Few questions from a new White Mage

[Yoko-Shiva]

Re: Few questions from a new White Mage

i have a level 62 White Mage and it should go up fast and stay up once you start healing in partys ^^

[Firewind]

Re: Few questions from a new White Mage

I got BLM to Lv8 today then repeatedly levelled down then up between 7 and 8 before turning off the game. The cause of death is always one or more of the following things:

1) Running out of MP and being killed while healing
2) Aggro while fighting. Not links, I'm talking about Orcs joining a fight with a sheep. What is then even worse is if the sheep and/or Orc then links (happened to me twice, nothing I could do since I couldn't zone).
3) Running out of MP, having to melee and getting killed as BLM's can't melee to save their lives.
4) Getting constantly interrupted because Bind failed or didn't last long enough.

I've tried just about everything, Bind and Nuke but that chews through MP, just sitting there and nuking but that uses more MP. Dia, Poison and melee with a pole but then I always end up having to spam cure through the whole battle and finish with next to no HP and MP. Getting this class to Lv10 is going to be a pain nevermind 37.

I am tempted to sub RDM instead but I've spent my entire weekend getting BLM to Lv8 alone and well my weekend will have been a colossal waste of time and the gil I spent of spells will have just been needlessly thrown away if I stop and switch to another sub. I just want to get back to playing as a White Mage but at this rate it will be a long time before I level a sub high enough so that I won't be gimped when I go back to White Mage. *sigh*

Sorry about that rant, I just really needed to vent somewhere before I got angry and stopped wanting to play the game

[Yellow Mage]

Re: Few questions from a new White Mage

having to melee and getting killed as BLM's can't melee to save their lives.

This is apparently true!

[Pteryx]

Re: Few questions from a new White Mage

1) Running out of MP and being killed while healing
2) Aggro while fighting. Not links, I'm talking about Orcs joining a fight with a sheep. What is then even worse is if the sheep and/or Orc then links (happened to me twice, nothing I could do since I couldn't zone).

When it comes to those two, it's typically just a matter of choosing where to fight and where to rest wisely. XP camps typically aren't just chosen for proximity to mobs, but for not being in the middle of mobs and mob spawns, for that very reason. Learn Ronfaure -- where it's safe and where it's not.

Also, I recommend stacks of Selbina Milk to anyone levelling a low job. They're a cheap, stackable source of Regen -- only 1 HP/tick, but it lasts for 40 ticks. It's not a complete substitute for Cure, but it can still help you save MP for actual offense. -- Pteryx

[Icemage]

Re: Few questions from a new White Mage

Actually, the question on BLM is as much about what to fight as much as it is about how to fight it.

If you're going to distance-nuke, you'd best be prepared for links if you don't kill whatever it is you're fighting quickly. Chances are, as a new player, if you're not Tarutaru, you won't have enough max MP to take down anything about a Decent Challenge by yourself by level 8.

It's a shame you picked San d'Oria to start with, as that general region is pretty hostile to low level black mages. There are a lot of aggressive enemies, and the whole region is lacking in the staple of black mage's favorite targets aside from the first few levels: worms.

You also have somewhat limited sight lines and lots of irritating terrain to deal with in Ronfaure, which can be a hindrance on Black Mage.

The only advice I can give at this point is to slow down and pick on weaker enemies; stay with Easy Prey if you can, and sprinkle in the occasional Decent Challenge.

P.S. Another option is to level your staff skill on White Mage first and just beat things down with your staff after nuking from long range. Contrary to popular belief, low level Black Mages can pack a wallop with a staff quite accurately, assuming they have a properly levelled Staff skill level. The trouble there is that most BLMs end up nuking their way up the levelling ladder, and neglect their staff skill, and that's what gets them into trouble.


Icemage

[Aksannyi]

Re: Few questions from a new White Mage

I think when I was leveling my BLM at low levels I would stand back a ways and hit "Attack," far enough away so I wouldn't hit it right away, then pull with Poison. That way, if my staff missed I was still doing DoT damage to the mob. XD After pulling I'd toss out a nuke or two, continuously whacking away at the mob.

It is pretty frustrating at low levels because of the small MP pool, but it gets easier. Hell, if you stick with BLM for a while, you'll be one-shotting mobs that con T-VT (pets, but still!) when you could barely take down an EP "back in the day." It's a powerful feeling.

[ItazuraNhomango]

Re: Few questions from a new White Mage

I got BLM to Lv8 today then repeatedly levelled down then up between 7 and 8 before turning off the game. The cause of death is always one or more of the following things:

Soloing at that level... Well, if something can't be killed with a staff, it's too tough.

Eat meat, decent staff, go out and whack EPs (and maybe DCs). Fire off one nuke at the start of the fight, then finish it off with a few staff swings. It's slow, unglamorous, but pretty safe.

Before resting, pick a safe spot away from anything which can aggro. Take a stack of antidote if planning to fight anything which can poison.

[Ellipses]

Re: Few questions from a new White Mage

Keep your camera moving while you rest, too. At least until you learn where good, safe resting spots are. You should be able to see anything that's going to aggro coming before it gets into aggro range. You can always get up and finish resting elsewhere if there's an orc wandering your way.

Same goes while you're fighting, too, really. Make sure you're unlocked from the target, and if you see something that might link or aggro, run your target off a ways and kill it somewhere safer.

