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The Celestia Citizen (“Wake Me Up When September Ends” Edition)

Hello, my fellow Celestians! And welcome to another edition of the Celestia Citizen! We’ve got just a couple more weeks of summer to go before Autumn (Fall to some) sets in and starting bringing cooler temperatures and plant life begins to lull off. And let’s not forget it is also Pumpkin Spice season too! I hope everyone gets their annual fill of the niche flavor, if you do care for it!

October is still some weeks away, bringing even cooler temperatures, lots of leaves, and the joy of Halloween! Until then, we still have to weather a September. Or we can slumber through it.


Final Fantasy XIV News

First, the 10th Anniversary event is still ongoing in-game, particularly with the Moogle Treasure Trove (10th Anniversary Hunt)! There is currently no end date to this except “with the release of Patch 6.5”. While tomestones may be more plentiful in getting, there are also numerous prizes available to get, many of which are either limited to in-game events or command huge prices on the Market Board! Refer here for the current details: https://na.finalfantasyxiv.com/lodestone/special/mogmog-collection/202308/1ny0ji96di

Speaking of Patch 6.5, it now has a tentative release date of “Early October 2023” (which will give focus to players who want to complete the 10th Anniversary Event and obtain all of their desired prizes). It also has a special site now posted to tease many of the upcoming details waiting to release with it. Refer here: https://na.finalfantasyxiv.com/lodestone/topics/detail/4eae7bf1425dbcde6dce089dffeec16c688a8c3e

Next, the Rising is now live and due to run until the release of Patch 6.5. Be sure to get this one done, as it includes a special mount for free!: https://na.finalfantasyxiv.com/lodestone/special/2023/The_Rising/eykg76bc2d

The next Live Letter is scheduled for Saturday, September 23rd. Details are linked here: https://na.finalfantasyxiv.com/lodestone/topics/detail/0f699c77ac8fae0f73ca75ec326206313b1ea771

For the current 10th Anniversary event, a special survey is being conducted for players to write about their FFXIV experience (such as main job, what FFXIV means to a player, and so on). Based on responses, there will be a new side story and that side story may also feature a character from a previous one or from the new “Tales under the New Moon” series! Refer here for the article & survey: https://na.finalfantasyxiv.com/lodestone/topics/detail/6b16d69fcbc27be1e4fc18bd884ba63654853c07

To tie into the referenced “Tales under the New Moon” series, there have been 3 stories released to date since August 25th. Here are the links to them:

First story: https://na.finalfantasyxiv.com/lodestone/topics/detail/378a37193045835181833e2b297304a6ba0a10af

Second story: https://na.finalfantasyxiv.com/lodestone/topics/detail/8b735439d154e2c5b2439e758144c6ea5b3a3483

Third story: https://na.finalfantasyxiv.com/lodestone/topics/detail/352aef60539bbf97c631673914217d958499b3e7

Look forward to more stories in the coming weeks and months!

And lastly, the Fall Guys x Final Fantasy XIV collaborations have begun within the Fall Guys game, but the Final Fantasy XIV side is due to still occur. There will be special Gold Saucer events occurring with the Patch 6.5x series. Refer here: https://na.finalfantasyxiv.com/lodestone/special/fallguys/


Free Company Updates and Social Events

We are continuing to take Officer applications at our respective Discord server for:

Raid Officer (Held on Tuesdays, based on current content – Normal 8-Man & Alliance 24-Man)

Administration (documentation, such as meeting agendas/notes, spreadsheets, and announcements)

PvP (hosting PvP content – At least one/week, such as Rival Wings, The Feast, Crystalline Conflict, etc)

Social Events – Holds & organizes social events for Free Company members (at least 1 event/month)

Applications may be accepted in the FC Discord server under the #officer-directory channel.

The first thing to touch base on is Celestia’s 10th Anniversary. On August 17th, 2013, Celestia was founded. On the 19th, the Free Company celebrated with an organized march across the 3 major cities (Ul’dah, Limsa Lominsa, and Old Gridania). Gifts were then given out to our members, and we had reconvened at the FC House for a group photo to commemorate our Free Company and its members.

From Aurora Lightsnow:

From Scura Darkangel:

From Squirrel Guile:

From Aminore Vespertine:

From Karah Thrace:

And one from yours truly (Scarlette Valanorr):

And lastly, a special gift from Aurora Lightsnow to our Free Company leaders, Blessed and Scura Darkangel – A photo of the lovely couple, and a declaration:

“A little over 10 years ago two new adventurers Blessed and Scura Darkangel set forth into Eorzea, bent on world domination… errr I mean to have fun and have adventures. They created Celestia Free Company to gather minions to further their evil empire… (opps wrong narrative) to gather other adventurers to explore this strange new world, to seek out new life and kill it and boldly go where no others have gone before (hmm how did Star Trek get in here). Over the last 10 years Celestia has grown into one of the largest and oldest FCs on Hyperion, we’ve had our ups and downs and sideways, growing pains, and our share of drama but through it all we’ve always worked to make it a fun FC. We’ve laughed and cried together, made fun of one another, murdered each other… (umm darn Among Us snuck in) and generally having a good time. Please join us tonight as we celebrate Celestia’s 10 year anniversary.”

