Nyzul Isle Planning

My particular opinions on how to configure a successful Nyzul team.

Supplies

To start with, while what jobs are available can make a difference, overall preparedness is more important. This should be self-evident and not require any mention, but it seems that common sense is not so common in FFXI.

Every member in a run should bring the following:

  • Food
  • Echo Drops
  • Reraise ITEM*
  • Silent Oil*
  • Prism Powder*

*Yes, I know that you can cast RR/Sneak/Invis/Monomi/Tonko and can Solid-Snake your way through Ru’Avitau … I DO NOT CARE.

I have seen too many attempts fail due to a lack of 60 seconds.

Sure you may be perfectly willing to eat an R1, you are an all-around great guy after all. But that 150MP may make a critical difference when you get to the boss with 4 minutes left.

We may have two people that can Silena you, but what if they are busy, KO’d, out of MP, silenced?

Is your goal is mediocrity? Or to be the best ass-kicker in the zone?

Ventrilo / Team Speak

If at all possible, use voice chat. Again, this is a timed event. Fast and accurate communication can improve any team no matter how skilled they are. Besides, laughing at someone is much more satisfying when they can hear the exact tone of derision in your voice.

Job Setup

One of the most fun things about Nyzul is the variety you can have in a team. This is not some BCNM where you need a specific set of jobs to assure victory. I have heard of many different jobs people use for their statics, this is just how I like to go.

    2x Healer
    4x DD

RDM make for a tremendous healer in Nyzul as anywhere else. That being said, after reaching a boss floor a WHM can really make a difference. I have done runs with 2x WHM or RDM + BRD etc. On floor progressions it really does not matter too much. When possible, I prefer one RDM and one WHM.

Almost any decent DD can have a spot. I tend to go in Merit Style without a Tank. If you do bring a NIN or PLD, make sure that they gear up for some DD provide value during the climb.

I like to split the party into two groups consisting of a healer and two DDs. Try pairing the more self-sustaining DDs with the WHM in order to conserve his MP for the end of the run.

Having the option to split up can improve the speed at which you progress. The primary benefit of two sub-groups is to allow for ‘Leap Frogging’ the All Enemies floors. Most mobs in Nyzul are not too hard to bring down and if you have the full party crashing down on them, it seems overkill. Have one group engage a mob while the other group passes them and starts in on the next. If you come to room with two exits, just separate and keep on a’ killin’.

Some mobs and NMs are a bit slow to trio. If you happen to need to take out a Dahak, Psycheflayer, Poroggo Gents, Capricious Cassie, or similarly difficult mob – have everyone meet up.

The process

Entry

While it is not always an issue. When doing floor progression I usually prefer that the disc holder not be the one using the armband. This can shave off a few seconds as the person using his disc can usually zone in and select the floor before the person using his armband finishes zoning. For boss floors, it can be helpful to have someone who requires only one item from the Vending Box (or perhaps has so few tokens that they will not purchase) use the Rune of Transfer.

If you are going on a boss run, then get the following items from the Vending Box:

While the temp items are not absolutely mandatory, they can greatly improve your success rate. These items all cost 200 tokens each. The Fanatics is on the first page of the item listing while the ‘Boosts’ are on the second. Please remember my persistent ranting about this being a TIMED EVENT. Be quick with your purchases. There is typically no real need for items like Soldier’s Drink or a Dusty Wing except for your own personal gratification.

A method I use to coordinate when everyone is ready to enter is to have everyone walk to the right of the Rune of Transfer once you are done getting your items. (Similar to how I like to have everyone off the Telepad for Limbus unless they are At Keyboard and fully prepared).

Items found in chests

After killing some mobs, or if you get a Free Floor, you will have an Armory Crate appear. There is a tendency for many people to just grab whatever they can in the standard self-interested greed that only FFXI can produce.

Please resist the temptation to stroke your own e-peen at the expense of the group. Grabbing a Revitalizer while your 2hr is available but another DD just used theirs does nothing more than prove how much of an conceited ass you really are.

The most efficient way to handle chests is to have one of the healers open it and call out what is inside (you are using voice chat aren’t you?). If one of the more attractive melee items is there,(Revitalizer, Barbarian’s Drink, Fighter’s Drink, Champion’s Drink, Monarch’s Drink, Braver’s Drink, Soldier’s Drink) shows up, try to spread the love. Or at least take a second for an honest assessment to determine if someone else actually needs said item. If there is no true reason for one person to need an item, dig in and have fun with it. For lesser items, (Strange Milk, Spy’s Drink, Strange Juice, Vicar’s Drink, Cleric’s Drink) or items usually purchased from the Vendor Box – grab one and call out if there are more left.

Floor Objectives

  • Eliminate all enemies
  • Eliminate enemy leader
  • Eliminate specified enemy
  • Eliminate specified enemies
  • Activate all lamps
  • Free Floor

I will leave the ‘How-to’ for each type of floor for another time.  But I should at least mention that the rare times you do see a Free Floor, make sure to spend a little time checking for freebies in crates before moving on. It is a completely a judgment call on how long to spend, but worth taking a minute or two.