Journey's End

Once again, I find myself leaving Vana'diel, and as always, saying goodbye is never easy. Moreover, there are several reasons for my sudden departure: i) the upcoming level 99 relic trial is far too time consuming, ii) a relentless attempt (over 150 tatters) at obtaining near-perfect Armada Hauberk augments has proven fruitless, iii) the game developers wish to revive alliance-styled endgame events, iv) the lack of a new expansion as of late, and v) I have a myriad of coding projects that I would like to focus my time on.















In addition, if I were to revisit my goals from my very first post, there is no longer a need to obtain high-tier items to achieve BST endgame acceptance. The level 75+ job changes and Abyssea expansions have dramatically improved a BST's damage dealing capabilities and the FFXI community's tolerance for pet jobs, respectively, and as such, I feel it is time to relax, leave my virtual companions behind, and start working towards the next goal on my long list of life desires.















So to my remaining friends, in the event that I cannot catch you all online in the next few days, I would like to thank each and every one of you for your friendship and support over these past four years, and likewise, I would like to thank all my readers for breathing life into a fictional trio. In addition, pending the decision of my account's co-owner. I have decided to pass my account to an old LS mate, so if you spot me around after January, it likely will not be me.

In closing, take care, fellow Beastmasters. May pink hearts and small critters follow you, wherever you might go.

Ruinator

So for those of you who have not played with the new Axe WS, "Ruinator" trumps all its predecessors animation-wise and packs a heavy punch to boot.















Supposedly, "Ruinator" is a four-hit WS with a STR modifier, and with all five upgrades, I was averaging 2.2k to 2.4k damage per "Ruinator" (in contrast to 1.7 to 2k per "Rampage/Onslaught") on the local Sand Lizards above. Occasionally, I would score a "Double Attack" that resulted in a ~2.9k damage "Ruinator," so I am definitely looking forward to earning this new WS.

Hopefully, the new Scythe and Dagger WSs (these are available to BSTs for once) prove equally potent.

GUPS 026

Once again, it is time for another GUPS catch-up post, and to be honest, I have spent what little time I have had rushing my jobs to level 95. While the new level cap brings many new goodies and events for me to work on, I do not foresee myself tackling new content before Christmas. As such, here is a compilation of my last four months worth of exploits.

Other Stuff


















Merits that I earned eons ago. For once, I have finally run out of categories to work on (at least, until the next level cap arrives).















Items that I have not had a chance to blog about. I would like to mention that I dumped my OA2-4 Richardet's Axe +2 for the DA10 Richardet's Axe +3 (above) and my Mirke Wardecors with Pet: Attack/Accuracy+15 for the body above.





















Some miscellaneous AF3+1 that I tackled on a whim...

Omitted pieces: Iga Ningi +1, Iga Kyahan +1, and Raider's Poulaines +1.




















... and some important AF3+2 pieces for my NIN and THF.







A new Crafting item for Smithing mule. Originally, I was planning to obtain Crafting furnishings for my other characters as well, but any would-be progress has been stalled due to a lack of playtime.

















Two new Woodworking key items for Khelandros.

Guttler Updates







In the event that you missed my posts in August, I have finally finished my Guttler, so the lines below are merely for bookkeeping purposes. In addition, I have also completed the associated trials up to level 95 (special thanks to Kemikal and others for help with the Attestation trials), so hopefully, the level 99 upgrade will not as bad as some players speculate.

Currently, I am working on Stage 4 -> 5 of my Guttler.

I have acquired:
[1/1] Ogre Killer
[1/1] Shard of Necropscyhe
[1/1] Runaeic Fragment
[100/100] Lungo-Nango Jadeshells

Gil towards next 100-unit currency (subject to change):
[0/1.0M] Lungo-Nango Jadeshell
Status: Relic Complete!


