เด็กใหม่เล่นไฟนอล 14 ควรทำอะไรบ้าง

เมื่อก่อนเคยเขียนไว้เป็นลิสต์ภาษาอังกฤษ Newbies “should do” list ซึ่งเขียนแล้วใส่คำอธิบายละเอียดเพลินไปหน่อย มันเลยยาวววววววว ใครสนใจก็ลองอ่านได้ค่ะ แต่ถ้าอยากได้ check list ว่าเลเวลไหนได้สกิลอะไร ได้ฟังก์ชั่นอะไรจากในเกมบ้าง ลองไปดูของเว็บ wiki เหล่านี้ได้:
https://ffxiv.consolegameswiki.com/wiki/Content_Unlock อันนี้ทำเป็นตารางให้ดูง่าย

https://ffxiv.gamerescape.com/wiki/Guide:Progression_and_Level_Locked_Content ส่วนอันนี้มีรูปปุ่มสกิล/ปุ่มเมนูแบบในเกมแปะให้อ้างอิงกับในเกมง่ายขึ้น

แต่ถ้าจะให้สรุปเป็นภาษาไทยง่าย ๆ (อันนี้เขียนใหม่เท่าที่จำได้ ไม่ได้แปลตรง ๆ จากอันเก่านะ) …. สิ่งที่ควรทำเมื่อเข้าเกมคือ

  • รับทุกเควสต์ที่เลเวลเรารับได้ เดินผ่านที่ไหนรับที่นั่น เควสต์ช่วงเริ่มในเมืองมักจะเรียงมาเป็นลูกโซ่ตามเส้นทางการเดิน ต่อ ๆ กันไป จบเควสต์นึงต่ออีกเควสต์ บลา ๆ ๆ
  • เควสต์เลเวลต้น ๆ ในเมือง มันจะพาเราเดินวนไปรอบเมืองเพื่อทำความรู้จักกับสถานที่และ NPC ต่าง ๆ ให้เรารู้จักเมือง รู้จักเขตต่าง ๆ ว่ามีร้านรวงมีระบบอะไรให้ใช้งานบ้าง อย่าเพิ่งเบื่อนะจ๊ะ
  • ระหว่างเดินทำเควสต์ เจอ Aethernet (เสาเทเลพอร์ตอันเล็ก) ที่ไหน ให้เข้าไปแตะ เพื่อเปิดจุดวาร์ป ที่จะช่วยย่นระยะเวลาเดินทางได้เยอะ ไม่ต้องเดินเอง ใช้เสาวาร์ปเอา
  • ถ้าทำเควสต์ไปตามลำดับ (เรียงตามเวลาการเจอเควสต์และเรียงตามเลเวล) เหล่าชาวเมืองมันจะพาเราไปจนทั่วเมืองในที่สุด ครบทุกเขต เราก็จะเปิดเสาเทเลพอร์ตครบทุกอัน และระบบจะทำการเปิดล็อกจุดวาร์ปไปหน้าประตูเมืองให้ เราจะสามารถแตะเสาเทเลพอร์ตอันใหญ่ (Aetheryte) หรือเสาเล็ก (Aethernet) แล้วเลือกประตูที่อยากออกไปแมปหน้าเมืองได้เลย ประหยัดเวลาเมื่อมีเควสต์ต้องออกไปฆ่ามอนสเตอร์
  • สามารถรับเควสต์ทีเดียว 3-4 เควสต์ แล้วออกไปทำพร้อมกันได้ เพราะบางเควสต์ที่ให้เราวิ่งหรือให้ออกนอกเมือง มันจะมีปลายทางคล้ายคลึงกัน หรือฆ่ามอนสเตอร์ที่อยู่ใกล้ ๆ กัน
  • เควสต์เนื่้อเรื่องมักจะนำไปสู่การปลดล็อกระบบหรือความสามารถใหม่ ๆ ได้ (เช่น levequest เลเวล 10)
  • เควสต์เลเวลต่ำมีรางวัลเป็นเสื้อผ้าเลเวล 5 เลเวล 8 อะไรงี้ ก็ทำแล้วเก็บเสื้อผ้าฟรีไป จะได้ไม่ต้องควักเงินซื้อเอง
  • เมื่อออกจากเมืองแล้วเจอ NPC มีเครื่องหมายเควสต์ ก็กด ๆ คุยไปเถอะ
  • เมื่อออกจากเมืองแล้ว เดินไปเห็น Aetheryte ที่ไหน ให้เดินเข้าไปแตะ เพื่อที่คราวหน้าจะได้เทเลพอร์ตมาได้ ไม่ต้องวิ่งเอง
  • ให้ทำความคุ้นเคยกับปุ่ม Return และปุ่ม Teleport และปุ่ม Sprint (ไว้ใช้วิ่งไวขึ้นได้แป๊บนึง) สามารถลากปุ่มพวกนั้นมาใส่ใน Hotbar (แถบสกิล) ได้
  • เมื่อเลเวล 10 แล้ว จะมีระบบใหม่ ๆ ให้ใช้มากมาย ให้มองหาเครื่องหมายเควสต์ที่ดูแปลก ๆ เช่นมีรูปร่างเรียวยาว (เช่น Chocobokeep ตามแคมป์ – ควรคุย เพราะการคุยเพื่อปลดล็อกจุดหมาย จะทำให้เราสามารถจ้าง Chocobo จากในเมืองไปส่งตามแคมป์ต่าง ๆ ได้ หรือจากแคมป์ไปสู่แคมป์ก็ได้ หรือจากแคมป์กลับเมืองก็ได้) หรือมีสีน้ำเงิน (เป็นเควสต์ปลดล็อกบางอย่าง เช่น ปลดล็อกดันเจี้ยน หรือเป็นเควสต์อาชีพ)
  • ควรทำเควสต์อาชีพทุก 5 เลเวล เพื่อปลดล็อกสิ่งใหม่ ๆ หรือเพื่อรับรางวัลเป็นเครื่องนุ่งห่มจาก NPC
  • เวลาไปเจออะไรใหม่ ๆ ในเกม จะมีหน้าต่าง HELP เด้งขึ้นควรอ่านอย่างน้อยก็คร่าว ๆ หลังจากนั้นถ้าอยากอ่านซ้ำให้เข้าเมนู Syetem => Active Help แล้วลองค้นหมวดหมู่หรือ search คำดู
  • เวลาจะไม่อยู่ (เช่น เดินไปกินข้าว หรือจะล็อกเอ้าท์ออกจากเกม) ควรจอดตัวไว้ในเขต Sanctuary (เวลาเพิ่งเดินเข้าเขต Sanctuary มันจะมีบอกที่กลางหน้าจอแวบนึงแล้วหายไป และข้างแถบ EXP จะมีสัญลักษณ์รูปพระจันทร์เสี้ยวขึ้นมาเมื่อเราอยู่ในเขต Sanctuary) เพื่อเป็นการ “ชาร์จ” แถบโบนัส สำหรับเอา EXP +50% ในการเล่นเก็บเลเวลจ๊อบใด ๆ ก็ตามในวันพรุ่งนี้หรือในครั้งต่อไปที่เข้าเกม

