sofo's dreamland

FFXI has brought me not also good moments and friends, but also the most important person in my life, my partner in this adventure called life. We had lots of moments in FFXI, we had fun, we raged against other people but most of all we got to know, around 2 years ago in this very same spot. So much has changed since then, I've met you, we've been close and we're having a kick-ass relationship. You make me happy in every way and I hope I can make you happy in every way too, in the years to come.

I'll miss our passionate sambas.


We did everything together, we fought HNMs, EXP'd, and even merited whenever we could. We did those awful Dynamis, Einherjars and those awful Odins. Honestly, I can't wait to spend the rest of our lives together, just like our avatars in FFXI, which today we'll say goodbye. Good bye our friends, thanks for making us meet in such strange circumstances, thanks for bringing us together and thanks for the great times, you will be sorely missed.


Our last login as of today, 5th of September of 2010. It was a nice and fun ride while it lasted.


And for the rest of you readers, thanks for reading this whole time for so many years. Some of you have read me a lot, some of you I'll never have the pleasure to meet. I'm starting on FFXIV, and those of you who know me well, will know how to find me. Thanks everyone for reading and hope I could make your reading slightly enjoyable. Yours sincerely, Sofo.

Leaving on family vacations tomorrow. Have a great time and see you when I get back on the 18th!

PS: Will update once I get back, enough content for that but I've just been a bit busy lately.

Hope you're all well.

Because Scholar's level is nearing the 70's, and because the Royal Redingote (M.Acc+4/MAB+4) is the best standard nuking piece I've finally decided to buy A Crystalline Prophecy (ACP) and get it done once and for all. Despite what I've heard from people and the overall discontent from people, I really enjoyed the storyline. It's fast and interesting, and this is why it is an addon and not an expansion.


What really caught my eye is how delightful the cutscenes are. They're well-scripted and definitely beautiful to see. They connect really well the different parts of the story and it keeps you interested and wondering what will happen next. I'm not a big fan of cutscenes myself (wasn't until last year's July that I stopped spamming "ENTER" during them) but these really got me.


Nep and I decided to do it together, because we all know things are way better when doing them with people that are deep in your heart! I must admit the farmings was a bit tedious (read as: our key items took 1/killself to drop) but you only have to endure two times, so we just clenched our teeth and kept farming. Also Wikipedia is a bit misleading as to what drops what, so take that information like a grain of salt.


As you can see, this update is really screenshot-heavy. I apologise but thorough the storyline I just couldn't stop myself to keep pressing the screenshot button. I don't generally play with these settings (DrawDistance Map/Mobs 5.0, high shadows and no names) but I really just had to, in order to enjoy it.


As for the final fight, we'll do it together, Nep, Zafion and myself. Anyone else is welcome to come! (I'll nag Jayhawk about it, with false promises of naked women) I don't think it's too difficult, but because the climb was a bit dull, I'd like to do it well so we don't have to repeat that. Due to this, I've been delaying it forever but it's time to face it!


Also, and before I move on to the last parts of ACP, I'd like to thank everyone who helped out on the Fei'Yin BC, namely Mima, Nym and Tobyjuggler (yeah, Nym's in that picture too, he's just too tiny to be seen). This BC wasn't a challenge at all, just weird. I was supposed to "kite" the Goblin as WHM, but it kept porting around and it was really obnoxious. Also, I couldn't keep hate on it no matter what. Ohwellz, it's over now!


As for the climb, it was easy even though I died twice. Nep and I simply "solo'd" it on WHM (I know, we're so cheap!) and it's a lot better when you're the only one you have to keep an eye on. Sometimes it was really really obnoxious how stubborn some Goblins are, as they will always refuse to move away but it was still enjoyable to practice some stealth skills.


I believe that's all for now. I hope everyone is doing well, and would like to thank everyone who was worried where I was (in the event you didn't know, I was having exams!) or (if you did know about the exams thing) if I was doing well. I have good news! From the marks I know for now, I've passed 2 of the exams, and failed one. I don't care that much for the last one, as only 14 out of 60~ students made it.
Anyway, my best wishes for all of you, a real update coming up soon!

