[FFXI] Back To The Dunes

[Gorvi]

So, after more than a year and a half not having to go there, tonight I'm heading back to Valkurm with yet another job. I've been through there 7 times now (BST obviously never went), and I really don't know what to expect anymore. Hopefully I can make it through these levels quickly and move on to Qufim.

Scholar should be very interesting, since I'll be able to both heal and nuke as good as or better than any WHM or BLM around these levels. Oh well, at least I can Outpost Teleport there now and keep my HP in Windurst.

I have no idea what the point of this post is other than to have a place to bitch and moan tomorrow when it doesn't go well. :p

[Cyndair]

lol Gorvi. I'll be praying for you man! :p

I was working on THF in the jungles last week and I have to say that things weren't much better than I remembered. I got in a party in Yuhtunga. Our level range was 24-26, which isn't a bad thing. We had the right balance, tank, dd, healer but for some reason the tank was dying like every other fight. Then the healer agroed a Smithy and we wiped. Go back out there again and after struggling with a few mandies, the other thf in the pt hit 27. So, naturally, the next mandy we pulled was only worth 80-something exp and the party leader (who was still 25) decided it was time to go to Yhoator... :confused:

I told them we would never cut it there with most the party still level 25 but they were already on chocobos speeding toward the zone. I politely excused myself from that debacle and went to bed, my faith in humanity once again shattered.

[Suave Peanut]

I've tried playing FFXI no less than four times, and each time I get to, or just past, the Dunes... I end up quitting shortly after. ::sigh::

[KIllrazor]

Well, I started playing FFXI not long ago. I'm playing it a bit casually since I don't a lot of time to play so I'm progressing a bit slowly now. I'm WAR36/MNK18.

The 2 times I've been to the Dunes was a very quick and good experience in my case. With my Monk I soloed all the way to 15, so I only stayed in the Dunes for 5 levels and I got that in 2 nights without any problems.

The second time with my Warrior, things were also very smooth. No issues at all and I was done with Dunes in a couple nights. Looks like I got teams full o Vets both times and they were all very knowledgeable and knew how to play really well.

I should go through the Dunes again very shortly, since I'm unlocking DRG probably tonight and start leveling it too.

Good luck Gorvi! :D

[Gorvi]

Well, last night ended with me just logging out without a single fight. I geared up (SCH/WHM, so I focused on MP and MND) and outpost teleported to Valkurm from Port Windy (kept my HP there). Got an invite right away from a RDM with no sub. No problem, everyone has to start somewhere, that doesn't mean he's awful. So I get in the party, and there's a DRG/BLM, a BLM, a BRD, and no tank. So I wait around, the DRG changes his sub, and we eventually have 5 people and just need a tank. So what does the RDM do? With the entire party at 14-15, he invites a 17 WHM/WAR. WHM/WAR. WHM/freakin' WAR. Yeah, I just shut down at that point and played something else. Hopefully tonight will go better.

[Holiday]

Screw the dunes. Maze of Shakhrami and Korroloka Tunnels ftw.

Worms are great for any job with a ranged attack. Solo you'll surpass a standard dunes party for exp/hr, and duo or trio you'll blow away the best the dunes can offer.

[KIllrazor]

Damn man. Sorry to hear that. I'm starting to think I was REALLY lucky when I went through the Dunes. I should be happy about that.

[Gorvi]

Screw the dunes. Maze of Shakhrami and Korroloka Tunnels ftw.

Worms are great for any job with a ranged attack. Solo you'll surpass a standard dunes party for exp/hr, and duo or trio you'll blow away the best the dunes can offer.
My first party experiences ever in FFXI were manaburns in Shakhrami. Man, those were the days. I'm not sure if I could solo that well on worms as a Scholar, but I'll give that a shot tonight if I have party problems again. At 15 I can get a Chocobo in town, so I can just ride on out there and use an Instant Warp scroll to get back.
Damn man. Sorry to hear that. I'm starting to think I was REALLY lucky when I went through the Dunes. I should be happy about that.
It really all depends. You can have some good experiences, or you can have some awful ones. A lot of people just don't put in any effort there, since they assume it's going to suck anyway. I've had some great parties in the Dunes, though, they're just rather rare.

[Cyndair]

Well, last night ended with me just logging out without a single fight. I geared up (SCH/WHM, so I focused on MP and MND) and outpost teleported to Valkurm from Port Windy (kept my HP there). Got an invite right away from a RDM with no sub. No problem, everyone has to start somewhere, that doesn't mean he's awful. So I get in the party, and there's a DRG/BLM, a BLM, a BRD, and no tank. So I wait around, the DRG changes his sub, and we eventually have 5 people and just need a tank. So what does the RDM do? With the entire party at 14-15, he invites a 17 WHM/WAR. WHM/WAR. WHM/freakin' WAR. Yeah, I just shut down at that point and played something else. Hopefully tonight will go better.

Dude, haven't you heard that WHM/WAR is all the rage for tanking these days? Has voke after level 10 AND can heal!

[Gorvi]

Dude, haven't you heard that WHM/WAR is all the rage for tanking these days? Has voke after level 10 AND can heal!
Dood, no way. It's totally WAR/WHM. That's just like a PLD!

[Panthera]

Your attitude about subclasses reminds me why I stopped playing.

[MJBuddy]

....FFXI memories hurt my soul...

RIP Dinav, level 72THF

[Gorvi]

Your attitude about subclasses reminds me why I stopped playing.
There are "odd" combinations (RDM/BRD, THF/MNK at early levels, and a few others) and then there are those that are just plain stupid. DRG/BLM brings you nothing but a mage type wyvern, and WHM, RDM, or SCH would work much better for that. WHM/WAR or WAR/WHM is good for nothing but solo. In a party setup, you're doing nothing but gimping yourself. The job/subjob system can allow for flexibility, but if you choose to sub something to your job that offers no benefit, you're not using it correctly.

[Holiday]

Yeah, I wasn't sure about Scholar's nuke capabilities. I stopped playing right before WotG.

It's always an option to look at what's on seek and ask any fitting jobs if they would want to duo. RNG, SAM/RNG(with a bow of course), and BLM would be optimal worm duo partners. Since you're taru, another body to absorb some of the worm's nukes would certainly come in handy!

Also remember to bring some mp juice and Pamama Au Lait, for when things get dicey or you want that next chain. Pamama Au Lait is a godsend when low leveling.

[Cyndair]

Your attitude about subclasses reminds me why I stopped playing.

Hey, I'm all about being understanding toward new players. I also like the idea of experimenting with class combinations. However, certain job combos just don't work. They were never intended by the game designers to work. The paladin is a great example of this. The class is just plain impotent without warrior equipped as a sub (yes, I know certain situations call for pld/nin, I'm talking about general exp parties). You need to know your role and play to its strengths.

For better or worse in FFXI you are only as strong as your group so everyone is expected to pull their weight.

[Gorvi]

Yeah, I wasn't sure about Scholar's nuke capabilities. I stopped playing right before WotG.

It's always an option to look at what's on seek and ask any fitting jobs if they would want to duo. RNG, SAM/RNG(with a bow of course), and BLM would be optimal worm duo partners. Since you're taru, another body to absorb some of the worm's nukes would certainly come in handy!

Also remember to bring some mp juice and Pamama Au Lait, for when things get dicey or you want that next chain. Pamama Au Lait is a godsend when low leveling.
I really may try that. I can cure pretty well (and get Regen at 18), so I'm not sure about the Au Laits, but the juice is a good idea. I can make my own Yagudo Drinks, so bringing some materials with me would be a good idea.

[Holiday]

I really may try that. I can cure pretty well (and get Regen at 18), so I'm not sure about the Au Laits, but the juice is a good idea. I can make my own Yagudo Drinks, so bringing some materials with me would be a good idea.

It really is unfortunate how much planning is needed the first 30 levels of FFXI. Having experienced nearly everything the game had to offer pre-WotG, that is still my biggest complaint.

[Panthera]

What if the player simply wanted to switch to WHM, but hadn't yet developed an ideal subclass? Isn't any subclass better than none?

[Cyndair]

It really is unfortunate how much planning is needed the first 30 levels of FFXI. Having experienced nearly everything the game had to offer pre-WotG, that is still my biggest complaint.

Yeah, WotG doesn't do anything to fix that. I agree wholeheartedly. The game is just plain unfriendly to beginners. Probably why I've failed so many times to get my friends to play it. Especially when WoW is out there and it is just so easy for a new person to pick up and immediately start having fun.

[Gorvi]

What if the player simply wanted to switch to WHM, but hadn't yet developed an ideal subclass? Isn't any subclass better than none?
Well, yes, having a subjob is better than none, that's true, but you really should take the time to level a sub. In the example of a WHM subbing WAR, you can solo BLM to 10 easily, so in VD at least, there's really no excuse.
It really is unfortunate how much planning is needed the first 30 levels of FFXI. Having experienced nearly everything the game had to offer pre-WotG, that is still my biggest complaint.
That never bothered me. I actually kinda liked it. I must be weird. ;)

[Gorvi]

And last night was a total turnaround from the night before, I made 15-18 pretty smoothly. There were a few "not so bright" newbies in the party (I ended up leading and reforming the party a few times), but it went pretty well all things considered. I can actually main heal now efficiently since I got Cure II at 17 and Regen at 18.

With Light Arts up I'm getting full 30 HP Cure I's and 88 HP Cure II's. With Dark Arts up, I'm nuking pretty well, though I don't have the full spectrum of elements yet, since I don't get Blizzard until 20 and Thunder until 24. Heck, I've already got equipment swap macros set up to swap in MND gear when I go Light Arts and INT gear when I go Dark Arts. Yeah, when I level a job, I don't mess around. :)

All things considered, Scholar is fun, and I'm really liking the duality of it. I'm really looking forward to getting 20 tonight and wearing some of the nice Baron's gear I splurged on this morning. :)

EDIT: I kind of like the idea of using this thread as something of a blog for my experiences leveling Scholar. Even if nobody cares or reads it (highly likely), I think I may keep it up, if only for my own amusement. :)

[KIllrazor]

EDIT: I kind of like the idea of using this thread as something of a blog for my experiences leveling Scholar. Even if nobody cares or reads it (highly likely), I think I may keep it up, if only for my own amusement. :)

I'm a sucker for all things FFXI lately, so keep it up! :)

And great that everything went smoothly for you in the Dunes.

I unlocked SMN last night... Just for "fun". In the end it was quite a pain in the butt to finish that quest. Everybody was telling me that the drop rate on that Carbuncle crystal was terrible, but I got it on the second kill! So I thought I was lucky... Then when I had to start collecting all elements, everybody again told me getting Heat was going to be a problem. I head to the Dunes and that's the first thing I get.

The problem was Thunder! I was waiting on that one for an hour and a half in the regions that one can get that. So damn boring. I almost gave up.

But yeah, now I have SMN unlocked. I don't plan on leveling it anytime soon, but it's a job that I really love because of all the cool summons. If I get WHM leveled up one day, I'll give SMN a spin.

[Panthera]

I actually tried to re-enable my old playonline ID today with the Return program, but it doesn't recognize it. I sent a support email.

[TrackZero]

This thread makes me glad I never touched FFXI with a 20ft pole. Thanks everyone.

[Wyrm]

Friend of mine gave me a copy for 360 and I've been playing when I have time. I got into FFXI a long time ago, and it was fun then, but it's an incredible grind the entire time, and it can be boring as fuck. With a good party, it's fun, but those are pretty rare.

I'm RDM currently, and just hit the Dunes the other night. We managed to hit 17 pretty quickly, but man, it's pretty slow going out there. Hard to get everyone together and get going on it, etc.

What server are you on Gorvi?

[Gorvi]

Friend of mine gave me a copy for 360 and I've been playing when I have time. I got into FFXI a long time ago, and it was fun then, but it's an incredible grind the entire time, and it can be boring as fuck. With a good party, it's fun, but those are pretty rare.

I'm RDM currently, and just hit the Dunes the other night. We managed to hit 17 pretty quickly, but man, it's pretty slow going out there. Hard to get everyone together and get going on it, etc.
Those early levels really aren't indicative of what the rest of the game is really like. The first 30 levels or so if you're new are almost akin to hazing (I won't argue that that's a good thing, btw). It does get much better, especially if you enjoy doing missions. Just because those parties in the Dunes are mostly crap doesn't mean that they're all like that. Really, partying at those levels is really the worst you'll see it all throughout the game (which, in a way, is what spawned this thread to begin with).
What server are you on Gorvi?

I'm on Asura. My character name is Gorvi, so look me up when you're on. :)
I'm a sucker for all things FFXI lately, so keep it up! :)

And great that everything went smoothly for you in the Dunes.
Cool, at least I'll have one person reading. :)

To continue where I left off, I only played a little bit yesterday (Saturday) but ended up going through two parties. The first party wasn't bad, but only lasted about 35 minutes (I was a replacement for their White Mage). Still, it was a quick and easy 2.5k xp, so I didn't complain.

The second party was one of the more typical "Dunes parties", and all Japanese. We had a Dark Knight pulling with Provoke and dying 3 separate times in the process before he got back to camp, you'd think he'd learn how to use a ranged attack. I was the highest in the party once I got 19, and it was actually quicker for me to just switch over to Dark Arts and do the majority of the damage than to sit back on Light Arts and heal the party. We had a Blue Mage that did a decent job backup healing, and a Black Mage who did a better job curing than nuking. That got me 19 and buffer, and that was about it.

So, today, I figured I'd just seek in Jeuno a bit and see if I could get an invite for a low Qufim party (I normally wait for 20 before going there). Wow, did I get an amazing party. It was me (SCH/WHM) a PLD/WAR, DNC/NIN, THF/NIN, BRD/COR, and a DRK/WAR. 10k xp in less than 2 hours. And the odd thing was we leveled not in Qufim, where I've leveled every other job I've taken up through, but in Sauromugue Champaign on Diving Beetles. Once the entire group hit 20, I did no curing at all, the Dancer handled the entire thing, I just nuked the hell out of the mobs. I also got to use some new gear that I'd bought for 20, about 200k worth (Baron's Chapeau, Baron's Saio, Mage's Slacks, Baron's Slops, and a Mohbwa Sash +1). Great party overall, and it got me to 21. I got Drain at 21, which is still one of the most underrated damage/MP spells out there.

I'd try to get 22 or so tonight, but I'll be watching the Super Bowl. Well, if it turns out being a blowout, I may get on, but I hope not.

I unlocked SMN last night... Just for "fun". In the end it was quite a pain in the butt to finish that quest. Everybody was telling me that the drop rate on that Carbuncle crystal was terrible, but I got it on the second kill! So I thought I was lucky... Then when I had to start collecting all elements, everybody again told me getting Heat was going to be a problem. I head to the Dunes and that's the first thing I get.

The problem was Thunder! I was waiting on that one for an hour and a half in the regions that one can get that. So damn boring. I almost gave up.

But yeah, now I have SMN unlocked. I don't plan on leveling it anytime soon, but it's a job that I really love because of all the cool summons. If I get WHM leveled up one day, I'll give SMN a spin.
You had a problem with Thunder weather? Man, that's always popping up in Qufim Island, at least once every 20 minutes or so. When I used to fish squid out there, I'd actually make a pretty decent amount of gil on Lightning Clusters from the elementals.

Summoner is funny. It's a job that I've wanted to play ever since FFXI was first announced, since the first screen they showed was a SMN with Ifrit out (though the job didn't come out until Zilart). I've never had time to get the Avatars and never really wanted to level the job without them. I've got it sitting at 10 now, and I'm debating on whether or not to get it through the dunes to do the mini solo avatar fights at 20. They just look so damn cool. :p

[KIllrazor]

They just look so damn cool. :p


That was the first class I felt like getting to 75 when I started playing the game. But then I noticed that SMN is just a heal bot most of the time in EXP Parties, so I kind of gave up on the idea. But hell yeah, they are so damn cool! I freaked out the first time I partied with a SMN that had all the summons.

[Panthera]

So, today, I figured I'd just seek in Jeuno a bit and see if I could get an invite for a low Qufim party (I normally wait for 20 before going there). Wow, did I get an amazing party. It was me (SCH/WHM) a PLD/WAR, DNC/NIN, THF/NIN, BRD/COR, and a DRK/WAR. 10k xp in less than 2 hours. And the odd thing was we leveled not in Qufim, where I've leveled every other job I've taken up through, but in Sauromugue Champaign on Diving Beetles. Once the entire group hit 20, I did no curing at all, the Dancer handled the entire thing, I just nuked the hell out of the mobs. I also got to use some new gear that I'd bought for 20, about 200k worth (Baron's Chapeau, Baron's Saio, Mage's Slacks, Baron's Slops, and a Mohbwa Sash +1). Great party overall, and it got me to 21. I got Drain at 21, which is still one of the most underrated damage/MP spells out there.

Wow, I've done exactly that. That little area against the cliffs, right? I hope I can get my character back. I really don't want to do 1-20 again.

[Gorvi]

Wow, I've done exactly that. That little area against the cliffs, right? I hope I can get my character back. I really don't want to do 1-20 again.
Yep, that's it. It's a little alcove where nothing but beetles spawn right near the part of spine closest to Jeuno. It worked really well, and I'd go back there again in a heartbeat.

[Holiday]

Yep, that's it. It's a little alcove where nothing but beetles spawn right near the part of spine closest to Jeuno. It worked really well, and I'd go back there again in a heartbeat.

That's a GREAT camp. The only problem comes if your party is too good and you have to wait for spawns. If I remember correct there are only five or six actual beetles, with a ~16 min repop time.

I'm very interested in your progress as you keep exping Scholar, so keep us updated! How far have you taken RDM? It was my favorite(and first) of the jobs I took to 75, and the one I always said I'd re-level if for some reason I had to do it over. If Scholar is much the same.....

must... not... re-activate...

[Gorvi]

That's a GREAT camp. The only problem comes if your party is too good and you have to wait for spawns. If I remember correct there are only five or six actual beetles, with a ~16 min repop time.

I'm very interested in your progress as you keep exping Scholar, so keep us updated! How far have you taken RDM? It was my favorite(and first) of the jobs I took to 75, and the one I always said I'd re-level if for some reason I had to do it over. If Scholar is much the same.....

must... not... re-activate...
We didn't have that big of a problem, they seemed to spawn a bit quicker than that. Maybe they changed it? No matter, we were making consistant chains and fights were going very quickly.

Scholar is much more of just a White Mage and Black Mage mashup than even Red Mage. My Red Mage is 52, so I've played the job a good amount. Basically, Scholar has a D rating in the 6 major magic skills (Divine, Healing, Enhancing, Elemental, Enfeebling, and Dark). When you use Dark Arts, it bumps Elemental, Enfeebling, and Dark up to a B+, and when you use Light Arts it bumps Divine, Healing, and Enhancing up to a B+ (compared to Red Mage, which gets A+ Enfeebling, B+ Enhancing, C+ Elemental, C- Healing, and E for Divine and Dark) . Either one stays on indefinitely (it doesn't wear unless you zone) and only changes when you use the other ability. They each have a 1 minute recast timer, so you can't just swap back and forth constantly, but it's really not that big of an issue. When you have Dark Arts up, you get a small cut in MP cost and casting time for BLM type spells and a small rise in casting time and MP cost for WHM type spells. The opposite is true for Light Arts.

