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Unveiling Party FundamentalsFollow

#1 Mar 09 2005 at 11:36 PM Rating: Excellent
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Unveiling Party Fundamentals

This guide aims to the basic foundation of accomplishing practically everything in FFXI - Parties. The main focus of this topic is largely concentrated on Experience Parties, which is in long, Parties which are formed for gaining Experience Points (EXP).

This was written over 2 months ago, but unfortunately when I was about to post it, a similar post came up coincidently, by SingBismark. If you're wondering why, I usually write guides in Notepad then paste it on this section.

•Contents•

1. Before you start
2. Level Range of your Party
3. Skillchains
4. Where you want to Party
5. Your Reputation
6. Proper Party Etiquettes
7. Basic Party Formations
8. Inviting Japanese Players

----------------------------

1. Before you start

Forming your own parties can be a great task, because it requires quite an intensive interaction with your keyboard. Reason is simple, because you will definitely be unable to find a situation whereby all you required party members would have their 'Seek Party' Flag up. But after some time, you'll get used to it.

I've been forming my parties since days of the Dunes, and I did underwent many mistakes before perfecting the trick to forming parties.

The first few things which come up to your mind when you wish to form an EXP Party should be:

a)Level Range of your Party
b)Skillchain you wish to perform
c)Where you want to Party


----------------------------

2. Level Range of your Party

This is firstly your #1 determining factor for the foundation of your party. Making a right or wrong choice would make a world of a difference in the amount of Experience Points earned. How?

Firstly, the amount of EXP you get is largely determined by the Highest Level Member in your party against the level of the mob you're fighting. This leads us to our next point, which is the level of mobs in a given area, or rather, leveling site.

As we all know, in a given area, the level of mobs are pretty standardised. For example, the level range of Damselflies in Valkurm Dunes are around Level 20-23. They might be very good for a party that has 15 as their highest level member, but there is always a very fine line. I believe you have encountered instances whereby you have a particular member in your party Level up and you realise the experience points you are getting aren't exactly the same as before. This is undesirable, because the difference can be a drastic drop in the amount of experience points that your party yields.

Knowing which area is good till whatever level takes experience, and some time. Often, asking your Linkshell might be a feasible solution, especially if you have many high level Linkshell Members.

This again brings us to our next point of focus, which is the TNL (To Next Level) of your members. I can't reinterate how crucial this is in determining the success VS failure of your party. As stated previously, you would want to yield a reasonably constant amount of experience points for your party, and in order to do so, you must always consider the Maximum Level the Mobs in the chosen area can support.

I'll put up another example, Qufim Island. Most people leave Qufim at around 24-25, why do they do so? Because once they get into that level range, the mobs in Qufim Island are unable to yield reasonable amount of experience points. That is why they proceed on to Kazham. This is strongly based on the fact that the experience points gained is determined by the Highest Level Member VS Level of the Mobs. Remember, your level changes but the level of mobs in the area don't.

People usually put their TNL in their search comments. To even be able to see their search comments, you would have to do a '/sea all' for certain jobs you wish to invite. For example, if you wish to look for a White Mage that's between Level 50-52, type this:

/sea all level 50-52 whm

You should have a small window popup with the search results. If you see a dot appearing on the respective nation's flag of the particular member whom you're interested in, click on his/her name and you should see his/her search comments.
Of course, rarely anybody puts their search comment as direct as :
Hi, my tnl is 2,000.

They usually put something like @2,000 or @2,000tnl so on and so for. If you're intending to set up a party that is level 50-52, inviting a Level 52 member who's 100tnl doesn't make sense. If the person you're trying to invite doesn't have anything under their search comments, try asking him/her politely. They'll usually let u know at first hand.

Also, don't assume that only people with their Seek Party flag up are looking for a group. You'll be shocked at how many people who would agree to party with you even though they do not have their Seek Party sign up. I'll say like 60-70% of those without a Seek Party sign up do not mind joining a party when invited. However, don't go further than this and go around inviting people who are already in parties. Chances are, you're going to get a rejection 99% of the time. Even if they join you, they probably dumped their previous party to join yours. Do you think you would want such a member? Who knows, he might dump yours next. But again as I always say, exceptions arise. The person might have a tough time with the party which isn't working out, and since he has another offer, he might go for it. Other situations include a party which is already breaking up, but the individual wishes to continue to level. Such situations arise, but they are rare.

