Final Fantasy XIV Online is a phenomenal title. The story is breathtaking and grand, the characters otherworldly, but best of all is the world of Eorzea. Having played Final Fantasy XIV for close to two years now, I have found the community to be wonderfully oddball and welcoming, and no better example of it can be found than in Limsa Lominsa — the maritime citadel where menageries of all forms can be seen on a regular basis.
It Starts Small
Players are drawn together so easily in Final Fantasy XIV. It starts with being thrown into battle together, but that’s just the beginning. When players leave the battlefield and enter the world of Eorzea, they seek out companionship in all its forms. The various cities around Eorzea are all charming, but when players arrive in Limsa Lominsa, they are welcomed by absurdities that aren’t native to Eorzea. They are of our own making.
At first people will cluster together showing off emotes, and then it will evolve into people showing off their hard-earned weapons and unique outfits. When this is done, they all sit down and the music begins.
These surprise concerts range from emo band My Chemical Romance to the enthusiastic Ducktales theme, with people feverishly typing the lyrics along with the music. On top of these regular concerts, there are also the anime-only concerts where players will replicate an opening to an anime. I heard the Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood theme several times and was filled with a giddiness that I couldn’t ignore.
Players will also dance along to the tunes they hear. Some will bring in the many different emotes available, while others will utilize various class powers to showcase their style. This is where the skills of the Dancer class come in to entrance their captivated attendees. At one point, I saw players waving actual glow sticks to an enthralled audience. It was eerily similar to the relationship of a primal to their tempered.
And Then the Curtain Drops in Limsa Lominsa
This is all one part of the wild west that is Limsa Lominsa in Final Fantasy XIV. After a certain hour — it depends on where you hail from geographically — other players will enter Limsa Lominsa and raise not just the eccentricity of the place, but the amount of horny too. Many players will dress down their characters to almost nothing, showcasing the overly impressive bodies of the various races of Final Fantasy XIV.
Sat down in the Aethernet Plaza of Limsa Lominsa for less than five minutes, I saw three people joined together in a titillated trinity. Their outfits consisted of chocobo heads, glow sticks, tails, and thongs. After a few seconds together they then teleported away to parts unknown. It was fascinating.
Then there are the players who go even further. Players who create incredibly bizarre characters that fill Limsa with more wild energy. I saw a character one day as I was simply passing through: He had somehow created duplicates of himself, and they were all wearing thongs and doing push-ups. They had the entirety of Limsa Lominsa in the palm of their hands. It was their Eorzea; we just lived in it. From there, people began to disappear, possibly to head off to some of the more depraved clubs within Eorzea. That, however, is a story for another time.
Final Fantasy XIV Online is a wild game that has captured the attention of the world. Some would believe it is down to the story or maybe the gameplay.
The music, the mania, and the mischief-makers make this game all the more enjoyable. When you head out to battle you make allies, and afterwards those allies become friends. And if you ever find yourself in Limsa Lominsa, those friends might go down a strange yellow brick road with you, and you might not be in Kansas anymore. You might be surrounded by scantily clad Lalafell.
