Ul’dah is boring. The city is boring, the surrounding zone is boring. It is basically just a stop-over on my trip to the much more unique Limsa Lominsa, the third major starting city in Final Fantasy XIV. What do I have to do to get there? Run west through the desert, then through the swamp, all the while avoiding big mobs that want to maul me to pieces. This, however, isn’t that difficult, as they tend to steer clear of the roadway.

My problem is, I like to explore. So, I tend to run around with all my gear off because if you die with your gear on, everything takes a durability hit. Yes, I’ve died a couple times while exploring, but surprisingly, for the most part, there is a gigantic area near all three starting cities that are free of aggressive mobs. Although, when you do find that one that roams the countryside looking for fresh adventurer blood, you don’t really have a chance to run, because they see you from a mile away and apparently all have ranged attacks that can one-shot you. Let me tell you, that is about as fun as a lollipop up the ass.

Eventually I come to a seaside port where I can board the boat over to Limsa. Luckily, the boat itself docks straight into the final city, so I don’t have any running to do once I get there. Oh, did I mention that the simple act of running from place to place puts wear and tear on my characters’ shoes? That, coupled with the fact that I tend to explore a bit along the way, makes me strip my character of every piece of clothing I possibly can, just in case the previously-mentioned mauling does happen to occur.

So, I arrive in Limsa Lominsa in my undies. First thing I do is pick up a fishing rod and some bait. Not that I intend to level fishing very high right away, but it will give me something to pass the time if I ever have to take that 10-minute boat ride again. Just an FYI, fishing in FFXIV is exactly like fishing in real life, with a catch rate to match. I wouldn’t go so far as to say it is boring, but it certainly takes a special kind of person to enjoy it. But at least here I have a full complement of guildleves to pick up, including the ones I’m trying to focus on first – carpentry and archery. I already got my botany to level 10, so focus on that is taking a backseat for now.

My goal at this point I think, is once I get carpentry to level 10, to start working on some other handcrafts. The issue here is that you tend to need items created from various crafting skills to make one weapon – a bow, for example. To that end, I intend to level a few other handcraft skills up a bit. Again, this isn’t a game for those who require instant gratification. Although, it does seem that certain things tend to slow down once you hit double-digits in skill level.

Wandering around outside of Limsa Lominsa we find a lovely, wind-swept grassy plain, with deep crevasses dotting the landscape, which tend to open up into caves underneath the surface. Out of all the starting zones, this one is probably my favorite. It’s prone to some nasty wind storms, and light rain, but not your massive changes of weather (and visibility) that the areas outside the other two cities are. I also appreciate how green and wide open it is, stretching off into the distances for “miles” in any direction.

After taking care of some pesky pest problems for the local camps, I do the carpentry and botany guildleves because NPCs are too lazy to do it themselves. This brings me to my goal of level 10 in both those classes. Now, what to level next…

I finally decide, after much deliberation and a drink at the local pub, to work on leatherworking next, because this will help me in my efforts to create better gear for myself in the long run. After that, perhaps weaving and alchemy is in order. Again, this is part of the game. Variety is the spice of life, right?

After I finish with my tasks in Limsa, I’m getting a bit homesick for Gridania, but I absolutely don’t want to run all the way back. That would just be insane. Instead, since I have obviously been to the Gridania atheryte crystal, I simply spend six anima and teleport back. Ahhh, home sweet home. Or so I thought...