It is also common to 'camp' for certain wanted jobs like Bard, Red Mages, White Mages etc. So you'll repeatedly try to look for one and hope one comes online before the slots in your party are filled.

The rule of the thumb for most parties is that they stick to this '2 Level' difference. Which means that the lowest level member in your party and the highest level member in your party differ by a maximum of 2 levels. Many people feel that if they are at the lower end of the party, they'll get significantly lesser EXP. This is not true. The difference of EXP yield between you and the highest level member only differs by a very small margin. What determines the bulk of your EXP is still the maximum level of your party VS the level of mobs you're fighting.

Exceptions arise though, especially during the higher levels. Some people do have a '3 Level' difference for EXP Parties, especially so if you're fighting tougher mobs.
At lower levels, I'll strongly urge you, if possible, to try keep the levels of the party members as close as possible, and at best, similar levels. This is simply because at lower levels, you level up relatively faster, thus the difference in levels could arise pretty quickly.

----------------------------

3. Skillchains

Skillchains are very much overlooked, especially with parties of a lower level. In my opinion, skillchains can make or a break a party. It is alot of difference.

Firstly, Skillchains enable Magic Bursting to occur, and the additional damage arising from the Skillchain itself always helps. Magic Bursting is the action whereby a Mage, usually the Black Mage casting an elemental spell which is similar of similar elements to the Skillchain itself. The basic foundation of Magic Bursting is that when a Skillchain is performed, the mob is weakened to the specific element corresponding to the Skillchain for a short period of time. Casting a spell corresponding to the element of the skillchain will result in additional damage compared to the normal damage dealt by the elemental spell. This is in reference to the fact that the damage of the 'nukes' or elemental spells are affected by how much the mob is resisting the spell. The less it resists, the more damage it does, to a certain extent.

Not only that. Skillchains provide an organisation to the party, rather than just spamming Weapon Skills whenever your TP is up. Remember, a party requires excellent teamwork, as well as compliments to each jobs. Forming a party isn't just about putting together 6 people, which consists of a Tank, a Healer, a Support character. These 3 roles are the mere foundation of a party. The compaitability of the other jobs, usually damage dealers, differs though. This is where a Skillchain comes into place, since the Weapon Skills of Damage Dealers link to form a Skillchain. This is an aspect of teamwork.

Besides considering what Skillchain you wish to perform, you would have to understand the speed of TP Buildup of each and every Damage Dealer. It is futile to setup a Skillchain whereby one member gets 200% while the other is still at 58%.
For example, if you have a Ranger, which has an extremely fast TP Buildup, try to chain them with a Samurai or Thief, which can actually keep up with the TP Buildup. This is complimenting each other. I'm not strongly reccommending that if you have a Ranger, you MUST partner him with a Samurai or a Thief. I'm merely quoting an example.

One very good solution to balance out differences in TP Buildup among 2 Skillchain-ing Damage Dealers is that you could have the one who usually has excess TP first to solo his/her Weapon Skill. But again, this is always situational. Certain exceptions might and will arise.

Often, many other jobs do have special players amongst them, so don't generalise. My apologies if I've struck up any differences between jobs, but it wasn't intentional. It was just an example. No offence taken I hope.

Damage dealers are very often enhanced by Bards. Certain other spells such as Gravity do help your Damage Dealers land their hits, but not to a strong extent as a Bard. It is always possible to have an excellent party without a Bard, but it again depends on how your Party is formed up.

Many different kind of Skillchains occur, but what should you choose? Pre-65, most parties stick with Distortion. We should never fail to remember that the efficiency of a Skillchain is also determined by how much damage is contributed by the Magic Burst, apart from the Skillchain damage itself. Often, Ice, Thunder and Fire based Skillchains tend to produce greater results with Magic Bursting, since these 3 elements are the stronger Elemental Spells a Black Mage owns. Again, it varies, sometimes a Black Mage might own a stronger spell apart from those 3 elements, like Stone etc. Asking your Black Mage would definitely help. You should also consider the weakness of the mobs you are fighting, and form a skillchain corresponding to that particular element. Usually people ask, why do people always do Distortion? Reason being, it just so happens that popular EXP-Mobs tend to be weak to Ice.

