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In this update, I just changed some words around. Nothing too special.
-B.Rockius
------------
Immediately jumping on the chance(and because I said I would so long ago), here is my version of a Ballista guide. I'll retouch this post up more later. For now, just trying to get it out there as a placeholder. First, lemme talk a wee bit about myself:
The name is Rock. I'm a Warrior 75 on the Diabolos server. I'm a very competitive guy so I was overjoyed when I heard that FFXI was gonna implement a PvP style system. I've been doing this rock solid since day one. I usually kept my tactics to myself because no matter how obvious they are, unless you flat out tell someone, they never catch on. But I'm gonna reveal them in this guide. Hopefully this guide will help you out in Conflict and in turn, help you appreciate how awesome competition is.
============ TABLE OF CONTENTS(Simply Ctrl F and enter the title to jump to it)
1) How to Get your Ballista License
2) Basic Ballista Strategies
3) Specific Job Strategies for Both Victory and Defeat
4) The Areas of Combat
5) Useful Items to Help you in Ballista
6) In Closing..
---
#) Brenner
============
== How to Get your Ballista License ==
It still astonishes me that some people never got their license. It's a quest that is both interesting and rewarding. And if your Rank 5, it's that much more easier. If your Rank 3 or better, listen carefully. If your not, go kill the Rank 3 dragon ffs! Ok, here is what you do:
- First and foremost, go talk to your country's Ballista rep. In Bastok is it a Galka named Invincible Shield. He is in the Metalworks on the top floor in front of Cid's lab. In Windurst it's a Mithra named Mhabi Molkot in the Heaven's Tower. She's in the first room you enter to the left. In San d'Oria it's Excenmille in the grass field at the West Ronfaure zone in Northern. Talking to them will trigger a CS. After watching this CS, you will be directed to the other nations(barring Jueno). Go to the other nation and talk to the rep. Then talk to the leader. Then the rep again. Repeat until you went to the other two nations. Then return and talk to your rep. Then your leader. Then the rep again.
Congrats! You now have your license!
Talk to Pursuviants in the 4 nations in order to find out when and where the next match will be! Also, if you have a Ballista Instaport*, you can teleport to a match instantly!
* You receive Instaports by finishing atleast one full match and talking to the Herald at the end of the fight.
== The Rules of Ballista ==
Ballista is a military exercise used by San d'Oria back in the day to enhance their troops. This is more than just blindly beating up the other guy. There are rules and boundaries you must know if you want to take the title as Ballistar.
- The goal of Ballista is to have the highest score by the end of one Vana'diel day. The way you score is by throwing small rocks called Petra into a Rook. Easier said than done, trust me.
- The way you get Petras is by using a special Ballista only feature called /quarry. /quarry allows you dig up items buried in the field. This is by far one of the most important things you can do in Ballista. In addition to Petras, /quarry allows you to dig up:
--- Daedalus Wings. These items give you 100% TP as soon as it is used. Until I.Wings, these do not leave you under the medicined status.
--- Revitalizers. These beauties allow you to recharge any JA timer you have. That includes but is not limited to, YOUR 2HR move. Back to back Hundred Fists, Mighty Strikes, Spirit Surge, what have you. Bring tha drama.
--- Incenses. Carnal, Spiritual and Celestial. The first allows complete and total physical immunity. The second allows magic immunity, and the last allows ranged immunity. Save these things as they WILL save you life.
--- Smelling Salts. They wake up your pets supposedly. I don't have first hand experience with it so I'm going off of hearsay.
I'll go back to items at a later time in the guide. For now, we're discussing the rules. So now that you have a Petra, you need to find a Rook to score. However, that is not all there is to be known. Simply having a Petra and finding a Rook isn't enough. You see, the only way you can score is by receiving a Gate Breech status. And the way you receive Gate Breech is by defeating a member on the opposite team(which includes but is not limited to: BST pets, DRG wyverns and avatars). This is where the PvP part comes in.