Crafting Status

Khelandros
[100/100] Fishing Skill
[100/100] Woodworking Skill (+20)
[58/60] Smithing Skill (+4)
[14/60] Goldsmithing Skill
[2/60] Clothcraft Skill
[35/60] Leathercraft Skill (+27)
[53/60] Bonecraft Skill (+45)
[28/60] Alchemy Skill
[60/60] Cooking Skill (+1)
[80/100] Synergy Skill (+10)

Cooking mule
[100/100] Cooking Skill
[36/100] Synergy Skill

Smithing mule
[100/100] Smithing Skill
[60/60] Goldsmithing Skill
[60/60] Clothcraft Skill
[39/60] Leathercraft Skill
[16/60] Bonecraft Skill
[45/60] Woodworking Skill
[54/60] Alchemy Skill

Alchemy mule
[100/100] Alchemy Skill
[19/60] Goldsmithing Skill
[34/60] Smithing Skill
[16/60] Bonecraft Skill

Bonecraft mule
[40/100] Bonecraft Skill

Dungeon Casket Raider

Unfortunately, I have not had much time to myself lately, so today's post recounts my dreaded dungeon casket raids from early July. Essentially, one can find coveted, rare items from the brown caskets of particular dungeons, and you can acquire these items from both high and low-level monsters alike.








Usually, I would acquire many prowess augments before finding a rare item, and to hunt in a given dungeon without zoning, I deployed my BST mule instead of my main. For the most part, I am satisfied with my new items, and should I find spare time again, I will probably track down a Smithy's and Alchemist's Torque as well.

Legend:
Casket Item
1) Total brown caskets
2) Failed to open 'x' brown caskets
3) Total blue caskets
4) Low or high-level mob for item
5) Treasure Casket Discovery level
6) Maximum guesses on final chest






Fisher's Torque(76/26/116/H/4/5)






Fisher's Rope(7/2/13/L/5/5)






Field Torque(20/5/25/H/5/5)






Field Rope(98/30/200/L/5/5?)

Update: 12/03/2011





Smithy's Torque(19/5/38/L/4/5)

Augment Corner

Since I have decided to edit my blogs once more, today's post will be short and on the best of my Synergy augments thus far. In the event that I synergize something better or find more Cursed pieces to work on, I will append the results to my GUPS posts first and then here.

Byakko's Haidate

Current Augments (~18 attempts):









Armada Mufflers

Current Augments (~80 attempts):







Armada Hauberk

Current Augments (~40 attempts):

The Guttler Dialogues

Warning: Relic weapon spoilers below!

For those of you who always wanted to view the Guttler cutscenes without building a Guttler yourself, I have compiled and superimposed several pictures below for your viewing pleasure. Enjoy!

Stage 1 Exit:












One day later:














Stage 2 Exit:














One week later:
















Stage 3 Exit:
















Three and a half days later:
















Fragment Cutscene:











Stage 4 Exit:

Guttler

After nearly four years of toil, I have finally finished my Guttler! Having bought all my Dynamis coins pre-Abyssea, I would have needed another year or two to finish; however, the new Dynamis changes allow me to raid Dynamis multiple times per day, occasionally with those willing to part coins for AFv2.

As such, I would like to thank Vryan, Generalpain, and Neptuna for expediting my farming process, and most importantly, I would like to thank Kemikal and Vestal for purchasing the final thirty L. Jadeshells for my relic loan. Truly, I am indebted for their large purchases.

With the union of an Armada Hauberk and now Guttler, I feel entitled to a short break, but look forward to a new post concerning the relic weapon ceremony shortly.

Nursery Nazuna II

Following up on an older post, I decided to use a level 76 BST to determine the lowest level a jug pet could be summoned at. Unfortunately for me, I could not find anyone to help out, so I decided to use the opportunity to level my BST mule to 76 (and later 90).










Not surprisingly, using Healing Salve I under 50% HP yielded three different amounts for a lvl 76 BST with no Monster Gloves. Since a jug pet's level is directly proportional to its HP, we can conclude that the "jug pets are summoned 0-2 levels below their master" rule seems consistent across the board.

Curse of the Dragon's Aery

It has been over five years since I dreamt of owning an Earthen Abjuration: Body. Back then, I could not even locate a HNM LS to accept me given my sporadic playtime, but to make matters worse, BSTs were rarely awarded the coveted body piece without a level 75 WAR and/or DRK. Although I eventually landed a HNM LS invite with the help of a friend, I soon learned that I was little more than fresh meat expected to follow my leader's whim. Depressed, I left my original server in hopes of a better LS (and Ebody opportunities) on Asura, but not before exchanging tearful farewells and bestowing departure gifts to my remaining friends.

