Hello everyone! Today, we are helping Final Fantasy XI players who may have entered Sortie a few times, but are struggling to know where to go and what to do. The aim of this guide is to explain how to maximize time to obtain as many Sapphire & Starstone gems as possible. These items are fairly rare, and are needed to upgrade reforged Empyrean from +1 to +2 (Sapphire), and +2 to +3 (Starstone).
Question: What Is This Guide Not About?
There are many posts scattered around helping players to maximize their Gallimaufry with excellent strategies for advanced parties. This guide is more about helping those in a solo/low-man situation. It will still focus on getting some Gallimaufry, because players need 10k of the stuff per +2, and a staggering 70k per +3. However, it mostly focuses on easy objectives to give more chances of Sapphires and Starstones, so newer players have these items ready for when they acquire enough currency.
Question: How Do I Get The Permanent Key items To Make Traversing Sortie Easier?
If you can find somebody to help escort you through, that would be easier than having to learn how to travel around a confusing maze on your own. If you have no other choice, you may find some of the maps in the guide useful while watching the
"Sortie Catch Up Guide!!" video (Credit to Velner of Fenrir), which can be found here:
YouTube Video Placeholder
I remember getting Velner's Maps from his video to help myself, and to explain what they mean to my LS. They only make sense if you watch the video, so please do not use them on their own. You can view the maps by clicking on the Spoiler Tag.
While many will do just fine with Velner's maps, others may want to use maps that are consistent with the rest of the guide. Here are my own maps with additional notes. Please use the key to understand the maps betters.
Key: D = Device / B = Bitzer / G = Gadget / # = Door / || = Locked Gate / S = Sneak / Inviz = Invisible
The first order of business is to reach door #1 in sector A. As shown on the map with an "S", put up Sneak before you reach the Acuex so you do not aggro. After clicking on door #1, a chest will appear. Open the chest to get the Ra'Kaznar Key A. This will allow you to open locked gates in this area.
Upon reaching the Device, cast a spell near it (summoning a trust works) and open the chest for Plate A. Then, head down the ramp to the Bitzer and examine it (naked) with no equipment on to get a chest with Sheet A. Get used to this, because we will be receiving keys, plates, and sheets from B, C, and D.
Next up, we are heading in to B. You will need to open a locked gate to access it. If it does not open, it is because you did not get the key from the previous device.
When inside, you will notice elementals. They aggro to magic, so if you need to throw up Invisble, make sure you cast far away from them, or you can use a Prism Powder. I suggest throwing up Invisible long before you reach the Umbrils, because the Porxie NM roams this entire area and aggros by sight.
In order to get the key for B, we will need to open doors 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 in the right order. The first map shows the route to 1+2.
On the second map, I put in some arrows to make it easier to understand. Backtrack from door 2 to where the Umbrils were to get 3. Watch out when getting 3, because there may be an Umbril in this room. After safely taking off Inviz, opening 3, and then reapplying Inviz, you can backtrack and head to B's Device beyond door 4.
To get Plate B, target the Device and type /hurray. Awesome. Now, head down the ramp to the Bitzer. You will get Sheet B if you did not use any devices to warp around beforehand. As we got here on foot, you should be free to check it and spawn the chest for Sheet B. If you have warped around, you will need to return to the start and run through A again.
Finally, head south from the Device to open door 5, and then head east and follow the left wall around until you find door 6. You won't need Inviz up at this point, unless the Porxie is hanging around in the corridors. If done right, opening door 6 will spawn the chest for the B key. Bravo!
Heading east and then south from door 6, we will end up at a locked gate. You should be aware that the second this gate opens, ghosts will spawn on the other side. Sneak gets you past them, but you also need to be aware of your HP. Undead enemies in this area will aggro harshly to blood, so keep your HP in the white.
You cannot get the C key if you kill any enemies before opening the right door. Do not kill enemies before then!
Head south to reach door 1 for a chest and the key, provided you did not kill enemies on the way. Skeletons aggro by sight, so put up Invisible, but drop it after getting through the big hall, because you have door 2+3 to open. Before entering the room with Corses, put up Invisible again and head to the Device.
In order to get the C Plate, you need to kill one foe directly next to the Device. Do you see the big black dot on the map? Pull a Corse from there, and do your best to only get one. If you cannot kill it, you will be unable to open doors to reach D. Use a tank trust, because Corses can Charm at low HP.
Once it is dead, a chest will spawn with the C Plate. To get Sheet C, interact with the Device and tell it to
"Materialize Foes". The player who does this can then interact with the Bitzer down the ramp to spawn a chest for Sheet C. Take note that you can only do this if you have killed at least one enemy in C before materializing.
