The Beginning Puller's Primer
-----------------------------
NOTE: This is a primer, meant for lower level pullers. I would assume at 33+ you know enough about pulling that this guide would be child's play.
So, you've just joined a party as a thief, warrior, or even red mage. Or maybe you've just started an advanced job like ranger. Whatever the case may be, you've just been told: "You're the puller." You've just now been given one of the least liked role in the game. So what are you going to do now? Panic and link 10 things at once? Bring thousands of xp/hour to your party, thereby levelling them (and yourself) quickly and being showered by praise? Depends on how you go about your party role.
The puller needs to be aware of a wide range of data, not including only the toughness of a mob you're going to try and pull.
First and foremost, the puller needs to be aware of themselves. What am I going to attract a mob's attention with?
Recommendations include: Normal ranged weapon attacks, Dia, Poison, Stun, Jump.
Bad things to do: Provoke, melee hit, offensive damage spells, weapon skill attacks.
Why are these bad? Because it boils down to hate and hate management. Your tank (I really hope you aren't the puller AND tank) needs to be able to pull it off you and keep it off you when you come back to the party. If you've generated a large amount of hate, say with your own Provoke, and depending on how much damage you do in the first few seconds of the fight, the mob may not pay attention to the actual tank and start wailing on your lightly armored rear. This might be a little different if say your party consists of two warriors, one which will be main tank and the second one backup who will also be the puller. However, in general it is usually a bad idea to pull with something that generates excessive amounts of hate.
Second, a puller needs to be aware of his/her party. What do you have in the party as far as jobs are concerned? Specifically for mages, check and double check their MP. Don't wait for them to yell "Out of MP" before deciding that you'll stop pulling. Watch how much MP they use in each fight. If they used 100mp in that last fight with an IT+ mob, and they only have 150MP.. might be a BAD idea to pull that IT++ mob that's standing right by the party.
Third, be efficient. This is absolutely the most important aspect, as well as the most varied. As soon as a mob is dead and rattling it's death throes on the ground, you should be out scouting. Don't wait for your mages to get to full MP. Don't wait for your DRK to return from AFK. Be out there, and be standing by a mob as soon as the party is ready. Again, watch your mages' MP, and judge the distance you need to run back to camp with the mob. If you're a good 20-30 seconds away from the party when you begin a pull, the mages will be able to rest for a bit longer before they need to stand up and start healing/nuking/debuffing. Use that to your advantage.
Fourth, be efficient. Assuming your party has skillchains and magic bursts set up, gauge what your party can handle to keep the XP chains going. If your mages are mostly drained from that last IT+ fight that gave you a Chain #1, don't sit there and wait for them to med to near full just for another IT+. That waiting will cost you the XP chain. Grab a tough. Maybe an even, and tell them to rest through the fight. The rest of your party should be able to dispatch the mob quickly, thereby building TP for the next IT++ mob, the mages will have more time to recover MP for the next fight, and the XP chain will still be alive.
Fifth... did I mention be efficient? Get regular status reports from your party. Insist on it. Pulling that IT++ mob and killing it for 200xp won't mean anything if just ONE member of your party doesn't have enough TP to pull off their weapon skill. It will just mean downtime as your BLM blows their MP on killing the mob, and the WHM blowing their MP on keeping the BLM alive.
Sixth, always keep your party updated. If you're bringing a mob back, let the party know. I suggesting using a macro with a <call>. It'll wake up otherwise dozing party members. Immediately follow that with the difficulty of the mob itself. There are some shortcuts for diffcultly that most people understand: IT = incredibly tough. VT = very tough. EM = even match. DC = decent challenge. EP= easy prey. If you check a mob and it says it has high evasion.. put a + at the end. If it's got low defense, put a -. That's where IT+ and VT-- come from.
Seventh, be self-sacrificing, to a point. If you picked up a link and you know your party would be wiped out.. don't bring it back to the party. Zone it. If you're in an area where zoning a mob will probably get another party killed, call for help.. both by saying it, AND by hitting Control-G. If you're nowhere near zone.. well, stay put. Die, and respawn/get raised. Take one for the team.
Eighth, know your enemy. Knowing which mobs in the area link, and which ones aggro will save you a lot of headaches. There are more than enough guides (online and hardcopy) that will give you an inkling on what a zone has to offer as far as the mobs are concerned. Knowing that pulling that Giant Trapper will yield a link with that Gigas Leech, who will then link those Acrophies, is important. Knowing that BLM-jobbed mobs will attempt to bind you, and the range of that spell, is also important.
