New player on Lakshmi - Stuck at level 20..

[Aelurian]

I'm figuring I'm stuck at this level because I'm still in level 10-11 gear. But the AH has no armor for Warrior - and when I do the price is around 40k which is beyond my money making capabilities at this point.. There are so few on I'm not getting any suggestion responses in town either...seems the people there are AFK all day. XD

[Auron]

Hey,

Welcome to FFXI and Lakshmi!

Look up my characters Carlito or Kaylie, send them a tell and I can give you a pearl to the linkshell I'm in. We're a pretty helpful bunch and will guid/help you where we can. I maybe AFK also but will keep an eye out for you. I may even have some low level gear knocking about that I no longer use.

If you search these forums I think there are guides for new players on where to head if you're looking for advice on levelling, crafting and that sort of thing.

You could also look at some of the wiki sites for guides/advice:

http://wiki.bluegartr.com/bg/Main_Page
http://www.ffxiah.com/forum
http://ffxi.gamerescape.com/wiki/Main_Page

[Aelurian]

I'm on at the moment before heading in to work - a linkshell would be a most precious gift indeed.

[Rustic]

I'm figuring I'm stuck at this level because I'm still in level 10-11 gear. But the AH has no armor for Warrior - and when I do the price is around 40k which is beyond my money making capabilities at this point.. There are so few on I'm not getting any suggestion responses in town either...seems the people there are AFK all day. XD

What's a self-upgrade can depend on which nation you're in- and money is again a matter of knowing what's good in the area you're in. Bastok, San d'Oria, or Windurst?

[Aelurian]

What's a self-upgrade can depend on which nation you're in- and money is again a matter of knowing what's good in the area you're in. Bastok, San d'Oria, or Windurst?

I'm in San d'Oria. I've used some conquest points for some leg armor but it's not helping much, the guides say I should be able to do a lot more than what I've barely struggled to take down so far. Also, still no luck on getting in touch for that linkpearl from Auron either. I'm about to lose hope, especially after dying a hundred times killing things for the first drop for my sub-job quest...and no drop from those yet either. Tons of higher ups moving around the area - none of which are willing to help. Wish I was able to go back in time and enjoy the peak times of FFXI again.

[Rustic]

I'm in San d'Oria. I've used some conquest points for some leg armor but it's not helping much, the guides say I should be able to do a lot more than what I've barely struggled to take down so far. Also, still no luck on getting in touch for that linkpearl from Auron either. I'm about to lose hope, especially after dying a hundred times killing things for the first drop for my sub-job quest...and no drop from those yet either. Tons of higher ups moving around the area - none of which are willing to help. Wish I was able to go back in time and enjoy the peak times of FFXI again.

Good grief- yeah, at 21 I can see why you're having headbanging problems! Subjob items are normally gotten in -parties- at 15-20. I wouldn't be trying to take them down solo till 25th, especially those ghouls!

First things first. I see you've got cash flow problems along with the lack of armor, and I can give you a constructive way to progress a bit in the process of fixing them.

Turn around. Head home to San d'Oria. Swap jobs. Why is this a good thing?

One, you're going to need a leveled subjob. For Warrior, I'd suggest Monk (as it adds a nice dose of toughness) or Thief (if you want to re-use some of that gear you have right now). The one crippling thing I see many a newbie have in FFXI is a lack of cashflow- that is, they have no idea how to make money or use it efficiently. You want that job leveled up to at least 15th- 30th in a main job is a common point where you're going to be poking your nose all over Vana'diel for unlocking new jobs or exploring a bit, and a subjob "caps" at half of whatever you have set for your main. Being able to start life as a 20something WAR/10something other job is being prepared.

In my case, I went with Monk. For the first 15 or so levels, you don't really even need weapons- you have fists! Being able to Counter is nice as a subjob, since it means as a Warrior you're generally getting a free whack with your greataxe, and the bonuses to evasion and higher HP means you're feeling a lot more tanky as a Warrior/Monk when you do subjob.

