Raen's Realm

Descent

2009-09-26T13:44:00.002+01:00

So, ffxiapp and NASA met the hammer of justice from SE. This news would have been a glorious revelation in times past, but it seems like a hollow victory now.

There are many other bots. People will simply move on to them... and it's sad because most people who play FFXI bot. Most people don't care at all; simply an accepted reality.

Why do we play this game? Endgame is a bloated joke of its former self; an RMT/botting joke. A lot of people buy/sell accounts... botting is the name of the game, and people will quit only to come back on new characters to re-acquire the same gear they did... then lose interest and sell again.

What is the point? The whole experience feels hollow these days. The adventure is gone, and all that is left are the stark realities of botting, RMT, huge timesinks, forced grouping and pathetically low drop rates.

HNM is a huge botting/RMT hellhole without skill, with only the certainties of wasted hours to come. My LS splinters and crumbles with lack of attendance and so my time ingame is spent doing nothing but waiting on the whims of other players, hoping to be allowed to play. And if I do get to play? What is the point in the end.

Final Fantasy XI is Botting RMT Fantasy XI.

Burning out

2009-09-05T10:58:00.002+01:00

Burning out on FFXI at the moment, if you wondering about the somewhat melancholy posts.

I don't know what it is... part of me has finally snapped I guess. I don't hate the game. I am very disillusioned though...

Issue #1: Exclusion

I already went over this in my last post so no need, but the playerbase is extremely annoying. Forced grouping is a horrible, horrible idea... it's not that I'm antisocial. I enjoy playing with people, I honestly do... but it's at the stage where you have to ask permission from people to play and it's simply ridiculous.

Issue #2: Frustration

Here's a big one. HNMs are frankly absolutely terribly designed. Any HNM camper will tell you that the HNM lifestyle comes with great "high"s and great "low"s. The "high"s feel so cheap because of the horribly designed system, and the "low"s make me question why I even bother logging on honestly.

HNMs consume a ridiculous amount of time for no reason. Some people find them relaxing, I find them horribly tedious. I play this game to play it, not sit around for three hours a day. It's not always that bad but regardless. And what happens when you claim said HNM? Your chances of claim are fractional and on top of that, your chances of getting desired drops even more fractional (looking at you, Aspidchelone and/or King Behemoth). Nobody wants to waste all of those hours trying to claim a monster which only drops something valuable 25% of the time or far less. It's stupid!

Three hour king windows are stupidity themselves, but what about REALLY long ones, like Tiamat/Khimaira etc. Does anyone really enjoy them being this long? Would anyone care if they were shorter? The time requirements for HNM are truly sickening... not to mention realistically, most of the time, you are getting one or two drops a week. If that. When you abandon traditional events like dynamis/limbus/sky/sea etc which typically have 5x or above that output, it's just all incredibly demoralising.

No, this isn't about greed.

I genuinelly enjoy getting other people drops... but the time/reward ratio (something which is horribly done in most of FFXI) is absolutely dire here. Aspidchelone I keep bringing up because it is a joke of an HNM. Dfeet/Mfeet - does anyone really want to camp for these? W Body - enjoy your 40MP over Errant. Dalmy - the treasure of the pool and even so outshadowed by other pieces nowadays. You have a 25% chance of not hideously wasting your time.

Which brings me to my next point;

Issue #3: Randomness

The game is far too random! The difference between rich and poor can simply be luck and often is - drop rates across the board are incredibly low and SE seem determined to make you bleed to get most of the stuff you want in this game. Claiming an HNM is (supposed to be) random. Getting the drop you desire is then random. Salvage... epitome of random. Limbus, drops are random. Dynamis; random. One shell can go years without seeing a Duelist's Chapeau whereas another can get four in a run. It's dumb! Einherjar, random in terms of what mobs you get (not a bad thing in my opinion) but random in the annoying sense with regards to what drops you get.

SE seem determined that the drops you get are determined solely by how lucky you are at rolling the dice. Would it really hurt if drop rates were higher? I personally wouldn't care if more people had Adaman Hauberks, or Hecatomb Subligar, or other drops. If you invest time, you deserve reward - the reward should not come from luck itself.

Of course a lot of people will disagree on this point because some people enjoy rarity... which brings me on to my next point;

Issue #4 - Emptiness

Does this game really have much content?

Rhetorical question I know, but think about it. We have been and will be grinding Dynamis... forever. Likewise HNM, likewise Limbus and nearly all of the other events.

This is because drop rates are random and low in most cases and the output is incredibly small compared to the number of participants. The grind becomes the focus, items become the focus... these events are generally not fun due to the sheer endless repetition involved... a sheer endless repetition due to lack of content.

Think about this: imagine all drop rates were 100% (in the case of Dynamis, presume each participating member receives one piece of AF2 per run and in the case of Limbus, that each member selects one piece of the Homam/Nashira set per run). How long would these events last? Salvage in particular is a very small, shallow event with intensely low drop rates just to perpetuate the grind.

There really isn't much content, is there?

Now eliminate all content which involves forced grouping.

It's a bit empty in here, isn't it?

The grind is all that remains. Why do so many people quit after receiving items? It is because the grind removes all fun, and just burns you out severely over time. Once you receive the item, you realise it is a relief rather than a joy... I speak from personal experience here. Adaman Hauberk did not make me that excited. I tried to be. I really did... it just felt so hollow compared to my old triumphs like Homam Cosciales. My dominant emotion was relief, not joy. That's not to say I didn't appreciate getting it and love it -- because I do. It just doesn't feel all that amazing and that's probably because I'm burned out... I will appreciate it evermore.

Issue #5 - Hatred

People hate me, I am fairly certain. I cannot blame them for I have become bitter and cynical since the grind has completely burned me out. There is a faction in my very linkshell who hate me and I generally don't enjoy logging in to that animosity.

I am a very opinionated individual. I speak my intents and my meanings clearly... and earn enemies for it. I never wanted this hatred.

The most painful part of it all is with a good friend with whom a rift has been developing and is very wide... I feel used. A placeholder until other friends arrive. I am only talked to when I am the only one or when she needs something, and I wish it wasn't that way. Very occasionally attempts will be made to reconcile but I feel like I should distance myself to prevent feeling like a placeholder once again.

Well, if you survived that wall of text of a post you deserve congratulations. I am aware it is incredibly boring and I apologise. I just need somewhere to pool my thoughts and my blog seems somewhat appropriate.

I currently have no plans to quit, but I may severely cut back my playtime. I do enjoy this game when not burned out, but I really am not particularly at the moment.

Exclusion

2009-08-31T21:04:00.005+01:00

FFXI is dying.

Maybe it's been dead for a long time now... and it's because of the people. Allow me to elaborate.

FFXI enforces grouping for most activities... twenty jobs and you have to select six to make a party with. Let's list the jobs.

Bard
Beastmaster
Corsair
Dancer
Dark Knight
Dragoon
Monk
Ninja
Paladin
Puppetmaster
Ranger
Red Mage
Samurai
Scholar
Summoner
Thief
Warrior
White Mage

Colour coded;

Green = allowed to play
Orange = sometimes allowed to play
Purple = rarely allowed to play

You see, the main flaw in a game where grouping is ENFORCED is that some jobs can be completely cut out of the loop. That's not too awful right, 16/20 jobs can still play?! Only lost 20% of the jobs there. Well, let's examine closer:

Bard - Universally accepted
Corsair - Universally accepted
Dark Knight - Zerging only
Dragoon - Zerging only
Monk - Salvage only
Paladin - Accepted into endgame tanking situations
Ranger - Zerging/ranged fight only
Red Mage - Universally accepted
Samurai - Universally accepted
Scholar - Universally accepted
Summoner - Poor man's Ranger, good for astralburns though
Thief - Treasure Hunter only
Warrior - Universally accepted
White Mage - Universally accepted

So only eight out of twenty jobs get any real playtime and attention... 40%. Now, let's look at the original list and I will colour which jobs are ACTUALLY weak.

Bard
Beastmaster
Corsair
Dancer
Dark Knight
Dragoon
Monk
Ninja
Paladin
Puppetmaster
Ranger
Red Mage
Samurai
Scholar
Summoner
Thief
Warrior
White Mage

So where only eight jobs are allowed to play, sixteen are actually very capable. 100% more! The problems with those in red are simply mechanic problems created by SE; pet jobs as a whole do not function well and Dancer relies too much on TP to be -that- effective on anything strong.

This is the problem though: for DDs, it's WAR or SAM only. People will not accept anything else. My Adaman Hauberk is towngear since it's DRK only; I'll never get to play it properly. Worked so hard for Towngear Hauberk; it's all so ... wrong.

DRK is a very powerful DD with considerable utility. Hugely underestimated... there really isn't much of a difference between it and SAM. People are blind however...

DRG... there was recently drama on BG about someone's Valkyrie's Fork being ninja-lotted and people responded "who cares?" since it's "only a DRG weapon", which made me disgusted. If this was some Samurai's Hagun everyone would be up in arms, but because it's not Warrior or Samurai, it's perfectly fine? Ridiculous.

MNK has intense DoT and can keep up even with superbuffed 2handers; it shouldn't be relegated to Salvage only. This is a sad, sad view.

NIN is a perfectly capable tank. It should not be excluded; a capable Ninja is still and will still always be a very strong tank. This is another sad thing.

RNG is also fairly strong. People don't like them for meleeburn events like Einherjar yet these same people bring BLMs to deal damage in these events? Do they realise that a RNG's method of damage is essentially that of a BLM's, except they will easily surpass the Black Mage's damage over time?

THF is relegated to "Treasure Hunter whore", where none of your gear is considered in the least and nobody cares as long as you're using the knife and the hands; two symbols of the playerbase's pathetic hatred and scorching uncaring attitude toward you. YOU ARE JUST A WHORE. If that's why you play, have fun; I prefer to play my THF as the capable DD it is, against the whims of the playerbase... but they'll never let you play it for that, never.

Simply put, there are too many conceited Samurais and Warriors who think they are god because they play an incredibly easy to play job and get results out of it. The blind playerbase follow these idiots and so the problem perpetuates, until the game loses all fun and becomes a case of "play these eight jobs or quit".

