Greenbeans

Yawara! A fashionable judo girl

Sat, 05 Apr 2008 08:35:34 GMT

seangaffney pointed out to me that Animeigo is releasing a boxset of season 1. I want to take a moment to pimp this to my flist because they're promoting the series by offering a free disc 1 ($5 S&H for up to 3 discs shipped to you). I'd really encourage you guys who are anime curious (danakate) or like sports anime (thistle_chaser) to explore this disc 1 offer. Thistle especially since I'm pretty sure you'll adore the main male characters >.>; Animeigo's page has a short write up of the first few episodes on it and explains the free disc offer in more detail. Please check it out and support older anime that's getting a new life again >.>/ (And yes, I did pre-order the box set :3b )

DRAFT: Ashu Talif quest guide

Sun, 29 Jul 2007 10:00:24 GMT

This is a first and probably very rough draft of a guide to the Ashu Talif quest line. I'm posting it here since my static-mates use LJ and can look through it and correct me where I'm wrong or points that I've forgotten. Once it's tightened up a bit more I'll make a more proper posting.

Introduction

The Treasures of Aht Urhgan introduced a three quest Assault-style line that is both very difficult and very rewarding. This is a guide to offer information and ideas on how to get a 6-person group to the second and third quests for farming purposes.

As a matter of principle, I dislike singling out specific jobs as being necessary for successful completion of anything (I prefer to think in terms of job roles). Unfortunately, these quests are somewhat prohibitive of that. I'll try to give ideas for how to stretch jobs into the roles that need to be filled, but to do that often has specific gear and/or merit requirements. There is also the requirement of a positive mindset and not being afraid of failure or dying. Let me make this clear: You may lose a hefty chunk of XP while trying to complete these quests. You might also lose in terms of gil for consumables. Keep your eye on the brass ring at the end and hopefully Altana will smile upon you and give you shiny drops as a reward for your efforts.

If you don't know what the brass rings are for this quest line, here's a list:

Every quest drops various Goldsmithing gemstones, beastman coins, and a Koga Shuriken. Items with a * next to them are "bonus" items that you might get for meeting extra conditions during the quest. There is no guarantee that you'll get the item, but it's possible. Some of the items are found on the ship (like the Barbarossa's Zerehs). Others are gotten via ??? item appraisal (Barbarossa's Moufles and the Attachments).

Scouting the Ashu Talif: Matron's Knife*
Royal Painter Escort: Cerberus Hide*, Yoichi's Sash*, Automaton Attachments
Targeting the Captain: Barbarossa's Zerehs, Barbarossa's Moufles*, Automaton Attachments

Getting Started

The firs quest in the line is Scouting the Ashu Talif. To start it trade Halshaob (H-10) in Nashmau three Imperial Bronze Pieces. The second is Royal Painter Escort and costs one Imperial Silver Piece. The third is Targeting the Captain and costs one Imperial Mythril Piece. You must pay the starting fee each time you want to attempt the quest, win or lose.

You cannot start the other quests in the line until you've completed the one previous to it. Also, you can only start one quest from Halshaob per real day. In other words, if you have full access to the three quests, you can start each one of them, one per real day. You could theoretically do four quests from him in one day (the three pre-started ones, plus one quest started on the day that you do the other three). The weekly static I'm in queues up the quests so that we can do "Royal Painter Escort" once, then "Targeting the Captain" twice on the same day. (Or we could do "Royal Painter Escort" twice and "Targeting the Captain" once, meh, you get the idea...)

The quests are out on the Black Coffin in Dvucca Isle. There are two ways to get out fairly easily. The first is to go to Nashmau and head to the (E-11) entrance of the Alzadaal Undersea Ruins. You'll need 1 Silver Imperial Piece or a Remnants Permit to go this way. Follow the Ruins through the only way that you can and you'll exit at (I-10) in Caedarva Mire (Dvucca Isle area, marked as Alzadaal Undersea Ruins 2 on the map). The other way is to go via the Dvucca Staging Point from Whitegate. You'll end up at (I-9). You're headed to (G-9) (marked at Appapago Reef 3 on the map).

A word of warning; at (G-10) there is a pond with some Jnun in it. Do not enter the water unless you feel like fighting a NM Imp named Zikko. The Imp is Invisible and won't aggro or decloak unless someone walks through the marsh and is Gravitied. It's not a hard NM and your group might have fun killing it on the way through, but it can be a nasty surprise if you don't know it's there.

Once you get the Appapago Reef continue forward until you get to the open area and can see the Black Coffin. The BCs in this quest go by Assault rules. That means buffs are stripped when you enter, items with Assault-activated latents on them are active, and Tractor works within the BC.

Scouting the Ashu Talif

This is, by far, the most difficult quest in the line. Some SMN have claimed to solo it, and that may be so, but it falls in to the same category of a RDM soloing Genbu. It's nice that they've managed it, but not very practical for a group trying to do it unless your person is extremely gung-ho, skilled, and well equipped. Just because your group has a SMN I wouldn't expect them to solo it, in other words.

For a more balanced and realistic group the job roles you're going to want are refresher, puller, AoE damage dealer, and healer. Our group has done combinations like MNK/NIN (puller), RDM (refresh), WHM (healer), AoE damage dealers (BLM and SMN using Ramuh). We've also used BRD/NIN as puller, with the BRD having an extreme physical damage decrease build. That's something any puller will want. Earth staff is the weapon of choice. Utsusemi helps a lot with blinking off Ancient magic, but keeping shadows up is a challenge. The healer will need to be on their toes if the puller is going to survive the entire run. Unfortunately, this quest is heavily biased towards AoE damage. The mobs you'll be fighting only have about 600HP, but there are *a lot* of them near the end. The more BLM you have, the easier the quest will be. If you have zero BLM it will be challenging and you'll have to find other ways to do fast AoE damage.

You have 30 minutes to kill every mob that spawns except for an optional NM. Everyone in the BC will want to have Reraise up and to keep it up. You do lose XP if you die, but it's possible to wipe and recover if you're on the upper deck and have been killing at a brisk pace. The person most likely to die during the BC is the puller. Because you're on a tight time limit the puller may choose to continue pulling while weakened to get the group through the fight. Considering the difficulty of the fight, if it's close, this is the choice I've made in the past. Now that I've scared you, let me explain how the BC is set up.

Here is a rough map I've drawn of the area of the Ashu Talif that's used in this quest. When the quest starts you'll be near the lifeboat. You'll want to run to the upper deck before doing anything else so you're not near the mobs once they start spawning. After they've spawn, they'll aggro if you go down the steps or if you draw your weapon. This is something to keep in mind since it can be used to your advantage.

You'll be facing Ashu Talif Crew, which are shade type mobs and are the jobs of MNK, RDM, and ranged attacker. As the fight progresses Watch Imps will be added. There is also a NM called Swiftwinged Gekko that spawns and messes with you before disappearing. You'll want to have your puller go down the steps from the upper deck, aggro whatever is down there, and bring it to the upper deck to be killed. It sounds simple, it starts simple, but then it's not near the end.

Twice during the BC you will receive temporary items like you get during Besieged. The items are a Revitalizer (resets all JA timers including 2hr), Daedalus Wing (instant 300% TP without medicated effect), and a Vile Elixir+1 (restores about half of your HP and MP). DRGs and BSTs get an additional item for their pets. There will be an emote colored message that says something like "Your bag feels heavier" that indicates you've received the items, so keep a lookout for it.

When the puller starts have them go down the steps and come back up. For myself, I usually go down the left side stairs and run a loop and come back up the right side stairs. Just running by will aggro everything that is down there. The BC will start slow with only 3-5 Crewmen in a wave, but here are the things to keep in mind. The MNKs will be on your tail. The RDM and especially the ranged attacks may lag behind the MNKs to cast or take shots at you. In later waves the ranged attackers may end up separated far enough from the other mobs that an AoE attack won't hit them with the rest of the group, so watch out for that. I try to run exactly the same path every time I pull and stop in the same spot. I put myself into a corner to force the ranged attackers to come as far forward as possible before stopping to shoot at me. The Crewmen will typically follow the same route you ran (like, they won't repath to run up the left staircase unless they got *really* separated.)

After several waves of increasing numbers of Crewmen you'll have your first encounter with Gekko. You do not have to defeat Gekko to complete the BC. He's an optional NM. Killing him adds another treasure chest to be popped at the end of the BC that has a ??? knife in it that might be appraised as the Matron's Knife. Gekko is difficult to kill because it despawns quickly. I'm not going to cover how to do it since it's not necessary for the win.

Anyhow, when Gekko pops he's in the middle of the lower deck. You can see him from the top of the stairs if you angle your camera around some. I warn the party that Gekko is next because he will always do a -ga debuff. The debuffs he does are: Sleepga II, Graviga, Bindga, Paralyga. When he's up, have at very least the healer pop a Poison Potion just in case Gekko does Sleepga II. The puller can move down the steps about 3-5 steps and aggro Gekko from there. If the puller doesn't run back up the stairs Gekko's -ga debuff will only hit the puller and Gekko will fly by and then despawn. After Gekko despawns the next wave of mobs will appear. There is a small area on the steps where you can aggro Gekko and not have the wave that follows him aggro the puller if they're stuck there and need an Erase or Cure. The best I can describe it is about three steps down, but you'll have to experience it to see what I mean, I think...

After Gekko's first appearance the Watch Imps begin spawning along with the Crewmen. The Imps spawn in the corners of the lower deck. They will always cast an Ancient magic on the first person they aggro on. Because they're casting an Ancient magic, they're lagged behind the Crewmen during the pull (much like how the ranged attackers can get separated). The Watch Imps path to whatever route is shortest to the person they're aggroed on after their spell goes off, which means they don't necessarily follow the path that the puller took. This is another way in which they can get seperated and end up with some on each side of the upper deck. If you have multiple BLMs you might plan on having them stagger their casting slightly since not all of the mobs will arrive at the same time.

This is where the BC starts getting dangerous. For the puller, they'll have MNKs and ranged attackers stripping their shadows while Ancient magic is being cast on them. Even if shadows are re-established in time to blink some of the spells, later waves can have 4-6 Imps in them, essentially manaburning the puller since they're all casting at the same time. Keep Protect and Shell and a barspell up on the party for the additional magic defense. Diabolos' Dream Shroud is wonderful because of the magic defense (for the puller) and the magic attack (for the nukers). If your RDM has Phalanx II, cast it on the puller before they pull. Titan's Stoneskin is nice, but if you have a single SMN you might not have time to do Dream Shroud and Stoneskin between pulls and still finish the BC. In that case, I'd take Dream Shroud over Stoneskin. After the pull happens the healer needs to camp the puller because they're about to get hammered.

The Watch Imps tend to cast -gaIII after their initial Ancient magic and have followed the puller to the upper deck. Kill the Imps as quickly as possible. They're much more dangerous than the Crewmen. If your puller with their Earth Staff has staff weapon skills, don't forget that you can use Earth Crusher to do an AoE WS hit that might finish off some mobs, just go after the Imps first! The puller will probably be taking enough damage to gain TP for a weapon skill a couple times, but don't forget to use those Daedalus Wings when you get them so that you can WS if you need to.

The other thing the puller needs to be aware of is MP. You need to move briskly since time is tight, but it does no good to pull if your mages don't have the MP to kill anything. Communication is important. Keep in mind that you're going to get items twice and if you have BLMs, they can Manafront a total of three times during the BC. Try to conserve and pace the MP consumption, and don't pull too soon if the MP isn't there!

The last wave of the BC will have Gekko popping at the same time as a very large wave. Use the method I described to trigger Gekko coming up the steps and don't bring Gekko's -ga onto the party if you can help it. The other mobs will likely link with Gekko when this happens, so, again the puller is about to get hammered.

If things go south and your party wipes, it's possible to recover assuming there's enough time on the clock. Everyone who hopes to recover needs to be on the upper deck to avoid aggro. The mobs will go back to the lower deck and reset. Be careful! Don't Reraise until every mob is on the lower deck again. If they're on the stairs they can aggro and come back up. If people die in a position where they can see, make sure both stairways are clear before Reraising. Wipes probably won't happen until after the Watch Imps start spawning. Evaluate your situation and decide if you want to try to recover fully or zerg it if you're short on time and close.

When you complete the BC you'll get a message that the mission has been complete and a lockbox will appear on the lower deck. You get one lockbox for clearing all of the mobs. A second lockbox is possible for defeating Gekko. Items in the lockbox go into a treasure pool and must be lotted and drop before clicking on the lifeboat to leave or the items are lost. You must click the lifeboat to complete the BC and get credit for it.

Congratulations, it's (mostly) downhill from here x.xb

Royal Painter Escort

Give Halshaob an Imperial Silver Piece and head out to the Black Coffin for the next quest in the line. This one is a lot shorter and possibly a lot easier depending upon how you're set up. The goal is to escort Faluuya into the hold of the ship to sketch it. Faluuya, unfortunately, is a chicken. A chicken with low HP. Her AI is much like the one for Professor Chanoix in "Escort Professor Chanoix", only with a greater emphasis on running away. When she runs she moves faster than normal. If she's being chased, the mobs chasing her move faster than normal. Catching up to her can be a challenge.

During the escort you'll gain access to the cargo hold. Here's a diagram of the area you'll be working in during this quest.

In theory there are two ways to complete this quest. You can either protect Faluuya by cure bombing and getting things off of her that want her dead while she works or you can defeat a NM named Black Bartholomew. When Black Bartholomew is killed all of the other mobs despawn. And what are the other mobs involved? Crewmen like in the previous quest and Marines. Marines are shades, RDM job, and significantly harder than the Crewmen to defeat.

There are three possible reward lockboxes in this BC. The first lockbox is for completing the escort. The second is for defeating Black Bartholomew. The third is for Faluuya taking little to no damage. The best goodies (automaton attachments and the previously listed * items) are in the last two boxes.

Depending upon your group you may have an easier time with simply escorting Faluuya and cure bombing her the entire way through. Our static's strategy for completing the quest is to split up. A couple people escort Faluuya while everyone else zerg rushes Black Bartholomew.

The Escort group is going to want both the ability to Cure Faluuya and to protect her while she's under attack. She is going to have a lot of mobs on her at once, so AoE damage dealers are a plus. They can decimate the weak Crewmen and leave the Marines as the most immediate threat.