This is just barely scratching the surface on what is expected of a good puller. Let alone once you get back to camp, you need to know how to be a damage dealer or debuffer as well. I'm sure there can be another 10-20 points to add, and I'm sure someone will add it below. But hopefully this will set you on the right path to being a good.. nay, great puller.
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A Puller's PrimerFollow
were this only required reading upon entering the valkurm dunes or qufim island...
*sigh*
i'm an rdm, and i know how to pull. i wish more people would work on learning how, because you don't always have prime pickings of pullers, and not every person in a "puller job" class knows how to effectively pull. great post =)
*sigh*
i'm an rdm, and i know how to pull. i wish more people would work on learning how, because you don't always have prime pickings of pullers, and not every person in a "puller job" class knows how to effectively pull. great post =)
/cheer great post for beginners!
another tip: when you find a monster, use a nice call like <call14> in your macro, it's pretty much the standard for saying "I found the monster" for both JPs and NAs. Don't use anything like <call5> it just gets annoying and alarms people for no reason.
another tip: when you find a monster, use a nice call like <call14> in your macro, it's pretty much the standard for saying "I found the monster" for both JPs and NAs. Don't use anything like <call5> it just gets annoying and alarms people for no reason.
I add that you ought to learn by heart which mobs have those killer special attacks as well as how they agro to you.
In zones like Qufim keep a close eye on the time so that you know whether to be extra careful of the pesky undead. Nothing worse than being caught out int he open surrounded by undead when you just pulled the IT+ Crab.
Know your spawn points. If you are camping in an area new to you, and if it is new to everyone else, expect the unexpected. Many times I am in a low level party and they set up at a spot I know to be a spawn point for IT++++ or Bogy or whatever. Sometimes you will be overruled by the leader so when the pop happens, just take it in your stride and don't get too worked up with the whole "I told you so" thing.
If you are pulling with arrows, switch to wooden for the pull then back to your fighting arrows. No good pulling a mob with a critical as RNG. I learned this the hard way a few times... Changing arrows will not damage your TP but changing weapon will. You could even unequip +ranged acc gear if you want to - can have a macro for this but usually I find there is no need if pulling IT with wooden.
If you are puller and a THF or other lightly armoured melee, I suggest using as much +eva gear as you can afford. I pulled as THF from 15 to 50 and I rarely got hit on the pull. Ok the Antican DID do that Quake on me that time which left me with 13 HP but thats the price I pay for WAR sub instead of NIN
On the return path for the pull (Garlaige may be an exception here thanks to well place holes), tell the party what you pulled. There is usually ample time to do this on the return. Type inc then hit tab for <Incredibly Tough> then add the ++ if you wish. Or as suggested by Vaelin, IT++ works. The former is more Japanese friendly and these small courtesies will be noticed. It's nice to get compliments from Rank10 Japanese players such as <Fishing> <Thief> <Good Job>. Japanese will compliment you when you do an extra good job usually will say nothing bad in public if you do a bad job. This is part of their cusom for politeness. We gaijin will often be impolite without realising it :)
(Note, using the <Fishing> translation is about as good as you can get to indicate "Pull" or "Puller/Pulling" etc. Romanji for "to Pull" is hikimasu so my very bad Japanese grammer assumes that "watashi <t> himimasu" would mean something like "I am pulling <t>". I just stick to the translator grammer...
In zones like Qufim keep a close eye on the time so that you know whether to be extra careful of the pesky undead. Nothing worse than being caught out int he open surrounded by undead when you just pulled the IT+ Crab.
Know your spawn points. If you are camping in an area new to you, and if it is new to everyone else, expect the unexpected. Many times I am in a low level party and they set up at a spot I know to be a spawn point for IT++++ or Bogy or whatever. Sometimes you will be overruled by the leader so when the pop happens, just take it in your stride and don't get too worked up with the whole "I told you so" thing.
If you are pulling with arrows, switch to wooden for the pull then back to your fighting arrows. No good pulling a mob with a critical as RNG. I learned this the hard way a few times... Changing arrows will not damage your TP but changing weapon will. You could even unequip +ranged acc gear if you want to - can have a macro for this but usually I find there is no need if pulling IT with wooden.
