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Chapter VI: Spriggan Cleaning
Hello! Has it been a while? Crash is back. After helping to rescue the Sultana from a demon of the void, and chasing away some pirates from the Quicksand for Momodi, Crash is back to being unemployed. Fortunately, while Crash has finished his work with Papashan, there should be more to do at the Dispatch Yard.
Crash actually leveled up off-screen. At the time, level 8 unlocked Flash and the first trait. The trait, Enhanced Vitality, would just increase Crash's base Vitality attribute by 2. Vitality increases HP, but the exact amount it goes up depends on his level. In any case, none of that is relevant anymore. I'll discuss the attributes later in the update, too.
Instead, level 8 is the first appearance of a new method of acquiring abilities in Stormblood: the Role Actions.
Gladiators have access to the tank Role Actions. The first ability is Rampart, which provides a 20% damage received reduction for 20s, on a 90s cooldown. We've already covered this before. Crash unlocks new slots to use Role Actions every time he learns a new ability from it. There's a reason they're locked, but that comes later. Let's return to the Dispatch Yard and see if there's any more work.
Music: To The Sun
Papashan wanted Crash to help out the city, and that includes continuing work for those at the Dispatch Yard. There's a few optional quests, but the next few main scenario quests are grindy enough so we'll be ignoring those. You see, what separates Cicidoa here from the other clients is that his work will bring Crash to the next big event in the narrative.
Our client wants us to deliver a single pumpkin to a pub known as the Coffer & Coffin, but Crash has to pick it up first.
Because all of the NPCs are lazy and prefer to just stand around, it's up to Crash to turn around his camera to reveal the Plantation directly behind a couple of rocks. Gagari with the quest marker hands Crash a pumpkin without much fuss. If you're not reading this on a small screen, you can almost see the Coffer & Coffin already. It's just slightly across the bridge in the background, just above the barrels.
This will be the first time Crash has been past this bridge in this LP, except maybe when I wrote this same update two years ago. It's time to leave the Spineless Basin.
Just a little north is the pub, lodged beneath a boulder. In the background is another aetheryte. Notice that it's big, just like the one in Ul'dah's plaza. While the miniature aetherytes can only be used by interacting with them, allowing you to teleport only within the city, the larger aetherytes can be teleported to from wherever you want. You just need to attune first. It's worth attuning to them the moment that you see them, so Crash takes that detour before entering the pub.
This is the aetheryte for Black Brush Station. The camp here is actually a railway station that doubles as a refinery before shipping materials. It obtains ore from the Nanawa Mines, which was a dungeon in 1.0, through the use of Magitek Trains. It sounds cool, but I can't recall if we've ever actually seen what they look like. In any case, the attunement is done, so it's time to head over to the Coffer & Coffin.
Surprisingly, this is the first time we've seen a FATE, or Full-Action Time Event because this is a Square-Enix game. They're pretty common and were the best method of leveling up back during the launch of the game. They're essentially quests that players can participate in together, usually on a fifteen minute timer. You get the freedom to drop in and out whenever you want and they'll usually just randomly pop up in set locations on the field.
The FATE just here needs to be initiated by a player before it actually starts. A bunch of Qiqirn want into the pub, so Crash and other adventurers can assist the Heavy in keeping them out by straight up murdering them all.
New Music: Hard to Miss
In order to participate, Crash must be within the blue area shown on the map. At level 9, he's just barely within the level range. Any higher and Crash might have to also level sync to join in, reducing his level to the maximum allowed during this FATE.
There's actually a few different types of FATEs. This one is a combination of a multi-target and a notorious monster type. After slaughtering a dozen or so small Qiqirn, Guguroon Wetnose shows up while demanding to enter the Coffer & Coffin. The only interesting thing about this specific fight, beyond the racist discrimination beast tribes are typically subject to, is the Guguroon's frontal-cone AoE called Faze, which inflicts Stun. They're otherwise easily avoided.
Finishing the FATE results in a massive dump of UI elements, but this isn't very typical of them. You'll normally only see the Fate Complete and Success windows, but it looks like the 1,120 exp was enough to bring Crash to level 10. We'll get to that in a moment. First, I want to focus on the medal.
The reward for completing a FATE is dependent on your performance, scaling to both the metal of the medal and the level of the FATE. Typically, you can get a bronze, silver, and gold medals. I don't think I need to explain which is better.
Your performance is measured differently for each FATE type, though generally it goes by the "rule of six". Six enemies killed while they were on your enemy list, six items collected and delivered, etc. You don't even need to be that active, as someone else can kill those six enemies so long as you've hit them once. It's a system that was prepared for the mob of players that used to jump between each FATE, allowing everyone a fair chance. Notorious monsters are measured differently, instead using the amount of enmity you generate. This means Flash would actually give Crash a higher chance at achieving a gold than Savage Blade.
