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Blueberry Pancakes posted:Even knowing the content of future Stormblood patches, I can think of multiple potential meanings there and I'm not sure which Square was going for. That's the beauty of ambiguous prophecy, it can mean whatever the listener decides it means!
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May 5, 2023 15:31
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I change my hair constantly on my character, a thing I would do in real life if it was as convenient as it is in the game. I like to go with longer styles for MSQ situations where there feels like there could've been a time gap, but I'll often switch back if there's egregious clipping. I'd use my windy mullet nearly all the time if I could dye the drat bandana!
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May 5, 2023 15:46
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Blueberry Pancakes posted:Even knowing the content of future Stormblood patches, I can think of multiple potential meanings there and I'm not sure which Square was going for. The answer is probably more than one. I think this even applies to patch names, though offhand I don't remember enough of the ARR or Heavensward ones to make an example out of something the threads have already covered.
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May 5, 2023 15:47
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I wonder how many of the players using the windcaller mullet recognize it as being the hairstyle of Canopus from Tactics Ogre/Ogre Battle. Not trying to call anyone out in this thread or anything, I remember it took me seeing the name of the hairstyle to make the connection, even after seeing a guy using wing decorations with the hairstyle. Although frankly I'm not sure if that was a coincidence or not because his glam was basically "Angelic Reaper".
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May 5, 2023 16:33
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Jetrauben posted:Ysolde has had this hairstyle basically since I unlocked it, because I am absolutely terminal anime brain and therefore heterochromia of one white-blue eye and one red eye contrasted with dominant white hair with dyed red fringed in an asymmetrical, opposing pattern is just too appealing to me. I'd certainly like to be able to switch hairstyles for class outfits, but sadly, not an option, so this hairstyle stays. Karen hair is pretty rare, I used it myself for like a month or so, and haven't really noticed it on anyone else ever. The hair that I've used the longest is styled for hire, which is what Sang is using right now. It used to be pretty rare because it was pvp only, but I think it was put in mogtomes once and CC added a battlepass so it became more common. Had that basically since it was introduced in StB, and wore it till around 5.5 when I started switching things around for a bit before settling on the side ponytail.
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May 5, 2023 16:51
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Blueberry Pancakes posted:Even knowing the content of future Stormblood patches, I can think of multiple potential meanings there and I'm not sure which Square was going for.
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May 5, 2023 21:16
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IthilionTheBrave posted:I wonder how many of the players using the windcaller mullet recognize it as being the hairstyle of Canopus from Tactics Ogre/Ogre Battle. Not trying to call anyone out in this thread or anything, I remember it took me seeing the name of the hairstyle to make the connection, even after seeing a guy using wing decorations with the hairstyle. Although frankly I'm not sure if that was a coincidence or not because his glam was basically "Angelic Reaper". well TIL Canopus is not wearing some sort of bizarre birdshaped hood or helmet in ogre battle snes
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May 5, 2023 21:24
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Oh boy I love to talk video game hair and style! I play a moon cat and I started the game during Stormblood with pink hair and eyes since I jokingly named my character Literally Anime and figured a pinku cat girl was maximum anime. Thought I would play the game for 2 weeks with some friends and then forget about it.   After finishing the Stormblood MSQ and getting into end game I was thoroughly hooked on the game and decided I wanted a little more serious look for my character so I started playing around more with my style. I tried switching hair color and decided blonde and black both looked good, but ended up going with black which I've stuck with since. The pink eye color was sort of bothering me though so I used one of my free fantasias to change it to yellow and make a couple other minor adjustments. After trying out different hairstyles I decided my character needs bangs otherwise it just doesn't look like my character anymore.  I really enjoy the glam aspect of the game so I like to try and create glams to match the story. I've got a couple casual adventuring looks, but a couple years ago I decided to create my Official Warrior of Light Glam which I feel sort of defines my character's look, and I use whenever it's time for Official Warrior of Light Business like attending state functions and slaying gods:  I like my miqo'te and don't think I can fantasia away from that since it feels like my character's story. That said there's other character looks I like to play around with so I've been periodically replaying the MSQ on an alt character and went with duskwight because I think grey elves look cool. I have to be very thrifty with my low level glams which is fun, though inspired by Galaga's mulletcat look I dropped some money on my main to send over the windcaller hair for her because it's just such a look.   Having finished 2.0 MSQ on her and starting 2.x I decided she needed her own Official Warrior of Light Glam for all this Crystal Braves business she's found herself in. 
