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A long time ago, back on Alla, Truls wrote a fantastic guide on how to solo the Brygid the Stylist Returns quest. Having just completed this, I thought I'd post how to obtain an Ophiuchus Subligar. This is based on Truls' original work, along with my own experiences; I don't claim any credit for the original work.
The subligar you need drops from Fomor Beastmasters (and only Beastmasters) in Phomiuna Aquaducts and Sacrarium (the Fomor in other areas won't drop it). You need to be on at least CoP mission 2-3 in order to get access to Phomiuna Aquaducts. Although Sacrarium is also a valid place to go hunt, I don't have access there yet. Phomiuna Aquaducts is a level 40 cap area and has one suitable Fomor spawn. If you have any Fomor hate, make sure you clear it before you go in.
I went as /WHM, forgoing my usual /RDM, so I could use Blink. /NIN would also work. You'll need Sneak in some form.
I wore Mithra RSE, used standard charming gear, including the Monster Signa I went and bought after getting annoyed at mischarming (I switched to attack gear for the fighting) and ate Tuna Sushi. Get as much +CHR as you can, you'll need it (I was at 40+33 CHR).
Also worth taking along are:
Pet Food Zeta - for healing your pet.
Hi Potions - for healing yourself.
MP regen juice - for healing yourself if you run out of MP and have been inflicted with Drain.
Reraise Scroll/Earring - because if you're anything like me, you will die.
Warp Scroll/Cudgel - for making a speedy and safe exit.
The entrance to Phomiuna Aquaducts is in the lower level of Tavnazian Stringhold. You gain entry by clicking on the door and confirming entry. You don't need to have obtained the map in game, but it's well worth printing out. Slimes will aggro sound, Tauruses/Stegataurs have true sight (directly in front) and bats, pugils and diremites won't aggro (although bats link).
First job is to find yourself a pet. There are two Oil Spills which will spawn either VT or IT and are perfect for the job. These can be found at G/H-8 of this map. It's quite a trek to get there if you don't know your way around. Cast Sneak, but don't use your food/Reraise item just yet.
Follow the waterway around to the right until you get to the circular room at G-7. On the far side of this room is a ladder, which you climb by clicking on, confirming, and getting a short cut scene. To get to the ladder, you need to get past three DC Tauruses with True Sight. Wait till you have a clear path and run through.
Once at the top of the ladder, carry on along the corridor, recast Sneak if you need to and take a left at the T-junction. Go through the room with the Gloop in and continue until you get to a ladder heading down into a large rectangular room. For those using ffxi-atlas, you should have passed through point B.
Have a look into the room before you head down (just run straight off to get down). There are three Stegataurs in this room - one on the central bridge and one along each of the long edges. You're heading to the waterway just ahead (G-9), so make sure the bottom of the ladder is clear and hug the wall to the right.
Just along from here is where you'll find an Oil Spill. Cast Blink/Utusemi, use your food and Reraise item and take a deep breath. Make sure the exit to the steg room is clear, get as far away from the Oil Spill as you can to Charm and start running the moment the Charm animation starts (using an equipment swap macro to give you slightly more time helps too).
If you mischarm, run back along the waterway towards the ladder; hopefully the Oil Spill will lose aggro just before you pop out into the steg room. Recast buffs as needed and wait for respawn. There is a second Oil Spill just a liittle further on from the first that you can try to Charm if you don't want to wait, but the respawn time is pretty quick.
This may take you some time. You may die. Don't get frustrated, be patient and eventually Charm will stick. Remember that Darksday is the worst day for charming, so if you find yourself on Darksday and having problems, it may be worth waiting until Firesday.
If you Charm sucessfully first time, then congratulations. I died five times here...
When you Charm your Oil Spill, don't forget to hit Familiar. Don't worry if you get a VT rather than an IT - I did and it wasn't a problem, although I didn't get hit with Drain (see below). If you feel confident, hold out for an IT if you like.
The room with the Fomor Beastmaster is at the opposite corner of the steg room, at D/E-11/12. Getting past the Stegataurs is similar to the Tauruses you had to pass earlier, although I found it much easier. Although they have True Sight, the range they can see really is just straight ahead, and the paths are quite wide.
If you do get aggroed, don't panic. They are IT and have a nasty Doom attack called Mortal Ray (info here), but your pet (or a jug pet if you get aggro before Charming) can hold one off for 30 seconds so you can log out or Warp. Don't stop and fight it, just get out (although some people are lucky and have sucessfully fought one without it using Mortal Ray, but it's very risky).
Once past the Stegataurs, head left into the Fomor room. There are four Fomors and two Hell Bats here and there may also be an NM called Eba (acts like a regular Fomor, only much harder - don't take this one on solo). While nothing here will aggro you just now, and the Fomors don't link, the Hell Bats may link with the Fomor Beastmaster's pet bat. If you feel confident that you can pull the Beastmaster to the far tunnel (there's just a diremite in there, so it's safe for fighting in) then ignore the bats. If you can't get a clean pull (which you have to be pretty lucky to get), then play it safe and take out one or both of the Hell Bats first.
Put up any buffs that you need and take a deep breath.
Set your pet to fight the Fomor Bat, pull bat and Fomor to the far tunnel and then attack the bat yourself. The Fomor Beastmaster will attack your pet and keep taking hate, so keep repeating the Fight command on the bat. Once the bat is dead, which should only take a few hits, start on the Beastmaster.
The most potent attack the Beastmaster has is an AoE Drown, which knocks off 15hp/tick and can take up to 600hp (this is why you may need pots and/or juices). He also has a tp cancelling move - if you use your WS as soon as you get to 100tp this shouldn't bother you - and some other moves which were pet only and didn't seem to do much.
Use pet food when the timer is up but don't use Sic if there are any other mobs in the vicinity. An angry diremite joining in will not be fun.
If the subligar doesn't drop first time, you may have enough time left on Familiar to use this pet again. The Fomor will respawn after 14 minutes - when I did this, I had almost 20 minutes left. It will respawn without its pet, which will make things much easier. Note that from now on, you will have Fomor hate and the other Fomor in the area will aggro you, detecting via sound and low hp. If you stay in the tunnel while you wait and use Sneak while you pull, you'll be fine.
After the second battle, you won't have enough time left to reuse your pet again; Leave it or Warp straight out. In the time before Familiar is available again, it may be worth nipping out to Lufaise Meadows to reset your Fomor hate, or you can just log out for a while.
Once your subligar drops (I was lucky and got mine on the second kill), Warp out and head back to Bastok to hand it over to Brygid to get your Gaudy Harness. You may want to reset Fomor hate on the way (see link above). Congratulate yourself on a job well done and try not to be too disturbed by Brygid's comment. Also remember that you can equip a Gaudy Harness from level 50. When I did this, I delevelled from 52 and forgot that I could wear it. I had it in my inventory for a good 10 minutes before I remembered.
The subligar you need drops from Fomor Beastmasters (and only Beastmasters) in Phomiuna Aquaducts and Sacrarium (the Fomor in other areas won't drop it). You need to be on at least CoP mission 2-3 in order to get access to Phomiuna Aquaducts. Although Sacrarium is also a valid place to go hunt, I don't have access there yet. Phomiuna Aquaducts is a level 40 cap area and has one suitable Fomor spawn. If you have any Fomor hate, make sure you clear it before you go in.
I went as /WHM, forgoing my usual /RDM, so I could use Blink. /NIN would also work. You'll need Sneak in some form.
I wore Mithra RSE, used standard charming gear, including the Monster Signa I went and bought after getting annoyed at mischarming (I switched to attack gear for the fighting) and ate Tuna Sushi. Get as much +CHR as you can, you'll need it (I was at 40+33 CHR).
Also worth taking along are:
Pet Food Zeta - for healing your pet.
Hi Potions - for healing yourself.
MP regen juice - for healing yourself if you run out of MP and have been inflicted with Drain.
Reraise Scroll/Earring - because if you're anything like me, you will die.
Warp Scroll/Cudgel - for making a speedy and safe exit.
The entrance to Phomiuna Aquaducts is in the lower level of Tavnazian Stringhold. You gain entry by clicking on the door and confirming entry. You don't need to have obtained the map in game, but it's well worth printing out. Slimes will aggro sound, Tauruses/Stegataurs have true sight (directly in front) and bats, pugils and diremites won't aggro (although bats link).
First job is to find yourself a pet. There are two Oil Spills which will spawn either VT or IT and are perfect for the job. These can be found at G/H-8 of this map. It's quite a trek to get there if you don't know your way around. Cast Sneak, but don't use your food/Reraise item just yet.
Follow the waterway around to the right until you get to the circular room at G-7. On the far side of this room is a ladder, which you climb by clicking on, confirming, and getting a short cut scene. To get to the ladder, you need to get past three DC Tauruses with True Sight. Wait till you have a clear path and run through.
Once at the top of the ladder, carry on along the corridor, recast Sneak if you need to and take a left at the T-junction. Go through the room with the Gloop in and continue until you get to a ladder heading down into a large rectangular room. For those using ffxi-atlas, you should have passed through point B.
Have a look into the room before you head down (just run straight off to get down). There are three Stegataurs in this room - one on the central bridge and one along each of the long edges. You're heading to the waterway just ahead (G-9), so make sure the bottom of the ladder is clear and hug the wall to the right.
Just along from here is where you'll find an Oil Spill. Cast Blink/Utusemi, use your food and Reraise item and take a deep breath. Make sure the exit to the steg room is clear, get as far away from the Oil Spill as you can to Charm and start running the moment the Charm animation starts (using an equipment swap macro to give you slightly more time helps too).
If you mischarm, run back along the waterway towards the ladder; hopefully the Oil Spill will lose aggro just before you pop out into the steg room. Recast buffs as needed and wait for respawn. There is a second Oil Spill just a liittle further on from the first that you can try to Charm if you don't want to wait, but the respawn time is pretty quick.
This may take you some time. You may die. Don't get frustrated, be patient and eventually Charm will stick. Remember that Darksday is the worst day for charming, so if you find yourself on Darksday and having problems, it may be worth waiting until Firesday.
If you Charm sucessfully first time, then congratulations. I died five times here...
When you Charm your Oil Spill, don't forget to hit Familiar. Don't worry if you get a VT rather than an IT - I did and it wasn't a problem, although I didn't get hit with Drain (see below). If you feel confident, hold out for an IT if you like.
The room with the Fomor Beastmaster is at the opposite corner of the steg room, at D/E-11/12. Getting past the Stegataurs is similar to the Tauruses you had to pass earlier, although I found it much easier. Although they have True Sight, the range they can see really is just straight ahead, and the paths are quite wide.
If you do get aggroed, don't panic. They are IT and have a nasty Doom attack called Mortal Ray (info here), but your pet (or a jug pet if you get aggro before Charming) can hold one off for 30 seconds so you can log out or Warp. Don't stop and fight it, just get out (although some people are lucky and have sucessfully fought one without it using Mortal Ray, but it's very risky).
Once past the Stegataurs, head left into the Fomor room. There are four Fomors and two Hell Bats here and there may also be an NM called Eba (acts like a regular Fomor, only much harder - don't take this one on solo). While nothing here will aggro you just now, and the Fomors don't link, the Hell Bats may link with the Fomor Beastmaster's pet bat. If you feel confident that you can pull the Beastmaster to the far tunnel (there's just a diremite in there, so it's safe for fighting in) then ignore the bats. If you can't get a clean pull (which you have to be pretty lucky to get), then play it safe and take out one or both of the Hell Bats first.
Put up any buffs that you need and take a deep breath.
Set your pet to fight the Fomor Bat, pull bat and Fomor to the far tunnel and then attack the bat yourself. The Fomor Beastmaster will attack your pet and keep taking hate, so keep repeating the Fight command on the bat. Once the bat is dead, which should only take a few hits, start on the Beastmaster.
The most potent attack the Beastmaster has is an AoE Drown, which knocks off 15hp/tick and can take up to 600hp (this is why you may need pots and/or juices). He also has a tp cancelling move - if you use your WS as soon as you get to 100tp this shouldn't bother you - and some other moves which were pet only and didn't seem to do much.
Use pet food when the timer is up but don't use Sic if there are any other mobs in the vicinity. An angry diremite joining in will not be fun.
If the subligar doesn't drop first time, you may have enough time left on Familiar to use this pet again. The Fomor will respawn after 14 minutes - when I did this, I had almost 20 minutes left. It will respawn without its pet, which will make things much easier. Note that from now on, you will have Fomor hate and the other Fomor in the area will aggro you, detecting via sound and low hp. If you stay in the tunnel while you wait and use Sneak while you pull, you'll be fine.
After the second battle, you won't have enough time left to reuse your pet again; Leave it or Warp straight out. In the time before Familiar is available again, it may be worth nipping out to Lufaise Meadows to reset your Fomor hate, or you can just log out for a while.
Once your subligar drops (I was lucky and got mine on the second kill), Warp out and head back to Bastok to hand it over to Brygid to get your Gaudy Harness. You may want to reset Fomor hate on the way (see link above). Congratulate yourself on a job well done and try not to be too disturbed by Brygid's comment. Also remember that you can equip a Gaudy Harness from level 50. When I did this, I delevelled from 52 and forgot that I could wear it. I had it in my inventory for a good 10 minutes before I remembered.
/NIN worked better for me, but thats just my 2c.
. Two days after I got mine, 5 of my linkshell went subligar hunting and had a blast - I was xping in Quicksand Caves for the first time in months (had several months off the game for convoluted reasons, only just getting back into it) and had to settle for encouraging them from afar. I had posted up a picture walkthrough on our ls forum, and I think they were envious of my shiny white panties.
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