Ischemia VIII

This post comes a bit early because I am sure you are all dying to find out why I have not posted in the last two days. The answer is because I am still swamped with more school work than I can handle, and finding time to do things in FFXI is becoming difficult. Nonetheless, here is this week's LS events:

Dynamis - Jeuno














After failing a similar run last week, we finally got our act together and cleared every mob prior to the boss, along with a good portion of the re-pops. This victory provided our LS with its third Dynamis win and a bundle full of AFv2 (DRG, RDM, RNG, and I think BLM). Tune in next week for a scheduled Dynamis - Windurst rematch.

Pop NM: Golden-Tongued Culberry














The LS decided to pop a NM for the BLMs, so we assaulted Pso'Xja for some Uggalepih Pendants. For this event, I got to bring my BST, and I even got to use a T Diremite for two fights. We ended up going 4/5 on pendants with mostly NQ pops, so everyone who wanted a pendant ended up getting one after Bamashorty donated hers to the sole person who did not.

Byakko














Well, I guess this god fight provided some excitement. Some Byakko fights were rather scary because we only had NIN tanks, and if "Double/Triple Attack" kicked in, our tanks would usually drop to the floor. Drops were also fairly random for this god, but congratulations to Ilaunorise and Clavical on their Byakko Haidates. As for the other drops, I cannot seem to remember who got what.

Pets United

Continuing from Kyli's guest post, Kyli and I decided to reattempt taking down Balor the next day. We encountered problems early on because I failed to "Charm" an IT Blubber Eyes five times and ended up having to zone to save myself.















After reentering the zone, I finally managed to charm the Blubber Eyes, and we went to spawn Balor without a hitch. However, despite a desperate struggle, Balor used "Aegis Schism" followed by "Eagle Eye Shot" to decimate my pet down to a mere 30% HP. Kyli and I decided to retreat, but as we ran for the entrance to utilize DC Gazers for pets, my Blubber Eyes suddenly died. What made things worse is when Balor suddenly ran through walls and cut Kyli to pieces before I could reach her. To make matters even worse, she died in the middle of the maze and could not be revived due to the hordes of Undead surrounding her.















To add insult to injury, Balor finished off a Courier Carrie I had sent to stall him with only for him to stop chasing me, wander back to his spawn point, and regain all his HP! By the time I managed to catch up, Balor was already back in his room, and he even attacked me with "Sneak" on. That is right, he attacked me! This leads me to believe that the Swift Belt NMs agro by true sound and should be approached with caution in the event of a wipe.















Nonetheless, our attempt was good for only two players -- we brought Balor down to about 33% before our mishaps. Given the chance to duo Balor with another BST, I am sure I can get revenge on this NM, but until then, I will have to cut my losses and pull out. Thanks for coming out, Kyli!



Notes:
a) "Aegis Schism" is a Fomor move that greatly lowers the Defense of its target. This move can be dangerous from even the weakest of Fomors because they receive a massive damage boost after crippling your Defense. As a testimonial, I was once caught off guard by the move and died to the Fomors in Lufaise Meadows, at level 75, as a result.
b) "Eagle Eye Shot" is a RNG ability that allows you to deal a large amount of damage -- so long as it lands.

Khaki's Den

Unlike Snippy, I have my own house to reside in, and for the first time ever, readers like yourself can view it via snapshots taken by yours truly. Unfortunately, due to a shortage of space in my Mog Safe, I have been cutting back on furnishings, so my house is somewhat empty at the moment. 















Against the right wall is my Imperial Standard, my plants, and a sexy Elvaan as the wall's centerpiece. Damn, I could use more lighting in this place; I am going to have to hire a new Moogle.















Click! I guess that little guy caught on and improved the lighting pretty quickly. On the left side, there are some more flags and my mannequin that is loaded with rare/ex gear.



Notes:
a) The room above is what is commonly referred to as a "Mog House," an area where players can enter for immediate healing, treasure storage, access to their mailboxes, and gardening at their leisure.

Guest Post: Kyli #1

The following post is written by Kyli/Ariane, the only person who has left comments on my blog thus far. Since you guys are probably tired of hearing my voice, here is Kyli!

Khaki & Kyli v.s. Swift Belt NM - Round 1














So after building fomor hate, we head out to Sacrarium. After some quick tests we set out into the dark winding tunnels until we reach the room to spawn the NM. Of course there's another group there. Thankfully they depart soon after, so we go get Khaki his pet.

