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The Celestia Citizen (Two Hearts Edition)

February 5, 2022/0 Comments/in News /by Scarlette Valanorr

Hello, fellow Celestians! Welcome to yet another edition of the Celestia Citizen newsletter! This one comes red hot, as hot as love and as red as a beautiful heart! But what is better than one heart than TWO? Considering we’re entering into February, the month where we get to enjoy the most romantic day of the year (Valentine’s Day), it seems fitting that the theme for this month is love. Love for what, you may ask? Well, Phil Collins music is lovable. Which is why I have his upbeat classic “Two Hearts” posted here for your enjoyment. Credit goes to the Phil Collins channel on Youtube, Youtube itself, and of course the man himself, Phil Collins!

Before we get into the meat of this month’s newsletter, here’s some fun trivia: Phil Collins is a music legend in his own right, but he also has a famous daughter. Lily Collins has starred most recently in Emily in Paris on Netflix, but also has starred in some recent movies such as Mank, Extremely Wicked – Shockingly Evil and Vile, Okja, Rules Don’t Apply, and the film adaptation of the Mortal Instruments book series’ first volume (which turned instead into Shadowhunters, the TV series, starring instead Katherine McNamara).

Final Fantasy XIV News

First out the gate: Live Letter TIME!!!

On February 18th, the next Live Letter, “Letter from the Producer”, will air at 600pm PST. A couple of tidbits to expect will be the typical Endwalker Q&A, as well as the rough outline for the next 10 years of FFXIV. Links to the Youtube and Twitch channels are below:

Youtube ->: https://youtu.be/WRpdIL7_NII

Twitch ->: https://www.twitch.tv/finalfantasyxiv

Next, it’s been about a week since upload. But there is a latest patch for the game in version 6.08. Details are here: https://na.finalfantasyxiv.com/lodestone/topics/detail/9325d2a5dae2ac34b9f970c803848e8fb1c3aaf7

There was also one patch released prior to this one during the same month, but it is also being covered here. Details on version 6.05, updated with 6.08 as latest patch, are here: https://na.finalfantasyxiv.com/lodestone/topics/detail/674bcc0a4da4caba1ded710a7af99389094d52a8

Next, some big news regarding the Data Centers and upcoming plans to address the congestion issues in the near-future following Endwalker’s release:
https://na.finalfantasyxiv.com/lodestone/topics/detail/9a6bed5c06ae511c363ece5ead0a98a3986554a2

That’s it for major news from this time.

Free Company Updates and Social Events

A new approach to covering Free Company content for Celestia is merging any and all FC specific updates and social event notices into its own block here.

Let’s start off with the first of our two social events that have transpired: The Lalaball Tournament (writeup below brought to you by our resident Officer, Simera Yeep).

On Sunday January 15, four intrepid players came to the Zee Zephos Sporting Arena to compete for glory at the Celestia Lalaball Tournament : Aminore Vespertine, Fred’a Iblis, Chitee Pa’town, and Faey Baali. Donning her black and white, the ball was played by Simera Yeep. Games were played to five points, and the series were played as a best of three.

The first series pitted Faey and Aminore against Fred’a and Chitee, and was won by the former 2 games to 1. All games were very close, but some strong defensive play by Aminore shut down the other team and was key in their game 3 victory giving them a series win.

Faey & Aminore after their game 3 win in the first series

Series 2 saw a reshuffling of teams, as Faey’s solid shooting skills made him a valuable free agent who was promptly scooped up in the off-season by Fred’a. That proved a wise investment, as the duo overcame a rough game 1 start and dominated game 2, 5-0, and winning the series 2-0.

With most participants winded by the hard-fought struggles of punting a lala up and down a lawn, Fred’a and Faey opted to play one more exhibition match, 1 on 1. Fred’a showed what he had learned from his Series 2 teammate and won this match.

Congratulations to all our players, and we look forward to sharing the fun with more CEL teams in the future!

The other social event that we had unfold occurred this prior weekend (January 29th), where our FC mates took to the glorious seas to appease Leviathan for generous bounties through Ocean Fishing.

