Patch 4.1 is fresh enough that I’ve not had very much time with it yet, meaning I don’t have my hands on any new gear just yet (other than the Far Eastern Noble’s Attire, which I’m in the process of using for at least one new glamour). I’ve got my eye on some of the Ivalician gear, though I actually haven’t seen it all yet. Judging by the thumbnails on the sets for Scouting and Striking DPS, I think they’ve got some potential, and I did see the body for Casters, which is actually pretty cute, in my first run. For now, though, I’ve got one glamour that I finished right before patch day.

I’ve been wanting to use bits of the new Antiquated Storytellers Artifact set for Bard, but I’d been having trouble getting the sort of look I want. In particular, I really like the Storyteller’s Bottoms and Boots, which, though a departure from my normal preference for thighboots, look really nice. The trouble, though, is that these pieces aren’t yet dyeable, which limits the ways that I can combine them with other things. Late last week, I put together a first attempt using both of those pieces and the Kudzu Tunic in Pure White, but it didn’t feel quite right after some use in a few Expert Roulettes.

The Kudzu Tunic’s main dyeing channel, the center of the body, is actually secondary, which means it goes a darker shade. That makes it look a bit off in Pure White (since you really end up with more of a grey tunic instead). At one point, in the middle of an Expert, it really started to bug me so, with my priorities fully in order, I started playing around with the dye window while auto running to each pull. The first thing I noticed was that the tunic looks pretty nice in red, and we all know what that means by now, don’t we?

Glamour Components (Required Level: BRD 70)
Head: Scion Rogue Bandana
Body: Kudzu Tunic of Aiming (Dalamud Red)
Hands: Antiquated Storyteller’s Gloves
Legs: Light Steel Subligar (Jet Black)
Feet: Scion Healer’s Highboots

While I’m still not a huge fan of the two-tone way the Tunic dyes, it keeps enough black to leather bits to make for a natural pairing with the evergreen Highboots. I did, however, debate using the Storyteller’s Boots (and honestly really wanted to), but I couldn’t find a good pair of leggings to go along with them, since running them with the Subligar didn’t look right. So, I stuck with Y’shtola’s boots for the tried and true here.

Since I wasn’t going to use the Storyteller’s Boots, I originally looked for a different pair of gloves to go along with the Tunic. Strangely enough, Bard doesn’t have access to a good pair to go with the Tunic that have black and red in them. The closest fit were the Kirimu Bracers, but I didn’t like the lighter bits on them, and they dye pretty badly. And when it comes down to it, the Storyteller’s Gloves just work really well here, so I kept them.

The other bit of notable consequence was the Scion Rogue Bandana, which I’m still pretty fond of. Normally, I’d probably use the Antiquated Choral Chapeau here, but I’ve got a bit tired of using it on just about every Bard glamour I put together. The Bandana works well, though I do think I’m starting to get slightly bored with it. I’ve been toggling it off when I wear my latest Ninja glamour (which I’m doing a lot of in the new patch, since I almost always try to do new content in Ninja first). I may start moving away from it, but if nothing else, it’s going to be going in the bin of glamour staples for me.

I hope everyone’s enjoying the new Patch! I’ve been having more fun than I thought I would so far (even though it’s early), and Royal City of Rabanastre and the start of the Return to Ivalice storyline have just lit such a nostalgia fire for me that I can’t help but be excited about playing the game again. And that feels pretty good!