BLM soloing lvl 18 -- how to?

[Dahc]

Hello all, I am out lvling my BLM now so as to use it for a sub to my RDM. I was wondering how to safely solo a DC or EM as a BLM.At the moment I got all spells up to lvl, but don't get sleep till lvl 20. I have died 2 times trying to solo in the Dunes on rabbits. any advice on how to properly solo as a BLM would be appreciated

[Balfree]

Try korroloka tunnel I was there as a couple of jobs im sure blm can handle it. There are some worms and stuff.

If a worm is winning against you, stick some DoT spells on it and run out range from it and rest your MP and HP then resume, make sure the DoTs dont wear off, thats you way to keep the worm claimed and from regening itself.

[The Mauva Syndicate]

HA! A question I feel qualified to answer, that's a first! Most everyone on here is so high level!

BLM is tough to solo low levels (at least it was for me BLM was my first job!). BLM is just TOO squishy for soloing EM and above, IMHO, a DC is about the highest I would take on safely unless I was using melee food and feelin frisky (or wanted to pop my 2hr or catch a link). An EM will kill ya quick as a solo BLM. You should really be able to nuke just about any rarab to death pretty quickly (you're running with Blaze Spikes up at all times, Right? it doesn't do a lot of damage but take what you can get) if ya do it right. Gear with strong elemental affinities is helpful, and knowing the mobs you are fighting's elemental weaknesses ahead of time and equipping appropriately can help a lot. Like most Rarabs, Sand Hares are weak against Lightning, Dark and Water. While not especially weak against fire, they have no resistance to it, or any other element. One thing I learned from RDM that helped me in BLM-land is ALWAYS have some sort of DoT going on. Bio/Poison whatever you choose, but keep that mob losing hp WITHOUT hitting it. Bind is a solo BLM's friend, use it a lot. I should repeat that. Try to avoid hitting the mob if possible at all. I realize without your weapon in attack mode you cannot parry, and if you've got a capped parry skill, you might consider it, but as a BLM solo you need to avoid even letting the mob get close enough to hit you - just like in a party. Mob with TP equals squisht BLM. Thats easier said than done, but if you want to take on anything more than EP, you have to work A LOT harder than pretty much every job in the game.

It's funny, a lot of folks I talk to don't even remember what it's like to be down here at these levels, learning a jobs +/-'s and what not to do if you want to live. I've leveled all 6 beginner jobs, mostly solo (RDM is my favorite) tho, my husband and I built a static as time has passed and were really starting to move now, but if you ask on here, I'm sure most people don't remember what it's even like to level a job WITHOUT a subjob (tho clearly, that's not the issue you face!).

Oh, and for some reason I always seem to get best damage flow with Bind>Water>Shock>Bio>Fire>Water - Rinse and Repeat - if it's still not working out for you, then ES at the beginning to stick the Bind and then nuke for glory Bio and Schock stack, well at least they wont overwrite each other like Bio/Dia, and both produce DoT, you can throw a Rasp in there, but it's a longer cast time, and it will overwrite Schock; the tier I elementals are all pretty quick

Also as a BLM, keep hi-potions handy, but you know that already ^_^ I go through them pretty quickly when I solo BLM (and juice too for that matter).

[IfritnoItazura]

You're looking for worms. IIRC, you don't have access to FFXIClopedia at work. So, wait until you get home, and check out: Category:Worms

The search facility at Vana'diel Bestiary is nicer, but I'm not entirely sure if its information is complete. Should be good enough to give you some ideas, in any case.

[Neomage]

Gear with strong elemental affinities is helpful, and knowing the mobs you are fighting's elemental weaknesses ahead of time and equipping appropriately can help a lot. Like most Rarabs, Sand Hares are weak against Lightning, Dark and Water. While not especially weak against fire, they have no resistance to it, or any other element.

[...]

Oh, and for some reason I always seem to get best damage flow with Bind>Water>Shock>Bio>Fire>Water - Rinse and Repeat - if it's still not working out for you, then ES at the beginning to stick the Bind and then nuke for glory Bio and Schock stack, well at least they wont overwrite each other like Bio/Dia, and both produce DoT, you can throw a Rasp in there, but it's a longer cast time, and it will overwrite Schock; the tier I elementals are all pretty quick

[...]

Also as a BLM, keep hi-potions handy, but you know that already ^_^ I go through them pretty quickly when I solo BLM (and juice too for that matter).

Mostly good advice for a newbie, but these particular parts caught my interest.

1) Equipment that has Elemental+ Stats on it will not help your damage in any way, shape or form. What these symbols actually stand for is elemental resistance. What this means, is if you have Earth +10, Earth-Based attacks have a chance of doing less damage to you.

2) DoT spells are very, very MP-effective, and a good way to get some extra damage out. However, that cast order seems a little off. I would go with Shock -> Poison -> Bio, then start nuking. Without any good Evasion, Blind won't really help you in particular much(Though don't neglect to use it in parties.)

3) Juice. Juice is good. Yummy Juice. Nonetheless, potions and juice can be expencive for a new player. Rather then base a solo strat. around needing them, these should be more of a Last-Resort item.

As for actual targets, look at Worms in the Maze. They go a few levels higher then you, but are stationary so you don't need to cast Bind or anything like that. You may need juice for these, if you can afford it, but you should be okay without it. Just watch out for Goblins. You can probably solo them normally, but watch out for a suprise attack in the middle of a worm

[Dahc]

Well if you would look at my signature you would realize that I am not a new player, just lvling my BLm to use it as a sub for my RDM. I appreciate the post. Most of the items and gear I don't need help with what I wanted was info on how to solo BLM effectively without getting killed. I know all about how to play a mage job ty

[Ellipses]

If you're going to go the worm route, I recommend making sure you run out of magic range to rest with at least 10 spare MP (i.e. 18 if you're going to cure yourself once). Worms will cast Rasp on you at the worst possible times, and 10 MP gives you enough to cast Poison two more times to keep claim/DoT going before you have to rest again.

[The Mauva Syndicate]

.... Without any good Evasion, Blind won't really help you in particular much(Though don't neglect to use it in parties.)

I was speakin of BIND, not BLIND :-)

[Malacite]

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[DrJohn]

Hey Dahc,
Level 18 is when you can start soloing beastman pets pretty easily. I soloed BLM and SCH on the Gigas' Bats in Lower Delkfult Tower until around 23 or so. Let me know if you have any questions or problems. See ya in LS