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 I'm honestly glad that I never played FFXI before all the various QoL stuff.
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Jan 25, 2023 09:24
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I feel like XIV's comparatively shallow mechanics might've been fuelled by someone's PTSD over playing XI.
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Jan 25, 2023 13:22
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Pyro Jack posted:
I'm glad I did play it before. Despite how much everyone pisses and moans, they were still honestly the best gaming years of my life. XI formed friendships through shared suffering in a way XIV just doesn't.
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Jan 25, 2023 14:12
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I saw the first chart, started wondering if this was better or worse than Concurrences in XII, then the second chart answered my question.
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Jan 25, 2023 21:14
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Xerophyte posted:I haven't played since mid 2004 but back in my day we didn't have these fancy-schmancy third party tools. We printed out -- printing being necessary because FF11 prevented alt tab unless you ran Windower -- this skill chain chart Part of the fun in re-subbing was using random jobs together in our low-man strategies. I definitely used this chart to great effect until I got all the right add-ons that just told me what to do next
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Jan 26, 2023 07:31
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I played enough XI during XIV pre-expac lulls to make it through like 90% of major stories (mainly missing the mini-expansions and Bastok/Windurst stories) and I can say that the number 1 thing that helped me keep my sanity (aside from swapping to controller) was excessive amounts of third-party tool use, which is funny considering I play XIV entirely mod-free. Thanks to the person who developed the XIV-style crossbar mod.
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Jan 26, 2023 10:13
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Chapter 4: A Mockery Of Chivalry Empowered by their expanding magical abilities, the Tarutaru united themselves as the Federation of Windurst, and worked to drive the hordes of Yagudo beastmen from their lands. The Tarutaru prospered, unified by their knowledge of magic and the solidarity of a new federation. It was a glorious age for their people. But revealed secrets cannot be suppressed, and the knowledge of magic slowly spread to all the people of Vana'diel. Within a short time, other races - and even beastmen - began to employ magic techniques for themselves. Filled with regret, the Tarutaru entered an era of isolation. They closed their borders to all but their longtime friends, the Mithra. And so, a once-proud civilization became more and more out of touch with the rest of the world. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- I take a walk to cool my heels. I'm going to think of it like this: I am the expendable workaround that keeps things from burning down in situations like these. It doesn't feel good at all and Altana knows I'm probably not getting any credit in anyone's eyes. Why do I even care about this? It isn't like I'm a knight. I signed up for this out of greed anyway. Not wanting to sleep in a bush, not wanting to steal from crates, not wanting to die to undead and beastmen. I spot an old man on a watch tower with a thousand-yard stare. He glances down and we briefly make eye contact. This is where I am at with my life right now, I'm walking up the stairs to the tower because this man seems like he could give me the affirmation I crave.  "It is not by cogs nor levers nor even the mightiest of magicks that protect this kingdom of San d'Oria." ... "No. We Elvaan live by the power of the sword alone. Our blades defend our borders." ... "If you would strengthen your sword arm and learn something of the art, then accept my challenge. What say you?" I've had my fill of knights for one life. "Then become something more than a knight." He asks for me to get a revival tree root from King Ranperre's Tomb. They drop off all sorts of undead any place you look though. He asks for me to do this to prove I won't die horribly in the tasks to come. And so I do as he asks, not really thinking too hard about it.  "Ah, I see I was right about you. You've proven your mettle today. Further tempering may forge you into a hero among adventurers. In recognition of your success I offer this sword. Train diligently and grow strong." I take the sword and the next task. "I'd like you to go to Ordelle's Caves. You'll find the entrance in a valley in La Theine Plateau. Those caves are also called the "Body Caves". Know you why?" Nope. "It is because the caves are shaped much like the body of a person. Where in a body would lie a belly, in the caves flows a waterfall of much beauty. I would have you visit that waterfall and return hither with some type of proof." If nothing else this has been a nice little distraction from having to deal with the disfunction of the system. Speaking of which I'm to take part in rescue drills out in La Theine. I'll drop by the cave once I finish. La Theine Plateau is south of San d'Oria and the quickest way to my assignment is to walk. Which is fine, sometimes you want to take in the beauty of the world. You know, before it comes crashing down on you.   My contact tells me to head to the other side of the ravine and start down the cliff to find my next contact. I am passed along to 2 other people until I make it to the instructor Vicorpasse, squad captain in the Temple Knights. Unfortunately we can't do rescue drills because one of the "injured" soldiers has gone missing. My assistance in finding him would be appreciated. Goddess drat it. The fool's name is Ruillont. I go off and question the rest of the squad...  None of them are of much use, however, this one has spotted a cave and wonders if Ruillont is inside. No one else is going in so it is all me. A dozen steps into the cave and a dozen more to my left is a man hiding behind a rock. That's my idiot.  "Imagine, a knight rescued by some passerby! Why, my family would be mocked for generations to come! Confound it if only I had my sword, I'd cut through these fiends single handedly..."     I head back into the cave. I'm looking for the waterfall. Compared to the entrance it actually is dangerous deeper inside but I am strong enough that most beasts in here know better than to test me... Or maybe its just my intense aura of hate.  I find the waterfall and take some dew as proof. It is quite pretty, not enough to quell my rage, but nice all the same. I return to town and hand in the piece of paper to the gate guard not waiting for a reply. I head back to the tower and hand over the dew. Show me what a knight can be old man.  He hands me a book for my last task, everything else is up to me. He bids me farewell. Let's see...  The towers on the eastern and western walls? I go and poke around the knights on the wall until I find one and then the other, both handing me a book.  From the island lake, south runs the flow. Where it goes, only beastmen know. There is one whose body breaks. Death it deals and death it reaps. And in the sky a beacon makes, where it sits the knight's soul sleeps. This gives me nothing to go on... An island lake and beastmen... I'll put this in my pocket for now. Apparently something urgent has come up.  ♪Chateu d'Oraguile♪ The Chateu d'Oraguile is home to the royal family so one doesn't usually just wander in without an invite. Halver here is in charge of the place.  "Our scouts say the beastmen are rising again... Not just here, but in lands abroad. We want you to go to Bastok and Windurst and see how they fare." I've been promoted to diplomat I guess. He hands me a letter of introduction. I am to hand it to our consulates within the cities and they'll give me further orders. This is actually fine with me, it can't be worse that the muck I've been wading through here. Halver tells me to take care and come home safe. I feel like I'm forgetting something... Oh right Lion.  So she's already gone. Darn.  Thanks Halver, I actually kind of like you. I'll be heading to Windurst first. Next time: Visaria gets plot on her shoe Fat and Useless fucked around with this message at 18:13 on Feb 6, 2023 |
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Jan 27, 2023 00:39
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Ordelle's Caves are one of those areas I always forget exists. There's so much of the world that serves very little purpose unless you're on one of the 3 or 4 quests that send you that way. But I kind of like that.
