Final Fantasy 11

[Seegtease]

I know it still ranks on the top 5 of pay-for-play games, so no, it's not dead.

Anybody around here play it?

Arbau - Rank 7 Elvaan San'd'Orian - Asura
75WHM, 70THF, 37Lots of jobs

[Gio Takahashi]

What server are you on?

I have a character in Phoenix, that is THF75 and DRG75, and have a warrior on the way.

[Seegtease]

lol, Asura. I don't know how I forgot that. I plan on leveling DRG as duo with my wife as RDM, sounds like a good duo setup to me. DRG gets real respect from me. Piercing damage jobs FTW.

[Gio Takahashi]

DRG IS a lot of fun to play on, yes. It's a great DD alternative to THF (to my eyes, apparently, since almost everyone I know goes loldrg :( )

Oh, I forgot to mention. rank 10 san'dorian as well and completed CoP and Aht Urghan.

[Seegtease]

I've been really lazy about missions. Mainly I haven't had much time to play these days. Honestly, in any Colibri party, you'd have to be a nut not to take THF or DRG over SAM or WAR, but idiots do it anyway. I like to use parsers so I can share the results with other people who can't think outside the box.

Also, take /rng for example. You take any thief or warrior from levels 20-30 subbing ninja, and compare them to my war/rng or thf/rng during that same range, and you just dare them to beat my damage. People don't realize that xbow spamming is one of the fastest TP builders in the game, and at low level, very good damage. They also neglect to remember the +10 accuracy, which at that level pays off a lot more than a small attack speed boost.

You just try. :) DRG would have no reason though, pretty sure they have their own accuracy bonus at that level.

It's amazing what you have to go through to convince somebody that /nin isn't the end of everything. At 70+thf, I'd rather sub War so I don't have to offhand something crappy. Just use a Viking Shield and Zerk.

[Gio Takahashi]

That is pretty much true, and we have another awesome subjob: /dnc.

[Seegtease]

That's what I've heard, it's pretty good for solo because of free heals and drain, no?

Apparantly SCH is the ultimate mage sub. Seems like they wanted to make universal subs with the jobs in WotG.

[Gio Takahashi]

SCH is an AMAZING job, both sub and main.

[DarkStar]

I have FF11 but it has sat in my closet for probably 2 years now.

[RonDo]

I have FF11 but it has sat in my closet for probably 2 years now.


Ditto..it may be even longer in the dust for me. Just couldn't find someone to play the game with for an extended period of time. I have a hard time staying in an MMO without someone to enjoy the game with.

[Seegtease]

Well if anybody feels inspired, I'm Arbau on Asura, lol. Yeah, I can see the problem with nobody to play with, hard to convince people to play FFXI over something like WoW. FFXI is a very hard game, and most people don't have the patience for it. It's also slower paced, but if it wasn't, you'd be screwed. You need every second you can get in some battles.

[Gio Takahashi]

I agree, FFXI is very challenging to start off with, and some of the best rewards requires shit tons of patience, but I've gotten lucky, and worked hard, so It's paying off :)

[DarkStar]

I really don't think that FFXI could require more patience than maple story.

[Seegtease]

With 75 long agonizing levels, and at least 37 with another job, then doing about ever mission on the planet to access some of the halfway decent gear, and then still hoping to get lucky, I'd say it's a pain.

Strong learning curve. Most people who quit, quit early. If they make it to 60, they usually stick around.

[DarkStar]

How long about at a higher level does it take to gain 1 level? on maple story by level 70 your looking at about 7%-10%/hr

[Gio Takahashi]

In FFXI in general, each mob has a cap if 300 EXP. You can push it higher by using various bonuses (Corsair, Anniversary ring, Emperor/Empress/Chariot ring, Sanction). Also there will be a chain. but you'll VERY rarely ever exceed 500 xp per mob. then some fights are really fast, some are really slow.

At level 75, which is cap, you have 44,000 exp. 74 is 42000, 73 is 40000, 72 is 38000, 71 is 36000 and so on.

and this is providing IF YOU JOIN PARTIES, because soloing to 75, while possible, is AGONIZINGLY SLOW.

[Seegtease]

At 70, if you have a VERY GOOD RARE party that does the whole super high chains without utsu: ni somehow, you could get 15k/hour. But that's extremely rare. Typically, it would take 3-5 hours to go from 70-71.

