No update this week, the web was out all weekend, thanks comcast. Along with lack of inspiration, means I have not been writing this week. Sad Kitty may have one soon.

Yay for technical difficulties!

My FF Wish List…Part I

Changes are coming. Level cap is increasing, changes will be made to jobs and merits, but are they are going to be the changes that we really want? Are they going to be things that we can actually use or is it going to be yet another form of Curaga that is that pretty much useless? I greet every promise of job update with great trepidation. For every good update like Composure there is shit like nerfing Modus Veritas. So I present to you my wish list. The things that I whisper into that Goblin dresses as Santa in Rolanberry Fields every year and have yet to get. I have been good, really I have.

Part I Job Adjustments.

Red Mage: The job near and dear to my heart. Being a jack of trades there are several ways to augment the job without the fear of “overpowering it” Face it every job is overpowered if played right.

1. Refresh II: At level 99 we better get Refresh II. 5MP/tick with a 5minute Duration.

2. More enhancing magic: Haste II, Regen II better Phalanx. Anything, Red Mages have the highest enhancing magic in the game and all we have to show for it is shitty EnSpell IIs that really aren’t up to snuff.

3. Improved Combat ratings: I am not saying A+, but I would like to see A or A- for Sword and Dagger. Red Mage Tanking is popular(and fun), so even increases in Evasion and Parrying would nice. I know that everyone knows that lucky RDM, (read: me) who Parries and Evades things that a RDM should never have a chance against but it would be night to have to rely on more than that the gracious blessings of Altana.

4. More Options for Enhancing Convert: Red Mage Mythic is a nice idea, but not the easiest item in the world to obtain. I would like to see a few more options for enhancing convert. Especially with the level cap increase allowing access to convert as a support job.

White Mage: To be perfectly honest, I hate this job. I hate this job for the same reason you rarely play Red Mage in EXP/Merit Parties: IT BORES THE FUCK OUT OF ME! With that being said it is still the best main healing job in game. White Mage does not need much, just a few tweaks to help in back in the top slot of healing jobs.

1. Enmity Reduction Ability: Cast Cure IV, I dare you, go ahead I’ll wait… Now that you are weakened you understand that once you cast Cure IV you have just screamed “I’VE BEEN BAD, SPANK ME!!!” in a room full of Dominatrix’s. There is a need for WHM to be able to shed or reduce enmity when casting cure spells. Even incorporating this into Afflatus Solace/Misery would be nice. Also it would make them a touch more useful.

2. Regen Potency: I love Regen. Effective use of Regen meant I leveling my WHM without Refresh most of the time. Even with merits and Relic Body there is still much that can be done to augment this highly powerful spell. I would like to see more items that have Regen Potency much like Cure Potency works.

3. I had a third one I swear…

Paladin: The following is stated as opinion only. I am not a PLD, nor do I play one on TV. I am however a friend to many PLD and President of the Elvaan Paladin Stalkers group. /drool. In my never humble opinion Paladins are the only true Tanks in the game. Yes a lot of jobs can tank, but PLD is one that was built for it. With all that being said, we need to do something to get them top place back in the Tank ranks.

1. Flash II: Shorter Recast timer and greater enmity accrual. Flash is truly a Paladins best friend, this would just elevate it to BFF status.

2. Auto Refresh II: When you ask someone why they don’t want a Paladin in a EXP/Merit party their first gripe in always, “they need MP and ruin chain” Giving PLDs and Auto-Refresh II would increase their overall sustainability.

3. Cover 2.0: This one actually comes from Sad Kitty. Make Cover a hard 30 second duration, lower recast to 1 minutes and remove the position requirement, by making it all damage is diverted to the Paladin.

Dancer: Dancer is Bard –1, White Mage –1 Red Mage –1 and Thief –1 all rolled into one semi-useable package. I must say, I like the idea of dancer but they are overall useless outside of a sub-job for those campaign happy players who don’t natively have MP. When looking over the DNC job abilities and traits their short list of “Dances” limits just how usable they can be. I mean even in the Crystal War era they were too busy dancing on tables in San d’Oria, wait those girls are underage they are not table dancing they are participating in a distance learning program to further their education. Down to the nitty gritty, what can make a dancer useful?

1. Auto-Regain: I would say give them meditate but then league of SAMs would be beating down my mog house door pissing and moaning about how meditate is an ancient Samurai secret, but a 1TP/tic Auto-Regain similar to the Auto-Regen/Refresh job trait that other jobs get would make it do a Dancer could actually pretend to deal damage.

