Randomer Question Thread

[drwaffles]

Can anyone name me a cheap graphics card (I've read that ATI cards are good) that will run FFXI smoothly on Vista? I don't really give a shit about graphics so long as I can hit 29.4 FPS consistently even with lots of PC/NPC on-screen, which my Nvidia 9800 GT simply won't do regardless of what I try. Also, if I install this new card and find it's no better than my current one, is it possible to reinstall my old one even though it came pre-installed on my PC? Have no experience with swapping graphics cards, so please excuse the ignorance.

[Magnus5557]

I searched a good deal to find info about logging up Jacaranda Logs, but I couldn't find any info on whether or not they can be logged up in East Ronfaure [S]. It says they can be logged up there on Wiki, but I'm skeptical. Can anyone confirm/deny that they can be logged up in Ronfaure? or can reference a thread where it's confirmed/denied?

[Isiolia]

Can anyone name me a cheap graphics card (I've read that ATI cards are good) that will run FFXI smoothly on Vista? I don't really give a shit about graphics so long as I can hit 29.4 FPS consistently even with lots of PC/NPC on-screen, which my Nvidia 9800 GT simply won't do regardless of what I try. Also, if I install this new card and find it's no better than my current one, is it possible to reinstall my old one even though it came pre-installed on my PC? Have no experience with swapping graphics cards, so please excuse the ignorance.

Depends on resolution partly. I have a cheapo Radeon 3650 in my HTPC (my only Vista machine at home) that will play the game fine at 1920x1080. However, if you're trying to play other games, something like that would be lacking compared to your current card. Probably look at a 4850 if you want something comparable to your current card in general.
4830 is also a good card, and is typically a bit cheaper.

Shouldn't be a problem to swap cards around, just want to make sure you uninstall drivers and stuff. If it's an OEM assembled machine like a Dell or HP, you may want to check the PSU specs and room inside the case before getting too ambitious with an upgrade too.

[ringthree]

I searched a good deal to find info about logging up Jacaranda Logs, but I couldn't find any info on whether or not they can be logged up in East Ronfaure [S]. It says they can be logged up there on Wiki, but I'm skeptical. Can anyone confirm/deny that they can be logged up in Ronfaure? or can reference a thread where it's confirmed/denied?

They are in the area with the Gnoles near one of the gates, I will post a map tomorrow if I remember.

[cdgreg]

There's no doubt Omega ring is a sweet ass ring. Team that up with a snow ring and you're set ring wise since you said you won't get tamas and I'm guessing you didn't get Balhran's. As for the back slot, if you're going to do RDM + BLM there's a few choices:
1.) The Int, and the MND capes from Einherjar, but man thats 2 inventory slots, and 30k Ichior
2.) The sea capes, enfeeb +5 from drk, and dark/ele +5 from MNKm but man that's 2 inventory slots, and a shit ton of time invested.
3.) Prism cape, 500k, mnd and int +4, a few mps, works for both jobs, and you can resell it at a later date.

I'm not going to BS you, #1 or 2 are probably the better choices but not game shattering wise, or be gungho like me and use ixion cape on blm, and sea capes on both jobs lol. But if you're looking for a quality all around piece that won't be an incredible resource sink don't forget old faithful rainbow/prism.

[Moridam]

In regards to barspells-

Currently working on merits for WHM, my first priorities are capping barspells and shellra. Beyond capped skill, barspell merits and AF2 legs, is it worth maxing out enhancing for a few extra resistance? Taking a quick look, I think I can get 25 skill in gear (torque, earring, AF2 feet, cape) and a few more if I put merits into enhancing.

Realistically, it seems like that would net maybe 7-8 more resistance, is that going to have any appreciable effect on actual resist rates? I'm guessing in most cases, it's going to be paired with a strong elemental resist build.

Most of the gear is easy enough to obtain, I guess I'm just curious to know if it's worth the effort of actually getting and lugging around.

[Magnus5557]

They are in the area with the Gnoles near one of the gates, I will post a map tomorrow if I remember.

Aight, thanks.

Also, to continue my theme of being skeptical of Wiki, I saw there that Jacaranda logs drop from the Lobisons in the northern part of Jugner [S]. Can anyone confirm or deny this? If no one can, I think I'm gonna bring a merit party there and check it out myself, hopefully make a bit of money from the claws, and better yet a WW skillup from a log.

[Wolfknight]

Aight, thanks.

Also, to continue my theme of being skeptical of Wiki, I saw there that Jacaranda logs drop from the Lobisons in the northern part of Jugner [S]. Can anyone confirm or deny this? If no one can, I think I'm gonna bring a merit party there and check it out myself, hopefully make a bit of money from the claws, and better yet a WW skillup from a log.

yes they can come from this area[though they're a few safer points in jugner], I recall going here for them when SE added thalo.