Unfortunately, the situation on Asura proved no better. Although I did find a nicer LS to attempt HNMs with, they eventually gave up on HNMs and Einherjar runs thanks to LSs with third-party tools and the difficulty of clearing high-tier chambers, respectively. It was not long before most of my friends disappeared without a trace, became banned for Salvage dupes, or quit the game due to real life issues, and once again, I hopped servers in hopes of better opportunities -- this time to Fairy.















Unlike my previous two servers, I focused on Einherjar exclusively while on Fairy, and through the help of another friend, I managed to find a LS several months later. Although the LS was large and successful enough to defeat Odin, LS leadership waned several months after my entry; internal disputes amongst dedicated members saw the LS shrink even further. It would not be long before an LS officer booted a member for unruly behavior, but that very member retaliated by posting controversial screenshots of his expulsion under different reasons -- taking the initiative to lead an Odin run with no officers present. The LS quickly splintered under the controversy, and although the LS leader tried to continue runs, he eventually gave up and quit the game -- the LS, with its crippled reputation, dissolved soon after.

Mortified, I decided to try my hand at buying an Ebody via mercenaries; however, most mercenaries quickly lost interest in camping an old HNM after the third Abyssea installment. Eventually, I came across a certain individual, Kemikal, who was both willing to sell an Ebody and able to hunt Nidhogg vigorously, so for the next five months, I eagerly hunted Wyrms against smaller groups and HNM LS remnants. Although we claimed almost half a dozen of Nidhoggs, none of them yielded an Ebody, and to add insult to injury, Nidhogg dropped Ebodies on days I was asleep or on campus.















Then came the new HNM update: a change that lowered my odds at obtaining an Ebody. Although I had found a new LS by this time, it was most difficult to find help for Wyrms, and the sole Nidhogg pop we did obtain failed to yield an Ebody as well. Soon after, the LS collapsed after our leader disappeared, and it would be almost a month later before I learned he had quit the game for good.

Daunted but desperate, I decided to take matters into my own hands and started organizing my own KS99 runs after my social LS refused to commit to a time. It was at this time, Kemikal offered to help with runs in exchange for an Adamantoise Egg for his friend, Shiiko, and by some bizarre luck, I got both the egg and a pair of Strider Boots on my run (both of which were given to Shiiko and Kemikal, respectfully). For the next three days, Kemikal and I raided the Dragon's Aery and led numerous KS99 Wyrm runs, hoarding as many Fafnir pops as we could get our hands on, but no matter how hard we tried, Nidhogg refused to drop an Ebody.

It seemed like I would fail to accomplish my goal once again: I was down to my last two Themis Orbs, and Shiiko, who had generously donated her remaining seals to my cause, was down to her last. It felt like nothing could make an Ebody drop at this point, having gone 0/9 on Nidhogg and 4/35 on Nidhogg pops, but Kemikal encouraged me to expend the last of my seals. By some stroke of luck, we managed to find another group of Nidhogg hunters after the other abjurations, so we pooled our Fafnir pops in hopes of mutual benefit.















What happened next was a miracle: our combined group went 3/7 on Nidhogg pops and 2/3 on Ebody (the other drop being an Aquarian Abjuration: Body), so both Kemikal and I walked away with Armada Hauberks that night at four a.m. in the morning. In total, I have spent 8.5M in gil, given away a pair of Strider Boots, two Cursed Hauberk -1s, and half a dozen Black Belt items, but fate has smiled upon me at long last.

There are a lot of people, across multiple servers, I would like to thank for helping me along the way: Masani (Diabolos), Anapinata (Asura), Cervesa (Asura), Nexai (Asura), and Goddessalura (Fairy/Sylph) for their morale support, Shiiko (Fairy/Sylph) for donating her Kindred Seals and helping with KS99 runs, Enelya et al. (Fairy/Sylph) for organizing a Nidhogg group, Mclovinn (Fairy/Sylph) and the rest of my former LS, NoRubyLight, for helping with KS99 runs, Bleak et al. (Fairy/Sylph) for teaming up on KS99 runs, and finally, Kemikal (Fairy/Sylph) for co-organizing KS99, Fafnir, and Nidhogg runs until my Ebody dropped.

