Summary: Exploring South Gustaberg, North Gustaberg, and Dangruf Wadi. Fishing!
Another Style Update
-I’m not super happy with how the last session turned out. It was fine, but sort of unsatisfying because it was just basically a list of every quest I encountered along the way.
-It was accurate in a literal way, but I don’t know that I want to do that. Especially when I think ahead to something like FFXIV, which’ll be even more full of quests, I don’t need to track every last thing.
-When I think back to prior FF games and how I wrote about them, I tracked every quest/mission, but that’s because there was a clear storyline. I think if I were to write about every single quest/mission I do in FFXI, including all the incomplete ones and ones where I carry a thing from one NPC to another NPC for like 100 gil, I’ll have 7,000 parts.
Basically, with what I know so far about FFXI, writing about every single quest/mission would be analogous to noting every single NPC I talked to in the prior FF games, which I didn’t.
-So that’s my new plan. Note some main or noteworthy quests, but probably not every single last one. And many of my quests I may just skip. I want to focus on main mechanics, exploring the zones, doing the main stories.
-I want to add that not all of this is reader-centric concerns. I didn’t really enjoy last session much. It felt like I was trying to force myself to be completionist when I don’t really want to be. Like I was just cataloguing quests rather than talking about my journey through Vana’diel. I want to adjust that.
Non-rhetorical question: I’m not dead-set on this plan, and may/will continue to tinker with it as I go. Would love to hear y’all’s thoughts here.
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South Gustaberg
-This is a rocky zone. Lots of little silos and towers around here.
For grain? Watchtowers? Not sure.
-I like how as I get closer to the eastern shore, I can hear the waves crashing. It’s soothing.
-Cool lighthouse! But I cant’ get to the top of it. There’s an elevator that’s stuck halfway up, inaccessible, and I can’t seem to use the lever that would bring it down.
The goblins in this game have creepy masks.
-On the south short of South Gustaberg, I found a stone monument with a beautiful message from a sailor:
“I’ve been a sailor for over forty years, yet I cannot grasp the concept of the world as a whole. Then again, those who live in cities know even less than I. They are content knowing only the things around them. I cannot blame them for choosing to live this way, as curiosity is, more often than not, a dangerous trait. But I have sworn to use the rest of my life – a life I had once thought lost when I was shipwrecked – to indulge this insatiable curiosity of mine, and to uncover the truths of Vana’diel…”
By Gwynham Ironheart, 748 Crystal Era.
-Like, it’s kind of inspiring!!
-In the middle of the map, there’s a large hill called Vomp Hill. I wonder what’s up there.
Another Style Update
-I’m not super happy with how the last session turned out. It was fine, but sort of unsatisfying because it was just basically a list of every quest I encountered along the way.
-It was accurate in a literal way, but I don’t know that I want to do that. Especially when I think ahead to something like FFXIV, which’ll be even more full of quests, I don’t need to track every last thing.
-When I think back to prior FF games and how I wrote about them, I tracked every quest/mission, but that’s because there was a clear storyline. I think if I were to write about every single quest/mission I do in FFXI, including all the incomplete ones and ones where I carry a thing from one NPC to another NPC for like 100 gil, I’ll have 7,000 parts.
Basically, with what I know so far about FFXI, writing about every single quest/mission would be analogous to noting every single NPC I talked to in the prior FF games, which I didn’t.
-So that’s my new plan. Note some main or noteworthy quests, but probably not every single last one. And many of my quests I may just skip. I want to focus on main mechanics, exploring the zones, doing the main stories.
-I want to add that not all of this is reader-centric concerns. I didn’t really enjoy last session much. It felt like I was trying to force myself to be completionist when I don’t really want to be. Like I was just cataloguing quests rather than talking about my journey through Vana’diel. I want to adjust that.
Non-rhetorical question: I’m not dead-set on this plan, and may/will continue to tinker with it as I go. Would love to hear y’all’s thoughts here.
---
South Gustaberg
-This is a rocky zone. Lots of little silos and towers around here.
For grain? Watchtowers? Not sure.
-I like how as I get closer to the eastern shore, I can hear the waves crashing. It’s soothing.
-Cool lighthouse! But I cant’ get to the top of it. There’s an elevator that’s stuck halfway up, inaccessible, and I can’t seem to use the lever that would bring it down.
The goblins in this game have creepy masks.
-On the south short of South Gustaberg, I found a stone monument with a beautiful message from a sailor:
“I’ve been a sailor for over forty years, yet I cannot grasp the concept of the world as a whole. Then again, those who live in cities know even less than I. They are content knowing only the things around them. I cannot blame them for choosing to live this way, as curiosity is, more often than not, a dangerous trait. But I have sworn to use the rest of my life – a life I had once thought lost when I was shipwrecked – to indulge this insatiable curiosity of mine, and to uncover the truths of Vana’diel…”
By Gwynham Ironheart, 748 Crystal Era.
-Like, it’s kind of inspiring!!
-In the middle of the map, there’s a large hill called Vomp Hill. I wonder what’s up there.
-Found my way up! There are a bunch of goblins and hornets here, and some hilariously named “Ornery Sheep.”