ข้อควรจำ

  • ของขายในตลาดบนกระดานขายของ เป็นของที่ผู้เล่นเป็นคนเอาไปขาย เพราะงั้นเขาจะต้องการกำไร ราคาจึงมักจะแพงกว่า NPC
  • เวลาจะซื้อของ ให้ลองหาจากร้าน NPC ก่อน ร้าน NPC ในโซนตลาดของเมืองบ้านเกิด (และเมืองอื่น ๆ) มักจะมีของเลเวลต่ำครบทุกอย่าง ทั้งวัสดุคราฟท์ เสื้อผ้าและอาวุธของสายต่อสู้ เสื้อผ้าและอุปกรณ์ของสายคราฟท์และสายขุด สร้อยแหวนเครื่องประดับ อาหารเลเวลต่ำ ถ้ามันแพงก็ให้เทียบราคากับบนกระดาน (ส่วนมาก NPC จะขายถูกกว่ากระดาน)
  • ควรลองกดปุ่ม K (เข้าเมนู Character Config) และ CTRL+K (เข้าเมนู System Config) แล้วลองอ่าน/เขี่ยนู่นเขี่ยนี่ดู เผื่อมี setting อะไรที่จะทำให้ชีวิตเราสะดวกขึ้น

Chat Log Settings

OK Today we’ll talk about Chat Log Settings.

When you’re in a battle, or on a busy place with a lot of crowds, most of the time your chatlog (message display window) will run so fast and you can easily miss a message from your FC or friends because it get pushed off the top of your tony chat screen before you could read it or notice it.

Here’s one method to reduce or avoid that.

First, look at your chat message box, there should be a + button which allos you to add a new “tab” in your chatlog window. Everyone starts with 3 tabs already created for you, and you can add the 4th one. You can also rename any of the old tabs and reconfig them any way you like.

Chatlog_00

For me, I named my 4th tab “CHAT” but since it might get confusing while I’m explaining things here, I changed the name to “Conversation.”

