Have not posted in a while, busy getting new LS going

Moving an ls and getting all the members over from Cloudy to Bomb Toss was quit a chore. Trying to keep things moving in the right direction and getting more and more members closer to 50. We should have about 15+ 50's in the next week or 2 which should really open us up to all the content we have so far.

Been working on my goldsmithing and had a few +3 cactuar needles lying around and decided to give it a whirl going for an HQ thousand needle. Starting quality was around 315 for each and I used all the ability tricks in my bag. My goldsmith was/is only 30 so I was mainly just going for success and leaving a few touchups if I could.

Ended getting really lucky on one (the others were all NQ):

Max's Pirate shirt and hat!

Picture dump, nice group shot before some NM's

Team Cloudy

Lightning Crystal/Shard Frenzy

SHARDS
Rank 1: 4 lightning shard + crayfish = 6 lightning shard
Rank 1: 4 Lightning Shards + Malm Kelp = 12 Lightning Shards
Rank 10: 4 Lightning Shards + Brass Leach = 12 Lightning Shards
Rank 1: 4 Lightning Shards + Maiden Carp = 12 Earth shards
Rank 10: 4 Lightning Shards + Black Scorpion = 12 Earth shards
Rank 1: 4 Lightning Shards + Tiger Cod = 12 Wind Shards
Rank 10: 4 Lightning Shards + Striped Goby = 12 Wind Shards
Rank 1: 4 Lightning Shards + Rainbow Trout = 12 Ice Shards
Rank 1: 4 Lightning Shards + Finger Shrimp = 12 Water Shards
Rank 1: 4 Lightning Shards + Merlthor Goby = 12 Water Shards
Rank 1: 4 Lightning Shards + Tree Toad = 12 Water Shards
Rank 1: 4 Lightning Shards + Pipira = 12 Fire Shards
Rank 1: 4 Lightning Shards + Scallop Shell = 12 Fire Shards
Rank 1: 4 Lightning Shards + Ocean Cloud = 12 Fire Shards
Rank 1: 4 Lightning Shards + Vongola Clam = 12 Fire Shards

----------------------------------------------------------------

CRYSTALS
Rank 22: 10 lightning shard + Box Turtle = 2 lightning Crystals
Rank 30: 1 lightning Crystal + Nether Newt = 3 lightning Crystals
Rank 35: 1 lightning Crystal + Indigo Herring = 3 lightning Crystals
Rank 30: 1 lightning Crystal + Bone Crayfish = 3 lightning Crystals
Rank 11: 5 lightning Shards + Tarantula = 1 lightning Crystals
Rank 41: 2 lightning Crystal + Black Sole = 6 lightning Crystals
Rank 30: 1 lightning Crystal + Blindfish = 3 Earth Crystals
Rank 40: 2 lightning Crystal + Southern Pike = 6 Earth Crystals
Rank 22: 10 lightning Shards + River Crab = 2 Earth Crystals
Rank 11: 5 lightning Shards + Helmet Crab = 1 Earth Crystals
Rank 40: 2 lightning Crystal + Northern Pike = 6 Earth Crystals
Rank 11: 10 lightning Shards + Sandfish = 2 Earth Crystals
Rank 40: 2 lightning Crystal + Crimson Crayfish = 6 Wind Crystals
Rank 35: 1 lightning Crystal + Blowfish = 3 Wind Crystals
Rank 21: 10 lightning Shards + Rothyt Oyster = 2 Wind Crystals
Rank 20: 10 lightning Shards + Black Ghost = 2 Wind Crystals
Rank 10: 5 lightning Shards + Dart Frog = 1 Wind Crystals
Rank 10: 10 lightning Shards + Allagan Snail = 1 Wind Crystals
Rank 15: 10 lightning Shards + White Scorpion = 1 Wind Crystals
Rank 30: 1 lightning Crystal + Black Eel = 3 Wind Crystals
Rank 22: 10 lightning Shards + Bianaq Bream = 2 Ice Crystals
Rank 20: 5 lightning Shards + Sea Pickle = 2 Ice Crystals
Rank 30: 1 lightning Crystal + Lamp Marimo = 3 Ice Crystals
Rank 11: 5 lightning Shards + Yugr'am Salmon = 1 Ice Crystal
Rank 30: 1 lightning Crystal + Nautilus = 3 Ice Crystals
Rank 30: 1 lightning Crystal + Hammerhead Shark = 3 Water Crystals
Rank 20: 10 lightning Shards + Dark Bass = 2 Water Crystals
Rank 11: 5 lightning Shards + Sea Cucumber = 1 Water Crystals
Rank 11: 5 lightning Shards + Coral Butterfly = 1 Fire Crystal
Rank 30: 1 lightning Crystal + Ash Tuna = 3 Fire Crystal
Rank 40: 1 lightning Crystal + Haraldr Haddock = 3 Fire Crystals
Rank 30: 1 lightning Crystal + Silver Shark = 3 Fire Crystal
Rank 40: 2 lightning Crystal + Velodyna Carp = 6 Fire Crystal
Rank 11: 5 lightning Shards + Vongola Clam = 1 Fire Crystal
Rank 15: 10 lightning Shards + Miter Shell = 2 Fire Crystal
Rank 11: 5 lightning Shards + Razor Clam = 1 Fire Crystal
Rank 30: 1 lightning Crystal + Monke Onke = 3 Fire Crystal
Rank 25: 1 lightning Crystal + Lava Toad = 1 Fire Crystal
Rank 1: 5 lightning Shards + Ala Mhigan Fighting Fish = 2 Fire Crystal

