End Game gear.

Pheonixhawk · Post by **Pheonixhawk** » Tue Feb 13, 2007 2:04 am

Well as I draw closer towards end game, Ive noticed theres better gear out there that is seemingly cheaper. An example of this is Errants gear. Is it truly worth buying this? Just two Peices of it, and my INT Skyrocketed from +15 to +34. But at the same time, I lose my enfeebling Magic Skill +15 , and Healing Magic Skill +15. Pluse some MP. Thats just with 2 peices of it. Id hate the see the end result of wearing the full set...

ScarlettPheonix · Post by **ScarlettPheonix** » Tue Feb 13, 2007 4:15 am

Two words.

Equip macros.

Seriously, there's no need to "lose out" on gear stats- just swap it out as the situation requires it. Be flexible. Think outside the cookie cutter.

I personally use Errant body, hands and feet as necessary for spells and even my Convert set up. I used Errant slops for a long time then traded them for Jet seraweels when/as they became affordable for me.

Now if only those sexah river gaiters would drop a lil bit more in price....

Pheonixhawk · Post by **Pheonixhawk** » Tue Feb 13, 2007 6:18 am

I do that, its just i hate having to use em.

Post by **Karou Ariyen** » Tue Feb 13, 2007 1:35 pm

I don't bother with endgame gear, I wear mostly relic gear (af boots) and O-Hat, I don't believe in endgame gear. It creates know-it-alls.

ScarlettPheonix · Post by **ScarlettPheonix** » Tue Feb 13, 2007 2:21 pm

Since hitting 40 and especially after 51, macro swaps have become second nature to me but then so has the persistent ache in my back from having to carry all that gear...

Post by **Shirai** » Tue Feb 13, 2007 2:59 pm

I with Scarlett here,

Equip Macros are your friend if you want to be the most effective.
Staves + swapping Errant/AF will do for a while, but to be more effective especially if you want to land enfeebles/nukes on anything higher then high end exp mobs (Not those lol-Imps) you'll have to get used to carrying loads of gear.
Rings, torques, earrings, armor, staves, etc.
INT for Black magic enfeebs
MND for White magic enfeebs
MAB for Nuking
MND + -Enmity if you're healing
HMP for recovering more MP while resting.
The right elemental staff for the right spell.
The list goes on.

You can get around just fine with AF gear and Errant if you just use rdm on normal exp mobs, however when you really plan to apply to an endgame shell to tackle high end mobs, better be prepared to invest quite an amount of gil and time to obtain high end gear.
Next to that better get used to macros where you swap 2/5 pieces of equipment for just one spell.

(Just an example: On Summoner I use 3 full macro palettes of 2 x 10 macros (Yes I use nearly 60 macros for this job) and during Blood pact commands I change 4 pieces of equipment, which I have reequip after the command has been executed.
On my resting Macro I also change 4 pieces of equipment because I want to recover MP as fast as possible.
Still I have less gear then a high end RDM or NIN.)

ScarlettPheonix · Post by **ScarlettPheonix** » Tue Feb 13, 2007 4:02 pm

Its the same way with me, to be honest.

3 nearly full macro sets for most party situations ranging from MP gear swaps for convert (5 Macro buttons there alone /sigh) to purely sub job oriented spells. Main healing in ToAU usually has me bouncing through all three sets for spells/gear.

I have 3 dedicated buttons for enfeebling, MND and INT gear that are arranged so that I just have to go down the line to cast spells.

Enfeebling>MND>Para/Slow/Silence etc or Enfeebling>INT>Sleep/Gravity/Bind etc.

Similarly I have Healing skill, Dark skill, Elemental skill and MAB and resting set ups as well. And Convert- as I said that's 5 buttons. 1 for SS/Blink/Phalanx with equip swaps for SS, 3 gear equips and one for Convert+healing.

Most times I'm not subbing BLM for merit situations so I don't have to bring all my gear. I'm generally safe leaving my dark skill and most of my elemental skill gear at home, but when I was more active in end game events (dynamis + sky) I did have to bring it and my bag was literally stuffed. Finding room for oils and powders could get challenging at times.

Post by **Alya Mizar (Tsybil)** » Tue Feb 13, 2007 5:16 pm

As others have said there is no reason to give anything up.

