05 August, 2006

The Circle of Life

I was making my usual rounds through the various blogs when I came across Kirsteena's entry, lamentably entitled "Blm woes".

To summarize, the advent of ToAU and the very nature of the mobs now mean that TP spam parties are all the rage now. Practically everything from the mid-50s are taken apart by some combination of a BRD, a RDM, a WHM and three melees, generally /NIN. The unfortunate side effect of this is that I'm hearing cries from other players, like Kirsteena and Gorokai, trying to level up this once sought-after powerhouse job: BLM.

To put it succintly,
Skillchains have died. Spamming weapon skills is all the rage. I fear when we get the next batch of players, who have only really known spam parties, through to endgame. Their precious rampage is going to do squat on Gods, and we are going to have players with little skill coming through.


Sound familiar?

It wasn't too long ago that BLM parties were all the rage, and many a melee-party looking for a BLM to round off their party, was left behind in the dust as BLMs formed groups with one another for round after round after round of good 'ol manaburning (something which I was rather guilty of).

Interestingly enough, these very same complaints were voiced throughout the community. Disgruntled parties unable to get that elusive BLM so they can set off. People worrying about noob BLMs as their precious Freeze does squat versus Gods, or their Sleep II gets resisted time and time again. Or, even worse, BLMs who couldn't land a Magic Burst to save their life.

To a certain extent, all this did happen. Our justification for manaburning was that we were familiar enough with party dynamics that we could easily hold our own in a regular setup, which I still believe now. However, the same could not be said for everybody, and therein lies the faults of "BLM PT ONLY."

I know BLMs who manaburned their way to 75. I know some of them who couldn't perform any of the aforementioned basic functions of a BLM. I've heard the horror stories of a BLM opening a fight with Flare with a NIN tank, and those who still equip their Ice Staff on Wind nukes (and gets their MBs resisted too, although I suppose at the time, I would've been surprised at just the MB part alone.)

On the flip side, I've seen the search comments, comprised of "{Black Mage}{Party} Only," or something resembling those lines.

Interestingly enough, we're seeing the same things here, except with the roles reversed. "{Burn}{Party}Only" litters the search comments of many an lfg BRD75, and I remember coming across more "If you have DRG DRK PLD BLM SMN (etc.) in your party, don't invite me" type of comments than I really cared to count.

And then, of course, just like those who worried about the state of endgame Black-magery, there are those today that worry for the state of endgame melee. The cycle continues...

4 comments:

Boa Valenwood said...

I never liked BLM PTs because most people in it were completely clueless about normal party dynamics. And now you address the issue of the melee doing the same thing.

I dunno what SE is going to do about this, but rest assured, there will only be more whining and bitching from SOME job class about how they got "nerfed."

It's going to be impossible to go back to the way parties used to be set up. That's kind of the bottom line.

Oshikorosu said...

It's so strange how people in FFXI and the real world tend to do what they once dispised many moons ago, this being a perfect example.

I always said I hated BLM burn parties because making a stable party was a complex task with 0 BLM to get good bursts from, now I seen many other meele saying this, and they have sense become BURN ONRY types. I personally take any party I can get or make, if there a drg and I need a meele hell ya hes gonna get that spot, if there is a brd seeking of course I'll pick him over a rdm. If I can end up making a normal oldschool party sure if they are good at what they do I'll go.

That's another problem people are so lost as to normal party dynamics nowdays...so so lost.

Paul Bauman said...

Not to mention that TP-burn parties are perhaps one of the most boring activities this side of fishing.

Ultrabum said...

Try being a 75RDM or 75BRD... I get inudated with at least 2-3 xp party invites per hour if I don't go /anon. More on BRD than RDM.

99% of the time it's TP burns. Suprisingly 2 weeks ago I got a blind invite totally expecting it to be a TP burn in Mire. They were japanese but they were the "fun" kind of japanese that make faces in all their macros instead of the "close-minded" japanese that want nothing to do with anyone who speaks English. I got there and it was WHM, NIN, DRG, SMN, WAR, and myself (75BRD). I was totally shocked to see a normal party setup in Mire, and the party was one of the most fun I've had in ages! I was doing more than just the same old TP burn crap.

A friend of mine was in a MNK, MNK, WAR, NIN, RDM, BRD party for 9 hours last week... I asked him how he can sit there and just do the same crap for 9 hours. He didn't have an answer, and that depressed even himself.