If you are puller and a THF or other lightly armoured melee, I suggest using as much +eva gear as you can afford. I pulled as THF from 15 to 50 and I rarely got hit on the pull. Ok the Antican DID do that Quake on me that time which left me with 13 HP but thats the price I pay for WAR sub instead of NIN
On the return path for the pull (Garlaige may be an exception here thanks to well place holes), tell the party what you pulled. There is usually ample time to do this on the return. Type inc then hit tab for <Incredibly Tough> then add the ++ if you wish. Or as suggested by Vaelin, IT++ works. The former is more Japanese friendly and these small courtesies will be noticed. It's nice to get compliments from Rank10 Japanese players such as <Fishing> <Thief> <Good Job>. Japanese will compliment you when you do an extra good job usually will say nothing bad in public if you do a bad job. This is part of their cusom for politeness. We gaijin will often be impolite without realising it :)
(Note, using the <Fishing> translation is about as good as you can get to indicate "Pull" or "Puller/Pulling" etc. Romanji for "to Pull" is hikimasu so my very bad Japanese grammer assumes that "watashi <t> himimasu" would mean something like "I am pulling <t>". I just stick to the translator grammer...
is <call2> ok? i like that one with the referee whistle kinda sound or is that really annoying?
I'm a SAM and everyone is always asking me to pull which i dont mind i just never did it before but now i kinda enjoy it ^^
I'm a SAM and everyone is always asking me to pull which i dont mind i just never did it before but now i kinda enjoy it ^^
Great post!! As a level 10 ranger with my first job bieng whm the information was valubale to say the least.
Thanks Again
Thanks Again
Quote:
Your tank (I really hope you aren't the puller AND tank)
Why not?
/em prepares to post in the "noob sayings" forum...
Depends on the situation of course. Ninja make a good puller/tank. WAR can do the same. Basically any job where no resting is required and tanking is feasible can pull. Generally you don't do it that way simply because the puller on occasion takes a few hits so you don't wnat to have to throw huge cures at them straight away.
This is why Ninja make excellent puller/tank.
If the puller is the main tank however, it is recommended you have a backup tank just in case :)
Cheers
This is why Ninja make excellent puller/tank.
If the puller is the main tank however, it is recommended you have a backup tank just in case :)
Cheers
Scholar
28 posts
Kudos on this. Good to see someone putting together a decent puller's guide for all the new kids out there.
As a THF, personally, I love pulling. Since I do comparatively little damage per-hit and can only SA every 60 seconds, it makes me feel useful to pull for my party as well.
The only other thing I might add to this primer is, if you are a 25+ THF (of course, if you are, you should probably already know this but here it is in any case), and you get aggro or link from mobs you don't want, you may be able to flee rather than taking the death to protect those at zone. I use this strategy often in the jungles outside Kazham, because I'm usually far enough away from the zone that if I get aggroed I can Flee and head for the zone, losing the mob on the way and not putting any of the many parties camped there in jeopardy.
As a THF, personally, I love pulling. Since I do comparatively little damage per-hit and can only SA every 60 seconds, it makes me feel useful to pull for my party as well.
The only other thing I might add to this primer is, if you are a 25+ THF (of course, if you are, you should probably already know this but here it is in any case), and you get aggro or link from mobs you don't want, you may be able to flee rather than taking the death to protect those at zone. I use this strategy often in the jungles outside Kazham, because I'm usually far enough away from the zone that if I get aggroed I can Flee and head for the zone, losing the mob on the way and not putting any of the many parties camped there in jeopardy.
Indeed I love pulling so much that even when levelling other jobs I'm taking range weapons just in case a puller is needed.
It was quite funny though when I was puller in Valkurm for a party of mostly new people. After a few bad adds I volunteered to do the job. Nothing weird you think?
...
I was WHM
...
As it happens there was another whm in the party and I was not often hit on the pulls anyhow. The new players knew how to provoke so it worked out well. Pulling with Paralyze - every WHM should give it a try :P
It was quite funny though when I was puller in Valkurm for a party of mostly new people. After a few bad adds I volunteered to do the job. Nothing weird you think?
...
I was WHM
...