Now, Scholar doesn't get all of the spells of WHM and BLM, obviously. Scholar gets all the single target cures, protects, and shells up through IV and the single target Elemental spells up through III. You also get Sneak, Invis, and Deoderize, Drain and Aspir, as well as Regen I and II. You don't start getting SCH unique spells til 41, where you start learning weather spells. Basically, you cast a buff (self or party only) that puts the weather effect of the spell (one for each element, including light and dark) on the target. So far, it's only known that it effects the weather prereqs for special enhancements on equipment and the general weather effect on elemental spells being cast (boosting cures in light weather, etc...). They also get a set of elemental DoTs (called Helix spells) at 61, also one for each element. These are a lot different from the Elemental DoTs that BLM learns early on, as they do a lot more damage initially, and do that initial damage per tick. So they have the potential to do huge damage if used right, but not many people have had the chance to do a lot of tests with them yet, so their full effect is sorta unknown. You also get an ability at 65 called Modus Veritas, which works exactly like a Divine/Elemental Seal for Helix spells, and has the same 10 minute recast timer as those. Helix spells are also supposed to be greatly effected by the weather, so those other spells would come into play as well.

You also get abilities called Stratagems. You get Penury (10), Celerity (25), Accession (40), and Rapture (55) for Light Arts and Parsimony (10), Alacrity (25), Manifestation (40), and Ebullience (55) for Dark Arts. They're essentially the same thing for Light and Dark (Penury is the Light equivalent to Parsimony, etc....). The level 10 Strats cut the cost of your next spell in half, the level 25 Strats cut the casting time in half, the level 40 Strats make your next spell AoE (you can do AoE Stoneskin, Phalanx, Gravity, etc..), and the level 55 enhances the potency of your next spell. These work on charges that have a 4 minute build up. You get 1 charge at 10, 2 charges at 40, and 3 charges at 70.

Scholar is a much stronger caster than Red Mage, at least in my experience so far. I always felt like casting Elemental Magic on my Red Mage was a total waste, because resists just happened far too often, and the damage wasn't very good. I'd magic burst every once in a while for the hell of it, just out of habit from leveling Black Mage from 1-75, but that was about it. The healing is pretty even, since they get all the same spells there, and the difference in healing skill isn't going to be noticable for a long, long time. Red Mage, of course, beats Scholar on the Enfeebling side hands down, but that's what Red Mage does best. Well, that and being a Refresh slave. :p

The only problem I have with SCH right now is that I think it needs to get Haste. Otherwise, I think it's pretty well balanced. You do have an issue with enfeebling, since the White Magic enfeebles will have a higher MP cost and casting time since you'd need to cast them with Dark Arts up to get the boost in Enfeebling skill. Still, I prefer having Enfeebling on Dark Arts, not only because it makes sense, but that also means that it's there for Sleep.

[Gorvi]

Wow, that was a long post. Anyway, I actually did level a bit last night. I got from 21 to 23 in a pretty standard Qufim party. Not the best party in the world, but not the worst either. There were 2 Ninjas bouncing hate, a WAR, a BLM, a WHM/WAR (/sigh), and myself (SCH/BLM). I went straight out Dark Arts, and not to sound cocky, but I completely embarassed the BLM in terms of damage per spell. Hers were doing barely 2/3s the damage I was putting out. Granted, the natural high INT from being a taru plus the +20 INT from gear and food probably didn't hurt. All in all it didn't go that bad.

So, getting closer to 25, I also took my BST out to Carpenter's Landing and got my Mycophile Cuffs (http://wiki.ffxiclopedia.org/wiki/Mycophile_Cuffs) this morning in preperation. It only took 2 kills to get the drop, and man, was that an easy fight.

[Holiday]

Thanks for the Scholar info! I agree the lack of Haste is damaging to the job. Perhaps they didn't want to give the players access to an AOE version of the spell? yes, Garuda has Hastaga, but it's limited to a 1 minute duration and a large MP cost

How do merits factor into the skill boost from Light and Dark Arts? Are they added after the bump in skill, or is the player limited to a B+?

[Rakael]

Grrr....this is making me want to play FFXI again. Damnit.

[Panthera]

I really like the sound of the Scholar class. I'm a BLM/RDM, myself, and love making things go 'splody, but also tend to be the healer in every other MMO that I play, so would like the option.

Well, looks like I finally got the registration going. I haven't played since 2004! My character is level 24, and on Asura. Looks like we might be able to do some partying, Gorvi.

[Gorvi]

Thanks for the Scholar info! I agree the lack of Haste is damaging to the job. Perhaps they didn't want to give the players access to an AOE version of the spell? yes, Garuda has Hastaga, but it's limited to a 1 minute duration and a large MP cost

How do merits factor into the skill boost from Light and Dark Arts? Are they added after the bump in skill, or is the player limited to a B+?
Yeah, I'm guessing that's the reason why, too. Though I've heard that some spells just can't be made AoE (Raise I think is one, which SCH gets at 35, I forgot to mention that before). I don't think you can AoE the weather spells either, but once again, I won't know for sure until I get to 41 myself. Still, in order to even be considered at later levels as a healer, Haste needs to be there.

As far as Merits, sadly, I've done no meriting at all, so I have no idea. Long story short, I hit BLM a few months before ToAU came out, then ended up taking an 8 month break from the game due to personal reasons. I never really got back into the endgame thing after that, so I never bothered meriting. I'll do some on my BST and merit up my BLM skills once I get more of the BST skills I want maxed.
Grrr....this is making me want to play FFXI again. Damnit.
:D
I really like the sound of the Scholar class. I'm a BLM/RDM, myself, and love making things go 'splody, but also tend to be the healer in every other MMO that I play, so would like the option.

Well, looks like I finally got the registration going. I haven't played since 2004! My character is level 24, and on Asura. Looks like we might be able to do some partying, Gorvi.
Cool! Let me know when ya get on, and I'll give ya any help I can. :)


So, to continue with my little log here, I hit 24 last night. I started out just soloing worms in Qufim, and that went really easily. I could take one T to VT worm down with about 2/3 my MP pool, and it would have gone quicker if I could avoid getting hit with Rasp and could actually sit right away after the fights.

After getting about 1k xp myself, a RDM asked me if I wanted to duo with them, which sounded like a good idea. So we duo'd for about an hour, with her Silencing them and casting and me just nuking the hell out of them. She hit 24, so we decided to disband and I started seeking again.

So I got a party finally, and we ended up killing Gigas's in Lower Delkfutt's Tower. That went pretty well, but only lasted for about 40 minutes (I was a replacement). Still, I made 24 with about 2k buffer. I went back and solo'd some more worms last night, logged, then did a few more this morning before heading to Kazham in preperation for tonight. So now I'm 1.7k away from 25.

Oh, and the whole time I've been on Dark Arts, I haven't main healed in the last few parties now. It makes me glad that I invested in so much +INT gear, that's for sure. The nuking abilities of the job so far seem to be pretty close to that of BLM. It's just fun to play like a BLM again after not having done it in such a long time, though I wish people actually skillchained. I have a feeling that once I pass 37, I'll end up main healing more, since there will more than likely just be less healers around in general. I'll be really interested to see what SCH AF gear does, but it looks like we won't be seeing that for at least a month according to the POL site (they're saying early March for the update).

Well, here's me as of this morning:

http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj64/GorviTaru/Scholar1.jpg

[Panthera]

Well, I'm in the game. Wow... is it ever hard getting back into the swing of things. I forgot how un-user friendly it is. Still, the charm's still there. I plan to be on for a while tonight.

Anyone on Asura, give Eilu a whisper sometime.

[Panthera]

http://img134.imageshack.us/img134/6143/img20080206212509ko6.png

Thanks, Gorvi!

[BreakerX]

My LS is going to kill me for not playing in forever. Things IRL have been a fun mess lately so I can't log on unfortunately. To stay on topic I'm hating the fact that I want to get my SCH through the dunes as well, but after smn, whm, and rdm I really don't want to main heal.

[Gorvi]

Thanks, Gorvi!
No problem! Sorry we weren't able to get you your key, but I'll get it for ya soon. :)

[Gorvi]

Well, last night I got my first party in the dreaded Jungles as a Scholar. It actually went really well. I was the main healer, so it was mostly Light Arts (though I did switch to Dark Arts near the end of fights to finish off the mobs). The party consisted of a NIN/WAR (who did a fantastic job of solo tanking the Mandys, not an easy task at that level), a DRK/WAR, a DRG/WAR, a THF/NIN, and a BRD/NIN (why /NIN, I have no idea). Anyway, it went really well, and I was able to get 26 before the party ended up disbanding. Main healing was a nice change of pace, and I swear, Regen just makes doing it so much easier. More WHMs and RDMs really should take advantage of that, it helps so much with hate and MP management.

So I now have the holy trinity of spells for getting through areas with aggro: Sneak, Deoderize, and Invisible. I also got my second pair of Stratagems: Celerity and Alacrity. They're not all that useful right now, as all they do is lower the casting time for your next spell of the corresponding school of magic. Right now, I'd rather use my charge on Penury and Parsimony, which lowers cost. I can see the new ones being usful for spells like Raise and Escape later on, though. Unfortunately, I won't be getting any more new spells until 30, where I start getting my tier II elemental nukes with Stone II, as well as Protect II and Cure III.

[KIllrazor]

You seem to be progressing nicely, Gorvi. I almost feel like leveling a Mage job now. That's what I usually end up playing on most of the MMOs I played, but this time around I kinda promised myself to be mellee.

I don't touch the game in 10 days now. I miss it a lot. I'm on this business trip and my laptop can't run the game at a descent speed. I'm still WAR36/MNK18. I should get one more level and start leveling DRG to see how that goes.

[Magnanimous Gnome]

Stuff like this is what gaming is all about! :)

[Gorvi]

Well, I ended up making it from 24 to 28 over the weekend. I went through at least 6 parties, so I'm not going to go over each, as they blur together a bit. :p I was main healing most of the time, and it went well for the most part.

I did have, on multiple occasions, some, well, "challenged" players in the groups I was in. More than once while moving camps a couple of players ended up training multiple goblins to camp, resulting in my first (and only) death as a Scholar so far. After that, I just made sure that I had Invisible up whenever people were getting together. I actually had what was possibly the worst party I've been in in literally years. Two Monks trying to duo tank (it can be done), but one of them refused to Provoke ("But I'd get hit!" /sigh), so after the one that was provoking died for the second fight in a row, I just /shutdown without saying a word. I hate doing something like that, but man, that was just sad.

I'm still loving Scholar, though, despite the awful string of parties I had on Sunday. Friday and Saturday night went really well, getting me from very early in 24 to nearly 28. I only ended up getting a total of maybe 4k xp all of Sunday, through 3 parties. So it wasn't all bad by far, but those awful parties yesterday are just fresh in my mind. This is my 8th trip through the jungles (thankfully BST didn't have to suffer that), and they are by far my least favorite place in the game to level. By far. But, thankfully, I'm close to 29, and by 31, I'll be done there for good with SCH.

[Panthera]

Well, I spent some time trying to get the key in Yughott on my own, but it just wasn't working. I solo'd a few before being smacked around a bit too carelessly.

I de-leveled.

On the bright side, my subjob isn't underleveled anymore!

Last night, I decided that I should probably spend some time with my RDM11 class to get used to the game again and maybe earn some money for BLM spells, so hopped on a chocobo to San'Doria, got started on the rank 3 mission, bought new equipment and spells, and then promptly suffered a power outage. Whee!

Despite all this, I'm oddly eager to play again. I joined up with a casual Windhurst-based guild: TheMoogleConspiracy.

[Gorvi]

Well, I spent some time trying to get the key in Yughott on my own, but it just wasn't working. I solo'd a few before being smacked around a bit too carelessly.

I de-leveled.

On the bright side, my subjob isn't underleveled anymore!

Last night, I decided that I should probably spend some time with my RDM11 class to get used to the game again and maybe earn some money for BLM spells, so hopped on a chocobo to San'Doria, got started on the rank 3 mission, bought new equipment and spells, and then promptly suffered a power outage. Whee!

Despite all this, I'm oddly eager to play again. I joined up with a casual Windhurst-based guild: TheMoogleConspiracy.
Cool. :) Man, I haven't been in an LS in a long time, but TheMoogleConspiracy sounds really familiar.

As far as soloing those mobs, it's just really hard to do at 25. As a RDM, you'd be ok, but as a BLM, it'd be really, really tough. To the point where I'd recommend against it entirely.

Getting Rank 3 is actually rather easy. The dragon fight is the biggest thing, and that can be done by 3 people easily (there's a cap of 25 on the fight). You just need a BLM to sleep one of the mobs and you're good to go. Heck, getting to Rank 5 is pretty easy, and that's where you really want to get, as it gets you an Airship pass for the airships that go between Jeuno and the 3 starting cities. Getting Rank 4 involves a long run up Delkfutt's Tower and fight at the top, but other than the run being long, it's simple (well, I can solo it for you easily anyway). Rank 5 is no fights, just a lot of sneaking around the higher level beastman areas. Once again, time consuming, but very easy.

I actually didn't make it on at all last night, since I was updating my PS2. I'd borrowed the PS2 version of WotG to install it on my PS2 from a friend, and I had a ton of updating to do once it was installed.

[Panthera]

Yeah, I was -just- able to kill those mobs, but I had to rest between every single one. And, I looked it up on the wiki and realized I don't even have all the level 24 BLM spells.

I'll definitely tackle rank 3 more seriously after a few more levels in RDM.

Here's a question for you: Which is the better place to solo for EXP at 11? La Theine, or Ghelsba?

[Gorvi]

Yeah, I was -just- able to kill those mobs, but I had to rest between every single one. And, I looked it up on the wiki and realized I don't even have all the level 24 BLM spells.

I'll definitely tackle rank 3 more seriously after a few more levels in RDM.

Here's a question for you: Which is the better place to solo for EXP at 11? La Theine, or Ghelsba?
Ahh, now that's what I know since I solo all of my jobs to 15 before heading to the Dunes. For me, I always take my jobs to 15 in West Sarutabaruta around the big hill with that huge tree. It's not the fastest spot in the world, but it's decent, and you get some good drops to sell (beehive chips and honey from bees, and silk thread from crawlers [drop the calculases], not to mention crystals). Not only do you not have to bother with the Dunes for a little longer, but that should also pay for your spells as well pretty easily.

When you solo, grab some Meat Jerky off the AH, it's +Attack food and it'll help you hit quite a bit harder to make things go quicker. If that's not there, Dhalmel Steak or Wild Steak will do (does something similar, but lasts 3 hours). Soloing as RDM, just go RDM/WAR (trust me, it's worth it) and use a bow and arrow to pull the mobs to you and melee with a sword and shield. Only use your MP for Cures and Protect, and you should be fine, not having to sit and rest MP much at all. Since you're 11, I'd recommend getting most of the Scale Mail set (http://wiki.ffxiclopedia.org/wiki/Scale_Mail_Set) of armor.

Oh, and if you haven't already, go to the guys you get Signet from (make sure you always have that) and get an Empress Band (http://wiki.ffxiclopedia.org/wiki/Empress_Band). That'll help a TON.

[Panthera]

Ahh, now that's what I know since I solo all of my jobs to 15 before heading to the Dunes. For me, I always take my jobs to 15 in West Sarutabaruta around the big hill with that huge tree. It's not the fastest spot in the world, but it's decent, and you get some good drops to sell (beehive chips and honey from bees, and silk thread from crawlers [drop the calculases], not to mention crystals). Not only do you not have to bother with the Dunes for a little longer, but that should also pay for your spells as well pretty easily.

Hmm. Maybe I should finish off the mission in San'Doria and then head over there instead. I kinda miss Windy.

When you solo, grab some Meat Jerky off the AH, it's +Attack food and it'll help you hit quite a bit harder to make things go quicker. If that's not there, Dhalmel Steak or Wild Steak will do (does something similar, but lasts 3 hours). Soloing as RDM, just go RDM/WAR (trust me, it's worth it) and use a bow and arrow to pull the mobs to you and melee with a sword and shield. Only use your MP for Cures and Protect, and you should be fine, not having to sit and rest MP much at all. Since you're 11, I'd recommend getting most of the Scale Mail set (http://wiki.ffxiclopedia.org/wiki/Scale_Mail_Set) of armor.

Huh. I never though of any of this. I pulled with BLM spells, if I remember right - that seemed to work, but I guess that method would use less mana. I've also never bought or used any consumables, ever. I'll have to try some out.

And, uh, I just bought a full set of Brass armor. At least it was cheap.

Oh, and if you haven't already, go to the guys you get Signet from (make sure you always have that) and get an Empress Band (http://wiki.ffxiclopedia.org/wiki/Empress_Band). That'll help a TON.

Ohh, so that's how you get those. Awesome.

[Gorvi]

Hmm. Maybe I should finish off the mission in San'Doria and then head over there instead. I kinda miss Windy.
Well, gil is always something you're in need of in FFXI, no matter what your level. I've always leveled low jobs there because, from what I've found, it's the best spot to get good selling drops while you level. I did do BLU in Ghelsba Outpost on the Funguars in the caves (drop mushrooms, which sell well), but I was there trying to learn spells too, so I just finished it off.
Huh. I never though of any of this. I pulled with BLM spells, if I remember right - that seemed to work, but I guess that method would use less mana. I've also never bought or used any consumables, ever. I'll have to try some out.
Well, I've taken 12 jobs to or past 15, so believe me, I'm used to it. :p It's all about doing it the fastest with the least downtime. :) When you do a bit more leveling, you'll get used to using food. The stat boosts you get from different foods are very much worth their relatively trivial cost. If you want to know what a particular food does, just look it up on the WIki. For soloing, the +Attack food is the way to go. Once you get RDM in a party (if you do), then I'd recommend something like Roast Mushrooms that adds +MND (good for healing and enfeebling) and adds to the MP you recover when resting.
And, uh, I just bought a full set of Brass armor. At least it was cheap.
Well, it's really not that big of a deal, but it would help. Heck, some of the DEF on them may be the same, you'd have to check. I'm just sort of a percectionist. :p
Ohh, so that's how you get those. Awesome.
Yeah, that thing is great. You get one charge you can use 16 hours after you've used your last one, 7 charges per week, and you can recharge it once a week (after the Conquest update every Sunday morning). It's essentially a free 7k xp every week if you use it daily.

[Panthera]

Sounds like good advice. I guess I should level up WAR a bit, then. A sub-subjob? Beware Tarutaru fury! :p

[Shjinta]

Ugh. My lvl 15 Warrior, Is still sitting at a outpost in Dunes I believe. From all the times I'd log on and never get a group. I just left him there.