(Pictured below are physical stand-ins for Blessed and Scura’s characters)

In closing this out, I want to extend a Thank You and a Congratulations to all of our members, new and old, for helping to make Celestia the best Free Company on Hyperion server in Final Fantasy XIV! Let us strive forward for another 10 years!

The next Free Company meeting is scheduled for Saturday, September 30th at 6PM PT. Be sure to join us on Discord via “The Great Theatre”, and in-game at the communal pool near the FC house in Ishgard!

On Wednesday, September 13th, Eorzea Octopus Week will begin! This Fisher-themed series of events will occur from the 13th to the 19th, and will contain events for Fishers of all levels! There will be prizes included such as Gil, Aethersand, Glamour Items (ranging in value from 50k to 150k usually) and raffle tickets for a 1 million Gil prize (the more you participate in these events, the more raffle tickets you can earn for your chance)! Refer to the #announcements channel for the general announcement, the #general-dol-doh channel for sign-ups for the events, and be sure to also have the @DOL/DOH role on your Discord profile in-server to receive notifications!

Recently, the Free Company had done a Sightseeing event for the Stormblood expansion on August 26th. However, one component of this log was regarding one of the greatest challenges in the game to date: Jumping Puzzles. Join us on September 23rd as the grandest of these jumping puzzles, the Kugane Tower, is tackled in our next social event on Saturday, September 23rd at 2pm! You will need either the jumping ability (for climbing up the tower solo) or Blue Mage role with Self-Destruct unlocked (for resurrecting to the Sightseeing vista). Be sure to join us via the #social-event channel in our Discord server!


Beyond the Light

For our next Beyond the Light interview, our winner of this month’s draw is Gunner Thehunter! Before we go any further, please participate in our Beyond the Light interview and tell us about yourselves so you have a chance at being featured here for the Free Company newsletter! Details are on the Discord server and in our #announcements channel! Linked here is the direct interview form for your submissions: https://forms.gle/oRb3pzQEp8y1MaRQ6



What is your in-game character’s name?: Gunner Thehunter

What race are you currently in-game?: Miqo’te

What drew you into your current choice of race?: I like the look honestly and me and my Fiancée Xotika L’xia wanted to match. (Corny I know LOL)

When did you first start playing FFXIV?: August 24, 2013 (A fellow 10th Anniversary player!)

What drew you to pick up and play FFXIV?: I played FFXI and then moved to 1.0 and from there moved to ARR in closed beta.

How far have you gotten into the MSQ (Main Story Questline) of FFXIV?: I am caught up!

What was your first (job? class? role?) when you started?: Gladiator to Paladin

What motivated you to pick that first (job? class? role?)?: I played RDM in FFXI and I wanted something different and I wanted it to be tanking and then it grew on me.

To date, what favorite jobs/roles/classes do you have?: PLD, NIN, Monk, One day Reaper, MIN, FSH, GLD

What kind of content do you enjoy?: MSQ, Savage Raids, Crafting/Gathering, Duty Content, Side Quests, Casual Content, Collectible Getting

What would you say is your favorite content type from above to do? And why?: To be honest it has to be the duty content, because its where the team work and party system is used the most is the Duty’s. We all log in each day and run daily’s, some have their static groups for content, so many different duty’s to be done in the game which I know I haven’t by far done nearly half of LOL. I love to do this with the FC, I like doing big raids, I love grinding for better gear in the duty’s. I like being social. MSQ is great don’t get me wrong but a lot of walking haha.

What is one thing you like about FFXIV that distinguishes them from other MMOs?: Well I with me already being a fan of FFXI It was hard not to follow the title, but I did play AION, Guild Wars, and WoW (Cartoony) and FFXIV was the beefed up FFXI on steroids with a twist. As well seeing the end of 1.0 and being apart of ARR from the start kind of Biased.

If you could make at least 1 change to FFXIV based on personal preference, what would you pick and why?: To be honest what pushed me away from FFXI was the fact they destroyed the HNMS scene. Yes I understand it was bot filled but it was fun to camp them track them and claim them. You just had to get in the right linkshell by being a dedicated player. But they did add their own variation of HNMS so the concern was answered.

