Hello FFXI, im new!

[Aksannyi]

Re: Hello FFXI, im new!

Some crafting makes sweet love down by the fire, some crafting has never even heard of lube. There are a few recipes you can make right from the start that will go slow and treat you right, but if you want to stay a virgin for now, that's a totally valid choice.

[NewbZealand]

Re: Hello FFXI, im new!

Well I got FFXI in the mail today and was going to wait 3 weeks until I came back from Australia to start playing but i just couldn't resist and installed it right away!
After getting over my first hurdle (America/Canada only addresses allowed etc) I started off by setting up my font colors and messing with filters etc. Then off I headed to kill lots of wasps!

At this point in time I noticed If I Alt tab out, the game crashes, how very sad... it really doesn't want me to ffxiencyclopedia while I play it seems. Not too much of a problem I suppose, just going to make the learning a lot harder.
Another problem which I overcame thanks to the power of the forums search button was, It looked like someone threw up pixels all over my screen, quite horrible.

I made my first friend while killing wasps, although we didn't party they talked to me for hours, answering a lot of my newb questions. I also had my first Japanese encounter, they were very kind, offering to exp with me, but I had to decline, seeing as it was 1:20am and I have to be awake at 6am in the morning, the declining though... was very hard! furiously skimming through auto translate for something along the line of (I am sorry, I don't have much time), I failed
I died today too, versus my first mage-type monster
All in all I had ADDICTING amounts of fun, I leveled WAR to 8 and MNK to 4, and got /checked by the same Galka atleast 8 times throughout the day... Which made me nervous lol.
If anyone else Is on Fenrir let me talk your ear off sometime

[Ellipses]

Re: Hello FFXI, im new!

Congrats on your first steps out into the wild and all that.

You can play in windowed mode if you want to alt-tab out. There's either the official way, which is a checkbox on the FFXI Config tool, or the unofficial, 3rd-party way (I don't use it anymore so I can't offer reasonable commentary other than the fact that it exists).

Some handy auto-translate phrases for having to go soon: {/logout} {short time} {hour} {minute} {second} (I usually go with {I'm sorry.} {Short time} -> {/logout}).

Don't sweat getting /checked that much unless it's a lot of spam right in a row. Until they say something about it, there's really no way to tell what their intentions are. Some people are just compulsive /checkers. Personally, I tend to accidentally /check people a lot because I don't realize I haven't targeted a mob. If you get a flood of /checks right in a row, to the point where it's spam, it is likely with the intent to annoy you for some reason.

And I'm on Fenrir, so if you catch me on sometime, feel free to chatter.

[NewbZealand]

Re: Hello FFXI, im new!

Is the config tool different from the in game options menu?
Where is this config tool?
Edit: If I am killing wasps for 50 exp each, and I party with someone my level who is killing them at the same speed as I am, how much does the exp change, is it about the same or different than soloing?

[Ellipses]

Re: Hello FFXI, im new!

Start menu > Playonline > somethingsomething > Final Fantasy XI Config

You'll need to do it outside the game, before you start.

The XP cut is different for different sized parties, so here are the details, but for the specific example of 2 players, assuming you both have Signet, you'd each get 75% of what you'd normally get solo (so 37 XP per kill each on 50 XP mobs).

[NewbZealand]

Re: Hello FFXI, im new!

I learnt something today, Valkurm Dunes... SUCK!
I can't even begin to explain how much this area kicked my ass, the long walk, the deaths, the long depressing walk back to Bastok.

[Aksannyi]

Re: Hello FFXI, im new!

Don't worry, we all feel the same way about that shitty place. You'll get used to its epic suck-ness soon enough, and yet, you'll come back for more because that's just where everyone gets xp at those levels.

I promise it gets better.

[NewbZealand]

Re: Hello FFXI, im new!

Are there any macros suggested for a WAR, for partying, I have 3 atm
/ws "Raging Axe"
/ja "Provoke"
and /target <bt> <--- although i have trouble getting this one to work, I cant figure out if I'm meant to target someone in the party or have nothing targeted
(These are off the top of my head but hopefully they are correct, as you can see they are basic :p)

[Ellipses]

Re: Hello FFXI, im new!

