The Moment Final Fantasy 14 Almost Broke Me...

[@CaffeinatedDad]

To see the whole series check out this Playlist! kzbin.info/aero/PL62hjrfqZeNK2YAMGtKlyqHkmb075CgWp

[@KooriGraywolf]

The Waking Sands rug pull is one of the scenes why I still think highly and fondly of ARR, even having played all expansions

[@cryssanie]

Oh god I can't wait to see his reactions when he gets to the Several Cutscenes Will Play in Sequence Banquet

[@hangedman-1984]

Wait until he gets to Werlyt

[@dalgona4819]

Werlyt? I'll look forward to seeing him react to the Final Days

[@gateauxq4604]

He’s a dad, Werlyt is gonna wreck him.

[@shingshongshamalama]

Oh. The /nod animation is just invisible when you're wearing armour like that. That's freaking hilarious.

[@larskoenig6021]

oh sweet summer child. this is a freakin glimpse of what comes for you. theres a good reason ff14 msq streams are as successful as they are: we vets are emotional vampires :3 enjoy as we enjoy!

[@sennaka]

I know right? Like the time *blank* did *blankity blank* when we *blanked*? There have been many times I have howled "eff you writers" with this game. :)

[@larskoenig6021]

@@sennakayeah but in both ways, like completly devastating and massiv, beautiful and/or satisfying hits as well. this game is just a damn rollercoaster! cant wait to the moment he discovers all the just-for-fun content like the 12 person bands who play music wishes in the capital cities, the saucer, blu etc.

[@genXantiKaren]

Indeed. I'm addicted to seeing other people go through the same emotional damage I have.

[@JamieBarrington]

Right? Wait until they get to Shadowbringers and Endwalker. One of my fav things to do is watch others play through those two expansions. Makes me feel less alone with my pain, lol. We are emotional vampires

[@larskoenig6021]

@@JamieBarringtonbeen on the ride with garett&kyle from grinding gear since they started and its just a blast for everyone! highly recommend their channel.

[@zhangbill1194]

Your character being in pain while dressed like a unexpressive fire hydrant reminds me a of a story "I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream"

[@auricseagard8065]

"Yoshi-P you have to chill!" (Somewhere, far off but getting closer with each quest, a woman named Natsuko Ishikawa is laughing fiendishly.)

[@JenDeyan]

"Damn, Final Fantasy. At least, let me hit max level before delivering the first straight gut punch." Me at Max Level: Bwhahahahahahahahahaha!

[@AwesomeSimmo]

That fight with the boulder is funnier when you are a conjurer.

[@Norbert_Sattler]

Or a small character like Lalafel or Fem Au Ra. ^^

[@Arenuphis]

it's also very funny as a marauder, as I had trained long and hard for that moment (You keep being asked to beat up rocks in the early marauder quests)

[@ExileTwilight]

Honestly, it would have been such a neat touch if you could just one-tap the boulder as a conjurer because earth magic is one of their aspects xD

[@Toric00]

It's funny as a bard too. There's something wonderfully animesque about shattering a boulder one arrowhead at a time.

[@acehealer4212]

[Conjurer voice] I used the Stone to destroy the stone.

[@prophetjamz94]

Rule of thumb when p[aying any Final Fantasy game, just expect those happy-go-lucky vibes to change to despair and dread at some point in the story

[@Reycied]

Riol / Ravioli doesn't get a lot of screen time, but he's ride or die. One of my favorite background characters.

[@bluechromata6976]

A big point that FFXIV makes is that most (if not all) of the so-called “beast” tribes are just victims of circumstance. For the most part, so long as they aren’t tempered they just want to live a normal life same as you and me. Also, the Waking Sands never ceases to cause me intense fury when I relive it while leveling alt characters. Each of the background scions had so much potential, and a bunch of them even were returnees from 1.0. The fact that Livia took them all from us… It makes my blood boil.

[@thed4rknss673]

I love how in stormblood post expansion quests Varis make sure to tell this(about the best tribes and eorzea people relations) in front of every single leader of the Eorzea Alliance, dude had balls of steel

[@professeurgideere5856]

"Victims of circumstance" more like they are very obviously the victims of imperialism. Every fucking time.

