Farming techniques

[Aeni]

Re: Farming techniques

I've tested -ga farming and killing just 1 by 1 and found that the latter method is better. In both cases, as DRK/THF. One case example is from Giddeus farming Yags for necklaces (Tenshodo fame) for my other character.

-ga from Scythe WS, Spinning Scythe. With enough TP on a martial scythe, I can clear everything I've trained.

On 1 on 1, I pull out my xbow + mithril bolt instead. I can usually one shot low level mobs and there's no downtime involved (Due to working around the engagement delays)

My drop rate with the -ga was almost 3 times less than pulling one by one. I also noticed that if you take too long to kill something, the drop rate declines versus if you kill it fast. One shotting things therefore proves more beneficial in my case as my necklace drop rate was around 50% (1 every 2 yagudo killed)

[LyonheartLakshmi]

Re: Farming techniques

Is FFXI the same as other Final Fantasy games, where in later levels you dont seem to know what to do with all the money that comes rolling in from one place or another!!?

There's always going to be something in the game that's financially hard-to-reach, even for the richest players. I'm guessing that the only players who will claim to have more money than they know what to do with are ones with multiple 100 crafts and have chosen not to pursue fully upgrading a relic weapon.

Wouldn't it be nice if mobs dropped 500-1000gil each?!

It might help make those Crag Chocobos easier to afford. But overall, everything else in the game would just rise in price to meet the increased money supply on your server. Gil would easier to obtain, but all those HQ items and NM drops would demand a higher price, and the two factors would balance out in the end.

[Haggai]

Re: Farming techniques

I'm a 46 BLM, so I didn't know whether to choose that I was high or low lvl in the poll. I chose low, 'cos I still feel like a newb.

Pre lvl 30, I farmed using -ga spells in Konschtat Highlands. I even made a post here asking about the ethics of -ga farming. Overall, the method was fairly profitable, but I really wanted to try using /THF for treasure hunter. Time passed, I finally got THF to 15, and I developed my current farming method.

I go BLM/THF, pull the mob with Bio II, and whack at it with my dagger. If the mob is tougher, I'll nuke with a tier 1 spell. I use WS whenever my TP is at 100%. Drain is used once per fight for damage and to keep my HP up. Right now I'm not farming aspirable mobs, but when I am, I use the "thrall" method. I did that a lot with gobbies in Konschtat.

Hey if you're BLM46, consider getting a Mandibular Sickle. BLM with a scythe is bad ass. Farm some Maneating Hornets in Gustaberg to skill it up then move up to what you're currently farming. I just upgraded to the Ivory Sickle and I love it.

I don't generally farm with spells unless I'm going for harder prey, or if I'm going for Jellies. One-shotting them in Korroloka Tunnel with spells is fun, plus there are plenty of worms around to Aspir-and-go.

Oh, and if you are going to farm with spells, wear as much Conserve MP+ gear as you can. One of note: Duende Cotehardie: Conserve MP +4 is nice for minimizing MP usage. It's level 50 so you can't wear it yet, and you need Phomonia Aqueducts access, which means Promy-Holla, Dem, and Mea need to be completed.

EDIT: LOL. After looking at what's available for Conserve MP gear, I see that there is nothing before the Duende Cotehardie and nothing else until 71.

[Murphie]

Re: Farming techniques

Yeah, that would be nice, but no. Most players will always want for money, even at level 75.

[Bricklayer]

Re: Farming techniques

Is FFXI the same as other Final Fantasy games, where in later levels you dont seem to know what to do with all the money that comes rolling in from one place or another!!?

How I wish this were the case (was just playing FF5 today at lunch)... From what I've seen on the boards, money is almost always a bottleneck even in end game. Wouldn't it be nice if mobs dropped 500-1000gil each?!

[Jei]

Re: Farming techniques

on really low level mobs such as crawlers around sarutabaruta, I usually just use main Thf with a high damage throwing weapon. Run around and 1 shot all the crawlers I run into. Fast and easy.

[hongman]

Re: Farming techniques

Thanks all for your comments!

When I say High/Low lvl, I mean in comparison with the mobs you are farming really.

But over all, I am going to try lvling up THF, and then subbing it with my RDM and see how that goes.

Thank you all! Its hard work making decent money for me in this game (so far).

Is FFXI the same as other Final Fantasy games, where in later levels you dont seem to know what to do with all the money that comes rolling in from one place or another!!?

[Chveya]

Re: Farming techniques

I'm a 46 BLM, so I didn't know whether to choose that I was high or low lvl in the poll. I chose low, 'cos I still feel like a newb.

Pre lvl 30, I farmed using -ga spells in Konschtat Highlands. I even made a post here asking about the ethics of -ga farming. Overall, the method was fairly profitable, but I really wanted to try using /THF for treasure hunter. Time passed, I finally got THF to 15, and I developed my current farming method.

