Solo Salvage Discussion

[Sechs]

I don't even remember how my old group did it.

What my group (and I presume the majority?) did was:

1) Sneak through
2) Pull second rampart from the other side and sleep it
3) Kill the popped Fomors (3? 4? I forgot)
4) Make sure it's still slept, then sneak back to the initial room

Once the slept rampart wakes up and comes to you it will link the other rampart, making you succeed in your objective.
Bind/Break/Gravity can be used as well I suppose.
But without tools like these I have no clue how you're supposed to do it honestly...

Dvergr was absolutely my most hated boss. Doing TP moves (necrobane etc) as I was midcasting, fucking up everything. I was on SCH/RDM as healer and the pressure that fight put on me really stressed me out.
I'm interested to hear more from Streak about his "Pup destroying the Dvergr". No polemic meant, just pure curiosity.


@Prothescar
Back before SoA, probably even before they added Salvo2, I remember I could easily clear SSR1 with BST/DNC using Falcorr. That guy was tearing through mobs and laughing in the face of the Charming Chariot xD
I can imagine my BST doing only better these days, and I would get TH1 without having to go /THF.
My other jobs are RUN, MNK, DNC, NIN, SAM, SCH, SMN, BRD.
Mage jobs are out of the question (maybe BRD/DNC for SSR1! )
MNK and SAM would provide the greatest damage but I'd be concerned about survivability. Even with /DNC I wouldn't feel confident doing T2 zones.
RUN could do it maybe but damage would be too low.
I kinda feel the same for NIN and DNC even if the situation should be better for DNC.
So yeah it's either BST or PUP. With a new pet making good use of initial aggro and snarl BST could be ok, but no TH.
Using Falcorr would give me TH but I wouldn't feel confident enough on its survivability. Also if something goes wrong I won't be able to survive AoE damage or some shit with just /DNC.
With PUP things would probably be simpler, more linear and I'd be able to relax more. Just engage and let your pet heal you, period. Sounds easier to me.

[Psion]

I did dvergr as blu/run the other day, and holy hell. I wiped at around 33% from a lack of mp and forgetting i had elixirs on me... but even then it was a nightmare the entire way. his teir V nukes did 600ish damage, no exceptions, and his necrobane left me with 900 max hp, so not much wiggle room. Then he also aspir IIed me constantly, sucking my mp dry... utter nightmare.

The ramparts before him though, i just laughed, linked the two, and killed them and their fomors with WoR/empty thrash/benthic. piece of cake.

[Vathris]

Ive been having a lot of fun on BLU/WHM, the khim zone is really easy cause you get most of the gear on the first floor and all that ilvl gear makes you pretty much invulnerable, im guessing that would go for most jobs too.
How much time left on the double plan campaign?? not that salvage2 gear is used anymore but im just curious =\

[Streak]

I still don't see any consensus in answering this question on the first page, or did I miss something?
Which SJ would you use for PUP?

PUP/THF in Arrapago 2 is the best/easiest. I use Sharpshot for floors 1-5, and switch to WHM puppet for floor 6 and final boss. The only reason for /THF is for TH2 on gears and pouches. I was a bit skittish on using such a useless sub at first, but I'm used to it now and the extra 5-10 alex per run is more valuable than using a different sub. I just carry oils/powders/reraise for a few spots (crossing floor 3 mostly).

If you slow down and try for some cotton pouches it's about 80 mins run for 120-240 alex. If you skip the NMs and just unlock and go for the bosses, it's about 60 mins. My last 4 runs were 132 alex, 240 alex (double linen), 121 alex and 149 alex.

I've done 20+ runs in Bhaflau2, 10+ in SS2 and about 20 in Arrapago2 and that's my preferred set up.

BRII => Good luck killing Cerb with PUP. Magic damage from the automaton won't be enough from RDM doll and if you use BLM one you will die from lack of cures. Could use RDM doll and Heady Artifice to kill NQ I guess. Bit risky with Ululation though.

I gave up on soloing the Cerberus. Came close a few times on BLU, PUP, RUN, but it's such a joke with formless strikes there's nothing better than MNK+WHM and I have a second account. I just farmed Bhaflau2 until I got 220 ritualistic plans, then never went back. Took about 20 runs.

SSRII => Would need careful positioning of the doll against the 2 Dvergrs. If your puppet isn't fast enough in dispelling curse/mdefdown then you might get fucked very fast. Dunno, Dvergr stills cares me, I get nightmares from the days I used to heal on SCH

The Dvergr is very explosive and it can go bad quickly. However it is very squishy. The puppet with mdef attachments and repair is both durable and disposable. With Deus Ex, Role Reversal, Repair and the ability to kite the Dvergr for brief period if you're unlucky it's doable but the master doesn't engage. For SS2 I normally go on PUP/WHM so easier sneak/invis and the ability to cure and haste myself, plus extra MDEF. Still, it's not a slam dunk. I do use reraise for the Dvergr and keep dia 2 on it in case of poor luck. You can raise up, call another puppet and finish it off.

