Hi! Multiple questions of a future new player.

[Gegenji]

What would give you that idea?

 

 

 

 

Looks completely normal to me...

 

*slink slink slink away*

 

It's just a ton of 'berries. :tonberry:

[Guy Tower]

Hey again! After... quite a bit of time spent not playing FF XIV, I've decided to actually give it a go. Gonna buy the game in a couple days and play it with my friend. That means I have to refresh my knowledge of the game, hence why I'll allow myself to repeat the questions I've had for you guys before, and perhaps add one or two new ones. It'd be shiny if you could help me out by answering them.

 

I. Perhaps the most important, which server to play on? What I need from a server is a large RP community, with a large number of European players From what I gathered so far, Balmung is the place to go. Am I right? Balmung would be best since, for some reason, my friend cannot join EU servers, US only, although that server seems to be quite clogged, so that may be a problem

 

 

II. Where can I find as much info on game's lore as possible? http://forum.square-enix.com/ffxiv/forums/646-Lore have more info, but it's basically either copy-past from the wiki or players' deductions based on the game, ergo, no solid facts that aren't already on the wiki. Is there more to be found, or is that it (not that I would mind. I've played WoW - I had enough of lore the size of Harry Potter saga)?

 

 

 

III. Now a bit more specific questions about my idea for my main character. We could do a bit of a brainstorming over this one if you feel like it . Anyway, beta version of the idea is this - a Hyur Highlander named Guy Tower (duh). A young lad in his mid twenties, Guy has spent his life in a cold city of  Ala Mhigo. After Garlean Empire's invasion seized the land, Guy joined the resistance. Years passed and resistance's valiant struggle changed little. Eventually Uncle, Guy's only relative he knows, sends the lad to Eorza after making him swear that, one day, when he grows in strenght, he will return to his homeland and help reclaim it for the nation of Ala Mhigo. Coming from a family of warrior defenders, always there on the front line, he felt an inclination to travel to Ul'dah and see if the school of Gladiators can teach him something new.

 

Story as any other. There's room for a bit of drama, but who needs it. Most importantly, it creates the character I want to play. Rash, fight loving, tough around the edges but basically good-hearted. Most importantly young and new to his surroundings, open for changes and influence. But, character's story will go as it will go, that's not what I'd like you to help me with.

 

- As mentioned, I'll roll a Gladiator, taking a Paladin job in the future. Question is, how can I explain Guy having Paladin skills (items are easy) without making him another member of the Sultansword (I heard that is a cheesy thing to do)? Are there other organizations that train their members in blade and shield? Will the "self-learned" excuse pass?

 

- Are there any particular kinks towards playing a Highlander Hyur? So far, I understand that they are basically a more warlike, less rafined Midlanders, but there is surely more to it (the joke about Roegadyn mother was nice, hehe).

 

IV. Is there any housing in this game? I'm aware of guild houses, but I would like something more private, some kind of inn room or other small crib to call my own, possibly invite other people in when I feel like it.

[Maril]

1. Balmung, to my knowledge, has both the most roleplayers all in all and has the largest EU presence. Check the directory in my signature! 

 

2. The game itself is the best resource for lore. You wont be able to read it section by section, but quests drop a lot of the good stuff you need in order to get into your RP. The only thing you should remember is that you experience the world in quests from the point of view of the Warrior Of Light - So if you are playing from a regular persons perspective not exactly everything the WoL does is plausible. 

 

Hopefully the Wiki here on the RPC will be updated with more lorestuff soon. Otherwise there's a thread called "General Lore Questions" where people have asked and gotten answers from the community which you might also be able to learn from. 

 

3. You may want to double-check the timeline (There's one on the official board, simply add the amount of years - presently it'd be 2 - that the game has been active to get the right years.) as Ala Mhigo fell (as far as I remember) 23-ish years ago, so in order to accomplish what you want your character to do they'd have had to be of a certain age around the time of the fall most likely (all depending). It never hurts to make sure at least - It's possibly the first mistake I made with my Ala Mhigan's character design. I play her as being in her start 30's after some adjustments. 

 

4. You picked the right time to come back! 

They're introducing an apartment system in the next patch which is sounding like it'll be what you're describing - your own instanced room that you can invite people into. You can get something similar if you join an FC that has a room. You definitely want to make sure you're in the level 50+ range and that you have saved up some gil, we don't know the requirements for apartments yet. Right now you have to be max GC rank + level 50 + have 300k sitting to get a room in an FC house, so I'd imagine there's going to be similar if not "harsher" requirements to apartments.

[Sounsyy]

II. Where can I find as much info on game's lore as possible?

http://forum.square-enix.com/ffxiv/forums/646-Lore have more info, but it's basically either copy-past from the wiki or players' deductions based on the game, ergo, no solid facts that aren't already on the wiki. Is there more to be found, or is that it (not that I would mind. I've played WoW - I had enough of lore the size of Harry Potter saga)?

