What started as a "Well, some of my friends hopped onto the train because they're giving up WoW and I'll finally have people to play with so let's just try the free trial..." has turned into me getting through the entirety of A Realm Reborn and its post-game and now, Heavensward (still working on that post-game.
It's been a ride. I've had mostly good experiences with the community... joined a Free Company... and honestly haven't had so much fun in an MMO in years. Ever since I pulled away from GW2 (due to issues with ANet and their horrid customer service in regards to account recovery), I'd shied away from MMOs in general. WoW was never very... enticing to me. No offense to people who love/enjoy it, but while I enjoyed the lore and reading up on it, the art style was never really my jam.
I had always wanted to play FFXI growing up, but during its heyday I was younger, didn't have great internet (my family refused to upgrade from dial-up until way beyond when dial-up was the norm), and by the time I would have been able to... well, Guild Wars and GW2 didn't have subscription fees and so I settled into those. They were fun. For a bit.
Yet, Eorzea has been a welcoming and fun place overall. After the long time stuck in ARR and its post-game, it almost felt as though the MSQ in HW went by almost too fast... which, can we talk about Heavensward?
The entirety of the story engulfed me, had be wanting more and more as I played through. I was determined to figure out what had happened to the fellow Scions, grateful for the friendship of Haurchefant Fortemps, and was so thrilled to finally get to see more of Coerthas and Ishgard. Finally being able to unlock the class I'd dreamed about since before starting the game (astrologian) was simply the icing on the cake.
The story of the Holy See and the woe of the war with the dragons. Midgardsormr bringing you low only to claw our way back because... that's what a Warrior of Light does - fights and perseveres for the safety of Eorzea and the people spread throughout. I laughed, I rolled my eyes... and I cried when... well, if you've gotten through Heavensward... you know.
...a smile better suits a hero...
Thanks for sharing your experience. Saw your blog post on my community home page and was curious to take a look at another new player's experience - great read!
I can tell you've enjoyed the experience and am excited for you to plunge deeper as it only gets better! You've been a delight to be around, and we're happy to have you as part of the fam. If you'd like, and if this becomes a normal updated blog I'd invite you to share it with the guild. They too might enjoy the read! ^^
