Struggling with Adoulin Content.

[Granis]

So, My only 99 job is WHM and I've been really struggling with the expansion content when it came out.

Now I should preface this by saying I had problems getting gearing stuff done in AByssea and the like before the expansion came out. While I do have Arka IV built and tried to buy some good gear off the AH for healing, Most of the Orison pieces I have are +1 (I always had a hard time getting a group together to get Atma's, +2 items, etc.) and I never really got Orison boots or hands. (instead having to settle for hands and boots off the AH.) I'm also missing things like the Orison locket and the like and tried to gear how I could via AH.

During an average Rieve I'm having a hard time keeping people in the alliance alive, as well as I'm also having enminty problems and getting killed by the mobs, since I have to stand so close to the mobs in order to keep my Rieve tags. (for this reason, I try to make sure to get into a group and make sure I am riding Afflatus Misery for Cura and Esuna obviously.)

A few random folks I join in a random roving Rieve group or shout have commented on my gear and said I need to go back and gear up, which, I'm not going to be one of those people complaining that SoA is too hard/inaccessable, SO I'm open to my healing experiene or my gear being a problem, but my problem is I don't know how to improve.

For example, are people even going to go back to Aby? I once got kinda annoyed when someone was kinda being mean about my gear in a Rieve, and I wanted to sarcastically say "Oh let me go shout for Itz or Sobek to get some +2 items then, I bet people would be willing to drop what they are doing in Adoulin to kill NMs they've probably been killing for forever, just to help some newb WHM who only started playing the game when the last Aby Expac lauched. Especially when I tell them we'll have to farm KIs from scratch, since I can't really solo the KI NMs on my own because I just have 99 WHM."

And that's just the tip of the Iceberg, I only have 2 Aby clears, and I don't really have much of an idle set, I need PDT bad, and Shinryu happens to drop a piece, who I need clears for. Also I could shout for boss floors for oldschool Nyzul to maybe get Goliard legs, but I don't know if I'd just be wasting someone's time. My main curing set is "modest" my Fast-cast is "ehhhhh" (liteally just Loq earring, Swith cape, Incantors.) and like I said, I don't have much of an idle set other than maybe my Earth Staff, and some refresh on my curing set, like Orison body +1. I have some hMP for resting, but way less than I'd like for "the world of no Minikin".

Now, some of Bayld gear could actually solve some issues. (for example the Bayld mage boots from Peacekeepers look like a good alternative to Orison Boots, and the legs might be decent for the fastcast set.) So do I do current content that actual people are interested in doing, and just deal with people being unhappy with my gear, or do I got back and try to twist people's arm to do old content?

[Crusader81]

Welcome to the new XI.

er the Old XI.. circa 2004, although even then you could duo stuff easy.. this is just ridiculous

[Granis]

Well, I know there are plenty of people in my LS and server that are enjoying this harder content and being in full groups/alliances again rather than lowman facerolling while buffed to the ten suns by Atma and such. I don't want to blame the content for me struggling and ruin their fun by having it nerfed to Aby level.

If I felt like I was a "victim of the system" I'd blame Aby. because it never taught me how to heal properly, because my partymates could duo or trio most things, and still lowman or brew the rest. and Cruor buffs and Minikin became a crutch and I got a skewed perspective of how to manage things like MP and enminty.

[Mokeil]

If you're really keen on getting that nice gear from the Peacekeepers Coalition, you can try running some missions for the Couriers and the Scouts. They don't seem to actually require combat - just a sense of exploration and a little judicious Sneak/Invis action. That will get you earning some Bayld on top of whatever you can earn from doing the random reives you come across in the field.

Well, I know there are plenty of people in my LS...

I know I'm the sort of fellow who likes to do as much as I can solo, not because I necessarily want to solo, but because I don't want to bother my friends for things if I don't have to... But there comes a time when you have to ask for help.

It is true your LS may want to poke at the new stuff for a while, but it shouldn't be hard to find the spare time to get 2-3 of em out for some Abyssea NM kills. Just make sure to be patient! If the folks in your LS are your friends, they'll have your back.

If I felt like I was a "victim of the system" I'd blame Aby. because it never taught me how to heal properly, because my partymates could duo or trio most things, and still lowman or brew the rest. and Cruor buffs and Minikin became a crutch and I got a skewed perspective of how to manage things like MP and enminty.

This is actually a valid point for where you are right now. Learning to heal a team outside of Abyssea is a whole different beast than it is inside! The fact that you recognized what your weakness is and where it comes from means you can likely overcome it, though. As you do more outside of Abyssea, you'll start to get a better feel for things. I will recommend trying to find something less chaotic than a pick-up reive group to really learn your stuff, however.

Best advice I can give for that is to learn to start using Cures 3 and 4 more often. Cures 5 and 6 are nice, but are just too pricy without Minikin to use regularly. Also, toss Regens on people who aren't the main focus of damage, but still need to be topped off from taking AoEs. Lastly, any sort of AoE healing draws a fair bit of enmity. Try to avoid that early/mid fight if you can. Any White Mage who came up through the Dunes way back when can tell you that good-ole', basic Curaga was a death sentence for anyone who cast it! It was practically better at pulling hate than Benediction was.

