Drain Samba Follies

I

This goblin picked the wrong taru to ambush.

was only online for a short time yesterday, but it was enough to burn off a ring charge and get to 19 on Dancer. I was back at it today, fighting my way through West Sarutabaruta [S] to reach 20. I could've done it in the Maze of Shakrami for more xp per kill, but shredding through all the Easy Prey mobs meant I could surf the Internet and not pay attention to the battles.

I decided to make the switch from Hand-to-Hand weapons and go with daggers. I changed over to DNC/NIN and used my Conquest points to purchase two Mercenary's Knives. I outposted to Buburimu and was immediately attacked by a goblin. I was getting dagger skillups like crazy -- my Thief stopped at Lv. 15 -- and traveled to Shakrami to cap my dagger skill.

I didn't quite reach that goal, but I got a solid xp buffer from running around in there. The last few levels should be easy enough to get when Neyla and I pair up. I'll have to watch the Auction House to pick up a pair of Federation Knives; I can probably use those from 25 to 37 before selling them back.

I

Robber Crabs can't keep up with Drain Samba.

returned to Windurst and changed over to Monk so I could play with the subjob and the new abilities I'd learned when I hit 20. I went to Boyahda Tree and started fighting the Robber Crabs near the entrance. They had no hope of killing me. I could pound away at them and use Curing Waltz -- now boosted by my Monk's higher VIT from 73 to 90 -- to patch myself up as needed on top of Chakra.

The new flourish worked wonders for pulling, since it works at a distance like Provoke. I fought a dozen or so crabs, giggling the entire time, before leaving to farm my Florid Stone with Neyla. I definitely can't wait to have Dancer at 37 for better survival in Campaigns.

We got our stones and did a few Campaign battles. I was very close to having a third merit, so I finished it off and returned to the moghouse to unlock Invigorate. It's a very short but potent Regen added to Chakra; two more upgrades and it'll last about 90 seconds. I imagine it'll come in very handy.

In other news, Veresko has announced his official retirement from the game. He hasn't been online for nearly a month, so it's hardly surprising. He'll be around until the end of the month, so hopefully we can all get together and do something as a linkshell to see him off good and proper.

Stayin' Alive

Waking

Watch me sparkle, Mr. Rarab!

up at 4 a.m. kinda blows, but I put it to use by logging on and fighting rarabs and mandragoras in West Sarutabaruta [S] this morning until I hit Lv. 16 on Dancer. There's something disquieting about fighting lowbie creatures like that and then seeing a goblin that checks as Easy Prey to a Lv. 75 character.

When I returned in the afternoon, I raided my mules for more gear and ran back out for awhile. I'd set my goal at reaching 18, and I got bored and decided to check out the Maze of Shakrami. The worms were all Toughs when I got there, with mostly Decent and Even goblins in the first large room.

The Maze Maker worms liked to give me Attack Down and Accuracy Down, making them harder to kill than their North Gustaberg [S] counterparts. It didn't put me at any greater risk of death -- fat chance of that, since I could heal myself so readily -- but it made some of the fights drag on longer than I'd like. I eventually hit 18, though.

As I was preparing to log out for the evening, Neyla sent me a /tell that he was going to try out Dancer. He's going to catch up to me so we can duo our way to 37. The extra firepower will be nice. My goal for the week was to reach 20 so I could learn the new moves, so I'll probably wait for him there.

Worm Medicine

I woke up early this morning with some time on my hands before work, so I logged on instead of trying to go back to sleep. I spent about twenty minutes in North Gustaberg [S] and managed to get myself killed twice, erasing any progress I'd made by killing the worms.

When

I can't complain about the xp in the past.

I logged on again this afternoon, I used my brain as well as my fists and dance moves. I played conservatively, resting for a few ticks between fights as needed to reduce my risks. It worked spectacularly, and I was able to grind my way from 12 to 15 with few problems. The big jump came at 14, when I could equip my Battle Gloves, earrings and rings to boost my evasion.

I also discovered the true joys of pixies, since there was one floating around near my camp. I was able to track her down a few times and get patched up between battles.

At Lv. 15 I learned Curing Waltz. The job is totally insane now. I moved from punching worms to taking on saplings, and they couldn't kill me because I could be halfway dead and one Waltz would put me back up to full, and I could spam that like crazy.

I got myself a little buffer and retired to catch some Three-Eyed Fish for guild points -- I'm only 20k from having my fishing guild sign -- and then traveled to West Sarutabaruta [S] to check the enemies there. The mandies are all Easy and the Rarabs are Even Match, so I'll probably do some leveling there tomorrow.

Dusting Off My Dance Shoes

I

The yagudo is dazzled by my dance moves.

passed my Campaign evaluation yesterday, earning a Bronze Star and unlocking the sale of 45-note items from the battlefield NPCs. My goal was to do enough fights to get Dragoon to 60 so I could equip the last piece of AF, but it was a nightmare. I did four or five battles and spent most of them dead or weakened, earning very little xp for my troubles.

I switched over to Monk, figuring I could polish off that third merit. I did a fight in Meriphataud Mountains, fighting and tanking a yagudo while a Red Mage and White Mage went all melee-crazy on the bird without throwing any cures my way. I was in the red when I brought it down, and they still didn't cap me off. It would've been hilarious if I'd died and the bird beat them into the ground.

Anyway, that particular sour experience prompted me to take up Dancer again. I've been doing a little research, and MNK/DNC is definitely the way to go for the Campaigns. The Drain Sambas and cure waltzes should be more than enough to keep my tarutaru butt alive while I pound away at beastmen. Some of the message boards I've checked have really sold me on the idea.

I'd gotten frustrated and stopped at Lv. 8 the last time. I think I'd set my sights too high and ate too many deaths, so I adjusted my attitude a little. I ran to West Sarutabaruta and started shredding my way through every Easy and Decent mob I saw.

My

I killed a lot of Giant Bees near the outpost.

only death was in that first hour, when an encounter with a Goblin Digger went sour. Otherwise, it was an easy time. I rank laps around Starfall Hillock, killing everything that moved and getting sweet revenge on that Goblin Digger.

I eventually moved out to Tahrongi Canyon and fought the mandies, rarabs and saplings near the Luck Rune. They were all Easy and Decent, although some of the mandies popped Even. I'd set my goal at 10 but ended up getting to 12 by the time I stopped. It's a lot easier to level the job when you have real motivation for it.

One of the Dancer guides I saw suggested going from 12 to 15 in North Gustaberg [S]. I traveled out there to check it out, and it's going to be awesome. There are a bunch of Tunnel Worms near town, most of them Decent and Even. I fought one of the Even worms before I logged out, and it died faster than most of the mobs in Sarutabaruta. With the xp bonus from Allied Sigil, coupled with Regen and increased meal duration, I'm going to have a very easy time of it.

In other news, Neyla was doing Campaigns all day and got his Paladin to 59.