Back to the door we get ready to spawn the NM. I blink and stoneskin up, rest, summon Carby and enter the room...without sneak. I aggro a fomor ranger which we thankfully dispatch without too much trouble, but we've lost time.

Refresh stoneskin, heal up again, most importantly cast sneak and I'm ready to try again. It doesn't look possible to pop the NM from the ??? without getting aggro, thankfully I'm supposed to spawn it from the other point in the room which is blessedly clear. Sweet, I think, I'm gonna pop this badboy and boot it back out to Khaki and we can get to business.

Of course Khaki aggros a fomor samurai just as I'm popping the NM. Curse those fomor and their high aggro range with max hate. So now we have an angry NM and Samurai on us. I tried to tell Khaki to focus his pet on the NM and I would get Carby to do... something...with the Samurai. Oddly though when I checked my log after, that message seems to have gotten lost. Perhaps I once again hit the cursed caps lock key while trying to press tab. In any case, the NM ate through my blink and stoneskin in no time flat and proceeded to gobble me up. Khaki was left to deal with the angry NM and Samurai alone. It seemed to be doomed, although not terrible atm, until Khaki decided to rest, which gave him just enough hate to make the Samurai notice him again.

He quickly joined me on the floor.
















Oh well, I certainly learned from my mistakes and I'm certain our next run will go 100% better.

iExplore

Whenever I visit a new area, the first word that comes to mind is explore, and today was no exception! When my party went out to farm Diorites near the Celestial Nexus, I rushed at the chance to go inside. Unfortunately, there was not much inside except for a BCNM entrance and a bunch of gates prior to that, but nonetheless, it is still a pretty spot to visit. I suppose it is somewhat funny as to why I have not visited the Celestial Nexus sooner; I have had access for over three years!















Gather around for story time kids; the transparent glass floor in this area provides great lighting for one's body armor and visual features! Did you notice that Clavical and I happen to be the exact same model and height?















Of course, no Sky farming trip would be complete without a merit point. We also farmed two more Diorites, so once we pop a few more Ullikummis for Autumnstones, we will be at six Byakko pops.















This is a snapshot taken earlier this week, right after my calculus midterm. The LS managed to claim Despot earlier, and I logged in just as they were tackling a second -- putting us at two Despot claims in four hours. That is the best farming results we have had for this NM in over two weeks!

BST Subjobs

WHM and NIN; these subjobs should be staples for any endgame BST. Now I know what some of you are thinking: what about BLU, WAR, COR, and RDM? While other subjobs might be useful, I have always ranked a subjob's usefulness based on its capability to heal damage, prevent damage, or deal damage. With this in mind, WHM and NIN are the best of the selection, and here is why:


/WHM (healing and preventing damage)
















What it is used for:
The WHM subjob is used primarily for soloing exp, surviving fatal attacks, and being able to recover HP quickly via MP. Ideally, you want to use /WHM for long term battles or fighting high-tier enemies, such as NMs, where you know you will be swapping pets a lot. In addition, /WHM allows a BST to soak AoE damage via "Stoneskin" and provides BSTs with a cost-free way of traversing areas with agro.

a) Cure I/II/III
These are your healing spells. Generally, I prefer to heal damage after a battle, especially if I plan to use "Cure" with "Divine Seal." If you do need to heal in battle, be forewarned that "Divine Seal" generates a lot of enmity and can cause a troublesome situation if your pet fails to deal enough damage to maintain enmity. As such, you might wish to run away from battle by hitting the asterisk key (*) first, and cure yourself at a safe distance to lessen your enmity. Once this is done, you can freely return to battle with lower enmity.

b) Bar[element]/Bar[status] spells
These spells are nice for preventing annoying effects that your enemy might throw at you, such as "Paralyze" (use "Barblizzara" and/or "Barparalyzra" here), and for fighting enemies that use high-damage AoE moves, such as "Bomb Toss."

c) Sneak/Invisible/Deodorize
I don't use "Deodorize" too much, but the ability to maneuver between deadly monsters for free is one advantage /WHM has over /NIN.