Also, keep in mind everything is in a bit of flux right now what with the enmity and defense adjustments. This is catching even some of us oldsters as we, too, have to relearn some of our habits. People who are used to being able to ride, say, berserk, are finding themselves eating dirt a lot more often than they used to...

It is also very possible that there just aren't enough healers in your pick-up reive alliance who are, well, healering. If there are only one to two healers who are trying to keep every one alive, they're going to pull a lot of hate no matter what.

[xiozen]

If you're really keen on getting that nice gear from the Peacekeepers Coalition, you can try running some missions for the Couriers and the Scouts. They don't seem to actually require combat - just a sense of exploration and a little judicious Sneak/Invis action. That will get you earning some Bayld on top of whatever you can earn from doing the random reives you come across in the field.




I know I'm the sort of fellow who likes to do as much as I can solo, not because I necessarily want to solo, but because I don't want to bother my friends for things if I don't have to... But there comes a time when you have to ask for help.

It is true your LS may want to poke at the new stuff for a while, but it shouldn't be hard to find the spare time to get 2-3 of em out for some Abyssea NM kills. Just make sure to be patient! If the folks in your LS are your friends, they'll have your back.



This is actually a valid point for where you are right now. Learning to heal a team outside of Abyssea is a whole different beast than it is inside! The fact that you recognized what your weakness is and where it comes from means you can likely overcome it, though. As you do more outside of Abyssea, you'll start to get a better feel for things. I will recommend trying to find something less chaotic than a pick-up reive group to really learn your stuff, however.

Best advice I can give for that is to learn to start using Cures 3 and 4 more often. Cures 5 and 6 are nice, but are just too pricy without Minikin to use regularly. Also, toss Regens on people who aren't the main focus of damage, but still need to be topped off from taking AoEs. Lastly, any sort of AoE healing draws a fair bit of enmity. Try to avoid that early/mid fight if you can. Any White Mage who came up through the Dunes way back when can tell you that good-ole', basic Curaga was a death sentence for anyone who cast it! It was practically better at pulling hate than Benediction was.

Also, keep in mind everything is in a bit of flux right now what with the enmity and defense adjustments. This is catching even some of us oldsters as we, too, have to relearn some of our habits. People who are used to being able to ride, say, berserk, are finding themselves eating dirt a lot more often than they used to...

It is also very possible that there just aren't enough healers in your pick-up reive alliance who are, well, healering. If there are only one to two healers who are trying to keep every one alive, they're going to pull a lot of hate no matter what.

Excellent, well written and thoughtful response to this post.

As I was reading it many of the things mentioned in your reply came across my mind, I've been playing for quite a few years (about 10+ at this point). I can definitely understand and appreciate the OP's position about things in the new content... however as a high level puppetmaster with a lvl 99 empy h2h weapon and top of the line gear, I'm not having any issues with the new content.. I love it... it's challenging, almost to a fault and reminds me so much of when i first started playing FFXI so many years ago.

I also, can understand and appreciate, if SE decides to make some "user friendly" changes to the system, keeping in mind that some folks would be returning after a long break or coming to the game fresh with the new content on their minds--so... ultimately its an all around mixed bag.

As far as the OP goes, at this point, it will be difficult to get folks out of the new content in order to assist those who need it in abyssea related content; at least until the "new-ness" wears off. I wish you the very best.. just don't give up.

[Luvbunny]

I would wait a couple of months, they will adjust this craptacular new contents and make it feasible, just like how they adjust campaign and walk of echoes. Probably would focus on Abyssea and everything else outside SoA while they are still popular and not many people yet doing SoA (since it is still half baked and will take a few updates to actually be playable and fun for all). I would not worry much if I were you. I joined random shouts as well and it is impossible to do anything as mages when you get killed almost instantly in a couple of hits and can't rest without getting aggro and pretty much getting zero points because of weakness status. MP recovery is also a big problem with no free temps items - which by the way they should add and give free to you like Besieged.

[Demon6324236]

MP recovery is also a big problem with no free temps items - which by the way they should add and give free to you like Besieged.

This is why people need to learn MP management, these days we have tons of refresh gear all over the place, we have jobs and spells with refresh powers, why is it no one uses it? SCH can hit 9 Refresh, not counting Sublimation which if you manage correctly can pump out your MP in crazy amounts. BRDs can cast Ballads, lots of Refresh there, CORs have Refresh, GEOs have Refresh now, RDMs have Refresh II, all of it goes unused now days because mages are used to their unlimited MP, perhaps its time for these things to return to use once again?

There are many work arounds to the 'flaws' people have right now, people just do not look to them for the solution.

[Zarchery]

I think they're aware of the problem and SE is still sorta working the kinks out of the Reive system. I was doing a Reive on Monk yesterday, and I thought it was going okay. Then I killed a cricket, and out of nowhere I lost my Reive participation status. I couldn't get back in and I couldn't get anything from the reive stuff I had just completed.