Pior to that, to form a Skillchain as a leader means understanding what Weapon Skills do each job possess. Do your homework before hand, and make yourself familiar. Sometimes certain jobs use more than 1 weapon, so again, speak up and ask your members what weapons can they use. Jobs of these genre include Warriors especially.

I'll also like to reccommend that you print out a Skillchain Chart and be familiar with it, so that making references are easier. Since most don't utilise Windower (its banned by FFXI ><), printing it out would prove to be more useful.
Here's the one I use, by Aden.
Link: http://www.adennak.com/renkei.html

Post-65, a new path sets in. Level 3 Skillchains, namely Light & Darkness are introduced to you. They are the Skillchains which you should be aiming to do, but it might be difficult to perform a Level 3 Skillchain with 2 Level 65 Damage Dealers since their Weapons might not have been level-ed up to the point where the new Weapon Skill sets in. Nevertheless, ask your melees beforehand.

The effectiveness of a Level 3 Skillchain lies mainly in the person who closes the Skillchain. From most of my observations, on Incredibly Tough Mobs, the damage contributed by the Level 3 Skillchain is pretty much similar to the damage of the closing WeaponSkill. The closing WeaponSkill refers to the last WeaponSkill of the Skillchain. Many times, it was exactly similar, but I've seen situations and screenshots of other parties with the Skillchain Damage exceeding that of the closing WeaponSkill. By right, it should be about the same, but sometimes you might see that the Skillchain Damage is lower than the closing Weaponskill's damage. I personally suspect that this is due to the mob resisting the particular elemental of the Skillchain, but I've not gone into thorough research about them. This is crucial in the sense that you should always have a member with a stronger WeaponSkill, usually a Thief or a Damage Dealer who subs Thief to close the Skillchain rather than the other way round (extreme damage when SATA is done with the WeaponSkill). It will make a world of a difference. Usually, Light Skillchains are preferred since most mobs are weaker to Light than Darkness.

I'd also like to dispel rumours that Level 3 Skillchains can only be carried out with 3 people. This is not true. 2 members can still form a Level 3 Skillchain. Also, I've seen many parties who would request that their Paladin join in to form a Darkness Skillchain. I personally would discourage this, seeing how a Paladin would lose significant amounts of TP while resting for MP. This might be possible if your party has 2 refreshers, but still, I don't think its a feasible idea. I know of some Paladins who prefer doing Spirits Within, and I've seen how a Galka Paladin with a fully charged Spirits Within could do some tremendous damage, around 500 or so.

When you have a specific Skillchain in mind, and know what Jobs can do that particular Skillchain, go on and look out for them. To make yourself flexible for various situations, sometimes you could make reference to the Damage Dealer you already have. For example, if you have a Monk that does not have Howling Fist yet limits you to Fusion Skillchain mainly. Be strict with yourself, and stick with what you want. Going easy on yourself so that you could get party formed up as soon as possible will not exactly be a good experience later on. Don't rush.

----------------------------

4. Where you want to Party

Next, as a leader, you are expected to know and understand what's best for your party, and where should your party head. If you have several options in mind, discuss it with your party members. Make your party interactive, but as a leader, you should have a rough idea of where you should head.

What a well prepared Leader would say : Hey guys, prefer Crawler's Nest or Altepa? I'd personally prefer Altepa though since its less crowded.
What a poorly prepared Leader would say : Hmmm... wheres good for our level?

Some excellent resources to Leveling Sites:
Campsites by AmbroseOdin, the best I've seen so far.
http://ffxi.allakhazam.com/forum.html?forum=10&mid=1096838303937842675&num=165

Mystery Tour, not very accurate, I'd urge you to add a few more levels to whats reccommended.
http://mysterytour.web.infoseek.co.jp/ffxi/us/tips/hunt/hunt.htm

The Bilingual Website of Final Fantasy XI, pretty good, but not complete. The 2nd half of the page is not translated.
http://ffxi.game-host.org/eriwilde/ffxi/levelling/index.html#

Apart from deciding where to go, be cautious of what to expect there. For example, if you're going to fight Goblins, make sure that you have Barfira to reduce the damage of Goblin Bombs, or probably someone to Stun the mobs. Fighting Beetles would mean having Rhino Guard (Evasion Bonus for Beetles), which is extremely irritating for your Damage Dealers, thus you would need to have a Red Mage or Bard for Dispels.