We're almost there. You have done well. The last thing to do is get the D Key and Plate. You are unable to get the D Sheet yet, but I'll explain how to get that later. The fomor in this area are the worst and aggro by both sneak & invisible. Luckily, they do not aggro by low hp.
The aim here is to travel to door #1, open it, and be prepared to run quickly to open door #2. You can also do this the other way around if you prefer. The aim is to open door #1 and #2 within two minutes of each other. Even without movement speed, this isn't difficult to achieve if you know the way.
The first map simply shows how to reach door #1 from the C Device. The second map shows the direct route between #1 and #2. When you have this, go to the D Device and drop your Obsidian Wing temporary item to get a chest with the D Sheet. Do not use the Obsidian Wing like an item, or it will warp you out of Sortie!
Congratulations! You may enjoy farming Sortie for gems and Gallimaufry like everyone else. And now the real guide begins.
FFXI Sortie: A Beginner's Guide To Locating Gems
One of the first things players should learn is how to get around Sortie. Yes, it is confusing, but the sooner you figure it out, the less lost you will be. There are two floors with four sectors, each assigned to a letter. The ground floor begins with a large room that has no enemies in it. The starting device is here, and it has no assigned letter.
In my parties, if we have been somewhere and we need to return, I usually say something like
"Back to the start". My group then knows that I mean we need to return to the starting device so we can warp somewhere. Each sector has a device you can warp to for free, so long as you have the items from the above video. And this is where the first map comes in. I originally found it on a Japanese website, but have since lost the link. I'll credit who made it if I can find where it came from.
Key: D = Device / B = Bitzer / G = Gadget / # = Door / || = Locked Gate
You may notice each sector is assigned a colour. A is Blue (NW), B is Green (NE), C is Pink (SE), and D is Black (SW).
-Devices warp you around, as explained earlier.
-Bitzer's warp you to the basement floor. (Warning: You cannot immediately warp back!)
-Gadget's require a temporary item to access a Boss Room. You can leave anytime, so long as you are not fighting.
-Doors can be opened by clicking on them without Invisible active. They remain open for the rest of the run.
-Locked Gates work like doors, except they require a special permanent item obtained in the above video.
Sortie Aggro
Traveling around Sortie isn't all about acquiring items and memorizing maps, but knowing how to stop enemies from becoming aggressive. I made up a crude, but hopefully useful chart showing each appearing mob type's conditions for aggro. I split this chart into two columns to show ground and basement floors. Each row is linked by Bitzer warp, like how Sector A is to E, B is to F, etc. Fomors appear in D & H, and aside from a unique black Leafkin (assume Sneak/Invisible) found only in the basement, they all work the same. Because of blood HP aggro, C & G are the worst areas to get caught in. So, don't die in a bad spot or it is game over!
Here's a list of what to use in each sector:
A = Sneak for everything
B = Nothing, unless you need Invisible for Umbrils/Porxie. Avoid magic.
C = Passing Skeletons or Corses, along with Ghosts, means Sneak/Invisible is required. Check HP is topped up (not in yellow)!
D = Sneak/Invisible
E = Sneak everywhere, but Invisible if unsure about running in to easily avoided Flans.
Do Not Use Job Abilities Near Flans!
F = Most of the map has Elementals, so no magic. Sneak/Invisible if going near Pixies/Ixion, but they are usually easy to avoid.
G = Much like C for the blood aggro, except Dullahans are both Sound & Sight.
H = Sneak/Invisible
You should bring items like Silent Oils & Prism Powders along, even if you have access to the spells. Sometimes you might forget and cast spells around enemies with magic aggro.
Special Link
Fomor enemies have a unique link mechanic. Unlike a normal link, they have a longer range that spreads like a daisy chain. Beware of how tough it is to pull a group without aggroing an entire room. If you wipe, they take a notoriously long time to return to their rooms, and you only have 3 minutes for someone to revive before being kicked out of. Despite resembling undead enemies, they
do not blood aggro.
NM & Party Aggro
1) If you aggro/claim Botulus, Ixion, Naraka, or Leafkin NMs in the basement, you will not be allowed to go back up to the ground floor until they are defeated, or your party has wiped and lost aggro. Keep that in mind while looking for Bitzer's.
2) Basement enemies have Party Aggro! This means if someone aggros, and is then KO'd, or leaves the area, the enemies will immediately run toward other party members. It is almost impossible to lose aggro on these enemies by running away. It is has been observed that they will only seek out party members who were in the sector when the initial aggro happened. Upon killing all eligible party members, they will head back to their areas and act as normal.
Ground Floor Objectives
You should get acquainted with the
Hidden Objectives of Sortie. Try to look at this before every Sortie run, because again, like the maps, the more you retain, the easier it will be. Determine which objectives apply to you. Are you doing Ghatjot? Then you'll need to kill Acuex with magic to get the entry item. Otherwise, you don't want to be doing an objective for few Gallimaufry that has no other use to you.
