Guide To 99 Cooking (Because Royal Jelly Suck!) (Final Fantasy vii remake)

July 3rd, 2009

Here’s a guide to help you get from 0-99 in cooking. You need a quite a bit of gil to complete the task, but this chart shows the steps to success. So far I’m at 61 but I’ve already mapped out everything I need to do. Hope you all enjoy. Also this is brought to you by Nobuko from the server Siren ^^.

Skill level Crystal Ingredients
0 to 3 Water San d'Orian Carrot x4
3 to 6 Fire Distilled Water x1, Bird Egg x1
6 to 11 Wind Bastore Sardine x1
11 to 20 Ice Rock Salt x1, Selbina Milk x1
20 to 30 Water Kazham Pineapple x2
30 to 40 Water Watermelon x1, Thundermelon x1
40 to 42 Water Rock Salt x1, Selbina Butter x1, San d'Orian Flour x1
42 to 50 Fire Bird Egg x1, Faerie Apple x1, Cinnamon x1, Maple Sugar x1, Pie Dough x1
50 to 60 Dark Yagudo Cherry x1, Buburimu Grape x3
60 to 68 Fire Distilled Water x1, La theine Cabbage x1, San d'Orian Carrot x1, Bird Egg x1
68 to 72 Water Derfland Pear x2, Honey x1, Selbina Milk x1
72 to 76 Fire Distilled Water x1, Honey x1, Maple Sugar x1, Selbina Milk x1, Kukuru Bean x4
76 to 83 Fire Chamomile x2, Honey x1, Distilled Water x1
83 to 86 Dark Chestnut x2, Maple Sugar x1, Grape Juice x1
86 to 90 Water Red Terrapin x1, Mithran Tomato x1, Rolanberry x1, Faerie Apple x1
90 to 92 Dark Rock Salt x1, Emperor Roe x1
92 to 94 Fire Flint Caviar x1, Distilled Water x1, Rock Salt x1, Pamtam Kelp x1, Tarutaru Rice x1
94 to 95 Fire Maple Sugar x1, Bamboo Stick x1, Rock Salt x1, Sticky Rice x1, Dhalmel Meat x1, Coral Fungus x1, Distilled Water x1
95 to 99 Fire Maple Sugar x1, Cinnamon x1, Sticky Rice x1, Gardenia Seed x1, Fresh Mugwost x1, Distilled Water x1
99 to 100 Water Kitron x1, Persikos x1, Honey x1, Royal Jelly x1

0-3, Result for this is Carrot Broth. Head to G-9 of South Sandy to buy these from Corua. These can be sold through a bazaar and they sell fairly quick as BST use them.

3-6, Result for this is a Hard-Boiled Egg. Not much you can do with this, I just sold them to an NPC as the cost is chump change. You can get bird eggs from the venders that are placed in the area you wait for an airship. As long as the nation you are at is rank 1 or 2, the vender will have bird eggs for sell. If you’re not rank 5, you’ll have to get them from the auction house.

6-11, Result is 2x sliced Sardines. These can be sold to the auction house as players use it to fish. You should most likely break even with this, or even make profit if you fish the ingredients yourself.

11-20, Result for this is Selbina Butter. Hold onto these as you will be using them to make dough. You can buy the milk at Selbina from Dohdjuma at G-10 of Selbina. Rock Salt can be bought by the vender that has Volldow region control. Aulavia at G-7 of Bastok Mines, Lebondur at F-6 of Windy Port, and Millechuca at L-9 of North Sandy.

20-30, Pineapple Juice comes out of this. You can either sell these back to vender for result of little lost or sell them at the auction house and in bazaar, though it will take you a long time as you will have a lot of juice and they don’t stack. The pineapples can be bought by Ghemi Sinterilo at Kazham on the airship side.

30-40, Melon Juice is made with this. You’ll need about 120k or so gil to help invest into this, but you can make your money back by selling all the juice back. Fair warning it will take a long time to sell it back, I had to make 3 extra character just to be able to hold all of the juice. The ingredients for this can be bought in Raboa at F-7 by Scamplix.

40-42, Here you get to use your butter to make pie dough. This item will be used to make the apple pies. You’ll more then likely have some butter left over, you can sell the extra at the auction, people buy this fairly quickly so that they can make dough themselves. Whoever controls the Zulkheim Region has the flour. Usually it’s either Sandy or Bastok, NPC at Sandy is Phamelise at K-9 of South Sandy, Rosswald J-7 in Port Bastok.

42-50, Now we’re cooking! Use the dough you got to make apple pies. These things sell like hot cakes at the auction, you’ll have likely be making profit off of these if you get all the ingredients from venders with control of a region. For the faerie apples whoever controls the Fauregandi region will have the apples. Sheia Pohrichamaha in B-4 of Windy Port, Vichual in F-4 of North Sandy, Rodellieux at H-7 of Bastok Mines. Cinnamon can be bought at Kazham by Ghemi Sinterilo on the airship side. Maple Sugar I just ended up buying it at the auction house.

50-60, Ok from this point on it takes a lot longer to get your skill up, simply because you don’t get skill up as often. The result for this is Yagudo Drinks and these sell fast at the auction house. Both the cherry and the grape can be bought from Ahyeekih at H-10 of Windy Waters. The region for this is Kolshushu and Windy is usually the one in control in this. I have however seen Sandy gain control of this on my server, so in case another region gets it by chance, you can get the items from Fiva at G-6 of Port Sandy and Yafafa at I-5 of Bastok Market. You will break even or make a bit a profit from this.

60-68, Time to make some easter eggs! By now you should know where to get all the ingredients to make these. Currently I’m just selling these back to the vender as there is no use for them. Expect lost from this.

68-72, Time to make Pear au Lait (sounds fancy). These babies regen 3 hp every 3 seconds for 3 minutes. You can get the Derfland Pear from the vender with control of Derfland region. Belka at E-7 of Bastok Port, Pourette at J-9 of South Sandy, and Taraihi-Perunhi at K-10 of Windy Wood are the vender that can sell the pears. Honey you can just buy at the auction. Best to sell these through a bazaar as they don’t stack, but people will buy them as they use it to level up low level classes.

72-76, Chocomilk is made from this recipe. I have no clue atm on how often or for how much these sell for as I’m not at that point of crafting yet. Also these can get you all the way up to 79 skill, but it’s cheaper to Chamomile Tea so we’re just using it to boost up our cooking skill a bit. Kukuru Beans can be bought from Ghemi Sinterilo at Kazham on the airship side.

76-83, Who would of thought that boiling some leaves in water could be so hard! These beauties will get you to 83 skill at a very low cost. Downside to these is that they don’t stack, but they do sell at the auction for at a decent rate. Chamomile can be bought in Upper Jeuno at G-6 by Areebah.

83-86, Marron glace is the result for this level. Not a really good food item from what I can see, this is mainly to just get skill up. No clue on how much or if it even sells at the auction house. Chestnuts (Ronfaure Chestnuts is the actual name of the item) can be bought by Corus at G-9 of South Sandy.

86-90, Vampire juice is the drink and man does it taste good! Red Terrapin can only be fished out so you’ll either have to buy them at the auction house or fish them out yourself, no idea on what fishing skill is needed. Rolanberry can be bought in Upper Jeuno by Champalpeiu at G-6. Mithran Tomatoes are sold by the Mithra at the airship of Kazham.

90-92, Flint Caviar is the dish and wow is this stuff fancy. In order to get the Emperor Roe you need to get an Emperor Fish. Use a lightning crystal on it to make Emperor Roe. Save the Flint Caviar as you’ll be using it for level up even more.

92-94, Tonosama Rice Ball is what we are making and from what I hear these sell for 10k a stack. Something to do with samurai gloves and the opo opo crown that give you bonuses to attack and such. The tarutaru rice can be bought at the cooking guild in Windy Waters. Pamtam Kelp can be bought by the venders on the Ship from Selbina to Mhaura.

