I Need a Few Tips!

[Elemmire]

maybe that was it.. hmm.. damn my memory.

 

[Eulore]

2 AGI = 1 RAcc.

aren't agi and evasion correlated also?

2 AGI = 1 evasion.

Also AGI effects parrying (up), shield blocking (up), and enemy criticals (down). This is why I use AGI earrings on my pld.

2 vit = 1 def
2 str = 1 attack and 1 r.attack
2 agi = 1 r.acc and 1 evasion
2 dex = 1 acc
2 int = 1 m.attack bonus? (Not sure on this)
2 mnd = 1 m.def bonus? (Not sure on this)

Also vit lowers damage curve on you, str increases dmg curve on monsters, agi decreases chance of critical on you and increases chance of parrying and blocking (may also have to do with guard and counter, not sure), dex increases criticals, int increases dmg and lowers resist rate on black magic spells, mnd increases dmg and lowers resist rate on white magic spells, chr is rumored to affect hate (I don't believe this is true personally) and increases chance to intimidate if you have the proper killer trait.

I may have forgot something and this information may be wrong =P

 

[Elemmire]

woot! more knowledge x.x so let's see if a list can be made

STR ~ ATK
VIT ~ DEF
DEX ~ ACC, Critical Hits
AGI ~ R.Acc, Evasion, Parrying, Shield, and Enemy Critical
MND ~ Cures, WHM Enfeebles(duration)
INT ~ Nukes, BLM Enfeebles(duration)
CHR ~ eh?

I feel like I'm missing something :\

 

[Eulore]

I edited my thing to add a lot more stuff.

You probably forgot chr as it is a mysterious stat

 

[Elemmire]

Forget what >.> I forgot nothing.. just ignore that little editted thing.

 

[Eulore]

Yes... nothing at all.

 

[Elemmire]

I always wondered what CHR was good for on my AF Body... or what the INT on WAR head was good for... so many wierd stats on some things :\

 

[Eulore]

Well some Weaponskills are determined by stats

I.E. Spinning Slash by INT and STR and Savage Blade by MND and STR.

 

[Elemmire]

I have a lot more to learn about melee jobs :\ seeing as next I'm going DRG woot for lfg!

 

[deathsvengeance]

I always wondered what CHR was good for on my AF Body... or what the INT on WAR head was good for... so many wierd stats on some things :\

Note that some people.. well a lot of people don't know. Charisma effects the strength of Spirits Within (prolly why RDM af body has it )

 

[Lecan]

BST ... Pretty fun job and from lvl 5-11 i made some good gil, well good gil for just lvling, tons of crystals and plant seeds for my garden on my mule.

Ok now that didnt have much to do with my question just a little BACKGROUND on where i stand.

My questions are as follow:

1. BST - I am in lathiene (spelled wrong i am sure) and XP isnt the greatest, it is constant with is nice low to no down time but what is the proper way/thing to charm and what is the proper way/thing to fight.
-i useually charm decents or evens but there seems to be an XP hit. i then fight toughs, maybe 40 xp.
- How do i chain and what else do i need to know.

First of all, as I tell just about every BST when they start out, head to ffxi.Allakazham.com and head to the BST forums, read the stickies in detail, as this will more or less become your bible (for an easier time finding the thread, just look for the sticky marked 'The BST Bible').

Now, on to my tips. At level 15, for me and many others, it was one of the hardest levels I ever went through. I was in valkurm dunes and died (and delvl'd/relvl'd) 17 times in one day. I actually quit BST for about 3 months after that. Anyway...

I recommend heading to Tahrongi Canyon, finding an EM Dhalmel and slaughtering all the EP-DC-EM mobs you can find, don't bother with T"s because they take too long. In fact, for a long time I made the mistake of going after big exp rather than safe, fast exp. When you can, stick with charming Em and slaughtering EP-DC, it will almost always be better exp (except when fighting goblins or bombs). Exp/kill may be low, but exp/hour will be much better than getting 140 exp per 5-6 minute battle.

Don't engage in the battle with your pets at this level (in fact, as little as possible until about level 33 >.>) because the hate pool is VERY fragile, no matter what you do. No matter how hard your pet hits the mob, you will always pull hate within the first 2 strikes. Only time you should engage is, like someone else said, if your pet is losing badly and you can correct the situation with a few good strikes (just remember to immediately turn around, unless you like eating dirt).

Now, there are some passive skills that many BST learn, some slower than others. These skills are not character based, but rather yourself, in what YOU do. ALWAYS know your mobs and pets in detail. While some mobs intimidate others, sometimes the mob that is getting intimidated is stronger, regardless of it (this will come into play later on, not so much in the early levels).

Always know your mob placements, and spawn times. This is more something to keep in the back of your head at all times, but try to be conscious of it at all times. Know where mobs spawn, and how often they do. This could mean the difference between your exp chain 3 or you eating more dirt.

Death will ALWAYS be part of the game you play. You'll die, a lot. Don't let it discourage you, if you seem to be having a bad run, just give up for the day (some of us like to think there's a BST god that just hates us on some days, so it's better to just not exp on days your'e having a bad run).

Try not to exp on darksday. Charm is light based, therefore, on darksday it is weaker. This can cause more mischarms and such, which is always bad. Sometimes though, you can ignore it. But definitely don't if you are charming charm resistant mobs (ie: Jellies, Opo's, Mandragora's, and to some extent Crawlers and Bats).

