Bleeding Ifrit again...

[Neptune]

@OP, I am really sorry to hear that. That is one of the main problems with the FFXI niche community that is the main group that stayed with this game for the last year. Unfortunately, the problem only ends with the FFXI niche community. It begins with the dev team. It's the dev team's responsibility to design the game to correct for this flaw in the FFXI community, yet they do nothing. If you had been capped a few months ago, you would be enjoying the endless fruits of Batraal farming as Archer while Lancers were stuck in a glacier.

There may be a lot of downsides to taking an Archer into Ifrit, which is why the dev team needs to create incentives for finishing it with other classes, like a higher drop rate on items the more classes you have in your party. That one simple change would reverse this horrible side of the FFXI community. Who's listening?

[Meow_Zedong]

Since you seem to be implying that beating Ifrit is possible with only ARC to 50, what ARC skill do you use to deal with Hellfire? (I think that's hellfire anyway, the AOE after you drop a spike.) Although it seems like I'm asking just to be a jackass, I'm asking in earnest because my roommate has only ARC to 50.

Well if really the only thing you have leveled up is Archer, then yeah you will probably die. It's possible to survive through the use of HP+ materia, but dieing in that situation is pretty likely. Still pretty easy to win the battle though. The mage will revive you when he has the chance and all you have to do is make sure to wait until an opportune time to come back.

Or if everyone knows you won't survive before the battle starts then an alternative strategy can be put into motion, such as going after all 4 nails, or crafter stunning him.

[Noir]

It is the same for me, I bought this game when ifrit was announced, having played beta too. When I picked THM it had AOE heals. now it seems like a crock of shit class. Not only do I have to get sentinel, I also have to level a complete other job to 50 if I am to get to fight ifrit. If this is not fixed in 1.20 with people rethinking their battle strats. I wont pay until it is fixed. I want to be a THM/BLM that is why I leveled the job. No I dont want to take every job to 50, I have other things to do. I dont care if it takes some people a week to 1-50 I cant and wont. I dont even need the stinking ifrit weapon. I just want to fight the thing. seriously make every class a viable option or dont nerf it into oblivion which is the case of THM AND ARCHER...

Heads up buddy. You can fight ifrit. Everyone can. It comes easy and hard. You can do the easy one. Just don't expect the same walk in the park with the hard one. Easy one you need party of 4. Hard one 8. And it's end game content. Maybe dark moogle will have some love for other classes rather than Others

[NoctisUmbra]

@OP, I am really sorry to hear that. That is one of the main problems with the FFXI niche community that is the main group that stayed with this game for the last year*. Unfortunately, the problem only ends with the FFXI niche community. It begins with the dev team. It's the dev team's responsibility to design the game to correct for this flaw in the FFXI community, yet they do nothing**. If you had been capped a few months ago, you would be enjoying the endless fruits of Batraal farming as Archer while Lancers were stuck in a glacier.

lol Neptune. Opportunistic preach much?

* Not necessarily true. Such a statement is without any statistical evidence to back it up. Superfluous. I for one have been playing since BETA and never laid a finger on FFXI.

** So the extensively planned 1.20 class reforms are nothing? Oh, right - you had a premature doom/gloom post on that as well.

There may be a lot of downsides to taking an Archer into Ifrit, which is why the dev team needs to create incentives for finishing it with other classes, like a higher drop rate on items the more classes you have in your party. That one simple change would reverse this horrible side of the FFXI community. Who's listening?

So, incentive for bringing multiple classes to endgame content should be done in the way that makes it so people have to do it just for the sake of doing it? They shouldn't actually want to play their classes because they enjoy them, but each party should select the poor soul that has to play ARC just so they can get a better chance at loot? Bad suggestion is bad.

How about they balance each class and make it so they all bring something unique and valuable to a party - oh wait it sounds to me like 1.20 is aimed to accomplish just that.

[Fazrenar]

Another day dawns, and we've been in the Ifrit battle, phew!

But wow, not really ready for it. Thanks to the patience of the members of the Linkshell that carried us there.

Only got dark matter of course.

Animation lock may be a nice concept for folks who believe "An archer needs time to aim", but then why is movement during this Ifrit battle so key?

Well, as we try again tomorrow night (I hope), lessons have been learnt, patterns of attack observed, more fun to be had.

