Member Spotlight: Odin Lowe

What is your character(s) name(s)? Odin Lowe

What rank in the FC are you in? Senior Officer (Feels like this is my highest rank without adding too much stress in my life :D)

How did you start playing FFXIV? Wanted to play MMORPG to relieve stress so I research recommended games and selected 3 (FF14, WoW, and Guild Wars 2). I uninstall both WoW and Guild Wars 2 after the first 5 minutes cause interface and tutorial suck. I’ve been on FFXIV ever since.

When did you join G’? Nov 17, 2017. About 10 mins after I created a character. I got a pic of it. LOL

What’s a typical day in FFXIV like for you?  Experts roulette, Namazu beast tribe, help out on FC events, hang out/AFK at the FC.

What are some of the things you do for the FC? My main job is gathering for the Alliance. I also activate the daily FC buffs and send airship/submarines out. I am also responsible for the Aetherial Wheel. I run the Alliance 24-man raid event every Wednesday as well.

What’s your favorite class?  Paladin, Bard, Astrologian, Red Mage, Warrior, Miner and I can’t believe I’m saying this….. Fisher. (It’s grown on me)

Favorite dungeon/raid? All of them except lvl 50 dungeons. Lighthouse is top of my list cause of the cool mechanics.

Favorite NPC? Can’t decide…. Tataru cause some quest with her is funny as fuck? Oh wait! Yugiri and Zhloe are my waifu!!!

What’s your favorite thing to do in your free time on FFXIV? Spending time with Alliance people and doing events with them, occasional voice chats and taking screenshots.

Any tips for your FC mates? Be sensitive of other’s feelings. Be respectful of others. Don’t be afraid to ask any questions or help.

Carbuncles or Moogles? Can it be Namazu or Morbol?

Godbert Mandeville great NPC or BEST NPC? No other choices?!? I’m still in therapy cause of that time when he asked me to oil him. *shudder*

Best race? Miq’ote (cause I am one but people who knows me will definitely say it’s Lala)

Any fun facts you want people to know about you? I’m not sure what you call “fun” but here goes:

·         Don’t watch a lot of movies unless it’s animation/anime. I do make some exception on very rare cases

·         Likes documentaries mostly about Crime Investigation, Air Crash Investigation and Space Exploration, How things are made. 

·         Likes weird stuff (not gonna give example)

·         Get amuse easily and a laid back person (slacker might be a better word)

·         Patient I guess cause I rarely lose my temper

·         Likes hugs \o/

·         Sleeps a lot

·         Lala in RL ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

·         Majority of the songs I know is Anime songs, some English songs here and there but only if I like the tune

·         I don’t follow celebrities, gossip entertainment or latest series (*cough*GoT*cough* some example that I can remember) so I’m clueless about what you are talking about most of the time. I get amusing reactions when I say that. Put it this way, if almost everyone is doing it, I probably belong to the 1% that don’t do it. LOL

What do you do outside of the FC? I’m a Network Engineer by profession. When I’m AFK I usually am reading stuff. I like learning new things. Other than that, I’m a boring person. :D

Member Spotlight : Decepistar Meow

What is your character(s) name(s)?  

Deceptistar Meow

What rank in the FC are you in?  

Senior Officer in G1

How did you start playing FFXIV? 

I was already into FFXI when I first heard of XIV.  I had kept tabs on the game updates and started with back in 2010 with XIV 1.0 Alpha, Beta, Legacy to the current Stormblood now. My friends and I originally chose the now nonexistent Selbina server, which name changed to Ridill, then turned into the Legacy Excalibur server. Then we decided to move to Leviathan for a fresh new start and the curiosity of a non-Legacy server.

When did you join G’?

Just went to check on my old forums posts. Looks like I joined G1 Geuno in 2016 right after my move to Leviathan. Up until then, my 1.0 friends and I had stuck to our old servers. I remember I was harvesting in Memeroon’s Trading Post when I got an invite.

What’s a typical day in FFXIV like for you?

