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Way of the Marauder
The Marauder guild is in Limsa Lominsa. I know they’re a tank job that uses giant two-handed axes, no shield.
-It all started amid shipwright culture. They needed a tool to lop trees for timber, so carpenters at sea would carry axes.
“But any tool on a ship can become a weapon – an’ the axe is perfect for hookin’ yerself over the rail of an enemy vessel, lettin’ loose in a whirl o’ steel, an’ generally layin’ waste to all about ye.”
-It became the pirate weapon of choice.
-Eventually, the Marauders’ Guild was purged of pirate elements and focused simply on axe-fighting.
-Wyrnzoen is the guildmaster.
Rend, cleave, destroy, OVERWHELM! The marauder way.
A new marauder. A crappy axe, no gear, and my trusty Alpha.
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Axe in the Stone
-Axemaster Wyrnzoen really loves his axes. He likes their “raw, unstoppable destruction.” But they require great strength to yield.
Training time! With the traditional marauder exercise of LITERALLY SMASHING BOULDERS WITH AN AXE.
I already love this job.
-But they’re also guards. We take a break from boulder-smashing to save a kid from angry giant crabs.
-Wyrnzoen even hints at a mighty beast way beyond me. Sounds like a level 30 boss.
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Wake of Destruction
-The beast is called Kujata, also known as the Stampeding Mountain.
-To help train me for that moment, Wyrnzoen sends me to a variety of nearby regions, killing off smaller beasts. Training montage!
-This also covers the next quest. Taking out progressively stronger monsters.
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The Mountain That Strides
-The kid we saved from crabs earlier had parents killed by Kujata. He’s now missing. Five bucks says he went to get revenge himself.
-lol yup. Kujata is a giant buffalo thing. It smacks the kid into a pack of hyenas, which I fend off.
-Kujata just kind of watches the fight impassively. I’m sure we’ll see you again in about 10 levels.
-Btw, I’ve started to tank for random dungeon groups. It’s pretty straight forward as a marauder – run up to a pack of enemies, use my frontal cone enmity abilities on groups or single target stuff on bosses, and watch my TP (tactical points, like mana).
The toughest part of tanking is that tanks are automatically seen as leaders, the players who set the group’s pace and charge ahead. I know enough to fake it, but still feels uncomfortable.
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Bleeder of the Pack
-The level 25 quest is the final test. Wyrnzoen sends me presumably to take out a pack of beasts, but soon a “Familiar Marauder” appears.
It’s Wyrnzoen. He’s hilariously unsubtle at being in disguise, but at least he tries.
-It’s a typical master vs. student kind of fight, even if he never says who he is and pretends it wasn’t him at the end.
A moment to appreciate my glorious axe from the Yo-Kai Watch event.
-I like that through most of these fights, Wyrnzoen’s sister helps me out. She’s a healer. Tanks aren’t alone.
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Bringing Down the Mountain
-The time to take down Kujata is here.
-I find him with a little party. The kid’s father and Wyrnzoen’s sister help me out.
-Kujata is titanic, and the game continues to effectively milk his size for dramatic imagery.
After I see him, he slowly approaches me for the fight.
-Victory! My supporting cast fends off Kujata’s hyena friends while I take him down.
-Wyrnzoen brings the kid by to see my handiwork.
SIGHARD: “<sniffle> Ma? Da? Do ye see? Ququshu killed the bastard! ‘E’s finally dead!”
-He wants to be a marauder when he grows up. We’ve inspired him to a life of training and murder.
Mission accomplished!
-Back to the marauder guild for a farewell.
WYRNZOEN: “You enter a realm of our craft in which even I have never set foot. I only hope that when you reach the very boundaries of our art, you will return to share your triumphs with us. Until then, Ququshu, may your axe swing ever true!”
-So that’s the marauder questline. Nothing too special tbh in terms of emotional turns, character development, or spicy plot twists. Still enjoyed it! A straightforward intro to the axe job.
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The Sinister Soiree (Halloween Event)
-It’s All Saints’ Wake in Eorzea, and the fun (if mischievous) Continental Circus returns.
-The Adventurers’ Guild wants me to keep an eye on anything more sinister coming from them.
-The Circus’ leader, the Impresario, gives off a minorly evil vibe. Like, when he thinks no one’s watching, says, “Surely no one is aware of our true intentions this time…” but it’s probably something goofy and harmless.
-Wtf? A couple of little ghosties flit by.
LITTLE YANG: “Hehehe! You should’ve seen your face! It was hilarious! We went ‘boo!’ and your eyes got huge and…”
-lol they’re big goobers.
-Interesting. These are actual ghosts hanging out in the “Haunted Mansion” for the circus, but they might’ve seen something legit bad take place. A mummer carrying a little girl away into the mansion’s depths.
-The Impresario’s plan is to kidnap people, turn them into jack-o-lanterns, and “usher in a real Night of Devilry.”
-Hee! I like how the actually-macabre Haukke’s Manor dungeon is turned into this fun-macabre Halloween version.
-With the help of those two ghosts – Little Yin and Little Yang – I track down the missing girl, rescuing her from jack-o-lanternhood.
-As I check in back at the Adventurer’s Guild inspector, a pumpkin-headed person watches. He’s the ghosts’ friend.
“Permit us our mischief, and we might just follow you home…” He vanishes.
-There’s a follow-up quest to deal with voidsent roaming the manor. It’s a fun activity focusing on group coordination. I really like how XIV’s holiday events so often encourage teamwork, like this and the Valentione’s Day event.
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Random Stuff Around Eorzea
Chubby Bump:
A frigging AMAZING looking astrologian:
He looks like a Lord Doom:
Run! RUUUUUN!
Simply glorious:
Alpha photobombed me while fishing:
Hail, Sir Muffin:
An epic look:
One of the most terrifying urban legends enters Eorzea as… a glorified penguin:
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Next time: The level 30-50 warrior story.
