Is it fair that the Shadowlord in Final Fantasy XI gets to have cool swords you don’t have immediate access to? No. It is not fair at all. You should rectify this unfairness by getting a shot at his swords, which is actually the center of the event starting on August 30th. Players who take out the Shadowlord will have a chance at his one-handed swords (Extinction and Nihility) as well as his two-handed greatsword (Lament) by defeating him at any level, although higher difficulties offer a higher chance at the drop.
It’s a bit of a light event, but considering the game’s monthly update won’t be too far behind the event kicking off, you can hardly be bitter about that fact. You can also check out the most recent community stream featuring the game’s summer event in full swing if you’d like to have a little more FFXI content for your Monday afternoon; it’s hard not to have fun with people playing the game and remembering old farming stories while death-warping back to necessary places.