While carrying a Petra, be weary. There is two more Ballista only commands. One of which is /sprint. /sprint allows you to do a mini flee for a short period of time. When you are carrying a Petra, you are NOT able to use this command. /sprint is replaced by /scout when you have a Petra. /scout allows you to find the position of the nearest Rook(sometimes there is more than one). So you defeat an opponent and you now have Gate Breech status. You now /scout the nearest Rook and throw the Petra in the Rook.
Good job! You just scored your team some points!
* Gate breech status is given to the player who defeated the other member of the team and his team mates nearby. It DOES NOT extend to alliance members.
== Basic Ballista Strategies ==
So now you have the basic concept of Ballista. However your still going in blind. Don't worry, nothing beats first hand experience. However, I'll give you a few strats to dry up some of that wetness behind your ears. Also, I am a melee, so this is more in specific to melees, but mages can use the general ideas of this and apply it to their strat.
- DO NOT rush nonstop! This is where a ton of novice Ballista players fail. One thing you must realize is Ballista is a team fight. You cannot and will not do it all on your own. Stick with your team. Want me to tell you what happens when you rush the other team without thinking? You get Diaga'd(to remove Utsusemi), Bound and or Gravity'd, and now you have either a tier III or IV nuke casted on you with melees beating on you. You are now dead and the other team has a Gate Breech. Good job.
Some people do rush, but they do it smartly. Want me to tell you how to rush with strat? First off, look for someone who is unprotected. Mainly a job without Utsusemi or blink. Run in, hit them with /sprint and run out as fast as you can. You now have a small amount of TP unchecked*.
* I do not suggest doing this if you don't have Utsusemi. All it takes is one Stun and your screwed completely. Also it annoys alot of people. An alternative to this is to use Ranged Attacks. It's a low down tactic, but effective.
- Save your TP. Do not just blindly spam it when you get 100%. Reason being is this, you get Gate breech when you get the final kill. If you save TP for when your positive you can get the final blow, you'll get yourself and your team a ton of gate breeches.
- Alliances are 90% of the time, bad. This is why: In Ballista, a -ga spell will hit the ENTIRE alliance. But at the same time, a Protectra or Bard song will also hit the entire alliance. But. All it takes is one person to get hit with Thundaga III for everyone else to get hit. This is why it's best to have seperate parties. Some also say it is good to have an alliance. Mainly because it lightens the damage down with a -ga spell. However for NINs and /NINs, this is bad. Low damage is low damage buts your shadows are down.
- Ballista Shovel is my personal preference. If you talk to a Pursuviant, you have the option of getting a Ballista shovel. This allows you to choose if you want the first Petra you pick up or not. Wanna know why this is so good? Because if you /quarry and pick up a Petra, you lose access to /sprint. And if someone fires a 2hr, rushes you in force, or something else hits the fan, you want to escape. This allows you to save Petras for when you need it(like when you get a GB), but at the same time, continue to dig up those useful items.
== Specific Job Strategies for Both Victory and Defeat ==
Warrior
The jack of all trades. The original tank. As much as it hurts my heart to say this, WAR/NIN is pretty much the only sub you'll be using in Ballista. With it you get speed, power and a massive closer. Like any job, balance out your ATK and DEF. Warrior is a dangerous class in Ballista because the speed can take down shadows quick. The power makes the hits hurt. And the closer(Rampage) has potential to one shot. Well, mages atleast. And Mistral Axe is a unorthodox Ranged Attack, so you can be hit while your running. Also Provoke stops all
PRO: Speed, power and a strong closer. Also Provoke lands most of the time as WAR main.
CON: EVA is nearly nonexistent, thus making it a common target for TP
Monk
MNK is formidable. Mainly because of their traits. They have high HP, Counter to revert your attack back to you, Guard to reduce damage, nice evasion, etc. MNK seems like it was made for PvP. Also, they hit pretty hard. Mainly because H2H is their A+ weapon. A merited MNK will hit you pretty hard. Also, Asuran Fists is a multi-hit skill. Shadows wont save you. When fighting a MNK, try to hit them from behind. If you fight in their face, you're giving them an advantage. Hundred Fists is an insane 2hr, I suggest kiting or getting away when it is activated.
