That Old Feeling

[Alereth]

Do you remember those old days? When Vana'Diel was huge, you had to walk everywhere, Jeuno was the center of the world and you could stop for a moment and go "Holy crap, so much to do!"?

I'd like to hear about some of your best adventures back in the day. I mean before you started endgame. Before dynamis and sky, before ToAU and Colibri.

To start off, I remember sitting in Selbina, just because it was the furthest I had been from Bastok and I loved the music. It all felt so epic.

 

[Kajimaru]

I often think of such times, and rarely, I feel them again..
First time I walked out to La Thein from Ronf, and got scared when I saw a Bird.
The first time Anapuna and I where on the ship, and pirates attacked.
Starting out as a 7-plater journey from Sandy to Windy, only to get there with 3 people. (3 died, 1 got lost in Sarubataru.)

I think the biggest thing for me was coming from PSO (where each area is like a section with a point A to point B.) to coming outside of San d'Oria and seeing how wide open East Ronf was.. and then discovering that there was a West Ronf. @.@

Aaaaah, good times. *sits under cherry blossum tree, drinking sake.* o.o;

 

[LadyKiKi]

Valky Dunes.... Hill Lizzie, HOLY SHIT TOUGH HOLY SHIT

 

[Mercator]

30 minute "cool down" times outside of Crawler's Nest waiting for the mobs to reset. Complete with idiots that would go in to check if they had dispersed, they hadn't, and said person was raped and all crawlers relinked resulting in more wait time for everyone lol.

 

[Ruffyreborn]

Biggest thing for me was when I got a PS2 for my birthday in 2004, and I bought FFXI. Fond memories of the installation screens/music/pol viewer for some reason, nostalgia I guess. Then creating a character, soloing outside bastok, harvesting all the crystals I could find then selling them in /sh because they would go for more than AH, and faster.

I ventured out into gustberg and spent a lot of time on the tall hills surrounding bastok. People would just run in circles up there, picking off the good stuff. I remember my discovery of the gravestone at the top of one of them.

After working up enough courage, I decided to take on my first NM, bubbling bernie. I didnt know he was a forced spawn NM, so I ended up stealing someone elses... He was farming the clocks and selling them to an NPC in bastok using warp. 500gil was a handful back then.

After leveling a bit, (I was RDM) I decided to explore the Fumeroles and the Dangruff Wadi. I tried so hard to kill the Steam Lizard (or was it geyser lizard?) for the scale mail it dropped, because it was too expensive on the AH. A random happened by and we teamed up to kill it. He got obliterated and I finished it off, no drop.

Then exploring Konschtat Highlands, dodging around goblins and running to valkurm. This was the first time I died. I kept wondering how to get rid of the skull indicating weakness.

I made it to valkurm to see dozens of /sh's for parties. The game was so much more social and lenient back then. And demanding, you paid for your mistakes, and everyone else did, too. I actually miss the trains of mobs, it was a nice form of crowd control until everyone got slammed.

Skipping a large portion, the last time I played before coming back in mid 2005 was in Garlaige Citadel. I was a RDM/DRK because it was allowable back then. People would let you enjoy yourself and screw around however you wanted. Of course its not as effective as other jobs, but we were playing to have fun, we werent playing to be better. It was a game to us, not a competition. Thats what I remember most about my beginning. A game, not a boot camp.

This is why Im so looking forward to FF14. Even though there will be the elitists and "top-efficiency" players, hopefully many will also see it for what it is. A new game.

 

[Dancingweapon]

Oh where do I start? I had a friend who got the game before me so I already knew what server to aim for and such. I thought he was some kind of god at the game (he was a level 11 RDM with no sub job) so I listened to everything he had to say lol. I remember being told "NEVER, and I mean NEVER go near them black bird things (Yags) as they will chase you, and they WILL kill you." I solo'd on Mandy's and Rabbits until they yielded no exp for Christ sake (not understanding the /check command). It was long and tideous. I finally broke free of this rule when a Yag agro'd me and I two shotted it... /facepalm

Then I eventually got to the canyon to do some more soloing, I think I had just got diaga actually. I remember thinking it was like a stronger version of dia so I would cast it on everything before engaging the monster. I got owned so much by hitting other mobs in the area by mistake. I think I died about 5 times before (No idea why but I think it was Xali, told me it was an AoE spell lol) I gained an understanding of AoE...

