A rant about NPCs.

[Rodin]

Okay, I know everyone thinks that NPCs are a godsend, but don't flame me for what I post.

I just took my BLM through the Kuftal Tunnel levels. And NPCs are sucking up all the freaking XP in that place. It took me twice as long as it did with WHM to level through there, because in most of my parties we'd just sit there sometimes waiting for crab repops. The rate that NPCs are making a nuissance (sp?) is growing. I tried leveling my BST on Blazer Beetles, Musuhussu, and Exorays in Crawlers Nest. Every time I went down there, an NPC party would be hacking away at the mobs. I know BST is hard, and I should've expected that, and I don't really care about the people leveling on where I XP my BST, since they weren't pissing a party off somewhere. (Well, except for the one guy who told me to leave, and got pissy with me; I MPKed his NPC after that. There wasn't a reason for him to be an asshole.) But I mean, XPing NPCs in Kuftal Tunnel...WTF? And these aren't skill ups, seeing as how mostly everyone is either solo, or 75 and using their A+ Weapons. I wish people would be courteous and level somewhere else. (Like on gobs and lizards right outside Kuftal in Terrigan.) But people have to be stupid about it, and level on mobs that XP parties are leveling on. And it doesn't stop there. There was an NPC party leveling on Robber Crabs in Terrigan last night....WTF? GO LEVEL ON THE FUCKING LIZARDS.....Sorry, but this has been pissing me off. I should've been 60 on my BLM by now, but the rate that people are killing XP mobs is REALLY lowering the XP/hr in XP parties. IMO, this is something that SE needs to address. I wouldn't mind SE taking NPCs out of the game, but that would make people bitch. But to be honest, if somebody in this game, is so bored, that they need to level a different job, on something that they keep out for 30 mins at a time, and can't find anything else to do, they shouldn't be playing this game. I mean, if these people leveling their NPCs could form a set party for other jobs. They'd have more than 3 jobs 75 by now -_-

[neighbortaru]

yes, it's both a blessing and a curse. some people are just plain inconsiderate... :angry:

just over this weekend, with at least 5 parties in yuhtunga, people were still leveling their NPCs or skilling-up on the mandys. I was even told to "go die" by the shellholder of AngelsInIce (iirc) because I claimed a mandy from someone she was power-leveling :wtf:

[Taskmage]

I think it's more that people are uninformed or uncreative about what their options are. They only the mobs that are used in exp, and don't think to kill something else.

[Ziero]

It's also the fact that the best mobs for pts to exp on are the same mobs that are best for NPCs to exp on. Non AoE, easy to kill mobs are great for exp no matter who you are or what you lvl. And with NPCs the more you use them the better they get so a lot of people have much more freedom now with them then they did before. I know I was able to use mine to help solo DC nin yags in OZ and farm goobbues in Zi'tah at lvl 50 thf where my only downtime was waiting for repops. And once you start getting into the story you''ll want to learn more as it is a rather interesting one, and one you don't need a full pt/alliance of highly specific jobs to enjoy.

This specific problem has nothing to do with NPCs and everything to do with people who don't think of better places to get their EXP. And it's the same problem that's been in the game since people discovered these great EXP spots.

[Intensity]

I level my npc in areas other than the standard exp areas. Xarcabard and Lufaise Meadows is probably my favorite at this point. I've also been soloing Buffalo's in Ullu range lately with it.

[Aeni]

It's true. I've been guilty of this as well, but if I see an exp party in the area I want to take on, I move on. I hit places where exp is popular. Beetles in Western Altepa Desert, for example. However, when there's 5 parties (exp) camping on Revelation's Rock, I don't be an asshat like some JP and NA 75 NINs and camp on them. I go more outside of the area, taking on Anticans and Desert Manticores, which no exp party would want to take.

:thumbsup:

Anywho ... I just think SE needs to open different and new zones, maybe another 60 new zones with half of them where NPCs cannot be used (Make those zones prime areas for exp) This should solve the problem...

...or not. There will be someone out there who won't be happy about something, that's for sure.

[capitalistnihilist]

Are you seriously suggesting that Non-mage jobs solo with NPC on lizzies and goblins? Get real. Post people powerleveling thier NPCs would rather not have them die to bomb toss and don't even get me started on petrify....

[Aeni]

Are you seriously suggesting that Non-mage jobs solo with NPC on lizzies and goblins? Get real. Post people powerleveling thier NPCs would rather not have them die to bomb toss and don't even get me started on petrify....