As it happens there was another whm in the party and I was not often hit on the pulls anyhow. The new players knew how to provoke so it worked out well. Pulling with Paralyze - every WHM should give it a try :P
Not a bad post at all. Think everyone should read this not just pullers, kinda helps the whole pt if they all know wht the puller is thinking and has to deal with. Pulling is a maker/breaker. being a 52 Rng, I 97% of the time get the call, I rather pull anyway. Someone said awhile back in a post, that pulling helps keep you awake late at night,lol. I agree. Your right alot of people fear pulling, but once you get the hang of it, its great! No doubt. Nothing is better than going out for a pull, setting up and firing on the mob saying INC, and running back and getting the call that there is a "Pop" lol. Then whn you can completly loop around and dodge the link, the PT loves it!
One more thing I can add to pulling is that the sign of a smart puller, which can come into play at the lvls of 16 17ish, is, the puller breaks off he mob whn its close to dieing and then goes out to recon for the next pull. But you have to make sure you PT has the mob under control, and dont disengauge premature. This can be the extra time it takes to pull off Chain #5. Only do this whn you have felt out ur PT, and know wht they can and can't do.
GL
Quan 52Rng/26War Unicorn.
One more thing I can add to pulling is that the sign of a smart puller, which can come into play at the lvls of 16 17ish, is, the puller breaks off he mob whn its close to dieing and then goes out to recon for the next pull. But you have to make sure you PT has the mob under control, and dont disengauge premature. This can be the extra time it takes to pull off Chain #5. Only do this whn you have felt out ur PT, and know wht they can and can't do.
GL
Quan 52Rng/26War Unicorn.
Couple of my own tips i've learned through the years...
If you pull a mage or ranger type mob; run past the front line into the mages line. This brings your mob to the melee line instead of out in the middle of the spawn zone.
Second, use your compous(sp) wisely! With a bow type weapon, you can position yourself so the mobs red dot is right at the edge of your compous. With this much range between you and the mob, you'll never get hit coming back.
If you have two pullers, make sure you have a prelimenary pull macro, indicating you've found the mob, but not initating /range. Once you use your prelimenary macro, and the other puller has acknowledged it, then use your normal macro.
And regarding the first post. The <call1-10> can be kinda annoying if you spam it all the time. I know its great for those people 'falling asleep'...but it gives the rest of us headaches, lol.
Edited, Tue Aug 3 14:00:17 2004 by Jaqen
If you pull a mage or ranger type mob; run past the front line into the mages line. This brings your mob to the melee line instead of out in the middle of the spawn zone.
Second, use your compous(sp) wisely! With a bow type weapon, you can position yourself so the mobs red dot is right at the edge of your compous. With this much range between you and the mob, you'll never get hit coming back.
If you have two pullers, make sure you have a prelimenary pull macro, indicating you've found the mob, but not initating /range. Once you use your prelimenary macro, and the other puller has acknowledged it, then use your normal macro.
And regarding the first post. The <call1-10> can be kinda annoying if you spam it all the time. I know its great for those people 'falling asleep'...but it gives the rest of us headaches, lol.
Edited, Tue Aug 3 14:00:17 2004 by Jaqen
Amazing post, rate up up up!!!!
If any admins are around... I reccomend this gets put in the guide section ^^
If any admins are around... I reccomend this gets put in the guide section ^^
Quote:
is is absolutely the most important aspect, as well as the most varied. As soon as a mob is dead and rattling it's death throes on the ground, you should be out scouting. Don't wait for your mages to get to full MP. Don't wait for your DRK to return from AFK. Be out there, and be standing by a mob as soon as the party is ready. Again, watch your mages' MP, and judge the distance you need to run back to camp with the mob. If you're a good 20-30 seconds away from the party when you begin a pull, the mages will be able to rest for a bit longer before they need to stand up and start healing/nuking/debuffing. Use that to your advantage.
There's also a flip side to this.. The puller who pulls too fast. That's not efficient either. And by too fast, I don't mean pulling when the mages are low on MP. Too fast means that you just finished #1 and you grab the next mob just because everyone is above 50% MP.
You know you have plenty of time, let the mages get a few ticks before you pull even though you know it wouldn't be a problem killing the mob with the current state. This will help you extend your chains in the long run.
