In our first Adventurer Log, Cheres Highwind was reintroduced to the world of Eorzea after a long time away from the warring world. With a sudden burst of strength and a new land to discover as her fight against The Garlean Empire, we took the time to get the hang of our new abilities, finding some useful new skills in the transition from level 50 to 60. With the kinks out of the way, it was time to fully explore the continent of Othard, starting with the rebel encampment where most of our allies find themselves putting together a plan of attack.

Lyse, or as I knew her, Yda, led us to the hidden locale after catching me up to the trials and tribulations she faced up to this point. Having missed the fight against Ultima Weapon and the battle at the Singularity Reactor in Heavensward’s conclusion, I was surprised to learn that Papalymo, her Lalafell companion, had been killed in the previous conflict, losing a valuable ally in the process. Once we arrived at the village, we were greeted by Conrad, the leader of the rebel encampment. Here, I was given the tour of the facility while I was given new armor in the process. Finally wearing gear suitable for a powerful Dragoon, it was time to take the fight to the Garleans with the rebels at our back.

Stylin’ and Profilin’

Only, it wouldn’t be that simple. Conrad explains that despite being a group of rebels, each section is splintered with their own leadership. Fighting at full power meant we would have to go around and convince the other sects to join our cause, many of which might not be too keen on the idea considering how many losses they took in the previous conflict. That’s not to say that we were lacking when it came to allies, since we were asked to assist a few old friends with some tasks. M’naago and Meffrie both needed our help, but deciding to follow M’naago first, (mostly because of the promise of more armor), we left to track down Raubahn, The Bull of Ala Mhigo.

But not before we ran into a herd of Ixion that jumped uncontrollably at the request of their riders. Clearly some adventurers weren’t taking this threat as seriously as others.

Sometimes you need to just shrug and move on.

After assisting some travelers with an escort FATE by helping fight off some fearsome new monsters, we got into our first clash with the Garleans. Thanks to ambushing them before they realized we were at their throats, we made quick work of their solders and their newest Magitek gear. Once we arrived, Raubahn was happy to join the fight, yet his companion, Pipin, was the first to hesitate in the way Conrad warned us. Due to our heavy losses, the Lalafell argued that we need to focus on rebuilding hope before we could clash with the full might of The Empire. Many of the people didn’t feel like we had a chance, so we needed to prove that they could be beaten before they could realistically rally at our side. How will we accomplish that? That will be a story for another day.

Next time, we’ll tackle this problem, as well as learning the new Samurai job. A new region calls for some new combat skills, so what better way to do that than by learning the ancient Eastern art of combat? We might get some cool new clothes out of it in the process!

So until next time, feel free to share your names with us in the comments and join in on the adventure!

Back in 2013, you couldn’t pull me away from Final Fantasy XIV. When a group of my friends and I decided to give the recently revamped MMORPG a shot, our band of adventurers were quickly absorbed in the seemingly endless amount of quests to complete, jobs to learn and enemies to slay. Late into the year however, life got in the way, leading us each to drop off until our group essentially disbanded, leading us to adventure on our own sporadically whenever a chance to play would pop up.

Cheres Highwind: Last seen cosplaying a legendary summoner.

My story was led by Cheres Highwind, a Lancer and eventual Dragoon who would call the region of Gridania her home. Shortly after her battle with Ifrit, she all but disappeared outside of some occasional sightings during The Great Yo-kai Hunt of 2016.  With the latest expansion, Stormblood, arriving for the denizens of Eorzea to explore, now seemed as good of a time as any for Cheres to make her big return. But with a new land to explore, a sudden surge of power, and no allies to call her own, this second great adventure is already proving to be quite the learning experienced for our once seasoned warrior.

Taking the trip Ala Mhigo presented such a contrast compared to the lands I had been used to traveling, presenting a much more lush, vibrant territory. The beauty of the scenery quickly became the backdrop to a few warm up battles as I explored the new area. After checking in with Lyse before gathering with the rest of the heroes, I was free to do what I wanted. Little did I know that even the enemies at my level were giving me trouble. If I wanted to survive, I knew I’d need to get acquainted with my new abilities.

The warriors gather as I earn the easiest game completion trophy I’ve ever unlocked.

Using a special potion to get me caught up in strength had one disadvantage. Jumping straight from level 50 to 60 meant I had a wealth of new abilities that I was completely unfamiliar with. Yet, I still needed to master them if I wanted to stand up against the Aliance’s latest threat. Using the same old combos from that Ifrit fight weren’t going to cut it this deep into Eorzea, so it was time to play with the strongest abilities a Dragoon can master up to that point. Primarily, the Blood of the Dragon ability not only increased the strength of the trademark Jump attack, but it gave me the ability to expand on existing combos with two new abilities. Both Fang and Claw and Wheeling Thrust managed to deal extra damage while extending t he duration of Blood of the Dragon, allowing me to deal more damage for longer. Finally, Geirskogul, which can only be used with Blood of the Dragon in effect, causes huge damage to enemies in a straight line at the expense of 10 seconds from the BotD meter. If nothing else, I got a cool blue dragon aura and some new armor to show off my growth!

With the rust worn off, it was time to dive into Stormblood. Make sure to check in next time to find what a full fledged Dragoon can do. If anyone is on the Cactuar server, feel free to share your names in the comments and be part of Cheres’ continued adventures!