Preparing for g11 and g12 - AP/skill management help

• Jando wrote on 2010-10-10 07:53
  Sup, ever since I saw the g11 finale I knew I was going to get rooked at my current level. Doing it on advance was never going to happen. So I waited a while and now the time to do it has finally come.
  
  Right now my total is 815 and I plan to do g11+g12 when my total is 950-995.
  
  
  Rank 1 skills
  WM, CM, Range, Crit
  Rank 2 skills
  Refine (Fails completed, only need the brionac to finish off the last 30%)
  Rank 3 skills
  AR
  Rank 5 skills
  Magnum
  Smash
  
  (Production is at r9 and Carpentry is at rB)
  
  So I've done some calculations and I have around 210 - 270 ap before I get to level goal for g11. My problem is what do I get to r1.
  
  r5 Smash -> r1 Smash = 102 ap
  r5 Magnum -> r1 Magnum = 96 ap
  r3 AR -> r1 AR = 90 ap
  
  Total AP: 308
  
  So I won't have enough ap/levels to get all 3 skills to r1 for g11+g12 before I go past level 999. What would be the best route to go for g11+12?
• Ailyene wrote on 2010-10-10 09:55
  I'd suggest smash and magnum. They're highly useful for putting out more damage. AR is useful too, but I don't really think that getting it to rank 1 will make a big difference for using it in the Generations as only the load time increases by a tiny bit and you get a bit more dex. It's not worth the AP, anyway. Also, I don't think you need to worry about g11 semi-final or final at least because the semi-final is easy as heck with a full party and you can just get a high-leveled Royal Alchemist to help you with the final. You probably don't even need to do anything in the final with a good RA, haha.
• Yogurticecream wrote on 2010-10-10 11:43
  Smash definitely.
  Made my life so much easier with a decent two-handed sword when it comes to mission clearing.
• Xemnas wrote on 2010-10-10 13:12
  If you can get a jousting claymore it'd help a ton with clearing missions faster with smash, as Yogurticecream said.
  
  Edit: that's assuming you have the dex to use it.
• Richard wrote on 2010-10-10 13:46
  Smash and Magnum Shot to rank 1, and Arrow Revolver to rank 2. The 60 AP to rank it to rank 1 is not worth it in your situation. Also, do as much as you can of G11 until you get into the 900s. You'll probably even finish it if you try.
• Jando wrote on 2010-10-10 20:14
  Hmmm. So a viable plan is to get Mag and Smash to r1. Then refine to r1 after completing g11 then doing g12 and then going over 1000 total and continuing with AR?
• Ailyene wrote on 2010-10-10 20:43

  Quote from Jando;180886:

  Hmmm. So a viable plan is to get Mag and Smash to r1. Then refine to r1 after completing g11 then doing g12 and then going over 1000 total and continuing with AR?

  
  
  If your 30% left of refine does not include fails, yes. If it includes fails and you haven't completed 10% of the total number of fails available yet, I suggest you do it first. I had brionac to help me with refine but I didn't do the 10% of fails beforehand and I had to use a full scarecrow set + fail production potion + filia furnace and only had like 65% or something. I only had rank 1 range and mag too. Since you have rank 3 AR, it might be even harder for you.
• Jando wrote on 2010-10-10 23:17

  Quote from Ailyene;180913:

  If your 30% left of refine does not include fails, yes. If it includes fails and you haven't completed 10% of the total number of fails available yet, I suggest you do it first. I had brionac to help me with refine but I didn't do the 10% of fails beforehand and I had to use a full scarecrow set + fail production potion + filia furnace and only had like 65% or something. I only had rank 1 range and mag too. Since you have rank 3 AR, it might be even harder for you.

  
  
  I've completed all fails for refine.
• Sapphireoath wrote on 2010-10-11 01:42
  You can finish G11 with the skills you have right now, G12 you might want to invest in getting Smash to R1. My "alt" Giant (total 4**) has R1 Smash, R1 WM and easily completed G11. If you can, try staying under 1k total if you don't think you can handle HM. Get Smash to R1 before Mag, imho it will probably help more than Magnum, especially in those small rooms in Rath Castle. (Range seems to get you killed easily in G9/10/11 cause of multi aggro, at least with melee you can easily use Defense then continue to pummel the fomor, even easier to "tank" with Defense when using a shield.)
• Ailyene wrote on 2010-10-11 01:55

  Quote from Sapphireoath;181198:

  You can finish G11 with the skills you have right now, G12 you might want to invest in getting Smash to R1. My "alt" Giant (total 4**) has R1 Smash, R1 WM and easily completed G11. If you can, try staying under 1k total if you don't think you can handle HM. Get Smash to R1 before Mag, imho it will probably help more than Magnum, especially in those small rooms in Rath Castle. (Range seems to get you killed easily in G9/10/11 cause of multi aggro, at least with melee you can easily use Defense then continue to pummel the fomor, even easier to "tank" with Defense when using a shield.)

  
  
  Actually, I find a combination of melee/range highly useful. I especially like magnum. If the OP has pets, they can always help to stall the monster if he misses.
• Okitaru wrote on 2010-10-11 02:02
  :v
  Personally I think your current set is FINE to even run it on hard.
  
  I say that because I'm doing it on less with hard mode.
• Zid wrote on 2010-10-11 02:16
  Smash and Magnum. They're both useful in G11 final.
  
  Arrow Revolver gets somewhat less effective vs. higher Defense/Protection.
• Jando wrote on 2010-10-11 03:05

  Quote from Ailyene;181216:

  Actually, I find a combination of melee/range highly useful. I especially like magnum. If the OP has pets, they can always help to stall the monster if he misses.

  
  
  And another I thing I left out >.< I've have around 10 pets hotkey'd so I do have access to meatshields/monster distractions if I need them. Looks like I'll get Mag and Smash to r1 then continue with AR. Thanks guys.
• December wrote on 2010-10-11 11:12
  If your particularly concerned about farming AP without hitting the 1k tier, you could always just grind exploration and dont touch actual leveling
• Xemnas wrote on 2010-10-12 05:37

  Quote from December;181476:

  If your particularly concerned about farming AP without hitting the 1k tier, you could always just grind exploration and dont touch actual leveling

  
  
  But you'd level anyway because it gives both types of exp.