How important is capping skills?

[Maeru]

Hello forum community ^^,

I have recently returned to ffxi on a new character. previously I had played the game not too seriously, ending up in my 50s or so before deciding to try something else. On that character I didnt really have any intention of getting anywhere, but on this one I do and I want to do it right. A question that I have is how important is it to cap skills before one reaches 75? Recently I've become sort of anal retentive about being the best I can be at whatever I'm doing and I am interested in knowing how much I should concentrate on keeping my skills capped pre-75. If it helps any, I plan to level mostly mage jobs; Im currnetly debating on whether to take rdm or brd up first (I know brd isnt a mage, but I lump it in with the mages >.>). Also, if anyone can provide knowledge as to how to go about skilling up that would be fantastic.

I apologize for the long-windedness of this post and any constructive input you might have is very much appreciated

Thanks,

Maeru

[Balfree]

Re: How important is capping skills?

Of course you need to cap your skills, they are directly responsible for how well you can perform in battle.

No equipment will make up for the lack of skill levels unless you're very near the cap.

Just keep using your spells in battle and it will level up by itself.

[Maeru]

Re: How important is capping skills?

Of course you need to cap your skills, they are directly responsible for how well you can perform in battle.

No equipment will make up for the lack of skill levels unless you're very near the cap.

Just keep using your spells in battle and it will level up by itself.

Ok, one issue I see with this is level-sync. I guess for an easier time capping skills and a slightly longer leveling time it might be better to avoid level-syncing too far down?

[Armando]

Re: How important is capping skills?

Depends on the job. Many jobs have weapons that have no practical use for them. Combat skills for the weapons that are useful need to be kept, at the very least, close the cap (I'd say no more than 10 under the cap.) Other skills are Parry and Guard are almost impossible to cap on your way to 75 even if you actively use them, and only end up capping a loooooong time after you hit 75. Some magic skills are insanely situational; DRK can afford to neglect Elemental Magic because DRK will never nuke for worthwhile damage anyways. BLMs obviously can't neglect Elemental Magic. Likewise it's not important at all for PLD to keep Healing Skill capped because they can so easily max out their cures either way. PLD can also afford to fall a bit behind on shield skill because it won't make much of a difference in EXP.

You don't have to outright refuse Level Sync altogether. Just don't abuse it. If you know your weapon skill is already plenty behind the cap then don't accept yet another level sync party. Recap it or get a normal EXP party.

[Susurrus]

Re: How important is capping skills?

I wouldn't worry about healing or enhancing magic caps. Their skill doesn't seem to do much (see: people stupidly inviting SMN to main heal). They will cap over time but its probably not necessary to spam cast it in town or something.

Personally I found enhancing to always be very close to cap if not at cap while playing RDM. Healing magic didn't cap till I was 75 on both RDM and WHM for a while, though.

Also, mages don't NEED to cap weapons (and generally won't in exp parties), but it might be nice to do eventually in skill up parties or something. Usually this is more for wondering off by yourself and needing to hit something. If you're with your DD buddy, they'll gladly take care of hitting the enemy for ya.

Of order of importance for capping magic skills ("must have" ones are bolded):
RDM,SCH - Enfeebling, Elemental, Dark, Enhancing, Healing
WHM - Divine, Enfeebling, Enhancing, Healing
BLM - Elemental, Enfeebling, Dark, Enhancing
SMN - Summoning
BLU - Blue
NIN - Ninjutsu
BRD - Singing, Wind, Strings (Corrected due to Pavlyn)
PLD - Divine, Healing, Enhancing
DRK - Dark, Enfeebling, Elemental

[TheGrandMom]

Re: How important is capping skills?

Healing and enhancing should have been near cap or capped every damn level as a whm pre-level sync, imo. I had absolutely no problems doing so as I leveled my whm on my taru. I couldn't understand why a whm wouldn't have these capped since healing and regening are the two things you do nonstop as a whm.