What is your most memorable/favorite moment in FFXIV?: To be honest my most memorable moment for FFXIV was when it became the number 1 MMORPG, being apart of closed beta to now has really been a crazy ride and I have a lot to do in the game still, but what Yoshi P has built is legendary and is historical in my eyes and he is a pure genius I cannot wait to see what’s in store for the future with the rest of you.

Do you have any favorite visuals of your character you want to share with the FC for the newsletter?:

When did you join Celestia?: October 2013

What drew you to join Celestia? Was it a person, an advertisement, etc?: Well I was drawn to Celestia with a couple other friends who are no longer with the FC and I loved how active the FC was. As well the hang outs in voice chat to make everything easier then trying to read an understand what is being typed.

What do you like about Celestia as a Free Company?: I love the fact that no matter what happens in your life you are always welcome back to the free company, I joined the Originally the date marked above with breaks that life made me take, not at my choice so I have been in and out 3 times and this being my 4th I am back for good, and was welcomed just the same.

What is your favorite weekly event to participate in with Celestia?: Well I know for me its gonna be old content because that’s where i am at I haven’t really concentrated on anything else but leveling some jobs helping FC mate Shadowed Raven with his MSQ to get caught up to my fiancée Xotika L’xia and I so we can progress together through the old content that we are at.


Z’attania’s House Tours

Next, we have the newest presentation from our resident housing columnist, Z’attania Tsu, for her Nook and Cranny coverage in House Tours!

NOOK AND CRANNY

A House Tour with Z

Gunner’s House

Address: Goblet Ward 20, Plot 42

Three’s Company at Gunner’s House! This house is owned by Gunner, but shared with 2 other FC members: Shadowed Raven and Xotiika Thehunter. Since the house is a medium, each roommate designed a different floor and created a home that they all share together. Upstairs is a master bedroom, the main floor is a kitchen and living room, and the downstairs is another bedroom and study.

What Gunner is proudest of: how they split the floors and designed them! Shadowed Raven took the basement, Xotiika Thehunter was in charge of the master bedroom upstairs, and Gunner designed the common areas on the main floor. Gunner especially likes the basement and thinks it came out the best, and all three of them agree that fish tanks were a must!

What Z especially liked: The chocobo stable in the yard is very pretty. The oriental grass plot in front of the chocobos looks like the perfect tasty treat for hungry birds, and hiding the aetheryte shard among the grass gives a very nice blue glow.


Conclusion

We are now two-thirds of the way through 2023, and we will be nearly one-third of the way through the 2020s come end of year. It feels as if things are steadily getting worse, but they are also getting better. Remember that just because the world slowed to a crawl for a couple of years does not mean that your hopes and dreams have to, either. Be sure to reach out, seize opportunity and work to better yourself continuously (whether it is finding a better paying job, getting yourself a new house when you’ve had an apartment, getting yourself into physical or mental or vocational shape, meeting that special someone, or so on).

See you, Space Warriors of Light 🙂 .

The Celestia Citizen (“House Party” Series Edition)

April/May 2022
Time for new homes, new wards, new locales, and to party like it’s the 90s again!!!

Hello, fellow Celestians! Welcome to yet another edition of the Celestia Citizen newsletter! Apologies for the delay on this latest newsletter. Circumstances beyond my control kicked in. To make up for it, we are going for a double whammy, a double newsletter to cover for the last month, and for this month.


This will cover significant news and updates in the last several weeks, to ensure there is no missed content covered!

In wrestling around with this month’s theme, I found my inspiration per the Housing changes that had dropped. Given the celebrations at play, and the big changes coming, it seems fitting that a House Party is to be had. And that is what drew me to this niche comedy movie series from the 90s: House Party.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_Party_(1990_film)

This movie series was a teen-aged comedy set with a simple premise: A house party. It was also a who’s-who of many prominent African-American performers in the 90s. Cameos ranged from Martin Lawrence, Tisha Campbell (both she and Martin would go on to star in the TV series Martin soon after), Robin Harris (who inspired the animated movie Bebe’s Kids with his comedy sketches), Daryl Mitchell, George Clinton (musician), and others. One big detail about this movie was that it was originally written as a vehicle for Will “The Fresh Prince” Smith and DJ Jazzy Jeff (when both were a musical duo from the late 80s to early 90s). The movie became a cult classic in the years since it premiered in 1990, originally seeing critical acclaim and a box office return of 10x its production budget ($26 million revenue vs $2.5 million budget). The movie then saw two sequels made with the same starring duo, Kid & Play (another musical duo), and then two standalone sequels many years later with different stories and characters. A reboot of the series is aimed for 2022.

Anyway, here’s the news!


Final Fantasy XIV News

Off to find more story mode and more houses.

First off, the big news. Patch 6.1, the coveted “Housing Update”, released Tuesday, April 12th, 2022.