2. Rapture Jig: Essentially Meditate Jig. It would be something that the DNC could only use on themselves that would give them a Refresh style ability. Note that I am not stating to give them both Auto-Regain and a Regain Dance, but laying out options that could be implemented.

3. Useful Dances: I am not sure how to sum this one up, but when I look over what the DNC does get it makes me sad. Three Enfeebles, a half-voke, lolgravity, and a Stun that will only proc if you have already blown TP on 5/5 Stutter Step and have saved up enough finishing moves so that you can use it. This is why we never see DNCs in endgame.

Okay, that is a enough for now. I think that I have given my fair readers enough reading to do. This is only part one of my list, but do not expect to see every job listed here. There are many jobs that people believe will need updates, but sadly I will disagree. Take my beloved Samurai, even Slasher kitty who shares a wonderful long-term relationship with SAM see no real improvements needed. The only thing I would say for SAM is to ungimp Overwhelm. Until next time I am off to lay waste to hordes of something that needs to die.

To Be Continued…

SE I applaud you….just this once.

/clap…There it is done. That one was for you SE. Do not get used to it. In the 7 years I have played this game you have done one fucking thing that deserves you applause. What pray tell was this clap inspiring act? Just a little thing call Odin and Alexander. I applaud SE not for giving SMNs new summons, since really they did not need them, but for making this such a bitch to get and so situational to use.

Now don’t get me wrong. I like SMN, know some great ones. I even think that it can be a very useful job beyond that of a gimp healer, but they did not need anymore summons. SMNs have a full wheel of Avatars, even getting two dark based Avatars. However SMNs are some whiney bastards and pissed and moaned, so SE relented and gave them Alex and Odin. Two brand new summons that can only be used every two hours since they can only be called out under the effect of Astral Flow. Even better than that is that they only get one ability each. PS: Odin’s Astral Flow can MISS!!!

Oh, but my sweet kiddies you might be thinking wow, what a slap in the face, but it does in fact get better than that. In order to obtain both of these albeit cool to look at avatars you have complete Treasures of Aht Urhgan mission #44, as in you have to have COMPLETED ToAu in order to obtain them. So all SMNs have to get off of there collective asses and do more than just what was needed to get mercenary status. I smiled. I smiled like I have not smiled before.

Meet (Insert Adjective Here) Kitty

Some say she only eats dirt, and that she once had an inappropriate relationship with a Polearm… All we know is, she’s called Nightcrew.

Yes, after years of hearing about me, I’m finally saying hi.

I have been playing on and off since it was released in the for the PC, 8 years ago. But I have only been playing for 4-5 years straight now. Meeting our “Favorite Rdm” was really the big thing why I stayed. I would play for a few months, get frustrated, quit, play something else, get the bug to play FF again, play FF for a few months, etc, etc, etc… But this time around, things were different. I didn’t get frustrated. I was having fun. So I stayed.

You all have heard me referred to as “Pokey Kitty”, “Slasher Kitty”, “Boom Boom Kitty” and many more.

My name is Nightcrew, and i have Job A.D.D. … kinda.

I have leveled many jobs to 75. Nin, Sam, Drg, Blm, Mnk and Blu. I like them, but there’s not enough time and space to play all of them (and also i hate Nin). So Nin is fully retired, Drg is out of the picture till SE makes the not so crap, and Mnk is… well all the gear I have for Mnk is R/E so even tho I don’t really use it… I have all the gear ready, lol.

My main is Sam. I love Sam. I think he’s cute… oops, wrong Sam…

I just fell in love with it. I like how is pumps out a steady flow of damage while being able to live if you become too “friendly” with the mob.

Blm was leveled as more of a “Oh snap, we’re a Blm short for event” and instead of having to cancel or spend another hour trying to rework shit, I would have a Blm in the wing waiting. But my Old LS seem to forget that i have a nicely geared Sam and only wanted my Blm. I have a love/hate thing with Blm cuz of this.

Blu is my newest baby. I feel that Blu is an awesome job. Like Rdm can fill a lot of different roll. Can dish out nice DD, enfeeble, cure (not well but can in a pinch), has waaay to many Sleepgas for its own good, can tank… the list go on. The only pisser with Blu for me is the Blu Points. I understand why… but would like to have more.

I am one of those players that right on the line of casual player and hardcore player. I love to just fuck around and do stupid shit. But I also love a good event LS, doing Sky, Sea, etc. I do tend to burn out real quick. But FFXI does offer enough to help break up the monotony… if I just get up off my lazy ass and do them >.>

But that is me. In a Nutshell. Really bad at ending posts. Bye!

Welcome (Back) to my Rage.

