How to Hamlet

[Yves]

I know a ton of people know how to do this by now. However, there are still a decent number of folks in the community who aren't efficient, haven't tried this, or are just looking for ideas. Either way, in the worst-case scenario this may help the community by familiarizing more people with the content and giving us a larger draw of quality players for pickup groups. While pickups aren't too common on Aegis (most people have settled into shells or specific groups) I still see a couple everyday.

I am going to write this from the perspective of someone who is just learning the battle but has some limited familiarity with it. I am going to try and keep it pretty succinct, as well but still thorough enough to explain it all. In addition to this, I will also explain some important things that are common misconceptions. I have successfully done this a number of ways at all locations with a number of groups so this is a culmination of many experiences and observations. This is also assuming the common build of TANK, WHM x 2, DoH x 3, and DoL x 2. This can be done a variety of ways but this is the most common where I am.

Lastly, the biggest (and lengthiest) portion of this is about the DoH and that's for good reason - people don't understand their role as the main DD in hamlet.

Tank Perspective

Your main job is to kill the two "animal" mobs that pop and then kite the main NM. You will also be claiming the zombie. Maps are provided so you can see where they pop. After the second "animal" is killed you will kite the NM AWAY from the attacking NPCs. Keep in mind that whenever the NM issues enemy orders you will lose hate for a second - this is when you flash/voke/etc. to get him back.

Hyrstmill

Golden Bazaar

Aleport



Outside of that you can choose a couple of roles. The first being that of voking mobs off of DoL/DoH and running them into archers. Personally, I dislike this and I will tell you why: it occupies archers and messes with the rhythm of the DoL/DoH.

The second is one that I have really become fond of and contributes to faster, more efficient runs: ripping the HP down on mobs (special mobs, especially.) You don't kill them but you certainly contribute to their death. The main idea is to take the mobs down to about 15-20% (shy away from AoE WS) and then let the archers polish them off. This greatly thins the numbers and prevents buildup. You will lose hate frequently but every 10% you whack off (giggity) a mob it's just money in the bank.

Notes about 2nd "animal" mob: This will pop around the 20 minute mark and you need to be there claim it ASAP and then zerg it down. The NPCs will not help with the "animal" mobs or the zombies. When this mob pops the NM will be right behind it and you need to get hate immediately while still killing the "animal" as quickly as possible.

Notes about kiting NM: Pick a path where attacking NPCs aren't prevalent. Also, don't DPS the boss down because if it dies before the zombie you are SOL. With poison being up frequently you are going to need to manage hate via job abilities. Again, remember that you will need to get hate back immediately when orders are issued. For this reason you need to manage your timers, as well. As the mobs thin out you will need to claim the zombie (it pops after all regular mobs aside from the NM are killed). This really isn't a problem since most kiting paths place you at the spawn. Also, because of a lower DPS and better survivability I prefer a PLD tank.

White Mage Perspective

This is surprisingly easy to play inside the instances. Your main job is to keep the NPCs buffed and popped with regen. You will also have to occasionally prop the tank up, too but it's his/her job to let you know where they are and how soon they will need it. You will also sometimes need to cast Esuna on a DoH/DoL but again, it's up to them to get near you and let you know. Don't burn buffs on them or cures (unless absolutely necessary) - a regen will suffice and it isn't even needed for DoH unless they are <50% health since they recover this while crafting.

There are a couple of ways to do this. The first is to divide the map between front and back and then assign a mage to each section. The second is to have the mages roaming and going where they need to. Personally, the obvious and best idea is to merge those two concepts with each mage picking an area to cover and then transitioning to help each other when possible.

Outside of this you will need to help nuke down the "animal" mobs along with regular ones. Remember to manage MP and get off the mobs around the 15-20% mark (animals are the exception.) If you are buffing and using regen primarily (cures, sparingly) then MP shouldn't be an issue. Some parties will ask you to claim the zombie mob and some will not. In all reality the tank should be kiting the NM near the spawn or at least on the way to it once the final mobs are dropping. You will need to help kill the zombie ASAP.

The last thing that I need to cover are the enemy orders. There is an orange box that will appear over one of the four icons in the top-left of the screen - this is where the enemies are targeted. When this goes off you absolutely need to be there and focus on keeping that NPC up until the orders have been reset.