[TheTaru]

Kikoku:

How potent is en-paralyze, and is it a static potency? Sorry if this has been asked before, search didn't yield much.

[Indalecia]

Follow up:

How potent is Blind on Apocalypse?

[Valena]

In regards to barspells-

Currently working on merits for WHM, my first priorities are capping barspells and shellra. Beyond capped skill, barspell merits and AF2 legs, is it worth maxing out enhancing for a few extra resistance? Taking a quick look, I think I can get 25 skill in gear (torque, earring, AF2 feet, cape) and a few more if I put merits into enhancing.

Realistically, it seems like that would net maybe 7-8 more resistance, is that going to have any appreciable effect on actual resist rates? I'm guessing in most cases, it's going to be paired with a strong elemental resist build.

Most of the gear is easy enough to obtain, I guess I'm just curious to know if it's worth the effort of actually getting and lugging around.

I think you got the maths down already, you need 5 enhancing skill to gain 1 point of barspell, by floors of multiple of 5 in enhancing skill.
If it's practical use is a max resist setup, then, getting the AH stuff, and the Sea Cape is a good idea. And don't forget the Blessed Briault either, it doesn't increase the barspell, but it gives an additionnal MDB, much like the merits, which is cool to pair.

What is not worth is enhancing magic skill merits imho, way too little return, and you miss out other usefull categories as Whm like enfeebling or eventually Divine.

It's pretty hard to eyeball the resist rates of your Barspell on lesser mobs, like merit Imps for instance. More often than not, any damage I take doesn't even break stoneskin.

[Kumbai]

You would be better saving the magic merits for when you level something else~ Capping barspell merits, AF2 feet, Blessed Briault, AF2 Legs and Cape give a good chunk.

Enhancing Magic:
256 with /SCH for light arts
+10 from Cleric's Duckbills.
266
+10 from torque + earring
276
+5 from cape.
281

floor(281/5) = 56

56+40 = 96

+10 from T1 Merits = 106
+20 from Cleric's Pantaloons = 126


In terms of Tiamat, most PLDs will have arround 140(ish? I think that's what I'm at) from Fire Resist gear, plus 40(or 50 from +2 horn) from Carol puts you at 316(varies depening on resist setup, but a good fire resist setup should push the PLD over the 300 mark.)~

Having the merits at 8/8 would only give you an extra 3 barelements. Really not worth it imo, since it isn't needed.

[Eldelphia]

In regards to barspells-

Currently working on merits for WHM, my first priorities are capping barspells and shellra. Beyond capped skill, barspell merits and AF2 legs, is it worth maxing out enhancing for a few extra resistance? Taking a quick look, I think I can get 25 skill in gear (torque, earring, AF2 feet, cape) and a few more if I put merits into enhancing.

Realistically, it seems like that would net maybe 7-8 more resistance, is that going to have any appreciable effect on actual resist rates? I'm guessing in most cases, it's going to be paired with a strong elemental resist build.

Most of the gear is easy enough to obtain, I guess I'm just curious to know if it's worth the effort of actually getting and lugging around.

I have all that gear, barspell and 4 enhancing merits. It takes a lot at that level to shift them up.

256 Enhancing (with /SCH)
Cleric's Duckbills +10 skill
Enhancing Torque + 7 skill
Augmenting Earring + 3 skill
4 x Enhancing merits + 8 skill
Merciful Cape = +5 skill

= 289

Resistance gained from Bar Elemental spells = ((Enhancing Magic Skill / 5) + 40), rounded down.

Barspell = (289/5) + 40 = 97.8

Barspell Merits = +10
Cleric's Pantaloons = +20

Gives me 127 Barspell over 126 with no Enhancing merits. I'm considering dropping them for Elemental (6/6/4 Ele/Enf/Enhan) but I need to check out Phalanx formula before I do for RDM and SCH.

Without the +1 pants you're never going to hit more than 129 even with max merits. 131 looks like the cap.

Recently we did Ouryu and with barspell + carol you're looking in the region of 186 resist before any gear which obviously is a huge improvement over the base a WHM/BLM can get at 75 (86 ish?). Biggest thing you can do is get the relic pants.

[Eldelphia]

Am I doing it wrong or is this right? (Calculating Phalanx for projected RDM75 and current SCH75)

SCH
256 (with light arts)
+15 from feet
+10 from torque+earring
+5 from merciful cape
+8 from 4 merits
+7 from Argute body

= 296

(Enhancing magic skill / 10) - 2 = 31? (rounded down)

RDM
256
+15 from pants
+10 from torque+earring
+5 from merciful cape
+8 from merits

= 289

(Enhancing magic skill / 10) - 2 = 26?

