WHM Hints and Tips

[csBahamut]

You do realize that paladin can't heal themselves in the combat with any regularity. They would get inturrupted time to time except when defensive skills kick in.

You would most likely either kill the pal or lower the effectiveness of pt a lot based on that. The pal would need to constantly waste time trying to cure, and thus not hitting the monster not doing ja and losing hate.

The most common tactic would be that when the pal gets the chance with timers they do flash follow by highest cure.

I don't know about the PLDs you've had for tanks, but I don't require flash to get in a Cure IV without being interrupted (on EXP mobs and every NM I've tanked so far). There's points in the casting time that you cannot be interrupted. Having those times appear at the same time that the mob attacks is how you make the spell not get intterupted. Also, the second and third attacks in double nd tripple attacks cannont interrupt casting. A PLD cannot cure anytime they want, that's the downfall. Unless the cure is timmed right, the spell will be interrupted, just as you said.

[kuu]

I don't know about the PLDs you've had for tanks, but I don't require flash to get in a Cure IV without being interrupted (on EXP mobs and every NM I've tanked so far). There's points in the casting time that you cannot be interrupted. Having those times appear at the same time that the mob attacks is how you make the spell not get intterupted. Also, the second and third attacks in double nd tripple attacks cannont interrupt casting.

Pld's tanks that have hard times that's what.

If you have regular safe pts, that's fine, but things don't work as well when you push it to the next level.

If you have regular non threatening pts, it's probably not the greatest xp you can achieve.

Taking crabs as a classic example. They are never good xp, just safe xp. If you fight crabs all through the time, you're missing out.

You're trying to predict the attack the instant it hits, It's harder then it looks when you got other things involved.

Try playing with flies with rangers. If you're a level 64 paladin you're almost to that point. They hit hard, WS hard, and leave you counting your flash timer, cover timer, ja timer, and when all in bad situations the handly earth staff.

As for the whm role, same ideal, it doesn't take much skill to cure, and sit if you have massive rest times.

Pushing it to higher levels is when things require teamwork.

[csBahamut]

I haven't touched crabs since the mid 50's. I tanked raptors in Valley of Sorrows, Perytons, Toramas in Onzozo(man, these guys were so easy to tank. About as easy as crabs), the Manticores in Onzozo(we killed too fast), and now Crawlers in Boyhda Tree. If anything was tough to time for cures, it's MNK types(have to be real precise, but that's not a problem for me), and the Doll NM for RDM AF3. That sucker spams sleep, stun, and knockback moves a lot. Still wasn't too much trouble. All these people keep saying "such-and-such is such a pain", or is "too hard." I have yet to run into that problem. My static BLM not nuking enough? Please, he'd run out of MP before he could pull it off me. I can keep an add being sleep repeated, on me while tanking the main mob we're fighting. Challenge, (| Can I have it? |) RNG? Psh. They have to use Sidewinder + Barrage back to back to turn that sucker.

[kuu]

Trying not to get into a who's better match here as that goes off topic and all sorts of nasty stuff.

It will only get harder for you. Unless you fight under your level, you'll see this if you get 120s on no chains. I'll wait till you try flies, it's hard to avoid them as it's the only thing around people shy away from.

As for the whm role, letting the paladin use up all his mp is not the best.
MP management is a party to party thing.

Oh yea don't shy away from curaga, since my mind is on flies. You quickly realized that cure3s are draining on them and gets your pt nowhere.

Curaga is usually safe after a SC.
Curaga2 is usually safe with AF after SC given if it's not in the begining of the battle.

It's very efficient as most stuff pass 50 have AoE.

P.S. If a sidewinder doesn't take hate away from you, I already have an idea of what you're upto. There are things to impove there. Hate isn't a bad thing, it's the balance that counts.

[GSDragoon]

Not to mention any smart RNG would get in the back for cover before doing such things.