 

Hey there! If you have any questions regarding the lore or world of FFXIV, feel free to ask here or on the forums and we'll try to get them answered for you! There is a lot of lore in this game, and unlike most games, its kind of realistically spread out and you have to discover the real-ish story by piecing together a hundred little snippets. It can be kind of overwhelming. But, I've tried putting together a few threads that should help with the basics. Hopefully the starter kit can help you too!

 

Eorzean Lore Starter Kit

-Racial Lore Compilation

-Class/Job Lore Compilation

-Hydaelyn Geography Lore

-Eorzean City-states' Political Structures Lore

-Eorzean Units of Time and Measurement Lore

 

 

____________________________

III. Now a bit more specific questions about my idea for my main character.

We could do a bit of a brainstorming over this one if you feel like it. Anyway, beta version of the idea is this - a Hyur Highlander named Guy Tower (duh). A young lad in his mid twenties, Guy has spent his life in a cold city of  Ala Mhigo. After Garlean Empire's invasion seized the land, Guy joined the resistance. Years passed and resistance's valiant struggle changed little. Eventually Uncle, Guy's only relative he knows, sends the lad to Eorza after making him swear that, one day, when he grows in strenght, he will return to his homeland and help reclaim it for the nation of Ala Mhigo. Coming from a family of warrior defenders, always there on the front line, he felt an inclination to travel to Ul'dah and see if the school of Gladiators can teach him something new.

 

I saw this got addressed earlier in the thread, but I'll go ahead and bring it up again. Ala Mhigo fell 20 years ago from the start of ARR. (Depending on how you subscribe to the idea of time passage in game, an explanation for which can be found by clicking this link, anywhere from 20-22 years have passed since Ala Mhigo's fall.) This means any character under roughly 30 years old would not remember the Ala Mhigo as it was. Remember also that for 5 years prior to Ala Mhigo's fall, it was in a state of civil unrest under a mad tyrant who held public beheadings of its citizens daily after the fall of the Monkhood, the foremost military, political, and religious organization in the city-state at the time. So even a character in their young thirties (like mine) would more readily remember this particular five-year time period as what Ala Mhigo was. Alternatively, you could still have an Ala Mhigan character who lived in Ala Mhigo after the fall under Garlean rule and later escaped thanks to the Resistance.

 

I've compiled a ton of lore on Ala Mhigo, the Fists of Rhalgr, the Resistance, and what happened to the Ala Mhigans after the fall of their city state in this Ala Mhigan Lore Masterpost.

 

 

____________________________

As mentioned, I'll roll a Gladiator, taking a Paladin job in the future. Question is, how can I explain Guy having Paladin skills (items are easy) without making him another member of the Sultansword (I heard that is a cheesy thing to do)? Are there other organizations that train their members in blade and shield? Will the "self-learned" excuse pass?

 

As others have said, a Paladin comes in one of two varieties: the Sultansworn and the Free Paladin. The Sultansworn, founded 600 years ago by Jhal Tristram, is an elite guard of defenders who patrol the palace, protect the Sultanate, protect the Sultan(a)'s treasury, and investigate crimes related to said treasury or against the Sultan(a). Of late, the Sultansworn have seen a decline in their ranks and have been picked apart by the Monetarist political party in Ul'dah. In an effort to preserve the art, current Sultansworn Captain Jenlyns created the Free Paladins, a group of commoners, adventurers, or knights of exceptional quality who could be taught the art of the Paladins, but would bear no strict allegiance to the Jewel. These travelling paladins would be tasked to go out into the world with naught but the code of the paladin and protect the innocent from harm, thereby defending the smallfolk that the limited number of true Sultansworn could not.

 

Now, your character doesn't have to be a Paladin or a gladiator of the Bloodsands in order to be taught sword n' board. It can be the product of the self-taught knight, something learned while in Ala Mhigo, or perhaps as a mercenary, or by one of the High Houses of Ishgard. There's tons of options! The Coliseum, the gladiators' guild in Ul'dah, will teach its members how to fight with a sword and shield, though that is not a requirement to be a true gladiator. Conversely, fighting with a sword and shield also does not make you a gladiator. A gladiator is someone who has fought on the Bloodsands.

 

Here's some lore links you may find helpful:

-Gladiator Lore Masterpost

-Paladin Play Guide by Coatleque

 

 

____________________________

Are there any particular kinks towards playing a Highlander Hyur? So far, I understand that they are basically a more warlike, less rafined Midlanders, but there is surely more to it (the joke about Roegadyn mother was nice, hehe).

 

Lore for all the races can be found here or in the race background thread linked above. But I'll go ahead and quote what I have there in the spoiler below for you.