For the body I swap out my AF, AFv2, and Errant's as needed. Ditto with the legs. For the head its a choice of AF, Wise, or Elite Beret.

My method: I have a basic White and Black set macroed. This is the debuffing set followed by paired White or Black debuffs, each pair swaps in the right staves. Spells like Sleep, Silence, Nukes, Drain each overlay these sets with the appropriate gear and staves.

Most of the time I am on one bank of macros, but I do slop over into another bank for Convert, which takes 4 macros, and occasionally used things like personal Protect + Shell, Stoneskin + Phalanx, and a few others.

I head out to parties with 49 - 51 / 60 inventory spaces filled. Lately I have had to leave the Sword and Shield in the safe to have room.

Post by **Sugami** » Tue Feb 13, 2007 6:11 pm

You'll need/want two sets for Nuking

1) Normal nuking (MAB)
2) MBing (INT)

So if you want to be a well rounded RDM you'll need several gearsets (ontop of having all 8 elemental staves);

1) Enfeebles (white magic)
2) Enfeebles (black magic)
3) Healing
4) Nuking (normal)
5) Nuking (MB)
6) Convert

Truthfully, no one will really give a rat's right testicle as long as you Refresh, Dispel and all the other things they want you do to.

Don't overlook the Wise/Chasuble set. Head, Body and Legs are very good, and the hands and feet aren't too bad either.

ScarlettPheonix · Post by **ScarlettPheonix** » Tue Feb 13, 2007 6:24 pm

I'd switch feet to "very good" and bump legs down to good/ok.

Wise feet is one of the better options for INT in that slot, which bumps it up in the list for me.

Post by **Shirai** » Tue Feb 13, 2007 6:55 pm

Sugami wrote: Truthfully, no one will really give a rat's right testicle as long as you Refresh, Dispel and all the other things they want you do to.

When fighting lower tiered (lolimps, and other burn mobs) exp mobs, indeed.
Just keep me refreshed and dispel that buff.
Oh wait they die in 10 seconds nvm on that dispel.
However when fighting bigger stuff like the endgame mobs (Which I think PH is asking for), I'd like to see the rdms cripple the crap out of a mob.

Also on exp mobs that take a bit longer to kill then imps/flies/Jnun/puks, I like to see some enfeebles land so the nin has an easier time keeping his shadows up because the mob can't hit him, the pld gets hit less because it's blinded, slowed, and paralyzed and ultimately safe the healer(s) a considerable amount of MP that can be used to keep the party hasted, keep bar spells up, have more MP left for if something goes wrong.

Post by **Sugami** » Tue Feb 13, 2007 7:06 pm

What do RDM do in endgame? Err... Refresh! ... and Heal! And also Chainspell Stun. Do RDM really try to Enfeeble Kirin etc.?

The bigger stuff; Trolls, Mamool Ja, Rams and big birds (what they called?) are all VT to 75 as far as I'm aware. As long as your Enfeebling Magic is capped you shouldn't have much problems landing Enfeebles with the right Staff.

Post by **Shirai** » Tue Feb 13, 2007 7:08 pm

Sugami wrote:What do RDM do in endgame? Err... Refresh! ... and Heal! And also Chainspell Stun. Do RDM really try to Enfeeble Kirin etc.?

Yes
Bio III
Paralyze (Slow won't stick as Kirin is stone based)
Blind
Bind
Gravity

when on /drk Absorbs
When on /blm Elemental enfeebles

Endgame mobs and HNM become considerably easier when enfeebled.

Post by **Sugami** » Tue Feb 13, 2007 7:09 pm

Well slap my ass and call me "Judy"

(Just goes to show how little I care about "End Game")

ScarlettPheonix · Post by **ScarlettPheonix** » Tue Feb 13, 2007 8:29 pm

The fights are hella fun and the one thing I miss from end game.

My end game linkshell fell apart after a series of new leaders and the usual drama fest that happens with bouncing leaders~ after the shell was broken I didn't have the energy to dive back into the end game scene, expecially the headache that is sky right now.

Don't know about other servers but a couple of Remora's big HNM/End game shells have been hit hard by the recent crackdowns on cheaters. Bit funny really seeing the known botters get banned finally.