As this was a casual event, there was no competitive awards to disclose or give out. Instead, this event allowed FC members to both level up their Fisherman job and to socialize with those they have not seen since the holidays.

Next, one upcoming social event is an annual tradition among many: The Officer Auction! Here’s the announcement per Blackhawk Slater, another of our resident Officers:

Hello, please join us on Saturday February 26th at 8PM EST, 5PM PST for our next FC event, Officer Auction! Every member who attends will be given a number of points to bet on winning an officer of their choice. The officers will provide the audience with the tasks they are willing to perform if you win them. The winner will then get to use that officer for some tasks for a designated amount of time. The officers are the prizes so no additional prizes will be handed out. Please let me know if you have any questions. Please sign up on the #social-event channel (on the Discord server) if you are going to attend.

In terms of any FC specific news, nothing on the grapevine as of yet. Be sure to sign up on the Discord server and look toward our #announcements channel for further major news.

Discord link to Free Company Server: https://discord.gg/celestiafc

Saint Valentine’s ~~Valentione’s~~ Day

Like McKayla Maroney, he is not impressed.

It isn’t often that I get to cover a holiday or extend definition and meaning behind it, but I figure with this new year, one thing we could try different is to share context behind many widely recognized holidays. And what could be among the earliest of these than the most romantic day of the year?

Saint Valentine was a Roman who was also involved with the clergy under the Christian faith. He lived during the 3rd century, having lived from 226 AD to 269 AD (42/43 years old). He was martyred on February 14th, which became associated with being known as the Feast of Saint Valentine (a Christian Feast Day). Although it is not easy to trace the exact moment that this day became known as a day of romance and love, the earliest correlation of it as a day of romance originated from one of Geoffrey Chaucer’s stories, the Parliament of Fowls (published 1382). Other correlations have been attributed to the Roman Lupercalia (a February 15th holiday where a festival is held to promote fertility and health), and to the Charter of the Court of Love (issued by Charles VI of France in 1400 to declare it as an annual celebration of love).

The modern interpretation of Valentine’s Day involves many recent traditions having become commonplace: Chocolate exchanges were the product of Cadbury in 1868, when they designed the first ‘Fancy Boxes’ – Heart shaped boxes of chocolates. Flowers, specifically red roses, were associated during the 17th century to Valentine’s Day as a remembrance to Venus/Aphrodite (Roman/Greek). One of the goddess of love’s stories involves her lover, Adonis, becoming mortally wounded. Where his tears and blood mixed and fell, that is from where the first red roses bloomed. Her son, Eros, also had summoned roses across the land when he married his love. As for greeting cards, the earliest of these was in 1797 when paper valentines had originated with red lace, ribbons, and thoughtful sketches and poems set within.

That’s all I had to say on this particularly red holiday.

But what of Saint Valentione’s Day? Unfortunately, there is no news yet on when this year’s event is due to happen. However, if the timing is to be proper, expect that news will come within the next couple of weeks. Be sure to check the news on Lodestone, and within the Discord server for details!

Reminder: 2 Factor Authentication/Multi Factor Authentication

Don’t let the wrong person get the key to your heart…or your account.

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

I think that’s enough for us to discuss from this long start of the year. As we are a month into a new year, wondering what the next few months will bring us, please remember this. Know that not every single one of us has someone there. Whether it’s a loved one, or a dear friend who is supportive and equally lonely, or a pet that we keep for company, or just shunning this holiday out of pure choice, know that everyone will go into this month and this holiday with their own plans.

But do not let yourself be confined to the mundane and the safe. If you are on the lookout for love, start by going out and looking for it. Go to your favorite hangout spots, join a forum or a website or a server (on Discord), get out and meet people. And if you cannot find someone in time for this wonderful holiday, know that it’s just a day. The world will not end for you if love cannot be found on or before this day. Love is eternal, random, powerful, and universal in its application among every one of us. While we have Thanksgiving to be thankful, Christmas to be caring, New Year’s to be hopeful, we have Valentine’s Day to be loving. Because that…is the power of love. In closing here, enjoy Huey Lewis and the News’s classic (brought to you by their channel, Youtube, and the band itself…and Back to the Future, of course).

