Playing Catch-Up

Hey guys,

So the gladiator I was going to do all the tests with ranked up to 30 Sunday and I am still 29 so that is going to be delayed a bit because I still have midterm projects due this week. :(

My appologies but those big updates are coming.  In the mean time I'm going to address some of the general questions I have received via email and in game.

1.  Why are some party members names blue and some white in the party menu?
Party members whos names are blue are at or above 1000 TP, this is in the game in order to basically let people know when BRs can be performed with WS, similar to a TP macro in FFXI.

2.  Do you always open with LPAS, what about timers?
No, I don't always open with the light slash > provoke > aegis boon > still precision.  This is the ideal opener when fighting a mob much greater than your level or when the party is catching up to you.  When fighting lesser mobs I typically light slash > guard > provoke > phalanx, this is a very good lock on hate in parties where the mobs die pretty fast.  Again light slash is used as a claiming tool not for hate and to get you enough tp for phalanx.

3.  What professions are most beneficial for gladiators?
Well, it comes down to 1 definite answer and 2 possible ones, first, armor breaks at a much slower rate than weapons so I suggest taking up something that can repair your weapon of choice.  Armorer is the obvious answer, I feel most glads should level this to a decent level because you can easily get ARM to 17 and repair basically anything bronze except a bronze celata.  As young as the game is this will save you tons of money and time.  It costs prolly around 200gil if u repair a bronze haub yourself.  Second, I suggest blacksmithing because there are a multitude of weapons of glads made by blacksmith, again, you don't necessarily need a ton of levels, but enough to keep yourself repaired is nice this early in FFXIV.  Possible differentiations of this would be taking up woodworking and using the Macuahuitl line of weaponry as your primary weapons of choice.  This comes down to 2 things, does WW better help your other possible classes (such as LNC and ARC) and personal preference.  The same argument can be made for Alchemy because they make and repair the status debuff weapons.  Again, personal preference and synergy are keys.
(Also, I wouldn't take clothcraft out of the race because they make some very strong defensive gear, not as good as ARM but it will be sufficient til late game in my opinion, like tabards and pants, etc.)

Well that's all I have for the moment, again feel free to post questions in the comments or if you are shy email them to me.

Yours truly,
Ventus Invictus, a Saronian Gladiator