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I guess there's no use in delaying this anymore. The worst arc continues.
Two highly distinguished individuals are scheduled to visit Costa del Sol in the near future, and Master Gegeruju wishes to welcome them with an elaborate banquet. But while money is no object, not everything Master Gegeruju desires can be so easily purchased. It is to be an extremely exotic feast. And so, Ginger, your mission is to seek out and obtain the rare ingredients our chef requires.
Naturally, such fine dining must be accompanied with a suitable wine. And by "suitable," I mean "the very best there is." That, however, can wait for the time being, as I believe you have enough on your plate as it is. It will be a long and arduous journey, but you need not toil alone. Many of the mercenaries who once served under my command still live, and they will guide you in your quest. For the first ingredient, I would have you travel to the South Shroud and speak with Landenel at Camp Tranquil.
...What? Do you mean to tell me that you cannot afford to waste time, as your associate did? Adventurer, if you have not the endurance to complete this mission, how do you expect me to believe you can outlast the Lord of Crags? Either do it or don't-I have work to do.
Titan, if you need a reminder, isn't on the verge of being summoned. He has already been summoned. Titan, beyond that, is extremely destructive. This asshole is stringing us along while lives are literally at stake. Also gotta love the "if you can't travel literally across the continent on short notice to pick up ingredients for a feast then I refuse to believe you can withstand Titan" bullshit.
Camp Tranquil is in the South Shroud, in the swamps just north of East Thanalan.
...So this is the one who would challenge Titan. I've been expecting you, Ginger. The ingredient you seek is the egg of a giant adamantoise. The method of acquisition should be obvious--you steal it from the beast's nest, of course. Simple in theory, but difficult in execution. Most who try die in the attempt. Will I help you get it? Hah, you amuse me. I will not jeopardize my position by openly assisting you. From me you will receive only information. What you do with it is your choice.
Conrad Verner here is also trying to talk us out of our quest. No I don't respect this jackass that's why he's got the portrait of the most annoying person in Mass Effect.
Two whole quests were deleted here. One of them had us killing flies and collecting bushes, and the other seriously had us walking around and talking to three guards for some reason. They were blatant filler in the middle of an arc already filled with it.
Also between 4 and 6 sidequests open up at this hub the second we talk to Conrad Verner. My first time playing this, I made the mistake of doing all these sidequests in every hub. It made this whole arc stretch on for more than 8 hours! Just following the MSQ, my recording was slightly over 2.
See, I don't regret my time spent with the Company in the slightest. Traveling the world, meeting interesting people, killing them--it was all jolly good fun. Alas, Gridanians are, by and large, an unforgiving lot--Detoh here being a rare exception. I've had to go to great lengths to ensure that I am seen as a model citizen, with no taste for drinking, whoring, gambling, and all those other activities I so dearly miss.
So understand that if you ruin my little charade by wagging your tongue, I'll fashion a noose with your entrails and hang you from the nearest heavenspillar. Well, what are you waiting for? There's a perfectly good adamantoise egg in a nest to the east of here, just ripe for the taking. Not that I expect you to live long enough to claim it!
The mother never strays far from the child, and you will surely be attacked the moment you lay hands upon the egg. ...There will be other heroes, Ginger. You do not need to challenge Titan. Abandon your quest, or your corpse will rot in this swamp.
Conrad openly talks about how corrupt he is when surrounded by suspicious Gridanians. While I know he's just talking out his ass, you'd think that at some point someone would mention that Ginger was literally hired by Merlwyb to do this job and that if she went "missing" suddenly, a lot of people would be keenly interested in her wherabouts.
Sure enough, there's an unguarded egg nearby. And if we mess with it...
Something five or six times Ginger's height comes to say hi. It's just a regular enemy, so it's barely even a speedbump.
I thought you might have the good sense to leave this place. By your continued presence, I take it you intend to persevere to the bitter end? Ahahaha! Such bravery, such recklessness! That will serve you well against Titan. Leave the egg with me--I'll see that it gets to the captain. You should make haste to southern Thanalan. In Forgotten Springs, you will find a man named U'odh Nunh. He will be your next guide. Safe travels, Ginger.
I love how some half-hearted negativity and toothless threats of violence were supposed to dissuade Ginger. It really shows how far the Company of Heroes, the legendary slayers of the Primal Titan, have fallen. Even without being told, it's obvious from anyone who looks at it that they're gauging our worth. The problem is they're fucking terrible at their job.
