Mob Job Spawning

[Evedgebah]

Does anyone know the pattern, or tendency of mobs to spawn as a specific job at a pop locations? I ask this because I know for a certainty that it is possible for there to be several available jobs for a mob to spawn at a certain location. Specifically this question came to mind when I did not find a Goblin Pathfinder in Ranguemont Pass in its usual location. Are zones divided into "sections" where certain jobs can spawn only in certain locations, is it instead a random selection across an entire zone? Or is there some other method that I am unaware of?

[Belkin]

The same job mob will always pop in the same place you found it or close to it. A good example of this is killing Aern's in the garden or palace. About 4 spawn in a room all with a predetermined job. If you keep killing them, the same job will keep popping in its place. If the Goblins aren't popping with the same job, they just pop else where because some mobs have a very large pop/roam area.

Edit: It also seems that killing a certain mob may inhibit another mob from popping on schedule or popping at all until the "other" mob is killed. This can be seen most notably in various NM pop patterns but can be found in normal mob pops also. (Hope this part better answers your question)

[Wizerd]

Each monster will only ever spawn as a certain job, in terms of the DAT files. However, there are cases where it'll choose between certain monsters to spawn on the same timer. For example, in the DATs, there might be a Goblin Pathfinder followed by a Goblin Smithy (I dunno which line up with which, Goblin-wise). But when the mob chooses to spawn the monster, it'll spawn as one or the other, and the one that wasn't spawned can only spawn if the previous one was killed.

Beastmen strongholds are a prime example of this behavior, but there are other cases. (Kuftal Tunnel, Amemet's placeholder can be one of two lizards in the DAT files, but will only one will ever be up at a given time.)

[Sekkite]

Each monster will only ever spawn as a certain job, in terms of the DAT files. However, there are cases where it'll choose between certain monsters to spawn on the same timer. For example, in the DATs, there might be a Goblin Pathfinder followed by a Goblin Smithy (I dunno which line up with which, Goblin-wise). But when the mob chooses to spawn the monster, it'll spawn as one or the other, and the one that wasn't spawned can only spawn if the previous one was killed.

Beastmen strongholds are a prime example of this behavior, but there are other cases. (Kuftal Tunnel, Amemet's placeholder can be one of two lizards in the DAT files, but will only one will ever be up at a given time.)

Some NMs are weird regarding this. For Quu Domi the Gallant, there are two placeholders up at the same time. Unlike all the other yagudos in the room, they both are not restricted by terrain. Only one seems to act as a true placeholder though.

[Septimus]

Does anyone know the pattern, or tendency of mobs to spawn as a specific job at a pop locations? I ask this because I know for a certainty that it is possible for there to be several available jobs for a mob to spawn at a certain location. Specifically this question came to mind when I did not find a Goblin Pathfinder in Ranguemont Pass in its usual location. Are zones divided into "sections" where certain jobs can spawn only in certain locations, is it instead a random selection across an entire zone? Or is there some other method that I am unaware of?

There is one room in Ranguemont Pass where there is a chance at two Goblin Pathfinders. (I think a BLM can pop in the stead of at least one of them.) If you convert those goblins to pathfinders and clear out the other bats, it is a great place for some powerlevel fun.

[solsovly]

I noticed this while soloing goblin pets in a couple zones. The ones I remember were Terrigan tunnels and Rang. Pass. I don't know how they get chosen or if they change when depopping vs killing.

[Jer]

I noticed this while soloing goblin pets in a couple zones. The ones I remember were Terrigan tunnels and Rang. Pass. I don't know how they get chosen or if they change when depopping vs killing.

The ones in Terrigan change, it might just take a couple kills. Usually kill the one that isn't a BST with a PL while waiting for the other's pet to pop. Sometimes it followed the rotation of THF > WAR > BST, but I think that was just concidence.

[Judai]

Some mobs have only one job they can pop as and some have a few they randomly pop as. Most people who solo BST pets know this, like in Cape Terrigan one Gob can either pop as a BST or as something else. By either killing or depopping the mob a few times it can eventually change to the other job.

[bebeci]

Some mobs have only one job they can pop as and some have a few they randomly pop as. Most people who solo BST pets know this, like in Cape Terrigan one Gob can either pop as a BST or as something else. By either killing or depopping the mob a few times it can eventually change to the other job.

