Galkas!? Double-u tee eff!?

[Tivul]

Sorry for the (somewhat) vague title, but I'm sorta at a lack of creativeness right now.

Anyhoo, enough babbling, time for the question. I'm pretty confident I wanna be a SMN at one point or another, but I was wondering something. Are Galkas a viable race for SMN? I realize a Taru or even a Hume may be more efficient...but I do enjoy the uniqueness of a Galka. The thought a big, peaceful giant casting heals on everyone as I level WHM makes me pretty excited as to it's possibilities

However, will choosing this race gimp me so bad to the point that parties will be overlooking me? Should I stick with my original choice of Taru? Lemme hear ya!

[Hamlet]

Re: Galkas!? Double-u tee eff!?

Sorry for the (somewhat) vague title, but I'm sorta at a lack of creativeness right now.

Anyhoo, enough babbling, time for the question. I'm pretty confident I wanna be a SMN at one point or another, but I was wondering something. Are Galkas a viable race for SMN? I realize a Taru or even a Hume may be more efficient...but I do enjoy the uniqueness of a Galka. The thought a big, peaceful giant casting heals on everyone as I level WHM makes me pretty excited as to it's possibilities

However, will choosing this race gimp me so bad to the point that parties will be overlooking me? Should I stick with my original choice of Taru? Lemme hear ya!

The difference between taru and galka mp is quite obscene. Unfortuantely, the only people that can really pull of galka mages are people that have been playing for awhile and can get expensive mp+ gear (at least to start, it's pricey). I mean, you can play it, but you'll end up hurting the pt compared to a taru. Even people that say there's "no difference" between tarus and humes will not go to say the same about galka vs taru.

Do what you want, but I doubt your dream of sitting peacefully in the back will turn into reality. More likely, it'll be "LOL Galka get a melee job you SUCK!"

[klvino]

Re: Galkas!? Double-u tee eff!?

Any race can do any job in FFXI. Pick what makes YOU happy, and f everyone else.

[Tivul]

Re: Galkas!? Double-u tee eff!?

It sorta makes me depressed to see that it's not extremely viable...I'll probably stick with Taru then if I'm gonna be ridiculed for it.

[Jei]

Re: Galkas!? Double-u tee eff!?

galka mage is fine. it can feel a little wierd having one in the PT, but that's about it.

[tdh]

Re: Galkas!? Double-u tee eff!?

It's not that it's not viable. I have seen Lv.75 Galka mages. BLM, WHM, RDM, BRD, and SMNs. (The Pimp suit looks a little stretched out on a Galka though! lol) So it is possible. There's actually a pretty well known Galka WHM on my server who's been said to be one of the best. I've also seen some pretty impressive Galka BLMs out in the world.

But, the problem is the lower levels. When MP efficiency is a farse of epic proportions. Leveling WHM in the Dunes when you have WAR and MNK tanks, both hemorrhaging HP at alarming rates, and you're stuck with less than 100MP at Lv.12. You can buy/make Yag Drinks, and spend all the gil you can muster on MP+ gear, and it can be done. Just may be a tad frustrating. As an Elvaan RDM I know what it's like to be Main healing because I actually have Cure II in the Dunes, but no sub job, and limited MP to draw from.

If you can make it, it does teach you how to naturally Conserve MP well before you have the job trait from you sub job. (I learned how to stretch out my MP so well, it took me a while to adjust so I could fully take advantage of Convert!)

So we're not saying that it can't be done, but you're gonna be able to fly with the same cheap~o stuff a Taru might use since they have insane amount of MP to draw on right off the bat.

[Murphie]

Re: Galkas!? Double-u tee eff!?

There is a galka in my LS leveling SMN at the moment, but he's been playing for a while, and has a pair of astrals and Carby Mitts and all of the other useful/hard to acquire mage gear.

So it can be done, but for a first time player, it'll be an uphill battle.

[Tivul]

Re: Galkas!? Double-u tee eff!?

Hm...I would enjoy the challenge but...eh. Maybe I'll give both a try for the first few levels and see if I can handle it. I mean, it'd only make me stronger in the long run, right?

[Draco Dagon]

Re: Galkas!? Double-u tee eff!?

Sorry for the (somewhat) vague title, but I'm sorta at a lack of creativeness right now.

Anyhoo, enough babbling, time for the question. I'm pretty confident I wanna be a SMN at one point or another, but I was wondering something. Are Galkas a viable race for SMN? I realize a Taru or even a Hume may be more efficient...but I do enjoy the uniqueness of a Galka. The thought a big, peaceful giant casting heals on everyone as I level WHM makes me pretty excited as to it's possibilities

However, will choosing this race gimp me so bad to the point that parties will be overlooking me? Should I stick with my original choice of Taru? Lemme hear ya!

As others stated, it is possible to become a main mage AS a Galka, however you need to make lots of gil before starting. One of my favorite white mages is a lvl 60+WHM Galka, he looks awesome in full AF too and also is a lvl 60+ WHM too (Fubuubear on Fairy ftw!).

