You obtain a Map of the Quicksand Caves!

Only 13 months ago I got my last coffer key for the Quicksand Caves, and opted to use it for DRG AF. I never bothered going back for the map, because I didn't really need it but now with MKD you actually need that map to complete the missions.


After a jolly 2 hours of farming, I finally get the key to drop, and of course the coffer I've been farming around all that time has been opened, so I have to look for another.


Mog expansion is terrible. It seems every quest is either a really long tedious fetch quest, or forces you into a bottleneck to compete with other players for limited resources, or both. The cardian one is probably the only exception to this, as you can at least team up with other people so everyone can get the key items at once.


The story is better than ACP at the very least, but it doesn't take much to beat that nonsensical drivel.


I also had a go at the new weapon augment quest with a pick-up group that were shouting in whitegate.


The main guy is a bit annoying, because he's built like a brick wall and is unsleepable from the looks of it, so you have to kite/tank him (pld/nin with atonement is pretty nice for this) while the other DDs take down his wivre adds (which can be significantly slowed down by aoe attack down). He goes into a nasty headbutt-spam mode when he uses invincible (multiple times) which somehow one-shotted our pld on the third try. We still recovered and kited until weakness wore off, as it's incredibly easy to kite but it did lead to hate problems toward the end as I had to spam dispel along with being the only healer.


We did 3 runs, because there were other groups showing up, and we were already taking it in turns with 1 other group to do the fight (only 1 can go at a time) plus I had to go to dynamis, so that was cut short. As usual, I get junk augments until the 100th time, but this can get up to +5 damage and +3 STR/DEX which should beat my Thalassocrat. Obviously the best I get only matches a thalasso in DD stats, but is actually inferior due to the lack of evasion down additional effect. At least the DRG weapon is cheap.

Kupo expansion

I've been pretty quiet since the update, reason is I've been busy both in and out of the game. Less jolly reasons for out of game stuff, and that's saying something since 90% of this update I have only to complain about.


Farming Fantasy XI! I like my subtle additions to the MKD intro screen, courtesy of MS paint. I feel it reflects the true nature of the content.

Expect fun things like this while farming:


It's sad that I've come to expect these things by now and actually brought a whole stack of tools instead of 1~2 just to be safe.


Back to the usual luck with ACP augments, but fishing is level 6 now! Chances are I'll have fishing 100 before a good accuracy mantle. The worst part is with all these new-fangled high level augments about, you can get accuracy augmented onto an Amemet mantle or a foragers', but I'm not going to spam those at 200~400k a pop because you can still get negative stats and ruin your gear. Augments should be made like signatures so you can at least wipe them by AHing them, or make a quest to wipe augments off a piece of gear.

A couple of good things

An easily attainable strap gives me a gimp 6-hit at last without Rajas.


Obviously it's not ideal over a build with a Rajas ring, but it's a good tradeoff (6hit for the loss of 2% DA) for my current setup. I still have room for improvement, can add a PCC and get an ecphoria ring, as well as homam. Only downside is I don't (and won't) have enough store TP on wheeling thrust to make it to 100% with WS and 5 hits, I'll need one of those hits to be a jump. But who uses wheeling thrust anyway?


I've found these especially useful for catching up with my WoTG quests, so probably my favourite item from the update so far. Another warp addition to my satchel Dx

Move over, boyahda tree?

Found a much better spot for skillups/latent breaks - upper delkfutts!


Mostly EP~DC mobs, but they aren't hard if you're on a half decent self-sufficient job (NIN, PLD/DNC, RDM, DRG/mage, etc). Plus you get a chance at doing Pallas or Alky for free bracelets! Pallas is a little harder, at least for DRG because he keeps calling a pet which does about the same damage and can interrupt you. Alky hits a little harder (and does mighty strikes) but is no problem for drg.

The downsides to this place are magic aggro around the middle, and there's nothing around Even Match level (unless you skillup on Alky) so you won't be able to cap skills here. Also bracelets have a low drop rate, and Pallas's aren't really worth very much anyway, not to mention you need the NM pop item to drop first from normal gigas. I'm probably only fond of the camp because Alky dropped for us, so that's 400k each as long as the price doesn't crash :x

Also, a crap ton of socks dropped, so I kept them for desynthing into wool thread, which can be quite profitable (<3 satchel)

...well, that is if you don't break 90% of your synths.


