Instanced Fights

[Ninster]

I'm all for learning, really.

But I doubt I'm getting much from the school of hard-knocks right now.

Simply put, I'm having issues in instanced fights that could be tied to any number of deficiencies on my part. I did the first fight with the conjurer just fine, and the one with the golem after that. I did the first few class quests just fine.

Then I hit lvl 15 and I go from 1 NPC and a few mobs to several NPCs and several mobs. I have no clue what was going on and one of the NPCs goes down. Duty failed, tried again, and cheesed through it with Echo, still without a clue of what's going on.

I go through the next story quests at Moraby Drydocks and instanced fight there. Going okay.

Then comes the Swiftperch instanced fight and again, duty failed. Some NPC I didn't even know was there goes down. I want to try it again but I really don't want to just Echo through everything because I'm a total bonehead that can't play his class at lvl 17.

[Bixby]

Almost every solo instanced fight comes down to the same formula: Stay near the friendly NPCs (they will almost always cure you if you get low on HP), dodge AOEs, attack one enemy at a time (not the main enemy if there is one), ignore the other enemies until your target is dead. If you get down to the boss NPC and more adds spawn, start over with the adds again until they're dead.

There are a few exceptions, but that will get you through most of them.

It sounds like maybe you're talking about Feint and Strike, so try this guide if you are. If not, googling for "FFXIV ARR [insert name of quest here]" usually brings up a guide or a forum post with the same problem and the solution(s).

[Sagittarian]

There is (that I've seen) only 1 NPC you have to keep alive in each instance. The others are just helpful.
Otherwise:

1. Keep your own NPC healer alive
2. Kill the enemy healers
3. Then keep your dps alive / kill the enemy mages
4. Kill off / tank / kite any other adds
5. When everything else is dead, focus on the boss

Also food helps. The instanced fights relying on keeping an NPC alive can be frustrating at times, particularly the ACN ones where she likes running off.

[ForteXX]

Overall, unless all enemies have a level of ??, dont attack those until all visible level mobs are dead.

[Orophin]

For the level 15 quest you want to focus on the Gargoyle first. That's all I'll say without spoiling the quest.

Bixby game some other good general tips though.

[Ninster]

Thanks Bixby, and also to everyone else. And yes, I'm referring to "Feint and Strike", just couldn't think of the name at the time.

I have some questions before I just go back and try it again, because I really want to learn as much as I can so I don't get completely walled off by the genuinely difficult fights.

1. I picked Arcanist knowing really nothing about it. My friend started in Limsa Lomisa, and I prefer mage jobs when I can, so that's kinda what I went with. So in essence, I'm not used to having Carbuncle, at all. As helpful as the little guy is, I've never had to actually "use" him until these instanced fights. Not a question, I know, but this just shows how much of a mess I'm in.

2. I plan on, after having my friend explain to me what ARC develops into later, going with SCH. Just... how much from my ARC experience will carry over when I pick up SCH later? By "experience", I mean the things I'm learning/not learning right now as ARC.

3. I have more but... char limit.

[Ninster]

Apologies if I double post before someone could answer, but this is continuing my questions.

3. Following from 1., is there anything I can do out in the field to catch up from what I missed? I'm sure I was supposed to pick up on something with Topaz Carby besides just summoning him for when I need a tank, but that fight's been Echo'd (as I mentioned before) and gone. The sad thing is, I never run into problems out in the field since it's just me and Carbuncle to keep track of.

4. This is probably the big thing I'm having issues with. I've noticed that I can't tab to target NPCs. Is there a way to pick out an NPC to heal when they're mobbed together? What about how to find out just how many NPCs there are and which ones are the ones to keep alive? And which ones have hate from which mobs? The more questions I ask the more I feel terrible about all this. Ugh.

[Sagittarian]

Editing a post ignores the 1000 char limit, fyi

I don't remember the game giving a lot of instruction about topaz. It acts like a tank though - it's abilities generate more aggro than normal but overall its dps is less. It's also tougher than emerald.

Tabbing onto NPCs .. not normally. You have to mess with some of the settings first. I'm afraid I can't think of which menu right now... The default settings have tab only going through mobs when your weapon is out. That's what you need to change. Otherwise use a mouse if you are on a pc.
As for finding out how many NPCs there are and which ones are being aggroed on, no. You can't even tell which mobs party members have aggro from. The only real way to check aggro is with the 'action lines' in the game when they show up.

SCH is still about pet management .. it's just the pet does heals instead of attacks. You'll need to learn a new set of skills related to the SCH heals and how they work, but the ACN skills are still needed.

For Feint And Strike, make sure you have some antidotes and that they are on your hotbar.

[Anapingofness]

Firstly, no need to feel ashamed for asking for help. ^^
While I can't give advice on ACN, generally though whatever you learn from your class you can use for your future job.
That being said, I can tell you a bit about the mission~
Although, it seems that you have gotten good advice from a number of people already! ^^

There will be two waves of mobs.
For both waves you want to take out the healers first. After healers are down take out the casters then the dd's.
Save the "special" mob- usually one with the name or the ?? above the head.

After the two waves go down you will go into a special fight.
Focus only on the gargoyle and you will be fine.

If you're having HP/MP problems you can also try getting a few HP/MP pots.

I just noticed you're from Goblin server.
I usually play on Goblin myself. If you need additional assistance, an fc/ls, or just want people to chat with, feel free to hit me up.
My characters name is Bisera Cecilina.
My time zone is GMT-5, EST US/Canada. ^^

[Shmunkster]

Hi Ninster
I will try help a little. I main WHM, but have my Scholar/Summ in the 30s, so have some exp

1. Dont worry too much. Early on (where you are now) your pet management is relatively limited. You can control carbie from his hotbar. At most, during those lower levels I used Sic and Heel. Sic for when I wanted him to distract something/one, or start the fight. And Heel, for when he went mental and attacked stuff I didnt want him to (i.e. a bystander enemy, not my fight target)

2. SCH is fun. But with it, and SMN, you will need to be more mindful of your pet as you level. You most the skills you learn, as SCH your pet can heal and you can DPS, so you dont become fully heal-fest. You might, though, want to think about your Bonus Stat points. If you are heading to SCH then MND is your focus. You can always Cleric Stance then for your DPS

3. Try some simple fights in open world with your carbies using the basics, like Sic and Heel, Steady etc. Like I said you dont use them too much in the lower levels (until about level 20 I used instant cast BioI as a form of Sic for Topaz, as right away he heads for your target and usually has him tanked before the enemy can get to you), but have a go at Sic...couple of dots, and then some different commands. See what he does, and work out your friendship

4. This can be adjusted in the Target Filter section of your Settings. There are numerous options, and as a mix of Healer and DPS (as SCH will be) you need to be able to tab through team and enemy. There are many different options (you can even turn off targetting others pets etc). I think the one you need is NPC, Team and Enemy. I can't remember exactly the "text" name.

And most of all - have fun! I like my SCH and SMN, and play them on the side when I'm narked with my WHM, and fancy just playing with my friends on our lower characters