Nomadic player looking to settle down and finally get stuff done

[Totema]

Tl;dr: I need some guidance on how the game actually works now, and possibly a group to help me out and that don't mind that I might have to disappear every now and then.

I don't want this to end up sounding like a whiny "I'm lonely, come help me" post, but hear me out...

I've been playing the game on-and-off since 2007, since I was in high school really, and the one thing I've never had while playing is a consistent group of other players. And now that I'm working on my undergraduate degree, it's harder than ever. Trying to play this at a decent pace while being in school really sucks, and it's been holding me back from actually making good progress in the game. Occasionally I do find a LS that is willing to take me in, and then times are usually pretty good; but my erratic workload and schedule usually leads me to having to take a hiatus for a couple of months, and when I return I find that my LS is completely empty without any word as to what happened, and I'm back to square one. So over time, I sort of became disconnected from the actual game community, and only had a very vague idea of what's expected from a typical player.

The reason I'm back now is one of my best RL friends wanted to take a crack at returning to it himself, so I took it upon myself to help him get into it again. But it's sort of a case of the blind being led by the not-quite-as-blind. I don't want either of us to feel turned away from the game again, so I'm asking for help.

I really do like the overall direction the game has made since Abyssea first was released. It meant that a lot of previously-daunting tasks are now in my reach, even with my lackadaisical play schedule. But a lot of the new additions have left me confused on how to actually play it. For a while the biggest problem was making money; I had previously been making a meager living on low-level alchemy, but now that market is shot to hell. I'm now working on using AN from campaign battles to get voiddust to sell on the AH, and while it's considerably more lucrative than what I'd previously been doing, I keep feeling that there's some potential I'm missing out on.

More than anything I'd like to find a play group that I can comfortably fit into, so that I can re-learn everything that the game now has to offer. And, equally importantly, that I can meet up with again in case the LS dissolves.

I guess in a way this is kinda like a typical "new/returning player" post, except that I'd already started acclimating to the game again, and that I need some more in-depth advice.

Thanks!

[Godofgods]

good luck in your search!

[odericko]

I was going to suggest the Siren world forums, but they seem to be deader than dead :x

[Infidi]

Should transfer to Unicorn...Errrrr... Fenrir. We cool guys here. :D I would say its the best server , but I would probably be horribly mutilated. Naw, Jk, it is a good server though. I like it. ^^

[Arbalest]

Phoenix has a growing community of ex-FFXIV players that are going to be playing FFXI for awhile until ARR gets on its feet.

I'm probably going to join them eventually, once I find time to start playing again in the coming week or so..

[Glamdring]

need to find and join one of those LS's that has been arround for over 5 years and still going strong, with a large membership. Problem, most of the good ones expect players to be regular contributers, and if you aren't they get rid of you for someone who is. Also, continued absence usually puts you solidly at the end of the line if more than 1 member wants something, but that's only fair if you aren't there doing the work (and alot of the grind IS work).

So good luck; I'm not on your server so I really have no idea of the good social shells there.

[Totema]

Thanks for the suggestions, but on a fundamental level, I need advice the most.

For example, I'm a DRG96 who's still traipsing around in Perle armor and accessories that would have been fine if the level cap were still 75. I do know what gear to aim for, but I can't acquire much of it by myself. (That's sort of why my aforementioned friend got back into the game, for us to help each other out in this facility) What could I get easily (IE, through the AH or through something I can easily handle solo) to not look like a complete fool? That's just for starters, but that would already be a great help.

[Moppet]

Hey Totema,

I'd suggest getting 99 then trying for some +1 seals for empyrean armor. An easy way to level in Abyssea would be to do dom ops. I prefer the bluffalos in Abyssea - Uleguerand [conflux #5]. As a 99 pup I'm able to solo them easily, but you may be able to duo them if you're careful, you would probably be able to find exp parties doing this too. These will not only get you the xp from the bluffalos but a good chunk of xp and currency every 5 you kill.

For the +1 seals the way it works is basically look up what Abyssea NM drops the seals you need, then there will be a spawn spot surrounded by mobs similar to the NM which you can kill for a special drop item you use to spawn the actual NM. (For most of them) This can be done pretty quickly, but the NMs vary in difficulty. You can increase the amount of seals that can drop from them by bringing someone that can "proc" the NM's weakness (By casting a particular spell or using a certain elemental WS). This increases the number of seals dropped, but you -can- still do it without proccing, it's just slow going. You need 8 seals for most armor pieces, and 10 for the body piece, most of the base pieces are bought in Abyssea areas with currency, but the feet usually have to be found in golden boxes that drop in particular Abyssea areas.