Chatlog_01

How to config a chat tab? You have to look at the bottom of the chatlog window again, and find the button with gear (cog) symbol. When you click it, it will bring up the Chat Log Settings window.

 

 

Chatlog_02b

This window can be found, in other method, by opening your “Character Configuration” menu (keyboard shortcut : K button) and select “Log Window Setting” on the bottom of the left pane. Then you will see “General” menu by default.

For configuring the Log Filters for each tab, you have to look and click the tab you want to set. This time, let’s set the newest tab first, my Conversation tab.

Chatlog_03

I suggest to set Conversation tab to show all chat message, and hide all battle/system messages. You can look at “Chat” category in the Log Filter menu and check/uncheck things on the list. I highly recommend showing (check) Say, Tell, Party, Free Company, and Linkshell.  If you think you need to hear the Yell and the Shout, for hunting or for eavesdropping the public, you can also check the Yell and Shout filter to have them shown.

For 24-man content, like raid dungeons, it is recommended to set Alliance messages to show as well, because sometimes people discus battle strategies in Alliance channel.

For me, my 3rd tab is “Event” and I set it like the pic below. This will allow me to click on that tab to read what I might have missed while talking to an NPC spamming OK OK OK without reading carefully.  XD
Chatlog_04

Then, for those who have multiple linkshells, or dislike the default chat font colours, you can access “Log Text Colors” menu and reassign other colour to each of your chat message category.

For me, I set each linkshell a different colour, to decrease the chance of getting confused about who said what from which linkshell, and less likely to reply in the wrong one.
Chatlog_05

In Log Details menu, you can also optionally add Time Stamp to each of your chat tabs. You can also change font size.

Chatlog_06

Last but not least, you can set Sound Notification for each channel of the chat.

You can select the sound individually, and then test it to see whether you like it or not, before hitting OK or Apply button to save your settings

Chatlog_07

I set notification sounds to all these because I want to hear the beep when anyone talks in my FC, LS, PT, and in private message. If your LS talks all the time, however, I would recommend turning the sound off, because it can get annoying.

And then, when you’re on your main screen, if you want to read the Conversation tab, you have to click on the tab button under your chat window, it will show only the messages that you set in the Log Filters. This way, it is easier to catch up with your FC conversations or to reread it after the time has passed.

Chatlog_08

Newbies “should do” list

Ah… there are many new players in my Tonberry FC now so I’m making a list of what to learn about as a newbie. Please note that these are just my suggestion, it is not mandatory. But many things in this list will make your life easier or at least more convenient.

———————————————————-
Update notes:
25 Jan 2017 – adding:
Hunting Log (lv 5),
Guildhest (lv 10),
Dye Quest (lv 15) and Ferry from Limsa,
Guildhest Roulette (lv 17),
Challenge Log (lv 17),
Gold Saucer, and <pos>
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*Note* Before you buy anything from the Markey Board, remember that people selling stuff on the marketboard usually aim for profits, so things are usually more expensive. If you want to buy extra equipment (besides the free equipment you will get from doing quests) you should browse shops and stalls in the market area where real NPCs are selling many kinds of stuff.

Level 1 – Do all the level 1-3 quests in your starting town. You can quickly open your Journal which is where you can view all your quests by pressing keyboard’s default shortcut key: J.

You should also go visit your “Mog Mail” at a Delivery Moogle (there’s a mailman moogle in towns and at most of the camps outsidde.)

*Remember* When you go away from keyboard (idle) or want to log out from the game, try to log out in the town or at Aetheryte if you’re outdoor, because these areas have Sanctuary effect which will grant EXP bonus after you stand in it for a very long time.

*Important* Try to touch (attune) to every Aethernet (mini aetheryte in the town) that you see. It will help you get to places in the town faster by using it to warp around.

Level 3 – By the time you finish all of these small quests from townsfolk, you will have have been introduced to all of the key locations in the town, and have visited all aethernets in your town. After attuning to all Aethernets in one town, you will see a pop up text saying you have unlocked other 2 or 3 Aethernet destinations as well. Earning these new destinations will let you exit the town to any of the desired gate, making you travel much faster using Aethernets.

Level 5 – By this time you should have already been familiar with your class (job) guild and you should take guild test quest every 5 levels, so that you can get free gear. These free level 5 gear from guild quests and sidequests will be important to you soon, because at level 5, there is a Main Scenario Quest (I usually call these MQ – Main Quest) or Story Quest that requires you to wear level 5 gear as a part of equipment inspection.  (Character and Equipment menu – Default Shortcut key: C)

Also, by finishing guild test quest of your class at level 5, the system will introduce you to a Hunting Log. (Default Shortcut key: H) This is a very good source of EXP. Open your Hunting Log and check to see what type of enemies you have to kill. When you complete the kill order, you will be rewarded with EXP. If you finish all the orders from level 1 to 10, and you level up to level 11, the Hunting Log will unlock next tier of list for you.