And I guess the only way to improve on that is merits + relic hands but it won't beat out SCH? Or have I messed this up somewhere?

[arshesney]

= 296

(Enhancing magic skill / 10) - 2 = 31? (rounded down)

I think it's 27 here.
With relic hands (+15 skill) RDM should reach 306 enhancing, 309 with CoP lvl50 body for a 28-absorbing Phalanx

[Bakthi]

There's no doubt Omega ring is a sweet ass ring. Team that up with a snow ring and you're set ring wise since you said you won't get tamas and I'm guessing you didn't get Balhran's. As for the back slot, if you're going to do RDM + BLM there's a few choices:
1.) The Int, and the MND capes from Einherjar, but man thats 2 inventory slots, and 30k Ichior
2.) The sea capes, enfeeb +5 from drk, and dark/ele +5 from MNKm but man that's 2 inventory slots, and a shit ton of time invested.
3.) Prism cape, 500k, mnd and int +4, a few mps, works for both jobs, and you can resell it at a later date.

I went with #1, and personally, by the time I needed those two capes I had 40k ampoules sitting around twiddling their little ampoule thumbs. I've bought Omega Ring and Morgana's Choker, have AF2 belt for COR, and can't really think of much else I want with ampoules unless a shadow body abjuration drops...and I'll still have enough. If your shell does Einherjar regularly (we go 3x every 2 weeks), the ampoules are probably not the issue unless you're going for a mythic.

I'll grant that it's 2 inventory slots instead of 1, but:

1) I was almost broke by the time BLM hit 70, because I decided pouring gil into it was better than slower exp.
2) I can't imagine when I'd be at a point where I'm saying "Okay, I don't need my MND/INT capes anymore."
3) Although the back slot doesn't "count" when figuring HP latents for rings, Aslan can still be used to lower your HP before you start casting, and it's not a bad cape to cure in either.

This doesn't apply to RDM and BLM, but on BRD, I also appreciate the 1 more MND for Stoneskin over Prism, and either cape would only be for that purpose. My inventory is pretty crammed, but I decided I could live with 2 slots over 1 in this particular case.

[stewie]

Kikoku:

How potent is en-paralyze, and is it a static potency? Sorry if this has been asked before, search didn't yield much.

From what I've heard, it's worse than Jubaku, if that helps any. Follow-up question to this; does the paralyze overwrite itself?

[Isiolia]

I think it's 27 here.
With relic hands (+15 skill) RDM should reach 306 enhancing, 309 with CoP lvl50 body for a 28-absorbing Phalanx

Don't need quite that much. 300 exactly should hit 28 for both Phalanx and level 5 Phalanx II.

I use Relic Hands+1 (still +15), AF legs, Torque, Merciful Cape, and Glamor Jupon on top of based 256 skill, giving me 301.

FFXI Enhancing Calculator is handy >.>

It'd take 310 for 29 on Phalanx, 325 for level 5 Phalanx II.

And I guess the only way to improve on that is merits + relic hands but it won't beat out SCH? Or have I messed this up somewhere?

With Phalanx II, it depends on how many merits you have in it. At level 5, as shown, you beat, or meet, Phalanx pretty readily with "normal" amounts of Enhancing. As it goes up from there, Phalanx does pull ahead, but it starts needing skill beyond what you can have sans merits.

[Ophannus]

What about if you have +16 from enhancing merits?

[Isiolia]

What about if you have +16 from enhancing merits?

Posted a link right there, plug in numbers and click the button. =P

It's still all tiered, and would depend on what gear you have.

For RDM, the most you can get with gear alone is 304.

Base 256
Relic Hands +15
Artifact Legs +15
Torque +7
Merciful Cape +5
Glamor Jupon +3
Earring +3
for 256+48 total.

320 with full merits. Enough to bump Phalanx to 30 on the nose. Still not quite enough to get level 5 Phalanx II to 29.

On SCH, can't get quite as much with gear, so with full merits you're at 309.

Base 256
Artifact Legs +15
Relic Hands +7
Torque +7
Merciful Cape +5
Earring +3
for 256+37 total.

309 with full merits. Juuuust shy of hitting 29 (310).

(I don't think I'm missing anything, but you never know >.>; )

For RDM, if you're looking at Phalanx II, merits are moot point. You won't break 28, not with what's currently in the game.
For SCH, you only need to break 300, which is done with 4x Enhancing merits. 301 nets you the same 28 damage that 309 would.

Obviously, anything short of level 5 Phalanx II loses. Otherwise, SCH needs merits to quite match a RDM, though the disparity is only one point, so not much.