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Jan 27, 2023 02:33
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Chapter 5: An Omen The use of magic brought both happiness and conflict to the other races of Vana'diel. Perhaps the most satisfied were the proud Elvaan, who made their home in the Kingdom of San d'Oria in the northern reaches of the old continent. With the Tarutaru monopoly on magic broken, the Elvaan were able to create powerful orders of knights who feared no adversary. Beastmen strongholds and Tarutaru villages alike fell before the power of the knights of San d'Oria. Within a short time, nearly the entire Quon continent had come under San d'Orian control. But pride comes before the fall. The nation of Bastok, founded by the Hume and Galka races, lay on the southern edge of the Quon continent. Fortified by the growing economic and intelligence-gathering abilities of the Hume race, Bastokan forces crushed the elite San d'Orian knights at the Second Battle of Konschtat. Cutting-edge firearms technology turned the tide of battle and cemented victory for the people of Bastok. This humiliating defeat sent the Kingdom of San d'Oria into an age of internal turmoil and civil war. Piece by piece, territories that the Elvaan had conquered slipped from their grasps. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- ♪Windurst♪          Windurst is a bit of a mess to navigate but I manage to find the consulate.  I'll be honest, I dislike a lot of the people I work with. Most of the people I work with. The guy in charge here...  This son of a bitch is at the top of my list.    I see several problems with this plan but, whatever man, sure. ♪Heaven's Tower♪     poo poo, I found my girl on accident. I bring up Gilgamesh telling me to look for her and she mentions she has been looking into some portals "linked to another dimension". Sounds connected to Iroha to me! We agree to catch each other at the Crag of Holla after we are done with these current beastmen shenanigans. Righto, shield delivery.  I head to the tower office and ask the secretary Kupipi for the package. She, like Excenmille, is involved in the trust program and I form a pact with her while I'm here.  Oh Kupipi... I'm about to make so many problems happen honey. Before I leave Semih Lafihna, one of the Star Sybyl's personal guards, reassures me everything will be fine and hands me a copy of her trust cipher.  I give off good vibes to everyone I meet. I just can't help it. But no really I'm about to make paperwork happen. And with that I go off to assassinate a few beastmen and drop off a shield.  I kill a man for his shield and do it again on the way out for a second one.  I hand off the delivery to the treasure room guard. Mission accomplished, back to Windurst before anyone finds out what I did. "FOOL!"  I drop the shields from my bag on the desk.  ♪Bastok♪            I teleport to Bastok and head for the consulate. Or I would have, had I not bumped into a glum looking Galka kid. We head into his house and he tells me I reminded him of a visitor he had recently. You see Werei... set out on his journey of rebirth. The kid knew it was coming sooner or later, he wasn't feeling well and would hide it when they had visitors drop by. He tells me the story about the visit.   For some context apparently this old Galka was the oldest living Galka and Volker is the leader of the Mythril Musketeers. He is said to have landed the final blow on the Shadow Lord ending the war 20 years ago. Impressive! He heard there was a dark knight who was investigating the Palborough Mines. Was it Zeid? Zeid created his own version of the art that has been passed down since the glory days of Altepa. It's not something you master with skill alone. Rumor was that the dark knight was powerful and there's not a whole bunch of them around nowadays anyhow, so maybe? "It is said only the few that can tame the dark flames that burn in their soul, feeding on their sorrow and hatred are chosen."  Lord knows I have enough darkness in me to attempt it. I have work to do for now though. Rumor has it the beastmen are rallying behind a new leader and we need to investigate while cooperating with Bastok in the process.  You know what compared to everything else I've done. Right on, sure, let me at 'em coach. I can look for Zeid while I'm there too. Lets go find Pius and get this train rolling.   If you can't say anything nice don't say anything at all. I smile, nod, and head to the eatery.   So Bastok is racist and high up it's rear end, Windurst is cowardly and insular, and San d'Oria is a royal bureaucratic mess that doesn't know it is way past it's prime. The mines are full of low level Quadav. I press though...  Is that good? I think I'm supposed to head into that.  Grohm mentioned a circle, this must be it. I've made my peace with the world. In I go! ♪Look a boss fight!♪  A demon? It seems a woman is already fighting it.  The dragon it summons overpowers her. I have to head in before it finishes her.  I take out the Seeker first, then turn my attention to the dragon.  I bring it down. Nice and easy. Oh hey it's Lion. ♪Anxiety♪  She says it's a nether beast from the Northlands, their kind hasn't been seen since the Shadow Lord was destroyed and the Northlands sealed. Then what the hell is it doing here with this eyeball? The eyeball gives us some final words answering just that...  That's not great. Pretty bad even.  Ayame is fine, little bit of wounded pride but she'll walk it off. Also having her here will help prove the pirate and the expendable adventurer's story to the powers that be.  