PRO: Speed, power, strong closer, a ton of HP, a host of survival techniques and the ability to sub almost anything.
CON: Hard to say. MNK covers their bases pretty well.
White Mage
A WHM is always a pleasure to have on your team. ..And a pain to see on the other. WHM while in itself isn't too menacing, but in the hands of a smart team, very very dangerous to keep alive. With the exception of a few classes, it is very very tough to one shot someone. So it'll take some time to land the finishing blow. A WHM can change the tide in battle quick by landing a well timed Cure V. Basically all your damage is nulled and you gotta start from scratch again. And a WHM has a host of survival techs to stay alive long enough to get away. Blink and Stoneskin comes to mind. Also a WHM landing a Sleepga on your party is a reality. So be careful around them. Make sure you take them out first or incapacitate them via Sleep, melee or Provoke(forces cure towards you. While it doesn't Cure you, it stops their casting). Benediction is also a major pain, but nothing you can do about it.
PRO: The most potent Cure you can give and the ability to stay alive long enough to be dangerous.
CON: Like all mages, once the gates are breeched(Stoneskin, etc.), only a matter of time before you drop. Able to get one shotted by a strong WS.
Black Mage
BLMs have potential to be VERY dangerous. In addition to being able to sleep the entire team, if left alone, they can basically take off a guaranteed 700-800 HP. A common BLM tactic is to cast Invisible and run behind the enemy lines. then cast a tier III -ga spell or Sleepga II. My best advice is to take note of the BLMs on the battlefield, constantly Tab around to look for invis enemies and KEEP YOUR EYE ON THE BATTLE LOG. If you see a tier III spell being cast, run away! I know it's hard to watch the action and the log, but trust me, the sooner you make it into a habit, the better.
PRO: MASSIVE AoE spike damage and a potent mass Sleep.
CON: Like all mages, once the gates are breeched(Stoneskin, etc.), only a matter of time before you drop. Able to get one shotted by a strong WS.
Red Mage
One of the most powerful soloers in the game is now put on the battlefield. A RDM's main advantage is their weapon and survival skills. A RDM is simply put, a bitch to kill. Stoneskin, Phalanx, Spikes, and the ability to sleep you and put them all back up again. Also beware of Diaga and Gravity and/or Bind. Their sword isn't anything to scoff at either. With an en- spell, the damage adds up pretty fast. Not to mention their ability to nuke aswell. And when a RDM uses Chainspell, you better have a way to silence or stop the casting in general.
PRO: Can hold their own in a toe2toe situation, spells to hinder the enemy severely(Gravity, Diaga, Bind), tier III nukes, Cures and some of the best survival skills you could ask for.
CON: Kind of lacking in the department of strong closers. Vorpal and nukes will probably not break 400-500(Now hardly a problem. tyvm WS nerf).
Thief
Thief is the king of survival. They don't have Stoneskin or Phalanx like RDMs, but they got skills that make them so damn good at what they do. A THF played at best is an opportunist. And a THF played at best will be THE biggest annoyance on the field. Two things a THF brings to the table is god like EVA. Without the aid of some strong ACC equip and/or sushi, you will be whiffing alot of your shots. Now add that to the fast they can cast Utsusemi. Also Marksmanship comes into play. They can blind you(further), steal HP from you, lower your defense and sleep you(SATA anyone?). Speaking of SATA, it goes through Utsusemi. So a THF with SA ready can simply look for someone weak and get a guaranteed 200 DMG regardless of buffs(if your not careful). Or they can simply Hide and get a guaranteed SA. And your Utsusemi is rendered nearly worthless thanks to the speed of Daggers. And Steal and Mug? The quickest way to get Petras. Lack of /sprint? They got the real /sprint. Flee. THF is one of the best jobs for playing Ballista the way it was meant to be played(i.e.: Not playing just to kill people). If a THF uses Perfect Dodge, he is either stalling for time or trying to escape. While not 100%, I believe Ranged Attacks can still land. Magic still landing is a given.
