Ahoy Mateys!

I'm sure you saw a few posts back that I was leveling Corsair and learning the way of a pirate. Outside of just running around and saying "Yargh!" all day, I have learned that Corsair is a damned busy job. Just like Bards never get any rest, neither do their pirate siblings. However, I dare to say that a Corsair has more work cut out for them than a bard because unlike the minstrels of melody, a Corsair actually has the ability to do decent damage. Sure, you can try to argue that Bards also get the use of a Joyeuse in later levels but, come on...how much damage do you really think a Bard can do with Savage Blade? >.>

Stop. You're thinking of how much damage they can do. Just stop thinking and keep reading.

/sigh

Anyway, after I hit 71, I got an unlikely party invite. I say unlikely because it wasn't the standard Caedarva Mire or Bhaflau Thickets tower camp, but a merit party. I've got a nice little post about merit parties coming up but, needless to say, I don't see many pre-74's in merit areas. Before Level Sync, there was always the general rule that you don't party with anyone roughly 2 levels over you so the EXP distribution remained fairly even. So going into a party 4 levels under seemed like a huge ripoff. However, I was both bored and curious. Fields of Valor can only hold you for so long, after all.

I spend way too much time in Cape Terrigan.

Off I go to a merit party! It was boring as all hell. I was COR/WHM and outside of rolls, I barely did anything. This isn't anyone's fault, mind you. After all, Corsair has horrid accuracy and trying to hit IT++ enemies without any food is stupid all by itself. So all I really could do was cast a small cure and keep everyone buffed. The flow of exp was awesome. Weaponskills and such going off all over the place. It was like fireworks, but no exploding body parts. (Yeah, body parts. It was neat to see.)

The only thing is, there was no DD on my part, so I got bored. Eventually, they got several merits and went to get restocked / spend their points. At this time, I was asked to try out COR/RDM and give a little DD just to keep me from getting too bored. Very thoughtful of them. I had a good time, and while I missed damn near every shot, at least I *thought* I was doing something. Just like giving a kid an unplugged controller and watching them laugh with glee. They don't know the controller doesn't work, but they're happy in their ignorance.

By the end of the party though, my skills had started to catch up and I was able to assist with skillchains and become more useful than just a 24/7 card spinner. Also, in that party alone, I went from 71-74. I must say, pre-75 merit parties can actually be very beneficial from an exp standpoint.

Now that I had a taste of the awesome exp, you know I had to find another party. So I did, and by the end of the day... 75 Corsair!! I just need some groovy gear and I'll be sailing the 7 seas with a crew of drunk misfits in no time.

Yay me!!

Thanks to everyone in Cape Terrigan who gave me a hand in unlocking my latest Mythic, Leaden Salute!! :D