No ... I think they were talking about in instances where there's a full PT of NPC leveling players (3 Players + 3 NPCs) Those parties tend to suck the exp mobs like a Hoover.

Also, if you were going to solo, how were you going to do it once your NPC gets higher in level? You'll end up subbing WHM or NIN in the end... so I fail how to see we need to be distinguishing between "non-mage" and "mage" jobs in this discussion...

[Darkhound]

I have to agree with those that say that people are not thinkin of other ideas.... I personally havent level my NPC that much, but i plan to start soon. Is castle zhaval a place where you could call your npc? If so... wouldnt it be a good place?

[Omni]

Are you seriously suggesting that Non-mage jobs solo with NPC on lizzies and goblins? Get real. Post people powerleveling thier NPCs would rather not have them die to bomb toss and don't even get me started on petrify....

if you are power leveling your npc, im assuming your a high lvl player, if not 75. at 75 theres SO MANY places to take your npc other than standard xp camps. you have to be kidding me if you think xp camps are the only safe place to lvl. you can take down worms in kuftal if you dont want to kill crabs. you can goto tree and take down the gazillion mandys there. you can roam altepa and kill anticans. the only reason why ppl like to lvl in these places is bc they know its safe and they can possibly farm at the same time.

lazy. greedy. inconsiderate.

thats all it is.

[Intensity]

I have to agree with those that say that people are not thinkin of other ideas.... I personally havent level my NPC that much, but i plan to start soon. Is castle zhaval a place where you could call your npc? If so... wouldnt it be a good place?

Iirc you can't summon your NPC in Castle Zvahl, but leveling it off the Demons outside of, and on the slopes leading up to, the Castle in Xarcabard is perfect.

[capitalistnihilist]

if you are power leveling your npc, im assuming your a high lvl player, if not 75. at 75 theres SO MANY places to take your npc other than standard xp camps. you have to be kidding me if you think xp camps are the only safe place to lvl. you can take down worms in kuftal if you dont want to kill crabs. you can goto tree and take down the gazillion mandys there. you can roam altepa and kill anticans. the only reason why ppl like to lvl in these places is bc they know its safe and they can possibly farm at the same time.

lazy. greedy. inconsiderate.

thats all it is.

Couple of glaring problems with your post here.

1. Worms in Kuftal have 2 major problems. One being their tendancy to link and they will. The second is that some of the worm camps are nearby popular exp spots and also nearby where people like to solo on crabs/spiders. Worms have numerous AOE moves and spells that will no doubt piss off those around you. I have probably spend DAYS soloing in kuftal off spiders and crabs and have only seen someone fighting those worms once. That group almost got me killed when they attacked a group of worms right near where I was fighting.

2. Anticans? At level 75 these are mostly TWTBW or EP--- at best. When I'm leveling my NPC I prefer to actually get some limit points and seals out of the deal ^^.

3. Mandys? As a Ninja I can kill mandys for sure. However, this will cost me a buttload in extra shehi and we have the same linking issue I mentioned earlier. There is a good reasn for most exp pts steering clear of these little loudmouths.


I am not saying that someone with NPC out should just bumrush a campsite and kill every EXP mob in the joint. Obviously if you want to be a nice guy you should steer clear of spots where an established exp pt is camping. My beef is with PTs that show up after I have been down the waterfall in the tree killing steelshells for an hour and expect me to leave just because they arrived.

[Ziero]

This is the same problem that bsts and standard exp pts have been arguing about since the game was made. They both wanted easy exp so they go after the easiest mobs to kill. There is no difference between a Bst wanting to lvl off a mob where pts go to and any other PC who wants to lvl their NPCs. As far as I'm concerned it should come down to who was there first. If someone was there lvling their NPC a good 10 minutes before your EXP pt arrived you have no right to complain about it, just find a new spot. If the person lvling their NPC shows up and starts killing things you've been lvling on for the past hour, then it's a problem and that person is an ass.

Either way this situation is not caused by NPCs, rather it's caused by lazy people who think they deserve something more then someone else.

[Aeni]

I am not saying that someone with NPC out should just bumrush a campsite and kill every EXP mob in the joint. Obviously if you want to be a nice guy you should steer clear of spots where an established exp pt is camping. My beef is with PTs that show up after I have been down the waterfall in the tree killing steelshells for an hour and expect me to leave just because they arrived.

