New or Returning Players Discussion 2: SoA Homeless Veterans Edition

[Michelob]

When I was camping the NMs for my NIN katana, it was taking hours for each pop, and so to pass the time I was playing another game.

Are you talking about the "Kill xxx 3/4 times" trials or the "acquire 50 Sobek Skins" trials? If you are talking about the latter, the conditions on the timed pop NMs for the popsets were relaxed from 1 hour to 10-15 minutes each and their respective key items were also added to gold boxes. On top of that, there isn't anywhere near the competition for those NMs that there once was.

If you are talking about the former, I don't know what to tell you. Spending a day or two casually camping (read: hardly paying attention) an NM while you play other games seems a lot more painless than farming a Hagun at 75.

As for your comment about the Verethragna, you are comparing an AH bought weapon to the best Hand-to-Hand in the game... of course its going to pale in comparison. Like Cair said, though, Empyreans are not the best in all weapon classes as a standard. Also, Spharai don't come in all too far behind them with the advent of the new weaponskills.

The reason relics and empyreans have become the standard, really, is because they have become that easy to get, especially at 99. Much easier than it was to get a set of HQ staves back in 2006, for example.

[Michelob]

To the above poster that said relics out class empyreans.... There is way more 99 relics then 90+ empyreans so comparing a weapon that is 9 levels higher then the empyrean counterpart is ridiculous.
(I'm Well aware that Ragnarok just destroys everything though.)

He didn't say it as a sweeping statement; he said that some relics outclass some empyreans, which is true. He is not talking about 99 relics vs. 90 empyreans, either. Ragnorak is the obvious example, like you said. Apocalypse, Mandau, Guttler, Mjollnir, and Annihilator (if I'm not mistaken) are all better than their Empyrean counterparts. Others are close like Amanomurakumo and Spharai.

[Kincard]

Honestly even if you don't have a REM of any sort and just have a solid magian or AH weapon the only events I'd bar you from entirely is Legion and NNI. Outside of that, Voidwatch and Neo Salvage allows for non-REM DPSs just fine, so it's not like you'd be unable to play the game at all.

Honestly with NNI in its current state a SAM with a TP Bonus can work just fine in there, you have to find a static group to do it with though.

[Buffy]

Also if I buy this off Steam do you have to log in through steam or like open the game through steam like I have to do with some other games?
Or is it totally seperate after you buy it?

The first time you log in, you must do so through steam. If you use windower, you can use windower after that to log in. If you don't use windower, you will continue to need to use steam.

[Kleiner]

So, i'm also a recent return. I came back to the game shortly after abyssea's third expansion and then left again right before the level 90-95 cap released.

I have a few peices of Abyssea +2, lots of +1s.. Great gear for level 75, not a whole lot going for the 99 bracket :/

I ave WHM and PUP at levels 91 and im looking for a group for the 95-99 camp.

1. Is abyssea exping still "the" method for exp? My LS has died and I dunno how to get myself into one of these parties anymore..

2. What should I do to get myself involved in the new salvage? I looooved Salvage way back when and I would like to give it another go.

3. Is abyssea still the top dog? I honestly was never a fan of the system.

4. Are there any WHM or PUP specific Magian Trials I should be shooting for in the meantime?

5. Has PUP been placed in a better position? Updates to the casting AI And weaponskills seem to have made the puppets much more reliable, and I see decent gear for the master floating around..

Thanks Guys!

Klein
Asura

[detlef]

Could always play a mage? And empy BRD in high demand, no NM camps for that trial.

Colorless Soul stage makes up for that. In fairness, it is easier than it used to be.

[Buffy]

So, i'm also a recent return. I came back to the game shortly after abyssea's third expansion and then left again right before the level 90-95 cap released.

I have a few peices of Abyssea +2, lots of +1s.. Great gear for level 75, not a whole lot going for the 99 bracket :/

I ave WHM and PUP at levels 91 and im looking for a group for the 95-99 camp.

1. Is abyssea exping still "the" method for exp? My LS has died and I dunno how to get myself into one of these parties anymore..