Qufim island is where I clearly remember this. It was awesome when I logged in one day, and found three BST gigas. The next day, they were all RNGs

[Lyramion]

Just exping in Shakrami atm - in the first room you have Tinkerer Ambusher and WAR types all mixed on the same timer it seems.

[Evedgebah]

Thanks everyone, this was bugging me to no ends, but I got it all worked out now!

[Lahina]

Thanks everyone, this was bugging me to no ends, but I got it all worked out now!

Not quite, lol. There are several types that weren't mentioned, and if you don't watch out it can bite you in the ass.
First off, I've done a lot of research in, of all places, Dangruf Wadi (Black Christmas, I was hunting rings, Zinc, flint, and Animal Glue).

Some mobs have only one job they can pop as and some have a few they randomly pop as. Most people who solo BST pets know this, like in Cape Terrigan one Gob can either pop as a BST or as something else. By either killing or depopping the mob a few times it can eventually change to the other job.

This man speaks truth. In the back rooms in Dangruf, no matter how many goblins die, OR what they were when they went down, they have an almost exactly 1/3 chance of popping as either an Ambusher, Tinker, or Butcher. No ifs, ands, or buts. The pop locations are consistent within an area (IE Goblin tier 2 #1 always pops in one of 3 spots, within about 50y of each other, and #2 in another 4 spots, &c). Some of the mobs also share pop spots occasionally, but this is a bit rare.
For the doubters: I was killing these guys specifically for Ambushers (glue), and after a few pop cycles ONLY Tinkers and Butchers were left. I was the only person in the zone at the time. After killing all of them in my loop, about 6 came back as Ambushers. Curiosity piqued, I started whacking individual gobs and waiting 5 minutes to see what they came back as (whilst still killing worms, of course). After 60 or so trials (yes, I WAS that bored) with the # of pops as 22 Tink, 17 Butcher, and 21 Ambusher, I was reasonably satisfied that it was a straight random pop chance.

Note: This behavior happens only with jobbed mobs, as far as I've seen. Lottery pop NMS, however, may come in here, as a monster loaded into the same spawn area/slot as the "placeholder" with a low pop percentage & a timer before it loads into the list again. Would be very easy to program server-side, which lends it some credence, and it explains the odd difference in pop times between some "lottery" mobs and others - see #4, below.

There are also a lot of areas where the job that pops for a given slot is fixed, Giddeus among them. These areas will always have a specific ratio of mobs, and some of them share spawn points but not neccessarily roam areas. When killed, they will not neccessarily load in the same spawn points, but will load in the exact same order in which they were killed. These mobs also tend to spawn across a much wider area than the rotating spawns, & have higher roam ranges; but kill a Digger in SW Altepa and you'll always get a Digger 10 minutes later, somewhere in the two grid squares where the little beggar pops.

Third: Linked spawns. I've only seen this with NMs, but I've not really been looking at a lot of other places, and I'm sure something common does it too. The classic example is Argus and the Leech king, but I've verified to my own satisfaction that Masan and Wuur the Sandcomber do it too (Both are 3-hour pop, high % lotto pop NMs in SSG). When either mob dies, both have a chance to load after the timer is up. These can be any of the other types, though, just that both share a spot in the loading cycle.

Fourth: True placeholders. Hoo Muju the Torrent, and NMS, will pop after a specific mob pops and is killed. I mention Hoo's only because it's in an area with >fixed< job spawns. Normally there are only 3 Smns, but one "fake" one can load after a Brd or Sam dies: after that, Hoojie pops exactly 1 pop cycle later. Most of the "true" placeholder mobs are 100% pops once the placeholder appears, and are characterized by strange or altered pop behaviour among the NQ mobs and very frequent, almost forcible pops.

Someone already mentioned mobs that pop less often when anything but the "PH" is killed: Leaping lizzie and Nue go here. I've also found mobs that seem to pop >faster< when all the mobs in the area are killed, like Voo Haqa the Profane (he seems to take about twice as long if I don't clear out the mobs outside the door, even though they have nothing whatever to do with the PH's).