Level 6 – If you explore the map outside of the town far enough, you will reach an outdoor Aetheryte, we usually call it a Camp. These field Aetherytes serve as Teleport Destinations, just like the one in town.

When you’re exploring, if you need to meet up with a friend but they can’t find you, you can type <pos> in the chat to make it show coordinate of your current location. You can read other entry for more details here http://www.aleczan.com/FFXIVARR/2013/handy-coordinates-marker/

To open in-game map, you can either click inside the compass (mini map) on your screen, or use the default shortcut button: M)

Level 7 – Continue to explore for more sidequests and MQs suitable for your level. For leveling up, you might also want to try participating in F.A.T.E. outside of the town. FATEs happen on the map where there is a blue circle. The active help system in the game will pop up a window to explain about it when you join a FATE for the first time.

Level 10 – If you have been following the MQ and keep it up to your level, you will now be introduced to Levequest (I call it LQ) counter in the town, and will be allowed to access an Inn Room. But level 10 has many new things to learn, so I’ll list what you should get acquainted with:

  • Levequest – Very good for EXP.
  • Guildhest – Will explain below.
  • Inn Room
  • Chocobo Keepers – inside the town and at Aetheryte outdoor
  • Rental Chocobo
  • Chocobo Porter – very good for commuting, it is usually much cheaper than Teleporting
  • Ability to switch class – You need to finish your guild test quest for level 10 in order to acquire this ability. The Guildmaster will tell you about it when you finish the quest. Then, you can visit other guilds and try other classes, including Crafting and Gathering classes.
  • Gearset List – This will be unlocked after you unlock the first 2nd class.
  • Cross-Class skills – in your Action & Traits menu (short cut button is P) you can see “Additional” tab which allows you to choose skills/spells from other classes you have leveled up. Make sure to check it every 5 or 10 levels to see if you get new available slot for cross-class skills.

Eventually, the Levemete at level 10 camp will ask you to visit a Battle Warden who will introduce you to Guildhest. It is very short duty where you can practice battle as a party. Some of the Guildhest duties also have specific objective, so please read the objective window that pops up at start, or pay very close attention to what the NPC says on your screen during battle. When you complete both the level 10 Guildhests, it will unlock level 15 ones, and when you finish those, you can go to level 20 ones and so on (when your current class meets the level requirement). You also get a “first time” EXP bonus when you win against that Guildhest on a specific class/job you’ve never used in that Guildhest duty before. So make sure to come back to doing low level Guildhests on your new class later, if you level up more than 1 class.

*Gear Check* Undergearing is bad. You have gimp stats and gimp damage. It will hurt the performance and hinder your party badly. Make sure to upgrade your gear, at least the main hand (weapon) and the big pieces on the left side of the equipment window (Head, Body, Legs, etc.) every 5 levels. For example, when you’re level 16, if you’re wearing gear from level 10, you will find it a little difficult to kill enemies. If you’re using level 10 gear, you should upgrade to a level 15 set when you’re level 15.

On the other hand, if you get green equipment or pink equipment from dungeons, those are a little superior to normal gear of the same level. So they give you stats that are about as good as normal gear that is 3 level higher. (I approximate things by my feeling, not by actual math or statistics). So these pink gear will stay decent for about 8 levels. If the gear is level 15, you should replace it with better gear when or before you hit level 23.

If your normal gear is a High-Quality version, however, it will last about 5 levels longer than NQ (normal-quality) version of itself. So you can probably wear these HQ gear for about 10 levels. For example, your level 15 HQ gear might be fine when you’re level 24, but when you’re level 25 you should replace it and get a gear from level 25 set instead.

At low levels, right side (rings, earring, etc.) stuff and belt are difficult to find due to level restriction and level gap, so it is alright if you can’t fill your right side equipment. “The Hall of Novice” trainings will give you a VERY GOOD free ring, though. So, I highly recommend finishing the trainings.

Level 15 – Make sure to visit an NPC named “The Smith” who is located next to inn room NPC. You can get FREE EQUIPMENT for level 15 for your type of class (Physical DPS or Mage or Tank) from finishing all the Training sessions with him in “The Hall of Novice.”  These level 15 equipment will be good until about level 22.

