Melkire

Honestly? Quit thinking about DFing and PFing SCoB. Balmung doesn't quite have the average player skill for that. Get yourself into linkshells that are interested and engaged in clearing the content you want to clear, instead. Linkshells are more definitive gateway into statics and coil clears than anything else in this game. I know for a fact that this is true on Gilgamesh, which has been the hardcore PvE server for a while now. Friend of mine I used to play with cleared T9 the other week for the first time... and while his static started out as a bunch of FC mates, he filled it out with folks from his LS and others' LS's. Now it's a competent, dedicated group that has T6 through T8 "on farm". And before anyone asks, yes, it's his static, he organizes, runs it, etc. ...and, for your own sake, if clearing this content matters to you so much that you're in literal tears whenever you fail to, then you need to step back, take a deep breath, and remind yourself that the game you're playing is supposed to be fun, not stressful. If that means opting out of SCoB, then opt out. And look on the bright side: you cleared the first Coil. I'm still banging my head against the wall that is T5 and have been for months now, and this has been post-nerf and post-echo.

Figured it was something along those lines. It's okay! As others have said, we'll be here when you get back. Real life comes before the game, as the game is merely entertainment! For my part, don't worry about hanging plotlines/threads! I'm sure that goes for most others, as well. We'll figure out a way to kick things along at a snail's pace until you get back. Take care, be well, and kick ass! :moogle:

1. Pretty! 2. Yukata! 3. Dodo!

Caw caw.

Why does a Gridanian siege of Ul'dah fill my head with the vision of Ents marching over an open desert until they steadily catch fire from the heat of the sun one-by-one... Lolorito cackles and pulls off the sheet, revealing a giant magnifying glass on the height of Ul'dah's grand dome. "BURN!" He shouts, "BURN LIKE THE INSECTS YOU ARE." Lolorito: the hero Saruman needed, but not the one he deserved.

Definitely agree with Limsa having the best chance of coming out on top. I'm still a little baffled as to how anyone is supposed to besiege Ul'dah, given how many ground troops they can field. Yes, they're the most vulnerable to a siege once you lock them down because lack of food and water will eventually take its toll once the stockpiles run out and the wells run dry... but getting them into that position seems near-impossible. I'd give a fight on an open, neutral field like Thanalan to thaumaturges behind a shieldwall rather than archers out in the open, so there goes any hope of a Gridanian siege short of Ishgard backing them up. Limsa might manage it, but I can't see them shelling the city from across Western Thanalan, and I'm not certain of the distances involved between Ul'dah and the seas to the south and the east. P.S. Thanks for the lore dump, Sounsyy. I was almost certain I'd read something about Elementals killing indiscriminately when enraged, but I didn't know where to go to find that information again. IIRC, there's some ARR mentions/allusions to the previous occurrences somewhere in either the MSQ or the CNJ class quests.

What Melkire said. What Crisiet said. What Warren said What .. crap he doesn't have a name. I really like your portrait style! His name is Franz. I'll edit this post if you edit yours.

Virtue: Faith To quote Life of Brian, "Always look on the bright side of life." *whistles tune* Over the years, Osric has seen or otherwise experienced enough hardship to know that, as awful as suffering can be, pain and turmoil often serve a higher purpose, even if all that means is instilling the drive to endure and survive in the one who suffers. What he once knew instinctively, he now understands consciously. Vice: Lust Osric is downright fanatical about keeping his friends and loved ones safe. This has, over time, instilled a messiah complex in him. If he values you, then he will go to absurd lengths to guarantee your well-being. That's his passion, and it was engrained in him at an early age. His "lust" is both a major weakness and a major strength.

Fun fact: both of Askier's previous events caused, accelerated, or otherwise resulted in folks hooking up. So.. SOMEHOW... this is Askier's fault. Or... he's taking credit. For the umpteenth time: I blame Askier. Warren and Coatleque. Accelerated.

Fun fact: both of Askier's previous events caused, accelerated, or otherwise resulted in folks hooking up.

Fixed? Nah, I was implying hooky. *waves flag that reads "S.S. Reno" *

You've been busy playing vigilante with Nero. >_>

What Jaques said.

I knew it. The bastard. Cannot. Resist urges. To mock and stab Kage. Huehuehue. On-topic, I'll contact Askier when I get home today and see if he can't get a formal event thread underway, as most of the preliminary setup has been done.

So um... what do you do if you've inadvertently and inexplicably linked your user page to a character page...? >_> <_< Like a redirect? You can go back to the userpage with the redirect disabled by clicking on its link from redirect message at the very top (in tiny text) ]" line to eliminate the redirect. Thank you both. /grovel

But Wouldn't it be better to save Holm for after all the crazy? Using it to start would yes, ensure you never die, but this is a WAR we're talking about. ...Thrill would give them infinite HP. We're surviving potentially lethal knife throws first (trololololo "lethal" knife throws), then we're striking back.

