Raising your level

[Myokoji]

I recently came back to FFXI after a long break (3 years) so totally out of date as far as levelling up is concerned...

I've been reading over the forums and it seems a lot of people are talking about Abyssea, so now I'm kinda confused~ What is the best way / normal way of levelling up these days? In parties with level sync, solo or in the Abyssea with a group? What are most people doing?


Thanks ^O^

Myoko :p

[Korpg]

I recently came back to FFXI after a long break (3 years) so totally out of date as far as levelling up is concerned...

I've been reading over the forums and it seems a lot of people are talking about Abyssea, so now I'm kinda confused~ What is the best way / normal way of levelling up these days? In parties with level sync, solo or in the Abyssea with a group? What are most people doing?


Thanks ^O^

Myoko :p

What job and what level are you talking about?

Most people either level sync to 70, then abyssea the rest of the way.

Others either make parties, or pay leaders to leech/key from 30 onwards.

It all depends on what you consider fun.

[Mirage]

If you're a healer, you can expect to get party invites for abyssea as early as when you get Cure 4. Even more of them if you're a whm when you get Cure 5.

As a melee, you can't do much until you're above level 70. For levels 10-50, i have usually duoed with friends for 20k-ish exp/hour, but that method slows down considerably as you get close to 50, and isn't too fast between 50 and 70 at all. Between those levels, i have resorted to level syncing to lower levels because I think keywhoring is really boring.

[RAIST]

They've doubled the xp/kill and you can now spam the FoV pages for free bonus xp at the end of each one:

http://wiki.ffxiclopedia.org/wiki/Field_Manual

Make use of the field manuals and you'll be 30-50 pretty quick--even just soloing. A lot of people just do the lowman thing--make use of the xp bonus from Signet when you have less than 6 in a party, spamming pages for the bonus xp also.

***once you hit 30, kick off an Abyssea expansion. Get your cut scenes so that you can start accumulating stones to use for time in aby parties. DO THIS EVEN IF YOU DON'T PLAN TO HIT ABYSSEA JUST YET. You will want a decent bank of stones. Once you get going in there and get a little cruor and such, you can buy some abyssites/atmas to enhance stone regeneration, get better buffs, and such to make abyssea go even more smoothly.

After ~38, you may have to start scraping around to make/find parties (mostly level synch) outside of abyssea, depending on the job. A lot of players are hopping into leech spots in abyssea and shooting up to 49/50 for their subjobs or just running all the way to 90. If that's not for you, you can keep on with the field manuals and still get to 58-60 at a pretty decent clip on most jobs even soloing. After that, it can turn into a grind for the next few levels if you are having to go the solo route, but once you hit ~65 it picks up a bit and isn't too rough. The real rub is not having access to Sky unless you can make a group to get you through ZM's. FoV up there is really nice, especially on jobs that can take the puppets without much trouble. But, by then you will probly be feeling the tug into abyssea and fly right on up before you know it.

[Myokoji]

Thanks for the replies ^O^ I'll try the things you've suggested~~

As for my main job I'm still trying to decide between black mage and white mage~ I managed to get black mage up the most so far~~

[Mirage]

Whm is probably going to be a bit cheaper, and you'll have few problems getting exp parties. That being said, blm is also in high demand these days, at least once you get it to a high level.

[svengalis]

Most people pay 100k per hour to leech from 30-75 or so in fell cleave parties. Easiest and most efficient way to 90.

[Volkai]

Svengali is wrong. Some people do that, but mostly only people with more Gil than sense.

RAIST pretty much has it spot on, though I'd recommend http://ffxi.gamerescape.com/wiki over ffxiclopedia, as the ffxiclopedia founders left it to start Gamer Escape and most editors wen with them.

Also, Grounds of Valor, recently added, works much like Fields of Valor, but in dungeons and with increasing bonus XP and better buffs.

[Starcade]

Svengali is wrong. Some people do that, but mostly only people with more Gil than sense.


Which, in my experience, would describe most of FFXI. Carry on.

[Korpg]

Ignore Starcade, he has this insane obsession with everyone who plays this game and actually THINKS that everyone but him cheats.

RAIST got it right though.

[Chocobits]

I'm surprised people are willing to pay for leech spots. Usually when I leech, I build my own parties, and I actively pop chests and don't afk for extended periods. I regularly turn down leechers asking to buy a spot because it isn't just my time; it's the whole alliance's. That and it's so easy to get in as a leech for free.

Maybe I should gather a buncha leech payers together and just solo train mobs down for them. Aeoleon Edge > ??? > Profit.

[BorkBorkBork]

Get to lvl 30 as fast you can with all your job and make exp alliances. Worry about the skills later.

[Ravenmore]

I too hate FC parites to leech, better to do it on dom pages were you can make back your crour and get dom notes to npc for gil. Putting together a alli is not hard might take a little while but not long. On top of most FC parties are also banking all KIs they get so people are getting used hard for paying for slots.

[hiko]

Svengali is wrong. Some people do that, but mostly only people with more Gil than sense.




1) if you get a good and long enough paying pos you can get more gil than you paid with blinkers
2) some job spend more gils XPing the old way than paying a leech spot (food, ammo of the good lvl for rng-cor)
3) paying leech+skill up+farming the gil spent take less time than xp outside

now just do what you like most. if you like old pt do it

[Starcade]

Ignore Starcade, he has this insane obsession with everyone who plays this game and actually THINKS that everyone but him cheats.

RAIST got it right though.

Actually, reading even the content here in the official forums, that first belief of mine is actually about correct. I do begin to wonder if I'm the only legitimate player left.