She introduces herself to us and thanks me. Like Volker and Zeid who I heard about from Gumbah, Ayame is one of the five Mythril Musketeers. I'm slowly building a stack of helpful acquaintances, its kinda nice. We all head our separate ways. I hop on a boat that heads down an underground river to the mines back in Bastok.  Getting off the boat there's a Galka waiting at the dock. Big and dark looking. This is Zeid. "Never seen a dark knight before?" he mutters. I tell him about Gumbah and his story. "It's unfortunate what happened to Werei, but I see Volker has not changed."  Even you can not begin to comprehend the darkness inside my soul Zeid. Try me. "Take this sword and let it feed on your bloodlust."  "I must go. I have some business to attend to in Beadaeux, the Quadav stronghold. Sate that sword's hunger, and we will meet again..." He leaves. I leave. The sword is abnormally heavy. I can only swing the drat thing every seven seconds and it barely cuts. I'll have to work on this later I have a report to file. I head back to the Ironworks and report. The staff of the embassy complain about being in Bastok while I give a detailed report to the secretary. The ambassador reminds them that Bastok is the rival power of the continent even if it is crude, complacency will only lead to our downfall. The staff counters that saying stuff like that is what got the ambassador's noble rear end sent here in the first place.  And that concludes my Bastok assignment. Time to report back to Halver with everything.  Holy poo poo he is actually taking me sorta seriously. Holy poo poo he actually paid me! With this I'm officially recognized everywhere as an adventurer, whatever that may mean. I also am welcome to loiter around inside the chateau. I feel hopeful. For the first time I have genuine hope that maybe asses will move. I do need to meet up with Lion at the crag but I have a bit of time before that. Next time: Questing on the side Fat and Useless fucked around with this message at 18:12 on Feb 6, 2023 |
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Jan 28, 2023 23:52
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So how's the whole class thing work? Are you stuck with your starting class but able to switch secondaries or something like that?
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Jan 29, 2023 00:49
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PurpleXVI posted:So how's the whole class thing work? Are you stuck with your starting class but able to switch secondaries or something like that? You can change main and sub jobs at your mog house whenever you like. The job's level stays like Final Fantasy 14 so when you switch back you will still be whatever level you were before the switch. Each job starts at level 1, all of them. The sub job is just half of what the main job is, so a 99 Thief with a sub job will have that sub job's max level be 49*. You get everything from that sub job's current level except the 1 hour cooldown. For pet classes you can only ever have 1 pet. So as an example you can sub job Red Mage for some utility spells or Ninja to dual wield on a job that can't normally. *we can break this number deep in the endgame to an extent Fat and Useless fucked around with this message at 01:06 on Jan 29, 2023 |
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Jan 29, 2023 01:02
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Fat and Useless posted:So as an example you can sub job Red Mage for some utility spells or Ninja to dual wield on a job that can't normally. [BradyGamesGuide] Try using White Mage as a support job for Warrior so you can heal yourself! [/BradyGamesGuide] Note: Do not do this.
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Jan 29, 2023 04:30
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MarquiseMindfang posted:[BradyGamesGuide] Try using White Mage as a support job for Warrior so you can heal yourself! [/BradyGamesGuide] Unless you need invis/reraise for a quest, then do this in that scenario(or use items). Most of the time you see Visaria's full screen she'll have Red as a sub for dungeon travel purposes. In real fights oh boy oh boy does sub job matter. When we hit proper job updates I'll go into the abilities you get being a sub job. Things you want from a sub job: Active abilities(high jump), Unique spells locked to White or Black Mage on a non White/Black caster(reraise), passive skills(dual wield) Things that suck for sub jobs: Weapons(you'll get skill capped), pets(they scale off the sub job), most spells on non casters(your magic skill won't be high enough and the spells are capped at level 49 so no learning protect 4 and 5 as example) Please keep asking questions, we FF11 sickos love diving into this crap. Can you make a dps White Mage? Yeah. Should you? Maybe! Fat and Useless fucked around with this message at 05:46 on Jan 29, 2023 |
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Jan 29, 2023 05:00
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When you set a sub-job does it matter how high you have that job leveled, or is it just a hard "current sub job level = half your main job level"? Ex. if I'm playing a level 75 black mage, have never touched white mage, and set white mage as a sub job, do I have a level 37 white mage sub job or do I need to level it up?
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Jan 30, 2023 01:45
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LiefKatano posted:When you set a sub-job does it matter how high you have that job leveled, or is it just a hard "current sub job level = half your main job level"? You would be BLM75/WHM1. You need to level it separately.