I don't have a problem with this. You were there first, common courtesy applies if they were there first. Since it seems you're a considerate person and would not camp on top of an existing PT, I think the PT that complains to you are in the wrong.

[DakAttack]

People level in different places depending on the a regional control, influence, and how close it is to other nations, specifically to upgrade their armor.

[Omni]

Couple of glaring problems with your post here.

1. Worms in Kuftal have 2 major problems. One being their tendancy to link and they will. The second is that some of the worm camps are nearby popular exp spots and also nearby where people like to solo on crabs/spiders. Worms have numerous AOE moves and spells that will no doubt piss off those around you. I have probably spend DAYS soloing in kuftal off spiders and crabs and have only seen someone fighting those worms once. That group almost got me killed when they attacked a group of worms right near where I was fighting.

2. Anticans? At level 75 these are mostly TWTBW or EP--- at best. When I'm leveling my NPC I prefer to actually get some limit points and seals out of the deal ^^.

3. Mandys? As a Ninja I can kill mandys for sure. However, this will cost me a buttload in extra shehi and we have the same linking issue I mentioned earlier. There is a good reasn for most exp pts steering clear of these little loudmouths.


I am not saying that someone with NPC out should just bumrush a campsite and kill every EXP mob in the joint. Obviously if you want to be a nice guy you should steer clear of spots where an established exp pt is camping. My beef is with PTs that show up after I have been down the waterfall in the tree killing steelshells for an hour and expect me to leave just because they arrived.

well you see, most people's npc are far less than their main job right? well, you pretty much can kill anything that is higher than your npc to lvl right? this is what im saying, people can kill anything that is just higher than their npc to lvl it but they also want to farm, collect seals, get some merits points etc etc while theyre are at it. i think this is totally selfish IF there is an xp pt or bst there already that is working hard at getting their xp from these same mobs.

the mobs i listed are just examples of the tons of mobs out there that you can kill w/o making it difficult for xp pts. yea they might not be the best mobs to take down b/c i guess it'll cost you some shihei or they can be annoying but surely you can agree that some of these mobs are serving no purpose what so ever other than running around zone being untouched.

thats all im saying, go after the mobs that havent been killed/touched/looked at for the past week. why go after mobs people need to xp on? i dont think its fair considering if you are 75 you can go anywhere given you can handle the mob and its higher than your npc. an xp pt only has so many choices for their lvl range. so im answer to your post, my beef is with lvl. 75 players taking their npc on a rampage in a lvl. 40-50 zone and clearing things out when they see me grinding out barely 100-200 xp a kill. how fair is that?

[Balfree]

NPCs dont kill mobs.

PCs kill mobs >;|

[Jei]

I really can't see NPC as a good thing as it is. It gives level 75 ppl something to do in their free time, but makes it hard for the lower players to find good camps.
at least in the 20 to 55 range since yutanga , althepa and kuftal are now NPC play ground basicly....

[TheGrandMom]

I think I've only run into 2 people that were rude with their NPC's. I've lvled up a couple of jobs recently and I just have not seen many people using them. NPC's are rather rare since people don't think they are that beneficial. When I lvled my NPC, we always went to spots that were not exp spots or if someone came to exp we left.

[Taskmage]

I consider my NPC to be useful only when fighting EP-DCs I can kill without Sleep that have good drops. The 30% hit in experience is always going to all but make up for the increase in killing speed when she's out, so an increased drop rate is the only benefit. Oh, though she does give me the opportunity to practice skillchaining that I might not otherwise get as a rdm. I can get her to close Fusion for me to double MB on now. ^^ Good times.

Because she's doomed to always be lower level than me, she'll never be helpful on targets that I have a hard time with without her. a) because she'll whiff most of her hits and b) because it requires me to disengage before casting sleep. Yet because she's limited by the number of kills you make, she'll also never be useful for farming weak things faster.

[Omni]

I think I've only run into 2 people that were rude with their NPC's. I've lvled up a couple of jobs recently and I just have not seen many people using them. NPC's are rather rare since people don't think they are that beneficial. When I lvled my NPC, we always went to spots that were not exp spots or if someone came to exp we left.

i dont think the majority of the people out there have the consideration for others like you do.

[Ziero]

The fact that, for the most part, if your NPC dies you have to wait an entire day to call it again instantly rules out ANY AoE using mob. That means that the examples that were given will be avoided for the most part by NPC users. Also normal EXP pts are only 'limited' by the willingness of their members to travel. There are ALWAYS places to lvl at if you at least make an effort to find one beforehand that most people never bother to try.