Why not? Given the arrogance all over this forum, you guys are trying to turn it into the cesspool that is BluGartr.

[Volkai]

Actually, reading even the content here in the official forums, that first belief of mine is actually about correct. I do begin to wonder if I'm the only legitimate player left.
No, it is not correct. You just see what you want to and either ignore or (seemingly intentionally) misinterpret the rest to fit in to your own assumptions.


Why not? Given the arrogance all over this forum, you guys are trying to turn it into the cesspool that is BluGartr.
I'd just like to point out that as far as arrogance on the forum goes, you seem happy to jump right in alongside those you seem to scorn.

[Korpg]

Actually, reading even the content here in the official forums, that first belief of mine is actually about correct. I do begin to wonder if I'm the only legitimate player left.

Why not? Given the arrogance all over this forum, you guys are trying to turn it into the cesspool that is BluGartr.

You are the only one here who is misguided and confused. You are also paranoid, but thats besides the point. How's your blog going though? Cracked the case of Area 51 yet? Kennedy shot from a building or grassy knoll?

Given your arrogance all over this forum, you are trying to turn this into your own personal blog. Which then, nobody would read. Kindof like your blog, isn't it? Well, not read unless they need to laugh at something.

Edit: Damn, Volkai got to it first.

[Yarly]

Svengali is wrong. Some people do that, but mostly only people with more Gil than sense.

Because gil is not used on services. The auction house is for players who buy gil because who would pay for items when they could craft it/farm it themselves. etc. Right? People only use gil to buy things from NPC!

[Tsukino_Kaji]

Most people either level sync to 70, then abyssea the rest of the way.This is a lie, most people are solo to 30, then abyssea to 90. lol

[Volkai]

Because gil is not used on services. The auction house is for players who buy gil because who would pay for items when they could craft it/farm it themselves. etc. Right? People only use gil to buy things from NPC!

No. Your assumptions on the reasoning behind my statement are wrong.

The idea that the auction house is for gilbuyers is laughably foolish, seeing as the primary complaint players originally held regarding RMT is that they were negatively impacting the auction house.


The reason I am of the opinion that people who choose to pay large quantities of gil to leech XP (often rates like 300,000gil/1 hour of leeching) are those with more gil than sense is because 300k for an hour of leeching XP is a poor financial decision that smacks of impatience and a failure to think things through.

You can get just as much XP by building your own XP Alliance and while it may take a little longer to put together a group, the time-spent-to-money-saved ratio is far more favorable.

[RAIST]

Huh??!! Pay per hour for a leech spot?

Something like this goes on regularly in my LS.

Setting up a cleave party for Saturday afternoon..who wants in? /
<log fills up with / lines, list of names taken>
<a few ask if a friend can come>
Let's see who shows up from LS first, then we can fill in spots with extras
General rule of thumb: you MUST open 100 chests before you can go AFK
Until then, you need to be active--buffs/cures, azure kills, skilling up etc.
So they will need to come prepared. Rotation will be LSmates first, then adds.
Will likely run out of chest whores if everyone only brings 100 keys though, will need more.
Gonna need an extra RDM for help, <player name> may not be able to get on till after 3pm
<list of names for volunteer RDM substitutions taken>
Would be nice to have some help with Azure build at start to help build TE
<a few offer to hop in on BLM at start, then job change to leech, names taken>
cool thanks. Gonna eat lunch early, start up at around 12 EST, sound good?
<list of / to affirm>
<Player changes /lsmes to Gather together Port Jueno Sat. 12:00 EST for Fell Cleave...bring keys please.>


<sarcasm>Setting up a cleave is just sooooooo hard to do these days....</sarcasm>

[Glamdring]

if you have to pay to leech that is a sign that you are universally unloved. what a pt/alliance builder can't allow is everyone to leech, the majority need to be active producing people or you are going to be there for a year. when my dynamis LS switched to aby for awhile because of low counts for dynamis we had like 3 players who asked every single time to leech; the leaders wisely refused, rotating it amongst the entire LS and only allowing 1 leech per party. So, you might not be allowed to be the leech THAT TIME but if you stick with a specific group you will be allowed to when it's your turn... at least if your leader is any good.

[scaevola]

Svengali is wrong. Some people do that, but mostly only people with more Gil than sense.


Svengalis isn't wrong at all. 100k an hour for a competent Fell Cleave is nothing when you can, if you choose, spend the huge amounts of cruor you'll get on NPCable armor to partially recover that cost. Above all, 100k simply isn't a lot of money when you already have a 90, and time is money. I'm willing to spend money to save time, and a genuinely fast Abyssea party is not something I can reliably get off the street, much less as a leech.

I would spend 100k an hour for a Fell Cleave party (depending on current finances and speed with which I need to level a given job, of course) with two stipulations:

1) at least 200k XP/hour. I make a 50k gil down payment and won't pay the rest unless we break 200k.
2) no obligation to spend cruor on keys.

If that's alright with the cleavers, yeah, I'd consider buying a spot.

EDIT: we could quibble about the actual value of what you're getting for your money, whether you could organize such a thing yourself, etc., but to be categorically opposed to the idea of paying money to take advantage of somebody else's superior organization, resources, or what have you strikes me as the opinion of someone who doesn't really understand what money actually is.

[Tsukino_Kaji]

Huh??!! Pay per hour for a leech spot?I always build my own pts to leech in. One time though, I had another guy tagging along and he was hanging around and helping with keys. All of the sudden he sends me a tell. "Is it ok if I give you 300k to just AFK for like 3 hours?"
"Umm... Ok. >.>"