Also, when you start the “Envoy” quest, you will be able to ride the Airship to any of the 2 other starting towns. Remember to touch the Aetheryte of the new town you visit. Now is a good time to explore and test the “Save as favored destination” function in your Aetheryte menu.

From here, you will be introduced to your first Dungeon (after “Call of the Sea” main story quest) and you will have to enter and finish 3 dungeons before you unlock new facility.

*Tips* Duty Finder default shortcut key is U button on the keyboard.

*Before going into the dungeon* make sure you finish your class’ guild test quest for a level 15 reward, which teaches you an important class ability/skill/spell.

At level 15, you can also take a quest at Vesper Bay to enable using Color Dye on your gear. If you want to experiment with different colors on your equipment and be fashionable, you should do this quest! Quest is from NPC Swyrgeim at Western Thanalan ( 12, 14), quest name is “Color Your World” and the NPC will request a bottle of Orange Juice from you. If you do not have any Orange Juice in your inventory, turn around and visit a Vendor NPC near the spot (name is Merchant & Mender, he’s inside a small tent near there) and check his shop (select Purchase Items) and buy a bottle of Orange Juice from him for 7 gil. When you finish the dye quest, you can select any dye-able gear and use a bucket of dye to change it to a color you like. You can buy dyes from NPC shop in a market area in any of the towns. 

Also, if you have already finished the Envoy quest, the pier in Limsa Lominsa Lower Decks, near Arcanist Guild, will allow you to pay for a Ferry ride from Limsa to Vesper Bay. This is much shorter and faster route than using Horizon teleport and walk/run/chocobo to Vesper Bay.

Level 17 – After finishing all 3 required dungeons through story quests, there’s a level 17 MQ that will reward you with an access to Retainer Service. A Retainer is your storage. You can “hire” 2 retainers for free.

What does a retainer do?

  • Keep your stuff, so your person’s inventory won’t explode.
  • You can deposit money with them (you get no saving’s interest, though, duh!)
  • You can put items up for sale on the Marketboard.
  • If you do a specific quest, you can send your retainer out to hunt for items, they will level up and have access to more items if you keep sending them out to hunt.
  • You can select a class (job) for your retainer. You can also dress them up for fun and for stats.

By finishing your first 3 dungeons (or maybe you only need 2 from 3, I’m not sure), you now can do Duty Roulette: Leveling. This is a very very powerful tool to gain EXP (and money). It will give you a huge chunk of EXP when you finish a dungeon using this Roulette. The reward can be claimed only once a day. 

You can also use Duty Roulette: Guildhest to earn your daily rewards (bonus EXP, gil, and Grand Company’s Seals if you have joined a Grand Company).

Finishing the first 3 dungeons will also grant access to Challenge Log. This is yet another wonderful way to earn EXP and gil. You have to finish a short quest named Rising to the Challenge from Limsa Lominsa Upper Decks, in the same room you spoke with Baderon. The Challenge Log have a ton of objectives with a mountain load of rewards attached. It resets weekly on Tuesday, so if you finish all objectives that you can, you can have them again next week . You can even get rich in Manderville Gold Saucer Points (gambler’s currency, hahaha!!) by doing the Gold Saucer objectives. (You can access Gold Saucer by doing a quest on the street in Ul’dah, at around Ul’dah – Steps of Nald ( 9  , 9).)

Level 20 – A Main Quest of level 20 will eventually reward you with an ability to choose a “Grand Company” (GC, for short). You can switch to join other GC later of you wish.

At this point you should do FATE battle or do GC Levequests for GC Seals. For a CHOCOBO license!!!! Buy  Chocobo Issuance (cost 200 GC Seals) from a Quartermaster at your GC office and finish the “My Little Chocobo” quest at the commander in the same room. Chocobo is a mount which will let you travel faster in the field.

Level 25 – Not much new information to learn here, or I just can’t recall anything important (sorry, the memory is hard to retrieve because it’s been a VERY long time since I started). You should, however, try to visit different camps (field Aetherytes) in order to take quest at Levemates to unlock the camp’s LQ. Remember, LQ is a great way to level up.

Level 30 – Time for joy! Now you can get the quest to unlock a Battle Chocobo, the quest is called “My Feisty Little Chocobo” and can be found at Camp Tranquill in The Black Shroud region. This quest requires level 30 and a long travel, and a few fights. But it will really worth it. Your Chocobo Companion can be summoned (with Gysahl Greens) to help you fight in the field and in FATE. It will help A LOT for sidequests and Main Quests.

At level 30 of a specific class, you can also unlock “job” system, which will require you to level up a specific 2nd class as “sub class” before taking the guild test quest. Your class, when upgraded to a job, will be more powerful in battle. Your cross-class skill choices, however, will become more specific and limited.

