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An MMO newbie obsesses over Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn

We follow one FinalFantasy-fanboy-slash-MMORPG-newbie as he overcomes server issues to explore the wide, wide world of Eorzea. This week, he’s beating up inebriated monsters for fun.

If there’s one thing that Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn has proven to me, it’s that I’m easily distracted. At first, I chalked it up to my eagerness to jump in and play as much as I could. Exploring my origin city of Ul’dah, I accepted every side-quest, no matter how tedious the task (kill three ladybugs!). As soon as I ventured out of the city’s walls, I wandered into as many FATEs as I could, working with other gamers to complete tasks, again, no matter how tedious (kill the fish!).

Now, after two weeks in the world of Eorzea, you’d think I’d be bored of them, you’d think I’d rush past an optional quest or avoid the blip on my map that meant a FATE was underway, to devour the story-based meat of the game, but I don’t. And that’s not to say there’s anything wrong with the meat, the story shifts into high-gear when you’ve levelled into your mid-30s, but there’s something so enticing about the way Square-Enix has plated up the mash and veg that goes along with it.

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It became clear to me during one of A Realm Reborn’s earlier quests: Disorderly Conduct. It is, by and large, a terrible quest. You are tasked by Roger, the owner of a tavern in the middle of nowhere, to take the orders of four patrons. You can only interact with three patrons within the tavern. I returned to Roger, the quest wasn’t over. I scanned the room, I hadn’t missed anyone, but I gave the game the benefit of the doubt and spoke to everyone again. I returned to Roger, nothing. I spoke to the other tavern workers. They tried to sell me things. I spent a good ten minutes pulling my hair out before abandoning the quest and stepping outside.

It was a main story quest, and I was annoyed that a bug (it was definitely a bug) was standing between me and narrative progression. I was ready to logoff out of frustration, and I probably would have, had I not been immediately sucked into a FATE outside the Coffer & Coffin tavern. An inebriated monster of some kind was trying to enter, and it was our communal task to keep him out… by killing him. He kept moaning for ale, while we killed him. It was the most joyously random RPG experience I’ve had in a long time. It was little more than a kill-this-enemy quest, but the game was back in my good graces.

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After I was rewarded with experience and gil, the bad taste that Disorderly Conduct had left in my mouth had faded. I climbed the nearby hill, hacking and slashing my way through enemies (I figured, I might as well level-grind until Square-Enix identified and rectified the bug), and then I found him, the lone customer standing, I kid you not, on top of the tavern. He gave me his order, and I earned my big fat quest-complete tick. Back on track, I could now continue with my main quest.

And that’s the beauty of the mash and veg. Sure, it was mostly dumb luck that I encountered a humorous FATE at the exact moment when my frustrations had peaked, but you know what they say, you make your own luck, and Square-Enix has certainly stacked the odds in their own favour. FATEs are diverse, in terms of both task and location, and that, combined with their sheer randomness means that whenever the game falters, there’s something there to recapture gamers’ attention, to keep them hooked.

As the quality of the game’s main quests and dungeons improves, FATEs don’t lose their appeal. You’re partway through an important quest, but then you see a familiar blip on your map, and you’re reminded of that time outside the Coffer & Coffin tavern. You correct your course and wander into the FATE, because you never know when you might encounter another inebriated monster, and you certainly don’t want to miss out.


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About the author

Will Kostakis

Will Kostakis is a Nintendo tragic. Don’t ask about the hours he’s sunk into Hyrule Warriors or the status of his ShinyDex, unless you want to seriously worry about his priorities. He’s an award-winning author for young adults, best known for The First Third, The Sidekicks and the Zelda-inspired Monuments duology.