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Unguided posted:What flavor of Honest Healer were you stuck with They did actually DPS at points, but they also seemed scared to let me lose any health at all. It makes for a good note in the LP at least.
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Jun 18, 2016 02:34
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Chapter X: Storms on the Horizon  Music: To the Sun We last left Crash after he met Fufulupa—a member of the Brass Blades of the Roses. It seems like he has a problem and would like us to help.  Thaumaturges from the Ossuary are presently surveying the Footfalls for ancient relics. As the area is rife with wild beasts, the Horizon garrison has been charged with their security. But Captain Baldewyhn sent only a handful of Brass Blades!Fufulupa wants Crash to help out his pals over in the Footfalls, which is a new area in Western Thanalan for us. The Arrzaneth Ossuary is a temple for worshipping Thal (who rules over the realm of the dead), and is home to the Thaumaturges' Guild.  To the west is Horizon's Edge. This is a tunnel that takes us down to the Footfalls. Back in 1.0, you used to have to traverse through some caves to reach it. There used to be two layers to this area, with the Footfalls as a big, open wetland area in the bottom layer.  It's still wet, but there's a lot less coverage from rock formations above. Presumably, that's because of the Calamity. Likewise, a lot of ruins have been forced up from the ground.  The group of Thaumaturges are over by the statue, known as "The Silent King". This is a new landmark that wasn't around in 1.0. Kind of like anything interesting in the environment, really.  Rather than looking for relics, it appears that they're looking for a hidden entrance. Who knows what this could be about? I don't remember anymore, though I know I was referencing something I found in Heavensward when I wrote this. I guess we'll find out together some day.  The Brass Blade that's in charge here doesn't seem too happy to see Crash either. Anyroad, we've got this under control—an' besides, this operation ain't got nothin' to do with Fufulupa. Boy's got a stick up his arse the size of a sabotender. It's no wonder the cap'n told him to stay at Horizon...It sounds like poor Fufulupa might not be very popular among his peers, and even the current captain holds him in low regard. Whatever the case, this also appears to be a dead end for Crash.  On the plus side, we get a new shield for our efforts.  Whether it's to make us get out of the way or to make us useful, one of the Brass Blades has an errand for us. Captain Baldewyn's plannin' some festivities for the thaumaturges, see, and he wants 'em treated to the finest food and drink. Head west and south to the village and tell Raffe that he's to deliver a bounty of fresh fish to Horizon for the feast. Following the directions, Crash arrives at Crescent Cove. It's not even noteworthy enough to get the settlement theme, instead using Thanalan's BGM.  We can see the Silver Bazaar from across the water, and there's available transport to ferry us across. Not that there'll ever be much need to go there. Like most of the villages in Thanalan, Crescent Cove was hit hard by the Calamity. Fish don't bite as often as they used to, which is a pretty bad thing for a fishing village. Apparently the water doesn't flow anything like it used to. That being said, this village didn't exist in 1.0 either, so I guess the settlers are just really bad at finding places to settle.  I appreciate that the level design in A Realm Reborn doesn't neglect the necessities. Crescent Cove really looks like a fishing village, and we'll regularly see places with food sources and the like. The same can't be said for some other games in big franchises.  We can find Raffe at one of the piers, smoking a pipe. He seems rather startled by the request. It sounds like they've been having a rough time catching fish lately, but Raffe promises he'll get the fish in time. Why do I feel like we've almost strong armed him?  Putting aside the unsettling conversation, there's one positive thing to come from this. Crash gets his first piece of tank equipment. This also has materia slots on it, but we'll come to that later. Completing this quest also unlocks the sidequests for Crescent's Cove. Some of those will supply more tank equipment. Again, we're not going to do that here. I might just cover these sidequests when I level another class, but for now let's push on.  Traveling back up to the mainland, Crash finds himself speaking to Merilda. She's a tavern waitress who is being harassed by some rather aggressive patrons. Merilda is desperate for some ingredients, and being the helpful adventurer that we are, Crash agrees to help her out.  One of the few things I remember about my brief time with Final Fantasy XI is farming these Thickshells in Valkurm Dunes for hours. We've got to kill two of those, two buzzards, and two scaphites. There's not much to say about any of them, and these are all creatures just roaming about nearby. Let's not waste too much time on them. This isn't Final Fantasy XI, and Crash doesn't need to murder countless crabs to progress. Though Thickshells are on the Gladiator hunt log. The developers have a sense of humour.  Scaphites are also on the hunt log and can inflict poison. Killing them levels Crash up to 16  Crash returns to Merilda to hand her the ingredients.  Though I know not what terrors tomorrow may bring. These outlaws do whatever they please, and we have not the strength to stand up to them. The Brass Blades of Horizon and Vesper Bay see no profit in protecting a poor village like ours. Most of them pretend we do not even exist.What are the Brass Blades even doing? They're harassing villagers for the sake of their rich guests, but offering none of the protection the villagers are owed. This is what happens when you let an unregulated police force do what they want, I guess.  