My FFXI retrospective- Top 10 (4)

No.1 CoP

If you ask me what's my favorite and least favorite experience in FFXI, I'd probably say CoP. CoP is like old school JRPG, you make a pt with a group of adventurer, kill the boss, and read stories. As the story progress, you unlock more and more areas. Eventually you reach final boss and save the world by beating it. When CoP was out, it was really hard, by the time I cleared it, SE already nerfed it but haven't remove cap yet. Although it was easier when I got clear, it was still a pain to do. One of the most painful event(besides dyna) in this game, and yet one of the most rewarding experience.

One of the hardest part of CoP is to get a pt together, with right jobs(ummm not again). By the time I try to clear CoP, most ppl in this game already cleared, or has progress way ahead of me. And since each CoP event takes really long time to do and doesn't offer any reward for helpers, it's VERY hard to get help. I still remember once I pretty much sit in front of the computer for 8hr none-stop just to get one mission done. Which is just a bit too much and unhealthy for a game. I also remembered once I got into a JP pt that aimed to clear three path in one sitting, and I left just because there's no way I can clear three path in a day...I ended up clearing three path with Sylvester and some random ppl from /shout, sit in front of the computer for 4hrs, and only got 50% clear for one path...so you know how long Three Path missions take :(

Pretty much every other missions are a pain to get a pt going and clear too. Also, the BC fight in CoP is much harder than BC fight of other story missions. Lv 30 cap Promy is really a noob killer-for those new players who just started and attempted CoP, they usually got ass kicked in Promy bosses if pt not well prepared. Well, I wrote my first CoP BC fight experience 10 months ago here http://an-empty-vessel.blogspot.com/2010/07/goodbye-cop.html, so too lazy to repeat all the typing XD.

In the end I managed to get a group of ppl that's on same progress together and cleared all the way to the end without /shouting in WG all day. I cleared notorious 6.4 airship fight with Sylvester, Agerknux, Chymerial, Bnoonu and Pandalol(I think...I forgot kinda), and pretty much spammed /tell to everyone after I cleared it(so you know how excited I was).
After that got Arkangelo joined the group when Chy can't make it, and managed to got sea access and Rajas, it was a very rewarding experience in the end. I even remember me, Ager and Pandalol was chating on Skype in sea for last mission, and aggro mobs all over the place in the palace. Too bad Sylvester, Bnoonu and Pandalol no longer plays, but it's one of the adventure that I'll never forget.

Ever since CoP lv cap removed, people starting to forget about CoP, and hardly mention it anymore. It's now just a mission that you can solo most of the part and get it done in 3 days so you can get a Rajas.

I don't know if I really miss CoP....I admit that it's a rewarding experience, but if SE going to make another expansion as hardcore as old CoP, I don't know if I have the patience to sit in front of the computer for 8hrs none stop just for clear now. Maybe because I got spoiled by XIV, which is a game I can log on for 30 min and still able to get shit done and make progress, maybe just because now I no longer want to committed to a MMORPG and spend that much time and effort just to put a pt together. Maybe I really got spoiled by Abyssea, where I can just brew and get NM killed really fast instead of spending large amount of gil on items for a BC fight, and spending 8hrs just to put a pt together with right setup.

I wrote that "Good bye, CoP" nearly one year ago when CoP lv cap removed, and now it seems so irrelevant. Now the way I look at CoP is very different from 1 year ago. 1 year ago I really think it's a pity that some people will never get a chance to experience CoP with a pt, and now if you ask me, I'd say: No, I don't miss CoP at all, it's a memorable experience, but I can't really say I enjoy it, let it fade and die in people's memory.