Ulli is still a bitch to camp though. /sigh

Keavy · Post by **Keavy** » Tue Feb 13, 2007 8:51 pm

Sugami wrote:Well slap my ass and call me "Judy"

(Just goes to show how little I care about "End Game")

*Slaps Sugami's ass and calls him Judge Judy*

Got any tips for WHM? As soon as I break my Oblivion addiction (I can quit anytime I want. I just don't want to right now) I seriously need to get my ass some new gear for WHM. Right now my focus is on getting my hMP to obscene levels. Unfortunately some of the pieces I want cost more than I'm willing to pay and I don't know how to get them.

Well, right now I macro in a Dark Staff, Seer's Tunic, and Baron's Slops along with eating a Ginger Cookie and drinking a Pineapple Juice when I heal. I also wear an Antivenom Earring and will soon have an Insomniac's Earring. When I get to 72 I will wear the belt that has +hHP and MP +2 and +50 MP that costs like...10K on a bad day (Can't think of the name) and besides that it's WHM AF and Electrum.

ScarlettPheonix · Post by **ScarlettPheonix** » Tue Feb 13, 2007 9:32 pm

Hierarch Belt.

When you can wear it, get Errant's Hppl. Its cheap and with +5 hMP its a perma-ginger cookie (while resting of course

)

Post by **Shirai** » Tue Feb 13, 2007 9:57 pm

Keavy wrote: Got any tips for WHM? As soon as I break my Oblivion addiction (I can quit anytime I want. I just don't want to right now) I seriously need to get my ass some new gear for WHM. Right now my focus is on getting my hMP to obscene levels. Unfortunately some of the pieces I want cost more than I'm willing to pay and I don't know how to get them.

Well, right now I macro in a Dark Staff, Seer's Tunic, and Baron's Slops along with eating a Ginger Cookie and drinking a Pineapple Juice when I heal. I also wear an Antivenom Earring and will soon have an Insomniac's Earring. When I get to 72 I will wear the belt that has +hHP and MP +2 and +50 MP that costs like...10K on a bad day (Can't think of the name) and besides that it's WHM AF and Electrum.

A couple of HMP pieces,

As Scarlett sais the Errant Houpelande is a nice piece of equipment, also to wear full time if you can't afford Blessed gear yet.
The MND and -Enmity is a good thing to have.
Invigorating cape: Free if you do a couple of Assaults. (Unsure of which staging point)

The rest of your HMP gear looks fine.

Electrum rings will last you a good time.

My advise, teleport for a good time and save up for the blessed set.
It's a good set until you can afford the noble's tunic.

Okuza · Post by **Okuza** » Tue Feb 13, 2007 10:11 pm

There's some end-game gear that can almost change your character it's so nice. There's also a great deal of it that may improve you by 1% here and there. Same thing goes for various merits. Some are "must have", but most are just a slow accumulation of teeny tiny improvements.

Here are the ones that I think make a BIG difference:

. Weapons for any melee. A top weapon can change your character. Often better to fight naked with a top weapon than fully geared with a lesser weapon.
. HQ elemental staves for mages. Royal pain to macro, but BIG difference if you do.

After these, you have to accumulate parts to build up a big shift in the particular stat you're trying to increase. Tiny increases here are really hard to notice, but if you have a lot of focused gear, you can really tell the difference when you pop it on and off.

. +Enmity is very nice for any tank.
. -Physical% gear is also very nice for tanking (don't forget earth staff!).
. Haste is just huge for NIN's that want to tank hard stuff. (Utsu recast reduction).

. ATK, STR, ACC, Haste, & Dual-wield are all nice for melee. THF gets to work DEX&AGI, too (for snick).

. Magic Skill (elemental, enfeeble, ninjutsu, etc) is VERY nice for sticking spells on hard critters.
. INT/MND is also very nice for sticking spells and increasing their effectiveness (bigger hits & stronger debuffs).
. -Enmity is very nice for all mages.
. Conserve MP & Refresh help a lot in end-game, too.

-=-=-=-=-

Mostly end-game gear is just another carrot to chase after you've already made salad from the level carrots. End-game peeps will often spend a lot of time talking about gear. Usually this isn't a bragging thing, though it can look that way. It's more of a "hey, I just dinged" (got a new end item) or "this is what level I am in the end-game gear hunt" or "hmm, I can't figure out what to do to improve my character any more."