Again, forgive my paint skills. Below is a rough outline of some of the objectives you can do. They are soloable, although with varying degrees of difficulty. I'll detail each objective you can see, although ground floor NMs will get their own section.
Key: D = Device / B = Bitzer / G = Gadget
# = Door / || = Locked Gate / T = Objective With Treasure
#A Objectives
- Three of the easiest objectives asks you to open the #1 door, and then /heal just past it for several seconds. Kill 5 Acuex or 5 Leeches to get another chest. Acuex are good for mages (Fire), while leeches are suited for melee, although they do link. The Obdella is the easiest NM in Sortie, but I'll detail its whereabouts later. Doing these nets you up to 3 chances of a Sapphire and 800 Gallimaufry.
- At the A device, you can cast any spell (including Utsusemi) on yourself for a quick, easy chest. Unequip all equipment (make an Equipset to do this quickly) and interact with the Bitzer for a chest. This gives 200 Gallimaufry for two tasks that should take only 20 to 30 seconds.
#B Objectives
- Target the device and type /hurray. If you want another chance at a Sapphire, open one of the (green) Locked Gates.
#C Objectives
- Killing a Cachaemic foe next to C device can prove troublesome, because Corses are the closest and they can Charm. Only do this if your party has nothing better to do. A tank trust can eat the Charm if you are solo.
- Either the #1 or #2 door can be opened before killing any foes in C. This usually happens naturally while searching for the Bhoot. As for killing the Bhoot in under 5 minutes, I'll detail that objective later.
- The hardest to explain objective is the one saying
"Interact After One Dead Foe In C & Materialize At The Device"
Ok, so the first thing is to kill something in C. It can be a Corse at the device for the other objective, or the Bhoot NM. Either will do. You don't need both. After that, click on the C device, and pick the option
"Materialize Foes". It is important to remember that this will respawn enemies, including NMs in other sectors. However, for this objective, you don't need to consider that. After clicking the option, interact with the Bitzer to complete the objective.
#D Objectives
- Another super easy objective has you dropping the Obsidian Wing temporary item next to the device.
DO NOT USE the Obsidian Wing. This item exits you from the zone, so by using it, you will end the run and warp back to Kamihr Drifts. After dropping the Obsidian Wing, you will automatically obtain another, along with a chest for 100 Gallimaufry.
- I usually get the next by accident, while looking for the Fomor NM. This gives an easy 100, along with the D Key to unlock Locked Gates. Open doors 1 & 2 within 2 minutes of each other. If you know where to go, this isn't difficult to achieve, even without extra movement speed.
- The three most difficult objectives for Sapphires pits you against Demisang foes. Only try this if you finished everything else and have 10-15 minutes to spare. And before you ask... no, they cannot be slept, but they can be petrified and bound. If you have the skills and equipment to challenge Demisang foes, and you have already defeated the Fomor NM, you can obtain 700 Gallimaufry and 3 chances at Sapphires by killing a Fomor Party in a job order of:
WAR MNK WHM BLM RDM THF
Question: How Do I Solo A Fomor Party?
The short answer? Not easily. The long answer is that there is a Fomor Party directly northwest of the D Device. You can split up the Fomor by purposely aggroing, running away, and then losing aggro by warping to another device. This specific room has a door to the west that takes you to the Starting Area. You can use this escape route to train Fomors back to the start, warp to D, and then pick off others that did not follow you. Because Fomor take a long time to return to their spawn area, it is an easy way to put distance between them. With 18% movement speed (12 is doable, but risky), you can pull, run, and interact with devices long before they reach you.
As far as fighting goes, mitigating damage is key. Food like Omelette Sandwich. Using sets like Sakpata and Malignance. Bringing a GEO friend who can do Indi-Barrier. Having a RDM casting things like Break, Bind, and Silence. You need to pay attention to Fomor who are bouncing hate on your WHM trusts, because if they die, you will shortly after, so switch targets and build some hate on them. If you are brave enough to take on a full party, it only gets better after killing the WAR MNK WHM, because you can then down BLM, who is by far the most dangerous to your trusts. When the BLM is dead, the RDM and THF are pushovers. If you cannot do all six? Don't worry about it. Kill any three Fomor (after the NM is dead) to get a 500 Gallimaufry red chest. You can sometimes find loner Fomors in the four small rooms near door #1, although their positions change for every run.
Ground Floor Notorious Monsters
Some like to call these
"Mini NMs", which is suitable, because it distinguishes them from the big bosses in Gadget Rooms.
There are some key things to know about them, including:
They usually roam around the map, may cross from one sector to another, and can go through doors.
