FFXI - Skillchain and Magic Burst Guide

[@mersiinary2612]

Thanks so much for this. I’ve literally attempted to print out the graphs. However, I’m only 7 minutes into your video and I’m overwhelmed. Lol, I’ll get there but I’m still learning a lot. New player since November. Haven’t gotten to 99 as of yet. Still exploring jobs to see which ones I like. But this will certainly make sense to me at some point. Thanks for providing all the videos that you continue to produce. I really watch them and appreciate your hard work.

[@cloudchiefarcade]

If you are that new best advice I can give you is that you just need to Weapon Skill 3-10 seconds after the previous Weapon Skill to chain. Here is a Skillchain chart by Weapon Skills. wilddragonchase.blogspot.com/2008/10/ffxi-skillchain-chart.html I wouldn't worry about trying to multi-step skill chaining until you are 99. Skill chaining in general is easy. It doesn't get difficult until you are trying to multi-step. This will simplify it down so you can get a good grasp on skill chaining until 99 where you will then be getting buffed and have gear to start getting into multi-steps.

[@mersiinary2612]

cloudchief arcade thanks for this, appreciate it

[@wisdomreigns8704]

Nice I really needed this Ive kinda been just fumbling around hit/miss style Thinking Ill eventually research more but only small attempts were made(since NOV) This vid has inspired me to step up skillchain/magic burst game Thank you great vid

[@metalgear-]

Your UI was literally taking up 75% of your screen. That’s just crazy to see such looking like that.

[@cloudchiefarcade]

That is similar to the way it looked on PS2 back when I started playing. I prefer it because it allows me to see everything easily from the couch. I would probably set it up differently at a desk.

[@metalgear-]

@@cloudchiefarcade • I played vast majority of the time on XB360 which was actually 720p if not 1080p until forced to PC. Which was obviously the greatest favor SE did any of us. It just looks silly compared to even 360 let alone PC.

[@gmcdowell3640]

This was astoundingly helpful! Skillchains were always a bit confusing for me back in the day, this really helped out plan some good weapon skill combos! I did have a question, maybe you can answer: While leveling a dark knight, using a great sword (around level 35-45) I'd use 'Freezebite' as an opener, than Shantoto II would use 'Lesson in Pain' to close as a 'Scission' then magic burst with stone magics. Question is, how does an Ice type opener, with properties of Induration and Detonation, combine with a non elemental to make an Earth based Skillchain? Thanks for an awesome and informative video! Cheers!

[@cloudchiefarcade]

While the element of the weaponskill itself and the skillchain are frequently related they do not have to be. The skillchain properties of Lesson in Pain are Distortion/Scission even though the weaponskill itself is non-elemental.

[@gmcdowell3640]

@@cloudchiefarcade Thanks much for the reply, been watching a Lot of your videos over the week, very helpful! So, this will properly sound super silly, it's about the skillchains. Using the same two from the previous question, when a specific weapon skill (freeze bite) has 'Attributes' of Induration and Detonation does that mean it can only be used to Close one of those skill chains? Or does that mean using Freezebite will open Induration/Detonation skill chain? I'm just a bit confused about how Lesson in Pain used after Freezebite makes Scission. I guess it's a bad example because I can't see what Lesson in pain has 'Attributes' of. So I guess simply, when highlighting a weapon skill and reading what skillchain attributes it has, Example Great Axe: Sturmwind - Reverberation/Scission and Scythe: Nightmare Scythe - Compression/Scission (not sure if elements play into this one) If I used Sturmwind, and the next person used Nightmare Scythe (with correct timing) would we get Scission because both weapons have attributes of scission? This post got a lot longer as I was thinking it through... Secondly, does the order of the words stand for something, That Reverberation comes before Scission? Or is that just how it happens to be listed? And finally, looking at the ffxiclopedia skillchains page, at the graph for level 1 Skillchains- Scission > Scission doesn't appear; I suppose they would cancel each other out (for lack of a better term). So with a weapon skill that (hypothetically) had 'Attributes' of Reverberation, Impaction, Trasfixtion with a second weapon skill that had 'Attributes' of Scission, Liquefaction; we could get a Impaction > Liquefaction = Liquefaction Skillchain? I think I may be figuring it out at the last part..or I could be SO wrong. Thanks none the less for all the videos and guides you've made, means a lot to a returning player!