The Zerg group is going to want heavy damage dealers and a healer to keep them upright. They will be under attack by Black Bartholomew and about three Marines. Here's a map of the Escort route Faluuya takes.

Faluuya will be on the deck when you enter the BC. Buff up on the lifeboat. When you're ready, approach her and the escort will begin. She'll walk first to the cargo hold door and stop. (Her stops are marked with X's.) After she asks you to open the door, you'll be able to target it and enter. She'll go down the first flight of stairs and stop on the small landing and make a comment. After that, she'll go down to next flight of stairs to the bottom of the hold and stop. When that happens a Crew will spawn (MNK job) and aggro her. It's at this point that your group should split up. Have the Zerg group Provoke, Flash, or otherwise get the Crew off of her, preferable before she's hit. (Chi Blast with a few Boosts behind it works for me. Chi just by itself isn't strong enough.) I'll explain the Escort group's task first.

Faluuya will rush up the stairs along the yellow path and head for the lifeboat. Unfortunately, another Crew MNK is waiting there for her. Have your Escort person try to get the Crew off of her as it chases her up the stairs. Faluuya is going to run around upstairs and start getting onslaught by Crew and the occasional Marine. Our static uses 2 SMN for escorting Faluuya. They have their Avatars out (Ramuh) and use Dia to claim/target Ramuh onto mobs. Thunderspark works at first, but as more mobs come they'll (one at a time) Astral Flow and use Judgment Bolt to flatten the masses. In theory, that gives 6 minutes for the Zerg group to defeat Bartholomew. The way this quest is structured, you either win or lose very quickly because of how weak Faluuya is and the number of mobs coming after her, so this is actually plenty of time.

Here is a picture of the cargo hold and roughly where mobs will spawn. They won't spawn immediately (all spawns are on a timer in this BC.) The Zerg party will want to stand by the Captain's Cabin. The support/healer will be in the nook while the damage dealers will be a bit forward. The reason for this is because hate is odd. The Marines seem to work like the Watch Imps in the previous quest in that they'll attack whoever is closest to them first. Keeping the support/healer in the nook and damage dealers in front of them assures that they aren't the target of initial hate.

The Zerg party will wait for a short bit while Faluuya is attacked at the lifeboat and chased to the upper deck, but stay in position, you're about to have mobs spawn on you. When Black Bartholomew spawns you'll want to attack him and ignore the Marine next to him. He's a COR job type with moderate HP. The Marine will try to kill you, obvious, and the other two in the room will come to assist, but their hate is odd in that they'll focus on whoever is attacking Black Bartholomew. The support/healer might get hate, but it won't be initial hate. Make sure they have Stoneskin/Blink up before the mobs spawn and focus on keeping the damage dealers alive. The quest is over as soon as Black Bartholomew is down. Our group uses 2x MNKs, WHM, and RDM (who might Chainspell nuke to speed things along even more). Yes, that's an excessive amount of damage, especially with both MNKs 2hr'ing, but the Escort group is under siege and this needs to be finished quickly.

Once Faluuya is no longer under attack she will resume the escort and come back down into the hold. You'll get the finished message and the lockboxes will spawn on the lower deck.

Targeting the Captain

Give Halshaob 1 Imperial Mythril Piece and head to the Black Coffin.

There are 4 mobs to be defeated during this quest: 2 Imps, Cutthroat Kabsalah, and his pet Opo-opo Bubbly. The ultimate goal is to defeat Kabsalah and Bubbly, but the Imps play an important role in this quest that has to do with the Lockboxes. Cuttroat Kabsalah and Bubbly are both in the Captain's Cabin behind a closed door. I haven't marked where they are on the map because that varies.

There are three potential lockboxes. The first two are for completing the quest. A third lockbox that has the ??? gloves that Barbarossa's Moufles might come from is possible. To get the third box you need to do a surprise attack on Kabsalah and *not lose claim on him* until he is defeated. A surprise attack is when you hit him when he's looking away from the door and without Bubbly noticing. So how do the Imps play a role in that? Depending upon how you pull the Imps affects Bubbly's path in the Captain's Cabin. If you do a sneak attack on the Imps (pull them from behind) Bubbly will run back and forth across the room rather than roaming around. If you can set how Bubbly moves it makes it easier to pull Kabsalah without notice.

Yes, the pulling is convoluted in this quest. Thanks SE.

While it's possible (though very unlikely) to pull one mob without the other linking, the strategy we use is to have one person kite Kabsalah while everyone else piles on Bubbly. Our Kabsalah kite is a SMN who uses a wide kite area of the upper deck, lower deck, and cargo hold to keep Kabsalah busy. He's not a very fast mover, so give plenty of room and you should be fine.

Meanwhile, Bubbly is being taken care of within the Captain's Cabin itself. We separated the group this way to make sure there weren't any hate issues. (Since Kabsalah's hate, if you haven't guessed it by now from the other two quests, is a bit... unusual.)

Bubbly has all of a regular Opo-opo's TP moves. Here's a list in case it's been a while since you've punched a monkey: Claw Storm (single target damage + poison), Magic Fruit (healing), Eye Scratch (single target damage + blind), Spinning Claw (AoE damage), Viscious Claw (heavy single target damage), Stone Throw (ranged single target + paralyze), and Blank Gaze (single target dispel). Wiki estimates Bubbly's level to be 80. It's accuracy is incredibly high. I have difficulty blink tanking him with 292 Evasion skill and a robust Evasion build. What makes things worse is that Bubbly doesn't debuff well or at all really. Our RDM has over 300 Enfeebling skill and his debuffs won't stick, even with Elemental Seal. The best solution is to have your melees (including the tank) with the best Evasion builds they can manage and share hate to bounce him around. Bubbly hits are roughly truck-like, so straight tanking him might not be an attractive option without Utsusemi's help.

If your kiter is doing fine I would recommend having your mages rest to full before starting the next fight. If you fought Bubbly in the Captain's Cabin you'll be safe there to rest and regroup.

Kabsalah is a shade, COR job, estimated level 80. He has near 100% double attack and ranged attacks. His accuracy is high, but not as high as Bubbly's, (He's easier to blink tank, but he has that double attack and ranged attack, so it evens out..). He'll do Wild Card when his HP is low. Plus he does the usual Fomor TP moves like Dancing Chains, Firefox, Netherspikes, Carnal Nightmare, Barbed Crescent, and Aegis Schism. In other words, all of the physical damage attacks can be absorbed by Utsusemi if your shadows aren't stripped by ranged attacks and double attack. Like with Bubbly, bouncing him between multiple people/Avatars/pets is a good idea so no one gets hammered. His regular attacks hit harder than Bubbly's and criticals *really* hurt. If someone who has hate is hit with Aegis Schism, Erase them because it's a hefty enough Defense Down that makes matters much worse.

If you're using the bounce around strategy with Kabsalah be careful with curing hate. Kabsalah seems quite willing to move away from his current target to go whack a mage that's cast their first Cure III in 6 months. (That might be a little exaggerated, but not by much...) RDMs will want to do their Convert a very far distance away from Kabsalah so that he doesn't come after them for Curing themselves. Don't trust Stoneskin to save you or think that your hate is low enough that he wouldn't possibly come after you. As I mentioned, his hate is a bit wonky and if you're on his list he might decide to say hi without much provocation.

Once both Bubbly and Kabsalah are defeated you'll receive the mission completed message and the Lockboxes will pop on the lower deck. If you got Barbarossa's Zerehs they'll be in one of the lockboxes. The drop rate isn't great for the Barbarossa's Zerehs, though our group has gotten lucky and gotten two in a row before. I've heard 10% for the drop rate. I think that's probably about right.

Conclusion

This quest line *is not* easy. It can strain your group in terms of jobs that are needed to complete quests and patience if you have repeated failures. The drop rate on the Barbarossa items can be horrible, but the Automaton Attachment drop rate is actually pretty good. If you have a group of friends that enjoys challenging themselves this is an excellent way to do it. I'd like to see more people do these quests because so many jobs can benefit from the items that come out of them. Hopefully this guide will give some ideas on how to tackle the challenges these quests hold and get more people into stolen pirate pants!

Acknowledgements

Maps shamelessly stolen for the zillionth time from FFXI Atlas... Hey, I didn't steal any maps this time, only linked one! Better gives credit anyways since they've been a helpful resource. I've done a lot of linking to FFXIclopedia because it helps flesh out information, though we started doing these quests when there wasn't much information at all. Hopefully having multiple sources will help your group be successful.

Diagrams of the Black Coffin were feebly done by me using Photoshop. Please don't steal them unless you intend to, like, make them not suck and let me relink them (oh well, a girl can dream, can't she?) Though, more seriously, the diagrams are really out of proportion and only good for giving an idea of what I was talking about. If you wanted them for something proper I'd hope you'd have better ones made ^^;

Many thanks go to Nyiri-tachi and friends for muscling through these BCs and learning how they work. Our fearless leader Nyiri, Zubis, Yosari, Nif, Valamir, and former members Merlee and Elphaba. I've become a much better blink tank because of Bubbly, so there's benefits to this quest that have nothing to do with material gain!

Beanie / FantasyInsanity / Midgardsormr
07.29.07

Hakutaku: It's not as bad as you think

Fri, 27 Jul 2007 08:29:56 GMT

Some days I really just don't need encouragment, really. You encourage me and then I have to go out and do something about it. So, after being encouraged, here is the latest lolGuide.

Introduction

Within the game play structure of FFXI there are certain challenges that every person will meet eventually: national rank missions, limit breaks, Maat, etc. Hakutaku is also one of those challenges. It's not compulsory like the ones I've listed, but it might as well be if you're playing a melee job or wish to have a melee build. A player can get along without an Optical Hat, but it's one of those things that just makes life easier. Because everyone wants one and the fact that Hakutaku isn't an NM that can be pushed over by a party of people in most cases, a lot of information and misinformation has gotten around. This guide is my attempt to sort things out from square one. There are several ways to fry this fish and I'll cover the ways I'm aware of. One method I have *no* experience with is using a party of BSTs to defeat Hakutaku. The most difficult aspect of Hakutaku is preparing for it. Hopefully this guide will make that preparation easier for those who wish to do it.

Necessary job roles

Most methods for Hakutaku call for having a full alliance and at very least a small party to take care of adds. You can do this, but it's unnecessary in at least one situation. I'll explain once I get to the maps and places to set up the fight. Here are the job roles that your alliance will need:

2+ Tanks: They can be either blink tanks or Paladins, I've had both. If they're Paladins they'll want to be using an Earth staff and focus on a defensive / damage decrease build. They might want to backwards tank, which I'll explain how to do later on. If you have more than two tanks available, you'll want to keep the third in reserve in case one of the main tanks dies.

3+ Stunners: These can be BLMs, DRKs, or /DRK. It doesn't have to be RDM/DRK either. I've had a DRG/DRK before. The main thing for the stunners is that they be competent and have refresh. If they can't be put in a party with a refresher, make sure they have Yagudo drinks or some other form of refresh granting armor so that they have the MP to stun when their turn comes up.

2+ WHM: Yes, you'll want a couple WHM for a variety of reasons. Paralyna (which /WHM can assist with), Barfira and Shellra IV/V (this is especially good if the WHM has Bar-spells merited). Divine Veil is very handy if Hakutaku becomes squirmy and hits more than the tanks with Hex Eye. Curaga can save a party of the fight gets desperate or is close, but it might cost the WHM their life. And the best reason of them all: Cure V bomb. Two is the minimum number of WHM I'd take to this fight (and they'd have to be smart WHMs to cut it that close). You're safer with 3 or 4 if the WHMs aren't experienced with alliance fights.

Refreshers: I haven't set a number for this because it depends on how many magic users you've got. Refreshers obviously make the fight easier, but if you have Ninja tanks, and DRKs with Parade Gorgets and Yagudo drinks, and 4 well-equipped, solid WHM, with fully merited Devotion and are good at rotating their curing then you could probably slide by without one. Sounds insane? Maybe, but you need to be flexible and realistic for your group. Keep in mind that Refreshers also means Dispellers. Hakutaku will cast Blaze Spikes on itself. It isn't as horrible as the Blaze Spikes that Wamouracampa use, but it can add up to meaningful damage over time.

1 "Disposable" pet: One of the camps I'll describe requires the use of a disposable pet to pull Hakutaku. A SMN or BST would work fine. I'm not sure if an Avatar summoned by a /SMN will last long enough or be safe. I'm also unsure about using a PUP in this role. If your group wanted to try it, you'd need to ask the PUP their opinion on the matter and if the Automaton can do it. Again, be flexible and see what works and doesn't work for your group.

1+ "Trick Attack": For the methods I'm going to describe you'll want at least one person with Trick Attack in the alliance moving Hakutaku between the two tanks. Having more than one Trick Attack doesn't hurt, but having none might. A THF main or /THF is fine either way, but try to stack it on a weapon skill (which is a pretty obvious thing to say...)

Damage dealers: Again, I haven't assigned a number to this role because it's the one that's usually easiest to fill and comes in a variety of flavors. If I was going to toss out a minimum number I'd say six, but I won't say that's an ironclad rule, just a guideline. I've done Hakutaku with as few as 15 people total, so you can do the math on where the slots went...

Some aspects you'll want to be aware of / look for: If it's melee DD, can they partner up and make level 3 skill chains? Even level 2 are useful if you have people bursting on them. If the melee are around level 70 (or not 75, really...) they will probably need more Accuracy / Sushi to hit Hakutaku. I know many people can't fathom defeating Hakutaku without BLMs nuking it to death, but I've done it many times with zero BLMs. In this fight, BLMs are another flavor of DD and stunners.

If the damage dealers are really mixed, um, like if you have mostly level 70s and one or two people who are 75 and fully merited in that job, you will want to instruct the 75s to tone it down a bit. The biggest catch to a successful Hakutaku fight is that the NM is under control the entire time. Positioning means everything, as I'll explain when I get to the maps. Powerful damage dealers can wrest hate on Hakutaku away from the tanks, who are at a disadvantage for the most part (backwards tanking or being hammered with Paralyze constantly). Anyone who is capable of generating more hate than the tanks and making Hakutaku wiggle around needs to moderate themselves. If it's a BLM they can pace their casting slower. If it's a melee they can turn around occasionally or adjust their equipment, etc.