Soloing, with most jobs, it could take 20+ hours. Dragoon a little faster due to the help of their wyvern with healing, Ninja because of shadows, and Beastmaster is the only job that can really solo, but it would still take them longer than a party. But then again, they don't have to wait for a party. Any other job would spend over half the time resting.

[Seegtease]

Win the lottery, Gio? I made 70k (after deducting 30k in costs) and several XP scrolls. Only one on my main though.

DON'T TAKE BEHEMOTH HIDE FOR RANK 4 PRIZE. It will be flooded.

[Gio Takahashi]

Only 5 EXP scrolls. 1 on my main, 4 on my mules. A lot of people on Phoenix are pissed off, and I've yet heard from a confirmed winner.

[Z]

I played a little bit on the same server as Zeit (He remembers, I'm sure) I think you (Zeit) even helped me get my subjob at some point. But I never got any higher than Lv30, I think. I had Black Mage, White Mage, Red Mage, and Warrior leveled up a bit but I think that was all.

[Seegtease]

Well, I ended up taking the Khroma Ore, undercut (figured flooding would occur) so I managed to sell it for 190k.

I'm working on leveling all jobs to 37. I'm trying out blue mage and I had no idea how hard spells were to get.

[Gio Takahashi]

Khroma ore is like 300K~ on Phoenix.

[Seegtease]

Behemoth hide was higher before, but it dropped too.

[Gio Takahashi]

yeah, it used to be at 800K

[Z]

My friend Pat, who still plays I think, says he loved leveling Blue Mage.

[Gio Takahashi]

Blue Mage looked like a fun job, but I haven't got a chance to play that yet.

[Z]

In Pat's words, the Blue Mage is one of the only classes/jobs that can solo well in FFXI. He said runner-up was Dragoon or something but Blue Mage is by far the better of the two (for solo)

[Seegtease]

Beastmaster is generally the best solo. RDM can probably solo safer (and harder NMs) than BLU, but it's a lot slower than BLU. DRG can solo because the Wyvern heals. Dancer turns out to be a decent solo-er, pup, too.

But learning spells as BLU can be a pain. I've been working on it and they really did make it too difficult. There was no good reason for them to do that besides to irritate you.

[Killer_Man_]

You know, I was actually going to try to play this out being bored and wanting to try something new.

SADLY, I have to buy the stupid game before I can even play.

I like games where you can try it for 30 days, then buy the game/pay for the first month + get a month free. :\ Perhaps later when I get paid again I'll try the game out.

You do get a month free when you buy the game, right?

[Gio Takahashi]

No but you can get free trial from friends.

[EndlessSky]

I use to play this a lot when it first came out on PC around 2004.

I must say it was the best MMO experience I've had to this day. I had a lot of fun with it even though the game can be difficult and take a LONG time to do things.

On the server I played on, everyone was very laid back and friendly not like a lot of MMOs and other online games these days, I dunno if it was the server I was on or what but totally different experince community wise than most online games I've played.

[Gio Takahashi]

apparently, each server on FFXI has its own set of personalities.

[Killer_Man_]

No but you can get free trial from friends.

Well, whoever has one, I'd be interested in it. Especially if it gets you a free month if I pay for it.

What server does majority play on?

And are the servers populated so you don't have to sit there and be like, LFG BLAH BLAH BLAH for like hours.

[Gio Takahashi]

the servers are generally equal in population, although recently you could pick a server you want to join.

[Killer_Man_]

Yeah but I'd rather play with people I know even if I am not in the same guild. o.o;

[EndlessSky]

Well, I don't play anymore so, and its really depending on your class how long you will have to look for group.

Also, aroun level 10-15+ you HAVE to group or you won't progress, it's not like WoW or any of these newer mmos where you solo quest and stuff, there are quests and stuff in FF11 but not as prominent and you group and kill monsters to level up even so it can be real fun just because of the depth of stratgey and etc between the classes and people you play with.

A lot of the main quests are very story-driven and have some great cutscenes in them.

I also think they have improved on the game much since I last played, for example you level up quicker, doesn't take as long to travel, etc,etc.

[Killer_Man_]

So it's basically like everquest? Some classes can't/unable to solo?

