What tanking means to me:

"It takes a certain personality type to tank. I can't speak for others, but I'm a tank because I want to protect people. It's easy to say that, but I do mean it. I consider it a failure when others die before I do."

-from a post on Alla

Looks like it's also time for another gear upgrade. Beetle armor & earrings, shield earrings, garrison hose, flame boomerang, fish chiefkabobs, and the Neckchopper.

I hadn't been in a party for weeks, since I hit 20. Qufim intimidated me so badly, that I just kept putting it off. Last night I got my first party in Qufim. There are mostly only BLUs and PUPs seeking these days, so as a tank I was a hot commodity. It was a pretty good pt - lots of action and not much talking. When I arrived I just jumped right in, and instantly realized how much I'd missed being in a party. There is just nothing I love more in this game than tanking. ^^

I love being a tank. Even though I died twice last night, sacrificing myself for the party. Guess I'm getting some practice for paladin. lol

One of the guys who was in the party last night is a rank 10 player that I keep running into as he's leveling different jobs. (Yes, while I've slowly been leveling WAR, he's leveled at least 2 other jobs past me. :P) I have so much respect for this guy, and it really bugs me that even though I've partied with him several times, he probably doesn't even know I exist. I guess I'm just tired of being a newbie. I really want to make a name for myself as a good player, but I'm starting to wonder if I can pull that off.

Well, I think I'm going to get a teleport and go back to Windy to unload some stuff before I head back out to Qufim. My inventory is just getting ridiculous. Might as well take advantage of the jacked-up economy in Windy right now. :P

I don't like Qufim. It's probably just because it's a new place. Or it could be because as a level 20 I have to pt near Delkfutt Tower, and no one looking, and the only way to get there is to have a nice mage friend or spend a fortune on oils and powders.

So there I was, leveling THF in Windy. It probably took me an hour to get there, and I was quite proud of taking my first cross-nation trip alone. I was feeling on top of the world, and was pretty sure I could take on anything. So when my armor-challenged little THF hit 4, I decided to attack a yag. Decent challenge? And I only have 2/3 of my HP left? Ha. This'll be cake.

Fifteen seconds and 2 steps from zone later, I found myself staring at the hp ... in lower Jeuno. Yes, folks. Jeuno.

I was so furious that I rode back out to the dock in Selbina and then logged. /sigh Try, try again, right?

Get Mea crystal? Check.
Set hp in Windy? Check.
Try not to act like such a noob? Check.

You know who are you. I miss you with every breath I take. You are so far away now, and the distance is a painful fog that shrouds my heart and mind. It's finally spring, and I know that the world is beautiful today, full of greens and blues and new life. But I can only see the vast grey skies keeping you ever farther from me. Time and space can be so cruel. Sometimes I want to run away and keep on running until it stops hurting, but deep down I don't think I really want that. If it stops, then you will truly be gone forever.

So it looks like the best way for a 20WAR/10MNK to make it to Windy alive from Jeuno (without help) is to take a chocobo from Batallia to Jugner La Theine to Valkurm to Selbina, boat to Mhaura and then use prism powder through Buburimu to Tahrongi and then just ride or run to Windy. Whew. I'll be getting that Mea gate crystal so I can just pay for a warp next time. lol

I wonder if it'd be cheaper to pay for a warp to the Konschat, and then ride to Selbina and go from there. Bet that'd be quicker. I just hate the thought of having to shout for a tele in Jeuno. lol

Weekend accomplishments:

Finally hit 20 with war. PS trotted me and Z out to Jeuno, after hitting Dangruf. I got three of the clumps of grass I needed, so I only had to buy one in Jeuno. Then Z hung out with me for 6 hours while I completed my chocobo quest. I am now a proud licensed chocobo rider. Woot!

After hearing about a certain someone's experiences in the game, I am more grateful than ever that I have so many wonderful friends to rely on. I am a lucky little warrior. lol

Since I sorta almost ran outta gil after my last WAR gear upgrade ><, I think I'm gonna take a break from the leveling grind for a while. I'm gonna take a chocobo out to Windy and start leveling THF/MNK to 15. I heard that once you get TH, farming for silks and stuff is really easy. I hope so. Because I'm of the mindset that I'd rather take a break from leveling and farm for a while, instead of being a party liability with gimped gear. I am a career tank, and the right gear is essential for that job.

