Power to the People

While waiting the last couple weeks to pass Genkai 2 and break the level 55 cap, I’ve been playing power-leveler. I’ve focused on LS parties because Fhox has brought a lot of new blood into the Brigaders family and it’s an easy way to pay back all the kindness I’ve received.

Plus, sometimes people pay to be PLed and I’d better know what the heck I’m doing!

Here now, is my first attempt at a powerleveing guide, both for the PL and for the player/party receiving PL assistance.

The Powerleveler

I don’t know yet if there’s a hard and fast rule about what job(s) are best to be a PL, but almost all I’ve seen were WHMs. Since a PL can’t use any enfeebs or elemental spells, and is not a member of the party, the PL is limited to Cures, Haste and Raise (I believe – please correct me if needed).

Also, PLs need to be far higher in level than those they are PLing. Probably not an absolute rule, but you’ll need lots of mana and the ability to take a hit or three without dying. Plus, higher-level job abilities like auto-regen and clear mind help a lot, as do higher-level stat gear like Light/Dark Staves or Cure potency/INT+/MPR gear.

And my favorite tip – use a macro with for curing and keep it active. This way you can cycle only player targets and drop a cure quickly once someone gets knocked around. You might consider standing so the party is all to one side of you so you can just cycle in one direction repeatedly.

Consider using Haste especially on blink-tanks. If nobody takes damage, the party can keep killing, building up chains and TP.

Also, consider coordinating with the party leader on the player roster (I’M SORRY FHOX!) so you know who to watch if the camp is crowded or if there’s a lineup change. You can also work with the leader to decide how to handle links or unexpected aggro. The PL can use their full arsenal on unclaimed targets but if the party engages multiple mobs (on a link for example), the PL’s gonna have to work harder to keep everyone alive.

You can also work with the leader to set rules like, “Don’t provoke off me”, “Have mages avoid curing unless party gets into orange or red”, and so on. The best thing you as a PL can do is pull hate and keep it, allowing the party to focus on beating on the mob uninterrupted. Again, the less damage the party takes and the less mana it uses, the longer it can keep a run going.

I have tried to PL several times in Valkurm Dunes and every time, I have a problem with someone voking off me once I’ve got the mob trained on me. That defeats the whole purpose of a powerleveler IMHO. If the PL can absorb attacks, especially AoEs like the Goblin Bomb Toss or Damselfly Cursed Sphere, then the party won’t take much damage, if any. With someone voking every 30 seconds, the mob plays ping-pong between the voker and the PL and interferes with the DDs ability to hit.

The Party

I’ll keep this section a little shorter:

Rule #1 – Don’t voke off the PL unless the PL has requested it!

Rule #2 – Mages should not heal except in emergency situations (bad AoE, links, etc.) and should consider switching to offense, skilling up magic or combat skills. Check with your PLer first – I have known one to find mage-melee very offensive leading to a dust-up between the mage, the leader and the PL!

Rule #3 – Do continue your usual enfeeble cycle – anything that leads to faster kills or less damage for the party is a good thing.

Rule #4 – While being PLed, start pulling IT++ mobs – try one to be sure but with a PL keeping the party healthy and taking some damage for the party (and with all members on offense) killing much stronger mobs should be very feasible. Look for 200 XP per kill, unbanded. But if the only “tough” mobs are taking far longer to kill than the party’s usual diet, switching back to improve XP/min is advised.

In many cases, a PL is only doing this for your party as a favor to someone or because they’re waiting for their own invite. Annoy them at your peril.

Remember, the only way a PL can hold hate is through curing and limited enhancing magic. Don’t waste the limited time a PL can hold the mob by voking constantly. DO use full attack and don’t worry if a large nuke/SC pulls hate – just take the hits and the PL can re-pull by curing.

In summary, assuming the PL is on board, don’t do anything to generate hate ASIDE from full attack, or initial enfeebs. The PL’s cure-hate will more than equal that but artificial hate from provokes or Flash or other non-damaging means is a waste.