Here's a list of Buffing Mobs you'll need to look out for
(credits to Russellius, taken from my personal Bard FAQ):
•Protect by Mage-Based Beastmen - Defence Boost
•Shell by Mage-Based Beastmen - Magic Defence Boost
•Blaze Spikes, Ice Spikes & Shock Spikes by BlackMage-Based Beastmen - Deals Physical damage to those who attack the mob.
•Cocoon by Crawlers - Major Defence Boost
•Rhino Guard by Beetles - Major Evasion Boost
•Sand Veil by Anticans - Major Evasion Boost
•Sand Shield by Anticans - Major Defence Boost
•Scissor Guard by Crabs - Defence Bonus
•Bubble Curtain by Crabs - Magic Defence Bonus
•Feather Barrier by Greater Birds - Evasion Bonus
•Beserk by Bombs & Dhalmels - Attack Bonus
•Whistle by Dhalmels - Agility Bonus
•Crystal Shield by Golems - Defence Bonus
•Regeneration by Leeches - HP Regeneration
•Secretion by Lizards - Evasion Bonus
•Battery Charge by Magic Pots - MP Regeneration
•Spectrum Barrier by Magic Pots - Magic Defence Bonus
•Photosynthesis by Mandragoras - HP Regeneration
•Magic Fruit by Opo Opos - HP Regeneration
•Howl by Orcs - Orcish version of Warcry
•Arm Block by Orcs - Defence Bonus
•Water Wall by Pugils - Defence Bonus
•Water Shield by Pugils - Evasion Bonus
•Shield Guard by Quadavs - Defence Bonus
•Rage by Rams - Attack Bonus
•Phtosynthesis by Sabotender - HP Regeneration
•Bubble Armour by Sahagin - Magic Defence Bonus
•Sharp Strike by Scorpions - Attack Bonus
•Water Shield by Sea Monks - Evasion Bonus
•Regeneration by Sea Monks - HP Regeneration
•Rage by Sheep - Attack Bonus
•Sigh by Tonberries - Evasion Bonus
•Wind Wall by Wyverns - Evasion Bonus
•Parry by Yagudos - Defence Bonus
•Howl by Yagudos - Yagudo version of Warcry

Next, we go on to what status effects different mobs provide us with. Fixing some crucial status effects like Silence, Paralyze, Petrified is crucial, so you need to ensure that you either have a White Mage to fix them, or a Bard, Summoner, Red Mage etc who subs White Mage to cure them. If you are unable to fix them, don't fight them, especially if you know its fatal.

Here's an excellent list of various Status Ailements Lady jyneefur. Kindly take a good look at it:
http://ffxi.allakhazam.com/db/jobs.html?fjob=1&mid=1102328104741021228&num=30

Let me tell you something about my parties. I'm a BRD/WHM, my girlfriend is RDM/BLM. None of our parties since Level 55 have a White Mage. This limits us to certain mobs, such as Cockatrices in Cape Terrigan because they Petrify, and there's no way my BRD/WHM at that level would have Stona. We avoid that place.

Lastly, it is also important to understand how many parties a certain Leveling Site can accomodate, and how many parties are there when your party is about to set off. Knowing this might help prevent overcrowding which can lead to much frustration due to too little pulls etc. Exercise caution in this area.

For example, if you know that Crawler's Nest is good for Level 35-40. You could do a search that goes:
/sea CrawlNest 35-40

Note that certain places have abbreviations so using in full would not produce a successful search. You could also get use to the abbreviations by doing /sea all 35-40 for a brief understanding of the abbreviations used.

----------------------------

5. Your Reputation

FFXI is an MMORPG, which requires massive intereaction. Your actions affect your place in the community of your server. You should always practice good party etiquette if you wish to be respected and well-known for everything good.

Because this guide promotes and aims at helping you be a better leader, I'll assume that you will start forming parties of your own. If you are an efficient and good leader, people remember you. And the next time you want to invite them again, they'll definitely agree without hesitation. I strongly believe that you have certain leaders in your mind which you remember vividly, because you knew they were good.