2. What should I do to get myself involved in the new salvage? I looooved Salvage way back when and I would like to give it another go.

3. Is abyssea still the top dog? I honestly was never a fan of the system.

4. Are there any WHM or PUP specific Magian Trials I should be shooting for in the meantime?

5. Has PUP been placed in a better position? Updates to the casting AI And weaponskills seem to have made the puppets much more reliable, and I see decent gear for the master floating around..

Thanks Guys!

Klein
Asura

Some Aby +2 gear still good, but we have returned to a 'shit's situational' stage of the game, unlike level 90 cap when level +2 was pimpage.

You don't exp. You pay an RMT when you go to sleep, you wake up with levels. Much simpler, although the cruor nerf makes it harder to pay for.

Do new salvage if you need new salvage +1 gear. Again, shit's situational.

WHM Cure staff (there are alternates if the beast stage makes you want to cry, but 24% cure potency in one slot is still pretty hot) and vereth for pup h2h would be the two most important ones.

PuP is a wonderful job, although I can't think of a single event in the game that would make me say "Damn, I wish we had a PUP."

[mallister]

nvm; got it in random question, thanks!

[notorious bum]

You pay an RMT when you go to sleep, you wake up with levels

Which is beyond lazy and unnecessary, unless you're bored and you're after some lame ass goal of maxing every job.

This game is on easy-mode, bitching about afk-camping a virtually uncontested NM or farming dynamis a few casual hours a day for a few months(disregarding the myriad of ways the game throws gil at you now lol) for the best weapons in the game is pointless. I don't know how easy WoW is, but I bet we've reached the point where you'd probably need more help and time to get their god-tier shit nowadays.

If I didn't have so much other misc story/quest shit to do, I'd probably be just as bored/bothered with grinding loot in this game. I'd say the real disgust with grinding a relic/empy would stem from being bored with the MMO genre, in-general lol

[tenkiki]

I don't see how paying for levels is lazy and unnecessary, as a 2 hour trip in dynamis pays for most of an extended FC depending on your haul. As for the lame ass goal of maxing every job, it seems beneficial at this point of the game when there are many 17/18 voidwatch shouts that require a specialized job, allowing you more opportunities to join.

As for puppetmaster, it is better than before, but the only real event it excels in is soloing dynamis without competition due to automaton abilities procing as ws instead of ja. It may not rake in the highest amount of currency, but it's probably one of the most consistent and flexible as it's nice to login whenever, check a zone, see a bunch of bsts/thfs/dncs, and not have to worry about competition. I never thought pup's high barrier of entry would actually be beneficial to the job.

[notorious bum]

If you've reached a point in this game where you're farming dynamis to fund your RMT exp parties just so you can join shitty VW PUGs that somehow need a job that 17 other members don't have, just quit now while you still have your sanity.

[Solrain]

I've never dreamed of quitting this game but yea, bum's definitely got a good point there.

[tenkiki]

If you've reached a point in this game where you're farming dynamis to fund your RMT exp parties just so you can join shitty VW PUGs that somehow need a job that 17 other members don't have, just quit now while you still have your sanity.

I was giving a suggestion as to what new and returning players could do if they wanted to level up jobs without spending excessive hours grinding exp. I have only recently returned and abused cleave parties back when it was profitable to do so and worked 60 hrs a week. As for quitting, I have two friends I enjoy playing with, but again our schedules are limited, so I don't see a problem with joining VW PUGs to pass the time if no one is on.

[Silfer]

I was thinking of coming back.. I played for 5 years and quit a few back now, when the cap was still 75 and aht urghan was where it's at.

I remember a good couple years of camping NM's daily looking for that elusive Ridill, never did get one! lol

Anyway, was wondering what the game is like today if starting from SCRATCH, no RMT gold/bought account... talking about a trial version and see how it goes.

The reason i'm asking is it took me years to create an amazing character, now with all the new expansions and areas.. is there room for someone to come back in right from square one? Does anyone even party in the dunes anymore etc..

