PL Guide

Here now, is my first attempt at a powerleveling guide, both for the PL and for the party or player 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 or RDMs. Certainly a Raise-capable job setup is a must! 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, Protects/Shells, Haste and Raise (I believe – please correct me if needed). Actually, the PL can also use –na spells to cure various status ailments – think Paralyze or Blind. But those don’t come up often.

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.

Use a macro with <stpc> 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.

However, be careful of roaming party members – if a ranged melee or back-line mage chooses to relocate behind you they may not appear in the target sweep and if they are ambushed you may not find out until after they die. Sweep the campsite periodically with the camera to see if anyone is standing in your blind spot, or to look for a better position to make watching the whole party easier.

Find out, either by /search or by questioning the party, who is tanking and if they are PLD or NIN. While the powerleveler tries to hold hate, once the mob refocuses on the party their tank needs to be effective. Overcuring a PLD tank or failing to Haste a NIN tank can limit their ability to control hate. Also, overcuring a PLD could lead to a waste of MP for you or the PLD.

Consider using Haste especially on blink-tanks. If nobody takes damage, the party can keep killing, building up chains and TP. Haste increases the success rate of Utsusemi casts by giving the blink-tank more chances to cast around the mob’s attacks.

[Added 12/13/07] Dancers are formidable party enhancers and moderate DDs in their own right. Because all their abilities use TP, Hasting a Dancer will help them build TP faster and then allow more dances per mob. Dances work as enfeebles and enhancers so it’s a win/win for you and the party if they are productive.

Since you won’t have direct visible access to each member’s total HP, what looks like a good amount on the “percent bar” for one player (Galka Paladin) can be downright near-death for another (Taru Ninja). Pay attention to race and job to know who might take severe damage easily. You can always ask the party to relay its numbers if you aren’t sure.

Also, consider coordinating with the party leader on the player roster 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 going to have to work harder to keep everyone alive.

[Added 01/22/08] While you as the PL can use various spells for crowd control, any mob so hit will not give XP if your party kills it. In my experience the mob’s name never changes from yellow on a Flash or Repose but recent field testing shows that they still are claimed briefly and so shouldn’t be killed by the party. If crowd control is needed the PL should aggro the mob and kill it fast since it is only cluttering up the area and wasting time the PL could use otherwise on the party.

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.

Random or needless Provokes from the party once you have got the mob trained on you must be avoided. Such voking defeats the whole purpose of a powerleveler. 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 ping-pongs between the voker and the PL and interferes with the DDs ability to hit.

One way to make the vokers’ lives easier is to position yourself opposite the party’s regular mages, so that you, the melee core and the back-line form a straight line. This way, it will be obvious when the mob is headed for vulnerable back line members versus headed to the PL’s position. If this positional arrangement is workable in your campsite, it can lead to fewer needless provokes. Due to “party creep” you may need to realign between pulls, especially if the mob hate on you is causing the party to follow it to your spot.

Powerleveling is a great way to repay community kindness, help out friends and scout recruits for a linkshell. It can also be a way to boost healing and enhancing skills so don’t neglect such spells by using Cures only.

The Party

Rule #1 – Don’t voke off the PL unless the PL has requested it! A possible exception is if a strong mob has a go at your mages – a timely Provoke then would be better than hoping your mage doesn’t get one-shotted by a TP move following a powerful attack before the PL lands a high-level cure.

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 per minute 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.

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.

Fashion Plate

Sunlight! What a concept!

This is Aer in RSE and a motley assortment of level 50 gear. Note the "appreciative" Yagudo stalking her in the bushes...

The Way of the White (Mage)

I’ve been at this WHM thing for basically 6 months now and I’m up to 54 – almost all party XP because as we all know, WHMs can’t solo for crap past 15 or so. I’ve read a number of WHM guides and spent a lot of time on Halifirien’s blog, trying to learn how to be a good white mage. Lord knows invites during the week are few and far between…

First off, let me preface this whole rant with one thing: I take being a WHM very seriously. Keeping the party alive (or at least preventing a wipe in a bad situation) is my top priority. I am more than willing to die if it means everyone else remains standing. That’s really the whole point of Reraise, anyway. Everything I do is based on the notion of keeping the party alive, buffed and efficient. I do not mind at all if I get hit once or twice, especially if it gives the fighters time needed to set something up, reset ability timers, etc. Since I’m usually at full HP, I can take a few hits without real worry.

Basically, all the advice I’ve read, and my own experience, boils down to this: Use Regen when you can for max efficiency, then use the most efficient Cure-line spell needed for the job. After that it’s Haste, Bar-, and Erase during the fight. Then Curagas, Protect and Shell between fights and healing cycles. And finally, Reraise – ALWAYS Reraise.

