State of Beastmaster.

[Sparky]

A couple of RL friends and I are returning to FFXI after a 3 year break. I was wondering your thoughts on the current state of Beastmaster.

1. Is Beastmaster still the king of soloing?
2. Will finding XP Parties be possible for a BST?
3. How does BST perform in END game Content. ENM ANNM HNM etc?
4. My group left right after we completed the CoP missions. How will BST perform in the completion of the remaining expansion content?

Any and all responses will be welcomed and appreciated. Thanks in advanced for any advise / info / tips.

[Khajit]

1) no. Other jobs technically solo better and several jobs can just /bst and be better at soloing than you are.
everything else) about the same as it was when you left.

[Gergall]

1. BST is awesome at soloing lots of stuff. However, different jobs are good at soloing different things. For example, BLM can solo Apollyon NW. RDM can solo Seiryu. PUP can solo Diabolos.

BST is probably the best job at soloing for XP.

2. Merit parties are often selective about their DDs because they want to make such they can get a very high rate of XP/hour. Most people aren't sure about BST so they don't get invites as often as WAR, SAM, or DRG. You may consider leveling another job that is more merit-friendly.

3. Their performance is technically fine I think of their DoT as being similar to a MNK. Between you and your pet there are lots of hits being landed for moderate damage, but not really much spike damage compared to other jobs.
That said, BST don't really get invited to much endgame events. Most players with 75 BST get asked to show up on other jobs.

4. ToAU and WotG are much easier than CoP and there are no level capped missions. BST should perform well.

Other advice/tips: You'll learn soon enough anyway, but familiarize yourself with the changes to BST over the past few years:

A) Having a pet no longer incurs an XP penalty. Of course, if your pet is a higher level than the highest level member of your party, the pet's level will still be used to determine the mob's XP value. So it's still a good idea to charm an Even Match.
-Side note: Fellowship NPC still incurs a 30% penalty. You can have a pet and an NPC out at the same time.

B) Ever since the anti-MPK patch a long time, releasing a pet outside of it's normal spawn area will cause it to despawn. You cannot leave a pet to rapidly regenerate it's HP unless you do so within its normal spawn area.

C) In response to complaints about item B, SE decided to make pets naturally regenerate their HP when they are not engaged. Using the Stay command increases this regeneration even further, but again the pet must not be engaged for this to work.
-Side note: I am currently soloing my 21 BST. When my 2hred pet gets low on HP I just tell it to Stay while I solo a quick easy prey. By the time I am finished, my pet is back up to 100%.

D) Using Reward also adds even more regen to your pet (this is the one type of regen that works while engaged).

E) Snarl, learned at level 45, transfers all of your hate to your pet. It is an incredibly powerful tool.

F) BST got some interesting job-specific merit choices for categories 1 and 2, be sure to check them out.

G) Timers on many BST abilities have been shortened.

[Cadsuane]

1.) For EXP, other jobs (ie. DRGs) do it better. You'll occasionally see BST only groups and LSs tearing up things like stronghold NMs; those niches are few and far between for BST.

2.) Conventional ones, not a chance.

3.) Like a third rate melee. Maybe with truly excellent gear and some Lars jugs you'll outparse an AH DD.

4.) See above.

Recently I helped a friend 75 a pet project BST which he's since decked out with jugg, maneater, haidate, PCC, and so forth. My DRG still regularly doubles his damage in event situations. Even though he can improve his merits and WS swap a bit further, there's not much anyone can do to change the fact that the job's underpowered.

[Tsuko_Asura]

Gergall, Beastmaster stopped being the most optimal EXP-soloist when CoP came out. These days, that title belongs to whoever can blow up the Goblin's Rabbit or worm the fastest.

[Gergall]

Another piece of advice for the returning BST: level DNC subjob. The reasons are Endrain, uninterruptable cures, and the defense/evasion enfeebles.

The CHR and job traits are a really nice side bonus.

[Valyana]

Which job will be best for soloing depends on the situation. I solo some things on BST, some on WAR/DNC, some on BLM, and occasionally even on WHM or BRD (Windy 6-2 BC for instance). Other jobs can solo XP a lot faster than BST now, notably BLM and SCH.

Snarl is awesome. If I'm soloing something with jugs, I can melee along with it and when my jug dies I just pop another one, Snarl and it's tanking. It can be used similarly if you get a mischarm while swapping pets, to give you some breathing room. And it lets you get away with /WAR in XP without becoming an MP sink.

