Enfeebling?

[Rodin]

Okay, I don't know if it's me, or if I've been getting n00b parties. I have the urge to start enfeebling when a mob is brought back to camp (after healing the puller.) I start casting Dia, Paralyze, Slow, etc. Most of these parties have told me to NOT ENFEEBLE. I told them that it helps me, since if the mob is paralyzed, it hits less, and it makes the battle go faster. They say that the MP I have should be used for healing. I tell them that I'm experienced, this is my second character, and I played the beta test, so I've been around for a while. They say something out of the freaking STRATEGY GUIDE!!!!!!! That I shouldn't be enfeebling. They say that Red Mages should be the only one enfeebling. I say, then get a damn RDM in the party. For some reason RDM's are hard to find in Qufim nowadays on Rag. Should I just drop the party when they start saying that I shouldn't be enfeebling, or should I listen to them and be the cure bitch? Sorry if this is a n00b rant or seems like I"m flaming somebody, but shouldn't there be some kind of training for FFXI, kind of like Star Wars Galaxies?

[Darkedge]

Heh from 23 or so until 30 there was a huge lack of RDMs, and I was sometimes the only mage in the party. My enfeebling skill was capped for a while.

If youre having problems with this, as soon as you join a party and there is no RDM, tell the party that you will be enfeebling, also for lvl 21 you're better off with Regen than CureIII if you can't grab both. I didn't use Cure3 until 30 or so.

[Rodin]

Heh, thanks, I'll be getting both Cure III and Regen, I'm currently farming 60k for Shellra, Protect II, Protectra II, Regen, Cure III, Raise, and a Holy Phial. Then I'll be doing quests for fame for tele scrolls when I hit 25-30. I can't stand the noobs in qufim anymore. I'm starting to wonder if it's time for a set party (-_-

[Laehn]

I enfeebled all the way up to the 40's as my whm and did fine. You wont have many if any problems at all enfeebling at least into the late 30's. The difference in skill doesnt make a real large difference till later in the game between rdm, blm, and whm.

[Rodin]

So should I be enfeebling, or not even bother leveling the skill and be the Cure Bitch? I'm not sure if I'm right and I should cap enfeebling, or just Cure the whole time.

[Silkiv]

Those people are obviously newbies.

It may not seem like a big deal now but when a creature like a pugil misses a screwdriver since you lowered it's accuracy by casting blind it will become clear how nice enfeebles are.

Now that is one of many examples where spending mp on enfeebles can lower the amount of cure2 and cure3 you would cast to remedy the situation. And even if the mp ended up being the same enfeebles would be the better choice since they would generate less hate than trying to save the tank from death.

[Lauranthalasa]

Personally I like it when the WHM or BLM in the party helps me out with enfeebles. It spreads out the MP usage more, and since I'm losing a lot of MP refreshing party members, it lets me go a little longer before a Convert is necessary. Its been said before, but Enfeebling saves you MP in the long run. They're not expensive spells, MP-wise.

[Rodin]

Thanks for all of your replies, now I have to go and catch up on about five levels of enfeebling skill.....damn noobs and their strategy guide.

[Rones]

Keep some mnd+ gear handy and always make sure someone in the party is doing paralyze, slow, dia. I still enfeeble effectivly at 66 despite being ~25 skill points behind rdms enfeebling thanks to my +35 mnd. I never ran into that wall many talk about where the whm is unable to enfeeble anymore (except when I'm 3+ lvls behind the average party lvl). As for it not being mp efficient.... paralyze is only 6 mp and can block 4-8 attacks that would have cost me an extra 150 mp to cure. They are just foolish and the strategy guide is worthless for the most part (lmao @ its pld/whm recommendation).

Of course, if there is a rdm in the party, you usually want to leave paralyze and slow to him, but might ask him if you can do dia since it always hit and is good for skilling up.

[Rodin]

I'm good with the +MND gear. I have Justice Badge (Holy Phial in five levels.) Yew Wand, Zealot's mitts, +2 MND ring, and the Friar's rope. PLD/WHM ONLY FOR RAISING WHEN NOT IN A PARTY!!!!! Someone tell Bradygames that.