Worst of all are those in league with the bandits...Wait. Say that again? Soundtrack stops.    They are to meet with their co-conspirator soon, at the Footfalls—(Offscreen) Wh-wh-what did you say!? That voice comes from Fufulupa, who has just wandered over. I'm not sure if Fufulupa is more shocked at Crash's attire, or by the revelation just now. I'm assuming he came over while wondering where Crash had gone.  Forgive my eavesdropping, Crash—I came to Crescent Cove merely to thank you in person. I never imagined I'd uncover a criminal conspiracy right outside Horizon's gates.  Fufulupa then darts off with possibly his worst idea yet. He's too pure. No, wait! You mustn't! Oh, gods... Crash nods.  It kind of bothers me how quickly this escalation happens. Rather than focusing on the filler quests in the last update, couldn't we have spent a little more time uncovering the corruption here?  Crash finds Fufulupa pretty quickly. The Brass Blades are at a crossroad that splits into Crescent Cove and a future location—Vesper Bay. Captain Baldewyn stands in the middle of the group with some thaumaturges, and is the only intractable person.  It's been a while since we saw this warning. Accepting will send us into a private instance for a boss battle, and the level sync is to ensure Crash won't be too powerful for this duty. Spoilers: Crash is too powerful for this duty anyway. I accept and it triggers one last cutscene before the fight.  Someone has been stealing gemstones from Copperbell Mines and... Wait, those gauntlets, those boots—why, you're one of Quiveron's men! Sir, that man is a thief and a scoundrel! ...And? What of it? His coin's good, and that's what counts.Surprise. The Brass Blades of the Roses are corrupt and are working with the bandits that are causing trouble in most of Thanalan. It explains how the central Thanalan group had Nashachite, but that's such a small detail. We could easily have done without the mandatory merchant quests. That was side story fluff.   They'd get their Nashachite, I'd get my gil, and none would be the wiser. B-B-But, sir, what if your crimes are uncovered!? What if Lord Lolorito finds out!? I am acting under the authority of Lord Lolorito himself! Why do you think people join the Brass Blades, Fufulupa? To serve and protect? Hah! We're not the bloody Flames here! We do this for the coin!This isn't really that surprising. We know from the last arc that Lord Lolorito owns the Brass Blades, and that he's a member of the Syndicate who only care about their own greed. This isn't even just common knowledge for the player—Lolorito's corruption seems pretty well known in Thanalan. Fufulupa is just incredibly naive. He isn't the only one in trouble though.  Crash was spotted. It looks like the brother of Baron Von Quiveron IV is here, and he is pissed at Crash for murdering his brother. He should probably also be pissed at his parents for giving him an identical name but with a number.  Music: Pennons Aloft Well, looks like we've got ourselves a boss battle. This one isn't too bad, but there's room for error that can get you killed if you're not careful enough.  Straight off the bat, the red squares in the enemy list tell us that both targets are gunning for Crash. These are who we want to focus on. Even though Fufulupa is a Gladiator like Crash is, don't expect him to take either of the two boss targets for himself. There are two Brass Blade archers, one on each side of the screen. They're not too important to us at the moment, since they're focusing their aim at Fufulupa.  It's normally a good idea to wait just a few seconds at the start of a duty. This way, we be sure who our intended target is meant to be. A good way to get overwhelmed is to fight who we don't need to. This fighting doesn't go exactly as expected though. Baldewyn is more interested in Crash than Fufulupa, and Fufulupa still can't bring himself to attack Baldewyn.  Much like his brother, Quiveron IV is a Thaumaturge. His fire spells will give him a buff to fire damage, while his blizzard spells will restore his MP. That last part is pretty pointless, since NPCs don't have to think about MP.  Baldewyn, however, is a lancer. He can occasionally use Leg Sweep, which inflicts Stun. This is the pre-Stormblood version, so it causes damage too. Baldewyn can also use the pre-Stormblood version of Feint, inflicting Slow to increase Crash's global cooldown time. He's more of an inconvenience than a real threat right now.  I can see players in other roles having maybe a little bit more difficulty with this one. It's not immediately clear that Quiveron should be who you kill first. Fufulupa isn't a very good Gladiator and can't seem to get Quiveron's attention. I guess Savage Blade just doesn't generate as much enmity as the murder of your sibling.  We finally kill Quiveron IV, freeing Fufulupa up to target the archers that are currently shooting at him. We need to make sure to keep Fufulupa within range, as he'll cast Cure whenever Crash's HP drops into dangerous territory.  Dropping Baldewyn below around the 50% HP mark will trigger the next phase.  The captain will pacify himself for a full minute, meaning we won't need to worry about any Feints or Leg Sweeps.  Instead, Baldewyn will rely on Heartstopper for most of his damage. Since this is a frontal AoE—complete with an indicator—it's easily avoided. At this stage, we want to ignore him and just get rid of the remaining Brass Blades.  