You should ditch the one-handed axe, buy a greataxe, and add a /ws "Shield Break" <t> macro. You might also consider a TP report (/p TP: <tp>) in case you're involved in a skillchain (unlikely, but it's not like you're running out of macro space yet).

In case you get asked to pull (have a ranged weapon available):
/p {Ranged Attack} {Fishing} <t>
/ra <t>
({Fishing} is the accepted auto-translate phrase for "pulling.")

/ta <bt> targets the mob your party currently has claimed. So when the puller's coming back to camp, you don't have to screw around trying to target the right mob, you just spam that until you get it, then spam provoke (assuming you're the main tank), then attack.

[NewbZealand]

Re: Hello FFXI, im new!

You should ditch the one-handed axe, buy a greataxe

You're the second person to tell me this today, what makes Great Axes so much better than axe/shield? Does the WS Shield Break even do damage?
If I choose to use a greataxe which one do you suggest, I am currently level 13 and quite poor :p I am already worrying that I wont be able to keep up with proper armor for my level and will be denied partys

[Ellipses]

Re: Hello FFXI, im new!

And here you find that first gil hurdle, the reason people take time off from leveling to farm and fish and all that other stuff. At this point, you'd also have to take the time to skill up Greataxe.

At 13, either the Greataxe or the Hydro Axe works; they have the same DPS (and don't worry about the additional effect on Hydro, just ignore that), so whichever you can find for cheaper. At 16, Moth Axe. If gil is a concern, well, you've been buying new Axes, right? Shouldn't be that much different. For your first job, I personally wouldn't get all RAR about it, but don't be too shocked if it happens. We all have to stop to make money now and then.

Shield Break does respectable damage, and it lowers the mob's evasion by up to 40. Which is huge. That means everyone hits the mob more, which means it dies a lot faster.

[NewbZealand]

Re: Hello FFXI, im new!

Only thing is, I dont know how to make money, my best way sofar is collect earth crystals, I make about 500-1000 gil/hour (depending on luck), Is that respectable for my level?
I just hit level 14, So I guess I will wait till 16 for a greataxe, my current axe cost 1000conquest points :p so It was kinda cheap.

[Ellipses]

Re: Hello FFXI, im new!

There are several things you can do around Bastok to make gil. Crystals are one source, though whether Earth or Wind (the two easiest to get there) are better, I don't know; been a long time since I've looked at them on the AH.

You could also grab some pickaxes and head into Zeruhn Mines and start mining. You could fish, too, but I don't know enough about that to offer any advice

For farming, you could go for beehive chips (only the bees on the hills outside town, or in the Fumaroles in S. Gustaberg drop them), the stuff saplings drop (treant bulbs and various seeds), sheepskins (which you can turn into sheep leather easily for higher profits), ores from worms, or goblin/quadav drops. There are bat wings and Zeruhn Soot (drops off of anything in Zeruhn, and can be sold, or used for a quest for less gil to raise your Bastok fame) in Zeruhn Mines.

[NewbZealand]

Re: Hello FFXI, im new!

sheepskins (which you can turn into sheep leather easily for higher profits)

I looked it up on FFXIencyclopedia and it did not look easy at all, I must be overthinking this crafting stuff but it looks like, to make anything, you need an item that usually comes from another craft so I cant really focus on one can I?
Ellipses you should come hold my hand and guide me through it step by step next time you have some time :p

[Ellipses]

Re: Hello FFXI, im new!

There's nothing in Sheep Leather that comes from another craft. It's a dark crystal, a sheepskin (drops off sheep), distilled water (bought in town), and Windurstian Tea Leaves (bought in Windurst or off the AH).

For crafting in general, you often do need ingredients from other crafts. This is why Sheep Leather sells so well; higher level leathercrafters don't want to take the time to make it themselves to use for their other synths. Whether you make the items yourself or just buy them at the AH is all a question of time and money. Sometimes it makes sense to level crafts in tandem, sometimes it doesn't really matter. I'm mentioning Sheep Leather because it's easy and profitable, whether you do any other crafting or not. You could also just stick with other farmable items, or sell the sheepskins directly (to people like me! ).

I'd be happy to guide you through a bit if we catch each other online, though.