I have been playing Final Fantasy XIV for nearly five years. I like to think that, within that span of time, I’ve learned a lot about FFXIV. I’d like to think that I know how the game works and that I am good at it. But I have recently had a realisation that has thrown everything I thought I knew into question.
Let’s talk about Tribe Quests.
You might know these quests by another name, Beast Tribe Quests, which was recently changed to sit more neatly within the game’s ongoing story. Tribe Quests are FFXIV’s Daily Quests, with players limited to twelve per day and three per faction. Players undertake these quests and complete Fates to gain favour with the eponymous Tribe, going from Rank One (Neutral) to Rank Eight (Bloodsworn). A Realm Reborn expansion is the sole outlier, letting players hand in quests to a total of five different tribes.
The Heavensward expansion introduced Moogle Tribe Quests, aimed at crafters. Shadowbringers then introduced the Gathering Tribe Quests. These days, each expansion divides Tribe Quest content between individual battling, crafting, and gathering tribes. Some of these daily quests provide the players with a specific mount to ride on throughout. The Moogle quests have two: a Dragon and a cloud Mallow. These mounts have specific abilities that are used in these specific quests. Once players reach Rank Seven (Sworn), they can buy and keep those mounts.
You may have noticed that the Moogles keep coming up. There is a very good reason for that.
I hate the Moogles.
The lazy bums want me to steal rocks and do their stupid chores for them? No. Piss off. Further, they didn’t even pay out one of the two mounts that I used to complete their quests. All I could buy from them were these stupid, expensive seeds. “What is this bullshit?” I thought. Seeing other players running about on their cloud mallow mount would cause a pang of envy. I assumed that because the Moogles were special, their mount was relegated to the real-money online store. The game was offering me two minions as a consolation, I reasoned. It helped, but I was still mildly annoyed.
A little about me as a player: As I said, I have been playing FFXIV for about five years. I have completed almost all the available main campaign and side content. I’ve completed all the available Tribe Quests and have gained enough commendations to be considered a Mentor. I have managed to collect all the horses, including Nightmare. I have collected all the birds, and soon, I will have all the wolves. What I’m trying to communicate is that I am in no way new to this game.
This makes the next part so much more embarrassing. I share this with you now, so you will never make the same mistake I did.
To redeem a mount, players are given a whistle (or similar item) with which to summon the mount and claim it as their own. I was busily looking up mounts, identifying holes in my collection that needed patching, when something about the Cloud Mallow mount caught my eye. The guide I was reading claimed it was available to players who had hit the Sworn rank in the Moogle clan.
I scoffed. “What does this person know?” I thought.
There are some of you reading this now that already know where this is going.
Curiosity got the better of me. I double-checked and researched it. I must admit it broke me when I realised.
The seeds, the ones for sale from the Moogle Tribe for 200,000 Gil, the ones I’d written off as pointless and expensive, were the mount. It had been available to me all this time, and I just hadn’t realised it. So astounded by my stupidity was I that I had to log off immediately. To avoid having to carry the shame alone, I told my friend Nob about my realisation. Nob, who had often been my partner in bitching about the lack of a Moogle mount. I think his brain broke more than mine. Two veterans of the game, fooled by a bag of seeds.
And then, the moronic cherry on this stupidity sundae. I asked Nob to buy some seeds, thinking that I could grow a few of them. Whatever was left of my brain became mush when Nob informed me that the seeds were not for planting. They are an item you can simply use at any time.
I was dumbfounded. Fool me once, shame on me. Fool me twice, and wow, I must be an idiot. I pass on this cautionary tale so that others may avoid the same embarrassing fate. Maybe we’re just dummies? Entirely possible, but hey, at least we’re having fun, right?
Have you had any moments like this? Share your stories in the comments below!
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