Despite being the class with the weakest damage output in the Ul'dah storyline, Crash managed to kill the adds and Baldewyn before his pacification ran out. There shouldn't be too much challenge here if you focus on the right targets, and this rule will be true in most of the early single player duties.  It's a fairly simple fight, but it's actually a little easier to fail this one. It's the first time Crash has had to do more than spam his most powerful attack on a single target. The screen begins to fade. Soundtrack ends.  Ex-Captain Leofric just kind of shows up from Crescent Cove for some reason. It looks like he decided to be dramatic and take the long way around to the action by ferrying across from the Silver Bazaar. Either that or he circled around the fight.   (Baldewyn) I may have spared your life before, but if you interfere, I will not show you mercy! Oh hey, plot twist. Is this not actually Baldewyn? Is he really a sneaky bandit who replaced the captain? (Leofric) Imagine Lord Lolorito's surprise when he learned that a rank-and-file Brass Blade was using his name to advance a personal agenda... Baldewyn is hosed. At this point, you can forget about him. He literally disappears from the cutscene from here. There's no taking him into custody either. He just hangs around off-screen and we'll never see him again. He doesn't even attempt to escape.   Captain Leofric! Captain Baldewyn, he... he said that Lord Lolorito— Lord Lolorito wouldn't waste his time on a small-scale smuggling operation. This is all Baldewyn's doing. What else did he say? That all our brethren are no better, and that each and every one cares for naught but coin? Hah! Mere excuses to justify his schemes. But there are men like you, Fufulupa—men good and true, whom the smallfolk respect. Which is why I gave you the dagger. The Brass Blades of the Rose need a leader with honor, and you're the most honorable man I know. Thank you for all your help, Crash! The captain and I will escort Captain Baldewyn back to Horizon. Pray visit me in town when next you return.Music: To the Sun  We end the cutscene on our own, with Fufulupa already at Horizon. That was quick! Let's bring an end to this investigation.  Until a new one is designated, I've been ordered to serve as acting captain of the Horizon garrison. Though doubtless this is only a temporary arrangement, I will do my utmost to represent my brethren and protect the people of Horizon. Thank you for your service to the sultanate. You are a true hero!For his efforts, Fufulupa is now acting captain for the Brass Blades of the Rose. I get the impression that this will be a lasting position.  We also got given a Bronze Cuirass for our efforts. In any case, we're not done yet. Next time, we'll say goodbye to Fufulupa as he sends us deeper into this conspiracy.   Chapter Summary CrashScreen fucked around with this message at 23:12 on Nov 12, 2017 |
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Jun 18, 2016 02:36
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There appear to be roughly two types of Lalafell in the story quests. The type that wear their every single emotion on their sleeves, and the type that are treacherous untrustworthy backstabbing bastards.
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Jun 18, 2016 17:30
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Fufulupa's adorable so I always liked this cutscene and story arc  A few mistakes in the LP: One, the 'spoilers' have a minor typo, it's missing an 'is'. Two, Umbral Ice doesn't increase ice damage, it just increases MP regeneration, as opposed to Astral Fire which turns off regeneration in return for the fire damage buff. I don't think 'Ice Mage Roleplay' would be such a joke in FFXIV if Umbral Ice also had a damage buff And uh, I always recall Fufulupa going after Baderon immediately and grabbing aggro, though I'd always start with attacking the Thaumaturge as soon as the fight starts so maybe that changes who he prioritizes, or maybe if you're a gladiator it's different, or maybe I'm just remembering wrong.
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Jun 18, 2016 21:07
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Unguided posted:What flavor of Honest Healer were you stuck with, the kind that keep casting healing spells when everyone's at full health, the kind that just stand around when everyone's at full health or an AFK & /follow Scholar that lets Eos do everything? The second is a legit prostrat tho CrashScreen posted:They did actually DPS at points, but they also seemed scared to let me lose any health at all. It makes for a good note in the LP at least. To be fair, I sympathize. Some pubs lose their poo poo when they're at less than perfect health. So you over-compensate to make sure they don't lose their head over it. And of course first time healers are nervous as poo poo in dungeons, especially the early game.
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Jun 18, 2016 22:05
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Fufulupa is pretty refreshing when Lalafells tend to be the villains. Gloomy Rube posted:Umbral Ice doesn't increase ice damage, it just increases MP regeneration, as opposed to Astral Fire which turns off regeneration in return for the fire damage buff. I don't think 'Ice Mage Roleplay' would be such a joke in FFXIV if Umbral Ice also had a damage buff Kicking myself because this is one I know and wasn't in earlier drafts of this update. Thanks for keeping me straight though. Also, it's interesting that you had a different experience with this duty. I deliberately avoided aggro at the start to see who I should go for, and both enemies just stuck to me like glue. I'm leveling another character to reshoot some things later on so I can bring Aggro Crag in sooner, so I'm going to try that on thaumaturge and see if it makes any difference. It'd be interesting if it does.
