There was four of us when the night began: Amedelie (RNG/NIN), Almeth (THF/NIN), Reflaa (WAR/NIN), and me (WHM/BLM). It took us a little while to work out exactly what we were doing, where we were going, and how we were getting there, but eventually we got our shit together and started making our way to the Sanctuary of Zi'tah.
Left to Right: Amedelie, Reflaa, Xxnumbertwoxx, AlmethZi'tah is a pretty cool place; it kinda reminds me of the planet with the Ewoks in Return of the Jedi. Amedelie, Reflaa and I had come out here for a party way back in the day, and we were pretty impressed with it then. The camp is right next to the outpost, so getting to and from Zi'tah is typically a breeze. Reflaa didn't have the outpost supply run done, unfortunately, so we came via choco while Almeth and Amedelie warped directly out and checked shit out. When we arrived, we synced down to Almeth at 43 and got started.
Zi'tah was fucking rough, not necessarily because of the difficulty of the mobs, but because of how tight some of the area's one has to run through are. When we first arrived in the zone there was a couple higher level people killing shit, which was great in that it kept the camp site pretty thinned out, but they inevitably left, and Gob's were all over the place. It was very difficult for Almeth to pull single mobs, and links and aggro was a bitch. The Gobs we would clear out seemed to respawn really fast, so Almeth would get cut off trying to run back with another one.
Me, after eating death number 4 (I think)? There was so many I lost count...
Zi'tah was fucking rough, not necessarily because of the difficulty of the mobs, but because of how tight some of the area's one has to run through are. When we first arrived in the zone there was a couple higher level people killing shit, which was great in that it kept the camp site pretty thinned out, but they inevitably left, and Gob's were all over the place. It was very difficult for Almeth to pull single mobs, and links and aggro was a bitch. The Gobs we would clear out seemed to respawn really fast, so Almeth would get cut off trying to run back with another one.
Me, after eating death number 4 (I think)? There was so many I lost count...The game really fucking hated me yesterday, I don't know what the hell I did, but I got crushed. I would pull hate with the most mundane of spells and get drilled, I'd be resting back MP while Almeth was pulling and the mob would immediately come hit me for absolutely no reason at all and interrupt me, and at one point even took the largest Bomb Toss I have personally ever seen, which was death number 3, I think. It was just really fucking bizarre, everyone else got hit for like 20...I took it in the face for like 350-something. Thank God I had reraise up, otherwise, I prolly woulda spent 5k in warping fees to the outpost with all the deaths I ate. At that point, the death scoreboard stood at Xxnumbertwoxx with 4, Reflaa with 1, and Almeth and Ame at zip. With the difficulty we were having, we figured a change of scenery was in order.
Amedelie, having finally reached 88 miles per hour, engages the Flux Capacitor and attempts to travel in time.
After consulting with Campsitarus to find an alternate camp, we decided on Eastern Altepa Desert. As with before, Amedelie and Almeth had the outpost opened up, so they ran out ahead while Reflaa and I teleported out there and chocobod to camp. We hung out pretty much right next the outpost, and primarily fought the various flavors of Gob that were running around. After a little while in our new camp, LS member Kamiku popped on and offered his services as Dragoon in our little group. We quickly accepted, Kamiku made his way out to us, and we got down to business.
Kamiku (2nd from left), with his pet dragon. Aww, isn't he cute? :)
Amedelie, having finally reached 88 miles per hour, engages the Flux Capacitor and attempts to travel in time.After consulting with Campsitarus to find an alternate camp, we decided on Eastern Altepa Desert. As with before, Amedelie and Almeth had the outpost opened up, so they ran out ahead while Reflaa and I teleported out there and chocobod to camp. We hung out pretty much right next the outpost, and primarily fought the various flavors of Gob that were running around. After a little while in our new camp, LS member Kamiku popped on and offered his services as Dragoon in our little group. We quickly accepted, Kamiku made his way out to us, and we got down to business.
Kamiku (2nd from left), with his pet dragon. Aww, isn't he cute? :)Things progressed a lot better in Altepa. I stopped eating a death every fifteen minutes, Almeth was better able to navigate around mobs with all the open space to run around in, and Reflaa and Kamiku traded hate back and forth very well (although there were some pretty close calls). Eventually I made up for the experience I lost, and we started making some good progress all around. It was a little difficult for me to keep up with MP at times; I brought lots of Pineapple Juices with me, and I'm glad I did, as resting back from 12 MP all the way to maximum takes forever.
Just when I thought the whole dying thing was behind us, we got into a pretty bad battle, and Reflaa ended up biting it again. I was spent MP-wise at that point, so when Kamiku started getting really low in health, I Benedicted, which immediately drew a ton of hate, and I tore ass running for the zone. Of course, being as directionally challenged as I am, I ran off in the wrong fucking direction, but with the help of a higher level person grabbing one of the things chasing me, and Kamiku grabbing the other things off of me (I don't know how he did, I was too busy saying "Ohgodohgodohgod" to myself as I ran in circles, but thank Christ he did) I followed Kamiku and Almeth the right way, and after what seemed like the longest tunnel I've ever ran down in my life, we zoned. I stayed just across the zone line and rested back to full MP, zoned back in and Raised Reflaa. As we had some time while we waited for Reflaa's weakness to wear off, Amedelie and Reflaa took a break and went AFK.
