Worst bst ever.

[Neosutra]

Well I finally did it, after 3 years I finally hit lvl 15 bst tonight.

Then died and dlvled.

Thanx for all the help and comments.

But I am going to finish it this time! Kinda have to if I ever plan on seeing maats cap >.<

[Darwinion]

I absolutely loved levelling my BST to 75. But yeah those low levels do suck. So many people stick to the "charm EM and fight T" system but at low levels that's just gonna get you killed. A Tough mob can be up to three levels above you and in the teen levels that's a lot.

Stick to charming DC or EMs and fight the same. Try a T if you feel cocky but don't be surprised if you eat dirt a few times. It's slow, but once you get into a groove it's kinda relaxing and therapeutic.

One thing about BST is that it teaches you about the behaviour of all the mobs. From they way they link, aggro, chase etc.etc. You think you may know it all being an endgame veteran but BST will teach you some new stuff for sure. It also takes you to parts of zones you probably never even visited before.

You an also try dumbing down your gear somewhat if you are pulling hate too easily. At low levels your pets just won't keep hate from you. Fight unlocked from the target and keep turning away to try and keep hate on your pet if you can. You can always try a weaker axe like that rare/ex thing that drops from Orcs outside Sandy. Yeah I know... this is BG and we always strive for the best possible gear. But with BST at low levels that best gear is gonna get you a ton of hate.... try to moderate it a little and see how it goes.

Of course you will know you need a CHR setup and a melee setup. With the melee you could try a DEF and VIT setup at those low levels. I didn't try this 'cos I was a nub myself and ground my way through it. But that could help you if you get a lot of hate.

[Keston]

I took BST from 6 to 62 in a couple of weeks. BST can do alot more than just charm stuff... geared properly, it can contend pretty well with other DDs in party setups. Have to remember, there is a difference between playing BST, and playing solo. BST is just a job that is better at solo'in than most jobs, though that doesn't mean its the only way to level it. I agree, soloing on BST probably does show u aspects of the game seldom if ever seen on other jobs.

[Spekkio]

most important advice is to just try things with it and have fun. you CAN dd effectively in a merit party. you CAN solo very efficiently, you CAN do really well with a jug burn. a bst can do a lot of things, some that people realize, some that people don't. don't get discouraged if you're having a hard time working through a certain lvl band one way. try it another way. try another camp. try focusing on killing stuff quickly for drops and getting xp on the side. if you want, try making a party and bring jug pets. there's no right or wrong way to lvl bst, but there's a hell of a lot MORE ways to lvl bst than say war.

[fndragon]

I enjoyed levelling Beastmaster to 75 - it was my first job up, and every so often I get an urge to go level it again, since I seem to have levelled more "party friendly" jobs, my BST doesn't get much call at endgame.

However, it did turn the traditional XP grind 1-75 into a more interactive experience. One in which you can't just "throw up seek and see what bites". Enjoying beastmaster is for those who can look at a field of critters and start playing tetris with them. "DC + DC > T++", "EM + me > T", etc. Once you get into a flow you start getting greedy, which is when deaths occur. Part of levelling BST is learning how not to push your luck. And every death is (or should be) unique. If you die twice under the exact same circumstances, you didn't learn your lesson of the day.

But yeah, to corroborate what Wafik said, I levelled BST before the despawn patch as well, and every time since then that BST has gotten buffed/patched/enhanced, I've said to myself "These kids these days have it so easy - I walked 5 miles up and down Ulegerand Range each day to get to camp! And I liked it!".

And as for walking the hate line - every pet of yours is a tank without provoke. Consider their DoT and make sure that you stay below that threshhold unless you want to save your pet's HP. And you never want to do that. There are always more pets, but only one of you.

[Amok]

It's great to see a BST appretiaion thread. Even though I'm in late and I'm sure the OP doesn't need any help anymore, I thought I'd pitch in see what other people have to say about my method.

