So, since I'm an expert at soloing avatars cheaply, I'm going to rank them by ease of battle. This incorporates their defensive capabilities as well as any ward bloodpacts. This list will go from easiest on top to hardest on bottom. Please note that this is my own personal opinion, and results may vary from your own experience.
Fighting Avatars
Diabolos
Ifrit
Shiva
Ramuh
Titan
Leviathan
Garuda
Fenrir
Diabolos is the easiest because it's really a no-risk battle. The only way to lose is to either do something stupid (like let the puppet melee) or running out of time. And really, it is a special case, as the Diabolos fight is vastly different from the other avatar fights.
Ifrit is next because Ifrit has no defensive bloodpacts, and no healing bloodpacts, so really, it's just a matter of wearing Ifrit down.
I was debating between Shiva and Ramuh. Shiva has Sleepga, but it rarely lands on the avatar (especially if using Ifrit), and as a Summoner, it is something that I usually get out of easily (with the Sublimation ability, or the Sacrifice Torque), so it's not that much of a threat. On the other hand, Ramuh's Thunderspark ability does a little damage, but the paralyze effect can be more devastating (imagine failing to resummon Titan because of paralysis), so it can catch an unaware Summoner off guard, and it can potentially be more dangerous. However, it can be countered by either being out of range, and having Light Arts with Addendum: White up.
Titan isn't much more dangerous, but he has Earthen Ward, which gives him stoneskin. While not dangerous, it can lengthen a fight, and drain a Summoner's MP more than necessary. In any avatar fight, MP is important!
Leviathan and Garuda are next, and I was debating between those two as well. What makes those two a bit more dangerous is their healing BPs, which potentially can be used often, and lengthening fights (which in turn, drains MP). Garuda wins out though, as she also has a defensive ability which gives her shadows, AND Hastega, hurting your avatar more. Of the six avatars, Garuda is the most dangerous in terms of fighting.
Fenrir, though, takes the cake. Tougher than the six elemental avatars, fast, and dangerous, Fenrir, as far as I'm aware is not soloable. At least not by SMN or PUP. I have heard, though, of a THF/NIN soloing this fight. But still, this one does require a group.
Getting there
Of course, fighting the avatars is only one part, but getting to the cloisters is a different trouble entirely. Some are very easy to get to, with no aggro to 75 monsters, and a simple maze, while others require items, fights, as well as dangerous aggro to 75 monsters. Again, the list is by avatar from easiest to hardest, with easiest on top and hardest on bottom.
Titan
Shiva
Diabolos
Fenrir
Ramuh
Garuda
Leviathan
Ifrit
Yeah, the list is a bit different than before, but again, this is getting in AND out of the avatar battle.
Titan tops the list as the easiest to travel to. Straight shot from Bastok through the Korrokola Tunnel into the Altepa Desert and into the Quicksand Caves. While it's easy to get lost, there are no aggro to 75 monster straight to the cloister of Earth. The best part is that the exit leads straight back out to the Altepa Desert, where you can go to Rabao or back to Bastok.
Shiva is next, as the Cloister of Ice is fairly simple to travel to. However, it is a rather lengthy journey to Fei'yin, and on top of that, there are sound aggro monsters near the cloister, so having sneak, or just enduring the hits, is a must.
Diabolos is, again, a special case. It involves going through Pso'Xja, but the level 40 portion. While naked runs are no longer necessary, the level 40 cap is still in place. The only real danger, though, are the gazers which sound aggro. They're in two portions, so having a means of sneak (two silent oils) is a must. If ice weather is present, there is a single snowball to watch out for. Otherwise, it's a fairly safe journey to the Shrouded Maw.
Fenrir can be easy or hard, depending on if you have the right key item. Taking the route from Windurst Walls will involve sneaking past a few sound aggro mobs, and it's a little longer. On the other hand, taking the 3 mage gate is safer, and there are no sound aggro mobs to look out for.
Ramuh is in the Boyhada Tree. When entering the tree, the crabs there all aggro sound, so having a form of sneak is a must! The Goobue also aggro sound, and should be avoided. Also, elementals will frequently appear there, and they aggro magic. Watch out for them, and don't cast magic near them.
Garuda is in Cape Terrigan, and it's filled to the brim with sound and sight aggro. Having both Invisible and Sneak is a must. Fortunately, there are no special aggro mobs, and it's a fairly straight shot to the Cloister of Winds.
Leviathan is deep in the Den of Rancor, which is only available through the Temple of Uggalepih. While there are no aggro to 75 monsters in the temple, there is a statue which must be destroyed to get to the area. On top of that, the Paintbrush of souls is also required to open the door to the Den of Rancor. When in the Den of Rancor, everything is sound or sight aggro, making invis and sneak necessary. Also, be sure to NOT have sublimation up, as there are monsters on the way to the Cloister of Waters which will aggro yellow HP.
