I finished Final Fantasy XI
You can read [my first impressions here](https://www.reddit.com/r/FinalFantasy/comments/1nca7se/ffxi_first_impressions_after_11_days/), [thoughts on Rise of the Zilart + Chains of Promathia here](https://www.reddit.com/r/FinalFantasy/comments/1no98mn/ffxi_rise_of_the_zilart_chains_of_promathia/), and [thoughts on Treasures of Aht Urhgan + Wings of the Goddess here](https://www.reddit.com/r/FinalFantasy/comments/1ohgdsj/just_finished_the_most_underrated_ff_story/).
After 261 hours of playtime across 74 days of playing, I've defeated the final boss of FFXI's Rhapsodies of Vana'diel storyline and reached the game's ending and credits. What an amazing journey it's been.
I first started this journey about a year ago, when I gave the free trial a go but didn't play more than a few days. I've always noticed that XI was one of the less appreciated FF games, and I love rooting for an underdog, so I was eager to play it myself and see how it holds up. I didn't get far in that first attempt, but I tried again with a new character two and a half months ago, and have been glued to the game ever since. I enjoyed going through the base stories and learning the game, RotZ was a bit underwhelming and story but had great areas, CoP was a fantastic classic FF adventure, ToAU was great and unlike anything else in the series, and WotG became one of my favorite FF stories ever.
Now, let's talk about Seekers of Adoulin, I actually have somewhat mixed feelings about this expansion. I think it was really good, but I didn't quite fall in love with it as much as some past expansions. The story was good but didn't blow me away, I enjoyed the missions being streamlined but wish there were more interesting objectives outside of some great difficult bosses, and the areas were good but not quite as memorable as some others for me. I liked Arciela as the protagonist, but not as much as Lilisette or Prishe. However the music was fantastic, and I did enjoy the lore a lot, even though I think it took up a bit too much presence in the story. Overall it's not one of my favorite expansions, but I still enjoyed it. The ending theme Forever Today is great and probably one of the most underrated songs in the series.
Okay, Rhapsodies of Vana'diel is interesting to talk about, since I started it at the very beginning of the game, played chunks of it in between expansions, and now have finished it at the very end. It worked really well as a framing device for all the expansions, establishing an underlying story that connects them all together, and giving a bit more excitement to the early stages of the game. With Chapters 2 and especially 3, it easily has some of the coolest reveals and cutscenes in the whole game, the two "Avengers Assemble" scenes were incredible.
It's not really a standalone story, but rather the culmination of all the stories from before it, and it does a fantastic job at it, giving the world its biggest threat yet while giving commentary on the game itself and its existence as an online MMO that will shut down someday. It also makes our Adventurer character absolutely OP lol, arguably in contention with Lightning as the strongest protagonist in the series, they do some crazy stuff in Rhapsodies and possibly save the entire FF multiverse (if I understood it right). In general I love what it does with the character of our Adventurer and fleshing them out without going overboard.
The final boss was fantastic and one of the best in the series, going out not with a shounen epic battle, but with a desperate struggle to save Vana'diel from destruction, both in the story and metaphorically. The boss theme and arena are somber and emotional, and it's easily the most difficult boss in the story until now. It took me a few tries to beat even with prior research and preparation, it's an amazing final challenge to close off the game. And then the ending played, and I absolutely got choked up and teary-eyed from the scenes and amazing ending theme. I heard "Rhapsodies of Vana'diel" a year ago when I spoiled myself on the music, and now that I've experienced it in context, it's absolutely one of my favorite songs in the series and a beautiful celebration of XI and its players. Overall, I loved this expansion and felt that it was the perfect conclusion to the game.
Well, this is probably the last post I'm gonna be making about my XI journey. I absolutely love this game, it easily enters my top 5 FF games, and I don't regret a single second I spent playing it. To anyone interested in XI, it's indeed the hardest FF game to get into with a massive learning curve and little in-game guidance, but it's perhaps the most rewarding FF game in the series because of it. I can now confirm that it's completely soloable from beginning to end, and there are tons of useful resources to make playing through the game smoother. XI definitely isn't for everyone, but if you have the patience and commitment for it, it's absolutely worth taking the journey.
I'm actually not completely finished yet. I still have The Voracious Resurgence to do, as well as the four add-on stories, not to mention the endless amount of side quests and gameplay content. So, my Vana'diel days are far from over, but I felt that finishing RoV was the best place for me to get my "final" thoughts on the game out there. I'm probably gonna take a break for now, but Vana'diel is definitely one of those gaming homes I'm going to return to every so often.
Final (aside from TVR) expansion story ranking:
1. Wings of the Goddess 2. Rhapsodies of Vana'diel 3. Chains of Promathia 4. Treasures of Aht Urhgan 5. Seekers of Adoulin 6. Base Game 7. Rise of the Zilart
Thank you for reading this, and especially thank you to those who've read my other posts and followed my journey. If anyone is inspired to start XI themselves, feel free to ask me any questions.