Good Things are worth waiting on…

I have returned to dust away the cobwebs.  I know that it has been quite awhile since everyone’s favorite Red Mage has slinked out the woodwork to step upon her soapbox, but sadly I was born without the blogging gene. Thanks to advancement in modern science I am seeking illegal gene therapy in order to acquire it.  I know it has been along time, but sadly there has been a lot in my life that has changed. My life outside of Vana’diel has been interrupted by illness and the death of my father. The past year has turned my entire world upside and it has taken awhile to pick up the pieces.

I see it as only fitting thou that with new life being breathed into Vana’diel that I take this time to breathe the breath of life back in here.  I am hoping with all of my being that I can commit to updating this at least once a week. If all goes well with that gene therapy that should be no problem. Anyways, enough business onto to what you come here for.

My Life in Vana’diel.

My life in Vana’diel has changed as much as my life in that “real” world. For those who know my long time home was Bahamut. That was the sever that I started on going on 6 years ago now. In the past year or so it had become so overpopulated that SE made the decision to close of the server thus preventing any new life from entering. I stuck it out thou, along with <insert adjective here> Kitty, but a funny thing was happening. What was once a rich environment  of creative minds became the shallow end of the gene puddle. It had de-evolved down so far that it was becoming impossible to get anything done. The level arrogant elitism had seems down into the very core and thus made my time there miserable. So I decided to hop across the multiverse and find “The King(Queen) of the Black Mages” over on Slyph. So I packed up <insert adjective here> Kitty and a silly little hume only to be known as Gimp-r-i and moved on up to the Slyph side. Aside from it not really being a campaign server life if good.

I have no regrets in leaving Bahamut. I will admit that there are a few people that  I miss, but unfortunately all of the sewer rot that was infesting that place made them easy to leave behind.

The School Girl vs. The After School Special

I am a Red Mage and I am DAMN proud of it. I know that I probably didn’t *need* to say that, but hell, I just like saying it. Now recently I have been seeing a lot of complaining about Scholars. I am not huge fan of the job, but then again that kind of mage job bores me to tears.

The main argument is that Scholar ruined Red Mage, however I just don’t see it. Scholar may have some of the same abilities as the Red Mage but they are more “Cute School Girl you can take home to mom” where Red Mages are more “After school special” or bad 1950’s Health Class movie.

The thing is my dear children that there are some fundamental differences between the two jobs that make each stand out in it’s own way. I will not stoop to the argument of who is better, since truly there is no clear winner.

Finding your place in the world.

Our sweet little school girl is happy in their place in the back line. Whether their art be Light or Dark they are happy to stand back in the trenches supporting there comrades and dispatching their foe from a good safe distance. The melee skill of the Scholar has no practical use in any standard setup and much like a White Mage or Black Mage is reserved for Solo situations at best. Think of it more like a debutant showing up for cotillion in a pure white dress and no underwear. Mostly good with a little Dark Arts for flavor.

Now Red Mage is more like a child who switched their Ritalin with sweet-tarts and washed it down with a Mountain Dew. Their role in a situation is largely decided by the situation itself. The job holds a versatility that is not found anywhere else in the game. There are few situations that the Red Mage is unable to handle. Thou much like the Scholar’s dependency on stratagems the Red Mage is dependant on gear setups. Red Mages wear their reputations like a badge of honor. They are one of “those” people and proud of it.

Book Smarts vs. Street Smarts.

Remember that kid, the one that always had their hand up. Knew every answer in the book but seemed to fail on little things like tying their shoes? Ever wonder why Scholars wear loafers? One of the glaring disadvantages to the Scholar job is the Arts system. Your spell casting ability is limited by the current Art you are in and this is further complicated by Addendums. This is combined with that fact that you limited by your ability to switch between those by the number of stratagem changes you have at a given level… Ow.. I think I just broke a vessel… It is not all that hard to figure out but it puts a severe limitation on what you can be doing at any given point in time. One of the greatest arguments I hear is the the Scholar has a broader spell list. On the surface that is true, but they cannot cast spells freely. Just like you can’t ask that kid a Biology question in Geometry. If it’s not in the book, they don’t know nothing about it.

Remember that other kid? You know that one that sat in the back of the class. Never looked like they paid attention, but still passed all the test. Think of that kid in a Warlock’s Chapeau and you got Red Mage. Yes, the spell list of a Red Mage may not be as big, but at least they don’t need an instruction manual on how to use it. (yes, I know I have seen the ones that don’t know what dispel is but that is whole other manual). The spell list of a Red Mage is only limited by one thing, Support Job. Other than that whatever spell they want to cast they cast no matter if it is Black or White magic. This even gives Red Mages a bit of an advantage in some places since the it is harder for a Scholar to take on the role of main healer and debuffer due to stratagems, but being a jack-of-all-trades has it’s downsides too. See that kid passed all the test, they didn’t ace them. The balance between know what the teacher is talking about and looking good takes a toll. You know what you are doing but, you won’t excel at it.