A good reputation isn't built overnight. It's done over time. Put it in FFXI Terms, your reputation is like getting from Level 1-75, like a Dia Spell, which does damage over time. Don't worry about embarrassing yourself in awkward situtations, because everybody makes mistakes. That's how we all learn isn't it?

----------------------------

6. Proper Party Etiquettes

The Do's
a)Be nice, don't appear too bossy or serious. Be jovial and humorous when you need to, and when it's time to be serious, quit the jokes.
b)Know what you are doing. Know what your party, and whats best for your party. Often people remember their best and worst parties. How you want people to remember you depends on how you perform.
c)Do your job well. Heal when you're supposed to heal, and don't go around fooling.
d)Be polite. Courtesy is always appreciated.

The No's
a)Don't start a party, get to the leveling site, and tell everyone that you need to go to bed. Start one only when you know you have the time to spend. There is no point starting a party when you're half-asleep at 4am in the morning.
b)Do not fall asleep, we all know this is irritating. Especially so if you're a crucial member, like a Tank or Healer. I'm not saying its ALRIGHT to sleep if you're not a Tank or Healer. It isn't.
c)Don't criticise about other people's equipment, and /check others like they're the last person left on Vanadiel.
d)Don't be rude, and demand things. If the person is not doing his job well, either keep it to yourself, or request politely.

There are definitely much more, but this should cover the basics. Most of these etiquettes are aware to us, but its just a matter of performing them or not.


----------------------------

7. Basic Party Formations

A basic party consists of a Tank, Healer, Magic Burster, Support, Damage Dealers X2.
There are always exceptions, such as a Manaburn Party, or a Black Mage Party. All these are situational. Mix and match. Sometimes you can't find a Magic Burster, other times you can't find a Support Character. Compromise and accomodate, and fix out a better solution.

Don't go around waiting for a Bard when you obviously know that very little of them are around, and when they do, they get taken up really fast. Again your reputation might help. Because people know you well, its always easier to ask them if they wish to party again the next day. Also, the /befriend command is very useful.

With a basic idea of what a party is like, always ensure that your members are compaitable. What I'm saying here is that you should make sure that your 2 or 3 Melees can Skillchain with one another. Always link back to the Skillchain Part which I've placed strong emphasis on above.

Other things that should come into mind would be downtime. A good party should have minimum downtime in order to maximise the EXP Yield. This can be achieved by either having an extremely powerful party with huge damage output, or having refreshers. Many people feel that a RDM+BRD Combo is practically unlimited MP, but it does have its drawbacks.

Firstly, the RDM would need to heal, which gives him/her lesser time to perform other duties like debuffing. This is true if you have Paladin Tanks in your party, but can be fixed by inviting a Ninja Tank. But the true tanking capabilities of a Ninja come in only after level 37, where they obtain Utsusemi:Ni. But having a Ninja Tank all the time isn't very feasible. Mobs which hit very fast, such as Mandragoras are not suitable for Ninjas to Tank. But a Ninja's aggro management is not as good as a Paladin's, so Black Mages would have to hold back their spells a little. The success of your party is not only determined by the Jobs you have and the Skillchains etc. It is also determined by how well your members work with one another.

Secondly, if you have a RDM+BRD combo, and you decide to have a White Mage to make curing easier, and to fix certain Status Ailments. But that reduces your damage output significantly. Also, if you're going to have a Black Mage, that leaves the 2 melees to Skillchain, which will be the Tank and another Damage Dealer. It is difficult for a Paladin to skillchain, since he will need to rest for MP in between fights, resulting in loss of TP. Again, problems arise.

Brainstorming new ideas is a good thing, but sometimes, if traditions work better, then stick with traditions.
Besides that, being a good leader, you will have to understand the Mobs' Special Abilities. Like Spiders in Boyahda do Sickle Slash which is extremely fatal to Paladin tanks, especially if they are much higher up then your tank is. Warning your Healer and Paladin would enable to reduce the risks of the 'Shock-Factor' setting in. What this means is that when it happens, your party won't be too shocked but instead, do whats appropriate.