Player parties are also supported in FATEs, reducing and sharing the effort required. FATE parties were almost required to reach level 50 back in 2013. Unfortunately, they're not really that great for leveling these days, so you won't be seeing much of them in this LP. They don't get very diverse after you've seen each of the types, but I might show off the occasional noteworthy Notorious Monster.
The level up also grants Crash the Convalescence ability. This simply increases the healing received from healers. It's a useful ability that can help Crash recover from a high damage hit, or just let the healer stretch heals to conserve MP better. There's some cool party tricks you can do with this ability too, but that comes later. As of Stormblood, this is no longer the level 10 ability. You can get it from Role Actions at level 20 now. It also now only increases healing input by 20%.
Post-Stormblood Gladiators will receive Riot Blade instead. Like Savage Blade, this action combos from Fast Blade. It hits for 240 Potency when part of a combo, making it Crash's strongest attack at the moment. It even recovers MP (about half the cost of a single Flash). Riot Blade is very good, though Crash will learn it at level 12. Huh, post-Stormblood Gladiators get much better damage options.
New Music: Another Round
Speaking of things from before Stormblood, each even-numbered level up from level 10 gives us a bonus attribute point to allocate. Since this is the first time, Crash gets three bonus points. You can't do this anymore, but it's probably a good window to discuss what the attributes actually are.
Strength increases the physical damage dealt, except for ranged classes and Rogue. Vitality increases HP. Dexterity increases physical ranged damage, Rogue damage, though it used to also increase Block Rate, Parry, and Critical Hit Rate before the first expansion came out. Intelligence increases magical damage, while Mind increases magical healing and damage for healer classes. Piety isn't an attribute any more and is a secondary stat exclusive to healers, but it's always increased MP. The attributes are fairly straight forward, and each class usually only cares about one.
Roger is pleased to receive the pumpkin, and also notes that it can help improve the diet of his clients who usually don't eat vegetables. Roger is a good guy.
We get some Marmot Steak for our efforts. Food will provide Crash with a very small exp buff for 30 minutes, but can also give him an array of other buffs. Marmot Steak will increase his Accuracy and Vitality ever so gradually, while giving a percentage increase to Skill Speed up to a maximum of two points. We probably won't see much impact from the skill speed buff, since it only affects the global cooldown and the reduction is rounded to two decimal places, but the thought is nice. Since Accuracy isn't in the game anymore, they give Direct Hit Rate + 1 instead.
Roger also happens to have some work that Crash can do, unlocking the Server Class. The objective is to just take four orders and return to Roger with them.
The only notable objective here is Adalfuns, who's an early sign of the kind of fuckery you can expect in the "find something in an area" type of quests. He's above the pub, but his marker makes it look like he's inside it. Every similar quest will have at least one objective in a location to screw with you, and Adalfuns is that guy this time.
Surprisingly, I redid this section recently to discover that Adalfuns has been moved. He's a lot less confusing now, and I wonder how many other NPCs or objects have been shifted without fanfare.
Anyroad, ye did good, laddie. By way of thanks, I'm gonna tell ye something what ought to prove to yer profit.
Please do, even if just for me. Roger will be happy with all the work Crash has done for him, and even provides a tip.
Word is, Black Brush Station's sorely undermanned. The Stone Torches there can't get a moment's peace. I was thinkin', mayhap ye can make yerself useful at the station by cullin' some antlings. I don't doubt Warin would appreciate the help. An' if ye win his trust, he's like to have more work for ye.
It's nice to get back into some combat again, even if it is just filler. Five docile Antling Workers will hopefully be enough to impress the Stone Torches into becoming Crash's next employer. They're a private organisation, hired to guard the miners and refineries. There's nothing to really comment about on the antlings, since they're just common open world monsters.
New Music: The Gift of Life
Success! Sadly, while Warin is impressed with our ability to slay antlings, he's less impressed with our equipment. Our non-accessory (including waist and weapon/shield) gear has to be a minimum of level 5. Fortunately, the only piece we're missing is the legs.
Also fortunate is that the nearby Armorer sells some Hempen Kecks for 168 gil, allowing Crash to pass Warin's equipment inspection.
Passing the inspection results in a shield as a reward. Since the sword still has the maximum attribute points that a weapon is allowed at this level, the shield is left with none. On the plus, Crash will now successfully block a little more often, and a little more damage. A block will now reduce damage by 13%.
Working for the Stone Torches is basically just busywork, with quests about cleaning up the tracks in one way or another. The monsters are at least a little interesting. Coblyns are sentient clumps of matter that have biological organs or are animals that have fused with minerals for a defensive shell, while Spriggans are suggested to be spirits of the rocks that they carry. The Coblyns were even intended to be the Final Fantasy XIV equivalent to Goblins back in 1.0.