[Yoko-Shiva]

Re: Few questions from a new White Mage

I just stick to the lower lvl mobs that give 25 Exp per kill when low lvl you kill them fast and gain the exp fast. Also at low lvl i would not worry about using Bind as if it dosent hit thats mana wasted and the mobs already charging towards you while your casting another and has more chance to inturpupt you i would just stick to using the damage spells. Its all about how you play like i got my BLM to 32 took me a while in partys i would always die Solo. but my friend Shinron on the Shiva server took BLM from 1-75 Basically Solo.

[Firewind]

Re: Few questions from a new White Mage

I'm at Lv11 with my Sub, 18 with my WHM. Things are easier with the Magic Attack Bonus and Manafont when used right can bail you out of a dire situation. However experience around Ronfaure is really drying up and there are very, very few people at Lv11 on the Kujata server right now so getting a 10-12 party together at the Dunes takes anything from half an hour to three and a half hours and they hardly last long before people start to leave. PL's make this even worse as mage classes always get passed up since well they simply make mages, especially White Mages, redundant.

Are there any good soloing or duoing grounds for this level or am I just going to have to suck it up and just sit there at the Dunes OP for all day? I did go from 1-13 with my WHM by farming Ronfaure but it's taking much longer with a BLM even with MP boosting gear. This is what I have equipped on my BLM class:

Weapon: Legionnaire's Staff (switches to Willow Wand in parties)
Ear 1: Onyx Earring
Ear 2: Onyx Earring
Body: Royal Footman's Tunic
Neck: Justice Badge
Hands: Mitts
Hand 1: Saintly Ring
Hand 2: Saintly Ring
Back: Cape
Legs: Slacks
Feet: Solea

I do have the Linen Robe set with a Brass Hairpin so those items will be going on when I level. The MND gear is there because I already had it and thanks to PL's White Mages are almost impossible to find so more backup healers like BLM, RDM or BRD with WHM subbed have to main heal.

I never really had much of a problem finding a party as a White mage because I made a lot of freinds in the dunes so all I had to do was see if any of them wanted to party there. But now they have moved on to Qufim and I'm here levelling my sub, finding a party in the Dunes is taking a very long time indeed.

I also have a funny story. while running around in a party with my LS friends, the Bloodtear Baldurf spawned in the La Theine Plateau. After watching it destroy a Lv75 person who aggro'd it my LS stepped in and killed it while I was still in the party. To sum it up I now have the title for beating Bloodtear Baldurf despite my highest job level only being 18 ^_^;

[Ellipses]

Re: Few questions from a new White Mage

Are there any good soloing or duoing grounds for this level or am I just going to have to suck it up and just sit there at the Dunes OP for all day?

Ronfaure, Gustaberg, Sarutabaruta, Ghelsba, Palborough, Horototo, La Theine, Konschtat, Tahrongi... Probably plenty more, those are the ones I've bothered with. Usually from 10-20 I'll OP to the Dunes, put up my flag, and run to La Theine to solo. At the earlier levels, you've got to watch it, since the Easy Prey are surrounded by lots of other stuff, including orcs, but as long as you're watching where you are, there's plenty there to solo, and duoing opens it up even more.

I don't know Ronfaure all that well, but surely there's a good gathering of EP somewhere in there. In North Gustaberg, just going up onto the big hill will get you to level 14 or 15 at least before it starts to dry up. If not, there's always Ghelsba.

You can also set your homepoint at the Dunes OP and pick up an instant warp scroll, put that in your search comment, and go solo wherever you want. The only parties you'll miss out on that way are ones where the leader doesn't know how to use the search function (a bad sign) or is too impatient to wait on a warp (a bad sign).

There's never any reason to just sit at the Valkurm outpost with your flag up.

[Pteryx]

Re: Few questions from a new White Mage

Heh, cool story. That's one to remember!

My own recommendation is La Theine Plateau. Around the lake in particular you'll find good enemies to fight. Worms in particular are especially good targets for BLMs (and RNGs, and SCHs), as they don't move around while you attack them from a distance. Once you're done with all the enemy types there, Akbabas aren't bad targets, and after that the higher orcs can become viable. -- Pteryx

[Firewind]

Re: Few questions from a new White Mage

Finally got Black Mage up to Lv15 which is fine for now. I really want Scholar as sub job so I plan to do this:

White Mage to 30
Unlock Scholar (When I get WoTG)
Scholar to 37
White Mage to 75
Begin to level other highly useful sub jobs such as Black Mage, Ninja and Summoner to 37

I now see what a huge difference having a capped sub job is. Without a sub job I had to spend lots of money on sneak oil or bug a friend for an escort to pass through the bat tunnels in the Dunes but with a capped sub I can actually make it through the tunnels solo without any difficulty (unless I hit a link or something). The extra MP is always welcome since the one or two extra spells it will lets me fire off may just be the ones that save my party from wiping.

I can't wait to hit the 20's with my White Mage (currently 18) and I get Regen, my chocobo license and Raise ^_^

[ItazuraNhomango]

Re: Few questions from a new White Mage

May need to do some farming. To unlock SCH, a stack of Vellum (18-19k on Kujata, Jeuno AH) is needed.

[Murphie]

Re: Few questions from a new White Mage

SCH is the dark horse in the useless job unlocking "quest" race.