FFXIV Random Speculation/Question Thread XI: "How you liking that Beta Phase 5?"

[CrstyCptSteveWitherspoon]

Sadly I agree it's a pain in the ass to run back and forth but I've never really tried a big leve link or it on 4 stars(only 3 duo, I solo on 2). My issue is I'm 28 and the rest of my shell is mostly 34-35 for the people that are active on combat classes(I'm focusing on thm but also level every craft as well). I get the sp penalty when I party with them and usually don't make out good at all. Hoping they implement a good search feature soon(OR JUST COPY AND PASTE XI'S CUZ THAT WORKED FINE) so I can actually play with other people outside of behest.

[kyod]

Some R20 leves that are decent:
The Devilet Inside (Camp Horizon) [lalafell assassins/wisps/devilets]
The Wights' Stuff (Camp Horizon) [skeletons, this one is difficult, don't go high on stars]
Securing Horizon's Edge (Camp Horizon) [humanoids, this one is difficult, don't go high on stars]
Save the Lettuce, Save the World (Camp Bloodshore) [dodos, beware breath!]

Obviously start in Ul'dah and grab the Horizon leves and run out there and do 'em. Always make sure you kill the max amount of mobs on D.I leve. If you pop the Devilets, just run away and kill the rest of the assassins and wisps. You can really rack up SP on this one. After that you can head out Bloodshore, or just grind in Nanawa once you are high-20s. Save favor for the top three always. I would start DI on 2 star and the rest on 1 star until you are in the mid-20s. Then add a star to the leves every 3-4 average ranks in your party. Continue to do these in the loop on 4-5 star until the low-mid 30s while doing the Rank 30 leves to fill out the 8. Helps if you have everyone set a favorite in Horizon and Bloodshore to split Anima costs.

And as soon as you can pickup R30 leves, check these out. Start on 1-2 stars in low-mid 20s, then 3 stars until your whole group is ~33-35. Add a star every 2-3 average ranks in your group thereafter:
Necrologos: Adamantine Wills (Nanawa Mines) [you can start this one on 2-3 stars since the targets are Coblyns]
Necrologos: Levinshower (Nophica's Wells) [sheep targets]
Necrologos: Lightsome Verdure (Cedarwood) [gnats, be careful on star selection.]
Necrologos: Inferno (Cassiopeia Hollows) [slug targets, watch AoE]
Necrologos: The Moons' Mistress (Mun-Tuy Cellars)

What my group did was we all start grabbed Wills and Levinshower in Ul'dah, then headed to Mines to do the former, then ported to Horizon and hoofed it to Wells. Have 2-3 people set Horizon as a favorite camp to save Anima over time. After that we had someone take us to LL, we'd grab/refresh Lightsome and Inferno, run out to Cedarwood, do Lightsome, and run to CH and do Inferno. Save favor for these 4 leves always. You can get anywhere between 7-20k doing these depending on how (un)lucky you get doing them. We rarely bother with Moons' Mistress because it's just not worth porting out to Gridania, but if we did, we would just grind afterwards (we usually do regardless).

As people have already stated, in order to make sure you maximum leve-linking, you wanna get as many people in your party with these leves, so those people who have them should never trade them in, just refresh em at the guild counter ever reset. You will fail these leves (leave one mob up and run away, abandon the leve at the aetheryte, logout, or run out of the guildleve area). If you have 6 people with all these leves, it's best to do each leve twice with 2 links each and favor. That way you double up your leves essentially. It's great to have a huge party for leves. I mean imagine you had 15 people all with the same leve. You could do that leve 4 times with 3 x3 links and 1 x2 link. It will be great bang for your buck that way.

Does this apply to solo play as well? None of my XI friends are playing XIV at the moment.

[Jojimbo]

Does this apply to solo play as well? None of my XI friends are playing XIV at the moment.

It would work for solo as well.

Also, can you keep failing/dropping the same leve, or do you have to replace it after failing it X times? I've never held onto a leve for more than 1 failed attempt.

