In Final Fantasy 14, I’ve played through the rogue class quests on several characters. One of my favorite members of the Rogues’ Guild has always been V’kebbe the Stray because I’m partial to Miqo’te and I love how feisty and determined V’kebbe is. I also love how protective she is of her sandwiches and how she exacts justice when Jacke dares eat her sandwich from The Bismarck.
I was always a little sad when the rogue class quests ended at level 30 and I had to leave V’kebbe, Jacke, and Perimu Haurimu/Underfoot behind to pursue the path of a ninja. I did discover that V’kebbe can be seen eating her sandwich outside The Bismarck sometimes and I’m always happy to see her! But it didn’t occur to me until very recently that there was a way for me to hang onto V’kebbe long after I left the Rogues’ Guild.
When the new North American data center of Dynamis opened up recently in FF14, I moved several characters there from the congested data center they were on and made some new characters too. While playing on Dynamis, I encountered numerous players with NPC names and appearances. I’d seen such things now and then on other data centers, but not in such abundance as on Dynamis. This got me thinking about who I would create if I were to do such a thing and it didn’t take me long to realize that it would be V’kebbe!
The closest I’ve come in the past to making an NPC character is my version of Magnai, but his backstory is decidedly different than the NPC of Magnai Oronir. For V’kebbe, her backstory was going to involve the Rogues’ Guild and her personality was going to be the sandwich-loving cat girl armed with stabbers. So I decided to search online for other players who had made V’kebbe the Stray and there were a couple others, but none on Dynamis yet. Armed with that knowledge, I decided to make my version of V’kebbe.
I chose to spell her name as V’kebbe The’stray because I liked the way it looked. Other players have spelled it that way as well so I certainly can’t claim that I’m the creator. I looked up V’kebbe’s canon appearance features online and made her to those specifications. The only things I changed were that I gave her hair highlights and I gave her some eyeshadow face paint. Plus, I had to pick a voice for her and although I thought I matched her NPC voice, as there are no battle emotes in the character creation options, I didn’t get it quite right. But I’m okay with that. I will change up her hairstyle and face paint as the desire hits me because that’s just how I am.
It’s not possible to start a character off as a rogue because they have to complete their first class’s level 10 quest first. But I decided not to make her in Limsa Lominsa where the Rogues’ Guild is because I wanted her closer to Vesper Bay where I could glam her outfit as soon as she hit level 15. With that in mind, I made her a gladiator to start because I could picture V’kebbe wanting to try out different kinds of stabbers, so why not a big one with a shield to boot?
On D’azri, I bought her a close approximation to her in-game outfit so she could better embody V’kebbe but it wasn’t the best armor to play in.
With V’kebbe created, I embarked on the starter quests in Ul’dah. I’d no sooner stepped out the door of The Quicksand than I received a tell saying that they’d seen I wasn’t in a free company and did I want to join one? They also commented that they recognized my name but couldn’t quite place from where. Happy that one of the first people I met as V’kebbe actually recognized her, I decided to join that free company and I’m very glad I did! I’ve found that free company to be very friendly and welcoming and that first person I met was even nice enough to help me trade the rogue outfit from D’azri to V’kebbe. So not even a half hour after her creation, V’kebbe was looking like she should as she embarked on her adventures as a gladiator. My girl also earned the nickname Kibbles from one of the free company members and I have to say that I rather like it!
I’ve done the first several gladiator quests many times on other characters so I was familiar with them and I think they worked well for V’kebbe. Once she hit level 15, I picked up the ability to apply glamours and dyes and was able to better gear her while still making her look like her rogue-ish self. Then once I got the airship pass and went through all those quests, I made her a rogue and took her through the entire line of quests and into becoming a ninja.
Playing V’kebbe in the Rogues’ Guild alongside the “real” V’kebbe was a somewhat surreal experience but a lot of fun. Jacke was in double trouble after eating the sandwich!
I loved seeing them all talk to my character as if they’d never met her before even though her twin was already in the guild.
It felt even sadder to leave the Rogues’ Guild now that I was playing as V’kebbe, but it also started a whole new chapter for her in that she could venture off and do whatever she wanted now.
I named her chocobo Underfoot and made one of her retainers Jacke, so I’d always have pieces of the guild with her as she continued her journey. I also got her a wind-up Bismarck minion with the idea that she bought it thinking it was the Bismarck sandwich.
I stuck with the ninja quests and class through level 52 but then I found myself itching to try something new with her. I’d started playing red mage a bit on a couple other characters but never really dedicated myself to playing it for very long. I thought it was fun and interesting, but I didn’t have the energy to invest in something new with those characters. But for whatever reason, red mage felt like something V’kebbe would find interesting and be good at. After all, it’s just a longer stabber with the bonus of being able to shoot magic at enemies from a distance and up close. What’s not to like?
Although the class is called red mage, V’kebbe much prefers the color green from her Rogues’ Guild days so I made a glam for her that fits both her and the class. I’m also discovering that casters get some really nice-looking gear and I feel like Kibbles would enjoy being a bit more stylish after the bandanas and somewhat ripped gear of the Rogues’ Guild. She’s off on her own new adventure now and in my opinion, is not required to practice only as a rogue/ninja and always look a certain way. After all, players can play all the classes in the game on a single character, so why wouldn’t Kibbles do that too?
I wouldn’t say I’m great at playing red mage yet, and I might never be great because with all classes I just do the best I can with what I know. It took me a while to be brave enough to do dungeons as a red mage with actual players instead of NPCs but thus far, it’s gone pretty well. I only had one person express amusement at the idea of V’kebbe being a red mage, but otherwise, no one in dungeons or duties has really acknowledged that they know V’kebbe the NPC from the game.
I plan to continue playing V’kebbe as a red mage and I will go back and catch up on the ninja quests when I feel like it. She’s now well beyond being just a simple rogue, she’s a Scion and a hero! She will be going into Stormblood soon, which will present new challenges, but it will also offer new adventures for my Kibbles! I’m also hoping to buy her a private house, which is something I’ve never done on any of my characters. I’ve bought a FC house for my personal FC and am in charge of a friend’s FC with a house, but a private house is something new for me. One thing is certain, V’kebbe’s house will be filled with lots and lots of food!
Srinity 