————————————-

That’s all I could write for today. If I recall something else, I will come back to write more.

 

 

Why Stoneskin?

This is rather funny and yet is a serious business at the same time, so after thinking about it, I’d like to share my thoughts here.

Today I went out with real life friends who happen to play FFXIV on Tonberry. One of them mentioned playing WHM in a DF with stranger tank and getting asked (or more like criticized on) how she’s using Stoneskin too often, and getting told that it is a WASTE OF MP.

EXCUSE ME!

The question instantly made me frown and be ready to flip.

If one is just curious and asks why we, some WHM, if not most, like to use Stoneskin THAT much, I wouldn’t mind, and would gladly explain. But when it comes with negative notion, or saying it’s a waste, I’m ready to fume.

But I’ll try to stay civil here.

First off, Stoneskin, unlike Regen or Medica II, does not create any enmity when pre-applied. That is, if we use Stoneskin on a tank, then, when tank runs into a group of enemies, an enemy yet unclaimed by the tank won’t glare at us like “Oh this healer had already put a buff on this guy, I better kill her first.” So Stoneskin is a nice buff to have on the tank, or everyone, before the fight starts. Why? It absorbs a chunk of HP damage, equals to 10% of HP of the person whom we cast it on. So, let’s say if a tank has 30,000 HP, this Stoneskin will shield the tank for 3,000 HP damage.

Secondly, that 10% HP shield will buy us some time, at least for a few seconds. It is very useful when tank is making a long (large) pull, where the party doesn’t stop to deal with one group of enemies, but keeps moving forward for the 2nd or 3rd group of enemies before gathering them for AoE kill. While running, ideally, a healer MUST NOT Regen and shouldn’t cure the tank, because Regen will instantly pull enmity to the healer when they link or see the tank and aggro tank without claiming. And since the party is still running forward, casting Cure is kind of out of practice. Landing a Cure can also pull enmity if the tank hasn’t secured enmity on all of the enemies yet. Pulling aggro off the tank while running for a long pull can mess up the battle and may cause death. In this scenario, pre-cast Stoneskin is the best option for the healer. Sometimes if the Stoneskin wears off mid-pull, and if I see that the tank had already claimed all the current mobs, I will even Swiftcast Stoneskin before we reach the next enemy to refill the shield. This way I can start the fight with (Cleric Stance) Aero III or Holy instead of cure bombing the tank when we arrive at the destination.

Thirdly, although Stoneskin, at level 60, consumes 884 MP, while Cure only consumes 442 MP yet can heal about 3800 HP (testing at 1168 Cure Potency) non-critical. This may make Stoneskin inferior to Cure in term of MP efficiency in mid-battle situation. However, there are circumstances when spending 884 MP on Stoneskin is far more favorable. One of those circumstances is when we are on Cleric Stance mode. In Cleric Stance, my Cure (442 MP) can only do about 600 HP. Whereas Stoneskin still shields the same amount of HP (10% of max HP of the target person). Yes, Stoneskin isn’t affected by the Cure Potency penalty (switch) from Cleric Stance. If we’re nuking, on Cleric Stance, using Stoneskin is not just more proficient, but also more sensible and natural, as it does not require the WHM to switch off Cleric Stance to maximize the MP-efficiency of spell.

As for my own application of Stoneskin, I like to cast Stoneskin on tank (or myself, depending on the situation) in between my Holies, especially after first Holy, because spamming 2nd Holy immediately after the 1st will just nullify the Stun effect (yet still chips down the number of Stun we can do before fully resisted, if I’m, not mistaken). Sneaking Stoneskin (or Aero III instead, if applicable) will help me delay my casting long enough to finish 2nd Holy right after the first stun effect on enemies wear off.

Also, alongside Medica II and Regen (and perhaps an Asylum, if needed), a Stoneskin will usually make the tank recover HP in the middle of the horde of enemies, instead of losing it, which allows the WHM to leave the tank unattended even longer. We can use that duration to take care of other shit, be it a debuff that needs Esuna, or a DPS needing a Cure (I usually just throw them a Regen if thay aren’t taking more/continuous damage), or someone needs a Raise, or for me to run out of AoE range, etc. This, mind you, can be done without the hassle of switching Cleric Stance off, whereas utilizing Cure or Cure II will require us to do so.

