[eticket109]

So... a sad little postscript to this thread.

I got a group of friends together and levelled PLD. It's at 16 and we had a range of 14-16 so we headed for the dunes. The place was packed but we still did ok. After a bit of time I suggested we move to Buburimi. We took the boat, found a camp and went at it. It was great. There were plenty of mobs, most of which were easy to handle, and there was no one else there except a couple farmers. I think we hit about 4-5k an hour without any pl or anything.

So, fast forward to last night. I wanted 20 so I went back to the dunes. I actually got an invite in Sandy and choco'ed out. They mentioned they had a pl but I didn't think anything of it. When I hit La Thiene, I got the invite and checked the party. It was PLD, THF, SAM, DRG, DRG and I think a MNK. The pl was a PLD. The THF was pulling in level 7 gear and hit red half the time by the time he got back. The SAM was the best geared next to me and he finally took over pulling after the THF's 4th near-death experience. After a while, the monk leaves and we get another DRG. This one shows up in full leather gear with a level 7 spear. I don't know, maybe he was afraid he'd get hate with a real weapon or something and get one shotted.

I was trying to give advice without being a total asshole but it just wasn't working for me. So, I just made subtle hints and snide comments throughout the party until we disbanded after a couple hours. I guess on some level part of me felt I should educate the two major gimps in the party (ie: as a 17 thf there is no reason to wear a Saintly Ring), but mostly I just wanted to get out of there.

[bikkebakke]

The only time I really disagree with PL's is when there is a new WHM in the party. Most of the time I get in a PT with a PL it's full of veterans who just want to get the heck out of the dunes or qufim. In the latter situation I am more than happy to accept the PL's help, but in a party with new players even though it would probably be alot slower and horrible exp I would rather there not be a PL so they can get the experience on proper party mechanics.

[dspeed]

I don't now why people like Dunes so much to lvl from 12-20 or whatever lvl people start going there. Isn't Buburimi the same as Dunes. I will much rather go to BP to level from 16-20 than Dunes

[eticket109]

Originally Posted by dspeed

I don't now why people like Dunes so much to lvl from 12-20 or whatever lvl people start going there. Isn't Buburimi the same as Dunes. I will much rather go to BP to level from 16-20 than Dunes

Its pretty difficult to get a pickup party together to go anywhere but the dunes. The only time I've exp'ed in Bubu was with an ls party.

[Vyuru]

The only time I've exp'ed in Bubu was with an ls party.

Same here, and then we died laughing when one of our LS mates came to PL use, ate some kind of white magey food that apperently gave him the plant killer effect since all the mandies were getting intimitaded by him :D

good times ^^

[Asir]

Sadly, there are far too many PLers in the game. I had played for two years and then attempted quitting by deleting my characters. I came back and started fresh. I soloed all my starter jobs to 10 to be ready for the dunes but I noticed something. I was the only lowbie out there leveling without a PLer tied to my hip. Somehow, in the two or three months I had attempted quitting, PLer became an essential piece of armor for the majority of lowbies.

Fast forward to my first day back in the dunes. Every party I ran past had a PLer and I was shortly invited to one. To quote Rikku, it was disasterrific. I was there as my subless WHM... Everyone needs a WHM, right? Right? How wrong I was. Before I had tried quitting, I had a 45 WHM so I knew what I was doing. However, a WHM isn't supposed to do any type of curing whatsoever in the dunes apparently. I actually got yelled at for curing. I never thought I'd see the day I would get yelled at for actually doing my job well. "The PLer will cure. You just nuke and enfeeble." I actually asked if they were mistaking me for the nukaholic BLM or Melee Only RDM we had in the party.

It took me 20 parties, but I eventually managed to get my subjob back. Out of those 20 parties, the only ones that ran smoothly with no deaths and fast levels were the 3 I had with no PLers. One of those PLed parties even told me I wasn't supposed to lot on my subjob items even though I was the only one in the party without a sub. Makes me long for BST once more.

[Neomage]

When I took all my previous jobs through dunes(THF, WHM, BLM, RDM) I equipped myself as best as possible and prided myself on using good equipment and keeping the party flowing. But after 4 rounds of seeing my attempts as a well-oiled EXPing machine shot into the ground by 1-5 morons using RSE or Swimsuits or that just can't play their jobs, when I take MNK, SAM, and WAR through dunes I am just going to grab decent gear( NQ Armor from NPC, lv 14 Rings, up-to-date weapons) instead of muleing everything around, and just pop a few Ambrosias my HNMLS gave me(because no-one wanted them) and just pummel my way to 20.

It's just not worth it anymore at those levels.