The Road to 200: Final Fantasy XIV

[winter_bird_22]

On April 2021, I got my first platinum in my current account. Not a very innocent platinum(it was Sakura Succubus) but a plat none the less.

 

As time we on, I'm approaching my 200th platinum, so I decided to create this post to detail my journey. The final stretch(191-199) will consist of games I wanted to platinum but was too afraid to because of their length or difficulty but these harbringers of my #200, Final Fantasy XIV for the PS5, will be the perfect final nine. No stupid EZPZs or visual novels for this group, these games are either Final Fantasy titles I enjoyed or are JRPGs which deserve to be in this honorable group.

 

I don't have any delusions about getting FFXIV's plat before Endwalker releases, but I do intend to get as close as I can. As of this post, I am about to enter Heavensward, but I intend to enter a new expansion at the end of this month with my main character...

 

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E6n9fKsXsAQucw8?format=jpg&name=4096x4096

Seasae Arashi, my Lalafell Warrior of Light.

 

I will update with every platinum I get from now on. I have just completed my 170th platinum, Cat Quest, and started work on #191: Final Fantasy VII. If anyone wants to comment, be free to.

 

Do expect some meh games until I reach 191. I am going to try to knock out as much of my old account backlog as possible. I already have plans for #175, #180, #185 and #190.

[OMGWTFMATZE]

Staying positive, FFXIV will certainly be a breath of fresh air in your collection. Good luck to you, it will be a grind. 

[HealedFiend13]

Best of luck! As someone who has done the plat for FFXIV on both systems, it is certainly a grind. Had a great time with it, but some of the stuff got a bit mind numbing before I finished it lol. 

Edited July 26, 2021 by HealedFiend13

[winter_bird_22]

13 hours ago, HealedFiend13 said:

Best of luck! As someone who has done the plat for FFXIV on both systems, it is certainly a grind. Had a great time with it, but some of the stuff got a bit mind numbing before I finished it lol. 

You did the plat for both systems? Congrats 100x! You deserve it after having to grind through 1000 leves.

 

Although I might log in on my PS4 version once I get 1000 leves since everything else is auto-pop after doing one thing of each set.

 

13 hours ago, OMGWTFMATZE said:

Staying positive, FFXIV will certainly be a breath of fresh air in your collection. Good luck to you, it will be a grind. 

Yes, I know it will be a grind, I have already started FFVII and will start each of the games and work on them on my off-time between plats.

[winter_bird_22]

#171 - Engimatis 2: The Mists of Ravenwood

 

I am probably going to avoid Artifex Mundi games for a while after this, although I do have to do backup saves for all of the other games I need to backup for puzzle reasons before the end of this week as my PS+ sub is ending and I won't autorenew it, I am really trying to budget until next Tuesday.

 

Anyways, this is a sequel to the original Engimatis, which was grossly mislabeled. No Ghosts in Maple Creek, just a crazy priest who was part of a demonic cult. We see another member of this demonic cult controlling a giant demonic crow.

 

I wouldn't use PS+ if it wasn't for the fact that the first hidden object puzzle was SO FAR @*$! INTO THE GAME! Nightmares from the Deep 2 has this problem, only it's even deeper and therefore you have to replay the first 20 minutes of puzzles to get back to it if you fail since the game auto-saves when you start a puzzle. Even so, I started the series, I have to finish. Same with Eventide. *groan*

 

Still, it's a good point-and-click story if you like mysteries, including the mystery of the mysterious prisoner held in the basement of a gift shop...

 

So here are the games I have planned for #191-199. I was inspired by LudiXP's series Road to 100 where she finishes the platinums for the last ten games up to 100, all of them requiring difficult trophies to complete. Here are my final 9 trophies to #200:

 

#191

#192

#193

#194

#195 (Just bought this during the Summer Sale)

#196

#197

#198

#199

Edited July 27, 2021 by winter_bird_22

[winter_bird_22]

#172 / #173 - GAPS by POWGI (PS4/PS5)

 

So I downloaded this game for $7.99 on the PSN store and completed both in 90 minutes before I had to head to the gym. Not much to say, you just have to solve 49 puzzles including some specific ones to get certain trophies and do a few miscellaneous things. It's a POWGI game.