PRO: Highest EVA coupled with Utsusemi, status bolts, HIGH survivability, Flee, Steal and Mug, ability to bypass buffs with Hide and SA and/or TA.
CON: Besides SATA, the lack of a powerful closer, Dagger's damage alone is laughable
Paladin
One thing I hate hearing is PLD sucks in PvP. Want me to tell you a truth? It doesn't. It is one of the best jobs in Ballista for multiple reasons. One of which is the fact they have DEF with a balance of ATK. ATK? That's right, ATK. A PLD can wear a Haubergeon and some other decent DD equip. On top of that, Sword has a decent base damage to put a dent into the opponent. And with /NIN, you can offhand your Joystick for decent TP gain. And in terms of closers, Vorpal Blade is pretty good. It's more or less the Sword version of Rampage. Add those to the fact a PLD can SEVERELY eff up your ACC(Flash, but only short duration), boost DEF recklessly without con(barring Defender) and Cure themselves and others. If a PLD uses Invincible, he is either stalling for time or trying to escape. Don't forget that magic can still harm a 2hr'd PLD. And they can still be debuffed(sleep anyone?).
PRO: A nice blend of ATK, DEF and the ability to cure themselves and others. Like WAR and MNK, but not nearly as potent, a mix of speed, power and closer.
CON: To make yourself offensive, you lose access to your best tool, your shield.
Dark Knight
Ahhh, Dark Knight. On paper it should be the most offensive job period. And while at some points, it is, but it needs to be altered to be used to it's full potential in a true Ballista situation. For starters, DRK/WAR and DRK/THF are not that good in a true Ballista situation. Mainly due to the fact that anyone without /NIN is targeted first, and a DRK's DEF and EVA doesn't help that. Now.. a Great Sword and Scythe COULD be used here(Poisonga > Utsusemi), but most great DRKs I've fought in Ballista had Axe leveled. Rampage hurts no matter who it comes from and a Souleater Rampage hurts. Alot. Add this to the fact that a DRK can Sleep, Stun(very dangerous), Bind and Bio. If a DRK uses Blood Weapon, like Mighty Strikes and TP, it's usually gonna be coupled with Souleater. And if this DRK has a Kraken Club, you pretty much got no choice but to do a suicide dive(hope you can one shot with TP), or run.
PRO: Heavy ATK and a strong closer, aswell as a surefire way to drop Utsusemi
CON: Low EVA like WAR makes this a common job to get targeted for TP
Beastmaster
Beastmaster played right can be quite the formidable annoyance. Ahead of time, allow me to say this: Charm does jackshit in Ballista. It doesn't charm players, it doesn't bind anyone, it does nothing. So in Ballista, a BST is basically a watered down WAR. Except without Double Attack and ATK mods. So what separates the two is jug pets. In lower level cap, the Tiger and a few others shine. But when it comes to uncapped, they get pushed back abit. You have to learn how to use your pets. If you blindly send them out, they just get killed for TP and breech. You need to know how to attack with your pet. And save Rampage for when your almost positive you'll defeat the opponent. Rampage is a powerful skill for any who can learn it. I've never seen any Sabotender Amigos in action(ever), so I can't comment on that. Familiar is good for basically starting out the round of attacks with a bang. Shame there's no T mobs or so to charm and 2hr before the match starts because you CAN do that. I've brought a crawler into a Ballista once.
