Back after 3 years. (Help me out!)

[Coinspinner]

So, having quit shortly after CoP was released, I came back to FFXI for WotG. I need help with a few things.

1: The way BLM is played has changed. I used to solo EM-VT for fun and staff skillup, but never thought about efficiency. I've never been in a manaburn party either. I'd really appreciate tips on things like tactics, food, equipment, and campsites.

2: I need money. I logged in to find I was decently geared but had given away almost all my gil. Between finishing BLM and leveling SCH I will need a few hundred-thousand for spells alone. I read a lot of suggestions that BLM should farm "big game", things melee struggle with but BLM excel at, but these come from lvl 75 BLM. Is there something like that that a 69 BLM could handle? Also, which xNM fights are good for BLM?

That, and I just don't know what's important for me to do.

Sky: No

CoP: Haven't set foot inside a Promyvion.

TAU: Opened the runic portals and did "Lure of the Wildcat" for all nations. Nothing else, and IS = 0.

WotG: Became a Cobra.

[Sabaron]

Re: Back after 3 years. (Help me out!)

You should definitely consider doing all of the storylines. In my opinion, that's FFXI's best feature. The content in this game is a lot better than most popular MMORPGs.

As far as money goes, craft is probably the best bet still, but consult www.FFXIAH.com's BCNM list for the best ways to spend your seals. Keep in mind that it doesn't take into account the rarity of each drop, just the "average item value". Mostly you'll want to stick with Under Observation and Up In Arms for BCNM and the rather uninteresting but easily manaburnable Operation Desert Swarm for KSNM.

There's also new HELM areas to explore if you're adventurous and have the necessary skills.

A good portion of the craftbots and scrollwarpers have been destroyed and they're hard to make so they don't grow back very well making the markets much less competitive. On the negative side, assets are down and currency is up--meaning that your "stuff" is worth less and your gil is worth more--what might have been a small horde is now much more valuable on most servers.

[Coinspinner]

Re: Back after 3 years. (Help me out!)

You should definitely consider doing all of the storylines. In my opinion, that's FFXI's best feature. The content in this game is a lot better than most popular MMORPGs.

The very reason I came back! But I don't want to join a party and have to tell them I don't have access to some place so I'd like to prioritize.

www.FFXIAH.com

That's the greatest website ever made.

There's also new HELM areas to explore if you're adventurous and have the necessary skills.

I keep wishing I had leveled a craft even a little. I got to 10 cooking but having to research all the prices manually and then try to log in on the correct day was too much for me. Now though, I have Windowed mode and way better online resources, so maybe I could get my crafts at least high enough to augment HELM this time.

craftbots and scrollwarpers

What are those? Craftbot I can guess.

[Sabaron]

Re: Back after 3 years. (Help me out!)

The scrollwarping thing was ugly yet short-lived. Gilsellers would create a bunch of dudes, have them go do all the rare scroll quests (e.g. Aspir, Drain, Blaze Spikes, Sleepga II, Warp, Warp II, Teleport-*, Ninja scrolls), and then sell them en-masse. I used the term "warp" because they were suspected to use warp hacks to do the quests very quickly and deliver fame items--It could be done without warp hack with a "train" but that would be very inefficient. They used a single point-of-sales mule to move the scrolls via the AH, therefore arousing suspicion when people started to notice "IsellGilzABAZ" sold the last 14 Warp II scrolls. SE changed the requirements for receiving the scrolls to make it unpalatable to to the GS.

[Taskmage]

Re: Back after 3 years. (Help me out!)

Scrollwarpers would be referring to people who used pos hacks to quickly repeatedly do scroll quests like Warp and the teleports on a parade of level 1 mules.

Blm solo exp guide 19-75: http://ffxi.allakhazam.com/db/jobs.h...43140656968310

As for money, you might try finding someone to duo avatars with you. It's a lot of globetrotting but otherwise an easy 80k a day without the hassle of going through the auction house.

[Coinspinner]

Re: Back after 3 years. (Help me out!)

I used to melee farm battalia for 25k an hour or so, part AH money from the skins and mistletoe, and part NPC money from the fangs and dryad roots. It made me want to tear my hair out back then but it doesn't sound so bad now. I am hoping to find better though.

What class would I duo avatars with? RDM/NIN? I sold my Utsusemi Ichi scroll. So I'm in a bit of trouble if I need reliable shadows. x_x

[Taskmage]

Re: Back after 3 years. (Help me out!)

What class would I duo avatars with? RDM/NIN? I sold my Utsusemi Ichi scroll. So I'm in a bit of trouble if I need reliable shadows. x_x

If your enhancing skill is good, anyone that can take a hit will work—nin, pld, rdm, war, blu ... Avatars aren't really hard to tank, but you need to do everything to can to keep their astral flow from oneshotting you. If your enhancing skill is say 175+ that's probably good enough. Just keep the appropriate barelement and barstatus on them and stay at max range the rest of the time. There's a bend in the path about halfway to the avatar that'll let you get some vertical distance between you to avoid AoEs. If your tank has to buff themselves, rdm/nin and pld/rdm are your best bets. Heh, a whm/nin with appropriate gear and skill levels would probably work too.

[Coinspinner]

Re: Back after 3 years. (Help me out!)

My enhancing is exactly 175, heh. Thank you.

[Clever Ninja]

Re: Back after 3 years. (Help me out!)

If you sold your Ichi scroll you're eventually gonna have to buy it back if you get your old character back <_<. If you have any hopes of leveling NIN, which in today's FFXI means a very high chance since it makes a very versatile sub.

For money making, on top of crafting and BCNMing there is also the tele-taxi option. People constantly need to be teleported and you can make a respectable amount of gil/hour depending on your competition. I've had friends make 50k+ an hour since they didn't have to fight alot of people for the invites and some hours just have lots of people needing warps. And doing warps from Jeuno is still a good idea sometimes since some people still reside there(apparently >_>).