Ifrit may be the easiest avatar to fight, but the hardest to get to. First, one MUST have an ice cluster to get past the flame spout. Then past that, there are sound aggro bats AND sight AND magic aggro bombs. So, needless to say, it's a very dangerous spot. Fortunately, it's not too far from the entrance, but getting there is a pain. I would also strongly suggest having a warp of some kind, as leaving the Cloister of Flames is a bit more dangerous than getting in.
So, there you have it folks, my avatar battle ranking. What do you think? How do you rank the avatar fights?
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Thursday, June 11, 2009
XBox 360 crashes
I posted this in the Allakhazam forum, but I'm posting it here too so it can get more notice. This is about the 360 crashes that seem to plague Final Fantasy XI every once in a while.
Dear SE,
Hello, my name is Keyln, and I play Final Fantasy XI. I have been playing this game for well over 6 years now, and I play this game on all three platforms (PS2, PC, and 360). My platform of choice is currently the 360 as it has generally better graphics, and is usually more stable. However, one of the things that really bother me is the rate that the 360 crashes.
Specifically, I'm going to list the following:
1) The game crashes when I try to exit the game. This usually happens after extended (4+ hours) playtime. What happens is that I go to my Mog House, hit shutdown, and the screen goes black as normal. However, the console will never turn back, and the console will sit at this black screen for forever until I turn off my console and turn it back on again. When I log back in into the game, it tells me that the game did not shut down properly. This tells me that the console never left the game, and was stuck at the shutdown process.
2) Dynamis - Every once in a while, I or one of my Dynamis shell buddies will mysteriously crash during Dynamis. It seems to happens more often in Dynamis-Beaucidine than in others, but this crash has been seen in most Dynamis areas. It seems to happen near the end of Dynamis, and the really odd thing is that it hits all Xbox 360 users all at once. The fact that it is hitting all 360 users at once tells me that this is NOT a problem with my console.
3) Besieged - This happens constantly in Besieged, where all of the blue, my 360 crashes. It seems to happen right around the 55 minute mark near the end. What happens is that my game locks up, forcing a restart of the console, I try to log in, and all of my points that I earned are gone, and I'll be lucky to get any points at all. Again, the fact that it seems to be widespread tells me that this is, again, not a problem with my console.
Now, I work in the game industry as a QA person for well near 10 years now, and I can tell that by the fact that it's not just me that it's not a problem with the console, but a problem with the code. The fact that it's happening near the end or with extended play times tells me that there is a memory leak that is causing the 360 to crash.
Now, having said this, I don't expect an immediate fix. But I do expect a notice that you are aware of the problem, and that you are currently investigating and/or fixing it. The purpose of this post is to bring notice to this problem so that it can be addressed.
Thank you for your time,
Keyln, pet lover of Phoenix.
Maybe a bigger community site, like Pet Food Alpha will pick this up. This is something that needs to be addressed!
Dear SE,
Hello, my name is Keyln, and I play Final Fantasy XI. I have been playing this game for well over 6 years now, and I play this game on all three platforms (PS2, PC, and 360). My platform of choice is currently the 360 as it has generally better graphics, and is usually more stable. However, one of the things that really bother me is the rate that the 360 crashes.
Specifically, I'm going to list the following:
1) The game crashes when I try to exit the game. This usually happens after extended (4+ hours) playtime. What happens is that I go to my Mog House, hit shutdown, and the screen goes black as normal. However, the console will never turn back, and the console will sit at this black screen for forever until I turn off my console and turn it back on again. When I log back in into the game, it tells me that the game did not shut down properly. This tells me that the console never left the game, and was stuck at the shutdown process.
2) Dynamis - Every once in a while, I or one of my Dynamis shell buddies will mysteriously crash during Dynamis. It seems to happens more often in Dynamis-Beaucidine than in others, but this crash has been seen in most Dynamis areas. It seems to happen near the end of Dynamis, and the really odd thing is that it hits all Xbox 360 users all at once. The fact that it is hitting all 360 users at once tells me that this is NOT a problem with my console.
3) Besieged - This happens constantly in Besieged, where all of the blue, my 360 crashes. It seems to happen right around the 55 minute mark near the end. What happens is that my game locks up, forcing a restart of the console, I try to log in, and all of my points that I earned are gone, and I'll be lucky to get any points at all. Again, the fact that it seems to be widespread tells me that this is, again, not a problem with my console.