[Gorvi]

Ugh. My lvl 15 Warrior, Is still sitting at a outpost in Dunes I believe. From all the times I'd log on and never get a group. I just left him there.
Man, I wish I could've given you a hand when you'd played. I was on an odd schedule at that point. :(

[Shjinta]

Man, I wish I could've given you a hand when you'd played. I was on an odd schedule at that point. :(

That you were, I'm going to start playing the game again, once I figure out how to get it to run on Vista.. But I dread returning to my Warrior.. even though i'm working towards my ultimate goal of the Dragoon class.

[Gorvi]

That you were, I'm going to start playing the game again, once I figure out how to get it to run on Vista.. But I dread returning to my Warrior.. even though i'm working towards my ultimate goal of the Dragoon class.
I'm pretty sure it runs fine on Vista now. I know they had a patch for the Windows version a while back for Vista compatability.

It looks like you have to download a Vista compatable version of PlayOnline here (http://www.playonline.com/homeus/headline/news01.html#ff11).

[Shjinta]

I'm pretty sure it runs fine on Vista now. I know they had a patch for the Windows version a while back for Vista compatability.

It looks like you have to download a Vista compatable version of PlayOnline here (http://www.playonline.com/homeus/headline/news01.html#ff11).

When I tried it a while ago. I couldn't get it to install. Bleh. I'll download and try this one. I"ll have to go dig out my DVD and try to remember my frigging username / password

[Panthera]

Does anyone know if you can log into accounts from any version of FFXI? I've been trying to track down the expansions, and it looks like it might just be easier to get the 360 version. The Windows version is showing its age, anyway.

[Gorvi]

Does anyone know if you can log into accounts from any version of FFXI? I've been trying to track down the expansions, and it looks like it might just be easier to get the 360 version. The Windows version is showing its age, anyway.
Yep, you can. I regularly swap between the 360 and PS2 version, depending on which TV I feel like sitting at. I've logged in from friends PCs before too, so it works across all of them.

[Holiday]

Does anyone know if you can log into accounts from any version of FFXI? I've been trying to track down the expansions, and it looks like it might just be easier to get the 360 version. The Windows version is showing its age, anyway.

There are several tweaks you can do to make the Windows version look much nicer. First and foremost, a registry change to increase your background resolution:

Go to Start->Run and type regedit, this brings up a list. Click on the [+] for HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE, then Software, then find PlayonlineUS in your list. Click Square Enix then FINAL FANTASY XI. You will now have a list of numbers like 0014 etc. Double click 0003 and 0004 to change the background res. Set it to hexadecimal and put in the following for each res: 640x640 = 1600x1600 800x800 = 2048x2048

Changing the background settings alone will be an amazing change. Personally I've found 1600x1600 to be a sweet spot. Higher than that is negligible visually for the additional processor strain. FFXI is a rather piss poor port, which puts most of the visual processing strain on your CPU.

Check out windower.net (http://windower.faservers.net/wiki/) for a list of safe apps to boost FF visually. Outside of the background tweaks, the two things I would recommend is a draw distance app (http://www.windower.net/forums/viewtopic.php?t=7671) and new fonts. Improved draw distance is basically the only thing superior about the 360 version over PC. For a better font, check out Brandson's font pack (http://brandson.livejournal.com/9286.html). Unfortunately, both of these changes may be affected by FFXI updates. If that happens you'll have to wait for the authors to update and re-install.

[Panthera]

Thanks for the suggestions. I'm already using windower, I'll check out the draw distance app... and probably plug in a controller.

[Gorvi]

Thanks for the suggestions. I'm already using windower, I'll check out the draw distance app... and probably plug in a controller.
Be very careful using 3rd party programs. Not only do some of them have key loggers hidden in them to steal passwords, but SE has gone on a banning frenzy over the past year with people using 3rd party programs of any kind. As far as a windowrer, they announced an offical one at the fanfest back in November, but I don't know if it's actually out yet. I think it is.

[51|RandoM]

I miss this game. I got fed-up with the economy after spending a weekend as the one NA guy trying to get an HNM camped by 6 people with 1/5 my ping.

[Panthera]

Well, here's how I see it: If I can't alt-tab away from the game when needed, then I might as well be banned anyway, because I won't be playing.

I'm not too stuck up on the visuals. I still think it looks pretty good, certainly very artistic, and I have an odd fondness for the way distance textures look without mip-mapping turned on. I'll probably end up getting the 360 version anyway.

[Gorvi]

I miss this game. I got fed-up with the economy after spending a weekend as the one NA guy trying to get an HNM camped by 6 people with 1/5 my ping.
I don't think that's as much of an issue anymore, though it still happens. I've only camped HNMs a few times, and got quickly bored of it. There's a lot more to do endgame now, with Assaults, Dynamis (old, but still not bad), Einherjar, Salvage, Limbus, and the new Campaign stuff.

[Holiday]

Be very careful using 3rd party programs. Not only do some of them have key loggers hidden in them to steal passwords, but SE has gone on a banning frenzy over the past year with people using 3rd party programs of any kind. As far as a windowrer, they announced an offical one at the fanfest back in November, but I don't know if it's actually out yet. I think it is.

Agreed. The registry changes are of course absolutely safe, but with anything else use at your own risk. The ones I linked I personally have used, and can not be detected by SE. They merely update the look of the game on your client side.

I miss this game. I got fed-up with the economy after spending a weekend as the one NA guy trying to get an HNM camped by 6 people with 1/5 my ping.

This was fixed a couple years back. There is now a random delay before a newly spawned mob can be claimed. It evens the playing field for the NA players and those not cheating with a bot.

[Panthera]

Agreed. The registry changes are of course absolutely safe, but with anything else use at your own risk. The ones I linked I personally have used, and can not be detected by SE. They merely update the look of the game on your client side.

Does that statement include Windower itself?

[Holiday]

Does that statement include Windower itself?

As of 4 months ago(when I last played), yes. A main goal of the devs always was a windower that operated only on the client side, and sent no trace of itself to SE.

The windower comes packaged with a few plug-ins that are rather beneficial to gameplay, and are client side only. However, since they do give a benefit to PC players over X-box/ PS2 players, some choose to disable them. Specifically TParty (displays party member's TP by their HP/MP bar), Recast(puts a cool-down counter to every spell/ability in the upper left of the screen), and the Distance plug-in (displays a measurement of the distance between your character and your current target). Oddly, all of this information is sent to every client, even though SE hasn't integrated it into the GUI.

[Panthera]

Ah, good. Yeah, I disabled most of the plugins that came with it - I found them to clutter my screen and stand out a bit much.

[Panthera]

Update!

Anti-aliasing mysteriously started working! Between that and the draw distance plugin for windower, the visuals have been improved vastly. I'm shocked by how amazing it looks now.

I got up to level 6 in WAR last night - probably took me 2.5 hours total, thanks to Gorvi's fantastic advice. I found it oddly thrilling to one-shot worms with the longbow after I got my archery skill up a bit, and still get XP from them. I burned through my first Empress Ring charge in no time at all.

I guess racial stats don't make as huge of a difference as I thought they did.

Next session, I'll get another level in WAR, then maybe switch back to BLM to solo the San'Doria part of this mission (http://wiki.ffxiclopedia.org/wiki/Windurst_Mission_2-3). Once that's all done, I can start making my way back to Windurst to level RDM.

[Gorvi]

Update!

Anti-aliasing mysteriously started working! Between that and the draw distance plugin for windower, the visuals have been improved vastly. I'm shocked by how amazing it looks now.

I got up to level 6 in WAR last night - probably took me 2.5 hours total, thanks to Gorvi's fantastic advice. I found it oddly thrilling to one-shot worms with the longbow after I got my archery skill up a bit, and still get XP from them. I burned through my first Empress Ring charge in no time at all.

I guess racial stats don't make as huge of a difference as I thought they did.

Next session, I'll get another level in WAR, then maybe switch back to BLM to solo the San'Doria part of this mission (http://wiki.ffxiclopedia.org/wiki/Windurst_Mission_2-3). Once that's all done, I can start making my way back to Windurst to level RDM.
Cool! Glad to hear you had an easy time getting WAR to 6. For that Dragon fight, you'll need help, at least 2 other people, one being a BLM to sleep the dragon while everyone takes care of Spotter first. I can give you a hand with that, just give me some prior notice. It'd be fun to go in as MNK, pop a Sole Sushi +1, and destroy the Dragon with Hundred Fists. :)

So, as far as my update, I was finally able to make 30 Scholar last night! I got into a pretty good party, despite the odd setup (NIN/WAR, PLD/WAR, THF/NIN, SMN/WHM, RDM/WHM, and me as SCH/BLM). Why they had two tanks I have no idea, since I was a replacement for someone else. I was really the only heavy DD there, so I ended up doing the bulk of the damage, and pulling a fair amount of hate in the process. But, since there were two tanks, they were able to pull the Mandragoras off me with no problem. 99% of the time I was able to Drain back any HP that I'd lose, and with the RDM casting Gravity on the mobs, half the time it didn't even make it back to me before the tanks got hate back anyway. Those things hit like little girls anyway. :p

So, good things all around there. If I remember right, I can do a couple more levels in the Yhoater (til 32) before moving on to somewhere else. So, getting 30, I of course got some new gear. I have so much +INT from gear right now, it's sick (+23). I've got about the same amount of +MND gear for when I'm healing, so I'm pretty well set. Soon I'm going to have to make 2 macro sets for swapping gear between Light Arts and Dark Arts since I'm getting a lot that's more tailored towards one over the other.

[Gorvi]

Another night, another party. This one was very good, though. I was a replacement, and it only lasted for about an hour after I got there, but we flew through 6.5k xp in that time and I hit 31 with buffer xp. The setup was PLD/WAR, DNC/NIN, THF/NIN, WHM/BLM, SAM/WAR, and SCH/BLM.

It's funny, the PLD/WAR and DNC/NIN seem to be a couple (Melee and Meshel) and I'd partied with them before back at 19-21 doing the beetle camp in Sauromugue Champaign that I'd never done before. This time, it was another camp I hadn't done before at this level: Bibiki Bay just East of the Manaclipper dock fighting Ravens and Marine Dhalmels. A few times our puller ended up pulling two Ravens accidentally (they link), and without Sleep of any kind, I thought we were screwed. But, the DNC was able to take one and occupy it both times (with some healing help from both the WHM and myself) while the rest of us killed off the first as fast as we could, then moved on to the other. The party worked very, very good together.

No new spells, unfortunately. I won't be getting any more until Water II at 34.

[Panthera]

I didn't play for as long last night, but I still made some good progress. I leveled my WAR up to 7 in Eastern Ronfaure, made some money on the auction house, then switched back to BLM to knock off Warchief Vatgit. With the draw distance cracked right up, there were some absolutely beautiful visuals in the Ghelsba Outpost area.

Once I smacked Vatgit around, I decided that I might as well regain my lost level, so ventured into the Fort and then into Yughott. I noticed that there was a NM on the lower level, so decided to solo my way in there. I got my level 24 back after a fight or two, and soloed my way to the right area only to find that there was someone already camping the spot. Still, I had a 300xp buffer and was satisfied with my accomplishments, so warped back to town and finished off that part of the mission at the Windurst consulate.

Next session, whenever that may be: Figure out the fastest way to return to Windurst, and start leveling RDM.

[Panthera]

http://img144.imageshack.us/img144/7872/eiluandorcpo6.png

I thought this was a good picture. So cute in her leather beret! :o

[Gorvi]

I didn't play for as long last night, but I still made some good progress. I leveled my WAR up to 7 in Eastern Ronfaure, made some money on the auction house, then switched back to BLM to knock off Warchief Vatgit. With the draw distance cracked right up, there were some absolutely beautiful visuals in the Ghelsba Outpost area.

Once I smacked Vatgit around, I decided that I might as well regain my lost level, so ventured into the Fort and then into Yughott. I noticed that there was a NM on the lower level, so decided to solo my way in there. I got my level 24 back after a fight or two, and soloed my way to the right area only to find that there was someone already camping the spot. Still, I had a 300xp buffer and was satisfied with my accomplishments, so warped back to town and finished off that part of the mission at the Windurst consulate.

Next session, whenever that may be: Figure out the fastest way to return to Windurst, and start leveling RDM.
Nice!

The fastest way to get back to Windy would be to shout in South Sandy asking for a Teleport-Mea and then just grab a Chocobo from the crag once you're in Tahrongi. Something along the lines of this: "{Teleport-Mea} {Can I have it?} 1K". Trust me, paying for the tele from a whm will be well worth not having to Chocobo to Jeuno, then get another to go to Windy (1 chocobo ride wouldn't be enough to go all the way).

[Cyndair]

Just got caught up on this post. Glad to hear you are enjoying SCH Gorvi. It seems like a really interesting class that I hope more people try. It seems like there are 380283437 dancers running around but very few scholars. It's also nice to see that there are still new people joining FFXI. I tried to get a RL friend of mine to play with me but he hated it. I was starting to think that I was crazy for enjoying this game.

I've been having plenty of my own adventures in FFXI over the past couple months. Since I started playing again I've taken warrior from 67 to 75. (My second 75 job now with PLD being the other) I've since used warrior to earn some merits. TP burn parties with my LS are fantastic. We can crank out about 13k an hour on birds in the ToAU areas. I've done 3 levels in critical hit rate, 4 levels on 1h axe, 2 on 1h sword, 1 on shield, 3 levels on HP, one on MP, one on double attack rate, and one in each aggressor and berserk. I need to stop spreading the points around and just focus on one thing but I can't help it. I love leveling up different things for both PLD and WAR.

I've also been participating in some end game activities with the LS. We had a bunch of Kirin sets from a long time ago so we've been going through those, fighting 2 Kirins every other Saturday. I managed to score a pair of Crimson Cuisses (http://wiki.ffxiclopedia.org/wiki/Crimson_Cuisses) for my PLD. Hurrah for +12% run speed! We also do Limbus twice a week and Omega once every other week. I got the Homam head piece (http://wiki.ffxiclopedia.org/wiki/Homam_Zucchetto) for my PLD and I'm saving my beastcoins for a Boxer's Mantle (http://wiki.ffxiclopedia.org/wiki/Boxer%27s_Mantle). I've also been working with a small group on Assault missions once a week or so. We all started as Private First Class and we just hit Superior Private on Monday. I like the Assault missions, they are quick, fun, and take some goofy strategies and teamwork to beat.

On my own, I've been enjoying Campaign battles when I only have a few minutes to play. Fun to finally have something in FFXI where you can log on, instantly join a battle, and get some exp out of it. I've also been working at skilling up great axe since I neglected it while leveling warrior. I finally took THF from 25-37 so that I can use it as a sub for farming and for strategies that call for WAR/THF. I'm not sure I could take THF up to 75 without wanting to gouge my eyes out. It's fun when you have a smart party that understands the dynamics of the THF but it's hell if you don't.

I'm blown away by how much variety there is in this game end level compared to when I quit awhile back. I feel like I've accomplished a ton since I returned and I've somehow done it without neglecting my wife. Bonus!

[Panthera]

Nice!

The fastest way to get back to Windy would be to shout in South Sandy asking for a Teleport-Mea and then just grab a Chocobo from the crag once you're in Tahrongi. Something along the lines of this: "{Teleport-Mea} {Can I have it?} 1K". Trust me, paying for the tele from a whm will be well worth not having to Chocobo to Jeuno, then get another to go to Windy (1 chocobo ride wouldn't be enough to go all the way).

Aw, man. 1K? That's like... 6% of my entire bank! (16k after last night)

Granted, I could possibly earn that back in the twenty minutes of travel it would save me, but I might take the chocobos anyway just to see the sights. Perhaps hop on the ferry at Selbina.

[Gorvi]

Aw, man. 1K? That's like... 6% of my entire bank! (16k after last night)

Granted, I could possibly earn that back in the twenty minutes of travel it would save me, but I might take the chocobos anyway just to see the sights. Perhaps hop on the ferry at Selbina.
It's not a bad idea going there yourself by chocobo, it'd be a nice refresher on what zones connect to what and how to get places. FFXI-Atlas (http://www.ffxi-atlas.com/) is a handy tool to use if you need to figure out how to get anywhere.

If I'm on I could always hop on over to Sandy and give you a quick Teleport. I'd advise against gonig the Ferry route unless you want to go AFK for the 20 minute ferry ride. It just takes so damn long, but I do appreciate that when I go fishing on it.

Here's a quick tip though that will help you get around quicker later: Outpost Teleporting (http://wiki.ffxiclopedia.org/wiki/Outpost_Teleporting). It's incredibly useful and once you get a good amount of them done, you can travel most places very quickly. I can keep my home point set in Port Windurst and from there can get to nearly anywhere in Vana'diel (normal, Zilart, and CoP areas) in around 15 minutes, sometimes a little more if there's a lot of running involved from the outpost.

And Cyndair, holy crap man, that all sounds great. I'm working on jobs number 2 (BST) and 3 (SCH) to 75 myself, and it's cool to hear how much you've been able to do.

[Cyndair]

Here's a quick tip though that will help you get around quicker later: Outpost Teleporting (http://wiki.ffxiclopedia.org/wiki/Outpost_Teleporting). It's incredibly useful and once you get a good amount of them done, you can travel most places very quickly. I can keep my home point set in Port Windurst and from there can get to nearly anywhere in Vana'diel (normal, Zilart, and CoP areas) in around 15 minutes, sometimes a little more if there's a lot of running involved from the outpost.

And Cyndair, holy crap man, that all sounds great. I'm working on jobs number 2 (BST) and 3 (SCH) to 75 myself, and it's cool to hear how much you've been able to do.

I was going to make a comment about Outpost warping but you beat me to the punch. Definitely worth the time that you will put into it. It is nice to have your home point based out of your home nation since it gives you access to the cheaper AH for selling crafting materials and the chocobo stables if you are working on raising your own bird. Also a quick run to a cavernous maw if you want to join a campaign battle in the past. (Once you get that high)

Yeah, I've been having a blast. I wish I was on Asura so I could hang with you guys and help out though.

[KIllrazor]

I got back to the game last night but no luck in getting a Party invite or forming my own. I was on for 2 hours and could not get any Party going. I so want to get from 36 to 37 so I can start working on a different job!

Oh, and I have a bunch of screenshots here (http://www.flickr.com/photos/killtrash) that I started taking from my first days in FFXI.

[Cyndair]

I got back to the game last night but no luck in getting a Party invite or forming my own. I was on for 2 hours and could not get any Party going. I so want to get from 36 to 37 so I can start working on a different job!

Oh, and I have a bunch of screenshots here (http://www.flickr.com/photos/killtrash) that I started taking from my first days in FFXI.

It's so frustrating when you can't manage to put a party together or get an invite. Feels like such a waste of a night. Unfortunately that can be a common thing when leveling a melee dmg job in FFXI. What are you planning on leveling once you get warrior to 37?

