With Dawntrail's MSQ wrapped up it's time to get back to bees-ness as usual. The Arcadion has re-opened, spirits stir in a lost pocket dimension, and some sabotender's need a wranglin'. Victor, Nadia, and Mike discuss the usual side-quests to be found at the end of an expansion and what their routines look like now that we've transitioned into end-game mode. Plus, FFXIV TTRPG news, more bubble tea, and why sometimes XIV music ISN'T as good as it could be. GASP! All this and more on this...

Victor, Nadia, and Eric cover Zone 5 through to the end of the 7.0 MSQ. THIS IS YOUR SPOILER WARNING. Does Sphene work as a character? Is the climax climactic enough? And where do we go from here? They also discuss recent Interviews with Yoshi-P at Japan Expo, how best to enjoy bubble tea, and why the amount of experience we get during MSQ is actually just FINE. Music Tuliyollal Day Shaaloani Day

For ad-free episodes and bonus episodes head to https://www.patreon.com/bloodgodpod From deep in the rainforests of Yak T'el, to the trains and plains of Shaaloani, to the perplexingly sci-fi corridors of Vanguard, we're covering it all on this week's episode of Sharlayan Dropouts. Victor, Nadia, and Mike are all well past the halfway point of Dawntrail's story and they can't wait to discuss everything we've seen so far. We'll be covering Trial 1, Dungeons 3 and 4, up until the beginning of...

It's here and it has a horn section. Join Nadia, Victor, and Mike as they dive into the first hours of Dawntrail up until the first Trial. Hear all about the zones, dungeons, characters, why some are calling it Stormblood 2.0, and why that's actually a compliment. Topics: Wuk Lamat, yay or nay? Zone pacing Why we'll never get another In From the Cold, probably That's Jazz, baby We're getting so close to Fantasy Canada we can taste it And more! Music Tuliyollal (Day)

Just in time for 48-hour maintenance, say goodbye to Endwalker and hello to your new dad, Dawntrail! In this prediction-packed episode Nadia and Victor stake their claim on what MIGHT happen in Dawntrail's story. They also take predictions submitted by the community and spike them directly into the dirt. Plus, exciting news from the preliminary patch notes! Get hype! Music In This Episode Tuliyollal Theme (Day) - Dawntrail Tuliyollal Theme (Night) - Dawntrail

"It's always darkest before the dawn" is a phrase I've personally never understood. That's just not how the sky works; it very obviously gets lighter and lighter until the moment dawn breaks. Well whatever. Not only is it not XIV's darkest hour before Dawntrail, it's quite lovely! Plenty of in-game events have been keeping us busy but most important is the real-world media tour that just happened in North America and Europe. With that comes lots of interviews, previews, and reveals so Victor...

It's Part V of our ongoing retrospective and that means it's morphin' time! Join Victor, Nadia, and special guest Sena Bryer (Wuk Lamat) as they explore the perfection of the Job System, our favourite "ladies who dress like men", and what clues might be in plain sight for the future of FFXIV. All while strictly maintaining the integrity of non-disclosure agreements! Music In This Episode: The Day Will Come - Endwalker Clash on the Big Bridge - Sekizima Takeo The Battle - Final Fantasy V...

Hello, Dropouts. It's just Nadia today, and the gods know she's not smart enough to keep the students warm, fed, and entertained. She can, however, talk to the masses about the art of writing Final Fantasy XIV fanfiction. Plus, she provides tricks and tips for developing your Warrior of Light's "home map" so that it becomes a world unto itself--not just a mere collection of loose landmarks! Music Used in This Episode: Shadowbringers theme (FFXIV) Crush Crawfish's Stage (Mega Man...

Our first steps into Tural are fast approaching and the official benchmark is here to whet our appetites. Victor, Nadia, and Mike discuss the 14-hour livestream, what the graphics update has done to our Warriors of Light, the many exciting teases in the benchmark trailer, and more on this episode of a very good Final Fantasy XIV podcast. Also: - Stranger of Paradise was really good - A tribe consisting entirely of Rob Paulsens - The Archons play Who's That Minion? (name pending) Music In...

Ahoy there Dropouts, and welcome to a lengthy in-depth study about Final Fantasy IV's influence on Final Fantasy XIV! Final Fantasy IV first came to the Super Famicom in 1991, and is still regarded as Final Fantasy's first instance of getting deep into narrative. Unsurprisingly, many of the characters, locales, monsters, and lore Final Fantasy IV introduced us to has been given ample representation in Final Fantasy XIV. Black Chocobos! The Dragoon Pose!™ Troia! Tall men in black armour! And...

Stock up on shuriken because this episode is all about the hugely influential (if only in Japan) Final Fantasy III. And the fact we don't even mention the naming differences between FFIII for SNES vs. FFVI vs. the ACTUAL FFIII means maybe the world has moved on! Join Archons Victor Hunter, Nadia Oxford, and special guest Retro Ali as we take a deep dive into the Crystal Tower, the Warriors of Darkness, Eureka, and more! Music in this Episode: Battle 2 - [Final Fantasy III] Battle 2 - [Final...

The wait for Dawntrail continues but to tide us all over the talented Sena Bryer (the voice of Wuk Lamat herself!) stops by Dropouts HQ to talk about her experience as both a fan and cast member of Final Fantasy XIV. We discuss the excitement in the lead up to her Fan Fest reveal, her ongoing pacifist run of FFXIV, the 1.0 days, her history with FFXI, and more on this very special episode of Sharlayan Dropouts!

