Choose My Adventure: On to Eorzea

And it's a landslide victory for Final Fantasy XIV! After about a day of neck-and-neck competition with Earthrise, FFXIV pulled ahead for a devastating victory, surely due in no small part to the efforts of the Final Fantasy XIV community, which rallied on the forums to see the game to victory. So well done, FFXIV fans. Hopefully I'll be able to do your game justice.

I would like to take a moment to highlight the disconcerting number of people in the comments who voted for Final Fantasy XIV in hopes of causing me some kind of lasting mental harm (I'm looking at you, Bree). Well, you played right into my hand! After hearing Eliot's emphatic reassurances that the game has improved by leaps and bounds, I couldn't wait to get my hands on the game again. But now, I get to do it for money! Eat that, suckers!

Ahem. Now that that's out of the way, head on past the cut for the moment you've all been waiting for: the opportunity to choose what character I play!

Let's start with the basics, shall we? I tend to play exclusively male characters in MMOs, but obviously I don't have that luxury this time around. It's not like playing a female character makes me uncomfortable on a base level, though, so go wild. What's it gonna be, folks? (Note that this poll is null and void if you choose Miqo'te or Roegadyn as my race, since they only come in female and male varieties, respectively.)
%Poll-69930%

Now then, race selection! Final Fantasy XIV has five different races, with each separated into two subraces. For instance, the game's human analogues, the Hyur, are separated into Midland and Highland Hyur. Midland Hyur tend to be more intellectual, whereas Highland Hyur are a more warrior-like race. The Elezen are an elflike race, divided into the forest-dwelling Wildwood Elezen and the dark-skinned Duskwight Elezen. The adorable little Lalafell are split between the Plainsfolk and the Dunesfolk, whose names should be self-explanatory. And lastly, we have the cat-like Miqo'te (divided into the sun-god-worshiping Seekers of the Sun and the nocturnal Keepers of the moon) and the brawny Roegadyn (who come in the pirating Sea Wolves and the red-skinned Hellsguard). You're not lacking for choices on this one, so take your pick!
%Poll-69933%
Next up, we come to class. Now, Final Fantasy XIV doesn't have a traditional class system in which you choose a single class at character creation and then get stuck with it for the rest of the game. Classes can be changed at-will simply by equipping a new main-hand weapon, so for the sake of expedience, I'm limiting the choices to the combat-oriented classes. Don't worry; I do plan to explore crafting at some point (if the audience wills it!), but beginning with a combat class is much simpler, especially for a relative newbie like yours truly.
%Poll-69944%
And to top it all off, in which city should I begin my adventures? We have the city of Ul'dah, a vaguely Middle-Eastern flavored city in the middle of the desert; Limsa Lominsa, a city built entirely upon a number of tiny islands in the ocean; or Gridania, a lush, verdant city situated within the forest. Where would you have me begin my journey?
%Poll-69952%
And that's it! Remember to get your votes in before 11:59 p.m. on Friday, October 21st, and then check back next week to see where my adventures have taken me. See you next time, folks!

Matt Daniel is in a bit of a slump. You see, he's between MMOs, and he needs your help in deciding what to play next. Stop by every Wednesday for Choose My Adventure and tell him what to play, how to play it, and what color underwear to wear. No guarantees on that last one, though.