 

The Hyur are said to have first traveled to Eorzea from her surrounding continents and islands. Some one thousand years and three great migratory waves later' date=' they are now the most populous of all the civilized races. They exhibit a relatively modest physique, both in height and build, and are known for their peculiarly short, rounded ears. Hyur are well suited for traveling long distances by foot, a trait thought to account for their swift proliferation. Their espousal of an eclectic variety of languages and traditions is a legacy of their diverse heritage - as is their resulting lack of cultural identity.[/quote']

 

The Highlander name comes from the clan's history of dominion over the mountains of Gyr Abania. Compared to their Midlander brethren' date=' the Highlanders are noticeably larger in build and musculature. Following the fall of their ancestral homeland of Ala Mhigo, many have sought refuge in the bustling mercantile nation of Ul'dah.[/quote']

 

The Highlanders were the first of the Hyur to reach Eorzea. Their name derives from their long tradition of building strongholds in the mountains. Compared to their Midland brethren' date=' the Highlanders are noticeably larger in build. They adhere to the doctrine of the Twelve, and are devout followers of Rhalgr, the Destroyer. Ancient Highlander practices of tattooing and tooth filing are very much alive today. Of late, Highlanders have become an increasingly rare sight in Eorzea, their number represented almost exclusively by those who fled Ala Mhigo after its fall, and now work in other city-states as mercenaries and sellswords.[/quote']

 

The Highlanders are a clan of Hyur whose name derives from their long tradition of building strongholds in the mountains. Long years at high altitudes endowed them with a stamina that lent itself well to physical activity' date=' and both the men and women are trained in the arts of combat from childhood, which accounts for their thick musculature. They are truly beautiful physical specimens─from a purely scientific point of view, of course.[/quote']

 

Q: Why don't male Highlanders have eyebrows?

 

MCKF: There is a reason. Highlanders are a very violent group of people. Their clan is always warring amongst each other and against the Midlanders as well back in their homelands. They like battle. They fight and the women fight and their children fight, because that's their culture. When you have this culture of everybody being able to fight, it's all about getting the one-up on your opponent. Everyone's good with a sword or a club or whatever, so you need something extra. Everyone expects their opponent to have eyebrows. So if someone goes into battle and your opponent doesn't have eyebrows, it psychs you out and your head gets chopped off. Different tribes have their different rituals but one of those rituals is shaving off the eyebrows to put fear into your opponent.

 

Q: So they do have eyebrows, they just shave them off?

 

MCKF: Yeah, it's not a genetic thing. They shave them off or they give themselves scars or pull out their teeth. Things like that to make them look more imposing.

 

 

 

 

Hope this helps! Of course let us know if you have more questions and we'll be sure to get those answered for you. ^^

[Blaque]

I...did not know that re: Highland eyebrows!

Why is that so funny to me? XDD

 

Anyhoot, WELCOME FELLOW NOOB! ^-^

[Guy Tower]

Thanks, guys! Now I have only one last question. Balmung seems to be very crowded - my friend's been trying to log in for two days now, and was always informed that the server is full. Perhaps it's because of the realm, maybe she was unlucky, I don't know. Question is, what would be the second best RP server to play on? I'd rather go to Balmung and possibly meet most of you guys, but if I can't, I can't.

[Branson Thorne]

Thanks, guys! Now I have only one last question. Balmung seems to be very crowded - my friend's been trying to log in for two days now, and was always informed that the server is full. Perhaps it's because of the realm, maybe she was unlucky, I don't know. Question is, what would be the second best RP server to play on? I'd rather go to Balmung and possibly meet most of you guys, but if I can't, I can't.

 

You can either pay $18.00 and server transfer in. The 2nd best server would be waiting for maintenance to end and creating a character in Gilgamesh.

[Guy Tower]

Pay 18 bucks? Server transfer? Maintenance? *is confused*

[S'imba]

Basically Balmung is packed, character creation is pretty much forever locked from creating a character on it. So the only way to actually get a character on there is to create a character on a separate server then go to the mog station and pay 18.00 to send the characters you have there to Balmung. (Though I've had a few friends say that it's been locked for that at time to time.) But yeah hopefully some of these communities trying to build themselves on other servers take off to give people a few more options. I've rolled alts on a few of them to see if I can find the rp and contribute to their effort in whatever small way I can, but no luck as of yet.

[Guy Tower]

In that case I pride myself on, along with my friend, propagating an open-world RP on Gilgamesh. When we don't do quests in silence, we do them in characters.

[S'imba]

Well if you're ever looking for more rp I've been playing a bit on gilgamesh, got an alt there and I hate that he's just collecting dust.

[Guy Tower]

I may poke you at some point! Right now I have a friend to play with and a feshly-joined Free Company, so my hands are full.