Specifics on the Patch are included here: https://na.finalfantasyxiv.com/lodestone/topics/detail/c73cd284013587066d8f9e697fab1db9f007372

Patch 6.11 also released this past week, focused on class/job adjustments, as well as the newest Ultimate fight, Dragonsong’s Reprise. Read here: https://na.finalfantasyxiv.com/lodestone/topics/detail/6a3e8bf216810babcbe07b2842488577ec22cb54

Additional updates to 6.1, the 6.1x updates, are slated to occur in the next 2+ months with major content drops occurring in individual segments (such as the following):


A new custom deliveries client (Ameliance), Arkasodara tribal quests, Tataru’s Grand Endeavor sidequests, and Somehow Further Hildibrand Adventures sidequests are scheduled to be released in Patch 6.15.
Data Center Travel is scheduled to be implemented in Patch 6.18.

Next, we need to bring up Housing again. Because of the ‘lottery’ system being impacted by unforseen issues, fixes are on the way to address the current issues. There were many details provided on the state of the fixes, resulting in multiple “Follow-Up” posts on Lodestone. The latest Follow-Up regarding the fixes are detailed here: https://na.finalfantasyxiv.com/lodestone/topics/detail/a04aa2f766072f369cd5db272b325a133ef8216a

As for in-game events, this last month or two had been jampacked with content.

PvP saw the release of a new mode: The Crystalline Conflict, beginning with Season 1. The following post details the new mode and the current ranking status here: https://na.finalfantasyxiv.com/lodestone/topics/detail/c7a0cab3202cdfefebaf7510c3fd40fbc8bf917e

A collaboration also had returned, thought to never come back. The Garo Collaboration event, originally released during patch 3.5 in January 2017 and running until patch 5.1 in October 2019 (over 2 and a half years!!!), has now seen a return to Eorzea! Currently, the ETA on the Garo Collaboration “Redux” is TBD. However, if you are looking for details into the sweet mounts and armor sets that you can get, refer to this post here: https://na.finalfantasyxiv.com/lodestone/topics/detail/181c211c4f26a40b0e1af3b31a5fdaf0ea5dae82

The next in-game event, the return of the Maiden’s Rhapsody (centered around Iroha of Final Fantasy XI), began on April 28th, and will continue to May 18th: https://na.finalfantasyxiv.com/lodestone/special/2022/The_Maidens_Rhapsody/u8fwlp9ev3

That is everything for now on the FFXIV news front.


Free Company Updates and Social Events

When the party never stops but keeps on…

First, some big news! Celestia is NOW situated in Ishgard as of the new Housing patch!!!

Here are some sunny shots from our ward in Ishgard and the Empyreum area!

Our plot of territory in Empyreum
Front view of the FC main estate
An angled view of the Celestia “After Dark” residence
An angled view of the FC main house
The view from the high area where FC’s residences are located




Next, we have some coverage on one of our social events, occurred March 19th, is to be covered: The FC Bingo!!!

The winners of this previous event are: Jean Cardona, Elyn Softflame, Blood Spark (from left to right)

Be sure to give all 3 a round of congratulations for their success on this special event!!!

The next social event occurred April 30th, focusing on a House Decorating/Tours contest! Here are the winners:

1st Place = Jin Theaceae

2nd Place = FenFen Kittenpaws

3rd Place = Taryn Stormfall

Also in 3rd Place was Ivy Leaf

Honorable Mentions, and Tied for 4th Place goes to Sadie Black & Z’attania Tsu (No pictures available at this time).

Be sure to give congratulations to our winners and all participants for their imaginations, investment, and interest in showing off their lavish homes!

Now it is time to take a segue from social events to bring up a point cited at the previous FC meeting.

The usage of bots or botting is NOT allowed within the FC. As Final Fantasy 14 is an MMORPG, it is essentially a game (like others) that thrives on the participation of a player in investing both time and money into it. This applies not just to participation in combat, but also in participation in non-combat activities (gathering, crafting, exploration, etc). It is a Terms of Service (ToS) issue, and it also reflects upon the FC badly. If an FC member is confirmed in any form to have evidence of botting or using bots, they will be punished up to and including removal from the FC. If an FC member believes another member is botting or using bots, please notify an Officer ASAP and provide as much evidence as possible.

Here is also another reminder, as brought up in the previous newsletter: Because of the existence of all manner of perspectives, it is being emphasized to ensure that all FC members are being both respectful and considerate of other FC members. As Final Fantasy 14 is a game that prides itself on a wide-reaching scope to encompass all folks of shapes and sizes, beliefs and thoughts, backgrounds and histories, it is eventual that a player may meet someone else they are inclined to agree or disagree with. We must observe being the best we can be not just as a Free Company in performance, but also in observation. The goal in Final Fantasy 14 is to have fun, support others, and be kind and excellent to each other.

Rock on!

