Truth of bst exp cuts...again (read even if you know please)Follow

That's cool, if true. Never heard about that one. GJ trying to inform the people who don't know.

Bst don't take exp away from party unless the mob they charm is higher lvl than the highest lvl person in your party. Apart from that, it only takes 30% off bst for having pet. Just in case someone didn't understand.

Effort?? better off yourselves??

That depends on the BST.
I very rarely party, and if I do, it's with another bst. On occasion though, I do get into a normal exp party though.
Why you ask?
1) change of pace
2) safer exp (you try soloing explosures in garledge when they read VT and everything aggros)
3) Farmers, people leveling their npcs, and just people trying to make your life miserable killing all your pets and exp mobs.
4) Some levels are hell, especially pre 35. (correction, all levels pre 35 are hell)
5) To have fun (yes, parties can be fun)
6) practice (several bcnm runs are so much easier with a bst or two in them. Need to keep your skills up on how to work with people)
7) A chance to have an interesting conversation (when you spend a week in yhoat jungle killing gobs, you tend to think they start talking to you)
8) personal preference. you play the game how you like it. if you want to level summoner without subing whm, more power to you. There will be the occasional *** that will try and tell you something about it, but till they start paying for my account it's smn/blm and a bst in every party.

Now like a said, I hardly ever party, but that doesn't mean I don't ever want to. I tend to want a change of pace on occasion. Also, when the best leveling spots are taken, you can either sit around, or put your flag up.

**EDIT*

damnit... i posted in the wrong thread!

Edited, Wed Aug 10 10:58:56 2005 by robification

Leb..

Good job in bringing this topic to the forefront. I think it's been said many a times on these forums, but there are still MANY people out there that don't understand how the XP works with a BST in the PT.

Just to elaborate on what you said:

1) A BST suffer a 30% reduction in XP if the battle ends and they have a pet in their possession (commonly referred to as Pet Tax!). This pet tax ONLY effects the BST. And it's commonly accepted among BST that if they join a PT, they are willing to pay the Pet Tax if needed which usually is the case if they are using jug pets due to the recast timer. So I think it's important for people to realize that a BST is willing to take a 30% hit on their XP for the benefit of the PT! So it's NOT in their best interest to lower the base XP for the PT!

2) A pet will NEVER lower the base XP for the PT as long as the pet is Even Match or lower to the HIGHEST PT member! Most BSTs will stick to EM pets, but in theory they CAN use T pets if there are higher lvl PT members given that the pet is no higher than EM to that player. Notwithstanding, BSTs usually stick with pets equal to their own level for charm duration reasons and ease of ensuring that they are not adversely affecting the PTs XP.

3) A jug pet is ALWAYS Even Match to the BST, which makes it very convenient within a PT setting. However, a natural pet is, more often than not, more powerful than a jug pet! So it is in the PTs best interest to allow a BST to use natural pets if EMs are available.



IMHO, this is one of the most common misconceptions about BST. We are NOT necessarily "better off" by ourselves. Yes, we can solo to 75, but NO we do not make massive XP/hour solo. We make our XP slowly per hour but the trade off is never being LFG. So over time, we do well. Just to drive this point home, I made an average of 1.5k/hour during levels 1-35! So yes, it can be a GRIND!

SO many BSTs will occasionally PT with a normal PT so they can see a 3k/hour rate or whatever, for some "hell" levels.

You could argue that a bst should duo/trio, etc... And it's true that a duo/trio can pull in VERY good XP. However, any one who has played BST for a prolonged period of time knows that finding a duo/trio is just as difficult as finding a decent normal PT. They do NOT fall into your lap!!

Notwithstanding, a truly well rounded BST understands their role and abilities in all types of settings... BCNM, Solo, Duo/trio, Normal PT, etc. Each of these setting poses different roles and style of play for a BST. So a truly UBER BST will want to refine their understanding within each of these settings. An UBER soloing BST does not automatically equate to an UBER PT BST, and vice versa.

There are many many many reasons why a BST would choose to PT. And IMHO, too many PTs are missing out on a opportunity to have a very versatile job within their PT (pulling/link control/DD/etc..) because of their misconceptions that BSTs are "better off by themselves" and they adversely effect the PTs XP.

Both could not be further from the truth! However, to be fair, there are quite a few reasons why a BST chooses NOT to XP with a normal PT (you can read about that on the BST forums).

The freedom that BST provides makes BSTs a little different in attitude... they are NOT necessarily anxious to get into a PT because they don't HAVE to. So don't expect BSTs to be overly excited about getting an invite. They WILL be cautious about the PT make up, amount of time that the PT will be XPing, etc..etc..etc.. they are selective. So don't misinterpret that as being an A$$hat or a loner. BSTs are selective because they can and MUST be.

But no one should be afraid to ask a BST to PT, even if their flag isn't up. Some will say yes, some will say no... but it never hurts to ask. Just be courteous of their choice either way.

IMHO, a good BST will bring far more to the table than what the general public expects.

Unfortunately, the general public does not understand the BST, what they can do, how they do it, etc. and yet, they THINK they understand... and that is part of the reason there is "beef" at times between normal PTs and BSTs. It's SOOO avoidable with a little understanding and knowledge... but that can be too much to ask at times^^

Anyways.. good job Leb! Many BSTs have tried before you and many have given up on trying... it's nice to see someone continue to chip away at the misconceptions. Maybe someday the majority will understand^^

At first blush, I see the irony^^. But things are not always as they may seem. There are very few levels that a soloing BST can compare to the xp/hour of even a "decent" PT. Our XP/hour is more comparable to a "bad" PT... lol. We compensate by never being LFG. I think that may be the point you are missing.