BST is still a niche job. There are some situations where Charm is very useful, but /BST can usually handle that just as well. Some pet LS (MonstersInc on Ramuh, maybe others) like to push the boundaries of what can be done with only pet tanks, so you have armies of jug pets taking down Jormungand and such. In a normal L75 party, BST is a 2nd tier DD, mainly because it has no job-specific merits that improve its damage output. Though 5/5 Beast Affinity helps, making it feasible to use good DD jugs (Funguar) without spending a mint (Lars).

There has been somewhat of a shift in many situations away from using a dedicated Tank to using DDs to tank. Most notably in Salvage, but some other places as well. BST has trouble in this model, as your damage (and thus hate) is spread between you and your pet, Snarl drains all your hate, and the party healers can't cure your pet.

Gergall: I'm not very comfortable going BST/DNC when I'm using wild pets, as I need to choose between keeping my TP or using my Apollo's Staff for consistent charming...

[Isiolia]

A couple of RL friends and I are returning to FFXI after a 3 year break. I was wondering your thoughts on the current state of Beastmaster.

1. Is Beastmaster still the king of soloing?
2. Will finding XP Parties be possible for a BST?
3. How does BST perform in END game Content. ENM ANNM HNM etc?
4. My group left right after we completed the CoP missions. How will BST perform in the completion of the remaining expansion content?

Any and all responses will be welcomed and appreciated. Thanks in advanced for any advise / info / tips.

(I do have 75 BST, and have for years)

1. Not really. At best it's situational, but it always has been. BST soloing is very reliant on the environment. When and where it works, it can work well, but it's far from universal.

Soloing for XP is kind of a tossup. Yes, you still can, and yes, BST still does reasonably well across most/all of the level range. However, rate of XP still tends to only compare well with XP rates from years ago. Compared to modern party XP/rates, it's even more of a grind.

Then again, modifying the XP strategy may work well too, mass-slaughtering EP-DC mobs, using FoV, etc...were I to XP BST again, I definitely wouldn't be following the same 4+ year old leveling guides.

Outside of XP, it -really- depends on the solo. Pet strategies work great on a handful of things, are passable on a bit more, and just plain won't cut it on some.

2. BST still has a stigma of being a subpar DD...which at endgame rings quite true, but in lower levels not so much. Still, actually being invited to an XP party...a good XP party, not one desperate to get a sixth...will be very unlikely.

3. Depends on what. Generally speaking you have a handful of things where they shine, but in the majority they're just a subpar DD. There aren't many things where they'd be a straight up liability, but there's very rarely an actual reason you'd want a BST over a different DD job.

4. Depends. They can work fine as a DD. More than one BST in something like ACP11 or Alexander fight would probably be a liability.

It's kind of a job that you make work if you want to, but rarely has a specific reason to get invited.

[Gergall]

Gergall: I'm not very comfortable going BST/DNC when I'm using wild pets, as I need to choose between keeping my TP or using my Apollo's Staff for consistent charming...

Excellent point. I am a very casual player and have been soloing BST in half-hour chunks, using Familiar nearly all the time so that I don't need to worry about charming. I only use non-2hr charming after Familiar if I need a few more kills to finish an XP ring or a Fields of Valor regime.

[Rasantath]

Excellent point. I am a very casual player and have been soloing BST in half-hour chunks, using Familiar nearly all the time so that I don't need to worry about charming. I only use non-2hr charming after Familiar if I need a few more kills to finish an XP ring or a Fields of Valor regime.

when you get to 23 you can jug it full time, or swap to a charmed pet if your jug dies too fast. using reward frequently is also a good idea when using a 2h'd and/or jug pet, to maximize its survivability.

[enoch]

Having just taken BST from 1-75 as my first job on this character (other character had 6x 75's) I can say it's a change of pace and a load of fun. The exp keeps coming in quicker and quicker as you get higher level. The Maat fight was literally a joke.

Took me about a month of soloing to get from 1-75 using FoV with NPC, solo FoV, group FoV, duo and trio parties. I don't think my BST has ever been in a "standard" party.

Now that I'm 75, I've compiled a list of gear that I need to max out BST. Just AH stuff, not counting Abjs, not counting HQ JSE (stout) - the bill ran to about 33mil. A lot of that gear is situational, but still. That's not counting the variety of endgame gear BST gets - heca/adaman, sky, skadi, askar, pahluwan, aurum... lots of choices.