Lazy Fair fucked around with this message at 21:40 on May 5, 2023 |
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May 5, 2023 21:37
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AweStriker posted:The answer is probably more than one. I think this even applies to patch names, though offhand I don't remember enough of the ARR or Heavensward ones to make an example out of something the threads have already covered. 2.2: Through the Maelstrom - Leviathan, Doman refugees come to Eorzea, Teledji and Adeldji are of one mind, Second Coil of Bahamut (Nael time, also seeing Louisoix), Hildibrand chapter 2 (Godbert and Greg), Big Fishing is added, the Challenge and Sightseeing Logs are added, Glamour system is added, expert and trial roulettes added 2.3: Defenders of Eorzea - Ramuh, forming the Crystal Braves (Ysayle's first appearance, also with the first shot of Thordan as the patch stinger), Crystal Tower continues with Syrcus Tower, Hildibrand chapter 3 (the betrothal in Costa Del Sol), desynthesis is added, frontline is added 2.4: Dreams of Ice - Shiva, meeting Aymeric and Moenbryda and Lucia, confronting Eline Roaille with Ilberd, Final Coil of Bahamut, Hildibrand chapter 4 (coliseum with Ultros and Typhon), Rogue/Ninja is added, Eternal Bonding is added 2.5: Before the Fall - Nabriales, losing Moenbryda, meeting Midgardsormr and doing a bit of Monster Hunter at the Steps of Faith, and then finally The Banquet happens, Crystal tower ends with World of Darkness, Hildibrand chapter 5 (the truth of Sil'dih), Gold Saucer is added 3.1: As Goes Light, So Goes Darkness - meeting Krile and the Warriors of Darkness and getting Thancred back, Vidofnir saves a girl from falling, Shadows of Mhach begins with The Void Ark, Scholasticate begins 3.2: The Gears of Change - meeting Minfilia as the Word of the Mother, the Warrior of Light gains a fear of drinking, Ishgard has a Grand Melee, Death to Nidhogg, Alexander: Midas (Quickthinx gets the codex), Warring Triad begins with Sephirot, Hildibrand 2 begins, Hall of the Novice and Mentor system added 3.3: Revenge of the Horde - Nidhogg, convincing Hraesvelgr to help kick Nidhogg's rear end, kicking Nidhogg's rear end, throwing some eyes in a vortex nothing living can go in, Shadows of Mhach continues with The Weeping City of Mhach, Warring Triad has the solo duty with Regula, Hildibrand 2 continues, Aquapolis is added, Palace of the Dead is added (first 50 floors) 3.4: Soul Surrender - meeting up with Alisaie again in the MSQ, Ga Bu, geting Papalymo and Yda back, kicking the Warriors of Darkness' asses, Minfilia goes on a trip, the Griffin gets a popsicle, Alexander: The Creator, Warring Triad continues with Sophia, Hildibrand 2 continues, Scholasticate continues, Palace of the Dead is continued (the rest of the floors), Wondrous Tails added 3.5: The Far Edge of Fate - dealing with the Griffin, dealing with the Griffin's mess, meeting Gosetsu and Grynewaht, letting Nero tinker with Omega, meeting Lyse, Shadows of Mhach ends with Dun Scaith, Warring Triad ends with Zurvan, Hildibrand 2 ends, Scholasticate ends, Custom Deliveries added starting with Zhloe (Bonus section: all the prior endcard prophecies 2.0: AND THUS DID DAWN BREAK ON A REALM REBORN BUT WHERE THERE IS LIGHT, THERE IS ALWAYS SHADOW 2.55: TO PRESERVE THE DAWN'S LIGHT, THE HEROES JOURNEYED NORTH THEIR HEARTS FILLED WITH HOPE AND EYES FIXED HEAVENSWARD 3.0: SPIRES OF DECEPTION CRUMBLE TO DUST, TO LAY BARE TRUTHS LONG CONCEALED BEYOND SIMMERING SHADOW LIETH SHIMMERING LIGHT 3.3: AND THUS DID GREY MISTS GIVE WAY TO AZURE SKIES, MEN AND DRAGON RISE ABOVE, VOICES JOINED IN SONG BUT BENEATH SHROUDED BOUGHS, BEYOND THE SCOPE OF LIGHT SHADOW STIRS 3.5: AT THE FAR EDGE OF FATE, THE ROAD BEGINS ANEW. THE HEROES LOOK TO EASTERN SKIES, AND BEHOLD THEIR CRIMSON HUE. A DAWN OF LIBERATION. A GATHERING STORM OF BLOOD.)
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May 5, 2023 22:42
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What patch was Ye Olde Diadem
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May 5, 2023 23:55
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Chillgamesh posted:What patch was Ye Olde Diadem They closed it in 3.5, reopened Diadem 1.1 in 3.55b. 1.1 existed until 5.1 (for as little as it had people still running it). Diadem 2.0 was launched in 5.21.
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May 5, 2023 23:57
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The next chapter was delayed by me having to grind hard this weekend to finish my PVP Battlepass and Mogstone rewards before the patch dropped, but its almost ready!
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May 8, 2023 16:11
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You should have about two more weeks for those!
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May 8, 2023 16:22
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FuturePastNow posted:You should have about two more weeks for those! Really? I'd heard the patch was dropping on the 12th, I can't watch the Live Letters because they have spoilers so I have to go off second-hand info.
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May 8, 2023 16:48
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Sanguinia posted:Really? I'd heard the patch was dropping on the 12th, I can't watch the Live Letters because they have spoilers so I have to go off second-hand info.
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May 8, 2023 16:52
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mogrock season is generally one month to patch or thereabouts
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May 8, 2023 16:53
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The second 6.4 live letter is this Friday. The mogtome event started the 24th and those run for a month so if they follow the pattern they always follow, the patch should be on the 23rd but that date will be announced in 5 days.
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May 8, 2023 16:54
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Man, I’m glad the patch isn’t on the 12th, since I’m probably gonna be playing TotK exclusively for awhile after it’s released.
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May 8, 2023 17:05
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I don't think the date for the patch has actually been announced yet, but it will be announced during the live letter. But they said "late May" and big patches always drop on a Tuesday, so the 24th is likely Edit: wait, that's a Wednesday. 23rd then
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May 8, 2023 17:09
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Oh i should do mogtome stuff huh
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May 8, 2023 19:05
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In other words: ignore Praetorium, continue catgirl adventures
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May 8, 2023 22:46
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Times like these are the times when savvy budget conscious players who don't want to lose their houses (and did I also mention handsome?) unsubscribe for a month of savings while awaiting the next patch.
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May 8, 2023 23:07
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I dunno man, those Porxie earrings are pretty cute. Definitely worth 7 continuous hours of Praetorium.
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May 9, 2023 19:26
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Why would you do that to yourself when you could just spam the first wing of Alexander? Even without a dedicated BLU group, it goes by pretty quickly
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May 9, 2023 19:39
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Spam PVP with me, make progress on those 100 win achievos
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May 9, 2023 20:11
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I'm just kidding; obviously I'm just going to run the raids a billion times to scrape my mogtomes together, as is my wont. Need dem glams.
