FFXIV – Part 241: The Ul Cup [Paladin 60-80]

Summary: My gladiator dreams come true with a tournament in the bloodsands of Ul’dah.

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Tournament of the Century

-The quest pick-up text reads: “Jenlyns has an invitation in his pocket and he’s happy to see you.” LOLOL

-The Ul Cup is going to be held! It’s a local Ul’dahn tournament, a tradition the Sultana is reviving. I’m honestly surprised at this. I expected it from the gladiator quests 1-30, not from the paladin quests. But I suppose I’m still a knight and knights fight in tournaments.

-I get to talk to the competitors. Lots of people I know, but my favorite is a shirtless dude named Franz who talks about his beautiful fighting style like a Punch-Out villain.



I also like Black Lotus for their badass armor and mask.

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In Thal’s Name

-My first opponent is another paladin, Bartholomew. The Bronze Bull (a local gladiator) is next, and the semi-final match is against the Ishgardian knight Handeloup.



They get progressively tougher. Both Bronze Bull and Handeloup used a few abilities I had to be wary of.



-The color commentators crack me up. Big “Dodgeball” vibes.

-We flash over to two suspicious Lalafells in the stands talking about the betting odds. Is someone going to ask me to take a fall? That was a major plot point in the gladiator quests, so I wouldn’t be surprised if it makes a reappearance.

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In Nald’s Name

-I won my bracket and made it to the finals. The other bracket will now run.

-Woo!! Constaint beat Franz, but then (predictably) got his ass kicked by First Sword Mylla, the gladiator guild master.

-I thought Mylla might win through to the finals, but she loses in the semis to the Black Lotus.

-Black Lotus wears a mask. The law of conservation of characters says they must be someone I know.



-Uh oh. The gamblers want to put a fix in in MY favor. That feels pretty terrible.


“We already know Black Lotus’ strings. As a matter of fact, we are pulling them as we speak.”

-Everyone afterwards talks about Black Lotus’ style seeming familiar.

OH SHITTTTT, OF COURSE! I’ll bet Black Lotus is Aldis, the dude from the gladiator quests who was falsely accused of throwing his match. This must be him come for redemption.

-At Black Lotus’ request, I meet him in the tavern (where I arrive just in time to overhear one of the Lalafells blackmailing him). I doubt he’ll accept it. 

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Fade to Black Lotus

-WHELP I guess I’m wrong. Black Lotus withdrew from our finals match.

-At least I was right about his identity. It’s Aldis.

-The kid who was with him when he was dressed as Black Lotus was an orphan he’d helped out in his travels. The blackmailers took the kid hostage. That’s why Aldis dropped out.

-Still, they haven’t returned the kid. Rescue time.

-It’s pretty quick. No real hints that the kid might not be safe, and I take out the guards easily.

While I was knocking that rescue out, Aldis was even able to get the main bookie arrested. That was fast!

-My favorite part of this quest though is Mylla – who is clearly attracted to Aldis – being the most tsundere tsundere to ever tsundere as she grapples with hearing that Aldis has a kid before learning it’s not his.



-Anyway, I’m delighted with the arc this is taking since our match is now back on.

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Raising the Sword

-There’s hesitation at first when Aldis’ identity is revealed. He was banished after being (falsely) convicted of match-fixing.

But he’s been kicking ass as Black Lotus. The fight will go on.



-And what a fight! It’s a super fun conclusion to the quest line. Not overwhelmingly tough, but tons of stuff to dodge, recognizable patterns to figure out, etc.

-Aldis even gets a formal pardon to finish things off. Huzzah!

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Worth Fighting For (Level 80)

-First Sword Mylla has been down of late. Likely related to Aldis.

-Hi, Aldis! It looks like he’s job-changed to samurai. That’s cool to see. He’s been learning new skills since our match in the arena.



-We’re about to duel for fun/testing when he starts to freak out. Sees light pouring from me. Interesting! That must be because of my meld with Ardberd during the Hades fight. How can he see that?

-We cancel the duel. He knows it’s lost, that he doesn’t have that Extra Something that I do.

ALDIS: “I’ve come to know, Mylla… the power of resolve and the difference it makes.”

-Ququshu answers that she found “something to protect” in the First, that’s the source of this strength. Is this going to be the start of a more overt romance between Aldis and Mylla? He certainly seems to care about her, and vice versa.

-We head back to the gladiator’s guild. And it’s a big ol’ fakeout.

“The one thing I need to protect… is the Gladiator’s Guild.”

(I temporarily forgot this is FFXIV, which almost never does overt romance plots.)


I like that Mylla is just as disappointed as me.  

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Random Stuff Around Eorzea

-My favorite paladin gear set, though I replaced the weird crown with a head bandage:


-The level 80 armor set:


-More adventures in Ququshu Tanking Stuff Way Larger Than Her:



-A cute golden beaver minion:


-The risks of multitasking while healing:


-One dungeon I was in showcased how wonderfully diverse the armor set choices are in XIV:


-I’m taking the name of this FATE as a Yelawolf reference:

-Some great player names I’ve seen recently, continuing to highlight the straight-laced ones:

Krystlemoon Lightwind
Soren Moonwhite
Zakarsis M’oonstalker
Dannius Moonrider
Aura Starfall
Nirvash Rosefall
Regina Ravenslight
Enigma Quicksilver
Amaryl Swiftfoot
Nymeria Eversnow
Cyneria Frostblade
Kassandra Frostfire
Erdrick Lionheart
Morgana Noxheart
Linora Feathersong
Amilyn Sunshadow
Savahna Blackthorn
Lumin’o Dawnbreak

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Next time: trying out the new Bozja content.