Infographics Pros & Cons Of Pserver Vs. Retail

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Infographics Pros & Cons of Pserver vs. Retail
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By tannifae 2025-01-28 12:52:37
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Hello my name is Tannifae! ^^ I used to play HorizonXI Endgame content and quit entirely moving on to Retail. I created some infographics based on my own experiences. I wish I had known all the risks when I first entered the private server scene.


Private Servers Pros & Cons

MY OWN REVIEW:
I initially joined a private server without much knowledge or experience. The "Free-to-Play" aspect drew me in, and I thought, "What could go wrong? It’s just a game!" It was all wonderful at first, but over time, I started noticing recurring issues: shady practices, questionable behavior, and toxic dynamics coming from different levels. I ignored these, thinking they wouldn’t affect me, but eventually, I experienced a rude awakening.

Beyond normal in-game toxicity, I encountered patterns of incredibly abusive nature outside the borders of the game itself. This deeply eroded my trust in the private server community, making me question whether I was safe there at all.

After two years, my preferences and priorities have shifted. For me, safety and security are now the most important aspects of gaming. This led me to transition to FFXI Retail, and I can confidently say it was the best decision I’ve made.


FFXI Retail Pros & Cons

Retail servers can be intimidating at first, but I’ve come to realize just how misinformed I was. FFXI is rich with content, offering incredible flexibility: solo or team-oriented play, casual or grind-heavy gameplay, short or long gaming sessions, it’s adaptable to any lifestyle.

I’ve also discovered I had only experienced ~25% of the game within the last two years, with a massive 75%~ of content still left to explore, which I’m excited to dive into for years to come.

Unlike private servers, Square Enix delivers trustworthy customer support, backed by professionally trained staff who undergo background checks and adhere to strict protocols. This professionalism ensures a safer and more welcoming environment. I have experienced that for the past few weeks and also previously from FFXIV.

Thank you to the retail players who welcomed me with open arms and encouraged me to join the community (like FFXIAH). You’ve made my transition effortless and enjoyable! Thank you guys for being patient with my growth and always treating me with the utmost respect even if I only played the private server previously. I think that says a lot about your character as a retail community.

For anyone on the fence or struggling with similar experiences, my advice is simple: prioritize your safety and enjoyment. Know your people. Know who is out there to hurt you or build you up.

Feel free to reach out if you need support or have questions!
Remember, we’re all here to grow and become better people for ourselves and others. Count your blessings, share kindness, and enjoy the journey.

Happy gaming! xx :)
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 Ragnarok.Casey
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By Ragnarok.Casey 2025-01-28 13:31:31
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Got any citations for the security claims?
 Cerberus.Kylos
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By Cerberus.Kylos 2025-01-28 13:59:35
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Another pro for retail versus private server is there is no real end. On a private, you are limited by content, and you will eventually get everything you can possibly want, leaving you unfulfilled as you reach a dead end. While FFXI developers rarely push out new content these days, there is always something to work towards.

Yes, some of the grinding required to attain Prime weapons or to max out Odyssey equipment is ridiculous, but at least there's always a goal to aim for. And when that goal is achieved by a significant portion of the playerbase, SE will introduce a new grind to keep us busy.
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By Felgarr 2025-01-28 14:05:18
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tannifae said: »
Hello my name is Tannifae! ^^
Happy gaming! xx :)

Thank you for this post. I personally love Retail and am not a fan of private servers (having followed their development on and off for ~10 years) and witnessed some of the insufferable quality. (Thanks to my buddy Adam for witnessing this /dance bug also affecting jug pets, as if they were like DRG's wyverns). It's funny, but I wouldn't like to see this when playing.



Ragnarok.Casey said: »
Got any citations for the security claims?

I can speak this as it's part of my professional background. Private server administrators can collect information about you, the player, in a variety of ways. When you create a profile for their private server, they obtain your IP address, and can make a determination about your geographical location, device you used to access the service, etc. They can retain this information for any amount of time. (Of course, it can be stolen, misused, thrown away, and even scooped up by unscrupulous third-parties and hackers). This includes information that you willfully give them, liket names, emails, donations, etc. This can also include some personally identifiable and protected information that would normally be protected by governments laws (such as GDPR laws in the EU, which requires some identifiable information to be discarded after 30 days or so).