Two, go out there and realize you're in a forest full of money. As a San d'Orian:

Every two bat wings is 200 Gil for a repeatable. A stack turned in is 1200 Gil. At the moment on Lakshmi, stacks of bat wings on the AH are 1000 Gil each. Buy em out, walk over to Secodiand- he's near the Smithing Guild - and trade em two at a time for that 200 Gil and fame reward. You make money AND you get fame, which drops the price on any vendor in Sandy and even in Jeuno, once you get there to a lesser extent. While you're out in the forest, most bats are going to die in one swing to a warrior. Poor little money-bats.

Every worm is either dropping flint stones copper ore, or zinc ore. Each one of those zinc ores? 2000 Gil on the AH. Every four flint stones is 100 Gil to Legata in the Lion Springs and more fame (and hence, cheaper everything off vendors). Auction the zinc ore (it's used for a faction-up quest in Bastok for the Tenshodo) and spam the stones as a trade for more fame. The copper ore? Four of those + fire crystal (orcs) = copper ingot. A stack of 12 of those = 22-24K. While you're at it, if you end up with spare fire crystals, just walk into the smithing guild in Northern Sandy, buy dirt-cheap (10-12 Gil each) copper ores, turn into stacks of ingots (again, doable at 0 skill), sell on AH.

Dead bunnies? The hare meat goes for 9000+ Gil per stack, since it's required for making a very, very used fishing bait. (And can also be stolen by a Thief with the Steal command starting at level 5). The hides can go 3 at a time to Parvipon near the Tanner's Guild for 120 Gil + fame, or a stack of 12 goes for about 2000 Gil.

That kinda money builds up pretty darn fast. As it does, you're going to be able to start picking up those pieces of armor that were too pricy before, a better weapon (most warriors tend towards axes, great or otherwise).

Lone newbies end up hitting that wall you're in now- underfunded, undergeared, not knowing where to go or how to do it without getting killed to death. They sell quest stuff to vendors, wonder why everything stays so expensive, and yeah- it's hard mode. Moneymaking is the hidden part of the equation, and with fewer newbies, there's fewer people to pass those time-honored newbie traditions down. That makes for folks like yourself, who are ready for L21 beetle armor but can't find or afford armor that's half that level.

Don't be afraid to pick on the weak to get yourself stronger- you didn't know before what the path was and getting that far "blind" is admirable. Head back, build up your Gil stock and get yourself properly equipped and a subjob ready to go for when you DO have that quest completed. Soloing, it's:

1) Level your main job into the 20's. Normally, you're scraping together money for upgrades and learning the ropes.

2) Leveling your subjob-to-be. You know where the money is and make it happen in the process rather than randomly killing and selling.

3) Take your now well-equipped main job out there. Two options: Go to Gusgen and hook up with a party there to pick up 21-25 or so (and you can hit 30!), or carefully solo EP's with Grounds of Valor (dungeon) or Fields of Valor (outdoor areas) pages. Personally, I usually suggest people do these levels in Dangruf Wadi if soloing- it's a dungeon with the monsters in a small area and the Gausebit grass from the Wadi Hares you're killing for your GoV page sell for a healthy 30K/stack, never mind the odd bit of loot from brown treasure caskets. Gusgen has the advantage of faster exp with GoV pages, but less money- however, it's the quickest place to find a Ghoul for that magicked skull you need. Either way

4) Get yourself a nice set of chainmail from the armor shop in San d'Oria and go kick the Valkrum Dunes monsters squarely in the chops. Remember to buff up at the book with Regen at least. Saves time and pain.

5) Turn in your three items (crab apron, damselfly worm, magicked skull), revel in being awesome and a WAR/subjob of choice. Note that you can get all of them, you just have to turn them in the requested order. So if Clippers are easiest, hack them up first for exp until you get that apron, then fight Damselflies when more experienced. Again, remember those book buffs!

6) Do Gusgen to 30 or gleefully pummel the hated Valkrum beasties to get there (I had a lot of Goblin revenge killing then), contemplate jobs to unlock. For a Warrior, Paladin or Dancer are rather popular ones to start with, or occasionally Dark Knights for the more hackfrenzied. Crawler's Nest is in your future, but you've got a wide open world to go through. Note that around 40ish with a subjob, you can solo your way through the final Rank 2 fight as well- it took me next to zero time as a 43/21 THF/DNC. Your world has gotten a great deal more wide-open.

