Ya know? This kinda thing makes me really appreciate the folks who learn the jobs they play and gear them properly. With that public service announcement outta the way, gather round, kiddies, Uncle Reau's got a story for ya
Back when I was buit a wee little Bst approaching the dreaded Hauby level, I was pleased that my hard work was about to be rewarded for all the farming, BCNM-ing, and tele-taxiing I'd been doin in spare time. I hit level 58 and knew that another weekend or so's worth of farmin would put me pretty much square on what was then the 2 mil price tag that haubies were sportin.
That was December, 2006.
Suddenly, without warning, prices EXPLODED. Nobody, I mean
nobody could afford anything. Me and all my LS pals watched in horror as prices doubled . . . then doubled again. That hauby that had just barely been out of my reach was suddenly another 8 million gil away.
Well, I did what I'm prone to do when I get frustrated - beat my head against the wall and demand that it break. My tried and true methods weren't good enough for me anymore. I needed 8 million gil. Now. Bullheadedly, I stopped levelin entirely, abandoned all my steady methods of getting gil, and instead leaped at every get-rich-quick scheme that came to my attention. Bad luck, on top of bad luck. I killed NMs, got no drop, spammed Under Observation til my seals were gone and came away with not so much as a measly Ni, crafted and crafted just to have my items perpetually undercut by the same RMT asshats that helped jack up the economy in the first place. I was so mad that, even though I never told anyone, I was on the verge of quitting.
Unbeknownst to me, someone
else in our LS had stopped leveling too. His name was Smurph, one of our casual "underclassmen." I'd hear people jokingly ask him if he ever planned on leaving Jeuno again. "I'm on a mission," he'd reply.
Well, one day, someone asked for some help with an Eldieme coffer and I said I'd lend a hand. I wasn't alone in my surprise to hear Smurph say he'd head that way too. When I got to the Necropolis, Smurph was waitin out front, and opened a trade with me as soon as I came into range. It was a hauburgeon.
I was shocked! "I can't take this," I said.
"lol take it, you jackass." Smurph told me, "It's for all the times you've helped me."
Apparently, Smurph had spent the preceding month and a half literally spamming teles for people. Every single moment he was online. I'd be lying if I said it didn't choke me up a little bit. I was literally knocked flat on my ass by the gift, especially it coming at my lowest point as it did.
I tell you all this story to get to this point. The joy and sense of accomplishment I got from soloing was NOTHING compared to what I felt at that moment. Any flatline can take up space in a party and level. That's no accomplishment at all, really. It ain't the speed you level at, it ain't how many jobs you
have leveled, and it for damn sure ain't a Maat's cap - it's
how you level; how you gear and how you play.
To anyone who thinks otherwise, try levelin with an entire party who step out as ill-prepared as you, and enjoy that 4k an hour.
And to everyone who says farming is boring, I got two words for ya:
Level Bst