Edit: To each their own of course, but I do wish SE, had a better handle on the future and legacy of FFXI. Maybe they'll release the source code? (hah. I wish).
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By Zehira 2025-01-28 14:11:58
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It's easy to feel let down after we thought SE promised something big for the 20th anniversary. I got tired of grinding through the endgame so instead of doing Sortie 800 times, I decided to step back. You all enjoy whatever makes you happy!

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By Homsar 2025-01-28 14:22:08
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tannifae said: »
Square Enix delivers trustworthy customer support

Troll topic.
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By Banhammer 2025-01-28 14:40:34
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There are people on this website that tell me with a straight face and without any sense of irony that the dev team doesn't read this forum lmao.
 Quetzalcoatl.Commencal
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By Quetzalcoatl.Commencal 2025-01-28 15:14:33
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I personally enjoy both and only began playing on a private server in 2019. I never took any breaks from retail for longer than a year and was able to keep up to date with content from inception to present day.

While rose coloured glasses and nostalgia keep most private server players hooked, I take pleasure in research and discovery to a larger degree.

There are tons of discrepancies and flat out incorrect mechanics and data that plague the community. Looking past that, the amount of drive to correct them is monumental. Some strive for creating new, custom, and often undesirable content while others are looking to recreate what we grew up with.

Along the way of recreating classic FFXI, there is a lot of misinformation or misunderstood facets of retail that spilled into the private server community. Old wikis were either wrong and not verified by enough sources and that information is used until further evidence corrects them.

It's enjoyable to confirm how it worked back then, especially after SE has a lot of content that is entirely removed or replaced.

At the same time, and also seen as custom, are the amount of legitimate "bugs" that were abused in the 75 era. It's been made impossible to Astral Burn with level sync activated and Salvage gear cannot be duplicated.

A few others would be the inclusion of quality of life adjustments that were never part of the 75 era. From Wardrobes to unstackable items, I understand how they affect game play from people arguing that it's not a legitimate version of classic FFXI.

SE said that they don't have old data to recreate classic FFXI and maybe some see that as an invitation to do it themselves. Or how they more accurately said, the specific time frame of what would be considered classic FFXI. Everyone has different views because the game was still young, still had many bugs, and has always been ever changing.

Felgarr said: »

A lot of players enjoyed this erroneous level up animation, it always irked me as totally incorrect but comical none the less. I imagine some private servers still use this animation, on others it's been corrected.



Besides that, I really did miss some of the content and play style of the 75 era that others may not have. I had a lot of fun claiming old NMs and getting classic drops that were altered by the big RMT updates. After having our own private server "big RMT update" and seeing players complain about their Thief's Knife losing value, it was funny to make comments like, "First time?.meme"

Other things I was able to do that I didn't have the experience or knowledge of back in the day. The excitement for me is still there.

Note the spoiler isn't that big of a deal, but it was fun for me. Went to Jugner looking for a TOD and claimed KA going 1/1 on the belt.
 Asura.Mavira
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By Asura.Mavira 2025-01-28 15:44:20
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I don’t have a problem with private servers in theory (I find retail far superior than any private server) the problem that’s been plaguing them is the same usual group creating a private server and then continually being involved in some sort of ridiculous drama or misconduct and it’s the same people every time, then server xyz implodes or dies off after 2-3 years then the cycle begins again with the latest iteration yet never progressing beyond CoP/ToAU. Rebase after rebase, failure after failure.