94-95, Rice Dumplings is the results of this item and they are hard to make. Even once you hit the level 95 skill cap you will still fail a lot of these. Bamboo Stick can be bought from Vuliaie in Norg at H-8. Sticky Rice can be bought at the Tenshodo Shop at Lower Jeuno. The Dhalmel Meat can be bought from the vender that controls the Kolshushu region. Ahyeekih at H-10 of Windy Waters, Fiva at G-6 of Port Sandy and Yafafa at I-5 of Bastok Market are the venders to sell this. Coral Fungus can only be grown from what I heard, so just buy this at the auction house.

95-99, Finally the final step to get to 99, because Royal Jelly sucks. We get to make Sweet Rice Cakes, YAY! Gardenia Seed can be bought from Vuliaie at H-10 of Norg. Fresh Mugwort is only available from the auction house so buy it from there.

Congratulations, you are now at 99 cooking skill. Now I will explain on how to get from 99 to 100. The last item that you can make is cursed soup. If you notice on the chart it requires a royal jelly to make. This is an EX item, meaning you have to farm these yourself. And they are VERY rare. You can farm the Death Wasp in Rolanberry for the jelly, they are level 22-26, Death Jackets in Crawler’s Nest, level 33-42, or a NM called Awd Goggie, level 68 in Crawler’s Nest. All of the items needed to make the cursed soup have to be bought, made or grown. Good luck on getting from 99 to 100, as it is a royal pain in the ass ^^.

To any that feel the need to pass this around to other site please give credit to the creator, me ^^, as I don't mine this guide being passed around, but I do mine those that try to get credit for something they didn't do themselves.

Expeditionary Forces (EF) (Final Fantasy XI Gil)

July 1st, 2009

This should clear up some misunderstandings about EFs.

An EF has some requirements before you can join. For our guild you must be San d'Orian, Rank 3+, and meet the level requirement for the particular EF of the week. An example is Zulkhiem - The level is 20 and it's capped at level 30. So a post on the /lsmes would look something like this:

>> VALKRUM EF on SAT3pmEST << (lvl20, cap30)

That would tell you we are going to Zulkhiem on Saturday @ 3pm EST. You must be San d'Orian, Rank 3+ and lvl 20+. Also you would know your gear would need to be below 30.

Here are the basics of the EF. Usually they are run by me and two other group leaders that have gone on them before. If you have questions outside of what you read here ask your group leaders about it, they will most likely have an answer for you. The EF starts out by getting together an alliance of usually 3 groups. If San d'Oria is in 1st place we need 6 people per team, 2nd 5 people per team, 3rd 4 people per team. It's never good to just have the bare minimum of people because the monsters are very tough. Once we all get assembled, it usually takes awhile. Listen for your party leader to tell you to "Join the EF". At that time you should talk to the Temple Knight (TK) at the gates. Select from the options Join Expeditionary Force > The Place of the EF (Zulkhiem) > "Join the EF" You should then see him cast a spell on you and an icon of crossed swords should appear where signet should be. Again, wait for your group leader to check and see if everyone has done that. Once they have he/she will say "My group warp." This means talk with the TK again and "Warp to the EF". At this time you will be given a Glyph of the gate you left from and be transported to the outpost, in this case the outpost in Valkrum.

Once you're there buddy up with someone in case you get agro'd and start looking for the Beastman's Banner. The banner is usually located on the sides of the map, on a wall. When you find the banner point it out to the rest of the teams and wait there. DO NOT CLICK THE BANNER! You'll see people telling you anyways, but it's very important that you do not click the banner. There will be someone designated as the "Banner Checker". The reason this is so important is that once the banner is clicked you will get the level cap and 4-5 monsters will spawn and attack whoever clicked it. So it's very important everyone is ready when it's finally clicked.

The monsters are no ordinary monsters. These are actual jobs with all the benefits we have in the jobs. The WHM has benediction and will use it, the RNG has Eagle Eye Shot and will use it, the BST has Charm and will make your friends attack you. Ask Saprykin all about how he killed Mastershake and me during one of the fights. Again, this is the reason you can't click the banner before everyone is ready, you and the rest of the teams will be slaughtered. It isn't a great way to make friends.

After your teams have successfully killed the monsters, raise the dead, cure the sick and glyph back to the gate. The glyph you recieved just before teleporting will warp you back to the gate from wherever you happen to be. That means if there isn't a WHM that can raise… omg I hope that never happens in an EF… but if you home point (HP) by accident or something you can use the glyph to get back to the gate in San d'Oria.

When are we done?
This question is asked all the time. The answer is a bit complex. In each region there is certain influences from all the countries and the beastmen. I'm sure you've been in a region that was under beastmans control. The idea behind EFs is that every monster you kill, you gain influence for your country. If you kill all 4-5 monsters it's better than killing just 1-2. So you're done when your country is comfortably in the lead. You can check the influence in a region by checking: menu > region :and then focus the mouse on the region in question.

I'm sure there are things that are still confusing and things that I've forgotten to include. The best way to know what's going on is to join one of the EFs and do it. Ask your party leader any questions you might have. These are some of the best times I've had, not just with the LS, but in FFXI all together.

How To Win Garrison (Final Fantasy layouts)

June 28th, 2009

A guide to wining Garrison

First you must get the necessary items to participate in the event. Which item you can get depends on your home country. I highly recommend you bring a friend with the “Treasure Hunter” ability – TH2 even better.

If you are from Windurst: 7 Knot Quipus -drops off Yagudo Votary in Giddeus ( best spawn point – I-12 and H –14 )
If you are from Bastok: Darksteel Engraving -drops off Copper Quadavs in Palborough Mines (best spawn point – 3rd level – corners and the stairway to the burning circle )
If you are from Sand’oria: Red Cryptex - drops off Orcish Fighter in Yughott Grotto ( best spawn point – (unsure)- second map )

It’s not necessary for everyone to have an item to participate and you can participate in another country as long as a person from that country has an item to trade.

Next you need a team! I very strongly recommend doing this ONLY with friends and LS ppl. It takes a great deal of trust – I learned this the hard way..strangers lotting for all the loot and leaving. NOT FUN!! You’ll need 4 whm , 2 rdm, 3 pld, and 9 damage dealers. (blms are nice here with their –ga spells—but it’s a long fight … and MP will be drained fast so .. choose wisely)
**This is a level 20 cap restricted fight—make sure all your team knows this and has appropriate gear!! **

Once you have the item and a team set up head to the appropriate starting area outpost. For example, if you are from Windy, head to the West Sarutabaruta outpost. Set Home Point! Set up the alliances with 1 main healer ea. Set up each main healer at a “home base” point in the outpost ( I put them one in from of the guard and the others to the left and right) Make sure that each party member in the alliance knows where his “home point” is. Now have the person with the item trade (hopefully you have more than one person with items… this is one of those things you want to do at least 3 times) first you’ll see about 10 or so mobs spawn. Then you’ll see about 20 or so NPCs spawn.

Damage Dealers– jump into the fray.. don’t try to make sense of it.. it’s just chaos at this point for the damage ppl. Select a monster and pummel until he is dead then move on to the next one

3 main WHM healers – heal the damage dealers that’s your soul job.. make sure to rest whenever possible and juices would be VERY nice in this fight!!! (mp + gear is excellent too)

1 WHM back up – your job is to full time heal NPCS!! Scan the npc’s health at all time and heal as necessary – this is very important! The NPCs are not only the determining factor for your loot but also they help get rid of the mobs!! Heal them!! — don’t waste MP though.. make sure every bit of your cure will be significant.

2 RDM back ups- melee – but keep an eye for npcs or pt members that are in trouble .. at the breaks scan npcs and heal

3 PLDs – voke off the npcs in the fight. The Npc’s have very weak defense you’ll be a buffer

Make sure everyone knows their role and go for it!! There are 4 waves of mobs with the last one having a “boss” monster

Item distribution — item distribution should be clear to all BEFORE the battle – avoid a 18 ppl fight for items!!! My usual method? – the people with items don’t random lot – in the battle were they traded the item they get first pick (they did farm for the trade item after all) everyone else lots for the rest of the loot – whoever gets an item cannot lot again until everyone has an item!!

How many item you get depends on how many NPCs live you can get nothing (if all npc’s die) or up to 5 items per fight!

