In the final “installment” of this small series I’ve started (without meaning to; it seems I just talk way too much), here’s just some personal anecdotes about sprouts I’ve encountered in Final Fantasy XIV lately.
Normally I don’t know if I’d talk about these things, but I think it’s important to tell them in one way, as a reminder that all of us, as players, were new once. We were the Sprout in question, and that’s a part of the reason why I like helping Sprouts especially! Also, I think it’s important for people who are anxious with the game, especially with finding random people in duty finder, to know that most people are having fun and mistakes aren’t that important in the long run!
A Taste of the Final Days
NOTE: This specific anecdote includes light Shadowbringers spoilers. Please skip ahead to the next section if you would like.
This one happened a few months ago, I’d say, and I’m still friends with the people involved. I was making the last few pushes to get Reaper to 90, and as most people do when they’re raising a job, they queue for a roulette–in this case, the 50/60/70/80 Dungeons. I ended up getting Amaurot, the Level 80, final story dungeon of Shadowbringers.
Now, this dungeon is one of my favorites for sure. Except, every time I queue into it, I forget the mechanics, somehow. (Actually, I don’t know if I remember the second boss mechanics at all; the first and final bosses are pretty easy to figure out once youre inside.) This usually doesn’t pose a problem, especially when I’m a DPS.
The other three people were all apparently friends. The tank and my co-DPS were sprouts, new to the encounter. All three were pretty fun right from the get-go, which I enjoy immensely. I actually really love when people talk extra during dungeons, but I’m a particularly social creature. At some point one person had disconnected and we had to pause (which I didn’t mind), and we got a few minutes of chatting in while we waited (and also a few minutes of the /pdead+/sweep combo).
Most of the dungeon went relatively easily even if all of us messed up a few times, including myself, which they were forgiving of. (That first boss’s meteors really kill!) The third and final boss was, as expected, pretty rough. Either this boss goes really smoothly or really badly, depending on everyone’s knowledge.
During the part where you have to run towards the back, the healer kept running too far accidentally and falling off, which was honestly kind of funny. The lasers that get you from the side proved a problem too. We wiped several times, but everyone was energetic and having fun. Eventually, we finished the dungeon and celebrated.
Once we parted ways, the healer sent a tell inviting me to The Dying Gasp, and I added all three to my friend’s list. The tank, who was super new still (I think the other DPS was on an alt or was in Shadowbringers patches, meaning they had done the dungeon before), GPosed for a long time in the arena before the trial, but again, I didn’t mind waiting. Not only had I made friends out of this but the guy was fully enjoying himself–right before my favorite trial ever. He was clearly excited and it was infectious.
Artifact Armor, Engage!
I think this one was just a little over a week ago. I also have this person still on my friend’s list but haven’t been in the game much to reach out!
It’s pretty late in the night but I had been trying to catch up on my roulettes for the Tomestones of Causality, so it’s MSQ Roulette time. I don’t mind any of the ones I can get since there’s a lot of downtime where I can multitask, but they’ve also shortened them quite a bit. I ended up getting Ultima (which is the shortest, relatively speaking, but it’s also the only one I get to see Lahabrea in now).
The White Mage was new. Like, brand new. She was in the Level 50 Artifact Armor and didn’t know how to use party chat instead of say chat. None of these were problems, of course, and I’m happy that more people are playing the game!
I was tanking it as Dark Knight, and this fight is generally pretty easy. There are a few mechanics that require quick thinking, but it’s generally not that difficult. As the fight progresses, I’m noticing that the White Mage is casting Cure I only, and only to heal me. When I’m okay on health, she stands there waiting for me to take damage. Since she’s new either healing or in general, I figured she just isn’t aware of what she can be doing.
The first phase of the fight progresses without issue. During the cutscenes I give some advice, hoping she doesn’t take it the wrong way, and then banter with the summoner. Most people, let alone a new person, aren’t bringing up party chat during a cutscene, though, so the White Mage doesn’t see it. That’s fine; we did the first phase without issue, and she was being proactive about healing. She wasn’t doing anything wrong, she just didn’t know what she could also be doing. So I start the second phase, intending on helping her after the fight is done.
The only issue was, she reacted a little too slowly (which happens) and ended up dying. The summoner, coincidentally, also died in the same manner. We were still early in the phase so me and the samurai wiped it to begin again.
This time, though, I noticed she had been using say chat (which I have separate from my party chat), and she’s apologizing for dying. I switch to say chat now to let her know it’s alright! The summoner chimes in and says as much, too, and I mention the advice in party chat. She reads it and says she’s too scared to cause another wipe but I assure her I’m a professional, and the summoner also reassures her. The samurai doesn’t say anything but also sits down, waiting.
We start the phase again and we end up clearing it. She dies again unfortunately, but the summoner is able to resurrect her and everything is fine. Both the summoner and the samurai congratulate her and tell her she did fine, and I end up staying for her cutscene to end to reassure her more. She was still kind of anxious about dying and messing up, but I tell her she really did do a good job and she could only improve. I offer to add her as a friend so she can yoink me for anything else, and once the dungeon ends fully, we do add one another.
—
I tell these two stories not because they’re the most recent cases and also not just because of the reasons mentioned in the beginning. It wasn’t just me, after all, helping the new people. The others in the party were all understanding and willing to help new people! Which I think is important to remember even as veterans.
When you have negative experiences with someone in the game, it’s easy to get caught up in it (and this is true for any online game). But I think these two situations highlight the hope of having fun and pleasant times and making friends is inevitable.
My friend who also plays was flabbergasted I make friends so easily. He says no one ever talks in dungeon runs he does, but I told him I’m usually the one starting the talks! Most people just wait for someone else to start it, which is totally fine, and some don’t wanna talk at all. Also fine! But you gotta put yourself out there if you wanna make friends!
With Love, Byleth
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