Hakutaku

Here's a run down on Hakutaku. It's a level 85 Hectaeye-type NM that's spawned using a Hakutaku Eye Cluster. BLM job, it casts spells of the Fire line (Fire IV, Firaga III, Flare, Blaze Spikes). It has roughly 50,000HP, thus the fight can be lengthy and become an endurance match. The ??? that spawns Hakutaku has a 15 minute repop from the time that Hakutaku is defeated. If you wipe to Hakutaku and it despawns the Cluster used to spawn it is lost.

The Optical Hat is 100% drop. Other things you might get are scrolls of Fire III and IV, Firaga III, Flare, Hi-Reraiser, Vile Elixir, Vile Elixir+1, or a Dark Crystal. It's all about the Dark Crystals.

Besides being a caster, it does Hectaeye TP moves like Death Ray, which is single target darkness damage. Hex Eye is the one you need to be concerned about. It's a cone gaze attack with a fairly strong paralyze. This is why positioning is so important and people sometimes backwards tank this NM. There are advantages and disadvantages to backwards tanking that I'll go into when I discuss strategy.

When scheduling Hakutaku runs I usually plan on spending 30-40 minutes per hat (15-25 minutes per fight + 15 for the ??? repop). Unless the group is really motivated or has an exceptional attention span I try plan runs that are 3-4 hours long at most. This rarely covers everyone who wants a hat, so multiple trips might be needed. It's just that going into hour six of a run people tend to get bored/testy or another group will show up by then and want to do Hakutaku as well.

Another thing I try to do and isn't a bad idea if you're doing this as a LS event or with a community (not randoms) bring an extra Cluster. The first run with a group that hasn't done it before is always the hardest and most nerve-wrecking. If something goes wrong at some point and a fight is lost no one has to feel bad that they have to start over again. (This is also good advice during the synthing process of the Cluster since a break is 100% loss.) If your group is farming the eyes together getting another set for one more shouldn't be a stretch. It's worth it for the peace of mind and comfort if something goes wrong.

Positioning

I cannot emphasize enough how important player and Hakutaku positioning is during this fight. If Hakutaku is allowed to twist and turn around the fight will be significantly more difficult. Every camp that I'm going to suggest is in a tunnel. Below is a diagram of where people should position themselves.

You're going to create a box around Hakutaku. I'll use the directions of north, south, east, west while explaining it, but in practice your orientation may not be along those directional lines. Assume the tunnel walls were north and south.

Have the melee position along one wall (we'll say south) and the mages along the opposite (north) wall. This positioning will be a bit uncomfortable for RNG and COR since it will be difficult to get distance for their attacks and rolls. This can be a hidden blessing since it moderates damage without having to adjust anything else. If the ranged attackers want to move down the tunnel they can try to find a position where they aren't hit by Hex Eye. If it becomes problematic (they're getting hit every time with it), I'd politely insist that they line up with the other melee. This fight can be straining on the healers and their MP. How much extra work they have to do needs to be reasonably minimal and prioritized (I’ll get to that).

To the east and west should be a tank. No one else should be east or west unless they're doing Trick Attack. Hakutaku should only face east or west and not north or south where the majority of your people are. If someone gets hate and the tanks can't get it off immediately they should move next to the current main tank until hate is fixed. In other words, the person with hate shouldn't stand in the middle of their buddies and draw attacks onto everyone else.

Camps

Here is a map of where the Hakutaku fight takes place:

There are three camps that I've used for Hakutaku, which were chosen depending upon alliance make-up and if there's an add party or not. Here's a picture of the camps:

A, B, and C are where you would set up your alliance in the tunnels.*

Camp A: If you're using this camp you'll want an add party outside of the alliance. Your alliance is pinned between a Million Eyes spawn area (marked in blue) and a one way drop to the south (marked by the red arrow). There is also the risk of blood aggro from the flesh below (marked in dark pink). The flesh can and will come up the ledge and thrash your alliance if there's blood aggro. There is also a flesh NM called Ogama that spawns down there. Fun times. This camp has the shortest pull distance between the alliance and the ???. Of the three camp suggestions, this is my least favorite.

Camp B: This camp is much like Camp A, only without the risk of blood aggro. You're pinned on both sides in a fairly small area by Million Eyes, so an add party will be needed.

Camp C: Camp C is my first choice if I have a pet puller available for the run. Million Eyes don't spawn in the tunnel, so an add party isn't necessary.

For how to complete the pull: Have the person with the pet be fully buffed and up by the ??? while the alliance is at C. They'll pop Hakutaku and put their pet on it, then Sneak themselves. If they're hit before their pet can take hate, they might need additional curing, so be on your toes. Doing the pop with Stoneskin/Blink up is strongly suggested. Once they're ready they'll instruct their pet to follow and drop down the ledge with Hakutaku in tow (you can also let the pet die and have it follow, but it might come unclaimed if you do that.)

This pull is easier for a SMN to do than a BST. When popped, Hakutaku will aggro the person who popped it. If the SMN has their Avatar out, the Avatar will automatically attack Hakutaku. For a BST, they have to tell their pet to attack.

* These camps are to the best of my knowledge. SE has a nasty habit of moving mobs around for giggles, so it's a good idea to scout a camp before you decide upon one. If one of the camps I have listed here is no longer viable, please do let me know. Maybe SE will change their mind again on mob placement a month afterwards. [Stares very pointedly at Phomiuna Aquaducts and Sacrarium.]

Strategy

After all that information on how to get set up for Hakutaku, we're finally to the fight itself. Let's start with the tanking. As mentioned, you'll want at least two of them, one standing on each side of Hakutaku. NIN or PLD doesn't matter, but whichever you choose will change strategy some. If you have a PLD tank you will need to set up a Stun order to catch Fire IV, Firaga III, and Flare. With a NIN you only need to stun Firaga III and make sure the WHM are ready to cast Flash if the NIN is having difficulty getting Utsusemi up.

Hakutaku's melee hits can be described as truck-like, so your tank may want to use an Earth Staff. NIN may want to wear Arhat's equipment as well where appropriate. Your tanks are going to get pounded with Hex Eye, which does a strong Paralyze and damage. It's a gaze attack, so if their backs are to Hakutaku, they won't be Paralyzed, just take damage. It's easier for a PLD to do backwards tanking since they can use Flash, Cures, and Provokes to keep Hakutaku on them. A NIN tank may prefer to just straight up tank it and have their damage help them hold hate. Make sure there's plenty of communication between the tanks and the WHM. If they're going to straight tank it, make sure the WHM are prepared for it.

Next let's discuss Trick Attack since that's going to be a big part of helping the tanks keep hate. You'll want to set it up for what is most comfortable for your group. I usually have the TA move back and forth between the two tanks. Hate needs to be kept as high as possible on the tanks because by the end of the fight their hold on it will start slipping. (Other players would have built up hate with attacks/Cures/etc. by then and loosening hate.)

As I've mentioned, Hakutaku is not the time for a damage dealer to decide that they're going to show off and destroy a tank's hold on hate. DDs needs to focus on doing steady, controlled damage that works with the tank rather than against them. If Hakutaku is squirming around some, hold off on using that weapon skill unless you're going to TA it onto a tank. This gets more difficult as the fight goes on, so be aware of it. Try to set up skill chains if you have BLMs to burst on them, not just spam weapon skills whenever you happen to have TP. Partners can report their TP to each other via /tell and then announce in /p when they're ready to go.

Which brings up another very important point with Hakutaku (or any alliance fights, really.) A lot of things are going to be happening at once, so you'll want to make sure you have your filters set to what you need to know and block out the rest. (Like, a WHM would probably want to block out all of the damage that the alliance is doing.) Set your chat log to Hold on Party so that lines in /p will freeze at the top of the log momentarily before scrolling off. Remove /p announcements from macros for things that the alliance doesn't need to know. Party chat announcements for Cures, Refresh, Provoke, and reporting TP (which should be moved to /tell with your partner) should be removed. Things you *do* want to see in party chat are when a skill chain pair is about to go so those bursting on it know and other partners don't go at the same time. You'll also want to keep Stun order turn announcements in party chat so that the next person in line knows they're up.

If you've never set up a Stun order before here's how it goes. Establish in which order your stunners will go. We'll call ours A, B, and C. Have each of them set up a Stun macro with a /p announcement in it that says they've gone and says who's next in line. Like A's macro would say something like "Stun! B next!" If A is a melee and it's their turn in the order, they'll want to hold off on doing any weapon skills or casting spells until it's not their turn. (In other words, don't perform any actions that might interfere with casting Stun). If it's a mage, same thing, don't cast any long spells while it's their turn. After their turn they can go back to normal actions until their turn comes up again. If it's a stunner's turn and they're unable to do it (no MP, have to AFK suddenly, etc.) they need to announce that in party chat and have the next stunner acknowledge that it's their turn. Don't just assume that they person saw the announcement because it was said. A lot of text is going to be scrolling. Confirm!

This level of communication is also necessary among the WHM. If a WHM's MP is running low (like under 25%) they need to let the others know. You might want to set up a WHM resting order. Again, let's assume you have three WHM X, Y, and Z. We'll have X as the main healer for the tanks, Y will back up, and Z can work on buffs like Haste. In reality all three of them will be Curing some, but the idea is to have X exhaust their MP first while Z conserves their MP the most. When X's MP is low they'll rest and Y will take over main healing with Z backing them up. When Y's runs low, Z will take over and X will back them up with Y resting, etc.

The WHMs also need to communicate and have an idea of what to do if Hakutaku gets turned around or has a Firaga III gets by the stunners. If Hakutaku is only hitting the tanks with Hex Eye, it's pretty obvious that they're the one's getting Paralyna. If it gets turned towards the melee or mages, the first people who should be Paralyna'ed are the stunners, specifically, the one that is next in the Stun order if they were hit. After that Paralyna the WHM, /WHM, Refreshers, TAers, then work through the rest of the alliance from there. The stunners must be able to stun, so keep them high on the priority list for Paralyna and Cures if they're getting hit. The tanks, the WHM, and stunners are the three highest priority groups for keeping on their feet.

Before starting the fight you'll want to have your melee gain TP so that they can get some skill chains going. Do this in a way that doesn't mess things up for the add party. Kill the Million Eyes that are further down the tunnel or make sure the add party knows what's been killed when. Having the alliance clear the area all at once means that everything is going to repop at once and that may become overwhelming. Make sure buffs are fresh and that everyone who can cast Reraise on themselves has it up. If you have a SMN with you, have them put up Stoneskin and Blink on the tanks right before starting.

For how to structure the alliance itself, there's two ways to do it and I'm not sure one is better than the other, so I'll explain both and you can choose whichever is best for your group.

Consolidate Tanks and Healers: This is a setup that's often used in events like Dynamis and puts similar job types together. Your alliance would be structured something like: 1) Tank Tank WHM WHM SMN Refresh 2) BLM BLM Refresh DRK DRK BLU 3) DD DD DD DD DD DD The advantage of this layout is that if the tanks get rocked they can be hit with Benediction or Curaga. There is also a SMN with them to keep putting up Stoneskin / Aerial Armor and the Refresh to keep their MP going. With the Group 2 Merit abilities like Devotion and Martyr the WHMs can Devotion each other or Martyr the tanks if MP is low.

The second party is mostly set up as your Stun party and keeping them Refreshed with extra DD who might need MP (like BLUs) stuck in there.

The third party of DDs is left out in the cold regarding healing, which may seem unreasonable, but if everything goes according to plan they shouldn't be taking damage except from things like Blaze Spikes. You can do some creative wiggling to make the third party a bit more secure. Like a BRD with Paeon, DRG with Healing Breath, and BLUs with Magic Fruit and Wild Carrot can help keep the party going if they aren't taking direct damage or eating multiple Firaga III's.

This alliance configuration works better with a group that's used to working together and communicating. If it was a Hakutaku alliance made up of random players, I wouldn't set it up this way.

Each Party Balanced: The other way to go about this is to make each party a balanced one. There is a bit more overhead involved in terms of WHMs and Refreshers necessary, but it's overall safer and probably better if your WHMs don't have the Group 2 merit abilities. Here's an example alliance: 1) Tank WHM Refresh BLM DRK DD 2) Tank WHM Refresh BLM BLU DD 3) WHM Refresh BLM DD DD DD. If you only have two Refreshers available it's better to consolidate the WHM, but if they're good at resting order, this can be worked around.

This configuration provides a healer to Curaga and keep Barfira up if Stuns are being missed or resisted. If Hakutaku is squirmy and throwing around Hex Eye everywhere, there is a WHM to Divine Veil and Paralyna in each party. The WHM without a tank supports whichever WHM's tank is currently main tank while the other main tank WHM rests some if they can. If you have the people to support it and this is your first time doing an alliance fight, this is the safer way to go because it covers your bases for healing all around.

Add Party: I want to take a moment to discuss the add party since I've been throwing the term around. It's a party that is not part of the alliance that's responsible for killing any Million Eyes that have or might possibly aggro the alliance while they're fighting Hakutaku. A solo BST *can* do the add party by themselves, but it's a lot safer if they're not alone. (It depends entirely upon the BST's level and how comfortable they feel doing it. If the BST doesn't feel comfortable solo, don't force them!)

The Million Eyes range in level from DC to Ts at 75, so a small balanced group can take care of things. (A "tank" which could just be a DD/NIN, a "healer" which could be a DRG/WHM, BLU, etc. and a DD can do fine in most situations.) If your group is mostly people around 70 then you'll prolly need closer to a full, balanced XP-type party to take care of things since the Million Eyes will check as T-VT (their levels are 73-76).

The add party needs to be careful not to get in trouble themselves while they're keeping the coast clear. You might want to keep track of the respawn times on the Million Eyes, or at very least have a rough idea of what order you've killed them in. Don't be afraid to pull them back to where it's safe to kill them. If the alliance is doing a good job of stunning Firaga III's killing the Million Eyes next to them should be safe.