Oh yeah, and I decided that I'm taking WAR to 37, and then PLD to 75. PLD/WAR is my kinda tank. Because I hate ninjas. I will never be a ninja. Never, ever ever. So there.

I hit 18 with WAR last night, so I'll be headed back to town tonight to do some shopping. woohoo!

My shopping list:

• selbina milk
• boiled crayfish (as long as base def is under 90) & steamed crabs
• mutton tortilla for att? or more meat jerky
• dhalmel mantle
• lizard armor
• Kingdom gloves/lizard gloves/bone mittens? choices, choices...
• kingdom bandana/lizard armor?
• Scale gorget (can't wait for the spike necklace!!)
• Moth Axe

Yeah, it's been a while since I posted... since I couldn't figure out how to get back into this blog. ><

The big news is that while I was leveling WAR with the intention of using it as a sub for MNK, I discovered the joys of the great axe. At one point I was killing EPs with a single hit, taking no damage at all, and consequently I was leveling at the speed of light. It was freakin' awesome. But, once I got to level 12, that was when the job started sucking big monkey balls. Everything I could find was either too weak, 15 exp, or way too friggin' hard. As you know, WAR takes forEVER to heal, so I was starting to get very frustrated (this was before I learned about Selbina Milk :P).

I grudgingly admitted that pts were my only option, and proceeded to suffer through one whole day of excruciatingly awful pts. The fact is, I'm a tank, and a damn good one, and no, SAM cannot outtank me. Ugh, people. But the next day was much better, and I lucked out by getting into THE most fantastic pt I've ever been in. Yes, they did compliment my tanking skills (I believe the exact words were: "Oh thank god, a tank that can actually tank!"), but that's beside the point. I made 3 levels! Woot! Oh yeah, and I ran into Okiawa and Zaeon. Hi guys! (poke) lol

I'm starting to discover the joys of linkshells. The only thing that intimidates me about the one I'm in is that it's full of very high-level players, and I always feel like I would be boring them if I talk about my adventures. Eh, I'll probably get over that when I start to get to know everyone better.

Damn, this game is fun.

So guess what I did last night? I was in a pt for less than an hour, and cleared level 14 after a random pl bestowed her kindness upon us. Then I had to leave for a bit, and lost that pt.

I got back, and met up with my best girl friend in the game, and we ran around the highlands squashing bees and hiding from gobs for a while. We each tried a few sheep and quads, but we were leveling 14 and 12 jobs, so they kinda kicked our asses. I could take them, but they always poisoned me and I decided that with 2 antidotes left, I'd better stop pushing my luck. :P

I had my flag up while we were running around, and I got an invite which I decided to decline, because my comrade and I were having too much fun. So I took my flag down and went back to merrily punching the hell out of tiny plants. Not five minutes later, I get a tell from the same guy. "/really nd you." Awww, it's fun to be needed. I said "/ok, give me a few minutes." He was quite grateful, and so I finished up with my buddy and headed for the dunes.

Casually strolling into the dunes, I whipped out my map to see where my new best friends were holed up. That was when I realized, to my embarrassed horror, that after I created this new character last week, I neglected to obtain a map of Valkurm. Grrrr. After sheepishly admitting this to my new pt, I then waited 10 minutes for the last pt member to show up and escort my newbie butt out to camp.

So there we were, a 14mnk and a 15rdm, otherwise known as tasty gob appetizers. We ran like mad across the unforgiving sand, dodging gobbies right and left. Then we get to the tunnel. I have no idea what it's called, but I like to think of it as the CAVE OF DEATH, since I died there 3 times in a row one afternoon. Well, as you probably know, sand bats enjoy hanging out in the middle of the tunnel, and unless you're packing silent oil, you're gonna get aggro'd.

Since I can credit sand bats with at least 75% of my deaths to date, I'm just a tad skeeved by the nasty little buggers. So when my dashing rdm escort trotted us right through TWO gangs of the winged horrors, I'll admit my heart dropped out just a little. He immediately caught aggro, of course, and my first thought was to try to zone and leave his ass to die, but I really had no chance of surviving if I did that. So I whipped out my 2 hour and proceeded to beat the holy hell out of both set of bats. I've never seen anyone so grateful to be alive as that rdm was. That, I must say, was my finest hour (ok, 30 seconds) of my entire FFXI career (3 weeks, but who's counting?). Moments like that are why I enjoyed being a monk.