FFXI is dying.

It is the playerbase's fault.

I only hope FF14 eliminates forced grouping and in FFXI that they nerf Samurai or Warrior, just to destroy these idiots.

I am SICK of all of my efforts becoming naught because people would rather have an AF feet WAR or a Domaru SAM over an Ebody DRK, great THF, strong DRG, awesome MNK etc etc.

This is what will happen to even the top drops in the game if you are not WAR or SAM.

Armageddon

2009-08-27T03:56:00.004+01:00

A sequence of events unfolds to bring about a dream.

I cannot believe that this is a reality, that the dream itself has come true.

I thank all of my friends and comrades who have assisted me in getting this far. I have progressed far in this game, and although people can sometimes be a hindrance, in the end it is only possible due to their unfailing aid.

Sometimes I can be hotheaded and hard to get on with, and I apologise for that.

I have come far since my first days in Sarutabaruta, and the screenshot above is to reflect this. I first walked the path of the warrior, unsure of the adventure to come. Now, I am a knight of armageddon. May my enemies be cleansed with dark fire.

Wrath of the Skies

2009-08-12T09:36:00.006+01:00

Dragoon 75.

Render of the skies, maelstrom in the shadow of the storm.

As my fifth 75, it's already well geared when it hit here. DRK zerg gear greatly helped my Breath set and Homam/Ace's Helm etc obviously helps a fair bit. Below is my gear and I know it's not optimal. In fact, because of this, I am welcoming criticism. Be as critical as you wish! It will only help me.

Rose Strap is used to facilitate 6hit.

TP

Jump (that backpiece should be Forager's, screenshot messed up)

High Jump

Penta Thrust (no Drakesbane yet)

Breath

So yeah, needs a LOT of work. I've basically geared Jump as a WS and High Jump as a "TP-giver" since it is essentially a normal hit. I could use Spike Necklace or something on Jump but -7.75acc for +3str seems VERY meh on a non-100% accurate move. Yes, I know I need Gorget for Penta but I'll have Drakes soon which I do have the Gorget for and 2x Yovra Organ SUCKS to farm. In terms of DRG's potential as a DD, I'd say it's high. A lot higher than people say ... while it's not as flashy as SAM or WAR in terms of the huge damages (unless you're fighting pink birds), I think Angon speaks for itself. Accuracy Bonus II is also very sexy... a shame body pieces are so limited. I'll write more soon, am just tired after "binge exping" for this sexy 75 :D

Small update! Drakes setup and Wheeling Thrust setup respectively. Ecphoria in Wheeling Thrust setup to maintain 6hit (will also have to TP in it afterwards); I have a Triumph Ring to swap in if necessary. My Drakes set needs more DEX :(

Faust

2009-07-04T08:06:00.010+01:00

Faust

Faust is well known as a very challenging solo trial for a RDM/NIN and it is definitely a very painful rite of passage. There are quite a few Faust solo guides going around the internet so I'm not sure what this one could really add, but hey. Even though I have soloed Faust several times now, it's still not easy and I still don't feel like I'm absolutely going to win when fighting him, so don't expect a pushover. Faust also moves at flee speed so he's not easy to kite!

Preparation

Very strong enfeebling magic build/merits. You are going to see resists unless your gear is top-notch but it is best to minimise them.
Convert merits are very useful here.
Tavnazian Tacos reduce damage taken by a significant amount and should be eaten.
MND-heavy Paralyze build can be a lifesaver but is not necessary and many RDMs don't use it; largely a playstyle difference since Typhoon cannot be paralyzed. Note Faust CANNOT be slowed.
Haste/fast cast build for Utsusemi/Stoneskin recommended.
Physical damage reduction set HIGHLY recommended.
Crimson Cuisses help to an extent but are not necessary. Still somewhat useful if you have them.
Powder Boots for the initial pull.
Bio3 speeds up the fight and weakens him more than Bio2 and so is recommended but not necessary (my first kill was done using Bio2).
Knowing the arena - very important! I've used my artistic talents on some pictures below using MS paint to illustrate things for you;

You can cast directly through the "arms" of the teleporter, as represented by the arrows. This can be very useful (note that Faust will run straight through them when pursuing you though).

Similarly, you can cast through the "legs" of the teleporter either way. Faust will run around these.

Finally, you can stand on top of the teleporter and cast straight over it although this is a one-way thing (not that Faust will stand on top of the teleporter); just don't get trapped on top of it. Just for completion's sake I repeated the fact you can cast through the "arm" there with a green arrow.

The Fight

Okay, let's begin with the pull. Fully buff yourself and run to near Faust (note his vision range is about twice as long as usual: around 30'). When he faces away, start using Powder Boots and as soon as he's spotted you, run to whichever teleporter room is empty. DO NOT STOP. DO NOT STOP. He will rape you if you do. The moment you enter the room, either cast Bio3 or Bind and redo your defences/apply Poison et cetera.

When using composure, prioritise Haste over all else. Refresh and then Phalanx are luxuries.

Like most RDM solo fights, defence is more important than offence in this fight. Recast Stoneskin when you get injured and keep 3 Utsusemi shadows up AT ALL TIMES. Stoneskin is VITALLY important because it will prevent interruption when you get hit by Typhoon. Remember Bio breaks Bind but I don't think I should have to tell you this if you're feeling up to doing Faust.

In terms of using the arena to your advantage, learn those awesome diagrams above and stay on the opposite side of the teleporter to him as much as you can.

This will give you more time to manoeuvre if he unbinds early and generally make things easier for you. Unless your gear is very top-notch, expect resists. A lot of them in some cases. If you ever have him unbind on you without gravity at >~11s until next Bind or flatout resist a bind, Gravity him. He will decimate you if he gets half a chance.

While defence is more important than offence, you do ideally want to kill him before gravity starts resisting because Faust WILL be a bitch and he WILL resist your bind and/or gravity and put you in a horrible situation at some point in the fight. You want him dead before he can. Blizz3 works fairly well against him, doing about ~500-550 damage (4% of HP roughly) though he does resist a fair bit. Obviously don't put yourself in a bad position if you do this, and bear in mind he doesn't stand around much after Bind breaks: he will be after you immediately, and he will destroy you if he gets a chance.

As for TP moves, he only has one...

Typhoon - three shadows and damage potentially, knockback and medium range. Threat rating: high.

Typhoon CAN take all of your shadows and then do damage and this typically does a hell of a lot of damage if you don't have a full 3 shadows. This happens at random and will mess you up if he does it too often; just be ready for it. Blinking your gear during Typhoon can prevent the knockback effect which is very important and is what screws you up typically, not the damage of the move itself (which isn't THAT strong in a proper physical reduction set).

Note that Faust DOES sometimes stand around looking like an idiot after a Typhoon but not always.

With a bit of luck, Faust will look like this!

Oh, one more very important thing to note: the Faust glitch. This has only happened to me twice now but it's insanely annoying when it does. Occasionally for no reason a doll will come through the wall to attack you, triggered by magic aggro (way out of range though). Initially I thought this was the doll by the door but it happened to me just today when I was at the very back of the room, miles away from it.

How to deal with it? Solo, it's very difficult. You can sleep it but this is a very challenging ordeal.

Good luck; achieve this and you are on the top end of RDM soloists!

Difficulty rating: *****

What of the pieces that remain?

2009-07-02T10:30:00.002+01:00

Suppose a fire steadily burning bright suddenly produces a violent flame, scorching the air. After the conflagaration in its place remains a smaller fire burning but not with any kind of heat like before. The remnants drift like embers.

What then does one do? There is unlikely to be enough material to relight the fire so do we continue to cultivate the one we have for stability? Or for hope that it will one day rekindle? Or do we leave the warmth and wander the cold wilderness of what once was searching for a new fire?

This fire was not one of passion but one of affection. A fire not of heat but of warmth. Losing such warmth can leave you colder but is among many ruined fires at this stage.

What of the pieces that remain?

To hold them in our hands, the shattered pieces of a once whole. Do we rebuild or do we destroy... this fire in its weakened state is somehow colder than it would be without... perhaps.

Fenrir Prime

2009-06-25T13:06:00.008+01:00

Fenrir Prime

Contrary to popular belief, Fenrir Prime can be solo'd by a RDM/NIN. This is a fairly popular fight where most people struggle to get armies of summoners or something to defeat him when it is very unnecessary if you are or know a skilful RDM. All of the screenshots here are from my first Fenrir Prime solo and so do not indicate my most refined form of play. Continuous improvement is important, after all.

Preparation

Remedies in case you get paralyzed
Eat Cream Puffs or a similar INT food unless you're unconfident, in which case eat Tavnazian Tacos
A good elemental skill setup designed to minimise resists and maximise MP efficiency
Reasonable Bind/Gravity setup
A good paralyze/slow setup (MND-heavy) is useful
Crimson Cuisses do help but are definitely not necessary
A magic defence set to minimise damage taken by Howling Moon is recommended but not necessary
Fast cast/haste set for Utsusemi is helpful but not necessary

The Fight

There is a strict thirty minute time limit on this fight and your DoTs alone will not kill him, so you need to be offensive. You can buff outside of the arena and they will carry over so do so outside to save time.

When you enter, you will run through a corridor and into a large open area with Fenrir looking at you opposite. This is where I recommend kiting him, and just do so in a big circle. Do not get cornered in the corridor.

I recommend opening with a Blizzard3 though he will probably aggro you when you start casting if not before, so be ready to cast a hasty Bind (or perhaps Gravity if you want to Bio2/3 him and dump most of your MP into him early). Be sure to debuff him with Paralyze and Slow; makes straight tanking a lot easier. If you nuke him hard early you can Convert and so have more MP at your disposal over the course of the battle.

He has TP regain and so expect a lot of TP moves to come your way; typically whenever he unbinds he will take a couple of snaps at you and then TP move. His TP moves are as follows;

Moonlit Charge - one shadow, blinds if it hits you. Medium range. Threat rating: low.
Crescent Fang - one shadow, paralyzes if it hits you. Short range. Threat rating: fairly low.
Eclipse Bite - three shadows, pure damage. Short range. Threat rating: medium.
Lunar Cry - doesn't affect shadows, accuracy and evasion down. Medium range. Threat rating: Nonexistant.
Lunar Roar - dispels up to 9 buffs. Medium range. Threat rating: fairly high.
Howling Moon - 2hr ability; quite strong and strips shadows. Threat rating: medium.