Items– Dragon Chronicles – rare/ex –items gives exp points
–garrison gear—
Sallet – level 19 – Def 5 MND+1 CHR+1
Tunica—level 18 – Def 15 Dex+1 CHR+1
Gloves—level 20 – Def 4 VIT+1 INT+1
Hose—level 21—Def 9 STR+1 DEX+1
Boots—level 18—Def 4 INT+1 MND+1

Every player gets an amount of gil depending on the outcome
— make sure everyone speaks to he guard to get thier level cap taken off.. then try it again !!

Gil 15-30k An Hour (FFXI armor)

June 26th, 2009

20-30k an hour with level 5 thief and any 40+ char

1.1 - What you need
1.2 - Where to go
1.3 - What to do (What you get)
1.4 - How to do the quests
1.5 - Conclusions, tips and tricks

 

 

 

1.1 - What you need

I felt pretty bad that my last tutorial was only for thieves. So I decided to bust out my all time favorit technique. This is pretty simple and not many people know about it. Again as always let us keep this between MPS. There is no reason to have this thing camped. Now with that being said lets get on to what you need! In order to do this you will ned the following:

1) A level 40+ character of any kind
2) A level 5 thief so you can have steal (this will be your sub job)
3) Some descent equipment if you are excatly level 40

1.2 - Where to go

If you are starting out at Jeuno simply make your way to Upper Jeuno and then to Sauromugue Champaign. At the Champaign you will want to make your way to the circled spot below via chocobo (see pic below). This is the same spot where people go to do the ranger quest. If for some reason you can't see the pic or my tutorial is ageless it is located at (L-10).

 

1.3 - What to do

When you get to the spot you will see tigers, black tigers, or sabertooth tigers depending on how you look at it. The one in the cave is pretty easy to kill, but I wouldn't kill it unless no one is there doing the quest. The tigers drop the following:

1) Tiger Hide
2) Tiger Fang
3) Also stealing from them will give you cockatrice meat.

The thing that is unique about this particular spot is pretty unknown. The tigers that are in this area have something that sells for around 20k for twelve of them. If you steal from these tigers they'll give you Cocka Trice meat. Now if you steal successfully tweleve times during one hour that's about 20k or more. However, these things also drop tiger hides which sell for 400 or if you convert them to tiger leather 2k per skin. Furthermore the tiger fang if you get 3 of them will sell for 2,100 in San'doria. This way I found is one of the coolest ways to make gil.

1.4 Tiger Fang quest

QUEST START: Southern San d'Oria Taumila at (E-9)
REQUIREMENTS: Fame level 3
REWARD: 2,100 Gil
HOW: There is no level requirement to do this quest, but you need a descent amount of fame to do it. Seeing that your level 40+ and your MPS members I'm sure you either have the fame or know how to get it. The quest is fairly simple you just trade 3 fangs and you get 2,100 gil. This quest is repeatable so you can do it as many times as you want. Simply talk to Taumila and trade 'em the 3 tiger fangs and you get the money
DO YOU LOVE MAGDUST?: Yes

1.5 Conclusions, tips and tricks

Be careful not to link these guys otherwise you could be in trouble. Hit one then pull it out of the canyon so you won't link 'em. If you get in trouble just run away there is an exit to Meriphitaud Mountains right around the corner. This may go faster if you bring a friend along to heal and what not. If someone comes along to do the quest don't attack the wounded tiger because that's just mean

Good luck and God speed!

Commands In-depth (Final Fantasy vii ultima)

June 24th, 2009

Commands in Depth

Get a handle on FFXI commands

Tuesday, October 28, 2003
All trademarks and copyrights contained in this document are owned by their respective trademark and copyright holders.

Final Fantasy XI has a number of commands that you can type into your chat window. These commands will do anything from access menus, have your character execute actions, or act out any number of emotes. If you are using a PS2 controller or game pad, these commands will most likely not help you since a keyboard is needed to enter them. If you are using a keyboard and mouse though, the commands can give you quick and easy access to a number of tasks.

Another great benefit of knowing these commands is for use in macros. With a good macro you can just sit back and hit one button to do all the fighting for you (check back for our upcoming tutorial on macroing).

—-

First let me go over the layout of this guide. I will begin by giving the command you will need to type in. In the case that there are multiple versions of the same command I will start with the easiest to type and list the rest in parenthesis. So if the command is “/blah” but can also be typed as “/b” or “/bla” I will list it like this:
/b (/blah) (/bla)

Anything in angled brackets ‘<>’ is a parameter for the command. This usually means you will need to type something or select something in order for the command to work. If you had the command “/maim” the game would need to know what you want to maim. So the command would look like this:
/maim <target>
This would mean that you need to either type in the name of a target or select something before typing the command (the description will tell you which). In this case you would type, “/maim Joeschmo” and you would proceed to maim someone named Joeschmo.

The other thing you will see is optional commands. Anything placed within square brackets ‘[]’ is optional meaning the command will work without putting anything in this place. Usually there are two options separated by a forward slash. This means that you can type either one of them in (but not both)
/supermode [on/off]
In this case you could type “/supermode” or “/supermode on” or “/supermode off”. If you use just “/supermode” it will turn it on if it was off and off if it was on.

Combat

The commands you will likely use the most are combat related commands. By using these you can save yourself some of the effort of navigating menus which could mean life or death in a tough battle.

/a [on/off] <target> (/attack)
This is your standard attack command. Just select a target and type /a (or /attack). You only need to do this once per target, after that you will continue to auto-attack until one of you is dead. If you wish to stop attacking you can type /a off, this will end your battle with the selected target.

/autotarget [on/off]
This is a command that you probably won’t use very often, once you set it there is no need to set it again. If you have it turned on and you are fighting a number of monsters at once you will automatically switch to the next target once your current target is dead.

/lockon [on/off] <target>
This command will make you follow around your target. NOTE: You must have /automove on in order for this to work.

/ta (/target)
This will select the closest thing to you, be it enemy, player, item, etc.

/targetpc
The same as /ta except it will only target players.

/targetnpc
It will only target NPCs.

/h (/help)
This is a command that is very good to know. Normally when you are fighting, other players can not attack your target. If you type /help during your battle however, anyone is free to join in and help you with your current battle. NOTE: if you use the /help command you will get NO EXPERIENCE for the fight!

/as (/assist)
If you hear someone call for help you can use /assist in order to select their target. NOTE: if you use /assist you will get NO EXPERIENCE for the fight!

/item <item name>
This command will cause you to use an item you specify that is currently in your inventory. If you don’t have <item name> in your inventory then the command will not work.

/equip <item name>
Similar to /item, this command will equip an item from your inventory.

/ma “<spell name>” [target] (/magic)
This is probably the command that you will find most usefull. It will cast the spell you specify on the target you currently have selected (if a target is needed). This works for magic, ninjitsu, and songs. NOTE: the name of the spell must be contained in quotation marks and it must be spelled and capitalized properly.

/ws “<skill name>” [target] (/weaponskill)
The same as /ma except it is used for executing weapon skills.

/nin “<spell name>” [target] (/ninjitsu)
The same as /ma except it is used for casting ninjitsu spells.

/so “<spell name>” [target] (/song)
The same as /ma except it is used for playing songs.

/ja “<ability name>” [target] (/jobability)
The same as /ma except it is used for executing job abilities.

/pet “<pet command>” [target]
The same as /ma except it is used for commanding your pet.

/ra <target> (/range)
This command will attack <target> with a ranged attack. You must have a ranged weapon of some sort equipped in order to do this.

/shoot <target>
The same as /ra except it only works with guns and bows.

/throw <target>
The same as /ra except it only works with thrown weapons.

/c <target> (/c)
Using this will tell you how hard an enemy will be for you to fight. When used on a player you will their current equipment, title, and level along with any bazaar items they have for sale.

/fish
The most useful command ever. It will allow you to fish if you are near water.

/dig
When you have a chocobo you can use this command to tell it to dig. In order for this to work you must have Gyshall Greens in your inventory.

/dismount
This will dismount you from your chocobo if you are currently riding one.

/heal
Using this command will make you to kneel down, causing you to regenerate health and mana faster than if you were standing.

—-

The following is a list of the rest of the commands. Over the next few days this list will be filled out with descriptions on what each command does and how to use it.

