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Looking for HNM LS! Help me out!Follow

#1 Jun 16 2010 at 11:33 PM Rating: Decent
Hello everyone^^,

I have a character named Consequence in the game and I REALLY want a black belt. Looks like the only way to do that is to get an HNM LS. I recently just got into a very good Salvage group and it looks like I'm well on my way to getting the Usukane set. So I'll be needing a black belt to go along with it. I'm a pretty good, experienced, decently geared player. I have some experience camping the HNMs. Give me a hollar if there are any HNMs out there who could use a good player. My jobs are: RNG75, NIN75, MNK75, COR75, SMN75, BLM75, WHM64 and everything else is pretty much over 40. If you have more questions about me or my progress in the game, ask.
#2 Jun 17 2010 at 9:17 AM Rating: Good
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241 posts
Getting into an hnmls just to get a black belt seems weird to me. Get in an ls to do the game content you want to do with the type of people you enjoy playing the game. Black Belt items can be bought rather cheap nowadays, and any of the LS's that normally camp kings in Cerberus are willing to sell them. Just scan the zones and when you see more than 3 people in any of them you know windows are open. Show up, and ask to buy. Also, avoid getting into a bidding war with anyone over an item that drops at least once a week 100% of the time.

If you actually are looking to do HNMs and sit in spots for 3-5 hour windows waiting for them to pop, then I'm sure one of the LS's in Cerb will be happy to use your blm, cor, and rng, just don't go about applying by telling them you're wanting to join just so you can get a black belt.
#3 Jun 18 2010 at 5:21 AM Rating: Decent
40 posts
First off, the items are not cheap. Most HMN shells are asking a minimum of 2 million gil per item.
6 million gil is not a small amount of money, and you will find most people in the game do not have
6 million gil to buy the items.

Even if you do have the money, it is a lot harder than you make out to buy the items. For example,
I have been trying to buy the items myself for over a year now without success. I have the gil, but
I lack the game time to sit and camp the spawns. I have a full time job, so am only online for 1 to
3 hours max a day, and that is usually in the evening. You will find that if the NM windows are not
up during that time, then I have to wait around a week before they overlap with my usual play time.

Ok, so I see people in the zone, I head out there. I start sending /tell to all the party leaders,
and start /shouts asking if the item is for sale. Guess what, its the usual case of:

- No reply whatsoever from anybody in the area
- No, somebody in the shell needs it
- No sorry, selling to somebody else
- Yes, we will sell it to you - but then that shell does not get the claim
- Yes, we will sell it, but you have to bid against those other guys in the corner
- Yes, we will sell it to you, but the item does not drop

As I said, I have been trying on/off for over a year to get these items, and it seems nobody wants my
money. The vast majority of the time I end up wasting 3 hours+ of my time shouting and getting no
response whatsoever. I have effectively given up on buying the items now, and think that the original
posters idea of getting into the shells themselves is probably the best route (if you have the time
to stand around for hours camping each day).

BTW, if you are planning on joining a shell just for BB items, you may only have the choice of joining
one particular one. I was originally from Hades before the merge, and it seems the HNM shells from Hades
are having a very tough time getting claims on Cerberus. Every time one of those shells agrees to sell
me the item, they never get the claim. They always seem to be out claimed by "Armada", who appear to
be botting (I can not prove it of course, but it seems mighty fishy to me when there is a party of naked
Taru who always get the claim, then all mass DC directly after getting the claim). There is a Taru army
at each of the camps I am told (I have only tried Fafnir camp since moving to Cerberus) owned by Armada.
So unless you join Armada, seems your chances of getting the items by camping them is very very slim indeed.
As for your chances of getting into Armada, well that might be slimmer yet depending on their recruitment
policy...

#4 Jun 18 2010 at 11:17 AM Rating: Good
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241 posts
I can understand if you are frustrated but let's not misunderstand things. One, 6mil for 12%haste in one spot is ridiculously cheap. Back when I was shopping for these items they were selling for almost 5 mil a piece so you get no sympathy there. Two, if you can't make the spawn times, guess what? Joining an HNMLS won't help there much either, now will it? That's a problem with your schedule, I work full time too and all that means is it takes longer since you have to keep in consideration that windows have to be on during your playtime. Third, LS's DO sell these items and rarely do any of these ls's need these items. Having been a member of two of the biggest HNMLSs in Cerb I can tell you that they most times go to mage-only people because they don't have a buyer.

