Oh I love a {Parade Gorget}!

So, there was this long standing mystery in the FFXI world since about Summer 2005. The question was how to get a Parade Gorget. Few knew about this rare item, and even fewer knew how to get it (a handfull of JP players on Ifrit.) The debate on how to get it raged on for over a year, until finally the news broke...

An interview with a SE representative finally produces enough clues to allow for the crafting of Goblin Drinks, the supposed pop item for the supposed NM Goblin Wolfman which supposedly dropped the Parade Gorget. Turns out they were right...

Needless to say, the recipe was cooking 80 cap, and since im cooking 102, I ran off to make a stack of them or so to get myself a gorget. I spent sime time farming ingredients, and managed to make 11 drinks. While in the Sea Serpent Grotto farming an ingredient for the drinks, I managed to grab myself a pair of Frog Trousers from a NM there. They aren't great, but they have a cool name so I figured I would keep them incase I ever level a Mage job.

After spending 2 nights in Oldton, I finally managed to get a Parade Gorget for myself, Aurelius, Theora, and Willriker. Congrats to everyone. I'm glad this mystery is finally solved... ^.^

Now, the latent on the Parade Gorget is a little funny as far as auto-refresh goes. It offers 1mp/tick as the standard auto-refresh, but it is triggered by having more than 85% of your "naked HP" plus the amount of HP given by visible armor (armor that redraws your character as you swap it.) So, say you had 1000hp naked, and 100hp added from visible equipment. The latent effect kicks in at 950hp/1100hp. This is a unique latent effect, and nice in that I don't have to be half dead to get more auto-refresh. With this and the Herc ring, I get 2mp a tick except roughly when I'm between 50% HP and 75% HP. That's pretty darn cool...

In other news, I finally dropped 2.5M to get a Gigant Mantle...

This is one of the last pieces of buyable tanking gear I need. With it, and my other +HP gear, I can get over 1650hp without food and merits. I think thats pretty solid for right now, considering most PLDs don't even have over 1500 even with good gear.

The only other things I can even consider buying for "tanking" are a Vermy Cloak, a Cassie Earring, and maybe a pair of Hades Earrings+1. These items are all way overpriced, so I am not too worried about it. There are some DD items I am looking into as well, namely some rings, earrings, and a back piece. These can also wait for now, since I am almost out of gil at the moment. Hopefully once I get another 10M gil or so, I can get every piece of gear my PLD could ever wear, and that would make me a happy panda! (^.^)/