Despite what you may expect, his 2hr is not his most dangerous ability. In fact, it can be relatively harmless...

No, his most dangerous ability is definitely Lunar Roar. It puts you in a lot of danger and will expend your MP recovering your buffs... avoid at all costs. Speaking of which, how do you avoid the TP moves? Well, since most are short range if you simply run when he comes towards you in a straight line away from him, you'll outrange most of them. Stop to cast Bind when you're sure he won't TP move you. Paralyze/Slow render his melee damage quite impotent.

Note he will stand around looking like a dumbass after a TP move, allowing ample time for regroup/recovery.

It is a good idea to not run as far as you can from him but stand at a moderate range, so you have room to run and waste his TP moves; you're a lot less likely to if you're turning a corner or whatever at the time. Sometimes Bind will wear early and he won't TP immediately but this is when you can Gravity or straight tank for a bit... just be careful of Lunar Roar in particular (though Eclipse Bite can be painful if you don't have many shadows up at the time).

Overall, his offence is very limited... when you get used to him, the real challenge is simply killing him in time.

Good luck~ my subsequent attempts took roughly 20 minutes and the first one I was overly cautious since I didn't know what to expect. Make sure you keep track of how much time you have left.

Difficulty rating: **

Reflect.

2009-06-23T19:58:00.002+01:00

This will be a wordyish entry, doesn't have much to do with FFXI and has a somewhat depressing tone! Just skip over it if you're only here for the FFXI-related stuffs.

Have you ever looked in the mirror (metaphorical or physical) and not recognised the person you see? Obviously, as we all move through life, things change. Friendships and loves are won and lost; we encounter numerous failures and hopefully even greater successes. We take strength from our victories and move on from our defeats.

What then is the price of this development, this personal evolution of sorts? Throughout my life I have drifted apart from and lost many good friends and some of my naive, compassionate childhood outlook on life has been transformed into cold calculation. Why do I dislike, even almost hate some people? People who often have personally done nothing against me ...

I've been reflecting both on my real life and my ingame life recently; both of which have changed significantly. In real life, I don't drink alcohol and do not enjoy those types of parties which has led to ostracisation in some ways. People take these things for granted and just dismiss me and my foolish perspectives on fun unaware of the damage they cause. The fact remains: I am not accepted. I am perhaps hated for what and who I am. This in turn fosters hatred in me -- hatred I do not want and do not enjoy! It is not a hatred for the individual but instead the ideas of the individual as a unit group. In short, it is a hatred for the status quo of the "youth".

This projects itself in FFXI as a temporary hatred towards competing HNMLSs. Why should I hate them? We are not enemies, but rivals for the same goal. Can I really fault them for achieving success when one of us must? Nevertheless, there is anger. Anger and hatred I do not want... again, not towards individuals but towards the concept of competition as a whole. Maybe I'm spoiled, I don't know. It's certainly a temporary thing though and I am sorry for anyone whom I have lashed out at.

Hatred is corruption. It corrupts the purest things within all of us. I value love above all else; love and affection are the two things in life to live for and I try to remain compassionate towards everyone... but their hatred or perhaps pity can evoke a hatred in me which I do not want and which twists me.

Looking at my FFXI friend list... 75% of people on it I do not talk to anymore for whatever reason... either quit, on other servers or simply drifted apart. In real life, I don't talk to 75%+ of people I once knew well. It's truly disturbing to be honest... everyone uses the idea that "you will meet new people" but people are not quantitative. I appreciate every moment I spend with my friends and I still feel the loss of many of my friends acutely. I guess the message is to hold on with all of your might; don't let relationships just become a memory. Time is the greatest of enemies.

Even now I have likely lost a close friend due to many arguments and perhaps because of the darkness dormant in me. As I restate, a darkness -- a hatred that I do not want any part of. Oh well, loss is one of the parts of life and with luck it won't be permanent.

I'm not depressed contrary to how this entry sounds; I just like expressing my ideas powerfully!

General Principles of Red Mage Solo

2009-06-18T00:10:00.006+01:00

Foreword

I am by no means a perfect RDM soloist. Everyone has their own techniques and strategies and so you shouldn't see a lot of mine as "the correct way" to solo something, rather "one of the ways" to solo something.

I am constantly improving and refining my techniques and so this data may change at any time.

How does a Red Mage solo?

This will sound very obvious, but a Red Mage solos monsters over a period of time using attrition tactics due to its immense defensive capabilities combined with access to potent enfeebling and damage over time magic. The most common subjob used is /nin, though /blm and /blu can also and are also used situationally.

This does not mean that it is ONLY possible to defeat certain monsters with a certain subjob! You generally use /blm on solos involving the use of the Elemental Seal JA (Brothers ENM comes to mind), /blu can be used on monsters where Utsusemi is generally ineffective (a straight-tanked Aquarius for instance) and /nin is used everywhere else.

The reason /nin is so powerful should be fairly obvious. With the Haste spell, "Fast Cast" gear and traits along with Haste equipment, you have a very low recast time and, combined with Stoneskin and speedily-cast Utsusemis can survive for a very long time. Blink is a somewhat unpredictable replacement for Utsusemi when not /nin.

Using Composure

Composure is very powerful on RDM because it means you take less MP and time to buff yourself and don't have to worry about them falling as often. As a rule, make sure the monster is unable to reach you while under Composure and prioritise Refresh and Haste (whichever one comes first depends on how often you have to recast things in that particular solo - you'd use Haste first on Faust for instance). The order is important in case you have to cancel Composure halfway through. Typically I go Refresh/Haste > Haste/Refresh > Phalanx > Regen > Stoneskin.

Defensive Tactics

The most important part of a (non-timed) RDM solo is survival. The whole strategy of attrition involves keeping yourself alive while slowly whittling an enemy to death. The following are your tools for survival;

Defensive Spells

Protect IV/Shell IV - 65MP, 75MP; both duration 30 minutes (Composure does not effect).

Defence actually works for RDM so keep Protect IV up at all times and definitely keep up Shell IV if you are going to be taking magic damage. They are quite costly in terms of MP so plan ahead.

Stoneskin - 29MP, duration 5 minutes (15 with Composure).

An essential spell. Absorbs up to 410 points of damage (350 unless you have Stone Gorget and Stone Mufflers which add +30 each) and prevents interruption from damage while it is active unless you are knocked back.

I very much recommend casting Stoneskin in Haste/Fast Cast gear to reduce its recast because you will sometimes be pushed to recast very quickly on some monsters (Faust and Cactrot Rapido come to mind).

Note that it has a long casting time and does not overwrite itself. It should be recast semi-regularly to prevent it dropping at an inopportune moment.

A Red Mage with 256 Enhancing Magic skill needs 95MND to cap Stoneskin.

Phalanx - 21mp, duration 3 minutes (9 with Composure)

Useful spell. Negates damage from each hit (including en-effect damage) by floor[(Enhancing Magic / 10) - 2]. You may think that -25~ damage per hit isn't that much but if it makes Stoneskin hold out for an extra hit, it can literally be a lifesaver. I wouldn't prioritise it above the other defensive abilities though.

Blink - 20mp, duration 5 minutes (15 with Composure)

This is your Utsusemi substitute if you are /notnin or in a desperate situation /nin I suppose. Doesn't always absorb attacks and has a long casting time so take care.

Aquaveil - 12mp, duration 5 minutes (15 with Composure)

Decent if you get a spare moment though "Spell Interruption Rate down" is going to only be useful in desperate moments (and even then, unlikely to save you).

Utsusemi: Ichi and Utsusemi: Ni

Arguably the ultimate defensive tool. Things which you should know but I'll say again already: Ichi overwrites Ichi but not Ni, Ni overwrites Ichi and Ni. Both grant 3 shadows which absorb spells and other attacks but which AoEs damage in some way (most completely destroying). Cast these in a full haste/fast cast build for maximum recast reduction.

Another note; my personal style is to not cast Ni so much but generally cast Ichi and convert my Ni casts into Ichis whenever I get a spare moment. This is so I can simply recast Ichi over itself without worry of it failing due to not cancelling Ni properly. It is easy to cast Ichi between the attack rounds of most monsters.

Carry ample amounts of Shihei at all times!

Enfeebles

Paralyzes - keep these on at all times if applicable. Casting in nearly full MND is advisable due to low recast (easier to spam) and the fact that higher MND is a more potent (procs more often) paralysis. 6MP for para1 is a huge bargain given how much damage reduction it can grant.

Slows - again, keep these on all times if applicable. Their recasts are slightly longer than Paralyze but you can still "spam" them to a degree (you can also overwrite Slow1 with Slow2, so can always cast Slow1 if Slow2 is resisted). 15MP and 45MP are huge bargains yet again.

Blind is largely placebo and will barely have an effect on most mobs but every little helps, right? I wouldn't really make it a priority to keep it on the monster but if you can, go for it.

Note that it is still useful to keep kited mobs slowed and paralyzed. If you ever have to straight tank something due to Bind wearing prematurely etc, these can potentially save you a lot of MP!

Bind is your staple defensive spell. Duration is largely random and its recast is quite long but it is one of the most important spells in your arsenal and costs a measly 8mp! Casting in full accuracy is advised although some people like to drop some potency pieces for haste/fast cast in order to reduce recast in some slots where you cannot get much INT/Macc/Enfeebling Magic skill (like Feet). Personally, I prefer to stick with full magic accuracy/int/enfeebling skill simply because Bind taking 3 seconds longer to be able to cast again is a lot less likely to kill me than it taking 25 more seconds to cast again. Damage of any kind is likely to break Bind, including Bio! Poison will not.