—-

/pcmd (/partycmd)
leave
add <player>
kick <player>
breakup
/acmd (/alliancecmd)
leave
add <party leader>
kick <party leader>
breakup
/inv (/invite)
/ag (/autogroup)
/join
/decline
/nominate (/propose)
/vote <option #>
/makeli (/makelinkshell)
/breakli (/breaklinkshell)
/lsmes (/linkshellmes)
level <level>
set “<message>”

—-

/s (/say) <message>
/sh (/shout) <message>
/t (/tell) <player> <message>
/p (/party) <message>
/l (/linkshell) <message>
/em (/emote) <Action>
/cm (/chatmode) <mode>

—-

/flist (/friendlist)
/flist <add/delete> <player> (/friendlist)
/befriend <player>
/online
/away
/busy
/hide (/invisible)
/blist (/blacklist)
/blist <add/delete> <player>
/sea (/search)
/sea all
friend
linkshell
name <Player>
race <Race>
level <# Level>
rank <# Rank>
home <Hometown>
area <Area>
job <Job>
invaway
-

—-

/mission
/quest
/keyitem
/map
/rmap (/regionmap)
/playtime (/playlog)
/clock
/pol
/sd (/supportdesk)
/helpdesk
/logout

—-

/bank
/mailbox (/deliverybox)
/layout
/garden
/tribune

—-

/point
/bow
/salute
/kneel
/laugh
/cry
/no
/yes (/nod)
/wave
/goodbye (/farewell)
/welcome
/joy
/cheer
/clap
/praise
/smile
/poke
/slap
/stagger
/sigh
/comfort
/surprised
/amazed
/stare
/blush
/angry
/upset (/disgusted)
/muted
/doze
/panic
/grin
/dance
/think
/fume
/doubt
/sulk
/psych
/huh
/shocked

—-

<t>
<st>
<p0>-<p5>
<me>
<pos>
<mpos>
<call0>-<call21>
<scall0>-<scall21>
<ncall0>-<ncall21>
<hp>
<mp>
<tp>
<hpp>
<mpp>

Commands In-depth (Final Fantasy 1 walkthrough)

June 21st, 2009

Commands in Depth

Get a handle on FFXI commands

Tuesday, October 28, 2003
All trademarks and copyrights contained in this document are owned by their respective trademark and copyright holders.

Final Fantasy XI has a number of commands that you can type into your chat window. These commands will do anything from access menus, have your character execute actions, or act out any number of emotes. If you are using a PS2 controller or game pad, these commands will most likely not help you since a keyboard is needed to enter them. If you are using a keyboard and mouse though, the commands can give you quick and easy access to a number of tasks.

Another great benefit of knowing these commands is for use in macros. With a good macro you can just sit back and hit one button to do all the fighting for you (check back for our upcoming tutorial on macroing).

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First let me go over the layout of this guide. I will begin by giving the command you will need to type in. In the case that there are multiple versions of the same command I will start with the easiest to type and list the rest in parenthesis. So if the command is “/blah” but can also be typed as “/b” or “/bla” I will list it like this:
/b (/blah) (/bla)

Anything in angled brackets ‘<>’ is a parameter for the command. This usually means you will need to type something or select something in order for the command to work. If you had the command “/maim” the game would need to know what you want to maim. So the command would look like this:
/maim <target>
This would mean that you need to either type in the name of a target or select something before typing the command (the description will tell you which). In this case you would type, “/maim Joeschmo” and you would proceed to maim someone named Joeschmo.

The other thing you will see is optional commands. Anything placed within square brackets ‘[]’ is optional meaning the command will work without putting anything in this place. Usually there are two options separated by a forward slash. This means that you can type either one of them in (but not both)
/supermode [on/off]
In this case you could type “/supermode” or “/supermode on” or “/supermode off”. If you use just “/supermode” it will turn it on if it was off and off if it was on.

Combat

The commands you will likely use the most are combat related commands. By using these you can save yourself some of the effort of navigating menus which could mean life or death in a tough battle.

/a [on/off] <target> (/attack)
This is your standard attack command. Just select a target and type /a (or /attack). You only need to do this once per target, after that you will continue to auto-attack until one of you is dead. If you wish to stop attacking you can type /a off, this will end your battle with the selected target.

/autotarget [on/off]
This is a command that you probably won’t use very often, once you set it there is no need to set it again. If you have it turned on and you are fighting a number of monsters at once you will automatically switch to the next target once your current target is dead.

/lockon [on/off] <target>
This command will make you follow around your target. NOTE: You must have /automove on in order for this to work.

/ta (/target)
This will select the closest thing to you, be it enemy, player, item, etc.

/targetpc
The same as /ta except it will only target players.

/targetnpc
It will only target NPCs.

/h (/help)
This is a command that is very good to know. Normally when you are fighting, other players can not attack your target. If you type /help during your battle however, anyone is free to join in and help you with your current battle. NOTE: if you use the /help command you will get NO EXPERIENCE for the fight!

/as (/assist)
If you hear someone call for help you can use /assist in order to select their target. NOTE: if you use /assist you will get NO EXPERIENCE for the fight!

/item <item name>
This command will cause you to use an item you specify that is currently in your inventory. If you don’t have <item name> in your inventory then the command will not work.

/equip <item name>
Similar to /item, this command will equip an item from your inventory.

/ma “<spell name>” [target] (/magic)
This is probably the command that you will find most usefull. It will cast the spell you specify on the target you currently have selected (if a target is needed). This works for magic, ninjitsu, and songs. NOTE: the name of the spell must be contained in quotation marks and it must be spelled and capitalized properly.

/ws “<skill name>” [target] (/weaponskill)
The same as /ma except it is used for executing weapon skills.

/nin “<spell name>” [target] (/ninjitsu)
The same as /ma except it is used for casting ninjitsu spells.

/so “<spell name>” [target] (/song)
The same as /ma except it is used for playing songs.

/ja “<ability name>” [target] (/jobability)
The same as /ma except it is used for executing job abilities.

/pet “<pet command>” [target]
The same as /ma except it is used for commanding your pet.

/ra <target> (/range)
This command will attack <target> with a ranged attack. You must have a ranged weapon of some sort equipped in order to do this.

/shoot <target>
The same as /ra except it only works with guns and bows.

/throw <target>
The same as /ra except it only works with thrown weapons.

/c <target> (/c)
Using this will tell you how hard an enemy will be for you to fight. When used on a player you will their current equipment, title, and level along with any bazaar items they have for sale.

/fish
The most useful command ever. It will allow you to fish if you are near water.

/dig
When you have a chocobo you can use this command to tell it to dig. In order for this to work you must have Gyshall Greens in your inventory.

/dismount
This will dismount you from your chocobo if you are currently riding one.

/heal
Using this command will make you to kneel down, causing you to regenerate health and mana faster than if you were standing.

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The following is a list of the rest of the commands. Over the next few days this list will be filled out with descriptions on what each command does and how to use it.

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/pcmd (/partycmd)
leave
add <player>
kick <player>
breakup
/acmd (/alliancecmd)
leave
add <party leader>
kick <party leader>
breakup
/inv (/invite)
/ag (/autogroup)
/join
/decline
/nominate (/propose)
/vote <option #>
/makeli (/makelinkshell)
/breakli (/breaklinkshell)
/lsmes (/linkshellmes)
level <level>
set “<message>”

—-

/s (/say) <message>
/sh (/shout) <message>
/t (/tell) <player> <message>
/p (/party) <message>
/l (/linkshell) <message>
/em (/emote) <Action>
/cm (/chatmode) <mode>

—-

/flist (/friendlist)
/flist <add/delete> <player> (/friendlist)
/befriend <player>
/online
/away
/busy
/hide (/invisible)
/blist (/blacklist)
/blist <add/delete> <player>
/sea (/search)
/sea all
friend
linkshell
name <Player>
race <Race>
level <# Level>
rank <# Rank>
home <Hometown>
area <Area>
job <Job>
invaway
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—-

/mission
/quest
/keyitem
/map
/rmap (/regionmap)
/playtime (/playlog)
/clock
/pol
/sd (/supportdesk)
/helpdesk
/logout

—-

/bank
/mailbox (/deliverybox)
/layout
/garden
/tribune

—-

/point
/bow
/salute
/kneel
/laugh
/cry
/no
/yes (/nod)
/wave
/goodbye (/farewell)
/welcome
/joy
/cheer
/clap
/praise
/smile
/poke
/slap
/stagger
/sigh
/comfort
/surprised
/amazed
/stare
/blush
/angry
/upset (/disgusted)
/muted
/doze
/panic
/grin
/dance
/think
/fume
/doubt
/sulk
/psych
/huh
/shocked

—-

<t>
<st>
<p0>-<p5>
<me>
<pos>
<mpos>
<call0>-<call21>
<scall0>-<scall21>
<ncall0>-<ncall21>
<hp>
<mp>
<tp>
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Combat Leveling Quickly In Ffxi (Final Fantasy 7)

June 19th, 2009

Contrary to something like Diablo 2, there isn’t a cow level where you can get massive exp for doing nothing. Instead, this tutorial will focus on smoother battles, which in turn will yield quicker leveling. When you are leveling, you want to find the point where you are getting the most exp, having the least down time, and killing the monster as quickly as possible.

