newb help

[EphToast]

Well, I'm brand new not only to FFXI but MMOs at all, this is my first one. I've been playing for a few days now and I have to say I am overwhelmed with how much information there is to absorb. I started as a Mithra thief on Shiva and I'm having fun but I'm also broke as hell and sort of confused about how to use the interface and all. I've decided to solo for as long as possible to keep myself from screwing up a party, not that I probably could find one anyway since it seems like I am the only person on the server below level 20 without a subjob! Anyway, I am just looking for any advice you have for someone completely new to this game. I've tried reading as much as possible on the FFXI wiki but it's a lot to absorb. Right now I am basically farming stuff around Windhurst, doing low-level quests, selling items and stacks of crystals, and trying to fish a bit, but I'm at level 11 now and I can't afford any decent armor. Obviously I have no crafting skills to fall back on to help me make money. Is there anything else you can recommend?

[tanls]

Basically, you're doing it right. Keep doing what you are doing. What nation are you in? If you are in Windy, I'd suggest going after bees and crawlers. Bee hive chips and silk thread will make you much more gil than anything else. If you are in Bastok, I'd do bees and saplings for the chips and grain seeds. If you are in Sandy, you can do the funguars for shrooms or bats for the wings. There is a repeatable quest in sandy where you can trade wings for gil. Otherwise, buy as much gear as you can from NPCs. It will be cheaper than the AH for the most part. Also, sell your gear on the AH, once again you will get more from there than from NPCs for the most part. Gil will be a constant concern for you. It is for me too.

Sub Jobs are available once you get to level 18 and finish the quest to unlock it. You can start partying at level 10. Once you start partying, you'll get the opportunity to join a Linkshell. An LS is a community of players and it will become your main source of information and help.

GL in the game.

* After re-reading your post, I saw that you were in Windy. Doh! You can disregard the stuffs about Basty and Sandy. :D

[EphToast]

All right, well here's a weird problem. When I go out farming in E./W. Sarutabaruta, after a while I start losing items from my inventory for no apparent reason. I see a message that says "you do not meet the requirements for obtaining (whatever). (whatever) lost." And then I lose a crystal, or more annoyingly, a cornette or a silk thread or a bee chip. I looked it up and it seems this message is only supposed to appear after a battle when you're in a party and everyone's inventory is full, but I'm alone, and it just happens while I am running around the field, not after a battle. What is going on??

[Trish]

Sounds like it's exactly what you said; your inventory is full. You will also get that message if you have an exclusive item in your inventory and you try to pick up another.

[EphToast]

But my inventory is not full, and it happens to items I have already obtained that have been happily sitting in my inventory for an hour. Suddenly I get that message and then I start randomly losing items. I can lose 5-6 items in a few minutes just trying to run back to town to get it to stop. :(

[Trish]

When your inventory is full, the items go to the treasure pool. If you don't make room in your inventory within the zone, those items are lost. I don't know how on PS2, but make sure you are auto-sorting, and if you can't figure out how, manually auto-sort occasionally so your crystals and other items stack and you save space.

[Bumbledogswirls]

Hersey! Yourr living my life! For money, do the crawler quest from the lady by the dhalmels in windurst woods. Sell crystals! Crystals are worthless in caitsith though!=[

[Trish]

Crystals aren't worthless on Caitsith, or anywhere. Then again, maybe in Windurst that's true-ish, because my hubby used to sell all his crystals from a Windy mule til I told him how much more I was getting in Sandy for them.

[Bumbledogswirls]

it started out as 2000 a pop. Now its gone down to 250-300 gil. Its almost worth more to sell them to shops ^^Cya around tho!

[Trish]

2000 a pop... for a stack? The only thing that'll give you that much money consistantly is dark crystals. well, besides light crystals, but you're too small to be getting those.. Otherwise, standard is about 1k a stack, with fire being considerably lower.

[Onewing]

Fire crystals are actually pretty hot commodity in Bastok on my server, which would make sense considering the professions in that area and lack of creatures that give the drop near by. Of course, this is based off the last time I played, back in July or so...

[tanls]

Crystal prices fluctuate just like everything else does according to availabilty. I've seen water crystals in Jeuno go from 2k a stack to 500 gil a stack in 1 day. Availability was less than 10 stack for sale to over 100 stacks. So just like with everything else, supply and demand are factors in pricing. I've seen fire crystal stacks do the same thing and light and dark crystals went from around 4k to under 1k.

[Trish]

Fire crystals are actually pretty hot commodity in Bastok on my server, which would make sense considering the professions in that area and lack of creatures that give the drop near by. Of course, this is based off the last time I played, back in July or so...What? What do your turtle-back monsters drop if not fire? And those lizards outside Bastok.. don't they drop fire too?

[Onewing]

Do the Quads drop fire? Can't remember. It's been over a year since they gave me anything around the area (since I haven't tried to upgrade a different job). All I could remember were the lizzards giving me fire crystals.

[Bumbledogswirls]

Once I hit level 17 I was able to Murder Dhalmels by myself a lot without healing. I get tons of meats, crystals, and Hides/Femurs. It's awesome. I get 200/hide/femur and 500 per crystal stack. And I get a bunch off of the stacks of meats. ^^ it's fun...

[EphToast]

Aha, you're right, it was the treasure pool thing. Thanks for the help! Crystals are pretty poor money makers for me but at least they sell quickly. Earth (which I have most of) are only like 200-300 a stack. I save the fire and wind crystals to learn cooking and sell the rest. So far I'm having good success excavating giant femurs to sell, but I'm definitely not strong enough to kill the dhalmels for them yet. Plus I kind of feel bad about killing the "cute" monsters. :blushing: I got better at fishing and moat carps are selling well for me now. Hurray for fishing!

[swiftoni]

hey all new to Caitsith hope to see if it's a good server