The private server orbiters are like a cult and will defend every little criticism like it’s a personal attack on them. Some of the horizon defense force monitor these threads like it’s a full time job. You decide to leave the cult and they immediately attempt to silence any dissent. Horizon itself has been plagued with some serious misconduct that has constantly just been swept under the rug. Sexual harassment from a specific staff member targeting female players, Head GM leaking player tickets and engaging in racist jokes, The existing GM roster and applicants google doc being internally leaked (no internal strife here!), GMs actively defending friends who break the ToS they supposedly uphold. The list goes on and on.
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By RadialArcana 2025-01-28 15:47:13
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Reminder that if you disapprove of private server threads, don't bump or post in the thread. Cause that's what they want, their server is dying and they want promotion.
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By Setsuko 2025-01-28 15:58:26
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I enjoyed the gameplay from the level 75 era. Unfortunately, there are some incredibly toxic individuals in high positions within the private server community. Whether you play on retail or a private server, most of us end up making a few friends along the way. However, playing on a private server was the first time I experienced being doxxed and harassed for months—by a server staff member, no less. Thankfully, I've never dealt with that on retail, or any other game for that matter. I don’t think private servers are going anywhere anytime soon, but I do believe players should be aware of what they’re getting into and who they’re supporting when choosing to play on or contribute to a private server.
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By Pantafernando 2025-01-28 16:19:59
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RadialArcana said: »
Reminder that if you disapprove of private server threads, don't bump or post in the thread. Cause that's what they want, their server is dying and they want promotion.

Be honest.

You just want the blood
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 Fenrir.Jinxs
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By Fenrir.Jinxs 2025-01-28 17:17:27
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Private servers still have plenty of limitations that retail can only provide.

Private servers provide a great way if you and 5 friends wanted to relive the classic leveling experience in a more catered manner.
I recently spun one up for us to level in the dunes and we ended up going to 50 spawning in gear as we went. It progressively got more broken (by us) as we went by spawning in items we should never have such as altana repast + 2 in the dunes.

We did not get to explore endgame options, yet as a group. But it feels like there is not much currently functioning.

Looks like 75 sky is totally an option if that's what you are into
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By K123 2025-01-28 17:28:59
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As if Japanese GM were ever under any proper regulations or rules. They were racist and did whatever they wanted without evidence and you had no way to challenge them
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By GetHelpNerd 2025-01-28 17:46:21
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not sure I agree that SE wouldn't unexpectedly shut down the servers
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By Kaffy 2025-01-28 18:03:18
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Their own review is obviously biased but I thought the graphics did a reasonable job of presenting pros and cons of both fairly.
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By Sylvebits 2025-01-28 19:06:12
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I thought we beat this topic to death.. back in, May was it? Feels like February will be the pot stirring month..

Retail and Private servers are both valid ways to play, and people enjoy them for different reasons. I will say if you have the income, throw a sub towards FFXI if your main game is HXI or another PS as they deserve your support. Atleast, that's what I did when i was playing there full-time.

Anyways what I really came here to say:

I played Horizon since month 4 of it's launch, and someone who played consistently.... I don't know where some people encounter all these toxic people on Horizon? Certainly there is the occasional jerk, but that is normal of any community. As well, speaking as someone who helped run one of the servers 2-3 - but certainly the largest the time and most visible LGBTQ linkshells - I can count on one hand the amount of comments or harassment towards us. And anything serious got dealt with pretty fast by the GMs.

Everyone who have had these massive dramas with HXI, like.. all 7 of them, always overly involve themselves with admins or devs until it blows up in everyone's face. Or they say or do something stupid to get themselves in trouble before turning around and blaming the admins and community. It's always the same story of "I did no wrong".


tannifae said: »
I started noticing recurring issues: shady practices, questionable behavior, and toxic dynamics coming from different levels. I ignored these, thinking they wouldn’t affect me, but eventually, I experienced a rude awakening.

What happened
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By Zehira 2025-01-28 19:11:22
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For those who love private servers, FFXIAH isn't the best place to share your experiences. Where else can you chat without the trolls? You can always get your questions answered in-game or through Discord. I recommend avoiding HorizonXI's official Discord. There will always be some loud folks who can really get on the staff's nerves. Just reach out to a linkshell, and they'll be happy to share their Discord link with you. Plus, figuring out the 75 era is much easier than navigating retail.