As a general guide for soloing- find an area with a Field or Grounds page with monsters that are about 4 levels below you. Ideally, you're slaughtering tons of Easy Prey and repeatedly getting the page exp/gil/tabs in the process. Decimate them. Enjoy the rewards- you can keep it up until they finally stop giving any exp at about 8 levels below you.

Keep asking questions. I got answers.

(Note for later readers: Auction House prices vary by server and time- please, check the FFXIAH website and search items by server before selling on yours. You may find a bargain or make a fortune in the process.)

[Mirage]

I'm figuring I'm stuck at this level because I'm still in level 10-11 gear. But the AH has no armor for Warrior - and when I do the price is around 40k which is beyond my money making capabilities at this point.. There are so few on I'm not getting any suggestion responses in town either...seems the people there are AFK all day. XD

You can get some gear from conquest guards if you have been fortunate enough to get a bit of conquest points. Additionally, it doesn't matter too much that your armor is outdated. Focus on keeping your weapon up to date for now, and just wear whatever armor you can find for cheaps. Some of the nation rank missions give you some money when you complete them, and you should be getting some money from fields/grounds of valor. There are some NPCs here and there that sell weapons. Sometimes, this is cheaper than from the AH, other times it is not.

You say you're a lv20 warrior? Try this great axe. It is currently in stock and just 10k gil. Screw your other equipment slots for now and just grab that and keep leveling.

While you're at it, you could plan in advance and get this axe for when you reach level 30, then you can switch to it right away without having to go to town in between. This axe is also currently in stock on Lakshmi.

This lv30 grip is currently out of stock, but be on the lookout for it, as you can probably use it until you gain access to for example pole grip at level 65. The dex on it increases your hit rate ever so slightly, and also makes you a tiny bit more likely to land critical hits.

Centurion's visor and centurion's gauntlets are also all right pieces to buy when you reach lv30. Don't bother with anything new in those two slots until then (unless someone gifts you an emp. pin). For body, there's not really anything "good and affordable" until you can get a brigandine at lv45. Just use Beetle harness or something. For legs, if you can't afford Bastokan(or republic) subligar, don't bother upgrading from what you have now, just keep using that until you can get royal knight breeches at lv55. Those cost 50k though, but you have like 35 levels first where you can save up money.

If you get someone to help you with nation missions, you get a total of a bit more than 200k gil through that when you've reached rank 10. You can probably do some of them alone as you level. Generally, rank missions are designed to be done with rank-level *10 level, with some help from others around the same level in some cases. In example: Rank 1 is generally beatable with a group of lv10-15 characters, rank 2 is beatable by a group of lv 20-25 characters. If you're doing them alone, expect to need 5-10 additional levels to be able to beat them. Keep in mind that all the rank missions were made before the level cap was raised past 75, so rank 10 is beatable by a party of lv75s (and reasonably easy to solo if you're 90+, depending on gear, job and skill).

[Rustic]

You can get some gear from conquest guards if you have been fortunate enough to get a bit of conquest points. Additionally, it doesn't matter too much that your armor is outdated. Focus on keeping your weapon up to date for now, and just wear whatever armor you can find for cheaps. Some of the nation rank missions give you some money when you complete them, and you should be getting some money from fields/grounds of valor. There are some NPCs here and there that sell weapons. Sometimes, this is cheaper than from the AH, other times it is not.

At his level, he's not getting past Rank 2, and he's not getting past the Rank 2 final mission to get rank 3. That limits his choices for spending CP to stuff that's L10 gear- L15 if upgraded by a crafter.

You say you're a lv20 warrior? Try this great axe. It is currently in stock and just 10k gil. Screw your other equipment slots for now and just grab that and keep leveling.

He's gonna start having trouble in L10 armor as it is, though. That's one reason I suggested getting back and getting some money.

This lv30 grip is currently out of stock, but be on the lookout for it, as you can probably use it until you gain access to for example pole grip at level 65. The dex on it increases your hit rate ever so slightly, and also makes you a tiny bit more likely to land critical hits.

