I've Just Completed The Seventh Astral Era Set Of Quests And My Mind Is Blown...(spoilers...

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So... I've just finished off the part between A Real Reborn and Heavensward and I need to organise my thoughts on this fantastic game. Apollogies for the incoming wall of text

Although a bit of backstory first. I've been a Final Fantasy fan for as long as I can remember, but with one previous attempt at an MMO, Hint it rhymes with now, which I just could not click with, I didn't see myself ever trying out FFXIV. Flash forward to last Summer's Final Fantasy XIV event at Shoryu Ramen in London. That's what got the interest rolling in my housemates to jump in to the series, as neither of them had ever really played a Final Fantasy game before and it got them interested. So we all decided that during the last few months, at some point we'd all jump in to try it out. We spent a bit of time just looking up the classes and seeing what was coolest to who and all that. They began back in Late September/Early October, while I had to travel to a place where internet connections aren't the most solid so I waited until I came back to England to play. During that time I'd decided that I was 100% going to go for a Dragoon as my main class because Kain Highwind is one of my favourite characters in the Franchise.

I get back home and as Black Friday is a week or so away from then, I decided I'd go through with the Free Trial just on the chance of a Sale. So I set up my Character on the Diabolos Server, a Duskwight Elezen by the name Etoile Grandvent and just began playing. Starting in Gridania, meeting Mother Miounne and other faces of Gridania, as well as commencing my path to becoming a Dragoon. With help of that Road to 70 Buff, I was steadily climbing up to Level 35 before I knew it, and I just knew I had to get the game fully. Luckily the Black Friday Sale happened and I got the full game for half off! Due to a combination of realizing that Female Dragoon's can't make the iconic Dragoon pose, and the Availability of Au Ra now in my hands, I bought a Fantasia, and turned into an incredibly edgy looking Xaela who actually had a backstory, which really helped with immersion.

I continued on through A Realm Reborn, falling more and more in love with the world of Eorzea and it's characters, with the Scions and Haurchefant in particular taking a warm place in my heart. Taking on Ultima Weapon was so incredibly cool and awesome I was struck. Hearing Answers at the end during the credits genuinely brought a tear to my eye.

I continued on with my Dragoon Training, becoming an Azure Dragoon just like Estinien and kicking his butt, Forging my Relic Gae Bolg, Taking on the Coils of Bahamut, unsynced of course, but the story there was fantastic!! One of my housemates and I then took on the Crystal Tower, which also blew me away in terms of the story it had, as well as causing me some flashbacks of good and bad times with FFIII and Dissidia. I even dabbled in the new Samurai Class to prevent over leveling Dragoon.

All the while running through the quests in the Seventh Astral Era, which minus a hick-up here and there with going back and forth, was Great! Reuinitng Minfillia with her mother was incredibly sweet and heartwarming, Meeting Yugiri and just helping her and the Domans out felt right and having dialogue choices for the first time with the kids and cheering them up left me smiling it hurt. Leviathan and Ramuh were both fantastic sections in the game, which the Sylph Forest part being particularity memorable. As Alphinaud and I started to Recruit the Realm, seeing familiar faces like Riol, Wilred and Laurentius was enjoyable, and thus the Crystal Braves was born. Of course witnessing just how corrupt Ul'Dah was heartwrenching, with how nice Nanamo and Raubahn were.

Then in comes Moenbryda, Urianger's childhood friend and a brilliant scientist, as well as more Ishgardians all of whom carry interesting stories I was excited to see take place. And shortly after defeating Lady Iceheart and Shiva (An amazing Theme), as well as confronting Midgardsormr, The First Acisan is completely defeated!! At the cost of Moenbryda's life. That came out of nowhere and I was genuinely shocked they'd kill off a Scion, especially one with her knowledge. Following it with Wilfred's unceremonious death. All the while that little Git Teledji Adeledji was doing his evil little machinations in the background. However, the little reunion with Estinien was nice, despite the weird ending the Dragoon Questline had. I guess he got better?

And then came The Parting Glass. Now with the warning of cutscenes, I knew some crazy stuff was to occur but...Nanamo's Assassination, Ilberd and the rest of the Crystal Braves Betrayal, Raubahn Channeling Guts against the two of them was fantastic to see. The slow loss of the Scions to allow my Character to escape was really touching but also incredibly sad. But being reunited and saved by Brennen was unexpected in the good way, as well as finding out that Raubahn has an adopted son, the big softie. With Cid helping reach Dragon Point and M.V.P Haurchefant letting us stay at "Falling Snows" kept the smiling going, until Alphinaud's breakdown from the betrayal, but just as Tataru reignited his conviction, the flames reignited my own.

Wow I wrote more than I thought, and I've still got so many more emotions flowing through me and I can't WAIT to experience Heavensward and continue to experience this fantastic game with you all!

submitted by /u/Death-Prince-3
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