My static tank used to tell me sorry for not standing still or stopping before running out of range when I cast Stoneskin. I said it’s fine. Then he said he’s glad I’m not mad at him, but he has a reason. If he stopped or stayed for every Stoneskin I cast on him, we could waste about 5 minutes through out the dungeon. XD So, I started to time my Stoneskin better. I aim to cast it right before the last enemy of the group die, so that the party can immediately go on for next pull. He never questioned me why I use Stoneskin that much, nor did he tell me it’s a waste of MP. And tell you what, to me, Stoneskin is something special. When I cast it on my tank, it is the collaboration between the healer and the tank (spell target) because it does not rely on MY stats, but the tank’s stat – Max HP. It is the reflection of the tank’s HP pool, not my MND or my Cure Potency. So when I cast it on a tank with 38k HP, that’s a WOW. 3800 HP free damage shield where I won’t have to cast a cure for!

And no, that does not mean we do spam Stoneskin all the time during battle in place of Cure. As I said, we are aware that it uses double the amount of MP required for Cure, so it has different application and is used in specific circumstances.

Flag coordinates marker

Useful map function of FFXIV: <flag>

I’ve already talked about <pos> which will mark the map at your current position, but now I’m going to talk about how to mark a flag on the map without having to be physically there.

However, I only know how to do it by using keyboard and mouse, because I use keyboard and mouse. If I find out how to do it with a controller, I will add the information later.

– Additional information –

A friend, Kuji, looked it up for me and said:

PS controller it’s R1 on map to set a flag marker

So, R1 for PlayStation controller, it is.

Also,

Austia Silverwing of Midgardsormr says:

On ps3 you can hold L1 and click R3 for mouse. then L2 is left click, R2 is right click. also L1+select gets rid of hud, L1+start is screenshot.

– End of additional information –

First, you have to open the map where you want to mark a flag on. Then, you use your mouse to point at the spot, and hold CTRL button on your keyboard while using right-click with your mouse.

FFXIV_Map_Marker_001

When you mark your own map with a flag in this method, the chat input will automatically type <flag> for you, so that you can hit enter to add text before or after it, or just send the <flag> to your chat channel right away.

FFXIV_Map_Marker_002

When sent into the chat, the <flag> will show coordinates as the pic above. Anyone who sees this message will be able to click on it in the chatlog to mark their own map with this flag.

This flag will stay there until you mark other flag, click other coordinates, or log out.

FFXIV_Map_Marker_003

 

We can only have 1 flag at a time, so if you click on any other coordinates, the new one will replace previous one.

Although there can only be one <flag> marker for anyone, but you can mention 2 coordinates at the same time if you use a <pos> and a <flag>, like in the example below:

FFXIV_Map_Marker_004

The chat log will come up like the next screenshot below:

FFXIV_Map_Marker_005

If your friend click on the coordinates that you sent, in this situation they can see (and mark) 2 different spot, but only one at a time, because every coordinates flag will overwrite each other.

FFXIV_Map_Marker_006I guess that’s all to know about <flag>.

Related entries:
Coordinates in FFXIV
Handy coordinates marker

Face Camera – Pause/Break Button

*for keyboard control manual, visit official site http://na.finalfantasyxiv.com/lodestone/playguide/win/manual/ *

A bit ago I learned to use the Pause (Break) button on my keyboard to make my character tilt her head to look directly at the camera (if anatomy allows). It is listed in the manual as “face camera” command. I think you can also assign specific key for it using Config => Shortcuts but I’m not in the game now so I can’t check.

It really makes difference for screenshots!

Screenshot without using "face camera"

Camera is in good position and desired angle, but the character isn’t looking at the camera.

So if you hit the Pause button (next to Scroll Lock on my keyboard, and the Scroll Lock button is next to Print Screem/SysRq button) your character will face the camera.

Screenshot when using "face camera"Gotta love this function. <3

 

Coordinates in FFXIV

I saw a set of search keyword which a visitor used when stumbling on my weblog:

how do i find coordinates in ff14?

So today I’ll talk about this.

I used to talk about <pos> in my blog entry, Handy Coordinates Marker but today I’ll elaborate more about the coordinates on your map.

In FFXIV, when you open your map (default shortcut is keyboard button M) it will show up like this. You can also click inside your minimap (radar or compass) in order to call up this large map.

Coords1

Your current position/location is usually shown in the middle when you first open the map. It is marked with the tiny marker that looks like water drop. When you look closely, at the bottom of the map window, there is a set of numbers, in my example it says 11X Y10, which means you’re currently at coordinates X:11 Y:10 of that map.