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Jun 19, 2016 19:03
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I have seen non joke Ice Mages in groupfinder, you'd think they were the realm of jokes but they are not, there is at least 2 of them out there.
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Jun 19, 2016 21:21
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SSNeoman posted:The second is a legit prostrat tho Oh man, new healers. Their over-zealousness can make things pretty difficult for a not-pro tank and, in turn, for themselves. If you don't have a lot of experience as a tank, their constant overhealing left and right can cause problems in enemy packs since they'll needlessly build hate on all engaged enemies and pull the ones you're not currently hitting off you. The worst though is when a newbie gets My First Heal Over Time. Oh man, it's so mana efficient and nice for topping people off! Oh, our tank is missing like 15% health after that mob pack? I'll just toss a quick HoT on him while he's running towards the next pack
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Jun 19, 2016 22:27
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HenryEx posted:
I've been that guy.
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Jun 19, 2016 23:21
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Huh, I don't suppose you still need volunteers for dungeon runs at this point, do you? I've just about hit the limits of what my skill allows on my main character, and it's freed up some time for alts.
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Jun 20, 2016 00:36
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I'd appreciate any help people are offering to give. It would be fun to play through the thread too, but my time is fairly erratic so it will be hard to organise for a while. I do need to reshoot the three first dungeons and first trial though. In the last thread, someone suggested I use Twitter to announce when I'm about to play. I could probably do that again if that seems interesting to anyone?
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Jun 20, 2016 21:23
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I'd be willing to help out too if you happen to be playing at a time when I'm available. I don't really like writing so I probably wouldn't add anything to the LP itself(not that the class stories are super exciting) but if you need a healer that's what I tend to play anyway. I'll make an alt and get it ready just in case, I was thinking about making a new character anyway.
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Jun 20, 2016 21:45
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HenryEx posted:The worst though is when a newbie gets My First Heal Over Time. Oh man, it's so mana efficient and nice for topping people off! Oh, our tank is missing like 15% health after that mob pack? I'll just toss a quick HoT on him while he's running towards the next pack This was me from Brayflox Longstop to Snowcloak.
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Jun 20, 2016 22:03
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I think that was most healers when they were new. Especially when you're still getting the hang of knowing how long a pull will take because of variance in group damage, but drat said Heal Over Time is really useful for when you want to add to the group's damage.
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Jun 20, 2016 22:56
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Anyway, rolled up a new character over in Midgardsormr, since someone volunteered to heal, I'm going to monk it up (Until I can be a rogue anyway, because rogues are best melee class)
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Jun 22, 2016 03:52
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I'm a little bit distracted by some of the big things happening over here, so the update might be delayed until tomorrow or so. On the subject of helping out: I've got a Twitter just for the thread that I'll announce things on, but I'll announce when I'm running any duties here too. Setting up an FC isn't too far away, so I can create one for this purpose as well.
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Jun 24, 2016 11:45
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Wait, are you looking for people to join the FC you're gonna make? If so, I wouldn't mind signing up for it!
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Jun 25, 2016 01:47
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Chapter XI: Secrets and Lies In the absence of Baldewyn as captain, Fufulupa will be serving as acting captain of the Brass Blades of the Rose. While we now know that the previous captain was working with bandits, he's still under investigation. Perhaps there's been a development in this case. In our efforts to ascertain the full extent of the former captain's corruption, we have been poring over his personal correspondence. Our search unearthed this sealed letter addressed to a man named Owyne. But he is one of the Sultansworn elite! I can think of no reason why he should have any dealings with Baldewyn!That's alarming. If Baldewyn was pals with a Sultansworn, then he could have probably gotten away with much worse crimes than playing kingpin in Western Thanalan. We now know that the former captain was consorting with a coalition of criminals... Could it be that Owyne was, too!? This letter may well serve as evidence of their collusion, and so I dare not tamper with it myeslf. But given the events of recent days, I knew not whom to trust with this information—until now.I can see where this is going. I have chosen you, Crash. Pray bear the letter to Mistress Momodi of the Quicksand, and relate the circumstances of its discovery. Not only is she a staunch supporter of the sultana, but she is well acquainted with the Sultansworn. She will know how best to proceed.We're going to teleport off to Ul'dah. This won't be the last time we see Fufulupa, but nobody will probably remember him when we do. It's a long rear end way away. Goodbye, Fufulupa. Music: A New Hope  Crash hands over the letter and explains.  .jpg) Fufulupa's thinking Owyne might've been in league with Baldewyn—that this letter could be proof of something shady. Well he needn't worry. Owyne's as loyal a Sultansworn as I've ever known. I haven't the foggiest what this says, but— Oh, hells... I've got a bad feelin' about this. Listen, Crash—I think I know what this is all about, but I need you to swear to keep it quiet. Before Momodi can continue, she takes pity on Crash and decides to give him a pair of trousers. Thanalan gets very cold at night. Starting the next quest hops us right back into another cutscene.   But she might struggle to keep even that if a certain incident becomes public knowledge. It pains me to say it, but the crown of Her Majesty, symbol of the royal dynasty, has been stolen. Owyne's the Sultansworn who was charged with guardin' it that night. It can't be a coincidence that a man we know to have been fraternizin' with thieves had a letter for Owyne of all people, at this of all times.  Crash receives the letter back.  Alright, to find Owyne, Crash must first find where the Sultansworn hang out. Given their association with the Sultanate and nobody else, it's likely they're to be found in Hustings Strip—the top level in the Steps of Thal.  Just outside the Quicksand is a Lift Attendant, who'll let us take an elevator to Hustings Strip. It's pretty easy to get there without navigating Steps of Thal.  Jenlyns, the Sultansworn captain, actually faces the doorway leading to their base.  That path takes us to Scholar's Walk, where we can find a Sultansworn guarding the entrance to the Heart of the Sworn.  New Music: Machinations In there, we find Owyne. Crash hands him the letter.   Even when speaking to a Sultansworn, Crash does little more than shake his head.  The blame is mine, you see. I grew lax in my duties, and in a moment of carelessness... No, it will do no good to recount the tale now. Since the hour of the theft, we've searched frantically for any signs, any whispers as to the whereabouts of the crown. We have found nothing. And though it pains me to say it, I fear I have no choice but to acquiesce to their demands. Too much is at stake to do otherwise. The crown symbolizes Her Majesty's birthright, and identifies her as the custodian of the Ul legacy. It must be recovered.  Crash can't exactly turn down a member of the Sultansworn. Without a moment of hesitation, he teleports to Black Brush Station in Central Thanalan. Music: To The Sun  From there, we take the path leading east and follow the Royal Allagan Sunway—an ancient road for trade that's at least three millennia old.  This isn't our first time stepping into The Clutch, but we've never really gotten a chance to see it properly before. Last time, Crash had to visit The Quiveron Manse and murder some bandits. This time, we're heading into the heart of it: The Unholy Heir.  This area is named after the giant rock in front of us. It first appeared after The Calamity, and earned the name The Unholy Heir when people started thinking of it as the son of Bahamut. Perhaps, any moment, it could hatch to reveal another dangerous dragon? Probably not.  It is at this moment, gazing at the waters surrounding The Unholy Heir, that Crash realises he didn't ask for the time that the exchange was due. I guess we'll wait, enjoying the scenery until Owyne and the bandits finally show up. Chapter Summary CrashScreen fucked around with this message at 17:55 on Mar 18, 2018 |
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Jun 25, 2016 23:52
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I had such a hard loving time finding this goddamn place. Your map marker is super misleading when it comes to pointing you in the direction you need to go 
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Jun 26, 2016 18:57
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I definitely had the same problem when I first played. I'm pretty sure I spent a bit of time before figuring out where Hustings Strip actually was, because I didn't notice you could toggle the map.Silegna posted:Wait, are you looking for people to join the FC you're gonna make? If so, I wouldn't mind signing up for it! I was going to make one just to show it off in the LP anyway, but enough people have sent me a PM or posted in the thread with interest to help. I figure it might be a neat way to organise that a little bit. I'll make sure to let the thread vote on a name when it's time, too.
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Jun 27, 2016 21:48
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What realm is this? I can make a lancer!
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Jun 27, 2016 23:56
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Silegna posted:What realm is this? I can make a lancer! I think he said it was Midgardsormr?
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Jun 28, 2016 02:49
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AweStriker posted:I think he said it was Midgardsormr? That's what the OP says, yeah. I guess I should put my name in here so you can find me when you're ready to start the FC or whatever. My character is Shar Noykin. I'm terrible at naming things so I just hit the random button until I get something pronounceable.