This FFXIAH is primarily for retail players, although some of us have a background in retail. We've already gone over why this subforum was set up. It seems like no matter what we do, there will always be trolls who just want to cause trouble instead of contributing to a better community.
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By SimonSes 2025-01-28 19:28:35
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GetHelpNerd said: »
not sure I agree that SE wouldn't unexpectedly shut down the servers

When SE closes games, they usually announce, that servers going down with several months notice, so they won't do it unexpectedly, but I'm not sure if that would change how people would feel about it. When they announced end of MobiusFF, I didn't give a ***, that I was still being able to play it for some time. I immediately lost interest.
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 Phoenix.Iocus
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By Phoenix.Iocus 2025-01-28 20:40:24
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Once they no longer fit their current vision for the company, games with servers go byebye. Lots of mana phone games have died that way that never made it to the US.
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By Carbuncle.Maletaru 2025-01-28 20:41:24
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Sylvebits said: »
Everyone who have had these massive dramas with HXI, like.. all 7 of them, always overly involve themselves with admins or devs until it blows up in everyone's face. Or they say or do something stupid to get themselves in trouble before turning around and blaming the admins and community. It's always the same story of "I did no wrong".

How many times have you heard about a similar story on retail? That's (one of) the point in the OP. They're professionals who work for a company, they aren't allowed to be biased towards/against their friends, they aren't allowed to spawn NMs or items for their significant others, and they have a financial incentive (losing their job) and a supervisor.

The whole premise of "well you shouldn't have talked bad about the GMs and started ***if you didn't want it to blow up" flies in the face of how the relationship between clients and staff is supposed to work in the first place.

OP I think you appropriately captured the differences. There are definitely pros/cons of both. I think you were generous enough to both games without being overly critical. If someone is looking to get into either, read this and make your decision. I especially find it interesting to see the part about being ignorant about how much retail has to offer which I think is extremely prevalent with PS folks. "The 75 era" was like...7 years. The post-75 era has been almost 15 years, including several expansions, add-on scenarios, and extra content added. It's absolutely gigantic and includes dozens of events, which you're giving up so you can fight Byakko and Mother Globe at a more appropriate level and get excited to find a Monster Signa. It's asinine to me.
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 Asura.Saevel
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By Asura.Saevel 2025-01-28 21:13:38
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Phoenix.Iocus said: »
Once they no longer fit their current vision for the company, games with servers go byebye. Lots of mana phone games have died that way that never made it to the US.

As long as a product is making enough money to cover it's operating cost and then some, it'll be kept around. FFXI has long since made back it's initial investment and currently operates with damn near zero dedicated development.

And freaking Everquest is still around, you know, the game that started the whole MMO craze.

https://www.everquest.com/home
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By Sylvebits 2025-01-28 21:22:31
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Carbuncle.Maletaru said: »

How many times have you heard about a similar story on retail? That's (one of) the point in the OP. They're professionals who work for a company, they aren't allowed to be biased towards/against their friends, they aren't allowed to spawn NMs or items for their significant others, and they have a financial incentive (losing their job) and a supervisor.

The whole premise of "well you shouldn't have talked bad about the GMs and started ***if you didn't want it to blow up" flies in the face of how the relationship between clients and staff is supposed to work in the first place.

It's because it's not a company and is run by volunteers with no professional certainties that players - or rather anyone working with a volunteer organization for that matter - should place themselves at high alert. Like.. perhaps it was just me, but I went into HXI with the mindset that it's not official and therefore:

1) it could be shutdown anytime
2) I could be randomly banned by an admin for no reason with no recourse,
And most importantly, 3) that I enjoy the time I was given with other players and not trouble myself with inner circles I had no control over


Carbuncle.Maletaru said: »


The whole premise of "well you shouldn't have talked bad about the GMs and started ***if you didn't want it to blow up" flies in the face of how the relationship between clients and staff is supposed to work in the first place.

I would agree but something as simple as that is RARELY ever the case. I can speak to HXI specifically, and with certainty, that you could go about your day in the Dunes and call Aerec a *** in a party and nothing will happen. What I'm referring to is the same group of people who get overly friendly with server owners/admins/devs, to a point where I'm sure they've benefitted from insider information or actions. But then the moment the relationship(platonically) breaks down, suddenly it's corruption and nothing was there fault. And it is corruption for sure, but those people had no problem benefiting from it until it didn't.
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 Carbuncle.Maletaru
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By Carbuncle.Maletaru 2025-01-28 21:30:08
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Sylvebits said: »
It's because it's not a company and is run by volunteers with no professional certainties that players - or rather anyone working with a volunteer organization for that matter - should place themselves at high alert.

