New Mercenary Ranks and Assault Missions (10/05/2006)

[Heian]

Is it just me or have I heard these mercenary ranks before....

[Purplenv]

S/SM

S rank up should be easy enough, C wins were cake.

SM, unless they also change the rank up rules, should also be cake. I've been C, with all wins for over a month, and spamming LC/C for points (cause they are just so easy).
So with the repeat win carry over, unless they force a JP midnight break between rank ups, I hope to be SM on patch day, then go straight to the guard to see what new IS items are offered.

Shark Gun was nice for my COR for 60-70 so far, and to 72 when I start unlocking my coffinmaker.

Overall , I'm looking forward to this specific addition.

[Jeryhn]

Because that has any affect on the ability to access instanced content, click an npc or finding some static ???

Dynamis is instaced content too... but the areas get reserved, and anyone else outside has to leave or wait. Assault is the same way, do the math.

This is also assuming, of course, that you don't lose any Assaults, and are doing each Assault for your rank, rather than spamming the same easy one to rank up, which is likely to happen with the majority of people.

Besides, your Mandau will probably get rusty sitting in Whitegate all day.

[Don Katsu]

New Assault Missions

A total of 10 new Assault missions will be added to complement the new mercenary ranks, with 5 new missions for Sergeants and 5 for Sergeant Majors.

As in the July version update, players can expect a plethora of features in the new missions. Some will require thorough battle planning, others will include no battles at all, and several will give players a unique experience that cannot be had in the course of a typical adventure.

We hope you enjoy the new content!

i.e please don't go anywhere.

[Koyangi]

S/SM

S rank up should be easy enough, C wins were cake.

SM, unless they also change the rank up rules, should also be cake. I've been C, with all wins for over a month, and spamming LC/C for points (cause they are just so easy).
So with the repeat win carry over, unless they force a JP midnight break between rank ups, I hope to be SM on patch day, then go straight to the guard to see what new IS items are offered.

Shark Gun was nice for my COR for 60-70 so far, and to 72 when I start unlocking my coffinmaker.

Overall , I'm looking forward to this specific addition.

4 tags rdy by patch day, and _if_ you win 4 of the new S missions, puts you at 20/25, rank up on first day not possible lol

[Purplenv]

S/SM

S rank up should be easy enough, C wins were cake.

SM, unless they also change the rank up rules, should also be cake. I've been C, with all wins for over a month, and spamming LC/C for points (cause they are just so easy).
So with the repeat win carry over, unless they force a JP midnight break between rank ups, I hope to be SM on patch day, then go straight to the guard to see what new IS items are offered.

Shark Gun was nice for my COR for 60-70 so far, and to 72 when I start unlocking my coffinmaker.

Overall , I'm looking forward to this specific addition.

4 tags rdy by patch day, and _if_ you win 4 of the new S missions, puts you at 20/25, rank up on first day not possible lol

You are ignoring the small fact that I am sitting with dozens of repeats at LC/C rank that I have been spamming since mid August.
I have an assault static, and we meet twice a week. On an average week each member likely gains 6 LC/C repeats. (Sometimes 7, but other times 5 if they came late)
7 weeks, 6 repeats per, say 50%LC/50%C. So round down and say we have 20 LC and 20 C repeats.
If SE doesn't change the rank up requirements, or institute a break in counting lower rank repeats, those 20 C repeats already count towards 4 S rank wins. Add in my LC repeats, and all the repeats from SP/PFC/PSC, they all carry forward as long as you eventually get all the wins for the previous ranks.

I should require 1-2 S wins max to rank up to SM.

[Appie]

New Assault Missions

A total of 10 new Assault missions will be added to complement the new mercenary ranks, with 5 new missions for Sergeants and 5 for Sergeant Majors.

As in the July version update, players can expect a plethora of features in the new missions. Some will require thorough battle planning, others will include no battles at all, and several will give players a unique experience that cannot be had in the course of a typical adventure.

