Final Fantasy XI Then...

[talizker]

Thanks to everyone last night that came along on the Garlaige Citadel Coffer run. Apart from one moment where Truehero got aggro from pretty much everything in the basement resulting in several deaths, the key hunt went well with keys dropping for all three people needing them in just over 2 hours.

While waiting for everyone to get ready for Part 2 I solo'd an EP Skeleton to get Lv57 /cheer!

Five of us continued on to get to the Furnace for the quests, to see if we could find a Coffer Chest and to get Bevan past Gate #3. We got to Gate #2 in no time and were all positioning on the pads when somone got some Skeleton aggro. Unfortunately my Sneak was dropping and I was stood next to a Bomb and had bats, skeletons and pots right outside. I had unfortunately decided to rely on Magic for Sneak / Invis and could do nothing. I took my chance with the Bats but there were two mobs together and without any buffs to start with was soon low on HP. I didn't realise Tsing now had Raise and tried to Chainspell+Warp but managed to die en-route. I layed face down outside Lower Jeuno MH for 5+ minutes before Wedge and another kind passer by managed to get me a Raise (I). Hmmmm.

I headed straight back out and soon got back to Gate #2. Bevan had got left behind the first time the rest of the party went through Gate #2 and I arrived back just as they were going through the second time. The party had already found a Coffer Chest and we disposed of a Tainted Flesh before I won a rare /random to open the chest and receive my AF Legs.

To be honest I feel a bit guilty about getting these - I should have had non-magic means to sneak/invis which would have avoided death and delay. I am also kicking myself about not visiting the furnace >< Once I had opened the Coffer I followed everyone to get Bevan through Gate #3 not realising that Rare and Darwock had been to the furnace when I was dead - the furnace was right around the corner from the Coffer...

Anyway, thanks again for the help

Onto Castle Zvahl next for Darwock and Tsing , then...

...Castle Oztroja Coffer Key > Do you need it!

[Darwock]

Yeah sorry about the confusion, Rare had said it was getting too late and he wouldn't be able to make the furnace after you returned from Jeuno, so I figured that rather than sit around waiting we should get it out of the way to prevent it being a wasted trip. Some day (hopefully soon but who knows) I'll have to go back through on the hunt for my own coffer anyway.

[talizker]

Yeah sorry about the confusion, Rare had said it was getting too late and he wouldn't be able to make the furnace after you returned from Jeuno, so I figured that rather than sit around waiting we should get it out of the way to prevent it being a wasted trip. Some day (hopefully soon but who knows) I'll have to go back through on the hunt for my own coffer anyway.

Of course it was the right thing for you guys to do! It was my mistakes that led to the situation. After rushing back I was out of the loop of what had gone on, its just annoying that we were back there, I had the right key etc, but couldn't get it done ><

[Darwock]

So what's the plans for Zvahl? For Tsing's coffer key I guess we need a large group again, but for my cellar key I think I'd be happier if it was just us three so I can feel like I had some involvement in it (we'd have to be very wary of links but other than that I think we'd be alright). So if we're doing both at the same time, we should get Tsing's key first so everyone else can go home after.

[talizker]

So what's the plans for Zvahl? For Tsing's coffer key I guess we need a large group again, but for my cellar key I think I'd be happier if it was just us three so I can feel like I had some involvement in it (we'd have to be very wary of links but other than that I think we'd be alright). So if we're doing both at the same time, we should get Tsing's key first so everyone else can go home after.

I'm easy - together or seperate are both fine with me.

[talizker]

I've noticed an interesting trend over the last week or two. I'm hopeful it will be an ongoing thing!

I get invited to better parties by not putting my flag up.

I have taken to just putting in search comments for Exp and I have been getting invites from parties generally made up of high ranked players which have ended up being been great.

The last few parties I have been in from having my flag up have ended up being a total waste of time (see previous posts!).

[Tobal]

There is a good reason for this, good players now how to use search engine!

[Darwock]

Had lots of dubious fun in the Phomuna aqueducts last night.. alliance of 14 people going after the 'distant beliefs' mission and all the subligars we could lay our hands on. Bit of an exercise in uncontrolled mayhem really, but despite that we killed the minotaur and got all the way to the final room before the entire alliance was wiped out... within moments of completing the mission. Cue much arguing and bickering, resulting in 6 people bailing out completely with only 8 of us coming back to try again. Still didn't go particularly smoothly - I had another death on the way after getting separated from the group, but we got there eventually. By this time it was nearly 2am and the subligar plans went out the window, but on our travels we only saw nin/drg/pld/war/sam/brd type mobs so didn't look likely for a blm drop anyway.