Again, this problem has nothing to do with NPCs and everything to do with people, both exp pts and npc users, who are too lazy to find other places to lvl.

[Ayrlie]

i'm at the point i must xp my npc by doing steelshells in boyahda. my npc is level 58 (almost 59), there is no other mob that doesn't have such annoynances as goblin bomb, and the toramas just doesn't cut it. we have tossed in korrigans and EG from time to time, usually due to the lack of crabs and once in a while someone needs the EG drop for windurst mission. i usually package my npc leveling as a skill up party, which usually attracts the mages and some of the melee. we have even put a rule that players with level 55+ npc get priority to call their npcs first, everyone else has to wait til they have disappeared. We still got some kinks to work out but the demand is high.

[Aeni]

My NPC is level 47 now ... or was it 48? So I'm getting there. I'm slowly reaching a point where I'm going to be in Ayrlies situation, where we'll end up conflicting with other exp parties at the same level as the NPC that is out. Right now, optimally, the monster has to be at least 3-4 levels higher than my NPC to get the most exp for that NPC. You may argue that I should just do EMs (To the NPC) but the exp won't cut it. TNLs get higher and higher, just like any of us.

Also to Omni-Ragnarok, you need to get off your high horse. There's a reason some mobs are completely avoided by any skill up party, NPC leveling and even exp parties out there. Have you ever seen an exp party go out to Bibiki Bay to "chain" with Beach Bunnies? No? You know why? Ever fought them before? I thought so...

Not everyone who level NPC have a 75 RDM that can take care of themselves. If it were so, then everyone here would just go solo their own AF coffer key hunts ... >_> But going off-topic...

The arguments posted here can go both ways... I like to stick with a simple golden rule. If I was an exp party "there" first, then it be common courtesy for another exp party to "not camp" on me.

Take that virtue and apply it to your own situation.

[TheGrandMom]

Not everyone who level NPC have a 75 RDM that can take care of themselves. If it were so, then everyone here would just go solo their own AF coffer key hunts ... >_> But going off-topic...



Well some of us, even though we are 75, don't go out alone and exp our npc's. I always go with friends and their npc's. I guess I'm not a solo'er, I like doing things with my friends. And 6 (including npc's) of us out there can really mess things up for a exp pt, I just don't think I have the heart to do that.

[Omniblast]

I wonder if my NPC actually has to hit something to get exp? I was wondering if I can just sic fenrir to kill something for me and they can get the same amount of exp for that?

Or I might just raid Yaguado's headquarters and slaughter everything there. Might be fun.

[Taskmage]

I wonder if my NPC actually has to hit something to get exp? I was wondering if I can just sic fenrir to kill something for me and they can get the same amount of exp for that?They don't. You can. ^^

[Tirrock]

SMN are able to exp their NPCs in way out of the way places without much difficulty, luckily for us. I didn't really do much for my NPC. Every now and then I'd kill stuff in batallia with my mithra NPC (for twice the tail waving distraction). I picked batallia because I like the zone. >_>a Wasn't even good exp, I think half of the stuff out there was EP-DC to my NPC.

When seriously trying to level it, I prefer to bring her out on things I farm or strange things that nobody really touches. She's kind of handy to have around when dark elemental farming in xarcabard, since I keep forgetting to give her a weapon other than sword...

[Aeni]

When seriously trying to level it, I prefer to bring her out on things I farm or strange things that nobody really touches. She's kind of handy to have around when dark elemental farming in xarcabard, since I keep forgetting to give her a weapon other than sword...

I brought my NPC out once to camp Mysticmaker Profblix (sp?) Although I found out later that the ToD was just 15 min. before I started, I did farm the gobs for some exp and gil ... and got into trouble quick when 3 gob (EP) linked. I lived with 43 hp ... only because my NPC was there, bombing Cure IVs and haste on me and enfeebling (paralyze is godsend!) the other gobs ... >_> You know ... my NPC is smarter than 3/4 the RDM I've partied with in my lifetime. Isn't that freaking sad? (She survived the bomb tosses better than I since she bothered to put stoneskin on ... lol.)

[Susurrus]

I don't ever make any trips specifically to level my NPC. The only time I do pull it out is when skilling up or doing any activity involving killing enemies the same level or higher than my NPC (except for exp/merit parties and other non-appropriate times).

As a result, my NPC is only level 38. ;;