Now, I work in the game industry as a QA person for well near 10 years now, and I can tell that by the fact that it's not just me that it's not a problem with the console, but a problem with the code. The fact that it's happening near the end or with extended play times tells me that there is a memory leak that is causing the 360 to crash.
Now, having said this, I don't expect an immediate fix. But I do expect a notice that you are aware of the problem, and that you are currently investigating and/or fixing it. The purpose of this post is to bring notice to this problem so that it can be addressed.
Thank you for your time,
Keyln, pet lover of Phoenix.
Maybe a bigger community site, like Pet Food Alpha will pick this up. This is something that needs to be addressed!
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
The Garuda exception
The other day, I made a post about how to get 0 perpetuation on any avatar. Today, I'm going to talk about exceptions of that rule by displaying avatars where it's possible to get 0 perpetuation without having to use those gears.
First is Carbuncle. At base, Carbuncle is 9 MP/tic, so there is already a -4 difference. Throw in Carbuncle Mitts, and the perpetuation cost goes from 9 MP/tic to a low 4 MP/tic. Add in Auto-Refresh, and it turns into 3 MP/tic. At this point, simply having an Apollo's Staff, or any combination of -3 Perp will turn Carbuncle into free, and everything else goes to waste. Carbuncle is the cheapest avatar in terms of perpetuation cost, so it's not really all that hard to get a free Carbuncle.
Second is Fenrir. While not as cheap as Carbuncle, at base, Fenrir comes in at 11 MP/tic. So, it is possible to get a free Fenrir by using -2 less perpetuation equipment. For example, Using a Pluto's Staff instead of Nirvana, and using a Penance robe or the ACP with the -2 perpetuation cost will make Fenrir free.
The third and final exception is Garuda. Not too long ago, when SE came out with the ZNM system, a head item called the Karura Hachigane allowed Garuda to get a -2 perpetuation cost bonus. With this item, it puts the perpetuation cost as the same cost as Fenrir, and thus, get free Garuda by simply using an Auster's staff and the ACP Body with -2 or Penance Robe. Or any other combination. Garuda, with her powerful Predator Claws and Hastega effect, is a very handy avatar to have out.
Currently, it's possible to have all avatars out for free, but not without great cost. However, with items like the Karura Hachigane, it is becoming easier to keep avatars out indefinately without any help. I can only hope that SE will continue to release items like this.
First is Carbuncle. At base, Carbuncle is 9 MP/tic, so there is already a -4 difference. Throw in Carbuncle Mitts, and the perpetuation cost goes from 9 MP/tic to a low 4 MP/tic. Add in Auto-Refresh, and it turns into 3 MP/tic. At this point, simply having an Apollo's Staff, or any combination of -3 Perp will turn Carbuncle into free, and everything else goes to waste. Carbuncle is the cheapest avatar in terms of perpetuation cost, so it's not really all that hard to get a free Carbuncle.
Second is Fenrir. While not as cheap as Carbuncle, at base, Fenrir comes in at 11 MP/tic. So, it is possible to get a free Fenrir by using -2 less perpetuation equipment. For example, Using a Pluto's Staff instead of Nirvana, and using a Penance robe or the ACP with the -2 perpetuation cost will make Fenrir free.
The third and final exception is Garuda. Not too long ago, when SE came out with the ZNM system, a head item called the Karura Hachigane allowed Garuda to get a -2 perpetuation cost bonus. With this item, it puts the perpetuation cost as the same cost as Fenrir, and thus, get free Garuda by simply using an Auster's staff and the ACP Body with -2 or Penance Robe. Or any other combination. Garuda, with her powerful Predator Claws and Hastega effect, is a very handy avatar to have out.
Currently, it's possible to have all avatars out for free, but not without great cost. However, with items like the Karura Hachigane, it is becoming easier to keep avatars out indefinately without any help. I can only hope that SE will continue to release items like this.
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Soloing Diabolos Prime...a guide with pictures!
So, yesterday, I promised a guide on how to solo Diabolos Prime, and today I deliver. And here I am with how to solo Diabolos Prime.
Preparation
Preparation is 90% of victory, or so says Sun Tzu. Anyway, as far as gear goes for the puppetmaster, here's what I used.
The first thing that I want noticed is that I used a mage subjob, in this case Black Mage. Yes, it's underlevelled, but bear with me here. Really, one key thing here is the INT. The magic number here is 76, and that can be earned with the right subjob and the right gear. Once 76 is hit, no more INT is needed. The other things of note is the Puppetry Tobe, which adds in more MP for the puppet. However, if the Merke is available with the Pet +Magic Attack and +Magic Accuracy, use that instead. Pantin legs and Pantin feet are also very helpful here. The rest of the gear is just window dressing.