[Grey Jorildyn]

Adamantine Wills is the one with the coblyns that are 50000000 miles away from each other right? I wouldn't pick that one.

When you're getting 350+/kill it doesn't matter. Also, the leve can bug out and continue to spawn Coblyns even after the crabs have spawned. You can just keep going until time runs out then. A lot of the Necrologos leves are like that so it's totally worth it to do Adamantine Wills.

[Grey Jorildyn]

It would work for solo as well.

Also, can you keep failing/dropping the same leve, or do you have to replace it after failing it X times? I've never held onto a leve for more than 1 failed attempt.

can hold it forever.

[Cureslime]

Well if I ever find a linkshell that has people who actually play the game I will have to try it out. Of course it can't be that great or 20-40 would have taken you 3 leve resets and not 3 months.

Adamantine Wills is worthless solo compared to regular coblyn grind. That I can say for sure as I've done it myself.

[Grey Jorildyn]

Well I am working on a Master's so my playtime prior to Christmas was pretty asstacular. Since I have been back to the game full-time, we've gotten 10 ranks in 4 leve resets + grinding in between. It's only gonna get harder, so we are spending a lot of time trying to find a really good grinding spot for 40-44, since we know what we'll do 44-50 already.

Most, if not all, leves suck solo. The leve-linking + GF is what beefs them up and makes them worth doing. It beats grinding hands-down when your group is in a sweet spot of rank differential and leve mob range. Yeah, it dies down a bit, but then you move on to the next set of leves and do the old ones until they are just flat-out not worth doing anymore.

[Elcura]

I hate adamantine wills, as do most people. It's great SP in the right conditions, but it's do dull and demoralising that I don't feel like doing anything else afterwards.

Inferno is better I think, 4 stars, a few links and the targets are very easy to kill. Mages have to watch WS because of silence (which will kill you) but if they know what to do, it's very easy and good sp.

[Sephiroth]

I have 1000 horn faction points and I don't know what to do with them. I've opened the 250 leve but apparently there's no runestone so why bother?

[miokomioko]

Horn and Hand faction leves are a great way to earn guild marks for classes you don't care to gear up. They also yield the same damaged gear as the other two factions if you're after any of those.

[Sephiroth]

I am thinking using HQ repair mats increases the chance of saving your mat. I repaired my weevil bow 9 ranks below the bow twice yesterday with a +3 elytron and saved the mat both times. Saving a mat is rare, nevermind twice in a row. I mean, the previous night I failed to repair this bow six times in a row with NQ elytrons. Although I didn't equip crafting gear for that.

It's not conclusive, but something to consider.

[Celeras]

Didnt even know you could not lose the mat if you failed.

[Gadritan]

Didnt even know you could not lose the mat if you failed.

You can't.

[Sephiroth]

No, you can only save the mat on a success. My theory is that HQ mats increase the chance of saving it.

[Darte]

I apologize if this has been asked before, but can any conjurer get their AOE dart attack to work? Anytime I hit mobs it only seems to hit the mob I initially targeted, and never any of the mobs nearby (Even if they are standing right on top of my targeted mob).

[Lucavi]

I hate adamantine wills, as do most people. It's great SP in the right conditions, but it's do dull and demoralising that I don't feel like doing anything else afterwards.

I think the name for the leve is fitting. It really does require a strong will to endure.

[Kyroc]

I apologize if this has been asked before, but can any conjurer get their AOE dart attack to work? Anytime I hit mobs it only seems to hit the mob I initially targeted, and never any of the mobs nearby (Even if they are standing right on top of my targeted mob).

Unless it comes in at higher levels as far as I am aware, dart does not have AoE

[miokomioko]

Adamantine Wills really fucking sucks when you are still low enough to have to be careful about 4+ Molting Mitelings/Jumping Djiggas being piled up on whatever end of that tunnel that someone kited them to while your Coblyns are in the middle.

[Lucavi]

I remember those Djigga things. God those fuckers hurt.

[thisbjon]

Dayum dem djiggas.