Special thanks to all those who showed up to make this a success. We had an alliance of people (15ish) including 3 people who were friends of people in the group. We made the run in around 3 hours, but it would have been less if we would have 1) had everyone there on time 2) not died shortly after the Minotaur and had to raise everyone. We stuck around longer after the mission-part to try for the map, and when I left last night 4 people had gotten their maps (I still need mine).



I've attempted this mission before with pickup-parties, but this was the first time I've been in a group that succeeded. So, I'd like to share some general comments on the mission that I learned last night:

• Everyone who can't sneak themselves bring at least 4 stacks of Sneak Oil. I brought 3 stacks myself, and ran out just after we completed the mission. So I needed to be sneaked for the map run (which involves travelling back across the dungeon).
• 1 stack of Holy Water is probably sufficient. If you know how to unlock from the mob and can turn when he starts using Doom, then you should be able to avoid most if not all Dooms. In fact, last night only 3 people from the group got Doomed all night, and only one of them actually died from it (Thersty died primarily because his holy water didn't kick in, he was spamming it like crazy and it just didn't work.
• Doom has an animation. The coolest thing I noticed last night was that, when a taur casts Doom, there is a special animation involved. And while he is still Doom-ready, he is a special color. This means that you don't have to watch the logs to avoid Doom... just watch for the animation!
• Fomors wont aggro at all if your Fomor hate is the lowest it can be. I must have had a sliver of Fomor hate my last few times in there, because they would always aggro me without sneak. Last night we killed Orcs and Gigas outside the safehold for 30 or so min while we waited for people to show, and that seemed to have wiped out the last shred of hate I had. This means you only need Sneak for the beasts down in the dungeon... once you get to places where there is only Fomors and only taurs, you only need to worry about the true-sight taurs and low HP for the Fomors. I know others have already said this, but it simply didn't jive with what I had seen with my pick-up parties here. I just didn't realize that I had a tiny bit of Fomor hate.
• WHMs have Reraise up. It's actually logical, but I forgot to request it.
• This mission is much simpler than the Promies. This is largely due to the fact you can drag an alliance in for the boss battles and have lots of non-aggro mobs. In fact, a little known secret is I accidentally fought much of this battle without a weapon. I simply forgot to swap back my knuckles after killing Orcs outside with my Vishnu's :-) Granted, once I caught myself and equipped my knuckles, I was doing a lot more damage :-)
• If someone gets aggro in the dungeons by a slime, pug, or Fomor, let them die. It sounds cruel, but it is 100% vital. After the Minotaur, Mynx caught aggro from a slime in the dungeon. The rest of us stupidly attacked ("Hey, we're an alliance, how tough can one slime be?"). This linked another slime and aggroed two pugs. The four things killed every last one of us. We had reraise, and managed to get everyone up, but it definitely slowed our progress down a lot.
• Don't drop off ledges! There are many ledges that go down into the water and our blasted characters can't climb back out! Sometimes we want to fall off ledges, but other times we don't. So, generally speaking, don't drop down unless led down (I know last night we were led down and had to backtrack, but it's still good advice :-)

Anyway, great run guys!


Vis Maior's Journeys

http://maior.samhart.net/

I just got WHM up to lvl 40. I will be able to come to the COP run at 6:30ish, maybe earlier if I can get out earlier, kind of doubt it though.

I suppose I will come onto the LS at 5:30PM Eastern on Sunday; to check for this being a GO.

I got my SMN to level 20, so WHM40/SMN20 I will be. I have food, two stacks of Sneak, two stacks of Holy, I've danced with a Fomor Monk so Fomor should not aggro me (unless my life is low).

What spells should get a Macro? I've heard about trying to spam something during the Minotaur fight but I forget what it is - Cursna?

Im good for friday or sunday i can bring blm or smn which ever job seems more important. Plus i have lvl 1 fomor hate ^^

I decided to read up on the web regarding Fomor Hate =^_^=
www.koolaid-ffxi.org/linkshell/space/Fomor+Hate
I also read in several other places to get a feel for what folks agree on.

What folks agree on is Resauchamet and the various levels. They do not agree on whether Level 5 exists - some claim the 'aggro through sneak' is due to low-life, which Undead aggro on (the theory being all your leaking blood is what is giving you away, not your sound nor your hate level). So even with Level One Fomor Hate if you have ten life points left the Fomor will come after you, so one of the web theories goes. Some people do believe there is a Fomor Hate level where even full hit points and sneak will not save you from their attentions.

If your Fomor Hate is high the agreement is you have to kill Beastmen (not Beasts) in Lufaise Meadows and/or Misareaux Coast to get it back down; you can be in a party (solo is okay too), but you have to kill these Beastmen and not Orcs by fires outside of San d'Oria.

So I snuck/invis'd my way to Tavnazian Safehold. In the big center atrium of the Safehold you can take a path to go up, or you can take a path to go down. You want to go up to talk to Resauchment the graying Elvaan.

My hate was Level One though I have yet to kill my first Lufaise Meadows Beastman. However, when I was being escorted to Tavnazian Safehold for the first time I was in a party which killed six or eight beasts and beastmen (Dragoon, out farming, took kindness on our little group).

After talking to Resauchamet I went down the atrium to the Phomiuna Aqueducts, stepped inside, threw up stoneskin, protect, shell, reraise and went to visit the Fomor. I had to be careful because there was a Gloop and a Big Jaw and those DO aggro on sound; however, when the Fomor Monk stepped forward (and the Gloop and Big Jaw stepped back) I went up to dance with the Monk. Even ran a complete circle around the Fomor Monk - he looked bored at my antics.

For a capped 40 WHM/SMN the Gloop was Decent Challenge with High Defense. Same for the Big Jaw. Fomor Monk was IT, but he/she/it did not care about the unsneaked WHM. Fomor Summoner was VT, Summoner's Elemental was an Even Match.

Since I did not use Sneak at any time, and I did not want to fight a Gloop nor a Big Jaw, I just left when the Fomor Monk returned to his little group of friends.

So for Level One Fomor Hate it appears Fomor Monks do not aggro level 40 Mithra White Mages! LOL! =^_^=

I work from 4-9 EST on Friday and Saturday, I don't have my schedule for next week so I'm not sure if I'll be able to do the run on Sunday. If I do work Sunday I should get out at 6 EST at the latest and get home by 6:30.

I'm still leveling BRD, but it will be easier for me to get WHM to 40 Seems how I am currently 38WHM/19BLM. So I will most likly bring WHM to the Run if I am able to come.

I thought I read somewhere that a THF with oils can sneak all the way through the maze to the Minotaur and drag his/her entire party in, even from the entrance. Don't know how it works for an alliance.

I will show up for one of Friday evening, Saturday evening, Sunday evening or Monday evening. WHM43/SMN21 capped to 40. I will visit here through the week for the actual event time.

Two stacks of Sneak, Two stacks of Holy Water. I'll bring 'em. =^_^=

I can play Sunday, but not Friday this weekend.

Here is a link to a map that shows the Fomor party locations. We could use this to a) avoid the fomors and b) tell where we are as we travel the maze:
http://www.undergrunden.cc/magnus/PhomiunaFomors.jpg

Vis Maior's Journeys
http://maior.samhart.net/