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Chapter II: Close to Home (Ul'dah)

In the last chapter, Crash finally arrived in the desert city-state of Ul'dah after his carriage circled around it for some reason. Probably to tour all of the dangers of the Thanalan region. This will be another cutscene heavy update, focusing on familiarising ourselves with what will be Crash's new home. There's a few important mechanics introduced here, as well as a bit of an info dump to write off returning characters from 1.0.

Also, I'm already regretting that I lazily went with "Crash" for the protagonists name. It feels so awkward.

Immediately upon entering the city, Crash gets called over by a stranger. That stranger is Wymond, an informant.

Now then, what if I was to offer you some invaluable advice by way of welcome to our fair city? Free of charge, even - just this once, like.

He calls Crash over to give him his first quest. This is actually the first time we get control of our character. The game also gives us two methods of play: keyboard and mouse, and controller. The devs put in a lot of effort into making the game run well with a controller, and they did a pretty good job! It's entirely possible to play the game comfortably on a controller. I'll be sticking with a keyboard and mouse for this playthrough, since that's what I've grown comfortable with.

I use this opportunity to fuck about with the UI. Expect this to change a lot over the course of the LP, since this is an area I'll be continuously trying to refine for different content. It has to be functional for me, while not overloaded with elements for you. Let me know if you have any problems with it.

The game ~~has~~ had two quest markers. The one above Wymond denotes an optional quest. With some exceptions, I'll be ignoring most of these in this playthrough. They're rarely interesting, are part of an unnecessary grind, and really only exist to give you gear and experience points - both of which will not be an issue on your first class. This one is mandatory just to introduce the player to the alien concept of questing in an MMO.

Wymond informs Crash that he must speak to the master of the Adventurers' Guild, Momodi, and register there, which is kind of pointless since Brendt already told us. The informant points out where the guild actually is, so at least he's trying to be helpful.

It's that building, right in front of the entrance. You're really helpful, Wymond. Thanks.

It's rather large and also really empty inside. It's usually busier, but all the players and NPCs don't exist in this isolated instance of the guild. Crash won't be able to explore or meet other adventurers until after he's registered to the guild. The guild itself serves as the intermediary between adventurers and the locals, so he'll likely be getting very familiar with this venue.

The green quest marker means that's where the quest is actually finished, which is is true for all quest types. That makes Momodi the short person over by the counter. The one on the right. These two aren't the first Lalafells that the player will see, but they're the first Lalafells to show up in this LP. Lalafells are one of the default five races in Final Fantasy XIV, and they tend to be the dominant race in Ul'dah. We'll be seeing lots of them in this game.

When Crash approaches, Momodi is too busy aggressively pointing at her book. Crash doesn't seem sure if it's okay to bother her or not.

I also manage the Adventurers' Guild here in Ul'dah. So you might say that lookin' after green adventurers like yourself is my vocation. And lucky for you that it is. Without someone like me to steer you right, you'd soon find yourself out in the middle of nowhere, caught up in business you don't understand.

Luckily enough, she notices him anyway and bursts into a long speech filled with exposition. We've still got a few more cutscenes before we can really get into the gameplay, but Momodi's job here is to make sure that Crash can acclimate to the city. While Crash's home isn't made clear, it's heavily suggested that he's not from Eorzea. He's traveled to a land in ruin to fix it and gain glory, and Momodi is here to make sure he knows his left hand from his right.

Like our conflict with the Amalj'aa, for example. They've been plaguin' the sultanate for nigh on, oooh...forever now. Then there's the Garlean Empire. None can say for sure what they're plottin' these days, only that they are.

So much was lost in the blink of an eye. 'Twas like the end of the world had come at last. But then things begin to get foggy. Everyone's got their own version of what happened next - some of 'em, two or three...

A large chunk of the story involves dealing with the aftermath of The Calamity. Interestingly, Momodi is a returning character from 1.0, meaning that she'll have likely met a lot of returning players before. None of this dialogue is very different, and their characters are treated as strangers much in the same way that Crash is. For the story to work out from scratch again, that kind of needs to be the case. It turns out that there's now a reason for that.

That's right. The events of The Calamity also resulted in widespread amnesia - the cause of which likely belongs to the same spell that transported 1.0 adventurers from the old game to now, five years later. The game will hint that there's a chance NPCs will recognise you, but it's careful about where to draw the line. There will be a point where it no longer matters, as your own deeds begin to overshadow anything a previous character will have achieved in 1.0.

There is one thing the survivors agree on, though: the part played by a band of adventurers who laid down their lives for a realm that wasn't their own.

As she explains, a small group of shady people enter the bar.

Whenever we try to call their faces to mind, it's like they're standin' between us and the midday sun, permanently silhouetted... I'll bet that sounds poetic to you, doesn't it? Well it's not. It's bloody infuriatin'. But even if we can't remember them, we'll not let 'em be forgotten, and so we call 'em the Warriors of Light.

