An Unholy Incident

Jesus. I really thought I’d be able to keep up with this better. I’m just too busy I guess. Not much has changed really within the game. Life itself though got a little more interesting.

Trip to FL got canceled. The person I was originally planning to go there for ended up coming here. It’s ben quite an experience having another person around all day every day lol. It’s not really bad I guess. I enjoy her company. She helps keep me sane too. <_<

As far as game shit goes, I’ve actually made quite the recovery. I’ve obtained a lot of stuff that I previously had all thanks to Karasu. You may see a lot of shit on BG about random bans due to CC issues. I’m somewhat afraid I’ll be hit with that. XD You can never really tell anymore. It’s killed a few of my friends’ drive to play the game. It’s to the point that you don’t really know if you’ll be banned one moment or the next. As for me, I just enjoy every moment that I can. When I’m not /suiciding of course.

With FFXIV around the corner I’ve made plans to buy a PS3! \m/ I don’t really care to be on the computer anymore for gaming. Not only do you have to spend a few hundred to a thousand every year or so to keep up with the current technology, you face hackers and whatever else when it comes to gaming. :\ A little annoying, but nothing too bad for those who have a lot of money and know their way around a computer. I personally am tired of it.

As for LS stuff, we’ve become a bit more slack than I want us to be. At this point theres not much I can do about it anymore. I’ve been brainstorming ideas for everything from Relic upgrading systems to mandatory attendance(one of my last resorts), to simply making an all-around better LS system that everyone can enjoy. Of course it’s rough and clearly I can’t make everyone happy. I try my best though along with everyone else. Sometimes I have to wonder if things will ever be as they should be around here. There’s a lot of silly frustration these days because the shell doesn’t bot and it probably never will. :p And that in itself frustrates me. I can’t really explain why either. I enjoy being a clean player but I’m sick and tired of being run over by morons. Of course it can’t be helped. And I’m not one to QQ about people botting because I hate it when people do that shit lol.

Anyway, in short, I’m as annoyed as ever. And I’m probably going to continue to be. There is no solution anymore, to anything.

I’ll continue to keep my options open and I’ll see you guys next entry.

So as the title says. I am rapidly growing tired of this game. I realize not only five posts ago I sounded enthusiastic toward FFXI and rebuilding what I’d lost. Having stepped up as Shellholder of Karasu, the stress continues to get worse, and the tension between myself and some of my members has become thick enough to cut with a knife.

Tonight it really showed to me, where I became emo over King Vinegarroon, which we killed as we usually do..without much issue. I’d been camping for a while, only to lose the helm to someone else. I became overly upset over something that I know really doesn’t matter. It’s not only that, I can tell from my past few weeks of Salvage that I’m becoming problematic, I’ve gone as far as nearly warping out of said Salvages simply because I can’t stand dealing with the people I’m doing them with. It’s not so much that I hate them, more so that I am irritated by any little thing that could cause me problems, or could be considered mildly provoking me..that comes my way. As per usual, I suck it up and deal with it. I can’t tell if that’s my problem, that I’m bottling too much shit up. Lately, I’ve been letting it out. But that hasn’t seemed to do anything but cause my problems amongst the bonds and friendships that I’ve worked years to build and strengthen.

I really hate bitching out, but at this point I am considering quitting yet again. I’m very sick and tired of the way I’ve become and the way I’ve begun to show myself within the game. I come off as some psycho who can’t handle the massive amounts of problems they have. I realize the problem at this point but I cannot seem to change or fix it. I feel that losing my previous five years of work on my old character has only added to my seemingly angry personality. I remember saying that being upset over a character wasn’t healthy, and I still to this day agree. Thus I am bothered even more.. That I realize it’s not healthy yet I continue to be upset by it. Perhaps it takes time, perhaps it’s become something I am not willing to spend time on. The time I was allowing myself to get over it, and to stop kidding myself that I didn’t really care, is coming to an end fast, and I, as well as my Linkshell members can tell.