Spawns occur when you enter their sector. #A for Obdella. #B for Porxie. #C for Bhoot. #D for Fomor (Demisang Deleterious). However, this does not mean they will always spawn in their associated sectors.
After defeating all four Mini NMs, you will be gifted a gold Aurum coffer (1000 Gallimaufry and possible treasure). If you used the "Materialize Foes" option before getting the chest, it will respawn NMs you have previously killed. In that case, you would need to kill these NMs, too. Each run gets one Aurum Coffer, so do not try to repeat this objective.
Explaining Final Destination
No, I am not about to explain the concept of the Final Destination movies. This is a term I am using to explain something I found while researching for this guide.
Several players have stated that Mini-NMs have what some refer to as a Final Destination, which I am going to abbreviate as
FD. The basic premise is that NMs are programmed to roam toward a set point, which is often a room, or a set of rooms. When they arrive at their FD, they will cease roaming and hang around in this area. I feel that this theory is partly right, but it is not set in stone. I cannot outright prove it without wasting a ton of time at the cost of my own runs, but I feel the need to share my own experiences and what I feel to be true.
Mini-NM Behaviour
1) NMs can spawn in a room deemed as their FD. They will never leave that room for the rest of the run. I marked these rooms on the map below. NMs may slowly roam toward their FD the second they are spawned, and will usually find their way if left alone for much of the run. A party warping to the basement may either stop, or at the very least limit the NM's traversal.
2) They do not always take the most direct route to their FD. I have seen them wandering in the opposite direction of rooms believed to be FDs. I firmly believe NMs have more than one FD, and I'll explain this in detail later.
3) I once pulled an NM (it was Fomor) that had gone static in their FD. I wiped to a mass link just outside the room, and the NM became idle. It began to roam away from the FD, like it was following a path again, while the adds slowly returned to where they were. This is only possible if the NM went idle in an area it has been programmed to patrol, otherwise it would return to where it previously was. NMs have patrol routes and these rooms are more like camps for NMs to sit in and act like the surrounding mobs. They can choose to roam straight through, instead of going static.
4) They have common spawn points, which, if fast enough, a player will regularly come across if looking the second after entering their sector. I have seen a pattern while doing my solo runs, so I do not believe the spawns are totally random.
I have discussed these observations with other players, and some agree that they can act peculiar. Why is it important to know this information? Because for anyone new to Sortie, if they want to regularly find NMs to get the Aurum coffer, it is crucial to understand how they work. If it takes forever to find them, then the reward isn't worth the time.
What If I'm Not Strong Enough For NMs?
1) If you cannot find and kill the Fomor efficiently, don't bother with Porxie, because you get barely any reward. In that case, do the Obdella and Bhoot (only if it can be killed in under 5 minutes), and ignore the other two.
2) If you cannot find and kill the Fomor, along with the Bhoot, then you're better off practicing on the Obdella. There are other objectives you can do, besides wasting half a run on the Bhoot and Fomor. There is no shame in that. They are nasty!
With that said, let's look at this incomplete map of possible pathing for Ground Floor Notorious Monsters. I don't mind adding to this map in the future if more information comes to light.
Next up, we are looking at Mini-NM in detail to explain what to look out for while battling them, along with how to find them.
Obdella
The easiest to kill, but it can sometimes be the most awkward to find. When going north from the start, you may find it in the small four rooms among the Acuex. If not, it commonly spawns at the end of the corridors past door #1. You will find it at the bottom of the list on Wide Scan. You may need to go as far as the large Leech room to ensure it is not in this area. If it isn't there, you will likely find it in Sector D. Take the door south east of the Acuex rooms to enter D, head east, and then north. If it is in Sector D, it will always appear at the top of Wide Scan, above the Demisang foes. While doing this, if it is on your list of enemies to kill, you can also search for the Fomor NM. It always appears at the bottom of Wide Scan as Demisang Deleterious.
Some have mentioned that the Obdella may appear beyond the doors north of what I marked, but I have yet to see it. I have seen it roam up to these doors before turning around. It can apparently spawn as far away as the East Acuex rooms (next to the word "Porxie" on the map), past the Hecteyes in Sector A. While I have not seen this, I added the possibility of it happening. Feel free to shed more light on this if you can.
In the past two months, I have spotted Obdella spawn as deep as south of the D device. A LS friend confirmed to me they had also seen it here. I saw it heading south of this area, which is the opposite direction of Sector A. Some believe that it typically heads toward the four small rooms north of the start to sit in its FD with the Acuex. I believe this is very common of Obdella, but only if it spawns north of the D Device. If spawning south of D Device, I cannot say where it will go.
Porxie: You can begin a search by immediately checking Wide Scan upon warping to B. It may spawn in the room southeast of there. If not, it is commonly found in the big Fire Elemental room. Next, you should check through door #6 leading to the big room to the east, because it can appear there. Still not found it? Sadly, it will be among the Umbrils north of there, or it will be even further north, hanging around beyond door #3.