First off, I must apologise for my absence as of lately. University has been taking most of my time, and when that wasn't enough, work was there. Gladly enough I enjoy both of them (well, I enjoy my studies. I don't enjoy as much studying for them, but that's another story). The bad thing is that all of it, adding some connection problems of my own made FFXI almost a rare activity in me!

Thankfully it seems all fine now, and I've been able to be online indefinitely (or in a non-intermitent way!) and thus, the concretion of some projects that had been a mere idea or fog in my mind. ZNM is one of them.

SpikeFlail has been going all at it on ZNMs once again, and thanks to Jayhawk and his Verdelet spam I have something to show off for it! Thanks very much Jay for the Muse Tariqah, making my Cure V set almost realistically done! Also, finally managed to get Ea's crackows from Zhayolm boss, which means.... MARDUK'S CRACKOWS GET!

Nep and I have been working towards Sarameya path instead, both for hide/Hachiryu haidate money but also in hopes to improve his hMP set with an Oracle's robe.

Regarding Salvage it's been going fairly smooth as of lately. After all, I'm happy enough to have the "rarest" piece of the set! Who also got quite lucky with Salvage is Nep! Albeit the odd part is he never got drops in our group but in Grae's Salvage group instead!

Congrats Nep on the so-fitting Marduk's Shalwar!! I know, I know, they look so much better in me, huh. E; Also, grats to him on Macha's cuffs!

We're on our Ultima turn again, for Limbus, the first one of the two were fairly successful in drops! The run itself was pretty sloppy, but nothing to worry about, we got rewarded!

Grats to Jayhawk, Mima, and Nep on their Nashira turban, seraweels and manteel respectively!

Speaking of luck and Limbus, it's been raining Temenos items all over me. After upgrading Wzd. Gloves +1, the very same Sunday I picked them up, dropped a Diabolic Silk, so as soon as I get the BLM piece from Apollyon, I'm good to be done upgrading the useful pieces of AF+1 (hat -this was useful pre-ToAU, for hMP-, body and hands). Also, got a Benedict silk out of that very same Temenos run, making me able to upgrade Hlr. cap +1, the best head-piece for Cure V. Last but not least, this Sunday I got a Brillantine, the Temenos part of the upgrade for Scholar, since all of main SCHs there already had it. I'm debating which piece should I aim for, I'm thinking head for nuking purposes, since anyway I will use Royal Redingote to nuke on SCH (and for anything important -that could require HNM nuking setup- I'll be more needed as WHM, BLM or even RDM). Thoughts are welcome!

These are my stats as of this year. Picked already a new Anniversary and used a charge to get some EXP on Scholar. Regarding this job I'll make a post soon about it, about my thoughts in it and maybe (if I can bother myself that much) post future sets for it.

Finally got done with Windurst missions!! It's nice to finally get them done on my inital nation! The storyline was really good, and quite gripping, more than Bastokan! Nice fight, thanks to Nym to help us on trio the last one! (It's funny how easy all of these Ranks are, to think back when I started needed so many people to do them!)

And last but not least, we got another Tiamat! Full drop too! So grats to whomever, thanks to Darkbrillance for camping again! O:

Hope to be back to update soon, in a not-so-random way! Thanks for reading!

Hello everyone once again! And I apologise for my late update, specially towards my linkshell members and friends, it’s been a crazy week, the one before this one, and I’ve had literally no time to actually sit down and type it all through.

Well, most of you know about the Marduk’s Shalwar on my last entry, that was simply the start of an amazing week of goal-completion!

Tuesday was Dynamis - Tavnazia due to lack of attendance, specially of those who needed Buburimu clearance. Eitherway, finally got to join, since I had to sit out for the last 3 Tavnazias. It was a nice breeze! It’s the Dynamis I enjoy the most, all these little things to know about it and the fact that requires more attention from the 18th people inside makes it more appealing. It was such a change of plans I didn’t even think what was in, in it for me, and was such a nice surprise when I saw Duelist’s tabard to drop!

