- Joined
- Jan 6, 2007
- Messages
- 23
- Location
- MD
- Main Job
- Secondary Job
- Server
- Quetzalcoatl
- Linkshell
- Kursed
This is a small account of some of the things that shaped the character I became in FFXI. If you decide to take up the task of reading this wall of text I think you will enjoy and relate to what I have to say. For your reading pleasure I present a small peak into the life of Nikas.
Six years ago, I was just a young boy, only 13 years old. I saw an episode of X-play where they reviewed FFXI. I immediately knew I had to have the game, having been a FF fan since FFVII. My mom bought the game for me on PS2 and after many hours of installation I was in the world we know as Vana'diel. Everything was so new, FFXI was still a mystery with a lot yet to be discovered.
Fast forward a couple levels. I was a Red Mage in need of a sub job. I met a fellow Red Mage named Uzor, whom helped me get the most difficult of the sub job items: the magicked skull. I remember watching him manhandling Ghouls like it was nothing. The poor skeletons would cast ice spikes only to have it quickly dispelled.
Throughout this time from lvl 1-30ish I remember having two linkshells, CowboysFromHell and BoundByHonor. Though I cannot recall the finer details such as members that invited me or even members that were there with me, as it was about six years ago and my memory has faded. But what I can recall was a group of people willing to help me with quests (remeber Eco Warrior?) and friends to talk to.
Do you remember your first trip to Jeuno? The long, arduous journey to a magical land where powerful lvl 75 people stand around, showing off the spoils of victory. Or how about the cut-throat competition of camping Leaping Lizzy? Oh but that is an other story. Anyway back to Jeuno. Ah yes Jeuno. Where you get well acquainted to standing around for hours waiting for a party. Well after being baptized in fire by the dangerous struggle that is lvling in Quifm Island, I was ready to go to Kazham.
Upon finishing the difficult task of getting the Airship pass to Kazham, I hastily made my way to that mysterious land of the south. I cannot tell you how many times I became lost in those two labyrinths of a jungle. At this level fear manifests it's self in the grunt of an aggroing Goblin Smithy. There I was, fresh out of the Jungle, a lvl 32 Red Mage. No I don't have dispel and yes I know the monster has protect up. It was at this level, this pivotal point in my FFXI career that I learned what I really wanted out of this game. Tachi: Gekko.
I met a Samurai, A great, Powerful Mithran Samurai. His name was Dizzlewizzle, though at the time I thought he was a chick. Damn Manthras. Anyway, I needed that item for the Summoner Job Quest. It's name escapes me but it dropped off of leeches in the Labyrinth of Oz. So my new Samurai buddy and I set off on a quest to retrieve the elusive item. The first thing I noticed when Dizzlewizzle met me there was his beautiful, awesome armor. He was decked out in full Hachiman (few samurai at the time could boast such a claim) looking like a total badass. After he popped off a few Gekkos in excess of 500 damage I knew what I wanted to be. Dizzle and I left empty-handed, but I didn't leave with nothing. I had a dream. My dream was to be a powerful Samurai, a real demon slayer. If you are still reading at this point, God bless you
. My good buddy Dizzle helped me unlock the Samurai class and in no time I was playing kill bill with rabbits outside Sandy. I had so much faith in the game. I was made of infinite potential.
Slowly but surely, I made my way up the latter Dunes -> Qufim -> Kazham -> Citadel -> Nest -> and it starts to get fuzzy here, maybe Boyada tree? then Cape Ter.? Oh I forgot about Kuftal Tunnel and the Deserts.. Oh well my mind has been poisoned by the instant gratification that FFXI has become. A Maat's Cap is what an Optical hat was 5 years ago: Difficult to obtain but eventually everyone gets one. It is not necessary to go through the proper channels of leveling anymore. Hell you can lvl sync to 75 now... uh I think, as I have not used the lvl sync function yet. Sorry if this part of my story became too negative, but this is just the way I feel about the game now. Anyway, back to my story.
Some time while doing dynamis with my former linkshell, Invictus, I met the leader of my first, and only end game linkshell. Jibond. I met Jibond through Jay, whom I befriended through Fereck.. but I'm not going to get into that. It was a late night Dynamis-Jeuno run where I met the leader, a super fly Ninja who was forming a new linkshell. Jay was in the linkshell and was sporting some new Shura Haidate, so I was like, "I gotta get in on this."
I was accepted into the linkshell where I was warmly welcomed and befriended by many. After rising through the ranks, I became a well established member of that particular linkshell. I eventually was lucky enough to receive everything I wanted from the linkshell. Shura Haidate, Byakko's Haidate, Shura Togi, and enven the coveted Kirin's Osode. But even after getting all the worldly possessions I desired, I still loved the linkshell and came to the events, well most of them anyway.
Though I do not play anymore, I still remember all the fun I had on this game and hold the memories dearly. I appreciate all the time I spent in this world and do not regret any of it. I made many friends and built relationships I wish I still had today. The reason I do not play anymore is because every time I reactivate my account and log in, I find a ghost town, entirely lacking mystery. Everything has been done. Everyone is an expert on any subject. FFXI can be explained in a math equation. I will not even get into the server migration, I'm not talking about the recent midgar one, but when they started allowing anyone to transfer.
FFXI died for me a long time ago. For any new players I have this advice: Take the time to enjoy the game and stop to smell the roses. Do not mechanically get all your jobs to 75 through SMN burns or mindless cannons. Learn and appreciate each class. And above all, have fun. Though it may have been more of a game in some aspects to me, it is still just a game. Enjoy it and do not let it interfere with your actual life. For FFXI is just a microcosm of real life, only there are still mysteries in life. So enjoy your life in Vana'diel and on Earth.
