On Task (kind of)

We all know I need a plan so I don't stress the hell out while playing this.  The next step is actually making one.  This is where it gets messy, because every class has so many things to do for it.  Simply saying that you're going to "gear up" whichever job is far too vague and could also take months to do.

Naturally, that's exactly what I'm doing because I'm an idiot.

Sometimes, you just have to accept your flaws and keep it moving.  So let's discuss what I'm doing and check my progress.  I figure by telling all three of you that are reading this about what's going on, it will help to keep me focused and maybe even prevent me from losing my mind.  Maybe.

It doesn't exist...

Ah, good old Voidwatch.  Lately, I've been spam-joining groups that I find for Ig-Alima.  Yes, I'm still searching for the ever-elusive Borealis great sword.  The Hoarfrost Blade gets the job done, but I want my shiny death blade.  I've been in the group with Ephexis most of the time, and he always makes an interesting alliance.  Aside from that, the drop rate on this is beyond horrible.  I have seen more Wroth Scythes in this run than all other weapons combined.  Stupid scythe.

Playing with Wyrms

I can only imagine how many lude comments will be made from the above title, but I'll leave that your imagination.  I think I am part of a hopefully dying breed of damage dealers who still don't have the E. Body armor.  Unfortunately, Nidhogg hasn't been to helpful in getting me out of that group.  Instead, he lovingly hands over some scales and other useless nonsense.  Not even a Ridill.  The good news is that once I have it, I can stress myself out over getting the actual cursed armor.  It's good to know what your future holds.  Although it hasn't dropped a damn thing except a load of disappoint for me, Bey was lucky enough to get her first piece of "king's gear," the Dalmatica!

Even though it's old...

With me and my awesome self-esteem issues, I was somewhat thankful when the Empyrean armor came out.  My reasoning?  I never got anything completed in Salvage.  While it sounds like a poor excuse, which it is, it was good to know there was an armor option out there that I finally had access to.  No longer did you have to wear Ares if you wanted to be a damage dealer, or Skadi if you were a thief.  Mages weren't confined to the stigma of being considered pitiful without a Morrigan's Robe.  In a way, it's comforting that some of the "casuals" could finally take part in end game.  Of course, now there are too many casuals who have no clue what the hell they're doing in these types of events, making things harder for many.  I suppose there really isn't a happy medium for this sort of thing.

Anyway, now there is the Level 99 Salvage, commonly referred to as "Neo Salvage."  Adding "Neo" to the name apparently makes it more epic sounding than "Level 99."  As I'm sure you already know, now the original Salvage armor can be augmented to be even more awesome than it was before.  So you know what that means...everyone and thier mother is rushing to get through the original tier.  This also means that I once again have felt the pressure to get this gear.  Well, I don't have a group for it, and since my gear was never really all that awesome originally, it's difficult to convince people to let me in now.  However, Lisamarie and Milhouse have been supportive enough to invite me when they have go in.  It's been an interesting experience, to say the least.  I do want to get better so I don't feel like such a third wheel, but I know that will come in time.

Rush to 100!

Speaking of Neo and remakes, there is also the new Nyzul Isle Uncharted Survey.  Granted, while neither Neo-Salvage or "Neo Nyzul Isle" are actually brand new, they are new as far as I'm concerned.  The Askar, Denali, and Goliard sets have made a triumphant comeback and you can once again see people standing in Port Jeuno with this very pretty armor.  Well, except Goliard.  That was never pretty.  The armor has new names (Phorcys, Thaumus, Nares) and very awesome stats to go with them.  The new Salvage armor can beat out this new gear, but no one is going to look at you in a negative light for showing up with NNI armor.

While the new Salvage is considerably easier than before, that's not the case with NNI.  Square-Enix decided to make this event particularly difficult for the players.  The worst part about NNI is the fact that there are no save points like before.  Now, you have to make it from 1-100 in 30 minutes.  Even with the floor jumps, you are heavily dependent on luck to get you through.  Because of this, players have to bring their A-game every single time.  There truly is no room for screw ups.  Finishing with only seconds to go is far from uncommon.  I've joined a couple of shout groups that went horribly wrong, but luckily Rocko recently invited me to his group and I've been having a lot of fun there.  Hopefully, I can make that a common thing and stick with them.  I'm more or less a standy person at the moment, but it's better than nothing.

Trials, trials, trials

Yeah.  I set myself up for all types of issues with this.  Why I have so many Empyrean trials active is beyond my understanding, but it's what I've done.  So, I'm slowly trying to get through whatever I can when I find the opportunity (and people) to do so.  Bey and Frice have been extremely helpful, and Misiisii / Dierdren have helped out whenever possible as well.  The flavor of the month for now is this Twashtar, since it was the very first Empyrean I ever attempted to complete.  With luck, I'll have my popsicle knife soon.  That would be kind of nifty.

Well, there's more for me to blog about and I have a few more pictures to add, but Swk's on me about going to finish these iron plates. Yes, I'm working on that too. I know....I know.

Cyclones, Squids, and Cleavage

Just a little update on my monster raising adventures...

First, I'm addicted to Pankration now. Seriously, this stuff is a blast. I should've tried it out back when EP mentioned it so many moons ago, but oh well. I'm in it now and that's what matters.

I'm still working on my little champ, Dark Cyclone. Now that the victory over Yoko's flea has been secured, I've been focusing on ways to make it even better. My eventual goal is to win the matches in the Diablos arena, but that is going to take a bit of time.

My current setup for it is as follows:

Magic Attack +15%
INT +25
Damage Reduction Bonus Lv. 50
Black Mage Scrolls

I'm debating on dropping the Magic Attack and replacing it with some new options, but in the meantime I'm going to get Stoneskin and possibly Phalanx. I want to find a good balance between defense and offense, because it's heavily one-sided at the moment. I've never known elementals to be squishy, but mine unfortunately is. On the plus side, if you don't drop him quickly, he'll whip your ass with a few spells. I'm actually a bit embarrased that my elemental proportionately outdamages me, but hey...you're supposed to surpass your teacher right?

Other than Cyclone, I decided to rasie a couple of other fighters. I happened to find another Magic Attack plate from an ZNM I helped with in Caedarva Mire:


Looks pretty badass, right? Well once again, the Pankration version is never as awesome as the real thing. This guy sucks. I actually think I'll remove the Black Magic spell plate I gave him and just let him run on standard Soulflayer abilities. For some reason, he was doing a lot better when he couldn't cast anything new. It might be wise to hold off on introducing new abilities and whatnot until he's able to survive the battles longer. Of course, he's only level 16, so I don't expect him to be super awesome. It's just sad though when a soulflayer loses to a beetle.

The newest intro to my group of fighters comes in the form of Ru'Aun Gardens Groundskeeper, appropriately named Mighty Machine. This one is showing some real promise right from the start. With STR +25 and Double Attack +15%, it hasn't lost a single match yet. I think I'm going to have some fun with this one, but Cyclone is still my favorite. First loves and all that.

Bah, I want to leave work so I can get back to the arena.

EDIT: On an unrelated note, I finally got my Raparee Harness yesterday. ^_^ Now to just get a pair of Enkidu's Leggings + Etoile Tights and Dancer should be set from a haste perspective. Also, after looking at myself in that armor, I realized that it's not the haste that makes it so desirable.