Credit for this goes to Romper Stomper, Senbonsakura Kageyoshi, and Darken Templar of the Palamecia server!

Gear Sets DOW (20-30)

New series of posts as time permits for me where I list out jobs and gear sets starting with DOW (20-30).

Until they change the way you wear gear many things can be worn before optimal I'll err on the side of sanity and simplicity to get the most out of each set, 1 rule I have is that the piece is made for the job either "All Classes" or specifically listed out.

*All jobs DOW: Waist- Dodoskin field belt - 11def, 9hp, r25

Archer: (20-30)

Body- Tracker's Tunic - 62def, 3str, 4dex, r29 ~Mercinary's Chainmail might be better but is a PITA to make and probably very hard to obtain.

Head- Tracker's Hat - 32def, 2dex, 1int, r29

Hands- Leather Bracers - 26def, r29 ~(leather mitts-mp/less m.def)

Legs- Cotton Trousers - 64def, 1str, 3vit, r28

Feet- Leather Leggings - 28def, 20hp, 20mp, r29

Lancer: (20-30)

Body- Ripped Haubergeon - 87def, 5str, 2dex, r30 ~(bronze haub-cheap, canvas tabard-vit/hp, leather jacket-vit)

Head- Vintage Celata - 47def, 1str, 25hp, r30 ~(bronze chain coif, Skull Eyepatch-41def, 2str, 2dex, r33)

Hands- Leather Mitts - 31def, 22mp, r29 ~(dodoskin armguards-hp)

Legs- Dodoskin Skirt - 60def, 3str, 20hp, r27 ~(Cotton trousers-vit, canvas kecks-eva)

Feet- Leather Leggings - 28def, 20hp, 20mp, r29 ~(bronze sollerets)

Marauder: (20-30)

Body- Ripped Haubergeon - 87def, 5str, 2dex, r30 ~(bronze haub, trackers tunic, dodoskin jerkin)

Head- Vintage Celata - 47def, 1str, 25hp, r30 ~(bronze chain coif, Skull Eyepatch-41def, 2str, 2dex, r33)

Hands- Leather Bracers - 26def, r29 ~(iron mitts-def*r33 so maybe a bit high for low 20's)

Legs- Dodoskin Skirt - 60def, 3str, 20hp, r27 ~(Cotton trousers-vit)

Feet- Bronze Sollerets - 31def, r27

Pugulist: (20-30)

Body- Leather Jacket - 69def, 3vit, 3dex, r25 ~(canvas tabard-str/vit)

Head- Leather Eyepatch - 31def, 1str, 1dex, r23 ~(Skull eyepatch-r33)

Hands- Dodoskin Armguards - 29def, 15hp, r25

Legs- Cotton Trousers - 64def, 1str, 3vit, r28 ~(dodoskin subligar-dex/vit*19point less def)

Feet- Dodoskin Caligae - 23def, 20hp, 20mp, r23 ~(leather caligae-r33)

Gladiator: (20-30)

Body- Ripped Haubergeon - 87def, 5str, 2dex, r30 ~(bronze haub, Sentinel chainmail-pita to make/find)

Head- Vintage Celata - 47def, 1str, 25hp, r30 ~(bronze chain coif)

Hands- Leather Mitts - 31def, 22mp, r29 ~(dodoskin armguards-hp)

Legs- Cotton Trousers - 64def, 1str, 3vit, r28

Feet- Leather Leggings - 28def, 20hp, 20mp, r29 ~(bronze sollerets)

Shield- Bronze Scuttum - 43def, r28 ~(rusting scuttum-r22)

50 armoror + my new x-mass gift

New vintage robe and our leader Warstormer hit 50 tonight ^^

Lots O Grats in the log :D

Critical issues still unfixed

The state of the game at release was unquestionably a disaster, what ever possessed square enix to rush out the game in its completely unfinished state is beyond me. As a die hard FF fan I have played every title in the series start to finish except FF1 and FF-Tactics. I had the highest hopes and joined my current LS/company Cloudy months before the games release. I was and still am a champion white knight of the game on forums around the net. I support the changes in progress and look forward to the many adventures to come. I do think the long term success of this game depends on PS3 release. If they wait too long their chance is over and if they release on PS3 without some critical flaws fixed the game will never reach the solid numbers this game is capable of.