Anyway, I hope my rambling helps a bit more. I like taking apart things and seeing how they work, and FFXI is no different.. <.<;;

[Kurgan]

I know for a fact that in some areas certain mobs repop as a different job. I know for sure that the Ten of (Coins/Swords/Batons/Cups) repops as a random one each time. There's a room in Horutoto that has three "Ten" cardians. If you kill them and let them all repop, they will be in a different job configuration. You may get there and see 2x Ten of Cups and 1x Ten of Swords, kill them, and repops will be 1x Ten of Batons, 1x Ten of Coins, and 1x Ten of Cups.

I have witnessed that a majority of vanadiel mobs will repop as the same job in the same general vicinity, though.

[fantasticdan]

The rng and thf fomor that share a spawn in aqueducts...

[Sho]

Just like to throw it out there but, the Boreas Cesti NM is one of the weirdest of all when it comes to placeholder spawning. The NM that drops it, shares a placeholder with two Tundra Tiger and two Living Statues. It's kinda funny so see a statue replace a tiger and vice versa.

I know it has nothing to do with mobs changing jobs, but :rocl:

[Max™]

Kirata and Nue do that.

There is one real Tiger, and one real Doll.

Then there is the extra, if it pops as a Doll, it isn't the PH, if it pops as the Tiger, it is.

Charybdis seems to have weird behaviour with that, where the Manta outside the room seems to be the PH, but it can pop down inside the room too.

As for jobs, having done many jobs 18-37 on Goblin/Gigas pets, it looks like there is a maximum number of any job that can be up in a certain roam radius.

As an example: The Gigas in Lower Delkfutts Tower, where Hippolytus (I believe) spawns, you can get three Bst Gigas, one in the room, and two outside, but no more.

Near the Boreal Coeurl (I believe, the most northeastern GK2 mob) you can get something like 5 Gigas Bsts up in a very small radius, which is ridiculously awesome, 2 in the tunnel (out of the three there, rare to get 2 up as Bst), and 2 or 3 out on the hill roaming around.

[Lahina]

Kirata and Nue do that.

There is one real Tiger, and one real Doll.

Then there is the extra, if it pops as a Doll, it isn't the PH, if it pops as the Tiger, it is.

Actually, that's wrong. ONLY the "real" tiger is the PH, and if you kill anything but the "real" tiger in the grid squares it punishes your spawn chance horribly for Nue. I've killed both tigers several hundred times (unfortunately), and seen Nue pop a total of 22 times, claimed it 18. It has >never< popped off of the other tiger. Granted, I wasn't trying after the 7th pop.

On another note, I hate camping Brown Belts.

[Max™]

I went 1/4 on Nue directly after camping Kirata (1/3) and did the same exact thing with both NM's.

I do not believe Nue "punishes" you for killing non-PH mobs, and know that there is a Tiger that shares a spot with a Doll, and that there were times when I was the only one there, and only killing that switching Doll and Tiger, and got Nue.

I would sit there inside the tower when there was noone around with my target locked on whichever mob didn't have a double up, after I had killed the double.

Later I worked out a better trick.

I would target the non-PH sharing Doll, then put the switch targets cursor on the non-PH sharing Tiger, so I could tell at a glance if the Doll was up, which one it was, and if not just select the Tiger and go kill the other Tiger.

Only spent about 7 hours at Nue, so I'd say whatever I was doing worked pretty well.

Also: Lizzy doesn't work like that either, me and a Thf/Rng friend camped, I went as Rdm/Bst at the time, we would use widescan and determine the two "PH" mobs out of the groups of lizards, I would gather the other lizards up, he would cyclone the two "PH" mobs, then a minute or so later I would circle blade the non-PH mobs.

Got Lizzy 28 times within a fairly short period of time before I finally got sick of the retarded drop rate and swore off the stupid whore NM.

I do not believe there is any NM I've heard of so far that is influenced negatively by killing mobs which are not it's PH, aside maybe from shit like the Ix'Aern mobs.

[Draggy]

yeah i never really noticed this until i started to exp on BST pets on BLM and BLU, and now SCH.

like the tunnel in Rang. Pass where it would spawn a (thf or bst) and a (blm or war)

and the pain of Qufim, people killing the BSTs and them always respawning as RNG

[Max™]

Same levels you can do Qufim, just go inside Lower Delkfutts, much rarer for people to kill them up there, and a much smaller roam radius to work around pulling.