THE Renkei/Skillchain Information ThreadFollow

I'm hoping that this thread will become the place where Renkei semi-newbies, such as myself, will be able to get information on Renkeis. For instance, I've pulled off many Renkeis before and they seem to do moderate damage, but I don't actually know how they work. This is the one subject where I am unable to find an explanation that is thorough yet understandable, and this includes the weak explanation feature on the official site. So help would be appreciated.

What I know:

(1) A Skillchain is a series of 2 Weapon Skills executed in a particular order, with 3 seconds between each skill. The Weapon Skills you must use and their order are hardcoded into the game. If a Skillchain is executed properly, the message "Skillchain: <name>" is shown in the log, followed by the amount of extra damage done due to the Skillchain (IN ADDITION TO the normal WS damage).

(2) Each Skillchain has a name, like Impaction (many WS pairings can lead to the same name), and each name has an associated Element (Thunder, Ice, Fire, Dark, etc.). On charts, generally, the last WS used in a Skillchain will have some Element associated with it. (If a certain WS is the finishing move in two different Skillchains/Elements, then it may be labelled as A in one, B in the other, etc.) If the Element of the Skillchain is X and the target monster is weak against X, then extra damage will be dealt, otherwise damage will be weak.

(3) Skillchains can be linked together. For instance, if WS A -> WS B is a Skillchain, and WS B -> WS C is a Skillchain, then A -> B -> C (with the usual 3 second delay) will cause 2 Skillchains to go off.

(4) There are level 1, level 2, and level 3 Skillchains.

(5) This is a good Renkei chart: http://db.ffvault.ign.com/screenshots/?ss=162

(6) A Magic Burst is a mage using a spell that has the same Element as the Skillchain just used, for extra super-duper-damage (for instance, Water after Reverberation).

And NOW, the questions I've always wanted answered:

(1) What is that damn number next to the WS listed in the above chart (e.g., 75 One Inch Punch)?

(2) On that same chart, it looks like certain Skillchains have two Elements listed (Thunder/Wind correspond to Fragmentation, for instance). What is that? It appears that, when this happens, there is always an arrow that branches away from that arrow for another Skillchain (Dark-Gravitation branches off Fragmentation, for example). What's the deal?

(3) Is there something special about chaining 3 WSs together for 2 Skillchains? I mean, does the damage done from the second SC get increased because it's following another SC directly? By how much? Is this on top of the second SC's Elemental bonus?

(4) I have no idea what a level 1 or level 2 Skillchain actually is. I'm getting the feeling question (2) above has something to do with level 2 Skillchains. Don't get me started about level 3.

(5) When does the Magic Burst have to be done after the Skillchain is pulled off?

(6) How do you do mega-damage with Skill Chains instead of the usual ineffectuality or semi-nice-bonus feel I always get from Skillchains?

Thanks in advance!

yurik (Unicorn) MNK/23 WAR/11 -- Windurst

1 - Weapon level before they get the skill

2 - That's for level 3 skill chains. If 2 level 2 chains of the right type will cause a L3 light or dark chain(not really possible until later in the game).

3&6 - Skill chain damage is decided by A) the weakness of the monster to that element, and B) most importantly, the damage of the second WS. The higher it is, the more the chain will do.

4 - Level 2 chains have 2 elements attached to them (Fire/Light, Earth/Dark, Water/Ice, Wind/Thunder). Level 3 have 4, I don't remember the exact 4 elements for Dark or Light L3 chains, but that's part of the reason you must chain the right 2 L2 chans to make them happen.

5 - Begin casting right after the chain is done. (ie. after it does the actual animation)

Edited, Wed Jan 21 18:44:24 2004 by rrn

Start casting your spell for Magic Burst right after you see the Skillchain effect. If this is the last skillchain in a series you have a few seconds after you see the effect to get in your Magic Burst. If you are trying to Magic Burst a skillchain in the middle of a series then the window for your MB is much smaller. You need to start casting as soon as you see the skillchain effect.

Also, multiple casters can Magic Burst a single skillchain. Last night the fighters in the group did a Fusion Skillchain (Fire and Light). The BLM and RDM both cast Fire and the WHM cast Banish. Got 3 Magic Bursts. Woot.

3 - A lower level skillchain cannot follow a higher level skillchain. In other words, if WS A > WS B make a level 2 renkei and WS B > WS C make a level 1 renkei, executing WS A > WS B > WS C will result in one renkei - the one after WS B. WS C will be just a regular WS.

Some good skillchain reading/links:

http://www.playonline.com/ff11us/vt/extra/index.html (Playonline skillchain articles)
http://ffxi.liquid-x.net/renkei/ (skillchain calculator)
http://sibylswarcry.brinstar.org/skillchain/chart.htm (another skillchain chart - maybe easier for some to understand)