----------------------------

8. Inviting Japanese Players

I know its hard, but you can always try. But do not be persistent. Persistent people who keep asking an individual if they want to party repeatedly despite numerous declines are considered as a nuisance. The end result is a /blist add "YOUR NAME".

Here's some simple Japanese Phrases you could attempt to use while inviting Japanese Players. Beware though, because using these might give Japanese Players the implication that you can speak Japanese, which might result in some ugly misunderstanding.

Overall, Japanese are very nice and humble people. Extremely polite and I love to party with them. Not to mention, most of them possess very good party etiquette. But of course, there's always a Black Sheep among the White ones.

Greetings/Casual
---------------------------------------------
Hello!
Konnichiwa!
---------------------------------------------
How are you?
O genki desuka?
---------------------------------------------
How is everyone?
Minasan ikaga desuka?
---------------------------------------------
I am from Singapore
Singapore rate me down.
---------------------------------------------
Please excuse me
Chotto sumimasen.
---------------------------------------------
How do you say "___" in Japanese?
"___" wa Nihongo de doo iimasuka?
---------------------------------------------
Good evening!
Konbanwa! (Useful since Japanese
usually appear at JP 7pm onwards.
---------------------------------------------
Bye!
Matane!
---------------------------------------------
Thank you for your effort.
Otsukaresamadesita
Note:Use this at the end of every party to
thank your fellow Japanese members.
---------------------------------------------


Inviting your members.
---------------------------------------------
Would you like to party with me?
Isshoni level agemasuka?
---------------------------------------------
May I join you?
Sankashhhiteiidesuka?
---------------------------------------------
Glad to have got you, looking for more.
Hokanohito sasotte imasu
---------------------------------------------
I can't find a "JOB NAME HERE"
Siro "JOB NAME HERE"
---------------------------------------------
Where are we going to party?
Doko de kari o shimasu ka?
---------------------------------------------
Gather together for buffs please.
Puro to sheru kakerunode atsumatte kudasai
---------------------------------------------
Puller
Tsuriyaku
---------------------------------------------
Great EXP!
Umai!
---------------------------------------------


Farewell phrases.
---------------------------------------------
Sorry, I've gotta go in 30 minutes.
Hontouni gomen, ato 30 pun gurai de ochimasu.
---------------------------------------------
Sorry, I've gotta go now.
Hontouni gomen, ima, ikanakutewa ikemasen.
---------------------------------------------
I'm going to the water closet/toilet
Toire ittekimasu
---------------------------------------------
Be right back/AFK
Riseki shimasu.
Note: If you need to go for a specifc amount
time, say something like Riseki shimasu @10pun
(10pun = 10 mins)
---------------------------------------------
I'm off to get my signet
Shigu ittekimasu
---------------------------------------------


MISC. Phrases
---------------------------------------------
Cool!
Kakkoi!!!
---------------------------------------------
Cute
Kawaii
---------------------------------------------
Scary
Kowai
---------------------------------------------
Good Luck!
Ganbatte!
---------------------------------------------
No problem!/NP
Ii desuka
---------------------------------------------
Great job!
***************
---------------------------------------------
Congratulations!
Omedetou
---------------------------------------------
I'm back
Tada
---------------------------------------------
Welcome back/WB
Okaeri
---------------------------------------------
LOL
w or warau
---------------------------------------------

These phrases were previously taken from http://shigemo.com/FFXI/nihongo_guide.html but the site has been down since. It contains many useful phrases which I've printed out. I learnt much from it though, making communication easier.

If you feel that its too troublesome, feel free to use the auto-translator. I've never had much problems when I used simple phrases to invite Japanese Players though.

----------------------------

•Other Resources•

-Want to lead a party? Please read this. > > by SingBismark
Very good guide too, read it too if you've not ^^


I think I've said about enough for now. I'll continue to update this post when I find more things to add on. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me in-game. I'm based on the Kujata Server, name's Sepals, or my girlfriend, Petals. We would both love to help you out with any questions you might have. Feel free to post any comments, thanks!
For now, enjoy.

