Summary: Former gladiators deal with long-term fallout of a match-fixing scandal.
Note:
I started gladiator very early in my XIV time. Like, mid-2017 early. I
don’t have great notes from that time, so this initial section (pre-
“The Face of Thal”) is glommed together from earlier notes.
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Way of the Gladiator
-FFXIV gladiators are just that – not soldiers, but gladiators interested in glory and victory in front of roaring crowds.
-Many
gladiator skill names carry over from FFXI. For instance, Savage Blade
and Swift Blade were both sword weaponskills in XI.
-My level 5
gladiator quest is to stop a barfight through intimidation. I approach
the instigators, point to my chest, and basically gesture “YOU WANT A
PIECE OF THIS?” while they flee. lolol
---
Ul’dah’s Most Wanted
-I
meet a man named Aldis in the bar. A barfight instigator sees him
wielding the legendary sword “Frenzy” and runs. Aldis has a rep.
I like him. Seems affable.
-Mylla
is the gladiator guildmaster, the First Sword. Rumors around here make
it seem like she and Aldis were romantically involved with a hard
falling-out.
-A group of lancers is tracking Aldis to kill him. Not sure why.
-Btw, my quest reward is the wooooorst. It looks like a cricket bat.
[Later
edit: I regret that first impression, but will leave evidence of my
ignorance in. Turns out that a macuahuitl was a pretty badass Aztec
weapon lined with sharp flint or obsidian:] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macuahuitl
---
The Face of Thal
-More
gladiators are under attack. But again, they’re the wrong targets and
they stop from actually killing anyone. Are they after Aldis?
-The attackers are a group of highly-connected bandits called the Alacran.
-Their nomenclature is interesting. Job titles like a Kindness, a Humility, a Charity. I assume it’s ironic, and I dig it.
-We’re about to get our ass kicked though when Mylla catches sight of their leader, Leavold.
She’s unnerved and gets us tfo. 90% chance he’s an ex-gladiator.
-Back
at gladiator HQ. Yeah, Aldis and Leavold once fought side-by-side.
Leavold somehow became corrupted, heading up this criminal org and
turning against his former gladiators.
---
On Holy Ground
-I next save a captured gladiator from the Alacran who knows a bit about Mylla’s history.
“Not
like she had much of a choice but to rise to the occasion, though, what
with all that trouble Aldis got into seven years ago. Selfish bastard…”
Something about the way everyone talks about this situation
makes me feel reasonably sure it’s some kind of noble-intentioned
trouble, not just gambling debts or whatever.
-Afterwards,
Aldis has me meet him at a graveyard where Mylla’s father is buried.
More hints and whispers. I still don’t know what Leavold did or what the
“scandal” was.
---
The Rematch
-Aldis
has been arrested, apparently for planning to assassinate the Sultana.
Utter nonsense, given what I know of him, so it must be set up by the
Alacran. Leavold REALLY has it out for him.
-Finally some clarity! Aldis and Leavold were great gladiators, but Aldis got entangled in match-fixing.
Well.
I was wrong. I thought it was something noble, and I’m happy to see it
was just greed. Idk why it makes me happy; it subverts my expectations.
Way more interesting.
This also explains why Mylla was so
pissed at him. Her father died (under suspicious circumstances?),
launching her into the guild leadership just as this massive scandal
around her friend erupted.
It also messed up Leavold’s career.
He did nothing wrong, but they were famous as a duo. His solo career
didn’t take off. Doesn’t forgive him for trying to kill Aldis, but I
like that he was initially the wronged party.
-I hunt down some evidence that Aldis was framed. Let’s bust up this sham.
Mylla leads the gladiators against the Alacran.
-The
break-out itself – with Mylla too! - is pretty fun, mowing down waves
of the Alacran. (Way more relaxing than the healer instances where I
have to juggle NPC health bars.
-The highlight is the duel between Leavold and Aldis. Such as it is. Aldis quickly kicks Leavold’s ass.
Leavold
then ADMITS HE WAS THE ONE WHO WANTED TO TAKE A DIVE. Aldis said no, so
Leavold framed him. That’s a disappointing twist. I would’ve much
preferred Aldis to have fucked up and got greedy than to be so noble.
-Looks
like Aldis’ rep will remain in shambles because Leavold jumps off a
cliff. No confession, nothing official. At least Mylla heard the truth.
-These
quests were fine, but not what I hoped for. This was the GLADIATOR
quest line! I wanted to fight in the arena for honor and glory and
whatever. This felt super detached from the class theme.
-On a
more positive note, I’m really enjoying the gladiator mechanically. It’s
easily my favorite tank aesthetically. I always gravitate towards
sword/shield rather than using a big two-hander.
Setting the pace in dungeons is also pretty fun. More stressful than DPS, but way less stressful than healing.
---
Random Stuff Around Eorzea
-I love this player’s white and blue armor set: 
-One of the worst jokes in FFXIV that I only noticed today. 
Like. What the fuck. Disrespectful to Moenbryda and Urianger both, weird, and gross.
-Ququshu with her Shogunyan shield from the Yo-Kai Watch crossover: 
-Some great player names I’ve seen, though it cracks up my inner 12 year old that the latter two haven't been reported/banned:
Mr Mcfuzzyface
Mike Nificent
Third Leg
Engorged Pns
He looks exactly as I’d imagine someone named Mike Nificent to look.
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Next time: the paladin 30-50 quests.