ZR2 => Uh... I fought Hydra only a few times back in the days. How hard would it be? I remember its triple attacks being the most dangerous thing? Which shouldn't be that big of an issue with ilevel gear, maybe just slow kill if he gets physical shield spammy.

I'll be honest I've never done Zhay2 and I don't think I have any reason to start.

ARII => Should be able to kill the chariot fast enough I imagine. As for Khim I don't know, back tanking with /NIN? Would fulmination still be that bad?

Using the whm auto and being hasted and using dia2, the 3 mins chariot dies in around 2:00-2:15. It's not hard at all. I just engage > AFK on Khim it's such a joke. Once in awhile it will use Fulmination. It hits for around 600 and the paralyze is a minor annoyance but it's never led to my death. Why are on earth would you need to back tank or use /nin? With Otronif he can barely hit you, and damage is 100-120 unless it crits. If you're weak or scared just let your puppet fight it instead of you.

Are v1 Salvo zones that much worse? Could they be an option for newbies with bad gear?
ZR probably not an option because of the retarded NM pop conditions and the 4k needles, but other zones should be fine? PUP or BST should easily tear through SSR and boss, AR would probably be the easiest. BR could be messy on the 4th floor and boss.

You can do Salvage1 if you like, but I wouldn't do it unless you are finishing some NQ pieces its much slower for alex.

NQ? HQ? Which configuration? You just stay at range with pet gear on? Divinator necessary?

I don't have divinator yet, I use Eminent Animator. It works on both NQ and HQ. I just stay at range as PUP/WHM with pet gear. I apply repair, role reversal and maneuvers as needed. It helps to use a water maneuver with both MDEF attachments. In case it's not clear, I use the Sharpshot with a lot of defensive attachments.

Also I'd love a bit more feedback on ARII ramparts. I remember those reinforcement-popped gears to hit pretty hard (the AoE TP move especially) at legit level 99 pre-SoA. Would PDT ilevel gear (Otronif?) be enough these days to survive with a WHM automaton healer?

Their TP moves still hit for around 400, if you WS them once they will die before they can use a TP move which is what you should be doing. Their melee hits hit for 60-90. I don't suggest tanking all 8 at once but I have done so and survived (with pup using whm auto). I try to pull them 2-4 at a time using Sharpshot to hold them and I peel one off the auto for myself to fight.

[Streak]

This week I got my second account to PUP 99 as well, but severely underskilled. I'll get to experience salvage 2 using a weaker, undergeared, underskilled character soon, and see if it changes any of my other advice. My main account is pretty pimped out.

[Sechs]

Streak which automaton do you use for Dvergr? Sharpshoot or lolvaloredge? Do you use Burattinaios? (when I do not need to engage myself I usually equip them to give Regain to my pet)
Which method do you use to pull the reinforcement-popped gears in AR? They usually aggroed us a couple of seconds after they've been popped. We used to sleep them back then.
I assume with /WAR you could just pop defender until a few are dead, but since you're suggesting to go /THF that's not an option I suppose.

How do you heal yourself on the first floors of ARII with Sharpshoot? Regen idle gear and Role Reversal?

[Aumaan_Kujata]

As far as Rampart linking goes, after doing the sleep/sneak/etc stuff for a while, I got lazy. On sch, I'd just stand in the eastern square room, face the southeast corner hallway, and start casting sleep/sleep2 on the nearer rampart as it was moving towards the corner, so that it'd land as it reached the closest point to the other rampart. It'd sleep, the other would link and spawn the mnks, and the group would have a little quality time with them before the other set of 3 got involved. But anyway, as long as you know which of the two ramparts has the mnks as its link-pop-type, you don't need to bother prepping a third rampart to drag through a set of two. Depending on what stat cells you're hunting, though, you may still want extra ramparts anyway, so there's varying mileage involved.

[gaira]

sharpshot is fine for dvergr, don't have regen h2h but couldn't hurt to use them. just stack mdt attachments and water maneuvers and won't have any issues, can melee yourself from behind once pet gets a decent amount of hate

i pup/thf with whm auto (until nq/hq boss) and have no issue intentionally linking every room including the 8 gear ramparts and can clear in under an hour easily.