[EndlessSky]

You only solo in the beginning. After that you group, and that goes for all classes.

Well, you can solo things that way lower level than you for when you need to farm gil and stuff for equipment but usually you'll get your ass handed to you if you fight things the same level as you or a little lower than you by yourself especially at higher levels.

Of course, a lot of things in the game have changed since I played 4 or 5 years ago so it could be different now.

[Killer_Man_]

Anyone got a free trial I could use? If not I have no problem paying 19.99 for the direct DL if it'll still give me a free month/trial.

[Seegtease]

You get a free month when buying the game, KM. I don't know why Gio said otherwise.

Also, EndlessSky has been away too long, I can assure you things are quite different. I wouldn't take the word of anybody who says "class" instead of "job" ;)

None of the initial jobs can solo too well, especially when you don't have a subjob. But a lot of jobs can solo, Beastmaster, Dancer, Blue Mage, Dragoon, and some others.

It's a lot more fun to party, though. One of the advantages of FFXI is that you can change your job whenever you please. That means you only have to do all the quests with one character, and then you're done. Getting new maps, doing missions, getting access to areas, etc. You change your job, and if you get bored, you can change again.

If you decide to buy it and play for at least the free month, join the server Asura and I'll hook you up with a linkshell (like a guild) that tends to be very helpful when people need it. I'm Arbau there. I'm on fairly often.

[Killer_Man_]

Well, it'll have to wait till not this tuesday, but the tuesday after. I'll more than likely try it, I've heard of it a lot of times but eh, I might as well try it cause I am that bored.

[Seegtease]

It's a hard game. Having some experience with WoW, I can tell you FFXI is a lot harder than WoW. Maybe that's why it's not as popular. People get frustrated and quit.

[Killer_Man_]

Sounds much like EQ and I'm always up for a challenge as long as the servers are populated.

[Gio Takahashi]

FFXI is a game of patience, and work. If you give it time and patience, you'll do fine.

You get a free month when buying the game, KM. I don't know why Gio said otherwise.

Half and half. The free trial is usually used to invite your friends to FFXI. Drake invited me to FFXI using that free trial.

[Seegtease]

And not the kind where you have to run a dungeon over and over again to get any decent gear. There are a lot of ways to get good gear, and no universal best for each job. A lot of gear can cater to your different playstyles, and a lot of good stuff can be bought at the auction house if you have the funds.

[Gio Takahashi]

and some jobs are very gear lacking.

Like Dragoons. -mutters-.

[Killer_Man_]

Are they going to modify the gear for dragoons?

[EndlessSky]

The gear isn't like Everquest or WoW, there really isn't like epics, or rares etc, just different equipment you can find and use.

Of course there are some items that sell for TONS of money but you have to camp the monster for days and some only respawn like every 24 hours but isn't those gay epic item sets and stuff like that, well aside from AF armor that you just get from a quest and it is traditional armor for the classes.

For example redmages AF armor is a red coat and hat with feather in it etc.

[Killer_Man_]

That's not what I am saying Endless, I am asking are they going to add more armor for a dragoon. :P

Besides, epics/uniques and all that Blizzard/EQ has done is fine if it is there or not. The only reason I like the color code system is cause then you have a good idea of how much something is worth because of it instead of just guessing.

[Gio Takahashi]

Probably, overtime, as most people say, Dragoons are gear-challenged. There are some decent gears, only like a very few you could buy from Auction House, that would be worth getting. There's one cheap alternative (Narishma Vest), and two expensive alternative (Barone Corazza and Hydra Scale Mail), but the latter requires an HNM to kill (high notorious monster, usually requires a large party to kill), the other gears, would have to take a LOT of work, but they are worth it (Example, Ares's Cuirass.)

[Seegtease]

Dragoons do enough damage without that leet of gear. Very few people respect the Dragoon with their leet piercing damage. I could complain about THF, too. The level 72 JSE for THF is kind of good for SA or TA, but not great for DPS. But I can still deal nice damage without.

They add gear all the time, most of it can be used by several jobs.

[Gio Takahashi]

and some of them are still pretty challenging to get.

[Seegtease]

Oh yeah, I have pretty basic gear on my WHM. Noble's, R. Pumps, rest Blessed. Not that the Blessed gear is bad, but it is relatively easy to afford. Noble's is spendy, but a must-have. Then I have other basic AH stuff in the other slots. The level 50 15mp earrings. I don't have any ZM or PM jewelry either. But I still r0x as a WHM.