PRO: Can fight with the power of two, a decent closer
CON: A BST's pet is usually reverted to nothing short of a TP build, low EVA makes BST another TP target aswell
Bard
The rock stars of FFXI. All the stuff they bring to the table in EXP parties hold true here. A BRD is always a joy to have in Ballista. And the biggest pain in the world if on the other team. Lullaby is potent and uninterruptible. The only way to avoid this is to build a resistance and/or use Poison Potions. Elegy just sucks to get hit with. Make use of your Catholicons when this happens. March casted on a dual wielder just ain't fair. Easily one of my favorite songs in Ballista. And Minne, Minne is just reckless. It severely drops the amount of damage you'll take physically. And that goes for any class. Also if there is an alliance, these songs will hit anyone. So you can have an 18 man March, Minuet(if more than one BRD, more than those). And thanks to the armour they can wear and the stuff they can do, they can last for abit in a blow for blow situation, although while alone, not nearly as threatening. Soul Voice while in itself is not that deadly, you should take note of your surroundings. It'll turn your opponents into gods. Take the general precautions if this happens(kill ASAP or run).
PRO: They're BRDs.
CON: They don't cook breakfast.
Ranger
RNG used to be the ones to watch out for in Ballista. Nowadays they're just a tier II threat. If you don't have Utsusemi, a RNG is a viable threat. Sidewinder(Slug Shot) hurts, regardless of the patch. If you do have Utsusemi, you can brawl with a RNG abit. This scares them off usually due to their lack of DEF and EVA. Shadowbind can screw over a guaranteed kill most of the time, only way to combat this is by a Catholicon. If a RNG has Striders or Crimson pants, not much you can do to combat this. Especially if the RNG doesn't want to die. Just ignore them and move on to the next target, because all your gonna do is annoy yourself. Eagle Eye Shot does no where near as much damage as it used to, but it still is immediate spike damage. If your hit with EES, not much you can do except heal after, get out of dodge, or die.
PRO: Sidewinder(and/or Slug Shot) hurts. Shadowbind sucks. Access to movement speed gear
CON: Low EVA and DEF, outside of ranged attacks, weak melee damage, Karma
Samurai
I had the best analogy for fighting a SAM a while back. Fighting a SAM is like playing Russian Roulette. You never know if they have TP or not even though there is a good chance they do. Tachi: Gekko hurts and silences you, rendering Utsusemi worthless and mages, dead meat. Tachi: Kasha hurts and paralyzes you. And with /RNG, Sidewinder just hurts period. Zanshin activates on Utsusemi BTW, so watch out for that. Also Third Eye eats WS'. The best way to see a WS coming is a Berserk, Aggressor, Boost, Souleater, etc. before hand. Not really much else to say about SAM. Meikyo Shisui is usually wasted by rookie Ballista-goers. But here is a tip I've seen used by veteran SAMs. Lead with Tachi: Hobaku. That gives you an almost guaranteed Gekko and Fragmentation. Feel free to either /sprint for the next WS and kill, or Sidewinder. If this happens to you, try your best to get Utsusemi back up and if you have TP ready, use it, if not, run. Run far.
PRO: Able to get TP every few minutes without fail, powerful weapon skills, Third Eye eats ENTIRE Weapon skills
CON: SAM/RNG used to be godlike, but now is just on par, They have the highest parrying in the game, but in a hectic situation like Ballista, chances are you wont be lined up correctly to notice it, thus making SAM another target for TP
Ninja
Ah man. One of the worse people to fight in Ballista. Not the toughest, but the most annoying. You see, a MNK is just hard. A MNK gets down to business by just punching you in the face. A Ninja however will Blind, Paralyze and Slow you, then pick away at your health while evading your hits. A NIN is a formidable opponent in Ballista. The damage done with katanas is not bad, and Blade: Jin is powerful enough to be considered a great closer. And the Ninjutsu nukes do around 90 DMG and are fast. Great for taking out the lingering person. And the debuffs almost always land without fail. If there is one con I can say about NIN, it's their DEF is low. But it's so heavily shielded by EVA and survival tactics, I dunno if that could even count as a con. Mijin Gakure is like EES. Once it's done, not much you can do except get out of dodge and/or heal up.
