I may have relegated the challenge to a mere
"background process", but I do regret not having done it
last time and would like some record (I've always admired the way the
Japanese journalized their achievements) of my last endeavor in what just might be my
final fantasy. My main sources of information thus far are the
Wiki article and a
ブログ I came across Googling for something to help with that fucking Rime Gigas pop in Beaucedine.
18-22: Lower Delkfutt's Tower (デルクフの塔下層), E-8. Small room at the end of a corridor from the landing on the second floor. Once the BST Gigas popped, it was grinding in the most repetitive sense. I might've been able to do this to 75, but so would a monkey. Still I'd like a screenshot of the spot, so maybe I'll come back and get this one (and the rest) when I can waltz by.
22-26: Ranguemont Pass (ラングモント峠), G-7. The two sets of bats behind me possibly linking with the pet were 麻煩, but the Stirges in the other tunnels outright aggro, so I put up with it. Large room was my introduction to frustration from Goblin movement patterns. They're always facing me.
26-29: Yhoator Jungle (ヨアトル大森林), G-8. The first of my competition for a camp. I'd come in to see a RDM working the bee, /bow and kindly log.
29-31: Bibiki Bay (ビビキー湾), H-6. …The BLU30 seeking who shows up and tries outpulling me here, however, didn't deserve such graciousness.
31-33: Attowha Chasm (アットワ地溝), J-10. Another dead-end camp, meaning, if anyone else shows up, it’s either to check its availability for the same purpose, or they’re lost. At first I was worried those antlions would come up if I stepped on the cracks in the ground, and about corses at night, but this area must qualify as a low-level part of the zone so it's all good.
33-35: Beaucedine Glacier (ボスディン氷河), I-9. Helluva time trying to get the Rime Gigas here at the bottom of the last ramp. I tried despawning, zoning, killing the two others I saw along the way, but the only thing that worked for sure was not wasting time waiting for it by pulling the Goblin Traders' tigers up top or towards Batallia. Once I had the Search Comment up, and an asshole WHM75/THF15 comes and kills it. Then pops another Sleet.
35-38: Oldton Movalpolos (ムバルポロス旧市街), J-11. Rarely saw anyone in the zone. Once a Scholar was trying to solo on the far side of the tunnel, but I didn't feel comfortable healing within sitting sight of both gobs like that.
38-38: Eastern Altepa Desert (東アルテパ砂漠), F-7. Forget this. Surrounded by Manticores, Sabotenders and Lost Souls at night? Even if NIN gets Sneak-jutsu, I'm too cheap to burn through two kinds of tools like that (three if you include Utsusemi), and I don't have the MP to blow on buffs. Away I go.
38-40: Xarcabard (ザルカバード), J-7. (First of my POL snapshots.)
This was a poor alternate, not just because if the BST isn’t up it always seems to take me forever to pop, but the tigers were mostly 86-EXP no-chaining decent challenges for an entire level. (Look at me, complaining about a measly 6K TNL.) Impatience had me Tonko-ing a few feet behind the group and nuking whenever the Frost Gigas did his Call Beast thing. These dudes must have a shitload of meat broth stockpiled; explains why you only get like 100 gil from them. And while I’m on the subject of Beastmasters, I’ve always thought Square/Enix could un-gimp the job by allowing them to charm the pets of downed enemies, especially in Dynamis. They’ve so little end-game incentive, than to level something more useful to contribute to an effort to acquire Rare/Ex gear like Skadi Jambeaux. But I digress.
40-44: Temple of Uggalepih (ウガレピ寺院), K-3. Now this is what I’m talking about: nuking, sleeping, Aspir (because these elementals take a few Tier II’s, at the very least) and/or Drain (because my Dark Magic was only 49 when I started here, anyway, so I could use the skillup—what is it with this spell waking the mob most times but once or twice in a while not), repeat. But four straight levels of it, facing the prospect of five more of the same, and I needed a break badly, to collect AF requisities or camp Mysticmaker.
44-50: Pso'Xja (ソ・ジヤ), J-9. I can't stand them anymore. I hate the Diaga II, the Burn, and spells like Regen which take them forever to cast and link the yodas. Waters were the worst because Thunder II wasn't until 46.
50-54: Gustav Tunnel (グスタフの洞門), I-9. Fast-reacting leeches (and finishing the Wizard's set) were a nice change of pace, but the Alchemist tag-teaming the Shepherd sure made it hard to pull. Most deaths thus far, with not a zone behind me but Doom Mages; I mean, how are you supposed to get off an ES+Sleepga when you're being wailed on like that? Ancient Magic is a waste of MP, satisfying as it may be, because you're also deprived the opportunity to skill-up all three categories with nukes, sleep and Drain.