[EndlessSky]

Well, I stopped playing before the expansion chains of promitha or whatever came out.

There wasn't too much gear out.

I played a Dragoon up in the 60's and it was VERY difficult to get a group and one time I didn't get a group for like 6-7 hours.

The only real way I was able to get constant groups was because I static grouped with a Paladin friend of mine and we came as a pair so if they wanted a main tank they would have to get me too :P.

[Gio Takahashi]

Well, I stopped playing before the expansion chains of promitha or whatever came out.

There wasn't too much gear out.

I played a Dragoon up in the 60's and it was VERY difficult to get a group and one time I didn't get a group for like 6-7 hours.

The only real way I was able to get constant groups was because I static grouped with a Paladin friend of mine and we came as a pair so if they wanted a main tank they would have to get me too :P.

Oh my god, that's very wrong now. there are tons of gears for most job.

[Seegtease]

Oh man, so much has changed since pre-promy. I remember the old days, killing bubbly bernie for the quest reward. There was actually a line there, and people were actually waiting in it without cutting.

[Gio Takahashi]

Someone showed me a screen shot of the day that NPC fellowship came out. There was such a massive line to that skeleton NM, that lead all the way to upper Jeuno.

[Killer_Man_]

You can't walk through people in FF11? Just curious...

And without cutting? That's odd, most MMORPGs regardless of how popular always has selfish assholes.

[Gio Takahashi]

you can walk through people, and yes, there are a lot of selfish assholes in FFXI.

[Seegtease]

Yes, you can walk through people, but you have to walk against them for a second. It can be annoying in a crowd. Either way, it's nice when you do see people being polite and obeying the line-etiquette, but it's very rare.

[Gio Takahashi]

yes, it is very rare now-a-days.

[Killer_Man_]

So, when you level what happens? Do you get skill points, stat points or what? I am curious.

Second, I'm probaly going to get the game at Bestbuy, I think they still sell the all in one and I have a 20 dollar certificate from the point system they use so the game will cost me like 5-10 bucks.

[Seegtease]

No skill points. Customization comes from gear and subjob.

When you level, you get more stats, as you'd expect. You also get certain abilities at certain levels. Example: Level 5 warriors gets Provoke (one of the most useful abilities in the game). At 15, they get berserk. Warrior also gets Defense Bonus, a passive ability, at level 10. That's basically how it works.

If you cast spells, you have to use scrolls to learn your new spell once you are high enough level to use it. The only exception to this is Blue Mage, obviously.

[Killer_Man_]

So basically growth is based on your job.

[Gio Takahashi]

Yes and no. Each job has its own growth, only thing outside of that are combat and magic skills and Merits.

your stats will not roll over to any other jobs.

[Seegtease]

You level up in a job. The level of the job you are currently using is your main level. You level up Monk to 18 for example. Then switch to Warrior and you're a level 1 Warrior, with a level 1 Warrior's stats. If you did your subjob quest, you can be a Level 1 Warrior/Monk. Your subjob is capped at half your current job. So if you were a level 10 Warrior/Monk, you'd be a 10WAR/5MNK. 10 levels later, 20WAR/10MNK. 20 levels later, 40WAR/18MNK. Why 18? Because you only leveled monk up to level 18!

You get a minor stat boost from your subjob, but most importantly you get the abilities that the job has. So a 10MNK/5WAR can use the level 5 warrior ability, provoke.

One thing that carries from job to job are your skills. Every job has a different proficiency in different weapons. Paladin, for example, gets A+ in Sword Skill. So a level 20 Paladin could potentially have a level 63 sword skill (there's equations for it). You get the skill ups by fighting hard enough mobs to skill up, kind of like WoW.

But let's say you switch to your level 1 Red Mage and have a sword out. You're sword skill would already be capped at 6 for level 1, since you leveled it as Paladin. But it's still capped based on your level.

It's really kind of a complicated system, and I'll admit to that even having played so long.

[Killer_Man_]

So, I bought the collector's for 19.95 and can DL it whenever I want. I am using their DL manager which is making me DL at 785 KB/S instead of 400 on the wireless.