Part 2 of our 16-ish-month-long series is here! There's no shortage of people who claim II is The Worst One so the Dropouts are here to tell you why they're wrong. Victor is joined by special guest Christa Lee to discuss Dragoons, Dark Knights, Despots, Drive-Ins, and Dives. Does Final Fantasy II get enough credit for the major influences it had on Final Fantasy XIV and the Final Fantasy series going forward? You can probably guess that it does not! So let's give it some! Also let's go on...

Love it or hate it, it's once again the time of year where the Dropouts directly and indirectly reveal way too much about themselves for the sake of a ridiculous Top 12 list. In what will surely be a strong contender for "Episode of a Final Fantasy Podcast Where The Hosts Make Up The Most Euphemisms For Doing it", Victor, Nadia, Mike, and Eric assemble the sexiest roster of FFXIV NPCs to duke it out for the prestigious title of Etheirys' Most Bankable Slampiece. Don't tell your girlfriend...

If Final Fantasy XIV is a theme park then that means Mount Gulg is the Matterhorn, Matoya's Cave is It's A Small World, and Elidibus is someone wearing Mickey Mouse's skin! This all makes sense to me and it might even make sense to you after you listen to this episode! Victor, Nadia, and special guest Ash Paulsen talk all about the many many allusions in Final Fantasy XIV to the game that started it all; Final Fantasy. Choose your four favourite jobs and your four favourite four-letter words...

The Fan Fest cycle has come to a close but that just means the Dawntrail hype is kicking into 4th gear as Summer(?) 2024 gets closer and closer. Tokyo Fan Fest 2024 was full of exciting announcements; Pictomancer, Female Hrothgar, Echoes of Vana'diel, and more! And to kick off the New Year we have a very special guest, Double Fine's own Harper Jay, to join Victor, Nadia, and Mike on the panel. And remember that Sharlayan Dropouts has moved to a WEEKLY format so if you're listening on the free...

Lali-ho all you dropouts, troublemakers, and ne'er-do-wells! It's me, Nadia, Sharlayan's worst academic. What do bad academics do when they're supposed to be studying? Listen to music, of course. That's what today is all about. Since Vic is out of town for a little while, I thought I'd do a solo episode that explores some of the best songs FFXIV treated us to in 2023. Epic raids! Epic bosses! Love goddesses that look like Hatsune Mikune! Oh, forgive me Lady Menphina. Don't strike me down with...

Good morning Dropouts. I hope every single one of you skipped out on your education to stream the 2023 Fanfest at London. The event brought as much FFXIV-related merriment as you'd expect, but the real meat of the show (aside from the thicc monster-meat steaks being grilled up by the Mamool Ja) was the new Dawntrail trailer and the new job reveal: Viper. Oh, and there was news about the next Alliance raid being based in the world of Final Fantasy XI. Rest assured, Victor has things to say...

It's the beginning of the end! Or rather the end of Endwalker which was the end of the beginning, which is ending after this beginning ends and it's ending begins. Archons Nadia Oxford and Victor Hunter take you through the most important information to come out of the recent Live Letter from the Tokyo Game Show floor to get you prepped for Patch 6.5 Growing Light. New mounts, more Zero, and snarky comments to landlords make this a must-listen episode for anyone looking forward to the final...

If you missed our annual Axe of the Blood God Charity Livestream now is your chance to catch up on our initial impressions of all the exciting news that came out of Las Vegas Fan Fest 2023! New World, new console, new para-dye-gm. Plus, we have to stop talkin' TMNT on SD.

Turns out people like talking about their Warriors of Light! A lot! But what makes the WoL such a compelling avatar/character/actor in a genre not known for its interesting player characters? Hosts Victor Hunter, Nadia Oxford, Mike Williams, and Eric Van Allen discuss how they feel about their Eorzean proxy and what that means for roleplay as well as FFXIV’s ambitious narrative. We also get a chance to feature some comments from our wonderful Discord community. Spoiler Level - Orange: Some...

You got your Final Fantasy XI in my Final Fantasy XIV! Get ready to shout chat and learn Red Mage as we start our journey through the completely different game that is Eureka. References to FFV and FFXI abound, getting from point A to point B has never been more treacherous, and Victor finds another chance to monologue about loading zones. Hopefully this episode will ease the pain of the grind, even just a little. Music used in this episode: “Ronfaure” from Final Fantasy XI - NaNaa Mihgo’s -...

We hurl halibut and homilize halitosis but by The Twelve we look good doing it on this episode of Sharlayan Dropouts. It’s all things Blue Mage this week with your hosts Victor Hunter, Nadia Oxford, and special guest Eric Van Allen. Where did the Blue Mage originate? What’s the appeal of its innately masochistic mechanics? And what does the future of Blue Mage look like for Final Fantasy XIV? We talk about all that and more including out hopes for The New World, breaking systems over your...

Kick back and relax as Field Studies returns for a guided audio commentary track through fan-favourite Shadowbringers dungeon, The Twinning. Sharlayan Dropouts host Victor Hunter takes you through the history of the Crystal Tower, the cascading effect that delays in the mid-2000s had on Square that are still being felt today, and the crystalline metaphor at the heart of this tragic-but-hopeful tale. Spoiler level: Yellow. The Twinning quest is available at the conclusion of...