Gravity is your emergency spell in most situations, in the event of a resisted Bind or if you need to Convert/Composure sometimes. It is not wise to rely on this spell because most monsters build resistance to it over time. It can also be used to speed up kills by allowing them to be nuked more easily. It costs 24MP and has a very long recast and I would recommend casting in a full accuracy build; you shouldn't need it often enough to warrant shortening its recast by sacrificing other stats.

Sleep and Sleep II work well if the mob in question can be slept which doesn't apply to the majority of solos. Just remember you can't sleep a mob you have put damage over time spells on!

Techniques

Kiting is the most commonly used technique; remaining out of range of the target by using Bind, Gravity and terrain effectively. This also allows you to outrange many TP moves and spells.

Straight tanking is useful in the event of a bad Bind but where you don't want to waste a Gravity, or some monsters require you to straight tank them a lot of the time. It is essential that the monster is debuffed at all times (especially slowed) and that you are not nervous about recasting Stoneskin behind Utsusemi when the monster is attacking you. Obviously knowing how to shadow tank is a great benefit here. Do not underestimate straight tanking! Most Red Mages I observe soloing seem afraid of the idea but Red Mage is very good at it.

Offensive Tactics

Bio 2/3 and Poison 2 are your primary sources of whittling away a monster's HP. Poison 2 will easily be capped in potency (10/tick) but costs 38MP so ensure it doesn't get resisted too much or it can be a huge MP sink (it is water-based so use Water Staff/Neptune's Staff). Bio 2/3 on the other hand require 211+ Dark Magic to be at their most practically effective for Red Mage (skill cap at 75 is 200) so bear this in mind. Bio 3 is not MP-efficient compared to Bio 2 until it is meritted to at least 3/5 and unlike poison, it does give a monster TP and it does break Bind due to the fact it deals initial damage.

Elemental nukes are useful (though MP intensive) for destroying a monster's HP. Needless to say, they should only be used when your MP is high enough to support it (or Convert is ready for use). Nukes take about 6~ seconds to cast so if you start casting when your Bind is at 8 or so seconds until it can be cast again, you can nuke straight into a new Bind. Blizzard3 is generally your most consistent spell because of Ice Accuracy merits combined with +Elemental skill on the staff.

Types of solo

Standard mob: No regain, susceptile to standard enfeebles.

This is a generally simple solo once you are used to it because the main danger comes from TP moves. You will find most of these very trivial once you master the basics.

Examples: Most mobs in the game. Unut, Ungur, Amiriki (he has Store TP but this is a lot less dangerous than Regain).

Regain mob: TP regain, susceptible to standard enfeebles.

This is harder than a standard solo because it will be using a lot of TP moves throughout the fight. However, this also means you can predict when it will use its next TP move and use certain factors to control it (for instance, distance on Zipacna will cause him to use Crystal Shield).

Examples: Zipacna, Faust

Kited mob: Straight tanking not practical due to immunities/horrible TP moves/etc.

This kind of strategy involves knowing the terrain very well and generally just staying out of the way of the monster. Some of these fights will involve a monster immune to Bind or Gravity and so you will have to consider your strategy carefully.

Examples: Aquarius, Ix'drk

Straight-Tanked mob: Where due to immunities to Bind/Gravity or a small arena, you anticipate having to straight tank a monster for a period of time.

Red Mages are very good at straight tanking although most people seem afraid of doing so. It is very important to have physical damage reduction and haste gear in particular for this and to also be talented at keeping up buffs and debuffs between shadows. These can be very demanding.

Examples: Cactrot Rapido, MMM NMs

And of course, there are many solos which don't fit into any conventional pattern. Some allow you all of the time you need and some are more restricted (typically BCNM-type ones). The latter require you to use your MP far more aggressively of course and need different approaches. With so many different types of solo, what things then hold constant?

General Preparations

Knowledge - do you know this NM's TP moves? Does it have Regain? How do you deal with each TP move? Does it cast? Is it immune to bind/gravity/paralyze/slow etc? How much MP do each of your most important spells cost? Does your enemy have any specific elemental weakness you can take advantage of? Does it have enhanced movement speed?

These are just a few of the important things you have to think about and more. Before attempting a solo, ask yourself a few of these questions.

Equipment - Idle (regen/refresh/movement) / INT enfeebling / MND enfeebling / -PDT (Physical Damage Taken) set / -MDT (Magic Damage Taken) set (if applicable) / hMP set (if applicable).

Idle: Duelist's Chapeau + Dalmatica or Morrigan's Robe for Refresh; if not, wear a Vermillion Cloak. Orochi Nodowa and Garden Bangles are good Regen pieces.

INT Enfeebling: 1 Enfeebling Magic skill = 1 Magic Accuracy = 1-2 INT (when (your INT - mob INT) is less than positive 10, 1int = 1macc and when it is greater than or equal to positive 10, 2int = 1macc) for how to evaluate them. Haste/fast cast perhaps.

MND Enfeebling: For Para/Slow, balance MND with Enfeebling Magic skill/Magic Accuracy there. MND also gives macc at the same rate as INT does described above. There is no such thing as potency of Silence, so cast that in full accuracy (though you will rarely have to use it).

-PDT: Darksteel (+1), Jelly Ring, Cheviot/Umbra Cape and Earth/Terra's Staff are your best sources. Caps at -50%.

-MDT: Coral is a good idea or even pure INT works most sources of magic damage. Pure resist builds to an element are viable against some monsters like Suzaku. Caps at -50%; note that -MDT is not the same as +MDB; -MDT is generally better but +MDB isn't weak either.

hMP: Pretty self-explanatory, anything with +hMP on it. Note that if comparing two fulltime pieces, Refresh from Chapeau/Robe/Dalmatica/Cloak is equal to 6.66hMP on the first tick and 3.33hMP on the subsequent ticks. The most effective way of doing it although requires a lot of attention is to swap on hMP for the tick and then sit in Refresh for the rest of it. It is applicable to rest in a lot of kited solos but don't do so until you're comfortable and confident.

Merits - This is obviously down to personal preference, but I would consider Ice Accuracy 5/5 a no-brainer (Bind/Paralyze/Blizzard3) and I personally opt for Convert 5/5 although I know a lot of RDMs like Wind Accuracy (Gravity/Silence/Aero3) or even Earth Accuracy (Slow, Stone3).

For group 2, definitely at least one merit in Slow2. Para2 can be useful in a way but I don't like it because of the MP cost and little if any improvement over Para1; Bio3 reduces monster Attack by more than Bio2 and kills the monster more quickly.

Food - Cream Puffs if you're not going to be taking a lot of damage, Tavnazian Tacos else; Stoneskin lasting a hit or so longer is a very good thing!

Learn from your mistakes - everyone makes mistakes and you will definitely die when soloing, or attempting to. Always learn from your mistakes and critically analyse your performance. Naturally, be careful where and when you Convert!

RDM solo is far more about technique than gear; things like Crimson Cuisses are very powerful but not necessary; neither is top-of-the-line equipment. Don't be put off if your gear is not perfect, just keep on trying. Naturally better gear allows for a greater margin of error and there are some solos you are not doing without really powerful gear but for the majority of solos, you can get by with minimal emphasis on equipment. It's mostly preparation and technique.

Good luck~

New Dawn

2009-06-16T17:34:00.007+01:00

So I haven't posted here in about six months. Why? Well, a combination of many issues.

Firstly those pages to the side which you may or may not have noticed have disappeared were annoying because I always had to update them whenever I got gear and such and just ugh, no. Too much of a pain in the ass, so I've deleted them... should increase motivation to post.

Also, I've been busy with a variety of things both ingame and out and completely forgot about this blog to be honest. However, due to many people asking for an update I guess I should get around to it at some point!

So what has happened since 2008...?

Well, I left Wish shortly after finishing my Homam set as I told Cyr when I joined. Why did I leave? I applied to the most powerful and prestigious endgame linkshell on the server, ApkalluVendetta. I didn't expect to get in, especially since I had no mage 75. However ...

This was after my trial period which lasted about two weeks. I haven't been kicked yet :)

And other experiences, truly a great linkshell. During my course in AV I obtained many prestigious items, such as...

(I'm not a cat, I just adore plasticsurgeon. Mithra is too sexy not to play).

Ace's Helm and Hecatomb Cap in particular, two drops which I have desired forever. Amazing to finally have them, although both were painful to get.

ApkalluVendetta broke and reformed as Repentance which I am currently in now after a lot of members server transferred, but we're still incredibly strong. Did an eight-man KB today; quick kill, 0 deaths, 0 meteors, which led onto...

I've wanted Pixie for a long time so I was very happy to get it (also Koenig Diechlings which are actually good if used properly)!

I also got my fourth 75~

Red Mage, an amazing job. So versatile and so powerful, definitely one of my favourites. Speaking of which, I am steadily developing my solo talents as it is my favourite part of the job and game, so I might write up some basic guides for this and specific mob strategies later. I'm far from an adept, but I'm working on it and would welcome input.

Hmm, this is a messy entry structurally but oh well!

Did Hagun ENM for a bit, had good luck with it. YES GALATEIA DID IN FACT DROP. Still can't get over that either.

Also since my last post I've been duoing a lot with my favourite RDM partner, Rienea :O she's not too bad a friend either. Dualboxing her makes her a cat too :D

Everyone should level RDM, seriously. Immense job.

Anyway, very messy and extremely late post I know :( hopefully I'll update again soon. There were loads more screenshots but they'd be boring to go through... I'll just leave you with this.

Unquenchable Light

2008-12-21T21:14:00.004Z

After months, and months of waiting...

Hard work, twice a week every week. Great drama and frustration.

Achievement, reaching up to the lofty heavens. One by one, the five pieces fell.

Until the last. It ended this week.

After months. The full set was mine. My glorious dream since I had started doing endgame, roughly 14 months ago, finally achieved. Suffice to say I was absolutely ecstatic at having received my full set.

Ignore the random gear in that screenshot; Paladin looks set. Full Homam (head not pictured due to it being pretty crappy)! In other FF news, I've been levelling BLU lately and this may just be my next to 75... though learning spells can either suck or be fine. Very mixed; sometimes I spend 5 minutes, sometimes 5 hours. Oh well, it's a nice diversion and unique to the job at least. Need a Voyager Sallet now but nobody to camp it with sadly, but I can hardly be unhappy with 5/5 Homam (and by extension, the prospect of dinging into full Homam at 75)!