Then it was Wednesday, yet another awesome day! Well, maybe awesome isn’t the right word, but the week did go in crescendo and things I never thought that would happen, did! Wednesday was Salvage and Limbus day… Salvage we had Silversea, I was more looking forward some Hara-ate for Mr.Subligar but got a really awesome reward, so yay for Silversea increased drops!

Yes! That’s what it seems, Enlil’s crackows of Mr. Dekka! And yes, for those wondering, they form the best Marduk piece for White Mage! The best Cure V feet-piece available for WHM for the time being! It was soooo unexpected, but somehow, I knew it would drop! Had that feeling inside.

I still need the 25 feet because on the last time that they dropped, and could have gotten, the person who had to pass mistakenly lotted, oh well.

After that we had Limbus, Temenos for our first Ultima of the cycle! (We do two of each and then switch over to the other) Was really lucky to win lot over everyone for the so-rare BLM piece! Was torn between body and hands. Granted how much I use BLM in crowd control and how potent my Enfeebling set is already, decided on Wzd. gloves +1’s behalf!

To have a good end of the week.. Friday had to arrive, and with it, Odin. I have no words because yes, it did drop and yes, it did happen! Dalmatica obtained!!!! Thanks SPIKEFLAIL!! I couldn’t believe it myself, and was super super unbelievable. Afterwards we did ZNMs, and I kept checking myself to see if it was real.

I don’t think I have anything else to add! Just my honest thanks to everyone who made this possible, and for everyone being so nice to me, who haven’t even been in SpikeFlail for a year yet! Thanks very much again <3

Hooray! Yesterday finally we made a successful 4F run for Vour’s Usu feet and my Marduk’s shalwar…! He still lacks the 25 but that’s just a matter of time/luck!

Anyway, hurried to do the trade and today was able to pick up these beauties!

Yaaaaay, Marduk’s Shalwar! First Salvage piece completed! I wish it was more useful for the other jobs I have leveled, but it already kicks ass for BRD! So I am happy with that. (: Will replace Oracle’s braconi on SMN whenever it gets up there, too!

Thanks a lot to everyone in our Salvage set (Toctoc!) that made it possible, and also to my old set, Jowah’s, for the 35 piece! And to Nep, to endure my mood whenever we failed prior runs. (/-\ ) <3

Have a good time, and enjoy the Easter break!

This is the long-forgotten update! I’ve let it happen again, so busy with the game itself that I can barely find a good time to update!

Since last update managed to accomplish lots and lots of things! Of course this wouldn’t have been possible without the help of my good friends, so here starts the thanks-a-thon!

Thanks Nep for making it possible! Those last levels were hard to pull through but was nice to finally get it done! Don’t know when will I use it, but never know when I can, and also it’s nice to be done with SJs! Also, thanks to Grae for letting me leech some lowbie parties. :3

Remember last entry we ended up wanting to do Rank 6? Well, we’ve been up to that and not also did Shadow Lord but I got the chance to take screenshots of it. The first time I did this was around 2006, and back then I didn’t take pictures (I was hmmm BLM68 or so!) but now I had no excuse to take them with Nep. E:

I forgot how interesting storylines are! I guess it’s a lot different when you know you won’t be left alone in doing them! (:

Eventually… this lead to the final completion of Bastokan missions! We’re going to work on Windurst missions next, as long as it doesn’t get first position! We’ll see how Nep fits in the so-small houses in Windurst. <:

Lately Dynamis has been a bit rocky. Since our forums are down for the time being (that’ll be solved soon) scheduling Dynamis is an ordeal, but also lack of people logging on for it! I guess it’s just a phase, with the spring break and Easter coming up. Eitherway, last Saturday we did Dynamis - Buburimu and managed to 6/6 WHM AF2!! Bignineinch asked to lot, so I asked him if he wanted me to pass, but he said that I should just head to completion, so thanks Big. E:

Salvage has been pretty good for us lately, even though it’s hard to schedule successful runs because of lack of attendance. Last two remnants we did were Silversea and Arrapago and on both got 35s!

Grats Kao, Ami and Areom on Deimos cuisses, Hikazu kabuto and Deimos Cuirass!! So nice to see at least something completed from Silversea (insert 0/toomuch on turtle).