We hope you enjoy the new content!

i.e please don't go anywhere.

lol
Too late SE?
Or in the case they didn't already leave, they log on for 1-2 days, get the new rank/toau missions then go awol till the next patch? I know I am =D

[layoneil]

You are ignoring the small fact that I am sitting with dozens of repeats at LC/C rank that I have been spamming since mid August.
I have an assault static, and we meet twice a week. On an average week each member likely gains 6 LC/C repeats. (Sometimes 7, but other times 5 if they came late)
7 weeks, 6 repeats per, say 50%LC/50%C. So round down and say we have 20 LC and 20 C repeats.
If SE doesn't change the rank up requirements, or institute a break in counting lower rank repeats, those 20 C repeats already count towards 4 S rank wins. Add in my LC repeats, and all the repeats from SP/PFC/PSC, they all carry forward as long as you eventually get all the wins for the previous ranks.

I should require 1-2 S wins max to rank up to SM.

right now it's x/25. the patch release will make it x/35. most people who have been doing Assaults are now at 25/25.

if you use your four tags on the first day, you'll be at 29/35, you'll still need one more Assault to be at 30/35, which will let you do the last rank up quest.

you're assuming because you have repeats you're somehow at 26/25 right now. somehow i don't think it works like that.

[Sykes]

You are ignoring the small fact that I am sitting with dozens of repeats at LC/C rank that I have been spamming since mid August.
I have an assault static, and we meet twice a week. On an average week each member likely gains 6 LC/C repeats. (Sometimes 7, but other times 5 if they came late)
7 weeks, 6 repeats per, say 50%LC/50%C. So round down and say we have 20 LC and 20 C repeats.
If SE doesn't change the rank up requirements, or institute a break in counting lower rank repeats, those 20 C repeats already count towards 4 S rank wins. Add in my LC repeats, and all the repeats from SP/PFC/PSC, they all carry forward as long as you eventually get all the wins for the previous ranks.

I should require 1-2 S wins max to rank up to SM.

Only the repeats that you do WHILE you are Sergeant rank will count towards advancing to Sergeant Major ... or at least that is how it worked with Lance Corporal and Corporal.

You'll be able to advance to Sergeant on the day of the patch, but the earliest you could rank up to Sergeant Major would be the day after the patch after doing your 5th Assault.

[Purplenv]

You are ignoring the small fact that I am sitting with dozens of repeats at LC/C rank that I have been spamming since mid August.
I have an assault static, and we meet twice a week. On an average week each member likely gains 6 LC/C repeats. (Sometimes 7, but other times 5 if they came late)
7 weeks, 6 repeats per, say 50%LC/50%C. So round down and say we have 20 LC and 20 C repeats.
If SE doesn't change the rank up requirements, or institute a break in counting lower rank repeats, those 20 C repeats already count towards 4 S rank wins. Add in my LC repeats, and all the repeats from SP/PFC/PSC, they all carry forward as long as you eventually get all the wins for the previous ranks.

I should require 1-2 S wins max to rank up to SM.

right now it's x/25. the patch release will make it x/35. most people who have been doing Assaults are now at 25/25.

if you use your four tags on the first day, you'll be at 29/35, you'll still need one more Assault to be at 30/35, which will let you do the last rank up quest.

you're assuming because you have repeats you're somehow at 26/25 right now. somehow i don't think it works like that.

A static member ranked up to Corporal after the last patch with only 2 LC wins.

He had primarily spammed Lamia 13, which isn't even SP. Since he had dozens of wins they did pull forward and make a difference. (He did also have SP repeats).

Repeats at lower ranks DO count to towards future rank ups currently.
I will admit, we don't know for sure if that will continue into S/SM.

[Machazareel]

I'd pay 50k IS to make the faggy latent on my bane weapons work for more than 3 zones.

As would I, those would be fantastic even if they only worked in ToAU zones

[chiz]

Because that has any affect on the ability to access instanced content, click an npc or finding some static ???

Dynamis is instaced content too... but the areas get reserved, and anyone else outside has to leave or wait. Assault is the same way, do the math.

This is also assuming, of course, that you don't lose any Assaults, and are doing each Assault for your rank, rather than spamming the same easy one to rank up, which is likely to happen with the majority of people.

Besides, your Mandau will probably get rusty sitting in Whitegate all day.

Well, the main difference being Dynamis/Limbus (heard Ultima/Omega can support more) only support 1 group, Assault and BCNMs allow for multiple groups simultaneously. I'm sure there's some sort of cap, and it was mentioned when ToA was launched. We were worried about it that first week when we saw no fewer than 5 groups at the portal, but still entered without a hitch.

