BST useless in a party pre-lvl 23?

[cavill]

I just spoke to a friend who is a lvl 72 BST to ask how he lvld at lower lvls, he said he lvld from lvl 10-35 in exp parties, and that he created the parties, i want to try this just to get to 35 so i can get Release, but i wondered, who the hell would join a party with a BST at lvl 10 in valkurm dunes? unless they are a bunch of newbs that dont know what a good party configuration is... a BST at lvl 10-23 is practically leeching exp and id say alot of ppl wouldnt want you in the party, and even at lvl 23 when you can call a pet with jugs of broth, they will be extremely weak against IT mobs...
I would like everyones opinions on this.

[Macht]

Well can't say much of party situations with BST at 10 - 23. My BST job just barely reach 10, but as far as I can tell with it charming an Even or DC monster to use still is quite useful.

The damage they'll do is not great but it's no better then what the rest of party will do. Doing that though you're willingly taking a hit to your own EXP which I'm sure you are aware of.

It is also a little more dangerous for you to charm monsters instead of using broths in a party at that level though. Since the monster charmed is going to take little damage, if unlucky enough the charmed beast can end up being uncharmed and causing some other chaos for the party.

[Altruist]

Solo worms til you can't get any more exp. I found that even grinding DC's was almost always faster than exp PT's in valk. I had one good invite for a worm PT, mainly they needed someone with 1h axe. Didn't use a pet, worms are like free exp anyway.

Had a PT at 33 and used funguars, the ninja and thief liked having more distributed hate and I had enough def to be a good trick budy.

Ever since it's just beast duo, and at one time 6x bst in the citadel ^^.

[Tomatoes]

Before level 23 you are basically a war (assuming you have proper war sub). Fortunately, at those levels it's not a big deal that you don't have pet damage. Any melee can do well in Maze, Dunes, Tunnels, Qufim as long as he/she is well-equipped. Hell, at those levels, most people are just happy that you have a levelled sub. @_@

Before I got Release, I PT'd a lot and solo'd sometimes, depending on my mood and convenience. I even PT'd after 35 a couple times just for fun.

[cavill]

So at lvl 10 i should probably have WAR subbed as like a backup tank?

[Macht]

As backup tank or as the tank. Most of the lower levels the equipment is all almost the same, so defense wise you should do as decent as anyone else tanking.

Either sub WAR for the provoke or sub NIN for a dual wield if you have NIN leveled to that. Most people probably go for WAR because everyone seems to take Provoke as being so godly

[Mikeb]

BST is useless compared to a good warrior. I guess if you're in a party where everyone else is noob you can be an asset... I'd recommend soloing though.

I'd rather be grinding it out solo for 2000 exp/hour at low levels than stuck in a noob group barely getting the same exp... Just last night I played in a EXP party in Garlaige - it sucked - I could have got over twice the EXP soloing in the same time...

BST is only useful with an EM pet, or lots of very good melee gear and a +1 broth... Using charming gear + broth, or no pet, they're USELESS...

[Senate4242]

Keep in mind, if you party to 35, you will miss a lot of learning the jos requires. It has a vert steep learning curve, and trying to solo at 35 for the first time in 20+ levels, will be very difficult.

I am in a mostly BST LS, and I have seen a few people that rush to 35 in partys, and they freak out because they dont know their job and it is too tough.

My opinion is solo at least some of the time, and maybe party during the difficult levels. Where things in the current zone are giving slow exp, and the ones in the next zone you are headed to are too tough.

Just my opinion.

[Gman]

Re: BST useless in a party pre-lvl 23?

Originally posted by cavill
I just spoke to a friend who is a lvl 72 BST to ask how he lvld at lower lvls, he said he lvld from lvl 10-35 in exp parties, and that he created the parties, i want to try this just to get to 35 so i can get Release, but i wondered, who the hell would join a party with a BST at lvl 10 in valkurm dunes? unless they are a bunch of newbs that dont know what a good party configuration is... a BST at lvl 10-23 is practically leeching exp and id say alot of ppl wouldnt want you in the party, and even at lvl 23 when you can call a pet with jugs of broth, they will be extremely weak against IT mobs...
I would like everyones opinions on this.

A lvl 10 BST is no more an exp leech than a lvl 10 SMN/BLM or THF/anything. In fact you forget that a BST can do respectable damage at lvl 10-15 and still be a backup tank. After 15, you should be soloing. Right now I'm 14, and there is nowhere to solo exp, so I plan to get a PT just till 15, then Dhamels in Tahrongi will be EM and I can solo those for a couple levels.

I have no intentions of patying as BST unless I have to, like in situations where there are just no good places to charm. I hate when all I can find is DC and Tough mobs, and no evens.

[nhusted]

BST would do fine in the dunes as long as you have a decently level WAR sub. At that level the damage difference between you and any other melee class will still be minimal.

I would have to agree with the other posts and suggest soloing though. A majority of the time once you get the hang of BST you will easily be able to solo xp faster then you can group XP. There are too many bad parties out there and there is a very good chance you will be stuck in one. Post 35 I have solo'd places netting 2-2.5k an hour (This was according to FFXI Parser, latest version) and as low as 1.4k an hour. I have been in a few groups that have netted as low as 900xp an hour!! I would strongly suggest only wasting your time getting a group when you hit a hell level. Either way post 23 it's still a pain in the butt to find a group as a BST unless you create one.

Most people don't understand a BST and his jug do massive amounts of damage (as WHM sub in altepa I out damaged the RNG in the group a couple times, again FFXI Parser).

Frogger does make a very good point too. DO NOT RUSH TO 35! BST is a VERY difficult job that requires lots of practice. I too suggest only soloing the hard or what I call limbo levels. I have solo'd about 40 of my levels, grouped for 2, and duo'd for 4. I STILL make mistakes as a BST. It is always a learning experience, and you will look back and say, "I solo'd for XX levels... that's just incredible." It is very, very rewarding to know you have done what so many other jobs can't do.

[Victim12]

Sometimes people say when you hit lvl 35 then you can party, but for me the low levels were when I did the most damage compared to other people in parties. At low levels, we all wear the same equipment and nobody has their job-defining abilities yet, but a BST can still charm a pet from lvl 1. I joined a party in Buburimu once at lvl 16 and I charmed a sylvestre and we outdamaged everyone else. Even without a pet I would still have been doing great.

It's in higher levels where my own damage falls behind other damage dealers and I basically need to have a pet.

[sudo]

Originally posted by Victim12
It's in higher levels where my own damage falls behind other damage dealers and I basically need to have a pet.

ya but playing without a pet is like gimping yourself. It's like asking a drg not to use a wyrven or a smn not to summon. Maybe more like a rdm that doesn't refresh.

We're bst. We use pets. We are buff that way

(actually a bst/nin using the best axes is almost equivilent to a war/nin using the same stuff as most pieces of gear at high lvs are the same. Bst can also use the ogre set wich actually has more attack bonuses than stuff a war can find for some of the pieces. We can't make up for the beserk and agressor but we come pretty close I think. Plus most bst are much richer than war due to our superior farming skills. My big gil purse makes me happier than doing a bit more damage not counting my pet)

[Caution]

Thankfully the margin of error early in the game is soooo wide you can drive a truck through it.

If you play "pick up" as a BST/Whatever from lvl 10-23 and never charm a single mob, chances are no one would be able to tell the difference between you and any other damage dealer.

Why?

You are more likely to have some gil, this means you will have decent equipment.

You are more likely to choose an appropriate subjob and keep it leveled up.

You are more likely to understand party tactics and help others learn them (like skill chains and magic bursts).

You are more likely to know about alternative leveling spots.

You are more likely to know what foods to use.


But, are you willing to play with the new guys? That's the real question.

Hell I played BRD/WHM in pick up in Valkrum for a few levels and had to stop all melee since I pulled hate (I was wearing lots of good gear and had max skills)

If playing with other LS mates or friends who are also "tweaked" in gil, food and gear, you may notice a SMALL difference in your damage without a pet from 10-23, but not much.


The big question for me was, "Why do I want to play BST?"

The answer was "So if I feel like earning XP alone, with my odd schedule, I am free to do so."

So I felt it important to solo BST as far as I could just to "see if I could." That was lvl 50. At that point a good buddy had caught up to me with his BST and we formed a duo.

So it's whatever you *want*. A well-quipped BST with some game knowledge is a blessing to any "pre-30s" party in a damage dealing, back up tanking role -- even without a pet -- since the only jobs "defined" that early in the game are WHM, BLM and BRD.

[Odepa]

But, are you willing to play with the new guys? That's the real question.

lol!!!!! very wise words.