I’m still working my way through the main content additions from 4.3, and while there’s a lot I could talk about, especially regarding the Main Scenario, that will have to wait for now. In the meantime, for the MSQ and the Riordana Lighthouse chapter of Return to Ivalice, I decided to go on Ninja, even though I’ve been a Monk main in practice for quite some time now. It all came down to glamour, really. I’ve been enamored with the Nezha Lady’s Togi and how it looks on Alahra for some time now, having used it for a few glamours already, and it felt wrong to wearing anything else in cutscenes.

After the story and Riordana were done, no matter how many times I looked at my last Monk glamour, I couldn’t imagine going through cutscenes with it. I’m not entirely sure why, as I honestly still love the Pacifist’s Vest, but I suppose the simple answer is that the Nezha Togi has simply replaced it in my heart. I even had a plan for the Togi on Monk, since my Ninja glamour uses several pieces usable by Monk, so I saw no reason to resist any longer.

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Glamour Components (Required Level: MNK/SAM 70)
Weapon: Augmented Hellfire Claws (Cork Brown)
Head: Elegant Rimless Glasses (Cork Brown)
Body: Nezha Lady’s Togi (Pure White)
Hands: Ala Mhigan Fingerless Gloves of Striking (Pure White)
Legs: Nezha Lady’s Slops (Pure White)
Feet: Replica Allagan Sollerets of Striking (Cork Brown)

Of course, most of the pieces here need no introduction, since everything but the Gloves were featured in my Nezha Ninja glamour, and the overall style is in keeping with the tank glamour I first used the Nezha pieces with, too. If Ninja had access to a version of the longer Ala Mhigan Fingerless Gloves, I’d probably be using that instead of the Replica Allagan Gauntlets for that glamour, too. In particular, the fur on the Gloves works very well with the fur on the Togi, making them a much better fit than the Allagan Gauntlets. The bronze on them also allows for a better dye on the metal Sollerets and Glasses, with Cork Brown matching the waist of the Nezha Lady’s Slops far more closely than the Ul Brown I used for the Ninja look. (It’s hard to tell since they’re normally on fire, but the Hellfire Claws are dyed the same way.)

But in spite of the new patch, I’ve actually been spending more time playing Final Fantasy XI, which is just finishing up the Return Home to Vana’diel Campaign for the game’s 16th anniversary. I didn’t get around to actually playing until the FFXIV maintenance day last week, but once I started playing, I kind of got hooked again. I ended last Monday with my customary airship ride to Kazham, but come Tuesday morning, despite their being a bunch of new stuff to do in FFXIV, I found myself still squeezing in just a little time for FFXI, too.

Before I wrapped up, I’d gotten back to working on the Rhapsodies of Vana’diel storyline again, which sent me back to the Sacred City of Adoulin in order to clear a number of prerequisite missions before I could continue on with the game’s final storyline. Somewhere along the way, against my better judgement (since I’ve so rarely managed to find time for FFXI even when I want to), I got too invested in both storylines to stop. I spent a good chunk of last week finishing up the Rhapsodies storyline—a few years late, much to my shame—and I didn’t regret a minute of the time spent.

I won’t spoil anything, but I can definitely say that anyone who played and loved FFXI that’s been thinking about going back should do so at least for this storyline. It serves both as a tribute to the world and the time we all spent there but also as a wonderful way to say good-bye to the game, if that’s what you feel the need to do. For myself, I’m going to reactivate my subscription, because I still have other mission storylines to finish, and I really want to see where Seekers of Adoulin goes in particular. But more importantly, this Return Home really reminded me that I’m just not ready to say good-bye to Vana’diel yet.

On that note, I’m going to be taking something of a hiatus from blogging for the near future. Maintaining a three post per week schedule for as long as I have is starting to wear me out, and I think I’m long overdue for a bit of a break. I’m not sure when my next post will be, and when I do start posting again, it’s likely that I won’t keep a strict schedule, at least for a while. In the meantime, I’ll be taking some time for myself to enjoy both FFXI and FFXIV for their own sake, and I hope to be back before too long!