I'm far along enough that I can get caught up within a few days but chasing ??? and hoofprints for hours each time a meaningless update is released is kind of pointless when I can just get it done in less time once I have a reason to.

Don't need to worry about Mandau getting rusty though, only if I'm idling and can't play anyways. Otherwise I have no problems finding stuff to poke and certainly time better spent than talking to npcs and filling test tubes.

[Odd]

where's the x/35 coming from? didnt see in update notes that its gonna take more to rank up

[Purplenv]

Only the repeats that you do WHILE you are Sergeant rank will count towards advancing to Sergeant Major ... or at least that is how it worked with Lance Corporal and Corporal.

You'll be able to advance to Sergeant on the day of the patch, but the earliest you could rank up to Sergeant Major would be the day after the patch after doing your 5th Assault.

While being Sergeant rank may be what I was missing...

[Odd]

You are ignoring the small fact that I am sitting with dozens of repeats at LC/C rank that I have been spamming since mid August.
I have an assault static, and we meet twice a week. On an average week each member likely gains 6 LC/C repeats. (Sometimes 7, but other times 5 if they came late)
7 weeks, 6 repeats per, say 50%LC/50%C. So round down and say we have 20 LC and 20 C repeats.
If SE doesn't change the rank up requirements, or institute a break in counting lower rank repeats, those 20 C repeats already count towards 4 S rank wins. Add in my LC repeats, and all the repeats from SP/PFC/PSC, they all carry forward as long as you eventually get all the wins for the previous ranks.

I should require 1-2 S wins max to rank up to SM.

right now it's x/25. the patch release will make it x/35. most people who have been doing Assaults are now at 25/25.

if you use your four tags on the first day, you'll be at 29/35, you'll still need one more Assault to be at 30/35, which will let you do the last rank up quest.

you're assuming because you have repeats you're somehow at 26/25 right now. somehow i don't think it works like that.

A static member ranked up to Corporal after the last patch with only 2 LC wins.

He had primarily spammed Lamia 13, which isn't even SP. Since he had dozens of wins they did pull forward and make a difference. (He did also have SP repeats).

Repeats at lower ranks DO count to towards future rank ups currently.
I will admit, we don't know for sure if that will continue into S/SM.

You're not getting it. Lower repeats do count towards rank up, but the problem is that the excess you have on a certain rank... (you're at 30/25 but no higher rank exists) when you rank up all those repeats will be wiped and you'll be starting at 0/25 again.

[Purplenv]

where's the x/35 coming from? didnt see in update notes that its gonna take more to rank up

5 ranks, 5 missions is 25, is the X/25 he mentioned.

X/35 is the addiotn of the 2 ranks with 5 missions per.

btw, I'm sitting at 24/25, Lebros Supplies can bite me.

[layoneil]

where's the x/35 coming from? didnt see in update notes that its gonna take more to rank up

i was refering to total unique Assaults, not the 25 "points" you need per rank.

[Sho]

Waaah I'm 18/25 into SP, this sucks... and getting left behind more, bah. >_>

It'll be cool if they use "SGT" for Sergeant, and "SMAJ" for Sergeant Major... "S" and "SM" look to damned plain.

[Kelvanis]

http://members.arstechnica.com/x/spungy/guapo.jpg

^ Glory Crown? F'ing Naja -.-;;

[Jeryhn]

Well, the main difference being Dynamis/Limbus (heard Ultima/Omega can support more) only support 1 group, Assault and BCNMs allow for multiple groups simultaneously. I'm sure there's some sort of cap, and it was mentioned when ToA was launched. We were worried about it that first week when we saw no fewer than 5 groups at the portal, but still entered without a hitch.

Assault allows for people to enter different Assault missions simultaneously. When it comes to trying to access the same mission, you'll have to wait. In that respect, it's much like Limbus.

I'm far along enough that I can get caught up within a few days but chasing ??? and hoofprints for hours each time a meaningless update is released is kind of pointless when I can just get it done in less time once I have a reason to.

You really don't have to "chase" anything. You're likely to stumble upon the Hoofprint on your way somewhere or while meriting.

Alternatively, some server forums on KI (and here on BG) keep track of the location of the hoofprint when it pops. You could check that.