I checked out your screenshots. Very cool. I remember doing all that stuff. Getting to Jeuno for the first time, first time riding a chocobo, the 2-3 dragon fight, kazham keys. One thing FFXI has over other MMOs like WoW is the sense of accomplishment that you get when you make progress. It's the little things that give the game its charm.

[Panthera]

I took a chocobo to Jeuno, and then another to Windurst last night.

God damn, was it ever worth it, just to see what the areas look like with the draw distance cranked up with the windower plugin. It took my breath away, seriously. Seeing from one end to the other of the Meriphataud Mountains, with the great spine across the middle... wow.

And Sarutabaruta? Simply gorgeous. When I heard that music, which I haven't in four years, it felt like I was coming home.

[Cyndair]

Yeah, drawdistance makes all the difference in the world. It's like the game as it was meant to be played. Since it removes the fog, it seems to make the colors in the game a lot richer as well. When you get a chance, head over to the sanctuary of zi'tah and check that out with DD turned way up. Looks awesome.

[Gorvi]

Yeah, drawdistance makes all the difference in the world. It's like the game as it was meant to be played. Since it removes the fog, it seems to make the colors in the game a lot richer as well. When you get a chance, head over to the sanctuary of zi'tah and check that out with DD turned way up. Looks awesome.
That is my favorite zone in the game, with maybe the Hall of the Gods coming close.

[Cyndair]

That is my favorite zone in the game, with maybe the Hall of the Gods coming close.

The Hall of the Gods is all kinds of awesome. I remember how psyched I was the first time I went through there after completing the ZMs required to get to Sky.

I'm a big fan of Al'Taieu as well. The whole walking on water thing is neat and the mobs there are so unique.

[Gorvi]

Well, last night I was able to make it to 32 (and about half way in, too) in a party in Eastern Altepa Desert. It was the kind of party that I almost feel dirty being part of, though. Why? Because there was a power leveler. I really hate that, but it's a catch 22, because it was either that or no party last night.

So, I went SCH/BLM again and just nuked to my heart's content. I still have a few more levels to go before I get any new spells. It's odd, there's a 4 level gap between new spells (30-34), and then after that there's only 3 levels up to 51 (39, 44, 48) where I don't get anything new, with some levels having multiple new spells. What I'm really looking forward to is Raise (35), Aspir (36), Regen II (37, and that's 7 levels before WHM gets it), and Sandstorm (41), my first Weather spell.

[KIllrazor]

It's so frustrating when you can't manage to put a party together or get an invite. Feels like such a waste of a night. Unfortunately that can be a common thing when leveling a melee dmg job in FFXI. What are you planning on leveling once you get warrior to 37?

I checked out your screenshots. Very cool. I remember doing all that stuff. Getting to Jeuno for the first time, first time riding a chocobo, the 2-3 dragon fight, kazham keys. One thing FFXI has over other MMOs like WoW is the sense of accomplishment that you get when you make progress. It's the little things that give the game its charm.

It's been kinda hard for me the last 3 times or so I logged in and I could not find a team or assemble my own. I think I'm cursed or something.

I was planning on leveling DRG. But I'm having second thoughts now, since a lot of people is telling me that it will be a bit harder to get team invites. I just think that Job is so cool and all! I'll decide when I get to 37 on my WAR.

And yep, FFXI is not a walk in the park at all. Something that you want to do you need to work hard to get it. Even getting from Sandy to Jeuno on my own the first time was very challenging but the sense of accomplishment is great! I love that aspect of the game actually.

[Gorvi]

Well, I should have put up a post yesterday, but never got around to it. As a result of a very good party on Saturday night, a very good party on yesterday afternoon, and a decent party last night (with possibly the worst PLD I've ever come across), I've now taken Scholar to the full sub level of 37. I now have Raise, Aspir, and Regen II, and man am I loving the job. In 4 more levels, I'll start getting my weather spells (every 2 levels up until 55), so that should be interesting.

I still think the job is missing some things, but at least I'm not alone in that, as the dev team seems to fully realize that (http://www.mmorpg.com/showFeature.cfm?LOADFEATURE=1766&BHCP=1%2C1&bhcp=1). I really can't wait to see what they add in the update in a few weeks.

[Holiday]

Well, I should have put up a post yesterday, but never got around to it. As a result of a very good party on Saturday night, a very good party on yesterday afternoon, and a decent party last night (with possibly the worst PLD I've ever come across), I've now taken Scholar to the full sub level of 37. I now have Raise, Aspir, and Regen II, and man am I loving the job. In 4 more levels, I'll start getting my weather spells (every 2 levels up until 55), so that should be interesting.

I still think the job is missing some things, but at least I'm not alone in that, as the dev team seems to fully realize that (http://www.mmorpg.com/showFeature.cfm?LOADFEATURE=1766&BHCP=1%2C1&bhcp=1). I really can't wait to see what they add in the update in a few weeks.

Grats on 37, Gorvi! EXP always became more fun past the mid-thirties. The players gain enough spells and abilities to start a proper party dynamic. Or maybe it's just past the point of subjob leveling, so players are more informed about their job.

The downside past 37 being less people lfg and longer wait times. Scholar looks to be one of the few jobs that can solo while seeking. With a good BLM solo guide you can log on and immediately get EXPing. How is Asura server population? My server was hard pressed to break 2k, so seek times could be excruciating.

[Gorvi]

Grats on 37, Gorvi! EXP always became more fun past the mid-thirties. The players gain enough spells and abilities to start a proper party dynamic. Or maybe it's just past the point of subjob leveling, so players are more informed about their job.

The downside past 37 being less people lfg and longer wait times. Scholar looks to be one of the few jobs that can solo while seeking. With a good BLM solo guide you can log on and immediately get EXPing. How is Asura server population? My server was hard pressed to break 2k, so seek times could be excruciating.
Thanks! Yeah, I really think it's the fact that you no longer have people "just leveling a subjob". Man, I always hated that excuse when people would use it to explain why they were geared like crap. You also get another Refresher past Bard with RDM getting it at 41, and I think that helps a lot. That really stops the "have to wait for MP" thing between pulls.

I should be ok soloing as Scholar using a BLM guide once I get to 40 and can get Sleep from a BLM sub (or 50 with a RDM sub, which I'd prefer to get Gravity too).

Server population seems to be pretty good. Average around NA peek time seems to be about 2.2k, with well over 3.1k late weekend morngings EST when you have JP and NA crossover.

[MelbaToast]

I have no problem getting addicted to just about any MMO, and am currently avoiding them all like the plague.

I look forward to these updates, it's like a smoker on the patch. Not quite the real thing, but you still anxiously await the next one.

[Cyndair]

Thanks! Yeah, I really think it's the fact that you no longer have people "just leveling a subjob". Man, I always hated that excuse when people would use it to explain why they were geared like crap.

lol, I was one of those people when I was leveling THF up to 37. Well... my gear was very good but I didn't have the "elite" items like leaping boots and emperor's hairpin, which I would have taken the time to get if I had been taking the job up to 75. I totally used the "just leveling a subjob" excuse too.

I ran into a whm when I was in Garliage Citadel who was wearing level 1 body and leg armor and no earrings or rings. That just kills me. I know whm isn't as gear dependent as other jobs but if the guy would have been wearing some +mnd and +mp gear, he wouldn't be running out of MP as fast and causing us downtime either. What was really amusing to me about him was that he was telling everyone else how to play and threatening to leave if we didn't listen to him. Mage jobs... oy... bunch of prima donnas... they know they will get a party invite no matter what so they pull crap like that and get away with it. :p

[Gorvi]

lol, I was one of those people when I was leveling THF up to 37. Well... my gear was very good but I didn't have the "elite" items like leaping boots and emperor's hairpin, which I would have taken the time to get if I had been taking the job up to 75. I totally used the "just leveling a subjob" excuse too.

I ran into a whm when I was in Garliage Citadel who was wearing level 1 body and leg armor and no earrings or rings. That just kills me. I know whm isn't as gear dependent as other jobs but if the guy would have been wearing some +mnd and +mp gear, he wouldn't be running out of MP as fast and causing us downtime either. What was really amusing to me about him was that he was telling everyone else how to play and threatening to leave if we didn't listen to him. Mage jobs... oy... bunch of prima donnas... they know they will get a party invite no matter what so they pull crap like that and get away with it. :p
See, what you're talking about in that second paragraph is what I was referring to. ;) I'm sorta a perfectionist, so I always gear up my jobs as best as I can, within reason.

Anyway, I may as well do a little update as to my Scholar adventures last night. I did get a party, but it didn't last long, since I ended up losing my connection for a while. I think that was a blessing, though. The party was RDM/WHM, RDM/WHM, DRK/NIN, SAM/WAR, THF/NIN, and me as a SCH/BLM. Yeah, that didn't work well at all with no real main tank (I know a SAM can tank if they need to in a pinch, but not if they're geared for damage) and 2 RDM/WHMs (useless at this level to have 2, since they can really only heal and enfeeble well) who were both geared for melee. Oh, and though I was 37, the rest of the party was 35.

At least I was able to use up my Empress Band charge, but damn was that an awful party. That was almost a Valkurm flashback.

[Holiday]

See, what you're talking about in that second paragraph is what I was referring to. ;) I'm sorta a perfectionist, so I always gear up my jobs as best as I can, within reason.

Anyway, I may as well do a little update as to my Scholar adventures last night. I did get a party, but it didn't last long, since I ended up losing my connection for a while. I think that was a blessing, though. The party was RDM/WHM, RDM/WHM, DRK/NIN, SAM/WAR, THF/NIN, and me as a SCH/BLM. Yeah, that didn't work well at all with no real main tank (I know a SAM can tank if they need to in a pinch, but not if they're geared for damage) and 2 RDM/WHMs (useless at this level to have 2, since they can really only heal and enfeeble well) who were both geared for melee. Oh, and though I was 37, the rest of the party was 35.

At least I was able to use up my Empress Band charge, but damn was that an awful party. That was almost a Valkurm flashback.

Sounds like a great example of subjob leveling if I ever heard one! Hope your next party is much better. :)

[Gorvi]

Nothing to update for me today, I took the evening off from the game last night and played the role of good husband watching a movie with my wife. I'll probably be back on for a bit tonight, though.

[Primus]

This is funny becuase the game STOPPED being fun after the dunes for me.

[Gorvi]

This is funny becuase the game STOPPED being fun after the dunes for me.
In my nearly 4 years playing the game, I don't think I've ever heard anyone say that. Valkurm is like FFXI hazing.

[Panthera]

At least it's not the Barrens.

[Gorvi]

Ok, so back at it with Scholar last night, and I was able to make 38 pretty easily. Actually, I'm only about 1.2k away from 39 now. Anyway, this time I got a real party in Crawler's Nest. One day I will do that damn quest for the map for CN. One day. The party was pretty good, with the only problem being that there was that one thing that makes me feel dirty for being in a party: a powerleveler. In a party that's 38-40, there's really no reason for a PL, especially since I could have handled main healing with no issues at all (have I mentioned I love Regen II?), especially with a Ninja tank. Oh well, it's not like I was going to leave the party, xp is xp, and I didn't know there was a PL until I was halfway through Rolanberry and got a look at the party list and saw no healer (they asked me to gear for nuking).

So, as far as how the party actually went, I was pleasantly surprised. They actually had a Skillchain setup that I was able to MB off of regularly, and once I hit 38, resists were not too bad. I got Aero II at 38, which when unresisted, does a good 184 dmg to the mob for me (compared to 160 from the 40 BLM in the party, go me! :p), so that was nice.

I'm now only two levels away (maybe 7.8k xp) from hitting 40 and getting my third set of Strategems, Accession and Manifestation, which make my next spell cast AoE. At 40 I also get another Stratagem charge, which will be really nice, and Shell II. I'll also have access to Sleep from a BLM sub, which will be so damn nice to finally have, making it possible to use the BLM solo stratgy if I want, or just for general crowd control. SCH really needs to get Sleep natively, since literally every other mage outside SMN gets it in one way or another.

[Cyndair]

One day I will do that damn quest for the map for CN. One day.

Maybe I'm a weirdo but I loved that quest. There are so many nooks and crannies in the zones you've run through a zillion times that you never even knew existed until you do the quest. (I had no idea that you could get to the bottom of the waterfall in North Gustaberg, for example)

Grats on getting 38, almost 39. It's amazing how quickly you can level in FFXI if you get a good party. One level per party is easy until you get into the 60s, then it takes a bit longer. Even so, when I did 70-75 on my warrior, I was knocking out a level every two parties without a problem.

[Gorvi]

Maybe I'm a weirdo but I loved that quest. There are so many nooks and crannies in the zones you've run through a zillion times that you never even knew existed until you do the quest. (I had no idea that you could get to the bottom of the waterfall in North Gustaberg, for example)

Grats on getting 38, almost 39. It's amazing how quickly you can level in FFXI if you get a good party. One level per party is easy until you get into the 60s, then it takes a bit longer. Even so, when I did 70-75 on my warrior, I was knocking out a level every two parties without a problem.
I've always meant to do it, and I've done a ton of exploring, especially as a Beastmaster, but I just never have that clay on me. I know it'd only take an hour or so to finish up, I just haven't done it.

[Intruder]

This game has always interested me but I have never took the bait. I have been thinking about picking it up for the 360 with all the addons for 19 bucks. hmmmm. I understand that it is not solo friendly, but is the community active and most importantly friendly and helpful for noobs?

[Gorvi]

This game has always interested me but I have never took the bait. I have been thinking about picking it up for the 360 with all the addons for 19 bucks. hmmmm. I understand that it is not solo friendly, but is the community active and most importantly friendly and helpful for noobs?
The community can be friendly, but it's an online game, so it all depends on who you run into. Generally, I'd say yes, but like any other online game, there are jerks out there.

The game isn't solo friendly, and it does take a pretty decent commitment to get anywhere. It's not a game that can be played once or twice a week for an hour or so and make any real progress.

Also, keep in mind that the $20 version you're talking about is missing the newest expansion, plus all the updates for the past two years. So, you'd be downloading 2 years worth of patches and updates, as well as not having access to some of the newer expansion areas. Granted, you won't have any reason to even visit the new areas at all until you have a character up to level 30.

[Intruder]

I see, the newest expansion you are talking about is a pay to play x-pack i take it? Also, if the game grabs me I tend to get sucked in, I have 3 level 70s in WoW and I am looking for something different. I have tried PotBS, TR, and several other, but none have held my attention like WoW.

Is the combat similar to WoW. and also do use the gamepad or a keyboard?

[Gorvi]

I see, the newest expansion you are talking about is a pay to play x-pack i take it? Also, if the game grabs me I tend to get sucked in, I have 3 level 70s in WoW and I am looking for something different. I have tried PotBS, TR, and several other, but none have held my attention like WoW.

Is the combat similar to WoW. and also do use the gamepad or a keyboard?
Oh, no, it's just that you need the expansion installed and registered in order to access the expansion zones. If you don't have one or the other, you just can't enter those areas.

The game was designed originally for the PS2, so a controller and keyboard combo is actually (IMO) the best way to play the game.

As far as combat, I really can't compare, as I've never played WoW. There is a trial version of the game available for the PC.

[Winterwolves]

I loved FFXi so much... I have tried to go back about 6 times since I first quit & every time I stop right as I get to the dunes. I have 4 copies of the game on the shelf, because every time I think it's gonna be different this time. When played correctly, it is such a fantastic game.

[Intruder]

Well I am just going to ask the wife to pick it up on her way home from work. Looks like we will be canceling school again tomorrow due to the ice so I will have some time to just sit back and play. Thanks Gorvi, and you all are on the Asara server (something like that) right?

[Gorvi]

Well I am just going to ask the wife to pick it up on her way home from work. Looks like we will be canceling school again tomorrow due to the ice so I will have some time to just sit back and play. Thanks Gorvi, and you all are on the Asara server (something like that) right?
You're welcome. :) Yeah, a lot of the newer guys around here are on Asura, including myself (though I'm not nearly new).

[Vadras]

Well I am just going to ask the wife to pick it up on her way home from work. Looks like we will be canceling school again tomorrow due to the ice so I will have some time to just sit back and play. Thanks Gorvi, and you all are on the Asara server (something like that) right?

Yes! Another is joining the fray! Hit up the Asura server and shoot us all friend invites. My character name is Vadras, a Tarutaru RDM... only lvl 8 at the moment but I'm having a blast with it.

Oh and if you have a 360, I'd recommend picking up the wireless adapter for the PC (unless you have a wired controller, then you're set)... it just feels right playing it with a controller in your hands since it was originally developed for the PS2. Played it for the first time that way last night and it was a lot better. Be sure to let us know what your name is once you get all patched and setup.

[Panthera]

Well, I've been having a bit of trouble selling all my crap on the auction house. Silk thread goes almost instantly, but everything else is a bit sketchier. It seems some items are only bought once a week or so. I haven't had much time to play other than to check the AH and run around town a bit, but I'll probably get some time in tonight or saturday and hit 14 with RDM or maybe 8 with WAR.

For those joining us on Asura, I'm in this casual Windurstian linkshell: http://themoogleconspiracy.guildportal.com/

I can't totally vouch for them, since I've only been in it for a week or so, but they seem like a pretty cool group.

[Cyndair]

So last night my linkshell partook in the typical Thursday night ritual of killing Proto-Omega (http://wiki.ffxiclopedia.org/wiki/Proto-Omega) in Limbus. I was fortunate enough to win one of the lots for an Omega body part and I got myself these (http://wiki.ffxiclopedia.org/wiki/Homam_Manopolas).

Really really nice hands for PLD. Some of the best in the game. So I'm a happy camper :D.

[Gorvi]

So last night my linkshell partook in the typical Thursday night ritual of killing Proto-Omega (http://wiki.ffxiclopedia.org/wiki/Proto-Omega) in Limbus. I was fortunate enough to win one of the lots for an Omega body part and I got myself these (http://wiki.ffxiclopedia.org/wiki/Homam_Manopolas).

Really really nice hands for PLD. Some of the best in the game. So I'm a happy camper :D.
Wow, very sexy. :)

I didn't get a chance to do anything last night. I was LFP for about an hour, then sorta gave up. I was pretty tired, so it's probably better that I didn't get a party.

I'm actually considering trying some solo BLM stuff this weekend, I never did try that. From what I hear, Ebony Puddings can be taken out with 3 or 4 Tier IV spells and can be Aspired. That could be fun. :)

[Cyndair]

Wow, very sexy. :)

I didn't get a chance to do anything last night. I was LFP for about an hour, then sorta gave up. I was pretty tired, so it's probably better that I didn't get a party.

I'm actually considering trying some solo BLM stuff this weekend, I never did try that. From what I hear, Ebony Puddings can be taken out with 3 or 4 Tier IV spells and can be Aspired. That could be fun. :)

Thank you!

I've always been jealous of the power you BLMs have, especially Taru. I've thought about leveling it but I'm a stoofid elvann so my MP and INT are pathetic. I took BLM up to 31 and I was already frustrated by the number of resists I was getting despite having the best +INT gear that gil could afford. I'll probably take it to 40 one day for BCNMs and as a sub if I ever decide to take WHM or RDM to 75.

