FFXI and Lost

[thistlechaser]

Either I'm doing something wrong or soloing BLU is becoming less viable. Soloing a T+ (at least a coeurl) isn't safe anymore. So I killed them with my NPC all night, and the XP sucked. Under 2K/hour, and I had a death. Leveled from 22 to 23 (about 5K XP + 500 buffer) and took me 4 hours. Even though I was getting 120-160 per kill, it drained my MP and HP. :/ I did the last 1500 XP on EPs, and I think I made faster XP that way...

The only highpoint of the night was learning Poison Breath (level 22). So there's just one spell I'm missing (Claw Cyclone, level 20). I'm going to party tomorrow, even though I hate to do that when I'm missing a spell I should have.

Blarg. I think I'm finally ready to do something else besides XP BLU every night. It's quickly starting to annoy me. :/ Maybe I'll party and get a few levels, then work on getting my 31-40 level spells.




Well, they sure did connect a number of dots tonight, didn't they? But the thing that got the biggest reaction from me was the Anna Lucia/Sawyer bit. I actually said "Ewwww!" out loud. Gah, I guess they have been on the island for a while if Sawyer was willing to do that. Sheesh. Blech.

I love Henry, he's so cool. (10 minutes left in ep, I hope I don't need to change that to past tense... Oh you damn writers, you better not leave that as a cliffhanger.)

Oh wow! YOU GO, Michael! Woo!........ ack! Oh god, poor Hurley. Man, Michael, sheesh. You idiot. Or are you brainwashed? Ha! Wow, he was! Wow, what an ending!



Very tired and stressed. I haven't gotten more than four hours of sleep any night this week. Not feeling very well. :/

Comments

[genomeffxi.livejournal.com]

About blue soloing, i think you might have to consider two things, one is the mob type (some for example are weaker to things like bludgeon), and the other is the fact that "tough" is still a pretty wide range of levels, so some toughs give lower xp but are easy to solo, and others are really hard and give higher xp. I mean I know it's obvious and we all know it, but it's something I kinda wasn't thinking about as much while xping and really made me almost die in some cases where it wasn't worth it. you can see the xp the mob gives as a good indicator.
Anyways for my blu just lvl 21, I am considering chaining EM mostly with some T in between and possibly things like worms more.

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

, i think you might have to consider two things, one is the mob type (some for example are weaker to things like bludgeon)

This morning I was thinking about that, and I agree. I knew coeurls were a bad choice, but I was hoping to get lucky and learn the Eye move really early (11 levels below, which is unheard of as far as I know). Coeurls kicked my butt while just pulling them to a safer spot, plus the mega-strong paralyze and annoying silence. (I had 5 stacks of echo drops with me, but even having to use them a couple times per fight slowed things down. It was even worse when I waited for my NPC to remove the status.)

and the other is the fact that "tough" is still a pretty wide range of levels

Yeah. These things were T+ to me when I was a level lower, I wonder if they'll still be T+ now that I've leveled... (After dinging, I wasn't anywhere near close enough to con them.)

Anyways for my blu just lvl 21, I am considering chaining EM mostly with some T in between and possibly things like worms more.

I think (and folks on my LS have commented) that EMs are probably a better way to go. (Isn't that how BSTs do it? Charm a DC and take on an EM? Or is it charm an EM and take on a T?) The XP/kill might be lower, but having to rest to full between each kill is darned slow.

What are you subbing, by the way? I had been thinking about going /NIN once I hit 24, but Pollen appears to have capped at 34 and isn't much good for curing anymore. I'm not sure if I can get away with not using /WHM... (Though by the time I'm at a level to have shadows and switch to /NIN, I'll be able to use most of my "dodgy NIN" gear...)

[genomeffxi.livejournal.com]

I have subbed PUP all the way to this level (blu21/pup10), Calling NPC out reduces the xp i would get a lot, so i try to do without it unless i am trying to learn a spell too or I have to jump to harder mobs until i level, and PUP sub has been both pretty fun/different and useful. I get all the debuffs for free (dia, blind, para) and he gets to regen mp without having to rest. Plus I get other stuff like flash on mob and stoneskin on puppet and it's a good way to pull.
I don't have protect or cure/cure2 with this setup, and puppet doesn't cure me often (I could try to replace flash attachment with cure priority but i don't think it's worth it), but that way i can focus all my mp on blue magic spells, I think if i had to cure myself in mid-fight it would just make things worse.
Also puppet can be a life saver as a sacrificial bait if you get agro by something too strong etc, buys you a running start and some distance and saves you if you can make it to zone.

But yeah I think I will try NIN sub too at 24 and see how it is. I think that will only buy me 3 shadows really, because the recast in mid battle is again probably too risky and not so worth it, stoneskin would help but again then I might just end up stalling the inevitable since both things have such a long cast time, and I need to start doing damage fast sooner or later in the fight hehe.