I should probably point this out now: Final Fantasy XIV really enjoys referencing the other games. It does it a lot, and it's very much like Final Fantasy IX in that regard. The game is a little bit of a love letter to the fans and the franchise as a whole, and we'll be seeing a lot of familiar names and such.

And they'll forever stand as a shinin' example of what adventurers can achieve. That's why I welcome new arrivals like yourself to our fair city. All I ask is that you lend a helpin' hand, and try to leave Ul'dah in a better state than you found her. If you can promise that, I'd be happy to let you join the guild.

The screen fades out as Crash signs his name, and returns with Momodi reading over her book again.

Look. At least it's not as bad as xxxSephirot420, alright? It'll be changing soon!

All right, Mister Screen! On behalf of the Adventurers' Guild, I officially -

Momodi is cut off short by the noise coming from behind Crash. A man is knocked to the floor by the shady trio from before.

Trust me. Not all Lalafell villains are as embarrassing as this.

In the East, it is said that even a merciful god might be driven to vengeance if thrice blasphemed. Be grateful you were given a fourth chance to offend. You two, attend to this scum.

Ul'dah is kind of a dangerous city.

If you ever need a bit of advice about one thing or another, pay me a visit. Just don't go botherin' me every time you stub your bloody toe, all right? 'Course, I do enjoy hearin' tell of a gentleman's woes with the womenfolk from time to time...

Momodi also has an alternative bit of dialogue for female characters.

'Course, I do enjoy hearin' a lady muse on the many manhoods of her acquaintance from time to time.

Take a moment to catch your breath, and I'll teach you a little about our fair city.

Despite the conversation coming to a close, Crash isn't done with Momodi yet. The quest ends to give the player a break and places them out of the isolated instance, free to explore.

Above Momodi's head is a different quest symbol. This one denotes a main scenario quest, and is how you progress the story. Her next quest is about exploring places of interest in Ul'dah, so there's no real point wandering off anywhere.

First of all, I want you to visit the Aetheryte Plaza. To get there, head west from here till you reach Emerald Avenue, then look to the north. You should see a giant, floatin' crystal called an aetheryte. You ever attuned with an aetheryte before, Crash? If not, just lay your hand on the thing and you'll see what I mean.

The directions are a little bit confusing, but the aetheryte is clearly labeled on your mini-map anyway. This is where we'll find the main source of transport around Eorzea, but I'm getting ahead of myself a little.

When you've done that, I want you to pay a visit to the Gladiators' Guild, over at the Coliseum. Assumin' that sword ain't just for show, you might consider trainin' there.

Other players may also be directed to a different place instead. The second location will always be the guild for whatever class you selected, and where you can learn about your role and progress the storyline for that class. It's also possible for Crash to unlock other classes in their respective guild, but we won't have access to that feature yet.

And finally, I want you to visit the Sapphire Avenue Exchange, over on the Steps of Thal. Goods from all across Eorzea and beyond turn up there every day. You'll have no trouble findin' armor, weapons, or anythin' else a fledglin' adventurer like yourself might need.

The Sapphire Avenue Exchange will not be super useful on the first playthrough, since most of the main scenario quests in the game will already provide Crash with armour and the guild quests will provide weapons. Still, it will still be useful.

Just make sure as you don't pay more than you ought, Crash. There's plenty as won't scruple to swindle unsuspectin' foreigners like yourself, 'specially if they think no one's lookin' out for their best interests. Which is why I'm givin' you this letter. When you visit the exchange, find a gentleman named Seseroga and give it to him.

Before we leave the guild, it's probably worth taking a look at what's around. Unfortunately, there isn't very much to see right now. A lot of the features in this game are locked behind progression, meaning that Crash needs to hit certain points in the story before he can use them. The Inn - a standard commodity for players to heal up in any other Final Fantasy game - requires Crash to prove himself first. Fortunately, your HP, MP, and TP recover outside of battle. It exists for other things.

The name of the building isn't actually the Adventurers' Guild. It's just home to the guild. Instead, the pub itself is called the Quicksand, and even the Inn is called the Hourglass. A lot of things have secondary names in this game. I'll probably mostly call it the Adventurers' Guild for the ease, though.

'Course, you adventurers are less like to linger long. Aye, your kind is not unlike sand itself - the more tightly we try to hold on to you, the easier it is for you to slip through our fingers...

Oh, I know all about your type. My husband used to be an adventurer, you know. Oh, he was quite a gallant hero way back when. But his days of derring-do are but a distant memory now - aye, and his strapping physique as well. <sigh>

The dialogue in this game can be long winded. It can also be great.

As with any RPG, you can talk to the NPCs to get some extra information. The Adventurers' Guild has some particularly useful NPCs for new players. As it's a Final Fantasy game, you're able to play as all of the classes in the game. This actually also includes crafting classes, which is something I'll get to a bit later.

Anyway, that's enough faffing around inside the Quicksand. Let's sprint over to Crash's first destination.