Edited July 27, 2021 by winter_bird_22

[winter_bird_22]

Forgot my update so you have two platinums here.

 

#174 - Eventide 2: Sorcerer's Mirror

 

Sequel to the first Eventide and has "moral choices", which just means you have to do a 80% playthrough and choose all of the opposite choices, but it doesn't really affect anything. First one is ask for some mead and the barkeep wants to know who's getting it. If you tell the truth, he sends you on a fetch quest. If you lie, the gravekeeper you give the mead to "conveniently" ended up losing the key to the cemetery you need from him to the barkeep, who sends you on that fetch quest. It's not that big and you get the platinum after the fifth choice(with the goblin serving the big bad) so it's not really "moral choices."

 

#175 - Legend of the Skyfish (PS4)

 

Even though I put the version title down as PS4, I will never stack any Vita titles again: You see, I earned a couple of trophies in a game I ended up hating and I didn't sync them so I formatted my Vita's memory after disconnecting my Vita to that account. So I am worried that I reenable my account on the Vita and go to trophies, it'll sync up those Witchcrafty trophie and I'll get stuck with that game on my account forever uncomplete because **** that game, I died too many times on it and checkpoints are too few. ?

 

So I can never play a PS VIta ever again in my entire life, which is okay with me because Vita titles are so boring and I can't sync trophies on the go anyways so having a portable PS is pointless anyways. I will just have to play Pokemon if I want to game on the go.

 

Anyways, great game, but I died to the final boss ten times because I didn't know the fishing line worked. Got it done in two hours.

 

25 plats to go. Already in Heavensward in FFXIV.

Edited July 30, 2021 by winter_bird_22

[winter_bird_22]

If anyone wants to comment, feel free to.

 

Also, I apologize. I got so invested in Dark Cloud 2 I forgot to update.

#176 - Dark Arcana: The Carnival

 

.#177 - Enigmatis 3: Shadows of Karkhala

 

Of course, it's only just a couple of Artifex titles. I needed to get them out of the docket right away to clear up my backlog so I could delete accounts. Still scared about relogging into my Vita: I formated my SB card and internal memory without synching those two trophies from Witchcrafty, so technically they shouldn't be added if I sync my Vita. Still, I am a bit worried about it. Do the trophies get added to your account on the server so if you delete your account on the Vita and re-enable it, will those trophies be added when you sync up? If so, I can never play sync my Vita trophies again or even play a Vita again because I might accidentally go into the trophies and boom, a game I will never complete gets added to my file. Yeah, I know Cassy will sneer at me for being such an anal prude but I'm an addictive completionist.

[winter_bird_22]

This post keeps falling to page 2... I wonder why...

 

Anyways, another update.

 

#178 - Abyss: The Wraiths of Eden

 

#179 - Eventide 3: Legacy of Legend

 

My last two Artifex Mundi titles. I played a lot more but these are the ones I have on old accounts that I completed. I don't think I can do the older series like Grim Legends and Nightmares from the Deep. The third title of the former has a "solve puzzle in under 5 minutes" trophy and the puzzle is a sliding puzzle which if you take too long, you void the trophy and it's very late in the story. The Nightmares series requires you to complete a mahjong game in under one minute, and the second one's first mahjong game is late in the game, so I'd need backups for both and I am not paying another $10 for PS+ just for those two games. Also, the first Grim Legends requires you to avoid hints and skip for EVERY puzzle in the game, INCLUDING the bonus chapter, which is dumb. ?

 

Right now Dark Cloud 2 is at 50%, my next trophies there will probably be building up the ultimate weapons as it only requires grinding ABS. Putting off Finny Frenzy and the "Kill all enemies with items" medals as long as possible, at least until I can get 10 Final Bombs. and grind up the Gemron for the "kill all enemies with Monster Transformation" medals for the Moon Flower Palace. The Moon Flower Palace medals are the ones I have to do first because that place vanishes after you beat the boss, which I am up to.