[suzu]

Okay. Taru NIN tank vs mobs that can double attack, and also petrify/silence. I'm not going to chance it with the taru suddenly dying, even if the whole party's really good. Maybe you're in a good static where you don't have to worry so much. Don't assume that PTs I'm in can't make chain5 or be so cocky.

No wonder people think WHM have an easy ride up to 75. (when you're in competition with RDM and SMN.)

[csBahamut]

It will only get harder for you. Unless you fight under your level, you'll see this if you get 120s on no chains. I'll wait till you try flies, it's hard to avoid them as it's the only thing around people shy away from.

Weren't a big problem in CN, so I don't expect much trouble. I do expect things to keep getting harder. It wouldn't fun if it didn't.

Okay. Taru NIN tank vs mobs that can double attack, and also petrify/silence. I'm not going to chance it with the taru suddenly dying, even if the whole party's really good. Maybe you're in a good static where you don't have to worry so much. Don't assume that PTs I'm in can't make chain5 or be so cocky.

Well of course you won't like Toramas. Now that Bibiki Bay is viable exp, The Taru NIN tak could probably do a btter job there than I could. It's all about picking your fights properly, and fighting the mob in the best way. Each mob type needs to be approached differently.

Also, it's not always all about the chain 5's. It's quite possible to still get 5K exp/hr without chain 5's. Heck, 4K exp/hr is fine by me, as long as I'm enjoying myself. I don't care if it's possible to get 8K exp/hr. It becomes too much work-like to have to do that. This is a game for fun, and I intend to have fun.

P.S. I'm cocky because I know my limits.

[Rones]

Don't assume that PTs I'm in can't make chain5 or be so cocky.

Without resting during the fights I'm generally interested in how you manage this. If you aren't resting during the fights and getting chain 5s, that means you aren't resting between fights. So just where are you magically getting the mp for this? Rdm and brd support?

As well, there is a large difference between working with a nin tank and pld. Nin is so easy on the mp I find myself standing around with nearly full mp most of the time, so its really not an issue like it is with pld tanks. Most of the nins I have partied with had no problem with petrification or silence attacks. The chances of those statuses hitting exactly when there shadows go down and are needing to recast are slim (ignoring the fact that even if that does happen, standing up the whole fight is only speeding up the cure by 1 second). On top of this, most nin I have experience with have enough +evasion that they can do just fine without there shadows for 10-15 seconds, plenty of time for me to remove silence, etc. This becomes even more true 70+ when nin go up against VT mobs due to a lack of IT. I remember the 74 nin I partied with recently, he was going through about 1 ni per fight. :sweat:

(when you're in competition with RDM and SMN.)

Not much of a competition when both of those won't stop whining if someone tries to make them main heal. If I hear the line "Not what I'm meant for" from rdm or smn one more time....:sweat:

But that is sidetracking. The marginal speed gain in fixing status effects (situational depending on the mob anyway) pales to the loads of free mp you will gain by resting during combat while you aren't doing anything. I spend about 50-75% of fights resting up my mp during fights to make sure I don't cause any downtime. Unless you are up against something casting doom the status effects really aren't so bad that one extra second is going to hurt.

[suzu]

Did I say I didn't rest in between? You were saying WHM standing during the fight. Not through the whole EXPing session. I sit when the mob is about 15% and the PT looks like they're doing fine.

I wasn't calling you cocky, cs. Rones is just coming off very condescending. :3

And, arguing about this is as dumb as arguing theory fighter over #capcom and shoryuken.com. We can't see each other in action, and every situation is different.

[izu]

resting during fight is fine, as long as not much dmg is taken where the pld is getting overwhelmed... u also just need to know what the mob can do. I.E. sickle slash, silence, etc etc.. and be ready for them.

[suzu]

Originally posted by izu
resting during fight is fine, as long as not much dmg is taken where the pld is getting overwhelmed... u also just need to know what the mob can do. I.E. sickle slash, silence, etc etc.. and be ready for them.