Part 1 of "FFXIV in a Nutshell" by RABtoons has the party skipping this arc because 90% of it is worthless. The party marches up to Wishmaster Karl, asks about Titan, and then when he starts with his nonsense, they leave him and go to find their own way. I'll link it after this arc is done.
I'm sure I've mentioned it before, but Forgotten Springs is on the border of a huge desert. Ginger had to come down here way back when to go train with Hamon Holyfist.
The U' Nuhn is in this building.
Nuhn is the title given to Seeker of the Sun miqo'te who are in charge of a tribe. I was also incorrect much, much earlier in the LP. Tia doesn't mean "legally not allowed to fuck." Though that's probably still true. Tia means "not a land owner" or something close enough. Imagine the debunked Alpha/Beta wolf nonsense but applied to Lion prides and you have something approximating Seeker culture.
State your business, adventurerrr.
Just get on with your test already. I have shit to do.
<snort> Hah hah hah! So this is the one Wheiskaet sends me. I haven't the foggiest what he sees in you--and until I do, you will rrreceive no aid from me.
The U' tribe, by the way, purrs their r noises. Almost no other miqo'te in the game do it. 
Another deleted quest after this one. This quest had us killing 7 lizards in the desert. Also a new round of sidequests open up if you're mad enough to be doing them as you do the MSQ.
...man?
Perrrsistent bugger. Very well, let's have a look at you. ...You've seen your share of battle, there's no mistaking that. And you did manage to obtain that adamantoise egg. However, that was naught more than a display of brrrute force and blind courage. The nunh I once fought also believed that his strrrength would save him. He was wrong, and now I am nunh.
I'm surprised that Koji restrained himself enough to not have this generic elcor pronounce "persistent" as "purrsistent." That's the sort of pun that he loves!
Many years ago, I joined the Company of Heroes to hone my skills, instead of challenging my predecessor before I was ready. Even when I was young, I understood that victorrry goes to the patient, the cunning, the pragmatic. That is why I claimed my position, and it is why I still hold it. And it is why I will not help an unprrroven whelp. The Children of the Sands do not offer aid to strangers. To do so is a sign of weakness. However, if you were rrrecognized as a skilled hunter in your own right, it would be permissible to assist you.
Being a good person and helping a stranger is a sign of weakness? The fuck sort of tribe is this guy running?
Across the desert to the east lies an Amalj'aa encampment. There dwells a warrior renowned both for his strrrength and his guile. To even face this Amalj'aa in battle, you must first find a way to lure him away from the encampment. This will be your test: to drrraw out and defeat the veteran. For this, I will offer you no advice--only this worn spear. Why, you ask? You will have to solve that rrriddle yourself. Now go--slay this old warrior and bring to me his necklace.
We gotta cross the desert now.
The Sagolii is implied to go on like this for a while past the zone boundaries.
Way over here by this little copse of trees we can find our destination. Just gotta plant the spear in the ground and ambush whoever comes to investigate.
Tanadd Gah dies this day!
For whatever reason, this section of this waste of time arc doesn't gall like the others do. The Nuhn dismisses us at first, but then thinks better of it and explains that he can't help a stranger, but a hunter he can help. And then he engineers a method by which he can help us.
I'm choosing to believe it's because he thinks Wreck it Ralph is full of shit and that there's no reason to hoard the knowledge of how to best Titan.
Tell me, adventurerrr: is our old nemesis dead?
He dropped this.
'Tis a fine necklace, as befits a veteran of countless battles. It will make an excellent trophy. The spear? It belonged to one of his brrrothers. I knew when he spied it from afar, he would be unable to rrresist venturing outside the encampment to see for himself.
Did you discern my intent, or was it dumb luck, I wonder... Heh heh heh! Either way, you imprrress me, adventurer! I shall tell you of the ingredient you seek.
On the upside, this arc is really breezy without all the pointless diversions.
A shame we did not meet when I was still with the Company of Heroes. You would have made a fine rrrecruit. But no point dwelling on what cannot be. You have a Wellwick worm to hunt. Sandworms slither brrrazenly across the desert dunes, but Wellwick worms are far fewer in number. Rarity brrreeds demand, and so their meat is highly prized as a delicacy.