You have to be careful pulling Porxie around Umbrils, because they aggro Sight & Magic. They can also make it difficult to get through door #3. You don't want to fight them, because they have Doom! Yup. If Porxie spawns in the Northeast room, I have never seen it leave. I have also seen Porxie leaving the Fire Elemental (FD) Room toward the B Device. So, the Porxie's pathing is odd, but it is not difficult to find. Another good thing is it being easy to defeat, although it has a good chunk of HP, and is preferably downed with physical damage.
Bhoot: A special case, because if you want the 500 Gallimaufry chest, you have to find and kill it within 5 minutes of entering C. And this means entering C either by device, or by opening a Locked Gate in B. From my experience, the three most common spawn points for Bhoot are:
In the big (FD) room with the Corses. It won't leave this area.
In the skeleton room by the Gadget. It won't stay there for long, because it will roam west, and then northwest, up to door 3. I have witnessed it going past door 3, and looking as if it would go to the Corse room, only to backtrack and head southeast.
In the four small rooms between the (B) Locked Gates. This can be awkward, because if you go the Corse room way (via door 3), then you have a long run. The Bhoot will eventually go through the Locked Gate that brings it to the Wind/Thunder Elemental room in B, and then further through the other Locked Gate, bringing it back in to C. This spawn isn't awkward if you entered C via the (B) Locked Gates, but then it could be in the Corse room... so either way you get screwed.
Did you know?! If you fail to defeat it within 5 minutes, you can get a second chance! Return to the C Device and choose to
"Materialize Foes". It will respawn, giving you another shot. However, as stated earlier, don't do this if it will hurt your Aurum Coffer progress.
Fighting Bhoot can be tricky, because it has potent Ice Spikes with Paralyze. It dies super well to Light Skillchains and Fire damage, so you should try that. Otherwise, make sure it has at least Dia II, and melee it down ASAP. However, the #1 most dangerous thing is blood aggro. If you fight this in the four small rooms (or the corridors between them), you should 100% expect to aggro surrounding ghosts. Look for a better spot to kill this without interruption. There are several spots that would be better. If the situation looks dire, you need to run away and find a good spot to die. Getting KO'd in spaces filled with Ghosts is a recipe for disaster. Don't think...
"I'll be fine! I'll just keep going". Trust me, you will regret it. Take the KO in a good spot and be happy you have time left to do other stuff.
Fomor: Let me tell you something. This NM sucks! Not only does it love to sit in rooms with a million other Fomor, but if you manage to find it on its lonesome, that is no guarantee of a smooth fight. It has as a random job for each run, but to me, the most important thing is its weapons. A Deleterious sporting Swords or Daggers can be dangerous, but the worst thing is it using Hand-To-Hand's Ascetic's Fury. This has caught me out a few times with how high it can spike. You need to be fighting in a hybrid DT/TP set. If you're not a Monk or Dark Knight (w/ Drain 3), you should probably think about adding extra HP somewhere. If you are totally solo, find ways to mitigate damage. It's not the end of the world if you get one add that you can quickly down, but if you have this NM with several adds? Don't bother. However you do it, don't get caught KO'd and surrounded by Fomor, because it could end your run, or cost you a ton of time.
I have had some interesting times looking for this monstrosity. If it appears north of the D device, I have never seen it travel through the device room. It often begins in the north room and makes its way to the Fomor Party room. I believe this is one of its FD spots, although I cannot confirm it. If it spawns in the FD room I marked on the map, it will remain. I have tested it many times. I've spawned it early, done stuff for 45 minutes, and returned to find it still there. This is the worst spot it can be for obvious reasons. If you have a crazy friend with movement speed, they can aggro the room and run away while you grab the NM and kill it. For a solo player, you're just going to have to aggro, go to the device, warp, warp back, and just keep doing that until you can get it on its own, or almost on its own.
As for the other places on the map, it wanders a lot. If I don't find it early and need to go past Door #1, I'll usually find it entering the Southwest corridor, before the (D) Locked Gate that takes you back to A (w/ Acuex). I was told it can patrol from that corridor, through A, and back to D to enter the FD room. I have never personally seen it in the big, south room of RDM BLM MNKs, but I have seen it in the corridor north of it. Hunting this NM can be difficult. Feel free to let me know if you find it roaming other parts of the map.
Monster Visual
That's a lot of information! And yet, we haven't begun talking about the Basements. Before we do, I'd like to share the map found on BGwiki. My hope is, by you reading and understanding the guide and the maps I shared, that this will be easier to understand now.