New Music: Sultana Dreaming

When Crash steps outside, it's already night time. A minute of Eorzean time is worth almost 3 seconds in real time, which makes an Eorzean day (or "Sun") 70 minutes of real time. Also, a month is called a moon and a minute is called a bell. There's weather and moon phases as well, and even constellations and stuff. It's all surrounded by the astral and umbral polarities of the elements, like everything else in Eorzean culture, with ties to the twelve dieties. There's a lot of nice detail here, but that's for another time. I don't want to just dump too much info in here.

Crash is free to visit the locations in any order he likes, but let's stick to the order Momodi gave us. West of the Adventurers' Guild is the Aetheryte Plaza, and is located a little out of the way.

The goal here is to "attune" with the Aetheryte. What exactly is this for, and how is this a method of transportation? Well, a nearby Brass Blade that's stationed to it is nice enough to come over and explain to the freshly attuned Crash.

Since 100,000 gil is a lot of money at this point in the game, this sets off a massive chain of quests to unlock the aetheryte. I did say that everything was locked behind progression.

Fortunately, Nenebaru was only joking and simply just laughs at Crash instead. While aetherytes actually aren't free to use, they're free to attune to. You should always make sure to attune to the aetheryte whenever you access a new area.

Perchance you have heard of Return and Teleport? Well, these transportation spells make direct use of the aetherytes and their connection to the flow of aether.

Basically, attuning to an aetheryte lets Crash teleport to it. You don't need to be a mage class in order to use this spell, and it's the most common way to get about.

In 1.0, players had to consume anima in order to use it. Anima was basically your life-force, which severely limited how often players could teleport. Teleporting essentially turns your physical body into aether, but most adventurers recover quickly which lets them travel more frequently. Crash doesn't need to worry about using anima. Instead, stationed guards will charge travelers a fee for its use - the reasoning stated to be for paying off the massive repair bills on the aetherytes after The Calamity wrecked them. We'll actually see what happened to the old ones later in the game.

Return is a little bit different to Teleport. Crash can only use it after setting an aetheryte to be his "home point" - a carry over from Final Fantasy XI. Home points are where you Return to when you "die". You can also use while still alive, though it has a fifteen minute cooldown between uses.

The next place to visit is Ul'dah's Coliseum, which is the home of the Gladiators' Guild. The current map Crash is on is the Steps of Nald, but this gateway will take him into the Steps of Thal where the Coliseum is. There's two other ways to this other map, but this is the closest to the aetheryte plaza.

Nald and Thal both refer to one of the two twin patron deities of Ul'dah.

The Coliseum is pretty big, but don't expect to use it. There's a lot of NPCs advertising their bloodsports, but no way to participate in or watch it outside of a cutscene. I'm pretty sure the actual coliseum was also unavailable outside of one quest in 1.0, too.

Crash is not actually going to register yet, but it's a good idea to join the guild right away. The guild quests have their own storylines, but will also provide you weapons, new skills, and access to other classes as you progress them. They're really important, which I can't stress enough. Crash will be registering in the next update.

Just outside of the Coliseum is a miniature aetheryte known as an aethernet shard as well. They make traveling around the city a lot smoother, letting Crash teleport to other aethernet shards that he attunes to. You can't use the Teleport spell to access them.

The last place to visit is the Sapphire Avenue Exchange. It's probably the easiest spot to find, since Sapphire Avenue connects with Emerald Avenue towards the east of the Adventurers' Guild. The street itself is filled with merchants, making it a useful place for low level players to get items they may need.

For Momodi's task, Crash has to speak to Seseroga and deliver Momodi's letter. Handing him the letter opens him up to Crash. Despite Seseroga being so stingy about sharing information, he doesn't have a lot to say. Ul'dah is the center of Eorzean commerce, and all trade routes pass through the territory. Commerce from Vylbrand - an island west of Thanalan where another starting city is located - only comes through Ul'dah. Likewise, commerce from Aldenard - the main landmass of Eorzea - leaves through Ul'dah. If you want to see more of what he says, then you can probably take a look at the bonus video.

With that done, it's time to visit Momodi again. We'll come back here in another update when Crash has a little bit more gil in his pocket. There's other locations in the city, but it's best discussing them as they become relevant. I'd need two or three updates to really cover the city.

And we're finished. The next quest from Momodi requires the player to be level 4, and the game is really trying to make the player explore a little. The city is littered with small-time generic quests to introduce the player to other locations, but they're not very exciting. Instead, Crash still has to register to the Gladiators' Guild. Perhaps they can provide some training that will tide him over until Momodi has work for him?

All Cutscenes and Dialogue (Pt.1)

All Cutscenes and Dialogue (Pt.2) - From Seseroga

Bonus Video: Legacy Opening Scene
Credit goes to the uploader for that one, since even my 1.0 character didn't really warrant the scene.

There's a lot of changes to the world design of 1.0, but there's also a lot remaining as well. The Aetheryte Plaza itself is very much the same as it was in 1.0, but the newly crafted Aetheryte is a lot bigger than it used to be. Scholars from a foreign city called Sharlayan were the ones who had created these Aetherytes for Eorzea, but they bailed from the realm when shit started to hit the fan. Without their technology, Aetherytes now look more like they do in this week's update.