d) Stoneskin/Blink
"Stoneskin" helps counter nasty AoEs your prey might throw at you, and if you are a melee BST, "Blink" provides you with two shadow images that activate now and then. These two spells are fairly useful to have between pet swaps because you never know when "Charm" might fail or when you need to take a few hits yourself.

e) Reraise/Raise
Dying without "Reraise" can be painful if no one happens to be around, and at higher levels, you will be losing several thousand exp to return to your Home Point. "Raise" on the other hand is best for when you are partying with other BSTs or for when you need to go rescue someone yourself.

f) Teleport - Mea/Holla/Dem
For quick access to the Tavnazian Safehold, Sea, and the Promvyions. Alternatively, many areas can be traversed quickly by using one of these spells and then renting a Chocobo from the nearby NPCs.

g) Erase/[Status] - na
We all hate status effects that prevent us from healing, moving, or attacking, so use these spells to negate everything short of petrification.

h) Dia I/II
These spells help both you and your pet deal more damage. However, I tend to avoid these spells to conserve MP.

Battle Strategy:

• Apply "Reraise," "Stoneskin," and "Blink."
• Send your pet to attack your foe.
• Engage your foe, cast Dia I/II.
• Attack your foe until it dies; if it gives you trouble:
• Turn around using the asterisk (*) key, and use "Cure," "Erase," and etc., or...
• Teleport away, or...
• Log out.
• Rinse and repeat.

/NIN (preventing and dealing damage)
















What it is used for:
The NIN subjob is used primarily for party purposes although it can be applied to solo situations where the foe does not spam AoE moves. This subjob is also good for keeping you safe in BCNMs and for when you need to bounce hate with your pet.

a) Utsusemi: Ichi/Ni
Half the reason why you would ever use /NIN. Although you only get three shadow images for using NIN as a subjob, each shadow always absorbs and nullifies a normal hit, and overall, shadows can reduce your downtime completely when used correctly.

b) Dual Wield
There is a two-part bonus to this job trait; the first bonus is that you get to equip a second Axe that can provide additional stats to your character. The second bonus is that you receive a delay reduction for both weapons, but the downside is you will gain slightly less TP per swing.

c) Tonko: Ichi/Ni
Although we have to rely on Sneak Oils for sound-detecting enemies, "Tonko" provides an effect just like "Invisible"; however, the effect remains active for a constant amount of time unlike its WHM counterpart. In addition, this NIN spell does not count as a magic-based spell, so you can use it right next to magic-detecting enemies without fear.

d) Monomi: Ichi (new)
With the March 2008 update, the NIN subjob grants you the ability to use a "Sneak"-like spell that is similar to "Tonko: Ichi" in reliability. Furthermore, the powder required for this spell seems relatively cheap as well.

Battle Strategy:

• Use "Utsusemi: Ichi/Ni" prior to a battle and recast shadows accordingly.
• Send your pet to attack your foe.
• Let your pet build enmity before engaging your foe, or...
• Engage your foe at the same time, bouncing hate between you and your pet.
• Attack your foe until it dies; if it gives you trouble: 
• Log out, or...
• Heal, if possible.
• Rinse and repeat.

Now then, where is my cake, Ari?



Notes:
a) "To spam" refers to repeating an action numerously, although it can also refer to a brand of U.S. luncheon meat.
b) "AoE" stands for "Area of Effect." An AoE ability will affect anything within a given radius of its target.
c) Chocobos are large, yellow, chicken-like birds that players can mount in FFXI. Chocobos can run twice as fast as normal players, so they are a convenient way to get around.

Double Trouble

Meet my pet Flamingo, also known as a Bird-type mob, a monster that is local to the Tu'Lia region. But wait, who is that beside me? A hot date? Not today! Let me introduce you to Poodlehat, another BST from my LS who decided to duo Despot with me (actually, it might have been the other way around) while meriting for limit points.

We ran into some snags after the Doll placeholders used "Meltdown" on us for massive damage; I even took over 1k damage at some point. Putting our awesome melee sets aside, we decided to send in Flamingos to do our dirty work while we stayed afar. This worked out well because we were no longer in range of Dolls that went kaboom. 

Surprisingly, I even managed to net 3k exp with an Empress Band, but that is not too great considering I spent well over two hours there. Unfortunately for us, Despot never showed his metal rear, so I am really hoping Friday's farming session with the LS goes much better.