 

Just got the first trophy in FFXV Pocket Edition so I'm committed now. Will probably skip all other cutscenes but had to watch the first one. Right now trying to get the d'''' Bandit Slingshot for Xiao in Dark Cloud for my #180. RNG for big chest spawns suck.

[winter_bird_22]

I was going to post this as soon as the pop came but I had to go to gym immediately afterwards, soooo...

 

#180: Dark Cloud

 

I think that this is my tenth time platinuming this game, and it's so easy to do so - there are only 19 trophies you have to earn, and nine of them can be earned in the first area of the game, Norune Village. So I was already at 50% by the time I got off my heinie and cleared Divine Beast Cave. The only annoying trophy was the one for fishing up a Baron Garayan, and that is a frustration all in itself. Can you tell I don't like fishing? Maybe you do, but that's your business. (To paraphrase my guru, WeskAlber, the guru of all things FFXIV. Go check out his wonderful "First Day" videos which describe the content of FFXIV in detail. )

 

And I have to fish one of these b******ds up in Dark Cloud 2 as well, which requires you to win a fish race. Kill me, please.

 

Anyways, interesting the platinum icon is a cutscene from near the end of the game, at the end of the Moon Sea, the second to last dungeon. If you want to know about this game or are interested, PM me and I'll try to answer any questions, especially on how to break this game so badly that nothing stands up to more than four hits.

Edited August 15, 2021 by winter_bird_22

[winter_bird_22]

Ugh, didn't feel like updating, because... well...

 

This.

 

#181: My Name Is Mayo

 

#182: My Name Is Mayo 2

 

So yeah, I have two really short and corny platinums. I did not want to use these games but I bought them already, call me meh.

 

At least MNIM2 had a story segment where you played mini-games instead of tapped on a jar of mayonnaise.

 

In better news: I  just got most of the annoying medals and caught Baron Garayan in Dark Cloud 2 so I am at 68% trophies there. FFVIII is on the docket next.

 

[winter_bird_22]

So, for the record, I want to put this down - I am going for a "Platinum Rain" strat where I get all but the final trophy for the list in each game. I try to make the last trophy I need something which will give me a screenshot(which usually negates most story-related trophies as they tend to pop on a black screen, because all of the games I plan to platinum are PS4 titles and the PS4 doesn't give a better screenshot than PS5 games if you pop the final trophy on a credits transit).

 

So here is what I have so far. N/A means I haven't started the game yet.

98% - Only trophy left is Corel's Angels, which is the one you get for scoring 10,000 points in the bike chase arcade game.

91% - Only trophy left is Medalhead for completing all medal challenges. I've got every medal challenge filled in save one.

11% - Just finished the first dungeon and am playing Triple Triad to get tons of cards to mod.

1% - Just started the game, haven't touched it since I entered the first overworld, Ollie Boy and Drippy are chilling.

1% - Just finished the prologue cutscene and got to the title screen. Part of me wasn't in this game but I commited to it.

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

 

I think tomorrow, before I do anything else, when I wake up, I'll get the first trophy on those last four titles to cement them into the cabinet.

 

 

Edited August 17, 2021 by winter_bird_22

[winter_bird_22]

Just hit one trophy left in my third of the final nine, Final Fantasy VIII Remastered. I don't think it should be called Remastered as the only thing changed was the character models. The grinds were just as bad as ever. (Okay, they did have the same cheats as the FFVII port, but...) The last trophy I have earned so far, for beating the story, has no proof because the trophy pops during a blocked cutscene. *sigh*

 

Gonna get working on the next platinums before I tackle any more big RPGs.

On 8/17/2021 at 3:09 AM, winter_bird_22 said:

98% - Only trophy left is Corel's Angels, which is the one you get for scoring 10,000 points in the bike chase arcade game.

91% - Only trophy left is Medalhead for completing all medal challenges. I've got every medal challenge filled in save one.

91% - Only trophy left is Obel Lake Secret, for doing the side quest in Obel Lake.