Let me end by saying that whatever ends up happening over the next few months, between my coming move to Florida, the stress, and things that I need to be doing that I neglect because of this game and the people I love within it, I’m always trying my best for my Linkshell, my friends, and my image. I can only continue to do this if I can truly let go of the addiction that IS Final Fantasy XI. If I can play casually as I once did, I believe I will be alright. But until then..

Only god knows.

More Worms that drop awesome shit. Very, very awesome.

Did I say awesome?

I meant absolute fucking garbage.

Well that didn’t work out very well, onto the next.

…Moment of truth!

It’s a fucking miracle.

Worm sucks, Tiamat rocks my socks.

I think it’s funny when I needed one of these they never dropped. Now that I don’t, it’s about all we get.

Grats to Mest on P.body and E.body, grats to Sayomi on Valhalla Helm, grats to Hyan on his long awaited N.legs.  H.hands were of course, freelotted and wasted.

Here I stand, waiting for Sandworm.. Only to actually be semi-afk when it spawns. I come back to some ignoramus standing around buffing to claim. So, I pop EES and Shadowbind, leading to a Serket which dropped the usual Tathlum and Harness. The claim was epic lulz.. OUT OF THE SHADOWS I COME TO CLAIM ALL UR WERMS.

More Khim shit that we already have too much of.

Grats to Spanktehtank on his shiny new Excalibur wannabe.

Random shit that I got recently that nobody gives a flying sack of shit about:

Insert Perdu Voulge SS here. Yeah, I’m about a year late, but better late than never I suppose.

The Hampty train has been revived! Coquito is my Volfeed

Dynamis is boring shit as usual. Grats to Gael on the only notable drop, which was THF. Took a shot at GKT as well~

Didn’t get to kill it cuz it warped in the first 25s. =( Oh well, next time!

GUESS WHO!?

That’s right, more Tiamat. Probably one of the most exciting fights we do has become one of the most boring as of late. No challenge. Fuck yeah Wyrm Horns, though. Before the Dargon blessed us with her presence, we came across this little gem:

After watching a bunch of butthurt failures try to jack Doomvoid 10 seconds from the time we claimed, we were rewarded with this guy.

Not bad.

With Odin tomorrow I’m praying to god we don’t get jewed on drops. The last one was surprisingly generous with another E.body, I think we’re up to 6 or so from Odin, regardless, grats to Avinor on that.

As you can see, stuff hasn’t slowed down in the least. We’re still on top of it as much as ever, I hope it stays that way for a long time to come. We all love our hNMs, so long as they continue to spawn, we’ll be killing them. Stay tuned.

I win things I can’t equip, hi.

Decided to run out and camp the last 10 hours, got lucky and only had to camp 3. Meh reward: A club with several eyes on it.

With this, all I’m missing is a Duelist’s Chapeau and I will be TOP LEVEL 24 RDM.

Wasted.

Regardless of my status now, at one point or another I was considered one of the better RDMs of the Titan server. I realize that I could never live up to some of the RDMs that I read about on other servers, nevertheless, I give it my all and I would like to share this information with you all.

Besides, it keeps the rust off while I take my break from RDM.

RDM Tank, something that no one ever seemed to understand..

The main point here for me was: A regular tank is boring.  Most people think that VS a PLD a RDM will fail in comparison both in the catagories survivability and hate build/upkeep.

Wrong.

If done right, a RDM can tank circles around a PLD or a NIN. Do most people realize this? No, they don’t. And this is where I introduce to you: the WTF factor.

You can tank in front of 75% of Titan LS’s on RDM and be examined to death because no one understands what you’re doing or how you’re doing it. Amusing, right? For anyone who has tanked as RDM, at least. ’tis a shame the only people on Titan to do this besides Karasu are Japanese.

So, why would you use a RDM tank over a PLD? Well..in some situations, PLDs are not always available, the same can be said for RDMs, however. This is mainly for flexibility and for the fun.

So, what do you need to do this? The essentials:

• Duelist’s Tabard
• Duelist’s Chapeau
• Dalmatica or Morrigan’s Robe
• Warlock’s Chapeau or Warlock’s Chapeau +1

And why those things? Duelist’s Tabard and Warlock’s Chapeau provide you with Fast Cast, which can be used full-time in certain situations, or macro’d onto some spells, I will go into detail later on which ones and why.