I can give you a great example of this how this translates into efficiency.. We're PT'ing in cape terrigon at the back of the tunnel, behind two other PT's. The puller has quite a jog back to camp (maybe an extra 15 seconds out and 15 seconds back in for 30 seconds total). We're making chain #5 no problem. Hardly any downtime at all. When the other 2 PT's leave, we move up to the front of the cave and the puller continues his pattern (minus the 30 second travel time). Now we're not making more than chain #3 or #4 before the mages are out of MP. Same mobs, same levels.. the only thing that changed was 30 seconds.
Be aware of what chain you are on, how much time between chains and about how long it takes you to kill a mob. Don't pull too fast, and don't pull too slow. That's what seperates a good puller from a great one.
Edited, Tue Aug 3 14:26:28 2004 by subvert
Nice post, I just started playing Drk and have been in the dunes the past week or so. It seems that each time I get into the party if I am the highest or even-level person in the party I volunteer to pull, most people don't mind, I love doing it. I've been a blm and whm up to this point mostly so it's new to me. It's so much more enjoyable being able to pull since you are being active instead of standing around twiddling your thumbs.
Last night I was main puller for our party and once I didn't go around enough when I was pulling a Fly and they linked so off I went to Selbina. Then another time there were two gobs close by outpost, so our war trys to get the butcher but the dang leecher aggros and so off I go with the Leecher again. But hey, I pulled for over an hour, we got almost 2k exp and no one died. But more importantly I had a great time playing and pulling, can't wait to get home to try again.
Is it more beneficial to try out crossbow or stick with the bow?
Last night I was main puller for our party and once I didn't go around enough when I was pulling a Fly and they linked so off I went to Selbina. Then another time there were two gobs close by outpost, so our war trys to get the butcher but the dang leecher aggros and so off I go with the Leecher again. But hey, I pulled for over an hour, we got almost 2k exp and no one died. But more importantly I had a great time playing and pulling, can't wait to get home to try again.
Is it more beneficial to try out crossbow or stick with the bow?
Scholar
34 posts
Ooo good info! This helps me as a novice puller =^.^=
I would like to see this put in the guides section too.
I would like to see this put in the guides section too.
What a great post!! But you know who ALSO needs to read it?
EVERYONE ELSE WHO PLAYS IN PARTIES.
Don't tell me when to pull unless I'm doing a bad job. If we're chaining, if no one's ever in danger, if there's little downtime, don't tell me to go/stay at camp. Let me time it. I hate, hate, hate it when everyone in the party is chanting pull pull pull when I'm out, guess what? Pulling. Well, guys, I don't have a mob here in my pocket. I have to find one. On the flipside, don't tell me to hang around camp and wait for mages to heal, and then complain when it takes me a long time to find a mob AFTER everyone has healed.
Let the puller pull. Argh.
But there is a TON of great advice in here. I never thought about adding the plus/minus signs to my IT, VT, and T macros; I think that is a fantastic idea! Now that I'm about to set these macros on my ranger in preparation for Valkurm, I'll get those set up asap.
Side note: I came into the living room the other night to find my husband, who has never pulled until then (he was playing as a dragoon) voke-pulling in the Dunes, and I nearly had a heart attack. I think I lectured him for twenty minutes on the ins and outs of pulling. His eyes glazed over and I KNOW he was ignoring me, but I hate seeing a bad puller, and I'm not going to be married to one!
But this, man... this:
Really? Where? When? :P I've had maybe two people (both good, solid players give me compliments on my pulling. Now, lots of parties have crowed about the flow of xp. But I've noticed that parties rarely praise each other. I think that sucks. :/ I love praising people! There are a lot of crappy players out there... the good ones should be singled out, if only in /tells. I do this especially in Valkurm when I see someone without a sub who nevertheless is doing a killer job playing their role. I figure they need it the most, but everyone could use a little praise sometimes. And pulling is not easy - so give your puller love if they're doing a good job!
Just wanted to point this post out, too. Some VERY good points made here. There's a balance that must be struck to extend the chains out to the best benefit to everyone. It's hard. That's where I'm trying to improve. I hope being a ranger will help me hone that ability!
EVERYONE ELSE WHO PLAYS IN PARTIES.
Don't tell me when to pull unless I'm doing a bad job. If we're chaining, if no one's ever in danger, if there's little downtime, don't tell me to go/stay at camp. Let me time it. I hate, hate, hate it when everyone in the party is chanting pull pull pull when I'm out, guess what? Pulling. Well, guys, I don't have a mob here in my pocket. I have to find one. On the flipside, don't tell me to hang around camp and wait for mages to heal, and then complain when it takes me a long time to find a mob AFTER everyone has healed.