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Jan 30, 2023 02:08
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The sub job has to be leveled to that point, half level is just the cap. Not having a fully leveled sub job was a good way to not get picked up for a group, especially as a dime a dozen DPS.
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Jan 30, 2023 02:09
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Also you only get experience on your main job. So you'll need to actually main job White Mage for a bit in the example above. With the proper XP rings it takes about 4 hours for level 50, less by having the Rhapsodies passive experience boosts along with certain trusts. My to next level at 50 is 7800 experience. At 60 it is 18800 as a sense of scale. XP rings come in a few flavors, you can only have one of each. You have rings that you can recharge once a week with 3 charges that boost XP by 50% for 30000 bonus xp per charge You have rings with unlimited uses that boost XP by 150% for 30000 bonus XP. These are only given out a few times per year for free but they have a 2 hour cooldown. The last one is a 3 charge(can't be recharged) 150% boost for 30000 bonus XP with a small cooldown. You can buy these for logging in for 10 days or through login bonus events. If you have more than one character on your account they earn daily rewards too so if the bonus xp is worth a lot to you that extra $1 for another character can be tempting. There are other benefits of extra characters as well. I'll probably do a side write up at some point of the ins and outs of it all. There are other types of experience that exist and there are separate rings for that but we won't reach that for a while. Leveling itself and the mystery of crab will be it's own update. This is Visaria after 30 days with me knowing what I'm doing:  Level 60 is needed to wear the last piece of AF so unless people ask for certain jobs to be featured I'm not taking things past that, with the exception of later classes because those need 75 for their full story. As a reminder you can ask in BOLD for one or more jobs to be in the spotlight. I've been slowing my roll on doing story hoping for some requests which is hard for people because we haven't really seen the story for most jobs yet(next update we will) and you kinda need the setup to decide what looks neat. Sadly we don't get any setup for the original 6 but they all do have a story.
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Jan 30, 2023 03:11
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I'd like Red Mage because i like rapiers, magic, and fancy outfits.
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Jan 30, 2023 03:14
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SIGSEGV posted:I'd like Red Mage because i like rapiers, magic, and fancy outfits. Thanks for giving me something to do tonight. Red Mage also is going to be a fun write up because they are pretty unique to every other Final Fantasy Red Mage!
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Jan 30, 2023 03:19
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Red Mage was my main for about 5 years and boy do I have things to say about that job.
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Jan 30, 2023 03:20
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Fat and Useless posted:This is Visaria after 30 days with me knowing what I'm doing: As someone who quit playing FFXI in 2008, 
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Jan 30, 2023 03:56
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Keldulas posted:The sub job has to be leveled to that point, half level is just the cap. Not having a fully leveled sub job was a good way to not get picked up for a group, especially as a dime a dozen DPS. ...Or was a good way to get out of being requested/forced into a sub-optimal one. "Hey, Ms. 40 Corsair, can you sub /whm? We have a PL*, but would like some extra heals." "Nope, sorry, my whm is only 15. /dnc ok?" "......Yeah, sure. That's fine." *Party leveler; old school leveling would frequently have someone higher level outside the party who would heal/raise ppl and take aggro off high level stuff that wandered too close. And yes, this exchange was based off a actual party invite convo I had while leveling corsair. Melomane Mallet fucked around with this message at 06:05 on Jan 30, 2023 |
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Jan 30, 2023 05:20
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The entire levelling period 10-75, and for most of the endgame of two expansion packs, Summoners were expected to sub WHM and be (extremely gimped) healers, and rarely if ever use the actual summoned avatars.
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Jan 30, 2023 05:26
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Being able to actually play smn is one of the few clarion calls of modern ff11 but oh crickets I don’t know if I have it in me.
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Jan 30, 2023 05:53
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Chapter 6: Dark And Light The fall of the Kingdom of San d'Oria ushered in an era of prosperity for the republic of Bastok. Hume tradesmen spread across Vana'diel in an unprecedented era of economic development. Bastok's fortunes grew as Humes sold products forged from the precious metals and rare ores extracted from their mines. The trend only accelerated with the appearance of the engineering genius named Cid. Ever practical, the Humes set about creating another nation-state: the Grand Duchy of Jeuno. Jeuno had long been a tiny fishing town on an isolated island between the two continents. The construction of great bridges transformed the sleepy village into a teeming metropolis of trade and industry. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- With everyone reeling from the Shadow Lord report, I have some time off. There's no better way to spend my day off than channeling my dark emotions into a blade!  *100 dead rabbits later* I feel nothing and there is no discernable difference in the sword. Zeid said he was going to Beadaeux, I'll head there and find him to see what's up with the sword.  I reflect on it as I'm walking through the swamp and I come up with a conclusion to what I just did. If you kill 100 living things and feel happy about it, what does that say about you? If you kill 100 living things and feel bad but do it anyway, what does that say about you? If you kill 100 living things and feel nothing, what does that say? I really have no answer, why the hell did I just take 100 souls? The lure of power? Hey Zeid... What the hell am I trying to internalize?  