We’ve been pretty lucky with HNMs… ;3 We got Simurgh for Grae’s RNG, but of course, no drop! I’ve never seen them drop myself but I don’t think it can be that bad of a drop.

But I’d be lying if I’m not happier for another kind of foot wear.. related to the title of the entry.

We got Tiamat! After so long camping for it, it popped at the right time and guess what… GUESS WHAT!! D::::::::::::::::::

Omfg I think I’ve never been happier about a game-related thing in my life! After sooo long camping and so many frustrated pops, finally! It was all so worth it though, and sorry for everyone that got hit with my frustration! Sometimes I’m that hard to deal with. E:

HUGE Thanks to SpikeFlail! So much I have to thank you all for, and you’ve all been so nice to me since I’ve joined the LS. When I look back it just looks like my entire game-life has been shitty until I joined you! So many things I’ve accomplished, and so many things looking to accomplish together! Thanks again!

Wow, it’s been so long since I last updated! I guess I’ve been slacking a bit, and getting ready some content. <:

This update wouldn’t really be the same if I didn’t mention the new adventures and missions Nep and I are doing. After some thinking we decided that it was time for us to move to a new country… We went back to the land of his ancestors, far away from the snobby Dhalmels in San D’Oria and the tiny houses in Windurst. It feels so great already and a nice breeze to experiment it with him by my side. E:

So far we switched around Wednesday and hit Rank 5 on Friday. Hopefully we’ll get to do 5-1 today and can get Rank 6!

Doing this easy missions when they seemed so hard when I first did them gives me a bit of a bittersweet taste in my mouth. Bitter in the way that I wish that I had had someone to do them with back in the days, and sweet because now I have someone to do all this stuff with, and much more!

At first I must admit I didn’t want to change because I feared for OPs as well as the fact that lower ranking would mean less invites on Scholar, but the good thing is, Scholar doesn’t get invites in the first place! Hohoho.

With that solved, nothing stood aside from changing nations aside from killing  Dirtyhanded Gochakzuk for the Windurst mission I’ve had opened ever since coming back to the game. I must admit it was a pretty epic fight, because first we tried Nep and I to duo it, both of us 2boxing. It was very disappointing the way the NM is positioned, specially because of the door! Thank god last Wednesday we asked some help in LS and killed him with ease, getting a Cursed Wand for Nep as well, when we redo Windurst missions! :3

In the HNM scene we’ve been up to quite a lot! Snatched a good chunk of Sandworms (could always get more, of course!), grats Selim on Ancient Torque! (I know he’s gonna complain he’s in no pics, well that’s too bad!)

Finally got Lambton Worm title! It was a very very fun fight, at least not the dull fights we’re used to! We were lucky to get rewarded with what we could say the “best” drop -from an objective standpoint- from Lambton so a lot of us were very happy about that!

This King Arhtro was a bit of a mess! But at least we managed to leave with a decent drop (can’t deny I wouldn’t have appreciated a belt in that pool, but nothing we can do about that!) Everytime we hit Everbloom zone I so wish other zones were as pretty as this one! There’s like a special glow in it, I swear.

Yay something actually wanted dropped in Salvage! Congrats Vour! Salvage lately has been a bit disheartening, either fail runs or simply not enough people on to do it. I know they’ve been doing it a lot, but I can’t help to feel a bit left out to see that once people get stuff, they stop coming! I myself don’t have that many aims in Salvage (we failed the only 15 for my Marduk shalwar) but it wouldn’t be bad to see some progress!

Maybe I haven’t been as lucky as others with Salvage, but Dynamis has smiled at me once again! I couldn’t believe ittttt! Two dropped that Xarcabard run so congrats to Edenie and myself! It’s really nice and really feels good to have it after so long (small reminder, BLM was my first 75, so you realize how long it means haha).

