My (not so) amazing life

My chosen profession in FFXI at the moment ( i say at the moment because i tend to change a lot ) is Puppetmaster. Yes, i know what you're thinking: "lolpup" i get that a lot, but i normally only get that from people who have never tried the splendorous spine-tingling serendipitous Job that is Puppetmaster.
I simply adore this job, for many reasons, too many reasons to go into too much detail, but i love this profession for 3 main reasons:

1. I can have my pet out for as long as i want with no MP cost
2. I can control my pet with something other than weapon skills
3. I can rock at soloing

The third reason is really the point of this post, I'm generously giving my readers (however few they may be) a few little tips and tricks that i find good to know when soloing as a Puppetmaster. I write this assuming that you have a basic knowledge of Automaton Attachments and Frames before beginning to solo, because honestly you shouldn't be looking at a solo guide if you're just starting out the job.

1. DEX and Evasion

If you're a /war sub like me (which i suggest you do, because i really don't like investing in DEX evasion AND str equipment, and WAR gives that extra boost that i need) then DEX and Evasion are your best friends, as well as some powerful H2H weapons. DEX ensures that you can actually hit your enemy, and with a C in H2H skill, that comes in handy for a Puppetmaster in the later levels. and Evasion is my personal favorite instead of VIT because generally VIT gear is more expensive than Evasion gear, and it's mostly for PLDs, and because seeing the little "Miss" messages pop up on my screen fills my heart with passionate joy.

2. Str and Attack

Like i said before if you sub WAR you shouldn't have too much problem with dealing the damage you need to. But if you don't sub war than STR and Attack equipment (like battle gloves) are your backup friends, you know? the ones you call when your actual friends are busy with other things. They're important, but not quite as important as your DEX and Evasion equipment

3. Frames to Use

Well i really shouldn't say "Frames" rather "Heads" because the Stormwalker frame is the only frame that really heals reliably (other than the harlequin frame but i never use it) it's going to be your soloing partner for the trials ahead. Once you hit level 40, make sure to pick up your Soulsoother head first, it will become your automaton's new favorite hat.

4. Strategy

My strategy really isn't all that complicated, but i'll share it with you anyway.

I start out with Light Maneuver to get my Automaton to use Flashbulb, and i make sure that Light is up the entire battle, so he refreshes the effect when possible. I move on from Light to Dark Maneuver, because that starts him on his enfeebling path if i don't need healing. It also gets him to use Mana Converter when he needs it. I go from there to Ice Maneuver, basically because it shortens the length between casts of the Automaton.

That's it! Those are my tips for Soloing with Puppetmaster, and let me tell you, I've flown through the 40's and am approaching the 50's with increasing speed. This job is one of the most rewarding I've ever played and i definitely recommend people step out of the darkness and into the light that is puppetmaster, stop cowering behind your "Lolpup" sunglasses and enjoy the sunshine!

The state of the economy in FFXI isn't doing as well as one would hope, lots of things are overpriced and lots of things are under priced, there are probably many factors that determine all these things, supply and demand, NPC prices of things, blah blah blah. I'm not willing to go into things like that because i simply don't know enough about economy to talk about it. I will however, talk about things that i do know about.

Gil Sellers
Gil selling is at an all time low for FFXI, due to SE's crackdown and constant bannings of illegal accounts. I applaud the special task force for their excellent work in getting rid of these maggot infested carrion that are called Gil Sellers. The economy of a video game simply can't stand the influx of "Created" Gil that these gilsellers get from selling things like fish to NPCs, and from quest rewards. The more they put into the economy, the harder it is for us honest players to play without resorting to buying gil to stay in the game.

Undercutting
I can't stand undercutting!! AHHRRG it makes me mad enough to want to throw things at people. I simply can't understand why people would ever undercut their items just to get them to sell a little faster, especially if they undercut for 1k or more. How in the world do people not realize that undercutting ends up lowering the price and ends up hurting not only the economy, but you, in the long run? It's not going to take much longer for someone to buy your 20k So-and-so sword than it would if you sold said sword for 18k, if it's in high demand and people are willing to pay 20k for it, WHY WOULD YOU GIVE THEM THE OPPORTUNITY TO BUY IT AT A LOWER PRICE?! especially when someone will end up buying it anyway */sigh* how do people live with themselves? Honestly...

That's really all i can object to when it comes to the economy, again i don't know much about economics and i can't really say much more than i know, and that's it. But what i do know about people messing with the economy really gets my blood boiling, anyway, I'm sure you've had enough of my ranting and would like me to hush up now. So i will.

Not much to say, just did some soloing in Crawler's nest with Pup/War, not very eventful. getting about 2k an hour is ok i suppose, but i couldn't find a party for the life of me. Oh well, yesterday was my birthday :) i got a cool new phone and went to dinner with my parents.

Other than that i've got nothing else to say.

The Diablo 3 site has been updated with the new Wizard class and i couldn't be more excited. This means they're actually working diligently towards making the game. Check out the videos and Screenshots of the new class here

It looks AMAZING! the skills look like alot of fun, it looks like a totally powerful class. From what I've seen of the other classes none of them seem overpowered and that's awesome!

This is just a quicky little guide i put together in 20 minutes with a few tips on where i normally farm 10-30 :) hope it helps someone




Levels 1-10
Focus on leveling up during these levels, collect crystals and random monster drops

Levels 10-20

Ghelsba Outpost
Orcs: Fire Crystals

Giddeus
-Bees: Beehive Chips
-A little dangerous

Vomp Hill
-High Competition
- Bees: Beehive Chips, Honey, and stingers
- Stinging Sophie: NM that drops a dagger with a low delay time, good for THF

Levels 20-30

Giddeus
- Worms: Various Ores
- Bees: Chips, Honey, Stingers
- Yagudo: Beast coins/Silver Beast Coins (must be stolen)

Palborough Mines
- Quadav: Beast Coins/ Silver beast coins (must be stolen)
- Beetles: Shells/Jaws

Konschtat Highlands
This is my absolute favorite spot to farm EVER
- Rams: Horns and Skins (sell very well, multiple drops on each ram)
- Sheep: Skins for Leather
- Bees: Chips, Honey, Stingers
- Saplings: Grain seeds and Vegetable seeds (these are my favorite as grain seeds are currently going for 12k on my server)
- Stray Mary: One of the greatest reasons to farm here, the horn she drops sells for a lot of money (Currently 125k on my server)

Jugner Forest
- Treants: Revival root, Oak logs, Mistletoe, Dryad roots
- Tigers: Fangs, Hides
- Saplings: Grain Seeds and Vegetable Seeds
- Sheep: Not many, but they drop skins which can be crafted into leather




Pashow Marshlands
- Leeches: Beastman’s Blood
There’s not many spawn points, and they’re really spread out, but beast blood is currently 29k on my server
- Bees: Chips, Honey, Stingers