BST is viable. I wouldn't bring it to Salv, I wouldn't use pets vs. DI (though it might be funny to watch)... but it's a fun and viable job. I'm still exploring all the fun things you can do with it.

[Midnightjade]

A couple of RL friends and I are returning to FFXI after a 3 year break. I was wondering your thoughts on the current state of Beastmaster.

1. Is Beastmaster still the king of soloing?
2. Will finding XP Parties be possible for a BST?
3. How does BST perform in END game Content. ENM ANNM HNM etc?
4. My group left right after we completed the CoP missions. How will BST perform in the completion of the remaining expansion content?

Any and all responses will be welcomed and appreciated. Thanks in advanced for any advise / info / tips.

I've been BST75 for 3 years and love the job to pieces, play it as main or sub an awful lot. That being said, given the current state of the job the answers to thee questions are:

1. No - my RDM friend can solo stuff I wouldn't even dare to try (and I'm good, and I have good gear).
2. It might be but you'll need to wait a while, maybe a long while. Most normie jobs don't understand BST and don't invite them. Similar to PUP really. They'd rather take a SAM or WAR with bad gear over a BST with good gear.
3. I have BRD and BST at 75. In the last 2 years I have been to three (3) events as BST, each time when my group had literally no other melee jobs available and asked me out of desperation. I go to events a few times a week as BRD and everyone is really happy their party has a BRD. They're good folks and I love playing with them, but BRD is just more useful than BST in party/ally.
4. For the soloable stuff you should be fine and will have fun. For the stuff where you need a party, you won't get an invite unless it's someone you know or they're desperate.

Sorry I can't be more positive. If it were me and I was starting again I would level RDM instead. I'm not trolling - me and my friends that have BST at 75 all agree the job is majorly broken at this point.

Good luck.

[The Stig]

You're fine Midnightjade, I too agree BST isn't that up to par right now. I also think that BSTs should not get pet augments on their Mirkes purely because the boost is too insignificant to the pet compared to the (stackable) gear the other 2 pet jobs get (look at all the Avatar/Automaton items), with the view that despite having a mere +10 Attack/Accuracy/Double Attack/Critical on a BST's pet, it's far unlikely going to get much gain out of it, or noticable.

[SephYuyX]

I lvld BST before ToAU, so im biased towards all those questions and hate SE for implementing all these changes that made BST so easy to lvl now a days. But yeah, people still dont accept BST, and BST is outsolod now, and it's still just a niche job in most cases. Yeah, you can go out of your way and do cool things in PTs, be a good DD, solo lots of BCs etc, but it's just not worth the trouble anymore to lvl BST.

BST used to be bullgod and solo things no one else could, but now almost any job can solo anything, so BST is pretty obsolete unfortunately. Given the right people, with the right equip BST can still do a lot of things, but most people just cant be arsed to put in so much effort anymore.

[Panthera]

1. Is Beastmaster still the king of soloing?

Bst is still very good at soloing in some contexts. It's safe to say that the job specializes in soloing, but that's not to say it's the best soloer in all situations. Blms vs. Puddings and other things, Drgs/mages vs. Colibri, etc.

2. Will finding XP Parties be possible for a BST?

Possible? Yes. Likely? No. If the PT wants a LV Synch designee, they might resort to a bst. They do get decent axe skills and Rampage, and Haubergion, and is able to Snarl hate onto the pet. Bst *shouldn't* be overlooked for PTs, but regrettably, they are.

However, it's easy enough for a bst to get invited to a duo, and Bst function well in an all-pet job pt.

3. How does BST perform in END game Content. ENM ANNM HNM etc?

A decent DD in Dyna/Sky/Einy. If all that's needed is an SC for HNMs, they can do that, though i think other jobs are better (sam, Thf for TH, etc).

4. My group left right after we completed the CoP missions. How will BST perform in the completion of the remaining expansion content?

Can function as a melee DD decently in various fights.
Can handle adds in ACP.

Any and all responses will be welcomed and appreciated. Thanks in advanced for any advise / info / tips.

I've used the word "decent" repeatedly, to suggest that Bst isn't the "King of Melee DD." You may find that in end game situations, other jobs are more desired.

[Rampagee]

A couple of RL friends and I are returning to FFXI after a 3 year break. I was wondering your thoughts on the current state of Beastmaster.

1. Is Beastmaster still the king of soloing?
2. Will finding XP Parties be possible for a BST?
3. How does BST perform in END game Content. ENM ANNM HNM etc?
4. My group left right after we completed the CoP missions. How will BST perform in the completion of the remaining expansion content?