PRO: Speed, decent power and a decent closer, mini-nukes and debuffs that are almost guaranteed to stick, movement speed at night
KHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAN!!!: Once shadows are down, the defense(However getting through those shadows will be tough)
Dragoon
Dragoon. Ah man. lol. Thanks to their little boost, their threat level has raised abit. Like SAM, they're actually dangerous with their 2h weapon. Usually due to the fact that a DRG usually subs a mage job(Diaga for shadows dropped) and once shadows are down, Jumps for TP(in addition to fast TP gain, Jumps hurt pretty bad). And unless you can take a DRG down ASAP with a WS, chances are they'll get back up to respectable health via Healing Breaths. One thing about DRG is this, nothing is stopping you from hitting the Wyvern. So feel free to beat on it, if you kill it, you've removed the DRG's ace and got yourself a Gate Breech. Pentathrust is a powerful closer and sometimes is coupled with a Wyvern's breath. Spirit Surge is like all burst damage 2hrs. Get out of dodge or do your best to finish off the DRG via WS. if not, incapacitate and run.
PRO: Ability to make the most of their 2h weapon, strong closer, the Wyvern's multipurpose abilities, Jumps for TP gain and damage
CON: Unlike most melees, a decked out melee could perhaps one shot, if a Wyvern is missing, DRG is toned down, thanks to low DEF and EVA, commonly targeted for TP
Summoner
Last but not least, SMN. SMN used to be utterly useless in Ballista(compared to other jobs). Blood Pact could simply be sidestepped. And due to it being subbed, you could eat through a SMN's Stoneskin so much easier than a WHM or RDMs. And almost any WS could one shot a SMN. ..Well, the latter still holds true. But Blood Pacts received a big boost via a patch. It's range has been extended greatly. If a SMN is close enough to use a BP, chances are, it will land. They do massive damage aswell. Avatars are pretty tough in themselves. But like BST pets, often singled out for TP. This is basically the only aspect of SMN in Ballista. The party based Blood Pacts are usually dismissed due to the fact combat goes so quick. Earthern Ward is just 2 or so extra rounds of fighting to break. And Aerial Armor is handled just as easy as Utsusemi. Astral Flow can kick down some doors if you catch someone off guard. If you can land the first hit, it'll AoE to everyone in the party. If you see a SMN use Astral Flow, casually sleep the avatar and take out the SMN.
PRO: Spike damage
CON: If you WS a SMN, chances are you will kill them, BP are still to an extent, sidesteppable, Provoke stops the casting of avatars, period(for 15 seconds).
[grey]Blue Mage
*revisited in two months*
PRO: ???
CON: ???
Corsair
*revisited in two months*
PRO: ???
CON: ???[/grey]
== The Areas of Combat ==
There is currently four areas you can fight in Ballista. The first of them is:
Jugner Forest
Jugner Forest is easily one of my favorite places to fight in Ballista. It is here the 'All or Nothing' style of fighting is held. Regular items are allowed to be used and is generally a fun place to fight. Watch out for falling in the crevices as you will not be able to get back up the way you fell. This makes you easy pickings for RDM, BLM and RNGs. The area of combat takes place around the Outpost. The sooner you get used to that place, the better. Other than the outpost, sometimes the fight gets taken to the massive hills to the north and sometimes(in rare cases), further south.
Passhow Marshlands
My least favorite place to fight due to the dreary setting and the 'Only Temporary Items' rule. This means any items you have on you(and items you DIDN'T dig up during the match), will flat out, not be able to be used during the match. Be sure to use your food before 0:00(23:59 basically)! The area of combat takes place around the center of the map. So usually everything is done in a wide open space. Although sometimes the battle gets hectic and gets taken to the sides of the map. Be sure to have /sprint up here because some of these matches will be like pulling teeth.