1% - Just started the game, haven't touched it since I entered the first overworld, Ollie Boy and Drippy are chilling.

1% - Just finished the prologue cutscene and got to the title screen. Part of me wasn't in this game but I commited to it.

2% - Got the trophies for starting the game and getting a perfect score Dive so I got two trophies in the game.

1% - Just started the game

1% - Did the first dungeon and saved.

1% - Did the first part and am saved outside of the gates to the Westersand.

 

So I finally got those other games on the PS4 account. I plan on taking them in chunks since they are all really long games.

Edited August 21, 2021 by winter_bird_22

[winter_bird_22]

Will update on new platinums tomorrow. I am tired and need to rest...

[winter_bird_22]

I have dropped my previous idea for the final platinums before #200, and since I have been so negligent due to playing FFXIV for weeks, I decided to do a short list of the platinums I have earned since with a one-sentence summary for each:

 

183 - Lost Grimoires 3 (PS5): This is just a stack of the older one from the PS4, so nothing new to add.

184 - LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4 (PS4): From back in the days before LEGO games had voice acting.

185 - LEGO Harry Potter: Years 5-7 (PS4): I read a documentary of the making of the Harry Potter movies, moving me to platinum this collection.

186 - Mixups by POWGI

187 - Tic-Tac-Letters by POWGI

188 - Wordsweeper by POWGI: Just three dumb POWGI games to fill in the slots.

189 - Heroes Trials (PS4): Not stacking Vita with this as my Vita has issues and I might throw it out.

190 - Persona 5 Royal: Finally got this after three months of dithering around with it. It's very slow-paced at times.

191 - Final Fantasy VII: Did all the other trophies early on, got the last one just after #190.

192 - Final Fantasy VIII Remastered: Same as above.

193 - Dark Cloud 2: STILL Ultra Rare after all this time. I guess people don't want to earn 100% in the game.

 

Gonna break and work on FFXIV some more, need to get 52 more trophies.

[winter_bird_22]

Right now I am having trouble thinking about my last six platinums before the big 200, which is worrisome considering I am past the Stormblood main story and already cleared the Stormblood alliance raid series, so only the 8-man raids need to be completed. I know that Shadowbringers will c***block me because, well, it's top tier content before Endwalker arrives in two months, but even so, I'm nearing the platinum.

 

Oh, what am I saying? I am way behind on getting all 8000 crafted collectibles and 3000 gathered collectibles and way behind on FATEs(only 419 out of the 3000 I need for the trophies there) so chances are I won't get the platinum before Endwalker arrives. Even so, I need to rethink what my last six platinums before 200 are or else FFXIV may end up being pushed to 250.

[x410xDragon]

The main issue with the PS5 version of FFXIV is that it will be constantly updated with trophies, savages included, so if you're not dedicated then it can become a problem. The previous savage raids (Delta, Sigma, and Alpha) from Stormblood aren't as bad now due to the current ilvl being so high currently and being able to skip most of the heavy mechanics; however, the main issue with raids such as E8S and E12S, you still will need to know what to do for whatever role you are playing. Speaking of E12S - from my experience with the echo, the DPS check is a lot more forgiving than it was when I initially cleared it before the echo was released.   

[winter_bird_22]

On 9/28/2021 at 10:38 AM, x410xDragon said:

The main issue with the PS5 version of FFXIV is that it will be constantly updated with trophies, savages included, so if you're not dedicated then it can become a problem. The previous savage raids (Delta, Sigma, and Alpha) from Stormblood aren't as bad now due to the current ilvl being so high currently and being able to skip most of the heavy mechanics; however, the main issue with raids such as E8S and E12S, you still will need to know what to do for whatever role you are playing. Speaking of E12S - from my experience with the echo, the DPS check is a lot more forgiving than it was when I initially cleared it before the echo was released.   