[Gorvi]

Thank you!

I've always been jealous of the power you BLMs have, especially Taru. I've thought about leveling it but I'm a stoofid elvann so my MP and INT are pathetic. I took BLM up to 31 and I was already frustrated by the number of resists I was getting despite having the best +INT gear that gil could afford. I'll probably take it to 40 one day for BCNMs and as a sub if I ever decide to take WHM or RDM to 75.
Well, INT has nothing to do with resists, that's all Elemental Magic skill. Really, once you pass, say, 60, INT becomes a lot less important (it still is, just less so), it's all about MAB. Really, if you want to level BLM, throw some merits into your Elemental Magic skill, with a bit into MP and INT, and you should be fine. MP can always be overcome with Astral Rings and things like that.

That's actually half the reason I want to solo BLM a bit, to merit up Elemental Magic skill for Scholar.

[Cyndair]

Well, INT has nothing to do with resists, that's all Elemental Magic skill. Really, once you pass, say, 60, INT becomes a lot less important (it still is, just less so), it's all about MAB. Really, if you want to level BLM, throw some merits into your Elemental Magic skill, with a bit into MP and INT, and you should be fine. MP can always be overcome with Astral Rings and things like that.

That's actually half the reason I want to solo BLM a bit, to merit up Elemental Magic skill for Scholar.

I was wondering if INT fell off and became less important at later levels like other attributes. I'll look at dropping some merits into elemental if I decide to go that route. So far I've been dropping merits into HP instead of MP since it is more important for PLD. I do have a few slots left though. I have a lot I want to do before I'd level BLM anyway, however. I want to finish up my WAR and PLD merits, finally get Gaxe up to a reasonable enough level that I can use it in parties, and get DNC up to 37 for soloing. Always so much to do in FFXI!

[Gorvi]

Always so much to do in FFXI!
Truer words were never spoken! There's always something to do. :)

[Gorvi]

Ok, well, I was able to get a pretty damn good party last night, and made it from 38 to 40, about 2k from 41. The party setup changed a bit over the few hours it lasted, but a WAR/NIN (who did an amazing job tanking), a DRK/WAR (did a great job pulling) and myself (SCH/BLM) were the 3 consistant members. We went through a decent number of other members. We had a DNC the whole time, but we went through 2. We started with 2 BLMs, but eventually replaced each, one with a WAR and one with a RDM.

Funny thing, right before I was about to leave, our puller accidentally aggro'd an Exoray (http://wiki.ffxiclopedia.org/wiki/Exoray). Now, keep in mind, the party was levels 38-41. Exorays are 51-54 and beat the crap out of most 45-46ish parties that try to take them on when their puller aggro's one. We beat it with no deaths. It took forever, and one of our WARs almost got one shotted by Frog Kick, but we took it out. Now that's a sign of a great party that knows how to work together. I could have probably hit 41 pretty easily, but I had to go since it was getting pretty late.

So! Now I have the lvl 40 Stratagems, Accession and Manifestation, that make my next spell AoE. Now, it sadly doesn't work for everything, as I found out that I can't do AoE Blaze Spikes. But, AoE Invisible is one of the coolest things I've seen (the entire party disappears at once), and I can now do my own version of Protectra II/Shellra II. Plus, once I get access to Blink/Stoneskin/Phalanx, I can AoE those too. That, and I can Sleepga, since I finally get Sleep when I'm subbing BLM. Only one more level until I get my first Storm spell, Sandstorm, so it'll be nice to finally learn something Scholar specific. I should hopefully get that pretty easily tonight, since if I can't get a party, I should just be able to use the BLM solo strategy now that I can Sleep.

[Intruder]

I am installing as we speak, the last on the updates I hope :) Will be on shortly. Just curious, do we have a linkshell? Or should I just start soloing what I can? Thinking of going Red Mage for soloability.

[Vadras]

I am installing as we speak, the last on the updates I hope :) Will be on shortly. Just curious, do we have a linkshell? Or should I just start soloing what I can? Thinking of going Red Mage for soloability.

No linkshell setup at the moment. Red Mage is a good way to go for soloability (what i'm doin too). Works well and you won't die much. Just beware of crawlers and their godawful poison. You can cast cure until you're blue in the face and STILL not have it wear out. If you get high enough that it cons as easy prey, then it won't be as much of a problem... but any crawlers that are a decent challenge are best avoided in my opinion. Died too many times to think it's a fair fight.

[Gorvi]

I am installing as we speak, the last on the updates I hope :) Will be on shortly. Just curious, do we have a linkshell? Or should I just start soloing what I can? Thinking of going Red Mage for soloability.
Yep, as Vadras said, RDM is probably the easiest to start out as.

As for me, I didn't get on at all on Sunday, but Saturday I was able to make it from 40-42 in 2 parties, both in Gustav Tunnel, thankfully, not Crawlers Nest. Both were pretty good parties, though unremarkable. I was main healing in the second, and really, Accession + Cure III is great after a Goblin's Bomb Toss.

I think I'm going to wait until 50 to try any real soloing so I can sub RDM and have access to both Sleep and Gravity.

[Vadras]

Grats on 42 Gorvi! I have a quick question for you.

Do sub-jobs need to be leveled as a main job in order for them to be usable or are they just automatically half of your main job's level?

Probably a nub question, but I can't seem to find a definitive answer.

[Gorvi]

Grats on 42 Gorvi! I have a quick question for you.

Do sub-jobs need to be leveled as a main job in order for them to be usable or are they just automatically half of your main job's level?

Probably a nub question, but I can't seem to find a definitive answer.
Thanks! They do need to be leveled as a main first. For me, I still want to level WAR more, since if I subbed it to BST now I'd be BST66/WAR31.

[Vadras]

Thanks! They do need to be leveled as a main first. For me, I still want to level WAR more, since if I subbed it to BST now I'd be BST66/WAR31.

Ugh... that's what I was afraid of. Well, looks like I'll need to level WHM down the line for the use of sub jobs and either WAR or NIN too, but that's still a ways off. There are just so many options in this game it's amazing. I can see how you could have played this since release and still have plenty to do :p

Thanks for the info!

[Cyndair]

The hard thing about rdm is that people generally expect you to have either a /blm or /whm sub available for exp parties. What you might want to do is get rdm up to 18, unlock your subjob, then go back and get whm up first to level 15 or so, then take blm up to 15. That way you can keep and share most of your gear between the two classes (since whm and blm use very similar gear at low levels) and not have to sell and re-buy everything. After you have those two at 15, that give your rdm flexibility all the way to 30. Once you get there, you will have access to advanced jobs and you can decide whether you want to take rdm all the way or switch to something else.

[Gorvi]

The hard thing about rdm is that people generally expect you to have either a /blm or /whm sub available for exp parties. What you might want to do is get rdm up to 18, unlock your subjob, then go back and get whm up first to level 15 or so, then take blm up to 15. That way you can keep and share most of your gear between the two classes (since whm and blm use very similar gear at low levels) and not have to sell and re-buy everything. After you have those two at 15, that give your rdm flexibility all the way to 30. Once you get there, you will have access to advanced jobs and you can decide whether you want to take rdm all the way or switch to something else.
Yeah, that's actually a pretty good tip. The only thing I'll say is that if you only want to level one or the other between WHM and BLM, make it WHM. BLM sub doesn't really offer RDM as much, and you're just more useful to a party healing at low levels since RDM just doesn't nuke all that well.

So, I may as well do my own little update. I got Scholar to 43 last night in a fantastic party. It was one of those rare parties where not only were we completely kicking ass, but everyone was talking joking, and having a good time. Heck, everyone even laughed it off with the one death we had (our BRD got killed by a Bomb Toss that hit for nearly 500 damage). Anyway, the party was NIN/WAR, DNC/NIN, THF/NIN, BRD/WHM, BLU/NIN and me, SCH/BLM. We were in Gustav Tunnel again, targeting Goblins. The party only lasted about 2 hours, but we made an easy 10k xp and I got my second weather spell, Rainstorm. It's pretty useful, since I was able to cast it on myself and get unresisted Water IIs with a bit of a damage boost. Pretty nice. I really need to take some time and setup up my macros better for easy Stratagem use.

[Vadras]

Yea, I'll probably end up doing WHM once I hit 18. Any thoughts on where I should be leveling right now at about 11? (almost halfway to 12) Many sites recommend Valkurm Dunes, but I thought I'd check what you guys think. Also, I'm primarily looking for soloing locations so take that into account.

Gear wise I have full brass armor (which looks.... interesting) and a Bee Spatha+1/Shield (3 def) combo going. Not sure if that matters, but I'm decently geared for my level.

[Gorvi]

Yea, I'll probably end up doing WHM once I hit 18. Any thoughts on where I should be leveling right now at about 11? (almost halfway to 12) Many sites recommend Valkurm Dunes, but I thought I'd check what you guys think. Also, I'm primarily looking for soloing locations so take that into account.

Gear wise I have full brass armor (which looks.... interesting) and a Bee Spatha+1/Shield (3 def) combo going. Not sure if that matters, but I'm decently geared for my level.
Looks like you're doing well as far as gear. I'd recommend 2 Energy Earrings (http://wiki.ffxiclopedia.org/wiki/Energy_Earring_%2B1) and 2 Saintly Rings (http://wiki.ffxiclopedia.org/wiki/Saintly_Ring), as well as a cape of some sort.

As far as where to level, I normally stick it out in West Saruta to 15. It's incredibly easy and the drops sell pretty well. Once you hit 14 you may run into some Too Weak mobs, but they'll still drop items. I just stick to crawlers, bees, and birds, since mandys and rarabs drop crap. If you want to try some harder stuff, there's always Tahrongi, but that never seemed worth it to me, since you'll end up resting a lot more. I'm a bit odd though, I level all my jobs to 15 first before going to Valkurm to party, it just seems quicker to me, and much more profitable.

[Vadras]

Looks like you're doing well as far as gear. I'd recommend 2 Energy Earrings (http://wiki.ffxiclopedia.org/wiki/Energy_Earring_%2B1) and 2 Saintly Rings (http://wiki.ffxiclopedia.org/wiki/Saintly_Ring), as well as a cape of some sort.

As far as where to level, I normally stick it out in West Saruta to 15. It's incredibly easy and the drops sell pretty well. Once you hit 14 you may run into some Too Weak mobs, but they'll still drop items. I just stick to crawlers, bees, and birds, since mandys and rarabs drop crap. If you want to try some harder stuff, there's always Tahrongi, but that never seemed worth it to me, since you'll end up resting a lot more. I'm a bit odd though, I level all my jobs to 15 first before going to Valkurm to party, it just seems quicker to me, and much more profitable.

Yea, I love crawlers. Especially since I have Barpoison now and can heal myself for more. That poison has killed me more times than I care to remember.

I'll probably just do that then, but a lot of the guys out there aren't worth xp for me anymore. There were some crawlers I think in East Saruta that yielded more xp... I'll have to double check that. Yea, less rest time is a definite bonus to that area. I'll probably stick it out and keep selling the cloth then :)

[Gorvi]

Yea, I love crawlers. Especially since I have Barpoison now and can heal myself for more. That poison has killed me more times than I care to remember.

I'll probably just do that then, but a lot of the guys out there aren't worth xp for me anymore. There were some crawlers I think in East Saruta that yielded more xp... I'll have to double check that. Yea, less rest time is a definite bonus to that area. I'll probably stick it out and keep selling the cloth then :)
I usually stick to the area around the big hill in West Saruta. There's a good amount of bees and crawlers there, and they don't start becoming Too Weak until you hit 14, and even then you can still do it. I took Scholar from 10-15 in probably a little over 3 hours or so over a couple of days there.

[Vadras]

I usually stick to the area around the big hill in West Saruta. There's a good amount of bees and crawlers there, and they don't start becoming Too Weak until you hit 14, and even then you can still do it. I took Scholar from 10-15 in probably a little over 3 hours or so over a couple of days there.

Wow! Looks like I need to up my leveling speed. I'm getting about one level in an hour or two. Although, if I just go on a killing spree it should go faster. I'll check out that hill later tonight and let you know how it goes.

[Gorvi]

Wow! Looks like I need to up my leveling speed. I'm getting about one level in an hour or two. Although, if I just go on a killing spree it should go faster. I'll check out that hill later tonight and let you know how it goes.
Well, keep in mind I've done that quite a few times, I've got it down to a science. ;) I'd just make sure I used my Empress Band daily and would rarely ever have to stop to rest, maybe once per level. Get your archery up enough, and by 13 you should be hitting them once with an arrow, then finishing them off with one sword swing.

[Vadras]

Well, keep in mind I've done that quite a few times, I've got it down to a science. ;) I'd just make sure I used my Empress Band daily and would rarely ever have to stop to rest, maybe once per level. Get your archery up enough, and by 13 you should be hitting them once with an arrow, then finishing them off with one sword swing.

Yea, I've been doing that as per your previous recommendation. It doesn't skill up very often, but the fact that the swing timer and the bow timer are on different cooldowns is great! It's not uncommon to shoot with an arrow and hit with the sword almost immediately after. Thanks for all the tips Gorvi!!

Now to slay my work day followed by some crawlers :cool:

[Gorvi]

Well, to say last night went well would be an understatement. It didn't look that way from the start, but it sure turned out to be damn good.

It was a doube Empress Band charge night for me, so I was really hoping I could get a good/decent party. So I got an Tell from a 48 BRD/WHM and I figured he must have been asking the wrong person. He said no, he was the highest in the party, and that the rest of the group was 44-45 and I'd be his replacement (main healing, he must have had help). So I grab a Chocobo and head on over to Garlaige Citadel. The party is PLD/WAR, THF/NIN, THF/NIN, DRG/WAR, SAM/WAR, and me, SCH/BLM. I'm still subbing BLM whenever I can, it just seems to work better. I'll start subbing WHM if I ever need the -na spells. Anyway, 2 fights in and one of the THFs hits 46. I'm thinking great, 3 level gap, this is going to suck. 4 fights after that, the puller aggors a beetle (a bit too high for us) and both myself and the PLD end up dying, though the rest of the party manages to finish it off. By that point, I was pretty pissed, since either the SAM or the DRG could have Provoked the mob off of me. I bit my tongue though and we were lucky enough to have a SMN who was in the area Raise us.

After that, the party went great. We tore through bats and the occasional beetle, and after another 2 hours I'd hit 44 and eventually 45, with a good 2.5k xp buffer in (a total of nearly 15k xp over that time). It was odd being the only source of any real healing (you can't really count the PLD), since I haven't done that for a while, but it worked pretty well. I was even able to throw in the occasional nukes, though they were resisted most of the time, since I was a bit low for the party. Still, I learned my third weather spell, this one for Wind, and that really made a big difference in Aero II resists (cut them more than in half and noticably boosted the damage).

So, 6 more levels until I give Scholar a break at 51 while I wait for the AF gear to be released. That shouldn't be long, as they've said the update is coming in early March. I'll probably try to tie up some loose end in that time, like getting all the Runic Portals in the ToAU areas (I'm a total ToAU noob, so SCH will be my first job leveling there other than BST) and the rest of the WotG Cavernous Maws. Heck, I may even try to do some BLM soloing or some Campaign Battles with BST.

[Vadras]

So the empress band usage can stack eh? That's good to know... I had been only using it when the buff disappeared. I ended up beating Uncharted: Drake's Fortune last night for my PS3 (great game!) and then jumping on to finish out my level. 12 RDM now and loving that hill you said to level around Gorvi. It worked out well and took very little time to level. On top of that I got 4 more silks.

[Gorvi]

So the empress band usage can stack eh? That's good to know... I had been only using it when the buff disappeared. I ended up beating Uncharted: Drake's Fortune last night for my PS3 (great game!) and then jumping on to finish out my level. 12 RDM now and loving that hill you said to level around Gorvi. It worked out well and took very little time to level. On top of that I got 4 more silks.
Cool! Nah, they don't stack, but if you use your last charge then get it recharged, you can use it again as soon as it runs out. So really, once a week, you can use it twice in a row.

[Holiday]

So the empress band usage can stack eh? That's good to know... I had been only using it when the buff disappeared. I ended up beating Uncharted: Drake's Fortune last night for my PS3 (great game!) and then jumping on to finish out my level. 12 RDM now and loving that hill you said to level around Gorvi. It worked out well and took very little time to level. On top of that I got 4 more silks.

Not really stack, however if your band is on it's final charge there is a way you can use it twice. Before you leave town to exp, use your last charge. Then trade the ring to the guard to be recharged. This resets the timer, but you still have the EXP enchantment. Once you get enough experience and the enchantment wears, simply equip your recharged ring and use it once again.

Edit:
Beat by Gorvi!
Oh, and also of note, while you may trade the ring for a recharge without using the final charge, only a ring with 0/10 charges will have it's timer reset.

[Vadras]

Wow! Thanks to both Gorvi and Holiday for the explanation. It seems like the more I learn about FFXI, the more I feel like a newb ><

This experience of coming back to the game has been MUCH better than my first attempt at it. I think the learning curve and the grind was really my turnoff before... now it's just good fun!

[Holiday]

Wow! Thanks to both Gorvi and Holiday for the explanation. It seems like the more I learn about FFXI, the more I feel like a newb ><

This experience of coming back to the game has been MUCH better than my first attempt at it. I think the learning curve and the grind was really my turnoff before... now it's just good fun!

FFXI is INCREDIBLY deep. When I canceled in November, I had over 360 days worth of play time (disgusting, I'm aware). Even then there were still aspects of the game I didn't know.

Another Empress Band tip:
If you plan to EXP the next time you log on, use your band before you log. The timer on the ring will continue to count down, however the timer on the enchantment pauses when your character is not logged on. Log off the night before, come home from work/school, log back on to an EXP enchantment and a ring ready to be used again!

You can also afk and pause an enchantment timer by locking into a conversation with NPCs. This is handy if you're on seek with an enchantment active. In order to do this, talk to an NPC with a multiple line dialog. When you normally would hit enter or a button to continue their dialog, simply afk instead. This will pause the timer of anything active upon your character; spells, enchantments, food, etc. However job ability timers, such as your two hour, will reset as normal. You can also receive and respond to tells as normal, should you be on seek and have party invites.

[Vadras]

FFXI is INCREDIBLY deep. When I canceled in November, I had over 360 days worth of play time (disgusting, I'm aware). Even then there were still aspects of the game I didn't know.

Another Empress Band tip:
If you plan to EXP the next time you log on, use your band before you log. The timer on the ring will continue to count down, however the timer on the enchantment pauses when your character is not logged on. Log off the night before, come home from work/school, log back on to an EXP enchantment and a ring ready to be used again!

You can also afk and pause an enchantment timer by locking into a conversation with NPCs. This is handy if you're on seek with an enchantment active. In order to do this, talk to an NPC with a multiple line dialog. When you normally would hit enter or a button to continue their dialog, simply afk instead. This will pause the timer of anything active upon your character; spells, enchantments, food, etc. However job ability timers, such as your two hour, will reset as normal. You can also receive and respond to tells as normal, should you be on seek and have party invites.