I'll likely write more later! Just had to relate this monumental occasion.

Dagger in the Dark

2008-11-26T09:24:00.007Z

Hey, I know this update is late in coming but I've been so busy both in real life and ingame, and just haven't had the time to update this. Plus I keep forgetting to take screenshots as I'm playing which is annoying! There'll be some detailed THF stuff later in this post, but I'll save it until near the end since it's a very niche interest.

So what have I been up to? A lot of things. I've forgotten to screenshot most of it so it'll be very boring. Suffice to say, WHM is 42, RDM is 37 and BLM is 22 and going up to 37. Also levelling BLU at least as a subjob now, and it's a lot of fun; my spell-learning luck is terrible though. Took a mob a good 30+ TP moves before it used Queasyshroom on me for instance (luckily I went 1/1 on it).

Been meritting a lot too, in an attempt to cap out some merits (aiming for Feint 5/5 right now, currently 4/5 with 3/5 merits). Now, THF is largely melee DoT damage in merit parties and it's inefficient to combine SA and TA, but it makes for fun epeen damage shots!

My WS set is rather meh as well; still no Hecatomb Mittens! I've been approaching many LSs to buy them (hopefully for in the range of 300-400k) and no real success so far. Unlikely to see X's Knife/Love Torque/Hecatomb Cap and Hecatomb Subligar either. It's a shame.

Mandalic Stab is also hugely underrated; I love the ability to almost ignore accuracy on it and stack DEX, as well as having an Attack bonus -- basically a later game Viper Bite. Excellent for situations where you cannot trust your accuracy/attack, or opponent defence is so high you really need to pierce it; just beware that it is VERY weak unstacked. Hey, like I said -- think Viper Bite in terms of how to use it.

I also meritted on mamools recently on THF! I was a bit pessimistic about my accuracy at the start, but I managed ~85% accuracy using a single madrigal and meat and that I am happy with. After I get Homam Hands and 5/5 Feint, it will be a bit higher. Meat is always an option for your good and well-geared THF in merit parties!

In order to revamp some of my sets and get a WS gorget for Insurgency and Mandalic Stab, I went out and farmed Sea a LOT earlier this month. Almost solo'd the entirety of two gorgets until people came to help, minus the UFOs. Treasure Hunter really does help a great deal on the drop rates, and contrary to popular belief THF can solo Om'Phuabos quite easily! Just bring echoes. Always carry echoes on THF solo unless you're 100% sure it can't silence you.

The result~!

3/8 of the elemental gorgets! Need to get a Soil Gorget sometime for Evisceration but not too bothered about that right now; barely use the WS anyway. Maybe if I got an X's Knife I'd mess around with it more but... 0/10 on that thing so far and I don't see it dropping anytime soon. Dying for that knife. Wish SE would fix that damn ENM.

I levelled /RDM for my PLD and tried it in campaign. It was wonderful. Stoneskin, Blink and Phalanx are great defensive tools and it doesn't require you to use Shihei! Atonement is also wonderfully broken; contrast normal hit damage and Atonement damage (yes I know how it works but it is SO good for holding hate);

Yeah, I've decided I like pld/rdm in campaign. Was a 20~25 minute battle for that much exp.

Also did UO recently and got fantastically lucky; PCC and Ni! I was however splitting drops and nobody else got anything so I only got 1/3 of the money; still good though! Nice to see this too;

Okay, on to THFy stuff; I'll try to take more pictures for next time, I just completely forgot as I said.

Thief playstyle varies a lot from person to person; some people insist only on WSing with SA or TA, some people use SA and TA alone and WS alone in a burn situation to create a larger maximum damage; some people swear by sushi and some use meat, etc. There are many different ways to play THF. One thing I notice is a lot of people don't use dedicated soloSA and soloTA sets, which makes me sad. You can do some fantastic damage this way, bearing in mind I have no X's Knife;

First one is a soloTA, second is a soloSA, third is a soloTA. It's like mini WSs, and I don't even have an X's! Imagine that damage when the critical hit is amplified even more. Serious THFs, investing in a SA/TA set will not leave you disappointed.

Daggers

Let's talk about the daggers in detail. Damage on THF is split into two scenarios:

1. Your attack/accuracy are high. Your melee DoT soars ahead of WS damage. Typically in merit parties. We will call this scenario "speedburn".
2. Doing damage with melee is very challenging. SA/TA and WS tend to be the largest source of your damage; typically high-end endgame fights. We will call this scenario "sustained battle".

What are good daggers for one scenario are often not so good for others! Let's examine the top daggers.

S > A > B > C > D
In reality, S is much greater than A, A is greater than B, B is greater than C, C is much greater than D. If you see what I mean;
S >> A > B > C >> D

Mandau
DMG:39 Delay:176 Attack+20
Speedburn rating: S
Sustained Battle rating: S
Would you expect anything less from the relic dagger? Mercy Stroke is a huge benefit particularly to "Sustained Battle" situations.

X's Knife
DMG:34 Delay:201 Enhances Critical Hit damage
Speedburn rating: B or A
Sustained Battle rating: S or A
X's Knife is a mythical but incredibly potent weapon. I have not got one so I cannot comment, but it's hard to tell in a true speedburn situation whether the greater WS damage and SA/TA damage will overcome the slight melee DoT deficiency. I may give a definite rating to this when I get one, but for now it's either A or B at Speedburn. Exceptional dagger.

Blau Dolch
DMG:26/33 Delay:178 Acc+5/Atk+18 when TP <100% style="font-size:130%;">SA and TA's respective impacts on WS.

The formula for a SA(TA) WS's first SA(TA)-enhanced hit is;

[(D + fSTR + WSC) * fTP + DEX (+ AGI)] * Pdif

What does this mean? Adding one to D, fSTR or WSC increases damage by (fTP * Pdif) and adding one to DEX or AGI, ignoring WSC benefits, increases damage by (Pdif). Does that then mean SA/TA isn't as strong as you'd expect? Yes, in some ways. Relative impact on each WS compared to D, fSTR and WSC varies though.

Let's consider fTP modifiers of the first, modified hit.

Dancing Edge: 1.1875
Shark Bite: 2.0 / 2.5 / 3.0
Evisceration: 1.0
Mandalic Stab: 2.0 / 2.125 / 2.5
Mercy Stroke: 3.0

Normally, 4str = 1d = 1dex/agi for normal hits, right? (4str being very slightly better there). Well that's not necessarily true in this case. Let's look at Shark Bite at 100% TP vs Evisceration. 2.0 fTP vs 1.0 fTP. D, fSTR and WSC damage benefits from fTP and Pdif, whereas SA/TA additional damage benefits from Pdif only. Therefore; D, fSTR and WSC are TWICE as effective as increasing damage on this first hit on Shark Bite comparatively! 2.5x as effective at 200% TP, 3x as effective at 300% TP etc.

Increase in damage by D, fSTR, WSC = (fTP * Pdif)
Increase in damage by DEX/AGI bonus = (Pdif)

If fTP = 2 in Shark Bite;

Increase in damage by D, fSTR, WSC = (2 * Pdif) = 2Pdif
Increase in damage by DEX/AGI bonus = Pdif

If fTP = 1 in Evisceration;

Increase in damage by D, fSTR, WSC = (1 * Pdif) = Pdif
Increase in damage by DEX/AGI bonus = Pdif

So increasing damage by D, fSTR and WSC in Shark Bite on the first hit is 2x as effective as on Evisceration, if you can see what I mean.

What does this mean?

It has a few implications.

Do not sacrifice too much to boost AGI in a TAWS because you will do better boosting fSTR or WSC, especially since the AGI bonus only applies to the first hit in a multihitter!
If you look at that with Mercy Stroke, with fTP 3, where it will be 3x as effective adding fSTR and WSC (and D but this is constant), with a 60% STR mod -- you can see very clearly why STR is superior to everything for that WS.
The lower the fTP on the WSC, the more that SA/TA bonus damage affects overall damage with emphasis on the damage on the first hit relatively speaking.

The lower the fTP, the more relative impact the bonus damage from dex/agi has compared to increasing D, fSTR and WSC -- but these are on your multihit WSs, where only the first hit is going to benefit from said bonus anyway! Generally, interpret this analysis as you will; be wary about adding AGI to a WS to increase its final damage (this generally only works well on Mandalic Stab I find since it's one hit and pdif will be very high due to TA + the Attack x1.66 effect). Hybrid pieces like Denali Kecks are very good, and AF+1 hands are very good and have 3DEX on them anyway.

If you've read this far, you're a Thief. You're used to having to make intelligent decisions. Read this information carefully and use it relevantly. Thief is a complicated job and SA and TA mechanics are no exception. Whether this information helps you or not, thanks for reading~

I'm not dead!

2008-11-24T05:35:00.002Z

Just horribly busy.

So much stuff both ingame and real life to do at the moment that I haven't got around to making a new blog post. It'll come soon. Sorry for the readers who don't care about THF but it'll be fairly THF-heavy again. Not too bad though. Coming soon!

=== WATCH THIS SPACE ===

Thief's Evolution

2008-10-20T18:13:00.006+01:00

Just making a quick post since I've posted enough text for one week. THF has jumped forward a GREAT deal this week...

This lootpool must be symbolic in some way. It was the last Omega lootpool I ever saw in Cetra ... signifying the end of that era, but also the beginning of another. Why? Read on...

Wish is a fun LS to be in because everything is much more lowman than what I'm used to in Cetra and from a lootwhoring perspective, it uses a points system and so is very fair in that you WILL get a return on your hard work.

By some miracle... my points were high enough to lot the body!!

It's like a dream come true to be honest, never thought I'd get that dream body... so insanely good for THF and I'm debating TPing in it on mobs I have no trouble hitting for damage (since triple attack +2.5% should outdo the str and atk thing in a TP build sense over time)... however, info on BG contradicts 2.5% TA and says it may only be 1% TA, though people aren't sure yet. I'd like to see some conclusive proof.