Within a few minutes, another asshole Gob aggro'd and killed Reflaa, who was still weakened, in 2 shots, bringing the death scoreboard to Me with 4, Reflaa with 3, and everyone else tied with zero. I think I can say with all honesty that this evening was the deadliest evening I have ever experienced in Final Fantasy. Not too long after that debacle, Kamiku had to go to bed, so we were 4 once again. The rest of the party went pretty uneventfully, we did our thing, and as soon as Almeth dinged 45 we called it an evening and Reflaa logged off and went to bed.
[Edit: I may have the exact progression of events surrounding Reflaa's last 2 deaths mixed up. At any rate, he died twice in like 10 minutes and we wept openly]
However, the night was not yet over for the rest of us. As of midnight, Almeth's Racial Gear was available to be done again, and since he only needed one more piece, we ran down towards Ordelle's Caves to get it completed for him. I changed back into Dancer, and chocobo'd out to La Thiene Plateau. First order of business was to use our Selbina Clay and grab the La Thiene marker for the Clay Tablet quest, which was more or less on the way. After circling the crevasse that you need to go into looking for a way down for 5 minutes, Almeth found the ramp down (which I prolly passed 3 times lol) and we ran out to the marker. In looking at the map of La Thiene, I noticed there was an NM funguar (Tumbling Truffle) that spawned right where we were going, and since it was a lottery spawn that came up every hour, and the gear it dropped was nothing too special (but worth 5k or so), Almeth and I quickly killed the placeholders and waited for him to pop. After a few minutes (which given how exhausted we were felt like 45) he popped, we kicked his ass, and got kicked in the balls yet again when it dropped a dumpy sleepshroom. After he died, we got serious, and zoned into Ordelle's Caves.
Thanks for the sleepshroom, asshole.
Just when I thought the whole dying thing was behind us, we got into a pretty bad battle, and Reflaa ended up biting it again. I was spent MP-wise at that point, so when Kamiku started getting really low in health, I Benedicted, which immediately drew a ton of hate, and I tore ass running for the zone. Of course, being as directionally challenged as I am, I ran off in the wrong fucking direction, but with the help of a higher level person grabbing one of the things chasing me, and Kamiku grabbing the other things off of me (I don't know how he did, I was too busy saying "Ohgodohgodohgod" to myself as I ran in circles, but thank Christ he did) I followed Kamiku and Almeth the right way, and after what seemed like the longest tunnel I've ever ran down in my life, we zoned. I stayed just across the zone line and rested back to full MP, zoned back in and Raised Reflaa. As we had some time while we waited for Reflaa's weakness to wear off, Amedelie and Reflaa took a break and went AFK.
Within a few minutes, another asshole Gob aggro'd and killed Reflaa, who was still weakened, in 2 shots, bringing the death scoreboard to Me with 4, Reflaa with 3, and everyone else tied with zero. I think I can say with all honesty that this evening was the deadliest evening I have ever experienced in Final Fantasy. Not too long after that debacle, Kamiku had to go to bed, so we were 4 once again. The rest of the party went pretty uneventfully, we did our thing, and as soon as Almeth dinged 45 we called it an evening and Reflaa logged off and went to bed.
[Edit: I may have the exact progression of events surrounding Reflaa's last 2 deaths mixed up. At any rate, he died twice in like 10 minutes and we wept openly]
However, the night was not yet over for the rest of us. As of midnight, Almeth's Racial Gear was available to be done again, and since he only needed one more piece, we ran down towards Ordelle's Caves to get it completed for him. I changed back into Dancer, and chocobo'd out to La Thiene Plateau. First order of business was to use our Selbina Clay and grab the La Thiene marker for the Clay Tablet quest, which was more or less on the way. After circling the crevasse that you need to go into looking for a way down for 5 minutes, Almeth found the ramp down (which I prolly passed 3 times lol) and we ran out to the marker. In looking at the map of La Thiene, I noticed there was an NM funguar (Tumbling Truffle) that spawned right where we were going, and since it was a lottery spawn that came up every hour, and the gear it dropped was nothing too special (but worth 5k or so), Almeth and I quickly killed the placeholders and waited for him to pop. After a few minutes (which given how exhausted we were felt like 45) he popped, we kicked his ass, and got kicked in the balls yet again when it dropped a dumpy sleepshroom. After he died, we got serious, and zoned into Ordelle's Caves.
Thanks for the sleepshroom, asshole.At level 50, Ordelle's Caves is a joke, everything is Too Weak...although a few mobs checked as Easy Prey to Almeth, nothing aggro'd at all, which was a nice change of pace comapred to our previous experiences in Shakrami getting Almeth his other R.S.E. pieces. The original plan was for Almeth and I to get his shit, while Amedelie went with us to farm Marlboro Vines for her Alchemy stuff. However, after a while, Almeth and I figured Amedelie must have passed out at the keyboard or something, because we never saw her again. Not that it mattered...it was just funny :)
One of the prettier places in Ordelle's Caves
One of the prettier places in Ordelle's CavesWhile we were running around, making our way to where the chests spawn for Almeth's shit, we came across a "???", and Almeth clicked it. Imagine our surprise when an Aroma Leech spawned! It was only level 38, so we put it down without any difficulty, and discovered the happy fact that it drops another piece of R.S.E. for Almeth, a Civet Sachet, so that was pretty cool.