[Streak]

Streak which automaton do you use for Dvergr? Sharpshoot or lolvaloredge? Do you use Burattinaios? (when I do not need to engage myself I usually equip them to give Regain to my pet)

Sharpshot always. I've tried Valouredge on a few runs it always results in a slower clear time. Although it's melee damage is better than SS, its weaponskills are much much weaker. I don't have Buras but if I did I would use them.

Which method do you use to pull the reinforcement-popped gears in AR? They usually aggroed us a couple of seconds after they've been popped. We used to sleep them back then.
I assume with /WAR you could just pop defender until a few are dead, but since you're suggesting to go /THF that's not an option I suppose.

I think this has been addressed by several people but I'll be explicit... On the rampart, I put myself and the puppet. I use one weaker WS (tornado kick) to knock it down a bit faster and then hold the rest of my TP. Once the gears pop I use my WS and kill the rampart. Once the gears pop you have nearly 10 seconds to finish the rampart and move out of aggro range before they become active. It's very rare for me to aggro them unintentionally.

After that I wait for them to spread out a bit and pull 2-4 of them at a time with my muppet, peel one off for myself. If you WS each one it will die before it uses a TP moves. I normally still use sharpshot at this point.

How do you heal yourself on the first floors of ARII with Sharpshoot? Regen idle gear and Role Reversal?

Yep. I idle in 8 regen per tick, if my hp drops below to around 500 I use role reversal and triple light maneuvers for the puppet to recover the loss. Usually have to do it once in awhile. Because you don't have effective healing, it becomes important to manage links and avoid fighting more than ~2 mobs at a time.

BTW new record last night: 259 alex in one run in Arrapago II. Got 2 cottons and 2 linens

[Dominyx]

yes always go with the Sharpshot

[Streak]

DID IT!

My mule was finally skilled up enough to tackle a full run of Arra2 solo on PUP/WAR. Needed both 2hrs, food, and a lot of luck. Was able to chainspell the 6th floor chariot to kill it in 2:55... so close! Bosses went fine though.

The miracle of this was that I was 2boxing the same run on my other character at the same time. With 2 hours to play each evening, I can hopefully double my alexandrites this way.

Wasn't especially lucky on either run though, 210 alex for the night is still a good haul though.

[Celebrindor]

I've been starting to toy around with soloing AR2 (RDM), and the gears are giving me hell. Just for information, last run I even just ran up to fight khim to make sure I wasn't just kidding myself on the whole and I didn't have any issues with him. But for the life of me, I can't seem to get a hold of the rampart->reinforcements situation.

1. The rampart is summoning the gears usually between 25-40%, making killing the rampart at the moment of summoning difficult, if not impossible with my current setup.
2. So far (4 runs, we're not talking banging my head on this 10+ runs, been tweaking and seeking advice early) when I died a safe distance away I was able to pull two-three gears once, the other two times I got all eight. The last time, as I mentioned, I went straight for khim.

I returned in November, and I haven't done my group events yet. Been working on rebuilding crafting/etc and working on a lot of solo things. So naturally I lack any Delve/Skirmish gear. Here's what I'm working with-

TP

Eminent | Genbu | | Jukukik Feather
Espial Cap|Houyi Gorget|Suppa|Brutal
Atrophy Tabard|Brego Gloves|Rajas|Keen
Atheling|Cetl|Espial|Weatherspoon

Requiescat

xxx| xxx | |xxx
xxx|soil gorget |ghillie |ghillie
xxx|boor bracelets|aquasoul|aquasoul
xxx|shadow belt |xxx | xxx

Enhancing @470 ; ; one problem and I'm working on it. Gear wise I'm pretty solid for enhancing though, it's just uncapped from being gone almost 9 months. Some of my pieces absolutely blow (TP hands are the most obvious, any other comments welcome) or are laughable at best.

I'm following the advice given in terms of floors 1-4 and I don't have any difficulties with the NMs, and I don't have any difficulties with up to 4 gears at once. But they are hitting me still for an average of 120-160. Am I looking at needing more -PDT (2x 5% dark rings, twilight torque, umbra cape currently), or can I consistently pull fewer?

[Fwahm]

I suggest that you slap on as much PDT as you can, and just don't worry about how many you pull. Until you get more evasion and defense from higher level Adoulin gear, you need all the pdt you can get to survive all 8 gears at once. If you have to, each defense food just for that floor; defense really matters now if you have too little.

I currently run with ~900 defense and 13% pdt from 5/5 119 armor, and I don't need to use pdt rings or mollusca mantle or twilight torque like I used to, just because they miss so much.

[Celebrindor]

Thanks for the advice. Someone posted a run on ffxiah.com and I found out one aspect that really has helped my last two runs. Although there are still parts that need working on (I decided to skip the timed chariot because I didn't have time to kill both khimairas, and I could only do 3/4 ramparts on floor 5), I am able to successfully kill ramparts before the triple gears aggro and/or kill it before all the gears aggro and successfully pull just enough gears as I can handle at the moment.

