General Tips for FFXI

[BRP]

I'd like to make a thread where tips on playing FFXI can be given. This doesn't have to be restricted to new players, it can be anything. Oddball time savers or incredibly helpful tools. Anything.

And the "Don't play FFXI" joke isn't funny, so don't post it. Yes, I beat you to your joke now you have to think of something else.

To get this thread started, I'll mention an oddball time saver...

If you type(or click) dismount just as you are zoning you won't have to suffer through the dismounting animation and will just zone in instantly as if you had been on foot.

[Amele]

I'd like to make a thread where tips on playing FFXI can be given. This doesn't have to be restricted to new players, it can be anything. Oddball time savers or incredibly helpful tools. Anything.

And the "Don't play FFXI" joke isn't funny, so don't post it. Yes, I beat you to your joke now you have to think of something else.

To get this thread started, I'll mention an oddball time saver...

If you type(or click) dismount just as you are zoning you won't have to suffer through the dismounting animation and will just zone in instantly as if you had been on foot.

if you stack two /equip macro lines on top of each other for the same slot without a wait in between, they will function as a toggle.

[Beave]

Don't throw away Beastman's or Kindred seals!

[Howard Roark]

toggle? i'm familiar with the word but don't understand it how you used it here

[Tsuko_Asura]

toggle? i'm familiar with the word but don't understand it how you used it here

It would switch the two pieces?

[Almalexia]

toggle? i'm familiar with the word but don't understand it how you used it here

Say you have a macro that looks like this:

/equip ring1 "Rajas Ring"
/equip ring1 "Sniper's Ring"

If you have Rajas Ring equipped to the ring1 slot and use the macro, Sniper's will swap in. If Sniper's is equipped to ring1 when the macro is pressed, Rajas will swap in.

[Howard Roark]

gotcha, i've only ever used toggle as a verb, threw me off -- also never used one macro for that, interesting

[Amele]

gotcha, i've only ever used toggle as a verb, threw me off -- also never used one macro for that, interesting

obviously you could switch up to three slots at once on the same macro (two per slot) I use it for switching in and out of sets that share a large number of common pieces. (like say, early level ws/tp sets) or haste vs. accuracy sets (since most people would only swap like, head/hands/waist)

[Sekkite]

Macroing gear that makes your character blink immediately after closing a skillchain will stop the skillchain animation and exclude it from being read in the chat log. This has no effect on the functionality of the skillchain itself.

Also, if you are aiming for an end-game LS, don't level PUP first.

[Richybear]

It also kicks in for SMN spells to type in

/ma "Thunder II" <t>
/ma "Blizzard II" <t>
/ma "Aero II" <t>
/ma "Fire II" <t>

and so forth. It'll pick the right one according to which avatar is out.

[The Stig]

Don't give your account details out, trust no one unless he/she's within murder range (in Real Life).

[tonystigma]

It also kicks in for SMN spells to type in

/ma "Thunder II" <t>
/ma "Blizzard II" <t>
/ma "Aero II" <t>
/ma "Fire II" <t>

and so forth. It'll pick the right one according to which avatar is out.

Really? That's awesome. >.> (SMN lvl12)

It can be expensive, but as soon as you're able, focus on the Gobbiebag quests. More inventory slots = more items to carry back to sell after a party or farming. It's hard to see how useful more inventory space can be before you have it.

[BardonGaruda]

One from when I used to tele for gil on WHM. If you tele someone while standing next to the MH zone you can run into the MH just as the tele goes off. You'll zone to the MH but the other person/ppl will be teleported.

It's a nice time saver if you're doing multiple teles in a stretch and you zone back out with full MP.

It's also a great trick if your HP isn't set in that city and you need to stick around to do something there after tele. Getting the timing right takes a bit of practice.

Also if you cast a tele spell with someone in party who's in a CS. You and anyone who's not in CS will teleport immediately and the person/ppl in the CS teleport once they exit the CS.

Found that one out by accident while bringing my 2nd CHR around on missions with my main. Accidently cast while other CHR was still in CS. Was getting ready to make my way back once the CS ended but as soon as it did 2nd CHR teleported.

[VZX]

/c <name> command line is useful to buy bazaared cell in Salvage when you're engaging an enemy.

[Deeke]

I approve of threads like this, full of stuff you take for granted but which may have passed others by.

A few that I can think of~


Tele-Altep -> run to Korroloka -> Escape, makes for a nice quick shortcut to Bastok from anywhere in the world.

Alternatively, if you don't have access to Tele-Altep (75BLM/whm for example) then Tele-Dem -> short run to Gusgen, then round the corner to Oldton -> Escape also works nicely.


Within the config's font-colour settings, there's no option which covers lines of text notifying effects which wear off. "[i]The Goblin Nutcracker is no longer paralyzed.[/[i]" and suchlike. However, every other manner of chatbox notification IS covered. If you want to highlight effects wearing off, alter the colour of everything else in the chat-font options, leaving these and only these a nice shiny noticeable white.


Engaging NPCs in conversation stops poison effects from depleting your HP. Crawler poisons you in east sarooty by the OP? Have a quick chat about teleports or something whilst a friend OPs out to Poisona you.

[Wenslydale]

Hold down the forward button while zoning. Your character will get a few more steps before it loads. This REALLY helps on Choco when you're doing the Chocobo racing quests. It can shave ~15-30 secs off your time, depending on how many zones you go through.

[Tagus]

Don't give your account details out, trust no one unless he/she's within murder range (in Real Life).

I was just going to say that, so here's something else for newer ppl...

You can use your emperor/empress ring more than once if you activate it the nite before a party. This works well specifically for party statics that can be scheduled ahead of time. Just activate it before you log off for the day, log in the next day after the timer has reset or is near to resetting itself, party while letting the ring wear off once, and reactivate it. You can also use it twice if you are on your last one... simply activate it, get it recharged, and then after the exp bonus has wore off, activate it again. Basic stuff I guess... but it comes in handy.

[Apelila]

New to Aht Urgan? Get your damn runic portals. You may want to get up to AU mission 10+ as certain Portals are MUCH easier to get going through Nyzul Isle.

Leveling a Melee job? Go unlock Ninja, and level it to 37 before anything else, dont worry about buying Ni yet since you wont need it until 74 anyway.

[The Stig]

I was just going to say that, so here's something else for newer ppl...

You can use your emperor/empress ring more than once if you activate it the nite before a party. This works well specifically for party statics that can be scheduled ahead of time. Just activate it before you log off for the day, log in the next day after the timer has reset or is near to resetting itself, party while letting the ring wear off once, and reactivate it. You can also use it twice if you are on your last one... simply activate it, get it recharged, and then after the exp bonus has wore off, activate it again. Basic stuff I guess... but it comes in handy.

Also mentioning that you can take it off and not lose the bonus. Too many people keep it on.

[Nirokun!]

Play ffxi like a racing game (the only one's i've ever played are in the mario kart series.) Take the "inside track" to where you want to be:

If you're turning around a corner that bends to the left, hug the left wall.

It may sound stupid, but something as simple as saving a few steps here and there will save you time getting to where you want to go (yay more afk time), and often your life when you're trying to escape a monster. You'll amaze your friends (especially if you're a taru -- SPEEDY TARU!) by following behind then ending up in front.