What I like to do when playing bst is make little short term plans for each camp I go to. Someone asked what level rang pets vs what level prey he should be looking at. I think the key to being efficient as a bst is to be flexible and make the best of the mobs you get. In a perfect world I'd choose DC vs EM and EM vs T with 1 level diffrence between them, but you can make larger level gaps work by using one or more of the following:
-Multiple pets: not meleeing on the first pet and get a second pet to finish off (takes too long and I don't like using more than one pet unless I'm very sure I won't mischarm)
-Reward
-generating more hate than usual saving your pet some dmg
-call beast + snarl after original pet dies

Most of the good things have been said already, but here I go anyway:
-pre-Leave you need closer matched pet vs prey pairs. Run outside 25' to use Heel so it won't generate hate.
(I had Leave before they changed the full exp update. So, if you're not getting your pet killed each fight, you can swap it at low HP by Fight>Heel'ing on your next pet and letting it die. In which case it's even more important to use Heel outside of enmity range.)
-Gale Axe was my WS of choice pre-Rampage, does little damage which lets your pet keep mob's attention. With 200%tp you get from each fight Choke sticks a lot and using this at the start of the fight seems to help out a lot.
-Don't get the best axes. Less turning around from pulling hate means more tp means better Gale Axes at the start of each fight. I stuck with my AF weapon for a long time.
-Before Gaudy Harness I really liked /nin 24+

[Clarity]

My BST is 15 and i've always had the exact same problems you've had by the sound of it. I start to level BST when i'm pissed off at the game for whatever reason. I gear up bst, go to konschtat, die alot and spend days reselling all the gear. My enmity merits from PLD don't help either :/ If you want to try duo, PM me since i'm on your server. We can die together.

[Skeetaru]

I took BST from 6 to 62 in a couple of weeks. BST can do alot more than just charm stuff... geared properly, it can contend pretty well with other DDs in party setups. Have to remember, there is a difference between playing BST, and playing solo. BST is just a job that is better at solo'in than most jobs, though that doesn't mean its the only way to level it. I agree, soloing on BST probably does show u aspects of the game seldom if ever seen on other jobs.

the problem is that post the 62 range is where other DD will REALLY separate themselves from what a bst can do in a party situation. It takes an insanely equipped bst and some average DD to have a close parse.

[Jihara]

My BST is 15 and i've always had the exact same problems you've had by the sound of it. I start to level BST when i'm pissed off at the game for whatever reason. I gear up bst, go to konschtat, die alot and spend days reselling all the gear. My enmity merits from PLD don't help either :/ If you want to try duo, PM me since i'm on your server. We can die together.

Well, since BST is very frustrating at that level anyway (or lets say hard) it might not be a good idea to try to level it when you are pissed off already anyway :D.

I didn't actually charm stuff until around 20, because I just died too often when I did.
Mischarms, miscalculations from my side, pet decharming at 2% instead of being killed, hence me dying etc etc.
In Qufim Island you can kill the skeletons with bats at night, which was great exp, but honestly, until 33 when you can go to the Bomb Camp in Gusgen, exp will never be very good. It really is a grind until then, but it sooooooooo pays off when you get Leave.

(Though don't expect not to die anymore when you have Leave I think with the exp I lost on BST while levling it to 75 I could have leveled another job to 75)

[Darwinion]

I just dinged 30, (hp/mp merits, capped crit merits, but that's about it on terms of melee atm), where's a good spot? I can cook up any pet I want cooking wise..

I used this levelling guide extensively when I did BST:
http://ffxi.allakhazam.com/db/jobs.html ... 818&num=11

It's an old list and so of course it does not include any of the new expansion areas. But there's still plenty of options to choose for all the level ranges. Now that I look at that list I remember being in Korroloka Tunnel doing spiders and crabs. I know that works fine. Thing about BST is when you go to a new camp it takes time to get your bearings. You need to work out the best place to pull a mob to, where the mobs are likely to repop etc.etc. Once you get into a groove it's great and best to make the most of the camp even if EXP dips a little as you level (more Beastman seals anyway).

Don't be too eager to rush off to the next camp as you are only gonna have it tougher. That annoys the hell out of me with regular parties such as melees leaving to go to Qufim at level 18 and 19, and it's especially true for BST solo.

