On the xp front, I have hit Level 68 after 4-5 BLM parties, and one (or two!) regular parties. The difference is staggering, seriously. Each time I'd join a regular party, I'd come back with 3-4k, depending on how long I partied for. Some people only do 2k/hr, which makes me want to switch to Apple Pies, if even that. Actually, I've since taken to skilling up in regular parties, which is probably a bad thing, but oh well. Each time I've gone on a BLM PT run, I've come back with about 12k xp overall. When you consider the fact that for some reason, I have an incredible knack for getting into accidents, dying at least once or twice a party, that's a LOT of xp. Not to mention that BLM PTs are (nearly) foolproof, and are relaxing to boot. Granted, the Freeze animation gets old after a while though...once more level to Firaga III parties in King Ranparre's Tomb. :D
I'm not sure what to think about all this partying stuff anymore. I don't even know if beating the system and leveling (for most intents and purposes) in BLM PT "onry" is a good thing. Being foolproof has its disadvantages- namely hate management. There's been recent critique on the good of finding five BLMs and a BRD, and it seems that BLMs who party too much in BLM parties have lost what sense of hate management they had. In addition to that, switching from AF to a Black Cloak (and losing the -7 Enmity in the progress), and it's not hard to see why some people don't like the idea of BLMs getting used to BLM parties.
If there's any good though, BLM parties generate some very nice community, partially because you need so many of us to even get started. I know pretty much all of the NA BLMs in my level range, and some JP BLMs too. We've created a linkshell, BlackMageNation (politically incorrect, since Bards are ever-welcome ^^) and have begun trying to find members. It's not my linkshell, and originally, I just wanted a linkshell to help organise times for future BLM partying, although the creator, Cannon, seems to have some other plans. Right now though, the shell is still in the stage of "people have the pearl, just don't log in very often." We'll see how this goes.
Funnily enough, it seems that word's starting to get out that I make BLM parties quite often. Last night, I even had a waiting list-of-sorts of /tells from Black Mages who wanted to party with me! I certainly had a bit of a chuckle about that, although I still have a bit of a Bard shortage to contend with.
Also picked up my Black Cloak today- the price tag of 180k wasn't fantastic, but hey, it was something I've been looking forward to. I was curious as to how much losing AF would change things, so I joined a party for a short bit. I personally haven't noticed much of a difference though, although it may be that I've been exercising quite a bit of restraint when it comes to my nuking. That, and with the third level skillchains, an Aeroga III Magic Burst is usually enough to kill the mob after the melee have smacked it around a bit to get TP. Overall, I haven't been able to make up my mind about the Black Cloak. It's obviously a godsend in BLM parties, with the Elemental Magic bonus (less resists) and Auto-Refresh, but in regular parties? Aesthetically, I don't even get to wear my hat! I _LIKE_ my Wizard's Pesatos! >_< (Then again, it's been a very long time since I last wore Tunic-type gear...)
Darn gold band-thingymajiggy on the top makes me look like a blonde. Red hair, I say! Red! >_<
In other news, I almost ended up (accidentally) fighting Maat for Genkai 5. I was bored, and decided to trade in my Black Mage's testimony to Maat just to see what would happen. I knew you had to personally trade the testimony again to the Burning Circle in order to start the fight, so I wasn't too worried about what would happen. The following ensued:
Maat: That wasn’t so hard now, was it?
Maat: I bet you’re wondering why I keep having you travel around the globe, collecting all these rare and obscure items for me. Heh heh heh. I know what you’re thinking. You’re sick and tired of playing fetch for old Maat. You want a chance to show me what you’re really made of.
(Me: Yeah...)
Maat: Well, now that you mention it, I think I’d be delighted to test your might with my own hands.
(Me: {All right!} ^^)
Maat: I may look old, but I still have a lot of spunk in me. I can take anything and everything you’ve got. What do you say? You’ll get your chance to get back at me for all the trouble I’ve put you through, and I’ll get some good exercise.
(Me: You’re on!)
Maat: Heh heh heh! That’s the spirit! Now take that black mage’s testimony to the burning circle and throw it in. I’ll be waiting for you inside.
-Maat then teleports me to Horlais' Peak-
Me: !!!!!!
Me: oei!
Me: You’re not supposed to teleport me to the BC! OEEEIII!!!!
Me: I’m not ready yet!!!
Me: Waaiiiitttt!!!
Me: Noooooooooo...............
/em leaves fingernail marks across the Horlais' Peak floor...
Well, okay, so maybe not the last part- I ended up chickening out and Warped back to Jeuno instead of fighting him then. In the spirit of the test, I think I'll wait to hit 70 first. ^^ I seriously was not expecting him to teleport me to the burning circle, although I guess if you're level 65+, you can get to any of the basic Burning Circles with no problems, and this was just to save you the trouble. >_<
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