Yes, Cameron's. The age-old argument goes that Batman is an incredibly determined, resolute individual with an iron will, and that giving him a Green Lantern Ring - which operates off the user's will - is an upgrade of such drastic proportions that he could feasibly take on Superman and win (mind you, not All-Star Superman... don't even get me started on THAT). Assuming that the Sylphs and the Moogles have the resources on hand to summon them, yes. EDIT: Dear Warren, why_not_both.jpg

Don't forget to lead with Thrill of Battle before Infuriating, and to pop Second Wind after Berserking. :thumbsup: EDIT: Actually, it ought to look like this: Holmgang > Thrill of Battle > Infuriate > Bloodbath > Unchained > Berserk > Second Wind > Vengeance

...so you're saying that the Elementals are going to strike out across Thanalan to hit Ul'dah. Or across the sea to hit Limsa. In their weakened state. The relative distances and proportions don't exactly line up in your comparison... especially if guerrilla warfare is employed. Wouldn't the Elementals go after the individuals setting fire to the forest rather than the abstract entity behind them? Well yeah, the elementals attacking the entities setting fire to the forest is more than enough to discourage the practice. By abstract entities I mean, for example, Ul'dah when in fact there's a company of mercenaries camped out at the Shroud's border chucking the Eorzean equivalent of Molotov cocktails. Are the Elementals intelligent enough, or can they be guided, to strike out at a distant entity such as a city-state instead of merely dealing with the immediate and obvious threat? My gut feeling tells me no, but I'm not familiar enough with 1.0 lore to say either way. My impression from the early 2.0 CNJ quests is that the Elementals merely lash out indiscriminately. The problem with that example is that they were mostly moving through already-settled open areas with plenty of civilization around, not skulking through an incredibly thick, wooded forest with an incredibly hostile defensive force picking at their army from every direction. I don't see why you'd need to skulk through a forest when the plan is to burn down what's in front of you before you progress. Otherwise a fair point: I linked General Sherman to illustrate the philosophy, not the practicality. As always, the answer comes down to, "Does Batman get a Green Lantern Ring? If not, how much prep time does he get?" EDIT: And Dogberry, Nero, if we're going to be referencing movies as arguments, I reference Avatar.

...so you're saying that the Elementals are going to strike out across Thanalan to hit Ul'dah. Or across the sea to hit Limsa. In their weakened state. The relative distances and proportions don't exactly line up in your comparison... especially if guerrilla warfare is employed. Wouldn't the Elementals go after the individuals setting fire to the forest rather than the abstract entity behind them? That's pretty much what happens in my ClarkxGoku slashfic. At first. ...please forward that to me. On-topic... I present William Tecumseh Sherman. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Tecumseh_Sherman#Total_warfare http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sherman%27s_March_to_the_Sea http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scorched_earth

This. This whole discussion is more or less "SUPERMAN VS GOKU, WHO WINS?". It's a hypothetical that discards any and all interplay between the entities, including justification and cause, for the sake of argument. In any actual encounter, Superman and Goku would befriend one another and go hit up a diner somewhere.

Does this actually happen? I don't remember the details, but I was present for the encounter Warren is describing, and yes it did. The cool thing about RPing a paladin is that if it happens you can just ignore it. If they complain just go, "Oh that? Hallowed ground bro" 8-) Note to warrior bros: when in doubt, holmgang the pillar.

So long as you don't kill off the NPC. We can't have another Tom Berry. It was....so sad. q.q Old Tomnoddy, all big body, Old Tomnoddy can’t spy me! Attercop! Attercop! Down you drop!

I don't buy this. The nature of the landscape of Eorzea means that Gridania is simply the richest in terms of natural resources. This, coupled with their absolutely insurmountable defensive terrain advantage, in addition to the aid of the Elementals, the Sylphs if they decide to pitch in, and the Padjal (who are all White Mages, which, I should remind you, is the single most powerful form of magick in all of Hydaelyn), means they could easily force any invading force out with minimal losses. Hell, just think about what they're surrounded by - you have to cross either a desert or a massive frozen tundra just to reach them! By the time you get there, you will have to be maintaining massive supply lines while the Gridanians have virtually limitless supplies thanks to the bounty of the forest. Explain to me how they would "lose", somehow, just because they don't need to leave their forest at any one point in time. I'm pretty sure convincing everyone else that they are untouchable after losing hundreds or thousands of troops in a single battle would be enough of a victory that they would win by default, simply by virtue of sustaining the fewest losses. It doesn't matter if someone EVENTUALLY wins a thousand years later if they sustained a thousand times more losses in the process of achieving that so-called "victory". Rephrase: Gridania doesn't win. They can turtle up and survive, sure, but they lack both the technology and manpower to take the offensive against either of the other two city-states. As for the "bounty of the forest"... I'm not even going to touch the "burn the Shroud down to the ground" argument or scorched-earth policy other than to bring them up, though where one would get enough firepower for that (akin to Bahamut) is questionable (hello, Omega). EDIT: Never mind, Nat did it for me.

To amend that: historically speaking, a force supported by a navy will usually beat a force not supported by a navy. The further inland a naval-based force has to strike, the worse off they are. Their advantage only counts where they can use it: on the water and near the coasts. What determines the advantage in an inland conflict is, more often than not, air superiority. This is discounting discussion of supply lines, of course. It gets tricky there, because then you have to get into the nitty gritty of who has what and where and for how long and how vulnerable and yadda yadda yadda. This all gets thrown up in the air when considering the offensive actions against and the defensive actions of an island state. Britain, WWII. Of course, environmental conditions also contributed to Britain's defense. Those with the home ground have the advantage. See also: Russia vs. Napolean and Russia vs. Hitler.