Think of it like this; bearing the weight and managing to use the sword is like the weight of the souls you took with it. It never gets lighter and it's always going to be a struggle to do anything. Sometimes it's pointless and you deal with that. At the end you are still standing. "It's up to you to choose whether or not you will walk down the bloody path of the dark knight. But it might be wise to confront your past, first, before you make your decision..." And then he's gone with nothing but a paper left for me.  I have plenty of time to reflect upon my past while bloodying the blade further. My past is poo poo. My present is less poo poo. My future? Well I'm dead in it. *another 100 dead rabbits later* What the hell am I doing this for? I take the blade to the Gusgen mines and do as the letter says.  I have become death itself. I choose what lives and dies. Including myself. Well I feel heavier now... I need to offload all these rabbit hides and the best place to do so is with some hunters in Windurst. Needless to say the some of the Mithra seem staggered by what I've done. One in particular, Perih Vashai, asks me if Mother Nature is good with me. ♪Sauromugue Champaign♪  I've lived in the wild most of my life but do I respect nature? Not really. To be approved by the earth and sky, to hunt with nature is to be a ranger. She says that if I wish to submit myself to nature's laws I must meet with the fanged king of beasts and bring back one of it's great teeth. Listen to the voice of nature and wait for it to run her course. Then even those without fangs will be permitted to hunt as one of her rangers.   Feeling slightly guilty over the mass of dead rabbits I'll try to give nature a little bit of respect. I head to the mountains, into a cave littered with old bones. Upon inspecting them I hear a growl and duck into the shadows.  It's an old mountain lion looking to be on it's last legs. This is a graveyard. I wait and I wait. I wait. I wait. Finally after what seemed like forever the lion draws its last breath. Dead. I take one of it's fangs and head back. "For the hunter, the fangs are not just a tool vital for existence, but a witness to it's death. If the fanged one loses its fangs it can no longer live. Yet when it dies only its fangs remain. To be a ranger you must live by the fang and die leaving only the fang behind." I get it, I think... I'm still death regardless, but I get it. Man this was suppose to be my work break but now I feel more exhausted than ever. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- As I head back into San d'Oria the gate guard mentions that Prince Trion was looking for me. Trion is not my most hated noble so I head to his room to meet with him immediately. The man gets things done and has money with which he can pay me to do the things that need getting done.  He sent some scouts to the Orcish stronghold of Davoi and needs me to pick the reports up. Once he has the all the numbers that come from scouting he plans to finally strike. He also seems to believe my report about the Shadow Lord. On that news alone I'm more than willing to go find the scouts and get their reports. Off to Davoi I go! Oh these two again...  I only hear bits of their conversation. Something about Orcs and a someone looking for or taking a sword. The one in blue armor mentioned something about asking his sister, she learned all there was to know of the sword from their father. She may have left something behind for him to find I think? They move on and I go about my business.  The scout isn't hard to find and I get the report.  Wait I think I remember something about an island. "From the island lake, south runs the flow." I hop in the river and head south, there are high level orcs along the cliffs that will absolutely murder you if they spot you. Up into a small ridge I find an old well.  It's fairly rotten but in it I find a sword that has had its blade melted away. I'll bring it back with me. I'm done in Davoi for now. The other two scouts are deeper in and holding out for back up.  I return to Trion and he is stunned by the report. The Royal Knights alone would not be enough, he'd need the Temple Knights as well. If I've learned anything that isn't happening. I'm sure the scouts will be fine. Either way he goes off to discus it with Curilla and Pieuje. My job is done. Or so I thought. As I went to leave Halver said I got promoted. I'm to go work for the San d'Orian embassy in Jeuno. The King himself is to give me my letter of introduction. Oh... I just realized the prince didn't pay me as he was too distracted to do so. Well I'm here and I can't really say no to the king. Surely a king pays. Right?   King Destin welcomes me and mentions he's heard of me from the princess of all people. I must have made a good first impression if she has been watching me wade through this muck ever since.  The king reprises what Halver told me. Apparently they recently lost one of the staff at the embassy, I will be working directly under the king's appointment. The embassy is expecting me and I'm to head out as soon as I am able. Well before I leave I have one order of business left. The melted sword.  I deliver it and become a true knight. A paladin. A light shining in the deepest pit of hell. I've learned to harness dark, light, and nature's balance in this short time but physically I've reached my peak. As I am now I just can't become any stronger... I see more mountains in the distance but I can't reach them. I head for Jeuno, center of Vana'diel. Maybe I'll find an airship to my next mountain there. Next time: Breaking the limit Fat and Useless fucked around with this message at 18:11 on Feb 6, 2023 |
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Jan 31, 2023 04:44
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So wait is the Dark Knight quest really to just mangle 200+ of [anything] with a lovely weapon?
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Jan 31, 2023 14:25
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PurpleXVI posted:So wait is the Dark Knight quest really to just mangle 200+ of [anything] with a lovely weapon? The first Dark quest is 100. The second is do it again. Your fists are literally a better weapon and the weapon needs to do the killing blow so no leveling with a party while you do it. We have not reached the peak of weapon quests yet because its gets so much worse than this.
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Jan 31, 2023 15:57
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FFXI is an older-style Japanese MMORPG. Any one of those keywords by themselves can be a fair indicator of increased grindiness and obtuseness in the game. Combine them three, and you get, well, this.