Mucho thanks to LS:ALTIMA

Faz.

[NoctisUmbra]

Another day dawns, and we've been in the Ifrit battle, phew!

But wow, not really ready for it. Thanks to the patience of the members of the Linkshell that carried us there.

Only got dark matter of course.

Animation lock may be a nice concept for folks who believe "An archer needs time to aim", but then why is movement during this Ifrit battle so key?

Well, as we try again tomorrow night (I hope), lessons have been learnt, patterns of attack observed, more fun to be had.

Mucho thanks to LS:ALTIMA

Faz.

Happy to hear you got to down Ifrit. Now, may the Grade 5 Dark Matter collection commence.

[Krausus]

The main reason ARC and PGL are locked out are due to DPS. ARC can deal with animation lock just like the mages can. Problem is their DPS ain't worth the extra risk at all. A quarter of the DPS of a LNC + extra risk = lock out. PGL is on the same boat, although their DPS isn't as lacking. It's much more comparable, given very specific cross-class tools, however they eat Sear damage constantly in order to keep that DPS.

If both of these classes did more damage to reach a balance, or had more utility, they would be accepted.

THM is beaten out by CNJ in pretty much every regard since as it stands now mage = healer. Now with 1.20 if THM gets a huge boost in damage dealing ability, that might all change.

Totally agree which is why I'm hoping 1.20 fixes some of the issues but just at reading the class changes im not really seeing it for the ifrit fight, infact the only thing I see is it making THM totally useless for the fight, at least now they can get by as a back up healer.

[KrissKringle]

@OP: Maybe you are playing with the wrong people. My linkshell and I always have archers in our party. In fact we've done the speed run many times with several archers in the party. Whoever is telling you archers are no good just don't know how to play archer. We've actually beat ifrit several times with just about every class in the party. And as far as sentinel goes, it isn't necessary, but it certainly makes things go a lot smoother. But then again, that is one of the main reasons I enjoy this game, because you can utilize abilities from other classes (although class uniqueness still needs adjustments, clearly). But all in all, if you aren't happy with the game because nobody will let you go on the classes you like, then maybe you should create your own LS and lead your own runs and show people it's possible, I know my LS does.

[NoctisUmbra]

Totally agree which is why I'm hoping 1.20 fixes some of the issues but just at reading the class changes im not really seeing it for the ifrit fight, infact the only thing I see is it making THM totally useless for the fight, at least now they can get by as a back up healer.

I don't quite get why you feel THM will be useless. It's decked out to do massive damage based on it's skill set. The only thing that's left to see is the actual numbers.

The Wind nuke with the added DoT that they can cross-class from CNJ added to their very appealing single target Thunder combo looks quite promising for Ifrit if you ask me. Especially for Phase 5, where killing him faster becomes very important - and when the melee DPS are so dependant on building TP, if a THM managed to save his pool of MP effectively until then they can literally burn Ifrit down in a clutch.

I'll wait to see before I pass judgement myself, but honestly I expect a drastic increase in damage dealing ability for THM - especially given their low HP and high MP effectively making them out to be a glass cannon. If I had to describe what I expect THM to be after 1.20 briefly, I'd say "High risk, high reward."

[NoctisUmbra]

@OP: Maybe you are playing with the wrong people. My linkshell and I always have archers in our party. In fact we've done the speed run many times with several archers in the party. Whoever is telling you archers are no good just don't know how to play archer. We've actually beat ifrit several times with just about every class in the party. And as far as sentinel goes, it isn't necessary, but it certainly makes things go a lot smoother. But then again, that is one of the main reasons I enjoy this game, because you can utilize abilities from other classes (although class uniqueness still needs adjustments, clearly). But all in all, if you aren't happy with the game because nobody will let you go on the classes you like, then maybe you should create your own LS and lead your own runs and show people it's possible, I know my LS does.

Just because Ifrit is beatable with Archers, does not mean Archer isn't bad. Archer is in a horrible state right now, merely a shadow of it's former glory. Most of it, along with many other undesirable circumstances with classes, is due to the transitional state the game is in between 1.19 and 1.20.

Archer has higher risk due to extensive animation lock as well as the ability to only do a fraction of the DPS of a LNC/MRD. It is undesirable.