All that filler work wasn't for nothing though, as the wandering merchant Zuzumeda has noticed Crash. It seems like he has a hot tip that can lead to some profitable work.
Rumor has it that there is a vast, untapped vein of ore beneath the ruins of Sil'dih. Inconceivably, the Concern appears to be entirely ignorant of its existence. And even as we speak, a young upstart - a self-made merchant from Stonesthrow of all places - is moving to claim it!
Crash may not have lucked out like he should have with the sultana rescue operation, but this sure seems like a path to riches if I ever saw one. It turns out that Warin is looking to use the profit from his excavation to influence some laws, which would make him a rival for the Syndicate. I can't imagine that ending too well for him, but someone who could be worth that much money is definitely an employer worth pursuing.
Suffice it to say, if Wystan thinks he can compete with the likes of the Syndicate, he's in for a rude awakening. For the present, he is moving ahead with his plans, and assembling a team to survey the site.
Undeterred by Zezeda's remark, Crash travels to the Coffer & Coffin where Wystan is apparently recruiting.
New Music: Another Round
Some Brass Blades looking for extra coin volunteered, and the team's already en route to the ruins. But look, I know it's not easy to find work these days. If you're interested, there's something else you can do for me.
Unfortunately, returning to the pub only brings Crash some bitter disappointment. Wystan's expedition is full, and are already on the way to the ruins. To make up for it, Wystan has some work to keep Crash busy.
It's... not the most exciting work. It seems like our employer is popular with the local orphans, and he needs them bribed with some ginger cookies so that they'll keep away from the expedition. And here I was thinking the busy work was over now that we had another solid lead.
...Not that my childhood was much happier. Never enough food to go around, nor work to earn it - but no shortage of contempt from the great and the good.I remember thinking things could only get better... Yet now, after the Calamity and everything else... for us refugees to be forced to live outside the gates like bloody beastmen is a disgrace.
After helping him out, Wystan opens up a little bit more to Crash and shares his humble motivations for wanting to get rich.
I'll buy the excavation rights and start my own mining business. Then I'll give my fellow refugees the work they're crying out for, and pay them fairly! We will reclaim our dignity, and with it our place within those walls.
Some Brass Blades storm in.
Already!? Amazing! We leave at once!
Wystan turns to Crash.
You should join me, my friend! Come and bear witness to history in the making!
Well, it's not like Crash has anything better to do.
Soundtrack ends.
The Sil'dih ruins aren't actually that far away. The bridge that brought us to Black Brush is right next to that waterfall, and it's possible to jump down into the ruins from them.
On the way to Wystan are some Spriggan Graverobbers. Since Spriggans are creatures that are apparently vessels for spirits of the Earth, and are often obsessed with gems or ore, you can imagine why they'd be drawn to these ruins. You can also usually see them carrying around some sort of rock. They're kind of like faeries or sprites in Eorzea, but not quite. Unfortunately for these soulkin, they happen to be on Crash's hunting log.
Killing them grants Crash one last level up for the update. At level 12, Crash learns Riot Blade. Post-Stormblood, Gladiators learn the tank ability Low Blow instead.
Low Blow doesn't do any damage, but it does inflict Stun for five seconds. Since it's an off-cooldown, we won't need to worry about being held back by the global cooldown.
I forgot to show this prompt when Crash first found Lady Lilira. A Duty in Final Fantasy XIV refers to an instance. In this case, we can expect Crash to face a boss battle. Players that might be a little too over leveled will be synced down to try and keep some challenge, though expect less challenge here than the last fight.
Also, it looks like maybe the expedition wasn't quite the success that Wystan would have hoped. I mentioned in the first update that the Brass Blades serve under the Syndicate. Maybe he shouldn't have been so quick to trust a group of mercenaries who work for the same private company owned by a member of his competition?
New Music: Kiss of Chaos
The Brass Blades have already done a number on poor, naive Wystan. It's a good thing we got here when we did, or Wystan might even be dead.
Crash runs in from off-screen.
Everyone unsheathes their weapons, preparing to fight.
The camera pans, revealing a black-robed man. Soundtrack ends.
The robed man's chanting summons up a Golem from the ruins, and the Brass Blades see this and decide to scatter.
This ain't part o' the plan! Bloody hells, does Lord Lolorito mean to kill us too!?
Music: A Fine Death
Wystan will most definitely be glad that he invited Crash to come along after all. This is the first solo boss battle of the game, and as a result, it's going to be real easy.
Since this update's already getting to become a bit long, we'll continue this next time.
Also, as an extra thing; I know I said that I wouldn't show off the boring optional quests, but I wanted to highlight that there's a quest to teach players about potions. I'll let that sink in. They definitely go full out with making sure all players will be able to play this.
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