[Darwock]

P.S.

I also feel it should be pointed out (no spoiler) that the mission is misleading, as you are told to go and kill the minotaur but that's not all you have to do. Nothing happens down there to make you aware of this (there should have been a C/S!) and we very nearly escaped back to the safehold right after the fight - it took another argument before people decided to stick around.

It really bugs me when they put in things which demand prior knowledge to be able to do it properly, this is one example but another one was my recent unlocking of nin - I had almost done that all the way through without discussing it or looking anything up, until that stupid glitch that meant the key item didn't appear. Then it just turned into a mess, which removed all the fun and sense of achievement out of completing it. Bah.

[talizker]

There is a good reason for this, good players now how to use search engine!

Yeah, I have been using search comments for some time, but always in conjunction with the looking for party flag...

[Tsingtao]

It's rare I put my flag up on PLD, I'm usually just crafting and assume an invite will come. If they don't I craft and farm, only put my flag up if I'm really really looking. PLD went really flat from about 40 to 52 for me but invites have really picked up now.

[Darwock]

It's a bit crap that this has become accepted practice though, when I'm doing other things it's nice not to be interrupted by party invites all the time - certainly not at the cost of going /anon which doesn't help me get involved in other things of interest. I lose out on warp customers when anon and I would also have missed BCNMs in the past. The seek party flag should be used as it was intended IMO.

[talizker]

It's a bit crap that this has become accepted practice though, when I'm doing other things it's nice not to be interrupted by party invites all the time - certainly not at the cost of going /anon which doesn't help me get involved in other things of interest. I lose out on warp customers when anon and I would also have missed BCNMs in the past. The seek party flag should be used as it was intended IMO.

True I guess. Although this would mean I would like a Seek Decent Party flag along with the Seek Crap Party flag ^^

What I do now in this situation is put a Misc message in the Search Comments saying Experience Points No Thanks and that seems to do the trick without using /anon

[Vanicent]

{Hmm.} I've not posted in here for a while.

Anyway, I decided to try levelling RNG again tonight, and I think I did pretty well. I started at level 14 at about 1900, and I've logged off now, at 2250, at level 18.

Not bad for a few hours work. The party was killer too, we kept chaining worms in {Korroloka Tunnel}, and got an average of 250 exp per fight.

Definately time well spent.

I should be able to get RNG to 20 by Friday, with a bit of luck, then I can work on NIN next week.

[Darwock]

Last night was successful for me too.. started off with a tell from Apathye saying he was going to fight a NM for some level 25 mage gloves and asking if I wanted to come.. we had a bit of mushroom trouble - couldn't find any, I bought danceshrooms and sent them to myself thinking I'd sent to Apathye, he bought more, I gave him half the cost, he gave it back... confusion! After farming the rest of what we needed with Moot we spawned the NM twice and got the drop both times. /cheer! ...but now I've got the nagging feeling that I still owe Apa something, but can't remember the sequence of trades we did. My gil looks about right for what I started with so maybe I'm imagining it.

Finished that in perfect timing for Tal logging on and Tsing finishing up with getting Slarty's kazham keys.. so was at long last able to go up to Zvahl with some backup. Bevan agreed to come too which was cool, being as he's the same level as me that didn't disrupt my sense of fair play. We got a free teleport from a 75 WHM who wanted to fight dark spark... it was probably a little selfish of me but I don't want to see dark spark until my time comes to fight him, so I sat just out of view and waited for them to do the business. I figured with a 75 WHM you guys were not in much danger.

We took up position in the demon section, were able to isolate them with not much difficulty and it took around 45 mins of fighting before we got the cellar key I needed. Then it was just a quick trip to the keep with talizker along for good measure, and job done!

Not only that - I thought I had missed Lost but it turns out I was still able to watch it on E4+1. During the ad breaks I collected my AF boots, and started the quest for the gloves - and it's the Garlaige coffer I need (the only key I've got!). Bevan wants to go after the coffer tonight so if we go in I'll probably hang out by the furnace and wait for a 2nd coffer to appear. I guess I can go after the Necropolis and Davoi keys/coffers any time? Or do I have to open Garlaige first?