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Feb 2, 2023 11:17
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Chapter 7: Jeuno The one known only as the Shadow Lord appeared without warning, and his name remains synonymous with terror to this day. Consumed by hatred of all living things, he enlisted the beastmen and employed them in simultaneous attacks against the nations of Vana'diel. So began the Crystal War. After years of peace and prosperity, the nations fell one after another, unable to halt the relentless onslaught. The nightmare spread across the lands of Vana'diel like hellfire. In response to the seemingly unstoppable beastmen assault, Grand Duke Kam'lanaut of Jeuno convinced the people of San d'Oria, Windurst, and Bastok to unite as the Allied Forces of Altana - and defeat the beastmen once and for all. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- ♪The Grand Duchy of Jeuno♪ Jeuno... Where to start? Well people come from far and wide to set up shop here. If you are looking for something there is a good chance you'll find it here even if you might have to go through certain less reputable sources. The city also happens to be a modern marvel of engineering. Think of it as a big upward spiral with each great bridge connecting the continents being a platform on the spiral. At the top lies Ru'Lude Gardens where the palace and embassies are. But why would I go directly to work? First order of business is getting a chocobo license! I head to the stables in Upper Jeuno and find the manager Brutus. Unfortunately they don't just hand out licenses to any bright eyed adventurer, you gotta prove you aren't gonna get yourself or your mount harmed. He points out a bird in the corner with a kid next to it. The bird is in rough shape physically, even worse mentally. Last owner was a real piece of poo poo apparently. My job is get the bird to trust me by feeding it grass. Problem is the poor thing is wary of people and doesn't want to eat. The kid encourages me to keep trying every now and then. Well I'll try again in a bit then. I'll hit up a tavern while I wait.  I park myself at a table with a guy lost in his cups. Seems like his girl has gone and left him. Though luck. As I get a drink from the bar one of the bartenders mentions a song craved in stone in Bururimu. It's about torn apart lovers, simple words but they hit you in the heart. Time might march on but people are always gonna deal with hardships, she thinks the old bitter lyrics might do the guy drinking himself to death at the table some good...  Its no trouble for me to just poof over to Mhaura and grab a rubbing of the stone, so I do just that between bird feedings. Never say ol' Visaria doesn't believe in love.  "It's a rare day I see anybody around here."  He introduces himself as a simple minstrel who makes his living hopping from tavern to tavern. He likes to visit this place when he passes by, the lyrics on the stone have a sort of endless charm to them. Two torn lovers hearing the same crashing of waves on distant shores... As a minstrel he takes these broken dreams and makes them live on, passing them to others. Even those who have forgotten how to sing from the toils of life should be moved by the emotion of the lyrics on this stone. He apologizes for rambling and hopes to meet me again in a warm tavern in our futures. It was nice. To have someone be passionate about something they love in a world that is full of misery and to just share it. I take the lyrics back to the man at the bar, still dying on the inside. He seems to think its some kind of sick joke though.  My minstrel friend assures him it is not. The two bounce back and forth about the merit of old songs. Lewenhart parts with us asking the man to simply give the song a try and hopes they meet again after he has learned to appreciate it. The drunk swears he's seen the minstrel somewhere before but can't place it. The Bartender says there is an opposite set of lyrics on the beach in Valkurm. Wonderful spot for a date. Reading one set and then the other brings tears to your eyes. Between bird feeding attempts I poof over to Selbina. Like last time the stone sits there on the beach and like last time I'm joined by another.  He wanted to know more about the story he heard in the tavern so he went searching and he has a feeling he knows who the old fellow was. And right on cue...  Like Mertaire, Lewenhart too has had days where his voice was shrill without emotion. He often asks the stars above for what purpose he sings and ever do they remain silent to him. Should he ever have melancholy he reads this stone and tries to sing of their feelings as they did. Just be honest with yourself and know your feelings. Use the two tones to bring forth harmony. One day Lewenhart hopes to meet us again and hear our songs we make for ourselves. Well with that spoony side adventure out of the way lets get back to bird therapy. I finally get it to eat some grass. The stable keepers thought it would take longer honestly. But then to ruin it all a loud voice approaches "Right when I thought I'd lost you, I find your sorry face here."   Hoooo boy.  I pat the chocobo. Yeah buddy I see the problem. Have some more greens. We all agree he is the worst. I give the chocobo a little more care and fully gain it's trust. With that Brutus gives me my chocobo license which lets me ride chocobos and other mounts. The faster movement is nice but the real benefit to riding is monsters won't try and attack you while you ride. Too much effort to hit? Too big? Who cares! It lets me travel almost anywhere outside now. Before leaving Brutus mentions with the way I really bonded with that chocobo so fast I could become a Beastmaster. It's not something he could teach me but practice makes perfect. Osker quips that the chocobo's last master certainly didn't have the gift I have. I do have to wonder though what was up with him. Alright I should actually do my job. I head up to Ru'Lude Gardens and to my embassy.   Seems the Ambassador is out investigating at Delkfutt's Tower down on Qufim Island. "Good day."  Wolfgang here is also looking to meet with the ambassador only to be told about her travels to the tower. Wolfgang says the ambassador should avoid such dangerous places... or was it by order of San d'Oria? Another guest looking for the ambassador.  Wolfgang is the Captain of the Ducal Guard as his father was before him, hand picked by the Archduke. Monberaux is a doctor here in Jeuno, possibly one of the best in the world so I've heard.  Wolfgang asks that we advise the ambassador against careless adventures and will return later. He tells his friend to take care lest he comes to regret it. Monberaux can't give a checkup without a patient so he will also return later as well. I have to go get her don't I? Yes, yes I do. I can reach Qufim from the port. You can't miss the tower. But before I leave I have some things to do.  