Conclusion

Organizing a Hakutaku run is a big project. It's not really something you just go out and do, especially with a group that's never done it before. With an understanding of what's needed and what to look out for, the fight can be simplified to near rote. The first one is the most exciting and nerve-wrecking, but your group will feel 100% better and more confident after the first fight is won. Hakutaku itself isn't a difficult NM. It doesn't have any unpreventable attacks that are special or can completely demolish an alliance out of nowhere. The group setup is the hard part. Get your ducks in a row with everyone on the same page regarding positioning and strategy and things should click into place. There's always the random chance that something unexpected will happen (like the tank DCing and the other getting mauled), but Hakutaku really isn't as bad as people make it out to be if everyone sticks to the plan.

Acknowledgements

Maps were shamelessly robbed (again) from FFXI Atlas with additions made by me. FFXIclopedia provided a couple more details that I didn't know off the top of my head (like how many HP Hakutaku has).

Many thanks go to Devilshortee and the former LS EternalKnights for originally teaching me Hakutaku strategy and giving me my O.hat (thanks Kait). Further thanks go to Merlee, Draque, and Zubis of FantasyInsanity for introducing and refining pulling strategy for Camp C. I cannot fully express my gratitude towards FantasyInsanity and those outside of our LS who have done Hakutaku with us and carefully followed directions. We've never lost a fight across many runs and I think that says a lot. The credit goes to those who listened and worked as a team, so thank you.

Beanie / FantasyInsanity / Midgardsormr

07.27.07

Beanie's Best of Quest: Treasures of Aht Urhgan

Wed, 27 Jun 2007 23:40:57 GMT

Introduction

A great way to become acquainted with the characters and areas of a new expansion is through doing available quests. Below is a list of my personal favorites and the reasons why. In my opinion, these are quests that shouldn't to be missed. A huge factor in them making my list is the stories involved. You won't find any quests listed here that are "Turn in X item to Y NPC and get 200g". Some of these quests I like for the challenge they offer and so on.

There are definitely other quests you should do that aren't on my list (such as the backalley quest and PUP and COR flags), but, while they offer utility or something really spiffy, usually the story didn't grab me as much as I would've liked. (I'm sure I'll now be destroyed by all of the CORs and PUPs out there for implying their jobs have lackluster stories D: ) Eh, it's a personal preference! Though, if you're me, you'll do every quest offered in TAU just because it's a quest :D! That's what questaholics do, right?

This list also is a work in progress. TAU isn't finished yet and there should be at least two more Serpent General quests added lest there be riots in Al Zahbi. This list isn't in any special order except for the first quest listed, which isn't a TAU one, per say...

Beanie's Best of Quest: Treasures of Aht Urhgan

Lure of the Wildcat
Locations: Bastok, Windurst, San d'Oria, Jeuno
Reward: 0-3 Imperial Bronze Piece, 0-1 Imperial Mythril Piece, Ability to teleport to Whitegate
Reason: First, before you step a foot into the new lands, run around the old ones and discover what people are saying! Rumors are floating around and it's your job to spread them. Besides having some good rewards once you get to Whitegate, there is a lot of foreshadowing in these four quests (one for each city).

Olduum
Location: Whitegate
Reward: Olduum Ring
Reason: Honestly, I just found this quest interesting. It was also nice how a reward that you had to go through 8 chapters in CoP to get (a ring to teleport you to the new city) is an easily attainable quest item in TAU.

Got It All
Location: Whitegate
Reward: Bibiki Shell
Reason: TAU really started stretching the length and amount of story put into a quest. Other expansions and great quest stories, but it might cover a sequence of 4 quests and the cutscenes themselves weren't that long. This quest is a fine example of how TAU emphasized giving personalities and stories to the everyday citizens in Whitegate. Besides that, the Bibiki Shell rates in my book as one of the best items to be introduced to the game since the Brutal Earring. Trust me, it's a great item if you're a MNK or a tank :3

Three Men and a Closet
Location: Whitegate
Reward: Imperial Bronze Piece
Pre-req: Got It All
Reason: I'm guessing you read the quest title and the first thing that ran through you mind is, "SE would not add a quest to the game that actually implied what that implies!" All I'll say is go take a look :3 You're in for a good laugh.

An Empty Vessel
Location: Whitegate
Reward: Ability to become a Blue Mage
Reason: I did all of the new job flag quests in an evening without any pre-conceived notions of which job I'd like best. (Other than knowing that Ninjas are naturally superior to Pirates...) At the end of the night, this is the quest that stuck with me. The story was... chilling...

Rock Bottom
Location: Mount Zhayolm
Reward: Map of Mount Zhayolm
Reason: This quest just tickled me for some reason. I think it's because the two main characters in it are a Moblin and a Troll with a bit of a problem. It's funny to see that Beastmen sometimes need help too!

Delivering the Goods, Vanishing Act, and A Taste of Honey
Location: Whitegate
Reward: Various Imperial currency and a belly ache from laughing too hard
Reason: This series of quests will introduce you to some of the local colorfuls that hang around the Teahouse. You'll also meet a mysterious (and frightening in more ways than one) food bandit and a momma Monk whose love for her son is like Asuran Fists! (She's my heroine, btw.)

Not Meant to Be
Location: Nashmau
Reward: 3 Imperial Gold Pieces
Reason: For as hilarious as the previous entry was, this is the exact opposite. This quest is very serious and thought provoking. I really wouldn't recommend going from one of the light-hearted quests to this one unless you're up for a massive swing in tone and mood. This quest demonstrates well that the writers for TAU are able to cover a wide spectrum of emotions.

Saga of the Skyserpent
Location: Whitegate
Reward: 1 Imperial Gold Piece, 1000 Imperial Standing
Reason: People clamoured for quite a while to have some quests to give the back story of the five Serpent Generals that lead the forces during Besieged. SE has been taking their good sweet time in implimenting these quests and whetting our appetite for them. Let me assure that the waiting was well worth it. This quest is another lengthy one with a lot of time spent in cutscene learning about how Rughadjeen rose to the post that he holds now. A very excellent story!

Ode to the Serpents (When the Bow Breaks [Najelith] and Fist of the People [Zazarg])
Location: Whitegate
Reward: Imperial Standing
Reason: This is the continuation of the Saga of the Skyserpent quest. It's a quest that branches after you start it. You can do When the Bow Breaks and Fist of the People in whichever order you like. Like the other quest, you'll learn how Najelith and Zazarg came to be in the Empire's service and raise to the ranks of a Serpent General. These both are very excellent stories as well. SE has just done a fantastic job with the storytelling for the Serpent Generals.

Targeting the Captain
Location: Nashmau
Reward: ??? Item, Goldsmithing materials, Koga Shuriken, Barbarossa's Zerehs, Barbarossa's Moufles
Pre-req: Scouting the Ashu Talif and Royal Painter Escort
Reason: I'll be honest, this quest line isn't for everyone. There is a certain amount of sadism required to enjoy this one because it is more difficult than any of the TAU mission fights and you could get screwed over randomly and lose. Scouting the Ashu Talif is the most difficult quest in the line. If you can get by that one the rest should snap into place. For myself, I've become a *much* better blinktank because of Targeting the Captain. Bubbly has crazy accuracy and doesn't debuff well. The Captain has 100% (or near) double attack. It's definitely a challenging quest and I like that :3

Beanie / FantasyInsanity / Midgardsormr
06.27.07

CoP quests that tie into the main story

Wed, 27 Jun 2007 07:18:55 GMT

CoP is easily my favorite expansion to date largely because of how intricate the story line is. The mission story line complex, but there is another layer of detail to be found through doing quests that were introduced during the expansion. Listed below are quests that flesh out the CoP story line. They're mostly ones that give more details about the character you learn about in Chapter 5 or that the rewards are so useful that they can't be missed. This isn't a complete list of every CoP quest there is.

San d'Oria

Over the Hills and Far Away
Reference: Allakhazam | FFXIclopedia
Reward: Map of Uleguerand Range
Reason: Background story on Louverance

Bastok

"Bowyer Ring" sequence introduces you to Moblin theology, which comes into the story during Chapter 5.

A. Out of the Depths
Reference: Allakhzam | FFXIclopedia
Reward: 1200g

B. A Question of Faith
Reference: Allakhzam | FFXIclopedia
Reward: 3000g

C. Return to the Depths
Reference: Allakhzam | FFXIclopedia
Reward: Bowyer Ring & 3000g

"Airship naming quest", this is the sequence for naming the Airship, which is used later on in CoP missions.

A. Teak Me to the Stars
Reference: Allakhzam | FFXIclopedia
Reward: 2100g

B. Hyper Active
Reference: Allakhzam | FFXIclopedia
Reward: 3000g

C. The Naming Game
Reference: Allakhzam | FFXIclopedia
Reward: 3600g & Naming an Airship

Windurst

One Good Deed?
Reference: Allakhzam | FFXIclopedia
Reward: Map of Attohwa Chasm & 2100g
Reason: Some background into the Mithra, the Fishing Guild, and introduction to the Shikaree. Note that this quest has two different final scenes, so it's worth viewing both at the Goblin Footprint in Boneyard Gully.

"Tuning In/Out" quests give background on why Shikaree Y is on the Mainland.

A. Tuning In
Reference: Allakhzam | FFXIclopedia
Reward: 4000g

B. Tuning Out
Reference: Allakhzam | FFXIclopedia
Reward: Cache-Nez & 6000g

Other

X Marks the Spot
Reference: Allakhazam | FFXIclopedia
Reward: 4000g
Reason: Background as to why Shikaree X is on the Mainland.

Outlands

Though the Goldmane quests do tie into the main story line, it may be difficult to see how until your near the very end of CoP. Just keep in mind that it'll all come together in the end.

A. Chasing Dreams
Reference: Allakhazam | FFXIclopedia
Reward: Venerer Ring & 4000g

B. The Search for Goldmane
Reference: Allakhazam | FFXIclopedia
Reward: Deluxe Carbine & 3000g

So! If you complete all those quests you'll have an introduction to many of the characters who come into play during CoP missions. (Plus some of the quests have really nice items like the Venerer Ring and Bowyer Ring). I'd encourage everyone to get out there and get questing!

Beanie / FantasyInsanity / Midgardsormr
Revised 06.26.07

Swift Belts: a lolGuide

Tue, 26 Jun 2007 18:08:08 GMT

Introduction

Since there was interest in this shown the other night I thought I'd try to summarize/consolidate what we've learned/know of the Swift Belt fight so that others can do it. There are other online guides, but the ones we found (like on Wiki) were bullet point overviews. I'll try to give more details, but also keep in mind that it's heavily influenced by what I've seen and my experiences. Your milage may vary :3

So what is a Swift Belt? It's a lvl50 belt wearable by all jobs. It has Acc+3, Att-5, Haste+4% (the important part). It's Rare/EX and drops off of poppable NMs in the Sacrarium. I'll cover how to farm, pop, and battle the NMs I'm familiar with.

I'd like to take a moment to discuss drop rate. I've heard *a lot* of horror stories of 0/9 or 0/11. Our group has a 50% drop rate. I've also heard of other groups doing this with a drop rate like that. I'm not sure what we're doing that is making us lucky, but here it is: Every person who can perform their mainjob without their usual subjob is coming as /THF. That means BRD, WHM, RDM, DD, etc. The tanks have /WAR and that's just about it. We don't have any THF mains along for TH2. I'd suggest getting your THF up to 15 if you don't have it already. You'll be helping out your group to do that.

Update: SE has spilled the beans somewhat on how TH works. They confirmed that the *number* of TH in a party doesn't matter, only the highest level one will count. (So a TH2 will overwrite 5 TH1s.) It's still unclear whether this applies on an alliance basis or if each party with at TH2 counts. So, take the advice in the above paragraph as you will. I know what worked for us, but from the horse's mouth, that's not how it works.

Our group is made up of NIN, NIN, BRD, RDM, WHM, SMN, and BLU. Most everything I read online and speaking with people said to bring NIN tanks. I'm not entirely sure / convinced that a PLD would be unable to do this or if people are just being "NIN lazy". I'll try to point out where I *think* each job may have difficulties and you can decide for yourself what is best for your group. Regardless of flavor, I would suggest bringing at least two tanks to the run for hate bouncing or if one is killed.

Another good suggestion I've heard about this is to go with a smaller group you trust and agree to keep going regularly until everyone who wants a belt gets one. Doing a large alliance outting can lead to drama and headaches if only one or two belts drop across a dozen spawns. These fights can be done with a party if you set up and target wisely. A party that is dedicated to getting everyone a belt and sticks with it will probably be less painful than trying to cat herd an alliance with the same goal. Just my opinion, of course...

Farming Codex

The Codex is Rare, tradeable, but not mailable or AHable. They drop from the Taurus type mobs in the Aquaducts (40 cap) and Sacrarium (50 cap). The first room of Taurus you see in the Ducts are DC and the lowest level ones in the zone (three spawns). The Taurus roaming the hallways before the maze in Sacrarium are DC and the lowest level ones in the zone (two - three spawns). There is also occasionally a Taurus in the maze itself that you can access on certain days, but I wouldn't recommend going out of your way to hunt it down. Jobs that can solo these lower level mobs without much grief include BST and NIN. I've also seen RANDOMJOB/BST do it in the Ducts. Bringing /THF for Treasure Hunter doesn't hurt either if possible.

Killing the Taurus lowers Fomor hate. I've read stories of alliances building hate up first, farming Codex, then going "o shi" when they discovered they had no hate. So this is an important point to keep in mind.

Building Fomor Hate

You acquire hate by killing Fomor in the CoP zones. The ones in the TAU zones don't count towards this total. The Fomor *outside* give more hate per kill than the ones in the Ducts or the Sacrarium. Also, anyone in party/alliance and in zone will get hate from kills whether they touched the mob or not. From our experience, killing the Fomor in the Meadows for three game days (with having people catch every spawn in the zone and killing them as many times as possible per night) will max hate. We were able to accomplish this with two or three people while others who couldn't make it were in party outside the Safehold idling. There are three spawns in the Meadows. There are two groups of three on the watch towers and then there is a group of four that spawns around the campfire in the Leshy area. The group of four checks as Too Weak, but is higher level than the two tower spawn groups. The Fomor have a 5 minute respawn from when the last one in the group was killed.

