Back in the old, old days of Final Fantasy XI things were much different than they are now in FFXIV.
Nowadays you can play anything you want and never have to worry about getting kicked or rejected from dungeons, groups, what have you, but back then if you weren’t one of the favorites you really did struggle.
Monks had it the worst in the beginning, it felt. They didn’t have great skillchain synergy with anyone and despite having really good DPS, their numbers “looked” low due to each individual punch counting as its own damage and when you add in being a Galka which, due to the bizarre kind of in-game racism that existed back then could actually get you kicked from parties because ew, a galka
so, I spent a lot of time just.. lonely, lookin’ for party, soloing as best as I could given the circumstances. I had just had a huge falling out with some friends at the time, too, so it was just crushing for awhile.
I was just coming up to lv40, and I forget why but I was wandering around in this one area called King Ranperre’s Tomb that was mostly empty and unpopulated save for the undead monsters roaming around. I figured I might be able to get some EXP while I’m there but.. I was quickly overwhelmed.
I called for help, but no one else seemed to be around. Just when it seemed I was gonna die and lose the meager EXP I had just struggled to earn a Lv75 Monk came running up and provoked the skeleton off of me. It was an elvaan lady, and she was decked out and then some. She destroyed this thing with ease and just, left me in total awe
I was just a dumb kid at the time but it was such an awesome sight I kinda just.. lingered around watching them destroy undead mob after undead mob like they were tissue paper
Finally after a bit I asked them
“Was it hard to get to 75?”
they said yeah, it was, but it’s worth it. Because now they get to help people like me easier, they get to help other Monks get stronger and it lets them see more of the world
I was just, awestruck. Every frustration I had, every sadness I had, just melted away and got replaced by my resolve to be like them. I want to get stronger so I could help people too
They waved goodbye and said “Don’t give up! Just keep punching!”
I didn’t give up, I REFUSED to give up. Even when times were at their toughest I kept punching and punching and punching. Slowly but surely I made my way to 75
I remember being sad that I never saw them again after that, never even seen ‘em come online but I always remembered them. I remembered to just keep punching and how I felt that day, why I wanted to get stronger
I devoted a LOT of my in-game time to helping others. I gave away gear to fledgling Monks along with advice and positivity. I cheered ‘em on and promised them it was worth toughing it out. I helped people through the stories, through the trials and tribulations. I wanted to give back to the world what they had given me that day.
Years later, I ended up becoming quite literally the most powerful Monk in the game and conquered enemies that no one else in the world could even come close to defeating
one day a friend of mine and I were talking about how rough it was to be a Monk in the old days so I told them my story
Turns out that my friend had known them, rather, knew someone who was related to them. Not long after I had met them they died in a car accident, and that’s why I had never seen them again. Back then, social media wasn’t what it is now, they weren’t a big community figure or anything and the internet was just, kind of a more wild west place where info didn’t always travel as well.
I think about that a lot. How one fleeting moment, one chance encounter, dramatically changed how I played the game and how I felt. This one small moment changed me for the better, and I’ll always be thankful to them for that.
I’ll always remember you, Calypso. I kept punching, just like you said to and I spread your positive message to anyone who would listen.
You’ll always be the most powerful Monk in Vana’diel to me.