I agree. There are so many things marked on this map that it's not friendly for beginners. However, more importantly, it shows you where the enemies are. I'm being lazy by not creating my own monster maps, because this is good enough for that. Now we have finished with the Ground Floor, let's talk about the Basement.
The Spooky Basement
What if I told a beginner to enter the scariest, most dangerous area in Sortie, on their own? Well, I would be correct to do so. First of all, you unlock +3 for the job you are on just by entering it, so even if the thought of moving through it sends chills up your spine, you should at least reward yourself by using any of the Bitzer's in A, B, and C. Do it last, though, because getting out of the Basement isn't always easy.
The other point of entering the Basement is to seek out Starstones. With access to the F & G basements (via B+C Bitzer), you get the ability to spawn two chests per run with a small chance of obtaining these amazing gems. Consult the Sortie Aggro chart above, because you really don't want to be fighting anything here. Even more so if you're alone.
The key to getting Starstones easily is to find time in each run to traverse the long basement corridors. It will take a while, so any kind of movement speed helps a lot! After that, it's a matter of finding the Bitzer's in F & G, and interacting with them in a specific way.
F Bitzer: Lockstyle 5 pieces of Empyrean for your job and interact with it. They don't need to be matching +1/+2/+3, you just need to look like you are wearing the full Empyrean set. You cannot have Invisible up while doing this objective, which is fine if you are surrounded by Elementals, but Pixies will aggro if they see or hear you.
G Bitzer: There are a few things you need for this. The good thing is you can keep Sneak/Invisible up while doing it. So, first of all, you need to target the Bitzer, and be within 6 yalms. Secondly, you need to remain completely still, and keep your target on the Bitzer. Lastly, maintain this staring contest for 30 seconds. It will feel like a lifetime, but trust me, it will happen with patience. You will need to take off Invisible to get the chest. Be careful while doing that.
So, you got your chest. What now? Isn't it obvious? Click on the Bitzer and escape! But do it super safely. Don't let those evil creatures spot you. The worst-case scenario is the Bitzer is sitting right in the middle of a Pixie/Vamp room. If you are sneaky enough to make it out of there, it will take you back to the ground floor in the same spot that you entered. And if for any reason you decide to re-enter those sectors? The Bitzer's will not change position. However, they have a random position for every run you do, so you guessed it... I made a map for that, too.
Where's Bitzer?!
You never need to enter E solo, unless you're an exceptional Scholar wanting to educate Dhartok. However, this map will help you find the Bitzer if you're entering E in a party.
After looking at this map for long enough, there is a definite pattern. E & G are by far the easiest, because the device will either be in the square of four small rooms, or it will be in the bigger room of Flans or Vamps. F & H however, are so massive that each has three sets of four small rooms, and a bigger room full of Pixies/Fomors. It is a real bummer when it ends up in the furthest third set of small rooms. That's a lot of running!
If I'm with others, and say, we're entering F, I'm usually ahead (coz' dudes, I'm Sonic The Hedgehog), so I'll search the east set of small rooms, and tell the others to go west and north. This narrows down the search and saves valuable time. For H, we flip that script, so I search west, while the others go east and south. If you're alone? Sorry, but you will have to search everywhere. It is safer to search east in F, and west in H first, because if you skip those, and go the other way? You'll have a long trek back if the Bitzer was there. Don't give yourself more to do.
One thing that confuses some players is that they accidentally come across rooms with Gadgets, and mistake them for Bitzer's. Trust me, the Bitzer will never be placed directly in the middle of a square room. If you see one of these, it is a Gadget, and you need to run the opposite way.
Question: What is a Naakual trap?
Basement sectors have conditions to spawn Naakuals in the specified rooms. Upon spawning, a gate in the middle of the room closes, and it will not open again until the Naakuals on one side of the room have been defeated. You do not want to get stuck behind spawned Naakual rooms, or it may kill your run. You can avoid this by not hanging around forever at the start of E (they spawn after 5 minutes), and by not re-entering F. You can re-enter F if you're in a party specifically looking to kill Naakuals, but don't try to solo them. Please.
Question: Are There More Opportunities For Starstones?
After posting the guide, one of our fellow adventurers noted there is another way to acquire Starstones. This comes in the form of defeating Esurient Flan's in the E basement. I can only recommend this if you/your group know you have sufficient damage. The objectives ask you to
'Vanquish 12 Esurient Foes In The Room Containing The Bitzer', and
'Vanquish 15 Esurient Flan.' If the Bitzer is in the same room as the group of Flans, you can get two chances at Starstones! However, it must be stressed that, even with decent equipment, it may take a while to kill 15 Flans while solo. You need to dedicate plenty of time, along with knowing you can self skillchain (3-4 step recommended). If you are solo or low-man, expect to take at least 15-25 minutes on this.