If the OP wants to join one of these shells, then he should do that, I was merely pointing out that doing so just for a black belt was not what I consider the best way to go about things.

And just to clear one little thing up for you, they are ALL botting. I really didn't think there were any people left in 2010 who naively believe people go try to compete for Ground Kings without bots. Sure, there may be one or two groups that might show up to these camps every once in a blue with the hopes of outclaiming 10-20 linked accounts voking milliseconds after each other, but after a few nights of no claim they stop showing up. There is no need for proof in 2010, most of these guys brag about their bots openly nowadays.
#5 Jun 18 2010 at 5:14 PM Rating: Good
40 posts
It may be 12% haste, but remember its only a 4% increase over brown belt. So in effect you are paying 6 million
for 4% extra haste. Also, 6 million now days buys you a lot more than it did even a year ago. It is also much
harder to farm/obtain 6 million gil in todays economy, than it was in the over inflated economy when the RMT
still controlled it. SE have killed off many crafting revenue streams by introducing new gear that makes existing
expensive items practically worthless, and gimped NPC prices and even farming to stem the RMT tide. This all
means that 6 million gil today is not cheap, relative to the prices/income ability of most players a year ago.
It seems the only way to make decent money these days is to join HNM shells.

I never said I wanted to join one, I already said I do not have time for that, and as you point it, it means
it takes much longer for me to have the opportunity to buy the items.

I also do not agree with you when you say most linkshells are selling the items, since that has not been
my experience. Ok, maybe I got very unlucky every time I went and did /shout and /tells, but its very
disheartening when you stand in a room, doing a /shout every 5 minutes for over 3 hours, and not ONE person
(of about 50+) has the decency to answer you. This did not happen once or twice, it was 90% of the time at
least. And when somebody does want to sell it, it never drops, or they get outclaimed. Again, perhaps I have
been the extreme case for bad luck with this, but I know a few others who took over 6 months to get a single
item too...

Botting on Cerberus may be the norm, but it certainly was not on Hades (not that I witnessed anyway).
I have spoken to members of two of the bigger shells from Hades, and they are all complaining about the
bots on Cerberus, since they never used bots themselves. It says alot about the integrity of the leaders
of the shells on Cerberus, if they have to resort to cheating to get all the claims. RMT I would expect it
from, but from the general player base? Call it principle, but I have given up on getting the items now,
since the honest shells never get claims on Cerberus now, and I refuse to line the pockets of cheats.
#6 Jun 19 2010 at 4:39 PM Rating: Excellent
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147 posts
onimushawarrior wrote:
I have a character named Consequence in the game and I REALLY want a black belt. Looks like the only way to do that is to get an HNM LS.


The black belt items also drop from the three KSNM 99 battles. They're not a guaranteed drop, but they're not terribly rare, and several MNKs I know have gotten their black belts that way (myself included). I'm not sure if these fights will be affected by the level cap increase, but if they are, they should become an even more viable way of obtaining black belt items as smaller and smaller groups will be able to win these battles. There are also plenty of linkshells on Cerberus that don't camp kings but do KS99s somewhat regularly -- it's possible that some of them are willing to sell black belt items if none of their members need them, and it's certainly easier than timing your schedule around HNM windows.

I would echo Insanesibak's recommendation that you should only join an HNMLS if you will enjoy the kind of playing and events they do, rather than just for the sake of an item. If you are interested in HNM play, then joining a shell or buying from them is certainly the fastest way to a black belt. But as I mentioned above, it's not the only way.
#7 Jun 21 2010 at 6:04 PM Rating: Decent
We do Ks99 on the the 3rd saturday of each month and we're pretty much tapped out on Black Belts. So could always just send me a /tell and I'll let u know what times and who's popping.
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