Beyond the Light

Now, we are trying something new here for this newsletter. Near the end of March, I created an interview form for a new section of the newsletter that would give social reach to the FC regarding its members.

The social reach would be in the form of getting to know more about members of the FC, whether it was an Officer or a regular member.

To test drive this, a couple of our guinea pigs Officers volunteered was blackmailed for the task.

There will be some finishing touches on the interview form coming soon. Once it is done, we will move forward to give the FC access to it. From there, one drawing of the lucky member will be conducted and their interview posted here. Be sure to also get some amazing snapshots of your character, as these will also be featured in this section too!

Refer to the next newsletter for further details on this coming soon feature!


Reminder: 2 Factor Authentication/Multi Factor Authentication

Don’t let hackers into your account, or they will find something magnificent or cool to take…

This is being revisited in another newsletter. And it will be vital for us to keep beating our FC members over the head with this critical news, for it is for their security that this is being done.

Please ensure that you safeguard your Final Fantasy XIV account, and your Discord account. Below is a copy-and-paste of my prior announcement made on our Discord server:

I am making a general awareness announcement to the FC in regards to security and safety for both your FFXIV accounts and your Discord accounts. With all of the rampant account hijackings occurring in the Discord world, you may have seen other servers stressing to avoid clicking on ‘sus’ (suspicious) links and downloads, especially from fellow server-mates. We are encouraging the same behavior in Discord so nobody has their Discord accounts hijacked and endangers others. If a member from the FC here does provide suspicious links or downloads directly to you, please reach out to one of our Magistrates ASAP. But what of the FFXIV front?

It turns out that ‘Yes’, you CAN have your FFXIV account get hacked. If a hacker gets your SQEX login that has a XIV account and sub attached to it, they could log in and give you a bad day. Do your diligence and safeguard yourself through the glory of 2-Factor Authentication in both Discord AND in FFXIV.

In Discord: Follow the safe link listed here for how to setup 2FA for your Discord account (this will just require you to download a free authenticator such as Google Authenticator, or Authy): https://support.discord.com/hc/en-us/articles/219576828-Setting-up-Two-Factor-Authentication

In FFXIV: Go to your Mog Station page (where you can manage your licenses, go to the shop for buying stuff, etc) > Square Enix Account Settings > “One-Time Password” > Select your choice of “token” or authenticator (per the image attached):

Security Token (key ring type, physical token): Retails for $14.99, no software on phone to juggle

Software Token (smartphone app): No cost, and uses Square Enix’s official Software Token app

Software Authenticator (smartphone app): No cost, offers flexibility on choice of authenticator app (Google, Microsoft, IBM, Authy, etc)

As always, be safe and keep yourselves secure for full enjoyment of these wonderful services, everyone!


Conclusion

Well, here we are. At the end of yet another fun newsletter. As we go into May, looking forward to the coming of the next patch, the next events, and warmer weather, we are reminded fully of how important this year is to get back to normalcy. People are meeting up with each other again, looking forward to celebrating and having good times again. One may be inclined to wonder where to go from here. Believe in the idea that as long as you are kind and excellent to people, that you carry hope and love in your heart, that you look beyond the worst to appreciate the best, then you will come out of top. And people will celebrate you for that in the days to come. Be sure to party responsibly, drink moderately, and have a pleasant time this year. See you next month, space Warriors of Light!

The Celestia Citizen (Here Comes The (Little) Sun Edition)

March 2022

Hello, fellow Celestians! Welcome to yet another edition of the Celestia Citizen newsletter! We are coming into the home stretch for a few things this month: Isolationism from our fellow friends and family, winter, time lost due to illness or seasonal effect, and of course the end of Endwalker’s 6.0 patch. This whole last month has yielded some substantial information coming for the game, giving us more detail in what we can expect for the future. Within the last month, we have had not one but two Live Letters air. The second one occurred just recently, which is why the wait in publishing this newsletter was necessary.

And now here we are, March 2022. The start of the second year into a new decade is well behind us now. But not the start of the second year’s warmer weather. As we see with each new year, it takes some time to get going. But eventually, spring comes, followed by summer, then diminishes with fall and ends with winter. It is an annual cycle that carries symbolism and meaning. As human beings, we take to the idea of beginning and end. Spring represents the start of a new cycle, new life. It grows and matures into the summer, peaks, and then begins to gradually wither down during the fall until we come to the ‘winters’ of our lives. And Endwalker represents the ‘winter’ of a long cycle that began nearly a decade ago. And as the 6.0 patch closed out the end of this epic story’s cycle, so too must it acknowledge the coming of the spring, the coming of the new dawn, the ‘sun’. And with the next patch comes a new dawn, the sun…the spring that heralds a new cycle and a new tale.