Wow! That's a good tip about the enchantments. Thanks Holiday.

Oh and level 13 RDM now! /flex

[Gorvi]

FFXI is INCREDIBLY deep. When I canceled in November, I had over 360 days worth of play time (disgusting, I'm aware). Even then there were still aspects of the game I didn't know.

Another Empress Band tip:
If you plan to EXP the next time you log on, use your band before you log. The timer on the ring will continue to count down, however the timer on the enchantment pauses when your character is not logged on. Log off the night before, come home from work/school, log back on to an EXP enchantment and a ring ready to be used again!

You can also afk and pause an enchantment timer by locking into a conversation with NPCs. This is handy if you're on seek with an enchantment active. In order to do this, talk to an NPC with a multiple line dialog. When you normally would hit enter or a button to continue their dialog, simply afk instead. This will pause the timer of anything active upon your character; spells, enchantments, food, etc. However job ability timers, such as your two hour, will reset as normal. You can also receive and respond to tells as normal, should you be on seek and have party invites.
Ok, that second thing with the timer and NPCs I didn't know, that's really cool. Ironically, I wasn't able to find a satisfactory party last night (some people just aren't that bright, I'll leave it at that), so I just logged right after using my E Band so I'd have 2 charges for tonight. That's a pretty cool trick, though, I'll have to try that.

[Cyndair]

Wow! That's a good tip about the enchantments. Thanks Holiday.

Oh and level 13 RDM now! /flex

Grats! Almost time for the dunes. Feeling ready to party? I really hope that you get a good couple parties to start. The dunes can be a huge turnoff and scare people away from the game. :( Just be ready to heal heal heal!

[Gorvi]

Grats! Almost time for the dunes. Feeling ready to party? I really hope that you get a good couple parties to start. The dunes can be a huge turnoff and scare people away from the game. :( Just be ready to heal heal heal!
Also enfeeble enfeeble enfeeble! ;)

[Vadras]

Grats! Almost time for the dunes. Feeling ready to party? I really hope that you get a good couple parties to start. The dunes can be a huge turnoff and scare people away from the game. :( Just be ready to heal heal heal!

Yea, I've heard the Dunes are a bit rough... but I'm looking forward to it. At least it will be a change from West Saruta hehe. How do RDM hold up as healers for parties out in the dunes?

[Gorvi]

Yea, I've heard the Dunes are a bit rough... but I'm looking forward to it. At least it will be a change from West Saruta hehe. How do RDM hold up as healers for parties out in the dunes?
RDM make fine healers all throughout the game, really. I'd put them behind Scholars now (bias :p), but they're very capable.

[Vadras]

RDM make fine healers all throughout the game, really. I'd put them behind Scholars now (bias :p), but they're very capable.

Sweet! I think there's a few EvAvers around lvl 15 (or close to in my case). Maybe once I get up there we can get an EvAv party goin to the Dunes together :D

[Gorvi]

Sweet! I think there's a few EvAvers around lvl 15 (or close to in my case). Maybe once I get up there we can get an EvAv party goin to the Dunes together :D
That would be awesome. I've got DRK at 15 and would love to level it with some EvAvers sometime. Let me know if you want to set up some time to do it, I'm good most nights after 7:30 EST.

[Vadras]

That would be awesome. I've got DRK at 15 and would love to level it with some EvAvers sometime. Let me know if you want to set up some time to do it, I'm good most nights after 7:30 EST.

Yea I'd love to setup a time to do that as well. Not entirely sure about this weekend... have many school items all due next week. I'll try to get something figured out though if I can. Maybe Saturday night or one of the weeknights next week at that time. I'll let you know for sure later.

[Gorvi]

Yea I'd love to setup a time to do that as well. Not entirely sure about this weekend... have many school items all due next week. I'll try to get something figured out though if I can. Maybe Saturday night or one of the weeknights next week at that time. I'll let you know for sure later.
Oh, hey, no rush, whenever's good for you. I'd just need a day or so notice, that's all. :)

[Panthera]

Hey, I'm a hair away from 14 with RDM and can sub either WAR or BLM if necessary. I could hit 15 fairly soon, too.

Maybe people would be up for a key hunt in Giddeus first?

[Gorvi]

Hey, I'm a hair away from 14 with RDM and can sub either WAR or BLM if necessary. I could hit 15 fairly soon, too.

Maybe people would be up for a key hunt in Giddeus first?
Ahh, you still need that, I forgot about that. When would you want to try? I'd go as BST next time, the kills would just be so much quicker.

[Panthera]

Ahh, you still need that, I forgot about that. When would you want to try? I'd go as BST next time, the kills would just be so much quicker.

Sometime soon would be great, though I'll be busy tomorrow night. I'll be finishing up in Windy once I hit 15 in RDM and heading to Bastok soon for the second part of that rank 2 mission.

Say, here's something I've been wondering: are drop rates affected by character/party level? Other than crystals, that is.

[Gorvi]

Sometime soon would be great, though I'll be busy tomorrow night. I'll be finishing up in Windy once I hit 15 in RDM and heading to Bastok soon for the second part of that rank 2 mission.

Say, here's something I've been wondering: are drop rates affected by character/party level? Other than crystals, that is.
I don't think they are, no.

[Zander]

I have a 64'ish taru BLM/RDM I got tired of a couple of years back on Pandemonium. SE offers server transfers now right? How much?

[Gorvi]

I have a 64'ish taru BLM/RDM I got tired of a couple of years back on Pandemonium. SE offers server transfers now right? How much?
Yeah, it's $25.

I'm starting to feel like a pimp. :p Maybe I should go level Red Mage again......

[Vadras]

Yeah, it's $25.

I'm starting to feel like a pimp. :p Maybe I should go level Red Mage again......

If your a pimp... does that make us your hoes? :eek:

Is it advisable to start working my fame/rank early? I haven't done too much to work it thus far.

[Gorvi]

If your a pimp... does that make us your hoes? :eek:

Is it advisable to start working my fame/rank early? I haven't done too much to work it thus far.
I think FFXI would be the hoe, and you guys would be the Johns..... anyway!

You can start working on your fame, and there are a few quests that you can do to do it rather quickly, but you don't need to. Fame is mostly needed to get some of the higher quests later on, and really, you don't need to work on it until you actually need it. It'll go up on it's own anyway if you continue to do small quests here and there, then you can just work on maxing it when it's needed.

[Vadras]

I think FFXI would be the hoe, and you guys would be the Johns..... anyway!

You can start working on your fame, and there are a few quests that you can do to do it rather quickly, but you don't need to. Fame is mostly needed to get some of the higher quests later on, and really, you don't need to work on it until you actually need it. It'll go up on it's own anyway if you continue to do small quests here and there, then you can just work on maxing it when it's needed.

Yea, I figured it wasn't that big of a deal. I ended up getting a Meteorite drop which I looked up and it turns out it's a quest item you can turn in, but I don't have a high enough Fame rank in order to turn in the quest. I guess I will just bank it until later then.

[Gorvi]

Yea, I figured it wasn't that big of a deal. I ended up getting a Meteorite drop which I looked up and it turns out it's a quest item you can turn in, but I don't have a high enough Fame rank in order to turn in the quest. I guess I will just bank it until later then.
Oh, go ahead and drop that. Those are a nice bonus if you have high alchemy skill, but they're common enough that you can get it again. The main thing you should be concerned with as far as fame right now is getting enough for the Mog Safe expansion quests.

[Vadras]

Oh, go ahead and drop that. Those are a nice bonus if you have high alchemy skill, but they're common enough that you can get it again. The main thing you should be concerned with as far as fame right now is getting enough for the Mog Safe expansion quests.

Oh that sounds handy! There don't happen to be any items/quests that allow you to increase your personal inventory size beyond 30 items are there? Seems like I'm sorting my inventory every minute or two to make room for more items.

[UWCrash]

Oh that sounds handy! There don't happen to be any items/quests that allow you to increase your personal inventory size beyond 30 items are there? Seems like I'm sorting my inventory every minute or two to make room for more items.

There are quests that do exactly that called the "Gobbiebag" series. You pick them up from a goblin NPC in Jeuno, the city at the middle of the continent. You probably won't be there before level 20, which is when everyone heads there to get their Chocobo License.

The Gobbiebag quests do require that your Jeuno fame be at a certain level, and Jeuno fame is mainly an average of your fame in the 3 starting cities (there are a few Jeuno-specific quests, but not many). Just work on fame wherever you started, and when you can ride a chocobo and get around more easily you can work on the other two.

[Gorvi]

Oh that sounds handy! There don't happen to be any items/quests that allow you to increase your personal inventory size beyond 30 items are there? Seems like I'm sorting my inventory every minute or two to make room for more items.
Yep, though you're probably not going to like them. :p

I have 60 right now, but you can get up to 70 as of recently. They can be rather expensive, but it's been years since I did them, so they may not be so bad anymore. They're needed for some jobs though, I know with BST and BLM, I carry over 30 pieces of gear at least, and that's not counting food or drops.

If you're interested, I think on the Wiki or Allakhazam, you can look for quests that are for inventory. They're from a Goblin in Lower Jeuno who's name escapes me at the moment.

EDIT: Beaten by UW!

[Cyndair]

I have 60 right now, but you can get up to 70 as of recently. They can be rather expensive, but it's been years since I did them, so they may not be so bad anymore. They're needed for some jobs though, I know with BST and BLM, I carry over 30 pieces of gear at least, and that's not counting food or drops.

Yeah, I'm in the same boat. I just can't justify the cost of the materials to get the bag up to 70. I figure if I can just deal for a few more months, the prices will be down. Hopefully not everyone else has the same idea.

[Gorvi]

Yeah, I'm in the same boat. I just can't justify the cost of the materials to get the bag up to 70. I figure if I can just deal for a few more months, the prices will be down. Hopefully not everyone else has the same idea.
Yep, that's exactly what I'm doing. The 60 is enough for me, the 70 would be a luxary. If I farmed or crafted a lot, or if I was fishing unstackable fish, I think it'd be a little different. If I start fishing in SSG again, I may just bite the bullet and do them.

[Spigot]

I'm almost level 3!

Man, I forgot about how steep a learning curve this game has. Not that it's bad, I just have so many things flying at me, information-wise, about this game and it's hard to soak it all in.

I do love having people message me in Japanese asking for money.

[Gorvi]

I'm almost level 3!

Man, I forgot about how steep a learning curve this game has. Not that it's bad, I just have so many things flying at me, information-wise, about this game and it's hard to soak it all in.

I do love having people message me in Japanese asking for money.
Congrats! Still punishing yourself with BLM I presume?

[Cyndair]

Yep, that's exactly what I'm doing. The 60 is enough for me, the 70 would be a luxary. If I farmed or crafted a lot, or if I was fishing unstackable fish, I think it'd be a little different. If I start fishing in SSG again, I may just bite the bullet and do them.

I was reading some fishing guides and thinking about trying it. Seems pretty profitable with little to no initial investment. I hear it's a pain to level though.

Sadly after playing on and off since NA launch my only craft skill is cooking at 69. I'm starting to go broke but thankfully the LS is doing KS99 this weekend so I have a chance to get the coffers filled again.

[Spigot]

Congrats! Still punishing yourself with BLM I presume?I want a floppy hat.

I really shouldn't start off as a BLM, but it's just what I default to.

[Cyndair]

I'm almost level 3!

Man, I forgot about how steep a learning curve this game has. Not that it's bad, I just have so many things flying at me, information-wise, about this game and it's hard to soak it all in.

I do love having people message me in Japanese asking for money.

Grats! Yeah, the game is pretty merciless with the sheer amount of information. You'll get a handle on it soon enough though. Just remember to check out the auction house early on so you don't end up vendoring all your drops for no little to no money!

[Gorvi]

I was reading some fishing guides and thinking about trying it. Seems pretty profitable with little to no initial investment. I hear it's a pain to level though.

Sadly after playing on and off since NA launch my only craft skill is cooking at 69. I'm starting to go broke but thankfully the LS is doing KS99 this weekend so I have a chance to get the coffers filled again.
Fishing is an absolute bitch to level. Of course, it's all profit just about, and you can do other things (like read a book) while you do it, since it doesn't take much input. I used to just hop on and fish while I'd watch a football game or something.

I started when I first picked up the game since I figured it'd be nice to have a steady way to make some gil. Really, if you're going to be serious about leveling fishing (taking it 50+), a Lu Shang is a must. I'm 86.5 now, but I haven't done much fishing since I started really playing the game again.

I really need to do some BCNMs, I guess that'd be easier if I finally got an LS. I have (literally) 10 full stacks of Beastman's Seals, and a stack and a half of KSs.

[MrPinchy]

I'm trying to get my girlfriend interested in FF, but it's a challenge. She was raised on the WoW diet, so to go from something as easy to jump in as that to almost the complete polar opposite has been difficult. Thankfully, a friend of mine who quit a year ago gave me his account, so I'm trying to show her the ropes with a 75 MNK.

Anyway, when I think back to all the things you have to do if you start from the beginning, like getting the subjob, doing the chocobo quest, unlocking jobs, ranking up, getting fame in all the cities, doing city missions, Zilart, CoP (my brain pretty much explodes at the thought of redoing CoP)... it makes me shudder. 5 years later, I'm way past most of that stuff and still playing this game like crazy, so maybe I can stomach babying the g/f through...

I think one nice thing that SE has been doing is giving us holiday event furniture that is actually a really nice safe-to-storage space ratio. Those snowmen were nice little mini-mannequins :) It's just too bad storage is only mog-house accessible.

Is anyone on Midgardsormr? I'm Alake (75pup/whm/rdm... currently working on 50dnc), if anyone needs any help :)

I'm an extremely avid PUP lover! Goooo PUP!

[UWCrash]

I think Mot and I will be ready to move to Asura as soon as he can get his Jujitsu Gi back. While we weren't playing for the last 5 months, one of his friends was using his WHM to powerlevel, and I guess that same friend's cousin sold off a bunch of his stuff. The only important things missing were his Light/Dark Staves and a bunch of his MNK gear. He's already got the staves, and the Gi was the only expensive MNK item he had (doesn't need to replace an O. Kote...thank god).

I'm hoping to be 69 (har har) soon. When I quit in Sept I was about 7k away. Last night we made the run through the Wings of the Goddess areas to Windurst Waters [S]. Finished the first couple quests for WotG Mission 2 and then sat around in West Sarutabaruta [S] doing Campaign Battles. The only problem is I'm wearing most of my PLD AF, and I end up tanking stuff that hits me for ~700 per hit because of all my enmity+ gear :(

[Gorvi]

I'm an extremely avid PUP lover! Goooo PUP!
Man, that's my only level one job, and only because I haven't had the time to look into gearing up the actual puppet. From what I've heard, it takes about 150k to gear it up right from the start, but most of that gear is good for a loooooong time. I need to give that a try.....
I think Mot and I will be ready to move to Asura as soon as he can get his Jujitsu Gi back. While we weren't playing for the last 5 months, one of his friends was using his WHM to powerlevel, and I guess that same friend's cousin sold off a bunch of his stuff. The only important things missing were his Light/Dark Staves and a bunch of his MNK gear. He's already got the staves, and the Gi was the only expensive MNK item he had (doesn't need to replace an O. Kote...thank god).

I'm hoping to be 69 (har har) soon. When I quit in Sept I was about 7k away. Last night we made the run through the Wings of the Goddess areas to Windurst Waters [S]. Finished the first couple quests for WotG Mission 2 and then sat around in West Sarutabaruta [S] doing Campaign Battles. The only problem is I'm wearing most of my PLD AF, and I end up tanking stuff that hits me for ~700 per hit because of all my enmity+ gear :(
Nice! Did you guys do the final mission in that line yet? The NM in the new area? I haven't bothered since it looks from the description like it'd wipe the floor with me if I tried it alone.

If you guys find an LS when you get to Asura, be sure to let me know. I just don't have the time to hunt down a good LS that won't mind someone who only plays casually but still wants to participate in things.

[Panthera]

Man, that's my only level one job, and only because I haven't had the time to look into gearing up the actual puppet. From what I've heard, it takes about 150k to gear it up right from the start, but most of that gear is good for a loooooong time. I need to give that a try.....

Nice! Did you guys do the final mission in that line yet? The NM in the new area? I haven't bothered since it looks from the description like it'd wipe the floor with me if I tried it alone.

If you guys find an LS when you get to Asura, be sure to let me know. I just don't have the time to hunt down a good LS that won't mind someone who only plays casually but still wants to participate in things.

You might be interested in the one that I'm in. It's casual, based in Windurst, allows all levels, but does do events, conquest, etc.

http://www.clangroups.com/Guild.aspx?GuildID=58083&TabID=506093

[UWCrash]

Nice! Did you guys do the final mission in that line yet? The NM in the new area? I haven't bothered since it looks from the description like it'd wipe the floor with me if I tried it alone.

If you guys find an LS when you get to Asura, be sure to let me know. I just don't have the time to hunt down a good LS that won't mind someone who only plays casually but still wants to participate in things.

Nah, we didn't do the last mission. In fact I figured we'd be asking you for help after we moved. ;) I don't think we'd be able to duo it as lv68 pld/war and whm/blm(or smn). Hopefully getting someone to DD it while I tank will be enough...as long as I don't screw up. Its "Blink of Peril" has me a little nervous. Also, we're only with Windy for the WotG Campaigns. For the old content we're rank 6 Bastok.

I'm not sure exactly what we're going to do about a LS. I bought a shell for the first time when we reactivated a few weeks ago and made EvilAvatar on Phoenix. From what I read, the pearls/bags will be destroyed when I transfer, but the Linkshell item will be closed up and reusable. I could either make EvAv again or just something for Mot and I. Neither of us are hardcore enough to seek out a Dynamis/Limbus/etc shell for endgame content.

[Gorvi]

Nah, we didn't do the last mission. In fact I figured we'd be asking you for help after we moved. ;) I don't think we'd be able to duo it as lv68 pld/war and whm/blm(or smn). Hopefully getting someone to DD it while I tank will be enough...as long as I don't screw up. Its "Blink of Peril" has me a little nervous. Also, we're only with Windy for the WotG Campaigns. For the old content we're rank 6 Bastok.

I'm not sure exactly what we're going to do about a LS. I bought a shell for the first time when we reactivated a few weeks ago and made EvilAvatar on Phoenix. From what I read, the pearls/bags will be destroyed when I transfer, but the Linkshell item will be closed up and reusable. I could either make EvAv again or just something for Mot and I. Neither of us are hardcore enough to seek out a Dynamis/Limbus/etc shell for endgame content.
Haha, that's awesome, I'd be glad to help/get help. :) Yeah, that petrify move is what had me really nervous, but if there's a WHM around for Stona, things should be fine. I know nothing about the fight, but as a BLM, I should be able to do ok as long as you hold hate.