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Jun 29, 2016 09:34
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Chapter XIII: Aether You'll Explode, or I'll Game Over After uncovering a possible conspiracy, Crash has been drafted into assisting an elite Sultansworn to return a Sultanate heirloom. Making haste towards the destination without thought like any inexperienced adventurer would, Crash now has to wait for the meeting. It may have taken a while.  After the wait is over, there's a prompt for the duty much like a couple of updates ago. Similarly, players above level 18 are synced down to that level. This was a pretty funny spot back when the game was released or in beta. There used to be piles of dead player bodies. If you were unprepared then this could wreck you.  Click to play: Fracture This is the first time we'll have heard Fracture.  A bunch of enemies suddenly show up in front of Crash. Maybe they were on the other side?  Unfortunately, Rogue wasn't an available class choice when I recorded this footage, so Crash isn't very good at hiding.  "You have made mock of our trust. The deal is off."  Owyne then desperately throws an item we can't see at the thieves. The thief, Garibald, then catches it and sniffs it to confirm it's the real deal. That's... pretty weird.  "And now, at long last, we have it! The power to create an army of undying soldiers--The Traders' Spurn!" Foresight isn't a thing in Eorzea. Also, can I add that Owyne is an absolutely terrible elite guardsman? Not only did he lose the crown on his watch, he just handed over an incredibly dangerous item over to a group of bandits without even finding out what the item was. What the gently caress is wrong with you, Owyne?   Garibald's smug, expositional taunt seems to be the cue to call in an army of shirtless dudes and archers.  Remind me why you even brought Crash here?  Just then, Crash notices something up the cliffside he waited all week at. Click to play: Torn from the Heavens  Fortunately, Garibald isn't the only one who has reinforcements. Standing behind Crash is Papashan and some Sultansworn, here to kick rear end. If you don't remember Papashan, he's the Lalafell in charge of the Sultana rescue operation that Crash assisted. Y'know, back before the thread hiatus.  "Sultansworn!? Hah! No matter! Kill them all!"Garibald remains a smug bastard, even in the face of an army of elite paladins.  Everyone takes up battle positions, and then the boss fight begins.  When the actual fight begins, everyone wants you dead. Don't worry though, because the Sultansworn are all Paladins. They'll be grabbing all of the aggro here.  Owyne instructs you to fight with him. You won't have to contend with any damage here, which is a nice bonus if you're a man of the cloth or fist. Just make sure that you target an enemy that is already being attacked. Attacking someone who is being ignored will only result in some (very, very mild) pain, but being careless for too long will find you getting overwhelmed fairly easily.  The aim of the fight right now is really just to clear out all of the nameless cannon fodder. You'll want to burn through them as quickly as you can. The remaining Sultansworn will help take the boss down much quicker.  Soon enough, only Garibald will be remaining. It's kind of fun watching a train of elite guardsman just mow down cannon fodder and then make a bee line for the boss. This is the end of the first phase.  Once the area has been cleared, Garibald will summon a demon from the void. Anyone with good memory might remember that a similar voidsent attacked the Sultana almost just two years ago (in real time). The Sultansworn are assholes and leave the giant terrifying demon to the hands of a fresh off the carriage adventurer. Also, the leader of a band of thieves just happens to know how to summon a demon. This is a really dark art that even Thaumaturges currently don't have access to. I'm also pretty sure Garibald said the item Owyne gave him raised undead, and didn't say anything about summoning voidsent.  That being said, the demon isn't as scary as it looks. It barely scratches Crash's armour, and even its ability Terror Eye only tickles despite being really flashy. It's a lot weaker than the Blanga that Crash fought with Thancred previously.  The Blanga doesn't have very much defence either. The white flashy bit of its health is the damage I dealt with my Fast Blade, which is the first step of my combo. Thaumaturges will most definitely burn through its health really fast. It really doesn't take very long to slay, and Garibald goes down just moments before it too. Crash didn't even need to bother with him. They were really outnumbered. Killing both will immediately start a cutscene. We're probably overdue some exposition about our deus ex Papashan. Click to play: Tranquility   The "general" that Papashan is referring to here is the Flame General, who is in charge of another private military organisation in Ul'dah known as the Immortal Flames. There'll be more on them later, including their relationship with the Sultansworn. b.jpg) "He suspected something was afoot and ordered us to keep an eye on you."  Papashan runs ahead, while Owyne turns around to speak to Crash directly. I'm assuming that the Traders' Spurn is safe, given that the now deceased Garibald had it and Papashan doesn't seem concerned. Also, is Papashan really not going to say anything about the fact that Owyne just handed that dangerous item over without any thought?   For some reason, I quite like this shot. Anyway, it looks like Crash helped saved the day. Though it seems like he didn't do much, I assure you that being passive in that duty would have resulted in the death of many of those Sultansworn. Despite Garibald's plan to trick Owyne, I really hope one of his men brought the crown with them. It might be a fruitless chase otherwise. I guess we'll find out when Crash returns to Owyne in Ul'dah. It's time to head back, I think.   Oh. Maybe not. Click to play: Without Shadow   The man then explodes into what appears to be dark aether. It surrounds the immediate vicinity, turning everything dark.  Even Crash, who basically just nods, is reacting to it.  The masked man begins to chant, as if summoning something. Notice the unusual speech bubble. This denotes something, but the game doesn't yet make clear what it is. All we know is that Crash is interpreting it differently, but cannot make any clear distinction between ordinary conversation and this chant.   A portal is created on the floor, summoning a voidkin that we've yet to have seen. It looks pretty intimidating compared to the Blanga Crash just fought.  What has Crash gotten himself into? And why does this person care so much? Also, again, notice that the dialogue has reverted back to normal now that Crash is being directly addressed.   