Let the puller pull. Argh.
But there is a TON of great advice in here. I never thought about adding the plus/minus signs to my IT, VT, and T macros; I think that is a fantastic idea! Now that I'm about to set these macros on my ranger in preparation for Valkurm, I'll get those set up asap.
Side note: I came into the living room the other night to find my husband, who has never pulled until then (he was playing as a dragoon) voke-pulling in the Dunes, and I nearly had a heart attack. I think I lectured him for twenty minutes on the ins and outs of pulling. His eyes glazed over and I KNOW he was ignoring me, but I hate seeing a bad puller, and I'm not going to be married to one!
But this, man... this:
Quote:
Bring thousands of xp/hour to your party, thereby levelling them (and yourself) quickly and being showered by praise?
Really? Where? When? :P I've had maybe two people (both good, solid players give me compliments on my pulling. Now, lots of parties have crowed about the flow of xp. But I've noticed that parties rarely praise each other. I think that sucks. :/ I love praising people! There are a lot of crappy players out there... the good ones should be singled out, if only in /tells. I do this especially in Valkurm when I see someone without a sub who nevertheless is doing a killer job playing their role. I figure they need it the most, but everyone could use a little praise sometimes. And pulling is not easy - so give your puller love if they're doing a good job!
Quote:
There's also a flip side to this.. The puller who pulls too fast. That's not efficient either. And by too fast, I don't mean pulling when the mages are low on MP. Too fast means that you just finished #1 and you grab the next mob just because everyone is above 50% MP.
You know you have plenty of time, let the mages get a few ticks before you pull even though you know it wouldn't be a problem killing the mob with the current state. This will help you extend your chains in the long run.
You know you have plenty of time, let the mages get a few ticks before you pull even though you know it wouldn't be a problem killing the mob with the current state. This will help you extend your chains in the long run.
Just wanted to point this post out, too. Some VERY good points made here. There's a balance that must be struck to extend the chains out to the best benefit to everyone. It's hard. That's where I'm trying to improve. I hope being a ranger will help me hone that ability!
I, as a Ranger, am glad you posted this thread. Very nicely done. Rate up for you.
I would like to add one thing, and has nothing to do with your information or the puller specifically: This is a message to the other party members.
Specifically, the impatient ones (typically DRK or Galka chars for some reason, just from my experiences)
The puller's job is harder than your's. Period. Unless the puller has shown complete incompetence and/or goes afk every 3 mobs, shut the hell up, unless you want to start pulling yourself. If the puller is not running to get that Chain #4 he most likely has a good reason (i.e. The WHM's MP was just reported at 28%). If you have ever pulled, or paid any attention to anything other than your damage totals and xp gained, you would notice this.
So, the next time I am in a party and someone feels the need to say "go pull" guess who just became the new puller?
I would like to add one thing, and has nothing to do with your information or the puller specifically: This is a message to the other party members.
Specifically, the impatient ones (typically DRK or Galka chars for some reason, just from my experiences)
The puller's job is harder than your's. Period. Unless the puller has shown complete incompetence and/or goes afk every 3 mobs, shut the hell up, unless you want to start pulling yourself. If the puller is not running to get that Chain #4 he most likely has a good reason (i.e. The WHM's MP was just reported at 28%). If you have ever pulled, or paid any attention to anything other than your damage totals and xp gained, you would notice this.
So, the next time I am in a party and someone feels the need to say "go pull" guess who just became the new puller?
Well done Vaelin!
As a professional puller and founding member of our union, Pullers United Labor Leaders (P.U.L.L., Bastok Local No. 69), I couldn't have said it better. I hope every apprentice puller gets to read this.
Pullers are the daredevils of FFXI ... it takes a stout heart and sturdy spine to venture out alone into the wilderness and pluck just the right victim for your party's amusement. There is no other role I'd ever want to fill.
As a professional puller and founding member of our union, Pullers United Labor Leaders (P.U.L.L., Bastok Local No. 69), I couldn't have said it better. I hope every apprentice puller gets to read this.
Pullers are the daredevils of FFXI ... it takes a stout heart and sturdy spine to venture out alone into the wilderness and pluck just the right victim for your party's amusement. There is no other role I'd ever want to fill.