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May 10, 2023 23:02
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Chapter 46: The Mysterious City of Gold The first thing the end of the base game offers is access to new vendors with endgame rewards. As in Heavensward, two tiers of equipment are on offer for tomestones. One is exceptionally Japanese in its aesthetic, while the other is very tech-bro. Appropriate, given it's named after Nero and presumably designed by him. I also found a vendor who takes the World Boss reward tokens I acquired while uncovering the mystery of Tamamo Gozen. Why do I bring this up? One, Kheris looks great in the first outfit I bought for her, and I want an excuse to show it off. Just look at those fox ears!  Two, it allows me to mention that this was when I was introduced to a feature I'd previously missed, the /gpose command. I'd heard people talk about Gpose before but mistook it for the recently disgraced graphics addon Gshade, so I never looked into it further. It's a bit embarrassing that it took me 70 levels to discover that the game has a screenshot creation tool, but after fiddling with it for a while, I found myself wishing the game had gone out of its way to advertise the thing. It's a quality camera function, especially given the game's genre, and I would have loved a sidequest somewhere that instructed me in its use. I got that much for dyes and glamours, after all. Considering how great the armor design can be in FFXIV, I daresay casual players might appreciate the effort in teaching them an easy way to show their characters off outside the game. The end of the base game also provides something I complained about earlier: changes in the incidental dialogue to reflect story progression. Everywhere you go in Gyr Abania, the NPCs you've met along the way have something to say about the end of the occupation. Raganfrid in Ala Ghana stands proudly beside Wiscar and thanks you for believing their lives could get better when he lost hope. Broodmother Sarisha of the Vira remarks that freedom demands vigilance. M'Naago's parents are as relieved that their daughter lived through the final battle as they are excited about the Garleans' departure. The Alliance troopers at Baelsar's Wall look forward to going home but remain dedicated to finishing their work first. The folk of Radiata decide to keep their town's Imperial name, if only out of habit. One of them also remarks how not a single member of their community has left for greener pastures, perhaps because they are not yet confident in their freedom. The sheer quantity of new lines is impressive, as is the level of detail they call back to from previous dialogue. It serves as a reward to those who were thorough about speaking to characters throughout the leveling process.  This guy in Rhalgr's Reach is a perfect example. Every time a plot event happened on this side of the ocean, he'd update his angsting about that shoulder wound. Now we find out that he participated in the last battle like he wanted, even though it meant ironically reinjuring the same arm. It's almost too cute by half since it allowed the level designers to avoid moving him, but I appreciated it all the same. The biggest change that came with the end of the main plot can be found in Ala Mhigo itself. While the dungeon portion remains walled off, the residential slums have been filled with citizen NPCs. The area wasn't given the full amenities of a city, like a Market Board or vendors, but one can at least stroll around and enjoy watching the formerly oppressed live their best lives.  That said, it's probably wise not to dwell too much on the fact that some are already starting drunken brawls in the streets or harassing local women. They're already acting as if being freed from military occupation and reclaiming their national self-determination aren't worth noticing. Let freedom ring, indeed.  After she tours the region, Kheris returns to Resistance HQ to check in with Lyse. Our girl says things are going well regarding immediate material problems, but there have been significant issues with establishing a provisional government. After the King of Ruin, nobody wants to return to a monarchy (as several quests predicted), but they can't agree on what sort of system should take its place. For now, that means continued martial law. Thankfully, Lyse remembers her character development and plans to work the problem until her vision of an Ala Mhigo everyone can call home is realized. As much as Kheris would like to help with a project like that, she guided Lyse into this position, so it would be a bit uncouth to wade into the matter uninvited. That leaves the Warrior of Light's schedule tantalizingly open when Arenvald comes knocking.  …   With the war over, our B-Team Scions are finding new things to occupy their time. J'moldva plans to hang up her spear for good in favor of rebuilding her home behind the lines. God willing, that means I'll finally get a conclusion to her family drama. V'mah Tia is taking over as the Scion liaison, monitoring the local Beast Tribes for Primal activity. As for Aren, he's decided to take a sabbatical to reconnect with his adventurer roots, and what better adventure than a hunt for a legendary treasure? He even invites Alphi to tag along. The treasure in question dates back to Theodoric's reign. The story goes that the king engaged in some Roman-style proscription during his purges. That's where the government gets to claim all property belonging to someone condemned as an enemy of the state. Since he eliminated a considerable portion of the noble and merchant classes during this effort, the trove is purported to be vast beyond reason, just waiting to be found in some secret corner of the Royal Palace. Alphi is understandably skeptical that such incredible wealth could have survived the Garlean occupation. They would have appropriated any treasure horde for their own coffers if it existed. Still, he's not one to turn down an opportunity to delve through decades-old bureaucratic records, so he volunteers to look through everything we captured from the Empire for clues that the Garleans found the gold. He also notes that this is the perfect time to indulge our curiosity. Rumor has it the Empire won't be able to retaliate against Eorzea for some time.  