Killed a few of them, because I’m clearly a noble hero.
-The last part of this map that I haven’t really explored is the far west, a section labeled “The Fumaroles.” It’s more open, but is full of what look like low pillars of rock, and trees that seem burned down.
-There’s a western zoneline where I haven’t been yet.
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Dangruf Wadi
-AHA!! Here it is. I’d heard about this place but hadn’t found it yet.
-There’s no map in here. But it’s outdoors. An outdoor dungeon maybe?
-The first thing I see on coming in here is Ken, from a quest I had earlier. I told Ken’s sister that I’d watch over him, but he’s firm that he wants me watching from a distance.
I lose track of him unfortunately and that’s the end of the quest.
-Not going to worry about that. Going to press on, just to explore further here.
-The landscape here is similar to South Gustaberg, but has more life. There are scattered plants and water among the rocky geography.
-Level-wise, this place is about right. The enemies here are a good challenge once I move a bit in.
-By the way: I’m TOTALLY FUCKING LOST. Totally. I mean, I generally know I came from the south, but I’ve been twisted and turned in these map-less canyons so much that if I die that’s probably it for me here.
-The enemies here hit really hard. The Wadi Hares specifically.
Wadi Hares are like a bizarre mouse-owl hybrid.
-Reached a point where I couldn’t keep exploring. The enemies (goblins mostly) were too hard and aggressive to run past. So I set up camp and killed goblins and Wadi Hares until I went from level 16 to 17.
-I could stay here a while longer, but I’m ready to turn back and see other stuff.
-Ooh, I found a cave!
Can’t get up there though.
*a long while later*
-I AM SO LOOOOST. I must’ve been wandering around in circles in Dangruf Wadi for 15 minutes and no closer to finding the exit.
So I’m going with plan B: what in EverQuest was known as a “ranger teleport.”
For some background, rangers were a class in EverQuest that did a lot of damage, generated a lot of threat on enemies (making the enemies attack the ranger), and had poor armor. Hence, “ranger teleport” was shorthand for being brough back to your bind/spawn point by dying in combat.
Ranger teleport in action.
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North Gustaberg
-Now that I’ve *cough cough* “teleported” to my home point in North Gustaberg, there are a few things here I want to explore.
-First is an outpost in the southwest. What is it? What is it doing here?
-This outpost has a floating book here, a Survival Guide. Oh right! This can be used to teleport from other books.
-This outpost also has a Field Manual. It offers me “training” quests to kill enemies, but lower level ones. In the 3-8 range.
-There’s an unfamiliar flag flying at this outpost… ah! It’s the flag of San d’Oria.
That’s one of the other starting kingdoms. Somehow, San d’Oria gained influence over this zones, and so the vendors here only sell to members of that kingdom now.
-Went east to Zegham Hill. All I see here are goblins and more Ornery Sheep.
-Last thing for now: FISHING!!
-Went to the stream south of Zegham Hill, equipped my rod and bait, and went to town.
-The fishing mini-game is pretty fun. I have to weaken the fish, so the game gives me flashing arrows to yank my rod, and if I do it in the right directions indicated on my screen, after a few times I can reel in the fish.
-Only caught some crayfish. However, one SUPER annoying thing: the game doesn’t automatically stack the fish. So it puts individual crayfish in my bag, one by one, and when it fills my bag I have to sort it manually into a single stack to clear space.
-About ready to wrap up and head out.
---
Next time: I’m going to head back to the city of Bastok to finish up, and perhaps try one of those guard quests I’ve heard about. Will also plot my next steps for that bigger “Rhapsodies of Vana’diel” quest chain. It directed me to one of two zones I have to find.
North Gustaberg
-Now that I’ve *cough cough* “teleported” to my home point in North Gustaberg, there are a few things here I want to explore.
-First is an outpost in the southwest. What is it? What is it doing here?
-This outpost has a floating book here, a Survival Guide. Oh right! This can be used to teleport from other books.
-This outpost also has a Field Manual. It offers me “training” quests to kill enemies, but lower level ones. In the 3-8 range.
-There’s an unfamiliar flag flying at this outpost… ah! It’s the flag of San d’Oria.
That’s one of the other starting kingdoms. Somehow, San d’Oria gained influence over this zones, and so the vendors here only sell to members of that kingdom now.
-Went east to Zegham Hill. All I see here are goblins and more Ornery Sheep.
-Last thing for now: FISHING!!
-Went to the stream south of Zegham Hill, equipped my rod and bait, and went to town.
-The fishing mini-game is pretty fun. I have to weaken the fish, so the game gives me flashing arrows to yank my rod, and if I do it in the right directions indicated on my screen, after a few times I can reel in the fish.
-Only caught some crayfish. However, one SUPER annoying thing: the game doesn’t automatically stack the fish. So it puts individual crayfish in my bag, one by one, and when it fills my bag I have to sort it manually into a single stack to clear space.
-About ready to wrap up and head out.
---
Next time: I’m going to head back to the city of Bastok to finish up, and perhaps try one of those guard quests I’ve heard about. Will also plot my next steps for that bigger “Rhapsodies of Vana’diel” quest chain. It directed me to one of two zones I have to find.