For an LS, yeah, I'm not looking to be that hardcore either, but it'd be nice to do that kind of stuff every once in a while.
You might be interested in the one that I'm in. It's casual, based in Windurst, allows all levels, but does do events, conquest, etc.

http://www.clangroups.com/Guild.aspx?GuildID=58083&TabID=506093
Hmmm, I like the sounds of that. Next time we're both online, see if you can get a sackholder to send me a /tell. :)

[UWCrash]

Haha, that's awesome, I'd be glad to help/get help. :) Yeah, that petrify move is what had me really nervous, but if there's a WHM around for Stona, things should be fine. I know nothing about the fight, but as a BLM, I should be able to do ok as long as you hold hate.


Actually, it's not the cone Petrify attack I'm worried about. If I recall Torama have a petrify attack as well, which is annoying but I've tanked them for xp parties in the past.

http://wiki.ffxiclopedia.org/wiki/War_Lynx

If you're looking head-on at the War Lynx when it uses "Blink of Peril" you die. End of story. If you're looking at it from an angle (I'm guessing this would mean behind) it will drop you to 1%, reset your hate, and knock you back. I'm hoping this has enough of a cast time that I can see it and turn around, but if it's instant or really fast...yikes! Trying to hold hate from a 75blm while not being able to face it and attack would be one hell of a challenge.

[Gorvi]

Actually, it's not the cone Petrify attack I'm worried about. If I recall Torama have a petrify attack as well, which is annoying but I've tanked them for xp parties in the past.

http://wiki.ffxiclopedia.org/wiki/War_Lynx

If you're looking head-on at the War Lynx when it uses "Blink of Peril" you die. End of story. If you're looking at it from an angle (I'm guessing this would mean behind) it will drop you to 1%, reset your hate, and knock you back. I'm hoping this has enough of a cast time that I can see it and turn around, but if it's instant or really fast...yikes! Trying to hold hate from a 75blm while not being able to face it and attack would be one hell of a challenge.
Oh, crap, that's right. Now that's why I didn't bother trying to solo it. Ouch.

Well, after finally looking up some info, according to some posts about the mob on Alla (http://ffxi.allakhazam.com/db/bestiary.html?fmob=5488), I could possibly solo the thing. If you guys would come along as backup, we could probably do it pretty easily. Man, I feel a bit better about that now.

[MrPinchy]

Oh yeah, I remember going into that quest blind. Granted, I was on PUP (whm auto config), had a totally random SMN tagging along, and my buddy on BRD. Aside from the "holy crap, where did all my HP go" attack, it wasn't too bad. The annoying part was beforehand, clearing out all those damned plants in the way.

The blink attack is just like a regular torama gaze attack, so you pretty much have no warning when it hits, just make sure your backup has a cure ready. When they mention an "angle" it really does just mean turned slightly, not facing directly. I was tanking the guy, so obviously we were facing each other, but I didn't get insta-killed.

[BlackPete]

EDIT: Never mind, wrong thread page...

[KIllrazor]

Whoa! I don't check this (and the other) thread in a couple days a it's a few pages longer! You guys are getting a lot of people excited about the game again, good job! :)

Is anyone on Midgardsormr? I'm Alake (75pup/whm/rdm... currently working on 50dnc), if anyone needs any help :)


Hey MrPinchy, I'm on Midgardsormr too as KillTrash. I'm a bit on hiatus now due to work though but I should be back every night around 10PM EST from next week and on. I'm kind of a n00b though, since I started playing FFXI about 2 months ago and I'm only a 36WAR/18MNK.

[Gorvi]

I'm a little late today updating, but I doubt anyone was holding their breath. :p

So I did end up getting a party last night and making 46, but it was probably one of the worst partying experiences I've had in a while on Scholar. Not that the party was bad, but the puller made it that way. I should have known it was going to go badly when he trained 2 Rumble Crawlers to camp before we even got going (he died, the rest of us were able to take care of them). Things went semi smooth after that, though he was just pulling far too many links. Being the only mage, it was a tough time on me to Sleep the links, since even with Dark Arts up, SCH only has a B+ in Enfeebling Magic, not a sure thing by any means. Thinking back, we would have been totally screwed if I'd subbed WHM. Anyway, that B+ ment that when I did get a resist with Sleep, unless another party member could get it off of me, I was boned (SE really needs to give SCH Blink and Stoneskin). So I ended up dying twice due to our wonderful puller, though the first time I was able to get a Raise from a passing RDM. The second time the entire party wiped thanks to our fantastic THF, we all ended up home pointing and calling it a night after that.

The one positive thing I take away from the party is that I did hit 46 and thus learned Blizzard II. It's nice to be able to throw out a good chunk of damage now, with that doing 250 unresisted. So, SCH is now my 4th highest job behind BLM, BST, and RDM. I may try to push on to 50 over the weekend, but I kinda doubt it, since I work tomorrow morning. I'd really like to get 51 before the update, which I'm guessing will be sometime mid next week, though it could be the week after that.

[Cyndair]

I'm a little late today updating, but I doubt anyone was holding their breath. :p

So I did end up getting a party last night and making 46, but it was probably one of the worst partying experiences I've had in a while on Scholar. Not that the party was bad, but the puller made it that way. I should have known it was going to go badly when he trained 2 Rumble Crawlers to camp before we even got going (he died, the rest of us were able to take care of them). Things went semi smooth after that, though he was just pulling far too many links. Being the only mage, it was a tough time on me to Sleep the links, since even with Dark Arts up, SCH only has a B+ in Enfeebling Magic, not a sure thing by any means. Thinking back, we would have been totally screwed if I'd subbed WHM. Anyway, that B+ ment that when I did get a resist with Sleep, unless another party member could get it off of me, I was boned (SE really needs to give SCH Blink and Stoneskin). So I ended up dying twice due to our wonderful puller, though the first time I was able to get a Raise from a passing RDM. The second time the entire party wiped thanks to our fantastic THF, we all ended up home pointing and calling it a night after that.

The one positive thing I take away from the party is that I did hit 46 and thus learned Blizzard II. It's nice to be able to throw out a good chunk of damage now, with that doing 250 unresisted. So, SCH is now my 4th highest job behind BLM, BST, and RDM. I may try to push on to 50 over the weekend, but I kinda doubt it, since I work tomorrow morning. I'd really like to get 51 before the update, which I'm guessing will be sometime mid next week, though it could be the week after that.

*breathes* :p

Grats on 46! Sorry to hear you had it rough with your party. It's amazing how much a bad puller can ruin a party experience. You don't really think about it when you have a good puller. Then you get a bad one and you have a much greater appreciation for what a crucial role it can be.

I attempted to join my LS in Limbus last night but my internet wasn't cooperating and got disconnected right before we were supposed to go in :(. Ended up going over to a friend's house and watching the best episode of Lost ever, so it wasn't a total loss.

[Gorvi]

*breathes* :p

Grats on 46! Sorry to hear you had it rough with your party. It's amazing how much a bad puller can ruin a party experience. You don't really think about it when you have a good puller. Then you get a bad one and you have a much greater appreciation for what a crucial role it can be.

I attempted to join my LS in Limbus last night but my internet wasn't cooperating and got disconnected right before we were supposed to go in :(. Ended up going over to a friend's house and watching the best episode of Lost ever, so it wasn't a total loss.
Oh, man, I know, a puller can make or break a party. That's why, whenever I level a melee in a party, I always always always ask to be the puller. I think it's one reason why I don't think I could ever level MNK or DRG very far since they don't get any ranged attacks (Chi Blast doesn't count).

[Spigot]

I'll probably be in a little later today, if only for a bit.

On the PC, do the backgrounds look better uncompressed or compressed? I've got the graphics cranked to a decent level and everything looks snazzy now except the backgrounds.

[Gorvi]

I'll try to meet up with ya, Spig, if you're on when I get on. I'm never on until around 7:30-8:00ish since I wait for the little one to be asleep for the night. No clue about the PC thing.

[Spigot]

I'll try to meet up with ya, Spig, if you're on when I get on. I'm never on until around 7:30-8:00ish since I wait for the little one to be asleep for the night. No clue about the PC thing.Cool. It all depends on whether or not we watch a movie tonight.

[Panthera]

I'll probably be in a little later today, if only for a bit.

On the PC, do the backgrounds look better uncompressed or compressed? I've got the graphics cranked to a decent level and everything looks snazzy now except the backgrounds.

Uncompressed is a bit better, I think, and there's a way to increase the size even further using a registry edit, mentioned earlier in this thread or the other one.

[Draconis]

Uncompressed is a bit better, I think, and there's a way to increase the size even further using a registry edit, mentioned earlier in this thread or the other one.


On the LanDragon, my Lan gaming PC I have the graphics set up to uber high bleeding out your eyes definition. Unfortunately, all four of my memory sticks died so the Dragon is down until GeIL returns my memory back to me.

My old PC is nowhere near as capable as my current one, so the Graphics card cannot display the full 2560 x 2560 background res like my downed PC can with its 8800 GTX OC2 from BFG.


Keep in mind not all graphics card will be fully capable of the highest settings, but still, you can get some very nice visuals out of FFXI by hacking the registry.


For the best guide I can give you in regards to this, go here:


http://wiki.ffxiclopedia.org/wiki/Graphics

[Spigot]

Thanks Draconis. I'll fiddle with the settings as decreed on that page.

[Rakael]

Ok, its Azura you guys are on right? I'm updating now and should be on sometime tonight depending on how long the updates take. I got the 2008 version though, so maybe it won't be so bad. I'll post my char's name in here whenever I get in.

[Gorvi]

Ok, its Azura you guys are on right? I'm updating now and should be on sometime tonight depending on how long the updates take. I got the 2008 version though, so maybe it won't be so bad. I'll post my char's name in here whenever I get in.
Yep, it's Asura. I probably won't be on tonight, I'm a bit tired, but I'll definitely be on tomorrow evening. Just post your name here. :)

[Rakael]

Illivan is the name of my char. I'm a taru red mage in Windy. Trying to figure all this crap out again. See you guys on.

[Spigot]

I'm in Windy too. Taru black mage.

I'll see you around :)

[Panthera]

I really gotta get those keys. I was invited at random to a Khazam party last time!

[Gorvi]

I really gotta get those keys. I was invited at random to a Khazam party last time!
When do you think you're going to be on next?

[Panthera]

When do you think you're going to be on next?

Tonight, probably around 8-9ish. :)

[Gorvi]

Tonight, probably around 8-9ish. :)
Hmmmm. If I have party trouble, I'll come give ya a hand. If not, how about Monday for sure? It should be so much easier if I go as BST, since I won't have to sit at all.

[Panthera]

That should work! No hurry, I might be able to get someone from the LS to help, too.

I'd like to see a BST in action, though I think the only sitting we did was waiting for respawns last time. :p

[Panthera]

Hmmmm. If I have party trouble, I'll come give ya a hand. If not, how about Monday for sure? It should be so much easier if I go as BST, since I won't have to sit at all.

Turns out the LS is officially awesome. I asked about help for the Giddeus key, and before I knew it I had two guys (and one of them playing two characters) teleporting over. :D

I had it in just a couple minutes, then got teleported over to get the palborough mines key and finish up 2-3 (rank 3 now!). That part took the longest, because there was a BLM and a couple other guys there training all the key-droppers. Finally, we teleported to get the Ghelsba key. We went in the lower level of yughott and got the key after about ten fights.

All told, just under three hours, and I've finally got all my keys. Next session: Finally leveling BLM again!

[Vadras]

Turns out the LS is officially awesome. I asked about help for the Giddeus key, and before I knew it I had two guys (and one of them playing two characters) teleporting over. :D

I had it in just a couple minutes, then got teleported over to get the palborough mines key and finish up 2-3 (rank 3 now!). That part took the longest, because there was a BLM and a couple other guys there training all the key-droppers. Finally, we teleported to get the Ghelsba key. We went in the lower level of yughott and got the key after about ten fights.

All told, just under three hours, and I've finally got all my keys. Next session: Finally leveling BLM again!

Are they cool about getting people into the LS? I may wanna join that one too.

In other news... my best friend in RL and a buddy from WoW are joining up too! I got a phone call saying "I hate you so much" just now from my friend.... so the brainwashing has worked and more people are coming to Vana'diel!

[Vadras]

Oh and I just applied to your LS Panthera. One of the questions it asked was if I knew anyone in the guild so I gave them your name. I hope that was OK. Hopefully I can get in too and we can all do some of the fun content later in the game together :)

[Rakael]

I applied for the LS as well Panthera. Haven't heard back from em yet, but I hope to.

[Gorvi]

Cool to hear that you guys had good weekends ingame! I didn't really get on much at all over the weekend, I took a bit of a break. I'll be back on tonight, though. :)

[Rakael]

Cool to hear that you guys had good weekends ingame! I didn't really get on much at all over the weekend, I took a bit of a break. I'll be back on tonight, though. :)

Yeah, I got my lil Taru RDM up to level 8 or 9. Can't remember exactly, but I know it was close to 9 if not all the way. Hope to get him up a couple more levels in the next couple of days. I got into a newly formed LS that has helped me out a bit. I didn't even know about signet until they told me :o.

[Gorvi]

Yeah, I got my lil Taru RDM up to level 8 or 9. Can't remember exactly, but I know it was close to 9 if not all the way. Hope to get him up a couple more levels in the next couple of days. I got into a newly formed LS that has helped me out a bit. I didn't even know about signet until they told me :o.
Wow, nice start. Did you get enough CP for your Empress Band yet? If you need some help with anything, lemme know and I can lend a hand.

[Rakael]

Wow, nice start. Did you get enough CP for your Empress Band yet? If you need some help with anything, lemme know and I can lend a hand.

Yeah, I just picked up the Empress Band before I logged out last. I have also made around 5k so far selling cyrstals on the auction, so money is ok. I do owe a LS member about 5k for a dagger she bought me, but she isn't too worried about the payment right now. I'm just kickin' along trying to get new spells and solo the first Windy mission. Good thing I haven't reached the point of loosing xp for a death though heheh. Gotten my ass handed to me a few times when I forget to check the mobs. I'm learning, slowly but surely!

[Gorvi]

Yeah, I just picked up the Empress Band before I logged out last. I have also made around 5k so far selling cyrstals on the auction, so money is ok. I do owe a LS member about 5k for a dagger she bought me, but she isn't too worried about the payment right now. I'm just kickin' along trying to get new spells and solo the first Windy mission. Good thing I haven't reached the point of loosing xp for a death though heheh. Gotten my ass handed to me a few times when I forget to check the mobs. I'm learning, slowly but surely!
Really? At 8 or 9 you should be losing XP for deaths, I'm pretty sure that starts at 4. And man, sell that dagger. Well, unless you really really love daggers that is. A sword will do you much better, and Fast Blade is one of the best early level weapon skills, as opposed to the first one you get with dagger, which is next to worthless.

[Rakael]

Really? At 8 or 9 you should be losing XP for deaths, I'm pretty sure that starts at 4. And man, sell that dagger. Well, unless you really really love daggers that is. A sword will do you much better, and Fast Blade is one of the best early level weapon skills, as opposed to the first one you get with dagger, which is next to worthless.

Well, I may have lost XP, but it didn't look like I have. At least I haven't de-leveled yet. I like daggers right now for the dot they do, and it seems I kill things much faster than with a sword. I'll pick up a sword too though and try to level it up and see what I think when I get the first skill.

[Gorvi]

Well, I may have lost XP, but it didn't look like I have. At least I haven't de-leveled yet. I like daggers right now for the dot they do, and it seems I kill things much faster than with a sword. I'll pick up a sword too though and try to level it up and see what I think when I get the first skill.
Oh, by all means do what's fun to you at this point while you're soloing, I was just trying to make a suggestion. Grabbing a bow and some arrows would be a good idea too.

[Panthera]

I applied for the LS as well Panthera. Haven't heard back from em yet, but I hope to.

For those applying to the linkshell, take a look at the officer list (Eaze, Karesme, and Anonymous, for instance) and try to give them a tell when you're online. They're a bit lazy about recruiting people online who apply through the webpage - that's mainly so you have forum access. You have to ask for them to give you a pearl manually.

[Vadras]

For those applying to the linkshell, take a look at the officer list (Eaze, Karesme, and Anonymous, for instance) and try to give them a tell when you're online. They're a bit lazy about recruiting people online who apply through the webpage - that's mainly so you have forum access. You have to ask for them to give you a pearl manually.

Good to know. I'll see if I can get in touch of one of them later.

[Gorvi]

Well, after a few days of no partying, I did get one last night. And I'm still 46. A total of 5.5k xp in 2 1/2 hours, and that's with an Empress Band. The party as a whole wasn't all that bad, but the damage just wasn't there other than myself, and DRG near the end. The PLD went AFK for 20 minute stretches twice, and was nearly kicked both times because of it. That, and the WHM couldn't manage MP to save her life.

And that last point leads into a nice little mini-rant: What the hell is wrong with most White Mages? I know that there are some good WHMs out there, but many are utterly terrible at their job. I'd hoped something had changed for the better in the 2+ years it's been since I partied BLM to 75, but apparently, most WHMs are still morons. Managing your MP is not a difficult task. Regen is your friend. Cure IVing the puller as soon as he gets back before the tank gets control of hate is a bad idea. Resting, standing to cast, and sitting back down 5 times during a fight will not help you, and you'll never regain any significant MP that way.

OK, I feel better. :)

[Vadras]

And that last point leads into a nice little mini-rant: What the hell is wrong with most White Mages? I know that there are some good WHMs out there, but many are utterly terrible at their job. I'd hoped something had changed for the better in the 2+ years it's been since I partied BLM to 75, but apparently, most WHMs are still morons. Managing your MP is not a difficult task. Regen is your friend. Cure IVing the puller as soon as he gets back before the tank gets control of hate is a bad idea. Resting, standing to cast, and sitting back down 5 times during a fight will not help you, and you'll never regain any significant MP that way.

I feel ya Gorvi. Well not in FFXI just yet, but I've had similar experiences in parties in WoW... you don't always need to use the HUGE cures when a quicker lower level cure will suffice (and use less mana).

I spent some time last night showing my friend where stuff in town was so he would feel less overwhelmed. One thing I haven't figured out yet though, how do I send stuff like items to him outside of trading them? Isn't there a mail system where you can send items? I checked the delivery box, but didn't see an option for it there. Any help would be appreciated as I'm gonna lend him some lower level leather gear to help him get going.

[Gorvi]

I feel ya Gorvi. Well not in FFXI just yet, but I've had similar experiences in parties in WoW... you don't always need to use the HUGE cures when a quicker lower level cure will suffice (and use less mana).

I spent some time last night showing my friend where stuff in town was so he would feel less overwhelmed. One thing I haven't figured out yet though, how do I send stuff like items to him outside of trading them? Isn't there a mail system where you can send items? I checked the delivery box, but didn't see an option for it there. Any help would be appreciated as I'm gonna lend him some lower level leather gear to help him get going.
There are NPCs near the Auction Houses that send items for you and they show up in the delivery boxes.