[@Scerttle]

2:25 hooooo boy, did I utter "are we the baddies" so many times through ARR and even some of Heavensward..... and Shadowbringers.... lmfao

[@ExileTwilight]

The Scions are unfortunately often tasked with dealing with a very morally grey situation in a fairly black and white manner due to how Primals work, ie: Enslaving the minds of those in their presence and draining the land of aether.

[@TheDapperDragon]

That's one of my biggest complaints of HW. The first dungeon is literally 'hey, go slaughter a shit ton of infants in their cribs' and I'm supposed to be down with that? And not even mentioning starting the DRK questline before that...

[@Scerttle]

@@TheDapperDragonThat's part of why I'm a big fan of the DRK quests, though. It some how manages to give what is mostly a self-insert who is rail-roaded into doing a bunch of stuff you might not even want to do some nuance.

[@Anime-Doom]

Past the great filter and right into the cabbage kick. With how much respect you had for this scene I can't wait to see "THAT" moment.

[@thewitchiebunny]

There are a lot of THAT moments in this game, even in ARR. xD

[@DXDragon38]

There are so many unique pieces of dialogue you can never see again now that the characters in the Waking Sand are dead. Each time you completed a quest, the Dialogue of some of the NPCs in the room would update. Examples: "You had a new group of Scions who were new to the cause including one of of the few to survive. He lost his friend's who had kept encouraging him when he felt inadequate. There were the two people from the Students of Beldesion who were their to coordinate with us. There were the group of people who had been part of the Path of the Twelve (a precursor to the Scions from 1.x) who had muddled memories and were meeting up with their old comrades from before the Calamity again. There was even the Elezen archer from Edda's group dealing with the death of Edda's fiancé who she had secretly loved and who in retrospect felt guilt over her part in his death. She had just started coming to terms with it and finding her purpose." - Quote taken from Reddit RIP Fallen Scions. o7

[@EspyMelly]

Man if he's invested now... I kinda hope he keep the fire hydrant look through everything going forward, all the way to Endwalker

[@Mordak1989]

The quests leading up to Titan are kind of known as the great filter because it's the part of ARR where things really slow down for a lot of players. As a side note, your character is likely nodding in most cutscenes, but that armor in particular is likely covering it up. Anyway, grats on getting through the filter. :P

[@Mir_Teiwaz]

After replaying ARR a little while ago, it's funny to me that Titan is what filters people and not the part with the Sylphs just before it. I found that vastly more tedious, mostly because of how they talk, than the stuff leading up to Titan.

[@AnakhaSilver]

The stuff leading up to Titan is meant to feel like that, because I don't think the Waking Sands Massacre would hit as hard otherwise.

[@flux_casey]

@@Mir_Teiwaz The Company of Heroes are a miserable slog, not helped by you doing a bunch of random nonsense for a fraud, only to find the real guy and him also have you do a bunch of random nonsense. It's explicitly, both in story and out, a gigantic waste of time. At least the sylph stuff had a narrative purpose.

[@Mir_Teiwaz]

@@flux_casey you do that stuff for the company of Heroes to prove *to them* they aren't just sending someone off to their death. All they know about you is that you claim to have beaten Ifrit, but they would obviously have a difficult time believing that due to how many people they lost taking on Titan and Leviathan.

[@flux_casey]

@@Mir_Teiwaz And that's a vaguely questionable reason (the wine thing, dear sweet mother of god the wine thing) that could probably get a pass. If it wasn't for them asking you to do very similar things to what the fraud demanded of you. If the fraud wasn't there, it would be far more palatable... If still kind of a giant waste of time. The very first thing to endeared me to Alphinaud was him openly acknowledging how pointless it was and that you could have been doing so many more useful things than bumbling in the woods looking for vine cuttings.

[@JenDeyan]

"The Moment Final Fantasy 14 Almost Broke Me..." Following Expansions: Hold our beers.

[@alden2085]

Shadowbringers, in the distance: *manic laughter*

[@sugoistalin7809]

Yeah this is like point 1 on a 5 page checklist lol.

[@KirillBry]

What really got me was the quest after the waking sands scene. SPOILER: They make you collect the bodies of your comrades and load them onto the cart that brings them to the cemetery. Like it's one thing to have them all die and then just make it all magically disappear, but being the one to get rid of the bodies just makes it that much realer.

