I have one job at 80 in FFXIV – and it’s the dancer. Unfortunately, I don’t really ENJOY this class at 80 as much as I thought I would, so I’ve been looking to level up a few other jobs so that I have more options. One that I wanted to try was Archer/Bard. I managed to inch my way to 30, do the class quest to unlock bard, and then I paid for a boost to 70. Zero regrets, this is a fun ranged DPS class that I’m enjoying a great deal.

I’m also leveling up a warrior and an astrologist for a tank / healer option. I’d like to get caught up in the current story before 5.5 releases, but I’m pretty sure that won’t be happening, there’s just so much content (NOT a bad thing by any means, I love that there’s so much for me to do).

I’d also like to reach 80 in a few more crafts, and finish off botany which is my final harvest job that needs 80 yet (I think I’m at 75). My husband is no longer playing with me and that has put a bit of a damper on things, plus my FC fell apart so I have no ‘home’ but I’m still chugging along.

I absolutely had to get this mount from the shop. My retainer is working at fishing the minion version up, and everything about the duo makes me laugh and smile. Especially the little cat sounds they make when you summon / dismiss.

I love how creative (or not creative) you can be with your characters in FFXIV….

My latest healer (the astrologist?) hit 42, my gladiator is still meandering along at 18, and I haven’t done anything yet this week except complete my white/yellow scrip turn ins and my retainer missions. Still, progress is progress!

I know some folks are not fans of in-game events that replicate real world events – but me? I enjoy them. FFXIV is a bit of an odd duck in that they have these events each year with rewards, but if you want the rewards from previous years, you have to purchase them (with real money) from their shop. It’s one of the few games I’ve seen that manages to carry off a full subscription as well as a robust store and paid for game features (extra retainers, level boosts, class unlocks).

I was actually playing last year at this exact time so I had the previous rewards but nothing prior to that. I decided to splurge and I picked up 5 rewards from the shop, then I also completed this years quests and picked up the Lovely Moogle Cap, and a house item (Stuffed Kupka Kupp). My glamour chest is starting to fill up nicely with a collection of outfits to wear and my tiny apartment is filling with moogle related items. I still have big dreams of being able to afford an actual house, but for now I’m still raising money for that.

Short term plan? I’ve settled on paladin & astrologian as my next focus, that will leave me with a tank/healer/dps class at least and more choices to swap between. Once I’ve got those leveled up we’ll see where I want to head. I never planned on leveling everything to 80 in the DoW/DoM category, but I DO want to try to level everything up as a crafter (DoH/DoL). I also need to complete a bunch of class quests still – on everyone, even my 80 dancer hasn’t completed all of her quests yet. I know, I know. There’s just SO much to do. I love it.

I’ve been playing FFXIV off and on for years now, but I never really stay with it for whatever reason. I wander back to ABC game and it gets put on the back burner – not this time. This time, I’m dedicating myself to actually making some progress in the game, finishing the MSQ, leveling jobs. First one I completed was the dancer job, woot!

Dancer is an odd bird. It’s a mixture of ranged (single target attacks) and close range (AoE attacks) dance moves that damage enemies. Instead of moving in and out of range, I tend to stay close to the mobs. It’s a class that LOOKS pretty, but I can’t say I particularly enjoy playing them all that much. We’re more of a hybrid utility / dps class than powerful dps, though don’t get me wrong, I AM happy that I finally leveled up.

Next? I’m not sure. I am not interested in playing the gunslinger I have at 60, but I do have a 52 warrior. I’ve got a 60 red mage, 55 scholar, and 34 astrologer. I was thinking maybe bard? Maybe just keep going on with the warrior. We’ll just have to see! As always, happy gaming, no matter where you find yourself.

One of the things I love about FFXIV is that I don’t actually need to have an entire stable of characters. In fact, it’s one of the few games I play that I DON’T have any alts – one character can do it all. If I get the desire to change race / sex I can do that through some fantasia potions, so it’s not a big deal. You switch jobs (classes) by changing your weapon, and you can unlock as many (or as few) as you’d like.

My dancer finally reached level 80! I’m so happy. I now have a level 80 dancer, 80 goldsmith, 80 mining, 80 fishing. It’s not a lot compared to what is available, but it is a great start.

Of course the second I turned 80, I wanted to decide who to level up next. I don’t have a lot of characters unlocked, and while my husband has a few 70s and a handful of 60s and 50s, I only had the dancer. I do have a 50 warrior, but I wasn’t convinced it was the tank I wanted to play full time. Ideally I’d like an 80 tank, dps, and healer. I have a 55 scholar as well.

I decided I wanted to try a paladin, which starts off as a gladiator. Unfortunately as you can see by the screenshot above, my gladiator at level 5 did not own any pants. I figure she’s preparing for 6.0 when they remove the belt slot. How else are her pants supposed to stay up?!

As always, happy gaming, no matter where you find yourself!

In the evenings, I’ve been playing FFXIV with my husband – and my dancer reached 79 last night and part way into it! This will be my very first combat character to 80. While I know I still have quite a bit to go as far as story is concerned, it is a very nice feeling to at least have someone at level cap. I’m trying to work out who I will level up next, I have both a tank and a healer class ‘on the go’ and I know that as time goes on, I’ll probably only add to that roster. I’m really enjoying the game quite a bit now that I have some free time in the evenings. The game is too difficult to play when I need to step in and out constantly during the day (thanks to my minions) but it’s been perfect to wind down with once they’re both asleep.

I also reached 79 in goldsmithing last night. I’m hoping to do some harvesting today and maybe I can reach 80 in that craft, too. I don’t have a lot of gil to my name, I’ve been trying to focus on leveling up more than actually creating things to sell. That should hopefully change over time, but we’ll have to see. One of my long term goals is still to be able to find and afford a fancy home. For now, my apartment suits me.

Tonight there is a big showcase happening that I’m very excited about. I can’t wait to see what’s coming next.

As always, happy gaming, no matter where you find yourself!

One thing that I’ve always wished Blizzard would add to World of Warcraft is player housing. I have longed for some sort of player housing for YEARS now – and honestly it’s frustrating that a game as large and robust as Warcraft doesn’t have this feature.

I love player housing. I loved it in EQ2, I loved it in EQ, I loved it in Rift. I loved it in ArchAge. Vanguard. The list goes on. For whatever reason Blizzard doesn’t believe in the power of player housing even though they have the absolute BEST platform for it.

That’s why I found myself back in FFXIV – even though I own only the smallest of apartments and barely any furniture. It is my goal to upgrade to a much larger house, and to get into crafting furniture, making gil and all that good stuff. My main character reached level 75 last night in the Dance profession (one of my favourites, it’s a ranged DPS profession) – and I am also working my way through all of the crafting / gathering professions. I’ve already reached 80 in mining and fishing, botany remains as well as the core craft professions. FFXIV is an absolutely beautiful game, and I can’t wait to spend a little time there.

Happy gaming, no matter where you find yourself!

This game just couldn’t possibly get any prettier. Goodness I love the graphics! I’m working through the MSQ stuff that I left off at, still behind everyone else (it feels) but I’m confident I can get there. I’m taking my time and enjoying the story for once.

Happy gaming, no matter where you find yourself!