There's actually a NM funguar right near Sandy that drops a minor +ATK grip, in West Ronfaure. That's another option, it's child's play to chop up at 21.

Centurion's visor and centurion's gauntlets are also all right pieces to buy when you reach lv30. Don't bother with anything new in those two slots until then (unless someone gifts you an emp. pin). For body, there's not really anything "good and affordable" until you can get a brigandine at lv45. Just use Beetle harness or something. For legs, if you can't afford Bastokan(or republic) subligar, don't bother upgrading from what you have now, just keep using that until you can get royal knight breeches at lv55. Those cost 50k though, but you have like 35 levels first where you can save up money.

Alternatively, if you're rank 3 and Bastok is below Sandy in the Conquest rankings, you can buy them straight up with Conquest Points from the Bastok guard at the embassy in Northern San d'Oria. It'll cost you 8K CP per, but hey- it's good armor at 30th. Ditto the greataxe. He's got to GET to rank 3, however. That's tough to do at 30, alone...and the heck with beetle gear. Warriors can use the chainmail set at 24, and that's solid armor you can pick up in San d'Oria's armor shop. If you're planning ahead as a warrior to bootstrap, Sandy's not too shabby. By the time you're looking at 20, you could have leatherworking up enough to make yourself L17 lizard armor, then upgrade to chainmail at 24. Of course, the OP is at 21 right now and stuck in place...

If you get someone to help you with nation missions, you get a total of a bit more than 200k gil through that when you've reached rank 10. You can probably do some of them alone as you level. Generally, rank missions are designed to be done with rank-level *10 level, with some help from others around the same level in some cases. In example: Rank 1 is generally beatable with a group of lv10-15 characters, rank 2 is beatable by a group of lv 20-25 characters. If you're doing them alone, expect to need 5-10 additional levels to be able to beat them. Keep in mind that all the rank missions were made before the level cap was raised past 75, so rank 10 is beatable by a party of lv75s (and reasonably easy to solo if you're 90+, depending on gear, job and skill).

Finishing rank 2 at 40 is quite doable solo- once he's got his subjob, anyway. Little steps first like getting his subjob, right? Likewise, the fight atop Delfkutt's is doable around 45 reasonably, and 50ish for Rank 5. But that's a loooooong way down the line. And it doesn't sound like he's been getting much help of late.

[Mirage]

When you fight EP mobs, whatever defence you have in gear doesn't actually make a very big difference. If he's fighting in a group (which he really should, seeing as it is usually a lot faster), the lack of top-notch defence won't hinder him very much.

The reason i brought up non-CP items is because no matter what his rank is, the game doesn't really hand out a lot of CP these days. I think it would be unrealistic to get more than one, perhaps two conquest point items before level 40.

[Rustic]

When you fight EP mobs, whatever defence you have in gear doesn't actually make a very big difference. If he's fighting in a group (which he really should, seeing as it is usually a lot faster), the lack of top-notch defence won't hinder him very much.

The reason i brought up non-CP items is because no matter what his rank is, the game doesn't really hand out a lot of CP these days. I think it would be unrealistic to get more than one, perhaps two conquest point items before level 40.

To give you an idea, I went 24-36 solo last night in Maze of Shak as a DNC/MNK- and that last level was pushing it chasing the last EP dregs of crawlers/ghouls doing it cause the treasure coffers were dropping like candy, over a few hours. Did 45-50 on THF/DNC the same way with just me and a Tarutaru MNK/DNC up in Delfkutt's Upper, getting Rank 4 done.

I have over 40K Conquest points -banked- at this point, not including the stuff I've spent on stuff like Merc. knives for my dancer or the double cost Royal gear I picked up when Windurst was top ranked, just to get decent coverage in low-level gear. You group up and spam pages? Yeah, you're lower on CP totals. Do it solo/duo? You tend end up with a surprisingly large amount.

Mind you, gearing up is annoying as heck- my gear's a hodgepodge of odd bits of whatever I can scrape up off the AH at this point. As the OP noted, lower level gear is a dead zone. But it's not for lack of conquest points, not on my end.