The chocobo lets out a sad kweh. I think it's chocobo for help him.  "The doc said an herb from Qufim should bring the fever down, but I have to stay here and watch over him."  I'm going there anyway. It's for the kid. I'm looking for an herb that blooms around midnight to dawn. I have time before it blooms. I heard of a man in Ru'Lude. A man who can unlock someone's potential. His name.  Maat. "Hey kid wanna break some limits?" Boy howdy do I! The first couple limit breaks he just asks for some fairly easy to get items. The third limit break he asks for 3 crests from the deepest part of the beastmen strongholds. This is a nightmare of a quest. For Davoi you have to find Trion's other scouts after going all the way through Davoi to get an orb. Then you curse the orb at four ponds spread around Davoi, the last one curses you which slows movement and reduces max hp/mp roughly 70-80%. You can cure it by having 29 levels of White Mage on either Main or Sub. Don't have White Mage leveled and equipped? 10 minutes of curse. Going back through all of Davoi to the scout will get you an uncursed orb to break through a barrier to get the crest. The Beadeaux crest requires you to go through all of Beadeaux which has curse totems that curse you for 3 minutes UNLESS you silence yourself on other totems. There are a lot of doors guarded by enemies in the way which can't be opened while invisible. At the end there is a Notorious Monster that has true hearing which means invisibility spells won't work on it. It can be snuck past easily, but if you don't know about it beforehand and are looking for the crest you get to die to something 13 levels higher than you and get to do the whole trip again. Last we have the Castle Oztroja crest which you have to go through a door with two switches, one switch drops you down a pit that changes daily. A door with 4 leavers to open it that changes daily which you can brute force. And lastly a door with a 3 word passcode that changes every fricken Vana'diel day. There are 17 different 4 letter words you CAN brute force this but you should practice selfcare and touch at least one of the password hints on the way up to the door which is at the very very end of the entire castle. After entering the passcodes you drop down a one way hole and have to avoid some mean mobs to pick up the last crest. These also require key items from the mission after we go to find the ambassador. After this our level cap is 65, still a long way to go til we hit the limit of the limit breaks. Off to Qufim then!  We found them but the roots we need are burred in rock. There are heavy footsteps from behind us. Monsters?  Oh its just you.  It's digging. I don't really need to say anything. Dietmund knows he was a piece of poo poo, apologizes, and thanks the bird. After getting the lower tower zoop I head back to Dietmunds house, he isn't home but his son is better it seems.  His dad left a Beastmaster's whistle for me. After handing to me the kid runs off to play.    Next time: A tower
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Feb 3, 2023 05:37
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Oh, so it's not just a clever name! Zeid owns. It'll be interesting to see a lot of these stories intertwine with the newer content. Also yeah the job unlock quests can be a real kick in the rubies.
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Feb 3, 2023 05:39
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Man, with all these new conveniences in the game I feel like a little something was lost. For those who don't know, there used to be a relatively "strict" level progression for the most part. You'd level solo until 10, and then you were expected to travel to Valkurm Dunes to party up from 10-20. (This is the start of the lifelong vendetta against crabs.) That's not too awful, except for those from Windurst, because it meant you had to boat over from Selbina. But for Sandy and Bastok players it just meant running through La Theine or Konschtat respectively. Just one zone, mostly appropriately levelled to you. But man, once you hit 20... the next designated levelling spot was Qufim Island. To level on more crabs. The problem with that is that it's two zones out from either La Theine of Konschtat, and everything in the majority of both will check as Incredibly Tough and will kill you. To explain that, the /check command lets you estimate a monster's level (no, it's not just floating above their heads). "Even match" means you're the same level. "Tough", "Very Tough" and "Incredibly Tough" mean it's slightly, moderately, and far above your level respectively. Roughly you can think of those as 1-3, 4-6, and 7+ levels above you but it's not that exact. So you're left with the legendary Jeuno run. Your goal is to get to Jeuno and set your home point there. You have to pass through two entire zones without being detected and killed, or you lose EXP (and yes you can level down, and the sound effect haunts me to this day -- you could play it in a crowd of FFXI veterans and watch everyone flinch) and have to start the run over. Nowadays, you can get Sneak and Invisible from the books at the entrance of every zone. Back in 2000-odd... well you weren't likely able to afford any stealth items from the Auction House on your first job, so you just had to manually stealth it. You can't get chocobos until you get to Jeuno, as we've seen. This was basically a rite of passage, and as you can tell, it's one of the many shared traumas that bond all FFXI veterans.
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Feb 3, 2023 14:59
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Whew, my controller broke and I had to get a new one. Number 1 tip to anyone ever: Don't mouse and keyboard FF11. Please. In the meantime I finished writing Red Mage and the Leveling write up. Both will probably come out after we finish the base game. MarquiseMindfang posted:
The reason I always start Thief is for Flee. Gotta go fast. It does require a few levels in the forest though.
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Feb 3, 2023 17:50
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Fat and Useless posted:Don't mouse and keyboard FF11. Please. Agreed. Real chads use keyboard only. 
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Feb 3, 2023 18:24
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I'm one of the weirdos who played XI keyboard only with extensive use of macros to do basically everything. I very rarely used the actual menus to use abilities or weaponskills.
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Feb 3, 2023 18:55
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Maybe chocobos just taste awful so monsters don't want to deal with having their eyes pecked out for chocobo drumsticks.