See you, space Warriors of Light. 🙂

The Celestia Citizen (The End is Walked Edition)

January 9, 2022/0 Comments/in News /by Scarlette Valanorr

Here we go again with another year of illness, being stuck at home, getting better, and stuck with some of the things that bring us joy in life, such as FFXIV.

Hello, fellow Celestians! Welcome to yet another edition of the Celestia Citizen newsletter! This one was running a tad later than usual due to the Christmas & New Year’s holidays, and my battling last minute illness the prior weekend. Normally, I aim to get this newsletter done within the first week of the month. Apologies for the lateness. On another note, here we are in another new year. We are already 1/5th thru the new decade and have many years to go before we hit the end of it. This year brings another year where we must hope for the better, pray for the best, and support each other in our most needful of times. Be sure to continue wishing your fellow man, woman, FC member, and whomever a ~~merry~~ happy new year!!! And with that out of the way, let’s press on with news!

Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker News

What sorts of juicy details await in the cheeseburger of XIV news?

First off, all of the major congestion issues occurring through December with the holidays, the game launch, and the influx of players back to the world of Eorzea have been MASSIVELY improved. While there are still queues to contend with, many technical issues on the backend have been addressed. Continue to expect queue times and potential waits when jumping into the game, especially during peak hours. Idle timers are still in effect until further notice, so ensure you do not leave your game unattended for too long lest you be returned to the login screen.

Secondly, the game is enjoying a wonderful winter sale on its Optional Items page. This features numerous discounts on holiday-themed items (such as outfits from prior Heavensturn events, the festive equivalent to Christmas in Eorzea, mounts, decorations, etc). There is also the addition of the Snowman mount from a prior Heavensturn event. Details on the sale: https://na.finalfantasyxiv.com/lodestone/topics/detail/10d609668ba906567bd68cf539ea6e483dbfec04

Third, the Heavensturn event is underway until January 16th! It is a very brief event that will allow you to get a couple of items, a house decoration, a food item, and celebratory items! Details on the event: https://na.finalfantasyxiv.com/lodestone/special/2022/Heavensturn/22lsrul3tu

Fourth, the latest patch for the game, Patch 6.05, has been implemented. Major changes include: New treasure maps with a new area (Timeworn Kumbhiraskin Maps, and the Excitatron 6000 area), new Savage raids (Pandaemonium was added in with 6.01; Savage variant added in with this patch), new mounts, minions, items, and many other skill and bug fixes. Details on the patch here: https://na.finalfantasyxiv.com/lodestone/topics/detail/674bcc0a4da4caba1ded710a7af99389094d52a8

Lastly, expect the next major patch, 6.1, to release in another couple of months. What could be in it? One expectation is the new housing system, which will change how new houses are acquired. This couples with Ishgard’s new housing zones, which will be available in this patch then (if you want to see what to expect, go to the Firmament in Ishgard).

Also, be sure to expect the following in the near future: additional duties, raids, more story mode content, and one major feature coming to FFXIV: Island Sanctuary. We received tidbits on this feature during Endwalker press events last year. It is to be a mode where the Warrior of Light will participate in a Stardew Valley/Harvest Moon type of mode. As to what specifics will be coming with it, it remains to be seen. But considering the success these ‘slice-of-life’ titles have for some gamers (offering simple stories, many things to do/craft/gather/harvest, and the opportunity to build up from nothing, and offer ease-of-access for someone who just wants to enjoy a casual game), having a fanbase of millions of players get to enjoy that approach in their favorite MMO is a welcome feature.

The true endgame: Retiring from world saving to farming Thavnairian Onions

Now, here’s some fun trivia: In FFXIV, there have been uses of some guest actors that have hailed from one of the largest fantasy properties to have come about in recent years: Game of Thrones, based on A Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin. Please note that there will be spoilers based on where one is in the overall FFXIV story.