Log in, then check retainers and resend them on quests. Go to Gold Saucer to do the daily tic tac toe. Do daily Trials. Check FC list for purge members. Run my FC macro every few hours. Look at marketplace prices, and craft. And when I have time I do more dailies.

What are some of the things you do for the FC?

I feed them food. Some people call me ‘Grandma’. Please remember to eat the free G’ foods.

What’s your favorite class?

Currently WHM and RDM

Favorite dungeon/raid?

Anything that kills a lot of people other than myself. Watching people die in Titans, Menagerie’s, those Lv70 24-man cross server raids. Does it kill people? Am I used to it enough to stay alive and raise them? Then I like it.

Favorite NPC?

 Ser Aymeric, he hot.  :D

What’s your favorite thing to do in your free time on FFXIV?

Sort out my inventory and craft the left-over things to make room. Making new characters to re-level a class when I feel I get rusty on the basics. Buy more materials for crafting.

Any tips for your FC mates?

I know it may not be for everyone, but if you want to understand the game and how your class affects other classes, try to play and level all of them. There is a lot of learning to do and you will discover a lot of things about other classes and how some of them behave the way they do, despite it looking questionable at first as an outsider of said class. Slower leveling will also help you learn small tricks you’ll miss if you speed level.

Carbuncles or Moogles?

Moogles are more worth poking prodding and slapping around.

Godbert Mandeville great NPC or BEST NPC?

No he just a half nakkid macho dad D:

Best race?

Not sure if best race but I find the cat race aesthetically easier to make.

Any fun facts you want people to know about you?

I draw. I speak Japanese. I’ve finished all quests and side quests in the game except the Big fishing one so my map is clean.

What do you do outside of the FC?

Use to work in a Health department and now a Tourism department. I like games?  Oh, I like sleep. I sleep a lot, I love sleeping. And online manga.

FFXIV Lore: Elements, Magic, and Crystals

Hey there, everybody! Darkmaelstrom again with the next installment of Final Fantasy 14 lore. In my last post, I discussed how aether and the Lifestream shapes the land of Hydaelyn and allows life and magic to flourish in the realm. Today, I'm going to dig deeper into the magic itself, how it works and interacts, and what effects it has on crystals. As you are no doubt aware if you have played any caster roles in the game, magic on Hydaelyn is split into 6 different elements that generally cycle in this order: Fire, Wind, Lightning, Water, Ice, and Earth. Areas of the realm, as well as those residing in it, can be aspected towards and away from certain elements. For example, if an area is aspected towards Fire, the land is generally going to be hot and arid, playing host to deserts and intense sunlight. Scalekin aspected towards Earth generally develop a thick outer skin protecting them from predators. You get the idea. Now, each element interplays with one another in certain ways and, while it can seem a little complicated, there is a passage that can help make it a bit clearer: "The spark of Lightning ignites when it strikes, and thus Fire is born. The heat of Fire renders to ash all that it touches, and thus Earth is born. The density of Earth shuns sun and harbors cold, and thus Ice is born. The armor of Ice melts away, and thus Water is born. The moistness of Water mists and rises, and thus Wind is born. The gusts and sighs of Wind gather the clouds, and thus Lightning is born. The Three Conquests, Boundless and Unwavering Earth grounds Lightning, Water erodes Earth, Lightning boils Water The Three Submissions, Timeless and Unending Fire is extinguished by Wind, Ice is melted by Fire, Wind is obstructed by Ice

The six elements are manifest in all things great and small, and thus polarity deriveth from the Astral heavens above and the Umbral depths below." (Encyclopaedia Eorzea, p9) It seems like a lot to keep in mind, but in general, the elements are arranged in a circle, with Wind, Lightning, and Fire making up the Astral poles, and Earth, Ice, and Water making up the Umbral poles. This outline plays a more key role in the use of magics, as it dictates how elements interact with one another; in other words, which elements are stronger or weaker against other elements. You may also be asking yourself what I mean by Astral and Umbral? Well, when anything in the game is referred to as "Astral," it generally means periods or states of great activity and growth. If "Umbral," it generally means states of stagnation or staunchness. These terms are also used to designate eras in Hydaelyn, with Astral eras being marked by periods of advancement and prosperity, and Umbral eras marking a great Calamity that halts (and sometimes reverses) advancement. We won't get into that quite yet, but just keep in mind that the great eras of civilization follow the same order of elements and polarity.