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Feb 3, 2023 23:52
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IthilionTheBrave posted:I'm one of the weirdos who played XI keyboard only with extensive use of macros to do basically everything. I very rarely used the actual menus to use abilities or weaponskills. This is the correct way to do it even with controller and once we hit deep endgame it is intended by the developers. Keyboard and mouse is a lot better in current times(this could be the game's catchphrase): You have an addon that allows for clicking on party member's hp/mp bar to select them then it pops up a list of spells to cast on them. (Even with a controller I use this one for emergency heals) You have an addon that gives you hotkeys and a hotbar like in most modern mmos. You have an addon to click on one of four sections that depending on where you click brings up different sorted menus for items, spells, weaponskills, or abilities. The camera is the awful part of keyboard and mouse for me. But for people where a mouse is easier than two hands on a controller the option is there and with some work is a fine way to play. Even without the addons you could probably program a mmo mouse to work as a substitute for the keyboard part.
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Feb 4, 2023 05:15
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I got quite good at one-handing the numpad and arrow keys to move around and swing the camera at the same time. You never really need to touch the mouse. Leaves your left hand free for macros. Even for targeting stuff, the F keys all do different useful stuff and you can use one of those as a starting point and tab to your intended target pretty quick.
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Feb 4, 2023 05:49
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Chapter 8: Of Gobbies And Men A stalemate ensued for some time. Finally, at the legendary Battle of Jeuno, the Allied Forces of Altana were able to gain the upper hand. They claimed total victory over the beastmen at the merciless Battle of Xarcabard. Finally, the heroes of the five races cornered the Shadow Lord in his stronghold of Castle Zvahl, where Volker, champion of Bastok, delivered the final coup de grace. Thus the Crystal War drew to an end, with victory marred by the uncountable corpses scattered throughout the devastated lands and cities of Vana'diel. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------  This here is Delkfutt's Tower. Twelve floors and a basement. To get to that basement you must go to floor ten and kill a giant for a key. It takes a while to say the least even with invisibility. There is a teleport crystal up at the top. In my rush I never grab it. This will never come up again. Why do we need to get to that basement?  Our missing ambassador got knocked out and brought down there.  We agree this is no place to talk after I explain who I am and head back to the embassy.  After some repeated thanks for the tower trip she formally assigns me to the post of attaché of the Embassy to Jeuno. Also I got paid 5000 Gil. NOW TIME TO WORK! The embassy has received a request from the Archduke of Jeuno to send someone for a special mission. Guess who proved herself to be qualified for special things?  I am to be on my best behavior as a whole lot of diplomatic relations are now riding on my shoulders.  The ambassador gave me an audience permit that lets me get in to see the Archduke. With haste I head in to the chamber to meet with quite possibly the most important person in the world.  Before Kam'lanaut can finish a young lad pops out from behind a pillar.  Eald'narche here is giving me completely not on the level vibes. Something about the eyepatch maybe. Kam'lanaut, as flat as possible, says he is his brother don't let him bother me... But hey have you heard about the Shadow Lord?  Eald'narche says his sources tell him the beastmen in Davoi, Beadeaux, and Castle Oztroja are conspiring to return him. You are setting off all my buzzers kid. Kam'lanaut says they plan on doing so by harnessing the power of mysterious stones called magicite. I am to go there and sieze their magicite.  As I leave I feel cold. There is absolutely something wrong with those two but this does concern the Shadow Lord so I have no reason not to go kicking down beastmen doors. To access the Tenshodo headquarters I need to be a member. All I need to do is buy an invite off the street and show it to the receptionist. I can resell it afterwards.  And with that I now have access to a group of smuglers not to be confused with my pirate associates.  Aldo is the leader of the Tenshodo, we've met him before in Norg. He gives me the run down on where to find the magicite and a key to access the one in Beadeaux. "Aldo..." a woman's voice comes from the doorway.  She has heard that the Archduke has ordered all beastmen out of the city. The beastmen in the city are goblin traders and craftsmen, harmless. Would the average person care about the difference? Perhaps the Archduke is just acting before trouble does start. No matter the situation Aldo doesn't plan on helping chase them out. Verena also shares my bad vibes of the court. It's impossible to try and read them.  She is far too kind for this world. I finish up with Aldo and outside his chambers I get two more keys. I'll need a torch from the Goblins and another key from a kid in upper Jeuno as well. I'll start with the kid who wants some fresh meat. Easy enough.   Holy poo poo kid. Apparently she was perfectly normal before. Had a fiancé name Albrecht. One day after she came back from a picnic with a girl named Alista, she got a headache and stayed in bed, then got like that... The kid hands me the crest, he thought it might uncurse her but no luck. Albrecht apparently has been praying at the temple for her. No promises kid but I'll look into it eventually. Man I have to walk that off. Oh hey some kids trying to grow some flowers and hey is that Aldo's sister as well?   Well that warms my shriveled heart a bit. I have to head to Muckvix's junk shop next so I'll probably see Fickbilx there. At the shop it turns out like Muck is all outta the "special" torches but Fickblix has my back with one. Thanks lil buddy.  He says the beasties outside of town are getting all worked up and he wants to go out and try and talk with them. He says there's no reason we can't be friends like he is with Verena and dashes off. Verena and Fickblix are both too kind for this world... Oh speaking of! While I was finishing up at the junkshop upgrading my bag to carry more junk, Verena popped in looking for Fickblix. Just missed him. It seems like something is wrong?  Better keep an eye out for him when I get to the castle portion of my magicite hunt. Next time: An echo Fat and Useless fucked around with this message at 18:11 on Feb 6, 2023 |
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Feb 4, 2023 17:32
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"To kind for this world." I'm very concerned now for these characters. 
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Feb 4, 2023 18:59
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Yeah, that's definitely a JRPG villain right there.
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Feb 4, 2023 19:19
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