FFXIV: Mateus Estate Obtained!
Over the weekend, I’ve found a new, maddening pet peeve in FFXIV. Namely, it’s this message:
Let me backtrack a bit.
One of the most painful parts of moving from Midgardsormr to Mateus was the fact that I had to give up my Shirogane house. It was a really, really sad sacrifice to make after all I’d put into getting the house and beginning to decorate it.
This was compounded by the fact that being a larger RP server, housing on Mateus is not easy to come by. I see a few lots open up from time to time, but there’s a lot of competition for them since housing is heavily utilized for social and RP functions.
Now, what makes this process endlessly frustrating is the new timer system they’ve added to relinquishing the houses. Basically, if you give up a house or move to another, the open lot is then put on a random timer that won’t allow anyone to purchase it until it fully opens up.
You don’t know how long you’re going to wait for this to happen. On top of that, anyone who already owns a house can relocate to any open lot, even if it’s on a wait timer. So, if you’re the one without a house at all, you’re at a huge disadvantage.
This timer is there to prevent people from flipping housing and gouging prices. I understand that, but the system still definitely has its glaring flaws.
I watched many nice lots come and go over the weekend, and my hopes were really low that I’d be able to nudge my way into the system. The suggestion is to grab any low hanging fruit you can, which means I hunted the Goblet the most… since it still remains the most undesirable of the housing areas.
But one man’s trash plot is another’s treasure… and much to my surprise, I saw this lot open up early Saturday morning.
This is lot 59 in the Goblet. It’s located at the furthest back corner, on a cliff overlooking the canyon. It’s probably considered the least desirable lot in the neighborhood to most people, which was likely why it was left when whomever was there before transferred out of it.
For me, though, this was the very first lot I purchased back in 2015. It was my home for almost 3 years, until I moved to Shirogane. I loved it because it’s isolated, and it felt safe and private to me. So, when I saw it open up, I thought due to its location, I might have a good chance at getting it. And the irony of moving back into a lot that was once my home was too much not to pursue.
So I started to camp it throughout the day.
As the day stretched into night, that infernal message drove me batty. Time and again, I’d try to purchase the lot only for it to tell me it wasn’t available. Later in the evening, I saw players standing around the placard. Knowing the spot had been scoped by other people, my hope began to wane.
A little after midnight, after the house had been abandoned for over 12 hours, I decided to give it one last go before I went to bed. I logged in, clicked the placard… and the game… hesitated a second.
What no message?
Then, a popup confirmation.
Wait… I GOT IT?
I was beside myself, shouting at Syn over Discord, “I GOT THE HOUSE! I GOT IT!! OH MY GOSH!!”
I have never been so happy to buy back my old “trash plot” ever. And heck no, I’m not transferring out! I’m pretty broke now, so I couldn’t afford a transfer even if I wanted to. 🙂
Things are not absolutely perfect on Mateus — I do love the RP environment, but a more vocal server means you take the good with the bad (which I knew before I moved there). But it sure is looking up for me now that I’ve secured a house again.
Now… once our FC hits the proper rank, I’ll have to do this all over again for a FC house. 🙁
Can I hope for some new wards to open up, S/E?