This is why I rage quit crafting. Desynths are often a nice way to make money back, but you fail a crapload more when your crafting skill goes above the skill cap for the desynth, which makes perfect sense. 7 fails in a row, and then only one NQ success should not be something that occurs on a recipe that is 20 levels below your current skill.

Augment attempts have been kicking me in the teeth since I got that free p.rope as well:


I don't know why they even allow some of this junk to exist. Surely they can at least tell when an item will be 100% useless?


Fishing on the other hand, has been kind to me. I've been going through 1~2 stacks of bait when I go to Jeuno for ACP keys if I have time, and before Limbus because I'm poor and need it to pay for my airship ticket. I got level 4~5 in one sitting!

The version update 'teaser' got my hopes up for fishing adjustments, but it's just a buff for the Ebisu rod, which is already the best rod available and extremely difficult to obtain anyway (think Lu Shangs +1). Also lolbells and some crappy JP equivalent of the cheese sandwich (I bet it will have more useful effects than the cheese sandwich, because SE are like that). This is looking to be the biggest let-down of a version update ever, unless they announce something insane on Monday. Don't hold your breath.

Ohshi- I just double attacked my double attack!

A recent thread on BG has revealed to me that a few people are dead sure that you can double attack twice on a weaponskill and are spreading it around as if it's fact.

This irks me because I've seen no mention of double attack firing twice in any instance except for jailer weapons + trait, however it's long been established that jailer weapons cannot double attack on weaponskills and neither have I seen any evidence to suggest that it's possible to double attack twice during a weapon skill (not including dual-wielding and MNKs, I'm not totally sure if they can DA once per hand in a WS, like normal combat rounds or not).

I can imagine some people have seen strange TP returns and got the wrong idea, for example my Penta thrust returns 19 TP in the log after 5 hits, and 21 after 6 hits (1 double attack). This would give the impression of a 7-hit WS, as 15+1+1+1+1+1+1=21 (7 hits), however the actual decimal returns are 15.5+1.1+1.1+1.1+1.1+1.1=21 (6 hits).

I'm still inclined to believe you can only double attack once per attack round (per hand? I can't speak for certain about dual-wielders, less experience here) and this applies to weaponskills as well, obviously not on asuran fists as the 8-hit cap applies here, but is irrelevant to the point I'm disputing. I would like to see some testing to support that claim if people are going to continue stating it.



At any rate.....


ACP 7 finally put out something useable. Not what I wanted (accuracy cape wru? ;-;), so I'm going to keep spamming it. Extra 300k from selling my Penitent's rope and though a loss of -3 enmity for 12 MP isn't a the best tradeoff, I like gil. It also goes with the prism cape icon better.

Hundred fists + drain samba = ?

Yuck. I think it's because drain samba is based on weapon delay, as longer delay weapons drain more, shorter delay drains less so not to give an advantage to single-handed weapons (god forbid should someone be using anything other than a GKT to melee with these days).

This was leveling MNK to 15, just after I'd done RNG. I'm using 15 as a stepping stone towards 20 so I can get some decent gear for my jobs for the 15~20 stretch and re-use it on multiple jobs instead of leveling each one individually to 37 gimping it all the way. It's also useful (leveling multiple jobs at the same time, that is) because I can keep good camps in mind and go back to re-use them before I forget. Once I hit Qufim levels I'll start flaging up again. I still have COR, PUP, BRD, DNC SMN and SCH at level 10 so alot more work yet. Once they're all 20, I'll start taking them individually to 37, starting with the more useable/fun ones and take it slowly from there.




I ran out of arrows on RNG and had to grind my way from 14~15 by meleeing.


MNK. Turns out these birds link. Fields of Valor regen + drain samba (DNC is a zomg sub at these levels for most jobs) + DC~EM mobs is a great combo. If there was only a room full of EM mobs for me to solo...ohwait. MMM may have applications here. Sadly it lacks FoV, and caskets/kupowers.

Augmented junk.


I kept the Racc. +8 one for skilling on RDM. Still no capes. Had a nasty run of mythril ingots recently.


I also discovered what happens when you try to collect the afterglows again before JP midnight has passed. They still haven't done something about the annoying kupowers message. It should only be shown when you log in, or if you type /kupo or something to cut down on that annoying spam. At the very least remove it from city areas and especially mog houses.

And finally...new shoes!