The Lesser Gargoyle looked much larger in the cutscene, but it still definitely shames the Blanga. The Masked Mage will also talk over the fight. He's not very good at trash talking. Also, do you remember when I mentioned that a pile of bodies would usually be found at the starting point for this duty?  Well, the Gargoyle isn't the reason why. Honestly, this fight isn't even that challenging. The Gargoyle barely hurts, while his HP seems fairly low. This is a much easier fight than the last one which could be tough if you didn't know what you were doing.  As the fight comes to a close, Thancred will come to the rescue. Except it's not really a rescue. I could have done this on my own rather easily, to be honest.  He basically just shows up to be a dirty kill stealer. Upon its death, the Lesser Gargoyle explodes into dark aether.  Next order of business is taking care of that drat stalker mage. Thancred will utilize Gladiator abilities to maintain aggro on the boss, but he does so much more damage than you should be capable of right now that his bonus enmity doesn't really matter so much. As an extra note. Keen eyed readers may have noticed the dagger in Thancred's hand in one of the previous screenshots. Before patch 2.4, Gladiators also wielded single daggers. Those weapons got replaced when Rogue was introduced to the game. I'm unsure as to whether that change was reflected in this fight however, as I recorded it before the new class was added.   The only thing to really watch out for are the Fire II spells. It's an AoE with a decent range and it has a cast bar that gives you ample warning to avoid it, though you can just stand at the Masked Mage's side or rear to avoid it too. That being said, this was a critical hit and it only did 57 damage to Thancred, so who cares really?  Alternatively, the Masked Mage can also cast Blizzard II. Unlike Fire II, you'll need to step away from him to avoid it. It's easier to just eat the attack though, because if you fail at avoiding it then you might suffer from Bind while out of range. Bind prevents you from moving or changing face direction, which can prevent you from attacking the mage. If you're a Pugilist then this might be a little bit more annoying, as Pugilists need to change positions to optimise their damage. Otherwise, it's a low hitter so it doesn't matter.  During the fight, he'll start whining about how much better you are than him. Next he'll be complaining that you're cheating by fighting two-on-one after just siccing a demon on Crash. For some reason, he wouldn't do anything when yelling when I recorded this. I'm unsure what was going on here, but I guess he was probably too busy yelling to concentrate on casting in a similar way that Silence stops you casting? He could have ran out of MP, explaining the Blizzard spells with their MP regen buff, but enemies don't have MP pools in this game.  Most status ailments in the game have a diminishing return. The duration of the effect will decrease with each attack, and you'll eventually become temporarily immune. Crash has already started resisting the Bind effect. Pugilists, eat your hearts out here.  Without breaking a sweat, we kill the Masked Man. I joked about how useless Thancred's help was on the voidkin from before, but his help was actually really useful in this fight. Crash likely wouldn't have survived without him. I want to point out that barring the Golem fight and arguably the Baldewyn fight, Crash has needed help in order to beat the bosses so far. I really want to draw attention to this right now: Thancred has been a really important and helpful ally in these boss fights that Crash wouldn't have been able to clear. There's a reason I'm highlighting this, but I won't say much more. I'll leave that for the spoiler tags in the thread. Soundtrack ends.  Even though he had a death animation when Crash and Thancred beat him, the cutscene starts with another death animation while he drops the biggest 1.0 spoiler out of spite. Wait, what?  It is? Click to play: Canticle Another track from 1.0 makes its reappearance. I honestly have no idea who the composer is though, so I left it in Japanese. If anyone can tell me, that would be great! The name of the track itself is a type of hymn or chant with biblical text. As far as I was aware, the theme was associated with a certain significant NPC in 1.0 named Louisoux. I'll get to him later. .png) "We had long suspected the involvement of the Bringers of Chaos-Ascians, to give them their true name." Thancred walks over and examines the Paragon corpse. Or is that Ascian corpse? Who knows? People who know things in JRPGs don't like to share the things that they know right away. "But we could not be sure they were responsible for the recent disturbances until now. As if the sultanate needed any more enemies..." "Ah, yes, that's right-you're one of the gifted."Okay, so, let's take a moment. Paragons, Ascians, and "gifted" were all big parts of the 1.0 storyline before the lesser moon hatched and unleashed a furious dragon on the lands. This is the point in the A Realm Reborn storyline converges with the original story before it was interrupted. For newer players, this will all get explained. It's basically lip service for the legacy players who have waited patiently up to this point, possibly while already at the level 50 cap. I'll make a post about it in the next update. Also, Thancred says that his homeland is in Sharlayan, but this isn't true and it'll be a long time before we find out the truth. I don't know whether this was a silly oversight, a mistake in the localization, or because Thancred isn't the most fond of his origin, but whatever. I'll just say that his organization from 1.0 originated from Sharlayan and leave it at that for just now.   Thancred proceeds to walk away, leaving our protagonist alone again. Crash glances over at the corpse, and the camera pans over...  ... to reveal a small shard emanating some dark aura.  Crash walks over, and then it bursts into aether.  This then proceeds to do nothing more. That was rather anticlimactic. And that's all for now. Are you confused yet? Well, in the next update, we'll catch up to speed with the legacy players. I'll do a short summary and if there's time, we'll also visit Papashan in that update. We have to find out if the heirloom was ever recovered, after all. CrashScreen fucked around with this message at 00:36 on Sep 9, 2016 |
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Jul 1, 2016 12:49
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I honestly do appreciate this sudden thrust into PLOT. It does a lot to wake you up from the honestly mostly same-y tasks you had to do up to this point. You fought a dude! He summoned demons! Awesome! Okay yes it will take some time for anything to come from this, but the promise is there!