Critical fixes needed:

1. SP system, they better fix the group SP and quick. This might be the single biggest issue with the game in its current state. We need a group party bonus AND a chain bonus for killing T/IT's. It doesn't have to be monster but if you can solo doblyn's and get faster SP then a nice strong party who works hard at their job roles then the system is broken. Yes you can get 15k+ SP/hour doing leve's but ppl dont' like being forced to lvl on a timer schedule.

2. Fatigue/surplus elimination, they better get rid of this by PS3 release. There is no point in slowing progress like this even though it only affects a small number of ppl its only seen as a negative to the game as a whole why push hard core fans away for no reason. I can see keeping it till the PS3 release but not a day after!

3. Auction House creation, They better create an AH just so that people can't say "I want an AH" like it or not a TON of ppl are requiring an AH before they return to play. I personally love retainers but I'm realistic and larger populations is all I care about right now. If creating an AH even if its very restrictive, IE higher taxes (10%?) and 5 slot max? this would go a long way to appeasing the masses. I hope they keep retainers and improve on them but they really need to add the damn AH.

4. More Content, They better create content for all level's the number of quests is absolutely unacceptable for any game/MMO/console. Get quests into the game ASAP in any form, use existing NPC's w/e it takes to get some in. PS: Leve's are NOT an acceptable substitute for quests. Examples: Why not make the new runestones from leve's a part of a quest. You have to take the new runestones to a special place for purification where you bring some normal piece of armor already existing and the stone which unlocks some room in Ul' Dah to a secret synthesis chamber. An NPC then crafts your item whala! you got a nice little quest tied into the new NM's.

My hopes and dreams:

1. Fix gear penalties, I hope they get rid of this lvl 1 running around in lvl 50 gear crap. I don't mind that ppl can equip things higher then optimal lvl but using them in a fighting/synthing context is a bad idea. You should be severely punished for wearing gear higher then your current rank, some quick ways I can think of: remove any stat bonus at all no craftsmanship/control/STR/VIT/HP/MP nothing just the base def/evasion etc listed. another idea would be adding a movement penalty maybe -15% slower movement. -> Too many ppl buy the top lvl gear and just wear it 1-50 since the penalty is not high enough.

2. Further Job Definition, This is really my greatest desier. I want that feeling of "PRIDE" to be a job and reach its milestones. Being an RDM in FFXI and having the pimp hat was special. There is nothing like that in FFXIV. Bring back artifact job quests and make more abilities job specific.

3. Battle Regimen Overhaul, This system is a joke just bring back the basic skillchains and magic bursts I have over 200 rank's in various jobs DOM/DOW/DOH and have still never completed a battle regimen to date. That is SAD!!!! Working out a skillchain was a staple in FFXI play and forced some basic strategy and communication.

Closing Thoughts:

I think I have enough here too keep SE busy for a while, if this all gets taken care of within 6 months time MAX and PS3 releases without a hitch with the changes then FFXIV will take off with flying colors. Follow it up with a big update in the Fall of 2011 introducing a pet class and a samurai class and I think it would solidify FFXIV in the ranks of elite MMO status and start winning the right awards like best new MMO rather then biggest game flops of 2010.

I'm staying positive and enjoying the game now, focusing on what I like and hoping for a brighter future.

New Recipes Update Dec. 15th

Canvas Coatee:

1-Cotton cloth

2-Canvas cloth (dye'd)

1-Cotton

thread

1-Silver Buckle

=>Makes Canvas Coatee body

1-Cotton

thread

2-Canvas cloth (dye'd)

=>Makes Canvas Sleeves

1-Coatee Body

1-Canvas sleeves

1-Cotton cloth

1-Cotton

thread

=>Makes Canvas Coatee

Velvet Coatee:

1-Canvas cloth

2-Velvet cloth (dye'd)

1-Linen thread

1-Silver Buckle

=>Makes Velvet Coatee body

1-

Cotton thread

2-Velvet cloth (dye'd)

=>Makes Velvet Sleeves

1-Velvet Coatee Body

1-Velvet sleeves

1-

Linen thread

1-

Canvas Cloth

=>Makes

Velvet Coatee

Chef hat:

+Craftsmanship

2-Velvet (any color)

1-Linen thread??