Seku, Shanian and me from Wish there in order. Congrats on your err Homam Heads guys! I would've brought mine along for 4/5 Homam but Bahamut's Mask looks better and is actually useful. SO! Yeah.

The second part of the THF upgrade involves perseverance and an annoying bird.

4-boxed kill, I was controlling everyone involved at that time so it was a VERY rough fight. Also notice my fail lot. Before I get people wishing me to die etc, that puts me at 1/33 so I'm hardly that lucky with it! So happy... Thief is getting so pimped. Now if only X's Knife would drop, hint hint!

Trotter Boots: most appreciative thanks to Miah (as always), Jexen, Tenbroya, Sakurawr, Muramasamune, Cipura, Klown, Bautier, Bigjon, Nemises, Ginge and Rienea who all helped for certain kills along the road. I appreciate it, guys! If I've missed anyone poke me ingame or something and I'll add your name here too!

Oh, and if you read this blog and/or can somehow tolerate me writing too much, gimme some comments! I always like to hear input and that. I realise nobody will read my huge Thief rant last post but still! It feels good to write it down.

Oh, and for the record, Homam Corazza is as freaking amazing as hoped.

Laters~
Raen Ryong

Eternity's End

2008-10-14T16:20:00.009+01:00

I haven't updated in awhile but that's because I don't do much in the way of fillers! Today the blog will be victim to me ranting about many different things, not only restricted to FF.

However I did forget to take that many screenshots so there will be a lot of text this time around. My apologies~

First of all, I've been burning to write something comprehensive about THF for a while now, since there are so many misconceptions about the job going around. So here goes.

=============================================================================

The Thief Codex

Okay, first of all I have conducted testing on the Sneak Attack and Trick Attack damage formulae since they are so important to Thief as a job and understanding them is crucial. The following is what I have deduced;

SoloSA: (D + fSTR + DEX) * (critical) Pdif
SoloTA: (D + fSTR + AGI) * (critical) Pdif
SoloSATA: (D + fSTR + DEX + AGI) * (critical) Pdif

SAWS: (D + fSTR + WSC) * fTP + {DEX} * {(critical)} Pdif
TAWS: (D + fSTR + WSC) * fTP + {AGI} * {(critical)} Pdif
SATAWS: (D + fSTR + WSC) * fTP + {DEX} + {AGI} * {(critical)} Pdif

Key:
D = Base DMG on weapon
fSTR = STR-VIT function
Pdif = ATK/DEF function
fTP = TP modifier of that hit
DEX = Total DEX
AGI = Total AGI
{} = First hit only

The issue with ffwiki's formulae has been resolved; they were correct as are mine, just written differently.

From my formulae, you are able to deduce that

During Sneak Attack or Trick Attack, 1 DEX or AGI = 1 fSTR = 1 weapon D. It follows that 1 fSTR = 4 STR for melee hits in most cases, so;

1 DEX = 4 STR = 1 DMG.
(note that 4STR is in fact slightly better than 1dex/1d because you also add 2atk -- minor, but it's there).

Further testing shows that each point of dex/agi is worth "pdif" and each point of d/fstr/wsc is worth "pdif * ftp", meaning the bonus is weaker than d/fstr/wsc on its own -- but remember that dex also gives wsc; agi does not. See "Dagger in the Dark" for more information.

Attack is also not as valuable as it would otherwise be during soloSA/soloTA/soloSATA because you are criticalling it anyway, which reduces the impact of adding further attack. During multihit WSs, Attack still helps subsequent hits a great deal so it becomes a balancing act of sorts.

Tests were performed on THF/SAM onehanding a Sirocco Kukri and using the weaponskill Wasp Sting (previously tested -- it indeed has 1.0 fTP and no WSC). Test mob was Savanna Rarab in West Sarutabaruta.

Basically, to sum up:

1 DEX or AGI on Sneak Attack/Trick Attack ~= 4 STR ~= 1 DMG.
1 DEX = 1 AGI for soloSATA potency.
On SATAWS and TAWS, 1 AGI does add a great deal of damage but only to the first hit. DEX increases the WSC as well.
Attack does not help soloSA, soloTA or soloSATA a great deal but is still useful in Dancing Edge.
Wiki's formulae are WRONG, very clearly and easily seen in tests (damage using theirs would be ~300 lower than it was -- VERY clear)

Okay, now let's talk about other aspects of THF.

What type of DD is THF?

Thief is largely melee DoT-based on anything without a huge amount of defence, otherwise you are largely spike-based (by virtue of SA/TA and WS). In THF's early levels, it is mainly spike based for this reason but as soon as your attack and haste become decent, your melee DoT really pick up.

For stacking WSs (ie SAWS TAWS etc)... the lower your attack is compared to your opponent's defence and the difference between your levels, the more stacking it helps. Basically, the more buffed you are relatively, the less useful stacking becomes in terms of overall damage, and vice versa. Stacking is ALWAYS stronger of course, but in areas you are largely buffed, it is often more beneficial to do soloSA, soloTA and bareWS for more overall damage. All very situational! Think intelligently -- as you have to do on THF.

Shark Bite vs Dancing Edge is largely the same issue. If your acc/atk is reliable, go Dancing Edge. If not, Shark Bite. This is looking at it purely from a damage point of view of course, skillchain properties aside.

Meat vs sushi is a similar issue; Meat will almost always outdamage sushi as long as you can maintain respectable accuracy (usually using an accuracy body over Rapparee Harness etc). The Thief Paradox on gods and high level mobs is thus;

Thief is a low accuracy DD, and so needs sushi to hit. However, you need meat to damage respectably.
How to solve this paradox? I just stack accuracy and build for meat, and end up parsing very respectably (see a recent Proto-Ultima where I parsed above all of the other DDs and BLMs, using an acc/slight haste build + meat). This becomes a LOT more possible with Homam of course, and I have 2/4 useful Homam (Feet/Legs as of this moment)... Body would be a HUGE upgrade for this kind of thing, obviously.

Since you are largely DoT based, you want to emphasise this in your build. Ie, don't use Daggers like Stylet/Garuda's Dagger which only emphasise damage during WS or once every 50s-1min in the case of SA/TA. Focus on the DoT inbetween. Low delay IS important but I see so many Thiefs using trash daggers like Hornetneedle at 75 just because they have low delay. It is the delay/damage ratio that is most important! Sirocco Kukri and Blau Dolch are exceptionally strong in this respect, as is Mandau obviously. The only other obvious amazing endgame Dagger for THF is the X's Knife... an incredibly rare (0/4 at the moment and not expecting one until the /50 mark) and incredibly powerful dagger. It increases the power of criticals, including those forced by SA and TA and it has a high base D. I shouldn't have to tell you why this is so broken for THF. Shame it's so damn rare!

Mandau/X's Knife > Mandau/Blau Dolch > X's Knife/Blau Dolch > Blau Dolch/Sirocco Kukri > Else in my opinion.

Thief myths and the essential Thief problems

Myth #1

Starting with the myths. Haste is an incredibly good stat, but it is not incredibly good to the exclusion of all other stats, especially on Thief -- low accuracy (a problem covered later in this section)! A lot of Thiefs use a certain body piece thinking it will always trump accuracy. It won't.

Let's examine the prime symbol of this myth, the RAPPAREE HARNESS.

DEF:32 Racc+2 Haste+4%

0 Accuracy. On a low accuracy DD. Not so good. As accuracy is low, adding more accuracy is comparatively better than adding it at high accuracy. There are five situations Rapparee Harness is better than a 10acc+ body;

During Feint
Using sushi in most scenarios
When accuracy is otherwise capped or near to
When haste values are VERY high and accuracy is still sufficient (~40%+ in meripos with ~85%+ accuracy otherwise)
When recasting Utsusemi solo (less recast time)

The biggest thing I see even Mandau THFs doing is using it over Homam Corazza. NEVER do this outside of the scenarios listed above. 15acc is a huge advantage especially on a low accuracy job for overall damage, and 2.5% TA on top of that just boosts it further. Homam Corazza is an absolutely godly body for THF. Rapparee Harness is situational at best.

Myth #2

Another myth, and a very prevailant one. "Thief is not a DD". Not true at all -- it requires a lot more intelligence and initiative than most DDs and requires you to be far more adaptable, but it is very powerful when played properly. Of course it's not going to be amazing in every possible situation, but what DD is?

Thief has low accuracy and low attack and low base DMG and low STR. This means you must REALLY know what you are doing and not be lazy to make it work. Since this is not achievable without a huge amount of effort, most Thiefs do fail to damage. If you are a dedicated THF, you WILL do damage. A large fear of mine when I started this job was that it would be as second-rate as people say, but it simply isn't.

That means using a Fire Bomblet > Bomb Core for when you are not having to use bolts and having both SA and TA sets! Thief uses a lot of inventory space and requires a lot of micromanagement; deal with it! If this doesn't sound appealing to you, then Thief is not the job for you!

Myth #3

"Thief can only eat sushi". Not true, it just requires a lot of effort on the user to build for a meat build. On things like Kirin/Jailer of Love etc I can see it being ridiculously difficult to eat meat. This would come under the type of fights where Thief isn't very good, I guess. Still working on that.

Myth #4

"Don't give a Thief Haste, it'll mess up his SA and TA timing". I had to contend with this so many times when levelling. Learn to time your SA or TA. Activate your macro the second you've started the previous attack round (despite the attacks not happening simultaneously on your screen, they're processed simultaneously on the server so after you've seen the first hit the others won't take the SA or TA). Learn to time it.

Problem #1

Low accuracy, low attack, low DMG, low STR. Due to this as well as the pivotal role of DEX and AGI in dealing damage during SA and TA related things, Thief is VERY sensitive to gear choices. Think VERY carefully about what gear you are choosing for any situation; that AGI may be enhancing that first hit of your Dancing Edges wonderfully during TAWS, but what about the others? Is it better using War Brais +1 for 5AGI for the first hit or Dusk Trousers for +14atk over the rest? This is all situational but THINK about it and make different builds for different situations. Thief is far too sensitive not to do so. This leads on to problem #2...

Problem #2

Thief gear experiences a huge gulf. Let's examine good TP pieces for instance.