Now, the question we must ask is, outside of the use of magics, what does this mean for those living in the world? In the last article, I discussed how a being's life is affected by the levels of aether with which they are born, and that one of the components that can either positively or negatively affect a being's aether is exposure to different "aspects" of aether. Well, just like regions, a being's aether is generally aspected towards one element or another. If said being is exposed to elements that are aspected differently from their own, or corrupted aether, it generally detracts from their natural lifeforce, which can have negative consequences for their health. Climate rarely affects this, but one feature of the land that can cause it to happen is crystals. Crystals occur throughout the land of Hydaelyn and, while you can hardly go anywhere without running into these objects, they are not what you would consider a natural occurrence. Put simply, crystals are the result of extreme injury to either the land or its inhabitants. When a being is mortally wounded or killed, their aether is violently lost to them, manifesting as crystals aspected towards the natural aspect of their aether, or to the aspect of magic that marked a calamitous event. The reason why crystals are so abundant throughout the land is due to the many Calamities and wars that mark the history of Hydaelyn. As an example, you can hardly go through Thanalan without noticing the mass areas of crystals that look like mountains of fire. These crystals formed when the primal Bahamut destroyed the realm of Eorzea during the Seventh Umbral Era.

Depending on the circumstances of their birth, these crystals can also become corrupted, causing them to have a markedly negative effect on the natural aether of the land and its inhabitants. This problem is the focus of much study and research for obvious reasons. The inhabitants of Gridania, in particular, seek to balance and remove corrupted aether, in order to placate the elementals that reside in the Shroud. And there you have it! I know this was a bit of a read compared to the last article, but since magic and elements play a much larger role than the Lifestream in the story of Final Fantasy 14, it was necessary. In my next installment, I'll go over the geography of Hydaelyn, concluding the basic outline of how the world works, and moving on to what you're most likely interested in: the religion and history of Eorzea. Until then, happy gaming ^^

-Darkmaelstrom Stewart

Sigmascape Written Guide

Patch 4.2 introduced the newest chapter for the Omega storyline: Sigmascape. Consisting of four 8-man raids and their subsequent Savage difficulties, players could earn one Sigmascape piece per week for the normal difficulties, as well as some additional weekly rewards if done in Savage mode.

In its efforts to help its already vast community, the G' alliance holds a weekly clear of Sigmascape Normal (that is, Sigmascape 1.0 - 4.0), primarily lead by Apollo Cloudbreaker, with succeeding parties being run by other officers or leaders of the alliance. The party leaders even use the alliance's voice channels in Discord for proper vocal direction and guidance.

Sigmascape 1.0 is the first level. The tier is not too difficult overall as the majority of them have telegraphs that players encounter in regular dungeons and other raids. The new mechanic that the fight brings, however, involves ghosts that can teleport any player that collides with them to a separate car, separating them from the party. Inside the car, the player must then defeat the ghost inside or it will unleash an unblockable attack that can knock out a player, leaving them to be at the mercy of their healer when their corpse reappears.

Sigmascape 2.0 might look like your usual boss fight, but players must now get creative with a painting mechanic. The boss will occasionally channel one of four paintings inside the room. Players must then respond by "painting" a picture that is on the floor in front of the channeled painting. Simplified as it may sound, the challenge is figuring out the timing and combinations, especially during the latter half of the fight when 2 paintings are channeled instead of just one.

