Bastion; i.e. campaigning the void

[shepardG]

I'll try to keep this OP updated as new info is revealed.

On that note...
Original post

Spoiler: show

I put off sleep to explore/gather conflux warps and check out bastion in miserux coast on my 80dnc/nin.

Things I got clarification on as opposed to the update info:

-Martello and the shields are low because nobody is doing them yet
- zone message will let everyone know you can recieve bastion status 2-3 minutes after the npc says whatever area (eastern etc.) Has reached 100%.
- I was in a battle for less than 2 minutes and recieved about 1600 exp.
- you can do mini quests that affect the in coming hoard if they trigger the various traps around the zone
- each mob is weighed individually when it comes to your experience earned. One mob who it 3-4 times and presto'd once gave 485 exp another mob gave 950+ after a reg step and an evisceration.
- battle litterly took about 90 seconds due mainly too the fact that it was me and 2 blue and a rdm participating so the hoard stole one of the martello enhacements (stole number 7 which affects loot pool....so there wasnt any drops as it took# 7 to zero)

Ill clean this up and update when I get home. If you have some experience/ info help me out.

Bastion FAQ:

- Your have to uses your Traverser's stones to enter abyssea and your time does still count down while under "pennant", so no free rides
- System messages will appear through out the zone
http://i887.photobucket.com/albums/a...emmessage1.jpg
to alert players that a battle is starting (This message is sent 2-3 minutes after a "Verge" hit's 100%)
-at this point you can sign up for your Pennant status to actually engage in Bastion

- you'll see the following messages within 2-3 minutes of the inital announcement message
http://i887.photobucket.com/albums/a...emmessage2.jpg
allowing you to gauge how far they are from the Pulse martello. (after the "100 yalms" message they'll be at "camp" within 30 secs usually)

- when the enemy is successful you'll get the following, which also signifies the end of the battle
http://i887.photobucket.com/albums/a...3battleend.jpg
As you can see, my pennant status wore, so I could no longer engage the mobs as they left with our "loot core" ((7 is for treasure))

- "Learn about the current situation will allow you to see the status of the pulse martello, the status of the 3 different Verges aswell as their trap status
http://i887.photobucket.com/albums/a...efectmenu1.jpg
http://i887.photobucket.com/albums/a...poststatus.jpg
(five is as high as i've seen it personally)
http://i887.photobucket.com/albums/a...ellolevels.jpg
http://i887.photobucket.com/albums/a...core7level.jpg

-The higher your pulse martello is "health wise" the greater chance you have of being attacked

- You can do mini quests with the local "Resistance Sapper" once per vana'diel day to raise the status of the martello's and/or traps you'll get Cruor aswell as Resistance credits .

[Loan]

Did one last night.. got 13k xp in less than 5 minute battle.. Got about 2300xp from the next to last mob killed, and got 3k xp from the last mob (a chariot).. I ended up with about 1500 resistance points too, but i also did a couple resistance quests before hands..

[Gwynplaine]

Should post this or there will be 100 questions from people who just don't want to bother reading the POL notice.

http://www.playonline.com/pcd/verup/...78/detail.html
Bastion

Bastion is the name given to defensive battles waged by the Resistance and its adventurer allies against the ever-encroaching Abyssean hordes. Bastion battles take place in the areas below introduced in Scars of Abyssea:
Abyssea – Attohwa / Abyssea – Misareaux / Abyssea - Vunkerl

Stout-hearted adventurers who lend their sword arms to Bastion can expect to earn handsome rewards in experience or limit points, cruor, and Resistance Credits, the last of which can be exchanged for Empyrean Armor and useful temporary items. As evaluation for Bastion battles is conducted on a per-enemy basis, even those with limited time can earn rewards commensurate with their contributions.

Participating in Bastion

image1) Proceed to a Bastion Area.
Adventurers can confirm the status of Bastion battles by speaking with either the Port Jeuno NPC "Horst," or the Bastion Prefect overseeing each area's outpost.

*Please be aware that system messages indicating the commencement of a Bastion battle will not be displayed for those who have switched on the chat filter for Campaign-Related Data.

1) Sign Up for Bastion
Each of the three Scars of Abyssea areas is home to a military outpost, within which a "Pulse Martello"—the cornerstone of the resistance effort—is stationed. Adventurers must help to repel the Abyssean hordes that storm the outpost, seeking the destruction of the Pulse Martello.
The outpost can be conveniently reached by teleporting to Veridical Conflux #00.