Great points made above. A I couple I forgot were coverd, nice job. Yes yes yes, pull thru the pt, that is so very key. I have seen some newer players pulling, and some not so new players go to pull and they stop short of the PT, this is very bad for a few reasons.
1) Your gonna get hit more.
2) the Tank and Damage Dealers have to move out there, where there are more potential links.
3) Possiblity the mages have to move out more too.
4) Who knows maybe lose a good camp, to some not so cool players
there are alot of potential downfalls to pulls that stop short. Always run thru the pt.
Another good call on trying to be as far away as possible whn range attacking.
Speaking from a Rng point of view,(i guess pullers in general) is its a big competion out in the pulling fields. very fun and competitive. If your using a ranged attack, get a weapon that has the lowest delay. Xbows are a good choice. I dont use boomarangs or other throwing items so im not too hip on wht is fastest. But my bows have a long delay, my xbows are much faster. Remember you dont have to stress out if u dont hit the mob whn pulling, your main focus is turning the mob red. Your job and focus is the pull, anythig extra is a bonus.
Its buisness out in the pulling field, and if it is slim pickings out there, and another puller may go out and just aggro the mob and start heading back to his camp with the mob "not claimed" like I say if there isnt alot of mobs, and spawns seem slow, I wont hesitate to claim that mob. Can make alot of people mad, but there is a whole nother debate there in itself. May not be the best way about things, but like I stated its buisness out there, nothing personal. By doing this you teach them a valuble lession KEEP UR MOBS IN THE RED.
Let me reiterate, fast attack the better, you will lose pulls with too much delay.
Quan
52 Rng/ 26 War unicorn
1) Your gonna get hit more.
2) the Tank and Damage Dealers have to move out there, where there are more potential links.
3) Possiblity the mages have to move out more too.
4) Who knows maybe lose a good camp, to some not so cool players
there are alot of potential downfalls to pulls that stop short. Always run thru the pt.
Another good call on trying to be as far away as possible whn range attacking.
Speaking from a Rng point of view,(i guess pullers in general) is its a big competion out in the pulling fields. very fun and competitive. If your using a ranged attack, get a weapon that has the lowest delay. Xbows are a good choice. I dont use boomarangs or other throwing items so im not too hip on wht is fastest. But my bows have a long delay, my xbows are much faster. Remember you dont have to stress out if u dont hit the mob whn pulling, your main focus is turning the mob red. Your job and focus is the pull, anythig extra is a bonus.
Its buisness out in the pulling field, and if it is slim pickings out there, and another puller may go out and just aggro the mob and start heading back to his camp with the mob "not claimed" like I say if there isnt alot of mobs, and spawns seem slow, I wont hesitate to claim that mob. Can make alot of people mad, but there is a whole nother debate there in itself. May not be the best way about things, but like I stated its buisness out there, nothing personal. By doing this you teach them a valuble lession KEEP UR MOBS IN THE RED.
Let me reiterate, fast attack the better, you will lose pulls with too much delay.
Quan
52 Rng/ 26 War unicorn
Earthshaker wrote:
...
I was WHM
...
I actually became the puller in the Dunes while getting my BRD that last painful level (20). As you can see by the sig, I've been THF longer than BRD, so the hesitant pullers that have the mages rest to 100% MP, wake up, see that they're at 100% MP, ask if everyone's ready, ask if they should pull, then start to leave slowly...they drive me bananas. Also, if the puller is a level or two below the highest player in a Dunes party, it can make a real difference. So I wound up pulling with Requiem. Really, you're wearing a lot of the same armor as a MNK at that level, so it wasn't bad at all even when I did get hit.
I don't mind being the puller, because I have issues with the way a lot of other people pull (often too conservatively, without chains in mind, etc.) You can definitely ratchet up the EXP/hour quite safely by tuning the pull timing to your party.
As for the pull macro, I use this:
/ra <t>
/wait 1
/p {Ranged Attack} --> <t>
This lets my party know right before the attack actually goes off. I generally hit my SA/TA macro right before that one (unless the party's having trouble lining up, but that's another subject.)
One more note that might have been mentioned and I missed in my skimming about pulling through the group.
One of the main reasons you want to pull through the group (ie pull all the way to the center of melee, not just to fringes of camp) is for your bard. I realize you may not party with a bard often, but knowing a bit about them I can tell you nothing annoys them more than to have to recast a song because the puller stopped short of them on the pull and all the melee went running out to meet the mob.