[Bakthi]

These grew out of that guide, and have been updated more recently (although they don't seem to list any WotG camps, and I'm sure there are several of those possible):

http://wiki.ffxiclopedia.org/wiki/Beast ... ng_Grounds
http://wiki.ffxiclopedia.org/wiki/Beast ... ling_Guide

I used the first link extensively when I was leveling. At one point, the latest copy of the guide was actually removed from Allakhazam due to the RMT buyout thing, so I guess that's why that one is so outdated. This has some pretty extensive info on some spots, though:

http://ffxi.allakhazam.com/db/jobs.html ... =28;page=1

The BST forum is/was definitely one of the best parts of Allakhazam.

[Amok]

I prefer sticking it out as long as i can.. that's why xp bands were invented, after all. plus i view bst as an alternative way to farm and actually get some XP out of it. Thanks for the link =D it ish awesome.

This mindset really makes it much easier to stick to one camp for such a long time and grinding through DC's. I like it.

Btw, what camps would you say did a particularly good job of combinging farming and BST soloing? I personnally can't remember much other than:
-West Desert: beetle hills. Got a bunch of beetle jaws.
-CN: Laberynth Lizards. Drop a shitton of eggs but also skins quite consistently. Getting chest keys and taking a break from exp to look for the chest will get you quite a few Gigant Axes.

[solsovly]

I prefer sticking it out as long as i can.. that's why xp bands were invented, after all. plus i view bst as an alternative way to farm and actually get some XP out of it. Thanks for the link =D it ish awesome.

This mindset really makes it much easier to stick to one camp for such a long time and grinding through DC's. I like it.

Btw, what camps would you say did a particularly good job of combinging farming and BST soloing? I personnally can't remember much other than:
-West Desert: beetle hills. Got a bunch of beetle jaws.
-CN: Laberynth Lizards. Drop a shitton of eggs but also skins quite consistently. Getting chest keys and taking a break from exp to look for the chest will get you quite a few Gigant Axes.

A lot of the camps that were profitable for old BSTs arn't worth going to anymore but... timewarp back to 3 years ago before CoP. Here are the camps I remember

Altepa - Duoing anticans. Pauldrons and Dark Crystals
Fei-Yin - Pots dropped Painites and the normal pot drops.
Boyahda Tree - tons and tons of spiderwebs back when they were valuable... plus being in range of Aquarius when he popped. The best gil/xp as a BST
Crawlers Nest - Lizard drops, silk, scorp drops. Coffer/chest drops. Various mushrooms off of funguars.
SSG - Behind the Ornamental door. 20 ish minute bard NM that would drop gil (6k?) and songs that vendored for 5k and max xp a kill. Between pops, killed Sahagins (whm and bard scrolls), bats (dragon blood, but never got one), and hecteyes (haku pop items). The best part was using hecteyes as pets and releasing them at 1% to kill in one axe swing. Two levels worth of xp here got me my first Juggernaut. This was a painfully slow camp and since there was an initial cost of entering (Ornamental key), you stayed here as long as possible.
Upper Dek Tower - Pots again, light crystals during the Rabao Fishbot days. Pots dropped decent vendor scrolls. Normal Gigas drops as well. The rare chance of getting alky/pallas before KS'ing was common.
Sky - MORE POTS and scrolls.
Boyahda Tree again - Goobbues

Most importantly beastmen seals used to be very valuable and consistent gil. BC40 Rabbits got either a very valuable erase, a decent phalanx or a sucker prize of Utsusemi: Ni. KS30 Fei-Yin (spider or pots) was also a great way to make gil.

The days have sure changed But I'm glad I took BST up as my first job. I've never really had any money issues or had to stop to farm when taking it to 75.

[Alexandor]

My BST just dinged 61 today wooohoo ;x Kinda pushed it with at least 8 exp scroll quests lol.... Duoing is really fun, used to do it with a friend til 58 but he got so sick and tired of Garbage Citadel that he decided to lvl SCH and BRD -.-; Get owned I guess... Took me good 2 months for that lvl and I'm not even really planning on Maat's cap meh. Someone on Midgard duo with meeeee!