During a Bastion battle, the Bastion Prefect NPC will issue the "Pennant" status to participants. Only those who have received this status will be able to attack Bastion foes and earn rewards. Similarly to Besieged and Campaign, characters belonging to different parties and alliances can cooperate in felling the same enemy.

2) Pennant Status
Characters under the effect of the Pennant status will be subject to restrictions on certain other activities. Players who wish to engage in activities such as ordinary leveling and NM battles must first speak with the Bastion Prefect to have the status removed. The Pennant status will automatically wear off upon the conclusion of a Bastion battle, but you may choose to have it removed at any time.

Under the effect of a Pennant:
* You cannot engage in battle with non-Bastion foes. Similarly, non-Bastion foes will be unable to attack you.
* You cannot have healing and enhancement magic cast upon you by characters not issued with the status.
* You cannot receive or complete quests offered in the Abyssea area in question.
* You will not be subject to an experience penalty if incapacitated.
*The Pennant status does not prevent you from being ejected from Abyssea should your Visitant status wear off.
*Both Pennant and Visitant statuses will wear off if you are affected by the black magic spell "Tractor."


3) Repel the Hordes!
The fiends will relentlessly hone in on one target: the Pulse Martello that forms the keystone of the Resistance's defenses. To protect this vital but highly vulnerable target, makeshift searing ward replicas known as "Clone Wards" have been constructed in the immediate vicinity. The Pulse Martello will fall quickly if subjected to direct assaults from the enemy, so soldiers of the Resistance would do well to keep the Clone Wards functioning at full capacity at all times.

When an enemy is felled (regardless of whether the killing blow is struck by an adventurer or a Resistance NPC), adventurers will receive experience points, limit points, cruor and Resistance Credits commensurate with their contributions to the fight. Enemies will also, on rare occasions, yield purloined "martello cores," items which may be used to upgrade the Pulse Martello.

*Players level 59 and below will be limited in the amount of experience points, cruor, and credits they can obtain.

- Resistance Credits
Adventurers who battle bravely on behalf of the Resistance will be rewarded with credits, which may be traded to the Bastion Prefect NPC to receive the legendary Empyrean Armor, useful temporary items, and various other goods.

- Martello Cores
Upon acquiring these potent power sources from your foes, they will be automatically outfitted to the Pulse Martello. They will then grant a wide range of favorable effects across the entire area, from increased experience points to a greater likelihood of receiving valuable spoils, and more.

4) Laying Down Arms
You may withdraw from combat at any time during a Bastion battle. You will, however, need to speak with the Bastion Prefect NPC to have your pennant status removed if you wish to engage in other quests in Abyssea. Pennant status will also wear off automatically when the battle ends, be it in victory (annihilation of the enemy) or defeat (the fall of the pulse martello).

Resistance Ops
Adventurers may also aid the Resistance by undertaking special missions to upgrade and repair the traps that serve to hinder the progress of the enemy. Speak to a "Resistance Sapper" NPC to register for these operations, for which you will be rewarded in cruor and Resistance Credits upon successful completion.

*After reporting successful completion of an operation to the Resistance Sapper, you will have to wait one full day (Vana'diel time) before undertaking another.
*Please be warned that changing areas, logging out, or disconnecting while an operation is in progress will result in the mission being abandoned and all related key items being lost.
*Resistance ops may not be undertaken or completed while you have the Pennant status in effect.

Enemy Sighted!
Bastion battles will arise in all three Scars of Abyssea areas: Abyssea – Attohwa, Abyssea – Misareaux, and Abyssea – Vunkerl. The more adventurers distinguish themselves in their exploits, the sooner the hordes will take notice and commence their attack. Amassing considerable quantities of martello cores will also serve to attract the attention of formidable fiends.

[dannyl]

very excited to hear about this from a huge Campaign fan. I guess Campaign will officially die with this. They didn't even add new items to the ranks.. oh well!

[Nemesio]

Do these take up stones? Or if I request Bastion Status(whatever the heck it was called) am I stalled from being ejected?

[Cleverness]

So what's everyones experience with Bastion? Trying it out a bit and so far really like it, the battles don't last long, xp is given immediately. Gotten half a level from doing them between spell farming and random Abyssea quests.