Body: Homam Corazza >> Enkidu Harness > Skadi's Cuirie > Pahluwan Body > Antares Harness = Scorpion Harness +1 > Scorpion Harness... and Rapparee Harness in there situationally.

Hands: Homam Manopolas ~= Dusk Gloves +1 (on Thief the accuracy on Homam Manopolas can equate with Dusk Gloves +1 for overall DD potential) > Enkidu's Mittens =~ Dusk Gloves...

Legs: Homam Cosciales > ... getting the point yet?

All of the top tier stuff is rare/ex, hard to get, expensive etc. And this is only looking at TP build! Check out all of that Hecatomb in WS build... then look at the next best alternatives. Yeah, not pretty. Thief requires prohibitively expensive and/or hard to obtain gear, and this gear is MILES above the alternatives. Heck, look at your top daggers.

Mandau: Relic
X's Knife: Insanely rare and hard to get
Blau Dolch: Very costly
Sirocco Kukri: Depending on your playtime etc, can be very hard to get

Thief has a very hard time with gear with little feasible alternatives. This is quite the problem. Get used to dealing with it, but look forward that due to Thief's gear sensitivity, getting these pieces will lead to a dramatic increase in damage potential!

Problem #3

Otherwise known as Dancing Edge. Multihits become exponentially stronger with acc/atk, more hits = more of an exponential increase. So let's give Thief, very low acc/atk, a 5(6 when Dual Wielding) hit WS. Yeah, it's a problem. This is why bodies like Hecatomb Harness are -generally- superior to Dragon Harness... despite the fact Dragon Harness will do a lot more a lot of the time, you NEED that accuracy on this WS. No way around it. It's good to have a separate WS macro for during Feint/low eva mobs though!

To summarise, Thief is a very powerful and fun DD, but also a very challenging one to play. It will take a lot of effort, intelligence, and micromanagement to bring out the best of this DD. Good luck!

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In other FF-related news...

After 14 months, I am no longer with CetraSanctuary LS. More accurately, I was kicked after a dispute with one of the sackholders (you can guess which). It is a testimony to the favouritism within the LS that one member who shall remain unnamed MPK'd the LS once during Dynamis-Xarcabard (Diaga on slept mobs for fun) and received a slap on the wrist whereas I received a full kick for a dispute with a sackholder. At any rate, it turns out the drops I thought were not counting against me were and the attendance records they kept of me was much lower than I had recorded, so my future was limited anyway.

Bitterness aside, I am very thankful to CetraSanctuary for the drops I did receive and regret it had to end this way. But meh, new starts. I am now in Wish LS and have already finished my Valor Paladin
AF2 set!!

Better screenshot coming when I can be bothered! Sexy anyway, I know.

Wish does things with a lot less members than I am used to, though this is not a bad thing at all! The group is more focussed due to less people and events like dynamis are more entertaining when you feel like you are contributing rather than monsters dying the second they are targetted.

I've also been levelling mage jobs recently! Yes, me as a mage. Who would've thought it? My BLM sucks but I'm okay with WHM and RDM I think! Except I forgot I didn't have Silena in Qufim against worms which was kinda embarrassing.

Getting there! And yes I know I need /rdm for my PLD really.. working on it!

Look at that hardcore white mage warcry. Feet are now Garrison Boots for the record, just were none up!

So what else has been happening. Oh yeah, Nyzul Isle; my static which I lead has hit a few problems with conflicting times and so we are being forced to do a lot less than usual. Still got to floor 40 this weekend though, with the following results;

My sister the Sakurawr wanted Askar Dirs sadly, though I got a nice new situational legpiece (isn't everything?) for THF! Tenbroya got a Radiant Lance for his level ... 30ish? Maybe? DRG. Not even a 75 job yet either, but he performed quite well as 60RDM~

Also have been focussing on my NPC a lot lately, level 61 now and nearly 62! Love my Sahyu despite her lack of an MP pool. Did the Vassago LB fight recently...

Something messed up the image quality there, but whatever. Redhead Mithra (so hot), sword/shield, Soothing Healer, heavy armour look. The fight itself was quite easy as a level sync'd 50thf/nin; only got hit by attacks which bypassed shadows.

Rushed out to Kreutzet after maintenance to assist an LS member...

Grats to Amrik on your new dagger~ hellish NM but a great drop.

Finally did the COR AF3 fight with THF/NIN THF/NIN BRD/WHM as the setup, Requiem of Sin style. Get one THF to kite around the big deck on your left (around the stairs) while you pull the other and kill. Very easy win.

It's actually snowing there but you can't really see it Pretty dramatic. Realised afterwords how much cooler that would be if I had turned the names off!

Other than that, nothing too exciting. Sorry about not so many screenshots this week, I'll try to take more. Gonna try my luck with Simurgh... Trotter's please!!

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Neverwinter Nights 2: Mask of the Betrayer

Been playing the Neverwinter Nights 2 Expansion, Mask of the Betrayer recently and I finally understand the game mechanics and battle engine (impressive I know)! It actually had a really good storyline unlike the pre-expansion campaign which I did not like so much... time to finish that original campaign now. Basically... and spoilers ahead so be warned.

When you die, if you are atheist, ie one of the "Faithless", your soul becomes imprisoned within the Wall of the Faithless until it is eventually consumed and becomes nothingness. Akachi, a high priest of sorts serving Myrkul, God of the Dead at that time. However, when his lover died, he was aghast, knowing her faith as an atheist. He pleaded with his God but Myrkul refused to make an exception for her. So he cast off his faith and gathered an army consisting of undead, celestials, dragons and other races, and led an assault on the City of Judgment to save his lover's soul... hence how he came to be known as the "Betrayer". He successfully freed her soul but his crusade was lost and he was imprisoned within the City of Judgment and tortured horribly, until all that remained was a spirit hunger, a spirit desire...

... a spirit hunger that becomes imprisoned within your character at the start of the campaign, which you can either choose to feed or suppress, giving you different powers either way. I suppressed it and fought against it, and gained incredibly powerful healing abilities as a result. You have to actually feed it to stop yourself from dying though. Eventually, it turns out that the one who basically exposed you to the spirit eater contagion was the incarnation of Akachi's past lover, seeking you to lead a second crusade against the City of Judgment and free his soul...

The climax of the game has you leading said crusade into the City of Judgment, into the Bascilia of Lost Hope and Eternity's End, the real name of the City... and finishing at the Wall of the Faithless and in your own soul. The final battle is against all that remains of Akachi's hunger and its different aspects (appearing as different opponents periodically throughout the battle), Remorseless Instinct, Infinite Despair, Unrelenting Fury and Insatiable Hunger. After defeating him, you can choose to destroy him or reform the Mask of the Betrayer (you are his Mask basically -- a Mask for the hunger that lies within and should eventually consume you) and so finally end the curse and set things right... however this "good" ending is rather bittersweet because it is noted that Akachi and his love are doomed never to see each other again. This crusade was to be their last act of love~ bittersweet.

Great game though.

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Age of Wonders: Shadow Magic

Also been playing another game recently which is quite old, Age of Wonders: Shadow Magic. I used to play it so much with one of my good friends, though we've drifted apart much to my dismay though he doesn't seem to care at all. Looking back at some of the dates of the saved games of the matches we played against/with each other (it's a TBS -- turn-based strategy), it stretches back as far as 2003~2005. Scary stuff... really scary.

But yeah, I've digressed enough about stuff most people won't even care about, especially given the notable absence of pictures! The title of this weeks blog entry could mean many different things, decide for yourself!

Laters~
Raen Ryong~

Paladin's Ascension

2008-09-19T00:29:00.004+01:00

Sometimes...

Pictures say it all.

The creation and destruction of Haubergeon

2008-09-15T03:38:00.007+01:00

It's been a rather exciting week, sort of, with lots and lots happening. The main focus of my entry today is my recent expeditions into having a signed Haubergeon+1 synthed for me.

The signing in question was to be done by a good friend of mine, Muramasamune, known as Murameows and also known as Breaker of Damascus for reasons which will soon prove apparent;

First synth NQ, second synth almost critical break. Not the best start ever, but at least we've got the worst part out of the way now! I'll be sure to get him to break some more of my ingots soon. Of course, as if this wasn't enough insult to injury... Haubergeon +1 is a tier 1 synth. He goes to craft GP items, and when he synths the next item (also tier 1)...

THAT WAS MY HAUBY +1! Argh. So yeah, 0/2 thus far, we'll see how much further it goes next week or so. Damascus Ingots are spiked at the moment so I'm going to leave it alone for a bit. Let's see... what else did I get up to?

Well, after a lot of levelling recently... my RNG subjob is finished!

Style shot beneath! Gonna miss the look of Noct and that...

I do enjoy RNG to an extent, though it's woefully uncomplicated at this level, which is true of most DDs. I didn't use any set other than TP since it's just a subjob, but if I were to go back to it I would use full RACC for Barrage (HATE missing hits or even worse, full Barrages), then a meleeTP set to swap into between shots. Kinda perfectionistic but meh. No point really with a WS set yet since I'm struggling just to make the WSs land! Some epeen shots (all at level 32 due to level sync);

Just for reference, my RNG gear when it was finished;

Hawker's Knife/Hawker's Knife/Great Bow +1/Horn Arrow
Empress Hairpin/Peacock Charm/Drone Earring/Genin Earring
Noct Doublet +1/Custom M Gloves/Horn Ring +1/Rajas Ring
Nomad's Mantle/Brave Belt/Noct Brais +1/Bounding Boots

Custom M Gloves vs Noct Gloves +1... unsure. 3STR vs 2Racc at this level is sort of so-so; Noct+1 is probably better for TPing at the end but couldn't be bothered with it to be honest. Nomad's Mantle and knives aren't HQ'd but I didn't want to bother with that resale rate. As for PCC vs something like Ranger's Necklace, it is true that RNG gets a lot of accuracy and accuracy bonus traits, but this is something people exaggerate or don't abuse properly in my opinion. 5racc => 5ratk (pcc => rng necklace) is NOT a good tradeoff. The same RNGs who boast they have too much accuracy are those trading too much of it off and then eating sushi.

