Black Mage - the solution for everything?

[Molly_Millions]

while I think blm burns are good and efficent and awesome they shouldn't be a viable option for EVERY fight they make

I never argued that it should be. My point is this: if you're not the party leader, you have no right to complain. Don't like what the leader is doing? Lead your own group.

[Duelle]

I never argued that they should be. My point is this: if you're not the party leader, you have no right to complain. Don't like what the leader is doing? Lead your own group.

Again, MMO players are a hive. Opposing the hive gets you nowhere. Not to mention (again), playing the job and class you like should never be an uphill battle against other players.

[Molly_Millions]

Again, MMO players are a hive. Opposing the hive gets you nowhere.

Only if you don't form your own groups and strategies.

[Duelle]

Only if you don't form your own groups and strategies.

BS reasoning is BS. For every one person that may by luck be open-minded you have 30 people who whine and want only the "accepted" strategies. Again, it shouldn't be an uphill battle. Making your own group does not negate the uphill battle part of forming a group.

[Preypacer]

I never argued that it should be. My point is this: if you're not the party leader, you have no right to complain. Don't like what the leader is doing? Lead your own group.

That sounds great in theory. The problem is, finding enough people to put in your group who don't expect you to go the "stacking BLMs" route because "it's how you're supposed to do it". Suggesting you're going to do it differently is going to get a lot of {thanks for the offer, but I'll have to pass} responses.

I ran into that issue so many times in XI, and in other MMOs. It has as much to do with breaking people of their often drone-like insistance on "playing the way the guides and walkthroughs say you're supposed to".

So, while I am in agreement with you that people can form their own groups, it's not really a 100% solution to the problem. There has to be a way to get people away from the attitude of "X strategy is THE way to do this content and if you're not doing it that way then you're playing wrong" that permeates a MMO community. I think that's going to have to come from SE by introducing fights with strategies that require more variety in the group and in which stacking of a given class will not be a sound approach. I'd like to think more people would take the initiative to find alternate, and still viable strategies. Unfortunately, many people prefer to just do what everyone else is doing.

[Molly_Millions]

That sounds great in theory. The problem is, finding enough people to put in your group who don't expect you to go the "stacking BLMs" route because "it's how you're supposed to do it". Suggesting you're going to do it differently is going to get a lot of {thanks for the offer, but I'll have to pass} responses.

I ran into that issue so many times in XI, and in other MMOs. It has as much to do with breaking people of their often drone-like insistance on "playing the way the guides and walkthroughs say you're supposed to".

So, while I am in agreement with you that people can form their own groups, it's not really a 100% solution to the problem. There has to be a way to get people away from the attitude of "X strategy is THE way to do this content and if you're not doing it that way then you're playing wrong" that permeates a MMO community. I think that's going to have to come from SE by introducing fights with strategies that require more variety in the group and in which stacking of a given class will not be a sound approach. I'd like to think more people would take the initiative to find alternate, and still viable strategies. Unfortunately, many people prefer to just do what everyone else is doing.

I haven't had any issues trying different strategies, other than death of course.

[Ravencross]

I dunno, not to sound cliche but people should just play what they want.

I made my first priority getting PGL/MNK to 50 because I really enjoy hand-to-hand type classes and I actually really enjoy what SE has done with the job/class thus far. Having said that, I'm now leveling THM and just unlocked BLM last night - because I wanted to. I happen to like having some versatility, so at 50 I'll be able to bring the pain by physical or magical means depending on what's needed.

Am I gonna be asked to play BLM more often than not by my LS or social pick-up groups? Maybe. Am I gonna enjoy it regardless? Hell yes, because if I'm not punching things in the face I'm still having a good time nuking the hell out of 'em. Why? I'm doing what I want to do.

If you're leveling BLM "because it's easy mode" or "it gets me invites to things", then that's your prerogative. If you're hating every minute of it because BLM is really not your bag, then it sucks to be you, but it's the choice YOU made at the end of the day.

Also - I don't know what server some of you folks played on, but I was on Ifrit and I never saw a lack of BLMs either before or after ToAU released. Yes, Aht Urhgan did do BLMs raw and hard, but everyone found a way around it via manaburns and doing non-ToAU camps when possible. People found a way regardless. And do keep in mind, SE included that amped magic resistance on ToAU mobs because the player base - mostly non-BLMs - whined about manaburns and how cheap and "easy mode" it was. (Just for the record, I was a pre-ToAU BLM and vastly enjoyed Magic Bursting onto a well-placed Skillchain in xp parties.)

It's funny how many of those same people had absolutely no issue hanging out in Korroloka Tunnel getting SMN-burned though. >_>; I think SMN-burning was far more of a menace to FFXI than BLM manaburning ever was.

[Majidah]

I never argued that it should be. My point is this: if you're not the party leader, you have no right to complain. Don't like what the leader is doing? Lead your own group.

well, no you don't, but all the current main fights have a very low drop rate...
so they need to be done over and over.

currently the best way to do this on every fight is stacking blms.

I'm not going to take a route that's less than efficent and struggle when I need to defeat ifrit 60 times for the drop I want. (I enjoy playing blm, I'm just making a point)

I think the fault is not on the pt leaders, but on SE, who designed fights to be like this.

[Molly_Millions]

well, no you don't, but all the current main fights have a very low drop rate...
so they need to be done over and over.

currently the best way to do this on every fight is stacking blms.

I'm not going to take a route that's less than efficent and struggle when I need to defeat ifrit 60 times for the drop I want. (I enjoy playing blm, I'm just making a point)

I think the fault is not on the pt leaders, but on SE, who designed fights to be like this.

You can't have it both ways. BLM burn or go another route, it's your choice. The most efficient strategy is just that, whether it's a blm burn or something else. The communities preference is always going to be the easiest route to victory. You can either use the most efficient strategy, or something else, but nobody is frocing you do use the most efficient strategy. If you're the pt leader and you want to use a different strategy, do it. Oust any decenters and do it your own way.

[Enfarious]

well, no you don't, but all the current main fights have a very low drop rate...
so they need to be done over and over.

currently the best way to do this on every fight is stacking blms.

I'm not going to take a route that's less than efficent and struggle when I need to defeat ifrit 60 times for the drop I want. (I enjoy playing blm, I'm just making a point)

I think the fault is not on the pt leaders, but on SE, who designed fights to be like this.

I completely agree. There should be content that favors other party makeups.

You can't have it both ways. BLM burn or go another route, it's your choice. The most efficient strategy is just that, whether it's a blm burn or something else. The communities preference is always going to be the easiest route to victory. You can either use the most efficient strategy, or something else, but nobody is frocing you do use the most efficient strategy. If you're the pt leader and you want to use a different strategy, do it. Oust any decenters and do it your own way.

I think the point was more about SE's design leaning toward all content being BLM stack friendly at present, and needing some more flavor. Some content that really has more than one "good" way to get it done. If there's 4 different party makeups that can clear a single piece of content w/ equal difficulty and speed, then it's far more accessible than the stuff we have at present.

Of course people will always be looking for the "best" way, but if any party makeup can clear Ifrit in 7 mins with equal ease, relatively speaking, then BLM stacking becomes unnecessary, and Ifrit becomes accessible to everyone on any job, obviously your not gonna try to do it with 8 PLDs that could be interesting but not fast, but MNK DRG and PLD wouldn't be asked if they have THM or WHM every time out, or at least the sighs and frowning wouldn't be as bad.