Also, I coulda swore I'd added you to my friend list, but I didn''t see you on last night (I was on til 11 PM EST). Did I not get you added yet?

[Panthera]

I feel ya Gorvi. Well not in FFXI just yet, but I've had similar experiences in parties in WoW... you don't always need to use the HUGE cures when a quicker lower level cure will suffice (and use less mana).

I spent some time last night showing my friend where stuff in town was so he would feel less overwhelmed. One thing I haven't figured out yet though, how do I send stuff like items to him outside of trading them? Isn't there a mail system where you can send items? I checked the delivery box, but didn't see an option for it there. Any help would be appreciated as I'm gonna lend him some lower level leather gear to help him get going.

Yep, you can send stuff by talking to the NPCs next to the auction houses.

[Vadras]

There are NPCs near the Auction Houses that send items for you and they show up in the delivery boxes.

Also, I coulda swore I'd added you to my friend list, but I didn''t see you on last night (I was on til 11 PM EST). Did I not get you added yet?

Thanks for the info Gorvi (you too Panthera... Gorvi's just too quick :p)... I'll try sending the stuff to him when I get home.

Yea, I have you on my friends list, but I didn't get on until around 9 or 9:30 PST, so 12 or 12:30 for you. Didn't get to level much... was pretty much showing my friend the ropes. About halfway to 14 though! My other friend (who used to have a couple 75's in FFXI) got his warrior up to lvl 10 last night. We may have to get that Dunes group setup sometime soon. :D

On another side note... it seems like crawlers drop less silk the more you outlevel them. Killed a bunch and only got 2 silks whereas before I would have gotten about 8 or 9 from the same amount of kills. Is this a game mechanic or did I just have some shit luck?

[Gorvi]

Thanks for the info Gorvi (you too Panthera... Gorvi's just too quick :p)... I'll try sending the stuff to him when I get home.

Yea, I have you on my friends list, but I didn't get on until around 9 or 9:30 PST, so 12 or 12:30 for you. Didn't get to level much... was pretty much showing my friend the ropes. About halfway to 14 though! My other friend (who used to have a couple 75's in FFXI) got his warrior up to lvl 10 last night. We may have to get that Dunes group setup sometime soon. :D

On another side note... it seems like crawlers drop less silk the more you outlevel them. Killed a bunch and only got 2 silks whereas before I would have gotten about 8 or 9 from the same amount of kills. Is this a game mechanic or did I just have some shit luck?
Ahh, ok, that explains it.

As far as the drop rate, I think that may be a game mechanic. I think I remember hearing about that somewhere, but I'm not 100% certain.

[Vadras]

Ahh, ok, that explains it.

As far as the drop rate, I think that may be a game mechanic. I think I remember hearing about that somewhere, but I'm not 100% certain.

Figures... just kinda disappointing because that was my main source of income. Now I'll have to figure out another way to make some cash to get new gear I guess. Any suggestions for my level?

Also, I haven't picked up any tradeskills yet. I'm wondering how critical it is at this point. Should I just pick up something less gil intensive like fishing for now? Any recommendations would be appreciated.

[Gorvi]

Figures... just kinda disappointing because that was my main source of income. Now I'll have to figure out another way to make some cash to get new gear I guess. Any suggestions for my level?

Also, I haven't picked up any tradeskills yet. I'm wondering how critical it is at this point. Should I just pick up something less money intensive like fishing for now? Any recommendations would be appreciated.
Man, now that's a loaded question. If you decide to craft, you'll be spending a decent amount of time doing it at first. Other than Alchemy, you'll lose gil before you see any profit from it. It's also very inventory intensive, so unless you plan on making mules, it'd be pretty tough.

Fishing is a good way to make money, but it's not all that exciting, and can take a long time to start skilling up. That being said, fishing is probably the easiest thing to make some gil early on. There are plenty of guides out there.

Really, from what I can tell, many players in FFXI never craft and usually rely on farming low level mobs for drops. If I had to guess, I'd say maybe 20%-25% of the FFXI players craft. It can be very profitable at higher skill levels, but it can take a substantial initial investment to get to that point.

You could also try gardening, and for that you probably should have a mule, but it's not necassary at all, just a bit more of a pain. I've never really bothered with gardening, but it can turn a very nice profit if you get good at it.

[Vadras]

Man, now that's a loaded question. If you decide to craft, you'll be spending a decent amount of time doing it at first. Other than Alchemy, you'll lose gil before you see any profit from it. It's also very inventory intensive, so unless you plan on making mules, it'd be pretty tough.

Fishing is a good way to make money, but it's not all that exciting, and can take a long time to start skilling up. That being said, fishing is probably the easiest thing to make some gil early on. There are plenty of guides out there.

Really, from what I can tell, many players in FFXI never craft and usually rely on farming low level mobs for drops. If I had to guess, I'd say maybe 20%-25% of the FFXI players craft. It can be very profitable at higher skill levels, but it can take a substantial initial investment to get to that point.

You could also try gardening, and for that you probably should have a mule, but it's not necassary at all, just a bit more of a pain. I've never really bothered with gardening, but it can turn a very nice profit if you get good at it.

That's awesome news! I hate leveling crafting and tradeskills for MMO's in general, so it's good to know that they aren't required to make some decent gil later. I probably won't worry about it for now then and I'll just keep up the leveling.

I think I may try to do those missions later to get my Windurst rank to 2 as well. Looks like fun and I want to see some more of the in-game cut-scenes like when I did the Star Onion Brigade (S.O.B.) quest earlier.

[Gorvi]

That's awesome news! I hate leveling crafting and tradeskills for MMO's in general, so it's good to know that they aren't required to make some decent gil later. I probably won't worry about it for now then and I'll just keep up the leveling.

I think I may try to do those missions later to get my Windurst rank to 2 as well. Looks like fun and I want to see some more of the in-game cut-scenes like when I did the Star Onion Brigade (S.O.B.) quest earlier.
Oh, later on you'll be doing BCNMs (and much later, KSNMs and ENMs) for gil, at least that's what a lot of the non-crafters do.

The missions are a lot of fun, and the Windurst storyline is pretty good all the way to Rank 10. Since I've completed them, I can help you with any of them that you need. You'll want Rank 5 ASAP to get your Airship pass so that you can take the Airships between Jeuno and the 3 starting cities.

[Vadras]

Oh, later on you'll be doing BCNMs (and much later, KSNMs and ENMs) for gil, at least that's what a lot of the non-crafters do.

The missions are a lot of fun, and the Windurst storyline is pretty good all the way to Rank 10. Since I've completed them, I can help you with any of them that you need. You'll want Rank 5 ASAP to get your Airship pass so that you can take the Airships between Jeuno and the 3 starting cities.

Cool! Works for me... I want to do them anyways, so that's just more incentive to do them. I'll let you know if I need any help at all.

[Spigot]

It's kind of sad when you can say that you had a night of partying in this thread and it (likely) didn't involve any music, drinking or dancing... :)

[Rakael]

I just got in Themoogleconspiracy tonight. Minutes later I red ringed! This fucking blows!

[Grumsh]

I just got in Themoogleconspiracy tonight. Minutes later I red ringed! This fucking blows!


Thats 3! You read it here folks FFXI is your ticket to red ringing your 360 !!

My condolences (this from a 360 owner).

On a positive note skuttlebutt is the new refurb's are about to hit assembly line so don't think you will get a 2nd red ring!

/end thread hijack

I am in, lost my toons, so instead of renewing my old accounts that are 3 expansions behind, I bought the 2007 edition. I shed a tear over losing a full relic with refresh red mage, but I CAN get it again. The trick is telling my wife her full relic white mage summoner is gone <this wont be pretty..>

Level 4 warrior now (leveling warrior first so I get sword skill instead of wasted dagger skill that red mages start with.. and well.. less deaths and easier to farm up some cash). Will hit 15 then switch to Red Mage and go for it from there. Oh, and I am on Asura. See you in game... if I miss a tell I afk a lot during the day time.

[Panthera]

I just got in Themoogleconspiracy tonight. Minutes later I red ringed! This fucking blows!

God damn, that sucks. It's a conspiracy, I tell you.

On a whim, since I didn't quite feel like traveling to Jeuno yet, I bought a Hume pole and some little worms and started fishing last night. I can see how it's considered a money-maker - I've already earned back my investment! Moat carps are going for 2000 a stack and Crayfish 800 a stack on the Windy AH.

[Gorvi]

God damn, that sucks. It's a conspiracy, I tell you.

On a whim, since I didn't quite feel like traveling to Jeuno yet, I bought a Hume pole and some little worms and started fishing last night. I can see how it's considered a money-maker - I've already earned back my investment! Moat carps are going for 2000 a stack and Crayfish 800 a stack on the Windy AH.
Nice. :) When you get a chance, try getting a piece or two of the fishing enhancement gear (hands, body, legs, feet). They really help, especially at lower levels.

[Panthera]

Nice. :) When you get a chance, try getting a piece or two of the fishing enhancement gear (hands, body, legs, feet). They really help, especially at lower levels.

I at least got imaging support. The enhancement gear was a little expensive, around 5000 a piece.

[Gorvi]

I at least got imaging support. The enhancement gear was a little expensive, around 5000 a piece.
Ahh, yeah, that is a bit expensive given current prices. Still, if you plan on fishing much in the future, eventually getting them all is a good idea. Image support helps too, so that was a good idea.

One thing about crafting in FFXI (fishing counts as a craft), every 10 levels you need to take a "guild test" to advance (at 10, 20, 30, etc...), which is basically turning in a specific item that you should be able to make/fish up to the guildmaster. You don't have to make them yourself, you can just buy them on the AH. If you forget to do that, you'll be capped at 10 (or 20 etc...) and won't be able to skill up anymore until you do the "test". You can do the "test" as early as 8 (18, 28, etc...), so it's a good idea to do it as early as possible so you don't forget.

You should be good catching Crayfish and Moat Carp for a bit, but once you reach the cap on Crayfish (7), you'll probably want to switch over to Insect Paste for bate, as it'll only target the Moats (11).

[Cyndair]

I've been fishing a bit. I can't believe the skill up rate is so slow. I fished for around 3 hours and only got .5. The bonus is that I caught several stacks of fish but most of them I need to turn in for the Lu Shang's quest so not much profit. Oh well :p

[Gorvi]

I've been fishing a bit. I can't believe the skill up rate is so slow. I fished for around 3 hours and only got .5. The bonus is that I caught several stacks of fish but most of them I need to turn in for the Lu Shang's quest so not much profit. Oh well :p
If you think that's slow, just imagine how it is in the 80's. I'd be thrilled to get .5 in 3 hours. :p

[Grumsh]

One of my earlier FFXI memories: During my first run from Sandoria to windhurst at about level 12'ish (I wasn't aware of the 'bonuses' from starting in your races prefered city so my Taru was a Sandorian). I was on the boat watching a high level person fishing, when all of a sudden (bet some of you can see where this is going) this giant (my words) HELLFISH popped up on the deck and ate me in one gulp!

Instead of being upset I thought it was the coolest thing... some random fisherman had just reeled in Jaws and I was dessert !

Luckily some nice caster was also on the boat and was kind enough to raise me so I didnt have to start the run again. Went on to find out that was one heck of a cash cow place to fish for a higher level person who is able to smack Jaws back into his place.

[Gorvi]

One of my earlier FFXI memories: During my first run from Sandoria to windhurst at about level 12'ish (I wasn't aware of the 'bonuses' from starting in your races prefered city so my Taru was a Sandorian). I was on the boat watching a high level person fishing, when all of a sudden (bet some of you can see where this is going) this giant (my words) HELLFISH popped up on the deck and ate me in one gulp!

Instead of being upset I thought it was the coolest thing... some random fisherman had just reeled in Jaws and I was dessert !

Luckily some nice caster was also on the boat and was kind enough to raise me so I didnt have to start the run again. Went on to find out that was one heck of a cash cow place to fish for a higher level person who is able to smack Jaws back into his place.
Haha, yeah, the Selbina Mhaura Ferry can be a nice place to fish, I've done it there a few times. The only real problem is tha an NM named The Sea Horror will pop from time to time, and he can take out a 75 of most jobs if they're not paying attention.

[Gorvi]

Well, I got another party last night, and this went much better. Ironically, the same PLD was there, along with the same issues, but everyone else did a good job despite that. He seemed to think that people should just wait for hime when he went AFK for 15 minutes at a time without warning. If he'd been just a DD, we could have gotten by, but not the tank. Actually, there's more I could say (the RDM who refused to Refresh me because "I'm not important as a SCH" :mad: and a BLU who never used spells), but I don't want to get too negative. I just seem to be running into some very annoying people the past few nights.

Anyway, I was BLM/SCH again, and I'm still very happy with the damage numbers I'm able to put up. I did forget to bring along my Moldavite Earring for when I hit 47, so I would have been doing a little bit better, but it wasn't bad overall. We were in Quicksand Caves fighting spiders and beetles (being able to Aspir, I love fighting beetles). I'm about 1k away from 48, so with a little luck and a double use of my Empress Band tonight, I should be able to hit 49 and get Hailstorm.

[Vadras]

I ended up getting into The Moogle Conspiracy last night too. Linkshell chat was a good time as they trained Panthera and I to become lil Taru sex gods via emotes. It was a good time and they seem like some fun people so far.

I also did the first Windurst Mission 1-1. Pretty fun and it's cool watching the in-game cut scenes. I'm about 1k from 14 now too, so if I can get my homework done by a reasonable time i'll try to jump on and finish that up tonight.

[Panthera]

I ended up getting into The Moogle Conspiracy last night too. Linkshell chat was a good time as they trained Panthera and I to become lil Taru sex gods via emotes. It was a good time and they seem like some fun people so far.

Oh, god. The dirty emotes. Yeah, they're a crazy bunch, alright. Love it. :p

[Spigot]

I also did the first Windurst Mission 1-1. Pretty fun and it's cool watching the in-game cut scenes.I remember being very impressed by the ingame cutscenes in FFXI and they're a big part of what has me coming back to the game.

Now to actually, you know, play it some more :)

[Vadras]

I remember being very impressed by the ingame cutscenes in FFXI and they're a big part of what has me coming back to the game.

Now to actually, you know, play it some more :)

That was one of the more enticing parts of coming to FFXI from WoW for me too. I need to start leveling more as well. Been lvl 13 for almost a week because of a lack of time.

[Gorvi]

I remember being very impressed by the ingame cutscenes in FFXI and they're a big part of what has me coming back to the game.

Now to actually, you know, play it some more :)
They get very, very good. The opening cutscene for the Zilart missions is amazing, and if it didn't have some big spoilers for the main storyline, I'd say to look it up on YouTube. Even then, though, I doubt you'd be able to read the text to see what people are saying.

[Rakael]

Gah! I'm hooked now and can't play! Friggin red rings. I think when I get my box back, I'll get an aftermarket cooler for it.

[Ten19]

Please stop talking about FFXI.

Every time you post here, I think about reinstalling it.

So please, for the sake of my time, cease immediately! ;)

[Panthera]

I had an interesting session last night.

First I went to grab a mission. Oops, it was the wrong one - now I have to go talk to the guy and wait two hours before dropping the mission. I fished in the meantime.

Two (!) broken rods and one wiki search later, I discovered moghancement: fishing mostly helps me break rods and dredge up more useless tchochkes, and that my torrid love affair with rusty buckets was going to have to end.

Anyway, I finally got the right mission (3-1), got to see the top level of the great tree and a cool cutscene, and then decided it was time to head to Jeuno and cash in my Khazam keys. I noticed that Qufim was Windurstian, so did a supply run at the same time. God damn, I hate Qufim. I can only thank nearby players who stole aggro that I didn't die.

I ended the session by taking my first airship to Khazam, wandering around it for a while, then warping back to Jeuno.

[UWCrash]

God damn, I hate Qufim. I can only thank nearby players who stole aggro that I didn't die.

You've only just been there for a supply run. Wait until you actually have to level there. ;)

[Panthera]

You've only just been there for a supply run. Wait until you actually have to level there. ;)

I'm level 24. I did.

[Gorvi]

Good job, Panthera! I was on for a bit last night, but ended up logging off early because I was exhausted. You can solo the first 2 Rank 3 missions and I can easily get you that last one to get you Rank 4. After that, it's just a lot of running around in areas that'll get you 1 shotted if you're seen, and you can get Rank 5. :)

[Spigot]

I'm closing in on level 4... goooo Black Mage!

[Vadras]

I'm closing in on level 4... goooo Black Mage!

Grats Spigot! I finished up the Rank 1 Missions last night. Now I need to get more CP before I can start the Rank 2 ones apparently.

Also hit 14 on my RDM. I have a friend also leveling a RDM, but slower. Thinking of leveling BLM or WHM a bit while he's catching up, so we can hit the Dunes together when he's there. Still not sure which.

[Gorvi]

Man, 2 nights in a row now I haven't really been on. Last night not at all actually. I should be on again tonight, but that may not happen. :(

[Panthera]

Grats Spigot! I finished up the Rank 1 Missions last night. Now I need to get more CP before I can start the Rank 2 ones apparently.

Also hit 14 on my RDM. I have a friend also leveling a RDM, but slower. Thinking of leveling BLM or WHM a bit while he's catching up, so we can hit the Dunes together when he's there. Still not sure which.

I've still got RDM sitting at 14 while I start to level BLM. If you ever care to party, let me know!

I recommend taking your first job up to 18 as soon as you can, though, because a subjob is a big bonus.

[Vadras]

I've still got RDM sitting at 14 while I start to level BLM. If you ever care to party, let me know!

I recommend taking your first job up to 18 as soon as you can, though, because a subjob is a big bonus.

Definitely! Can't wait to get a sub-job. I'll probably sub RDM to BLM to start off with. I'm still debating what to do in the game really. BLM sounds like a lot of fun, and from what I've been reading Scholar makes a pretty kickass sub to that (and a good primary job it seems from what Gorvi's been doin. I also want to eventually do Beastmaster, but I'm thinking of saving that one for a little further down the line now... or maybe level it on nights I can't get a party.

When it looks like we'll get a party goin I'll let you know or invite you if you're on at the time. Same thing with you Gorvi.

[Gorvi]

Definitely! Can't wait to get a sub-job. I'll probably sub RDM to BLM to start off with. I'm still debating what to do in the game really. BLM sounds like a lot of fun, and from what I've been reading Scholar makes a pretty kickass sub to that (and a good primary job it seems from what Gorvi's been doin. I also want to eventually do Beastmaster, but I'm thinking of saving that one for a little further down the line now... or maybe level it on nights I can't get a party.

When it looks like we'll get a party goin I'll let you know or invite you if you're on at the time. Same thing with you Gorvi.
A subjob helps a ton, especially when leveling BLM so that you get access to a cure spell (it's hell without that, I have no idea how I managed BLM to 18 as my first job).

Right now, Scholar is a "meh" sub for BLM, at least later on. WHM is still probably the best pre-70, with RDM being better after that. SCH could move ahead though if they give it Blink and Stoneskin, which it really, really needs. And all of that probably made no sense. :p