If you decided to level Black Mage...

[Wizerd]

I need help deciding what to do in terms of leveling Black Mage, next. I have two choices in doing so, and in short the choices are:

1) Level BLM on my current character, Wizerd, BLM10, WHM20, and Hume.
2) Level BLM no my mule character, Kuyui, BLM25, WHM24, and Taru.

If the choice were as simple as that, I'd level it on my mule, but alas, it's not.

Here is a comparison list for the two.

If I level Black Mage on my main character:

* I have to negate my Enmity merits from NIN, leaving it at 0/0 neutral.
* I'll have to replace my 8 Ninjutsu merits with Elemental merits.
* I can't merit INT, because STR is already merited for NIN/MNK/THF. This wouldn't change.
* I can't merit MP, because HP is already merited for NIN. This wouldn't change.
* I'm Hume. (Nothing wrong with this, I know, but obviously Taru has an advantage.)

* I don't have to redo any missions, since I already have ZM, PM, and ToAU missions finished or just about finished.
* However, because of the above, I cannot get Tamas Ring or Abyssal Earring. I've already got Rajas and Suppanomimi for my melee jobs.
* I don't have to redo outposts, since I have them all on Wizerd.

If I level Black Mage on my tarutaru mule:

* I can merit Enmity down at Lv75, and leave my main character's merits alone.
* I can merit Elemental merits without affecting my main character.
* I can merit INT.
* I can merit MP.
* I'm Tarutaru.

* I have to redo all missions. The only ones I'd be worried about are PMs. The rest are easy and quick anyway.
* The above lets me get the better mage choices for all the one-time choice things in the game.
* I'd have to redo outposts.. sometimes weeks of waiting. >.<

I'm sure there are more things different, pros and cons of each that I'm not thinking of, but they haven't crossed my mind at the moment. The characters are on the same account, so dual boxing at lv75 wouldn't be an option.

If you can think of anything or help me out, tell me what you think. I honestly have no idea which I should level it on. I should also note that there's only two items I have on Wizerd that could work on BLM, Anrin[Dark element] Obi and Moldavite Earring. Both very easy to get again.

[Aerin]

Personally I'd go with the taru.

That way you aren't gimping your nin at all. Not saying your nin would be gimped without those merits of course, just saying it certainly isn't as good without.

The only con i'd even consider for the taru is the PM missions. The outpost things may take weeks sometimes on a new character, but it's no big deal really. For the PM's just try and get another static through or make an event with your LS. You'd only need to get tavnazian safehold access for a while. After that there isn't really much you need from PM's until Sea. So you can just do the PM's as you progress in lvl

[Suiram]

Another advantage to levelling it on your main is you'll be able to get the merits you do get on your Ninja instead of half the exp/hour at the one exp camp that's any good by today's standards either with a shitty manaburn where half the players aren't even 75 and cast -ga or soloing at said camp and trying to outpull said manaburn's brd. It won't really matter that you don't have Abyssal, but it'll be too bad you can't get Tamas, although we can't talk much about that or this thread will likely go horribly wrong. Not having -enmity merits won't hurt you either, so long as you gear appropriately, but I don't know to what extent not having +enmity for your ninja will. INT and MP merits are nice, but they aren't as important as the blm-specific merits and elemental skill, which it sounds like you'd be meritting anyway (again, faster than you otherwise would since you can merit on NIN).

As for your taru mule, the missions aren't really a problem, since BLM is useful and often preferred in almost every CoP BC. Outposts won't be a big deal either, if your server is like mine, having switched nations three times I usually get all but one or two back in a month (not counting other nation's starter areas), and since your highest job at the moment is 25, you'll likely have them all before you really need to use them. Are they on the same account? If you could two-box a NIN and a BLM that in itself would be worthwhile to level it on your mule, but if they aren't that brings in its own set of hassles for going to LS events, etc.

Again this is more from the perspective of how it will affect your future BLM, I can't speak for how it will affect your NIN.

[Buzer]

Personally, I would go with option 3: Make new account and make blm there. That way you could use your main & blm same time if needed and you wouldn't gimp either.

If this isn't an option (no money or whatever reason), I would go with 2nd. I would much rather have two non-gimped chars than two slightly gimped, even if it needed a bit more work.

[governor]

Honestly, I would just say exp it on your main. Think about when you do HNM and they need your BLM. Are you going to walk both characters there? One to fight, the other to lot?

[Wizerd]

Honestly, I would just say exp it on your main. Think about when you do HNM and they need your BLM. Are you going to walk both characters there? One to fight, the other to lot?

In theory, that's a good thought process. However, my main is pretty much complete when it comes to ra/ex gear that drops from camps. I'll have Assassin's Armlets from dynamis by then as well (and would still go as main for dynamis regardless).

Aspidochelone drops nothing any of my current three jobs can use, and I'll know when I'm next for an item in the future if I level more jobs on main. The same goes for Ridill off Fafnir if I ever level WAR and happen to be next. I have Fafnir and Nidnogg's Neptunal abjurations already.