This is just but a small glimpse into what I experienced in FFXI, I do not have enough time to give a full Biography of all that was Nikas. I hope you enjoyed reading this and I hope it will make you recall the good ol' times. When FFXI was an untamed wilderness we all tried to conquer.
Six years ago, I was just a young boy, only 13 years old. I saw an episode of X-play where they reviewed FFXI. I immediately knew I had to have the game, having been a FF fan since FFVII. My mom bought the game for me on PS2 and after many hours of installation I was in the world we know as Vana'diel. Everything was so new, FFXI was still a mystery with a lot yet to be discovered.
Fast forward a couple levels. I was a Red Mage in need of a sub job. I met a fellow Red Mage named Uzor, whom helped me get the most difficult of the sub job items: the magicked skull. I remember watching him manhandling Ghouls like it was nothing. The poor skeletons would cast ice spikes only to have it quickly dispelled.
Throughout this time from lvl 1-30ish I remember having two linkshells, CowboysFromHell and BoundByHonor. Though I cannot recall the finer details such as members that invited me or even members that were there with me, as it was about six years ago and my memory has faded. But what I can recall was a group of people willing to help me with quests (remeber Eco Warrior?) and friends to talk to.
Do you remember your first trip to Jeuno? The long, arduous journey to a magical land where powerful lvl 75 people stand around, showing off the spoils of victory. Or how about the cut-throat competition of camping Leaping Lizzy? Oh but that is an other story. Anyway back to Jeuno. Ah yes Jeuno. Where you get well acquainted to standing around for hours waiting for a party. Well after being baptized in fire by the dangerous struggle that is lvling in Quifm Island, I was ready to go to Kazham.
Upon finishing the difficult task of getting the Airship pass to Kazham, I hastily made my way to that mysterious land of the south. I cannot tell you how many times I became lost in those two labyrinths of a jungle. At this level fear manifests it's self in the grunt of an aggroing Goblin Smithy. There I was, fresh out of the Jungle, a lvl 32 Red Mage. No I don't have dispel and yes I know the monster has protect up. It was at this level, this pivotal point in my FFXI career that I learned what I really wanted out of this game. Tachi: Gekko.
I met a Samurai, A great, Powerful Mithran Samurai. His name was Dizzlewizzle, though at the time I thought he was a chick. Damn Manthras. Anyway, I needed that item for the Summoner Job Quest. It's name escapes me but it dropped off of leeches in the Labyrinth of Oz. So my new Samurai buddy and I set off on a quest to retrieve the elusive item. The first thing I noticed when Dizzlewizzle met me there was his beautiful, awesome armor. He was decked out in full Hachiman (few samurai at the time could boast such a claim) looking like a total badass. After he popped off a few Gekkos in excess of 500 damage I knew what I wanted to be. Dizzle and I left empty-handed, but I didn't leave with nothing. I had a dream. My dream was to be a powerful Samurai, a real demon slayer. If you are still reading at this point, God bless you
. My good buddy Dizzle helped me unlock the Samurai class and in no time I was playing kill bill with rabbits outside Sandy. I had so much faith in the game. I was made of infinite potential. Slowly but surely, I made my way up the latter Dunes -> Qufim -> Kazham -> Citadel -> Nest -> and it starts to get fuzzy here, maybe Boyada tree? then Cape Ter.? Oh I forgot about Kuftal Tunnel and the Deserts.. Oh well my mind has been poisoned by the instant gratification that FFXI has become. A Maat's Cap is what an Optical hat was 5 years ago: Difficult to obtain but eventually everyone gets one. It is not necessary to go through the proper channels of leveling anymore. Hell you can lvl sync to 75 now... uh I think, as I have not used the lvl sync function yet. Sorry if this part of my story became too negative, but this is just the way I feel about the game now. Anyway, back to my story.
Some time while doing dynamis with my former linkshell, Invictus, I met the leader of my first, and only end game linkshell. Jibond. I met Jibond through Jay, whom I befriended through Fereck.. but I'm not going to get into that. It was a late night Dynamis-Jeuno run where I met the leader, a super fly Ninja who was forming a new linkshell. Jay was in the linkshell and was sporting some new Shura Haidate, so I was like, "I gotta get in on this."
I was accepted into the linkshell where I was warmly welcomed and befriended by many. After rising through the ranks, I became a well established member of that particular linkshell. I eventually was lucky enough to receive everything I wanted from the linkshell. Shura Haidate, Byakko's Haidate, Shura Togi, and enven the coveted Kirin's Osode. But even after getting all the worldly possessions I desired, I still loved the linkshell and came to the events, well most of them anyway.
Though I do not play anymore, I still remember all the fun I had on this game and hold the memories dearly. I appreciate all the time I spent in this world and do not regret any of it. I made many friends and built relationships I wish I still had today. The reason I do not play anymore is because every time I reactivate my account and log in, I find a ghost town, entirely lacking mystery. Everything has been done. Everyone is an expert on any subject. FFXI can be explained in a math equation. I will not even get into the server migration, I'm not talking about the recent midgar one, but when they started allowing anyone to transfer.
FFXI died for me a long time ago. For any new players I have this advice: Take the time to enjoy the game and stop to smell the roses. Do not mechanically get all your jobs to 75 through SMN burns or mindless cannons. Learn and appreciate each class. And above all, have fun. Though it may have been more of a game in some aspects to me, it is still just a game. Enjoy it and do not let it interfere with your actual life. For FFXI is just a microcosm of real life, only there are still mysteries in life. So enjoy your life in Vana'diel and on Earth.
This is just but a small glimpse into what I experienced in FFXI, I do not have enough time to give a full Biography of all that was Nikas. I hope you enjoyed reading this and I hope it will make you recall the good ol' times. When FFXI was an untamed wilderness we all tried to conquer.