Coords2

If you, however, point your mouse cursor elsewhere in the map, you can see the coordinates of the place you are pointing at on the top right corner of the map screen. In my example, I was pointing at X:9 Y:8. So, if you know a place, and you want to get the coordinates number of the place, just open that specific map and put the mouse pointer at the spot you want, and then look at the coords in the top right corner. (Update: You can also use CTRL+right mouse click to choose a specific spot on any map to mark a flag on it, then a text command <flag> will show up in your chat input line, letting you enter it for a clickable link on chatlog.)

Coords3

Then, back to the topic of <pos>, this is a very handy command/syntax. If you type in your chat, to any channel, like shown below, it will generate a clickable map coordinates for anyone who sees that chat line.

Coords4

Like this.

Coords5

Then, the reader can hover the mouse cursor on that automated position text. If you click on it, it will call up the map with a green flag marked in it.

Coords6 Coords7

So if I use <pos> to tell people where I am, when they click on the coords, they can easily find me, without having to hover their mouse everywhere until they eventually see the correct numbers.

Easy and handy. ^^

 

Easy Ways to Blacklist RMT

Alright, with the outrageous amount of RMT /shout spams and /tell spams, I believe we all have this problem of the endless list of people to blacklist. It is so annoying that it gets on my nerves, and probably many other players’ nerves too. One of the reasons why it is highly annoying is that some of them had developed a strategy to make it harder for us to add them to blacklist. Yep, by shouting at high speed, making your chatlog run at the speed of Shinkansen Train.

Not only that their names are usually absurdly long, sometimes the names are made of total gibberish. More often than not, whenever I try to manually type in the name like “Adgfrtafsh Hjkjyta” to add in the blacklist, I will get it wrong at first attempt. The fast-scrolling chatlog now adds to the challenge. So I THOUGHT I was smart, as I have learned to drag my mouse cursor over their names and copy, then paste it in the blacklist box.

However, that doesn’t always work, especially against the high-speed spamming. The always moving text lines makes it almost impossible to copy the name.

I had complaint about this in-game several times, and today someone by the name of Qauj sent me a tell with a tip. Instead of trying to highlight the name, just right click on it and select “Send Tell” which will put their name directly in the typing box, which does not move or run away from me! Oh great! Thank you very much!

Then, later on, while I was cooking in Limsa Lominsa, someone else angry ranted about the RMT shout spams, and someone by the name of Wilan replied saying “right click > send Tell > change /tell with /blacklist add > add “quotation marks” around the name > profit”

Now, that is even smarter! I do not have to manually open the blacklist menu, but can directly use text command, like back in FFXI, to blacklist these ever so annoying spammers. But as a very lazy person, I tried to make this even easier, just for blacklisting RMT that send messages in /tell, by using the command /blacklist add “<r>”  Because the syntax <r> will point to the latest sender of /tell that we receive. I have also put it in a User Macro and placed the button on my Hotbar.

RMT_Blacklist

Hitting this button will bring up a prompt asking if you really wish to blacklist the person, so do not fear that you might accidentally blacklist your friend if they happens to send a tell right after the RMT and right before you use this text command.

 

Handy coordinates marker

Useful map function of FFXIV: <pos>

Yesterday while gathering on my Botanist in the South Shroud East Shroud, I overheard this conversation where a player told people to please use <pos> when they ask for Raise. It will generate a map marker where people can click on the text in the chatlog to open a map, showing this cute little green flag to let them easily spot that coordinates without having to manually look for it by hovering the mouse over every inch of their map!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (That’s what I’ve been doing all week…..yeah and it is a big hassle which I am very unpleased of.)

POS_map

 

As an ambulance, I really appreciate this tips. It would save me a ton of headache whenever I feel like going for the rescue for these random dead bodies. I thanked the person (and some other players who helped explain why I couldn’t see the green flag and how to look for it – I was too far away so it wasn’t in the frame, and by zooming out I will spot it easily without having to scroll my map) and they said they want me to spread the words, as not many people know this (I never knew before, either!!!)

So yeah, I want all the dead people asking for raise to use this function to make help come easier and save us some headache in finding them, so here I am, spreading it. Please make use of this nice function.

Oh, by the way, I do not know how players on PS3 would execute this map marker when they see a coords, because I told my friend and he said no mouse, can’t click. (OUCH!) So, if anyone knows how to, please also spread that tips. Thanks!

And remember, if you’re asking for a help, it would be nicer if you shout your location clearly and make it easier for the helper to find you. It is a hassle, if not frustration, to have to manually find the coordinates when people don’t use <pos> format to specify location.

*update*

Austia Silverwing of Midgardsormr says:

On ps3 you can hold L1 and click R3 for mouse. then L2 is left click, R2 is right click. also L1+select gets rid of hud, L1+start is screenshot.

Thank you very much for sharing the info!!