<3 <3 Now if Temenos would put out DRG I could get AF+1 legs which would be amazing because a) They would tide me over until homam legs for TP, and b) It's the last piece I need to complete the best attainable Healing Breath setup.

Shame RDM can't use the boots, so I can't sell my dusk shoes :(

I want to do a convert guide at some point, and continue with paralyze testing, but that's stupidly time consuming and I have other stuff to do in game, like use my assault tags. Not to mention the update is coming on the 21st so that'll have me busy for a while. I'm getting the kupo expansion soon as well, because the trailer makes it look a little more entertaining that ACP was. And the hats.

It's been a long road...

Along which I've broken so many rods, lost so many fish, bait and lures.

I have tested the very limits of my resolve waiting, not idly - but with complete focus, for that all important, but ever-so-subtle tug on the line, then gave it my all; every time something, anything, caught that line I would give blood, sweat and tears until there were none left to give until finally, my quarry was mine.

My prey defeated, I reel in the line triumphantly to collect my spoils, this single fish, the final one of so many hundreds that honed my abilities over the past 4 years, this little fish that fought back taught me enough to break the threshold of my skill to arrive at the absolute goal of my unerring ambition.


Fishing level 3.

I've been sitting on 5 assault tags all week, help me!

See title.

ACP, the only expansion that STILL continues to give you shit, even after beating it:


Penitents rope -10 and a near miss on a good accuracy cape (trade eva for acc please?) are the best things I've gotten (apart from some 20k gold ingots). You should really be able to have more choice in what you get. I'm not saying you should churn out your own acc+6, STR/DEX+2 capes at will, but at least choose between randomly augmented cape/sash/whatever or a random gil item. That would at least make it a little less tedious, but still make people have to repeat it 1000 times to keep the devs happy.


Here's a cute screenshot to lighten the mood.


I got revenge on the birds for last time, no links this time around and got myself to 9 merits to dump on +1 STR. Still no party, not that I even want one to merit since I'm pretty much done, I just want to see how well I do. Next 2 attributes will be MND and INT because a) I've got a nice round 70 STR on DRG/sam/nin and it matches my DEX at 68 when /whm, b) It costs a hell of a lot less merits, and c) Who am I kidding? I don't use DRG anyway~


As much as I dislike it, I might end up finishing merits in Campaign, especially with the new bodies coming out, I'll need to get the next rank of medals.

Not pictured:

I leveled BST to 15 for the hell of it. Want to finish a bunch of other jobs to 15>20>37 eventually. I'll pick a favourite to take to 75 after I am happy with my DRG's gear (which may require things that are out of my reach to begin with).

Bought account you say? What makes you think that?

Call it intuition.


First attempt at Greater Colibri solo went well. I got chain 4, then linked these like a boss just after cocoon wore and couldn't keep up healing long enough to kill the first one because it spammed feather tickle >:|
Jump recasts came up a couple of seconds before I died, and they would have been enough to kill the damn thing.


Also this just poped on POL:

Job Adjustments and Additions Part I (03/07/2009)


NIN adjustments zomg.

Yonin looks sexy for NIN/DRK tanking, Innin less useful since you usually want a NIN taking hate when they're in a DD-situation (exp, merits, limbus etc). So neither help NIN when you want a DD tank, which is probably the job's most common use.

My NIN is 40 :3 only thing I ever used it for was farming a fomor codex. If only I got haidate back when I did sky, I might have leveled the job fully D:
Knew I'd regret not getting them, mithra NIN is sexy as hell as well :(

Mijin buff is good, but it's still a meh 2-hour even if not weakened after. Will be interesting to see what Nagi-Mijin does now (100% HP after will not suffice).

Also Part 1, so another job coming up! BLM? SMN? PUP?! Possibly new avatar inc.

Doing it wrong: Stoneskin

I've seen alot of people who stack MND everywhere they can for stoneskin, which probably is the right thing to do for jobs that have a hard time capping it due to no innate enhancing skill(BRD, SMN)it is by no means necessary for a job like RDM.

MOAR MND = MOAR HP???

While casting it in your impresive +10000 MND set may seem like a good idea as at least you're guaranteed to cap it that way, it's actually hurting you when you can swap out some of the redundant MND pieces for fast cast, damage reduction and +MP. If you are lucky enough to have stuff like stone gorget/mufflers then you won't need telling how to use them.

The reason I feel MP is an issue on stoneskin is because you often cast it before a fight, so if your stoneskin set has less MP than your typical idle/casting sets then you're losing MP before you've even started fighting.





