Gallus
09-09-2011, 05:20 AM
I'm going to keep this short and sweet, as it doesn't need to be long to get the point across.
Why Grounds of Valor?
Because you can double or triple your exp/hr doing it, uping the exp reward to something similar to what you'd be getting in an average Abyssea party. Additionally, you don't need a lot of people to do it, the exp is pretty much immediate, and you can bring your low level friends along to PL them if you want (that means, increasing minimum level in Abyssea is irrelevant). Plus, you have the chance of getting really nice high level gear no matter your level.
How the GoV Buffs and Exp Works
You'll get buffs upon completion of GoV trials. These only go away when you actually leave the zone. It doesn't matter if you logout, disconnect, or take a 2 month break from FFXI. You'll keep these buffs as long as your character remains in the zone, or logs out in the zone. These buffs add up and can actually get to be pretty potent over time. It gets similar to having basic atma buffs after a while and makes handling harder stuff way easier in small parties.
As for the exp you get from completing Grounds of Valor, it increases over time depending on how many you've completed in a zone. It pretty much doubles after completing 15-20 pages. It doesn't matter what level you are - you'll get a static exp reward. This means, you can be a level 10 in a high level party, turn in your level 90 GoV page, and get 4000 exp, as long as you've been in the zone long enough. NOTE: The increased exp/turn-in applies to all pages in a zone. You can complete 15 low level pages, have high level friends show up, join them, and already get max exp/turn in on the high level pages. This also means your party can target easier stuff for quicker kills and faster turn-ins (a party killing DC mobs will easily outpace old-school IT mob parties).
What Do I Need?
Well, two things. The thing that really stands out is buy a copy of the Collector's Edition and get a D.Beret stat. Yes, it's annoying you'll have to buy it, but it's priceless for low level GoV. You can buy reraise with your Tabs, but having auto-rr is really a huge deal in an activity where you might not get a raise and if you home point, you're resetting all of your exp and buffs. Also, the regen and refresh is huge low levels and pretty much makes any /WHM an actual viable healer that doesn't need to rest for mp (really need at least 2 people /WHM to spam Cure 1, though).
Second, get a THF that has Thief Tools with them (a lot of tools so they don't need to leave). This will increase your chances of opening caskets from around 50% to 90%. This is huge if you want the rare/ex items offered by the zones you're in. I personally believe S-E should implement casket keys outside Abyssea, but this isn't the place to discuss that.
Where Should I Go?
Low level, fast exp? Gusgen Mines. There's always an alliance at the front of the zone killing skellies there, and anyone /WHM with a D.Beret can be helpful for cures and what-not. This is the safest, fastest GoV for low levels currently that I've encountered.
For gear, it really depends on the stuff offered in the zone - that's for you to research, but in exp parties, you'll almost certainly encounter the "rare" zone items at least once a day. Pretty much all GoV exp gets going pretty quick - again, it typically caps a bit over double what it starts at.
Anything Else?
That's about it. Most people still don't really grasp the concept of GoV outside soloing for their rare/ex items and spending days doing it and building a personal hatred for it. If you actually go with parties or friends, and a THF to open the caskets, it's actually quite rewarding. Now quit complaining about how Abyssea needs to be nerfed. Oh, also, if it wasn't clear enough before and you were not aware of this: You can get your Prouesse Rings, Torques, Dagda Shields, and other high level gear in parties of any level.
If I get enough interest in this guide, I will update it and provide more in-depth information on locations to GoV burn. I'm just doing my part to spread the word and hopefully give a little much-needed insight.
Why Grounds of Valor?
Because you can double or triple your exp/hr doing it, uping the exp reward to something similar to what you'd be getting in an average Abyssea party. Additionally, you don't need a lot of people to do it, the exp is pretty much immediate, and you can bring your low level friends along to PL them if you want (that means, increasing minimum level in Abyssea is irrelevant). Plus, you have the chance of getting really nice high level gear no matter your level.
How the GoV Buffs and Exp Works
You'll get buffs upon completion of GoV trials. These only go away when you actually leave the zone. It doesn't matter if you logout, disconnect, or take a 2 month break from FFXI. You'll keep these buffs as long as your character remains in the zone, or logs out in the zone. These buffs add up and can actually get to be pretty potent over time. It gets similar to having basic atma buffs after a while and makes handling harder stuff way easier in small parties.
As for the exp you get from completing Grounds of Valor, it increases over time depending on how many you've completed in a zone. It pretty much doubles after completing 15-20 pages. It doesn't matter what level you are - you'll get a static exp reward. This means, you can be a level 10 in a high level party, turn in your level 90 GoV page, and get 4000 exp, as long as you've been in the zone long enough. NOTE: The increased exp/turn-in applies to all pages in a zone. You can complete 15 low level pages, have high level friends show up, join them, and already get max exp/turn in on the high level pages. This also means your party can target easier stuff for quicker kills and faster turn-ins (a party killing DC mobs will easily outpace old-school IT mob parties).
What Do I Need?
Well, two things. The thing that really stands out is buy a copy of the Collector's Edition and get a D.Beret stat. Yes, it's annoying you'll have to buy it, but it's priceless for low level GoV. You can buy reraise with your Tabs, but having auto-rr is really a huge deal in an activity where you might not get a raise and if you home point, you're resetting all of your exp and buffs. Also, the regen and refresh is huge low levels and pretty much makes any /WHM an actual viable healer that doesn't need to rest for mp (really need at least 2 people /WHM to spam Cure 1, though).
Second, get a THF that has Thief Tools with them (a lot of tools so they don't need to leave). This will increase your chances of opening caskets from around 50% to 90%. This is huge if you want the rare/ex items offered by the zones you're in. I personally believe S-E should implement casket keys outside Abyssea, but this isn't the place to discuss that.
Where Should I Go?
Low level, fast exp? Gusgen Mines. There's always an alliance at the front of the zone killing skellies there, and anyone /WHM with a D.Beret can be helpful for cures and what-not. This is the safest, fastest GoV for low levels currently that I've encountered.
For gear, it really depends on the stuff offered in the zone - that's for you to research, but in exp parties, you'll almost certainly encounter the "rare" zone items at least once a day. Pretty much all GoV exp gets going pretty quick - again, it typically caps a bit over double what it starts at.
Anything Else?
That's about it. Most people still don't really grasp the concept of GoV outside soloing for their rare/ex items and spending days doing it and building a personal hatred for it. If you actually go with parties or friends, and a THF to open the caskets, it's actually quite rewarding. Now quit complaining about how Abyssea needs to be nerfed. Oh, also, if it wasn't clear enough before and you were not aware of this: You can get your Prouesse Rings, Torques, Dagda Shields, and other high level gear in parties of any level.
If I get enough interest in this guide, I will update it and provide more in-depth information on locations to GoV burn. I'm just doing my part to spread the word and hopefully give a little much-needed insight.