Within an hour and thirty minutes, I can get on but I have to work so I may not join till tonight.... Hmmm, I know Zeit plays on the one server he mentioned and Gio but I don't know which one to join. <_<;

Then once I get into the game I'll decide which job I want and sub job.

[Seegtease]

I'm constantly leveling low level jobs and I don't do much end game stuff, so I spend a lot of time helping people or leveling with lower people.

Remember, when you start, you only have 6 jobs. You can't unlock the other ones until level 30. If you decide what main job you want to play, I can help you set up a good course for what jobs to level first. Some subjobs are just not good with certain mains, so don't assume for yourself, ask before you make a mistake. And if you play Warrior, use a Great Axe, even though they start you with a stupid sword, you can get a great axe at level 5. Heck, I'd even get you one if you were on Asura. BLM Staff, RDM Sword, MNK hand-to-hand obviously, WHM Club (hammers), and THF dagger.

[Killer_Man_]

Well if you play more, I'll join your server. I don't know what mains I am going to be.

But are you sure about the subjob part? Just curious. Besides you can always reset them?

[Killer_Man_]

I think I might either be a warrior, dragoon or a white mage. Haven't decided yet and yes, I know each race get racial bonuses cause I read the website... But I am going to pick what race I like the most as far as looks.

Second, I will be joining your server Zeit.

Thirdly, I have a buddy code if anyone wants to give the game a try.

Fourth, still updating. Will post what my name is later.

[Killer_Man_]

So I tried to play it this morning after apparently my computer had DLed SP3.

I really dislike the playonline viewer. I wish it was more simplified much like WoW. It's the same about Sony's Station.

But regardless, it seems to lock up a lot when I look through the races but I think I am going with Galka Dragoon.

Oh and Zeit, your lucky I am not a graphics person but I love how the screenshots and movies look great but when I get into game, it's a bit blocky looking. Like the PS(Or was it PS2?)? *shrugs* Eh, but I did play Dark Age of Camelot about a month back, I dislike it not for it's graphics just it was too much like Everquest.

[Seegtease]

I dislike the POL viewer too. Sometimes I just leave th e game on to avoid it, lol. I had lock-up problems getting through char creation, and I don't know why. I turned on "simplified character creation" in the options and it worked. Weird. My system can more than handle it.

I think the graphics are nice, they have more realism. It's not cartoony, and I guess it's just a matter of preference. The zones aren't amazing, there are a few that are. The music shines a lot, though.

And yes, you can change your subjob any time you want. But why level more than you have to?

For dragoon, Warrior is the best subjob for most cases in parties. I suggest taking Monk to 18 (you need to be 18 to get subjob unlocked), then take monk/war to 30 (37 if you want to save hassle later), unlock dragoon, then go drg/war.


What's your name?

[Killer_Man_]

I haven't gotten on it yet, I have to redl/install/patch because of SP3 fucking up my wireless drivers.

The graphics are great/realistic. And I already love the music.

It just, I wish the graphics looked smoother? I can't put my finger on it.

And my system can handle the graphics just fine, it was odd that it just locked up... Oh well, simplified char creation would probably just make it looks crappy till I get in game.

Though I still don't know what race I might be, but I like how the Galka look and they say they are supposedly 'the strongest' which means lots of STR.

[Gio Takahashi]

Oh, keep in mind that the characters that appear in characters creation will not look the same in game.

Sadly, if it weren't for PS2, FFXI characters would exactly like the characters seen in characters creation, but PS2 greatly kept the game from reaching its potential. Sucks.

Anyway, you can change the settings using FFXI configuration utility.

[Killer_Man_]

Yeah, I got it to look a lot better by toying with the game. It doesn't look all blocky/not smooth lines.

Krushak is my name on Asura.
Double Post
Oh and I already made two friends. :p

[Seegtease]

Galka is a fine race. If you want to be a spellcaster, you'd have to play very conservatively. Elvaan actually end up having higher strength, but only slightly. Galka are kings of HP and VIT, though. Race doesn't usually make a tremendous difference, but with HP and MP it reallllly does. I'll prolly catch you in game soon.

[Killer_Man_]

Sadly, I went drinking with friends so I might not be on all day today cause of it cause I am still tired but I have to go to work. >_>;

That's fine, I'll take more HP anyway.