You can't trust hearsay like that, Alphinaud! DON'T LISTEN TO ONDORE'S LIES! BASCH LIVES!!! …*Ahem* While Alphi digs through files, Aren and Kheris take it to the streets, hunting for first-hand accounts that might verify the treasure's existence. Many of the city's older inhabitants remember that era, though not fondly. For instance, we hear how the king's favored execution method was throwing people from the top of Divine Audience, a stone platform that looked upon a statue of Rhalgr, until its top half was sent to the bottom of Loch Seld. Hey, neat! I saw that thing! A woman tells how His Majesty's servants attempted to hire her as a chambermaid, but even with her nation's economy collapsing from the terror and mass murders, she felt the gold was not worth the risk to her life. One Roegadyn admits to serving in the Corpse Brigade before his comrades turned bandit. The screams he heard every night while patrolling the halls still haunt him. Finally, we stumble upon a palace scribe who shares an intriguing story Kheris. Shortly before the people rose against him, King Theodoric conceived a new method for disposing of pretenders to the throne. Rather than execution, he ordered the court wizard to curse them, transforming them into hideous beasts. His Majesty then tossed the creatures into a series of catacombs beneath the palace. Alphi thinks this sounds like a promising lead, especially when Kheris notes that the old man's voice carried notes of genuine fear as he told the tale. Magical monstrosities would be useful guard dogs for an ill-gotten fortune. Before he fully explains his theory, Alphi asks Arenvald to divulge what he intends to do if we find the treasure. By way of response, Aren tells us why he wears war paint, and it's a story that's worth a content warning for sexual violence and child abuse: --- We already know that Arenvald is the product of rape. A Garlean soldier forced his mother and then left her for dead when they sacked the city. She never knew who the man was, but she knew he was pure-blooded Garlean by the 'third eye' on his forehead. As Arenvald grew older, she didn't treat him well, seeing little more than a reminder of her torment, but one day things became much worse. She noticed a discolored blotch of skin above one of his eyebrows and slowly convinced herself that it was not a birthmark but a growing Garlean Eye. For months, maybe even years, she observed that blemish on a daily basis until, finally, she couldn't bear to look at it any longer. She took a knife and… well, that's why he wears war paint. Merely mutilating her child wasn't sufficient to satisfy the woman's demons. She soon forced him out of the house. Going by the picture in the flashback, he can't have been older than 11 or 12 years old.    --- Alphi apologizes for inadvertently asking Aren to relive that hell but applauds our comrade's intent to donate the money rather than keep it for himself. Satisfied with the cause, our young scholar explains that nobody ever found the gold or the monsters guarding it because it's not actually in the palace catacombs. We'll find it somewhere even further underground. Ala Mhigo was built atop the ruins of a civilization from the Fifth Astral Era. The City-State of Skalla had already been lost for centuries when the War of the Magi and the Great Flood occurred, but its ruins were largely intact when the waters of the Sixth Calamity filled the ravines and created the Loch. This made them ideal foundations when the first king, Cotter, constructed his fortress and took control of the road between Ilsabard and Eorzea. So that's why I saw all those salt-encrusted buildings when I dived down there! Alphi asks Kheris to use her Kojin Blessing to hunt for an entrance underwater while he looks for magically concealed doors in the palace. Arenvald is so excited he even suggests we make our efforts into a race. I guess that means we have no time to lose, so let's take a look at The Drowned City of Skalla.  Skalla is a real dungeon's dungeon. It has three distinct regions: -A water-logged ruin infested by sea monsters -A crumbling temple full of the stone soldiers the builders left behind -A tomb overflowing with treasure and abominations Each is breathtaking in its design, full of high ceilings and gorgeous scenery that stretches far into the background. It really sells the idea that this place was once a city as sprawling as the one above.  Each also captures a classic beer-and-pretzels sense of adventure, that kind you get around a kitchen table covered in D&D books or watching 80's Fantasy movies like Willow or The Last Unicorn on a CRT television in your best friend's basement. The dungeon theme music reinforces this.  "Far From Home," uses instruments and an overall tone that practically had me thinking I was playing a Zelda game rather than Final Fantasy. It effortlessly evokes the smell of stale dust, the rasp of boots on stone, and the image of a lone torch lighting a path through shadows that may not be empty.The first area appropriately balances grandeur and grossness, forcing you to fight through the spawning grounds of disgusting amphibious creatures and their slimy offspring before you take on one of the best models I've seen in a dungeon, Kelpie.  If he's a mount somewhere, I want him bad. Kelpie's a rather basic fight, mostly revolving around knowing how kiting works and paying attention to the name of his attacks. However, he establishes a pattern that all three bosses follow. All his mechanics cast more frequently or add pattern complexity as the fight continues, leading his attacks to overlap heavily by the time he falls. I haven't made a secret of loving that type of boss design because it's a straightforward way to make a fight more challenging and exciting. If every boss in a dungeon follows that concept, it's a safe bet that I'll have a good time there. The second area's boss is known simply as The Old One, an idol of some forgotten religion surrounded by empty stone pews at the center of a cathedral. His stone outer body conceals clockwork innards fitted with magic-emitting crystals. The main gimmick here is waves of adds which will self-destruct if you don't kill them. The first time he throws them out, they're as easy to handle as swapping your target, but after that, the ability gets an unusual twist. He opens his body, and then those crystals send out a wave of aether that transforms the party into Spriggans.  In this form, you can only destroy the statues by laying down bombs. Since these bombs have detonation timers, you have to predict where your target will move and time the blast, or your party is toast. It's a fun encounter and foreshadowing of what comes next. The moment the party descends the hidden ramp into the crypts the Old One was protecting, they'll see the first signs of Theodoric's stolen treasure. Chests of gold, weapons, and art are piled high and crammed into the interment niches, often resting haphazardly atop the mummified bodies of the Skallan dead. We also find the monsters we were warned about, bloated, hairy creatures called Zangbetos. When we kill them, they revert to their true forms as the Ala Mhigan nobility, proving that the scribe's story was as real as it was horrific.  As we slay these poor creatures, it's worth noting that their transformation back to human involves a flash of purplish light which is highly similar to the Old One's Spriggan curse. We also find elaborate magical circles which temporarily transform our party into Zangbetos so we can levitate across a few bottomless pits. Those circles include an eye-shaped design that matches the gems inside the Old One.  It seems the King of Ruin found the inspiration for his last crime in the lost magic of this forgotten civilization. Makes sense. What are a few spells when you've already stolen half a kingdom's wealth and thousands of lives? At the end of the maze, Kheris discovers a vast chamber watched over by a painting of the Mad King. It is protected by the final victim of Theodoric's curses, Hrodic Poisontongue, who has been transformed into a chimera.  …  Hrodic is a somewhat complex boss, combining a set of melee attacks that lack ground telegraphs with various randomly-targeted AOE strikes. The latter threat demands that players move to prevent the attack shapes from overlapping, while the former requires you to observe the boss's posture to determine what parts of the ring are safe to enter before you can position the AOEs. Every attack that successfully hits debuffs you to take more damage. Basically, he's a fusion of Lakshmi and the last boss of Stone Vigil (Hard) from ARR. Since I enjoyed both those bosses, and he includes that ramping difficulty design, Hrodic was an absolute pleasure to fight. Chalk up yet another winner for the Stormblood dungeon suite. When the beast falls, we see him revert to human form like the others. Instead of the rich silks of a nobleman, he wears the robes of a wizard.  Like the traitor who sold out the queen's assassination plot, the man who served the King of Ruin best ultimately became a victim. With the villain's identity revealed, it feels appropriate when Scooby and Shaggy appear by comically falling through a hole in the ceiling.  The amount of treasure outstrips Alphinaud's wildest expectations, and Arenvald is so impressed that he can't even be upset that he lost the race to get here. Alphi jokingly suggests that next time they should arrange a handicap to make the contest fair, which prompts his companion to tease him about how he slowed them down by panicking over the more spectral inhabitants of the crypt.  Bucking for an invitation to the Alphinaud Bullying Club, are we Aren? We'll have to have a vote at our next symposium. This year's theme is "Why Alphi's Little Necktie is Goofy as Hell," so start preparing your talking points. ~*~*~ We rush off to give Lyse the good news, and she's thrilled at the prospect of using this horde to alleviate the suffering the Empire left in its wake. Arenvald doubts that handing out sacks of money to everyone will fix Ala Mhigo's problems, but he's confident that we can devise a plan with smart people like Alphi around. Infrastructure investments, public assistance endowments, the sky is the limit! Our planning is interrupted by a terrified Resistance soldier. He informs Lyse that a mob has begun to gather outside their command center in the capital. The people make it clear what they're after as soon as we arrive:   Lyse can't believe she's hearing her countrymen demand a lynching, even if the target is Fordola. As much as she despises the woman, she knows that indulging her desire for revenge would taint the effort to build that more peaceful and enlightened Ala Mhigo. Fordola has to be judged and punished in a fair, civilized manner, or they're no better than the wantonly murderous Imperials. The crowd isn't interested in such idealistic prattle. Folks shout the stories of loved ones slaughtered by the Skulls, sometimes even at Fordola's own hand. Husbands beaten to death and left to rot in the street. Children forced to watch as their parent's throats were cut in front of them. One man demands to know how the leader of the Resistance can stomach protecting the woman who killed so many of her friends, including her old leader, and Lyse has no answer. Thankfully, someone else does:    Raubahn argues that trials will allow Imperial criminals to answer to every victim across the nation rather than only those gathered to punish them, which calms many. The rest are given pause by his call to hold on to the principles that define their nation and the pragmatic suggestion that Fordola can tell them about Ala Mhigans swept up by secret police or shipped to distant lands, most of which remain unaccounted. The people jump right past being swayed and applaud him for his honor and wisdom. The only one who can't accept the Bull's words and bursts into tears is offered sympathy, which no doubt makes Raubahn seem that much more convincing to the rest.  Lyse appears ashamed of herself as the crowd disperses. She admits to Raubahn that she felt herself getting swept up by the anger they were spewing at her, and he replies that it's understandable. Anger helped the people reject submission and kept the fight alive on its darkest days. Now that fight is over, but the anger has not been fully spent. M'Naago notes that mobs like this one are forming all over the country, targeting known collaborators and Garlean POWs. One group even found where Zenos and his command staff were buried and did something to their corpses she doesn't want to repeat in polite company. This situation is clearly being influenced, both in-universe and thematically, by Zenos' suicide. As I noted last time, his choice to take his own life because he felt he'd fulfilled his reason for existing left Kheris, Lyse, and Alphinaud without any hope of closure for the harm he'd inflicted on them, and they were only three of his many victims. He'd done everything in his power to draw the world's rage onto himself in his hunt for an enemy, worked to make his name synonymous with the suffering of millions, and then left his victims without anywhere to put their pain. Without some emotional release or sense of a definitive conclusion to help them move on, people are seeking alternative ways to begin their healing process. My little tour across Gyr Abania showed characters utilizing many methods real trauma victims embrace, like religion, human connection, fulfilling labor, or even vice. Sadly, we've now seen them embrace the displacement of their anger from the target they want onto a target they can actually reach. It doesn't exactly help that Fordola's not innocent. A victim in her own way, yes. Innocent? Not by any measure. There is no more irresistible target for hate than someone who's objectively guilty. Lyse muses that, in light of the gaping wound that Zenos bequeathed to her people, her dream of an Ala Mhigo for all may not be possible. Of course, she's also certain she can't give up on that dream just because it will be an uphill battle. To that end, she's arranged a summit of community leaders from across Gyr Abania and beyond. Representatives of refugee populations, settlements, and militant organizations will gather and debate their nation's future. Even the Qiqirn and the Qalyana tribe Ananta have been given seats at the table. A frustrated M'Naago suggests that if Fordola's presence casts a shadow over that event, we should rush her to trial and execute her as quickly as possible. Lyse disagrees. At this stage, such an action would be only temporary relief and might even encourage cries for more extensive trials and punishments. Ultimately, that will turn into mass executions of POWs and collaborators. Part of her mission statement is that even those who were her enemies during the war must have a place in Ala Mhigo. One has to think that she's thinking especially of the generation of children twisted by Imperial propaganda and policies that so troubled Conrad and that she was forced to confront when ambushed outside Radiata. Lyse won't give up that part of her vision just because it would feel good to see Fordola pay for her crimes. They need another solution. It sounds like what she's grasping for is South African-inspired Truth and Reconciliation. That would certainly be a bold direction for the story to take. Arenvald stayed quiet through most of this talk, other than a comment about how he agreed with Raubahn's speech to the mob despite his anger toward Fordola for humiliating him. Now he interrupts and asks to speak to the Butcher. His Echo showed him a small piece of her past in their last encounter, and from that glimpse, he's starting to understand that they share similarities.  