First Conflict: Ballista
I created this guide shortly after trying Ballista out for the first time (and absolutely decimating Windurst due to their team's misunderstanding of the rules), so it only applies to rules set once the game first came out. Send me an e-mail at
[email protected] if you need me to make any changes.
So, what is Ballista? Before the Great War and the rise of adventurers in Vana'diel, the three nations would have a form of nonlethal combat called "Conflict" in order to train their troops in case of war. It was outlawed after the war, but it has been ressurected by the Councils. Ballista itself is only a form of Conflict (there are more than one), it is the San d'Orian style which acts a lot like a violent scavenger hunt.
First things first, how to get a Ballista License, which requires you to be Rank 3. To do this, you must speak with your Ballista representative in your home nation (An elvaan near Ranperre Gate in North San d'Oria, a galka above the Bastok Metalworks, or a mithra in the back room of Heaven's Tower) and listen to his or her tale of how Conflict has been legalized once again. You will then be sent to the other two nations to deliver letters and speak with those nations' leaders to be allowed to participate.
In San d'Oria, you will want to speak to the elvaan outside of Ranperre's Gate in North San d'Oria and then you will be sent to the Chateau to speak to the King. Simply walk up to the front door and select it. Then go back to the elvaan and deliver the letter.
In Bastok, you will want to speak to the galka above the Bastok Metalworks and then you will be sent to the President's Office to speak to the President. Once again, walk up to the door to select it. Then go back to the galka and deliver the letter.
In Windurst, you will want to speak to the mithra in the back room of Heaven's Tower and then you will be sent to the nearby desk to talk to the Star Sibyl. Once she finishes speaking with you, go back to the mithra to deliver the letter.
Now return to your home nation and speak with the person who gave you the quest, and he will send you to your nation's leader. Once you speak with your leader, return to the quest-giver and s/he will give you the Ballista Lisence key item. Now you can participate in Ballista at will. Talk to the Conflict NPCs to learn Ballista schedules.
Now, what do you do to actually participate? Well, at 0:00 every other day, a Ballista begins in Jugner Forest, Meriphataud Mountains, AND Pashow Marshlands (they happen simulatenously so the only reason to pick one over the other is because you need 6 people minimum from both teams to be able to play). Pick one to go to (Jugner seems to have plenty of people) and make your way to the outpost. At the outpost, you will meet the Herald, the referee of the game. In order to register, you must meet the following requirements:
1) It must be between 12:00 and 23:59 before the Ballista begins.
2) You must pay a registration fee.
3) There must not be more than 36 people on your nation's team.
The minimum allowed number of players for each team is 6, if there are any less than that, then the Ballista will be cancelled. There is also a different level cap for each Conflict, so pay close attention before accepting. Once all this is set up, you should just wait by the Outpost for the Ballista to begin.
Shortly before the alarm is sounded, you will have Invisible and Sneak cast on you so that you can find a strategical position to start at. Do so, as it will soon become a mad dash to gain Gate Breach status to score poitns, and you will want to be safe at the beginning. Once battle begins, "LAISSEZ-FAIRE!" will flash on the screen and battle music will begin to play. You are now participating.
If you go to your command menu you will notice two new commands: Sprint and Quarry. You use Sprint like the thief ability flee, it allows you to escape from people trying to kill you and helps to collect Petra faster. Quarry is used to dig up items (you're looking particularly for petra). Aside from petras, you can also dig up (and instantly use) High-potions, Elixirs, Ethers, Remedies, prism powder, and [annoyingly] poison potions. Once you dig up a petra, your Sprint command will be changed to "Scout", which will give your distance from the nearest Rook and what direction it is in.
Wait, what did that all mean? Well, Ballista isn't just a conflict where you run around killing the enemy--you have to score points by collecting the aforementioned petra and tossing them into Rooks. The problem is that the Rooks are sealed off to anyone who does not have Gate Breach status, so even if you have 20 petras on you but you do not have Gate Breach status, you cannot score. What to do?
To gain Gate Breach status, you need to deliver the killing blow to an enemy team-member. This can be accomplished in any way you like, whether that be beating them over the head or nuking them to death. Whatever works for you!
Once you feel you are safe and have enough petras (you will be able to deposit petras once with your gate breach status, so try to fit in as many as you can) find the nearest rook and toss them inside by targeting and slecting it. Be warned, for every so often the rook will vanish into the earth and re-appear in another position.
Whichever team throws the most petras in the rooks by the end of the day (one real life hour) wins.
STRATEGY
Always remember to keep in contact with your team. Your linkshell is automatically unequipped upon entering Ballista, and your /l chat function now talks to your team. Use it often.
Offensive: If you wish to play offensively, it is best to use quarry as often as you can when no enemies are in sight so that you can collect as many petras as possible. This is also very useful for obtaining Elixirs after a battle as they substantially heal your HP and MP. Quarry can also get you out of a bind (quite literally); if you find yourself frozen in place by an enemy mage, you can quarry and pray that you dig up an elixir to keep you alive until it runs out.
Melee: Run around, use sprint as often as allowed, and try to smack your enemies. A lot of the time, when enemies feel they are overwhelmed, they will run. This is difficult to counter-act, unless if you have a mage nearby.
Black/Red Mages: Your most important spell here is Bind. Sure, you can inflict a whole hell of a lot of nasty status effects on these guys, but by binding them they are unable to get away from the fighters and it certainly disorients them. Always try to cast this first before fighting someone, especially a melee, as they will probably rip you apart if they're close enough. If bind wears off, sleep your enemy and then wait for bind's recast to expire, then cast it again.
Defensive: Guarding rooks can be a good idea, but usually by the time someone with Gate Breach reaches one, it will be too late (unless if you're out to bind them before they can reach it). Remember that an enemy loses all his petras upon death, so try to kill them rather than just try to keep them away from the rooks. As a defensive player you shouldn't be using quarry much, as you will need sprint to chase away enemies and more importantly run away from the petra-carrying offensive players.
White Mages: You can cure, but it really isn't suggested as there is a more important thing for you to do first. If you ever see a black or red mage, you should cast silence as quickly as possible. A silenced black or red mage in Ballista (or anywhere else) is pretty close to worthless, and by the time he realizes that he can't bind you your team will probably already have him dead.
Be sure to keep in mind that enemy mobs in the area can still attack you, but as it stands right now there are plenty of spectators who'd be more than happy to pull them off you. Even if they don't, if you die to the beastmen no one will get Gate Breach status and you can still return to your Camp point as usual (as you do not lose or gain any experience during the fight).
When you die, you will have a short (30-second) timer and the option to return to your camp. By waiting the 30 seconds you will be re-raised on the spot you are on but will not regain your MP (and you have to lose that 30 seconds) and by returning to your camp point you do not have the advantage of starting where you were. Either way, you are invis/sneaked when you do come back alive, so keep that in mind and in your strategy.
After an hour has passed, "VICTOIRE!" is declared for the winners and everyone is lined up by the Herald. Speak with the Herald after he tallies off the scores to receive your award (at this point it is gil, it may be items and/or Conquest points in the future) and the recognition of your peers.
Most of all, have fun!
-Turanole
-Midgardsormr
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