So if you're in a party with the bard and pulling please pull to the bard or just past him so everyone will get the accuracy+ song he's casting and he doesn't have to waste 8 seconds recasting it. It could be the difference between life and death for the party later on when you need him to heal.
One of the main reasons you want to pull through the group (ie pull all the way to the center of melee, not just to fringes of camp) is for your bard. I realize you may not party with a bard often, but knowing a bit about them I can tell you nothing annoys them more than to have to recast a song because the puller stopped short of them on the pull and all the melee went running out to meet the mob.
So if you're in a party with the bard and pulling please pull to the bard or just past him so everyone will get the accuracy+ song he's casting and he doesn't have to waste 8 seconds recasting it. It could be the difference between life and death for the party later on when you need him to heal.
Quote:
Specifically, the impatient ones (typically DRK or Galka chars for some reason, just from my experiences)
On behalf of Galkas and Dark Knights I would like to apologize for those fools who complain in parties about pulling, healing or anything else not warranted. I've seen this jackassitry first hand and I can't stand it. You would think after years and years of reincarnation they would just mellow.
Also thanks for the primer. I'm one of those still afraid to pull (have had some bad experiences) but I recognize the need to develope the skill. This helps alot.
Edited, Tue Aug 3 17:09:07 2004 by Madvilln
Quote:
is <call2> ok? i like that one with the referee whistle kinda sound or is that really annoying?
No, anything under <call5> is absolutely aweful and should never be used in a regular macro - only EMERGENCIES IMHO. One really good reason for this is volume. Some people use the in-game settings to control their volume so that they can use their sound card for other things while in game such as MP3's or voice chat (I use both). Unfortunately, both sound effects and music volume DO NOT control the volume of the calls. Therefore, if you are playing late at night in a no-so-private room, or have headphones on, these calls are absolutely horrible. It is definately something Squeenix should look into, but in the meantime, have some respect for your fellow players and leave out the horrible calls 1-5.
Thanks!
awesome thread! Rate up.
I have never ever pulled, ok once or twice with my bard..
Things that I have noticed as a WHM that definately do help me.
1. Always pull through the party. meaning, dont stop and leave that leacher casting from 40 feet away.
2. Announce you found something,
3. your attack,
4. and what I really love.. is an annoucement that you are coming into view... This is the perfect time for the bard to start singing, The mages to stand up, the Tank to start spamming provoke (later on the trick partner)
5. Pull with the least possible damage. (pebbles, wooden arrows, the cheapest dang boomerang)
These are the things that I (as a WHM) have found to be the most usefull to me.
I have never ever pulled, ok once or twice with my bard..
Things that I have noticed as a WHM that definately do help me.
1. Always pull through the party. meaning, dont stop and leave that leacher casting from 40 feet away.
2. Announce you found something,
3. your attack,
4. and what I really love.. is an annoucement that you are coming into view... This is the perfect time for the bard to start singing, The mages to stand up, the Tank to start spamming provoke (later on the trick partner)
5. Pull with the least possible damage. (pebbles, wooden arrows, the cheapest dang boomerang)
These are the things that I (as a WHM) have found to be the most usefull to me.
On the subject of macros, I use:
/p {Range Attack} >> {Incredibly Tough} <t>, get ready! <call14>
/ra <t>
Or {Very Tough} or {Tough}. I use simple {Range Attack} >> <t> macros for DCs and EMs.
But I like the idea of shooting first and announcing after; I may have to pirate that one! ^^
My country for a <con> that we can put into macros, I swear....
Edited to add: ooh, announcing that you're almost back is a VERY good idea! I love this thread! I think I'll rate everyone up!
Edited, Tue Aug 3 18:24:26 2004 by MissLMonkey
/p {Range Attack} >> {Incredibly Tough} <t>, get ready! <call14>
/ra <t>
Or {Very Tough} or {Tough}. I use simple {Range Attack} >> <t> macros for DCs and EMs.
But I like the idea of shooting first and announcing after; I may have to pirate that one! ^^
My country for a <con> that we can put into macros, I swear....
Edited to add: ooh, announcing that you're almost back is a VERY good idea! I love this thread! I think I'll rate everyone up!
Edited, Tue Aug 3 18:24:26 2004 by MissLMonkey
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