[@sorakun555]

The AST letting you get low is gonna be a normal thing. One of their bread & butter heals is one that's most effective when you're

[@ChrisMajors]

WHM main here. Remember, you only really have ONE important hit point. All the rest are just padding.

[@AwesomeSimmo]

The emotional trauma only gets worse.

[@ianharac5153]

Oh, my sweet summer child... it gets so much worse. :) We pay them a monthly fee to rip our heart out.

[@SailorSetsuna7]

The Waking Sands moment sticks to me to this day, I get shivers any time the Fever Dream track starts playing later in game.

[@Foxpawed]

As soon as I saw the quest was called "All Good Things" my brain immediately connected the "... must come to an end" dots so just, IMMEDIATE dread heading back.

[@FieldMarshall3]

I enjoyed the story of ARR but what was really curious to me is that people said this was "the bad part of the game". It really motivated me to keep going and oh boy they were not lying. I have been playing games my entire life (im 37 now) and i consider FF14 from start to finish (currently Endwalker) to be one of the best stories i have ever played. My expectations were really high but it somehow ended up being better than anything i could have imagined. 11/10

[@ExileTwilight]

ARR gets a bit of a bad wrap because of how much the expansions shine in comparison, it would be a lot more accurate to say that ARR is more your general MMO story with a few twists and highlights thrown in, compared to being straight up bad.

[@Omegaphoenix128]

The specific part with returning to the waking sands has impact, but the running around doing fetch quest nonsense for the Company of Heroes is just plain boring and comes across as nothing more than something to waste player time. From a lore perspective it makes little sense: The scions can clearly vouch for you (especially Yshtola and Minfillia) but really dont and instead have you waste time doing fetch quests when the threat of Titan is looming. Quests that dont actually prove anything in terms of your capabilities other than that you have the patience of a saint. Oh, and nvm the fact that CoH should already be well aware that you defeated Ifrit, and in universe Ifrit and Titan are of the same strength. It really is just not great in terms of storyteling, particularly cause it creates one of the greatest sins in storytelling: It serves no purpose. It doesnt build anything about the world, it doesnt lay seeds for a future thing (except IIRC one side quest way down the road), it doesnt demonstrate any real trial and tribulation. It does nothing really. You could literally cut that section out of the story and not have it matter ultimately. Frankly, a trial or something else where you have to beat the CoH would be a better and more concise method of proving your mettle

[@Keira_Blackstone]

@@Omegaphoenix128I actually really enjoyed the titan banquet stuff my first time around because it was fun interacting with all the wacky company of heroes characters and also traveling around and fleshing out the world more. the only part that particularly annoyed me was the corrupted crystal questline leading into Garuda. I did understand why both of those parts where there though- they're trying to make sure the MSQ takes you everywhere in the base world and also lasts you for 50 levels. there's certainly a few clunky parts because of them doing this, but i can't blame them.

[@markup6394]

4:50 --- Well, what can I say? Thats some *solid* advice XD 7:22 --- Cannonically, chocobos have a rather strong smell - worse than horses (yes, horses exist in this universe, too, just not where we are ^^). And... I dont know about you, but I know my horses, soooo... yeah... people dealing with chocobos definitely have a certain smell about them that people immediatly recognise - and that friendly NPC happened to be the first one to tell us ^.^ 13:57 --- I feel I have to state this here: Drest is actually a tragic figure. He was Garlean conscript who lost contact to his unit and is now literally stranded in a strange land among people who would rather skin him than help him get back home. Add to that some healthy dose of PTSD and there goes your crazy hermit. Only the Lala was a friend, but also probably because Drest was the friendly one first. 19:00 --- This is the official "Welcome to A Realm Reborn"-moment. Dont worry. There is a "Welcome to ..."-moment for every expansion; the timing is just different for any of them so you'll never know when you get that juicy gut punch... 21:25 --- Damn, true that... 24:15 --- Oh, my sweet summer child XD XD XD You'll get those gut punches delivered waaaaaaaay before you even get close to max level XD Also, I know you do this for the memes, but hell, I'll be happy when you finally evolve out of that bloody tin can XD

[@grimreaper7217]

Fun fact hellbender is a reference to hellbender salamanders 10:56

[@RanRayu]

hold on, a sprout that knows the true nature of being a healer already? i am impressed. ok, let me explain. this healer was by no means a bad healer, in fact they were doing exactly the right thing, being a green dps. you dont need to be healed unless the next attack is sure to kill ya, at all other times the healer is just another dps. the fun in being a healer is seeing how close we can let you get to 1 hp without letting you die, and if you do die... we just rez ya and try again. xD

[@ExileTwilight]

Seems they might have been cutting it a little close at times, but otherwise I agree :p

[@alden2085]

Ah, the Healer's Creed. The only HP that matters is the last one.