My old position to fight the ramparts was this:

Spoiler: show

which put me smack dab in the middle of the gears when they popped, giving me zero time once the gears came loose from the rampart.

my new position is this:

Spoiler: show

which, as I'm sure most of you know, puts me in a much safer position when the gears pop and gives me just a few more seconds to kill the rampart once the gears pop, and when they aggro, allows me to at most end up with 4.

I'm sitting with 767 defense in my hybrid set, 472 enhancing skill for casting. Right now using pizza going for kill speed. You guys suggest using for defensive food instead and going for survivability? I'm also carrying 21% -PDT (5% dark ring x2, twilight torque, umbra cape at the moment, aiming for nighttime at gears). Any other suggestions?

[Fwahm]

If you're going for killspeed, use meatkabobs or sis kebabi. You're waaaay overcapped on accuracy in there with Eminent sword, so you don't need Pizza's accuracy.

Also, if you can kill the timed chariot in 3 minutes, I suggest that you skip some gears on the previous floor, so you have time to kill the HQ boss. The guaranteed linen will far outweigh the loss of 10 or so alex from gears.

[Protey]

@ celebrindor: i solo them no problem on rdm/thf. here is my setup for tp:

excalibur/beatific shield/killer shortbow
lithelimb cap/portus collar/trux earring/brutal earring
hagondes coat/espial bracers/rajas ring/cho'j band
atheling mantle/windbuffet belt/osmium cuisses/atrophy boots +1

shield has pdt-4% and shield mastery+2 augment
make sure you have good fast cast/stoneskin casting time minus set. your stoneskin should go off in 1 second and you should have all the stoneskin potency gear. and of course, make sure to have aquaveil up.
can always swap in defending ring, dark ring, wiglen gorget, and shadow mantle if you want, but they aren't needed.
ice spikes are awesome.

hoping that reforged relic body+1 has 4% haste so can stop using espial bracers. cross your fingers!

[Celebrindor]

not to hijack this thread, hopefully my comments and those responding will help others reading this-

safely worked the ramparts/triple gears now. No risk, even got 7 and just was able to curebomb myself through it. I think with my current gear, my killspeed is still the issue and the meat suggestion was enough at that spot.

Now the chariot. 3:30 first attempt. Next spot that requires tweaking. I'm afraid my gear just isn't up there yet, but like I said, good news is that the reason my gear is pre-SoA isn't lack of linkshell, it's been my personal plan ingame. Time to get active with my old friends that I've pretty much just been social with so far (who keep telling me to get off my ass :D)

[Aumaan_Kujata]

Now the chariot. 3:30 first attempt. Next spot that requires tweaking. I'm afraid my gear just isn't up there yet, but like I said, good news is that the reason my gear is pre-SoA isn't lack of linkshell, it's been my personal plan ingame. Time to get active with my old friends that I've pretty much just been social with so far (who keep telling me to get off my ass :D)

Don't be afraid to chainnuke the chariot. In the few times I've done AR, I felt like I was *probably* going to make it in under 3, but maybe not, so once it was down low enough that I felt totally safe with my mp pool in bliz4s compared to its hp pool, I gearswapped and unloaded. Worked fine each time, and it's not like I was using chainspell for anything else in there anyway.

[Martel]

make sure you have good fast cast/stoneskin casting time minus set. your stoneskin should go off in 1 second and you should have all the stoneskin potency gear.

I shouldn't nitpick, but still... Stoneskin has a base cast time of 10 seconds. Capped casting time- is -80%. 10*.2 = 2 seconds. So the fastest you can possibly cast SS without a quick magic proc is 2 seconds. Ok, OCD moment cleared. carry on.

[Protey]

I shouldn't nitpick, but still... Stoneskin has a base cast time of 10 seconds. Capped casting time- is -80%. 10*.2 = 2 seconds. So the fastest you can possibly cast SS without a quick magic proc is 2 seconds. Ok, OCD moment cleared. carry on.

yea strange that. i was looking at ffxiwiki which had it at 7 seconds base, and so 1.4 seconds would have been fastest. but sure enough tested it and it is 10 seconds base. will have to update the other wiki.

@celebrindor: first couple times i had cut it close on the chariot until i did this: store tp before you go to fight the chariot. use spontaneity blizzard4 -> dia3 -> saboteur poison 2 -> Requiescat. then just normal melee -> ws -> melee, etc. it down from there. buff before hand to include regen2 so that you don't even worry if stoneskin drops so you don't waste time casting any more spells. after that it never came close again, no nuking other than that first spontaneity nuke needed.