In opening, please enjoy the theme of this month’s newsletter: The Beatles’ classic “Here Comes The Sun”, and the fact that Y’shtola can be ruthless towards little suns.


Final Fantasy XIV News

Soon, the warmer activities will come: Picnics, casual walks, dancing mad in the hot sun…

The first order of business is to discuss what to expect for the game in the coming months.

As you have no doubt heard or seen, there were a total of two Live Letters that had occurred within the past month. The first was dated for February 18th, and the second had occurred on March 4th.

Detailed bits of information can be located via the Discord server, under the #ffxiv-updates channel. Please be certain to check there for the capture of information streamed live from both Live Letters, as made possible by our Officer Harliqyn Mave, and our FC leaders Scura Darkangel and Blessed Darkangel.

In addition, a site has gone up to detail when to expect the first major patch, and the summary of what is coming therein. It is located here: https://na.finalfantasyxiv.com/endwalker/patch_6_1/

The ETA on the patch is due for mid-April of 2022. Expect a more exact date to be announced within the next couple of weeks. But here are some significant bullet points to look over:

  1. New MSQ, new side quests, new Beast Tribe quests…and new Hildibrand quests!
  2. Adjustments to ARR duties/dungeons/trials/fights (Note that with how well received the Trust system was for Shadowbringers, and Endwalker, and a recognized desire for some players to enjoy the story without being completely restricted to playing with others, this option is going to be expanded upon with 6.1. This will result in virtually all of the ARR duties, dungeons, trials, and fights getting reworked so a single player can enjoy them without concern. Whether this will extend to Heavensward or Stormblood remains to be seen, but it is likely such changes will be entertained in future patches based on how well this is received).
  3. New Housing area will be live (Ishgard is the central location of the new housing area)
  4. New custom deliveries
  5. New high level duties
  6. New feature that will allow players to ‘try on’ FFXIV store items before buying (Yes, you will be able to see how outfits look on your character now without having to Google images or gamble your money on something mediocre)
  7. And more!!!

Again, please refer to the Discord server > #ffxiv-updates channel for details. For those who are interested in jumping onto Discord for the FC, please use the invite link here ->: https://discord.gg/A5qFuR667J

Next, we have a double whammy of in-game events hitting us. These were announced just as the newsletter was due to go live, and have been captured for direct reference here.

The first in-game event is Little Ladies’ Day, an annual event devoted to all females within Eorzea. It is a brief event that allows acquisition of some unique items and to participate in a fun day for the ladies. Details listed here: https://na.finalfantasyxiv.com/lodestone/special/2022/Little_Ladies_Day/jsuk7gn8z4

The second in-game event is the return of Moogle Tomestones for a new event. This involves running various duties, dungeons, raids, and fights to accumulate Moogle Tomestones. These Tomestones can be exchanged for uncommon and rare goods that are normally locked behind performing other, standardized content. It is an annual event, which gives players opportunities to collect items that are hard-to-get, even unique (one event yielded a rare mount that was available for a limited time to specific players, the Falcon). Details listed here: https://na.finalfantasyxiv.com/lodestone/special/mogmog-collection/202203/dceh8sj926

One other important bit of news is the resumation of automatic demolition. Please understand that due to the congestion and accessibility issues that plagued the game for the last couple of months, the automatic demolition was shut off. However, with vast improvements to the game’s systems and servers, and with continual improvement to resolve the game’s accessibility for all interested players, this has led the development team to re-evaluate the current state of automatic demolition. It was originally scheduled for March 9th, but has been delayed back again due to real life circumstances in the world today. Link to article: https://na.finalfantasyxiv.com/lodestone/news/detail/edc73335fc4cf73645af505e0c8b104d6a595126

Periodically, FFXIV performs system maintenance to accommodate both minor and major patches. The next maintenance for all worlds is scheduled for March 7th at 400pm PST to March 8th at 200am PST. Details located here: https://na.finalfantasyxiv.com/lodestone/news/detail/0da93ab6eb5f0a2295b153f7d0196977a3172ba8

Now, for some merchandising news. In the coming months, there will be a series of FFXIV themed merchandise releasing. These include: soundtracks, detailed information about the Eorzean world, short stories available for personal ownership, and posters!

