Morning in Vana'diel: To the Pinnacle and Back.

Morning in Vana'diel is your daily dose of FFXI and all things Vana'diel. Give us your thoughts on the interesting topics of the day! Today, Ring remembers back to a better time, when adventure was still pure, fights were still hard, and you got excited about the game.

The Airship fight is pretty old now. Gear has gotten better, there is the Level Sync ability to use any gear when level capped. There are more merits, more items, more stuff in general to help with this fight. Back in the day though, this was the hardest fight in the game. It is still pretty hard, but back then it was a fight that people actually feared. People gave up on the game because they couldn't beat this fight. I never did, and I have helped many different people beat it proving that it was possible even in a pick-up group. But the fight was still very hard and very draining, and in the past it could be very expensive. And even after all this time I still love this fight.

The Airship fight is the pinnacle of all of FFXI. It is a timed fight, actually three fights in one. It was possible to wipe and still win and often times wiping was near inevitable. It often took many attempts, not just because it was so hard but also because you had to learn how to deal with three very different fights with the people that were with you. It was hard, but very enjoyable. There is nothing left in FFXI like the Airship fight from CoP. I wish there was. Promathia and Alexander are both relatively difficult, but nothing like the Airship. The Airship tested you. You went in unsure if you were going to win every time you went in to try. And so many times people would get close and time out or wipe in one last heroic attempt to take Ultima down.

I liked the Airship because of it's difficult, but it was before it's time, and SE has changed the game so much that there is likely to be nothing like it again. Missions are no longer that difficult, the fights don't require much preparation, and the rewards are not new zones but cutscenes, wonderful cutscenes, but cutscenes none the less. I understand this. SE wants everyone to be able to experience all of the Missions and storylines, which is a good design choice. But it doesn't make me miss the difficulty of the Airship fight any less.

Did you like the Airship fight? Or did you just find it frustrating? Do you think that there needs to be more challenge in the game? Or do you think FFXI needs to be even more casual friendly? Leave a comment and tell us what you think!