What's Better?

[Tsuko_Asura]

Eh, speaking of campaign, what's the most effective way to show up to a campaign right when it starts/before it starts? I've always used the map to see what areas are currently in battle, and then show up to have it finish when I get there >_>

[Khajit]

Wait for the dispacted to X area message then add 10 minutes for the mobs to actually spawn.
I'm personally just lazy and I just run to whatever the hell is up.

[Seedz]

Just camp /cmap and keep an eye on which zones have the sword symbol and which don't. Generally, within 5 minutes a CB will start somewhere, and when that is done, you can check other zones that didn't have a symbol previously.

Or you could join me in my own personal campaign against the developer who came up with the whole campaign system. Could always help me hide the corpse.

[Raen Ryong]

There are information NPCs by the warp people in each nation (Taru is against the wall in Windurst, Elvaan by a tree in San d'oria... never done Bastok) which can tell you which campaigns will be happening well in advance. It's not perfect but I found they were by far the least tedious and most reliable of the information sources.

You still have to use your memory a bit and stuff though.

[requim]

Usually I decide to do campaign while a bit aways from retrace so I'll check my favorite zones' statuses and then wing it from there. Personally have had great luck with defensive campaigns for the sandy zones save necropolis (it can definitely be a good campaign, but usually issues when going on a job that can't reraise). The rest of the sandy zones generally have people there that could raise you were you to die back to back (single deaths it doesn't matter).

Non-sandy I'll look at Grauberg, Sarubaruta, and Pashmaw in that order.

Not the best strategy to predict campaigns, but it proved to work out well for me. Assuming the wiki is generally accurate on what gives you xp, I usually try to take as much damage as possible while surviving. So if you're a mage move into aoe ranges or melee counterstance mobs from the front. Even if you do go pld/rdm you will probably want to aim to take as much damage as you can while tanking and healing yourself. My whm often got more points during runs than my melees for mixing up meleeing and healing (based on AN returns for similar duration fights), and as a generic DD/dnc you can only heal yourself so gogo aoes and counters!

You can also go old school on finding them by just searching the zones and asking people, which is almost any DD/dnc or person LFP. They can usually be pretty informative on how long its gone, amount of mobs there, etc.

[ZhiGaruda]

Not really a what's better, but quick question about suggesting pld/rdm for campaign. Is all xp accumulated based on how much damage you take before or after phalanx, stoneskin, etc?

I could easily be mistaken, but I thought trying to mitigate damage actually decreased your potential xp. So basically the optimal solution was a sam/dnc spamming attack rounds, taking tons of damage, and spamming heals. Whereas a pld/rdm would be hitting for low damage and getting for 0 relatively often.

It's after Phalanx, but even with it, you normally aren't getting hit for 0 unless a shield block. It just lowers the damage taken to a point that you can easily tank several mobs at once without fear of dying.

You can easily hit the damage taken cap (may have changed over the years, last I remember was 10,000 per allied tag?) in the time alloted by most campaigns, while getting tons of TP from those mobs all hitting you for >1 damage, letting you Atonement more often.

[Rionel]

A few questions, if I may ask.

I've been meaning to rework my TP build as SAM. Now my gear is pretty much average, and I don't have much means to procure any Usukane etcetc gear... I'm terribly lazy and busy with school so not much time for those things. So here's what I'd like to do:

Hagun
Pole Grip > Rose Strap. Double Attack +2% VS STP +4
Walahra Turban
Chivalrous Chain
Bushinomimi
Fowling Earring > Attila's Earring. STR +1, ACC +3, Bird Killer VS STP +1
Nuevo Coselete (ACC +10, STP/Subtle Blow +4)
Hachiman Kote > Dusk Gloves. STP +8, STR +4 VS Haste +3%, ATK +5
Sniper's Ring . . . I know, not a Rajas Ring. Forgive me of Lords and Ladies of BG! >-<;
Sniper's Ring* > Ecphoria Ring. ACC +5 VS ACC +4, STP +1
Amemet Mantle +1
Headlong Belt . . . Not even Swift Belt?! I know, I know. I'm very sorry! <_>;
Byakko's Haidate
Fuma Sune-ate

*Actually, Windower Macros never seem to switch these out properly and I always end up with one Victory Ring equipped after swapping out of WS gear. What's up with that? Any way to fix this?

A poor and lazy man's build I know, but bear with me!

So really it's:

Double Attack +2%, STR +5, ACC +8
VS
Haste +3%, ATK +5, ACC +4

Would the 2nd gear set be superior? Stupid Dusk and movement speed though ;x oh well.

[Nightfyre]

Second build is superior. Your rings not swapping properly is likely due to having the swaps next to each other; put one at the beginning of your gear swap and one at the end to eliminate this.

EDIT: Add a condition to that. Second build is superior if you are accuracy capped (whether naturally or through food), or have sufficient Haste to make up for the loss of accuracy. You could stand to have a little more accuracy in your TP set.

[Kidnoftle]

So what ACC is necessary to cap against HNMs?

In acc+53, Dex 64, Sword skill 288 w/ dorado sushi I have around 65% on most HNMs.