I go BLM/THF, pull the mob with Bio II, and whack at it with my dagger. If the mob is tougher, I'll nuke with a tier 1 spell. I use WS whenever my TP is at 100%. Drain is used once per fight for damage and to keep my HP up. Right now I'm not farming aspirable mobs, but when I am, I use the "thrall" method. I did that a lot with gobbies in Konschtat.

[Jei]

Re: Farming techniques

I like to just kill 1 at a time. no downtime, easier.

[Eauijhkuu]

Re: Farming techniques

With TH2, ho!!

There's no better way to farm

[Theyaden]

Re: Farming techniques

Another thing to take into consideration, different mobs in different zones will have different drop rates.

So like maybe Soldier crawlers in the nest would have a higher silk drop rate than worker crawlers, but the soldier/worker crawlers in the jungles may have a higher drop rate than the ones in the nest.

I'm not sure, but if I go out and farm in an area that people normally don't kill the mobs in, then I get a higher drop rate sometimes. I've never tested it though, and maybe I'm just getting lucky.

I think your right regarding different drops in different area.

I've found outside of Windy if I'm hunting the mist silk cape the bee's have always given me a lower chip rate on the side Spiny spawns than the opposite side with the same bee's allthough the silkthread droprate was the same.

Maze of Shakromie seemed to be the same although you need to be higher level to kill those crawlers with no downtime than outside windy. (I used to go there so I wouldn't step on people trying to level to 10 before I stoped hunting silkthreads after the price drop).

Regarding AOE farming

I've testing auga farming just to see the difference in drops.

With a 45 thf training up sheep for sheepskin, Yagado for necklaces, beastmen for fun then using cyclone blade to kill the group my return rate on what I was getting was noticably lower than if I killed each one individually except the beastmen. It was even more fun to see the clump of them die than individually killing orces goblins exc and the gil recieved /chuckle while small was the same amount as killing them individually. You will sometimes get lucky and get the same amount from AOE per kill for a clump or two, but the average you will garner is lower than quickkill step step quickkill. Also usually you don't have to rest on the individual mob farming since a good weapon skill rating and decient armor prevent downtime.

Also I consider it discourtious to AOE farm around other farmers it's more a method to drive out competion and if your alone to blow off steam when you feel like a huge body pileup. I usually keep my tp up and have had train farmers run right by me while I'm standing and picking off the same mobs. The train grabbs all of them near me. I cyclone blade killing most of the train which ends the attempt to drive me out.

[Vyuru]

Re: Farming techniques

Another thing to take into consideration, different mobs in different zones will have different drop rates.

So like maybe Soldier crawlers in the nest would have a higher silk drop rate than worker crawlers, but the soldier/worker crawlers in the jungles may have a higher drop rate than the ones in the nest.

I'm not sure, but if I go out and farm in an area that people normally don't kill the mobs in, then I get a higher drop rate sometimes. I've never tested it though, and maybe I'm just getting lucky.

[Haggai]

Re: Farming techniques

If you are using MP while farming, try to kill most mobs over time using least MP over time. Downtime is not a good thing for farming.

And to add to this, having a thrall is good fun. Drag around a crab/beetle/elemental to use as an Aspir-bitch. And there's always the ever-fun Aspir and go on worms, too. (good for places like Korroloka)

[LyonheartLakshmi]

Re: Farming techniques

People with effective AoEs at their disposal might try to provide arguments as to why it is more efficient for them to train farm, the real reason people train mobs when farming comes down to this: they're trying to scoop the competition and hog the mobs.

For some odd reason, many players think that just because they got a mob to run around behind them, that they now have some legitimate claim to it. It's ridiculous to see a player which, by the nature of their job and weapon choice, has absolutely no AoE capabilities, and yet still chooses to train mobs. And if you happen to engage one of those mobs, they start accusing you of somehow "stealing" their "claims".

Consider the following. If you create a large train of mobs before you start killing any of them, this results in most of those mobs living longer than if you had simply started killing them 1 by 1 as you came across them. When mobs live longer, spawns occur slower (when averaged out over a farming session). Fewer spawns means fewer kills. And fewer kills means you are actually decreasing the efficiency of your farming session.

[Celeal]

Re: Farming techniques

Another thing has to consider is how fast you can kill the mob, how many kills over time? And also how fast the mob re-spawned.

For example, if you can kill 5 mobs in 5 minutes, you can "potentially" get drops from 5 mob. If you can kill 10 mobs in 5 minutes, the amount of drops "potentially" doubles. If there is no mob to kill, no drops.

THF's treasure hunter can increase the chance of drops. If the area has other farmers, it may affect the number of mobs you can kill over time.

For farming in general, you want THF's treasure hunter, avoid other farmers in the same area, or claim/kill mob faster than other farmers in the same area (not recommended, it may create conflicts and unhappy experience), and get the most kill over time.

If you are using MP while farming, try to kill most mobs over time using least MP over time. Downtime is not a good thing for farming.