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Jul 1, 2016 17:50
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Papashan is the only Lalafell I can take seriously. Because of this moment.
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Jul 1, 2016 23:33
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Maybe the masked man plays on console, so he can't play and type at the same time.
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Jul 2, 2016 20:02
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Glad to see this thread back! I'll probably never get around to playing XIV, so it's nice to see a bit of what I'm missing.
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Jul 3, 2016 06:10
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The early bouts of story in FFXIV are kinda boring and stilted. The stilted part never fully goes away, but it eventually becomes much less boring. I just checked my Lodestone profile, and i haven't logged in since end of May 2015. It's been a while...
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Jul 3, 2016 18:01
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You haven't missed much. Except Heavensward, I guess, which is worth it for the story but absolutely not worth it for the content patches they've been putting out.
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Jul 3, 2016 20:10
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I don't know. If you'd said that six months ago then I'd have agreed with you, but while 3.2 was more of the same it still felt pretty strong. Depending on how Palace of the Dead goes, the most recent content patch could be overall pretty great too.
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Jul 3, 2016 23:29
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I would agree that 3.1 wasn't the best but 3.2 was a step up and 3.3 was a huge content dump. I still say the fights that came in 3.3 are some of the best in the game.
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Jul 3, 2016 23:44
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The fights that at least half the player base can't do and will lead you to hopelessly retrying them over and over again? Yeah, those are great. The new 24-player raid is a disaster and the trial at the end of the story quest might as well be impossible.
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Jul 4, 2016 00:39
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It's part of the patch cycle the playerbase tends to have. If anything the first 24 man of Heavensward was a bit too easy. The newest one was also something of a wake up call in that regard. First week it was pretty impossible, beat it the second week barely, have been finishing it comfortably (not wipeless) ever since. The story trial was the same. Didn't beat it the first time, finished it the second (and part of that was some party members having lag/mechanics problems keeping the first attempt from being a success.) Happens every time.
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Jul 4, 2016 03:15
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People seem to forget this happened during both of patch 2.4 and 2.41s trials and during the 24 man raid that was concluded that patch. I'm pretty sure this is just something that happens in every mmo.
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Jul 4, 2016 03:36
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It's 24 man in the sense that it's 3 groups of 8 right?
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Jul 4, 2016 05:20
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SSNeoman posted:It's 24 man in the sense that it's 3 groups of 8 right? Yeah. With the exception of the older content, its three groups consisting of one tank, two healers and five dps.
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Jul 4, 2016 07:12
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So uh, hypothetically, if i were to make a character on Midgardsormr to get in on some of that dungeon party goodness that's coming up soon (and also mad LP fame), what would be the best way to get in touch with you in-game? Asking for a friend HenryEx fucked around with this message at 19:34 on Jul 5, 2016 |
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Jul 5, 2016 19:32
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 I've finished rewriting the old updates, and updated the chapter number. Chapter 13 is now number 8, and the most recent 18 is now 13. This should make things smoother for people catching up instead of reading the old chapters that were a bit of a slog. If anyone wants a refresher, that's probably a good time too. It was pretty fun to rewrite and I got in a lot of extra bonus material with far less filler. HenryEx posted:So uh, hypothetically, if i were to make a character on Midgardsormr to get in on some of that dungeon party goodness that's coming up soon (and also mad LP fame), what would be the best way to get in touch with you in-game? Fair question. My main is actually on Midgardsormr as well, so the goon LS or (sort-of) goon FC on the server would be a good way. I'll be posting in this thread when I'm running things too, and when Crash eventually gets to the point that he can make his own FC then that will probably be the easiest option. It's a shame that there isn't any service like PlayOnline (but better) to make this a lot easier.
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Jul 5, 2016 21:08
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Great that this is back. The story also seems to get a bit more interesting. Looking forward to more of the LP.
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Jul 5, 2016 21:23
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