I haven't parsed w/ madrigal up but I know it's still not capped on most things.

[Yugl]

In acc+53, Dex 64, Sword skill 288 w/ dorado sushi I have around 65% on most HNMs.

I haven't parsed w/ madrigal up but I know it's still not capped on most things.

If this is true, then you have 396ACC without Sushi ACC (But with Sushi DEX). With the ACC, you have 455ACC IF sushi grants uncapped ACC (Meaning there is no upper limit for sushi).

Somehow, I doubt that it grant uncapped ACC, but assuming it does, here is what we have:

[Your ACC-Mob EVAs-(LV Difference*4)]/[2]+75

I don't know specifically which NMs you're talking about, but after looking up Fafnir, Nidhogg, Ixion, Sandworm, Tiamat, and Vrtra, it seems most NMs are roughly LV90 with Tiamat and Vrtra being the exception (95). This will give us a VERY crude method of determining their EVAs.

((455-Mob EVAs-(15*4)/2) + 75 = 65
((455-60-Mob EVAs/2))+75 = 65
((455-60-Mob EVAs/2)) = (-10)
(455-60-Mob EVAs) = (-20)
(395-Mob EVAs) = (-20)
Mobs EVAs = 415

Now to work this in order to get 95% ACC

((Your ACC-415-60)/2) + 75 = 95
((Your ACC - 475)/2) = 20
(Your ACC-475) = 40
Your ACC = 515ACC

Note: This is a VERY crude estimate since it assumes HNMs are LV90, assumes HNMs have the same EVAs, assumes the parse was unaffected by status ailments (Flash + Blind), assumes the sample size is enough, assumes Sushi does not cap off in ACC, and assumes no debuffs (Feint).

[Yubar]

Drk/mnk vs. Drk/drg for zerging.

GO!

[Massimo]

Drk/mnk vs. Drk/drg for zerging.

GO!

Unless it's a 2-hand weapon with 5/5 Desperate Blows; /DRG.

[seiji]

A few questions, if I may ask.

I've been meaning to rework my TP build as SAM. Now my gear is pretty much average, and I don't have much means to procure any Usukane etcetc gear... I'm terribly lazy and busy with school so not much time for those things. So here's what I'd like to do:

Hagun
Pole Grip > Rose Strap. Double Attack +2% VS STP +4
Walahra Turban
Chivalrous Chain
Bushinomimi
Fowling Earring > Attila's Earring. STR +1, ACC +3, Bird Killer VS STP +1
Nuevo Coselete (ACC +10, STP/Subtle Blow +4)
Hachiman Kote > Dusk Gloves. STP +8, STR +4 VS Haste +3%, ATK +5
Sniper's Ring . . . I know, not a Rajas Ring. Forgive me of Lords and Ladies of BG! >-<;
Sniper's Ring* > Ecphoria Ring. ACC +5 VS ACC +4, STP +1
Amemet Mantle +1
Headlong Belt . . . Not even Swift Belt?! I know, I know. I'm very sorry! <_>;
Byakko's Haidate
Fuma Sune-ate

*Actually, Windower Macros never seem to switch these out properly and I always end up with one Victory Ring equipped after swapping out of WS gear. What's up with that? Any way to fix this?

A poor and lazy man's build I know, but bear with me!

So really it's:

Double Attack +2%, STR +5, ACC +8
VS
Haste +3%, ATK +5, ACC +4

Would the 2nd gear set be superior? Stupid Dusk and movement speed though ;x oh well.

ACP+rose+chiv+ecp+atila(get a brutal if you can)=4+4+1+1+1=11 ok for 6hit but need @least 9 in WS gear (rose +hachi feet)

[Argettio]

Drk/mnk vs. Drk/drg for zerging.

GO!

1 handed = DRK/DRG
2 handed with 5/5 DB = DRK/MNK
2 handed with 3-4/5 DB = DRK/SAM or DRK/DRG or re-gear to make up the extra haste
2 handed with less than 3/5 DB = Go meriting!

Obvious caveat: only when /nin isn't 'needed'

[Genrye]

only when /nin isn't 'needed'

The only time you need /nin is if your chain stuns are drunk

[Argettio]

The only time you need /nin is if your chain stuns are drunk

The only time /nin is needed is when the LS leader says so.

hence 'needed'

[Wulfgang]

The only time you need /nin is if your chain stuns are drunk

JoL, maybe Tiamat if your LS lets DRKs just SE zerg with some cure spam during landing phases. Anything that's not CS stunned, /NIN often works.

That said, before I sold my Kraken, I went DRK/DRG 90% of the time. Wyvern Earring + Targe's 6% haste can't be beat.

[Valisk]

That said, before I sold my Kraken, I went DRK/DRG 90% of the time. Wyvern Earring + Targe's 6% haste can't be beat.

Don't need Targe if you have VBelt/Dusk+1. Wyvern Earring + Januwiyah +1 ftw.

[Genrye]

Don't need Targe if you have VBelt/Dusk+1. Wyvern Earring + Januwiyah +1 ftw.

This

[Kidnoftle]

The only time you need /nin is if your chain stuns are drunk

False. Kirin is a good example of why /nin isn't a bad idea.