15 THF needs love.=/Follow

I have the party problem a lil bit... more so than not though I end up in a party with someone who doesn't play like they should and its apparent that they're putting the whole party at risk. If this is the case, I'll stick with the party until its 100% evident that the person is gunna get me killed. However, because one of the two is usually more often than not, I've solo'd myself to 18 mnk, 13 thf and 9 war. Right now I've found a good place for my thf is Ghelsba... for solo prey that is. The lizards are small exp if any, but good tp builders... and the higher up you go on the mountain, the tougher the mob's get. There's even a grunt and a warchief up by the hut near the entrance to fort ghelsba. Another place would be out in La Theine... towards the center, and around the crag. I've seen some neckchoppers and stonechuckers that are decent challenges... thats 50 or 72 exp. =\. The fungars are decent to even matches, but becarefull cause their plague breathe is no joke... bring along a 12 pack of antidotes if you're gunna fight the fungars. Oh yea... and the fungars in La Theine can agro (at least around the entrance to the Odelle Caves). Hope this helps... and good luck with finding a good party in La Theine. If you were on Cerberus and a few levels higher, I'd ask if you want to party up... but you would not get much exp partied with an 18 mnk.

dude... use sneak attack asap.. this makes u as powerful as any warrior. asfor dumb pt leader.. i cant do anything.
stil its right that without a whm... u cant do anything right in valkurm....

I spent a fair bit of lvl15 alone as well (i spent it farming goblins for 15exp a pop). However things picked up as i got closer to 16. i was fortunate enough to set up a great group and quickly rolled into lvl18. keep trying to make a group, that generally has a better outcome than sitting around waiting for an invite. It also gets you out there meeting people (people that will send you invites in the future).

Those little hard-shelled favourites aren't the best adversaries to show off a thief's skills against. they have very high physical defense, which renders a sneak attack about as effective as one well-selected blm spell (or maybe less effective). Try looking for alternative areas. This is perhaps an unfair assumption on my part, but more experienced players will be willing, if not seeking, to go to untrendy areas. In windurst, it is the trend to go to the Maze for the teen lvls, but exp is just as good (if not better) in Bubu. I am unfamiliar with any such alternatives near San d'oria, but i'm sure someone can make a suggestion.

You could also try and get into parties going after sub-job quest items, this will not only be (in all likelihood) good exp , but will also get you those needed items ahead of schedule--even if it only one or two of them. (the area near selbina might be the same lvl range as bubu, in which case this might be a good alternative).

As for what to do once you hit 18-20... that is entirely up to where you want to go. Personally, i am heading down the road of ranger, but have not decided if that will be my main, or if i will stick with thf as my main. Until i am lvl30 i will be subbing warrior for some of the bonuses it provides. If you want to check out some other classes, go for it! Having a thf at this level will be an asset to future farming.

As a final note, if you read through the thief forums a bit, you'll find that thiefs are often neglected. However, as you build a group of friends online, this will not be an issue. And as you get to the higher lvls there will also be more people who understand your usefulness, but make sure to enlighten those who do not know of your talents. :)

P.S. I'm sorry if any of this is hard to follow, i'm afriad my composing skills are not at thier best today.

Theres also some grunts and other higher level orcs in ghelsba outpost in one part. I have never gone down to their spot due to their high concentration and my weak bladder. Does anyone know what their guarding?

Ah, the joys of levelling a thief - even matches that wipe the floor with you, party members that think you're just a bad melee... read up in the Job Forums under Thief if you want to really get depressed.
However, it pays off. I lvl'd thief to 30 as my first class, and while the road up is wrought with hazards, the view from the top is amazing. Thieves make the money that every class needs later on. After seeing me run around farming, many people in my LS are starting to lvl thieves to at least 15 just so they can farm.
I'm levelling RNG, and if you're new you may not realize how expensive that is. Well, not only can I afford the best weapons, always have arrows, and still have enough for toys, I am also working on all my craft skills (three are above 10 so far), helping people find those ever-so-rare quest items, and in general having a blast.
Thieves are the go-to guys and gals for *any* treasure hunt - be it Kazam keys, special equipment, quest items, etc.
Then, there's the higher-lvl partying. Stack your Sneak Attack on a Fast Blade and watch other party members drool at the DMG. Add Trick Attack to it, and there's no question that you provide a useful function to the group outside gilfinder and treasure hunter.
Try to stick with LS members or friends when you can, or actively ask to be in groups when you can't. Tell WARs and other melee what needs to happen for you to Sneak. Explain Treasure Hunter and Gil Finder to them. Discretion may be the better part of valor, but education is a close second.
If all else fails, pull a SA/FB. That should make them sit up and take notice.
Steal with impunity, sneak with inventiveness, and grow with integrity. And at the end of it all, just remember: property *is* theft, so we're all thieves at heart