Update: Further testing by our LS has narrowed down exactly how many mobs need to be killed outdoors to cap hate. Some people killed as few as 18 while others killed around 25. So if you were crazy with catching all the spawns and killing them quickly (so they cycled 3 times during the night) it's possible to cap or come very close to cap in a single night.

As a sidenote, during this farming / hate building process you may get the items needed to do the quest "Tuning In" out of Windurst. The Spruce Lumber drops from the Taurus in the Ducts and the File drops from the Fomor in the Meadows. The File can be a terribly rare drop though, but you might see one depending on how many times you have to do this to get Belts.

There are two ways to check your hate. The first is to ask the NPC in the Safehold. His message will say something to the effect of "you may soon face a battle for your very soul". This message does not necessarily mean your hate is maxed. The messages stop one level away from maxed hate. The most reliable way to check if you're maxed is to go into the Sacrarium and poke at one of the Stale Drafts in the rooms. If the Stale Draft gives a message like "common sense tells you to leave quickly" then you're able to pop the NM. The Drafts only give three levels of checking. The second level is "your heart is racing".

When CoP came out there was a rumor that Fomor would become True Sound when hate was maxed. This is not true. Keep yourself sneaked and you'll be fine.

Popping and the NMs

You've got your Codex and your hate is maxed, now it's time to get down to business. Through the maze in the Sacrarium there are six libraries. Each library (except one) is populated exclusively with Fomor of a certain race and has a Stale Draft to one of the sides. While the Belt can be worn by any race/job only characters of the same race can pop the NM in that library. (Mithra can only pop out of the Mithra library, etc.) Which NM you get also changes depending upon which race popped it.

When someone pops the NM their hate will be reduced to nothing from the act of popping, not killing the NM successfully. The Stale Drafts have a 15 minute respawn on them. Doing the Stale Draft in one room doesn't affect the others. So if one group is doing Mithra you can mosey over to Hume and pop those while waiting for your turn. Any race can check their hate at any Draft if it's up.

You'll want to clear a path to pull the NM to the hallway before popping it. You'll want to fight in the short halls leading up to the library. Be aware that there are Fomor behind you in the main hall and they could come up to visit if you get too close. As far as we've experienced, the mobs in the library aren't partied, so it's safe to pull them one at a time. You don't need to clear absolutely every single one before popping, just the ones by the Draft and between the door. The Fomor in the libaries seem to average VT-low IT in level. The ones using a two handed weapon (SAM, DRG, DRK) can do a TP move called Grim Halo. This is an AoE move that can be blinked if you have enough shadows up, but otherwise does fairly significant damage to anyone within range. It's also a knockback move. We've had the misfortune of someone with maxed hate being knocked back into a group of Fomor and then being munched. So be aware when fighting the Fomor with 2h weapons. The bats are non-aggro and can be left alone for the most part.

As for the NMs, they're Fomor (obviously) and have two jobs. They only get the two hour of their 'main' job, but all other aspects of the secondary job. In my experience in tanking them, they're difficult to debuff with NIN tools. I think I've only gotten Jubaku to land a couple time. I know our RDM and BRD have both commented on how their debuffs will land and then wear off almost immediately. I'm not saying that a group shouldn't try to debuff them at all, but that you might have the mages do it and NINs focus on casting Ni elementals instead (if they're casting anything at all b'sides Utsu). The elementals can be resisted as well, but overall I've had much better luck once the wheel was started with landing spell after spell for 80~ dmg each. It actually worked nicely as a hate builder with an ENM+ gear build.

Hume (RNG/MNK)

On paper this one looks like it could be evil because of the ranged attacks munching shadows and two melee strikes from MNK. In practice, this Fomor is the easiest one to defeat by far. His ranged accuracy is dismal and often won't hit if shadows are down. The only bad thing Hume can do is Eagle Eye Shot, which I've heard can one shot a full health PLD. I can tell you from experience that it can one shot a full health NIN :D I wish my EES did even half that damage on my RNG75... He does EES very early in the fight, like, at around 80% health. The Hume is using a gun and dagger for his weapons, so no Grim Halo to watch out for.

The Fomor in the room that pops him are SAM, DRG (with Wyvern), and RNG.

Mithra (RDM/NIN)

This is the second easiest one to defeat. Her two hour is Chainspell. She has high accuracy and high evasion, which is a bit of a pain, but not impossible by any stretch. She has access to one -ga spell (Diaga) that if you're lucky she won't cast, but we've had times when she's spammed it. Chainspell has also been a bit weird on her spell choices. At times she's cast Ni elementals over and over, and other times where she spammed Stoneskin and Blink. The Mithra is using a sword and magic, so no Grim Halo.

The Fomor in her room are NIN, RDM, and DRK.

Elvaan (THF/WAR) -- I have not done this one, just relaying what I've heard/read

From what I've heard, this is where things start getting difficult. The Elvaan is THF and WAR, it's two hour is Perfect Dodge. He doesn't sound horrible except that he gets both Double and Triple attack, which can decimate a pair of NIN fairly quickly. The smallest number of NIN's I've heard tanking him is three. I've seen groups with four NIN tackle him without much risk. This is a fight I'd think a PLD would shine at. The Elvaan would also get THF's Evasion bonus, so I'd expect him to be dodgy like the Mithra. From WAR he'd get an attack and defense (I think?) bonus.

Fomor that are in his room (I think) are WAR, THF, and RNG? (I could be wrong on that one).

Taru (SMN/BLM) -- I have not done this one, just relaying what I've heard/read

This one can be a terror from what I've heard. The least of your problems is that it's carrying a staff, so it can use Grim Halo. The Fomor comes with a Dark Elemental pet that'll be happy to whack on your party while you whack on its master. The two hour is really the bad part of this deal. Astral Flow can one shot and wipe out the entire alliance if you're unlucky. You might want to hide a reserve tank and back up healer away until after Flow happens so they can swoop in and continue the fight while people recover.

Fomor that are in his room (I think) are SMN, BLM, and MNK.

Galka (BRD/PLD) -- I have not done this one, just relaying what I've heard/read

I haven't even looked at this one beyond just glacing over it since I don't know that many Galka and don't expect to ever do the fight ^^; He does get Soul Voice and can Lullaby. Go go Poison pots! I'd guess that he also has high def from the PLD.

Fomor in his library as BST, BRD, and PLD (I think).

Conclusion

It's more work for some people, but I would recommend stacking types of fights towards your group's strengths and avoid unfavorable fights. If you have NIN, tackle Hume and Mithra relentlessly. If you have PLD, the Elvaan and Galka are probably your friend (Mithra too). I don't think anyone likes the Taru >.>; Patience and persistance are important! So is bringing as much TH as you can safely manage. You do not need a HNMLS to do this fight. You just need a party's worth of smart players, some careful planning, and a lot of elbow grease for all the prep work involved.

Acknowledgements

Research for this lolGuide was done at Alla (which wasn't helpful other than to read an amusing discussion about how Swift Belts are "free" because you don't pay gil for them outright...) and FFXI Wikipedia. Meo of r0 and Neresh of Doom also provided encouragement and advice to a lolNIN on how to handle the mobs. Many thanks go to Nyiri for arranging our group outtings, and to Nyiri-tachi (Zubis, Nif, Valamir, Yosari) for being an awesome group of people to adventure with. No love to Makoholic for trying to feed me to the Fomor to increase the drop rate, but he is a good NIN partner otherwise ;3

Beanie / FantasyInsanity / Midgardsormr
06.26.07

lolGuide: Jailbreaks in Halvung

Fri, 06 Apr 2007 08:22:32 GMT

Lately a group of us have been getting our thrills by freeing prisoners from Halvung. When we tell people about it usually the response is people saying that they've always wanted to try it too! Well, after doing it a few times, I don't think it's difficult, but there's a pile of information to dig up.

What I've done under the cut is to consolidate the things we've discovered online and learned on our own. I've *cough*borrowedstolen*cough* maps from FFXI-Atlas and filled in more detail about cell locations, Archaic Mirrors, and quirks about the areas that people should know when they're crawling around. I've also tried to make sense of some sketchy information about what mobs drop keys / are True sight/sound. This is a work in progress and very well may have inaccuracies, especially concerning all of the cell positions (I've only added cells that we've seen ourselves.)

PART I: Getting a key

First thing's first, you need a Halvung Brass Key to open the cells. Wiki has a few of the key droppers listed. We've been getting them from the Woodtroll Monk, Ranger, and Dark Knight that can be found right outside of the Wajaom Woodland's (C-8) entrance to Halvung. There is a Woodtroll Warrior that is also in that clearing, but since we're usually in a small group, just the three closest mobs keep us busy with their short respawn time. The mobs check as DC@75 (level 72-73 according to Somepage). We've killed them in a duo with no problem at all (MNK/NIN and WHM/BLM.)

Other key droppers listed on Wiki are Troll Shieldbearer in Bhaflau Thickets. They're level 72-74. Personally, I killed an awful lot of these while trying to help a BLU learn spells and never saw a key drop, so I'm not overly confident that they do. I'm willing to concede that my luck can be horrible, but the Wajaom mobs are a bit lower level and we've had no problems getting keys from them.

Wiki also has Troll Gemologist, Stoneworker, and Cameist (Wiki: level 72-74, Somepage: 71-75) inside of Halvung as droppers. We haven't tried these mobs. The only times we've stopped to look for camps to kill them they were mixed in with Puddings, which we didn't want. There probably are safe camps in Halvung, we just haven't explored for them.

PART II: Mobs to be aware of

Before you start searching, let's take a moment to list out what's dangerous and what isn't. I'm going to assume that people know that Trolls are sight and that you shouldn't cast magic around bombs or elementals. I will focus on the TAU-unique or oddball mobs.

Halvung (map 1)
Wamoura: True Sight/Sound, Magic Aggro, Linking
Wamouracampa: Non-aggro, but will link with Wamoura
Ebony Pudding: Sight and Job Abilities
Dorgerwor the Astute: True Sight, located at (I-6)
Mirror Guards: Sight (not True Sight)
Archaic Mirrors: Non-aggro

Halvung (map 2)
Any Troll you see here that is not a Mirror Guard or Kirlirger the Abhorrent you should assume is True Sight/True Sound. I haven't gone to poke every NM on this map to test if they were or not, but all of the "normal" Trolls are True Sight/Sound.

PART III: The Search

I'd be stating the obvious by saying the Widescan will help extremely with discovering which cells have prisoners in them currently. The prisoners come up on the bottom of the scan list if one is present in the cell.

You cannot open a cell while you are death sick (it's just like a coffer).

Another thing to be aware of is that each "cell block" has at least one mob standing in the immediate area acting as a "jailer". They don't path outside of the little nook that the cells are in. On the first map, the "jailer" usually checks as DC@75. If you're traveling in the same group you farmed keys in, you could take the "jailer" out and then pop the cells. If you're opening cells solo, know that the "jailer" moves every few seconds. Watch it carefully before acting because it's constantly on the move. For the cells on the second map of Halvung, the "jailers" are a VT@75 True Sight mobs. Getting prisoners from there can be a bit more interesting...

It's easiest to think of Halvung as three sections in terms of where prisoners are kept. For the first section consider everything on the map below (map 1) from B through F as section 1. Everything from G through N as section 2. The second Halvung map is section 3. We'll look at sections 1 and 2 first.

On this map "Cast Bronze Hatch" = Prisoner cell.

Section 1

From what we've confirmed there are at least 4 cells in this section and we suspect more around (D-7) and possibly (E-8). There are a couple ways to get into this area. The easiest, in my opinion, is via Mount Zhayolm #4 marked on the FFXI-Atlas maps. If you are going this route to free prisoners from (E-11) you will need 4 people to work the Operating Lever. (I still haven't figured out how to open the Operating Lever at (F-11).)

Here is the Mount Zhayolm map. Entrance #4 is behind the Gates of Halvung requiring the Cast Iron Plate. If you don't have one of those yet, the map has potential spawns marked on it already. Touch the Gate to get a message, find a ??? and touch it to get the plate, then return to the Gate and you can now open it. If you zone while doing this you must touch the Gate again to restart. For those who are familiar with the area behind the Gate, the entrance is the one closest to the Ebony Puddings (behind where the BLM parties tend to camp.)

From this entrance you have access to the cell(s?) at (C-7). No key or anything is required to pass through the Cast Bronze Gate, but you can't be Invisible while you click it. To get to the (E-11) cells you need 4 people to click on the Operating Lever to lift it. Each person will be held there for several seconds before they're free to pass through the door. Don't worry, everyone will get through if they don't dally once they're freed.

Section 2

We've confirmed 4 cells on this map, but, as always, there could be more. Getting to the cell block at (G-5) is considerably more tricky. If you entered the map from the Wajaom Woodland entrance make your way north. There is a True Sight NM at (I-6) named Dorgerwor the Astute. Just wait for him to face a wall and continue on by. The Mirror Guards aren't True Sight, so they won't bother you as you pass.

When you get to (I-5) stop. From (G-4) to (I-4) there are a mixture of Wamoura and Wamouracampa all over a narrow bridge. Keep in mind that the Wamoura are True Sight/Sound and the Wamouracampa will link with them if one is aggroed. There are a couple ways to approach this problem. One is to try to muscle your way through by killing the Wamoura and Wamouracampa. I've tried this before and don't really recommend it. The fights tend to be too long and difficult. The approach we've been using is to have someone suicide pull the bridge to clear the way for others (or themself if they have Reraise up) to get to the Cast Bronze Gate. Jobs that are good at this are THF (Perfect Dodge and Flee), Paladin (Invincible), Summoner (avatar train them), etc. Having said that, a WHM in our group (Nif) has managed to get to the room by himself and free a prisoner. I have no idea how he accomplished it, but if you're going to try it, make sure you buff outside of the Wamoura magic aggro range.

Section 3

To get to this map you need to enter from #6 on the FFXI Atlas map. There are two ways to get out there. You can go via the the Alzadaal Undersea Ruins, but the entrance to get to Mount Zhayolm is accessible from Caedarva Mire, which isn't saving much travel time in my opinion and it doesn't cut out the most dangerous part of the walk. Easier is to either use the Staging Point or Escape out of Halvung to get onto Mount Zhayolm. From there you're going through the Gates of Halvung to re-enter Halvung at #8. This is just a little underground bridge to get out to the island. You'll need Invisible through this area. You will come out of #5 and then walk around to #6.