Meriphautaud Mountains
This is a cool place to fight. It is here the 'Best Out of Three' rule is enforced. The game day is split into three rounds. Whoever has the highest score at the end of one round gets a point. However has the most points out of three wins. Well.. really four. Want me to tell you why? Round 3 is basically two rounds in one. Reason being is this: Let's say I win a round, then you win a round. The score is now 1-1. Whoever has the highest score in round 3 gets a point. Whoever has the highest scorer gets a point aswell. So if you score 2 points and I score 3 points, but your team mate scores 2 points, that makes the score 3-4. I will get a point because I had the highest scorer, and you get a point for winning the round. This brings the final score to 2-2 and thus makes the game a draw. Confused? Don't worry, first hand experience is the best teacher. Meriphataud is a fun place to fight. Be very careful of the crevices here. BLMs, RDM, RNGs, etc. can be very cruel if you fall down here.
Diorama Abdhaljs-Ghelsba
This is not a 'National' Ballista and is just a place for private fights. This is where everyone goes for their 1v1s and LS events. The MC(Master of Ceremonies) can set the fight anywhere in the map. It is an interesting place. Rope Bridges, a mini-forest, caves, rivers, it makes for interesting duels. Also if you haven't figured it out yet, this place is basically an exact duplicate of Ghelsba Outpost, minus the elevators and zones. Not much else to say on this place. But if your interested in some useless trivia, this place is in the Tavnazian Archipelago region. It is basically a minitature diorama of the Ghelsba Outpost. You are shrunk to a very small size and teleported there. Funky huh? The NPC claims you are at a very secluded spot so your perfectly safe, but being small really must suck. An Ant would probably be the equal of Tiamat then! You earn no Ballista points or EXP for these matches.
Oh, I didn't tell you? Depending on the cap you earn a little bit of EXP(or limit) points at the end of each match. Capless gives you 500 EXP. The other caps are lower than that. But if you do it alot, it starts to add up.
== Useful Items to Help you in Ballista ==
There are special Ballista only items in PvP. These can only be found in the match and used during the match. So no saving a Revitalizer for a ENM or something. In addition to digging them up via /quarry, you can also buy them from Marshals for a fee of Ballista points. You earn Ballista points based on your score at the end of a national's match. Different items cost different prices.
--- Daedalus Wings. These items give you 100% TP as soon as it is used. Unlike I.Wings, these do not leave you under the medicined status.
--- Revitalizers. These beauties allow you to recharge any JA timer you have. That includes but is not limited to, YOUR 2HR move. Back to back Hundred Fists, Mighty Strikes, Spirit Surge, what have you. Bring tha drama.
--- Incenses. Carnal, Spiritual and Celestial. The first allows complete and total physical immunity. The second allows magic immunity, and the last allows ranged immunity. Save these things as they WILL save you life. Thanks to Nevena and Kauna, it has been clarified that these do not stack.
--- Lethe Water. This removes any positive stats the opponent may have. There is a +1 version that will remove more stats.
--- Catholicon. These remove any negative effect on you. There is a +1 version that will remove more negative effects. Be careful as paralyze can cause this like all items to be wasted.
--- Demoralizer. This lowers the TP of your opponent. There is a +1 version that will remove more TP.
--- Max-Potions. Items that restore a good amount of HP immediately, but put you under medicined status.
--- Body(Mana) Boost and Giant(Wizard) Drink. These boost your max HP and MP. The latter is the HQ one. With these breaking 3k HP is a reality. Be careful as Dispel and Lethe Water can remove it.
--- Elixir. These restore abit of HP and MP. Their only con is their long recast time. You will not be medicined. Hi- versions of these restore alot more. Megas restore all.
--- Mana Powder. These restore abit of MP to your party members and alliance.
--- Petra Eater. This allows you to remove all your Petras, allowing you to get access to the /sprint command again.
There is more items, but they're either not important and/or have the description clearly written on the item.
== In Closing.. ==
Ballista is all about competition. There is no special equipment or items to be won by this. This all for fun. This is usually what turns people off from it.
