My first trip to the dreaded Dunes

[Tivul]

So, this is my first time in Valkurm Dunes. No map, little idea of where I am in the world, and little idea of how partying should go, aside from the proper etiquette. As I sit here awaiting my first party, does anyone care to offer some advice as to what I should be aware of? Specific mobs I should keep my eyes on, certain tendencies of other players, etc?

Keep in mind this is my first character, and I have just about no clue what I'm doing, so...let me have some advice :P. I already bound here, thanks to the helpful BLM that dragged me out here, so that's already taken care of. I'm a bit nervous awaiting my first session of exp with others, and fearful that I my heals won't be sufficient to mend their wounds >.>

Anyways, I guess that's it. I turned seeking party on and am currently just sitting here. Anything to do in the mean time?

[Murphie]

Only aggro you should have to worry about are Goblins (sight only, so run behind them and you're fine), Undead - Ghouls/Bogy (low HP and sound aggro, so just keep your distance), and Bats in tunnels (sound aggro). Bats that aren't in the tunnels do not aggro.

You can actually buy a map in your home city, or in any of the other main cities. Not having one in Valkurm isn't the end of the world, but it could be a frustration of sorts. You should be ok though.

If you want to kill time, you could go to LaTheine or Konshtat highlands and solo on Easy Prey while you LFG. It will keep you busy, if nothing else.

[Tivul]

Well, I got into a group, but I'm not entirely positive what's going on. I got the invite, accepted, and it was just me and this NIN chick. Then she invited someone else, who's in UpJeuno. Now we're sorta sitting around in silence and I got a whisper from someone named Crusty :P - so I guess things are progressing slowly, and I'm anxious to start doing something!

[Arcticie]

Ahh first I'd like to welcome myself back to these forums. I have been a lil busy playin two games and working I havent been able to post lately but now that I aint to busy today I'll share as much knowledge of the Dunes with you.

I got to the dunes at lvl 10 with no map just like you. My first piece of advice is GET A MAP! People hate when they gotta wait for otha membas that dont know where they are going or how to get to the area. If you do not feel like traveling all the way to Bastok you can pick one up over in Selbina.

When you are a low lvl at the dunes whateva you do dont go out in the "BattleField" by yourself. As you may know lizards dont auto attack but any type of Goblin does most of the time once you step foot into there territory.My advice is stay naer the HP right b4 Konshtat Highlands and search for a party. At lvl 10 i m pretty sure the pt wont mind bringin u to the camp if u are low on cash but remeber what I said about the map.

In Valkurm there is a tunnel that brings you to one side to the other. My advice is stay out of the Tunnel unless you have a pt or otha ppl that will help u when u are a low lvl. The bats can do enough damage to kill u if ur a low lvl.

Last, but not least try to get in a party with a PL. PL(Power Levelers) save your a$$ 90% of the time when your a noob entering the dunes.

If I think of nething else to puyt in this forum i will edit this Post. But for now:

-Good Luck

[Tivul]

Thanks a bunch Arc, I'll keep all that in mind :). I definately realize I'll have to get someone to escort me back to Selbina to pick up a map, 'cause I don't wanna have to rely on others get around :\. Well, I probably should cut this post short here, as while we still only have three members, our 'leader' is now spamming party chat with random letters ><

[Arcticie]

I can bring u to selbina in a lil while once my thing if finished updatin bc i jus bought the ught arghan expansion so ill have to wait to finish downloading

[Tivul]

Only problem is that I'm on Siren and you're on Kujata Arc :-D

I appreciate the offer, nonetheless!

[Murphie]

Also, please don't take his advice re: getting a Powerlevel. That isn't the right way to start your FFXI career.

[Aeolus]

Nothing wrong with a pl imo, lets u get to grips with your job quicker as your not dieing while learning.

[Tivul]

I most likely won't be getting PL'd or anything, I mean seeing as how this is my first character I wanna do things the hard way, even if that means having my large, bulbous head stomped into the dirt a few times :P

[Murphie]

Nothing wrong with a pl imo, lets u get to grips with your job quicker as your not dieing while learning.Not if you're a WHM and a new player to the game. Having that backup isn't going to teach you how to use your MP correctly to ensure that your party lives.

[Aeolus]

Suppose so. Still its lots faster :D

[Mhurron]

Only problem is that I'm on Siren and you're on Kujata Arc :-D

I appreciate the offer, nonetheless!HAX :eek:

Only advice is relax. Just breath and enjoy the sandy beaches, warm sunshine and the grunts of aggroing Goblins. Don't breath too deeply when there's a sandstorm.

Ok one other bit of advice. Targeting. Use the Function keys. F1-F6 will target members of your party in the order that they appear on the party list at the lower right hand corner. For instance you are always F1. F8 targets the nearest NPC character, including mobs. Now what this lets you do is quickly cure whoever needs to be cured. So what you would be able to do is select Cure (or have it macroed) then hit the F-key that targets who you need to cure, so if its the third person on the list you select Cure, wait for the little Blue sub-targeting arrow to show up, then press F3 and hit enter. Cure will cast on that person.