Edited, Thu Mar 10 19:20:21 2005 by fedex
#2 Mar 10 2005 at 12:38 AM Rating: Good
Great guide. I learnt alot from it ;)
Rate up.
#3 Mar 10 2005 at 12:49 AM Rating: Decent
***
2,746 posts
:| You *must* guide this.
#4 Mar 10 2005 at 12:54 AM Rating: Decent
**
549 posts
Quote:
Hello!
Konnichiwa!


Isn't Konnichiwa only used if its the afternoon?, which is why alot of the time you get {Nice to meet you} when Japanese players join your parties?

Good guide, it should defintely be stickied or whatever it is our Admins do.
#5 Mar 10 2005 at 1:04 AM Rating: Good
**
755 posts
Excellent guide. I'm glad you decided to revisit it and share it with us after shelving
it for a while. Rate up.
#6 Mar 10 2005 at 1:25 AM Rating: Good
*
137 posts
Well done. It's structured nicely and easy to read. It's nice that you are workshopping it here before putting it in the guide section too. Rate up ;)
#7 Mar 10 2005 at 7:15 AM Rating: Good
Quote:
Well done. It's structured nicely and easy to read. It's nice that you are workshopping it here before putting it in the guide section too. Rate up ;)


i agree, its really easy on the eyes. Always a gd thing.
#8 Mar 10 2005 at 7:25 AM Rating: Good
Very nice, but to add to the Japanese players. I find myself able to invite even the JP's with JP ONRY!!11!!1 in their search comments.

Just tell them everything.. Eg, you're starting a party to go to Kuftal Tunnel 59-61 to fight Raptors, Goblin and Worm. you currently have 4/6 members.

/tell JPPlayer {Good Evening!}59-61 exp PT@{Kuftal Tunnel}{Do you need it?}{Fight}{Raptor}{Goblin}{Worm}@4{Member}RDM WHM SMN PLD

Long, yes, but those that have got Japanese invites before will know they give you every bit of information you need to know, and if you tell them the above, the majority of the time they will repond with an ok.

Tips: Japanese don't use spaces between Auto-Translate.
#9 Mar 10 2005 at 9:08 AM Rating: Decent
*
237 posts
Quote:
Tips: Japanese don't use spaces between Auto-Translate.


That's new. Thanks for the input.
#10 Mar 10 2005 at 7:00 PM Rating: Decent
/tag
#11 Mar 11 2005 at 12:59 AM Rating: Decent
*
237 posts
bump
#12 Mar 15 2005 at 9:14 AM Rating: Decent
Great write-up :)
#13 Mar 15 2005 at 10:15 AM Rating: Decent
**
365 posts
/tag
#14 Apr 01 2005 at 1:59 PM Rating: Decent
*
237 posts
bump.
#15 Apr 01 2005 at 4:02 PM Rating: Decent
**
348 posts
Very nice guide. I do have a few disagreements however, mostly on your emphasis for skillchains.

Despite how crucial it may seem, you do not always need to make a skillchain! Why?

- Some setups lack a BLM/RDM/SMN to MB. Trying to prepare a SC for no one to burst off of is a waste unless the SC is doing enough damage to exceed that of soloing weapon skills normally. WHM rarely burst Banish and PLD/DRK/BRD/NIN bursts are nothing to build a SC over.
- Some setups lack enough melee to make a skillchain. Ever have a setup with PLD SAM BRD WHM RDM BLM? The only times you'll see a skillchain is when the SAM waits for the PLD for a few fights and when the SAM uses his 2hr.
- Some PLAYERS suck. These are the people who cannot build TP to save their life, cannot time a skillchain properly, cannot line up for SATA, cannot time MBs correctly, you name it.
- Some jobs and their WS do not work well together. I've had to SC with RNG on DRG plenty of times, and it usually ends up being Reverberation. Yeah, that bursted Water II for 50 extra damage was worth it.
- Some WS suck compared to others. Ask a MNK to close Gravitation with One Inch Punch on Toramas, or a RNG to use Flaming Arrow after 55 to open Fusion. Go on, try it.
- Some WS have effects that can be restricted by an SC, or don't SC at all. Spirits Within and the Great Axe Break WS are good examples.

The point I'm trying to make is that there are plenty of times where making a skillchain will actually result in less DoT than by soloing WS.
#16 Apr 01 2005 at 9:05 PM Rating: Good
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237 posts
somebody trolled.
rated everybody up.
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