Then when my friend decided it was high time we went to the dunes to party... The boat journey was hilarious. I remember being in private chat with him over XBL at the time. I was just relaxing and checking out the secenry when a crab spawned. I freaked out (I freaked out at every new named mob I saw actually) and ran inside the boat. My friend was like "Oh it's only DC let's kill it together" but I refused to go near it. So he said "whatever, I'll get it" As he ran up to it a sea monk spawned. I fucking screamed so much "what the FUCK is that Koszla?!?" "OMG MITCH, YOU NEED TO RUN INTO THE CABIN NOW!"

He agro'd it and it started running for me, I swear it was about to swing and we docked. I freaked out because I thought Koszla's corpse would stay on the boat but he spawned next to me dead. We found him a raise and went on to our first party... Which I never did make it to actually. I got killed on the way to the camp. 4 times... I gave up and vowed never to go to the dunes ever again.

I went and leveled in Pensinulia with what happened to be a long term game friend (Grinninghalberd) and got to 18 and he helped me unlock my subjob and my LS helped me get that wretched skull haha. Kenchion helped me actually.

Oh they were fun times...

Oh, I also did end up going back to the dunes. Several times actually haha. I won't even start with my first run to Jeuno... So much agro and death....

 

[Romper]

30 minute "cool down" times outside of Crawler's Nest waiting for the mobs to reset. Complete with idiots that would go in to check if they had dispersed, they hadn't, and said person was raped and all crawlers relinked resulting in more wait time for everyone lol.

Garlaige trains from the basement XD

Biggest thing for me was when I got a PS2 for my birthday in 2004, and I bought FFXI. Fond memories of the installation screens/music/pol viewer for some reason, nostalgia I guess. Then creating a character, soloing outside bastok, harvesting all the crystals I could find then selling them in /sh because they would go for more than AH, and faster.

I ventured out into gustberg and spent a lot of time on the tall hills surrounding bastok. People would just run in circles up there, picking off the good stuff. I remember my discovery of the gravestone at the top of one of them.

After working up enough courage, I decided to take on my first NM, bubbling bernie. I didnt know he was a forced spawn NM, so I ended up stealing someone elses... He was farming the clocks and selling them to an NPC in bastok using warp. 500gil was a handful back then.

After leveling a bit, (I was RDM) I decided to explore the Fumeroles and the Dangruff Wadi. I tried so hard to kill the Steam Lizard (or was it geyser lizard?) for the scale mail it dropped, because it was too expensive on the AH. A random happened by and we teamed up to kill it. He got obliterated and I finished it off, no drop.

Then exploring Konschtat Highlands, dodging around goblins and running to valkurm. This was the first time I died. I kept wondering how to get rid of the skull indicating weakness.

I made it to valkurm to see dozens of /sh's for parties. The game was so much more social and lenient back then. And demanding, you paid for your mistakes, and everyone else did, too. I actually miss the trains of mobs, it was a nice form of crowd control until everyone got slammed.

Skipping a large portion, the last time I played before coming back in mid 2005 was in Garlaige Citadel. I was a RDM/DRK because it was allowable back then. People would let you enjoy yourself and screw around however you wanted. Of course its not as effective as other jobs, but we were playing to have fun, we werent playing to be better. It was a game to us, not a competition. Thats what I remember most about my beginning. A game, not a boot camp.

This is why Im so looking forward to FF14. Even though there will be the elitists and "top-efficiency" players, hopefully many will also see it for what it is. A new game.

I remember farming the bees in South/North Gustaberg on the mountains for gil as like a level 30 thief.

Also Skill Chains and Magic Bursting with distortion.

 

[Claudhert]

I have many good times from when I 1st started.

But I remeber my 1st exsperiance with any MMO endgame more than anything. I was running with a Awesome group of people with a red Linkpearl Lead by the great PerfectAngel, the shell known by the name of RAWR! Fighting a now lolturtle named Genbu. Eormanric was the main tank and myself a lv73PLD, and another PLD of 73 Named Celvantes were on back up. The fight was epic in my eyes with the turtle endlessly chasing Eor around the bush. Somehow Eor got killed, and i suddenly recieved an invite. "Get in there Claud your up"

"OH holy crap" I though as I provoked and flashed the giant turtle quickly running to the bush. Circling it to fast, I run smack into Genbu's face. "Miraculusly I sheild block (at the time complelty nulifying the damage) change directions and dont make the mistake agian untill Genbu is at 2% where he flattens me then dies from a collosal Magic Burst.