[Killer_Man_]

I canceled my ID, I'll keep playing it till the end period but I don't see myself being happy with a great mission/quest/monster grindfest.

[deathofcheese]

Is it more satisfying to play than WoW? i.e. not necessarily is/isn't a grind but is it a fun grind? I might be interested in trying it in a while. I'm kinda bored and still have a little time before school starts.

[Gio Takahashi]

Final Fantasy XI requires a lot of patience to begin with. Yes, there are grinding involves, but you can do it in a party, with at least six people. So it's not really so bad.

Plus it gets really fast paced by the time you get to level 55

[Killer_Man_]

Is it more satisfying to play than WoW? i.e. not necessarily is/isn't a grind but is it a fun grind? I might be interested in trying it in a while. I'm kinda bored and still have a little time before school starts.

Eh, a grind is a grind. If you like grinding such as Ragnarok, it's ok. I have a linkshell but most of those people are off with their higher levels.

I've partied with a few just to grind but they didn't talk save for hey here is a target. Cause I assume they were japs.

Final Fantasy XI requires a lot of patience to begin with. Yes, there are grinding involves, but you can do it in a party, with at least six people. So it's not really so bad.

Plus it gets really fast paced by the time you get to level 55

If I can't even get to level 15(I'm 8 now) then meh.

[Gio Takahashi]

Eh, a grind is a grind. If you like grinding such as Ragnarok, it's ok. I have a linkshell but most of those people are off with their higher levels.

I've partied with a few just to grind but they didn't talk save for hey here is a target. Cause I assume they were japs.



If I can't even get to level 15(I'm 8 now) then meh.

Level 10 to 25 will be the worst, but definitely level 10 - 15, it gets easy after that.

[Killer_Man_]

Death: I do have a buddy key if you want to play, maybe it'll be better if I have people I know and are with me/my own level.

The only thing I can see more satisfing about this game is this. You actually have to TRY to play the game. Gear means little to nothing. It's more of, it helps but doesn't mean you are worthless/will die.

Third, all the mobs drop something and there are no world drop bullshit. And as well all unique monsters/NM(whatever you want to call them), all drop something that is worth something and are usually farmed because they have static drops.(By that, from what I understand/read up. That they drop the same six or seven items at a % drop. Not like a raid boss or something in wow who has a chance to drop like 20 items at a certain %.)

[Gio Takahashi]

well, there's a lot of factors that will influence certain drops, including phases of the moon and such.

And Gears will mean a lot, especially as you get to level 75. Gears will matter.

[Killer_Man_]

Bah, that's silly on the moon phases(I know I was told a lot by them.).

And perhaps it does, but to me, a +3 item isn't going to be much worse then a +4 item.

[Gio Takahashi]

although there are very rare exceptions, there are NQ gears and HQ gears (+1), but y eah, that's no big deal unless the stats make a huge different. (say amamet mantle to Amamet Mantle +1).

but yes, gears do matter, nonetheless.

[deathofcheese]

Maybe my interest will have to be put on hold. I just got a look at WoW's new recruit-a-friend (http://us.blizzard.com/support/article.xml?articleId=20588) incentive. Essentially:


Inviting person gets an exclusive Zhevra mount.
When partying, both players will get triple exp from non-grey mobs.
The friends can summon each other once per hour.
All of this is cross-account, meaning you're not locked into only one character gaining these benefits.


This lasts for 90 days, and only for characters under level 60. Although I kinda don't want to get back into WoW, this is a huge incentive for me to roll a character on the server my friends from high school play on, since they've been wanting me to come play with them since I started playing WoW. Now that I'm home and not really doing much with friends from college all the time, this is starting to look a whole lot nicer.

[Killer_Man_]

You do realize that you will have to start a new account? that's recruit a freind, not scroll of ressurection.

[Gio Takahashi]

You do realize that this isn't the thread about World of Warcraft?

[deathofcheese]

Uh...yeah...I think that's implied by "recruit-a-friend". I might as well, can't really use any of my other characters.

[Killer_Man_]

Gio, he was telling me that he didn't want my buddy pass cause he's going back to World of Grindcraft.

[deathofcheese]

Yeah, I'm too awesome for Final Grindtasy 11.

[Killer_Man_]

Fuck FF11.