[@sugoistalin7809]

Yeah, as a healer, as long as no one dies, we're doing our jobs right.

[@estel-randir]

All Good Things still breaks my heart whenever I level an alt. I have to struggle to make myself do it. But yeah. This is where I first got hooked on this game for sure. I just wanna make sure, though: have you set up your fire hydrant as a glamor, so you can equip better armor? That might be making those fights a little more hairy for ya.

[@CaffeinatedDad]

I did see that I can upgrade my armor and still maintain the fire hydrant. I think I have to now because it is an absolutely canon event! I appreciate your comment!

[@PokeBattlerJaze]

“Never trust someone wearing a banana hammock.” Who’s gonna tell him? 😂

[@Irisa0]

I wonder: was it the sudden eerie music, the fact the lights are out, or the body on the floor as you passed your cursor over it; that made you realise something was off? It's just that you stopped mid sentence, so something triggered your senses and I was just wondering what caught your attention first ^^ It has been a long time since I played through that part... thrust me when I say that you haven't seen the last of these sudden, gut-wrenching moments in this game... Yoshi-P really likes to tug at the heartstrings, mess with your emotions and feelings but that is also a sign of a good game: You having fun and you feeling something for the story and the characters... I hope you keep enjoying and playing the game, not only for yourself, but for all of us that have played through the MSQ a while ago and would give anything to go through it for the first time again, but since we can't, we must live vicariously through you ^^

[@MaZeW1]

That part with the party preparation before Titan used to be a lot longer. Like 3 times as long. It really overstayed its welcome. Luckily during a streamlining in the last expansion they shortened it and other places, tweaked things all over ARR to make for a smoother experience.

[@gamingbean6440]

Dont feel bad about Brayflox. That dungeon is the first major ramp up in difficulty a lot of people will tell you (second one comes at level 44). As its really the first dungeon where you're expected to have your job stones. It was a little worse back in the day but thankfully, as with the length of ARR, it was recently adjusted to remove some headache.

[@IKMcGwee]

Not the 44 dungeon, nooooooo... That and the 47 dungeon make me shiver

[@RothAnim]

@@IKMcGwee Healing those 40-49 dungeons is always a white-knuckle experience. The tanks at that level think they're gods, but healers are missing most of our OGCD heals. To make it worse, they were designed before wall-to-wall pulls became the expected playstyle, so it can be really easy to get overwhelmed.

[@elaine_of_shalott6587]

@@RothAnim Tank in the LIGHT! Rescue, Tank get back in the LIGHT.

[@RothAnim]

@@elaine_of_shalott6587 I had to do a Stone Vigil run on WHM where the tank kept running around corners and pulling wall to wall. After the third wipe I told the tank that he needed to turn on his mitigation if he was going to break line of sight with me. I didn't _realize_ I was typing in CAPS LOCK when I said that, but I also didn't apologize. On the plus side, we didn't wipe again, and I still got all three commendations at the end of the run. XD

[@patyos2]

Your character reminds of Goblin Slayer from Goblin Slayer but all red like a fire hydrant

[@gagff9762]

As someone from Wisconsin, can confirm that Brayflox is absolutely representative of everything here.

[@Lexcanium]

This was a fantastic video! Your reaction to *that* scene was really something. You were talking about the WoW Moon Guard server, of all things, and then you enter into the Waking Sands...the music is quiet and eerie...and you're dead silent for a good 15-20 seconds trying to figure out WTF just happened. *Chef's kiss* This was a pleasure to watch, and I really appreciate the way you covered it here. It's refreshing to see how invested you already are in the way the story is being told. Hold on tight - it's going to be a wild ride from here!