Things of note during your walk: Dahak are sound aggro, but there are only 4 spawns and they're rather hard to miss. When you get to the tunnel entrance at (C-6, 7) there are usually 5-7 Wamoura hanging in the area. Usually following the coastline and approaching the tunnel from wall is safest, but be careful. Once you exit the tunnel there are no more Dahak or Wamoura between you and #6.

I want to repeat this because it's very important on this map. Any Troll you see here that is not a Mirror Guard or Kirlirger the Abhorrent you should assume is True Sight/True Sound. These Trolls check as VT@75. Here is the map:

Assuming you're headed for the cells, you shouldn't encounter any Trolls until you're past the bridge at (G-8). From then on, be on your toes. The first cell block is at (E-7) and is pretty straightforward to get to (just dodge mobs). As I mentioned earlier, there will be a "jailer" in the area that is True Sight. You'll need to distract it or get lucky with not being detected while opening the cell.

I've added an A and a B insert to this map because it does something that is wonderfully confusing. The map splits into multiple levels that are on top of each other. On widescan it appears that there are many clumps of mobs together, when in actuality the mobs are on two different levels and no where near each other. The A insert shows how to get to the upper level, which is going across the bridge at (I-7), and then up the ramp at (H-8). This is not where you want to go!

At (I-7) you want to continue down to (J-8) and you'll come to an area that has many Friar's Lanterns (DC@75). Keep going down until you're at (J-9) and you'll be in a tunnel that ends in a small room with 4 cells. Once again, True Sight "jailer" and it can see pretty far.

Interesting note, when we went through (I-7) there was an Archaic Mirror up without any Mirror Guards. Only one True Sight was in the area, so we carefully took the Mirror out with an avatar and ranged attacks. That's probably the only easy thing to accomplish on this map.

PART IV: Credits

Online sources used in ferreting out how to do this:
Somepage - They have pretty good information on mob levels and how they detect.
FFXIclopedia - I usually say that I don't trust Wiki further than I can toss it, but it did get me started on finding which mobs dropped the Halvung Brass Key.
Vana'diel Atlas - Their maps have been invaluable. The cell location information isn't complete, so I've filled in more with the maps I've posted here. If they wanted to take the information in penance for *cough*borrowingstealing*cough* their maps, I'd be happy.

Lovely people who didn't tell me to GTFO when I said "Let's go save some prisoners :D :D :D!":
Nif - Crazy Taru WHM. How did you get across that Wamoura bridge :/?
Danoille, Tharpy, Thistle - For farming help and being patient while we figured out how to use the Operating Levers
Nyiri - The original "Solid Cat" /MSG
Neresh - Always willing to lend a hand, no matter how many times he might die... :3

Corrections and additions are welcome. Let information run free. I hope this encourages others to start running their own Jailbreaks. It's really not too hard once you've gotten the hang of it and are willing to take a risk to save a prisoner.

Beanie - FantasyInsanity - Midgardsormr
04.06.07

Snow~

Wed, 17 Jan 2007 02:06:27 GMT

Today was more exciting than I anticipated. I went to work and it was cold with a solid grey sky overhead, nothing unusual for winter. I loaded up the car with the deliveries from the previous day. I told my mom I was gonna stop by Circuit City while I was out. (I wanted to see if Phoenix Wright 2 was out yet.) She said 'Oh, take this, I won't use it," and handed me a $50 gift card *_* Told me to go buy a game or something. Well, I'd already planned on that. I had $100 in gift cards I'd gotten for Christmas. Circuit City was unusually helpful today, I was a bit stunned. They didn't have Phoenix Wright 2, but I got Xenosaga III, dug Devil May Cry anniversary pack out of the discount bin for $20, and that Rayman rabbit game Mako's been going on about. (If it sucks, I'm kicking your ass, Mako.) I still have enough credit on the gift card to get Phoenix Wright 2 if/when they get it in o.ob

Left Circuit City and discovered an inch of snow on the ground. Oh dear, I wasn't in the store for *that* long. I puttered around slowly (like 15mph everywhere) to do the deliveries I had slated. Mom was calling me like every half hour to ask if I was in an accident 'cause it was taking so long >.>; My last stop was by this soup kitchen place to get us lunch. I followed these four middle aged (like.. 50s-60s) women out the door with my order. They were talking about how the snow was perfect for making snowmen and their shoes and such. Then one of them lagged behind, made a snowball, and tossed it at the other three. The three up front didn't even look behind them, they told the women behind to stop throwing snowballs at them x3; She laughed and asked how they knew it was her? They asked who else would do it? I was snickering at that.

I got back to the shop and it was about 1pm. By this time there was a good 2-3 inches on the ground. Mom had several walking distance deliveries for me to make. I was getting those gathered when my dad started calling every 5 minutes (I kid you not) telling my mom to send me home now before the snow got much thicker. Mom was like "I know! I know! But just 2 more deliveries!" And dad was like "D:!!! Now! Now! Now!" Needless to say, I did the walking deliveries as quickly as I could and then mom shoved me out the door before dad called again to bug her. She told me to call her when I got home. It took me about 30 minutes to make a drive that usually takes me 5-10 at most ^^; I did call her when I got home, and then she called my dad so he'd leave her alone x3; I was so amused.

Pepper is enjoying the snow so far. She wants to run around and play in it, but she doesn't like that it gets between her paw toes. She also doesn't like squatting in it to do her business. I'm confident that I'll be washing her soiled blanket in the morning 'cause she didn't want to go outside ^^;

Rough draft -- Beanie's "Best of Quest"

Wed, 14 Sep 2005 20:17:54 GMT

This is very rough. Just working on it while pretending to be at work working, ehehehe.

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I'm sure we've all had time in Vana'diel when we're bored and we just don't know *what* we want to do with ourselves. I'm sure we've all heard people suggest "Go questing!" That's a bit annoying if you don't know *which* quests might interest you or if they're worth the effort. So, this mini-guide is my personal view of the best in quest that Vana'diel has to offer. The quests on this list are here for a variety of reasons. I didn't pick quests just because of the reward or because they were easy. Each one here offered something... *special* that hit home with me. Either I really enjoyed doing them, they had a great story, or maybe the reward really was worth the effort. But, if you're bored, at least this is a starting point for some quests to look at, eh? ^^

A Timely Visit :: Soloable :: Minimum level suggested: mid50s to 60 :: Difficulty: Easy

Summary: This quest is a lot of running back and forth and talking to NPCs with a NM fight throwing in there for good measure.

Beanie's Protip: Sub /blm and set your HP to Sandy ~.~ That should be obvious, but I'm a lolMelee who wouldn't know an MP if it bit her...

Reward: Medieval Collar

Why: There is one *very* compelling reason to do this quest: the story. It is one of the best ingame stories that I've seen and after 2 years, almost 300 quests, and a ton of missioning, that's saying a lot. I almost felt guilty that it was such a cool story for running around and not having to do a massive BC in the middle of it. If you only do 10 quests in the game total (assuming you did 6 gobbiebags and 3 mog house expansions) this SHOULD BE QUEST #10.

Blackmail :: Repeatable :: Soloable :: Minimum level suggested: mid-25 to 30 :: Difficulty: Very Easy

Note: Quest will lower fame

Summary: Get the Castle Floor Plans off the Orcish Serjeant.

Beanie's Protip: Serjeants in Yughott Grotto *and* Davoi drop the Floor Plans. If you're trying to avoid Kazham Key hunters, you can go to Davoi and get the drop there.

Reward: 900g

Why: I like this quest because I'm a spiteful Mithra who hates Halver. Okay, probably not a good idea to start the "Best in Quest" with revenge, but the fact that you can even *take* revenge is kind of cool, eh?

Over the Hills and Far Away :: Soloable :: Minimum level suggested: mid50-60 (with help), 70 (solo) :: Difficulty: Hard

Summary: Go to Oldton and get a Moblin Hotrok from the Ashman. (He's prolly solo-able by a 60 *but* there are many linky Moblins around him that make soloing him a very difficult thing to do, so take friends). After you have the Hotrok and the quest, you take it up to the top of Uleguerand Range and trade it to a ???.

Beanie's Protip: Two suggestions for doing Ul-range climb. First, take a job you don't care about dying in. I did it with WHM26/NIN13 myself. I died once on the way up, but was successful the second trip. My other suggestion is to do the trip solo or only with one or two people. Don't take a party or an alliance unless you plan on killing your way through. The more people you try to metal gear, the more complicated it becomes.

Reward: Map of Uleguerand Range

Why: This quest is a true challenge of metal gearing skill. You'll be dodging aggro of every type (sight, sound, magic, and truesight). If you can make it to the ??? and get your map, you've got props from me for your leet metal gearing skillz.

Tea with a Tonberry? :: Soloable :: Minimum level suggested: 60 (but you might want some help) :: Difficulty: Easy

Note: Signed in Blood is a pre-requisite quest.

Summary: This is a "Talk to NPCs then gather the rare/ex items" quest that will take you to Attohwa Chasm and Fei'yin.

Beanie's Protip: The Flies that drop the Ginseng aren't terribly hard. The Shadows might cause some problems just because of Dimensional Death. If you haven't done the quest for Tele-Vazhl scroll, you can try doing that at the same time you hunt for the Treasury Gold. (The Gold drops more often than chest keys, though.)

Reward: Willpower Torque

Why: You get to talk to a Tonberry. Obviously it's a good quest if a Tonberry is in it, duh. You also get the cool title "Talks with Tonberries" :3

While we're on the topic of quests that give cool titles. A pair of easy ones that a level 30 could do are The Seamstress (title granted: The Silencer of the Lambs) and Warding Vampires (title granted: Vampire Hunter D-Minus).

Blue Ribbon Blues :: Soloable :: Minimum level suggested: 60 (might want help) :: Difficulty: Moderate

Note: Food for Thought, Water Way to Go, and Overnight Delivery are pre-requisite. Blue Ribbon Blues actually *isn't* the 4th quest in the sequence, but it's a sidequest in the middle of it. The fourth quest is Toraimarai Turmoil.

Summary: After you've done the pre-requisite quests you work on uncursing a Ribbon. There is a 1 game day delay in the middle of this uncursing process. (It doesn't let you continue at they day change 0:00, but 24 game hours from when you turned in the ribbon). You will have a NM Skeleton to fight in Eldeime Necropolis, which pretty much means you should have at least one other person with you so you can get to Hume Bones if nothing else. From the fight you will uncurse the ribbon and Lich C Magnus might drop a really nice club called a Lilith's Rod. (In my experience his drop rate is about 50/50.) After you've gotten the title "Ghostie Buster" the quest is over.

Beanie's Protip: Lich C isn't hard, but I would take some friends to fight him. Just 3~ level 60s should have no problem.

Reward: Blue Ribbon

Why: You want to go through this quest so that you can open up the 4th quest in the Rhinostery called "Toraimarai Turmoil". When you start that quest you will be given a key item that let's you access the Toraimari Canal from Windurst Walls. That entrance puts you right in the coffer key mob area :3 It's also nice for the people who haven't done the mini-quest to get the Portal Charm for opening the Three Mage Gate in Horutoto Ruins.

Info on getting a Portal Charm:

I'm not sure if non-Windurstians can do this since it's tied in with the optional mission Written in the Stars. After you complete this mission and without any other missions currently accepted trade a Rolanberry to Kupipi. She'll give you the Portal Charm for buttering her up.

Curses, Foiled A-Golem!? :: Soloable :: Minimum level suggested: 30 :: Difficulty: Either very easy or very hard depending on your metal gearing skill...

Note: Curses, Foiled Again! and Curses, Foiled...Again!? are pre-requisite.

Summary: This is the third quest in the Shantotto "Curses" quest line. She'll ask you to go to Beaucedine Glacier and Fei'Yin for the quest. You *can* do this quest at a fairly low level with sneak / invis and being capable of metal gearing. You need to speak with some NPCs in the Pso'Jxa tower at I-7, then go to Fei'Yin's basement to speak with another NPC.

Beanie's Protip: If you're feeling adventuresome and haven't done it yet, you might as well take supplies to the Glacier while you're out there. Also make the sidetrip to get the teleport crystal if you don't have it already. If you don't mind Shantotto's ribbing, try answering her "incorrectly" when she asks you a question during the quest. She'll send you away and you'll have to come back. But you'll get the title "Total Loser" out of it.

Reward: Scroll of Warp II

Why: Warp II is a must have spell if you're a BLM. BLMs, YOU MUST HAVE IT! I don't like walking home :/ Erm.. yeah, but more importantly, Shantotto is a *hoot*. She's one of the most humorous NPCs in the game, in my opinion, and one of my favorites because of it.

The Promise :: Party :: Minimum level suggested: 60 :: Difficulty: Hard

Note: Truth, Justice and the Onion Way, Know One's Onions, Inspector's Gadget!, Onion Rings, Crying Over Onions are Star Onion Brigade quest line pre-requisites. Wild Card is not directly in the quest line, but you can't do the last SoB quest without completing it. If you've done "Blue Ribbon Blues" then this quest will be a lot easier.

Summary: This is the last in the Star Onion Brigade quest line. You need to get a drop from the Recluse Spiders in Kuftal Tunnel.

Beanie's Protip: The Spiders aren't tough for a party of 60s, but finding a good camp that avoids links, elementals, and Guivre can be. The tunnel that leads down to where Phantom Worm spawns is a pretty good camp. You'll have to keep it clear of spiders, but it's a manageable one or two, and elementals and Guivre won't bother you there.

Reward: Promise Badge

Why: The Promise Badge is one of the better neck items for WHM and Chi Blasting MNKs. (The RareEX Star Necklace you get from Crying Over Onions isn't bad either.) Besides that, the entire quest sequence really ties in with the Windurst national storyline. If you've completed this sequence, completed Windy Rank 10, and defeated Fenrir you'll be in for a lot of awesome story.

Unbridled Passion :: Party / Alliance :: Minimum level: 50 :: Difficulty: Hard

Note: Sin Hunting and Fire and Brimstone are pre-requisite. This is the RNG AF quest sequence.