The only way to catch your quarry is to entice it with something it cannot rrresist. These worms prrrey on the smaller creatures of the Sagolii. A freshly slaughtered angler carcass would be my choice of bait. There is an area teeming with anglers to the east. I will mark it upon your map, along with the location where Wellwick worms are most frrrequently sighted.
Be warned--the blood will drive the worm into a feeding frrrenzy. If your skills are lacking, it will devour you as well.
Kill a sand angler fish first...
Then we put the body down here at the sand and wait.
We could have also walked with rhythm. No I will never let that reference go.
Back to U'odh we go. I also want you all to know that I very nearly typed Y'oda. ...Several times.
You look well. Have you caught your quarry, then?
*hauls in a sandworm corpse several times larger than she is*
Your skills as a hunter rrrival those of our best. I applaud your success, Ginger. The meat will need to be heavily smoked before I ship it to Wheiskaet. Worry not--you have my word that he will rrreceive it in time for the banquet.
You must be eager to obtain the third ingrrredient. I regret to say that I know naught of its location. For the nonce, you should return to Costa del Sol and seek Wheiskaet's counsel. Ah, but hold a moment. Since you will be meeting the captain again soon, there is something I would like you to deliver to him for me.
This quest is reminding me just how bad the Hobbit movies were and how they didn't need to be. 
The captain was always fond of this brandewine. I would be grrrateful if you could deliver it on my behalf. I was a rrreckless, angry youth when I first joined the Company, and he would have been well within his rights to cast me out. Everything I have I owe to his wisdom and generrrosity.
Aye, Wheiskaet was a firm-yet-fair teacher, an expert molder of men. And I suspect that is still the case now. Please give him my rrregards, Ginger.
We meet again Warble Kitten!
Well met, Ginger. Landenel and U'odh Nunh both spoke highly of you. What brings you here today?
I hope you choke on this wine.
Ahhh, my favorite. I shall have to thank the nunh personally. Now, you have but one ingredient left. Fortunately, you will not have to travel to Aldenard this time to obtain it.
He's lying through his teeth. We have two ingredients yet to get.
For as much as I've been talking this arc up and dreading it and avoiding it, it's moving insanely fast. This quest marks the halfway point of the arc: 11/22.
Truth be told, I never intended for you to collect this last ingredient. Brayflox, my old quartermaster, wished to bring it to Costa del Sol herself. However, not long ago, she sent word that there's been some trouble at the Longstop, and that the delivery would be delayed indefinitely. She told me nothing of the incident itself, but I fear the situation may be dire.
Though I would like nothing more than to aid her myself, I have no choice but to turn to you and your allies. Make haste to the Hidden Falls docks and speak with Ozun Nazun. He will direct you to Raincatcher Gully, where Brayflox and her people have made their home.
What's the hurry, 'venturer? Eh? Somethin' happen over at the gobbie settlement? I dunno why yer so eager to help a bunch of beastmen, but go an' talk to the skipper over yonder. She'll ferry ye to Raincatcher Gully.
Near Oboro's base we can find a path veering off into the jungle.
And eventually we find Brayflox hiding in the bushes near the zone border.
Pshhh... Shkohhh... Tongueflaps of Wheiskaet be reaching ears of Brayflox. Uplander is come for tastyfresh gobbietreats, yes? Questprize of uplander deep in Longstop. Flighty-beast chased gobbieflock from homes. Gobbieflock needs goodly uplander give safety to Longstop with much hand-lending!
Translation: A Dragon has taken over Brayflox's home and she needs our help to drive it out.
Brayflox's Longstop isn't a terrible dungeon, but it is one that healers curse getting. It syncs to 34. Meaning every job that gets huge quality-of-life boosts at 35 doesn't get to play with them.
I recorded this at ass-AM, so Eevee was unavailable for various reasons. So Ginger's doing this one solo! There was nobody else awake and in the linkshell. Invites for that are always open! Just gotta ask someone~
Lipflaps on Longstops
I feel bad for the poor Machinist on the left. He's wearing gear from the level 75 dungeon and got sent to the Longstop. Poor guy.
Up the hill near the entrance we find this guy who gives us a key. We'll need that in a moment.
The Longstop is not a bad dungeon by any stretch. It's a dungeon everyone is familiar with because it pops up so much in leveling roulette.
The first boss is really easy. Some adds come with him that need to be tanked, but otherwise he's a tank 'n spank.
The only spiciness is that he can cast a paralyzing breath...
And that at one point more enemies come out of the woodwork. Very easy!