Game Of Thrones Joe Dempsie — Joe Dempsie (Gendry from Game of Thrones) plays Ardbert.

Spoiler 4.? 5.x?] One of the best changes in voice actors. : r/ffxiv — Michael McElhatton (Roose Bolton from Game of Thrones) plays Gaius van Baelsar.

And lastly, Gemma Whelan (Yara Greyjoy from Game of Thrones) voiced both Igeyorhm the Ascian, and returned for Endwalker to voice Ameliance (not pictured).

And here’s one more guest voice actor who isn’t Game of Thrones:

Toby Regbo (who appeared in the fictional shows Reign, The Last Kingdom, Medici: Masters of Florence, and most recently A Discovery of Witches) voiced Hythlodaeus (not pictured).

Social Events

We gonna party like it’s ~~1999~~ 2020!!!

First off, we must acknowledge our prior major event: The Holiday Party and Darts Event!

This event involved jumping from the high tower in Coerthas Central Highlands in a blind direction to land as close to the resident target for the event as possible.

The following members won the Darts event by being closest to our resident target:

Secondly, there was one other event held recently: The FC Room Decorating Contest, which focused on Christmas theme this year.

The following members took home the winning spots:

Elyn Softflame – 1st Place

Kitiara Kittiana – 2nd Place

Carletta Deremora and Urbosa Vah’naboris – Tied for 3rd and 4th Places

Also, here is an image from the Holiday Party, showing all of our fellow FC members (or as many as we could fit on screen at the time…)

Our next social event coming is on Saturday, January 29th, which is the Ocean Fishing Event! Be sure to jump to Discord and check the #social-event channel for specifics, or reach out to Blackhawk Slater for details!

Buff Schedule for FC

Sometimes, you just need to get a buff or few…

Beginning with Endwalker, the FC prioritized the usage of specific buffs in order to benefit its members for gaining experience through battle, crafting, and gathering. This change was implemented at the cost of teleportation fees (which saw a tremendous buff in cost with the new expansion due to developer changes). Where teleportation fees ranged as high as 999 gil prior to Endwalker, the fees are now as high as 1500 gil per teleport (this is all based on distance from place-to-place, as well as if you are visiting another world). To mitigate this, one of a couple of options could have been implemented: Aetheryte tickets, FC mitigation, setting preferred/home locations. With Endwalker, new players would have had great difficulty managing teleportation costs with low stockpiles of Gil. However, as of January 4th, the FC has returned to its regular Buff rotation.

On 1/4, Teleport 3 buffs (40% reduction in teleport cost) will be in effect for 2 weeks (until 1/18), then will return to Teleport 2 buffs (30% reduction in teleport cost).

On 1/4 and onward, until further notice, the following buff schedule is in effect as well:

Mon – Randomized (there is a weekly poll in the #announcements channel on the FC discord)

Tues – Food

Wed – Gathering

Thurs – Crafting

Fri – Battle (3 for a couple of weeks, then 2)

Sat – MGP (this benefits the weekly Cactpot draw)

Sun – Battle (3 for a couple of weeks, then 2)

It is recommended, but not required, to take advantage of these buffs for marginal gains on whichever task you may set yourself to. That extra boost, combined with food, manuals, Well-Rested bonus, job bonuses (if you have a combat, crafting, or gathering job at a higher level than others of the same type, they will also benefit from XP boosts until they are same level as your highest), and more will all help with the climb to 90.

There is one more note regarding proprietary buffs with the Aetherial Wheels. I will explain this in the best detail that I can (these notes were provided with explanation by our resident Aurora Lightsnow 🙂 ):

The big reason why there are far more frequent Tier 1 and 2 grade buffs than Tier 3 buffs is due to the amount of resources/time needed to create the higher tiers. While Tiers 1/2 are obtainable via crafting or using FC credits from the Grand Company vendor, Tier 3 is a different monster. It requires crafted components, gathering materials to make them, and the materials are not obtainable solely through gatherers. FC airships are implemented to collect some of these resources. The airships take time to travel and gather. Once the materials are gathered, they are crafted into raw “Wheels” when finished. These wheels are naturally expensive on the market board and are always in limited supply (therefore it’s more efficient for cost to gather and craft them).