Encyclopedia Eorzea, Volume 1: https://www.amazon.com/Encyclopaedia-Eorzea-World-Final-Fantasy/dp/1646091426/ref=sr_1_2?crid=1LMGLVP7EGFL0&keywords=final+fantasy+xiv&qid=1646597009&s=books&sprefix=final+fantasy+xiv%2Cstripbooks%2C55&sr=1-2

Encyclopedia Eorzea, Volume 2: https://www.amazon.com/Encyclopaedia-Eorzea-World-Final-Fantasy/dp/1646091434/ref=sr_1_4?crid=1LMGLVP7EGFL0&keywords=final+fantasy+xiv&qid=1646597009&s=books&sprefix=final+fantasy+xiv%2Cstripbooks%2C55&sr=1-4

Final Fantasy XIV, Poster Collection: https://www.amazon.com/Final-Fantasy-XIV-Poster-Collection/dp/1646091450/ref=sr_1_16?crid=1LMGLVP7EGFL0&keywords=final+fantasy+xiv&qid=1646597009&s=books&sprefix=final+fantasy+xiv%2Cstripbooks%2C55&sr=1-16

Final Fantasy XIV, Chronicles of Light (Short Stories): https://www.amazon.com/Final-Fantasy-XIV-Chronicles-Light/dp/164609185X/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1646597044&sr=1-27

NOTE: The collection of short stories above combines a mix of stories that were available on the FFXIV site to read, as well as some new ones from the development team.

Final Fantasy XIV, Endwalker Soundtrack: https://sqex.to/5FeNr

NOTE: In addition to all of the upcoming items above, you may also try your hand at ordering available FFXIV artbooks and even cookbooks that are available to buy now. Note that many of these items, upcoming and available now, will also feature in-game bonuses in the form of different minions to collect!!!

And lastly, we are now in the last few days of the current FFXIV Online Store’s sale! It is due to end on March 10th, at 1100am PST. There are numerous mounts on sale, including the Lunar Whale and the Cruise Chaser mounts, as well as prior releases such as the Chocobo Carriage, the SDS Fenrir, and more!!! Note that numerous mounts on sale are ACCOUNT-WIDE; but there are some that are single character, so be mindful of what you buy! There are also some costumes on sale as well, including many of the recent ones released in the last few months (one of which is the Ryne outfit, which alas is NOT dyeable). The link to the Online Store and the current sale’s details are here: https://na.finalfantasyxiv.com/lodestone/topics/detail/5a0226acfab3191d83bc39c696120734f0f658d2

That is all that we have right now for major FFXIV news. Stay tuned over the next month to find out what else might be in store!!!


Free Company Updates and Social Events

Dance, dance, dance revolution!!! And for Officer Auction…

Things were nice and quiet on the Free Company side this past month.

The most recent event held pitted our glorious Officers at the mercy of being paid to do whatever their fellow FC mates wished…within reason, of course.

The Officer Auction saw a slew of our Officers bid upon by willing patrons to do whatever one sought for a short amount of time.

Don’t expect the Full Monty here, but it can get pretty close…

Regarding the summary of the Officer Auction event, here are the Officers and the winning bidders:

BIDDER = OFFICER

Grey Rat = Mct Windsor
Sticky Buns = Blessed Darkangel
Kipdi Kipp = Ivy Leaf
Carletta Deremora = Simera Yeep
Aminore Vespertine = Blackhawk Slater

The next social event scheduled will pit RNG against TFC (the FC) in the form of Celestia Bingo! Signups are on the Discord server via the #social-event channel. Be sure to sign up there, as the event is scheduled March 19th at 800 EST.

Also, as a general notice to our fellow Free Company members, please understand this special message. With circumstances in real life regarding certain political or military movements, please be sure to keep respectful and considerate of any of our fellow members that may, or may not, have any ties to those elements. As a Free Company, we need to be bigger and better than what the world allows for. We aim to be a respectful, considerate, and open community that welcomes all FFXIV players to join the fold on Hyperion server. Understand a very simple saying: Treat people the way you want to be treated. Always aim for the best out of people. And when all else fails, be nice.

Always be nice…until it’s time not to be nice.

The Spring Equinox, and Daylight Savings Time

One fine moment of spring beauty is the petals of a cherry blossom tree.

Beginning in March, there are two significant events to keep in mind.

The first is Daylight Savings Time. It is due to occur on Sunday, March 13th at 200am EST. This will result in clocks going forward by 1 hour, and will remain that way until Sunday, November 13th at 200am EST. At that point, clocks will go back by an hour. Per the saying “spring forward, fall back”. The concept of Daylight Savings Time is listed on the official Wikipedia page here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daylight_saving_time

The whole concept of Daylight Savings Time is a very interesting read, and there are movements right now to eliminate Daylight Savings Time with regard to the continued shifting of clocks. Currently, all but two states in the United States observe the annual changes (Arizona and Hawaii do not formally recognize and use DST; the former does observe it within Native American nations), and most of Europe observes the annual changes. To date, many places in the world that used to observe Daylight Savings Time have retired the concept. Some places, such as numerous parts of Africa, many countries in the Asia and Oceania regions, have never observed Daylight Savings Time.

The other major event is the Spring Equinox (aka Vernal Equinox), due to begin on March 21st. This is when the sun moves across the equinox (the separating line that cuts from east to west on the global map AND separates the Northern hemisphere from the Southern hemisphere), and brings warmer weather to the Northern half with cooler weather in the Southern half. This usually leads to longer days and shorter nights. The next transition of the seasons will be on June 22nd, when the Summer Solstice occurs.