"i rather craft and make alot of money to spend on equips so i can camp nms to make more gil so i can craft more money"
"i rather hit mobs all day for exp"
"i rather camp nms for equips so i can get strong and camp more nms for equips"
"lol ballista sux i always die" ~ DRK
etc.
No matter how well this game emulates real life, it is just a game. And in the end, it's all about having fun. That's what Ballista is, sheer mindless fun. You gain nothing, but in the end, you lose nothing. No EXP lost when you fall, you're presented with items that would probably cost a ton of gil, etc. You play this to have fun. So go out and get your license. Give Ballista a try. And try to get your friends too. If they say any of the quotes above, call them a pussy and brag about how much you'll kick their ass until they go.
And that, is that. I hope this has helped you. This has been a Boss Rockius production.
Hard Work, Dedication, Fair Play,
- Boss Rockius
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[Brenner, the Bastokan side of Conflict]
This recently came out, so obvious the guide wont be as in-depth as you would like it to be. However I shall give a brief overlay on it and hope that will give you a good enough grasp of it to play effectively.
Brenner is a new form of Conflict that came with a recent update. It is basically the FFXI version of capture the flag. The way you play the game is by getting a Flamme and bring it to your camp. If you possess all the Flamme for a set period of time, you win. You do this by going to Upper Jueno and talking to the new NPC. I don't have the
Brenner has alot of elements of Ballista in it, and a few removed. One of which is the death system. When you die, you're automatically respawned at your nation's camp. It removes the effect of punishment for dying such as Ballista did. In Ballista each death was 10 seconds added on to the time. In Brenner, it's barely a slap on the wrist. Another one of which is the individual strengths of the jobs. In other words, any job can shine in Brenner. It is much more a team fight than Ballista was. For that reason, the individual job strengths wont be repeated here. Neither will the item list. The items are basically an exact copy of Ballista's. However..
Petras, have got a rehaul. Rather than being used to score, they are now used to restore HP and MP. If you /quarry up a Petra, bring it to your nation's pursuivent. He will then restore your HP and MP. Be careful though, he'll only do this every couple minutes.
There is also sentries that patrol the Flamme. They are Detector style mobs. They hit pretty hard and cast offensive magic. In the uncapped version they managed to cast teir III -ga spells. Including, but not limited to, Thundaga III. However if you have TP before hand, they can be handled quite easily. However, if you're not capable of killing them, realize they can and will follow you until you or they die. They can't be slept or enfeebled, so be weary of this.
The armour protecting the Flamme has an HP gauge, however it cannot heal or defend itself. So it is basically a race against time to destroy it. When you destroy it, the Flamme is exposed. Try touching it, you burn ablaze for a sec and the message is displayed: "PC has captured the Team's Flamme!" Paraphrased, but you get the point. Now you have to run the Flamme to your team's goal before you are defeated. If you are defeated, the Flamme will merely respawn back where it was destroyed. However it will still be open for capture for a short period of time. Realize when you are in possession of a Flamme, any speed enhancement will not work. That means /sprint and if a THF's recollection is correct, Flee either.
At the end of a set period, if you have the most Flammes, you win. However if you have all the Flammes, a countdown begins. Usually 3 minutes. If you hold all of them during this 3 minute period, you win the match. However there is other ways too. If you have the same ammount of Flammes, the total will be decided by the score. The actual score count isn't important because if you capture a Flamme and get 10 points, you'll win because you have more Flamme. And score only matters when the Flammes are the same. So just realize that if you capture a Flamme, you get one point. So it pays to be aggressive. If you have 3 Flamme and the other team has 3 Flamme, if you captured a Flamme but died before getting it to camp, you get one point. And that point will be all it takes to win.
That is basically it. Advanced strats and what not are postponed until more content is added. This is a straight forward game and if you play if a few times, you'll develop your own effective strategies.
Happy Brennering!
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