See. Izuzu makes sense. If situation is good, then sitting is possible unless mp's near full anyway. I'm going by my experience, and most parties I've had as of late stress me out half of the time because the of the PLD's HP dropping. The taru tank I mentioned was only worried of Ladon one-shotting him. Stay up. Keep an eye out for certain attacks. Flash it in time.

[Rones]

Taru nin with Ladon is a very unique situation that I admit I don't even try to rest during. Ladon with any tank I stand throughout for that matter, however that usually makes for bad exp because I then cause downtime after a Ladon from not resting during the fight.

High stress parties is even more reason to squeeze in every tick of rest you possibly can. Assuming you utilize cure v combined with regen 3 properlly there should be no problem getting 1-2 ticks of rest in between each curing streak with a pld tank. To not rest during the fight means more resting between fights which hinders your ability to get higher and faster chains. This is one of the main techniques you learn from all those lvls of whm (or should have learned). It takes something of a balance between caution and efficiency. Standing the whole fight weighs too heavy on the cautiononary end and cuts into your possible efficioncy. While on the other end you have a mage that would rest at any time irregardless of the consequences which would be bad as well. Finding a balance is the key and that balance centralizes around resting during fights.

This is a really tempting time to run fraps as I believe it would better display just what I'm trying to discribe. Maybe after finals this week I can throw together a video to clarify.

[Naran]

Re: WHM Hints

LVling from 1-10 is tuff for a WHM i recomend using ash staff then ash pole at 5. Budget most money on spells. and good stafs or wands for casting. Armor is a distint third. Some tmes i buy food id next armor is not worth getting yet.......

Also be a nice person people dont like jerks watching there arses
:0 ): (: ):

[Jeev]

Re: Re: WHM Hints

Originally posted by Naran
LVling from 1-10 is tuff for a WHM i recomend using ash staff then ash pole at 5. Budget most money on spells. and good stafs or wands for casting. Armor is a distint third. Some tmes i buy food id next armor is not worth getting yet.......

I dont agree.. i would put spells first, then get a wand staves aren't really as useful as wands because they only add about 2+ hp/mp wands on the other hand give boosts to mind and int, which is much more useful

[Muu Yi]

Re: WHM Hints and Tips

My fastest way to level White Mage (Or any job for that matter) from 1-10 is to sub Monk and use your bare hands as weapons. With Martial Arts I and no hand-to-hand weapon adding to your attack delay you have an attack speed of 300. This is comparable to most clubs, except that you hit /twice/ per round... nearly doubling your melee damage. Eat +str food to make your attacks even more damaging, my preferred one was grilled hare. Drink milk to give yourself regen or juice to refresh yourself and cure as necessary. Resting for HP or MP should only be necessary roughly once every 20 minutes.

At level 5 or 6 you should be able to use Combo. Combo is probably the strongest level 10 weapon skill as it is the only one that has the ability to hit 3 times, and anyone can use it as long as their hand-to-hand skill is above 10. Defeating Even Match is possible if you have enough TP (Around 200-250%) but it is not recommended to try to chain Even Match once you obtain Combo. Chaining Even Match is actually more possible to do at level 1 or 2, my record being chain 3 with White Mage/Monk. Good Defensive equipment is also a must to further eliminate downtime. Lvl 9 Compound Eye Circlet can really help out your survival with its +5 evasion as well even if you are Elvaan. I used this method on both my Mithra main and my Elvaan mule with similar results although Mithra tended to actually do more damage with Combo surprisingly. Using this soloing method, it takes me about 3 hours of conservative soloing competing with other people for same mobs to level from 1-10 not including trips back to town to sell extra items, update equipment/spells, and re-stock on milk/juice. This was before the exp patch so it may go even faster now than before. This technique is also another strong reason for everyone to pick Monk as their starting job so they can cap their hand-to-hand and guarding skill for other jobs they with to level from level 1-10.

