Diary of Burgeoning Beastmaster

Welcome!

In my last post I mentioned that I was going to level Beastmaster "old school".  Well, that's exactly what I set  off to do.  Beastmaster has some great guides for solo but they don't really cover Fields or Grounds of Valor and since the current trend is 1-30/Abyssea/30-99 they haven't been updated much.

In some ways this felt like a stumbling block but in others it gave me an opportunity to break some new ground.

My Beastmaster was already 25 from previous pootlings so I had a good headstart.  I have also kept a store of decent 20-30 gear on a mule for about the last 2-3 years so I got up and running very quickly.  You really can't beat a Destrier Beret either.  Great piece of gear.

Getting into Abyssea (1-30)

I, like may people I guess, have a lot of experience of getting from 1-30.  Usually, if I was levelling a job to burn in Abyssea, I would go something like:

East Sarutabaruta (anything that moves)
Tahrongi Canyon (Page 3, 4 and 5)
Buburimu Penisula (Page 1)
Valkurm Dunes (Page 3)

I normally switch to Valkurm at the end because Snippers and Flys are so plentiful.

Since I was already 25 on BST I started out a little differently.

Buburimu Penisula (25-30)

Dates: 27^th-28^th July
Pets: Zu, Crawler, Dhalmel
Targets: Crawler and Dhalmel (Page 3)

I can't exactly say why I didn't go straight to Valkurm, maybe I just wanted to stay closer to home?  This went great except for some blood aggro, the undead are still a serious handful below Even Match!  In one case I just set a pet on them and logged off.  I found Zu to be the best pets here, I think mainly because their TP moves do some nice damage and they have good evasion.

Outer Horotoro Ruins (30-33)

Dates: 29^th-30^th July
Pets: Tiger Familiar
Targets: Sixes (Page 3)

I don't know why I came here and I don't recommend it.  There are 6 pops for the Cardians but they're shared so you could wait ages for the right Six to finish your page. Not much else to say.

Maze of Shikrami (33-40)

Dates: 31^st July
Pets: Bats and Crawlers
Targets: Bats and Crawlers (Page 4)

I can't recommend this place highly enough.  Yes, I did have some 100% bonus exp rings but these levels flew by.  You can just kill everything in sight!

I actually entered from Tahrongi Canyon but the best place to enter is Buburimu side.  This puts you right next to the target mobs and there is a great camp at (L-8) or even in the tunnel where you enter.  Some of the gobs might pose a challenge when you first arrive.  I got 17-20k an hour here but at 39 many of the bats were Too Weak.  Time to move on!

Sea Serpent Grotto (40-45)

Dates: 31^st July - 1^st August
Pets: Bats and Leeches, Tiger Familiar
Targets: Bats and Leeches (Page 1)

Another great spot.  You can camp in the tunnel between the Grounds Tome and the zone and you're aggro free.  Do be careful not to accidentally zone out and lose your prowesses, though.  I did that once. At level 44 I was still getting 15k and hour with a normal 50% exp ring.  Some opportunities to {Team up?} too.

Garlaige Citadel (45-55)


Dates: 2^nd-9^th August
Pets: KeenEared Steffi, Saber Silvarde, Coldblooded Como, Bats and Beetles
Targets: Bats and Beetles (Page 2)

I am came here at 45 on the advice of an LS mate and it was too early.  Fights were slow and left both me and my pets pretty battered and I had a choice to /heal or burn through Jugs like Justin Bieber burns through hair gel.  Started to improve at 47 so I don't advise coming here before that.

You can pretty much camp anywhere between the zone and the first gate.  However, if you didn't exp in Garlaige back in the glory days you should be cautious of a) linking Wingrats from adjoining rooms b) getting blood aggro from the undead and c) falling down holes.

I should highlight here that, up until 50, I was /DNC.  By 50 I realised that it was frankly useless.  I wasn't dual wielding and Curing Waltz I is lame.  At 50 I took a break to restock and sell my spoils (Beetle Shells don't stack) and at that point I switched to /RDM.  There really is no good reason not to sub a mage job when doing GoV.  The Refresh from the book is more than enough to keep you going and you can save a few tabs doing your own Protect and Shell.

I also made good use of Dia, Paralyze and Blind and the extra damage from Enspells was a real bonus.

At 53 I was getting 20k/ph with just an Emperor Band.  If you can log off and on as and when your charges are ready you could easily net 60k in 3 hours over 3 days.

Moving on

I've decide that being within 10 levels of the Max Level for a GoV page is the sweet spot.  You should be 5-6 levels above the target level at that point. If you come any earlier, yes, you might get a nice DC pet you can Familiar but fights will be longer.  Chaining super Easy Prey is the way to glory in GoV.

The next places I am considering are: Labyrinth of Onzozo, Crawler's Nest, Sea Serpent Grotto and finally Gustav Tunnel. All have a suitable 45~49 (65 cap) page with some easy to handle mobs.  Gustav Tunnel is looking like a good choice, I know exactly where those mobs are and there is lots of space to maneuver.