The main Flan room only has 12 foes, so instead of pulling from the Sector E's first room, a good tip is to
"Materialize Foes" from the Bitzer after clearing it out. After the room respawns, you can kill three more to finish the 15 Flans objective. Important to note that if the Bitzer is not in the Flan room, you can only get the 15 Flans objective done, because the other isn't recommended while surrounded by Slugs & Slimes (in the four small rooms section). Also, remember that Flans aggro to nearby job abilities, so pick a nice camp (the west corridor is ideal), and pull with magic and/or ranged attacks. Botulus can spawn in this room, so take extra care if so.
Achieving these objectives, along with getting chests from the other three basement sectors, nets up to 5 Starstone chances per run. However, many players prefer Major NMs for Gallimaufry, so it should probably be reserved for those in dire need of Starstones. If you're desperate enough for a sixth chance per run? You could try killing all the Pixies in F. They are only found in the first room, and the Pixie Room. Avoid triggering the Naakual Trap by re-entering the sector, and remember that they (and Elementals) aggro to magic.
Don't ignore the Mini Naakuals (i140) when you're in a party with very good damage!
Highly recommend Naakuals in E & F over previously mentioned objectives if time is limited.
I have observed higher drop rates from Naakual chests, but I cannot confirm this. They have more evasion than other enemies, along with having access to their typical gimmicks, so take that in to consideration. I have tanked them on DRK, so they aren't overly dangerous. Proper positioning for the Shark is essential (keep within 5 yalms or stand over 20 away) to avoid its KO move. Also, the Gabbrath and Cehuetzi can Dispel buffs, so pull those last if it worries you. Taking them on in a melee group? Blue Mage makes this smoother with regular stuns. Otherwise, here are their elemental weaknesses for a mage setup:
Bztavian = Ice
Rockfin = Thunder
Gabbrath = Water
Yggdreant = Wind
Waktza = Earth
Cehuetzi = Fire
H Access
I wouldn't say it needs to be included in a Beginner's Guide, but because you get access to another Starstone chance, I feel like I should say something about it. Here is a map a friend gave to me a couple of months ago, and I don't know who originally made it.
No exaggeration. In order to get access to H, you have to kill every Demisang foe in a single run. That cannot be done solo, or low-man. You will require at least one well-geared melee who knows how to wreck. You will need Bard buffs, and preferably Corsair rolls. And you'll also need a great healer who can be alert for an entire hour. To make this less dangerous, it is recommended to get a BLU, RDM, or even both (that's what I did), to serve as crowd control. You really need someone who can Petrify, and Bind, so you aren't overrun and get KO's. This run cannot afford to have too many of those. During my run, I think we had two KO's? And as the main DD, puller, and leader, I was one of them. After that mishap, I took it easier to ensure we were consistently killing without overdoing it. We finished with ten minutes to spare.
When all Demisang foes are dead, you need to interact with the D Bitzer to get confirmation, and to be rewarded with access to H. Getting access to H means you can do the objective of leaving H, and then re-entering. You will be rewarded with a chest when any one player re-enters the basement. And to round this up... because this is something my group learned the hard way. The #1 thing to remember while doing chests in the basement.
Make Sure Everyone Is In The Basement When You Pop Chests!
Unlike the Ground Floor, where players get rewarded wherever they are, Basement chests only give rewards to those who are currently in the same sector. So, if someone leaves, or they are too slow to enter a sector, and the chest is popped... they won't get the reward! And what if that treasure happened to be a Starstone? Or an Old Case +1? They will be gutted. So, don't be that guy who rushes to pop a chest when they see it. Make sure everyone is present. Everyone wants to be rewarded for the effort, so think about those you are running with.
Major NMs
The point of the guide is to not push players too far, too soon. After all, you should learn to walk before you can run! However, if you have been doing this content for a while, and you/your group are feeling enough confidence to take on the biggest Sortie has to offer, I'd recommend beginning with the A boss. As a reference, you should know that reliably killing Fomors in D and/or Flans in E, is a good sign that you have the damage to down this.
-Ghatjot-
To get access to Ghatjot's Boss room (Northwest corner of Sector A), you'll need to earn a Shard item by defeating Acuex with single target magic spells. Fire is preferred, and Magic Bursts speed up the process. Kill three to get a Shard. Until you know you can beat it without, I strongly recommend killing three more Acuex in the same way to get a Metal. This item changes its Taint (an unremovable Poison) to a standard Poison that can be removed with items or Poisona.
