If you have found your way here, you might as well know, it's a trap! Run away now! Just kidding—this is the template build of what is now my IT 237 final project, but will become my professional portfolio. Who am I? I am a writer, aspiring copy-chief, graphic artist, web designer, reviewer, journalist, and entertainer, with an especially strong interest in the gaming industry. Check out my bio to learn more.
(Shine) There's got to be a tour service around here somewhere!
(PLD in background) dying...help...
(Kaska) I dunno, Shine. Let's ask this old man walking his dog!
True story lol.
Just 14 more levels and I'll never get to play a melee job again!
Wait wtf am I levelling this for?
FFXI fans/haters, If you don't know what this is, look here: http://www.playonline.com/pcd/topics/ff11us/detail/3599/detail.html
This is probably going to be the greatest thing to have happened to FFXI, ever. The article makes it obvious as to why I say that, and I'll cover some of my reasons in a moment. I did want to go over one complaint I can already voice on this-- that being the way they plan to handle high level gear.
While I think it is necessary to scale gear back by reduction of stats, I think it's dumb to erase effects like haste, dual wield, store tp, and evasion bonus (why god why?) from the gear. I understand it is to keep people who are levelling for the first time from feeling like their best gear is crap compared to delevelled Byakko's Haidate, etc, but on the other hand, I think that allowing for some amount of these effects to stay in place will convince more higher level players to use level sync to help people.
I realize that they are wiping these effects from scaled back gear because there is no middle ground on things like Suppanomimi-- you can't really make it a half dose of Dual Wield, can you?-- but on the other hand, it makes something like Brutal Earring (Double Attack+5%, Store TP+1) useless by negating everything it does.
So tell me, if the idea is to stop us from having to regear each time we level sync to help with COP or join a static, how does it help us if the gear is scaled back to the point where it loses the thing that makes us wear it in the first place? We would just end up having to buy new gear anyway.
I really hope SE thinks this through and figures out that it's okay to let us scale back with some godlike gear unchanged, such as Suppa. (They could reduce the rate of Brutal's proc but leave Store TP bonuses alone.) Hey! It takes a lot of effort to get Brutal, Suppa, and other comparable gear. It would draw the line between who is new and who is synched down, by giving the syncing 75s a bit crazier power than they should have, and that's just exactly how it should be because it creates a bigger benefit to using the sync system and it makes it more appealing to new guys to seek higher level help and for higher level help to join up with lower guys and show their stuff.
And yes I think it can be done without totally cheesing the game. Example: Byakko's Haidate Level 10 Dex+2 Haste+0%, Level 20 Dex+5 Haste+1% Level 30 Dex + 6 Haste +1% Level 40 Dex+8 Haste+2% Level 50 Dex+9 Haste +3% Level 60 Dex+10 haste+4% and the next jump could be its true stats at 75. Meanwhile, you can't really do much to scale back Suppa, but God, let us live a little. It would be a great boon to anyone looking to sync their Ninja 75 to tank for people for any reason.
All conjecture on gear effects aside, the REAL benefit of Level Sync comes from being able to gain experience or merit points in a group no matter what level you are. That said, here are some of the ideas I had for ways Level Sync will help us as players:
Important static jobs
-BRD, RDM, NIN can be wound back to the lower levels to aid in creating the best static party builds.
Example: My lv75 NIN winds back to level 40 to tank for a friend of mine who is on his first job.
Example: A RDM or BRD is needed to fill out a static and so a higher level is found to volunteer.
Forming random parties
-No more waiting for the right level range characters to pop.
Example: Need a tank or a healer? If the right job in your range isn't looking, find a higher level one who is willing to level sync to fill out your group.
Example: If your PT is 50 and needs a NIN to tank, but there are none searching, you might /sea all nin inv and find a NIN who is flagged up at level 60. He can sync to 50, tank, and level his job while helping your group level.
Relevelling your favorite jobs
-Join lower level friends' parties as your favorite jobs.
Example: Gain merits from winding back to show a bitch what your MNK can do!
Example: Relive the power of DRG.
Beastmaster Hassle-Free Zones
-A BST in need of duo exp can now wind down or up to the level of any available BST.
Example: Level 50 BST can't find a duo partner his level. Level 35 BST can't find a duo partner his level, either. The 50 BST syncs to help the low guy out and gain some exp himself!
Getting 'Over' With Black Mage
-Use a BLM (or similar capacity-jobs) for destroying pet mobs in a duo situation.
Example: My SMN is level 58 and I really am tired of Cure III! BLM 75 friend syncs to my level and kills pet mobs for me to push me 10 levels in a week!
I've been doing Dynamis with a great group of people, mostly joining up as a melee. On Wednesday though, the main tank didn't show so I got to gear up NIN and show my stuff. It was a great run, very fun, and lots of AF. Oh, and:
Thanks guys!
Been doing a lot of AF questing, this time for my own AF. I just finished the SAM AF quests less than a week ago, and then hauled RDM ass from 37-53 in four days and needed to plow right into RDM AF and get it out of the way. So I did. 
Thanks for all the help Maha and Kikuji!
We couldn't get four people, so Kikuji cured me through BG1 while I fought the Guardian Statue.
These AF quests really wear me out. Well, that's all for now!
I told that bitch not to fight lizards. Plaguebreath. And so began a mad dash for the mog house with me curing.
That's all for now!
Been up to a lot lately, mostly helping the guys I've been partying with get their AF. Only one of them has a job at 75, so for most of them this is their first AF suit. Not much to say in this update except SE sucks for making me wait to Japanese Midnight for what feels like four days on getting SAM AF. I did manage to beat the final BC with the help of a friendly RDM and BLM (thanks guys) and now I've got a lot of coffer popping madness to think about before I can store the Myochin set.
So I got tired of running to Norg and started making Shine mazurka me. Mazurka is strangely making me feel justified in all the gil I poured into getting Shine to 75. Upon finally zoning into Norg, she got the classic Zilart 1 cutscene, so I took some great screenshots.
Everyone remembers what a badass this bitch was before the nerf.
Had an interesting talk about damage, weaponskills, and parsing with Kikuji today. We both seem to agree that FFXI has reached a point where a lot of melees are in a very prime position for dealing damage. DRK vs DRG actually becomes a palatable discussion in light of the last year of changes. There are also a lot of alternatives to Ridill out there that make it even more necessary that SE never make it easier to attain.
Last of all, some nice damage from my recent outings:
That's all for now!
So I brought back my alternate character, the level 75 Bard Shine, to help Kaska out with skillups, campaign, and other things. Seems more like he's been helping her do everything rather than vice versa. Still, having double march comes in handy when I am soloing (duoing?) campaign monsters.
I've been working on Kaska's merits, mostly in campaign, trying to buff up my BLM. Through campaign I completely capped Thunder (that's 150,000 limit!) and bought Burst II (another 30k limit). This is my most recent buy:
Also on Shine, I joined a merit party to help Raechel get her WHM to 75. And we did. From 73. In one long session. Shine earned her first and her fifth merit ever in that party. Congrats, Rae. Oh, and I couldn't decide what to merit on the mule turned adventurer, so:
By a funny coincidence, Kaska got stuck in Bastok while Shine got murdered while I was moving her into solo-grab position (some who campaign in Meriphataud_S will know what I'm talking about) so I had to wait for campaign in Bastok to end before I could come raise her. About 30 seconds after this picture was taken the Shadowhand Cuirassers showed up en-masse and hit her with some sweet nukes.
I love how I got the Zapruder Film / Jack Ruby x Lee Oswald shot on this.
That's all for now!