Statistics:
1/10 on my Earthen Abjuration: Body (2/12 overall).
7/42 on Cups of Sweet Tea (Nidhogg pop item).
0/60+ on Ridill.

EDIT: Aggregate Results
7/48 on Cups of Sweet Tea (Nidhogg pop item).
0/66+ on Ridill.

GUPS 025

After raiding the Dragon's Aery for over five months straight, my chances at procuring an Earthen Abjuration: Body still remain bleak. Despite the new HNM changes that now require KS99 battles to tackle Nidhogg, the changes have actually decreased my chances from the pre-update days. Moreover, a 7.5% chance to obtain a Nidhogg pop item per Fafnir with a 25% chance to obtain an Ebody per Nidhogg places the odds of obtaining an Ebody at 1.875% per KS99 orb. Essentially, any Nidhogg abjuration is approximately as rare as a Kraken Club nowadays, and to make things worse, I am currently 0/7 on Ebody as well.

As such, I am mortified by my lack of success in the Dragon's Aery, and if there are no significant improvements (either in drops or changes to the new system) by July, I feel fully compelled to finish my relic weapon at long last. In the meantime, I have compiled my last four months worth of Abyssea exploits in the place of a would-be Ebody/Ridill celebration.

Other Stuff


















Byproducts from the Abyssea events mentioned above. At this point, I have fully merited all my jobs barring NIN, so with any luck, I will have the outstanding merits finished shortly.



















Luckily, I have been most fortunate with Abyssea-related events thanks to my extreme soloing efforts and the generosity of my LS leader, Mclovinn. Unfortunately, Mclovinn and his best friend have disappeared for almost three weeks now, so I hope everything is all right with them.














Thanks to Mclovinn's absence, I have been able to grind through a dozen Magian-trial weapons otherwise back-to-back. Overall, the Rare-tagged weapons were much more difficult to complete than the non-Rare weapons, but the Staff trials were no small hurdles themselves.


















Given the lackluster gear from the latest update, I have decided to upgrade some vital AF3 pieces. For the sake of brevity, I have omitted any AF3 +1 pieces that were upgraded to AF3 +2 between now and the previous GUPS post.

Omitted pieces: Bale Burgeonet +1, Orison Cap +1, Iga Zukin +1, Goetia Petasos +1, Ferine Gausape +1, Ferine Manoplas +1, and Ferine Quijotes +1.
















Finished a full set of BST AF3+2, and picked up several AF3+2 head pieces for my other jobs. I will likely upgrade a full BLM set next, but I will be happy to turn in whatever seals I come across as well.

Guttler Updates

As stated above, I have decided to postpone Guttler upgrades until July in the hopes that I can either buy or procure an Ebody before then. In the event that I fail, all savings would be immediately invested into Lungo-Nango Jadeshells, and given my current situation, I feel twice as confident in finishing the last stage of my relic weapon than I do at obtaining an Ebody.

Currently, I am working on Stage 4 -> 5 of my Guttler.

I have acquired:
[1/1] Ogre Killer
[1/1] Shard of Necropscyhe
[1/1] Runaeic Fragment
[9/100] Lungo-Nango Jadeshells

Gil towards next 100-unit currency (subject to change):
[???/1.0M] Lungo-Nango Jadeshell
Status: N/A


Crafting Status

Khelandros
[100/100] Fishing Skill
[80/100] Woodworking Skill
[54/60] Smithing Skill
[14/60] Goldsmithing Skill
[2/60] Clothcraft Skill
[8/60] Leathercraft Skill
[8/60] Bonecraft Skill
[28/60] Alchemy Skill
[59/60] Cooking Skill
[70/100] Synergy Skill

Cooking mule
[100/100] Cooking Skill
[36/100] Synergy Skill

Smithing mule
[100/100] Smithing Skill
[60/60] Goldsmithing Skill
[60/60] Clothcraft Skill
[39/60] Leathercraft Skill
[16/60] Bonecraft Skill
[45/60] Woodworking Skill
[54/60] Alchemy Skill

Alchemy mule
[100/100] Alchemy Skill
[19/60] Goldsmithing Skill
[34/60] Smithing Skill
[16/60] Bonecraft Skill

Bonecraft mule
[40/100] Bonecraft Skill

Lest We Forget

Warning: Spoilers of the WotG variety below!