Passionate, aren’t we! Totally synced that without even saying anything to each other! <: Nep is my personal lucky charm, and he was very very happy for me, because he knows how much it meant! E:

Last and least, moneys! Got fairly lucky with that, and it feels really nice being able to make “big spending” without worrying too much!  Have enough money for now to pay for half a Salvage body (that’s in the event I get first in line and then drop happens, of course!) but at least I won’t feel guilty for getting it and not being able to upgrade it. O:

Well, looks like it turned out to be a hell of an update! I guess next time I won’t delay it as much. Thanks for reading again and hope you’re all still enjoying your adventures in Vana’diel as much as I am! <3

It’s that time of the month again! No, not that, but blog update-time! So much has happened ever since my last post, the bad thing is everything is so unrelated I will have to figure out something to connect the pictures in a coherent text.

First of all, Kao has been failing at logging in for ENMs! So aside from doing them with Zafi and Dalak, joined Selim in doing Vahzl ENM for some Toreador’s loving. Of course, with his awesome luck we got! Oh, we got EXP, I meant! I guess next time will be better, the fight is messy but definetely up to try again!

Been working on RDM as of lately. I’m finally decided on my merits, which will be maxing Ice/Earth accuracy and Phalanx II and Slow II. One would say it’s not the best setup for meriting it, but for a Taru, I need to have the maximum accuracy on MND-based enfeebles, so I can pump them up with MND instead of accuracy gear. Phalanx II max is for Salvage, and because if I’m RDM I like being Tank-PT RDM.

Some notable improvements were Mahatma pigaches, HQ staves and other kinds of shinies, as well as turning in Warlock’s tabard and transforming it into a cute Warlock’s tabard +1! It’s not something great but AF+1 on RDM is pretty weak. Considering legs or head +1 next, not sure which.

Speaking of crimson, red, and other tonalities of the red-scale, Nep got a cute turban (Grats! :3). <: It was pretty much uncontested, and of course he would have looked a lot better in the manteel but alas! Didn’t drop. E:

Been trying some “Up in Arms” with obvious no luck at all! But that’s much better than having my seals collect dust with Shami. Also, I think he steals a seal every now and then, I must confirm this rumour!

Well, looks like this update is forcefully Red Mage centered, and I guess I can’t hide it anymore! Guess who turned out to be a “real Red Mage”?!

I couldn’t believe it myself when I saw it drop this past Saturday! I had to double-check that was what I thought it was! It’s such an amazing piece, changes Red Mages’ gamestyle! My dream item ever since I started leveling the job, Duelist’s chapeau!! I’ve had chance to use it during Limbus and damn, it’s lovely. It makes me want to use Red Mage a lot more, but first I want to finish its merits. I’m so glad I changed my magic skills merits distribution, makes it even more powerful! O:

Yesterday Odin dropped a Dalmatica. I thought I’d get it, but Mima did instead. I admit I reacted childishly, when it was announced in LS, logging out without saying a word, not even congratulating him, so I do it now. Grats Mima! I hope we have better luck with Odin now though! 2 A. Abj. Bodies in over 20′ish or so Odins is pretty discouraging, but sooner or later it has to put out!

We’ve been focusing on La Vaule SCNMs, as you can see from the last pictures. Sadly I haven’t been going to many triggers farming (maybe a couple?) because they happen at disheartening hours. In the picture above I was tickling Nep. E:

This fight is quite amusing. So far I had just done the Yagudo one, but this one definetely beats it. The bad thing is the main NM (the one glowing in the picture) has this ridiculous “Veil of Chaos” AoE, with knock-back, that makes Ranged damage much more effective MP-wise.

We got pretty lucky with Gnadbhod helms, going 3/5 on them. I opened the last 3 coffers, which netted out 2 Helms, which is pretty lucky! <: Grats to Mima, Graeson and Zafion on your ugly Orcish helms!

Last, but not least, as you can see above, I finally got my Ea’s brais!! Now I just need that damn 15 piece to complete Marduk’s shalwar, my first Salvage piece! I’m so excited, but first I need to get that Zhayolm run going, so help me, please! Thankies!

I also got Enlil’s gambison by default which is nice, but I consider the Jubbah such a waste of ingots. If only it was a Macha’s coat Q_Q. That’s all for now, hope I don’t need to update in a long time! (Doubtful)

A last word of thanks to my friends, and specially you, because you make my life cheerful and fun to live!