This all seems pretty simple, right? Well, for example, Kuftal Tunnel in the Altepa Desert. Mobs there like the Robber Crabs are hitting for around 100 on normal hits and nearly double that on TP moves. Those crabs also spam an AoE (Bubble Shower) that depending on all sorts of factors, can hit the whole party for over 100 per.

If the tank is taking 100 per hit (ignoring super moves and criticals) then it’s only 2 hits to equal a Cure III (mine cap at 190). Since the mob is hitting twice in only a bit more time than it takes me to throw a C3, I could spend all day chasing one person’s HP. But I also have to maintain Haste/Regen cycles, the appropriate Bar- spells, and emergency cures for out-of-hand AoEs or super moves.

So of course in this situation, I like to use Cure IVs mixed in with Cure IIIs. YES, I KNOW ABOUT THE HATE. If the tank or tanks are doing their jobs on the hate-holding (via provokes, flash, heavy damage, skillchains, etc.) then the mob shouldn’t even sniff in my direction after a Cure IV. If it does come after me, it should only get in one or two hits before the tank or DDs aggravate it more than I did. And yes, I know once I’ve pulled the mob off the tank, I have a habit of just standing there like a doofus taking my lumps (unless the zone is nearby). I’m not about to run past other mobs and link-die, and I can’t cure anyone while I have the mob’s attention, see?

The above is similarly true with Curagas, especially when boosted by Divine Seal. I won’t usually throw these out (anymore) mid-fight because I KNOW I’m about to provoke. I try to hold these to the very end of the mob’s life or between fights.

OK, now that all of that has been established, my original impetus for writing this came for a party led by the excellent Drewman. Our paladin was NOT doing a good job of hate-holding, and everyone was taking hits. Our Taru BLM was going red with just two hits and we somehow were beset by pop-links more than once that wouldn’t sleep.

At some point after a few close calls as a result of having to spam Cure IVs, I got a talking-to. I don’t mind constructive advice, and I listened and presented my counter-arguments. What I didn’t do was rake the PLD over the coals for the crappy hate management. I was put into a situation where I had little choice but to use Curagas AND Cure IVs because multiple members were rapidly taking yellow and orange damage.

My very next party, which did not have a PLD, was much, much tighter on hate control. Yes, the fact that we were a level or so higher helped too, but it was obvious this crew knew how to run the show. Even though we pulled NONSTOP by using pop-links, I rarely had to call a warning for low MP or go into cure-bomb mode. I did use C4, but really didn’t need it – Regen II was enough.

And a final note – My melee-mage days may be coming to an end. Since hitting the fifties, I’ve been far too busy with the whole Haste/Regen/Bar-/Erase/Cure routine. I really could fight, at least in tight parties, but in the last two the Bard was doing the “one song for mages, then run to melees for a different song” routine meaning I had to stay away if I wanted Refreshing.

I really don’t want to give up meleeing but until I get into solid parties with hate management and a RDM for targetable Refresh, I’ll prolly have to wait. Then there’s the fact I want people to understand just how serious I am about doing my job.

I STILL maintain that either meleeing or standing front-line is better than staying back-line. I believe that if I do provoke off the tank that by being right there, the DD output doesn’t wait for the mob to hit me then return. Also, the vokers tend not to freak out if the mob never goes anywhere. And I still like being an emergency meatshield, to take the heat off of someone else for a bit.

I do have to watch for something though – I got Staff up to 70 and unlocked Earth Crusher – Fantastic damage at 300TP but it’s an AoE weaponskill! Oops!

Things I Wish Someone Told Me Earlier

Here is a partial list of things I had to learn the hard way...

Almost EVERYTHING is controlled by a level of one sort or another. Most equipment and magic can be used at or after certain levels. If your char has a skill (sword, elemental magic, leathercraft) these skills are controlled by their own levels separate from your "job" level. Skill levels only skill up in appropriate circumstances.

Many equipment pieces are further limited by job, race and gender.

DO NOT leave town without Signet. Also, make sure your Empress Band has enough charges.

Macros will make your life so much easier. So will keyboard shortcuts, especially:
Ctrl-T = Tell
Ctrl-R = Reply (to last person to Tell you something - press again for next person)
Ctrl-L = Linkshell
Ctrl-P = Party tell
(look into the others like A-attack, I-item, E-equip, M-magic, J-job skill, W-weaponskill)

If you're a mage, really think about "fighting" and "resting" gear sets - the fighting set should enhance the appropriate attributes (e.g. Int for BLMs, Mnd for WHM) and the resting set should maximize MP recovered while healing (MPR).

When in a party, you can pull up the map screen and see markers for party members on that map - but you have to scroll left and right through the marker categories!

There's probably more - for next time!