Be aware at all times of people around you. Kind of a given, just don't exp on top of people, or take mobs that parties/other BST are exping on. Basically it's BSt custom to try to stay out of each others way, so if you see another BST in the area you have come to, try to find another place if at all possible (sometimes you absolutely can NOT find a new area, in which case the other BST will more than likely understand).

NO MPKING. Yes, people can be assholes, but BST reputation is already bad. A lot of people even seem to think that the only reason others level BST is because it's so easy to MPK others. Don't perpetuate that stereotype.

Always be helpful of parties. Parties can sometimes be the enemy, but they can be turned into a powerful ally if you show you are willing to cooperate. I suggest offering to help with any links or trouble they may get into, this usually breaks the ice and makes them less wary of you exping near them (if you can't help but exp near them, generally avoid parties).

About all the wisdom I have to part right now... but it's also 4am. If anything is unclear, let me know, I'll post more when I wake up.

 

[Eulore]

I always wondered what CHR was good for on my AF Body... or what the INT on WAR head was good for... so many wierd stats on some things :\

Note that some people.. well a lot of people don't know. Charisma effects the strength of Spirits Within (prolly why RDM af body has it )

That's HP and TP >.> If you want I'll do some experiments when I get back on... Full HP 300% spirits within with and without my +10 CHR in gear. (I'd of course make HP the same because 5 of that CHR is from AF which gives HP)

 

[deathsvengeance]

I always wondered what CHR was good for on my AF Body... or what the INT on WAR head was good for... so many wierd stats on some things :\

Note that some people.. well a lot of people don't know. Charisma effects the strength of Spirits Within (prolly why RDM af body has it )

That's HP and TP >.> If you want I'll do some experiments when I get back on... Full HP 300% spirits within with and without my +10 CHR in gear. (I'd of course make HP the same because 5 of that CHR is from AF which gives HP)

Go test it out yourself. Get a TON of Charisma gear, and do your 300% Spirits Within, I'm sure you'll notice a difference. I told Jazper this also, that CHR affects Spirits and he tested it on a hakutaku run we were doing with friends and he definately noticed higher dmg with the added CHR gear I'm not lieing, I do know its HP and TP based as well.

 

[Skaw]

Well some Weaponskills are determined by stats

Rumoured to affect triggered traits(Counter, Killers, Double/Triple attack) as well, though you need a lot of a certain stat to boost a traits effectiveness if it's true.

 

[Lecan]

Oh, just to add to my post above (didn't use edit just so this would be read, people aren't going to go rereading my post >.>).

Charisma is important as BST, it effects the power of charm (more CHR = Better charmrate) and as recent tests/research has shown, the actual duration of charm. Since you're 15, you can buy the first set of charm gear you'll have (which you'll essentially use until about level 40, when better peices become available). Those include:

2x Hope/Opal Rings (I suggest Hope, as every bit of CHR counts)
Bird Necklace
Noble's Ribbon.

Again, charisma is important, so I would go with that. Also, normally BST carry two sets of gear. A set of charming gear (which would include the above set of equipment) and a set of fight gear (which you can feel free to go about choosing yourself, my person recommendation is DEF+ and ACC+). Use traditional equipment swap macros at the appropriate times and you shouldn't have a problem. Just note that it takes about a second for stat changes to take place, so be careful when swapping then charming immediately.

Light staff: This is a long way off, but the minute you hit 51, I suggest getting a light staff (or better yet, apollo's if you have that kind of cash floating around). Probably the single most useful equip a BST can have, since it grants a +15% to all light based abilities (ie: +15% charm ).

Don't worry about Monster Signa, while CHR is important, it's not THAT important at your level (or even any level under 51) to be worth spending 300-600k on. Best to save that cash for a light staff later on, which will serve you better. Of course, if you have the cash lying around for a Monster Signa, by all means, grab it. Just make sure to swap it out because of the -VIT, which can hurt when running for your next pet.

 

[Skaw]

Yeah, Monster Signa is more important to BRD in the early levels than it is for BST. I never had a problem charming anything without it, except for jellies in Korroloka and SSG.

 

[Elemmire]

I really dunno about that CHR thing.. Being Elvaan I have one of the higher end CHR and have quite a bit HP and nice amount of TP and if I see another race(like Mithra) with virtually the same HP (a few things off here and there.. like by 10 points XD) and the TP was the same (go go windower!) the damages were identical. Both around ~500 (300% TP) Then again.. maybe it requires such a large change in CHR and never occuring to me that it should be changed for higher damage might have done it.. if this is true.. when it comes to dynamis.. everyone who can use a sword better be ready to bring CHR+ gear (and lots) for more damage XD

 

[Thelona]

2. DRG - I need to start my AF stuff soon is there a guide someplace that well help me with doing these quest, i solo most things and it takes me forever to do (i solo ranked 5, it took me forever to find those magicite spots)

http://www.killingifrit.com/page.php?id=126

whoa there info is WAY off on the drg af headpiece, right? since when does drg af headpiece come from kuftal tunnle coffer?

EDIT:::: nevermind, i didnt see the rest of the info at the bottem of the maps

 

[Flip]

Thanks everyone so much gave me tons of ideas cant wait to put them to work,

 

[Rappa]

Well, going by this site here (which supposedly researched ws for over 2 years), Spirits Within is only modified by hp and tp. Of course, chr is an odd trait that no one really seems to understand (though it is listed as a modifier for 2 knife ws) so they might not have taken it into account, but it seems like someone would've caught it. *shrugs*