The Tier 3 wheels, being in a raw state at this point, require about 72 Real Life Hours (3 days) to charge. This leads to a maximum of two Tier 3 buffs that can be implemented in a week.

To summarize it: Tier 3 takes about 3 days at least to charge a single buff for the FC to use. Behind the scenes, it is a lot of work. Please appreciate the amount of work, time, and money that our fellow officers go through to bring this to everyone.

Want More Final Fantasy to Play on PC?

Here’s a Final Fantasy related post. Aside from XIV, which Final Fantasy would you like to enjoy on PC? Well, here’s the good news: You will get to enjoy ALL of them!

Alright, not all of them in an official capacity. However, PC has the advantage of having ALL of the mainline entries available to enjoy.

This begins with the Final Fantasy “Pixel Remaster” project, whose goal is to bring some updates to the retro series of Final Fantasy games (encompassing the original thru to VI).

All 6 can be gotten through Steam (Final Fantasy VI is due for release February 2022).

Next, we have the 3D generation of Final Fantasy titles (encompassing VII thru XIII: Lightning Returns).

All of these can also be acquired through Steam.

Lastly, we have the modern generation of Final Fantasy titles: Final Fantasy XV, Final Fantasy VII Remake (Part 1), and Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin.

Final Fantasy XV is available on Steam currently. Final Fantasy VII Remake (Part 1), while on PC, is currently available through Epic Games Store (this is expected to last anywhere from 6 months to a full year due to exclusivity deals between Square Enix and Epic Games). Once the exclusivity deal wears off, it will then be available on Steam. Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origins (which is a modern remake of the original Final Fantasy) is expected March 18, 2022. Details here: https://square-enix-games.com/sopffo/en-us/

Final Fantasy XVI is the next mainline entry into the series expected, alongside Final Fantasy VII Remake (Part 2). However, further news on these is due to come later this year.

Conclusion

Like Shadowbringers to Endwalker, it is always darkest just before the dawn…

Here we are. At the end of another year, another Final Fantasy XIV expansion…and the Final Fantasy XIV story itself, as told from 2010 with A Realm Reborn. Across a main game, and 4 expansions, we have experienced the telling of the story of Hydaelyn and Zodiark. We’ve traveled almost the entire world of Hydaelyn, and experienced a story spanning a long decade. We’ve witnessed the coming and going of many folks: players, NPCs, story characters. And despite the feels we’ve experienced along the way, none of them will hit as hard as what Endwalker has managed to do.

The reception to Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker has been met with universal acclaim. To date, Shadowbringers has a 90/100 on Metacritic with a 9.2 user rating. Endwalker currently sits at 91/100 with a 9.5 user rating. Despite the story reaching its end, it has managed to tie up things in a beautiful bow and has led to a finish line with 10+ years of payoff being rewarded. Now, we have the next 2 years to look forward to seeing what is to come for the next major story of Final Fantasy XIV.

As for the FC itself, I do wish to bring up a couple of talking points. For one, understand that despite this being the start of a new year, it is also winter time. This is where people will feel both at their best and their worst. We’ve had a long year, and there is another long year ahead. Things may not seem at their best right now, but they are not at their worst as of yet. Keep on hoping in the face of uncertainty.

We will get through this. I promise you.

Even if it’s just a fool’s hope.

Know that one of the greatest things we can have in the world right now is hope. It’s stronger than fear.

It’s deep inside of us all, where none can get to nor touch.

Despite all the terrible things that are happening, we always have to believe something good will come of it.

This is, after all, the season of perpetual hope. Just as winter comes, so will spring.

Anyways, this is turning into a wall of gifs and quotes, so I am going to cut it here. Just be sure to keep hope, and always strive to be excellent to each other. Look forward to the next newsletter, which will be expected during the first week of February. See you, space ~~cowboys~~ Warriors of Light.