I canceled so I wouldn't get charged. Now I can't play cause the ID isn't active. Which it clearly says in their FAQ that if I cancel during the trial period or a period that I payed for, I can play till the time it's over.

[Seegtease]

You didn't get any of the way the game is only getting to level 8, by the way. Nothing at all, and you didn't even get into decent partying. I dunno what you expected, every online RPG is a grind. It's just a matter of how much fun leveling can become. There's certainly not much fun getting your first job to level 10 though (or 18 for that matter).

Also, gear does make a difference. It's the reason it's hard to get Bounding Boots from competition. They're good.

Hey Gio, I was PLing myself in the dunes with Nijili's char and VE popped right there and she killed it 1/1. I always hear such horror stories from that guy, but even *I* went 1/2.

[Killer_Man_]

Yeah but I wanted to cancel it so I wouldn't get charged if I forgot. Second, perhaps I didn't get into the game but the game is very dull at first... Even WoW, EQ and a few other MMORPGs. It's a serious long grind to get to 15 as Gio said.

I'm sorry but it's just meh, and second even if I came back to it later, I have 3 months before they delete my ID(Which is stupid).

[Gio Takahashi]

Yeah but I wanted to cancel it so I wouldn't get charged if I forgot. Second, perhaps I didn't get into the game but the game is very dull at first... Even WoW, EQ and a few other MMORPGs. It's a serious long grind to get to 15 as Gio said.

I'm sorry but it's just meh, and second even if I came back to it later, I have 3 months before they delete my ID(Which is stupid).

Zeit is right, also it depends on jobs. Some jobs will be more popular than others, and therefore will be easier.

It's not a long grind, it's a pain in the ass because of other newbs, and some of the mobs (Crabs). Lastly, Square-enix loves a game of chance, and about everything is based on chance and luck, yes, including most loots.

As long as you delete the content ID by the last day of the month you won't get billed.

and I'm 1/3 on VE, I've had to camp it. He's pretty hard to camp because of his huge spawn range. You'd be able to camp him if you have wide-scan, it's all about luck. There are NMs that have even worse rate. Case in point? Keeper of Halidom.

[Killer_Man_]

Which is STUPID. It should last till the end of the month. I already mailed them to see what I could do to fix it.

[Gio Takahashi]

You can restore your content ID and it won't change anything as long as you delete it by the end of the month.

[Seegtease]

Keeper of Halidom is only worth farming because you can farm other stuff in the meantime. I'd never waste my time on him otherwise. Actually, farming there is pretty worthless these days. Ladybug Wings are where it's at, especially since you quest them for instant money into the economy! You can still sell other things in the meantime. I make money on Chestnut/Solid Wands, and if I feel like it, I can still do Ladybugs without clogging the AH.

Actually I've not made much, just funded my low level jobs. Dancer is so much fun. It's been one of the most fun jobs I've ever leveled so far.

[Killer_Man_]

Beechips supposely sell well too.

[Gio Takahashi]

they used to, but they're good for newbie money now.

Gardening is where its at. try using sapling to grow Platinum leaves. 21K for stack. can't beat that, even though it takes time.

[Seegtease]

Not like they used to, but they're extremely easy to farm. Lots of bees, good drop rates. If you're low level, Tahrongi Canyon is a haven for farming. Basically, kill everything except dhalmel, they're not worth it, Yagudo, nor Goblins.

[Killer_Man_]

Ah well either way, I renewed it, it cost nothing so I'll cancel later.

[Seegtease]

You were right about The Eldieme Necropolis [S] Gio. It doesn't take long to get to, and the fights last a LONG time. It's very easy to hit a wall for awhile, cast buffs, and then turn in tags so nearby. I really smashed it up. Sometimes I like to pull a mob over, everybody else is too much of a coward to try, even though they should realize mobs will be better XP than the fort. Especially if YOU'RE getting hit.

I like to have fun during my campaign fights, though, which is why I can't just hit a wall all day. (I can browse forums while doing so, though, lol) Well, at least I'm up to "satisfied, but not enough" for my rank up. 7 days left, heh.

You have any tricks for campaign?

[Gio Takahashi]

As THF, I just come thf/nin, packing with shiheis and a LOT of bloody bolts, the low evasion usually works out very well.

for DRG and WAR, I come as /DNC, especially for WAR with retaliation, you can get a lot of counter and TPs from counter, which you can use to cure yourself.