BTW you can skill up healing by casting Cure even if it heals for 0hp, so you can practice targeting and skillup healing even when you're doing nothing.

lets u get to grips with your job quickerUnless you're a WHM.

Edit: that wasn't the smiley I intended.

[goblinpimp]

i think its better to pt with out pl. its crucial for beginners to learn their job coreclty as u might lvl faster true but when you reach higher lvls you will suffer not knowing what to do in certain situations. pling is mostly fo those who r just lvling a job to sub or whatever but have at least some experiance in the game. even then the less experience you have with a job you plan to lvl the better it is to solo and experiment. btw it can b prrety harsh as a whm in the dunes >.<but always kinda fun being itl b your firt time there.

[Arcticie]

Aethelar i didnt mean depend ur whole char on the pl jus to help u out its jus my opinion

[Lasswyn]

If something goes wrong and people start running towards town, run with them. Don't stay behind. Odds are whatever's chomping on their butts will eventually kill them/link with others of their species that will finish them off, and then they WILL turn around and come back looking for you. OO;

I learned this the hard way, my first time there.

Somehow we got two damselflies instead of one. It wasn't going well. A bunch of people ran away, and the flies followed them. I stayed, a couple of others stayed...after awhile one of the melees came back and there were three flies. Okay....that's kinda neat..........this time everyone ran away except me. I hadn't taken any damage yet, that's why. If you're a non-melee red mage with a whm and a blm present, mobs don't care about eating you until the end.

After everybody up and abandoned me, saying very little in either official language, I rested back to full, then noticed that the dead bodies, wherever they were between camp and town, were getting up and disbanding. Before long, I was totally alone, kneeling down in a remote camp slightly hidden from common view by a cliffside the size of an airship.

Then came the beating of many wings...... x.X

SIX damselflies came screaming around the corner and beat the ever-loving crap outta me. I laid dead for more than half an hour because I was out of the way and nobody could see my rotting corpse. Can't remember if I gave up and home-pointed or if somebody actually happened across me. Lesson learned. (b' ')b

[Tivul]

Lmao, Lass, that was a pretty good story. I'll keep that in mind if we ever pull adds and are told to run :)

The party's going decent, we've just about all arrived at the camp and are waiting for one more DD...only annoyance is that the NIN who is supposed to be the leader (she gave it up) is going afk quite a bit. I dunno, maybe this is to be expected. I just hope we can start killing soon!

And as soon as I finished typing that, the NIN informed us that she is leaving. Way to go -_-

EDIT: Aaand just like that, my first party ends without even killing a single mob :) - well, no experience lost I suppose.

[Samuzuki]

Yeah PL party is horrible as whm you are rendered completly useless besides debuffing.

[Aries Black]

Ohh I got lucky on my first trip to the dunes. My RL boyfriend plays so he leveled a low level char with me all the way till I hit 20 on rdm. After that I started doing my own things and I'm a happy lvl 33rdm/16blm. ^_^ With a few subjobs leveled close to 10.

[Mhurron]

Ohh I got lucky on my first trip to the dunes. My RL boyfriend...^^;

Sorry. I'm getting hungry waiting for my Pizza to arrive.

[Szkol]

Ok one other bit of advice. Targeting. Use the Function keys. F1-F6 will target members of your party in the order that they appear on the party list at the lower right hand corner.

WOW, I really could have used that information today! I got invited to a party today to be the healer... problem is I was only a 16 RDM...

I kept up with heals surprisingly well, but as I was a RDM, and never really having needed to be a healer before, my Healing Magic Skill was only like a 3. If I had known about the function keys that might have been able to make a difference in some untimely deaths.

We did run into a particularly nasty goblin though... I forget what kind, but it killed 4 of us, and we were camped at the Selbina gate. Not very far to run at all, but he destroyed us anyways.


Here's what I would say to train on, from my experience. When the monster gets too difficult go to the next one on the list.

Hill Lizard
Snipper
Damselflys
Assorted Goblins

After that I can't help much.

Make sure to get a Crab Apron and a Damselfly Worm from Snippers and Damselflys though.

[Murphie]

For you young healers out there, some other information that might be of use.

Your cures have a cap. Cure 1 is 30HP cured for 8MP. Cure 2 is 90HP cured for 24MP. So, still basically 30 MP per 8MP. However! When you first get Cure 2, you won't be curing 90HP, becuase your healing magic is likely still too low in skill for you to get maximum benefit. Your MND also plays a part in this. That's why an Elvaan (highest MND) will generally cap their cures sooner than another race.

So! Cast your basic cure early and often. Cure people who are running by. Cure yourself! Cure whomever. Just work on getting your Healing Magic skill up so you are getting maximum benefit for your MP. It's no fun casting Cure II when in a rut, and seeing your target only cured for 40HP.

[Mhurron]

WOW, I really could have used that information today! I got invited to a party today to be the healer... problem is I was only a 16 RDM...

