FFXIV: Checking Off Goals
Posted on February 7, 2025 by Aywren
I know it’s been a while since I’ve written about what I’m doing in FFXIV, but that doesn’t mean I haven’t been playing. In fact, I’ve put in a lot of hours the past month or so because I was laser focused on a few in-game goals – namely the newest PVP series cosmetics and obtaining a new framer’s kit for Amon.
Frontlines Series Fun
I used to say that I’m not much of a PVPer. This is generally accurate as I’m not a competitive gamer, nor do I usually play group content outside of my FC circles.
However, when it comes to Frontlines roulette and the rewards that the PVP series dangles, I tend to get pulled in. It’s ironic to me that the things you earn from PVP are all cosmetic fluff – mounts, outfits, emotes, adventure plate pieces, and minions. Things that typical non-PVPers would be drawn to.
It’s this, and the fact that Frontlines roulette is a great way to earn quick experience, that keeps me running them. I often shoot for mounts, minions, and emotes, but tend to by-pass the outfits due to the fact they’re generally bulky battle armor, and not all that appealing to me. This time, however, there was a set of more casual gear that I decided I needed on both characters.
Yes, that means I powered through the entire series on two characters to rank 25 for a backwards baseball cap. But, worth it.
I had been playing as a Red Mage in PVP for a while, but I wasn’t very happy with my performance. I PVP well enough, but as a Red Mage, my ability to earn battle highs feels situational on how cohesive my team is. I noticed that Bards seem to have a lot of battle highs, so I made the switch.
I tried Bard for PVP last expansion and didn’t care for it. However, whatever they did to improve Bard play makes it far more enjoyable than it ever has been for me. I’ve gone from struggling to contribute to almost always having a Battle High 4, and sometimes Battle High 5 – and enjoying the gameplay much more.
I dare say, I rather enjoy Frontlines now. The bonus of leveling up several jobs in the meantime on both characters was also very nice. I even earned the 100 wins mount on main!
Still, I’m taking a bit of a break until the next Series. There’s plenty of time for more PVP in the future.
Shadowbringers FATE Farming
With each major patch, I keep up with the new fluff content that’s released via FFXIV Collect. Otherwise, it’s super easy to miss stuff.
When I saw the Exarchic Tower framer’s kit – one that’s themed after the Crystal Tower – I knew I absolutely had to have it for Amon. This will be the last framer’s kit he ever needs, given he is a character associated with Syrcus Tower.
However, when I saw what was needed to obtain the kit, my spirits sank. It was locked behind the gemstone trader that you open only after completing all the shared FATEs in Shadowbringers. This was something I 6 years ago… and I keenly remembered the time it took to get it done.
Amon didn’t have that many FATEs under his belt as that was never a focus for him. But the one positive he had was being level 100. While you are synced down for FATEs, I felt like he was far stronger than I was back when I was doing these on level – it got things done a lot faster.
I did the math and decided to do at least 15 FATEs a day. At Rank 2, this meant that I’d finish a zone in 4 days.
It turned out to be not too bad in the end. I even ran across a few parties on some days that made farming much more fun.
I also realized that, for me, FATE farming was something that used to help me to hone my job skills – though I’ve fallen out of habit of running them at all. Back in the ARR days, FATEs used to be a major way of leveling jobs, so many people would do them. Leveling alternate jobs with FATEs was great practice in learning how to use the job – you got practical battle experience while not being in a high-stress situation.
I walked away from the FATE farm feeling a lot more confident in my Barding skills, and considering how FATEs might help me practice other jobs on main. In the end, I also earned the framer’s kit, and checked off this sizeable goal for Amon!
I know that the newest Live Letter just dropped early this morning, and I haven’t had time to do much more than glance at the overview. Seems like there’s some much-needed fun things in the wings!