[Lunaryn]

BLMs are actually quite a valuable member for parties at lower levels (pre-55 or so), there are even camp descriptions for the dunes that say you need a BLM for the crabs. The problem is that few people realize it anymore. It's damned hard to talk about low-level xp anywhere because someone always interjects something about meripo, or at least higher-level partying. Many times WARs bring /NIN to the dunes because they are under the distinct impression that that's always the best sub for xp no matter what. Most of the people who have a clear idea of what can work at low levels have gotten so disgusted with the way such parties work that they have given up and just solo or static every job they use to 20 or higher.

Hence, your biggest problem in low level xp is a fantasy world where SC damage is laughable, MB damage is laughable, nukes are laughable, enfeebles are laughable, no one should stop to rest, you're wasting your MP if you're not curing with it, NINs are always the best tank (even pre-Utsusemi:Ichi; yes, I have had a party try to get a NIN11 to tank for them) or at least the second best tank after PLD (if you have a WAR and a NIN in a dunes party, the typical dunes party will expect the NIN to solo-tank and the WAR to focus on pure DD) and the best way to beat IT++ mobs is to throw as many melee DDers at it as possible. This doesn't have good results, but people keep stubbornly doing it because they're constantly told that's how xp is done, period. (Though more likely these days, the PL is the tank, and tossing a lot of DDs at an IT++ mob works and is safe in that context. :p )