Busy Workin'... & Brewin'

In character with the Warrior side of Frohike, I've been busy brewing beer. And while enjoying my brew, I've been slaving away at supplemental work I'd rather not do, yet needs to be done.

Drinking. Making bucks...

BLM can wait a bit.

Tumbleweeds

This old server is getting rather empty, and many of my friends are gone. I'm kind of hanging around for the few folks left on DarkEden, but even that pearl has been mostly empty when I'm online.

I'm tired of being the lone US player in a sea of jaded JP. I'm tired of entertaining activities other than partying because I simply won't get invites in my time slot.

I'm tired of logging into a ghost town full of endgamers.

So I'm looking at fresher servers with more EU players. Possibly Sylph.

I'm not making any rash decisions yet, because I suspect that much of this is caused by the age of the game itself. But I'm getting that feeling that it's time to move on to different pastures.

Ah, that's better

After banging my head senseless, I returned to Bibiki Bay to regain my lost experience points. I waited for about 30 minutes for a DNC solo'er to finish, and used my /dance1-4 animations which I'm sure he found extremely funny and had never seen before (yeah, he probably wanted to throttle me). I eventually got the camp and went about 1k into level 31.

Then I moved out to Attowah Chasm L-8 and wished I had done so sooner. The fly pets were giving me 180-200 EXP on average, and I could get chains up to around 3 or so. I didn't heed the guide's advice to bring a Reraise Earring (probably had to something to do with banging my head earlier), and of course eventually had to Warp my way back to town to get one. A couple of deaths notwithstanding, this is the best solo EXP camp I've had on BLM so far. Guess I'll be staying here through 33-34.

BLM. 30. Solo. Bang Head Here.

I ramped up slowly on my first few days back and basically tele-taxi'd and chatted with the LS. Then it was down to business, and frustration, as I picked up BLM again to carry it from 30 to 37 (or maybe 40, who knows). I'm not sure if any of you remember solo'ing BLM at this point, but there appears to be only one decent camp for 105-180 EXP per kill: Bibiki Bay, H-6, Goblin's Rarab.

One decent camp + any random number of people leveling BLM, WAR, SCH, or any fucking thing at level 29-30ish (since apparently no one parties at these levels any more) = extremely limited camp availability. Every time I logged on, someone was there. Once I actually got the camp, it was decent and I leveled into 31 with a moderate buffer. OK, 300 exp. I was tired of the place.

I rejoiced, ate my Sleepga scroll, misread the solo guide, OP warped over to Zitah, paid 4000 gil to set my HP, and promptly got my ass handed to me by a leech pet.

Huh... weird that he resisted my Sleep. Must be a fluke. No problem! Dust myself off, HP to the outpost, run to the next pet... and grab Goblin agro. I've now deleveled back to 30, am clearly in the wrong EXP area and don't want to go back to Bibiki. But I pretty much have to, or explore some camps in Beaucedine or Attowah that are for 31+.

Guh...


It's good to be back!

The compulsion of memory

I've re-activated my character with some vague plan to log back in and... reconnect somehow. I'm not sure if my resolve will continue, but I'm currently in the process of re-installing XP onto my laptop and getting all of the drivers set up, etc.

My main worry now: will these same memories that impel me to return cause me to feel all the more lonely... and willing to leave again.

Guess there's only one way to find out.