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xyzzysqrlXenosa Xizee (Catgirl of Subtle But Budding Candescence) is now a proud level 30 in both Thief and Warrior. This is most of the way to the level 50 cap of the original release of FFXI, and almost 1/3rd of the way to the 99 cap of present-day FFXI. At this level:
A: I can reach Jeuno, hub of civilization and activity. Many things in this game only begin when your character strolls into Jeuno.
B: I can activate a great number of quests. Many of these will unlock new features, new jobs, or just generally benefit me in some way. About 95% of them are also likely to straight-up murder me at this level. Que sera.
C: I -may- be able to solo-progress the plotline to the point where the game actually tells you to go to Jeuno. Maybe. I won't know until I try! However...
D: Death penalties begin. Final Fantasy XI does not have the utterly draconian death penalties of, say... original Everquest. I don't have to run back to my body in a frantic hope that I can claim my gear from my corpse. (This was really a thing.) However you DO lose experience points for dying starting at 30, and it is possible to level down from this.
Thus, at this point in the game where it might benefit me most to experiment, I'm a little bit afraid to start experimenting. Worst case scenario is that Xenosa enters a cycle of perpetually getting her ass kicked, leveling down to 29, leveling back up to 30, getting her ass kicked... right up until I throw my hands in the air, walk away, and play something else.
I kinda don't want to do that!
Of course, I should probably hold off on most of the plot stuff until I have at least one job up in the 60s or 70s. So I should probably jog past as much of the plot as possible and get back to grinding my way up there. Like I said I would do.
However...
Here I am, dicking around a couple nights ago soloing and leveling... and an airship flies past. Airships fly around Jeuno all the time, and looking up at that... I wanna be riding that one day. I want to be looking down at the fields as I fly past. I want to make genuine progress in this, whether it gets me killed to try or not.
I'm gonna try the next plot mission. You never know, right?
So!
Our next story mission picks up after Xenosa's built up a little bit of fame in her adopted home-town of Bastok. One day she's called to report to Naji of the Iron Musketeers. According to him our next mission will take us overseas.
You can see Xenosa's in full warrior garb for this one. Thief is fine for leveling and getting treasures/materials to sell, but for this we want some survivability. As the President explains, we're going to Windurst and San d'Oria as an envoy. Officially to promote friendship between nations... but in part to investigate their current states of affairs... and to train Xenosa to handle problems further afield.
Either order is fine, but I wanted to go on a boat ride, so I went for Windurst first. The ship pulled into port...
...And it was off towards Windurst. Or rather, to sail to the town of Mhaura, and from there to the Buburimu Peninsula, and from THERE to Bibiki Bay, and oh CRAP wait no Bibiki Bay is full of high-level things, back up to the Buburimu Peninsula, and this time take the Tahrongi Canyon fork, and then go to... uh, *check map, check wiki*... East Sarutabaruta I love the music here and from THERE to Windurst.
Whew! You think it's hard reading that, imagine trying to run it.
Anyway! Windurst! Land of Mithra and Tarutarus! Where I am encouraged at the gate to keep to my own consulate and not wander too much. It's a lovely forest town, but I'm not here to play tourist. At the consul, we're given official instructions... and not so official instructions.
The situation: Windurst has formed a treaty with their local beast tribe, the Yagudo. In exchange for a tribute of magical weapons, the Yagudo won't attack the city. Melek and Gold Skull, my contacts at the consulate, think this is a Bad Situation. If the beast tribes are armed with legit magical weapons, there's little that'll stop them growing in power until they can SLAUGHTER the city rather than attack it. Yet, our role as an ambassador of Bastok is to carry some of the weapons to the Yagudo in a ceremonial sense.
The twist: Xenosa's not taking them real magic weapons. We're to recieve the magical tribute weapons, slip back to the consulate and hand them off in exchange for passable falsies, and present THOSE to the Yagudo, who will presumably not know any better.
"We are forbidden from meddling in the internal affairs of another country. However, we wish to save Windurst from its dangerous predicament." explains Consul Melek.
*steeple fingers* My opinion on this is that if it backfires, it's gonna be a MESSY situation. Everyone involved with the switch operation seems to have utmost confidence, however. Let's get to Heaven's Tower (the main political center building) and get those weapons.
At the tower I meet another adventurer by the name of Lion. She... well, for starts, she looks kinda like a Kingdom Hearts character.
But for seconds, she shares the Bastokian Consul's concerns. Lion is pretty sure all the Yagudo are doing is taking advantage of the trusting people of Windurst, reselling the tribute weapons to other beast tribes.
It's nice to have this confirmed, because otherwise some moral ambiguity might sneak into what we're doing here.
The sword is obtained.
Back at the Bastokian Consulate, the switch is made for a similar but blunt sword.
Then off to Giddeus, home of the Yagudo.
If you're wondering what a Yagudo is, by the way?
They are a birds.
Surprise surprise, they don't think the blunt sword is good enough tribute. What WOULD be good enough tribute? ... How about the knife THAT Yagudo is using? So I turn around and gank the dude with my greataxe right in front of the tributary guy and he doesn't bat an eye.
"Yes, very nice! That the kind of knife I should have!"
Yagudo aren't very NICE birds, really.
"Deal done! Now you be leaving."
...and so I tromp back to town -- I really need to start remembering to buy Warp scrolls. Report back to Melek and learn that the real weapons were sent to Bastok to help in fighting off the turtle-men in that area. My clandestine mission is at an end here.
It was nice to VISIT Windurst, but I think maybe I should get out of town. Best not to linger when you've just kinda subverted a local ritual. Let's head off to San d'Oria next time, huh?
NEXT TIME: Xenosa faces her first real boss fight and will probably die. Please look forward to it.
