What a week

Well, for starters, Temenos was good to me this past Sunday. We did have a cobalt mithril sheet drop, but someone else won it. However, it did put out not one but two scarlet odoshi, meaning I'll have a pair of Myochin Haidate +1 this Sunday. :) But the fun doesn't stop there. Dhalmels, ponies, 3-headed dogs and fulminations, oh my!

Lots of stuff

So last month's Vana'fest brought us many interesting revelations. The first being that after several years at 75, we'll be making a climb to 99. So to safeguard against our current gear falling into obsolescence, SE had the foresight to add a series of quests called the "Trial of the Magians", which allow us to upgrade our hard-earned gear. Moreover, it looks like we're getting Walk of Echoes in June. Time to catch up on those damn Wings missions. Maybe getting help won't be so terrible now that we know the pot of gold at the end of that rainbow. But since the older stuff isn't being scaled to accommodate for the higher levels, I'm half-tempted to just wait until the level cap goes to 80 in June and bang out as many as I can solo.

So it seems I've got my work cut out for me in the next three months in terms of catching up on campaign and missions as well as leveling subjobs to 49. I'd already be hacking away at this were it not for being sidelined by PC issues late last month. But I should be back up and running Monday, or even Tuesday since I'd have to re-install and endure that 4+ hour patch-a-thon.

When applying to endgame linkshells...

When someone applies to an endgame linkshell, you would hope that they have the presence of mind to put their best foot forward and paint themselves in the best light possible with what they have available to them. This is often their would-be colleagues' first glimpse at them. Now imagine yourself in this situation. While you may not, for example, be a pimped out BLM with a novio or AF2 head and other premium BLM gear, you can still show what you have to prove that you can intelligently equip said job. Another thing is merits. Be specific! How you merit the job provides insight into your understanding of the job. Here's how NOT to answer this part.

Important Merit Status: SAM

OK, that speaks fucking volumes. Yeaaaahhhh. For all we know, you could have some stupid shit like 5/5 Zanshin and Warding Circle recast. This would prove that you have absolutely no understanding of said job and how your merits enhance its performance. Absolute waste of a DD slot that could have been used by someone more competent that ended up going as something else.

Now let's look at how this SHOULD be answered.

Important Merit Status: SAM: 5/5 Store TP, 5/5 Third Eye, 5/5 Overwhelm

This is more like it. They may not be finished meriting the job, but this explains EXACTLY what's there and also demonstrates an understanding of the job itself.

This is something that's always bothered me. People that apply to Beyond (or really any LS) and just half-ass it by being really vague and having a poor attitude just drive me (and others) nuts. You either want to be a part of our team or you don't. If you do, please make an effort to show that you do. If you don't, then stop wasting our goddamn time!

I feel pretty, oh so pretty....

So it seems Omega has had a penchant for leaving us doubles of its body parts the past three fights. Back in November, we got double feet before we went back to Temenos. So after our business with Ultima was concluded, we were back in Apollyon where we faced Omega again last week and it too yielded double feet. Fast-forward to this evening. Pattern of doubles continues. But....



Then moments later, this happened.



So yeah, I'm now the proud owner of a pair of Homam Manopolas making me 3/5 on this stuff. Many thanks to my friends in Beyond.

But the night wasn't over yet. After taking a short break, it was off to Mt. Zhayolm to beat up on some three-headed dogs. So the big doggies we beat put out rather nicely. Among the obligatory hides/meat, we saw an oracle body, a Sarameya hide, and the coveted Hachiryu haidate. So yes, a great night it was. Now let's hope our encounters with Kirin are as bountiful.

Here we go again.

It is our pleasure to announce that the next edition of VanaFest, Japan's premier Final Fantasy XI fan event, will be held on Sunday, February 28th 2010 in Tokyo!

Attendees can expect this year's event to be a veritable goldmine of mind-blowing news. Development and operation team members will engage in a talk session and divulge juicy pieces of information such as new content scheduled for upcoming version updates, planned job improvements, and other exciting milestones for the year 2010. The evolution of Final Fantasy XI is far from over, folks!

But save your awestruck faces for the special announcement...and be sure to hang on to your seats when it comes!

Even those unable to attend need not be disheartened! All the latest news and developments announced at the festival will be delivered to you hot off the press, so stay tuned!

There it is, SE's official blurb. I see they skipped a year.

Here we go again....

"How do you kill AV for real?" x 900000000

"More cutesy items like bells and chocobo hats {Can I have it?}"

"More avatars! More avatars!"

OK, so we know the last one is coming down the pike, so it's a matter of "what?", or rather "who?" I don't even have SMN opened, let alone leveled so I could care less, much like the AV thing.

No new zones/mobs, so most likely no more new BLU spells for a while. Well, that is, unless you count "Walk of Echoes" but no one is certain how that will be implemented outside of cutscenes. I think that's the place where you see Cait Sith and Atomos, but I've barely touched anything "Wings" related outside of Campaign.

We shall see what the future holds on the final day of February!

A nice Christmas Eve laugh

And this has nothing to do with Christmas whatsoever.



Gotta love FFXIAH.

I'll have part 2 of "the frugal gourmet" up sometime after the holiday.

Merry Christmas!

Blue Mage - The Frugal Gourmet Part 1

After seeing my share of 70+ blue mages still running around in full AF and MP gear within the past several days, I've decided to make this post on BLU gear that won't break the bank. The idea for this came from Ringthree's "On the Cheap" series and will follow a similar format.

For starters, you can't be dumb, and must be willing to spend a little bit of money. Also you should be able to do some endgame events. This means having sky and sea, preferably having done CoP to the end. You should also obtain all of your spells or be close to getting them all.