LOL, and for those who tell you "That sucks, you need to go get a Ridil!" (or some other nice but ridiculously hard-to-get item), just say, "Oh, cool. When are we going to camp it?"

Pheonixhawk · Post by **Pheonixhawk** » Wed Feb 14, 2007 2:33 am

Well how does this gear look:

Currently I have

Death Earring X 2

Zircon Ring X 2

All Elemental Staves.

Wize Wizards Anelace (Will get a Joyesuse when I get enough help.)

Hierarch Belt.

Full AF and Errant Gear.

Rainbow Cape.

Phantom Tathlum.

Hard Shield. (Will get a Rare/Ex one once i becore PFC and have enough CP)

Enhancing Torque.

ScarlettPheonix · Post by **ScarlettPheonix** » Wed Feb 14, 2007 4:46 am

Pheonixhawk wrote:Well how does this gear look:

Currently I have

Death Earring X 2

Zircon Ring X 2

All Elemental Staves.

Wize Wizards Anelace (Will get a Joyesuse when I get enough help.)

Hierarch Belt.

Full AF and Errant Gear.

Rainbow Cape.

Phantom Tathlum.

Hard Shield. (Will get a Rare/Ex one once i becore PFC and have enough CP)

Enhancing Torque.

Ok, prepare yourself.

I'll try to stay to NQ/relatively easy to obtain items. Not sure how active you are/plan to be in endgame and I'm only going to list casting gear- melee gear is a whole 'nother ball game that I'm not touching.

Staves: Good
AF: Good
Errant: Good- although I really wouldn't bother with the head pc. You'll get more out of Warlock's Chapeau to be honest, think about getting a Walhara (sp?) Turban as well. With 30 hp and 30 MP its one of the better Convert pcs we get.

Weapon: Verdun is nice and fits nicely into a Convert set up. Price varies by server so not sure how affordable it is for you. Same model as Joytoy too.
Misercorde is a viable dagger option as well with well rounded stats.

Shield: Numious Shield is cheap and a good way to boost your Convert ratio up.
Astral Aspis is another option if you want to fight the NM for it~ need a good party and watch out for links, they suck.

Ammo: Personal choice here.
P. Tathlum is fine, but I prefer my Lamia Kaman and I don't have to worry about throwing it by accident if I'm on the wrong macro set. ie: soloing^^
Lamiabane is another option- M. Attk Bonus when latent triggered and Refresh enchantment in ToAU areas.

True story- My friend Lod has lost 10 B. Cores, the Bibiki Seashell and a Holy Ampulae with /ra ><

Earrings: Better options would be Phantom (for INT), Insomnia and/or Antivenom for MP and Moldy.
There are MND earrings available, but they tend to be pricey and to be honest only give small MND boosts. Space is limited and having -2 space in my bag for only +2-+4 MND isn't worth it too me.

Neck: Spider Torque or Enfeebling torque for Enfeebling.
Promise Badge (quest it if too expensive) for MND
Elemental torque for nukes
Dark torque for drain/aspir/stun
Star Necklace (quest- same series as Promise Badge actually) or the Medal from Bastok (can't think of name, CP item for rank 8 though I think) are great for 'vert as well.

All are great options.

And no- I don't have all these. I currently have Spider Torque, Promise Badge and the Star Necklace.

Enhancing is kinda meh to be honest. Only real spells it'll have any boost on is Phalanx/Stoneskin and you'd get more out of using the Promise Badge for SS, so....

Head- As I said earlier- Unless you already have BLM lvl'd, toss the Errant head.
Warlock Chapeau is much sexier, the +10 Elemental Skill is a bigger boost then the small INT+ Errant gives and who doesn't like Fast Cast? It's one of the few pcs of Fast Cast gear we can wear- flaunt it!
W. Turban- great for Convert and %5 Haste is not too shabby either.

Body: Errant and AF very good choices here.
I use the Blue Cotehardie for 'vert as well.
Glamour Jupon is nice as well if you spend a lot of time as /blm. The +3 Dark skill helps with Drain/Aspir. Great for level capped events as well.
I wore it for all the 50 Cap CoP Missions.