Sigmascape 3.0 has now become infamous as the hardest floor of this tier and may end up overwhelming a lot of first-timers without proper guidance. At various points in the fight, the boss will channel a boss from a previous raid, dungeon, or trial, and each boss channeled has a different mechanic, ranging from knockbacks to stacking. While visual cues are available, this is one fight that does require some knowledge and memory.

Lastly, Sigmascape 4.0 is the floor that features a cameo from Kefka, the antagonist of Final Fantasy VI. A lot of the mechanics are visual-based, so players need to keep an EYE out for them, lest they QUESTION their own judgments. Puns aside, the new mechanic for the fight is that Kefka will trick players who are too used to visual cues from older fights. If Kefka is channeling and question marks are on the visual cues, players should go AGAINST their usual instincts and stand INSIDE the AOEs, or in the case of the attack "Grave Image", face the eye that is on the statue, as opposed to the usual "look away mechanic" when an eye is involved. Otherwise, mechanics need to be followed as normal. One mechanic that IS often misunderstood, however, is Kefka's teleport. After teleporting, Kefka will either instantly blast a wide cone in front of him that will apply a stack of vulnerability on those hit; or channel a knockback. The easiest way to counter this is to stand behind Kefka's destination. This way, they can avoid the instant cone-blast, and allow players to adjust to Kefka's knockback if they see him channeling "Aero Assault".

While the restrictions for the pieces have been lifted as of 4.3, the gear that can be exchanged is still very much helpful, especially for players who have chosen to opt out of doing Eureka Anemos (an instance released in patch 4.25). While PUGs can get the job done, it's always easier (and funnier) doing it with people you know.

-Sapphire Umbrus

ENN: The Cult of Kweh???

A crowd begins to gather around the aetheryte projector positioned in the corner of the pub, a

mix of Gridanian locals and visiting travelers eagerly awaiting the weekly show. The low rumble

of the audience dies as the screen flickers for a few seconds. Slowly, the form of a Miqo’te

woman dressed in explorer’s garb takes shape.

“This is Moxi Floxacin, reporting for the Eorzean News Network on site from the forest of the

eastern Shroud. Rumors have been circulating in recent months that a secretive group has been

meeting here for unknown reasons. They call themselves ‘The Cult of Kweh’, and locals tell us

their activities range from odd, ritualistic dancing to live Lalafell sacrifices. As your intrepid

reporter, I’m here to get the real story!”

The image flickers for a moment and the scene switches to evening at another spot within the

forest. The reporter is nestled inside a bush, leaves sticking out of her hair and her face painted

in stripes of green as some sort of rudimentary camouflage. The camera slowly scans the view

from the bush as figures emerge from the forest. They are all dressed in yellow, some in formal

suits, some in gowns, others just wearing underwear, but all…yellow.

Speaking in a hushed voice, the reporter glances at the camera, then back at the gathering

cultists. “They’re all wearing the same color, obviously it has some sort of symbolic meeting.

The leader seems to be pulling something out of a bag. It looks like…oh my god! It’s a chocobo

head? I can’t tell from here if it’s an actual decapitated chocobo head that has been

fashioned into a headdress, or just a good imitation.”

One by one, the cultists gathered in a circle, all putting on their own chocobo heads. After

donning them, the bird-adorned members slowly start swaying out of sync with each other. As

the odd, trancelike dancing continues, the cult leader stands up on a stump, looking down on

those gathered before him and holds his hands up above his head. A silence falls over the

forest clearing as all eyes are on him.

“My chicks, we are here to worship the one true Kweh! We are all hatched from his divine egg,

and only through his divine grace can we all ascend to the great nest in the sky. Praise Kweh!”

The crowd throws their hands up in jubilation, all crying at once, “Praise Kweh! And praise

Father Jimmy!”

The camera quickly pivots back to the reporter, “Divine egg? Great nest in the sky? What does it

all mean? And what plans does this cult have for the rest of Eorzea? Tune in to my follow-up

stories as I untangle the mysteries of the Cult of Kweh! Moxi Floxacin for ENN, signing off!”

Written by Moxi Floxicin