[@cloudchiefarcade]

@@gmcdowell3640 So when you are trying to figure out what chains with what, only look at the SC properties to determine what will chain. Perfect example of this is Leaden Salute. LS does dark based damage to the mob when used against it. However the SC properties are Gravitation > Transfixion. So the only way LS will make the SC level 3 darkness is if it is paired with a WS that has the SC property of Distortion either for opening or closing or if LS opens for a SC property of darkness. This only works because of LS's SC property of Distortion. Using your example: Freezebite's SC property is Induration > Detonation and Lesson in Pain's SC property is Distortion > Scission. So if we look at the charts in my video, Induration can not go into Distortion or Scission, so we then move to Detonation. Detonation can not go into Distortion, however Detonantion to Scission makes Scission based off the chart which is why we get Scission. I wanted to break it down further then I did however that was not possible. That is why I came up with the charts that are in the video as that is how I could break it down as simple as possible. Only SC properties in the charts in the video make SCs. If it is not in the charts then it will not work. That is why Scission > Scission does not work. I did want to find a simple pattern with SC properties that would be easy to remember but honestly a lot of T1 do not make sense how it works. So best thing I can suggest to refer to the charts. I will combine these charts and post it to photobucket or something and link it to the video. That way you or anyone else can easily reference the charts and even download it for ease of reference.

[@gmcdowell3640]

@@cloudchiefarcade And the sky opened up, and they understood! Thanks much for this! Really! I leveled a Thf last time I played, and stopped after a short time due to being unable to really get the concept of skill chaining and wasn't really able to push past 109-ish content. I always thought two weapon skills had to share a common 'Attribute'; this explains a lot. (Don't worry I solo'd a lot so this was only self-detrimental) Thanks so much for your time in explaining this! I just got two others to join with me and explaining this subject would have gone poorly without research and more importantly your help.

[@LethinGabbins]

Ah the old days, when you would work with others to figure out what chains you could do. Remember lowbie exp parties trying to chain for MB on like ice and fire. figuring out the timing to MB ancient spells to basically quickly finish fights. One of the things that made ffxi so fun to party in was setting up skillchains with the other melees for mages to MB the life outage mobs. Good ol off tanking as drg, voking and double thrust for sata viperbite onto tank for perfect hate. It was the only reason I'd get parties /seek "will provoke for parties"

[@cloudchiefarcade]

Ah, level 50 ancient magic burst parties. Those were the days. When a blm would call the start of a SC. The only problem with those parties was the tank getting hate off the blm after that MB went off. I remember being the blm and died a few times cause the tank couldn't get hate back.

[@Oni_Ji]

@@cloudchiefarcade I remember doing this on raptors. we would wait until the raptor was on 60-70% before I would call the start of SC, and occasionally the MB would partially resist and the raptor would be left on 10%~ HP and would be impossible for the tank to get hate back. All you could do was stun, run to the tank and hope the party could kill it fast enough before you floor tanked.

[@Taterzz]

"oh hey ur a war use mistral axe :^)" i hated SATA spinning slash sooooo much in the old days.

[@Anthem127]

Nice I was just hoping to find something like this. The only thing you didn’t touch on is double dark and double light.

[@cloudchiefarcade]

I did touch on it in the video. I can see how someone missed it though as I didn't go into deep detail about it. I mention that level 1 and level 2 you can chain indefinitely but level 3 you can only do twice. I also didn't make it clear that to do double light or dark, you need chain property of light or dark on your WS to be able to do it.

[@at0micl0bster]

ah may ah... who?

[@Dotcomrie]

I just got you your 69th like on your video. ;D