What this conversation might accomplish isn't clear, but it's better than doing nothing, so Lyse agrees. ~*~*~   Fordola's sarcastic taunts escalate once Lyse assures her that we're not here to put her to death. She demands to know why we're wasting time instead of giving her what she deserves, then tries to provoke us by ranting about her body count, how she'd do it all again, and even her wish that Lyse had died on her sword just like her Resistance friends. Arenvald jumps in, asking if she honestly thinks we're that stupid. The fact that she wants us to kill her is obvious, and the last thing we're inclined to give is what she wants. But his insight goes deeper. He tells her he knows what sort of person she is inside. Ruthless, yes, but more importantly, driven. Goal oriented. Every atrocity she ever committed, every risk she ever took, every drop of blood she spilled, was to inch closer to completing a mission. Therefore, if she wants to die, that must serve her grand design. Which means that design can only be one thing. Before he can elaborate further, the Echo hits him and Kheris with a vision.  In the early days of the occupation, Fordola's family moves through the capital's streets. They've earned themselves an invitation to a state dinner to be attended by Viceroy van Baelsar, so they mustn't be late. After all, he's a busy man! Their little stroll is interrupted when a man mocks them under his breath, naming them 'tin-head lovers.' Fordola's father looks legitimately hurt by the statement but keeps walking. Fatefully, Fordola asks what the label means while the stranger is still in earshot. The man appears borderline manic when he spins around and explains.  …  Furious, humiliated, ashamed, and yet too innocent to understand the source of those feelings, Fordola dashes down the road until she runs out of breath in a crowded marketplace. Her fine clothes mark her for what she is. Seeing a helpless target, someone in the crowd throws a rock. That first one sails wide as if it were intended to miss. I thought of Roger from Lord of the Flies, who wanted the thrill of striking a victim with a rock but feared a lifetime of societal conditioning that breaking such a rule would have dire consequences. As in that famous book, the harmless but malicious transgression of an intentional miss escalates rapidly. An old woman picks up a second stone, and this one grazes the girl, prompting her to curl into a ball out of fear. A third stone sails directly toward her head, but her father arrives and shields her with his body. That might have been enough to stop things… if the stranger from before hadn't followed, seen what happened, and shouted "TRAITORS!" at the top of his lungs. The dam bursts. Everyone in the market drops what they're doing and surrounds the collaborator and his child. They pelt him with rocks and cheer. They laugh and egg each other on. Their eyes fill with bloodthirst and madness even as their smiles grow. Fordola's mother finds a Garlean officer in full armor, armed with a gunblade, impassively watching the riot. She begs him to save her husband. He sounds bored when he explains that Imperial law imposes no obligation on him to intervene in the disputes of natives. Even when she shouts that they are full citizens, he doesn't bother making eye contact with her and continues to enjoy the show. Fordola weeps as stone after stone bounces off her father. He hides the pain in his voice as he tries to reassure her.  He never sees the one that takes him in the temple. He's dead before he hits the ground. The officer registers shock from the trooper on patrol with him. Before the guy can jump in and help, he orders the man to "let the savages have their fun," on the grounds that they'll be more compliant for the rest of their shift. The banality of evil at its finest. Our vision skips forward several years. Fordola's now-aged mother finds her and a collection of friends gathered in the town square. She demands to know why Fordola enlisted in the military when she's already a citizen. Her daughter turns to reveal a tattoo on her face, the same traditional Ala Mhigan markings her father wore, a fifty-foot billboard advertising to any Garlean that she is a "savage." Fordola explains (in an accusatory tone) that the symbols are meant to honor her father and that the Garleans' opinions on that gesture are meaningless. They already think she's a savage. Her citizenship is a farce. She intends to lean into their perception of her, be every inch the Ala Mhigan Barbarian, and then force them to respect her anyway. She'll climb the ranks and make even the pureblood Garleans kneel before her. Once that happens, none of her countrymen will dare call her a traitor or throw a stone at her again.  …  She names her companions: Anfrid, Hrudolf, and Emelin. The soldiers she killed when she fired on the Specula towers. This is the birth of the Skulls. The two Walkers awaken from their vision, and for Arenvald, the last pieces of the puzzle fall into place. This is why she wants so badly to die, but only by our hand. He notes she could have killed herself at any time with a simple bedsheet noose. Her guards might not have even stopped her if they caught her. But that wouldn't accomplish her mission. Fordola screams at him to shut his mouth, but he keeps going, explaining that only in unity can the people of Ala Mhigo find the freedom she gave up everything chasing. To be unified, they need an enemy. An unrepentant traitor to heap all their shame and sorrow upon. An avatar of their misery whose death will allow them to move on, but only if that death comes at their hands. She intends to "play the part," just like she did when she chose to serve the Garleans. Zenos was right to sense a kindred spirit in her. Fordola is a creature who desires power, but only as a means to find meaning in her life. The phrase "play the part," here can't be a coincidence, given they were among Zenos' last words. She intends to be her benefactor's understudy, to make up for the fact that he left the stage early. In doing so, she will achieve the purpose for which her candle burns, and what need has she of life after that? For her part, Fordola spits on Aren's psychoanalysis, saying that none of them understand a single thing about her, no matter how many memories they saw. Her actions and choices weren't about finding meaning in the senseless tragedies of her life. It was petty revenge, pure and simple. Just like she told Zenos, she wanted to make the bastards on both sides pay for what they'd done to her. Any 'freedom' that came about because of that effort was just a byproduct of that goal. The Scions don't have any particular reason not to believe that story. The player especially doesn't. We watched Zenos look into her eyes when she said that, and he certainly seemed to think it was the truth. But Kheris... she might have reason to doubt that Fordola is being totally honest with herself.  