On enemies, the Spheroid, Dolls and Jugs are squishy and don't take long too kill. Melee was around 150 with no -PDT iirc. At the Coast I saw 2 Acroliths join the enemy once, they are a bit harder and can do some damage, dunno if they can use anything besides Earthshatter or Sinker Drill but that's all I saw him use, Earthshatter wiped shadows and did around ~500 on my BLU with no -PDT gear on. Chariots seem really cheesy atm since the Martello's have low health, and their AoE can instantly kill them and end the battle before it has a chance to start.

The xp varied, I got as little as 500 from 1 mob up to 1990 from another. Best battle I had so far was about 11k I think, most averaged around 6k-8k though since it was only 1 wave. They are really short though, only battle that took more than 2 minutes was the one with the Acroliths, and it only ended cause a 2nd wave came(Chariots) and they made a straight dash for the Martello since there were no Clone Wards or NPC's blocking their path so they ended it.

Only major complaint is it doesn't seem you can strictly do solely Bastion without wasting a lot of Warp scrolls/cudgels or just always bringing someone to D2 you back to Port Jeuno. I tried going to each zone as the battle happened and wasted several, eventually after a win I decided to go and farm some Blue Magic spells since it seems it doesn't take too long for the next battle to occur if you successfully defend it. Unless I haven't seen it, hopefully they add an NPC that D2's you either to your HP or to Horst or to another Maw altogether.

Did Ward Warden I at Attohwa from the Resistance Sapper, had to go from Conflux#00 to a point on the map that was close to Conflux#04 to find some crates, and then stuff a pouch to its maximum with differently shaped objects. I was afraid of breaking it so I didn't put too much in there, but ran back and apparently you get Cruor and resistance points scaled to how much you brought, so there's a perfect combinaton(s) somewhere that would allow you to maximize the reward for this quest. Only did it once though before doing another battle and warping so the info is kind of crude.

[Gwynplaine]

So, the idea is to wait at Horst and ask him the state of each areas Bastion battle until a battle starts? Then he warps you there and you take conflux#00 to the fort?

[shepardG]

If shells do 120min NM runs I could see getting in 3-6 battles in between popping and or waiting for respawns. For solo though it would seem like the best way too seek for a exp party.
Also thank you gwyn^ ^

[Nemesio]

Says I do not have clearance... Wtf?

[Cantih]

I was in Attohwa and one of the verges was sitting at 100%. The Martello was 0%, and nothing was happening.
I talked to the sapper and did Ward Warden I, the moment I traded in the key item, the Bastion fight started.

[Krazy]

Just finished my first fight and got around 6k. I got half that from one acrolith type mob. Really like it so far.

[Jakson]

Can anyone gimme the pos' of Bastion npc (the one that gives pennant status) in each zone?

[chazzyphizzle]

You might be able to warp right to them from conflux #01. You don't get an option to activate conflux #00, and that is where the Bastion Prefect is.

[Synbios]

Can you get skill ups doing this?

[Wolfshadow]

Can you get skill ups doing this?

It's possible but the battles are so short it isn't a very viable method of skilling up imho.

[Tekni]

My computer keeps freezing during bastion during heavy graphics. I still get xp and shit, But my screen refuses to keep up.
Still get sound effects and i can tell when the battle ends so its safe to DC but i cant play during this time.

[Cantih]

Just lost an Attohwa Bastion
Bunch of Dolls and Chariots, NPCs got curbstomped.

Also, been messing with Ward Warden and just tried Desert Rain.
The tiers of sack fullness are [Sound, Taut, Streching, squeaking under tension, squeaking with urgency]
The last two will get you 500 and 1,000 cruror (50 & 70 resistance credits too). An urgent sack will boost the wards and martello by 10%

You can do a quest from sapper once every vana'diel day.

[Guitarman]

bastion seems very, very infrequent. don't know if it's because people aren't filling the martello or what, but I imagine once it catches on, this will be huuuuge. the one battle i did lasted maybe 2 minutes and it was a clusterfuck. mobs in a train just tore ass toward the martello, had like 7 npc that were fairly weak.

[shepardG]

Yeah G-man, I think based on what Cantih said about it idleing at 100% and then he finished his quest to raise the status basically triggered the battle to commence... i.e. why would they attack a martello that didn't have jack and or shit

[Guitarman]

my martello is at 6%, i did the first bastion OP (forget the name, first in the list), and it only regened the martello 1%... so this might take a while :/