Descent

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

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

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

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

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

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...

1. 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?

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.