I kept up with heals surprisingly well, but as I was a RDM, and never really having needed to be a healer before, my Healing Magic Skill was only like a 3. If I had known about the function keys that might have been able to make a difference in some untimely deaths.RDM does fine as a main healer, especially in the Dunes when the only spells you don't have that a whm does are the bar spells (under used anyway) and curga. But ya, I think I didn't learn about the F-keys till either really late in the dunes, or in Qufim.

My RDM days went 14-20 as Main healer, 20-41 as a BLM substitute, 41 and on, invited as RDM

As for keeping your cure skill up, well it happens, sort of. As RDM your needed to back up the WHM curing so it will level slowly. To bring it up quickly go somewhere safe and unpopulated and start curing yourself over and over and over, rest, rinse and repeat. Usually you don't have to worry about it, but you are going to want to get that Cure II healing for close to 90 pretty soon.

[Szkol]

I thought if you healed youself for 0 HP you didn't get any skill points? Or am I wrong?

If I'm not wrong do I just go get beat up by some wimpy monsters, and then run away to heal myself?

[Nakti]

Power levels do not allow you to get a good idea of how parties function as a whole. They are especially not a good idea for brand new players. It's better to learn your job well than to level too quickly.

btw, my last PT (at level 41) had a PL. Know what happened? The puller got sloppy very quickly and pulled links. The tank (a NIN) got sloppy and couldn't keep Utsu up (even though his recast timer was Hasted) and no one bothered with a skillchain. Several deaths resulted from various avenues of aggro. I get better XP rates from soloing.

Szkol, yes, you can cast Cure on yourself over and over (even if it's for 0 HP) for healing skillups. Run back into the Mog House to get back your MP and do it again and again. Or try curing undead in a skill-up PT ^^

[Tivul]

Thanks for the all the tips guys, I'm in what looks to be a pretty good party right now. Granted, we've only killed two mobs, but I'm enjoying it :) - lotta healing to be done!

[Ellipses]

If you are fighting crabs or pugils, use Barwatera up by the melee once the tank vokes. If you're fighting goblins, use Barfira (once you get it). Barfira against goblins is an absolute must, as it significantly decreases the damage Bomb Toss does. Barwatera isn't as much of a priority, but it will help.

If you don't have a Red Mage doing them, Dia and Paralyze every mob. If you have someone casting Bio, you have the options of trying to convince them not to, or just not bothering with Dia (Bio overwrites Dia, but Dia can not overwrite Bio. No, it was not and never will be "fixed" in an update).

Rest anytime you can. Rest in the middle of battle if it seems safe to do so. Don't stand up as soon as the puller pulls, or even as soon as he's back to camp. Wait until someone actually takes enough damage to bother curing.

Don't assume that just because your last party was able to fight Monster X with no problems that your current party will be able to. Different jobs and levels can handle certain enemies earlier than others (for example, having a competent BLM makes a significant difference in your ability to fight Pugils).

[Don'Taru?]

What is so special about the dunes anyways? I got invited to the dunes by a random person and his friend started escorting me out there. What is the big deal with PTing and the dunes?

Though my ISP cant connect to the servers and I can't get on anymore...I'd die to just fight one Mandra at this point.

FFXI is my crack. (Even if I'm a noob.)

[Murphie]

This thread died in July, but I guess it's better than starting something new.

The dunes are just an area of high traffic for lower level players. One of the subjob quests is there, and it's sort of right in the middle of Bastok and Sandoria, so it's handy for players from those two nations to meet up there for exp.

[Effedup]

I most likely won't be getting PL'd or anything, I mean seeing as how this is my first character I wanna do things the hard way, even if that means having my large, bulbous head stomped into the dirt a few times :P

Good plan! Getting PL'd is certainly much faster than not, but you're gonna wanna get used to your macros and actual party dynamics, and since it's your first time taking a character up, getting PL'd will actual slow down your development with regards to that. Don't be "that guy" that can't function in pt without a PL.

However, imho on your future trips through there's nothing wrong with a PL. After one trip through an area the hard way, you should know what you're doing, and if you're unsure of yourself, feel free to turn down a PL. Besides, if you're gonna get stomped out, it might as well be in the Dunes where it ain't a really big deal...

[Effedup]

This thread died in July, but I guess it's better than starting something new.

Arrrrgh shoulda checked the op's date ; ;

[Aksannyi]

Well as long as this thread is active again, I just want to post something about a fun noob we had in our party.

The party, by the way, was great, excellent experience and really we were just kicking ass, which is surprising. Just this one guy - who had a subjob so he wasn't really a noob anymore, just a n00b - really cracked me up. He didn't know what Utsusemi was (lol), was wearing level 1 starting Elvaan RSE (!), and often voked off me, the PLD. (X.X) He was MNK/WAR. I think his weapon was level 10, which I suppose isn't terrible, just not as bad as level 1 armor and then voking. Good thing he wasn't a Taru.

Even so, the experience, as I said, was awesome, but this guy was entertaining to watch. Later on he tried trading an Instant Warp scroll. So even though he was really pretty gimped, I had a good time.

[eticket109]

I got an ls party together and we went to Buburimi last night since Valkurm was overcrowded as ever. I had more fun fighting in Bubu then I've ever had in the dunes.