D
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I started hunting this thing to get a sword, a really cool sword that has a unique skin on it called the Hauteclaire.
Barely anyone has this sword and it's from an older content that no one does anymore. This thing at the level 75 cap was something people would do with full alliances, but I would solo this thing by myself as 99 Beastmaster which required a lot of expensive resources just for one fight and the fights would last a good 20 minutes. FFXI has a very limited inventory system so I would have to completely devote myself to this one thing because of all the crap I had to carry just to solo this thing each time combined with the gear.
This monster spawns once every 48 or 72 hours. There is a window once every hour where it can spawn between that time, so it can spawn at 52h33m or 60hh33m if it died at 33m. People camp this thing, so the challenge becomes not only finding this thing, but claiming the monster before other people as people want this sword, too. If you weren't there at it's time of death, you will not know which hour to check and you will have to sit their blindly staring at the screen for at least 68-70 hours just so you can get it's time of death. To make matters worse, to get to the area, you have to go through an area full of incredibly dangerous monsters, Imps and Soulflayers that you cannot use Sneak or Invisible to dodge as they have True Sight and True Hearing. If you mess up once during your battle with this thing, someone else will claim it while you lay in despair and anger on the ground.
First Encounter
I soloed Cerberus before and so I decided I should go after this sword as it was practically my favorite weapon in the game. I'm confused at first since I see all these Soulflayers and Imps, but after a bit I finally find the area and confirm it's the area. So the wait begins. I see other people sitting there and it makes me anxious because I think it's about to spawn, well, I was wrong. I stayed in that spot with my eyes glued on the screen for 23 hours. I figured at that time it wasn't going to spawn soon so I put my headphones on so I could hear the monster spawn and I took a rest. I wake up about 4 hours later and it turns out someone claimed the monster and is currently fighting it, so I woke up to that. I'm slightly annoyed, but keep track of it's death time and try again.
Second Encounter
The second time I do this I actually claim it. Someone else does show up, but he was wanting to learn a Blue Mage move from it although he wasn't going to be there when it popped cause he had to go to work. It spawned on the 22nd hour and I practically was dead tired so it catches me off guard and kills me. Luckily, no one was there, and I rush back as fast as possible despite almost dying to the Soulflayers and Imps and manage to claim it. I battle it, I almost lose since I wasn't max level yet and didn't have the items I should have but I end up beating it. The sword does not drop.
Third Encounter
This time there was a maintenance so I lost the time of death, and I would periodically check if it was there or not. The maintenance had a patch which nerfed Treasure Hunter on my pet, which increases drop rate of items, so this all became even harder for me to farm alone. I waited there for 65 hours, it must have been killed before hand as I arrived late, hence me waiting even longer. I took a few 10 minute naps between that time, but I felt like utter crap. I just wanted the dang sword.... I pushed through it although I noticed doing this was affecting my health. It finally spawns on the sixty fifth hour, and I slay it once again, but the sword does not drop. After that I take a much needed rest and sleep for a good while.
Fourth Encounter
Since I had the time of death, when the 48th hour happened, my hunt began again and I waited there for 24 hours this time and it spawned. A Summoner and a White Mage showed up which was making me nervous, but I ended up outpulling them with Provoke, a Warrior move as I set Warrior to my subjob so I could pull. This makes me very prone to dying since I can't heal myself, but I had to do what I had to do. I fight it, I kill it, no sword. This is where I start getting bitter and frustrated. The RNG of this wearing on my nerves, the fact that I have to sit there for hours on end glazed at my computer screen, no one there to help me, it was pure bull.
Fifth Encounter
Once again, I had the time of death, but this time it spawned at 15 hours. A Beastmaster showed up but I out pulled him as he sent his own beast at the Khimaira. I kill it, no sword. I give up for a few months and figure it's just impossible, but this also led me to quit FFXI for a few months. 5 Months later I come back to FFXI.
Sixth Encounter
1 month after I returned to FFXI I was feeling like I should give it a go again as I really wanted the weapon and I had no cool weapons of that level. So once again I do the hunting without the time of death. I repeat my cycle of leaving my headphones on in case it spawns, although getting a very minuscule amount of sleep. It spawned on the 69th hour, I kill it, and no sword once again.
Seventh Encounter
Maintenance happens so I lose the time of death. I was in a linkshell now and I recently helped someone get their Empyrean weapon despite them not doing anything for me. I sat with them farming their Empyrean for hours and hours each day, and I also helped other people in the linkshell with their Empyrean weapons. So I figure it's time I need help and they would help me since I helped them. Well, no one responds for the first few hours and I just figure they're busy. It ends up spawning, and mid way during the fight I finally get that person to come help, although at the cost of me barely staying alive since they took forever to get there and I had to exhaust hordes of items not to kill Khimaira before he got there. He was coming Thief to help the droprates. I felt really good, I felt like I was honestly going to get it this time since he would increase the droprates. That, and because I was finally getting help for once. Well, he puts on a very low level of Treasure Hunter, the drop rate increaser, and we end up killing it. A very horrible club drops that doesn't have a unique skin and is practically worthless, but no sword.
Eighth Encounter
I give it another shot, I know the time of death so I feel confident. It's at the 70th hour, meaning it'll either spawn in 1 hour or at the worst, 2 hours. It'll confirmed spawn 2 hours later. I ask the guy to come again and proc Treasure Hunter and he's all hesitant but I say I helped you with your two Empyrean quests and it'll only take a second. He ends up saying he will but he's responding all slow like he doesn't give a care in the world despite all the help I gave him. Well, it spawns, and while all of this is going on and I'm trying to hold it off and trying to get him there, like 20 minutes before it spawned he stopped talking and is continued to remain being silent. I hold it off for 20 minutes before having to fight back because I couldn't sustain not damaging it for that long plus other people there were trying to steal it from me. The guy is actually still there, I noticed in the Linkshell list he's actually been going to other areas. I found out later he was purposely ignoring me and found out that the Linkshell I was in uses new people and never helps them from someone else. Anyways, I kill it and once a freakin' gain, I don't get the sword. I am positively infuriated by this. All the time I spent all for nothing. No matter what I tried, I could never get it and I had to burden all of that all alone as no one would help me. Despite all of that, I gave it one more shot.
Ninth Encounter
Maintenance happened again so I didn't know the time, but I camped out for 26 hours while taking a 3 hour sleep once and it spawns and I kill it. I don't get the sword and I am so sickened by the game that I end up quitting it. This isn't the only reason I quit the game as there were lots of reasons and I did play it for years, but that was definitely something that got on my nerves big time.
UPDATE: 1-2 years later Tenth and Eleventh Encounter
There may have been more encounters than this, but at this point in time the strength of your character is vastly stronger than the content for this. That said, I still ran my old Beastmaster setup and took it down. I still didn't get the drop, but it's kind of funny. No matter how much time passes, I always make sure to check this spot. The weapon is completely irrelevant now, and they created a new weapon that is much easier to obtain and is much stronger with the same graphics model, but I still keep coming back to hunt this monster because I will not rest until I one day get this sword. It is one of my ultimate end goals for the game. It still has the nonsense 72 hour spawn time as before but....too much time invested for me to ever give up.
The next time I decide to resub to FFXI, it will be me hunting this via Thief for increased drop rate.
Thirteenth Attempt
Did it with THF, still no dice.
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