Is there a silver lining on FFXI clouds?

[Nohytuu]

I'm just a bit miffed at how absurd some things seem.

If I want a brownbelt, I need a few team mates and the patience to waste time for several days in hope of him popping and dropping

if I want an empress hairpin, I have to wait hourly while running around other campers just for a chance at the emperor (who I killed 15 minutes ago, and all I gout was this decaying insect wing).

If I want a peacock charm or amulet, I need to find kamikaze ninja's or really bored team mates respectivelly in either case.


Nothing seems worth that sort of crap to me, yet at the same time it's not practical going on without those at some points.

I'm seriously considering a non-NM item oath thing here - I can't do diddily squat convenience wise, so why be bothered by them at all?

I can understand encouraging teamwork, but I find it a bit overkill to make it the only way to do 'anything' at all.

slightly ranting kitty cat mode off.

[Eviticus]

How much is excellence worth to you?

[MittensValefor]

75 blm, 68 rdm.

Made it this far without ever getting a "gotta have it" NM drop. That's right. Never got a moldavite earring. Tried a few times and gave up. Didn't camp any NMs or farm for money either. Was just real frugal with the drops I'd get in parties, BCNM, KSNM, and did a lil woodworking back when it was still slightly profitable at low lvls.

Yes! It IS possible to enjoy this game without all the uber gear! ^_^

(...though it didn't hurt my nin or thf at all when i lucked out with a Emp Pin drop...)

[Sadira]

No one absolutely needs any awesome pieces of gear to play this game. Does it help? Yes, but its not going to make a bad player better. And then of course some pieces are more status symbol than truly uber gear. But I say if you decided you really want to have something, whether it be status symbol or a piece of great gear, then there's two ways to go about it.

1. Instead of spending so much time camping or getting people to help you, you can spend that time farming large amounts of gil. And then before you know it you can buy what you want.

--- or ---

2. Dedicate the weekend to camping what you want. Secure any help you'll need before-hand. Dedicating the weekend means: All day, all night. After the NM pops with no drop you can always go off and do something else in-game or irl for 1.5-2 hours and then come back to resume camping when its near time for the NM to pop again.


Personally, I prefer choice #2, the battle of wills. When that drop finally comes, its such a great moment and feeling of accomplishment...even if its only virtual. But hey, that's why its called a game, right? FYI, I got 15 insect wings, before getting my Emp Pin. That was my one weekend obsession and it felt great.

[Keavy]

I love camping NM's. I am a total freak like that, though.

Although I only camp for the good stuff (Lizzy boots, Emp. Pin, Peacock Amulet) NEVER EVER will I camp for a Monster Signa. I remember this one party I had (I was main-healer SMN and my friend was DRK and we were in Qufim) and this Bard with a Monster Signa kept going on and on about how she'd NEVER allow a Bard in her party without a Monster Signa and how awesome it is.

Well, for all the miracles the Monster Signa could do, there was one it COULDN'T do: Get our Bard to backup heal and renew songs on-time. Our PLD was getting his ass kicked by a Pug the Bard insisted we pull and the PLD at this time had fully exhausted his MP and used his 2 hour and I was running low and the Bard is jabbering on and I /shout: "GODDAMN IT <Insert Bard's name here> THROW OUT A F***ING CURE YOU WORTHLESS SACK OF S***!" Edited for the forums, by the way. Anyways, instead of curing the Bard goes off on me for disrespecting her and all that and by some miracle the Pug died with the PLD at 21 HP. At that moment a WHM with a flag up walked by and before I know it the Bard is kicked from the party and the WHM is in.

So yeah, NM drops are nice and all, but you don't need them.

[Alya Mizar (Tsybil)]

Yes, I have my Moldy, and I can afford the Spider Torque, but despite the fact that I just suk at NM hunting, I would rather hunt it.

I don't know why those who court me in game don't seem to understand this simple thing. It isn't the drop, its the time spent on the hunt that is important.

Nohytuu, if you don't like camping NMs with friends there are lots of other ways to make Gil and get items you need/want.

Keavy, I had a good friend who was a Mithra BRD. After camping Hoo Moo for a month or two, and getting her Monster Signa, she did some research, sold it and bought a pair of Astrals. Only lousy BRDs think it is indespensable.

[Keavy]

Keavy, I had a good friend who was a Mithra BRD. After camping Hoo Moo for a month or two, and getting her Monster Signa, she did some research, sold it and bought a pair of Astrals. Only lousy BRDs think it is indespensable.

EXACTLY!

I would never give up my Ceremonial Dagger because +10MP > +10 CHR. I just use some Tea and I have some good +CHR gear (Entrancing Ribbon, +CHR rings until I get to my Electrum set, my RSE) and, to be honest, I won't invest a ton into +CHR gear until I pull for burn parties or my party resists my buffs.

I would rather have a larger MP pool for backup curing in emergencies than a ton of +CHR gear.

[Sugami]

Hehe party resists you buffs yeah CHR only useful for offensive songs, if they're landing without much trouble then you don't really need it.

Is there a silver lining to the FFXI cloud? Short answer is "no".

[Althaia]

Yeah, Nohytuu, like we were saying in Linkshell chat mode the other day, I wish ALL rare/ex NM drops were 100% drop rate. I mean, it's not like we can sell them, and we'd still have to waste countless hours of our lives camping them, lol -- just not as many. I think it's a good start.

Also, after going 0/22 on Cargo Crab Colin, killing him on a Lightsday (we were lucky he popped that day) with TH2 and TH in the party, then not getting Nadrs, I give up on this NM drop crap. Although I'll probably try CCC again when I can solo him, since I think pretty much anyone who's ever gotten the scimitar got it soloing him...

I spent 4.5 hours, till 5:40 am, to kill that b@stard one day. On a supposed "3 hour" lottery spawn. >.> But it was the "no drop on Lightsday with TH2 and TH" that really got me.

[Keavy]

I have a friend who insisted he would not level Thief until he got the drop from Jagged Eared Jack.

After camping Jack for 16 hours a day for a month (and going 1/2 on carrot drops ) he gave up. My LS told him he should sell all the rabbit hides he got. Probably could have bought the charm with the proceeds.

[Yukira]

I think there is. Now that I've not been able to play for a few months, and won't be for at least a month to come, I've decided that I'll continue playing on Siren, but I'll make another character for some other server. A Hume probably, so I can learn anew all the stuff I've missed while not playing for so long, plus then I have hope that I can get married with a nice Mithra!

Sometimes I damn the day I swore I'd never quit playing FFXI until I'd get Yuki-chan to level 75 Samurai....then again, it is a good thing I did.

Gotta buy Treasures of Aht Urhgan once I get home and have my net connection running up again...

[xaresity]

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[xaresity]

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