BLU is a job that requires a great deal of patience and luck in terms of spell acquisition, which in turn puts many people off from it. However it can prove very enjoyable and rewarding if you stick with it. Its power is derived from its versatility and the fact that it can fill a number of roles on the fly should the situation arise. You won't have the nuking power of a BLM, the muscle of a SAM or the healing prowess of a WHM, but you CAN still assist your party in many ways. However, because of this, I do believe that a number of people try to go for the middle of the road, which hinders their performance significantly in the end. Since we tend to guzzle MP like an old car guzzles gasoline, we need to get all we can from it.

If you happen to be one of those that run around in MP gear and aren't using it for other jobs, just sell it. Or just fucking quit now. Seriously. There are enough bad ones as it is, so stop contributing to the problem. I am merely providing this as a set of suggestions to help get you from where you are to where you should be.

Now, on to the gear.

Weapons

Swords: As a BLU, your primary weapon 99% of the time is going to be a sword of some kind. We have an A- skill level in that weapon just behind PLD. We get off fairly easy in this department. One of the best BLU swords in the game is the Perdu Hanger. While this does not cost any gil, it does require a substantial amount of legwork in terms of assaults as well as the quests involved with ranking up. On top of that, it requires 40,000 Imperial Standing. The latter should not be a problem if you spend a decent amount of time meriting. Another choice is the Koggelmander, which can be obtained by gathering a few friends to blow up Tanihwa in MMM. Next up is the Beast Slayer, which is easily obtained by defeating the ZNM Cheese Hoarder Gigiroon. For the off-hand, there is the Ifrit's Blade. Piece of cake if you can solo Ifrit Prime or have a couple of friends you can team up with. Failing that, you could use a Wing Sword, but that's suited more for Cannonball which I will cover later. Also worth noting is the Erlking's blade from the update this past Summer which has a chance for some solid augments. Like FoV augments, it will require you to get your hands dirty and beat up an NM, but that shouldn't be too much of an issue with any skilled group.

Staves: Now, at some point in time, you will be called upon to assist in healing or sleeping groups of mobs (particularly dynamis or einherjar), so it would behoove you to obtain a Light Staff. You should also have a Dark Staff by now, but really that should go for anyone with an MP pool. It's also nice to have around for casting spells like Eyes on Me. The Fire Staff can be used with Cannonball (coupled with a brave grip) in addition to Heat Breath and Firespit. Also worth note is the Water Staff for regurgitation and corrosive ooze.

Ranged/Ammo: The Jr. Musketeer's Chakram +1 is nice for pulling or if you're /THF in an area such as sea or your home nation doesn't have Tu'Lia. The accuracy from the Tiphia Sting is also a nice option for multi-hit spells.

Now, on to TP. Chances are you will be subbing Ninja, and most likely your accuracy won't be capped. As such, you're likely going to be eating sushi of some kind.

Head: Walahra Turban, plain and simple.

Neck: The Spectacles are a cheap and effective boost in accuracy, and can also be employed for multi-hit spells such as Frenetic Rip. The Chivalrous Chain is a popular choice for all DD's and BLU is no exception.

Earrings: This is a pretty easy slot. The first choice being a Suppanomimi. This reduces the delay of dual wield by 5%. Even if not /NIN, the sword skill is also nice. The Brutal Earring with its 5% double attack will help you gain TP faster. The Ethereal Earring is particularly advantageous in solo situations where you are taking damage and are low on MP.

Body: Here is where things get interesting. Many would argue that this is a toss-up between the Homam Corazza and the Mirage Jubbah. The corazza offers 5 more accuracy than the jubbah and a bit more MP plus some HP as well as triple attack. The big draw of the Mirage Jubbah is the refresh effect. If you don't have either of these, then a Scorpion Harness will do. You really should be aiming for one of the first two, if not both. Any Dynamis shell worth its salt should be able to clear the four cities. If not, you're simply wasting time and experience points.

Hands: As with the other jobs that can use them, the Homam Manopolas are the cream of the crop, followed closely by the Dusk Gloves. Also worth mentioning are the Enkidu's Mittens, which provide a decent amount of accuracy but you give up the haste from the other two.

Rings: If you have other DD jobs, chances are you'll already have a Rajas Ring. If not, then a Blood Ring or an Ulthalam's Ring paired with a Woodsman or Sniper's Ring will work.

Back: The Amemet Mantle +1 and the Mirage Mantle are your best bets given that other options are a bit on the pricey side. The accuracy from the latter will also help with multi-hit spells.

Waist: The Swift Belt, with its mix of haste and accuracy, is tough to beat and worth every bit of effort. If not, there's always the Life Belt or the Potent Belt which is somewhat more balanced.

Legs: The Homam Cosciales are the creme de la creme of this slot, and with good reason. After that would be the Mirage Shalwar. If you lack either of the two, the Prince's Slops will suffice. They offer a nice bit of HP and MP plus some accuracy.

Feet: OK, now for the home stretch. Once again, a piece of the Homam set is on top. The Homam Gambieras provide everything you want in a TP slot - haste, accuracy and a boost to HP and MP. Behind these are the Enkidu's Leggings, but honestly those are more of a THF piece. After that are the Dusk Ledelsens, which have equal haste to the Enkidu boots and some HP. Anything after that is a step down given the lack of haste, but the Tabin Boots +1 could be used until something better comes your way.

Whew... So there you have the basis for a potential BLU TP build. I have chosen to break things off because the casting part is where things start to diverge. This is where the intricacies of the job begin to show. Casting gear is going to depend largely on what you're doing and what spells you have equipped in addition to your blue magic skill merits, if any. Stay tuned! :)