From a BSTs perspective: Why not join a PT for 3-6k/hour rather than solo for 2-3k/hour?



Elathia, I take offense (not personally, but as a BST^^) to your comment here as your comments reflects your baseline opinion of BSTs. You seem to think that we are all loners who shun society and are out to make everyone's lives miserable every chance we get because "we don't need you anyways."... oh and don't forget, we LIVE for MPK! (Some obvious exaggeration added for emphasis^^)

Well... We are hardly like that. If anything, the vast majority of BST (based on my impression of the BST community that posts here at alla) strive to raise the opinion of the general public to the BST class. And I hardly think that sabotaging our own PT helps people understand the class or changes their poor impressions of us.

I understand all too well that its pretty much in fashion to hate all BSTs. What I find ironic is that when I meet people as a BLM, we'll often become friends... but if I'm a BST, all of a sudden I'm the enemy dispite the fact that I'm the same person!! lmao. It's obvious that the baseline opinion of BSTs is poor.

Yes, i'm sure that BSTs are happy that they can leave at anytime. But lets look at this logically. Why would a BST kill XP in their PT just because the PT sucks? Even a bad PT can pull 2k/hour... so that's not much better/worse than if they were soloing.. but it IS safer for the BST in a PT.

And if you considered that solo BSTs do not XP in the same zones that PTs of equal level XP, then you'd realize that there is travel time involved to break off and go solo. So if a BST is in your PT and the PT has potential to make in excess of 2k/hour, there is really no incentive for the BST kill their own XP... Ironically, its in their interest to MAKE it work.

Elathia, i don't expect you to understand BST, nor the reasons why they do the things they do, and I won't hold that against you^^. But I also see that you have some deep seeded prejudices against BSTs, and it likely stems from a lack of understanding of the class. So try not to hold things against a class you know very little about. Instead, we'd all be better served if we learn to understand the unknown.

I'll give you an example: Up until lvl 55-58, I avoided XPing where there are normal PTs. However, at these levels a BST must head to the basement of Garliage to XP Hellmines for decent XP. And this is where I first realized just how the lack of knowledge leads to the rift between normal PTs and BSTs.

The tunnel between the Hellmine room and the beetle/bat room will support 2 normal PTs. However, it will ONLY support 1 BST if they are recycling pets. And recycling is preferred as it keeps the beetle/bat population high for normal PTs. However, in order to recycle pets safely there can be no PTs in the tunnel leading to the Hellmines or the pets will aggro the PTs on its way back to its spawn. Of course, that leads to accusations of MPK.. /sigh.

So of course normal PTs will come camp the tunnel even though a BST is already there. Dispite warnings that camping there is dangerous, they'll tell the BST to "STFU" and camp there anyways... SOOO a BST has to resort to killing off their pets prior to getting a new one and fighting outside the tunnel in the beetle room. In this scenario, the BST generally gets blamed for taking up all the XP mobs.

Also, if the Hellmine doesnt go nuclear against our first pet, the hellmine will chase us into the beetle room during a pet swap. And I've had plenty of instances where an unknowing puller runs by the Hellmine when it goes nuclear and ends up eating dirt. And you know what comes next... MPK! MPK! MPK!

Well... if I was not forced out of the tunnel to begin with, no one would have been endangered as my fights would have been kept in the tunnel. But we all know people don't see that their actions cause a chain of events that many times comes back to bite them....

Bottomline is that the vast majority of people do not respect a BSTs camp. They will camp right on top of them. What they don't realize is that they are putting themselves in harms way. A BST can only do so much to ensure the safety of a PT that chooses to camp on top of them. After that, it's the PTs own fault... but of course the accusations of MPK ensue... typical; ; BSTs are human and we do get tired of trying to explain when it falls on deaf ears.

Anyways... MAYBE, just maybe, this sheds just a twinkle of light as to how knowledge can change perspective. I don't blame normal PTs for the way they act towards BSTs since I know that it largely stems from ignorance to the class.. its sad, but understandable... However, I do blame them for being rude when a BST tries to explain things.

Its easier to hate BSTs than it is to try to understand them. Hence the hatred and accusations of MPK.

The vast majority of BSTs are not out to MPK people (albiet there are probably some)... but many times people end up dead because of their lack of understanding as to how a BST solos and unwillingness to listen to warnings. It's not the BSTs fault that you end up dead when they try to warn you and you return by ignoring them or treating them rudely. BSTs are not under and obligation to ensure the safety of a PT when its their own ignorance to the situation that puts them at risk in the first place (even though most of us go to great lengths to ensure their safety). Normal PTs are warned ALL the time.... however, they tend to interpret that as a threat regardless of how it's phrased.

And to be quite honest, it gets tiresome trying to explain things when no one cares to listen... so from me, you get one friendly warning. If you choose to ignore it, then you camp near me at your own risk. I'll do what I can to ensure your safety, I'll even change the way I XP the area... but accidents quite often happen. IMO, It'd be wise for all of the Non-BSTs to at least learn how a BST operates, etc.. simply for their own safety. A BSTs "camp" is much larger than a regular PTs camp simply by the nature of the fighting style.

Anyways.. sorry for highjacking your thread Leb... but I just needed to comment since Elathia's views are a bit presumptuous and yet EXTREMELY typical.

And Elathia, nothing personal against you. I simply wanted to address a common attitude you appear to share with the vast majority of people...^-

Edited, Thu Aug 11 11:37:00 2005 by Mujuru