Note on frontline NPC: There is always one frontline NPC in each zone that takes initial hate and therefore just gets raped. Know where he is and also be ready on the final wave around the 13:20 mark to be ready to curebomb him if things aren't going perfectly. This final wave carries the biggest hitters of the instance and it pays to be prepared - think about having the second white mage up there to help if it's possible.

[Yves]

DoH Perspective

This is the easiest job on the field if you want to be a garbage teammate. This is the most complex job if you want to do it right. As a DoH you are actually the biggest damage dealer on the field. Yes, this is correct - you basically kill the mobs.

One of the first things to get out of the way is to stick to the buff that your leader gives you unless told otherwise. This is usually attack from start to finish or defense until the NM spawns in which case you will cover emnity resets. If you are the latter you need to communicate how far out it is until your reset will be ready. If orders are issued and you are twenty seconds out from completion AND turn in then let everyone know (this should be no problem for the mages.) However, if you're more than thirty seconds out you need to call for the DoL to cover the reset. I am also going to assume that you have the "big four" abilities needed to do this (or the "small five" in the worst scenario.)

With that out of the way I can move on to how DoH are the DD. Whenever you turn an item in two mobs will aggro you. First, I always prefer to turn my items in facing the entrance of the zone where the mobs come in. This let's you know right away which mobs are on you. The second thing I do is quickly rotate the camera to see which mobs are on me and which NPCs are open. If the mob is getting drilled by a bunch of NPCs (watch its health) then there is no point in running it around - move towards it as they finish it off. If you don't see any open NPCs look for the ones with the fewest mobs that have the lowest HP - they will free up by the time you get there. In the odd case that none of these things are lining up then you will need to kite through the NPCs until something clears up. A good tip to remember while doing this is that if you see a chunk of HP drop off the mob run back towards it to stop its path. Also, if it's getting drilled STOP for a second. Same concept: it's path lined up with an attacking NPC and you need it to take some damage to clear hate. Yes, you will take some damage. No, it won't kill you. If the mob is prepping some awful AoE attack just run out of range and run back once it's animation is nullified. It isn't rocket science.

The other really important aspect of doing damage as a DoH is to pick your spots. Try to find a group of NPCs that are open and path them right into the center. If that isn't possible then take an angle that drags the mob across the greatest number of NPCs. There are some exceptions and they take practice. For example, if you have two full health mobs taking them into 5 unoccupied NPCs sounds like a good idea but it isn't. Try dumping them off on 2, instead - save those 5 NPCs for lower health mobs because they will drop within 10 seconds. This is just resource management and it comes with a little practice.

The other side of the coin to picking your spots is when you turn in your items or pick them up. Hate management is a big part of being a really quality DoH. For starters, you have a high likelihood of pulling the two closest mobs to you. For this reason alone it can be beneficial to balance when to turn your items with whether or not low HP mobs are close. If you see two mobs with 10% chasing another person and they are pathing towards you then it may be a good idea to wait 5 seconds to grab them and run them into a buzzsaw of NPCs.

Aside from this aspect of hate management you may also want to look for the DoL before turning in your item. This is because you can turn yours in about two seconds after them and potentially clear their hate by taking their mobs. In hamlet it pays to have the DoL constantly on the move and you can facilitate this nicely. Another thing that you can start doing once you have some solid experience is picking up items from the box when mobs with low HP are close to draw their aggro and run them off into a buzzsaw. Your items take priority but if you're on attack with another person this can make the run really easy.

One last trick is to see who else is turning in items and when. If you started pathing/kiting 4 seconds ago and someone turned in an item or the DoL completed their chain then there is a pretty solid chance that you are now cleared. Take a look around and check. This also works in reverse - if someone can't shake hate then have them path right in front of you when you turn in so you can steal hate and maintain rhythm. You can also dump items when orders have been issued to take two mobs off the target and ease up the task for the white mages.

Some really simple things that are common sense are: if a mob is near the box and you don't want to draw it just wait 5 seconds for it move - picking up an item near a mob will draw it and you save a ton of time by waiting a second or two. Also, don't bunch up with the other crafters - keep some distance so an AoE doesn't nail everyone and screw with the rhythm. Obviously try not kite through a group of 10 mobs all dropping AoE because it won't end well for you.

