Best Day Ever
Why is this the best day ever? Because I didn't do JACK at work! It was pouring down rain, tornado watch, and I didn't do a thing. I feel so unproductive and rested... ^_^
Now, I'm down to what to do tonight... That's a choice I've been having to make a lot, and I'm not 100% sure what's 'right'. FFXI is an option--almost a necessity really. I need about 2 million gil in order not to be gimped for my static (General's Shield -- 600k to 800k on a GOOD day. And then there's the Company Sword...), but I'm not stressing because I haven't even been farming for it. If I'd actually been obsessing like I was at lower levels, I'd probably be going out of my mind... silly, really. I really hadn't had the time; everytime I've logged in, I got caught up in exploring the ToAU areas and just kept putting it off. I really should stop doing that...
I'll probably end up logging in late and spending all night and some of tomorrow morning before work farming. Tonight'll probably be spent just preparing my inventory and getting my Alchemy promotion just so I can get skill off of the hi-potions I'll be making. But before ALL that, I need to do the "Lure of the Wildcat (Windurst)" quest.
And yes, this is normal for me in FFXI. Doing one thing usually requires two or three other things... I stink at being prepared (and yet I always have everything on my "Paladin Checklist"...).
I should probably explain that. Lord knows I take a million tangents when I blog, but this IS important.
In FFXI, Paladins are "tanks". My role as a tank? Being the monster's primary target. That is my sole purpose, boring as it sounds; I wear the shiny armor that makes the monsters go RAWR. (Tagline FTW! =P) So, as such, there's certain things that I ALWAYS have on me, and will continue to make/buy in order to make sure I have them. Why? Well, let's start the list:
Echo Drops x12. Any Final Fantasy fan will recognize these; they, essentially, remove Silence status from you. One of a Paladin's greatest assets is his MP, especially if you're a Galka and don't have any MP to begin with. Now, you should NEVER use these as soon as you're silenced of course; usually, a good White Mage (WHM) will catch it (A shout-out to the very awesome WHM, Darian ^^). You shouldn't really NEED them anyway; if you learn to time your abilities so that you always have one ready, you should be able to use that to retain the monster's attention instead of using an Echo Drop to cure yourself. Having them is simply an emergency measure; you never know when you might be out alone somewhere and you won't have a benevolent WHM to save your bacon.
Silent Oils x12 / Prism Powders x12 This goes without saying, but for those of you who are uninitiated, these items allow give you Sneak and Invisible status, respectively. This is essential, because no one has the good sense to actually want to chain Tough/Very Tough level mobs until they absolutely have to. But as a Paladin, it's really not my job to question; I just wear the shiny white armor. All the tougher monsters are usually in the more difficult to get to areas--difficult as in 'not a walk in the park', so you end up having to stealth your way through half a zone, minimum.
au Laits, 2-3 Okay, let me explain. Au Laits are basically drinks that give you Regen (HP regeneration) status. When things go bad, giving the WHM one less thing to worry about is always good, and if you can't cure yourself, pop one of these babies and pray it'll give you an edge. This is, of course, MUCH less of an issue now that Paladins have the Auto-Refresh (MP regen) ability. At this rate, you just have to worry a little bit more about your MP. Which brings me to:
Yagudo Drink x3 I actually used to carry more than 3, but now these are just a precautionary measure for when there's no RDM around and I'm unable to rest to regain MP, for wahtever reason. Yagudo Drinks give you Refresh (MP Regen) status. These things are stupidly expensive, so I wouldn't go around popping these things like Bud Lights, but damn if they don't help when necessary.
Shallops Tropicale x2 I've always got two of these. This is, basically, Paladin food, and it gives me a small MP boost (+20) in addition to raising my defense and Vitality. EXPing without food is like fighting with one arm tied behind your back; with some mobs, it IS that essential.
Seafood Stew x2 Don't go ANYWHERE without backup food when EXPing. And no, sometimes 2 Shallops aren't enough; there's always a chance you could die more than once. Of course, death isn't my primary concern as a Paladin; I've essentially come to the realization that it should usually be me to die first anyway, especially if I'm doing my job right.
And thus, there's the list. I'm sure there's some stuff I forgot, but that ought to be the main stuff. I'm sure I've bored you to tears now, so I'll leave it at that. :P
Now, I'm down to what to do tonight... That's a choice I've been having to make a lot, and I'm not 100% sure what's 'right'. FFXI is an option--almost a necessity really. I need about 2 million gil in order not to be gimped for my static (General's Shield -- 600k to 800k on a GOOD day. And then there's the Company Sword...), but I'm not stressing because I haven't even been farming for it. If I'd actually been obsessing like I was at lower levels, I'd probably be going out of my mind... silly, really. I really hadn't had the time; everytime I've logged in, I got caught up in exploring the ToAU areas and just kept putting it off. I really should stop doing that...
I'll probably end up logging in late and spending all night and some of tomorrow morning before work farming. Tonight'll probably be spent just preparing my inventory and getting my Alchemy promotion just so I can get skill off of the hi-potions I'll be making. But before ALL that, I need to do the "Lure of the Wildcat (Windurst)" quest.
And yes, this is normal for me in FFXI. Doing one thing usually requires two or three other things... I stink at being prepared (and yet I always have everything on my "Paladin Checklist"...).
I should probably explain that. Lord knows I take a million tangents when I blog, but this IS important.
In FFXI, Paladins are "tanks". My role as a tank? Being the monster's primary target. That is my sole purpose, boring as it sounds; I wear the shiny armor that makes the monsters go RAWR. (Tagline FTW! =P) So, as such, there's certain things that I ALWAYS have on me, and will continue to make/buy in order to make sure I have them. Why? Well, let's start the list:
Echo Drops x12. Any Final Fantasy fan will recognize these; they, essentially, remove Silence status from you. One of a Paladin's greatest assets is his MP, especially if you're a Galka and don't have any MP to begin with. Now, you should NEVER use these as soon as you're silenced of course; usually, a good White Mage (WHM) will catch it (A shout-out to the very awesome WHM, Darian ^^). You shouldn't really NEED them anyway; if you learn to time your abilities so that you always have one ready, you should be able to use that to retain the monster's attention instead of using an Echo Drop to cure yourself. Having them is simply an emergency measure; you never know when you might be out alone somewhere and you won't have a benevolent WHM to save your bacon.
Silent Oils x12 / Prism Powders x12 This goes without saying, but for those of you who are uninitiated, these items allow give you Sneak and Invisible status, respectively. This is essential, because no one has the good sense to actually want to chain Tough/Very Tough level mobs until they absolutely have to. But as a Paladin, it's really not my job to question; I just wear the shiny white armor. All the tougher monsters are usually in the more difficult to get to areas--difficult as in 'not a walk in the park', so you end up having to stealth your way through half a zone, minimum.
au Laits, 2-3 Okay, let me explain. Au Laits are basically drinks that give you Regen (HP regeneration) status. When things go bad, giving the WHM one less thing to worry about is always good, and if you can't cure yourself, pop one of these babies and pray it'll give you an edge. This is, of course, MUCH less of an issue now that Paladins have the Auto-Refresh (MP regen) ability. At this rate, you just have to worry a little bit more about your MP. Which brings me to:
Yagudo Drink x3 I actually used to carry more than 3, but now these are just a precautionary measure for when there's no RDM around and I'm unable to rest to regain MP, for wahtever reason. Yagudo Drinks give you Refresh (MP Regen) status. These things are stupidly expensive, so I wouldn't go around popping these things like Bud Lights, but damn if they don't help when necessary.
Shallops Tropicale x2 I've always got two of these. This is, basically, Paladin food, and it gives me a small MP boost (+20) in addition to raising my defense and Vitality. EXPing without food is like fighting with one arm tied behind your back; with some mobs, it IS that essential.
Seafood Stew x2 Don't go ANYWHERE without backup food when EXPing. And no, sometimes 2 Shallops aren't enough; there's always a chance you could die more than once. Of course, death isn't my primary concern as a Paladin; I've essentially come to the realization that it should usually be me to die first anyway, especially if I'm doing my job right.
And thus, there's the list. I'm sure there's some stuff I forgot, but that ought to be the main stuff. I'm sure I've bored you to tears now, so I'll leave it at that. :P