Safety first
Safety, above all should be the motto to leveling. Until White Mages are level 25, they cannot revive fallen comrades. Therefore, if one of your party member dies, they have to spend time making up for lost exp, and spend time running back to where your party is after he re-spawns. If this were to happen, your party would be losing valuable leveling time. If your party cannot handle the monster you are currently fighting, don’t hesitate to call for help. It is better to be safe than sorry. Don’t be surprised if a party member leaves after they died because there must be trust among all party members to fulfill all their duties. Spending time looking for a final party member means taking more time away from leveling. With that said, if you are in a new and unknown area, always use the check option and check the monster’s relative strength to your level. Keep in mind that check is not effected by whether you’re in a party or not.

The Goal of Leveling
When you’re in a full party, the monsters that you want to fight should scan as incredibly tough. However, there are situations where it is best to kill tough monsters, but kill more of it. The point of leveling is not to kill one super tough monster, and rest for 5 minutes before fighting another. You want to kill monsters that will give you relatively decent experience, but at the same time gives you the least “down time”. In other words, it is better to kill tough monsters nonstop, and not have to rest.

Simply put, the goal is to get the most amount of exp, in a set amount of time:
Say an incredibly tough monster will give you 160 exp. Your party has to rest for 5 minutes before fighting another. Over a period of 20 minutes, you might be lucky to have killed three total. 3 x 160 = 480exp in 20 minutes time.

However, if you were to fight Very tough, or Tough monster that will give you 70 exp with little or no down time. In a period of 20 minutes, you might be able to kill 8. 70 x 8 = 560. The difference may not seem like much, however, the best way to get exp in Final Fantasy XI is to “chain” monsters. Whenever you chain a monster, you will receive roughly 20exp extra per kill. For example the first monster you kill will give you 70 exp, the second that you chain will give you 90exp. So in reality, chaining 8 tough or very tough monsters will give you more than 560exp in a period of 20 minutes. To chain monsters, you must fight monsters that are either “tough” or above. You must also kill the first, and the second one in a limited time. Chains will be break if you spend time resting. Don’t be afraid to think outside of the box. Even though the limit of people to a party is 6, you can always form alliances. However, when you form alliances, it is harder to keep the experience decent. There are times when having 8 people in a party is better than 6. If you have three White mages in a party that can take turns healing the Warriors that are fighting monsters that are more than incredibly tough without any down time, the exp will be reasonably decent.

Minimizing down time
The best way to minimize down time is to have a well-balanced party. For example, if you have two White Mages in your party that knows when to rest for MP and when to heal, chances are, one of the White Mage will have full MP by the time a battle is over.
Keep in mind that it is not a good idea to have more than three White Mages in a party of six because chances are you will not have enough fire power to kill the monster off in a reasonably quick manner. When that happens, the White Mages might actually have to spend more MP healing party members because of the unnecessarily long battle. Support jobs such as Bards are very popular because they can sing songs that will regenerate HP and MP while your party rest.

Basically there are two things to keep in mind when forming a well-balanced party. The first thing you want to do is get enough healers to keep everyone healthy. The second thing you want to do is make sure that you have enough tanks to protect the mages. The two categories, Warrior and Mages, are the basic formation in a party. Warriors fight the monsters in the front line whereas Mages cast spells in the back row. The key is to balance the amount of damage dealers with damage healers.

Even though most players like to solo from level 1-6 since monsters that that level is relatively easy, I highly do not recommend players to solo after level 10. Between level 6-10, it doesn’t hurt to have one or two members in your party. This way, you can minimize downtime and still get decent exp.

Maximizing damage
Another way to minimize down time is to maximize damage. Skill chaining is one of the best ways to do massive damage in a short amount of time. The best time to skill chain is when the mages in your party have low MP, or when you need to finish off a monster quickly to preserve an exp chain.

Skill chaining, also known as “Renkei” in Japanese, is when you, and at least one other person use your weapon skills in a timely manner. When you skill chain, additional effects will be added that will damage the monster. Before you skill chain, you must first make sure that the two skill chains can chain off each other. If you and your skill chain buddy use the same skill chain, it will not work. For example, if person A uses the weapon skill “Burning Blade”, then you must follow that up with “Fast Blade”. The timing for skill chains is very easy to get down. Once you have done it successfully 2 or 3 times, you will almost always get the additional elemental damage effect from skill chaining.

The proper way to skill chain is have person A use “Burning Blade” when person B has enough tactical points to use “Fast Blade”. After Person A uses “Burning Blade”, person B should count in his heart 3 to 4 seconds, and then use “Fast Blade”. Generally if you use the second weapon skill 2.5 seconds to 4.5 seconds, it will work. If you have a third person to skill chain off of, then that person should count 3 to 4 seconds after person B uses his. The same pattern in regardless of how many people are skill chaining. The best advice to keep in mind is that don’t be anxious and rush your count. If you use your weapon skill immediately after the first person uses his, it will not work.
The battle system in Final Fantasy XI did not forget about the mages either. Instead of using weapon skills, mages will use Magic burst in during a skill chain. For example, using the previous example, if person A uses Burning Blade, the mage should cast Fire after person A finishes his weapon skill. The reason that the mage have to cast so early is because casting fire takes 4-5 seconds. Therefore, the mage must cast early to properly time Magic burst. It is much harder to use Magic Burst because each spell has different casting times.

Hot Leveling Areas

Starting from Bastok:
Level 1-10: North or South Gustaberg
Level 10-13: Konschtat Highlands, Palborough Mines
Level 13-20: Valkurm
Level 20-30: Qufim, Battalia, Rolanberry
Level 30-40: Crawler’s nest, Necropolis, Garliage, Davoi, Beadeaux
Level 40-45: Upper level Oztroja, Inner Beadueax

Starting from San d’Oria:
Level 1-10: East or West Ronfaure
Level 10-14: La Theine, Ghelsba
Level 14-20: Valkrum
Level 20-30: Quifm, Battalia, Rolanberry
Level 30-40: Crawler’s nest, Necropolis, Garliage, Davoi, Beadeaux
Level 40-45: Upper level Oztroja, Inner Beadueax

Starting from Windurst:
Level 1-10: East or West Sarutabaruta
Level 10-14: Tahrongi Canyon, Giddeus
Level 14-18: Shakrami Maze
Level 18-22: Mhaura
Level 20-30: Quifm, Battalia, Rolanberry
Level 30-40: Crawler’s nest, Necropolis, Garliage, Davoi, Beadeaux
Level 40-45: Upper level Oztroja, Inner Beadueax

Final Words
As stated before, there isn’t a real quick place to level in FFXI like in many other MMOGs. However, you can still level up quickly by fighting monsters in the locations I have recommended, by minimizing down time, and by maximizing damage. Above all, do not take foolish risks!