Note on enemy orders: If you happen to be pathing when orders are issued you are going to lose hate…temporarily. Once orders are reset you can count on that mob making his way back to you with a newfound love for your ass. DON'T START CRAFTING. Instead, look where the mobs are focused and predict a path that will take them across the most available NPCs. If a lot of mobs were on the frontlines when orders were issued you can bet those NPCs will be occupied again once things are reset so consider the backline as a potential buzzsaw location, too. This comes with experience but once you get a feel for it you'll be rolling along. I sometimes even start crafting in the middle of the field once I pick a path because I know the mob will get picked up before it reaches me.

[Yves]

DoL Perspective

Okay, cutting to the chase: I prefer DoL's that focus on poison. I know a ton of people who express concern over the special mobs dying from it but the probability is suuuuper low. In all the times I've run with a group who goes heavy on poison I've only seen the zombie fail to pop one time and I really think that the tank killed it on accident because he was awfully quiet the whole run. I'm not even really convinced that poison killing a special mob prevents the zombie. Either way, it shouldn't be an issue if the mages and tank are helping to take down mobs and the DoH are being vigilant in doing good damage. If you're worried about it then wait until the special mobs die then drop poison to thin the herd.* Poison is pretty much how you get the zombie to pop at 12 minutes. And, when you run an instance nonstop and all day long saving 5 minutes is a godsend.

Second, knock it off with the sleep. Yes, get the three up at once for the bonus but aside from that it's a waste of time. Thankfully, many groups have accepted this. If you haven't then you need to give it up. For starters, the mobs either get slept away from NPCs and create a backlog or they get slept right in front of NPCs for all of two seconds. It's a gigantic waste of time. If people are doing what they need to be doing then this isn't needed.

Keep attack down (red) up at all costs - this is a gamebreaker. Also, be prepared to help reset hate if the DoH in charge of it is expecting problems.

This is actually the easiest job in the zone provided that you follow some simple rules.

1. Don't pick crap up if mobs are next to you - it's an AoE voke, basically. Waiting 10 seconds is better than kiting for 30.
2. Communicate with your second DoL
3. Reset the jars by picking up another. That's right - some people don't know this. If you are waiting on a red jar and your partner is in trouble and can't get his/hers then just pick up the nearest jar and it will reset the cycle. It saves you a trip across the zone and keeps the rhythm going.

There aren't a lot of tips here. Couple this with the DoH notes and it pays to stay on the same page with them. If you can't shake hate then let them know so you can kite across them and they can take hate by turning in their items.

*I made this adjustment after realizing that inexperienced groups (along with unlucky ones) may - actually, will, based on probability - fail to spawn the zombie. If you don't want to gamble then have the the entire group track the special mobs and keep an idea of where they are at so the DoHs can look to buzzsaw the third one down.

[Zyph]

Oh snap, this is some good info.

Now if only people read up before joining parties...

[Taika]

Thank you for the info, much appreciated!

[Ruisu]

Oh snap, this is some good info.

Now if only people read up before joining parties...

Hahahahahahahahahahahaha. This guy.

This is a really solid strat, but putting it on General Discussion wasn't the best idea, since threads come and go. You should request to have it moved to battle enviroments, or something.

[Zyph]

Hahahahahahahahahahahaha. This guy.

I don't get it, are you laughing with me or at me? I thought we were really successful the other evening...

Also I second the motion to either repost this in the Battle Environments board or have a mod move it.

[charlemagne]

Thanks for the guide. We run the instance slightly differently but reading this I think we will probably give your strategy a go. We get a score of about 64-65k each time and use only one DoL with three DoH. We have two DoH on att+ and one on def who switches to reset hate. As the DoL I focus only on attack down until we are down to the last couple of mobs when I throw in the other debuffs for the extra points using poison only once the zombie has popped. We still hit over the 60k mark if the NM dies before I get them all off. We did have the Zombie fail to pop a few times when using poison even with nobody engaging any mobs so we're pretty confident that they must die to the archers.

[Ruisu]

I don't get it, are you laughing with me or at me? I thought we were really successful the other evening...

Also I second the motion to either repost this in the Battle Environments board or have a mod move it.

Was referring to this.

Now if only people read up

So, with?

[Luxanna]

+1, very informative