As if the game is reading my thoughts, Fordola's Echo activates. The Warrior of Light got a glimpse into the Butcher's sad life, so it's only fair for the stolen Light of the Crystal to let our prisoner walk a mile in Kheris' shoes.  …  …  (I know it's a limitation of the cutscene system, but it still irrationally bugs me that I'm wearing my current armor and hairstyle in all those memories) Fordola awakens, awestruck. She asks how Kheris endured all that. Betrayals, disappointments, guilt, temptations to cross the line, and the constant fear that she is destined to fail. How does the Warrior of Light keep moving forward when most anyone would have quit long ago? You're given a choice on how to answer her. My first instinct was to use Minfillia's words about "those we can yet save," but as important as that creed is to Kheris, a slogan isn't what Fordola needs. I don't think she's really asking what motivates Kheris to keep fighting. Kheris accepted Zenos, so if Fordola is a kindred spirit to Zenos, she is also a kindred spirit to Kheris. When Fordola looked into Kheris' past, she saw a woman with goals just as grand as her desire for freedom in a system that denies it to everyone. Kheris seeks the end of the Beast Wars, the reform of the Alliance's flawed societies, the downfall of Garlemald, escape from the Ascian's web of manipulation, and to overcome the cycle of failure that has plagued all previous Warriors of Light. Her plans to attain those goals have been ruined many times, yet Kheris refuses to abandon them despite the world telling her they are impossible. If Arenvald is correct, and Fordola wants to die because she thinks it is the only chance left to fulfill her mission, then what she's asking is why she shouldn't take that obvious path? Why should she be willing to give up on the sure thing in favor of a chance at something better? Rather than provide an answer rooted in her personal beliefs, the best response to that question is for Kheris to hold up a mirror:  …  ~*~*~ It's clear that our discussion accomplished little once we're out of the prison, but Lyse hopes we've at least planted a seed in Fordola's mind. Arenvald, on the other hand, took something unexpected and possibly crucial away from that talk. Fordola was wincing almost constantly. It's something Kheris noticed in several of their past encounters as well. His theory is that every one of those pangs is a miniature Echo vision. Instead of only getting the occasional major one that completely subsumes her consciousness, she's seeing snippets from everyone around her and apparently cannot turn them off. If that's true, it could mean that there's a fundamental difference between a Resonant and a Walker. To find evidence of that theory, we decide to check in on the Alliance science team that's been taking apart the Resonatorium. Raubahn gives us the run of the joint because his scientific knowledge barely qualifies him to stand in the room looking pretty, and two things soon stand out to us. One is that there are differences between the various chambers built into the Resonant-making machine. The one that held Krile inside was labeled "Master Subject," and filled with specialized sensors. The rest are more plain and marked for "Supply Subjects." The other significant detail is enough to make me feel guilty for not noticing it the first time, even though we were in a fight to the death:  Outside the raised dais we're all working on, the entire room is covered in corpses. An Alliance medic informs us that few display signs of a struggle. The cause of death for each was forcible aether extraction. Alphi forms a hypothesis: the Master Pod is designed to take detailed readings of its captive's aetheric waveform, while the Subject Pods siphon aether into the test subject. The machine then overlays the Resonant with this energy in a pattern designed to mimic the prisoner's 'blueprint.' The result is not only vastly increased aetheric potential (hence how it can grant magic to the magicless) but a soul with the 'muscle memory' to do things it couldn't before. Fordola's problem is that they picked the worst possible Echo User for her to duplicate. Krile's Echo differs slightly from most Walkers among the Scions, specializing in picking up empathic impressions and memories. It's so potent in that area that it left her crippled during the fight with the Warriors of Darkness, and now Fordola has to deal with that same handicap. Except it's even worse than what we've seen Krile suffer. Lyse points out that the troops guarding her all have memories of past trauma at the Empire's hands, and she is never unguarded. She's constantly seeing the crimes she helped perpetuate through the eyes of the victims without any way to block them out.  …  Not only does Fordola think an execution will complete her life's work, it'll free her from ceaseless torment. No wonder she was trying so hard. Raubahn thinks that fate sounds like nothing less than what the Butcher deserves, but more important than the fairness of her situation is the fact that we still need her. He reasons that if Emperor Varis knows of these experiments and that they work, nothing is stopping him from creating an entire army of Resonant. Until we know everything she knows, Fordola must live with her Echo. Lyse is troubled by everything about this scenario, but Raubahn offers her reassurance:  His advice perks her up, but only for a few minutes. The man is a consummate leader who always seems to know the right thing to say or do, and she feels utterly inadequate by comparison. She's the Resistance Commander, which means she's effectively the Military Governor of Ala Mhigo, and she's supposed to be organizing this monumental event to decide the country's future. How can she be what she's meant to be when she keeps falling on her face and relying on the Old Bull to bail her out? Alphi reminds her that she's comparing herself to a seasoned commander with decades of political and military leadership experience. She was faking a Ph.D. in Punching Good and acting as the muscle for other people's plans until a couple of months ago. No one could expect her to be on that level yet. Lyse sighs and notes that even if she couldn't possibly be like Raubahn now, she will need to be eventually, and it's a taller mountain to climb than she ever imagined. Perhaps hoping to change to subject to something less depressing, Arenvald wonders aloud what Raubahn is going to do now that Ala Mhigo is retaken. He's waited his whole life for this liberation, but in the process, he became one of the pillars of Ul'dah. He sits on the Syndicate, serves as the General of their army, and even acts as the Sultana's personal protector and consiglieri. Would he abandon all that just to come home? As if by providence, this musing is interrupted by Pipin:   …Ok, I have a couple of conditions. First, no wine bottles in the room. Second, SERIOUSLY, NO WINE BOTTLES IN THE ROOM! Sanguinia fucked around with this message at 08:59 on May 11, 2023 |
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May 11, 2023 08:19
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I'm just glad that Theodoric didn't protect his treasure by forcing intruders to Duel his creation at Triple Triad.