Yeah...that's the point. It's a problem. You shouldn't need to be on high alert or have to worry about internal politics when playing a video game.

Sylvebits said: »
What I'm referring to is the same group of people who get overly friendly with server owners/admins/devs, to a point where I'm sure they've benefitted from insider information or actions. But then the moment the relationship(platonically) breaks down, suddenly it's corruption and nothing was there fault. And it is corruption for sure, but those people had no problem benefiting from it until it didn't.

Yeah...and both parts of this equation are a problem. You shouldn't benefit from being buddies with the server OR be punished for breaking that friendship. The fact that you can find out ToDs or get items from them or whatever is part of the problem. No part of this relationship makes any sense in an MMO.

Competing with the people running the server (or those people's friends) for items, NMs, gil, etc. makes no sense.
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By Viciouss 2025-01-28 21:59:06
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If a whole bunch of my old linkshell buddies suddenly messaged me and said come join this private server so we can play together again, I would probably check it out. It's not about what era its in or what content there is, it's just about playing with friends. Whether it's killing Byakko like old times or some lame boss in Sortie, it doesn't matter. That said I would never want to go through WOTG again.
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By Zehira 2025-01-28 23:10:14
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Carbuncle.Maletaru said: »
I especially find it interesting to see the part about being ignorant about how much retail has to offer which I think is extremely prevalent with PS folks. "The 75 era" was like...7 years. The post-75 era has been almost 15 years, including several expansions, add-on scenarios, and extra content added. It's absolutely gigantic and includes dozens of events, which you're giving up so you can fight Byakko and Mother Globe at a more appropriate level and get excited to find a Monster Signa. It's asinine to me.

It’s completely normal to feel that way after spending years in retail. Many players are just tired of going it alone in an MMO. The constant battle with bots and exploits can wear you down. It feels like the devs are aware that we love to push the game’s boundaries, so they introduce these crazy time sinks to keep us busy. We end up grinding for the gil we need to get what we want. So, we’re done with that. When I started fresh with a new character, it felt like diving into a Dragon Quest game. It was super relaxing, without the stress of how SE might handle bots or anything against their terms of service.

For me, the classic server was the best option. I love how people are chatting in text chat all the time. It’s way more enjoyable than my retail experience, where voice chat is a must for endgame. I just don’t feel qualified for that.
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 Lakshmi.Glaciont
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By Lakshmi.Glaciont 2025-01-28 23:28:35
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Carbuncle.Maletaru said: »

Yeah...and both parts of this equation are a problem. You shouldn't benefit from being buddies with the server OR be punished for breaking that friendship. The fact that you can find out ToDs or get items from them or whatever is part of the problem. No part of this relationship makes any sense in an MMO.

Competing with the people running the server (or those people's friends) for items, NMs, gil, etc. makes no sense.

I think that’s the point being made where you have to be on some sort of “high alert” where situations like these can happen given its nature. Ideally we shouldn’t have to. And none of what happens is okay. But something with very little guard rails… yee… I’ll be on my toes.
 Fenrir.Niflheim
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By Fenrir.Niflheim 2025-01-28 23:37:25
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Lakshmi.Glaciont said: »
But something with very little guard rails… yee… I’ll be on my toes.
Ah yes a leisure activity where one must stay vigilant and tense, how fun and relaxing.
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 Lakshmi.Glaciont
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By Lakshmi.Glaciont 2025-01-28 23:44:57
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I’m not saying it’s right or anything but like… it is what it is. For the most part on Horizon I just enjoy running content with my friends, or fish, or level casually, or just chat with LS mates. When I say on my toes, I should clarify that I mean not getting myself involved in situations or making any splashes that could cause me headaches.
 Lakshmi.Glaciont
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By Lakshmi.Glaciont 2025-01-28 23:45:48
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AKA, just vibe.
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