It's the same deal for +2 empyrean armor, but the NM difficulty is greatly increased, you'll very likely not be able to duo this stuff (although I've seen 2x smn do it etc).

Beyond that, there's VW stuff that I'm not knowledgeable enough to talk about. :c

Too bad you're not on my world, I'd help you guys out, but good luck!

[Totema]

The NMs that give +1 seals - Are they easy to kill in small groups, or even solo?

Also, does Siren have some kind of reputation for being inhospitable? If it does, I might consider transferring after all...

[Demon6324236]

Seal NMs can be soloed by some jobs, they are designed for low man parties. The average group is THF/NIN, BLM/BRD, BLU, and WHM. However jobs with high evasion can often solo seal NMs without much of a problem.

[Doombringer]

The NMs that give +1 seals - Are they easy to kill in small groups, or even solo?

good news / bad news time...

good news! just about everything in abyssea can be done effectively with 3 characters and the right mix of jobs.

bad news! dragoon is not one of those jobs... like ever.

the "ideal" setup will vary depending on what you're doing, but it will generally be made up of some combination of NIN WAR WHM BLM MNK and THF

lemme give you some context now that i've kicked your favorite baby down the stairs. (sorry, it's not my opinion, it's my observation)

abyssea basically revolves around it's proc system, which is divided into 3 categories: red, yellow, and blue.

- Red procs guarantee the drop of key items.

key items in aby are hugely important, they include atmas, abyssites, and the pop items for higher tier NMs. Red procs are inflicted via elemental weaponskills like seraph blade, raiden thrust, shadow of death, so on etc. all "RED WSs" are relatively low level. low enough that a warrior can learn about 90% of them, everything except dagger, katana, and great katana. (that's where the ninja comes in) so while building pops, or hunting for atmas/abyssites, the "ideal" low man setup is NIN WAR and WHM

- yellow procs hugely increase (but do not necessarily guarantee) the drops of emp armor items.

seals for +1, and assorted stones, cards, coins, and jewels for +2. Yellow procs are inflicted via magic. most mage jobs bring some yellow procs to the table, but the overwhelming hero job here is BLM. BLM has about as many yellow procs as every other job combined, and if you really wanna get crazy with it they can even sub BRD to pick up that entire line as well. (elemental seal will make them land even with sucky /BRD skill) then when you consider your tank (NIN, or even THF/NIN) and your healer (WHM) already bring a handful of their own yellow procs, a 3 man team of NIN WHM BLM is excellent for farming your armor. (though +2 NMs are almost always key item pops. ideally you build the pops with a war and have him swap)

- Blue procs dramatically increase (but do not guarantee) equipment drops.

MOST of the stuff you want out of aby is not dropped directly as 1 whole thing, it's pieced together from seals, stones, or is an emp weapon, but there are notable exceptions, and this is how you get them. Blue procs are also inflicted via weapon skill, but from a very different pool. "Blue WSs" are all physical, and generally higher level than red. rather than being broken up by element, they are broken up by type. blunt, piercing, or slashing. you can control which category you get by spawning the NM at a certain time. the hero job here is definitely MNK. MNK alone learns ALL but one of the blunt weaponskills, and that one MNK is missing WHM can learn. (hexa strike) a good monk can tank fairly well in aby, so eventually you will be able to do most of your blue procing with just MNK and WHM. in the meantime your trusty NIN can tank, or you could use a THF for treasure hunter. (never hurts to have more treasure hunter)


the last thing you'll do in aby is build emp weapons. the items to build emps are always dropped off higher end NMs, so you will need to build the pops using red weakness. (the old NIN WAR WHM setup) but once you actually have the pops, the WAR isn't all that important. emp weapon items themselves are not affected by any procs, so swapping the WAR out for a THF is a decent move, though not required. they ALWAYS drop 1, TH will help you get the 2nd sometimes, but if the war helps you kill significantly faster, well... up to you.


i know this is all gonna come off as kinda dickish, and i understand every job brings something to the table here. blu has yellow procs... but only about 15% of them compared to the other 85% you can get without a BLU at all. is it worth bringing an entire 4th person? paladin is the only job with swift blade, a blue proc. but is that 1 unique proc worth a whole 'nother person? especially when you can mitigate the need for it by focusing on the blunt procs? just about every melee job has some red procs, but when you can get every red proc between 2 jobs, why bother with more?

i mean it sounds like you're already short on manpower as it is. if this comes off as a hard truth, i'm just trying to help you get the most bang for your buck.



