Campaign Battles for exp

[Kitalrez]

So, way back at the NA release, I decided my first job was going to be WHM. I picked taru for ascetic reasons, (I always play short characters), and I levelled on my merry way for a good year or so. About a year goes by and I'm 63, join a mid-game LS, start doing more LS stuff. I quickly realize that I'm getting called up for every single AF, every quest, every camp... and the people calling me pretty much leave a week after they get their item to go end-game. It gets to the point where I only have time to level when no one knows I'm on, with the climb to 65 from 63 taking almost 5 months. Which leads to burn-out, frustration, and me quitting the job for SMN. Ironically, it plays exactly the same in parties for 40 levels, when I burn out again and just solo the next 32. After leaving the game for a year, coming back, getting picked up by some old friends for their EGLS, I find myself wishing I could level WHM again. As I don't trust my healing skills anymore, and I'm really not sure anyone in the mid 60s really knows their game anymore, (Yesterday I watched BLM cast Aeroga III followed by Freeze on a Collibri, with a NIN as his tank), I've been thinking Campaign Battles might be more my speed. It took some time, but I managed to level to 66 on them.

Here's what I've been trying:
1. Get tags for a battleground. Macro all 6 bar-element-ra spells into 2 buttons, with a /wait 4 in between each spell. Chain both 4 times (for a total of 24 casts) and then sit down to heal to full mp again. After I get full mp, I run back to the Campaign Arbiter and get a Performance Assessment, which nets me 150 exp if I've waited long enough, or 135 if I'm rushing it a bit. Get new tags and repeat until battle ends.

Chaining this strategy I've made several k on any one given battle. I think my best was 4k, but I suspect someone decided to pull a mob out and solo it, prolonging the fight.

2. Wait for Beastmen to capture a dungeon. In my case, it's usually GC or EN. I tag up, then engage the Fortification mob. I generally use Flash and Headbutt from /BLU til I hit 20 casts of each. I follow this with some Poisoned Breath for magic dmg, randomly Barfira myself, and hit Protect 1 on random people til i reach 30 total buffs cast. Raise anyone I see die near me at the fort, (mostly in GC from yag aggro), and heal any RDM I see convert. As I'm doing this, I have autoattack on the Fort going, with some type of club equipped. I'm using True Strike to complete any skillchain I see someone else open, (Dancing Edge, Rock Crusher, etc).

Using this strategy I usually make between 900 exp and 1.5k per battle. I once made 2k, but that battle went very long, and I assume it was a fluke.


I realize that it'd probably be tons faster to just break down and relearn how to play main healer, but I'd much rather get some allied notes and better campaign ops unlocked by doing this. Does anyone know similar strategies for levelling WHM in Campaign Battles I haven't tried, or could someone give me a few tips to maximize my exp gain in them? I've been playing these all solo so far, and I realize that by adding a few party mates I could probably increase my exp per cast on bar-element-ras, I'm just not so sure I can find people who won't need to be constantly healed in a pickup situation.

[Neomage]

Re: Campaign Battles for exp

You get points in campaign based on different elements. For casting buffs and enfeebles, you cap out EXP after casting exactly 15 or each. Any more will not hurt or help.

To increase your EXP gain, you could try healing other combatants(you get 1 EXP for every 10 HP healed, uncapped) simply swinging your staff(you get 5 points(capped at 50) just for swinging, hitting mob and damage are calculated differently)

[Kitalrez]

Re: Campaign Battles for exp

Ok, that's making more sense now... I've been using the Wiki's definitions to try and calculate what I'm doing for exp/time. It looks like I've been focusing on the wrong category there since the code is treating me as a self buff instead of a party of one, (even though I'm using party wide buffs). That would definitely explain why I only got 150 per... it would also seem that there's an exp/min cap on actions, which would explain why I need to rest mp to get the extra 15 points.

Ok, so it looks like at Bronze Star { $ } level, I'll have a per minute cap of somewhere between 65 and 68... meaning it'll take me 3 mins per self buff chain to get the full 150 exp. Resting appears to be counted into this equation though, so if I can chain buffs and rest for some period between when I get my tags and when I check the npc, I still get 3 mins counted.

Here's the wiki's formula, btw (Scroll down about halfway to Campaign Rewards).

Allakhazam's discussion on per minute exp totals by medal
Blue Garter LS's discussion, same topic

So, from this, it would seem that the best way to gain exp in a solo situation #1 above is to:
1. take a 3 minute chunk of time... IE from 0:00 getting tags to 3:01 getting evaluated.
2. In that chunk cast 15 buffs on myself.
3. Cast Protect 1 or one /rdm bar spell on any NPCs or straggling PCs I can reach in the area up to that 3:01 mark or 30 casts, whichever is first.
That should net between 150 (no one near me), to 450 (got in all 30 buffs on others) per 3 minutes 1 second after tags. Given an average campaign battle of say 15 minutes, that would yield a little under 750~2250 exp per battle. Ruling out about 6 minutes of deadtime running back and forth to OP to different battles, that still gives you about 2700~8100 exp per hour. You'd make more in an exp party, but for a job that supposedly can't solo at any level but endgame, that still isn't too shabby exp. Upping #3 above is also easier if you have other party members helping you out, as you can just add them to group and change the equation on buffs for others from other PCs to Party. Granted, this formula doesn't account for rest times, and you'd probably want some form of refresh or heal mp+.

Hmm, that's still promising... anyone else better at math/more experienced at campaign want to chime in?