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May 11, 2023 08:49
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Skalla also boasts some of the best armor sets of any dungeon in the game.
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May 11, 2023 08:55
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I am excited for Discourse.
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May 11, 2023 08:57
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Rand Brittain posted:Skalla also boasts some of the best armor sets of any dungeon in the game. Theres a lot of cool gear, especially the necklace with the two thin leather strips. That was a big thing for a lot of glams for a while. Its also the first glam that came from a design competition. There's a few in Stormblood, and some really popular stuff came from it. They seem to do less of that now, which is a shame, but there's still a few. We just had a weapons one, and there's a few housing item competitions that are trickling stuff out.
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May 11, 2023 09:04
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Sanguinia posted:
quote:The second area's boss is known simply as The Old One, an idol of some forgotten religion surrounded by empty stone pews at the center of a cathedral. His stone outer body conceals clockwork innards fitted with magic-emitting crystals. The main gimmick here is waves of adds which will self-destruct if you don't kill them. The first time he throws them out, they're as easy to handle as swapping your target, but after that, the ability gets an unusual twist. He opens his body, and then those crystals send out a wave of aether that transforms the party into Spriggans.  Going back to fashion for a bit, Sanguinia posted:The first thing the end of the base game offers is access to new vendors with endgame rewards. As in Heavensward, two tiers of equipment are on offer for tomestones. One is exceptionally Japanese in its aesthetic, while the other is very tech-bro. Appropriate, given it's named after Nero and presumably designed by him. I also found a vendor who takes the World Boss reward tokens I acquired while uncovering the mystery of Tamamo Gozen. Lost Allagan was the Tank armor design contest winner, Skallic was the Healer armor design contest winner.     
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May 11, 2023 09:30
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Hogama posted:May or may not have brought it up back in either A Realm Reborn or Heavensward, I can't recall at the moment, but when you get to a Tomestone vendor for a past expansion, you're basically looking at what it was at the end of that expansion, because of rotating Tomestones. (This won't come up for a long time for Kheris, since it's all level cap mechanics, so the nitty gritty can get expanded upon if you do catch up in, say, 7.x) The earlier Tomestone gear gets rotated off to that expansion's Hunt vendor - apologies if you haven't delved into that at all yet, either - and mostly I want to bring it up because one set on Stormblood's Hunt vendor, Lost Allagan, is a sister set to the Skallic gear. Both are particularly notable because they're the first contest winners to be added to the game - around Stormblood, they started doing contests for creative designs from the community with winners getting some exclusive stuff in game (and also their items brought to life). Very neat. I've talked a bit about the Hunt but the token income from it in old expansions is pretty slow compared to Tomestones so I've never looked into using the gear from there and spent all I get on cosmetics. The sets are cool though, so its neat trivia to learn their place in the gearing scheme. Also  that cat, amazing.
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May 11, 2023 09:46
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I love the Skalla sets because they seem pretty formal: dyeing them dyes the trim, not the main color, so you end up with a white outfit with a small splash of color.
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May 11, 2023 10:14
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Want to know the trigger for this easter egg to appear? A Miqo'te party member needs to have the buff from eating food, any food at all. That's it. And yeah, Fordola's whole situation is... a lot. (Good to see that Sanguina knows at least a little about FFXII.)
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May 11, 2023 10:16
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Sanguinia posted:The officer registers shock from the trooper on patrol with him. Before the guy can jump in and help, he orders the man to "let the savages have their fun," on the grounds that they'll be more compliant for the rest of their shift. The banality of evil at its finest.
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May 11, 2023 10:19
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GilliamYaeger posted:And this was happening under Gaius's watch, to boot! For all his rhetoric about improving the lives of those under his rule, his subordinates were pulling this poo poo. Just goes to show how full of poo poo he was - the man had the rose-tinted glasses basically superglued to his face and never thought to look over his shoulder at the atrocities he was leaving in his wake. I have a feeling Gaius would say "This isn't who we are" and chalk it up as an unfortunate isolated incident, and not join the dots to all the previous unfortunate isolated incidents
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May 11, 2023 10:27
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As controvertial as the main Stormblood content is I think it's fair to say that the Stormblood patch content (and most of the other side content) is uncontrovertially very good. The Kelpie model is reused a couple of times but I don't think there's a mount version yet.
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May 11, 2023 10:55
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Very fun detail with the Scaevan gear. If you may recall, the final purchased gearset of ARR was Ironworks gear. Both it, and the Scaevan gear look very similar and even have similar animations for unsheathing. Yes, Nero not only designed that armor set (presumably) but he specifically made it to be better than Cid's earlier version.
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May 11, 2023 11:07
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Gainful employment doing what he does best, actual respect from his peers, and endless opportunities to twit Cid? Nero just loves his new job.
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May 11, 2023 11:30
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