Summary: Go to Xarcabard and defeat a NM tiger. A shellmate did this with two people (THF/NIN and WHM/NIN). I've done it with as few as 5. This *isn't* an easy fight. I would recommend that a small alliance with a solid tank tackle this.

Reward: Hunter's Socks, Ice Arrows

Why: I'm not trying to start a 'war' over which job has a better AF story. I've done the AF quests for MNK, SAM, and RNG. From reading up on other jobs, a lot of people seem indifferent or disappointed with their AF story. I can tell you, paws down, that the RNG story is one of the better stories told in the game. Again, that's saying a lot, but in the course of three quests you're told three interweaving stories that don't seem to actually begin or end with the RNG AF. More like you're seeing the cross-section of other stories that include the Zilart/CoP main story (loosely), a story about the Windurst tribe of Mithra, and a story of Semih and Perih. It's all very profound. I wouldn't tell anyone to level a job just for the AF story, but if you're leveling RNG anyways, know that you have a treat in store for you.

Tuning Out :: Soloable :: Minimum level suggested: mid-60s :: Difficulty: Moderate

Note: Tuning In is pre-requisite.

Summary: You're still on the tail of the Shikaree from the previous quest. You need to prover yourself to the former Kazham Chieftainness before she'll give you the info you want. During the course of the quest you'll turn in two crafted foods, a dropped item, and defeat five NM bees.

Reward: Cache-nez, 6000g

Why: Because I like quests with Shikaree in them o.ob "Tuning In" was actually a lot harder than this one was (in terms of acquiring drops) and the quest rewards aren't half bad either. The story in this quest ties in with mid-CoP main story. So if you like to learn background information to the main story, this is a good quest to do.

Faded Promises :: Soloable :: Minimum level suggested: 20 :: Difficulty: Easy

Note: You must be *minimum* level 20 NIN to activate the quest.

Summary: You're pulled into some backstory and dark dealings with the Ninja assassins. You must go to Palborough Mines and open a treasure chest for a key item.

Beanie's Protip: You don't need to be NIN when you open the chest to get the key item or finish the quest. You just need to be NIN when you speak with the NPC that starts the quest.

Reward: Fukuro

Why: Okay, if you haven't figured it out already, I'm a sucker for quests that actually have some meaty story to them. This was an insightful quest with an intriguing story. Besides that, the katana you get is a very nice one. Also, the title the quest grants (Assassin Reject) amuses me.

The Naming Game Repeatable :: Soloable :: Minimum level suggested: 65 :: Difficulty: Moderate

Note: Teak Me to the Stars and Hyper Active are pre-requisite.

Summary: You must get a piece of Ordrynite from the Tonberries in Pso'Jxa. The tower closest to Ranguemont Pass is uncapped and has Tonberries that drop it. The drop rate is lackluster at best. Take TH with you if you can.

Beanie's Protip: The Tonberries in Pso'Jxa don't use Everyone's Grudge, but hate from them does accumulate with the Tonberries in Temple of Ugg. If you've been killing a lot of Pso'Jxa Tonberries, it's a good idea to go clear your hate.

Reward: 3600gil, Naming your airship in CoP

Why: What an unusual and cool reward. The name you choose will be used in later CoP stories when they refer to the airship. The quest also grants a pretty rocking title (Hyper Ultra Sonic Adventurer).

A Chocobo's Tale :: Soloable :: Minimum level suggested: 60 :: Difficulty: Moderate

Summary: Nevela in Jeuno wants to hear about a Chocobo's birth. This isn't a tale about the birds and the bees, but a romantic quest about two Chocobos in love. You'll need to collect some EX Oil from Beadeaux to complete the quest. After that, there are five spawned NM tigers to defeat.

Beanie's Protip: Even though the NPC indicates in his dialogue that there is a time limit on getting the Oil to him, there isn't. The NM tigers you might want to take a friend with (or someone who can sleepga just for controlling them.) The WHM I went with was killing the tigers himself with Hexa Strike, so they aren't that powerful individually.

Reward: 5200g

Why: This is a very "awwwww" sort of quest. It's not the gil or title you get (Chocobo Love Guru), but the warm fuzzy feeling at the conclusion that wins this quest a spot on my list.

Happy birthday

Fri, 15 Apr 2005 15:39:42 GMT

Happy birthday, Ysa-chan <3

I hate you, Thistle.. I think

Wed, 16 Mar 2005 23:35:36 GMT

Your FFXI Experience!
Your FFXI name
Your weapon of choice is...
Complete this: Monkey is to stapler as Christmas is to...
You picked your first job because:	It's the best job there is, dammit! No "loljob" for me!
Your first partying experience was:	Outstanding! You whipped the whole group into shape and everyone got 854862847320 levels!
Your secret goal in the game is:	To become a WAR/WHM and be accepted by all!
But what you'll actually accomplish:	You'll find and lead all the boy-Mithra back to Windy, which will make you their hero but hated by all girl-Mithra.
And in the end?	You'll learn Japanese so that you can get even more parties, and eventually move to Japan so you can be the first to get a copy of FFXXXVI when it comes out.

This fun quiz by Thistle - Taken 3 Times. </a>

New - Kwiz.Biz Astrology and Horoscopes

FFXI Ranger AF Story (cont.)

Mon, 28 Feb 2005 08:19:47 GMT

I did RNG AF2 today, so it's time for another post telling the story. Instead of linking back to the AF1 story, I've reposted it here for easier reading. Obviously, don't be clicking the links if you don't want to be spoiled ^^

The story begins when you speak with Perih, Chieftainness of the Windurst tribe of Mithra. She gives you a single Twinstone Earring and tells you to find Semih, the head of the Sybil Guard and give it to her. Last report was that Semih had gone to the Pass outside of Sandy to investigate a strange occurrance.

I went to the Pass and spoke to the knight outside of the gate you have to open. There was a cutscene in which you see the guard patroling by the lake and he encountered a floating mage-looking creature. The creature disarmed the knight and the knight pulled out his dagger and slashed the creature. Instead of bleeding blood, it bled light and disappeared. No one believed the knight's story except for the Sybil Guard who came through recently. He asked me to investigate and see if I could find some of the Glittering Sand (blood-stuff) as proof that he wasn't lying.

Killed Evil Weapons by the lake in the Pass until they dropped the Glittering Sand. I gave that to the knight and he gave me an envelope of the sand to give to Semih once I caught up with her.

Next stop was to go talk with a fisherman by the crystal lake in Jugner. He'd likewise seen the creature and had recently spoken with a Sybil Guard about it. He told me that he'd seen it by a tree at night during the full moon. I poked at the tree at the appropriately obscure time and got another cutscene.

Semih showed up and started talking about the Glittering Sand and the weird creature she was tracking. I gave Semih the Twinstone Earring Perih had given me and Semih starts asking why Perih would send this to her. The item obviously had meaning to her, but you don't know what. Semih also keeps clenching her chest (from what she says I'd say that she has the matching earring with her--or one similar to it.)

Then an unexpected twist: Shikaree M, a Mithran Tracker from the homeland, showed up and started thinly accusing Semih of something. S-M explained that a grave crime had occured during the Great War and that if a mother could not atone for the sin, then her daughter must. It'd been reported at the time that both mother and daughter had died during the war, but the mother confessed right before her death that her daughter was still alive.

S-M goes on to question the role of the Sybil Guards. She found it interesting that all of them were orphans from the war when most of the orphans were returned to the homeland. She also notes that Semih is the only orphan without any record at all of who her mother is.

It's heavily implied that S-M is accusing Semih of being the daughter. S-M says she has these moths that will smell the scent of sin even if the accused doesn't know they'd committed a crime. She releases her moths and they disperse without touching Semih. S-M is confused by this, but shakes it off. Semih asks S-M if she knows who her mother is, and S-M tells her that it doesn't matter, then leaves. Semih is very "wtf?"ish, but also deeply concerned herself. She leaves you in Jugner to go return to Windurst and speak with Perih.

Go to Windurst for the next cutscene. The first scene you see is an audience between Perih and S-M. The Tracker is putting Perih on notice that she's investigating this matter and to not hinder her efforts. Perih says that she has nothing to hide, but the past is the past and is long over. From the tone of the discussion, it seems that Perih is deferring to S-M as a Tracker (investigator), but Perih is still in charge of the Windurst clan. S-M leaves.

Yes another cutscene (this AF has, like, 6 of them o.O; ) this time between Perih and Semih. As the head of the Sybil Guard and patron of justice, she asks Perih if she's the sinner. She says no. Perih tells Semih not to interfere with the Tracker. Semih then says something that seems completely out of the blue: she tells Perih that she won't take over leadership of the Windurst clan.* Perih brushes it off and Semih goes on her way.

Perih then explains that even Mithra fight amongst themselves sometimes. She gives you a Sniping bow as a symbol of your pledge to assist her further if she calls upon you.

* It took me a bit to recall a bit of story that you get from Kazham (iirc)... an NPC explains that the Chieftainness of a tribe will give her bow to her successor. Her successor is acknowledged as being the finest hunter in the tribe. Semih has Perih's bow.

AF2 begins by speaking the Perih. She says that a new lead has been developed and that the player is to go speak with the Mithra in the Blacksmith's guild in Mhaura.

The Mithra's story pre-dates the war, going back thirty years. There is a Mithran clan called Clan of Fire that lives in the outlands of Elshimo. The Chieftainness of that clan committed the sin of killing a fellow clanswoman. She had been atoning for that sin for 10 years when the war broke out and she escaped prison. She fled Elshimo with her daughter and went to the Windurst region. (I didn't write down the mother's name, but the daughter's was Syu Befrathi).

At that time, the Blacksmithing Mithra was working as a caravan escort between Windurst and Jeuno when they were attacked by the Yagudo. The Yagudo took them to Castle Oz and forced the prisoners to fight powerful Yagudo to the death. One by one the prisoners were led away, including the sinner. Only the escort and the daughter were left when Perih and an elite troop of Mithra raided the Castle and freed the remaining prisoners. The daughter was taken to Jeuno to live, but she was so grief-stricken by the loss of her mother that she fell ill and died. Her body was buried with the other war victims in EN.

Shikaree M shows up at this point in the story-telling. She asks a few questions and then tells the player to meet her at EN to search for the grave of the daughter. (There are Gravestones in EN that have the names of those who are entombed in the bone pits.)

Next stop is EN. When the correct vault is found, S-M shows up to search for the body. The releases more of her truth moths and they lead her to a pit. Digging around, she finds a single twinstone earring that belonged to the daugher. No actual remains are found (she assumes that are gone with the sands of time). She wonders where the pair to the twinstone is and then leaves.

Going back to Windurst there is a "what do we do next?" pow-wow between S-M, Perih, and the player. It's pointed out that the Yagudo dumped the bodies of their victims into leech filled pool high atop Castle Oz. That might be a good place to search for the twinstone's pair. Perih can't send any of her guard to search for it because of Windurst's treaty with the Yagudo, but adventurers have no qualms about going there.

Next stop is Castle Oz and the leech pool in the upstairs coffer area. Scavange around and find the old Earring, then return to Windurst with it. S-M confirms that the earring you brought is the mate to the one she found in EN.

Then the story takes a crazy twist (just like the last one did). S-M recalls a story in which the Castle Oz prisoners were saved by a bow that shot arrows of blinding light. And that the arrows blinded the Yagudo, allowing the prisoners to escape. She also points out the Perih is quite blind >.>; Was Perih seduced by the power of the Bow of Light? Perih keeps quiet and S-M tells her that she can wait for Perih to come clean since the Chieftainness has a reputation of never backing down from a challenge. S-M then turns to the player and gives them the Hunter's Beret as a reward for their service, telling them to always maintain justice.

Stuck on hold

Fri, 25 Feb 2005 19:04:24 GMT

I'm stuck on hold with a telco, so here's how I'm keeping myself from cutting my ears off at this horrible hold music >.>;

I Am A: Lawful Good Dwarf Ranger

Alignment:
Lawful Good characters are the epitome of all that is just and good. They believe in order and governments that work for the benefit of all, and generally do not mind doing direct work to further their beliefs.

Race:
Dwarves are short and stout, and easily recognizable by their well-cared-for beards. They are hard workers, and adept at stonework and engineering. They tend to live apart from other races; generally in deep, underground excavated systems, and as such tend to be distant from other races.

Primary Class:
Rangers are the defenders of nature and the elements. They are in tune with the Earth, and work to keep it safe and healthy.

Secondary Class:
Monks are strange and generally not understood by the world at large. They live apart from people, and follow strict codes that restrain their behavior and lifestyle. They have an exceptionally calm outlook on life, and generally do not resort to violence unless absolutely necessary. Even when they do, their code of conduct forbids the use of all weapons - except their hands. As such, monks are extremely skilled at hand-to-hand combat, and no other style.

Deity:
Mielikki is the Neutral Good goddess of the forest and autumn. She is also known as the Lady of the Forest, and is the Patron of Rangers. Her followers are devoted to nature, and believe in the positive and outreaching elements of it. They use light armor, and a variety of weapons suitable for hunting, which they are quite skilled at. Mielikki's symbol is a unicorn head.

Find out What D&D Character Are You?, courtesy ofNeppyMan (e-mail)

I found the end scoring to be interesting:

Law & Chaos:
Law ----- XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX (18)
Neutral - XXXXXX (6)
Chaos --- (-1)

Good & Evil:
Good ---- XXXXXXXXX (9)
Neutral - XXXXXXXX (8)
Evil ---- XXXXXX (6)

Race:
Human ---- (-4)
Half-Elf - XXXX (4)
Elf ------ XXX (3)
Halfling - (-3)
Dwarf ---- XXXXX (5)
Half-Orc - XXXX (4)
Gnome ---- X (1)

Class:
Fighter - (-3)
Ranger -- XXXXXXXX (8)
Paladin - XXXXXX (6)
Cleric -- X (1)
Mage ---- (0)
Druid --- XXXX (4)
Thief --- (-5)
Bard ---- XXXXX (5)
Monk ---- XXXXXXX (7)

Right on the edge of Ranger or Monk [laughs] No wonder the jobs appeal to me so much in FFXI 9.9; (And I actively resist being a BLM). Haha.. The third was PLD, and that's the next job I want to try after MNK and RNG. Fighter has -3... and considering how much I hate WAR XD; Yeah, I'd say this an accurate test XD;

(30 minutes on hold so far [shakes a fist at Verizon!])