Duelist’s Chapeau should speak for itself, Refresh +1 bitches. The same with Dalmatica and Morrigan’s Robe.

Before anyone mentions it, RDM can blink. Alas it is not preferred among some LS. There are ways around it, what you use is up to you entirely. I for one full-timed Dalmatica and Chapeau when I tanked. Many people prefer Fast Cast pieces. Neither can be wrong, understand that. Micro-management is an option, but again, if you don’t want to blink, for whatever reason (I have heard many,) you don’t have to.

Alright then, that covers the basics. Shall we move on?

What mobs can RDM tank reliably?

It all depends on the skill level and experience of said RDM. I for one have tanked Khimaira, Cerberus, Sandworm. Dark Ixion, and Jormungand on RDM. Tiamat was next, but alas, the bullet of SE hits hard.

Khimaira is fairly easy if you’re able to handle Tourbillion. I had problems with this at times, but nothing too serious.

Cerberus is a great practice mob, as well as Hydra and Sandworm.

Dark Ixion is a complete bitch. You need a lot of patience and attention to do this one. Due to MP drain, Bind, Silence, Gravity, Amnesia and extreme raw damage, this is one of the most challenging things I have ever attempted within FFXI. Recommended to have your shit set straight before you ever try this.

Getting started!

I’ve already covered the absolute essentials. It’s time to look into the other slots. I will try my best to list the best options as well as the cheapest for those of you who don’t want to drop millions of gil into this. This isn’t saying you should be cheap, just that RDM doesn’t need a whole lot to do this.

Enmity:

• Macuahuitl +1 x2, Terra’s Staff
• Lamian Kaman +1
• Bloodbead Ring, Mermaid Ring, Sattva Ring,
• Ritter Gorget,
• Cerberus Mantle, Gigant Mantle,
• Swift Belt, Velocious Belt, Warwolf Belt, Trance Belt
• Nashira Seraweels
• Dusk Ledelsens, Dusk Ledelsens +1, Nashira Crackows,
• Eris Earring, Eris Earring +1, Hades Earring, Hades Earring +1

Okay, that should about cover your enmity/idle set. Aside from this, what are you looking for? How about your Stoneskin set. Without blinking, a RDM can very easily cap SS. Some of the gear you’ll want:

Non-blinking MND set:

• Communion Earring*, Communion Earring +1*, Mamool Ja Earring,
• Communion Ring, Communion Ring +1, Aqua Ring, Sapphire Ring,
• Aslan Cape, Prism Cape,
• Witch Sash, Penitents Rope,
• Promise Badge, Morgana’s Choker

*Can double as Fire resist gear for Tiamat.

Why bother with a Stoneskin set? Stoneskin is your 4th blink, it is what prevents AoEs such as Lava Spit from dealing so much damage, it is what saves your ass when you eat Tourbillion with 1 shadow. To cap it is nearly essential.

Here we go:

Macros:

For those of you running 6 lines, you’re SoL for the most part. Sorry! I’d advise you not to read beyond this point.

Cure Cheat gear:

Cure 3 (reduce) HP set provided by a friend cuz I am lazy:

• /equip Ring2 “Vivian ring”
• /equip Ear1 (Ethereal earring is unequipped)
• /equip Ring1 “Serket ring”
• /wait 1
• /equip Ring2 “Mermaid ring”
• /equip Ear1 “Ethereal earring”
• /equip Ring1 “Jelly ring”
• /equip Back “Gigant mantle”
• /ma “Cure III” <me>
• /wait 3
• /equip Back “Cerberus mantle”

Considering that you should never need to go beyond a Cure 3 cheat on RDM, I won’t bother going into 4.