[@CaffeinatedDad]

Woof lol I have quite a journey ahead of me to be sure but this twist was straight up out of left field. Good gracious I was shook!

[@GTFrostbite]

I love that Manthong's Man Thong is directly at eye level for Caffeinated Dad. No wonder he's extra stoic, he's desparately trying to avert his gaze and cant turn his head as a firehydrant.

[@mr.mystere4999]

That particular MSQ didn't get me once. It got me twice. The first time was me playing the game like normal sproutiness. The second time was two years later on an alt because I had forgotten about it and it hits so fast and so hard. Welcome to FFXIV!!

[@nyeonii]

Oh man… if you think that ARR scene destroyed you, just wait. That is the first of many many heartbreaking plot twists that will occur throughout your journey

[@thyrussendria8198]

There are times of deep despair... "A smile better suits a hero..." And times of great heroism "Take it, we fight as one."

[@Tailionis]

Loving these summaries. You are giving me a recap that I needed before dawntrail.

[@LameMule]

PapaMeow still sends me a little every time I hear it for the first time in a day. Love the streams, love these videos.

[@zeehero7280]

it's true the Lominsans started the problem with the Kobolds. but Titan is a threat to survival, so it was only normal to stop him. They can't take back their old mistake but have to defend themselves

[@leonbraun3778]

My friend, you are just getting started with this wild story =) So many more amazing and crazy moments ahead =) Wish I could do this again for the first time myself; excited for you for the amazing journey ahead =)

[@Lordoftheapes79]

There's actually a path thru the last section of Brayflox Longstop where, if you follow it correctly, you can get the boss only fighting the last 3 mobs. It can lead to some funny situations if you're the only one that knows it 😂

[@thewitchiebunny]

During my time in MSQ, I asked my friends tearfully if the story would be like this from now on. I was told that there would be difficult times, but there would always be hope and tbh? That's probably the truest statement about this game. Enjoy the ride.

[@CaffeinatedDad]

Honestly for the base game it really does give you a lot to be excited about not gonna lie. Especially with the things that lie immediately after

[@Seandreams_]

Extract your materia when it goes white in the inventory button. Other than that, great video as always

[@sageata_verde]

This will be an interesting series to follow...keep it up. And do all content as it was meant to be experienced(so raids in the patch they released and so on). It adds so much more to the story and experience. Don't rush it, you only experience MSQ once and remember don't google anything related to FF14!!!!! Oh and keep a box of tissues around. i haven't met a single person that hasn't cried at least once during a part of FF14.

[@wallacewallace7485]

When I saw your stream on Sunday and saw that you were already in coerthas I KNEWWWWW that this episode would be GOOOOOOD

[@a4gamingstuff433]

I am enjoying your journey through FFXIV's story SO much. You're really good at telling it lol. I look forward to the end of ARR and everything before Heavensward!

[@ayafeliciano4165]

2 important things: 1. yes the music is amazing. take care to pay attention to it because it will all eventually come back around. it also is important for invoking deep feelings and the music WILL make you cry at times. (or just be plain awesome) 2. its only going to get so much worse. the deeper you get into this story, the more it will rip your heart out. dont hold back and let the emotions flow because you can only experience this for the first time, one time.

[@millamiqote8827]

Coming back to Waking Sands after Titan was when I went from regular MMO quest mode to "wtf is this?!" aka, it's when I started paying proper attention. It happened some 10 years ago but I still remember well the gutpunch it gave me. I really liked Noraxia too... One more thing, this is just my opinion ofc, please don't stick to the tincan for all of it, the joke will get old (imo it already is, but that's just me), there's also entertainment in watching your characters actual facial expressions.

[@meriwidget3474]

That was my "moment" when I knew I'd be hooked for life on this game! I walked in and I noticed the music immediately.. then tiptoed around the corner and saw the dead lalafell and I was just.. stunned. (I play a lala myself, nothing sadder than a sad lala). I was in total shock! I've always liked story in games, so I had interacted with all of the "B team" Scions, learned their stories, so I was really sad to see them all like that!

[@Shiirow]

Fun Fact the english VA for Livia has also done voices for WoW, most notably the second boss in The Nexus, Grand Magus Telestra.