A winner is bean!

Thu, 30 Dec 2004 00:27:06 GMT

Here's an update on Pickles:

His paw is looking pretty much recovered. (I can't tell that easily anymore 'cause his thick fur grew back too quickly XD; ) He's walking around now without a limp and hops up onto the bed and stuff like that no problem. He was a very good kitty with taking his medicine each night and not fighting me. (Actually, both he and Pepper are great about taking medicines ^^; I've lucked out as a pet caretaker!)

Anyhow, our greatest victory from him spending so much time indoors is that he's been housebroken! He uses his litter box now and doesn't leave little messes around the house :3 (Need to work on that with Pepper, but it's kind of a lost cause with her >.<; Damn Cocker in her blood and being old and me being gone for eleven hours a day and her having the bladder size of a thimble.) So replacing the carpet when she finally passes away =/

At least Pickles isn't adding to the problem anymore and that makes me happy ^^

Fri, 17 Dec 2004 00:15:52 GMT

Y'know, this poll is pretty unfair. You're supposed to choose *one* out of all the FF games? C'mon! Get real! Well, these are my answers for now. They'll probably change if you ask me again in 5 minutes :3

Favourite Character: Xu (FFVIII). Think about it, for many of the major scenes she was *there* but not involved with them in a major way. What an awesome background character! So many story potentials!
Favourite Technology: Phoenix Downs. No, really, an *item* that you can carry 99 of that brings you back to life. Whoever came up with that deserves a big slobbery kiss.
Favourite Weapon: Save the Queen (pick one, I like them all 9.9; Okay, I really just like the name, but Quistis's was pretty spiffy looking.)
Favourite Limit: Quistis's Blue Magic - Degenerator. Cheapest. Move. EVAR =D
Favourite Area(s): (Short answer): Zvahl Castle Keep. (Long answer): It goes back to FFVI and crawling through the dungeons (like the Fanatic's Tower). Then FFVII when you go down into the last dungeon. FFVIII had a neat dungeon with Odin and the Centra ruins. So why is Zvahl Castle Keep my favorite? Because it's like the evolution of the epic dungeon. Pictures like this one run chills down my spine for dungeon coolness :D
Favourite Boss: Kefka (especially at the end of FFVI. That was one of the funnest fights ever.)
Favourite Airship: Setzer's in FFVI.
Favourite Magic System: FFVIII >.>; MP is for weenies.
Favourite World: FFVIII's. I loved how it was modern day Final Fantasy ^^
Favourite FMV: FFVIII's ending movie (the celebration part). Quite a creative way to end the game. If we're counting FF spin offs, a close second would be the opening movie to Chocobo's Dungeon 2 :3 So cute!
Favourite Non Playable Character: Xu~ For reasons already stated.
Favourite Music: No way in hell I could choose just one, but I'll say the 'prelude' theme that's in most of the games (not the crystal one, but the one that plays when you cross the bridge).
Favourite Enemy: Zone Eater! or Tonberries!
Favourite Game in Series: FFVIII :3
Favourite Summon: Y'know, I've never been big on *any* of the summons from any of the games ^^; If I had to choose one I'd probably go with Carbuncle just for cuteness.
Favourite Magic: Cure (lots and lots and lots of it).
Favourite mini-game: Triple Triad! I rocked socks at that game! Fear me, Xu, FEAR ME!!! UR CARDZ R BELONG 2 B34N!
Favourite WEAPON [From 7]: I didn't care much for FFVII ^^; Emerald WEAPON always scared me when I went down into the water ; ; Um, I liked Diamond just because I kicked its ass very, very hard >.>;
Favourite Job Class: Blue Mage! Geomancer! Monk! (Geodancer!)
Favourite Crystal: zomgwtf? It's a *crystal*, please, geez. That's like asking "what's your favorite rock"? Who cares :P
Best Male Character: Locke from FFVI was a real charmer~
Best Female Character: Quistis :3 Why is she the best? Because she has glasses and is a blue mage, duh.
Worst Character: [rolls the entire cast of FFIX up into a katamari and shoots them into space.]
Favourite Creature: Malboro ^^ So many tentacles and nasty comments to be made when fighting them.
Favourite Legendary Weapon: I usually didn't bother getting the legendary weapons ^^;
Worst Plot Twist: I agree with Lin on this one: "zomg, we grew up together?!?!?!?!"
Favourite Ending: FFVIII, no question there ^^
Worst Ending: I won't say FFIX was the worst, it just didn't make sense unless you did a lot of the extra crap along the way. (Especially the lyrics to the ending song. Out of context it makes *no* sense.)
Favourite Main Character: Celes (FFVI) She's like, a general, and icy, and has a sword that she'll stabbity you with (and Runic was pretty hot >.>; )
Most Original Character: Gogo, he's so original, he copies everyone else :3
Favourite Main Character Rival: Meh, boyish dick-wagging rivalries don't interest me much. They can go wave their gunblades around outside until they grow up :P

Tue, 07 Dec 2004 17:11:01 GMT

Yoinked from Oynx and Maiji and others :3

You scored as Lawful Good. A lawful good person acts as a good person is expected or required to act. They are dedicated to upholding both what is right and what is set down in law.

</td>

Lawful Good

80%

Neutral Good

75%

Lawful Neutral

70%

Chaotic Good

55%

True Neutral

50%

Lawful Evil

40%

Neutral Evil

35%

Chaotic Neutral

25%

Chaotic Evil

What is your Alignment?
created with QuizFarm.com

SH:C Questions :3

Tue, 23 Nov 2004 17:43:18 GMT

Okay, I'm about 2 hours into the game and still trying to wrap my brain around it all. Nif's been giving me tips on what to do, but I shouldn't bug him all the time <.< And my question is a simple one: is there a way to refill your hp/mp without using items like tents? (I've gotten spoiled by FF's 'touch the save point and you're refilled'). If I have to use items to med, where do I get more? ~.~ I suck and am kind of running low on them and I haven't even gone into the Sewer yet (that's where I'm going next).

I played with adjusting my rings a bit. (Mostly I added effects and expanded the size of Karin's second strike area 'cause I always seem to miss it.) Does it behoove me to have the Puppeter Dude's ring with 2 hit areas rather than 1?

Also, any hints on useful Combos? The tutorial taught the one that knocks them in the air and then standard attack. Nif said to try to have people with more hits behind people with fewer hits.

Meh, I guess that's it for now :3

Tue, 16 Nov 2004 18:20:21 GMT

I took my mother to see The Incredibles on Sunday. She really enjoyed it ^^ I thought it was an okay movie. Probably better than what I think it was, I just wasn't in much of a mood to go see a movie at the time ^^;

Yesterday I smashed my knuckles hard against my bed frame while I was stretching >.<; They still hurt today. (Well, obviously, three of them have cuts and are visibly bruised. It looks like I punched someone.) Ow, stupid bed ~.~

Prolly Wed or something I'm going to go on a massive winter cleaning push. I'm not looking forward to this, but the annual winter invasion of field mice has began and I need to lay traps.. lots of traps.. Freaking mice >.< Freaking fields >.< [shakes a fist] There's one in the walls by my room. Drives me nuts. Still trying to figure out where to lay a trap that I might catch him with. Maybe it'd be worth bruising my knuckles if I could punch through the wall and get the mouse >.<;

Oh, there was a person on my roof yesterday >.<; Finally figured out wtf that was about. Mom sent a person down to the house to clean the gutters and clean up the leaves. (Since I am too disinclined towards leaf raking to actually do it.. ~.~; ) Yay. In a couple days the yard will be covered in leaves again and I'll weep =/ [shakes her fist at the leaves too!]

My knuckles hurt >.

Thu, 11 Nov 2004 23:13:29 GMT

I went to the little Thai place by my work for lunch today. They have this noodle dish called "Noodle Supreme" that is the most wonderful noodle dish ever *_* On a shallow bed of lettuce are noodles, sprouts, eggs, chicken, and crushed peanuts. It's so so so so yummy :)~ I might go there for lunch tomorrow, as well >.>; (I asked a salesman if he wanted to go today, and he did, but he couldn't. So we might go tomorrow :) I really need to drag my parents over here some night and have them try out this place. Good food ^^

I started Shadow Hearts: Covenant last night, but didn't get passed the opening 'cause I had some other things to do. So far, so good :3

Wed, 10 Nov 2004 22:50:35 GMT

After all the raving by barrelgoddess, maiji, niffy, and alessar about Shadow Hearts: Covenant, I broke down and went to Freddy's at lunch and bought a copy. I know you guys have great taste in games (Valkyrie Profile 4 life! XD) so I'm confident I'll enjoy it.

[so excited]

Fri, 05 Nov 2004 19:53:06 GMT

Last night was so much rangering fun. I got to level 34 so that I could play with my new toy. Then we went out and got level 35 while we were at it. So much fun. 36 and 37 should come pretty quickly as well. We're in an awesome leveling spot =)

Tonight we're going to go get Rank 7. Woohoo! I'll finally get to buy the Ranger arrow of PWNage (even if I can't use it for a long while still ^^; ) The 40k gil will be nice as well. I'm a bit broke at the moment >.>;

I set my desktop to the Toy picture <.<; And cleaned off most of the icons (it was getting pretty cluttered). Hmm... Rangering fun.. wheeeeeeeeeeee~

Fri, 15 Oct 2004 17:59:07 GMT

Info gotten from here and ganked from other journals :3

Amanda

Name Origin: Latin
Number of Syllables: 3.00
Gender: Female

More interesting facts about the name Amanda:

Lucky Number: 7
Ruling Planet: Neptune
Element: Water
Primary Color: Violet
Traits: Frequently possesses E.S.P. Extremely "psychic"; Introvert. Although s/he does not say much, s/he usually knows a great deal. Mysterious. Often interested in psychology, psychiatry, chemistry, and botany. Knowledgeable in astrology and all fields of the occult. Fond of fishing. Inclined to take from the "haves" and give to the "have nots".

-----

[Dies laughing] ^o^

I had such a grand time Rangering last night :3 Let's go again sometime soon (though I think Tuesday is our next reasonable opportunity unless another presents itself). I get so much sexy armor between levels 28 and 30 *_* Noct gear, RSE gaiters, Archer's Knives, Great bow +1 *_* I can't wait!

Hmm... FFXI stuffs

Tue, 28 Sep 2004 23:59:22 GMT

Well, it took nearly 11 months, but I completed getting my Monk Artifact Armor set and can now wear it. Whew, I feel like a highbie now. Actually, I feel like a weird twink, especially when I play lower level jobs ^^; I look at the value of the armor in my gobbiebag and it makes me blush ^^; Too much time spent playing ^o^;

Um, I don't like overplanning what I want to do for the next week, but I have an awful lot planned if people want to come along~

Today: Eco-Warrior and then help Fyerio kill his M6 dragon (if he hasn't done that yet and if he's ready for it).
Wednesday: Help Sylf and Shurano either get EN keys or do BLM AF3 (if we can get enough people together for that).
Thursday: Fyerio and Mori's wedding. Maybe do one of the of the G3 segments. (I've already done it, but I know others need it like Nyp, Sylf, Ashn, and Nif).
Friday: Kill the Archfiend for M11. If we have enough time, do M12 too.

Saturday is planned too, but I'm not sure exactly how yet (still working on the details). I'm not sure all of these things will happen. I know Eco and the Wedding are for sure. The others are wishful thinking of trying to maximize productivity.

I also want to do some gobbie bag 5 item farming. We can farm all of the items except for the leather (that requires a trip to an area we can't access until we do the 3 basic Pro*-crags >.<; ) If you're interested in farming, please let me know and I'll give you more details. I also want / need to get in some recollection farming. I'll have those anima for the next fight! >/

Sat, 11 Sep 2004 14:34:31 GMT

Sometimes I just want to slap my sleeping habits around. I always wake up at the same time no matter if I have to actually get up at that hour or not. It also doesn't matter what time I went to bed the previous night (or morning). It's annoying when I have time to sleep in and can't 'cause I'm wide awake at the usual hour --;

Yesterday was pretty good. An old co-worker and friend, Lincoln, stopped by (I haven't seen him in a while). His son has gotten so big! Lincoln wanted to borrow my Xbox and in exchange he'd pulled out a couple rose bushes I wanted remove so I could plant rhododendrons in their place next season. Yay! It only took him about 15~ minutes to remove three rose bushes ^^; Go Lincoln. I boxed up the Xbox and gave him a pile of games to try.

I took Pepper to the vet for her annual shots / exam. The vet found a bajillion things wrong with her (like that's a surprise >.<; She's an old dog with arthritis, diabetis, and allergies. Of course you're going to find something wrong with her!) He insisted on doing all these tests that I'm not convinced were necessary since they were to diagnose already known health issues. (I kept referring him to her case history, where he'd see that she's had these same health issues for 10+ years!) The short of it is: The visit cost me over $200 and not a single vaccination was given >.<; I have to take Pepper in again in a week to get her vaccinations done and will, most likely, drop another $200 into it. Augh.

FFXI treated me well ^^ I got my Goldsmithing up to 29 (and I'm just a couple tenths shy of 30). I tried fishing for a while, but the caps weren't biting, so I went into town and started some Woodworking. That evening I pulled out my SAM/RNG again for a bit of hot bat-death action. I'm sorry guys, but I had to set myself /away 'cause I was getting /telled every few minutes (if not more often than that) by half the server asking me why I was in Behemoth's Dominion as a mid-level Samurai ^^; I was making kick ass XP off the gaylas and the /tell distraction was causing me to miss my Skillchains. (And I was missing those often enough without the distraction. Stupid archery Weapons Skills >.<; ) Anyhow, it was a ton of fun ^^ Good party synergy. I'm about 900XP from level 36. So I'll probably throw a Dragon Chronical or two on Samurai job, get my level, and call it good until the next time Samurai Bean is called upon.

You're too kind.. ~.~

Thu, 09 Sep 2004 18:19:16 GMT

The University of Blogging

Presents to
gbeans

An Honorary
Bachelor of
Non Sequiturs

Majoring in
Self Deprication

Signed
Dr. GoQuiz.com

Blogging Degree
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