[Zaleshea]

Originally posted by Rones
Keep some mnd+ gear handy and always make sure someone in the party is doing paralyze, slow, dia. I still enfeeble effectivly at 66 despite being ~25 skill points behind rdms enfeebling thanks to my +35 mnd. I never ran into that wall many talk about where the whm is unable to enfeeble anymore (except when I'm 3+ lvls behind the average party lvl). As for it not being mp efficient.... paralyze is only 6 mp and can block 4-8 attacks that would have cost me an extra 150 mp to cure. They are just foolish and the strategy guide is worthless for the most part (lmao @ its pld/whm recommendation).

Of course, if there is a rdm in the party, you usually want to leave paralyze and slow to him, but might ask him if you can do dia since it always hit and is good for skilling up.

Omg Rones. You know how many DUMBASS HIGH LEVEL whms have said mnd is useless?!

I look at your post and say "No shit, didnt I try to tell those fools though. >____> But they know EVERYTHING."

At best I could afford +14MND. And it really helped for all the times I would cast enfeebles. and I do it occasionally if possible. I dont listen to others in pt about what I should primarily be doing cause I played it long enough to :trust: my style. And not every got darn RDM in the party will enfeeble.

[Lauranthalasa]

As a 'got darn RDM' that likes to Enfeeble, I just want to say I can't wait for the MP cut on Dia II in the expansion. Maybe I'll start casting it instead of asking the WHM to do so.

[cavill]

If there is no RDM, you definately should be using Paralyze and Slow.
If there is no RDM and your melee are almost dead, healing them takes priority over enfeebling.
If there is a RDM, you must heal and use bar.... spells.

I dont mind having no RDM in my parties, of course if there is a BRD To replace the RDM, it just means i can skill up my enfeebling skill :-)

[Karinya]

As a RDM, I'd say that WHMs can enfeeble just fine at all levels I have seen so far (1-54), if they aren't behind in level and if they keep up in MND gear.

A lot of WHMs switch out more and more MND gear for +max MP, which I think is very overrated (+max MP only really helps you once when you join the party, or when you have enforced downtime like if someone died or you have to replace a pt member; any other time, the more MP you use before resting, the longer you have to rest as a result). If you do this, you are likely to have trouble enfeebling.

Also, if your level is 2+ levels below the highest level character in party, you'll have trouble doing *anything* that's affected by evasion or resistance; this problem isn't limited to WHM, but people are more likely to invite a WHM regardless of level because they are still useful doing heals and buffs.

WHM responsibilities in rough order of importance:
1. Cures. Duh.
2. Status heal (paralyna, blindna, etc.) Erase if you have it. Know what special attacks cause what status (or eraseable effect) and get ready as soon as you see the monster start readying the special.
3. Buffs (protect, shell, regen, haste, bar-whatever). Second best enhancer in the game after BRD, and WHM buffs stack with BRD buffs, so use both if you have a bard in party. At higher levels WHM/SMN can use their summons' buffs too (aerial armor, earthen ward).
4. Non-combat support spells - raise, teleports.
5. Enfeebles - usually if no RDM, or sometimes taking 1-2 while the RDM does the rest.
6. Magic burst - if it's a compatible skillchain and you have nothing better to do. Don't magic burst with your BLM sj beyond level 20 or so, it will just be resisted because of low elemental skill.
7. Melee - hardly ever in an exp party. Never against mobs with nasty AOEs (antican, weapon, yagudo, goblin, ghost, skeleton, fly, mandragora, monkey...)

Basically the main role is #1-3: keep everyone else in the party alive and fighting at their full potential as much as possible. But keep this in mind: the worst WHMs I have ever seen were the ones who wouldn't cast any spell without "Cure" in the name. WHM's buffs are very powerful and useful, and their enfeebles are good unless someone who is better at them casts them instead. And *any* other WHM spell has less hate than a Cure3/Cure4. Don't listen to people who don't understand the WHM job, even if they are high level whms (you can coast a LONG way as a WHM so high level is no guarantee of skill).

[lionx]

6. Magic burst - if it's a compatible skillchain and you have nothing better to do. Don't magic burst with your BLM sj beyond level 20 or so, it will just be resisted because of low elemental skill.

On right mobs and good days...i can sometimes hit 110ish with Blizzard Burst..could be taru high INT or whatever...usually it is resisted, but sometimes when i do it it doesnt get resisted that much..o.o