[@smuffin82]

sylvanas windrunner i recognize the voice ah my heart for that old game before ff14 manage to sway me for 4 years :D

[@atreusduvelll600]

Missed opportunity for a “This is the way” joke when he doesn’t take of his helmet. 😂 love this video series CD!

[@bunnyluve]

And here, level 35, is where the free trial used to end. Yeah, perfect timing for it to get you to buy the full game.

[@starlitdown]

LOL 6:52 or calling into a zoom court hearing while driving... and the hearing is for a suspended license? =p

[@CaffeinatedDad]

Omg that's even better!

[@jtspender]

BTW, the dragon fight at the end of Brayflox's Longstop was redesigned when they added duty support (the AI NPCs you can take to do the dungeon solo). So it's a bit more like "modern" fights in terms of its overall mechanics design (though still just using ARR mechanics--there's a lot of other types of mechanics that get introduced over the expansions that you'll learn as you go).

[@Hambone1]

Man I can’t wait for the next few episodes! This game is such a fantastic roller coaster!

[@CaffeinatedDad]

Absolutely! Next episode is out tomorrow!

[@greedx__]

ah yeah i managed to get in the video! (when you're buying dyes), been enjoying these and i had to find ya in game when i realized we share the same home world

[@katiepatterson3160]

8:55 not sure if you know yet but outside of the waking sands there is an NPC you can talk to that gives you a quest to unlock the glamour system which allows you to make your armor look like other armor, so you can still have your fire hydrant gear while getting the stats of the better gear.

[@raine4958]

Oh sir….if that stopped you in your tracks, I implore you to stock up on tissues and any comfort food, drinks and cozies. An absolute banger of a journey!

[@scubarubanzaii]

I will say, as a major healer main, Brayflox has always been potentially VERY dangerous to tanks, even tanks who do their jobs well.

[@IKMcGwee]

The level range for Brayflox makes both healing and tanking there kinda tricky if you aren't familiar with it. Having both the tank and healer being new to it is a big oof, but nothing like a trial by fire to skill up.

[@wickercasket]

I keep meaning to catch your streams but Life Stuff keeps occurring. :/ I LOVE these summaries you're posting however, because you're getting the gist across to YT if not every single reaction a la the streams. Thank you so much for these vids and I hope you continue to enjoy the game! Like probably literally every other 'talking about future content' comment you get, I too promise in the best possible way: Honey, you've got a big storm comin'

[@CaffeinatedDad]

Lol a big storm? It's a gd hurricane at this rate ha! I do enjoy putting these together and have the community enjoy them it has been an absolute treat!

[@Shinino_Kage]

Oh man. There's so much more to come that is going to destroy you. There are literal songs in this game that I cannot listen to without crying, and I'm a grown-ass man. There's a reason that there are 'palate cleanser' quests between each expansion -and- that next expansion is -supposedly- going to be lighter. Other moments that broke me: 1) Story just before Heavensward. 2) THAT MOMENT in Heavensward 3) The pre-Shadowbringers quests. 4) 'Close in the Distance' playing near the end of Endwalker EVEN KNOWING WHAT WAS GOING ON.

[@thewitchiebunny]

That moment in EW hits because we have the meta-knowledge the characters don't but by that time...we're invested. This entire game is a masterwork in storytelling. For me, it was the "Welcome to Shadowbringers" moment that REALLY hurt.

[@ValgarvX]

"All of you knew what was going to happen!" Everyone watching in the chat: "Perhaps..."

[@CaffeinatedDad]

Yall did a great job at keeping it a secret not gonna lie!

[@elaine_of_shalott6587]

FYI: Astro's main heal is more powerful when you are at 30 percent health or below so getting close is just them being efficient. :D I think that spell exist to teach both healers and tanks the is your HP more than 1, then you are fine, rule.

[@BurritoPanda]

I've really been enjoying your journey through this game, can't wait for the next video!

[@acehealer4212]

I like the Company of Heroes. They're all pretty neat. But yeah the silliness of that whole arc and the triumph of beating Titan is SO GOOD with what comes next. I'm really excited to continue the story. I want to get to level 50 and do the FFXV event!

[@seekittycat]

Its so sad because salad only just got a hang of their human form and I was so looking forward to their other cursed glams showing up when I visit other cities. The waking sands was ao packed with family members joining in. A certain Archer lady was finally getting over the guilt of the Tank dying and healer going insane...