overall i recommend you start out by getting yourself and all your friends the big atmas and abyssites. they're common drops, meaning if one of you gets them, you all get them. so it's very easy to team up with strangers if you have to. no competition for drops.

then try to get at least 1 zone boss win, to allow you to equip a second atma (the first can be purchased via cruor) and your +1 armors.

when you are ready to work on your +2 armors, start thinking about what emp weapons your group wants to make, all emp weapon NMs ALSO drop +2 items, and you'll be killing a lot of them to make those emp weapons. there may be a few good opportunities to kill 2 birds with 1 stone. even if you don't feel ready to make emps yet, if a +2 you need lines up with an emp you want, why not get your +2 there if it's an nm you can take?

once you have your +2s it's probably time to focus on zone boss and caturae kills so you can finish off the abyssea storyline and fight shinryu. this is where it's gonna get tough to lowman. but no shame in brewing a few here and there. i'm pretty sure that's what brews are for, the lowman safety net. they're crazy expensive until AFTER you beat shinryu though, so see if you can get someone to help you out; and you can "owe them a brew" later. (if you keep an eye out you might even be able to "leech" these wins. just like atmas, everyone in the alliance gets credit for the kill, so most people shouldn't mind you tagging along) 6 wins will allow you to equip a third atma, and shinryu himself has some decent gear and an excellent atma. once you have that you almost can't lose and aby is your playground. farm it to your hearts content. go back and pimp out those jobs you had to give up on earlier.


good luck man.

[Totema]

Hooray! A game balance issue that finally applies to me! I can feel connected to the community at last!

That just really sucks. I never found much appeal from any of those jobs, even back in the day... They just felt too generic to me. I've always preferred the feel of the more unique jobs. If I'm just going to be a warrior with an axe or a ninja or something, why should I play this game over something else that lets me play the same sort of thing? I'd even rather take something like DNC or PUP...

So I guess my options at this point are to: 1. Suck it up and spend time leveling one of those jobs; 2. Find a LS that is patient enough to help me (and my less-than-talented friend...) or; 3. Deal with what I have until changes are implemented to make DRG better at what it's supposed to do. And that's if they are implemented. From what I can tell, DRG has always had the short end of the stick compared to other DD jobs, and now its no different, though I guess it has more company.

[Demon6324236]

Its not impossible to get things done as whatever job you wish to play, its simply more difficult, I know a few people who only play 1 job, which no one generally wants for Abyssea.

[Moppet]

FFXI players tend to be all about using dominant strategy ad nauseam.

I absolutely hate the proc system, it turns one of the biggest features of FFXI (the diversity of jobs) on it's head.

In my opinion you should stick with what you like to play and try to find some like-minded people. It may take you longer to get what you need, but it's still totally possible.

If you end up on my world I'd be happy to help out.

[Luvbunny]

My advice, level beastmaster, whm, blm and thief. Those 4 jobs are the most versatile, some has uses in endgame, others excel in abysea and dynamis. Dragoon is a great job, for solo, but terrible in farming and pretty much bring zero usefulness in seal farming party, totally worthless. Why get stuck in one job that is not exactly group friendly when you can be versatile and adapt to party needs. Dragoon is still good for some activities like nyzul, limbus, abyssea alliance party and meeble burrow. A solid DD that needs very little heal support.

[Luvbunny]

Its not impossible to get things done as whatever job you wish to play, its simply more difficult, I know a few people who only play 1 job, which no one generally wants for Abyssea.

LOL yeah I know a few myself, and the ones I do know are super nice and friendly and very helpful, but it is so frustrating when you bring them and you know their jobs can't really do much in abysea seal farming set up (ranger, dragoon) and end up as extra baggage that only making things more difficult.

[Totema]

How about DNC? I've been levelling that for the past week, and I'm having a lot of fun with it. I guess the big downside compared I can see compared to THF is lack of TH, but how is it other than that?

[Demon6324236]

Good for solo, good for tank, not the best for party but works fairly well if nothing else thanks to its ability to tank just as well or better than a THF and can heal itself so no need for WHM on most things.

[Totema]

Well, I guess it's not too far of a stretch to work on THF when I'm happy with DNC. I only wish I wouldn't take so long, but that's more the fault of my play schedule than anything else.

[Doombringer]

dancer is a good, maybe even great, dynamis job. once you skill up and learn how dynamis works you can almost print money. even with just average gear.


as for aby it's only so-so. any strong evasive job can tank seal NMs, but dnc brings no procs or treasure hunter so it's kinda meh.