Blacksmithing 0-60 Complete Tutorial (Final Fantasy owen)

June 17th, 2009

The following is a comprehensive guide on how to raise your blacksmithing skill. Next to goldsmithing, this is perhaps the most profitable tradeskill you can learn.

skill 0-2: bronze ingots(fire crystal + 3xcopper ore +1xtin ore)
note: don't use beastcoins unless you have saved up a bunch of them on your own. They are expensive. Buy copper ore from the San D'Oria blacksmith's guild or from the Goldsmith's guild in Mhaura.

skill 2-4: bronze sheets(fire crystal + bronze ingot)
note: Just use the ingots you made getting to 2 skill. You should have about 2 stacks. That should be enough to get you to 4 skill. Go ahead and process your extra bronze ingots into sheets anyway, because you'll want them for . . .

skill 4-6: bronze scales(wind crystal + bronze sheet)
note: you will likely not make any profit selling these, so save them up, or sell them to slightly more advanced smiths if you are desperate. If you save them up, you can use them later on scale armor suits.

skill 6-10: bronze bolt heads(wind crystal + bronze ingot)
note: easier just to buy bronze ingots off others for this, at least on Midgardsormr. You can smelt your own, but it's tedious. You'll need 4-5 stacks of ingots to get to 10 skill, on average, so that's a LOT of ore to process. bronze bolt heads themselves are worthless, and the bronze bolts you can make with them don't sell very well, at least not on Midgardsormr. Your mileage may vary. I would advise selling these to the guild npc or a standard npc, taking the almost complete loss, and moving on with your life(and your craft)

I have heard one report that bronze scales can be made until 10 skill, but I was unable to get past 6 skill myself. It's possible something was changed in a patch, but I can not confirm this. Bronze bolt heads may also get you to 11 skill, but again, I can not confirm this.

skill 10-15/16: scale mail suits OR bronze rods(look up the recipes yourself) OR maybe tin ingots(fire crystal + 4xtin ore)
note: Depending on your server's economy, one or the other may be more wise. On Midgardsormr, I could make scale mail suits at an average of 1800 gil per suit, which was okay, because I wound up selling them at about 2k per suit. After this time, the market on scale mail collapsed. I think they sell for about 1500 per suit now. Bronze rods, on the other hand, cost much less to make(2x bronze + 1x copper + fire crystal . . . about 700 gil?), and do not sell to any player. Expect to get about 40 gil from the guild for these things, maybe less(and even less from standard NPCs). Bronze rods are cheaper to make and require less resource gathering, but also have a guarenteed loss that is staggering. You will need to make a LOT of either item, so be prepared to invest a lot of money one way or the other. With scale mail, you might make it back. Bronze rods may also be preferable if you have lots of spare ingots lying around for some reason. Keep in mind that the overall frustration offerd by this skill range can be mitigated by stopping your craft of scale mail and/or bronze rods at 15 skill, instead of 16(which is how high you can get off these items). Note that the new tin ingots apparently can be made from skill 10-16, or thereabouts. You can at least make them until skill 12. They are cheaper to make than bronze rods, so even if you can't sell the ingots, your losses will be lower this way.

skill 15/16-20: iron ingots(4xiron ore + fire crystal)
note: these can be made and sold at a profit if you buy ore from the AH on midgardsormr: Cost to produce in Midgardsormer: about 2100 gil(500 for ore, 90-100 for crystal). Cost to sell on Midgardsormer: currently 28k-30k for a stack of 12. The price may collapse due to other factors that I do not care to explain here. In any case, iron ingots are useful anyway, so you won't be harmed by saving them up.

skill 20- ~23: iron sheets(fire crystal + iron ingot)
note: trust me on this

skill 23-26: iron scales(wind crystal + iron sheet)
note: just use the sheets you got getting to 23(or is it 22? I don't remember how far iron sheets will take you).

skill 26-30: iron finger gauntlets, iron visors, or iron scale greaves(various recipes, I'll list below)
note: depending on your server, these may or may not sell well. They do not sell well on Midgardsormr, so I had to prop up my cash supply using other cash sources. recipes:
iron finger gauntlets: 2xiron scale, 1xcotton thread, 1xleather gloves
iron scale greaves: 2xiron scale, 1x cotton thread, 1xleather highboots
iron visor: 1xiron scale, 1xiron sheet, 1xsheep leather

Um, I think. Double check those recipes to make sure. All use earth crystals. Note that these all sell well to the guild npcs if you can't sell them to players, though you will still take a loss. The loss is least severe on visors, I think. Might wanna check that.

Iron fingor gauntlets(as well as the greaves, and visor), are all skill 31 synths. You will get a lot of failures if you try this at 26! Your other choice is to make iron chains from 26-30(earth crystal + 2xiron ingot), but these do not sell well on the open market, at least not on Midgardsormr. I made iron chains from 26-29, now that I recall, and I sold them all to a single individual(Manapy rules). If I had not sold those, my crafting would have stalled out for days due to a lack of available funds. Some people make iron masks(I think it's earth crystal + iron sheet + brass sheet) but these seemed almost as bad economically as iron chains, and the availability of brass sheets on the open market was somewhat inconsistant at the time I was crafting from 26-30. This would not be an issue for someone with goldsmithing skill.

skill 31-36: steel sheets(fire crystal + steel ingot)
note: Just buy the ingots off the AH. On Midgardsormr, it's only 40k per stack. Only *P

skill 36-40: steel scales(wind crystal + steel sheet)
note: these may or may not sell well to skill ~50 blacksmiths on your server. I have one customer(Negimaru rules!) who buys all my steel scales at 3500 gil apiece. I make a profit off these.

skill 40-41: iron mittens(earth crystal + 1xiron sheet + 1xlizard skin).
note: these require around 10 leatherworking. If you can manage that, this is an easy, cheap way to gain skill. You can sell them to the Bastok blacksmithing guild for up to 2700 gil apiece, it seems. These do NOT require 41 leatherworking as many crafting lists say that they do. Keep in mind that you probably won't be able to gain blacksmithing skill on these past 41. They seem to raise leatherworking too, up to 10, if you don't have it already(I did them with leatherworking 9). Gaining two skills at once is fun.

skill 41-45: iron subligars(earth crystal + iron sheet + lizard skin + cotton cloth)
note: I finally understand what it was the jp blacksmith was trying to tell me. You can skill up on iron mittens up to skill 41(not minimum skill 41), and you can can skill on iron subligars up to 45. You can gain leatherworking up to 12 on them, too. These sell to the Bastok blacksmith's guild for 3560 odd gil, max. Keep in mind that the guild only buys around 18 of any one item per day(maybe only 16?), and that the price they pay will drop for a few days after you sell a lot of them(and will rise back to the max price later).

skill 45-49: steel visors(wind crystal + iron scales + steel sheet + sheep leather)
note: The only reason I advocate this synth is the fact that you can sell them to the San D'Oria Blacksmith's guild for 5040 gil apiece, max. That amounts to a decent return, but you are losing money doing it. Steel visors will sell in Jeuno to players sometimes(they're level 48 steel scale for crying out loud), but at least on Midgardsormr, they uh, don't sell all that swiftly. You can also try the steel finger gauntlets(earth crystal + 2xsteel scales + leather gloves + cotton thread) which might take you to 50 skill, but they sell for less to the blacksmith's guild, and seem to sell even less often on the Jeuno AH than steel visors. And they cost more to make, too. Similar analysis applies to steel scale greaves.

skill 49-52: Darksteel ingots(fire crystal + 3xiron ore + darksteel ore)
note: This is expensive, and you will scream in pain when you lose a chunk of darksteel ore. Well, nearly. These can be sold at a profit, however, and they do sell fairly well. Sell them to players, of course. The going rate on darksteel will be affected by the price of the materials that go into making them, the supply, and the demand, but you should be able to get at least 1k profit per ingot. Possibly more. On Midgardsormr, they cost about 7500 gil to make, and sell for around 11k-12k in Jeuno on the AH(in singles anyway). I don't know how high this will take you, but I've gotten to 52 skill on them. I had to make 27 ingots just to get that last point of skill.

skill 52-55: Darksteel sheets(fire crystal + darksteel ingot)
note: An easy synth if you have lots of darksteel ingots left over after getting to 52 skill. It's nice not having to juggle all that ore. Getting to 53 skill off this was very, very slow, but it picks up afterwards, and it turns out you can make these until 55 skill! What a deal! Skill AND you can sell them for a profit.