And there are the attachments that I used. Now, in case you're wondering, I used the following:
Scanner, Tranquilizer, Loudspeaker, Mana Booster, Strobe, Condensor, Optical Fiber, Flashbulb, Mana Tank, Mana Tank II, Economizer, and Mana Conserver.
I equipped my puppet for more magic speed than magic attack, so the puppet will cast more often than hit hard. The Strobe and Flashbulb are in there so to keep Diabolos's regen is kept under control. And the more MP the puppet has, the longer it can go without using Deactivate-Activate-Deploy. I would suggest avoiding the Ice Maker and the Mana Channler, as it can potentially slow down the casting in return for damage. Remember, the key to winning this is to cast often, and keep his regen down.
Fighting Diabolos Prime
When I enter the fight, I start off by using a Dark Maneuver and a Light Maneuver. This will
cause the puppet to to use Dia II. This prevents Diabolos's regen from occuring for a good long while. At this point, I throw up 3 ice maneuvers so my puppet can go nuke happy. Eventually, my puppet will run out of MP, and at this point, I use a Dark Maneuver or two to activate the Economizer to give my automaton MP, and then continue nuking.
At this point, my puppet will not cast Dia II any more, so now I rely on Flashbulb and Strobe to keep Diabolos from regaining HP. Maintain a Fire Maneuver and a Light Maneuver to stop Diabolos's regen while still using an ice maneuver for nuking speed and damage. Don't be afraid, however, to use 3 Ice Maneuvers to do some serious damage.
Keep up the damage and keep Diabolos regen away, and eventually, he will fall like a house of cards. It's not really all that hard when one knows what he's doing, just keep working and keep maneuvers up.
Where else could this work?
Now, in one of the comments made in my previous post, it was asked if this could work in the CoP battle 3-5 against Diabolos. While the level is capped at 40, all of the basic elements are there. INT may pose a problem, but all of the attachments are there, and the battle is set up in the same way. But enough about Diabolos.
Another possible spot this may work against is in the ACP 11 battle. As long as the crystal just stands there and does nothing, the puppet may be able to nuke its heart out. As long as the crystal doesn't draw in, both the master and puppet are safe. The question then is, can the puppet do enough damage to kill it in time before timing out?
And Fenrir? No way. Fenrir will attack the master before the master can get in range.
Why this works.
This works because of the rather strange hate relationship between the puppet and the master. What isn't unusual is the fact that the hate is completely seperate between the puppet and the master. What is unusual is that the master is not put on the hate list for the actions of the puppet, unless the puppet physically hits the target. This why when the puppet does any action outside of physically smacking it, the monster isn't claimed. It can be nuked, shot, and even flashed and provoked, but the monster will not be claimed until it's physically hit.
Diabolos Prime is an unusual battle where Diabolos Prime will stand there and wait for the party members to get in range, or get a party member on its hate list. And since pets aren't party members, and since the puppet can do any number of things that do not place the master on the hate list (see above), Diabolos will not do draw in and will not attack.
Could SE fix this? Perhaps, by moving Diabolos back so he's out of range of Deploy, or drawing in the puppet and master as soon as it gets hit, or changing the nature of the hate relationship between the puppet and master, they very well could. But until and unless they do so, I think I'll try to milk it for what it's worth.
I hope that this post has been helpful to someone, and if anyone has any questions, please feel free to ask.
Monday, June 8, 2009
How to get 0 perpetuation avatars solo...
So, this post is more of a thought experiment more than anything, as it's currently not practical to accomplish this. So, anyway, on with the thought experiment.
The elemental avatars plus Diabolos have a -13 MP/tic perpetuation cost. I propose that it's possible now to get that perpetuation cost down to 0. It's not really practical now, nor is it easy, but it is possible to do this without any BRD, RDM, or COR or even a SCH. But it does require lots of endgame stuff as well as some high end gear.