I've been experimenting with DRG/WHM and DRG/DNC to see which works out better. So far inconclusive.

[Seegtease]

But with /DNC you don't really get to use TP for WS much, which means less XP from damage. Is it worth it? XP for taking damage caps, dealing damage doesn't seem to cap. I can't usually do the whole /nin thing. I feel like I wasting too much money and too much time casting it. I'd rather just go defensively. That's kind of why I don't take thief. Apparently Paladin and White Mage end up kings of XP there because they can buff, heal, take damage (if you're an awesome WHM like me), and deal damage.

[Gio Takahashi]

/dnc I think can get you better exp than /nin, Keep in mind dancers have tons of abilities that you can gain EXP from, the reason why I say war/dnc is great, period, is that with retaliation, you get TP everytime you make a counter attack, and it doesn't count toward your delay at all, so therefore you'll deal damage faster and gain TP faster as well, on top of that, you can decently heal yourself with curing waltz II (Kirin's Osode and Genbu kabutu makes that ideal). I can solo fairly decently on some mobs on war/dnc.

THF/NIN, my THF is generally very costly because when I solo, I go trhough bolts and shiheis very fast and end up using up a couple of stacks in a day.

DRG/DNC used to be great, but I find war/dnc to be much better.

[Seegtease]

Don't you hate it when you see a THF who hasn't leveled their marksman, and can't use bloody bolts? It's not like it's a well-guarded secret. But what's sad is that they never used xbow in the best levels to use it, dunes and at least til the 40s. The TP gain and damage is king.

How about thf/dnc?

[Gio Takahashi]

I've tried it a couple of times, I can't say i enjoy it much. I'm so used to THF/NIN and dual wielding two daggers, that I feel naked with a single dagger, although the very low delay is king (especially with a dagger like Blau Dolch) but I don't have that yet, I suppose I should eventually level shield and try it out again.

I assume it would be good due to low evasion, high accuracy, and fairly high marksmanship (DNCs can't use marksmanship) so THF/DNC have extra way of healing.

Then there's triple attack, throw in fully merited triple attack you get 10%, and you can get 2.5% off homam corraza, then throw in Brutal's earring which gives 5% double attack. I think THF/DNC would be great if you get shield capped. I don't have shield capped, which is probably a big mistake on my part, because I almost NEVER not use THF/NIN.

[Seegtease]

I'm a pretty big advocate AGAINST THF/NIN. I hardly ever used it on the way to 70 unless I was pulling Puks or Colibri. Most levels I used /rng for the accuracy and sharpshot for my crossbow. Lately, I've been using /war all the time. I just see little benefit in like 15% reduced delay vs. +17 (or something) accuracy, or +25% attack 3/5 of the time. Actually, with /rng I can eat meat, and have +20% attack 100% of the time :) My best dagger as a 70THF right now is a Harpe, which is nice for WS due to 35dmg. I'd like a Blau later though. Actually, dual wielding forces me to use an inferior dagger since I can only have one Harpe, so there's even that to consider. If I had SK, and Blau, /nin is hard to beat since SK is such a good offhand. But I don't.

Anyway, I plan on trying /dnc later. Think about it. Bolts build TP wicked fast, and if you use bloody bolts, you get healed there. Then, with the bloody bolt TP you get to heal MORE. You'd be nigh unstoppable with capped evasion, a Ziska's Xbow, and capped marksman.

[DarkStar]

I am totally going to play this when I am working again.

[Seegtease]

They got quite possibly the BEST update they've ever had since the game was created coming up.

Level Sync. It will change the way the game is played entirely.

The run down of it is that:
1) You can sync your level to the level of somebody else in the party, level 10 being the lowest. You will also get XP as if you were at that level, meaning you can form parties with your friends if they are lower level than you.

2) Gear that you have on will "gimp" down to your lowered level, so you won't HAVE to buy gear for the level. The gear at the lower levels will still be better, but at least you can get by.

Basically, anybody at any level can party together, and have a party with all the same levels. That means no XP penalty for level gaps, too.

Now's a great time to join.

[Gio Takahashi]

About time SE is listening to their fans, this is definitely the best update to come.

[Z]

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