Inyx Ura!

When I last left FFXIV a couple months back, I was in the midst of a self-made dilemma. Because the game offers three different starting lands/storylines for new characters, I simply had to create three characters to see each of them. I started out with Midlander pugilist Naomi Fairwind whose adventures began in a region called Ul’dah. Then, to experience landing upon the shores of Limsa Lominsa, I created an Au Ra arcanist named Inyx Ura. And finally, to see through (again) the beginning events in Gridania, I made Rogaedyn archer Nimble Mist. In the end, my Au Ra won out, because not only is she totally adorable, but I’m also really enjoying the game’s approach to being a mage. Though I may certainly choose to change her role at some point, I’m fine with keeping all my magic eggs in one basket for now.

Admittedly, my headway with FFXIV has been a little slow. The holidays put a dent in my free time generally, and having since purchased the full game, I now have to remember to make sure my sub is up to date in order to play. But that doesn’t mean Inyx has been sitting on ice. She’s sitting just shy of level 40, and as much as I’ve been trying to complete MSQs, I’ve been enjoying the game’s many side diversions and class-related tasks. Speaking of which, after fully completing quests associated with the arcanist class, I had a choice to make. Would Inyx move into the job of a summoner (ranged DPS) or scholar (healer)? I went with summoner, because the job seemed to make the most sense going solo. (If playing with a group, I likely would have gone with scholar.) I’ve only just started the summoner quest line and need to get to level 40 in order to continue it.

As I slowly progress with Inyx, I have been thinking about my approach to playing a game like FFXIV, and I continue to debate the kind of experience I want from it. My general style with quest-based games tends towards what I’d deem a passive-aggressive approach. That’s to say, I’ll start out by sticking to main quests until I feel comfortable with a game’s mechanics and my character’s level/abilities. From that point, I’ll branch out into side quests, tackling a few at a time before moving back to doing a main quest. That mixing of main and side quests will continue until I either reach a marked point of no return or become burned out/bored with side quests or even just the game generally. If the latter, then I’ll speed through to the credits and not look back. But even If I’m not mentally “done” with a game at its point of no return, I’ll usually just barrel through the endgame, figuring that I’ll just start over with a new character, if not that day, then someday.

Still being rather new to MMOs, now that I have the full FFXIV experience at my disposal, the thought of foisting my passive-aggressive stylings upon Inyx’s journey seems unnecessarily mean! She has an amazing world to explore, and it would be terrible to missing a single second of it. However, she easily out-leveling the MSQs right now, which must be a common occurrence considering how many other things there are to do in the game. (And I though Bethesda games were bad with infinite side quests!) It very intimidating to enter a new area for an MSQ and see waves of tempting side quests markers. The thing of it is, while the quests may not result in the best rewards, some of these secondary interactions are priceless in terms of world building and storytelling. It all may come down to just how fully I want to become embedded in Eorzea itself. Do I want to be a full-fledged citizen or just a passerby? Might be a little too soon for a firm answer.

If I’ve made any decisions, it’s that I’m going to stick with Inyx and being a summoner. That, at least, will give me two primary paths to follow — the MSQs and the job quests – and it’ll set out of mind any dealing with who I know see as alts, Naomi and Nimble. Maybe their times will come in the future, but if I’ve any hope of succeeding in FFXIV, I need to establish focus. I’m sure a little passive-aggressiveness will seep in here and there, because some of the side quests have been truly amazing, but it can’t hurt to stay on target. Hopefully I won’t get shot in the behind in the process!

All images, including lede, were taken by author during PS5 gameplay of Final Fantasy XIV (© Square Enix).