x times. However, it's a nice breath of fresh air to see it being done in a different fashion. Questing doesn't really have as much room to expand on in this realm unless your TSW (Talk about puzzles sheesh). These are the little things that matter or dips in the road to keep things interesting I believe.

 

 

 

E5:7

Fellgourd Float, North Shroud. I took this approximately two days before the 7th Annual Full Cold Moon Gala event. I planned on attending if RL permitted me to do so. I also wanted to check the place out before hand since it'll give me an excuse to take some screenshots. I really like the way the weather affects were present in this particular photo. Next to the few landscape shots I got when Odin appeared this is one of my favorites. It almost mirrors what fall looks like in some parts of the globe the way the lighting was. A very soft, and tranquil feel to it.

 

 

 

E5:8

It's funny that I never actually done any of the guild leves until like I was in the early 20s, despite getting introduced to them around level 10. This was pretty easy as to be expected. Go in...tank the boss.../win. I'd imagine these get way harder later on in the game. Right now it's a beacon of my own curiosity since I didn't do any of them at first.

 

 

E5:9

MATERIA MELDING!!! I like how modding is in this game. It's relatively easy but I know it gets more tricky when you start bumping to those percentages on the higher level equipment. I had a noob move early on when I was grinding BSM (along with everything else besides cooking and goldsmith) and I had actually forgot to pick this quest up after learning how to convert Materia. Google eventually led me to here since I realized I was missing the meld option. I can say that I do appreciate the fact that it doesn't cost me money to mod gear that I earned or made my self. (Yes I took a shot at TOR 8-))...

 

 

E5:10

It's......so.....hot....and everything is....wavy...I didn't see this right away, I don't think Limsa has any desert areas, nor did I see it during the beta since I never got that high in levels so I would have more of the game to discover post launch. But seriously...mirage effects? That's something I've never seen in an MMO I can honestly. SE keeps getting a lot of "firsts" apparently.  

 

 

E5:11

Tosheden The Warrior. I can get used to that. But first I must level Gladiator. So far I don't mind it but that's only because it's the only class that uses swords right now. (Give us moar plz). Shortly after I took this picture I began to wonder when I'd make that first step for Monk or Bard or all of them. I really am thankful for the fact that we can have multiple classes/jobs on the same character just long as you level them. I plan to eventually get everything to 50 starting with disciples of the hand. Simply because I want to be able to meld and make my own gear. Life of a "self sufficient-ist" is a long road man....this is just one mini step. 

 

 

 

[align=center](Stay tuned. The next one will feature the RP event and my overall experience being IC for the first time since launch.)[/align]

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