54-58: Pso'Xja (ソ・ジヤ), I-9. Bats can’t be slept but every ten minutes or however long the recast is on Elemental Seal, and they can go through blinks in the time it takes for a single Tier II nuke, so I had my fingers crossed that my pathetic Elvaan INT could one-shot them here. As luck would have it, a brother was already at the camp demonstrating for me, and even though I was two levels lower when I started, I’d manage up to 1143 DMG; if the Ice weather changed on me before hitting, I’d get a resist for half that. (On my last night I'd wait on a 54 Hume, watching him go down no less than five times before he HP'd, his mistakes including: Freezing during Dark, even on Firesday; casting, then, without making sure the gob's back won't be turned; and finally, and most inexplicably, following up with Drain. So much for racial superiority.) I doubt I’ll do it every night, but on my first outing, relieved with this consistent performance and lack of competition, I held out for ~16K non-Emperor Band EXP before tiring of the monotony.
58-61: Newton Movalpolos (ムバルポロス新市街), D-11. Goblins to the north and on the platform below, link enough of them and you’re easily dead before the zone, and the one whose pet I’m trying to Flood tends to stay on the far side of my safety zone. I Tonko until I decide whether to let the nuke hit. At least it’s not too a popular camp that way, between Pso’Xja and Bibiki Bay, and I’m back in cloaks. Sorcerer’s Ring is up a whopping 50% to 1.5mil, so I’d better keep at improving my 3K Rogue’s x 2/5 record with that BCNM.
61-68: Bibiki Bay (ビビキー湾), F-7. Truth is, I'm losing interest and fast. Camps here are almost always all occupied by any job you-name-it rabbits must be fucking wimps, and even with Chain #3 for 585 EXP (maybe more if conserve MP kicked in for once, and I didn't have to chase that gob halfway to Jeuno), I'll be lucky to get a level per week with my waning commitment.
68-68: Al'Taieu (アル・タユ), Ul'hpemde@G-12. The double-damage is nice, but kiting around sharks? Should I be looking up, too, for UFO's? I hate sea.
68-68: Uleguerand Range (ウルガラン山脈), Giant Buffalo@J-10. 4500 HP? That's like what, a full rest between nukes? And the true-sight Brontotaurs are just as bad, worse yet with all the raptors. Forget this, I'm getting MGS4.
68-74: Aydeewa Subterrane (エジワ蘿洞), Qiqirn Enterpriser@H-10. Better. Nice 4-prey course next to zone. EXP must suck without Sanction and a ring, but these rat-rangers go down fairly easily (if you don't mind resting for MP mid-fight because you're a lame-ass Elvaan), and they sure die funny.
…Took over half a year, but finally hit 70 on these twerps (the higher-level Archaeologists, in from the E-10 entrance). 828 EXP with Anniversary Ring has to be a record for me. WHM works better, I think, than RDM because of the auto-Regen, but just for a laugh I'll try subbing PLD for Refresh on one of my 6K-nights. I'm considering going through the motions yet again for SCH, but can't see how it'd help, much less with soloing, without Blink&Stoneskin.
73-73: Uleguerand Range (ウルガラン山脈), King Buffalo@H-9. Finally done with the qiqs …or am I? These fuckers kicked my ass all over the top of Mt. Smokey. They're just too high, conning IT, resist way too often and quickly for me to kite safely. Maybe if my Enfeebling were capped, and I had that Fast Cast gear at 75? In the time it took to take one down (not to mention getting all the way up there), I could've burned through several EM mobs for the same EXP. So where to next? Sky? I hate those debuffs elementals lay on you, and they're gonna be ga-III'ing me. And honestly I'm too old school to go out any further in ToAG. Don't make me sub BST in Boyhada FTW!
73-73: Ru'Aun Gardens (
ル・オンの庭), Earth Elemental@F-9. It very well may be my Enfeebling, because Silence, Gravity, and even Sleep last barely long enough to put Blink back up. Bind won't stick, and my Tier IV's are resisted. Back to Aydeewa, then, and doing Besieged to cap my skills. I did go and check out the Ebony Pudding camp on Mount Zhaylom, seeing as how I'm 500 Assault Points short of a Remnants Permit, how sad is that, to access Alzadaal Undersea Ruins to try the higher-level Poulterers there.
KIN: I've got one line left in my Enfeebling macros that I'm not about to fill
anytime soon so I thought, why not put to good use some of the Conquest Points I've earned thus far? Turns out even with Windurst in second, Ex. items aren't available to purchase, so I sacrificed my outposts and changed nations, only to discover that I'm short, oh, about 20 merits in Boyhada.
74-75: Alzadaal Undersea Ruins (アルザダール海底遺跡群), Qiqirn Poulterer@I-9. Cue that sound (which they say is the copter) you heard when you're free and clear to the top of the building in Crazy Climber, because I'm down to my last month or so of recharging my Emperor Band for this. And what a time to start on my last level—with it, of all things.
