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

[Trocian]

So the main way to level is still just to basically kill mobs?

[Raldo]

Leves are probably faster exp solo, but for optimum leveling speed in a party, yes you just go out and slaughter open-world monsters.

[miokomioko]

If you're solo, your best exp/time is going to be leves and behests. Hands down. However, if you haven't done a lot of quests, you can use their rewards to level up classes. It just takes a little planning so you meet their minimum level so the reward isn't scaled down. The main storyline quests have some pretty fucking hefty exp rewards...

[miokomioko]

8 attempts per node is the most you can get out of stacking Output, right?

[Niiro]

Si.

[Grey Jorildyn]

Yeah

[miokomioko]

Cool, gracias~

edit: On that note, about how much Output is required for a Lv.50 to hit 8 attempts on Grade-5? ( Obviously I'm kinda' new at actually gathering at actual "nodes." )

[Grey Jorildyn]

IDK, I have an old chart that i'm not sure is correct now. I am MIN45 and can get 8 hits on a grade 5 right now with Output 169 (score: 349, see below) . See below

Overall gathering score = (gatherer level * 4) + output

extracts g1 g2 g3 g4 g5
1
2 -60 -2 58 118 178
3 -39 21 81 141 201
4 -16 44 104 164 224
5 6 66 126 186 246
6 29 89 149 209 269
7 59 119 179 239 299
8 89 149 209 269 329

[Jamison]

Pretty sure that at r50, we found the output for 8 hits per node is between 111 and 115. It's easy to do with Raptorskin Survival Belt, Felt Work Gloves and Raptorskin Wookboots. (Cotton Work Gloves also get you there.)

I'm rather impressed it's possible to get 8 hits at level 45 now. Before the new gear came out, it wasn't trivial to get 8 hits even at level 50.

[Raldo]

I'm rather impressed it's possible to get 8 hits at level 45 now. Before the new gear came out, it wasn't trivial to get 8 hits even at level 50.

It's not so much that new gear gives you that much more output, it's because in one of the patches they reduced the amount of output needed to get more attempts at a node (or increased the base output granted from your level -- I don't know).

I've never really spent much time trying to figure out the requisite amount of output, so this is the best I can offer you:

Level 48 with 122 output : 8 attempts at Grade 5
Level 48 with 102 output : 7 attempts at Grade 5

If you're wondering why I have those two particular data points, it's because my offhand tool has 20 less output. Yes, I'm still not level 50.

[miokomioko]

Yeah, I'm still at 7 attempts on Grade-5 with 124 Output. I just pretty much wear the Raptorskin set and a Serpentcarrier's Ring (switching between thighboots and workboots if I need any Output or not, as I usually just fish at non-schools).

I'll give that 'gathering score' chart a shot later though~ My current 'score' is 324, so I should just need an optional Output hat of some sort to switch in over Serpent Sergeant's Coif to hit 329+.

Thanks!

[Grey Jorildyn]

Np.

It really is the gear selection though. The bandana has +12 which wasn't around before. Smocks +27/30, and the plethora of gloves they added as well as boots at higher level. Definitely is the gear since there's no other way to get output. It's very available.

I'd like to see an optimal level 50 setup for a dol though. 8 strikes and an ideal helping of per/gather(if people even use that). I kinda just do leves mostly, sometimes grind, for my gathering classes so I am really lazy about looking into gear for it.

[Raldo]

Gear may be a helping factor, but this was in Patch 1.19

[dev1160] Gathering points whose grade is relatively high for the player can now be exploited a greater number of times before depletion.

[Jamison]

I'd like to see an optimal level 50 setup for a dol though.

Here's what I personally consider optimal (obviously this is for mining but it's an easy swap to the BOT/FSH gear):

Main: Cobalt Dolabra (+perception materia)
Head: Felt Coif of Toiling
Body: Woolen Doublet of Vitality
Hands: Felt Work Gloves of Vitality -OR- Cotton Work Gloves
Waist: Raptorskin Survival Belt
Legs: Raptorskin Culottes of the Mind
Feet: Raptorskin Wookboots of the Mind

+stat materia where appropriate based on class

This puts output at 122 (118 with Cotton Work Gloves), enough for 8 hits but not stacked needlessly. Gathering is 80; can get all items although some of the hardest ones will occasionally take a second successful hit. Perception is 133 (137 with Cotton Work Gloves). MND/VIT are in good shape (mostly due to materia; stats on the gear itself is about what it was pre-1.19).

The only problem with all of this is that perception (IMO, the most important stat) has a limited amount of help it will actually give you; and MND (or INT/PIE) isn't super important since most (all?) the rare items are already capped at 1 per gather anyways. I'd love more than anyone to have a build that really improves the experience, but it seems stats just aren't important enough for that.

[Raldo]

I personally use Cobalt Preserves (Green or Red) because coifs are unbelievably ugly and Preserves make it look kind-of like I'm wearing shades.

One less perception? Totally worth it.

If you use the coif, I suggest you /display head off

[Jamison]

I personally use Cobalt Preserves (Green or Red) because coifs are unbelievably ugly and Preserves make it look kind-of like I'm wearing shades.

One less perception? Totally worth it.

If you use the coif, I suggest you /display head off

/truth

I should add that Cotton Work gloves can't take the higher ranked +str, so not as good for BOT if you care.

[Niiro]

/display head off always.

I would never deny the world my beautiful visage.

Physical stats for gathering are more or less worthless assuming you know where to aim.

[Raldo]

Physical stats for gathering are more or less worthless assuming you know where to aim.

All gathering stats are worthless past a certain point. Jamison's testing in the Miner Help + Question thread showed that even Perception seems to be capped easily. For that reason, I don't bother socketing my gathering gear with materia or put much stress on optimizing my gearset at all. I just dress myself up to look pretty (full leather jerkin set - matchy matchy colors). This obviously doesn't apply until you're rather high-level, and will probably stop applying if/when they add Grade 6.

Sometimes I even wear a random piece of crap gear to spiritbond it, because the stats I'm missing out on don't seem to matter. I've been making truckloads of Dated Walnut Masks because of CRP, so I spiritbond those while I'm out.

[Niiro]

For the most part, yea.

Enough Output for 8 gathers, enough Gathering to 1-hit everything, everything past that is optional and offers only marginal improvements.

-Magic stat if you have a use for multi-gather items (SE said this caps at some point, which I think we all assumed, but the way they said it made it sound like it capped easily)
-Perception if you actually have an intended use for HQ items

[Jamison]

Hey, I kind of like looking like a Russian nesting doll...



Instead of an actual miner...