I get raised up and cheers ensue as loot is distributed. If i remeber correctly that was the day i receaved my 1st Martial Abjuration. Good times Good times..

Also Any stories about the "Sea Horror" are ussually quite humerous.

 

[Reya]

*thf runs into lizard tunnel in valkrum dunes* (you all know which one I am talking about...)

thf >> pulling a lizard! ^^
party >> watch for links
*twang!*
thf >> what's a link? ^^!

 

[Romper]

I have many good times from when I 1st started.

But I remeber my 1st exsperiance with any MMO endgame more than anything. I was running with a Awesome group of people with a red Linkpearl Lead by the great PerfectAngel, the shell known by the name of RAWR! Fighting a now lolturtle named Genbu. Eormanric was the main tank and myself a lv73PLD, and another PLD of 73 Named Celvantes were on back up. The fight was epic in my eyes with the turtle endlessly chasing Eor around the bush. Somehow Eor got killed, and i suddenly recieved an invite. "Get in there Claud your up"

"OH holy crap" I though as I provoked and flashed the giant turtle quickly running to the bush. Circling it to fast, I run smack into Genbu's face. "Miraculusly I sheild block (at the time complelty nulifying the damage) change directions and dont make the mistake agian untill Genbu is at 2% where he flattens me then dies from a collosal Magic Burst.

I get raised up and cheers ensue as loot is distributed. If i remeber correctly that was the day i receaved my 1st Martial Abjuration. Good times Good times..

Also Any stories about the "Sea Horror" are ussually quite humerous.

One of my first Genbu fights Genbu bugged into the bush, and just didn't leave. It happened twice. We were like awesome. So it was me and one other person just chilling provoking back and forth to suck up magic damage as we weren't take physical damage as he refused to leave the bush.

 

[CidBahamut]

Hunting Lizards for eggs in Dangruf Wadi with my friend. We just barely killed one and got the drop for the mission and then high-tailed it out of there. It's laughable now, but back then it was a big accomplishment for us.

Running in terror from Tremor Rams in the Highlands, good times.

 

[Eilistrae]

One of the things that sticks out in my mind is Gais. That infamous JP player that seemed to hate all NA players. However, he was always helping me out, being nice to me, we talked on MSN using a really bad Japanese to English translator website lol He would power level me, got missions done for me, it was great

Too bad he hated all the rest of the NA players though XD

 

[Dejavu]

shit... i made it to level 11 on thf before i learned how to heal... after every kill i would run all the way back to my mog house in sandy to get my hp back

 

[Laubibent]

biggest thing i remember is when all the first gen NA players got to like 55 and tried to do genkai2 with 18 people and it ended so bad, had a drk tractor the whole alliance think it was the tiger and it kept running back and killing whoever got raised was hilarious

 

[Ecks]

There were many moments when I first made my way through Vana'Diel.

It felt like I'd never get out of Ronfaure Forest at first, initially that zone felt so huge. Then I was finally able to move on to La Theine Plateau and was astonished at how massive that zone felt (looked). I had never seen an area in a mmo that felt so realistically massive and open. I remember when you actually had to run from San D'Oria to get to Valkrum Dunes because Chocobos where just too expensive to be using gil on (that or I didnt even know about them yet). Which I enjoyed slightly, it was a nice beach type area though ideally was a little out of place since the last area was a grassy plain with mountains and hills.

But I think my favorite spot was Qufim Island. When I got there it was almost a solemn looking place. But the way the sun barely penetrated the sky there and gave the area a gray hazy look, well to me, made the place look really beatiful. Eventually you fought/sneaked your way through and reached the outside of Delkfutt's Tower where oh so long ago I took a POL screenshot that to this day is one of my favorite screenshots from the game. Because for me it's both a nostalgic and beautiful rememberance of my early days playing the game. I would often revisit Qufim Islands many times after I had gotten my Dark Knight up to 75 and even in the lower 70s just to run around the area, kill the kraken, or back when you could.. use the kraken to torment gold farmers and fish botters. Those were fun times.

Anyway, here is said screenshot: