So, I've read (multiple times) what Genome has written on the subject. I've also seen ElmerThePointy's YouTube video. All really good stuff and I'd be COMPLETELY lost without it. I'm pretty sure I understand what needs to be done here:
(1) aim for mobs at a level around ({your guard skill} / 3)
(2) wear as much EVA- and Guard+ gear as possible
There's not much more to it than that. Right?
So at skill level 82 I should be aiming for mob level 27 or so. (82/3 = 27.333...)
Well, after spending the majority of this weekend trying to level my Guard skill, I think I have come to the conclusion that either (a) SE has changed something regarding guard skill-up with this latest update a week or two ago [HIGHLY doubtful] or (b) I am screwed because I waited too long to level my Guarding skill.
My situation: I'm a 75 MNK. My Guarding skill is REALLY low (85). My Evasion skill is capped (256). My Counter Rate is fully meritted (5/5).
My gear: I'm wearing very little gear and no weapon (so the mobs last longer). Total of EVA-19 and Guard+10. (Something weird to note: the gear makes my combat skills now say Guarding=95 and Evasion=256. Why would the gear make a modification to one skill but not the other?)
My camps/attempts:
(1) Fort Karugo-Narugo [S] fighting Lycopodiums (Mandragoras lvl 22-25): 45 minutes and 0 skill-ups. I figured they were a little too low leveled so I moved on.
(2) Sauromugue Champaign [S] fighting Lycopodiums (Mandragoras lvl 28-32): over 90 minutes and 0 skill-ups. I figured maybe with the guard+ gear I should aim for higher levels still, but according to your posts it's only the base-skill level that makes a difference.
(3) a few other areas were attempted with various mobs at an appropriate level (jungle, etc...) but all of those were completely unsuccessful as well.
(4) Bibiki Bay fighting Alraunes (Mandragoras lvl 37-40): 6 hours and a total of only about 2.5 skill-ups. Skill-ups were 0.1s, 0.2s and 0.3s. (Which seems like just the perfect range for me to be getting them frequently, no?) I also got 0.8 of it all in a span of about 3 minutes. (Very beginning of 2/29/1071, Watersday, Full Moon (100%)... if that makes any kind of difference to anyone researching when it's best to get skill-ups.) The rest of the skill-ups were spread out and probably 45-60 minutes in between. /sigh
My method: (Same as I've seen/read.) I'd pull about 8-10 mandys and run near a wall or onto the pier to get them to line-up properly, then aim myself at (a) something in the distance (which just got annoying because I'd have to reposition frequently if the mob moved) or (b) one of the mandys that was slightly off to the side, then angle myself so I'm facing the rest of the group, but the targeted one was just ever-so-slightly "unable to be seen" so that I was engaged but not actively killing anything. I could get a group to last around 30-40 minutes until they would start dying off from my counters or until I started getting worried about my health from lack of TP (I was /DNC for Curing Waltz II).
So... Am I doing something wrong? Or am I just screwed because my other defensive skills/abilities are just too high? (Guard can't proc unless EVA and counter are bypassed.) They were missing a LOT but I'm pretty sure Guard was procing fairly often; I wouldn't necessarily see the animation, but they would consistently hit me for 10-22... and then sometimes (25% of the time perhaps?) they would only hit me for 5.
Am I just going to have to go level PUP and slowly build my guard on that job? (because my EVA will be capped MUCH lower) Or maybe just go find a character to borrow to {Level Sync} myself down to force my EVA down too??
I'm kiiiiiiinda getting frustrated here. Especially when I read that other people are getting 22 levels in a matter of 3 hours. /sigh
Suggestions: {Yes, please.}
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3 comments:
Genome's response to my dilemma is, yes, basically the same advice Treu gave me: fight higher-level mobs.
Altho Treu said to just go straight to The Boyahda Tree. I tried that (it was one of my "other random locations") and practically died right away. Screamin as a PL ran out of MP with a quickness. I even had to 2-hour just to save my ass because of an unlucky link.
Guess I'll have to pick something in-between.
... and might have to level my RDM some more. /sigh
What Tre said is what I was going to suggest. That's the way I've heard of it being done.
Are you stacking -physical damage taken for this?
The Boyahda Tree is used for basically all combat skill-ups but because Guard is so hard to proc, it's apparently easier to work off of slightly lower level mobs so you're not constantly taking huge amounts of damage... since they actually HAVE to be hitting you all the time.
I'm not stacking physicalDamage- because the amount of damage I actually take doesn't have an affect on whether or not guard procs. I'm just trying to stack on as much Guard+ and Evasion- gear as possible.
Apparently adding some Acc- gear (or Acc- food/potions) will lower my counter rate as well (thus increasing my chances at guarding). Def+ gear would help reduce the amount of damage I take... but is counter-productive because it also lowers the chances of the mobs hitting you.
I'm taking Genome's advise and am currently trying to level RDM high enough to be used as a subjob so I can cast Phalanx and Stoneskin. That'll help with damage control. (I'll still be hit, but for 0 damage.)
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