Notes:
a) Despot is a Doll NM that is required to pop Byakko. He drops the Gem of the West and can randomly spawn after defeating the Doll placeholders by the entrance of Tu'Lia.
b) Damage taken from "Meltdown" is proportional to the Doll's current HP. The higher HP the Doll has, the more damage you will receive.

The Blue Bucket

Ladies and gentlemen, I present the ugly hat that I obtained from Suzaku a while back. Ideally, I plan on keeping my Walahra Turban on full time, but if there ever happens to be a situation where I fight monsters that are well above the meripo caliber, this is the hat to wear. Ideally, this helmet will only be used for Sky gods and other HNMs.















As one might have noticed, trips to the Boyahda Tree have become a common sight on this blog, so SE really needs to give us BSTs better solo camps.





I also broke my "Rampage" record today (using my new helmet) by finally topping 1k damage on a T Goobbue. Now if only I could hit this hard every time.

Ischemia VII

It is time for Seiryu, the Divine Guardian of the East. Our LS collected a fifth pop set after popping a Steam Cleaner at the last moment, and overall, we trampled this god easily. Unfortunately, the drops were mediocre, and we fell short of acquiring the many Wyrmal Abjuration: Hands that our LS members requested; in contrast, no one was eager for Martial Abjuration: Head. Next week is Byakko, so hopefully, we get to farm more pop sets and receive lots of Byakko Haidates.

Seiryu (in order killed)











































Notes:
a) Steam Cleaner (abbreviated "SC") is a NM that resides in the Ve'Lugannon Palace. It drops one of the two components, the Gem of the East, required to spawn Seiryu. It should be noted that "SC" can also denote "skillchain" in other contexts.

Ischemia VI

Stop reading now if you do not wish to view spoilers on ZM14: Ark Angels/Divine Might!

So it seems like this post will also have lots of pictures; I suppose I cannot break free of imitating National Geographic just yet. Tonight, my LS decided to host a series of "Divine Might" (the equivalent of finishing ZM14: Ark Angels) runs, but unlike ZM14, clearing "Divine Might" yields a sexy earring reward of your choice. Our first run went poorly after the supertank party encountered some trouble, but the second run turned out almost flawless. Hopefully, the stack of pictures below help describe what the event was like.















This guy is always trouble with his special abilities. He will use the WAR ability "Mighty Strikes" and the deadly NIN ability "Mijin Gakure" to decimate your alliance. Luckily, "Barfira" and a Water Staff kept me well out of harm's way.

2010 Edit: "Barfira" and Fire resistance does nothing against "Mijin Gakure."















We saved this little fellow for last because he is the least threatening of the bunch. Ark Angel TT likes to teleport around the zone and cast annoying spells from afar. He will also use "Blood Weapon" and "Manafont" -- the DRK and BLM 2hrs, respectively.















Another troublesome Ark Angel, but she is not nearly as deadly as her pet. A Tiger pet can place AoE paralysis on those nearby while a Mandragora pet can sleep anyone around it. She will use "Familiar" (or "Charm" if her pet is dead) and "Perfect Dodge" -- the BST and THF 2hrs, respectively.















This lady is the most troublesome of the bunch, and we decided that she must be eliminated first due to her high damage WSs. Her "Spirits Within" managed to deal 2.4k damage to our NIN, easily defeating our secondary tank. Ark Angel EV is also the reason we lost the first time around, but the second time around, we decided to zerg her with our 2hrs and managed to crush her before she pulled off her second 2hr. She likes to use "Invincible" (PLD 2hr) and "Benediction" (WHM 2hr) near death.















Easily a pushover, Ark Angel GK (along with his pet Wyvern) should be considered a low priority. After wiping to the Ark Angels on our first run, I witnessed Ark Angel GK reuse his SAM 2hr, "Meikyo Shisui," giving me the idea that Ark Angels can reuse their 2hrs if they regain all their HP. He will also use "Call Wyvern" instead of "Spirit Surge" because "Divine Might" is an older mission.





 

Hurray for finally completing this mission! Even though we did not best the record-breaking time, this victory is priceless nonetheless.















Ooo, which shiny earring will it be?















With my new Suppanomimi, my overall weapon delay is reduced by about five percent, but this also means I will be getting lower TP per swing. This is where my Rajas Ring comes in handy with "Store TP"+5 to counterbalance my earring's effect. Goooooooo, BST! 



