When I quit FFXI “never to return” three years and one month ago, I thought that if I ever returned, I wouldn’t do endgame of any sort. That held true for a few months after I opted to play more towards the end of 2006, did some endgame with the new version of my old LS, took another couple months off, then went back to playing in the summer of 2007, finishing up DRK sub finally and joining a restructured LS then quitting for a short while before a friend and I decided to shift to Seraph in August ’07. He shifted to join an endgame LS; I quit to join him on the server and later joined the LS for… 48 hours before deactivating until March 2008 when I shifted to Phoenix, which brings us to today.
Ever since I quit in 2006 at the top of the list for both Duelist’s Chapeau and Dalmatica, and extremely high on the list for Wyrmal Abjuration: Legs, I’ve been chasing ghosts in three three-year-old sagas. While in the long run it was best that I quit back then, the fact that I returned knowing that whichever LS I joined, I’d be at the bottom of the list for those three coveted items, seemed not to bother me that much as I still enjoyed the game.
But, I have finally caught one of those ghosts. Yesterday morning, my social did three Kirins. The first two dropped the “red legs,” and I was fortunate enough to be gifted with one of them.
After that we had a double run of Dynamis-Tavnazia. I went on the first run and was first up for the hat. My heart began beating so fast when we got to the top floor and the demons: I so very wanted the hat to drop to catch the second in one day. The week before we did Dynamis-Xarcabard: two hats dropped, and if a third had, it would have fallen to me.
But, my luck didn’t hold true for Dynamis. We are doing a lot of Xarcabard and Tavnazia soon, so perhaps I can catch the second one soon.
This brings me to the final and most elusive ghost: the coveted Aquarian Abjuration: Body. While a near impossibility to obtain without either a huge sum of gil or selling one’s soul to an HNMLS, I begin to see some sense of possibility with this item: I am trying to keep a hold on the ToD for Adamantoise using my other account in the vain hope that it ends up on a day Aspid could pop when my LS would be able to assist in felling the beast. Additionally, I’ve joined an Einherjar shell a friend of mine has continually pestered me about, and we are preparing to do our first Odin soon. Perhaps in the not-too-distant future I will catch the third.
Looking back on my spent points for Dynamis, if I hadn’t blown points on 6/6 Valor Armor and a few other random items, I would be higher on the list. But, honestly, equipping my Paladin in such a manner is a worthy trade off for being at the top of the Chapeau list. I’m sure I will appreciate it even more when it finally does drop for me.
Even if I am unable to lot on A.body soon in the Einherjar shell, I can spend ampoules on more shinies like Morgana’s Choker (for MND build and Cure Cheat), Ritter Gorget (for PLD and DRK zerg), Iota Ring (random meleeing), Aslan Cape (MND build), and materials for a Cursed Coat for my BRD. I would hope the H.body list isn’t too long.
In the year or so I’ve been on Phoenix, I’ve been very fortunate with where I’ve ended up. I can only hope my further adventures are as successful!