Worth it?

I got this game when it first came out for the PC, and I was sorely disappointed. I haven't even touched the game since October.

So, is it worth it to begin playing again?

I'm wondering why you're in the THM forum, but I'd say yes. The big gameplay hassles have mostly been fixed and there's at least a decent amount of stuff to do, from sidequests to leves, to the new NMs which have great gear for ranks as low as 25. Step 1: Find an LS! You might try posting in your server forum.

Thank you for that. I posted here because I wanted to be exclusively a mage, thus this and Conjurer. And I figured this thread would get more attention here than, say, the General forum.

Now I just have to make sure my computer can still run the damn thing. XD

If it run in the past it will run now^^

The game have been constantly upgraded and new features were added. The goal doens't pass anymore just on gain SP and massive mob fight. Entering in a LS its a good thing to learn some stuff about the game.

Also one new adventure will be added. You can see in the main page of Lodstone.

IMO, still be prepared for things to still feel like they're still in beta, because they effectively are. The game will be "fixed" by when the PS3 launches and they've still got big changes planned before then.

But yes, the game is certainly playable now.

Also, do yourself a favor and start a new character if you haven't played since briefly after launch. The new introduction curve is worth it.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Catapult

IMO, still be prepared for things to still feel like they're still in beta, because they effectively are. The game will be "fixed" by when the PS3 launches and they've still got big changes planned before then.

But yes, the game is certainly playable now.

Also, do yourself a favor and start a new character if you haven't played since briefly after launch. The new introduction curve is worth it.

---

Thanks for that tip. You'll have to teach me how to do that and keep my onion helm, though. >.<"

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Advocatus

Thanks for that tip. You'll have to teach me how to do that and keep my onion helm, though. >.<"

---

If you've got the onion helm on your account, it should show up in the inventory of each new character you create. The same goes for the other bonus items like the Garlond Goggles or Asuran Armguards.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by REDace0

If you've got the onion helm on your account, it should show up in the inventory of each new character you create. The same goes for the other bonus items like the Garlond Goggles or Asuran Armguards.

---

Awesome, thanks.

Now, new topic. What stats should I be using for conjurer and thaumaturge classes? I know it's INT, MND, and PIE, but I don't know what the priority is, nor what to do about elements.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Advocatus

Awesome, thanks.

Now, new topic. What stats should I be using for conjurer and thaumaturge classes? I know it's INT, MND, and PIE, but I don't know what the priority is, nor what to do about elements.

---

Conjurer? or Thaumaturge? Theorycrafting is showing those to be two wildly different answers.

Which is better?

Both are better, if you can level them both to 50. :D

Right now, Thm is considered the most powerful class for end-game stuff like NMs. They're the only class of which I'm aware that can actually solo NMs. Their huge cone-shaped AoE makes them the best healers; their DoT spells do not scale down on high level mobs, so they can do (by far) the most damage per second on NMs (plus, Shadowsear is a killer); and they've even got Emulate, which makes them effective as tanks (!!). But, as in everything else, the actual answer depends on what you enjoy doing most.

As for the OP, the advice I've been giving to friends is, the game is still undergoing huge changes. They're adding content every month. So if you can wait a few more months, the game will have more content, and the content that's there will be more polished.

That's not to say that it's unplayable now. Far from it. I've been playing since CE, I've been enjoying it. And the game has absolutely gotten better. And, of course, we'd love to have you join those of us still playing. :D But I'd hate to have you come back and the game hasn't changed quite enough to keep you around. We want you in for the long haul.

If you do come back, then if I may be so bold, a couple pieces of advice:

1) Join a linkshell as quickly as possible. That way, you'll have people to socialize with, people to party with, people who can help you out, and people who can offer advice if you need it.

2) When choosing your starting city, I'd suggest starting in Uldah, or getting there as soon as you can. Most of the players have migrated to Uldah, so it's the best place to find other people to interact with, and the market wards have by far the most goods for sale.

Good luck!

This has no merit on this thread. However, it is funny and I am slightly inebriated.

http://i508.photobucket.com/albums/s...M/whyohwhy.jpg

P.S. I was doing this pre-nerf.

So thaumaturges are basically the best at everything, short of physical damage.

Perfect. Now I just have to pick a world, and go through the process of creating a new character, plus fixing up the stuff in the Config menu. Tutorials would be great.