[@yurioorlov177]

That really was just the 1st of many slaps to your EMonitas in this game. They get worse and worse as times go on, There are lines that Player will know and it evokes the scene in clarity with its emotive content intact.

[@KyouTGD]

When I started, the Free Trial was only two weeks, with a level cap of 35. I hit level 35 right after defeating Titan. I was having so much fun I bought the game with almost a whole week left of free days. And what do I get right back to? That quest. I am never forgetting that.

[@WanderingVtuber]

"You knew what was gonna happen" Im not going to lie, that is honestly half the fun of having someone experience the story for the first time xD Its almost like second hand replay if that makes sense :D

[@ReaverPrime]

Hellbenders are an actual species of massive salamanders. Also, regarding the Astro in that dungeon, bear in mind, healer kits early in the game are pretty scant. And keep in mind, the sprout isn't always an indicator of a "new" player. You keep your sprout until you either deactivate it manually or reach what is the current expansion, which is currently Endwalker. I know someone that has played for well over a year, has multiple high levels, lots of raids done, but still has her sprout.

[@TifaTakeuchi]

You can be level 90 and still have the sprout. I saw 1 in a level 90 6.x dungeon. Along with the level, you also have to played a certain number of hours. I assume that this character blasted through the MSQ/ bought a skip potion, possibly an alt.

[@killtheheretics2915]

Yeah one of ff14s biggest themes is that the good times never last

[@Sylvie0512]

The hooks have begun to sink in :) Hope you enjoy the many many more adventures this game holds :D

[@gateauxq4604]

That was a helluva time to start talking about Moonguard 😂

[@TigerBrows]

I was enjoying FFXIV well enough until this moment, but All Good Things was the moment that well and truly got me hooked on the story. Such a gutpunch delivered to the player in devastating fashion.

[@Adu767]

For those moments where you're not sure your healer is going to keep you alive, Max Potions come in handy. They are dirt cheap and are actually significant healing for ARR.

[@Null_Experis]

The Kobold/Limsa peace treaty was penned before the Calamity or Invasion by Garlemald and was basically along the lines of "Limsa Lominsa gets the oceans and coast, Kobolds have the lands inside the island". This was an equitable arrangement when Limsa was a pirate nation and stole what they needed from others and occasionally traded with the Kobolds, but after the invasion (you cannot pirate Garlean airships, and piracy becomes difficult with Garlean patrols controlling the air) and calamity (Limsa's entire coastline was ravaged) there was a need for land to farm on and raw materials for building up again and the Kobolds refused to trade or even grant mining rights/farmland to Limsa. The Kobolds were almost entirely untouched by the Calamity since they live underground. So, faced with extinction, Pirates did what Pirates do. This wasn't Manifest Destiny, it was one side getting screwed and the other trying to capitalize on their weakness hoping they would starve to death.

[@Null_Experis]

Oh, also the Sahagin are an aggressive invader to Vyllbrand, they used Leviathan to flood western La Noscea to make new spawning grounds after the Calamity destroyed theirs, driving Limsa Lominsa out of the only decent farm land they has under the Kobold Treaty. So, it's not so black and white. This isn't aggressive expansionism, it's fighting for survival on all sides.

[@BaithNa]

Dude, you have no idea how much sorrow and despair is in this game

[@KenanVonKaiser]

Damn Poor Lalafell!

[@Norbert_Sattler]

For the dungeon healing, you going low on HP is not necessarily a sign that the healer is bad. It might mean he is bad and can barely keep you alive, or it could mean that the healer is quite experienced and only heals, when it's really necessary, and while it isn't necessary, he's DPSing the boss, to make the fight finish faster. Sprout doesn't necessarily mean newbie anymore. You lose your leaf, once you played for a certain number of hours (something around 160-ish from memory) AND finished Shadowbringers. By the time I lost my sprout, I was well over 900 hours playtime. What nearly broke me was putting together the meal, which is the worst part of the game throughout all expansions to me. We are told that each hour yellow jackets and maelstrom soldiers die... and here we are putting together a feast... Oh well, on the plus side, it can only get better from that pit, and getting better it does, by a lot. :) The sad parts, you should better get used to, and/or keep a pack of tissues at the ready at all times when playing the MSQ. FF14 knows how to hit you in the feels, both in a euphoric and in an utterly devestating way. What this cutscene did, was to show that unlike with many other franchises, being the cute, comedic side-kick does not mean the character is safe.

