Gladiator

[Dein]

I swear that blurb about shields having a secondary stamina bar has been in the game manual since the alpha test. I won't get my hopes up for a sudden change until I get my CE tomorrow and I see a second bar pop up when I get a shield.

[Tanthalass]

I don't have a secondary stamina bar, at least not for Guard.

I suppose its possible once I get Aegis Boon, but I'm not holding my breath at the moment.

[Yoli]

Questions:

1) What's the difference between the pugilist taunt and provoke? I heard taunt worked like some ability from wow, where using it once simply catapults you to the top of the target's hate list at any point in time. Is that right, and is provoke basically the same, or different? Or do we not know yet? If that is how it works, does anyone know what the difference between those and provoke 2 would be? I mean, if the ability is just taking you to the top of a mob's hate list... how does it get better than that? Maybe a bad questions, since I'm sure people haven't had a chance to play with provoke two and such yet. I'm really curious though, about these abilities and their second levels.

2) You and a tiny party (let's say three people) are walking into an enemy party of three or four mobs. What's a good way to handle that? I had issues with that last night (which was my first time in a party really, since I didn't party with anyone in the beta). Part of it was just that I'm not used to switching targets in this game yet, but is there any generally good plan of action for dealing with multiple mobs at once? I assume that's going to be a really common situation, and I'd better figure out how to deal (maybe later abilities like aura pulse from monk would be good to open w/ some aoe damage. Anything at lower levels though?).

[Buddy]

Questions:

1) What's the difference between the pugilist taunt and provoke? I heard taunt worked like some ability from wow, where using it once simply catapults you to the top of the target's hate list at any point in time. Is that right, and is provoke basically the same, or different? Or do we not know yet? If that is how it works, does anyone know what the difference between those and provoke 2 would be? I mean, if the ability is just taking you to the top of a mob's hate list... how does it get better than that? Maybe a bad questions, since I'm sure people haven't had a chance to play with provoke two and such yet. I'm really curious though, about these abilities and their second levels.

2) You and a tiny party (let's say three people) are walking into an enemy party of three or four mobs. What's a good way to handle that? I had issues with that last night (which was my first time in a party really, since I didn't party with anyone in the beta). Part of it was just that I'm not used to switching targets in this game yet, but is there any generally good plan of action for dealing with multiple mobs at once? I assume that's going to be a really common situation, and I'd better figure out how to deal (maybe later abilities like aura pulse from monk would be good to open w/ some aoe damage. Anything at lower levels though?).

I would like to hear from others about this as well. When I did 2-3 man pt's on goats, our GLA would voke and when hp got low, I would Taunt on PUG and it was instant hate transfer. I know that sometimes if you had enough hate, it took more than one provoke back in the day (ffxi). I haven't tested this enough to be accurate though.

[solracht]

I don't have a secondary stamina bar, at least not for Guard.

I suppose its possible once I get Aegis Boon, but I'm not holding my breath at the moment.

Thanks for the info. Sucks that the lodestone lied.

[Arrmani]

I was wondering where you can get shields at? I'm trying to work my way up to craft one, but I haven't see anywhere to buy one in Ul'Dah.

[Tanthalass]

Thanks for the info. Sucks that the lodestone lied.

Dunno. Keeping my fingers crossed though. Having to constantly use both Stamina stopping attacks to raise my Shield is really dragging down my damage, especially in party situations. 2nd bar would be amazing.

I was wondering where you can get shields at? I'm trying to work my way up to craft one, but I haven't see anywhere to buy one in Ul'Dah.

Right now you have to get one crafted. Square Maple Shields are rank 7? Carpentry. Several people have them on sale on my server (Mysidia) for 20-30k. Pretty much the only way you can go right now.

[Dein]

You can get an Iron Scutum (or w/e its called) from the "weapon" vendor for 400k (it's one of the marked shops on the city map with a sword and shield icon), and there's a npc in the Ruby Exchange alley that has a rank 11 Round Chestnut Shield for 42k. It might be a bit cheaper to level up Carpentry to make a shield since if you want a Bronze Hoplon you'd have to level Carpentry up as a subcraft for it anyway.

[Hyan]

I think the economic system for this game absolutely blows. Got Armorer to 8 just off leves and decided to try and..you know...craft some armor. Can't do it. Only things my level are suits of chainmail or a bronze shield, both of which require materials from either leathercrafters or weavers.

Like was said before, crafting is a career in this game, not just some "lol I'll do some crafting on the side of fighting to make my own stuff" activity.

The economy will set off sooner or later. Does not happen overnight.

[Dein]

I don't know why people are complaining about the stamina cost of Guard so much. It takes as much stamina as Light Stab but gives you some damage reduction which also opens up the use of Phalanx. Phalanx barely costs any stamina and you can easily make up 250 TP with a single attack + block and it hits for the same amount of damage of a normal 1kTP weaponskill. Making liberal use of Phalanx can really make fights easy due to this.

[Tanthalass]

Like was said before, crafting is a career in this game, not just some "lol I'll do some crafting on the side of fighting to make my own stuff" activity.

The economy will set off sooner or later. Does not happen overnight.

Economy isn't going anywhere without an easy way to find what you need. It'd be like trying to find a store that has neither a name or a sign in the middle of NYC. But I'm not trying to derail (thought I was in the random question thread for some reason when I posted, which is why I cut it out).

