Party Leader Guide

CAUTION!

This article is only a guide. Information expressed in a guide is usually more opinion than fact and should be taken as such. Guides are written by players, based upon their experiences, successes and mistakes, and are meant to aid other players. However, there may be differing opinions than those expressed in a guide. Strategies and information in guides may not work for everyone.

Tired of spending hours seeking for an exp party? Consider making your own party! It's not too terrible. This guide is aimed at helping you become a party leader and putting together an exp group.

Why Me?

Why not? Usually there are tons of people seeking at multiple level ranges. Especially during prime time. All it takes is someone to wragle a group together. That someone can be you!

Searching for and Inviting Party Members

Type in the command /sea all x-x invite. Where X is the levels of folks you want to search for. For examples: /sea all 19-29 invite will populate a list of people leveled from 19 to 29 seeking a party.

If you see someone seeking for a role you need to fill in your party you can select them from the list and message them directly via /tell and ask them to join your party. ***It is considered rude to invite people without first talking to them.
Multiple jobs fit multiple roles, i.e.: RDMs can act as a main healer or support in a traditional party. Make sure to ask if they want to fill that role. Some folks prefer a specific role.

Party Compositions

The traditional exp party consists of 1 main tank, 1 main healer, 1 support, and 3 damage dealers. A party also needs a dedicated puller, someone who will pull mobs for the group, that can also be a damage dealer or support depending on the job. Examples of jobs that will traditionally fill those roles are:

• Tank: PLD WAR(using a shield and defender job ability) NIN
• Healer: WHM RDM
• Support: RDM BRD SMN
• Puller: THF SAM RNG BRD
• Damage Dealers: WAR MNK BLM THF DRK BST RNG SAM DRG

Other party compositions to consider are mage "burn" parties, typically consisting of 2 SMNs and 4 BLM.
...Add more types of party compositions here...

Party Tactics

Skillchains
An effective exp party has skillchaining. Skill chaining boosts damage against mobs for faster kills and opens up the option of magic bursting. As leader it will be on you to at least encourage the use of skillchaining. You want to aim to have at least one dedicated opener and a dedicated closer in skill chains. Usually this is between 2 melees. But a tank can be an effective opener and a summoner can be an effective closer. THF makes for a VERY effective closer with sneak and trick attack.

Study up on skillchains with this chart: .
This chart is based on retail though. Some weapon skill properties have been altered on Horizon. Most weapon skill properties are unchanged.
Note: Distortion is a very popular skillchain at lower levels, especially with THF in a party to close it with sneak/trick attack. Many jobs, even summoner, can open/close distortion.

Magic Bursts
Magic bursts are boosted on Horizon. Bursting will significantly boost damage against mobs for faster kills. And faster kills = faster exp! After setting up skill chains, you want to also encourage magic bursting in your party. Traditional jobs that can magic burst: BLM, RDM, SMN, NIN, RDM. If you have a BLM in your party, ask them what their highest level nuke is, and consider setting up a skillchain that the BLM can burst with that nuke.

Off Tanking and Enmity Considerations
PLD WAR and NIN can be main tanks but it's also a good idea to consider having an off tank in your party, someone who can take hate for a bit while main tank recovers. Especially if the job has a ninja or samurai subjob to mitigate damage. SMNs can also support damage mitigation with blink or stoneskin. This gives more breathing room for the main tank and also allows THFs to trick attack multiple people in your party. An off tank can also be considered a "first voke", a front line job that will provoke the mob at the beginning of a fight, and allow a THF to sneak and trick attack on the main tank.

WAR tanks may struggle a bit keeping enmity on their own and will benefit a THF buddy tricking on them and/or off tank buddy.

EXP Camps

A good party leader will be knowledgeable of where the party can go to get some exp. Visit: https://horizonffxi.wiki/EXP_Camps for ideas in where you can camp.

Consider What You Are Fighting
Does the mob use silence or paralyze attacks? Do they have defense up abilities? Are they casters? Consider bringing jobs that will counter monster abilities! You may need someone who can dispel/silena/poisona/stona in your group to effectively fight certain monsters. Study up!

Consider Camp Limitations
Some areas can only support 1 party. It's a good idea to search an area before heading there to see if there already is a party exping there. Use the command /sea "Zone Name" to pull up a list of people and their levels in an area. Ex: /sea "Crawler's Nest" will show you a list of people currently in Crawler's Nest. Although any mob unclaimed is technically up for claim it is considered rude to camp on top of another party and won't help your reputation on the server.

Time Considerations

So your SAM and DRK are skillchaining, your BLM is bursting, your BRD is pulling, and your RDM has heals covered! Things are moving smoothly. In the ideal situation everyone has at least 2 hours to party but unfortunately RL trumps FFXI. At around the hour mark, consider checking in with your party about how long they have left to exp. Ex:"Anybody need to go soon?" Party members may also tell the party they need to go soon in chat. If anybody needs to leave, you have some options.

Do you need replacements? If it's only 1-2 people that need to leave soon, consider searching for other people to replace. Sometimes party members will happily search for their rep, sometimes they may ask you to find a rep. Consider having at least another hour available to exp for reps.

Does the party need to break? If 3+ party members, or yourself, need to head out then it may be best to call it soon. A popular way to call a party is when somebody gains a level. Ex: "Anybody close TNL?" "I'm 500 tnl." "OK let's call it when RDM gets their level."

Are you the one that needs to leave soon? If you need to leave but everyone else is good to keep going, ask if someone wants lead and find yourself a rep.