Wedge Cap Canvas: +Craftsmanship

1-Canvas cloth (dye'd)

1-Cotton cloth

1-Cotton thread

Wedge Cap Velvet: +Craftsmanship

1-Velvet cloth (dye'd)

1-Canvas cloth

1-Linen thread

Canvas Half Apron: +Craftsmanship

2-Canvas cloth (white)

1-Cotton thread

1-Silver buckle

Canvas Half Apron Black: +Crafstmanship

2-Velvet cloth (black)

1-Linen thread

1-Silver buckle

Velvet Shortgloves: +Craftsmanship

1-Velvet cloth (dye'd)

1-Linen thread

Chef Apron: +Craftsmanship/+Control

1-Velvet tunic front (dye'd)

1-Velvet tunic back (dye'd)

1-Canvas cloth

1-Dew Thread

New Linen Dye Moss drops from Molting Mitelings /Deremites

Ding 50 Physical :)

So I just had to post up the 50 ding, also got a few new jobs in the pipe working on goldsmithing and I think I'll take this till it 35 or so grinding it now at 19, long way to go.

Weekly picture dump lots of cool gear n people!

Some pictures from the past week, a lot of new synths and many new friends including Baxter with his new canvas gown blue, and then making me some tasty treats later on. LOVE the tuna kabobs for crafting. Blazedmage a newcommer to the ls and game, Fred doing me some leather synths and breaking alot of those damn wolf furr's. Maybe he should not synth in full red gear..., Thor with his slick wand of tides, splice doing some alc in my newly made velvet gown (Grats on 40!!! ~ Cluster TIME), Luna rockin some nice new black velvet kecks "Verry Yuffie Style" /Luna, Warstormer doing me up a vintage scale mail +1!!! (maybe server first), and some random friends/loyal customers with Velvet acton plain (YG has this synth wrong, took me a very long time to get it right), and more black velvet customers.

Leve's that pawn the SP

Some really kick ass leve's that you could force fail to redo each reset for some great fast SP:

R20
Escape From Cell B17 (Limsa)
The Devilet Inside (Uldah)
Leaders of the Pack (Grid)
These 3 are great even into the 30s if you set them to 5 stars. I'm sure it's very well known, but if you kill the Wisps/Fireflies more will spawn to a point. In the Uldah one for example, there's a total of 6 assassins, 6 wisps, and 2 imps. 3k-4k SP is an easy gain from this on proper star rating and takes about 10-15min. to complete.

R30
Necrologos: Levinshower (Nophica)
Necrologos: The Moon's Mistress (Mun-tay)
Necrologos: Thousand Fold Agony (Humblehearth)
These 3 are just more low drop rate kill fests.

Another of my blue cotton doublets on Thor another of our many Armorers and Pro tank Gladiator.

Crafting in an overcrowded market ~ Some HQ thoughts

Well since hitting R38 weaving I've been getting less and less sp from the velvet cloth. I still skill on it but not grind style anymore. I would like to start linen but not about to buy flax in bulk just yet when there is nothing to make with the linen cloth. So I pretty much am just crafting to keep the bazaar full for now. I try to sell items with good sp that sell quick enough to empty my bazaar each night. Been doing well with velvet tights/half gloves/vests. Black is always the biggest seller. Dealing with a solid 100+ people all making the same velvet gear has certainly slowed sales. Some resort to lowering prices till there is no profit made or its just not worth the time. Right now for me its ok since I'm SP'ing the synths I don't mind selling with little profit but I worry for the future. When the game get a good influx of population from Dec. update and then a major flood of new faces come PS3 it always takes time for the market to adjust. And all those early sales are lost profits thanks to undercutting in a slower market. Hope the trend halts and people don't decide to start selling for a total loss.

One thing that came up in my discussions when deciding what gear to continue to make was the thoughts on HQ and what gear helps what type of synth your doing. What my current theory is on the subject of Craftsmanship, M.Craftsmanship, and Control has evolved from launch. At first I was under the impression that Control was like the super stat helping all synths keep from going unstable. I have since changed my position on this. Now I believe maxing control to allow more BOLD and more TOUCHUPS before you see sparking essentially giving you more chances to HQ. Craft and M.Craft seem to help increase chances of successful actions during synthesis.

Bottom Line:

Control - Max for better chance to avoid sparking only (better chances to HQ)

M.Craft/Craft - Max for a difficult synth or just to help increase chances at successful actions

Hope we get a detailed loadstone to put all this guessing to rest but this is my current stance. Let me know what you think.

First Post ~ Some pictures of our members

Its me, I'm waiting the boat to Limsa Lominsa wearing my newly aquired Iron Lance +1. Thanks to Elso Clavel. Also below is Kaewynn our resident cook sporting her new pink canvas gown along with a matching canvas beret.

Warstormer our fearless captain. Wearing some dreadfully overdue new threads.