[Luvbunny]

Why don't you try leveling blue mage. With good evasion gears and evasion atma you can easily tank some of the seals NM with very little problem. And you have ninja and blue magic proc which are 2 out of 5. You can always bring a friend as BLM/WHM to round up your little duo group. Blue is also perfect for someone who don't always have more than an hour or two, you can gather your spells little by little at your own pace. Thief, Dancer and Beastmaster is still best if you like melee jobs. With Beastmaster you can easily solo some of the plus 2 NMs, with the right atma combos, dawn mulsum and stacks of pet food. Like others have jealously posted in other threads, a naked beastmaster can solo some of these BCNMs with just a jug and stack of pet foods +mulsum :P

[Totema]

I've already leveled BLU as a subjob, as a matter of fact. And I do like it, though I'm still getting used to everything that it can do. I'll give that a try!

Also, I read something mentioning soloing in Dynamis. I guess that's for money? How could I get into that?

[Luvbunny]

Dynamis solo jobs are plenty, the most common one would be beastmaster. You would want to work on two magian trials axes, for Pet Damage Mitigation, or Pet Evasion. Definitely will have to complete at least hand and leg empyrean armor. Try to get the neckpiece, earring and back piece Empyrean set. Then get the body and feet from relic set. Beastmaster is good for starter, the pet are quite durable, and you get wide scan ability to find out where the time extension mobs are. Once you feel comfortable with dynamis farm, switch to dancer or thief. You should by now, know how to get the TE and how to kill them safely. As dancer or thief, you get far more currency farming solo than beastmaster. Once you master this, you can advanced to farm as paladin/thief or puppet master/thief, basically claiming the time slot for weapon skill proc, much less camped.

Please focus on completing all the missions, the rewards would be a great bonus for your melee gear set. Three nice earrings, 1 good ring. Then you can focus on dynamis clear, the cities one are doable to solo as beast master except the Beaucedine and Xarcabard. Get a duo, much safer. Then you can just farm on CoP dynamis zone, there are 3 to choose from. Clear the 3 zones to access Tavnazian one as well. You should be able to get 80-100 currency on worst day, which will happen when you just started. On a good day, 140-200 is not uncommon.

[Luvbunny]

I've already leveled BLU as a subjob, as a matter of fact. And I do like it, though I'm still getting used to everything that it can do. I'll give that a try!

Blue mage is worth the investment - it may take a while to master but it is one of the most versatile jobs. You will be useful in abyssea seal farm, you can solo duo a lot of abyssea NMs for your seal farm and plus 2 farm. You are also needed for Voidwatch proc. You can farm dynamis after you learn how to do it efficiently. It's the most bang for your bucks, but you know, takes time to master :) This is not noobies friendly job at all.

[Doombringer]

I read something mentioning soloing in Dynamis. I guess that's for money? How could I get into that?

you'll need to look up the specifics, but basically you head into your preferred dynamis zone, hunt down a handful of special nms that will increase your time limit in dynamis (while also opening up dynamis' proc system) then choose a camp that lines up with the procs you have.

the 3 types of procs in dynamis are weaponskill, magic, and job ability; which will vary by time of day, or the job of the monster in question

dancer is a good job for this because it's steps count just like any other job ability, but are much more spammable. therefore making it significantly easier to proc. but that applies to ANY job that can solo effectively while subbing dnc. (BST THF so on)

the real ace up dnc's sleeve is that it doesn't need to sub itself (sub itself? @.@) to proc, and it's a fairy survivable job on it's own; so it can farm with subjob locked, opening up the possibility for special white procs. these white procs are rare but pay off HUGE. basically one white proced mob is worth 100 normal red proced mobs.

[Kjara]

Most of the game content nowadays is pretty much duoable, with the exception of the newer endgame activities. If you want to get good gear and fast, I suggest you and your friend level some good jobs combo for abyssea farming. AKA:
Seals = blu/nin (or nin/dnc for tougher NMs) + blm/rdm (or whm/blm for tougher NMs)
Key Items= war/nin + whm/rdm
Monster Drops= mnk/war + whm/rdm (or thf/dnc, if the NM doesn't require a healer. having all blunt procs + treasure hunter is a good idea)

The 'perfect' set ups for abyssea usually require 3 people but as you can see, even with just two you can get a good chunk of most of the procs. Of course, this means you also need to skill up a lot. It takes time, but all the good stuff in this game does. I'm on Siren and wish you the best of luck. Wish I was as lucky as to have a pal to duo with like you do! Solo has became a curse of no game progress unfortunately, and by solo of course I mean 'one character'. Dual/Triboxing doesn't count.