The second boss is just a hop away from the first. Up a hill and through a clearing!
Benefits of being the tank: I get to say we go after optional treasure chests. The second boss is off to the right while there's an optional chest up the ramp.
Save the goblin's life and he rewards us.
The second boss is very annoying.
It starts off simply enough...
Look in the distance... 
Brayflox shows up with an add. I taunt the add, but it remains laser focused on her while she runs around like an idiot.
Eventually the biast hears the lalafell yelling at it and so it comes to attack us.
Brayflox then taunts the boss and spins it around to face the party. No amount of persuading will make it come back to attack Ginger either until her taunt wears off.
And because my DPS this time were the best, the add was still alive at the end of the fight.
My healer is also running ahead of me. This is a particularly bad room to do that in because there's a metric fuckton of enemies in here and nobody knows how to keep a low profile.
I've seen groups try to sneak by with only a couple enemies that wind up pulling literally every monster in the open area. I also want to point out that this group is moving really fast and the healer, who isn't even overgeared, is still trying to pull for me. Asshole.
Thankfully nobody pulled anything extra.
By the way that was only part 1. There's more enemies over here.
The third boss is just behind me.
Hellbender is a simple enough boss! One of its moves can be pretty hard to see the telegraph for, though.
Peculiar Light only makes you take more magic damage for a brief time, but it's still rude that the telegraph can be difficult to see if you aren't looking out for it.
Do you see all those debuffs in the middle of the screen? Occasionally Hellbender will turn to one of the DPS and vomit on them.
They then get trapped in a bubble that they need to be broken out of! Believe it or not, but this is a soft form of training for the actual Titan fight when a similar mechanic pops up!
Under 20% HP...
The final boss touches down and squashes the third boss. We then need to fight it!
We take out 30% of its HP and it decides "fuck this" and flies off.
The stretch to the final boss is only two or three pulls. It's very quick!
And then we go up this little gate to the final boss. The Longstop is very quick! This run is entering the final boss after just over 12 and a half minutes. Most endgame Expert Roulette dungeons aren't over with that quickly!
Here comes the final boss...
Dumb healer pulled for me. I guess he thought I'd cancel out of the cutscene? Only cowards skip bossfight cutscenes!
Anyway, Aiatar is actually a gimmick boss.
He breathes a huge column of poison...
...that I got hit by despite being well out of the AOE. My connection that night was really terrible.
Aiatar's big gimmick is occasionally he pukes up Toxic Vomit on a party member. Naively I hoped he would target the healer or the DPS, but no, he put it right on me.
While he stands in the toxic vomit, he heals a lot. A lot. It's a powerful regen effect, and some groups don't have the DPS to out damage the boss while he's near it. So the tank needs to move the boss away from the green pools of Bad.
I've got him between two pools here. No points for guessing where the next pool is going
This is something the encounter team has gotten a lot better with after this. Tanks, for the most part, don't have to deal with encounter gimmicks for a reason. This fight illustrates why. If the tank has to drag the boss around constantly, then everyone's DPS suffers.
The last two images have been altered in post processing so you can see what's going on.
I won all the loot because nobody wanted to stick around for 30 seconds while I watched cutscenes.
The Cavalry set looks pretty nice at least. I like the white armor look for tanks!
Pshhh... Shkohhh... Goodly uplander has thanks of gobbieflock! Flighty-beast was tricksy foe, but uplander outwitted with plansmaking. Uplander has goodly head for fighty-think.
Brayflox happygives tastyfresh gobbietreats to clever uplander! Cheese is stinkysweet gobbietreat! Specialmake with secret gobbiearts! No party complete without gobbie gouda, Brayflox everysay!
Back to the arc's villain we go.
<sniff> <sniff> ...I gather you solved Brayflox's little problem?
I had to fight a dragon for this cheese. A DRAGON!
By the gods, that unholy stench! This is-ugh-definitely goblin cheese. Judging from the smell, this should be quite flavorful. Hm? How is it made? Ah...it's best you remain ignorant of such things. I still remember when I learned what kind of milk they use... <shudder>
This is actually a really good breaking point. This lets me put all of the events of the next part of this arc in their own update. And then we can deal with Titan for my birthday! 
And, really, that's the best present I could give myself... being done with this godawful arc.
Before we go, take a look at Ginger's new duds.
Again, brightened with post processing so you can see details. Ginger looks pretty good!
NEXT TIME: The quest for wine.