55-56: Steel greaves(earth crystal + 2xsteel scales + cotton thread + leather highboots)
note: joy, more steel scale crap. These cost about 7k per item on Midgardsormer to manufacture, and sell to the guild for 4200 apiece, at most. Can you say nearly 3k loss per synth? I knew you could. I made 24 of them and got .8 skill, which . . . mmm well at least I got some skill. On the plus side, these will sell in limited numbers in Jeuno, depending on your server. Try not to over-saturate the market too badly. There might be something better to make at this skill level, but I don't really know what. Breastplates are a possible option, but gathering enough components to make breastplates is a nightmare. Gauntlets are also an option, but they also promise losses of about 3k per synth. Schlaegers are another option, but I don't have any goldsmithing to test them out(yet), and losses on this synth will vary with darksteel prices. I may raise goldsmithing to 10-15 or so just to try Schlaegers. Or I may not.

56-68(?): Nodawa(earth crystal + iron sheet + silk thread)
note: What a let-down. The Nodawa is a fountain of skill, but no fountain of gil. I was figuring I'd get 5k per nodawa selling to NPCs. No such luck! Players on Midgardsormr do not buy these, at all, and they sell to NPCs for about 2750, or to Tenshodo shops for just under 3k(and only in small quantities). But the recipe is simple, you can make a lot of them, and you can skill up on them for a loooooong time. I'm going to be doing that for awhile. The losses are somewhat disappointing in light of all the failures I've gotten on them from 56-59, but one you hit 59, it seems to be easy-street. 58-59 is really rough. Tough it out, or pick a different synth(your choice) until you hit 59.

Blacksmithing 0-60 Complete Guide (Alakazam FFXI)

June 14th, 2009

The following is a comprehensive guide on how to raise your blacksmithing skill. Next to goldsmithing, this is perhaps the most profitable tradeskill you can learn.

skill 0-2: bronze ingots(fire crystal + 3xcopper ore +1xtin ore)
note: don't use beastcoins unless you have saved up a bunch of them on your own. They are expensive. Buy copper ore from the San D'Oria blacksmith's guild or from the Goldsmith's guild in Mhaura.

skill 2-4: bronze sheets(fire crystal + bronze ingot)
note: Just use the ingots you made getting to 2 skill. You should have about 2 stacks. That should be enough to get you to 4 skill. Go ahead and process your extra bronze ingots into sheets anyway, because you'll want them for . . .

skill 4-6: bronze scales(wind crystal + bronze sheet)
note: you will likely not make any profit selling these, so save them up, or sell them to slightly more advanced smiths if you are desperate. If you save them up, you can use them later on scale armor suits.

skill 6-10: bronze bolt heads(wind crystal + bronze ingot)
note: easier just to buy bronze ingots off others for this, at least on Midgardsormr. You can smelt your own, but it's tedious. You'll need 4-5 stacks of ingots to get to 10 skill, on average, so that's a LOT of ore to process. bronze bolt heads themselves are worthless, and the bronze bolts you can make with them don't sell very well, at least not on Midgardsormr. Your mileage may vary. I would advise selling these to the guild npc or a standard npc, taking the almost complete loss, and moving on with your life(and your craft)

I have heard one report that bronze scales can be made until 10 skill, but I was unable to get past 6 skill myself. It's possible something was changed in a patch, but I can not confirm this. Bronze bolt heads may also get you to 11 skill, but again, I can not confirm this.

skill 10-15/16: scale mail suits OR bronze rods(look up the recipes yourself) OR maybe tin ingots(fire crystal + 4xtin ore)
note: Depending on your server's economy, one or the other may be more wise. On Midgardsormr, I could make scale mail suits at an average of 1800 gil per suit, which was okay, because I wound up selling them at about 2k per suit. After this time, the market on scale mail collapsed. I think they sell for about 1500 per suit now. Bronze rods, on the other hand, cost much less to make(2x bronze + 1x copper + fire crystal . . . about 700 gil?), and do not sell to any player. Expect to get about 40 gil from the guild for these things, maybe less(and even less from standard NPCs). Bronze rods are cheaper to make and require less resource gathering, but also have a guarenteed loss that is staggering. You will need to make a LOT of either item, so be prepared to invest a lot of money one way or the other. With scale mail, you might make it back. Bronze rods may also be preferable if you have lots of spare ingots lying around for some reason. Keep in mind that the overall frustration offerd by this skill range can be mitigated by stopping your craft of scale mail and/or bronze rods at 15 skill, instead of 16(which is how high you can get off these items). Note that the new tin ingots apparently can be made from skill 10-16, or thereabouts. You can at least make them until skill 12. They are cheaper to make than bronze rods, so even if you can't sell the ingots, your losses will be lower this way.

skill 15/16-20: iron ingots(4xiron ore + fire crystal)
note: these can be made and sold at a profit if you buy ore from the AH on midgardsormr: Cost to produce in Midgardsormer: about 2100 gil(500 for ore, 90-100 for crystal). Cost to sell on Midgardsormer: currently 28k-30k for a stack of 12. The price may collapse due to other factors that I do not care to explain here. In any case, iron ingots are useful anyway, so you won't be harmed by saving them up.

skill 20- ~23: iron sheets(fire crystal + iron ingot)
note: trust me on this

skill 23-26: iron scales(wind crystal + iron sheet)
note: just use the sheets you got getting to 23(or is it 22? I don't remember how far iron sheets will take you).

skill 26-30: iron finger gauntlets, iron visors, or iron scale greaves(various recipes, I'll list below)
note: depending on your server, these may or may not sell well. They do not sell well on Midgardsormr, so I had to prop up my cash supply using other cash sources. recipes:
iron finger gauntlets: 2xiron scale, 1xcotton thread, 1xleather gloves
iron scale greaves: 2xiron scale, 1x cotton thread, 1xleather highboots
iron visor: 1xiron scale, 1xiron sheet, 1xsheep leather

Um, I think. Double check those recipes to make sure. All use earth crystals. Note that these all sell well to the guild npcs if you can't sell them to players, though you will still take a loss. The loss is least severe on visors, I think. Might wanna check that.

Iron fingor gauntlets(as well as the greaves, and visor), are all skill 31 synths. You will get a lot of failures if you try this at 26! Your other choice is to make iron chains from 26-30(earth crystal + 2xiron ingot), but these do not sell well on the open market, at least not on Midgardsormr. I made iron chains from 26-29, now that I recall, and I sold them all to a single individual(Manapy rules). If I had not sold those, my crafting would have stalled out for days due to a lack of available funds. Some people make iron masks(I think it's earth crystal + iron sheet + brass sheet) but these seemed almost as bad economically as iron chains, and the availability of brass sheets on the open market was somewhat inconsistant at the time I was crafting from 26-30. This would not be an issue for someone with goldsmithing skill.

skill 31-36: steel sheets(fire crystal + steel ingot)
note: Just buy the ingots off the AH. On Midgardsormr, it's only 40k per stack. Only *P

skill 36-40: steel scales(wind crystal + steel sheet)
note: these may or may not sell well to skill ~50 blacksmiths on your server. I have one customer(Negimaru rules!) who buys all my steel scales at 3500 gil apiece. I make a profit off these.

skill 40-41: iron mittens(earth crystal + 1xiron sheet + 1xlizard skin).
note: these require around 10 leatherworking. If you can manage that, this is an easy, cheap way to gain skill. You can sell them to the Bastok blacksmithing guild for up to 2700 gil apiece, it seems. These do NOT require 41 leatherworking as many crafting lists say that they do. Keep in mind that you probably won't be able to gain blacksmithing skill on these past 41. They seem to raise leatherworking too, up to 10, if you don't have it already(I did them with leatherworking 9). Gaining two skills at once is fun.

skill 41-45: iron subligars(earth crystal + iron sheet + lizard skin + cotton cloth)
note: I finally understand what it was the jp blacksmith was trying to tell me. You can skill up on iron mittens up to skill 41(not minimum skill 41), and you can can skill on iron subligars up to 45. You can gain leatherworking up to 12 on them, too. These sell to the Bastok blacksmith's guild for 3560 odd gil, max. Keep in mind that the guild only buys around 18 of any one item per day(maybe only 16?), and that the price they pay will drop for a few days after you sell a lot of them(and will rise back to the max price later).

