Most of us like to think of ourselves as 'gamers'.
Veterans of battlefields, experts of questing, defenders of justice, experienced travelers in search of adventure- a terrifying amount of sheer effort played into dozens of different games. So for the majority of us anyways, FF14 is not our first rodeo.
The same goes for me; I
adore video games. So when I first stumbled upon FF14, I was all too excited to jump in.
But nothing could have prepared me for just how vast one game can be.
Sylva Sakura- that's me.
I arrived in Eorzea just like everyone else; wide-eyed and clueless, but hopeful nonetheless. And luckily- thank
god - shortly after, I was recruited by an FC in my starting town.
Little did I know, this very FC would save my butt many times over in the challenges ahead.
The kind people in my FC- who I have since adopted as my "Sensei"s, "Big Sister"s, and "Niisan"s, respectively- got me on my feet.
They guided me through mechanics that they likely could do in their sleep, they helped me through dungeons I couldn't dream of tackling on my own, and they made sure I was properly equipped to take on ambitious solo endeavors. (As it so happens, '
Danger' is indeed my middle name.)
And with every level-up, I've gotten better and more knowledgeable- though even then, it seems like I still have lightyears to go. I've surpassed trying hurdles (
*cough, cough, Bowl of Embers* ), stopped evil in its tracks, and lost a few good NPC's that I'd grown unhealthily attached to.
But somehow, I've survived. Failing, as I've come to understand, is an invaluable learning experience.
So with the support of my FC members, I was ready to take on the world!
I took my time traveling. With my trusty chocobo at my side, (her name is
Phi!), I discovered a seemingly infinite amount of colossal spaces hiding intricate little details, each more breath-taking than the last- and I didn't want to miss a thing.
I got side-tracked by mini-quests, got lost exploring underground caves, ran off on a few tangents because "
I'm a Rogue/Samurai/Gladiator/Red Mage/Astrologian main now!" , I befriended whoever I could along the way (because adventures are fun, but adventures together are way better!), fell off a few cliffsides, and got side-tracked some more.
It's gotten to the point where it's become a bit of a problem, because I came to realize that I was actually over 10 levels above my main quest levels.
All in all, Final Fantasy is a game that's easy to get lost in, both physically and emotionally. It's a game of seemingly boundless excitement, and we're all very lucky to get to experience such wonder together.
Because I've only just started, but there's already so much that I want to see and do. When you're immersed in a world as big as Eorzea, walking is just not an option.
(
For me, anyways!)