You, Me, or Everyone.

Across Vana’diel Red Mages raised signs screaming “Scholar Stole my Phalanx II!” Altana be damned I am tired of hearing that. Yes, our sweet little schoolgirl does have the ability to share buffs with several of their closest surround party pals. Yes, with Red Mage sub job this does allow them to “Share” Phalanx with everyone, but hey guess what so can a Summoner but you don’t see anyone wanting to roast them on a spit do you? Thou slow-roasted Scholar might be tasty, especially if it is a dry-rubbed tarutar… back on topic. As nice as the ability to AoE buff and enfeebles may be it does not eliminate the need for a nicely merited Phalanx II.

It all comes down to skill. Scholar can have B rating in certain skills under the correct Art for that skill. This can still be modified by stat increasing gear. Which I will admit does make for a nice absorption rate for Phalanx since Phalanx is bases solely off Enhancing Magic Skill. This however to does not wipe version two of the table. Properly done Phalanx II from a Red Mage will be stronger and longer than Phalanx from a Scholar. This includes the number of merits and the amount of enhancing gear that is available. Another advantage is the lack of a Job Ability required. A Scholar can only care about everyone some of the time. Due to the unique way that the Scholar job is setup, they are highly limited in there spell sharing abilites and must pick and choose wisely on what spell they share at what time.

Honors Credit vs. AP Credit

I remember them, oh do I remember them well. “Oh, your only taking Honors English, that’s too bad. I am taking AP English….” That was usually about the time I slapped them in the mouth so I am not really sure what came after that. We all know them thou, the “I am better than you because I take AP Classes.” crowd. Sadly this same argument is happing through out Vana’diel. SE decided so graciously that Scholars would have access to Tier IV nukes.

In the school of elemental magic it works like this:

Black Mages are the college kids. They have the best, have been doing it longer and will always do it best. The only problem is there are too busy looking at porn, youtube and Adult Swim to actually bother showing up to an event.

Scholars are AP kids. They think they can hang with the big kids, have the brains to do it, but generally are too busy doing someone else homework.

Red Mages are the Honors Class. Not trying to be the college kids, too busy to take AP classes, but yet always there in a pinch and ready to roll.

Dark knights are, well, the freshman. Too busy behind the gym smoking cloves and discussing how the pressures modern life are “eating their souls” and how there is no “white knight” to “cover” their wounds to actually pay enough attention enough to learn how to use it. (yea, I couldn’t resist and “Emo Knight” joke.)

Puppetmasters: The AV Geek who builds a robot to try to date the hot Red Mage chick in Study Hall?

By giving Scholar tier IV nukes does not make them better or more usable than a Red Mage for nuking since the Red Mage’s claim to fame is overall survivability. Red Mages have access to Magic Attack Bonus II regardless of support job. This allows them to increase survivability with a wider range of Support Jobs without having to sacrifice potential damage output.

Tier IV nukes from a Scholar may allow for larger base damage numbers while under Dark Arts, but without the right sub job can lack the required punch. Tier III nukes from a Red Mage will lack the big numbers, but have the better options for consistency in damage. It brings the argument down the option of getting a B in an AP Class or an A in Honors class.

So What have we learned here today?

Those to crave the satisfaction of a clear winner would argue for their side and say that it reigns supreme. I am sure that career Scholars and Red Mages will agree and disagree on what has been said here today. When presented with the two jobs you see someone who is the ideal of innocence and virtue going up against those people your mother warned you about.

Some would say that the clear winner here would be the Red Mage since gear has limitless possibilities and stratagems are limited by the level you have obtained and how quickly you use them, but it is truly in how you use it. Since both fit very well in the back line. Scholars are just better suited for staying there.

Some would say that Scholar wins since they have so much more to offer than a Red Mage and that the Arts system will allow them to outperform the so-so skills of the Red Mage.

This was not meant to be a battle, but a venting of my own personal observations. In the beginning I was not impressed with the Scholar job and shared some of the options of the masses regarding the similarities between the jobs, however once I got past my first impressions I found a job that has some advantages and disadvantages just like every other job. Will you find a Scholar soloing Genbu anytime soon, probably not but then again I don’t think you will see a Red Mage out soloing puddings anytime soon.