skill 45-49: steel visors(wind crystal + iron scales + steel sheet + sheep leather)
note: The only reason I advocate this synth is the fact that you can sell them to the San D'Oria Blacksmith's guild for 5040 gil apiece, max. That amounts to a decent return, but you are losing money doing it. Steel visors will sell in Jeuno to players sometimes(they're level 48 steel scale for crying out loud), but at least on Midgardsormr, they uh, don't sell all that swiftly. You can also try the steel finger gauntlets(earth crystal + 2xsteel scales + leather gloves + cotton thread) which might take you to 50 skill, but they sell for less to the blacksmith's guild, and seem to sell even less often on the Jeuno AH than steel visors. And they cost more to make, too. Similar analysis applies to steel scale greaves.

skill 49-52: Darksteel ingots(fire crystal + 3xiron ore + darksteel ore)
note: This is expensive, and you will scream in pain when you lose a chunk of darksteel ore. Well, nearly. These can be sold at a profit, however, and they do sell fairly well. Sell them to players, of course. The going rate on darksteel will be affected by the price of the materials that go into making them, the supply, and the demand, but you should be able to get at least 1k profit per ingot. Possibly more. On Midgardsormr, they cost about 7500 gil to make, and sell for around 11k-12k in Jeuno on the AH(in singles anyway). I don't know how high this will take you, but I've gotten to 52 skill on them. I had to make 27 ingots just to get that last point of skill.

skill 52-55: Darksteel sheets(fire crystal + darksteel ingot)
note: An easy synth if you have lots of darksteel ingots left over after getting to 52 skill. It's nice not having to juggle all that ore. Getting to 53 skill off this was very, very slow, but it picks up afterwards, and it turns out you can make these until 55 skill! What a deal! Skill AND you can sell them for a profit.

55-56: Steel greaves(earth crystal + 2xsteel scales + cotton thread + leather highboots)
note: joy, more steel scale crap. These cost about 7k per item on Midgardsormer to manufacture, and sell to the guild for 4200 apiece, at most. Can you say nearly 3k loss per synth? I knew you could. I made 24 of them and got .8 skill, which . . . mmm well at least I got some skill. On the plus side, these will sell in limited numbers in Jeuno, depending on your server. Try not to over-saturate the market too badly. There might be something better to make at this skill level, but I don't really know what. Breastplates are a possible option, but gathering enough components to make breastplates is a nightmare. Gauntlets are also an option, but they also promise losses of about 3k per synth. Schlaegers are another option, but I don't have any goldsmithing to test them out(yet), and losses on this synth will vary with darksteel prices. I may raise goldsmithing to 10-15 or so just to try Schlaegers. Or I may not.

56-68(?): Nodawa(earth crystal + iron sheet + silk thread)
note: What a let-down. The Nodawa is a fountain of skill, but no fountain of gil. I was figuring I'd get 5k per nodawa selling to NPCs. No such luck! Players on Midgardsormr do not buy these, at all, and they sell to NPCs for about 2750, or to Tenshodo shops for just under 3k(and only in small quantities). But the recipe is simple, you can make a lot of them, and you can skill up on them for a loooooong time. I'm going to be doing that for awhile. The losses are somewhat disappointing in light of all the failures I've gotten on them from 56-59, but one you hit 59, it seems to be easy-street. 58-59 is really rough. Tough it out, or pick a different synth(your choice) until you hit 59.

Thanks to DrMrLordX on Midgardsormr for the input!

Black Mage (Final Fantasy videos)

June 12th, 2009

Black Mages Uncovered

Become a powerful Black Mage

Monday, October 27, 2003

Black Mages - General Overview

The Black Mage is a character class that delves in the art of Black Magic.
Black Magic is primarily used for causing bodily harm to your enimies, by
means of spells that cause eruptions of elemental energy controled in the way
you see fit. Elemental magic, however, is not the only type of magic in the
arsenal of the Black Mage, he also gets spells to lower his enemy's abilities,
heal himself, and only himself, and restore his own MP, not to mention spells
to teleport to convenient locations, hid current Home Point or to the
enterance of a dungeon. Black Mages are indeed versatile characters.

Black Mage Combat

The fight sequence of a Black Mage is, generally, as follows:
1-Sit in the back and cast your 2nd or 3rd highest elemental spell.
2-Use then your Highest or second highest Elemental spell.
3-Wait for the fighters to attack and possibly taunt.
4-Continue to cast your good elemental spells.
5-Occasionaly wait for the fighters to draw some hate.
6-Cast more Elementals.
7-If you are ever attacked just sit there, casting will only draw more hate.

Note: Which elemental you should cast is also based on MP efficency and
Weaknesses of certain eements by the enemy. For example if a Stone I
costs 8 mp and does 20 damage to an enemy, yet a Water costing a bit more MP
does as much to some eniemies, thusly Stone is better for those enemies.

Also Note: In the beginning slightly weaker spells are used because the
Fighters need a chance to accumulate some hate, if you start out with your
best spell you are likely to be attacked.

The Black Mage and you- Black Mages interaction with other classes.

Inter-class relations is relatively simple with a Black Mage.

Class-Relation a Black mage has with them.

White Mage, Red Mage- The Black Mage has top-priority for curing.

Others- Take hits for the Black Mage, the Black Mage providing great damage in
exchange.

Black Mage Weapons

Now, time to look into equipment for a Black Mage, more specifically a
weapon. Most Black mages will choose a Club or Staff, yet there are other
weapon choices for a Black Mage. Here I wil present these choices.

Dagger:Pros- Fast attack speed, many daggers with status effects.
Cons- Weak damage, which means 0 damage as a Black Mage usually.

Staff:Pros- Moderate damage.
Cons- Slow Attack speed.

Club:Pros- Bonuses that help casting, moderately fast speed.
Cons- Weak damage.

My preference is a Club, since Black Mages wont attack once they start
partying, since the bonuses are quite good.

Black Mage spells- In Depth

Now a chance to look at some of the Black Mages basic sets of spells, the
primary use and objective having already being discussed here I will detail
some of thee basic spells.

Enfeebling:Bind- Holds the enemy, allows you to cast without geting hit.
Blind-Decreases attack accuracy, quite useful considering its MP cost.
Poison-Does damage over time, good but I prefer dia.
Sleep-Puts the enemy to sleep, good for running.
Shock, Burn- Lowers an enemy's stat and does damage over time.
Choke, Rasp, Drown- Same as Shock and Burn.
Enhancing:Elemental Spikes- Does Elemental damage when you're hit, not good.
Dark: Bio-Lowers attack and does damage over time, high MP cost.
Drain- Absorbs HP from the enemy, very good, long recharge time.
Aspir- Absorbs MP from the enemy, very good, long recharge time.
Elemental:All elemental- Incredibly Good, the spells you cast most.
Spirit: Warp- Instantly transports you to your home point, nifty!
Escape- Intsantly teleports your party to the enterance of a dungeon.

Black Mages on a Budget - What you should buy

As a Black MAge one should always consider their role in a party when
making any transaction. As a Black Mage you should spend very little on
armor, and even less on a weapon.

What not to buy:
Armor in excess, no need to get new armor whenever you can afford better, only buy
new armor every once in a while.

New weapons in excess, same as armor, also you should buy your weapon based
on what bonuses to stats they give rather than damage.

What to buy:
Elemental spells, buy these with top priority.

High Reward Quests for Black Mages.

Windurst:
Aspir Quest, Fuepepe; Aurastery, Windurst Waters.
Gives the spell Aspir.

Star Onion Brigade quests, Behind the Warehouse in Windurst Woods.
Do these for the Blaze spikes;Note:Do the first quest ASAP.

Compound Eye Circlet Quest, Koru-Moru's Manor in Windurst Walls.

Shantotto quests,Shantotto's Manor, Windurst Walls.
Do these for a Hypno Staff, Warp II, and some other stuff.

Hypno Staff Quest, Paku-Nakku, Aurastery Roof, Windurst Waters.
Only if you wish to use a staff.

Bastok:
Warp quest, Unlucky Rat; Cement Factory, Bastok Metalworks.
Gives the spell Warp.

Sandoria:
Drain quest, Novalmauge; Dungeon under the Chateau.
Gives the spell Drain