Good luck!

[tdh]

Re: Galkas!? Double-u tee eff!?

Hm...I would enjoy the challenge but...eh. Maybe I'll give both a try for the first few levels and see if I can handle it. I mean, it'd only make me stronger in the long run, right?

As an Elvaan, I had some rough going when I hit the Dunes and the Maze with out a subjob. So a Galka WHM in the Dunes with no Sub job will probably be a pain!

However the time I hit the Dunes all the NEW people from the PS2 release were in the Dunes. So any mage was snatched up in a heart~beat! There have been times that with a WHM buddy, I can't find a party as a BRD because there just isn't anybody in the Dunes. So hopefully you can raise gil early, and get your hands on some decent MP+ items that will really help you out.

Here are a few suggestions for a MP+69 from gear, and another MP+50 added from food all at Lv.10.

Astral Rings x2
Energy Earrings +1 x2
Zealot's Mitts
Legionnaire's Staff
Rolanberry Pie

Now a MP+119 isn't a bad swing at Lv.10, but it's not cheap! Astrals are nearly around 1.5M ~each~ on my server. Energy Earrings +1 are roughly 75k, 30k for the mitts, and the Staff is pretty cheap usually. It's a Conquest Point (CP) Item if I recall, and then 10k for a stack of Rolanberry Pies. So we're looking at 3.2M for a Lv.10 character with out a sub job, who's just started the game.

Now keep in mind you don't need to go with these items, but as I was looking at MP+ items for Lv.10, this was about the best I could find. So just make sure you know what you're getting yourself into before you start out on this "Gentle Giant" quest!

[Tivul]

Re: Galkas!? Double-u tee eff!?

I appreciate all the feedback guys, and I think I'll just make a Taru. I see what you folks are saying, and I probably should go with what's easiest to start as.

Here's another question: is it a real heartbreak to not start in Windhurst and give up that ring or whatever you get to start? My friend wants to play an Elvaan and I sorta wanna start with him.

[Tirrock]

Re: Galkas!? Double-u tee eff!?

The ring you get to start with isn't that good. It'd be more important to start with somebody you know, I think.

[tdh]

Re: Galkas!? Double-u tee eff!?

I appreciate all the feedback guys, and I think I'll just make a Taru. I see what you folks are saying, and I probably should go with what's easiest to start as.

Here's another question: is it a real heartbreak to not start in Windhurst and give up that ring or whatever you get to start? My friend wants to play an Elvaan and I sorta wanna start with him.

Even then you only get the ring if you are of the right race. If you're an Elvaan in Windy, you don't get the ring, you have to be a Taru or a Mithran to get it. So you have to be of the race that calls that country home.

Elvaan - Sandy
Mithran & Tarutaru - Windy
Hume & Galka - Bastok

Now I didn't wanna be responsible for heading you away from the Gentle Giant, but what you may want to consider is to take a melee job to Lv.30 and then go on towards your SMN & WHM work. That way you'll be Lv.30 so you can raise some gil, even do some BCNM 20's and 30's to afford the Galka Magery. You could take WAR to Lv.30, unlock SMN, and then go back to WHM when you have a subjob available to you. Nothing says you can't still go with that dream, just may be easier and more practical for this to be done when you have a means to raise gil, and have a sub job from the get go.

[Tivul]

Re: Galkas!? Double-u tee eff!?

I see what you're saying tdh. I'm not a big fan of melees, however, and I probably won't experiment with 'em much until later levels. So I'll probably go with the Taru.

[Feba]

Re: Galkas!? Double-u tee eff!?

Short Answer: Yes, but not unless you have a lot of gil.


Long Answer: Galka mages are a beautiful thing, in the hands of a skilled player. They take a lot of money and MP conservation to work properly, and they will hurt a lot more than other mages. Galkas pretty much rely on their RSE once they hit around lv30, and if they don't have it, they will fall behind other races even quicker. The Galka mage has to put such an obscene focus on MP that they will have a hard fight for gil, and they will have hardly any room left for other stats (although this isn't as important to a SMN).

A properly decked out Galka can be very powerful (Having been outdamaged by a galka BLM myself, as a taru BLM, I know), but in the wrong hands it just enforces the stereotype that galka mages suck. Though they can be powerful, it isn't hard for a decently equipped member of another race, such as Taru or Hume, to keep up with a Galka in top of the line gear.

If you're looking into a gentle giant, Galkan BRD might be for you. Extremely uncommon, but very useful, and MP isn't much of an issue...in fact, a Galkan BRD in full RSE will have more MP than a taru in the same EQ! (Except, of course, said RSE)

If you do take the road of a Galkan Mage, though, invest in Wizard/Ginger cookies. Your PT Will thank you.


Remember, it's not always in how much MP you have, as much as it is how fast you can get it back. Although, the more MP you have to start with, the longer you'll last in a chain.