[Skeetaru]

iirc that level has the first OMFG EXP! area, outside nashmau its uber nice and will springboard your bst!

[Bartylby]

iirc that level has the first OMFG EXP! area, outside nashmau its uber nice and will springboard your bst!

trufax

[Midnightjade]

iirc that level has the first OMFG EXP! area, outside nashmau its uber nice and will springboard your bst!

Yes, just west of Nashmau. Saplings and leeches against birds, no aggro and really good XP. At 61 you'll need to convert the saplings to EM and swap pets halfway. At 63, use the leeches - one pet per bird and you can really motor.

[Spekkio]

oddly, i never camped there. was always someone else there so i just found alternate spots. my personal favorite was leeches (red kissers 67-69) vs colibri (71-73). barring getting a 67 leech vs a 73 colibri and a bad stretch of luck, 1 leech should be able to kill 1 bird with ease. if you're 67/68, convert the leeches and dock them back at the pond after a kill. if you're 69, forget it and just let them depop. chain 4 solo is the norm (generally i couldn't make chain 5 as /whm since i'd pull hate too much. if you're /nin you might be able to do it OK.) and i think i was raking in about 10k/hr at the optimal level for the camp. my other favorite spot was a duo camp in attowa chasm. 6 scorps spread out over a small area with only a 1 lvl play. use them in pairs vs the lizards in the area. there's a small U shaped turn that while it has cracks in it, has no ambush antlion and makes a famous spot to camp w/o fear of aggro or link. 2 scorps with help should have no problem whatsoever destroying a lizard and i think we pulled chain 5 regularly there.

my biggest problem atm is finding a camp for my 74 bst. i dinged from 73>74 in campaign and am still about 10k out from 75. i was thinking about trying boyhada but i think cgf still maim the goobers up there for tree cuttings and i haven't been able to get a duo buddy for taking on bibiki.

[SephYuyX]

my biggest problem atm is finding a camp for my 74 bst. i dinged from 73>74 in campaign and am still about 10k out from 75. i was thinking about trying boyhada but i think cgf still maim the goobers up there for tree cuttings and i haven't been able to get a duo buddy for taking on bibiki.

Sky: birds, pots, stats, pretty easy lvln, Boya works well too. Dunno if it's good any more with toau/wotg in though.


GC bombs was the best xp I ever got ;-; Up to GC (56ish~62ish?) it wasnt so bad, had alot of good XP in jungles/SSG, but after GC.... fucking worst experiances of my life, 60 > 71 probably took forever and a day, horrible xp spots, but once I hit Sky, it wasnt so bad.

Up Delk wasnt so bad either, could keep easy ToDs, and a r3 if need be, same with sky.

[arshesney]

Sadly 74+ bst sucks

All good camps are for duo (or more), soloing is possible but xp/hour becomes crap, most of the mobs you'll fight are too strong for the pets you get and takes at least a pet swap... so low (or no) chains.

You can get the last xp till 75 in MtZhaylom, killing crawlers/pugs (not easy to find EM-T targets tho) or Goobbues in the Tree (korrigans are amazing pets).
Bibiki Bay is also a viable alternative, just make sure you have DC-EM rabbits around for swapping pet (they can be up to lvl 76).

I tried scouting the new areas and have yet to find decent camps, I thought La Vaule entrance being a nice camp, but lizzies/ladybugs are no match for the T orcs (need at least a pet swap). I have to explore Vunker Inlet better, the area around fort is full of pets, but the nearby foes are DC, save for T treants :/
There might be a nice tigers vs. gigas camp in the northern area.

If you find someone to duo with, just head to Mt.Zhaylom, western shoreline. Leeches vs. Trolls is nice xp (you can solo, but takes forever and a while to kill one Troll), i like that camp more than the Tree.

Last option is KRT, hectaeyes vs. undead... GL on that one

Edit: yeah, forgot about sky... always an option