Really, the only item I'd be worried about now would be Defending Ring. For my NIN. Yeah... lol. But if I was next somehow, I wouldn't mind running 2 characters there if I'm needed on BLM. Running to camps isn't a big deal to me.

Advantage to that, actually: If 2 king windows are at the same time, I can log Kuyui out at Fafnir/Nidhogg or Aspi, and help claim Behemoth/KB on Wizerd. Log if we claim the other.

So yeah, that's not an issue for me.

[Tiernin]

Just lvl blm on your main. It will be a lot less work (ie less missions) to get back those merits. Especially considering you can get 20k/per at colibi camp. I don't think 5 int will make or break you, and the 4 emnity won't be that bad either. The elemental magic would be the only that would really need switching and as I said above it wouldn't take long. In conclusion, just level blm on your main.

[Rocl]

Only level it on the mule if you can be logged into your main and mule at the same time.

[Wizerd]

Well, the merits problem is solved by the fact that either during the Black Mage leveling process or after it, I'd level BRD as well, as I've been looking at leveling it too. So merit earnage difficulty wouldn't be a make or break for this.

Two boxing would be nice, but I'm not very efficient controlling 2 chars at a time. I can get the job done when I need support for NIN tanking for example, but I couldn't duo say, Amikiri, by 2 boxing.

[Heian]

CoP is painful without a pickup party, I can't imagine what it would be like with them.

Hell. Pure.Absoulte.Hell

I mean really can't even explain how bad it was.

[Nightbreed]

Only level it on the mule if you can be logged into your main and mule at the same time.

[Wizerd]

Unless you're changing servers, do it on the same character. You can replace the int with gear/food fairly easily, you probably will have to change -enm, ninjitsu was already discussed and I don't see any other drawbacks. BLMs lived for years w/o Tamas (and many, many, many people don't have tamas even now) and even tho I'll never level ninja to 75 on my taru I still got Suppa instead of Abyssal.

The only ONLY way i'd level on a new character was if I had a static group to get through CoP, guaranteed to meet 1x-2x a week otherwise it's impossible. I staticed with a group of 10 all the way through about 8-3, then the static fell apart and it took me (as a brd) almost 3 months to finish CoP from 8-3 BC. CoP is painful without a pickup party, I can't imagine what it would be like with them.

PM8-3 and 8-4 are easy as pie, I could get friends to help me finish them within a 2 hour time span like my friend did. o.O;

The lower ones, like promys would be the only hard ones. I could get friends to help with anything 60+.

Edit: What the fuck Rocl 9244 posts?

[Shuemue]

The enmity merits will hurt you. The elemental magic will hurt you. You can obviously afford to wear the best gear. You'll presumably spam weskits until you have another genie for yourself.

If you have the time and motivation to do missions on your mule, do it. A blm with genie weskit and no tamas ring? No static earring for ePeen MB? Yes, I say static, you don't need to be long-term efficient on your blm if you have a main character for general play. You want big numbers. Big numbers = big fun.

[governor]

If the walking, and the dedication to your mule to redo the CoP missions and Zilart missions, and probably all the assaulting to get the gear you'll need/want... Then god bless you, you're a better man than me. If I could somehow split my character into three.. mage jobs/tank jobs/dd jobs with all the quests and stuff done, I still wouldn't do it. I just can't stand logging out.

Then again, if you want to be the best possible BLM in the end. New character is the only way to do it. I have Rajas and Ethereal as my two choices but my BLM still is better than most.

You honestly seem to have your mind set on doing it on mule, and if thats how you play, and what feels right to you. Go for it man.

[Sylphet]

Only level it on the mule if you can be logged into your main and mule at the same time.

What he said.

If you have the time and want to be the best NIN and BLM that you can be (in terms of merits etc) then definately go for the mule. It sucks to have to chose between losing all those merits or gimping your BLM. But it will take a LOT of time to do promy's again on a mule unless you have some good friends who will help you with it. So I'd use time as a my primary guideline in deciding. But the advantage to leveling another job on a second account is substantially higher if you have the ablility to properly 2 box, especially a mage job which is good for powerleveling! :D

But more seriously.. you want to level BLM on a character and you don't even have Warp yet on your main! For Shame!

[Ravenlokk]

If (assuming this is the case) they're on the same account its actually kinda stupid to lvl it on your mule. Why spread yourself thin across 2 accts- when you can just pimp 1 out even more... And idk about your ls- but my LS isnt cool with people lotting items for mules; so you'd have a hard time getting abjurations, and misc. blm gear because- "Youre going to be playing wizerd, and im xxxxx retardedBLM all the time".

[sephir]

CoP was bad, but I dont think its that bad nowadays. I hear ALOT more shouts for pickup groups doing the missions than I did 6 months ago. Im not sure how effective these groups are, but im just saying they are out there.

[vagus]

option 4 : take over someone's account that is quitting and merit there blm. this way you can duo-box. make sure they have sea and sky already. lol.

[Shuemue]

It's funny, I'd rather like to play through CoP again.

[Charitwo]

It's funny, I'd rather like to play through CoP again.

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