Now with level sync, I see it much more often where people don't cap their magic skills. Get in skill up parties and use them. Go to besieged and use them. You can even do campaign even though you get exp. As a mage, it won't be much anyways. LOL It is important to cap your skills whether they be spell or combat. It makes you a better player and it helps the party be more efficient.

[Feenicks]

Re: How important is capping skills?

Healing and enhancing should have been near cap or capped every damn level as a whm pre-level sync, imo. I had absolutely no problems doing so as I leveled my whm on my taru. I couldn't understand why a whm wouldn't have these capped since healing and regening are the two things you do nonstop as a whm.

That's what I thought too, but it's surprisingly difficult since you so rarely get Healing skillups. I remember in my XP sessions from 70-75 I would consider myself lucky if I got three skillups in a 2-3hr session. Same goes for Enhancing, but that will cap easier because it caps much lower than Healing does.\

I would agree with most of Susurrus's list, except Summoning Magic skill is more important to SMN than people think. You need to have it capped so you can get above the cap with equipment and merits and have longer lasting buffs. You shouldn't have to actively skill it up on your own though - I levelled SMN after they introduced the potential to skill up from using Blood Pacts and I was only ever a few levels under the cap, all the way until 75.

But as everyone has said, skills are your lifeblood and should never be neglected in most cases.

[TheGrandMom]

Re: How important is capping skills?

That's what I thought too, but it's surprisingly difficult since you so rarely get Healing skillups. I remember in my XP sessions from 70-75 I would consider myself lucky if I got three skillups in a 2-3hr session. Same goes for Enhancing, but that will cap easier because it caps much lower than Healing does.

I have a 75 whm and shortly after I turned 75 both were capped, like they usually were throughout my career. Like I said, I leveled before level sync and can see how that might screw people up with skilling up.

[Feenicks]

Re: How important is capping skills?

Strange that you got them capped so quickly. WHM was my first job to 75 and pretty much for the first two years of my FFXI playtime I was doing nothing but healing, yet it refused to skill up. Must be luck.

[Nuriko]

Re: How important is capping skills?

I know that on WHM my Enhancing capped LONG before my Healing ... but then, I didn't like to use a heal if a regen would do the job.

[Ellipses]

Re: How important is capping skills?

It's not just Level Sync that's affected the rate at which magic skill ups happen. There are the bonuses to Signet, the XP bonus rings, XP scrolls and Campaign (if you use them), etc. It can seem like little stuff on its own, but it all adds up and means XP comes in faster than it used to. Less battles per level means less skill ups per level.

There's also the simple matter of party make-up and target mob. If you've got a back-up healer and/or a good tank, you won't be healing as much. If you're fighting something with enfeebles that aren't worth removing (or, pre-Erase, ones you can't remove), that's another mark against skill-ups.

And then, of course, PLs.

[TheGrandMom]

Re: How important is capping skills?

Must be luck.

Ya...luck....just my luck that I get lucky for something like THAT yet winning lots or getting drops from NM's I have horrible luck at! /sigh

[Feenicks]

Re: How important is capping skills?

Ya...luck....just my luck that I get lucky for something like THAT yet winning lots or getting drops from NM's I have horrible luck at! /sigh

That kind of luck is universal, I think you'll find!

[Pavlyn]

Re: How important is capping skills?

BRD - Singing, Wind, Strings (If someone corrects me on this one, they're probably right)

Wind should also be bolded here. Debuffs will have increased accuracy from capped skill and some buff songs will see bigger bonuses from higher wind skill. The best example of this is Minuet. Minuet's +att is determined by version of the spell (I, II, ...) and your combined singing + wind skill. It takes a lot of skill above the cap to see a big improvement, but i still think capping wind skill is super important. That being said, singing + wind should cap naturally since it is only rarely that you'll use a harp.

[eticket109]

Re: How important is capping skills?

Your two best friends for skilling magic are hpmedes and Beseiged. Between the two, you can cap magic a lot more easily than before. I love going to an undead beseiged and spamming Cure 1s on skeletons. Spamming Protect on the npcs can burn through enhancing skillups as well, as long as someone doesn't come by and Pro/Shell IV them. ><