[@Harlizarrd]

I'm not too far ahead of you in the story and that quest floored me as well. I'm really keen to see how else this game can ruin me.

[@zoonal-gg]

LOL I came back to FFXIV Yesterday, when you did the POE stuff I was playing POE a lot. Are we the same person?

[@CaffeinatedDad]

Oh I got some juicy POE stuff in the works too don't worry!

[@Kandei-Kain]

People say this game is too shiny and sparkly and not dark and gritty enough... They have zero clue. And it only gets more intense from ARR so yeah! Enjoy the crying fits interrupted by laughing fits going right back into crying fits. ^.^ It's a great roller coaster, highly recommend! :D

[@elaine_of_shalott6587]

I was totally LMAO when a WoW friend told me FF14 was "light and fluffy" WoW occasionally touches on something dark for edgy boy points, but they don't have the guts to go in depth and face them head on.

[@lucasdude]

@@elaine_of_shalott6587 i think teldrassil was their most hard-hitting moment but like.. theres not been much before or after yeah. ffxiv pulled me in because im an enjoyer of tragedy lol

[@dizadaza]

A pit of despair you say? Do remember that you said that someday... a long time from now lol

[@TheGlassJubilee]

I cannot wait to see more, i'm loving this journey and take on ARR

[@sennaka]

The writers come for your SOUL in this game. Keep your tissues handy and stay hydrated. (and as another vid stated, the Garleans are *literally* within eyeshot of the Waking Sands, so this was kind of expected.)

[@CaffeinatedDad]

That's actually a neat fact I did not know about the garlean empire. That .makes so much more sense!

[@UmatsuObossa]

A Hellbender is a kind of REAL LIFE salamander.

[@CaffeinatedDad]

Well... that is something I know now lol

[@mobius4247]

You made it through the slowest part! Yay! Now you're good until ARR patch content 😅

[@Nyx685]

"All Good Things" OHHHH FLASHBACKS

[@Deuzen_FIN]

For those wondering: Your second pronunciation of Aiatar was nigh spot on. It's named after an evil spirit of pestilence in Finnish folklore.

[@user-fp6mi7lj1s]

My poor child this is a tease of the emotional pain to come. Stay strong

[@Mir_Teiwaz]

All the Company of Heroes know is that an animated fire hydrant claiming to have beaten Ifrit is asking how to get to Titan to fight him by itself. The Company lost dozens of people taking Titan out the last time. Would you tell someone how to get to Titan's lair when you have no proof they'll actually come back alive?

[@alden2085]

Random trivia regarding that boss from the dungeon: The hellbender is an actual species of salamander in the real world. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hellbender

[@Marvelous_Jared]

That Dracula joke was actually pretty good.

[@Manuel1112221]

The Hellbender is named after the hellbender giant salamander, which is an actual animal. :D

[@Nomad77ca]

One thing I noticed about FFXIV, as compared to GW2, is that the FF story is easier to get through combat wise. I had no problems using a Bard all the way thru Endwalker. In GW2 I have had several story instances that caused me no end of frustration. Mind you, this may just be me as I am somewhat combat skill challenged lol. As my fingers get older they seem to get slower :)

[@CaffeinatedDad]

Some of the missions in Guild wars 2 were absolute bears. The HOT ones or even the living world season 4 ones can be tough! I do like that the ff14 stories offer some light challenge but don't take away from the story!

[@bendonatier]

So one thing worth noting about Limsa, is that of the three city states, it is the most a nation in transition. It was founded as a nation of pirates, but the current Admiral basically said "Hey there's a war going on, we need to get our shit together and stop attacking the people who should be our allies, and focus on fighting the empire only. Part of the move away from piracy has been pushing inland, but she knows that's not an actual solution. Limsa are the baddies, but the leaders realized this a good 4 years before the calamity, and are working their asses off to try and wright the ship. Unfortunately change is hard, and there are no easy answers. It's party of why I love Limsa, and love seeing it grow as the story continues.

[@alice_in_translation1798]

I still remember playing when FFXIV first came out and how shattered I felt about Noraxia T_T