The reason why this is being brought up is as warmer weather opens up and allows people to interact together and go out into the world again, this will affect one’s availability to play the game. Understand that while many events are weekly and many are monthly or annually, know that you are under NO obligation to attend every event. Pick and choose the ones you want to participate in, and focus on your real life first. Our FC is very understanding. 🙂 And also know that if you ever need to abstain from the game for a period of time, be sure to let one of our Officers/Magistrates know so that you are given a fair shake on returning to the game.


Reminder: 2 Factor Authentication/Multi Factor Authentication

Don’t let hackers into your account, or they will find something magnificent or cool to take…

This is being revisited in another newsletter. And it will be vital for us to keep beating our FC members over the head with this critical news, for it is for their security that this is being done.

Please ensure that you safeguard your Final Fantasy XIV account, and your Discord account. Below is a copy-and-paste of my prior announcement made on our Discord server:

I am making a general awareness announcement to the FC in regards to security and safety for both your FFXIV accounts and your Discord accounts. With all of the rampant account hijackings occurring in the Discord world, you may have seen other servers stressing to avoid clicking on ‘sus’ (suspicious) links and downloads, especially from fellow server-mates. We are encouraging the same behavior in Discord so nobody has their Discord accounts hijacked and endangers others. If a member from the FC here does provide suspicious links or downloads directly to you, please reach out to one of our Magistrates ASAP. But what of the FFXIV front?

It turns out that ‘Yes’, you CAN have your FFXIV account get hacked. If a hacker gets your SQEX login that has a XIV account and sub attached to it, they could log in and give you a bad day. Do your diligence and safeguard yourself through the glory of 2-Factor Authentication in both Discord AND in FFXIV.

In Discord: Follow the safe link listed here for how to setup 2FA for your Discord account (this will just require you to download a free authenticator such as Google Authenticator, or Authy): https://support.discord.com/hc/en-us/articles/219576828-Setting-up-Two-Factor-Authentication

In FFXIV: Go to your Mog Station page (where you can manage your licenses, go to the shop for buying stuff, etc) > Square Enix Account Settings > “One-Time Password” > Select your choice of “token” or authenticator (per the image attached):

Security Token (key ring type, physical token): Retails for $14.99, no software on phone to juggle

Software Token (smartphone app): No cost, and uses Square Enix’s official Software Token app

Software Authenticator (smartphone app): No cost, offers flexibility on choice of authenticator app (Google, Microsoft, IBM, Authy, etc)

As always, be safe and keep yourselves secure for full enjoyment of these wonderful services, everyone!


Upcoming Newsletter Changes

“What would you say…you do here?”

This section warranted its own, in light of a couple of upcoming newsletter changes I am going to look into.

To expand the social reach of our Free Company, and give our members some interactivity with the others, one big change I am looking into will be a new section: Behind the Light

The goal of this section will be to provide our FC some social outreach at the embarassment willing participation of our officers and members.

This month, and for future months, a raffle of sorts will be held between our officers, and our FC members. At random, one officer and one member will be picked.

Note: This will currently be restricted to those on Discord, to allow for ease of communication and documentation of exact answers to avoid any hearsay (or embellishment of genuine answers)

This Officer and this Member will have carefully vetted questions posited to ask them about their experiences both as a FFXIV player, and as a Free Company member. Do NOT expect such spicy questions as favorite underwear color or choice, or their thoughts on politics. Instead, expect more reasonable questions such as: Their general history with the game, and the FC; Their favorite jobs with simple ‘Why’ questions, as well as many others. The goal of this will be show that irregardless of one’s role within the FC, we are all fellow players and we have our own lives in-game too.

More details will follow in the next newsletter.

Even Yoshi P is curious of what secrets will be dredged up.

Conclusion

And so comes the End…as we Walk towards it…and a New Adventure

Here’s the conclusion of our newsletter. As you can tell, we’ve had quite a bit to cover with this month. New FFXIV content finally arriving with a juicy patch or two, a new Spring, the absence of sleep for an hour, new social events and newsletter tidbits, and more. I want to thank everyone for their continued support of this wonderful game and wonderful Free Company. As we venture into warmer times of the year, and we start returning to some normalcy with real life, understand that there will always be something to look forward to on the horizon.

Whether it is a new job, a new car, a new place to live, a new plan for the year, a new family, a new friend (or friends), or more, there is always room for discovery within one’s self and without. Be sure to use this year to meet new friends, reunit with loved ones, improve your life for the better, and keep things always going towards the greater good for yourself.

Have a song about bright sunshiny days. And see you, Space Warriors of Light!!!