Click here for part six of the spoof series.















We are back for more fun, mayhem, and misadventures in Xarcabard [S], so if you do not recall what transpired in the last few hours, I had just switched allegiances to escape certain defeat, ignored Lilisette as she was clubbed to death, and started a flirtatious relationship with Lady Lilith. Unfortunately for me, Cait Sith managed to escape during the chaos, and as a result, Lady Lilith dispatched me to hunt her down while she dealt with the Allied remnant.















Speaking of whom, there is my lover now, but how dare she smooch and caress that other red-head behind my back! I should charge down this hill and give her a piece of my mind...















Just as soon as I discover why her other lover emanates this sickly, purple aura.















And now he is dead. Something tells me that a healthy relationship with Lady Lilith would result in an early demise, so I will be retreating towards San d'Oria [S] now.















Predictably, my return to San d'Oria [S] proved nigh fatal when a furious Cait Sith thrashed me upon entry. Please stop pummeling me, Super Cat -- I will renounce my evil ways and rejoin the Allied Forces!















Thankfully, Cait Sith agreed to give me a second chance, but she immediately demanded that I confront and subdue Lilith's subordinates in the Walk of Echoes. I suppose we better set foot now if we are to catch them in a preemptive strike.















So immediately after, Cait Sith and I ventured into the Walk of Echoes to storm the Spitewarden's barracks, or more accurately, I discovered that I would be squaring off against all the wardens alone given Cait's uncontrollable superpowers.















Ah, Rage and Portia, just the two I wanted to see! Wait, what do you mean Lady Lilith knows of my betrayal and replaced me already? I have only been gone for an hour! Who could she possibly replace me with?!















No, it cannot be! She could not have replaced me with this fruity mockery! All right, Spitewardens, I will give you all five seconds to surrender unconditionally. One, two...















Yeah, I did not think anyone would. En garde!















So after a long brawl, the four remaining Spitewardens finally capitulated, and Cait Sith and I promptly escorted them back to San d'Oria [S] for detainment. Reflecting back on the fight, I could have forewarned the wardens that the new player cap is level 90, but what fun would that be? Despite defeating four Spitewardens simultaneously, Lady Lilith still remained at large, so I needed a new sidekick to defy her might.















Luckily, Cait Sith had just the solution: Lilisette could be resurrected via a Pixie cloning hatchery in Grauberg [S]. Unfortunately, Cait Sith neglected to inform me that I would be incubating the Lily egg for several hours, and I was not particularly interested in becoming a hen.















Oh well; no use complaining. Cluck, Cluck, Ba-gawk!















It worked! Lily#2 has arrived!















Say, Cait Sith, she does not retain any memories of me abandoning her, right?















Good. Now that Lily is back, can I nuzzle her face too?















After our happy reunion, Cait and I informed the new Lily on current events and of our pressing need to defeat Lady Lilith. After a small picnic, we decided to set foot into an undisclosed location in the Walk of Echoes...















... where Lady Lilith was already awaiting us. Your feminine wiles will not save you this time, Lilith! I will be receiving a harem of Lilisettes after this is over, right Cait?















Thankfully, the ensuing fight went in our favor given Lilith's reliance on sorcery rather than summoning Odin to decimate us. All was going well, and victory was all but ensured until...















... Lady Lilith impaled Lily#2 and merged essences with her!















Behold, Lady Lilith's ascension!















Unfortunately for her, I was not interested in ladies with twice my height.















And it appears the Lily-Lilith entity could not withstand the rejection; she must have triggered the self-destruct command!















Five, four, three, two...















Oh look, Atomos noticed the commotion and promptly devoured her whole! Now we can all return to -- wait, now he is trying to devour me too! Cait Sith, I need another Lilisette!















All right, Lily#3, time is short and Atomos wishes to destroy all life, so you will need to clog his stomach until he suffers from indigestion. Ready? Set? Toss!















Goodbye, Lily#3; I will be sure to ask Cait Sith for a clone just like you! In the end, four babes perished needlessly and a happy couple wound up in jail, but since I just saved the world, it is time for an ice cream sundae at Cait Sith's expense. Hurray for me and the end of the WotG missions!