 

Oh, I have no deliusions that I will ever get 100% on my trophy profile with an MMO, mind you. I know they will update with a new DLC for Endwalker. But the platinum is the important part and they won't ever change that list. I also have no delusions that even at my current level(my Samurai is my highest level character at Level 73 as of this post), I will still eat dirt on the death floor a lot and end up wiping the Extreme Stormblood Trials. Nobody invites me to their mount farms because in order to skip mechanics that take forever and can wipe you, you need to be at Shadowbringers levels(Level 80, best in slot, know rotation like a god), so I am giving up on those mount farms for now.

 

However, I only need to get through the final 5.55 patch to get the last story-related trophy for the platinum and do the normal Eden Raids and YorHa. I know Tower of Paradign's Reach won't be forgiving. But I will do it at all costs. I am dedicated and have been studying mechanics on the trials so I don't act like a noob when I join a party for the runs.

Edited October 1, 2021 by winter_bird_22

[winter_bird_22]

So here are the games I platinumed recently, and then I will talk about the future as I am very close to Platinum #200, so I can focus solely on FFXIV...

 

 #194: Castle of Pixels Skulls (PS4)

Since this is the month of Halloween, I thought this was a good themed game. It's a kinder version of Super Meat Boy and you only need to do half of the stages and a few miscellaneous things to get the platinum. I knocked it out in under an hour although the last five levels were nasty dodge-fests.

 

#195 - Evoland: Legendary Edition

This is a really great game, or two games. Some parts were arm-bitingly frustrating, but I got through it all. I did Evoland 2 first because that's the longer game and it has the most frustrating parts like a ton of rhythm mini-games you have to mash through.

 

For the last four games, I will marathon the Our Church and Halloween games on October 31, just because it has Halloween in the title. I know the games stink but hey, they will go by fast and then I can focus my efforts on crafting 5000 collectibles.

 

Also, I am working on a pet project to keep me interested in the game - an alt character who will be getting 100% of all relic weapons, yes, even the ones which will come out with patch 6.1.

Edited October 17, 2021 by winter_bird_22

[HealedFiend13]

Well, glad to see you are still working on this! Keep at the grind and you will get there for sure!

[winter_bird_22]

Thanks for the support, HealedFiend13.

[winter_bird_22]

So anyways, I am in the home stretch. The only trophies left for the platinum are all of the Made to Order trophies(for crafting collectibles), Living off the Land(for gathering collectibles), and the final story-related trophy for clearing part 5.4, Futures Rewritten. I intend to leave that one as my last trophy pop since I am going to platinum four quick games for Halloween. Since Endwalker comes out at November 19 for me(I pre-ordered), I can rest assured I can still get the collectible trophies before then despite the daunting task. Kudos to Rebourne07, MakoSOLIDER and zekunlu for their amazing co-op guide, although I didn't find it until I got everything else. I just finished E12N, so that was the last raid I needed to do - I have completed all the alliance raids(including Tower of Paradigm's Breach which was nightmare fuel) and normal raids(including E12N, which was easier than E10N and E11N). I did die many times but that happens with even the best static. I don't intend to get all the DLC until Endwalker because they will no doubt put a new DLC pack for that expansion and the level cap will rise 10 so we'll get a lot of Level 90s who will gladly help me clear those Savage raids(Omegascape V4.0 and all the Eden Savages). In the meantime I am busy with a pet project alternate character who is working on getting all the relic weapons, and she needs money for that...

 

I just got the final Level 80 trophy, Level 80 Gatherer, with Botanist because I spammed a lot of level skip money to do a lot of leves to get to Level 70 to unlock the Qitari tribe and then just did Namazu and Qitari quests with some more leves until I got to Level 75 and then did the Crystalline Mean quest for the Facet of Gathering(ie the Botany and Mining 'role quest', which had a hint of Jurassic Park at the end) to get the rest of the way. I probably should have gotten the Landking set before hand as the gathering sucked because my gear was too weak. *sigh*

 

Anyways, gonna work some on those relic weapons and do the Dragon Quest event with Cisi(I did it with Kess, it was an insult to my favorite franchise overall) and farm Irregular Tomestones to finally get that annoying Auspicious Kamuy mount. (Got the Hallowed and Lunar ones and they are awesome, I intend to ride my Hallowed Kamuy all over Thaivnir come Endwalker. )