I don't know why people are complaining about the stamina cost of Guard so much. It takes as much stamina as Light Stab but gives you some damage reduction which also opens up the use of Phalanx. Phalanx barely costs any stamina and you can easily make up 250 TP with a single attack + block and it hits for the same amount of damage of a normal 1kTP weaponskill. Making liberal use of Phalanx can really make fights easy due to this.

Probably because we were explicitly told we'd get a second stamina bar for Guard.

Nah, couldn't be it.

[Hyan]

Economy isn't going anywhere without an easy way to find what you need. It'd be like trying to find a store that has neither a name or a sign in the middle of NYC. But I'm not trying to derail (thought I was in the random question thread for some reason when I posted, which is why I cut it out).

But people will make it so. Now it's like everyone bazaaring wherever they want in XI vs. everyone being in Rolanberry/Batallia for easier access.

People will figure out these things and make more sense of the Marketplace.

Of course the more SE would do to help us the faster this would happen, but it will happen regardless.

Ok OT aside (sorry)

Having to constantly use both Stamina stopping attacks to raise my Shield is really dragging down my damage, especially in party situations.

That's kinda the point I think?

[Dein]

Probably because we were explicitly told we'd get a second stamina bar for Guard.

Nah, couldn't be it.

So basically it's complaining for the sake of complaining if you're not going to focus on that. A second stamina bar with the current battle system in place would make things a little too easy while on GLA (aka hi2u relatively reliable damage mitigation with no sacrifices) so it's not hard to see why they took it out when they changed things from Alpha. I agree though that they should not have put that on the main website since the game doesn't even use that anymore.

[Hyan]

I hope they'll still add a second stamina gauge for dual wield :Q_

Maybe make the individual stamina regeneration slower, but with 2 bars it's not an issue.

I wonder if they'll make it like Sentinel skill. Just equip a second one-handed wep, and you gain the Dual wield skill.

[Tanthalass]

But people will make it so. Now it's like everyone bazaaring wherever they want in XI vs. everyone being in Rolanberry/Batallia for easier access.

People will figure out these things and make more sense of the Marketplace.

Of course the more SE would do to help us the faster this would happen, but it will happen regardless.

Ok OT aside (sorry)

I guess. It's still a clunky system with no good way of gauging the price of anything. I get crafting is supposed to be something you focus on, but it doesn't really work out that way (at least from my experiences). Completed like 6 total local leves, skilled my Armorer to a respectable rank (1/5th of cap you'd expect to be able to make some sort of finished product..). I'm high enough rank to craft some basic armor, but I need 2 other crafts at the same rank or higher to obtain the materials. It makes no sense. Am I supposed to focus on one and not make anything? Or dabble in all 3?

That's kinda the point I think?

Ya pretty much.

So basically it's complaining for the sake of complaining if you're not going to focus on that. A second stamina bar with the current battle system in place would make things a little too easy while on GLA (aka hi2u relatively reliable damage mitigation with no sacrifices) so it's not hard to see why they took it out when they changed things from Alpha. I agree though that they should not have put that on the main website since the game doesn't even use that anymore.

No, it destroys my damage. Doesn't seem like it'd be too huge of a deal, except I don't hold hate for shit in any party situation I've been in, and the damage mitigation doesn't mean a damn thing solo if I can't kill what I'm fighting. Open with a voke, raise my shield, and the mobs gone. Fuck. Maybe things get better with Taunt + Voke, but I think hate's really fucked up right now. Also, trying to group for muti-mob leves is retarded. I voke one, the other 2 run off and hit whoever initiated the leve (an archer or mage or whatever). My voke is down for 10 seconds.

I hope they'll still add a second stamina gauge for dual wield :Q_

Maybe make the individual stamina regeneration slower, but with 2 bars it's not an issue.

I wonder if they'll make it like Sentinel skill. Just equip a second one-handed wep, and you gain the Dual wield skill.

Is dual-weilding even an option at this point?

[Hyan]

Is dual-weilding even an option at this point?

Nah, don't think so although I saw a guy with offhand weapon in one of the beta pics before. So dunno. Nothing like real dual wield either way I guess.

Making a class based on the concept of dual wield sounds like a waste to me though. Classes are a bit more diverse now than "you do many SC's" "you absorb hp with your attacks" "you have a wyvern and jump". I think dual wield skill would fit GLAD quite nicely along with the Sentinel skill.

[Tanthalass]

Would be interesting, especially since they've grouped Swords and Daggers together into one weapon class. Would give it a little more offensive power if you're not going the tankish route as well. Pugs have 2 fists, other DD classes use 2 handed weapons. GLAD as a DD seems kinda lacking, but it doesn't seemed designed to be one either so idk.

[Hyan]

Yeah, I don't think you gain any offense by not having a shield equipped right now? DW would solve that issue I think.

They can actually do what they did with Sentinel and give few "DW" based skills as you get higher rank too. They wouldn't have to create an entire new class with 20+ "DW" abilities and weapon skills but you'd still get something DW specific from leveling it. A lot of offense but no defense.

[Lucavi]

I'm kind of surprised they haven't released any information for 2-handed swords yet. We've seen that they're listed on the main website, but if the secondary shield stamina bar has taught us anything, its that you can't trust anything SE puts on any website until its in the game.

Still, FFXI had the rusted greatsword available pretty much right off the back at a low level, so its a shock to not see at least a busted, crusted, cracked, weathered greatsword or at least a bronze version for like level 20 or something.

[Hyan]

Oh, where are they on the main website?