As I've lost touch with old friends so would be starting with no help.

The game looks quite daunting now.

[Buffy]

You'll have a character stronger than your old character in no time. Find even one more person and you can have an empy (good weapon) in weeks, although finishing it will take months. You can solo the relic weapon in 2-3 months.

Lots of people come back, seems like more and more with the expansion coming.

No one parties in the dunes, they party in gusgen mines now. Level sync and books...1-30 in your first saturday isn't impossible. It's a very different game, much more friendly to low-levels than it was in 2002-2009.

[Purrrfect]

I was thinking of coming back.. I played for 5 years and quit a few back now, when the cap was still 75 and aht urghan was where it's at.

I remember a good couple years of camping NM's daily looking for that elusive Ridill, never did get one! lol

Anyway, was wondering what the game is like today if starting from SCRATCH, no RMT gold/bought account... talking about a trial version and see how it goes.

The reason i'm asking is it took me years to create an amazing character, now with all the new expansions and areas.. is there room for someone to come back in right from square one? Does anyone even party in the dunes anymore etc..

As I've lost touch with old friends so would be starting with no help.

The game looks quite daunting now.

The easiest leveling I believe would be solo/fov to 15 then go to gusgen and join a tome/level sync alliance until 30 then go to abyssea and leech. I think you'll need to know ppl to get into abyssea though. You can just stay in gusgen and eventually graduate to crawlers nest and boston omelet. Or you want to really get crazy you can find level-appropriate pages and kill stuff that will keep your skills up to date, but you'll likely be solo there cuz people follow the herd at the 3 above places. It's not really that bad, and if you do quests for fame and story along the way its almost like the old days. I've been having a lot of fun doing that and finding good spots to level in my range.

[Kyreth]

You'll have a character stronger than your old character in no time. Find even one more person and you can have an empy (good weapon) in weeks, although finishing it will take months. You can solo the relic weapon in 2-3 months.

Lots of people come back, seems like more and more with the expansion coming.

No one parties in the dunes, they party in gusgen mines now. Level sync and books...1-30 in your first saturday isn't impossible. It's a very different game, much more friendly to low-levels than it was in 2002-2009.

Or, if you feel soloish, 1-4 wherever, 4-25 or so Dangruf Wadi, 26+ while getting subjob items Valkrum, then take a quick break to smack a few ghouls in Gusgen if you didn't get one in Valkrum while leveling up. Wadi brown caskets are enough to pay for upgrades when you're seeing stuff like chunks of adman ore drop, and you can basically sit there pummeling things in L10ish gear when you're prowessed to the max from so many GoV pages without fear.

But once you've got subjob, yeah. L30 in one day is definitely doable, and Valkrum pages go reasonably up to 34 (you'll have to run around for 35+ as it'll be harder to find EP gobbies, and it caps at 36.). Then Crawler's Nest, I think.

[mallister]

thanks for this; a friend of mine from 6 years ago is restarting with a new account and i havent' leveled a job from scratch in ages.

[Uzor]

I've ran in to a strange problem.

Regen spells won't macro for me. Or to be more precise; when I enter a new zone they work for a while. Then they suddenly stop working, giving me a a command error giving me a plain /ma "Regen IV" <stpc> like the command is typed wrong. It works fine casting it manually, or manually writing /ma "Regen IV" <stpc>, just not from my macro. If I, however, relog or rezone, the macro works just fine for a bit, and then breaks.

Is this a known bug with Regen IV, or is there another problem behind it?

[Heavyduty_]

I just reactived my 2 accounts which i haven't played since 2006. It's overwhelming to see the amount of gear and events that's out there now, quite a daunting task to get up to speed. I have a 75 taru rdm, brd and a 67 galka pld i duo box with.

Now my question for you guys:

1. It seems rdm is not desirable for events, is this the case? If not what jobs are in demand?
2. What high level gear is the easiest to get? What's a good starting point?
3. I read it's easier getting gear nowadays, is this true? How tough is it making gil?

Thanks in advance for any info.