We continued on to the chest spawn areas, which required falling down a hole in the floor. There was 2 options, so Almeth took one while I took the other. The chest happened to be right there near Almeth, so he opened the chest, and got some Torn Out Pages...not the Magical Pattern he expected to get. After a quick "WTF??!" moment, Almeth checked online and discovered it is part of a different quest, and take's priority over the R.S.E. stuff. A little irritated, Almeth fought a Stroper Chyme that was running around on his side, while I fought the one nearest me...it was an opportunity kill that really had nothing to do with anything we were doing, but the Stroper Chymes potentially drop the "Shikaree Ring", nothing too fancy but hey, free is free. Unfortunately neither of us got the drop, so we continued on and looked around for the chest to respawn so Almeth could get his Pattern and we could call it an evening before we died of exhaustion.
Fighting yet another stupid slime. At least this time it was by choice...
We continued on to the chest spawn areas, which required falling down a hole in the floor. There was 2 options, so Almeth took one while I took the other. The chest happened to be right there near Almeth, so he opened the chest, and got some Torn Out Pages...not the Magical Pattern he expected to get. After a quick "WTF??!" moment, Almeth checked online and discovered it is part of a different quest, and take's priority over the R.S.E. stuff. A little irritated, Almeth fought a Stroper Chyme that was running around on his side, while I fought the one nearest me...it was an opportunity kill that really had nothing to do with anything we were doing, but the Stroper Chymes potentially drop the "Shikaree Ring", nothing too fancy but hey, free is free. Unfortunately neither of us got the drop, so we continued on and looked around for the chest to respawn so Almeth could get his Pattern and we could call it an evening before we died of exhaustion.
Fighting yet another stupid slime. At least this time it was by choice...Not long after Almeth found another chest, popped it open and got his Magical Pattern. There was an exit out of Ordelle's Caves near me, so Almeth ran back up to the top and fell down my hole. We were really close to the area where a couple of Napalm's spawn (floating bombs with angry faces, shoulda taken a screenshot but my brain was barely working at that point), and as they potentially drop a Flame Degen (a decent sword, and a quest item) we figured "Fuck it" and took 'em out. Of course we didn't get the Degen (why I even entertained the notion I don't know), but at least we got a couple Bomb Ash's...I've been sitting on a partial stack of those for like 3 years.
After being completely alone in there all night, we finally saw some people deep in the bowels of Ordelle camping Marbolger, one of three NMs you have to kill to get the Brown Belt for Monk. Marbolger is a 24 hour spawn, so who knows how long they'd been sitting there waiting. Longer than I have the patience for, that's for sure. We ran around for a moment, then called it a night and zoned out into La Thiene...
Of course, the exit we took just happened to be a dead end (leading up to a Headstone that's part of Zilart Mission 5, which is waaaayyyyy beyond anything we're capable of doing at this point), so we had to about face and run back through Ordelle to a different exit. After zoning into the right part of La Thiene, we kicked it into high gear and headed back home to San d'Oria, concluding the questing part of our evening.
At that point, Almeth and I were close to having been awake for 24 hours, so we were completely spent, and logged off for the night. All in all, it was another productive evening for Bahamut's Dreadnought, we got Almeth's R.S.E. done completely, got a free piece of R.S.E. that we weren't even looking for, and all got a level or two. Tonight we have another marathon levelling session planned, working on getting Reflaa and Almeth to level 50 so we can all go do the G1 quest together and break the level 50 cap.
Hopefully we can do it without 7 deaths this time :)
After being completely alone in there all night, we finally saw some people deep in the bowels of Ordelle camping Marbolger, one of three NMs you have to kill to get the Brown Belt for Monk. Marbolger is a 24 hour spawn, so who knows how long they'd been sitting there waiting. Longer than I have the patience for, that's for sure. We ran around for a moment, then called it a night and zoned out into La Thiene...
Of course, the exit we took just happened to be a dead end (leading up to a Headstone that's part of Zilart Mission 5, which is waaaayyyyy beyond anything we're capable of doing at this point), so we had to about face and run back through Ordelle to a different exit. After zoning into the right part of La Thiene, we kicked it into high gear and headed back home to San d'Oria, concluding the questing part of our evening.
At that point, Almeth and I were close to having been awake for 24 hours, so we were completely spent, and logged off for the night. All in all, it was another productive evening for Bahamut's Dreadnought, we got Almeth's R.S.E. done completely, got a free piece of R.S.E. that we weren't even looking for, and all got a level or two. Tonight we have another marathon levelling session planned, working on getting Reflaa and Almeth to level 50 so we can all go do the G1 quest together and break the level 50 cap.
Hopefully we can do it without 7 deaths this time :)
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