[Andrinor]

Heh, hadn't checked back in a bit. Yeah the :52 is a call timer. Sometimes leader's won't even bother to put the ":" in front of the numbers, so you might just see digits that appear random like "09". Timed nukes are essential in several scenarios, so getting used to that and being ready for it is good.

Good call on the /RDM vs /WHM. That can muck up your timers a bit. I've done it enough I can compensate, but its a feel thing really...you have to DO it to learn it.

BLM is friggin awesome in low parties btw. The buffs crabs and beetles throw up (depending on where you are XPing) can be tough to deal with since a lot of low PTs won't have a dispeller. You can blow right through that, and then aspir back your MP adding insult to injury! Never underestimate the power of elemental debuffs like burn, shock, choke, etc too. Those are nice DoT and debuff the mob as well.

Man I miss old-school BLM ; ;

[Mog]

Originally Posted by Andrinor

Man I miss old-school BLM ; ;

I miss magic bursts. > .>;

[Andrinor]

Originally Posted by Mog

I miss magic bursts. > .>;

The first time I was in Kuftal and called a SC start time during my Freeze cast for the melee (does anyone even know how to do THAT anymore?), watched the Distortion land on a crab with 50% hp, and then watched the crab freaking DISAPPEAR when my Freeze MB landed? That was the day my <3 for BLM was sealed for good in the smoking crab guts splattered all over the wall.

[Mog]

Originally Posted by Andrinor

The first time I was in Kuftal and called a SC start time during my Freeze cast for the melee (does anyone even know how to do THAT anymore?), watched the Distortion land on a crab with 50% hp, and then watched the crab freaking DISAPPEAR when my Freeze MB landed? That was the day my <3 for BLM was sealed for good in the smoking crab guts splattered all over the wall.

lol i remember that. Had to make a macro just right for casting freeze and calling when melee should skillchain. Good times.

[Lunaryn]

I actually remember being the skillchain closer for MBs like that, though in my case it was in the early ToAU days, we were fighting Lesser Colibri in Wajaom Woodlands, and we had two BLMs and an RDM in the party. We'd DoT the bird down to 50%-ish, and then it would die. This was before it was expected that BLMs should solo 50-75...

[Andrinor]

Originally Posted by Mog

lol i remember that. Had to make a macro just right for casting freeze and calling when melee should skillchain. Good times.

btw, for those interested in doing this (and I recommend ANY BLM in the 50s try it when they get freeze and are in Kuftal) I used this macro (or close, don't recall the exact wording):

/p Freeze {Start Button}, Get ready to Skillchain!
/ma "Freeze" <t>
/wait 4
/p Start Skillchain NOW! <random annoying call #>

The wait 4 is a solid starting point, which you can increase or decrease a bit based on how quickly your PT executes the SC. Call this SC somewhere around 50% and you should one-shot whatever is left of the mob by the time your cast goes off. If you call it earlier....well, prepare to tank . Now all you have to do is convince melee to make a distortion chain for you, and you're gold.

[Rothy]

Sorry for the necro but..

I just recently picked up FFXI again because I finally got time. (And level sync looked sweet) I just re-read through all the advice you all posted for me and I would like to say {Thank you.}! again. Because of Level Sync, parties are now popping up in every zone and I'm getting to see whole new areas and pretty new creatures to bomb with Magic Bursts. It seems the parties that go to these off beat locations are actually experienced players and I'm getting a chance to experiment with gear, magic bursting and elemental debuffs. I would have to say.. BLM is probably the most fun I have ever done on FFXI and even though the spells are expensive, I would never trade it in for anything.

[Susurrus]

Does level sync get Black Mages parties? I haven't been in game since like the day before the level sync update and won't be able to for a few months....

It'd be nice to go to a PT w/ MBs as my BLM though....

[TheGrandMom]

Hasn't got this blm a party.............which royally pisses me off too.

[Kyleet]

If it is getting BLMs back into pts I might brush mine off. I'm not gonna get my hopes up tho... :/ I hate the solo BLM path. Takes a lot of the fun out of it for me.

[Susurrus]

Originally Posted by Kyleet

If it is getting BLMs back into pts I might brush mine off. I'm not gonna get my hopes up tho... :/ I hate the solo BLM path. Takes a lot of the fun out of it for me.

QFT


Before campaign esp, I avoided even using my BLM as I didn't want to have to solo the exp back...

[Rothy]

Originally Posted by Susurrus

Does level sync get Black Mages parties? I haven't been in game since like the day before the level sync update and won't be able to for a few months....

It'd be nice to go to a PT w/ MBs as my BLM though....

I've had no trouble getting parties from the 24 to 50 range.

I think from 40 to 50.. I was in 3-4 parties. So there is alot better structured parties around now, looking for a BLM.

[Dim Mahk]

Originally Posted by Andrinor

The first time I was in Kuftal and called a SC start time during my Freeze cast for the melee (does anyone even know how to do THAT anymore?), watched the Distortion land on a crab with 50% hp, and then watched the crab freaking DISAPPEAR when my Freeze MB landed? That was the day my <3 for BLM was sealed for good in the smoking crab guts splattered all over the wall.

My friend I know that feeling so so well. haveing a party of cool people that are total with you as a BLM to hold off and do there SC at the right time so you can AM that arse is GREAT. makes you want to static with them. I am so pissed off at all these selfish lazy melees that dont take advantage of a well done SC just irritates me to the bone.

Originally Posted by Susurrus

es level sync get Black Mages parties?

To answer that I have had a few manaburns back down to Aywdeen crawlers, and Mt. Z crawlers a few times.

[Ninjitsu]

This is an interesting thread. I've just returned to FFXI recently and had to start over, and maybe I was still in line with the old way of thinking, but I always try to setup a skillchain where it makes sense and I always look for a BLM if I can find one.

So far, I haven't seen that many occasions where doing a skillchain didn't make sense (sub-50). In many cases, people are soloing weaponskills that produce skillchains anyway when timed, so why not do it when the members have the TP?

I like SC + MB PTs also because they are much less boring than mindless use of weapon skills.

The things I loved about FFXI vs other games is that there was a lot of strategy involved to produce optimum results.

[Aksannyi]

Since Level Sync I've gotten a few parties, one of them was an actual party and not a manaburn party. It was fun destroying imps with my nukes. For the most part, though, I'm just soloing in my spare time. I do like that I can come and go as I please.