Invisible Stoneskin set:

• /ma Stoneskin <me>
• /equip Ear1 “Communion earring +1″
• /equip Ear2 “Communion earring
• /equip Neck “Promise badge”
• /equip Back “Prism cape”
• /equip Ring2 “Tamas ring”
• /equip Waist “Penitent’s rope”
• /equip Sub “Raptor leather strap +1″
• /wait 7
• /equip Ear1 “Ethereal earring”
• /equip Ear2 “Hades earring +1″
• /equip Neck “Harmonia’s torque”
• /equip Back “Cerberus mantle”
• /equip Waist “Trance belt”
• /equip Ring2 “Mermaid ring”
• /equip Sub “Shark strap”

As to wether or not you’re using Macuahuitl +1s at this point is up to you. Terra’s Staff is being used in this example.

If you have capped Enhancing Magic, this will typically give you plenty of MND for a capped Stoneskin. If you’re Elvaan, obviously you will need less, and if you’re Taru or Galka, you may need to put more on. In addition, if needed, you can substitute in an Augmenting Earring and or Enhancing Torque in place of MND items.

For Tiamat:

Fire resist:

• Main: Neptune’s staff,
• Sub: Shark Strap, Numinous Shield +1
• Range: Lamia Kaman+1,
• Head: Black Ribbon, Green Ribbon +1
• Body: Bastokan Harness,
• Hands: Tarasque Mitts, Tarasque Mitts +1
• Legs: Crimson Cuisses, Blood Cuisses
• Feet: Marabout Sandals.
• Ring1: Malflame Ring, Triumph Ring, Ruby Ring,
• Ring2: See: Ring1
• Ear1: Communion Earring Communion Earring +1, Triumph Earring, Triumph Earring +1
• Ear2: See: Ear1
• Back: Cerberus Mantle,
• Waist: Water Belt,
• Neck: Buburimu Gorget, Jeweled Collar, Jewled Collar +1

Alrighty. We’ve got macros and gear covered thus far. How about hate managment?

The best Enmity spells(outside Cures..) and their CE/VE properties:

• Dispel: VE 320, CE 320
• Sleep: VE 320, CE 320
• Blind: VE 600, CE 1
• Sleep II: VE 480, CE 480
• Bind: VE  640, CE 1

Blind and Bind, as you can see, have almost no CE while a larger amount of VE compared to other spells. Blind and Bind are used to maintain hate once you reach cap, for the most part. Low MP cost, quick way to make the mob look at you.

Keep in mind at all times, RDM was not meant to tank short-term fights. RDM will take time to build hate compared to a PLD. While not a large amount of time, it’s still there.

I really hope this helps a little bit, I was by no means the best RDM tank I have ever heard of, nor did I ever have a solid grip on understanding enmity like some of the people I know do. Reading Kanican’s LJ helps a lot, of this I assure you.

Pratice this, you might learn to love it like I once did.

All credit on the macros, fire resist set, and cure cheat set to Curoles. Q__________Q

l o l That was pretty funny. Serket Ring -and- Trotters, from one run. Never again.

Have you ever felt like you were doing the same..thing twice!? Well, I totally am. Doing some Assaults today brought back a tooooooon of memories from when ToAU first came out. I was so nostalgic. >_>;;;

Remember Lamia No.13!? I’d almost forgotten how to do that assault. Kinda fun going back and doing all of this again.

Perhaps some Mamool Ja Assaults!?

It seems like a lot of people would be frustrated with working from the bottom up, especially with something considered to be so tedious like Assault, I thought I would hate it too. But it’s been fun thus far. I wouldn’t be able to do this without meh static and their endless patience when it comes to doing things. I think they’ve been through Nyzul 0-100 like six times now, impressive if you ask me lol.

As of right now, we’re working on getting the rest of us Captain rank, Hyan’s Assault Ledgers for whatever Mythic he decided to do, and Nyzul gears. A lot to balance for a small group. Not to mention four out of the six do Salvage with me!

At my current pace.. I may very well look into doing another Relic or a Mythic.. but I believe it may be too soon to talk about that. Only time can tell!

Einherjar puts out.

Absolute garbage..

I can’t help but wonder if we’re ever going to see a decent Abjuration from Wing 1-3. D: