The utility equivalence of a level 75 blm/whm in FFXI is about as good as that of a 65 EQ Wizard with a ~level 50 cleric rolled into one (with the exception of complete heal, as there is no analog in FFXI). You get reasonable patchup heals, a few decent buffs, all but one of the status cures, etc.
Also, because of the way MP regens in FFXI, playing a caster is fundamentally different than in EQ. There is no cast-med cycle, per se; there's no point in sitting down during battle most of the time because it takes 20 seconds to even start regenerating MP. Outside of bard ballads, red mage refresh, and very high level gear, there is no "standing" mana regen, so MP management is very important.
Melee, in general, are about the same as EQ classes; casters in FFXI, however, are an entirely different animal. Like all MMOs, though, it doesn't take more than a few levels of grouping to get the hang of it.
Also, because of the way MP regens in FFXI, playing a caster is fundamentally different than in EQ. There is no cast-med cycle, per se; there's no point in sitting down during battle most of the time because it takes 20 seconds to even start regenerating MP. Outside of bard ballads, red mage refresh, and very high level gear, there is no "standing" mana regen, so MP management is very important.
Melee, in general, are about the same as EQ classes; casters in FFXI, however, are an entirely different animal. Like all MMOs, though, it doesn't take more than a few levels of grouping to get the hang of it.
Comment