Hands: Errant are good for INT and MP.
Devotee Mitts are very cheapand just as good for MND- can wear them at lower levels too. I think they're lvl 25.
Also, if you are going to be doing sky- get Master Caster's Bracelets. They don't work in ToAU areas unfortunately.

Rings: Upgrade to Diamond for INT.
Sapphire for MND as well. +8 MND total is nothing to sneeze at.
MP rings include Electrum, Astral and/or Ether.

Also, Ice Ring from Shiva Prime fight is a godly ring on Ice Days. +15 Elemental Skill? {Yes, Please!} I just recently got Ice Ring- loving that ring when I can wear it. With AF hat and that ring I have +25 Elemental Skill on Ice Days

Belt: <3 my H. Belt. One of the very few armor pcs that is cheap with so much MP on it. hMP rocks as well.
Would definitely recommend saving up for a Penitents Rope as well though, or do the BCNM for it if you want.

Back: Rainbow is fine.
MP options for Convert include Empowering Mantle or Lamia Mantle.

Legs: Nothin' beats Savage loincloth for MP in this slot.
Errant is excellent for INT/MND.
Good option would also be Jet Seraweels. Much cuter, some MP+ and no negative stats to worry about. Much pricier though.
AF Tights good for healing/stoneskin as well.

Feet: Errant are good for MND (and MP).
A good INT choice would be Wise pigaches.
Pricey option here- River Gaiters, our RSEv2.0 has a crazy MP boost and 4+ each of INT and MND.
Great space saver if you can afford it. I can't. /sigh

RDM JSE- ie, the Wise set. Some people love the entire set, others think its crap compared to the other options out there.
The general consenus seems to be that the Head, Body and Feet are very good, with hands and legs being good/ok depending on personal tastes.
Its all situational though- M. Acc + will let your spells land without as many resists...but in some cases you might be trading potency for accuracy.
I have Chasuable and Wise Pigaches and while I do notice a difference with my accuracy I doubt I'm ever going to get any more pcs of the set.

I've left out a lot since I don't know what your goals are for endgame. Abj, Relic, Salvage, Sea and a lot of Assault Gear are also available but much harder to get then shopping at the AH.

FFXI somepage is a great tool to use when trying to find good gear options^^

Pheonixhawk · Post by **Pheonixhawk** » Wed Feb 14, 2007 6:17 am

Ok Scarlet ill take your advice. After all, I do love constructive comments and advice.

Post by **Shirai** » Wed Feb 14, 2007 11:48 am

This was kinda what I was looking for as well, because I'm not a rdm so I'm not very sure what gears are do's and dont's.

This is indeed a very nice composition of good rdm gear without putting in the stuff that would be rediculously hard to obtain.

Post by **Sugami** » Wed Feb 14, 2007 2:28 pm

Shirai wrote:As Scarlett sais the Errant Houpelande is a nice piece of equipment, also to wear full time if you can't afford Blessed gear yet.

Isn't Blessed really cheap? It's that other one... Nobles(?) that's expensive.

ScarlettPheonix wrote:True story- My friend Lod has lost 10 B. Cores, the Bibiki Seashell and a Holy Ampulae with /ra ><

why did he keep buying them? This is why I don't buy throwable stuff (and I'm cheap)

I find HNM immensely boring. Have to spend all my money on Sleeping Potions and Silent Oils, wait around outside, jump in, WS, go out, get TP again, rince and repeat. 200K later I came out very bored and with nothing.

Post by **Shirai** » Wed Feb 14, 2007 2:50 pm

Sugami wrote:
Shirai wrote:As Scarlett sais the Errant Houpelande is a nice piece of equipment, also to wear full time if you can't afford Blessed gear yet.
Isn't Blessed really cheap? It's that other one... Nobles(?) that's expensive.

http://ffxiah.com/item_search.php?search_q=Blessed

As you can see the full set is about 700k/1 mil on Phoenix.
Used to be way more expensive, I remember paying 5+ mil for the full set.

http://ffxiah.com/item.php?id=12605&sid=5&stack=0

Noble's Tunic is nearly 4 mil. A nice piece to have but not needed and obtainable for far less if you join an endgame shell that occasionally does Kirin and the Horns of War KS99.
Or if you have a lot of patience, teleport people every other day for a few hours and keep it up for a few weeks.
These days that can easily net you with 150/200k maybe even more each day depending on how generous your passenger tips you.

http://ffxiah.com/item_search.php?search_q=Errant

For the errant set you pay around 100k.

ScarlettPheonix · Post by **ScarlettPheonix** » Wed Feb 14, 2007 2:54 pm

hehe, glad it helped^^ I'll try to clean it up~ its not very well organized atm.

There's always some give and take, different people will have different opinions on how to gear their RDM.

As to Lod...I have no idea why he keeps rebuying them. He likes the stats it gives, but considering he's always throwing stuff away on accident with /ra...I'd have just done without awhile ago.

Post by **Alya Mizar (Tsybil)** » Wed Feb 14, 2007 5:06 pm

Pheonixhawk wrote:Well how does this gear look:

Currently I have

Death Earring X 2 - one Antivenom please. +1 hMP

Zircon Ring X 2 - add 2 MND rings, 2 MP rings

All Elemental Staves.

Wize Wizards Anelace (Will get a Joyesuse when I get enough help.) - For Soloing try a Monseur Eppe. ~ 1/2M now on Garuda. Hidden effect, D 47 solo.

Hierarch Belt.

Full AF and Errant Gear. - For any purpose other than looking pimp there is better stuff out there than our AF hands and feet. AFv2 springs right to mind, but you can search the AH FOREVER trying to come up with something. Check out the Hume RSE2 Hands.

Rainbow Cape. Upgrade to Prisim when you have the Gil. Lamana Mantle +1 for Convert?

Phantom Tathlum.

Hard Shield. (Will get a Rare/Ex one once i becore PFC and have enough CP) - Which R/E one? I use a Tarquia.

Enhancing Torque.

- Great start, I have that, Enhancing (dirt Cheap), and Dark. Want Elemental, maybe Healing.

IMHO the Wise set is next to useless. I use the Hat for Dark Spells and own no other piece. If I take up archery again I may get the hands and feet. Compare:

Chasuble L 72; Def 43, MP 20, Enmity -2, Magic Accuracy 5, Accuracy 5.

Errant Houppelande L 72, Def 42, STR -7, DEX -7, VIT -7, AGI -7, INT 10, MND 10, CHR 10, MP hMP +5, Enmity -3.

INT 10 and MND 10 will give either 3 or 5 Macc AND Matt depending on which source you have read. Way better than the Chasuble.

ScarlettPheonix · Post by **ScarlettPheonix** » Wed Feb 14, 2007 10:22 pm

Like I said~ some people like the Wise set, some don't. I'm on the fence.
I have the Chasauble and do use it at times, but its highly situational and its benefits are often traded for potency.
The Wise feet I do recommend though. +4 INT and -1 Enmity are why I bought them.

Pick and choose- there's no right answer as long as the job gets done.

Post by **Sugami** » Thu Feb 15, 2007 12:23 am

I read/heard that Magic Acc ~= respective Skill+3 (or was it 5?) (only accuracy not potency obviously) and what's relationship between INT/MND and skill? Skill ~= INT/MND+2?

People ran tests and found they got less resists with Wise Set than ugly errant and AF (apparently).

Let's not forget what's important...

Errant = ugly as sin
Chasuble = cute on mithra

Post by **Alya Mizar (Tsybil)** » Thu Feb 15, 2007 5:43 pm

ScarlettPheonix wrote:The Wise feet I do recommend though. +4 INT and -1 Enmity are why I bought them.

I bought River Gaiters for the INT and the MPs. The next day I got my AFv2 Boots in Dynamis.

I still have the Gaiters, they are strictly a Convert piece now.

Had I the extended macro ability of a Windower user, I would be rolling them in for a few spells.

End game shoes for the Imelda fan in all of us.

River Gaiters L 62, Def 9, MP 35, DEX -3, INT 4, MND 4.

Duelist's Boots L 71, Def 15, MP 15, MND 4, Evasion Skill 5, Magic Attack Bonus 4.

Errant Pigaches L 72, Def 18, HP -20, MP 20, MND 5, Enmity -2.

Wise Pigaches L 72, Def 14, INT 4, Enmity -1, Ranged Accuracy 3, Accuracy 2.