A: I can reach Jeuno, hub of civilization and activity. Many things in this game only begin when your character strolls into Jeuno.
B: I can activate a great number of quests. Many of these will unlock new features, new jobs, or just generally benefit me in some way. About 95% of them are also likely to straight-up murder me at this level. Que sera.
C: I -may- be able to solo-progress the plotline to the point where the game actually tells you to go to Jeuno. Maybe. I won't know until I try! However...
D: Death penalties begin. Final Fantasy XI does not have the utterly draconian death penalties of, say... original Everquest. I don't have to run back to my body in a frantic hope that I can claim my gear from my corpse. (This was really a thing.) However you DO lose experience points for dying starting at 30, and it is possible to level down from this.
Thus, at this point in the game where it might benefit me most to experiment, I'm a little bit afraid to start experimenting. Worst case scenario is that Xenosa enters a cycle of perpetually getting her ass kicked, leveling down to 29, leveling back up to 30, getting her ass kicked... right up until I throw my hands in the air, walk away, and play something else.
I kinda don't want to do that!
Of course, I should probably hold off on most of the plot stuff until I have at least one job up in the 60s or 70s. So I should probably jog past as much of the plot as possible and get back to grinding my way up there. Like I said I would do.
However...
Here I am, dicking around a couple nights ago soloing and leveling... and an airship flies past. Airships fly around Jeuno all the time, and looking up at that... I wanna be riding that one day. I want to be looking down at the fields as I fly past. I want to make genuine progress in this, whether it gets me killed to try or not.
I'm gonna try the next plot mission. You never know, right?
So!
Our next story mission picks up after Xenosa's built up a little bit of fame in her adopted home-town of Bastok. One day she's called to report to Naji of the Iron Musketeers. According to him our next mission will take us overseas.
You can see Xenosa's in full warrior garb for this one. Thief is fine for leveling and getting treasures/materials to sell, but for this we want some survivability. As the President explains, we're going to Windurst and San d'Oria as an envoy. Officially to promote friendship between nations... but in part to investigate their current states of affairs... and to train Xenosa to handle problems further afield.
Either order is fine, but I wanted to go on a boat ride, so I went for Windurst first. The ship pulled into port...
...And it was off towards Windurst. Or rather, to sail to the town of Mhaura, and from there to the Buburimu Peninsula, and from THERE to Bibiki Bay, and oh CRAP wait no Bibiki Bay is full of high-level things, back up to the Buburimu Peninsula, and this time take the Tahrongi Canyon fork, and then go to... uh, *check map, check wiki*... East Sarutabaruta I love the music here and from THERE to Windurst.
Whew! You think it's hard reading that, imagine trying to run it.
Anyway! Windurst! Land of Mithra and Tarutarus! Where I am encouraged at the gate to keep to my own consulate and not wander too much. It's a lovely forest town, but I'm not here to play tourist. At the consul, we're given official instructions... and not so official instructions.
The situation: Windurst has formed a treaty with their local beast tribe, the Yagudo. In exchange for a tribute of magical weapons, the Yagudo won't attack the city. Melek and Gold Skull, my contacts at the consulate, think this is a Bad Situation. If the beast tribes are armed with legit magical weapons, there's little that'll stop them growing in power until they can SLAUGHTER the city rather than attack it. Yet, our role as an ambassador of Bastok is to carry some of the weapons to the Yagudo in a ceremonial sense.
The twist: Xenosa's not taking them real magic weapons. We're to recieve the magical tribute weapons, slip back to the consulate and hand them off in exchange for passable falsies, and present THOSE to the Yagudo, who will presumably not know any better.
"We are forbidden from meddling in the internal affairs of another country. However, we wish to save Windurst from its dangerous predicament." explains Consul Melek.
*steeple fingers* My opinion on this is that if it backfires, it's gonna be a MESSY situation. Everyone involved with the switch operation seems to have utmost confidence, however. Let's get to Heaven's Tower (the main political center building) and get those weapons.
At the tower I meet another adventurer by the name of Lion. She... well, for starts, she looks kinda like a Kingdom Hearts character.
But for seconds, she shares the Bastokian Consul's concerns. Lion is pretty sure all the Yagudo are doing is taking advantage of the trusting people of Windurst, reselling the tribute weapons to other beast tribes.
It's nice to have this confirmed, because otherwise some moral ambiguity might sneak into what we're doing here.
The sword is obtained.
Back at the Bastokian Consulate, the switch is made for a similar but blunt sword.
Then off to Giddeus, home of the Yagudo.
If you're wondering what a Yagudo is, by the way?
They are a birds.
Surprise surprise, they don't think the blunt sword is good enough tribute. What WOULD be good enough tribute? ... How about the knife THAT Yagudo is using? So I turn around and gank the dude with my greataxe right in front of the tributary guy and he doesn't bat an eye.
"Yes, very nice! That the kind of knife I should have!"
Yagudo aren't very NICE birds, really.
"Deal done! Now you be leaving."
...and so I tromp back to town -- I really need to start remembering to buy Warp scrolls. Report back to Melek and learn that the real weapons were sent to Bastok to help in fighting off the turtle-men in that area. My clandestine mission is at an end here.
It was nice to VISIT Windurst, but I think maybe I should get out of town. Best not to linger when you've just kinda subverted a local ritual. Let's head off to San d'Oria next time, huh?
NEXT TIME: Xenosa faces her first real boss fight and will probably die. Please look forward to it.
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no subject
Date: 2014-11-05 04:01 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-11-05 07:02 pm (UTC)Anyhow, good luck in sowing dissent among the local murderous beastfolk!
no subject
Date: 2014-11-05 07:21 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-11-11 03:42 pm (UTC)