Poison must be repeatedly removed during the fight, because the longer it remains, the stronger Ghatjot's moves become. It will get to the point that it can one-shot you. Another super important thing is to
avoid any kind of Water damage! It will rage if it takes any, therefore making the fight extremely difficult. This includes Distortion and Darkness skillchains (they have Water properties), so if you're unsure, use something like
FFXIcalc to figure out which Weapon Skills your group can use to avoid this. Solo melee players should engage, quickly get some hate, and then drag it away from your trusts so they don't die. It moves slowly, so have some patience. Mage setups prefer Earth damage, although I have known experienced groups to save time by sticking with Fire (after doing Acuex) and having a Corsair extend a Scholar's skillchain to 3-step with Weapon Skills. Earth is totally fine, though.
You gain 2k Gallimaufry and a chance of a Sapphire for beating this, which isn't the greatest reward.
However, learning Ghatjot serves as valuable practice for its Basement counterpart, Dhartok.
-Skomora-
Skomora is an option if your group is 1) Still looking for Sapphires, and 2) Has the damage/buffs to kill it quickly. I would not recommend soloing this, because it has a time limit on a dangerous move.
To get access to Skomora's Boss room (Southeast corner of Sector C), you'll need to earn a Shard item by defeating Cachaemic Foes after performing a Magic Burst. This Magic Burst does not need to kill enemies. I cannot confirm this, but any kind of Magic Burst will do, and it is crucial to perform at least one Magic Burst before defeating the enemy. This needs to happen 3 times to get the Shard for entry. Doing it 3 more times gets the group a Metal, which I'd recommend for inexperienced groups because it limits Skomora's abilities.
You should be aware that this is a zerg fight, because after 3 minutes of engaging, Skomora will use Setting The Stage. This is a devastating move (~30,000 damage split between targets in range) that is likely to KO anybody in range! You can only limit this damage with Mana Wall and Perfect Defense. A melee group is preferred, and a Bard is almost essential. 1-hour abilities from a Bard and/or Geomancer will provide a substantial boost. It has two annoying enfeebles. The first is Paralyze, which can be reduced with Barblizzard/Paralyze. The second is Bind, which can sometimes disable melee players out of range if Skomora knocks them back. Support should be casting Erase on any melee that are stuck.
There are no Conal moves, so there's no need for melees to spread out to avoid this. Every move is AoE, except for the single target hate reset move, Last Laugh. It is important for melees to keep up the damage so Skomora does not head toward the backline if Last Laugh is frequently used. Melee players should be aware that Regurgitated Swarm wipes TP, so unless they seriously need an Aftermath, they should use up their TP whenever they get enough. Stun is very useful in this fight. BLUs and DRKs may want to throw out a few to limit TP moves, but don't overdo it.
Skomora has a unique Haunted enfeeble, which is a stronger version of Curse, but it isn't as annoying as Paralyze or Bind. It will rarely hurt the fight unless the healers aren't on top of Curaga. The most damaging melee player (whoever has the most hate) may want to pop a Holy Water if they are worried about a KO, but overdoing this risks the fight dragging up to the 3-minute mark. Unless they are very quick, healers should prioritize healing over getting rid of Haunted. It is more important to get rid of Haunted after the fight, because being Cursed in sector C risks HP being too low when it wears, and then the group is in danger of getting a bunch of blood aggro.
Ground Floor Bosses give a Shard item upon defeat. This grants access to their stronger Basement version.
Therefore, you cannot skip ahead and fight Major NMs in the Basement right away without this step!
On top of what was said earlier about waiting for party members in the Basement areas before opening chests, the following note is something I learned after suffering a serious repercussion.
Opening a chest while outside the party will not give the rest of the group the temporary items! Beware of this after logging back in following disconnection. You will learn the hard way if you start randomly opening chests before you can be invited back in to the party. Also, if anyone disconnects, they will not get the temporary item if a chest is opened, so refrain from doing so until they return.
Note: If I decide to add any more NMs to this guide, I'll only include easily killed bosses on the Ground Floor. Players should look elsewhere for advanced tips on how to defeat Basement NMs to maximize their Gallimaufry. Thanks for understanding.
Extra Resources
I am reserving this space to share additional resources provided by other players.
First of all, here are some cool, clean maps made by Tetsouo of Carbunble. Enjoy!
(Added September 2024)
Conclusion
I have been wanting to make this guide for a few months, but am glad I held off on it. I am still learning a lot about this content, and my linkshell is getting better with it every week. Accept that you have to start from somewhere, and that mistakes will happen. Sortie has a pretty steep learning curve. There is so much that can go wrong! Embrace the mistakes, and learn from them. I probably didn't catch some important details in this guide, so please feel free to share your experiences.
I know how important Gallimaufry is, and how some players have so many gems they could become royalty, but this guide isn't for those people. This is for those players who may have access to Sortie, but never dared to try. It is for those friends & family members who have been playing for 6-12 months, and have done so much together, that they are now just thinking about Sortie. If this guide helps those people, then my time here was well spent. I may edit this guide further in the future if I feel anything significant needs to be added. Thanks for reading!