Once you start to party, try to be MP efficient. Do not use Cure II as soon as you obtain it if at all possible, keep casting Cure I instead it is much more MP efficient and you will generate less hate for yourself. As you use up your MP, switch your +MP equipment over to +Evasion, but try not to switch out any armor that gives significant +Mnd stats. You will improve your chances of avoiding area attacks by increasing your evasion. This works better at lower levels but it can be useful. At mid-20's I would switch to +Evasion earrings (Replaces my +MP earrings), Compound Eye Circlet (Replaces +MP hairpin), and the cape that gives +3 evasion (Replaced Mist Silk Cape) for a total of +14 evasion. The result being that I evaded 75% of Mandragora's Dream Flower attack and was thus able to wake up other party members more quickly. It can also allow you to dodge an attack or two if you should somehow accidentally overshoot your tank's hate. Make a Macro to switch all of your equipment back and set yourself to healing.

I've found that + MP Regen food are more efficient than +Max MP food from level 1-38. The ones I used were Ginger Cookies, as I can create new ones using my Dream Hat +1. Although Cinna Cookies may work as well. They stack up to 99 and last a few minutes. Use them immediately before or after the battle ends and begin healing, it will add +5 to your MP regen /tic of healing. If timed well you should only run out of MP if your party is brave and attempts to go past chain 4 or chain 5. Learn to make juice if that is the case and bring the stackable ingredients with you. Juice and food can be used at the same time for even more MP regeneration. Tell your party members that after each chain of experience you need to stop and craft juice. If they want your MP to last longer for more exp they'll listen to you.

Use Divine Seal often, and use it offensively as well as to increase cure effectiveness. If you are in a competent or at least relatively safe party where the tank is keeping a firm hold on hate and they are not taking a whole lot of damage, do not be afraid to cast Divine Seal + Banish. If you can convince your party to create a Fusion, Transfixion, or Light skillchain you can even do some impressive nuking with Banish. The sooner you use Divine Seal the sooner the 10 minute recast timer is reset and you can use it again. Banish has been greatly increased in effectiveness and also temporarily lowers the mob's defense which helps your melee to defeat it faster.

Curaga can be cast on other party members, if during battle you thank that by casting Curaga you will receive hate, stand at a distance from the mob and cast it. It will give you a bit of time to run around and make an attempt at kiting the mob (If you switched your equipment over to +evasion like I recommended you'll do even better at kiting) This also gives your tank time for their Provoke to be able to be recasted so that they can reestablish more hate than you.

Make liberal use of the <stpc> pronoun in macros. In particular /ma "Cure" <stpc> is handy as it lets you select which party member to cure by hitting the key assigned to their position in the party and then hitting confirm to actually cast the spell. Or if you notice that your Paladin tank is casting Cure on themselves you can wait for them to finish casting and take a little damage before confirming to cast on them. Also, if there are multiple members in the party who can cast the same spell, you can add in a notification line immediately after that looks like this: /p Cure on <lastst>. This will let your party know that you have begun casting on someone and warn them from casting the same spell, I set it for my more powerful Cures as lower leveled Cures do not waste too much MP if over-casted. The <stpc> pronoun is also good for party buffs, particularly the ever popular {Gather Together} {Protectra} {Shellra} Macro. You can put them both into one Macro without using /wait lines because the <stpc> pronoun will cause the macro to wait for your confirmation before proceeding to the next line. If your puller is not in camp, you can position yourself so that you can hit them with the buff as they're running in and wait for them to arrive before confirming to cast.

If you are subbing Black Mage after level 30, also make use of Elemental Seal. I primarily use it to stick important enfeebles like Paralyze or Slow, but if there's another mage casting enfeebles I'll actually use it to Magic Burst instead. I average 40 damage on Elemental Seal + Magic Bursts. As long as you aren't heavily resisted for some reason it is an efficient use of MP and it impresses people that you are paying attention enough to actually time Magic Bursts properly. Plus the roar of sound you achieve when more than one mage casts in synchronization is rather enjoyable.