Notes:
a) "Spirit Surge" dismisses a DRG's Wyvern pet in order to add significant melee bonuses onto himself. This ability was introduced after players complained about the previous DRG 2hr, "Call Wyvern," being far too weak.

Friends Indeed

I would like to retract my previous statement about leaving FFXI and would alter it to read "I will be reducing my playtime." instead. After chatting with several of my friends (yes, even you Ari), I have been convinced to keep myself in the ring, but I will be focusing more on schoolwork until I have caught up with of my classes.

Expect a full return to normal activities when WotG is released or after the new year at the latest. In the meantime, I offer a slightly belated parse that I performed two days ago to keep you all occupied.















A close-up of the meripo (merit PT) I had outside of the Mamool Ja Staging Point.
















Yes, I seem to be adding a lot of pictures nowadays, and this blog has turned into a National Geographic parody. Hopefully, I can compose more wordy posts soon.

Violets are Blue

And so am I. If you are reading this post, I regret to inform that I am quitting FFXI -- possibly forever. The following picture briefly explains an argument I had with an LS member, Hammered.















So what happened exactly? After farming Fomor Hate and a Swift Belt pop alone, I decided to team up in hopes of finally earning my own Swift Belt. Unfortunately, Hammered did not bother to farm either of the two belt requisites beforehand, failed to coordinate the run effectively, and threatened to boot me for arguing. I never thought I would see the day where I would be at such odds with an LS member, but I left the party soon after, sickened by Hammered's attitude.

I am a man of principles, and when push comes to shove, I am standing for my own beliefs even if it leaves me someplace worse than I started. This incident is the final straw in a series of related LS mishaps; I feel constantly reminded that I either need to work alone or bow my head before disrespectful people. I suppose I have always done the former being a BST, but I cannot expect to remain alone forever. So I believe it is time I focused (more) on something that is worth putting up with disrespectful people for: a university education.

As I write this post and prepare to make farewells, it is taking me every ounce of my strength to resist swearing and cursing at Hammered (and others) in my own blog. As a precaution, I have decided to keep my character intact in case I ever wish to return to FFXI. In closing, thank you for reading and visiting my blog. To my friends, I have left special messages for you all below:


Alhandra - Looks like we will not be Fishing together anytime soon.
Amnasor - Yeah, yeah I know. You are laughing at me now, are you not?
Daimonics - Good luck, man. Galka power! o.O;
Gabryella - Gabby-wabby, taru time!
Grythin - Good luck in endgame. *passes the DRK torch*
Lynzee - Hope you get better. Take care!
Puzznboots - Take care, kitty-kat; stay in touch.
Sanosuke - Thanks for letting me merit with you and for helping me when I needed it most.
Synta - I will stay in touch.
Virmythrax - You should have visited my blog sooner!

Empyrical Testing

I was lucky enough to be invited by one my friends, Sanosuke, for a round of meriting, and it was a treat indeed as I had just invested six merit points for my second STR augmentation. I also got to test my latest equipment against three other DDs, and given the results above, I think I did adequately for a BST.

Unfortunately, I botched exporting the parse, so only a small portion of the total kills are represented. The final column should be within ±1 percent of the actual values, except for the MNK who was probably closer to eleven percent of the PT's total damage. Hopefully, this parse gives everyone some idea of where I stand compared to other DDs.


   
Merit Update:
General: STR x2, Critical Hit Rate x4, Axe x8, Elemental Magic Skill x1
BST: Feral Howl x1, Beast Affinity x3
BLM: Burst II x1



Notes:
a) Parsing is generally used to collect all relevant combat data for a given session. The data can include one's total damage contribution, average WS damage, and etc.

Ischemia V

Well folks, my LS decided to tackle another round of Sky gods, but this time, we are poaching Suzaku. Normally, we would charge straight at a god, but we had to wait for another LS, Raging Cataclysms, to finish theirs first. The drops have not been very good thus far; I will be posting them as we progress through our six pop sets.

Suzaku (in order killed)














































The fourth picture is edited because I was not present.

Notes:
a) Suzaku, the Divine Guardian of the South, possesses lethal fire spells, and like Genbu, one requires two items, known collectively as a pop set, to spawn the god. Naturally, I wanted a pair of Hecatomb Leggings, but alas, only one dropped.