Btw I posted in your 'how to make pts' too =P

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

Huh! /PUP. That sounds really interesting. Not only that, it could be the excuse I need to try the job out. (Both PUP and COR are currently sitting at 1.)

Right now, because I'm still fighting bigger things than I should, I need the curing power, but I think you're right: Not having to cure yourself midfight is best. Just boom, boom, boom, fast casting, mob dies, then you rest.

I'm really torn about trying /NIN while soloing tomorrow. I think I'm going to wait. Since I don't know how the coeurls will con (and the darned things are fast enough that they'll take my shadows down before I've pulled them to a safe place) it's probaly not worth it. /NIN worked great in a party though! (Even though I looked funny and felt stupid with two swords.)

I'm hearing good things about BLU/DRK. MP boost, attack boost, it really sounds like that could be an interesting match (at least in a party).

[aelice.livejournal.com]

I would have liked it, but I'm sad that the only reason writers did that was because the actress violated her parole, and they needed to off her. T_T So I was totally anticipating it.

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

The writers claimed that wouldn't change anything because of her RL troubles blah blah blah. Personally I don't care the reason, I hated the character enough that I'm happy she's gone for whatever reason. (I feel a little bad for her mom, but the mom would think she died when the plane crashed, so.)

[animarelic.livejournal.com]

I believe Michael is not brainwashed, but rather has been given an ultimatum by the Others:

-Find and Off Henry Gale
-Lead the 'Good' people of the camp back to the Others' possession.
(Apparently this isn't Libby or Ana Lucia, but we knew that from the beginning, as the Others did not take those two from the start. It DOES definately include Locke, and I thought originally he was going to free Henry and go with him, but that's no longer an option, as Michael made the best set up ever to kill poor Henry.)

I suspect they've promised him Walt back if he does this.

Henry was Awesome, I loved how he drove a divide between Jack and Locke, and even though he was a prisoner managed to manupulate people anyway.


GOODBYE ANA-LUCIA. GOODBYE FOREVER.

you'll never touch sawyer again you ho. eeewwww.

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

I believe Michael is not brainwashed, but rather has been given an ultimatum by the Others:
-Find and Off Henry Gale

Yeah, he could have had his arm twisted into it. But didn't he shoot himself at the end? You think he'll shoot Henry next to make it look like Henry killed the others and then shot Michael? I had thought he was shooting himself and then going to let Henry escape -- it would still make it look like Henry killed the others and would make Michael look better in his own peoples' eyes.

I suspect they've promised him Walt back if he does this.

Or some tricky-worded thing like "You can be with him forever if you do this..." and then kill them both or keep them both as Others.

you'll never touch sawyer again you ho. eeewwww.

Unclean! Unclean!

[niffy.livejournal.com]

I think the things that made blu so soloable were wild oats and pollen. Wild oats can remove about 8 or 9 vit, and when a mob only has maybe...16 vit, that's a lot. x.xb Pollen just isn't enough to keep yourself cured in later levels, too. It's a shame because the next healing spell besides healing breeze is level 58. Hopefully that caps high.

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

Yeah. Pollen just doesn't cut it at all anymore. Coeurls were hitting me for 25-29 and Pollen cures 34. I finally have Cure2 which is somewhat better, but...

[quasilemur.livejournal.com]

I love how all the Lost fangirls have their dander all up about Sawyer-AL. Like, "How dare that hor touch my imaginary TV boyfriend!" I wish I were exaggerating, but as someone who knows fandom, you know I speak true. Personally, after the first few episodes with her, I really didn't mind her anymore, and I liked this one. She was a legitimate character with more development than some of the regular cast have gotten lately, and I can't help but think that the fangirls would have reacted much differently to the character if she'd been an attractive male. Amusement at fan reaction aside, good episode. :)

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

Like, "How dare that hor touch my imaginary TV boyfriend!" I wish I were exaggerating,

I wish you were, too!

I have no idea why she rubs (rubbed! Ha ha! Past tense for you, baby!) me the wrong way, but she always did. I hated her voice, I hated her gestures, I hated everything she did and was. Not quite Jack-level hating, but enough for me to make a face every time she came onto the screen

She was a legitimate character with more development than some of the regular cast have gotten lately, and I can't help but think that the fangirls would have reacted much differently to the character if she'd been an attractive male.

Well if nothing else, that would have made their makeout scene more interesting!

It's odd, but I have a hard time even picturing that character as male. She has a weakness in her that I just can't wrap my head around a male having. (Maybe that's part of why I dislike her so much...)

Amusement at fan reaction aside, good episode. :)

Oh heck yes. :D