Any and all responses will be welcomed and appreciated. Thanks in advanced for any advise / info / tips.

IMO

1. Depend on what you soloing and what area you in. Example You would solo easily in The Tree compare to Ro'meave due to pet population.

2. Finding exp is gonna be tough then again why do you need exp pt for BST? Especially you gonna duo with your friend. You better off find good duo / trio camp for bst to 75 is really easy.

3. ENM - I try trio 3 bst on "Like the wind" once it was kinda fun ,but pet didn't keep hate you will have to run your ass off ,but yea that the only one I can think of. ANNM - I have only done Batalia down and Rolanberry I don't think bst will be useful there or those pet can be even charm. HNM - BST can be useful to clear out the aggro in um.. VoS ,but then again it not ness. to be bst. If you really want to do end game as bst I would recommond joining those pet LS around FFXI server.

4. TOAU - mission you can properly use bst until last 2 mission well that what i did.
WoTG - I have not done much myself
Crystal of Pros - you can use bst until last mission *i switch to smn*

then again I love BST have not use it much since I log back on from away several year.

[[Vax]]

If you gear it right, BST is one of the top EXP PT DD's until mid to late 60's. Just make sure you use food and stuff and you can easily keep up/surpass the others. Your pet's dmg really adds up.. but later on it starts to die out :/

I'm azron in the parses.

Spoiler: show

(Lv37~42ish exp, colibri)
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e1...x/bstparse.jpg

(Lv56~59ish exp, lesser colibri)
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e1...ntitled-18.jpg
Lesser acc sam was polearm.

Not going to claim the other DD's in this pt were uber but they weren't horribly geared. Wish I still had the ss's of them.

[Hyan]

That goes for PUP too IMO. 1st in every parse until high 60's, before the puppet combat skill update. But yeah, 90% of PUP's suck so it's no wonder they don't get invited..

[Vilyon]

OMG after reading all this I'm thinking about stopping my bst at 71..... sounds like I've wasted my time ; ;

[Ahlah]

1. Is Beastmaster still the king of soloing?
2. Will finding XP Parties be possible for a BST?
3. How does BST perform in END game Content. ENM ANNM HNM etc?
4. My group left right after we completed the CoP missions. How will BST perform in the completion of the remaining expansion content?

Any and all responses will be welcomed and appreciated. Thanks in advanced for any advise / info / tips.

1) BST is never the "King" of soloing. Goblin's pets have been in-game for ages, many jobs can build exp chain on them and are not limited by availability of local pets. BLMs used to be a popular exp job and there was no reason for them to play with goblin's pet when they can join exp party for safer and better xp. This gives the false impression that BST is the only job that can handle solo from lv1-75
RDM is untouchable when it comes to endgame high level NM solo. BST is still the best solo job in level capped areas though (e.g. Swift belt NM in Sacrarium)

2-3) I guess it varies from server to server, there is a severe shortage of low level players (mainly 37-60) and most party leaders will grab any job available. BST do well at those levels. Bear in mind it requires much more exp to level from 60-75 and to obtain merits past lv75. Unless you are happy with killing mandies in the Boyadha tree for 3k exp/hr, you are going to be really frustrated by lack of party invite at lv75.
BST was intended to be a melee job when the job was first introduced to the game. Why would SE give BST the best melee body in this game if BST was only designed to solo EM/T pet? A.hauberk can only be equiped by 3 melee jobs. The best axes in FFXI are exclusive to BST (e.g. Guttler, Temperance axe) Yet BST is probably the weakest endgame melee. All other DD jobs in this game have received huge boost in their performance since TAU release whereas BST remain largely unchanged since CoP.
Just don't keep your hope up, endgame linkshells are unlikely to run out of well geared melee jobs. Can you think of a good reason why they should invite a mediocre melee job and invest their time/effort to gear up one when there are 14 other DD jobs which can potentially outperform BST?

4) If you are thinking of returning to FFXI, I will recommend leveling RDM first as long as you don't hate the job. It's the most popular exp job all the way from lv1-75 and highly versatile in endgame events. For example, 2 RDMs can duo all TAU mission battles until the last 2 missions. Once you are in a well established endgame LS, level BST at your own time and slowly gear up the job. At lv75, RDM/BST will outperform BST main under most circumstances anyway so it will be worth getting RDM to lv75 first.