You know that one MMORPG where you start as a zero and become a hero? The one made by Square Enix ? Err no, not that one. The new one: Final Fantasy XIV.
How I love thee.
…Not love as in, “walk around the town showing off my Leviathan shirt”, but a more discreet kind of love, which is limited to blabbing about it on Twitter or watching fanmade videos of the game on YouTube.
And this post, apparently.
Hunting is just one of the many features included in the online game. When you simply want to take a break from raiding in high level areas or perhaps leveling up your other classes, Hunting is a good way to clear your mind from whatever you were doing and get cool rewards in exchange.
So yes, you get things from Hunting and you get to relax too, but how does it work? Do you simply walk towards a monster and kill it? No, it doesn’t work that way.
Before you go off and hunt, you need to be at least level 50 in one War or Magic class and be part of a Grand Company, or else you’ll meet an bloody end rapidly and win nothing, depending on what you were hunting.
Usual day. Usual monsters.
Imagine you’re on your mount at who-knows-where and you spot a creature looking quite out of place, with a level 50 right next to its name. That’s a Hunt monster! And judging by its size, it seems quite intimidating… Should you tackle it with your chocobo or shout for help? Before doing such a dangerous act, there’s one more thing you should know: the monster’s rank.
A hunt monster is classified in one of the three ranks, from lowest rank to highest: B, A, and S. B is the easiest (you can defeat it with only your chocobo without breaking a sweat) while S requires at least two or three parties of eight people to defeat (and you still have changes of dying).
Also, depending on the Hunt monster and the requirements you’ve filled, the prize you get can be different than what you’ve expected. For example, a B rank can give you the promised rewards only if you grab its Wanted poster in your Grand Company. As for the A and S ranks, being in an complete party and not appearing at the very last minute can get you the highest reward possible, and even a bonus!
Admire the special coat. Ignore the rest.
Once you’ve kicked the snot out of a hunt monster, you usually receive a number of allied seals which you can exchange in your Grand Company for interesting rewards: Special armor, weapons, and other practical stuff you can use for your everyday virtual life. Some of the rewards are very expensive and it’ll take a while before you can hold it in your grubby hands, but don’t worry—it took yours truly a month to get her special armor.
That was a bad example. Oh well.