You have accuracy. USE IT. Eat meat. Do damage to your finest. Don't think "I have too much acc, let's remove a load of it for a bit of ratk/str" ... meat is your ultimate attack enhancer in this way, especially vs NMs with huge defence. A lot of RNGs are content to lose 5racc here, another 5racc there... and before they know it, they're eating sushi. I would strongly caution you against doing this. Equipment like Archer's Jupon, Venturer's Belt and such are all trash and should not be used in any serious situation.

Another thing I do not understand for the same reason is using a Staff in most situations... and then using sushi. Onehanding a Fransisca -- the cheaper of the two axes -- gives you 7racc/7ratk, vs 8str from Vulcan's Staff/Axe Grip. Cancelling str=>atk benefits, we get 7racc/3ratk vs 8str. One will obviously perform better on WSs, whereas one will help with DoT a lot more and produce more WSs for more overall damage, plus can be used to build TP. This gap only widens when you /nin with two Axes and get Kreigsbeil on top of that -- 6~7racc and 8ratk on top of that. 13~14racc/11ratk vs 8str. VERY easy to make that choice... plus Axes are good at building TP, far moreso than with a Staff (they can do fair damage over time too).

I would argue Staffs are only really best on mobs you never actually get the chance to hit.

In terms of other stuff I've done this week, it's been the debut week for my Nyzul Isle static, and in our very first set of runs;

Yay for a weapon whose WS I won't unlock until getting floor 100; I value my sanity too much to work on 5,000 WS points or so. Wish I could afford the Mythic too... Burtgang is broken. Lots of NMs to farm new weapons, lots of awesome drops;

Yeah, thrilling I know. WHM weapon dropped for Kirsteena and a second Brave Blade for Ruman, so it's all good. Congrats guys~

On the subject of swords, in related news... my Great Sword DRK is no longer gimp!

I didn't even die kiting him that time, though I had a few close encounters... Firespit manages to do huge damage very frequently and busts through shadows. Very annoying. Smartass of the week:

AH price ~300-350k! My 1h zerg DRK is happy. My aforementioned Haubergeon smash was probably to counteract my rare good luck I found here.

Been fighting some of the new NMs on a whim from the update to enter the BCNM for a shot at Gnadbohd's Helm (such a nice Hecatomb Cap alternative)... 3/8 items so far!

We would've gotten a fourth but we wiped to Cogtooth Skagnogg (warmachine, think Jagidbod's but 100x worse) at 1%. One. Percent. So yeah. Finally, for the main bulk of this post, I was called to fight Tinnin, aka the tier 4 Hydra ZNM. A very fun and epic fight in a unique battlefield... I loved the setting.

A shame the drops were so wretchedly awful. Oh well, very good fun. I died near the end to a rogue Serpentine Tail and the other PLD fell shortly thereafter so it turned into a BLM zerg. Nice and frantic. On a side note I hate Nerve Gas/Pyric Blast spam (Curse/Poison and Paralyze with large damage each respectively)!

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MIAH MENTION

She demanded one so here it is. She was finally planning to come back to the game to level her COR (I have AF needs... so sexy) but then it turned out her .dats rejected level sync. After a long struggle we rectified it then she logged in mortal fear of losing the effect of her Anniversary Ring before it was spent. She also doesn't like bald men.

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I may well add another section to this since I was requested to explain fSTR a little, but I'm tired now. Maybe later!

~ Raen Ryong

Tyranny

2008-09-10T00:44:00.008+01:00

Tyranny. For those looking to join LSs, do NOT join one without a point system. Open /point LSs are too prone to tyranny, favouritism and discrimination.

Nice lootpool, especially when you are only missing those two pieces to complete your Homam set. Not when you are hated by your LS... yet again I was not allowed to lot these. Let's give a bit of background information though...

I have been a member of CetraSanctuary for nearing 13 months and have been fairly good with regards to attendance and effort invested at events. As such I had received a few drops... however, within the last 5 months or so, it has been intolerable. My Valor Surcoat has been given to a retired PLD (though no hard feelings towards him -- his was not the fault here), and they have cockblocked me on drops time and time again.

What's more, due to a disagreement with one of the sacks with regards to the starting time of an event, the following occurred;

Sorry for the small pic but if you can decipher that... yeah. Everyone I've spoken to agrees it was too harsh and hey, it just cost me rare Homam pieces and potentially future drops. I love how my thirteen month stint in the LS is so easily forgotten with a chance to abuse power. So, would you turn up for two weeks under a harsh unjust punishment knowing you are getting nothing out of it nor are likely to get things in the future? Yeah, I thought not.

Normally the thought of getting big drops and doing events with my friends propels me and excites me. However, given my bad drop record as of late and little hope for any future (if we get big drops from Einherjar, there is no way I would even be in consideration, simple as that... let alone this comparatively less valuable Homam and AF2 I hope goes freelot so I have a chance), along with not enjoying the general animosity of the LS... I am far from enthusiastic, put it that way.

Of course people from my linkshell will invariably read this but hey, this is my blog, this is where I state my very frank views. Of course the side of the story I am telling is onesided, so use your own judgment to decide. I'm not perfect, but I don't deserve to be treated as a trial member.

Angry. Disappointed. Confused.

Oh, and for the record, 0/2 X's Knife -_- empty box.

~Raen Ryong

And so it begins...

2008-09-09T18:40:00.009+01:00

And so it begins I guess! I have thought about writing a blog of sorts for a long time, but just pushed the idea aside. I finally decided to give in and, well, this is the result.

My blog will consist mainly of ramblings about FFXI and other games, maybe a few mentions of real life stuff here and there. I have no idea how often I'll update the blog, or whether anyone will be unfortunate enough to stumble upon this and bored enough to read it, but meh.

May as well say a few things about myself since you all don't have the misfortune of knowing me!

I play Raenryong on the Bahamut server in FFXI, and have been doing so since October 2006. I actually owned the game for a much longer time than that, but I always put it aside because monthly fees scared me. Eventually I decided to give it a go and have never since looked back.

I chose Windurst because I liked the idea of a natural utopia of sorts (the hippie in me), and... well, err, because Mithra looked appealing! I decided to play as a Hume as an online persona of myself in a way, and chose the face model I use because it resembles me in a way (long hair etc) and in the most masculine way possible, I like the idea of a sense of grace and I feel that character has it.

That and the other face models either look like convicts or pre-pubescent boys.

At this time, my sister and I were playing using the same account and as such had to share, which was incredibly bad. She came under the name Sakurarules and eventually bought another account and now goes under the name Sakurawr, formerly Sakuraryong. Sakurarules is a mule of mine now!

I first began the game as a WAR and, like all noobs, had absolutely no idea what I was doing and probably died about 10-20 times on the way to level 7, which I was really excited about getting! A friend of mine, Masaeus, whom I met at Sarutabaruta's outpost sold me his leather equipment for cheap and I thought it looked so awesome and showed that I had come so far when I first wore it. Sadly, I am having trouble with finding pics like that so you'll have to look at me in subligar;

Hot I know. That picture there was from my very first proper Valkurm Dunes party for the record; not sure if the people above still play. I know I befriended Nyss after a very long party but she disappeared after that day and never reappeared...

Losia also there became a friend and disappeared for about a year and then reappeared!... then disappeared again. It's a shame really, when I think of how many people I have known and whom have disappeared. Such is life, I suppose. Carrying on this theme...

This is a screenshot showing another of my early friends, Koreana, who also disappeared not long after we met... we grouped up to hunt Spiny Spipi since we heard that it dropped this awesome 120k cape (we never found the worm).

One thing I really loved, and still continue to love about the game is the way it goes through different periods of days and night and just looks so visually good. I really loved the Sarutabaruta area and hoped it was much larger than it was; it was a whole world to me when I started playing and the gentle yet adventurous music I still adore today. It was just the embodiment of adventure: open plains, filled with both danger and enterprise and under a sky with different weathers and times of day and all of that. I'm a sucker for day/night systems in games, but I especially loved how it would seem more stormy on some days than others... the subtle effects really enthralled me.

Tell me this isn't awesome. A shame it doesn't actually rain and that... it would be even more amazing. Oh, and also...

... for the record, I did eventually find Spiny Spipi much later on and killed it -- very gratifying given how long I camped the damn thing. Never seen it drop to this day though...

My very first LS was DiveatFive which I got at level 26 (a stranger's generosity granted me my Magicked Skull for my subjob), and it was in this LS that I met a lot of people whom I would spend a lot of time with in future times, notably Seylie and Castille, who became long-term friends (though me and Seylie have since very regrettably fallen out, the friendship between me and Castille remains). A CoP static would eventually be formed from this linkshell; one which would endure up until the very end, when Neficus, one of the members, suddenly had to quit.

Had to finish CoP without Neficus sadly and he has not reappeared to this day. It was sort of because of this static that I got to know Miah so well, and would go on to form a long-term relationship with her that has endured to this day and hopefully will for a very long time still. She is really a wonderful person.

Another old screenshot...

We were trying to get Imani a Minstrel's Coat for his Bard but we ended up going 0/3 in the end... Imani still plays but takes month breaks at a time, really a shame. As you may have deduced from the above screenshots, my first job was Dark Knight due to a love for dealing damage, liking the utility of both magic and melee, and just because I thought it was cool. It was going to be between Paladin and Dark Knight, since I liked tanking and doing damage as my WAR (both roles were used in my first levelling experience). I did however come back for Paladin!

I really do and did love the look of Paladin! Thief was my third job and newest love and I have no idea what should be my fourth.

Well, hopefully this hasn't been too boring! It hasn't even touched on many aspects on my ingame life but it's not too bad of an introduction I hope. My Dark Knight guide is on ffxiclopedia so avoid at all costs! Feel free to critique it or anything. Also, my current jobs and their progress are listed alongside this blog so you can check at any time. Constructive criticism welcomed, though note that not all possible sets are shown.

The Dark Knight one will work as soon as Blogger realises it's not a spam blog, having to put it up for review now because it got locked...

But yeah. I will hopefully write more, look forward to it!

~Raen Ryong