Gearing sensibly

You should aim to cap stoneskin with the least amount of MND to hit the cap (you need 95MND total on RDM with capped enhancing), and add MND in areas where you lose the least MP, and use full fast cast gear to finish the spell earlier (it's a pretty long cast). Personally I find a wand/shield to be the best option for +MND, some people use an earth staff, either because they have the odd belief that it does something to enhance stoneskin (tip: it doesn't) or because they're using the -20% damage taken to avoid stoneskin breaking during the cast and getting interrupted when soloing. I don't see why people do this unless they are capable of cancelling the old stoneskin before the new one casts (either through zomg reactions or whatever windower plugin that cancels buffs).

This is what I use on rdm/whm:

The only gear I macro on is AF hat+legs/Relic Body, Wand/Shield, Tamas ring and Loq. Earring. This gives me 67+24= 91MND plus 15 enhancing skill, which equates to 5 MND puts me at 96 (1 over cap). For other subs like /nin and /blm I use a Prism cape and Communion earring to make up for the lower base MND.
This set maintains max fast cast effect, along with capping stoneskin and not dropping below 1000MP (assuming I was in convert gear before cast), so I can cast a bunch of other buffs for free before changing to casting sets. Also leaving slots available for stoneskin gorget and stone mufflers if I will ever get them :\

Enhancing vs. MND

Typically, enhancing skill loses as 3 skill = 1 MND so stuff like Torque, Relic hands loose out to MND options in those slots, however, having higher skill makes it harder to interrupt you.
AF legs (15 enh. skill, 3 MND) offer the same boost towards stoneskin cap as Mahatma slops (8MND), but also offer a little extra MP and reduce interrupts, making them arguably better (mahatma do have -4 enmity though). Morrgian's slops beat both for potency, but offer less -enmity and no reduced interrupt.

I need to tweak my melee sets so stoneskin casts in AF2 hands, which should help reduce interrupts further and are only 1 less MND than alternatives (devotee's+1).

So basically, gear for Fast Cast > "Enhances Stoneskin Effect" gear > MND/Enhancing (95 cap) > MP/conserve MP/etc
And remember, for purposes of comparing MND to enhancing skill pieces at 75 w/256 base skill, 3 enh. skill = 1 MND


Since I'm not sure of the numbers for BLM, SCH and WHM etc, check out this site - it also calculates enspells and phalanx. Also as SCH, once you're at the cap, -enmity should be a concern if you're using AoE stoneskin, because it does generate a fair chunk of hate if you're spamming it on 6 people.

Doing it wrong: Askar Korazin

Looks nice, doesn't it? Well, it is nice, and is a great situational piece for SAM. I'm focusing on SAM because I recently had to watch two of them gimp it up in this body piece while I dumped cures on them for hours and that put me in a bad mood, but I've seen other jobs use it needlessly, like WAR and DRK. DD PLD and BST can get away with it, because nobody parties with them so they can do what the hell they want.

DRK (scythe) is the biggest waste of this piece, because with 528 delay, they can get a 6-hit as /sam naked with a Brutal Earring.


Now, as a body piece this replaces the Haubergeon, so a loss of 10 acc + 5 DEX for 2% double attack and 5 store TP. In most conventional 6-hit builds, this allows for the exchange of Hachiman Kote for Dusk gloves/Askar hands and they can still retain a 6-hit as long as their WS build has a little extra Store TP somewhere. This is a good tradeoff when you're still hitting 95% accuracy with the korazin on, but most people have the mad idea that you can just ditch the hauby forever and rock askar fulltime. No.







Either that, or people have a strange idea of when they're sitting at capped accuracy. When it comes to meriting you need something over 400 accuracy to cap on the highest level birds (even more for mamools, especially NIN/THF), so around 400 will average to a 90~95% hitrate.










Both SAMs were under 80% accuracy, the DRG (also using Askar) was just under 90% thanks to accuracy bonus traits.









And for comparison, the DRG who outparsed them;



Askar SAM is fine for non evasive stuff, like Salvage/Nyzul fodder mobs, Dynamis city mobs(?) maybe even some limbus stuff, but for when accuracy isn't easily capped, it's not worth swinging 3%~ faster if you're missing 8%~ more often. And 2% double attack DOES NOT JUSTIFY FULLTIMING ASKAR. FUCK.