While I haven't actually played a caster substantially and therefor can't offer first-hand advice, I would like to point out one thing I haven't seen mentioned. The AoE shapes are different for the two classes. THM gets a cone-shaped AoE in front of them, whereas CON gets a circle around their target (please correct me if that's somehow wrong). It's probably not a big deal, but I have heard people in my LS complain about it, so I thought I'd toss it out there.

On the topic of statistics.

Conjurers care more about INT (nuking power) where as Thaumaturges care more about PIE (successfully landing damage over time statuses).

VIT = HP. MND = MP. Neither of these are to be neglected by any mage.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Catapult

VIT = HP. MND = MP. Neither of these are to be neglected by any mage.

---

I totally agree. On a side note, take into account that this isn't the case for stats on the equipment.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Catapult

On the topic of statistics.

Conjurers care more about INT (nuking power) where as Thaumaturges care more about PIE (successfully landing damage over time statuses).

VIT = HP. MND = MP. Neither of these are to be neglected by any mage.

---

I totally neglect Mind. More points for VIT and PIE. XD

Somehow, I don't like the idea of boosting physical stats as a mage of any sort. I think I'd leave my VIT alone, and boost only PIE, INT, & MND.

What about elements?

The only thing that seems to work in what you listed is MND. Actus and I disagree over this point, but I believe it is not necessary to put any more than 100 points into PIE and INT (especially INT), as I've tested and found that the there is negligable difference in amount of dmg output and how long spells stick for, but Actus swears he sees a higher output. I personally would just focus on VIT and MND and get mag. acc + and mag. pot + gear (oh and try to get them HQ too).

VIT is very important for solo play and just plain survival at lower levels. You can scale it back once you have a static party in favor for higher caster stats. Top stat for tanking build.

INT is for Conjury, which is used a great deal by all higher ranked THMs, but until you rank up CON you can keep your INT low.

MND Good for 2:1 for +heal potency and some extra max MP. If you go mainly DD then you can keep this low as Siphon MP and your rank 1 MP regen move should keep you with excellent MP regen. Max MP isn't that great of a stat. Top stat for healer.

PIE People either avoid it, or go real big if a DD spec. Magic accuracy stat is far superior than PIE but they are cumulative. Speculation whether it has no effect once you meet a certain target number vs mob. Makes sense, its your hit cap. PIE also increases Siphon MP potency.

DEX and STR are pretty useless. Some tanking builds might add STR some for damage mitigation with a shield. But the only real (party) tanking you can do is vs mobs that use elemental damage, which you can Emulate, to match their resistance.

Here's the skills and elemental affinities for your spells: http://ffxiv.yg.com/skills?f=c=2.22

THM AoE can be superior, but it come with the potential of pulling insane amounts of adds from offensive casts.

CON AoE is more surgical in that respect, but sometimes it can be too small to hit all engaged mobs. Healing definitely takes more finesse with this AoE.

CON does have Resonance which is unmatched by any THM selfbuff. You can drop a Cure III on someone like 80' away. (can be borrowed, but still only functions on CON spells)

Gil is easy to make, so purchase a high quality chest piece and a weapon after 20. The "stars" scale at % of base stats so those pieces you gain the most from, jewelry for example, is the lowest.

FYI I got LNC to 20 well into my mage career, but I would recommend ranking it up earlier for Fleet of Foot. It lowers your "downtime" considerably by allowing you to move fast in active mode. All that sheathing/unsheathing really adds up over the course of one's adventures in Eorzea.

It sounds like I should focus almost entirely on VIT and MND at first, then scale back to balance PIE, MND, and INT when I have my THM and CON ranked up a bit. Further, that LNC ability sounds interesting. What else would I look at from the disciples of war? Further, what discipline of the hand should I pick up? Crafting seems like a good way to make gil in this game. It also looks like I'll be focusing my elements into ice, earth, and water. Maybe a bit of wind, too. I like the darker side of things. Hell, I basically grew up on the darker side of things. Also, it sounds like THMs care more about debuffs than actual nukes, while CONs are the opposite.

Lastly, and this is the most important question... Do I ever lose any points I scale back? Say I assign six points to PIE. Can I take them and put them on MND later, then return them to PIE even later?

You can. Points can be re-assigned at any time, but you can only do a certain amount in one shot can't re-assign below your starting amounts related to your race.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Catapult

You can. Points can be re-assigned at any time, but you can only do a certain amount in one shot can't re-assign below your starting amounts related to your race.

---

Thank you for that.