Auto-Refresh - Auto refresh provides an automatic -1 to perpetuation cost regardless of avatar = -12
Nirvana - Nirvana has the most powerful -perpetuation cost weapon in the game, or anywhere for that matter, with a powerful -4 perpetuation cost. Good luck getting it though = -8
Summoner's Doublet - This Dynamis-Beaucidine piece allows -3 perpetuation cost on the avatar matching the day. For example, Titan will be -3 perpetuation cheaper on Earthday. Downside is that it only works for Earthday for Titan = -5
Nashira Gages - These hands drop from Proto-Ultima in Limbus. Proto-Ultima, unfortunately, is far from a pushover. -1 perpetuation cost = -4
Evoker's Spats +1 - The upgraded Artifact Armor feet requires drops from both parts of Limbus. -1 perpetuation cost = -3
Evoker's Ring - This is earned from a quest in Norg. This quest involves fight all six primes (again) plus Fenrir to get special items. All Summoners should have this item. -1 perpetuation cost = -2
Conjurer's Ring - This is a BCNM item that is, in my opinion, grossly undervalued. Downside is that the HP needs to be yellow, but with things like the sacrifice torque, sublimation, or zenith gear, it's not too difficult to do. -1 perpetuation cost = -1
Ballad - Now now, I can hear you saying right now, "But Keyln, this is supposed to be solo!", and I do mean solo. Even with the above gear alone, perpetuation cost is still at -1. But, if a Summoner uses the Bard as a subjob, the Summoner can sing Mage's Ballad to hit that 0 perpetuation. Granted, if there's already a Bard in the party, it would be better off using something else, like COR or SCH for the sub job. But this is a thought experiment. -1 perpetuation cost = 0
And there you have it. Getting 0 perpetuation cost solo using gear and abilities available right now. However, there are a few caveats for this to work.
1) Only avatars matching the day can be used.
2) Summoner must be at yellow HP (75%) at all times.
3) Bard subjob must be used.
Use this as you will.
On other news, I solo'ed Diabolos again this morning, and I got him under 15 minutes. I took screenshots this time around, so you can expect a guide very soon. Maybe as soon as tonight. Watch for more details.
Oh, and in SE news, there's an update in late July. If something exciting comes up, like new avatars, new frames, or something to make BST better, I'll post about it. ^^
The elemental avatars plus Diabolos have a -13 MP/tic perpetuation cost. I propose that it's possible now to get that perpetuation cost down to 0. It's not really practical now, nor is it easy, but it is possible to do this without any BRD, RDM, or COR or even a SCH. But it does require lots of endgame stuff as well as some high end gear.
Auto-Refresh - Auto refresh provides an automatic -1 to perpetuation cost regardless of avatar = -12
Nirvana - Nirvana has the most powerful -perpetuation cost weapon in the game, or anywhere for that matter, with a powerful -4 perpetuation cost. Good luck getting it though = -8
Summoner's Doublet - This Dynamis-Beaucidine piece allows -3 perpetuation cost on the avatar matching the day. For example, Titan will be -3 perpetuation cheaper on Earthday. Downside is that it only works for Earthday for Titan = -5
Nashira Gages - These hands drop from Proto-Ultima in Limbus. Proto-Ultima, unfortunately, is far from a pushover. -1 perpetuation cost = -4
Evoker's Spats +1 - The upgraded Artifact Armor feet requires drops from both parts of Limbus. -1 perpetuation cost = -3
Evoker's Ring - This is earned from a quest in Norg. This quest involves fight all six primes (again) plus Fenrir to get special items. All Summoners should have this item. -1 perpetuation cost = -2
Conjurer's Ring - This is a BCNM item that is, in my opinion, grossly undervalued. Downside is that the HP needs to be yellow, but with things like the sacrifice torque, sublimation, or zenith gear, it's not too difficult to do. -1 perpetuation cost = -1
Ballad - Now now, I can hear you saying right now, "But Keyln, this is supposed to be solo!", and I do mean solo. Even with the above gear alone, perpetuation cost is still at -1. But, if a Summoner uses the Bard as a subjob, the Summoner can sing Mage's Ballad to hit that 0 perpetuation. Granted, if there's already a Bard in the party, it would be better off using something else, like COR or SCH for the sub job. But this is a thought experiment. -1 perpetuation cost = 0
And there you have it. Getting 0 perpetuation cost solo using gear and abilities available right now. However, there are a few caveats for this to work.
1) Only avatars matching the day can be used.
2) Summoner must be at yellow HP (75%) at all times.
3) Bard subjob must be used.
Use this as you will.
On other news, I solo'ed Diabolos again this morning, and I got him under 15 minutes. I took screenshots this time around, so you can expect a guide very soon. Maybe as soon as tonight. Watch for more details.
Oh, and in SE news, there's an update in late July. If something exciting comes up, like new avatars, new frames, or something to make BST better, I'll post about it. ^^
Sunday, June 7, 2009
Diabolos Prime solo'd!
This morning, I managed to solo Diabolos prime using PUP. This is the second time that I've done this, but this time, I didn't time out. Maybe I'll give details on how it's done as guide later.
I'm stoked about Final Fantasy XIV coming out soon. It may convince me to get a PS3. Maybe.
If there's no Summoner job though, I might not come. I love Summoner too much. :<
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