Besieged

Stages of Besieged
/bmap displays the state of the enemy armies. Each of them has a strength level, "Enemy Forces".
 * When this number is below 100, the enemy is "Training".
 * During Training the force level rises slowly.
 * The speed of Training depends on the number of Archaic Mirrors they have when their invasion window opens.
 * Server maintenance will reset Besieged timers, causing the level to rise shortly after maintenance ends.
 * The beastmen army will invade approximately 16-36 hours after their last invasion, and as early as 30 minutes after the Astral Candescence has been recovered from beastmen.
 * The force level can be lowered by defeating monsters in the appropriate stronghold. However, once it is reduced to a certain point, the rate of the increase of that force will accelerate.
 * Defeating a Notorious Monster inside that base will automatically reduce their force by 1.
 * Their force level is increased by 1 when a player inside that stronghold is KO'ed.
 * When the number is 100 or above, the enemy is "Preparing".
 * Once the army starts Preparing, their force level cannot be lowered, and rises at a rate of 1 point per 1 to 3 minutes.
 * Preparing ends when the force level reaches 100 + 10 * the target level. (1-6, the beastmen forces work themselves from 1 to 6, and staying an level 6 until a beastmen army has captured the Astral Candescence. Note that there is both a level 1 for a force level of 100 and 110; there is no known difference between the enemies of the two.)
 * The target level is based on the number of consecutive successful defenses.
 * The Preparing stage typically lasts between 5 minutes to 150 minutes.
 * When the beastmen have completed preparations, the army leaves its stronghold and starts "Advancing". At this point, players in Aht Urhgan will receive a log message ordering them to intercept the approaching army. The amount of time before the beastmen reach Al Zahbi varies:
 * The Undead Swarm takes 15+ minutes to arrive and go through Bhaflau Thickets.
 * The Troll Mercenaries take 24+ minutes to arrive and go through Wajaom Woodlands.
 * The Mamool Ja Savages take 31+ minutes to arrive and go through Wajaom Woodlands.
 * Advancing armies do not auto-attack players in their path unless they have been attacked.
 * If the army should reach Al Zahbi, they start "Attacking", and players in Aht Urhgan will receive another message "Defend Al Zahbi".
 * If the army is successfully intercepted prior to reaching Al Zahbi, credit will be given for a successful defense.
 * If the enemy forces should gain control of the Astral Candescence, the enemy status changes to "Defending."
 * Also of note, the Orders (on /bmap) are changed to "Regain the orb." ).
 * Once Al Zahbi regains the Astral Candescence, that enemy level returns to 0.

Besieged Strategies
Though Besieged is a group effort, it is often too chaotic to organize any true strategy, so most people attempt to help out, while maxing out their EXP/IS bonus. Some basic strategies are:


 * Stay near one of Al Zahbi's Serpent Generals. If you are a damage dealer, /assist them and attack their target. If you are a healer help buff them, and keep them alive with cures when they get in trouble.
 * Attack the Beastman General or the Notorious Monster. Beastmen tend to retreat once all their notorious monsters are defeated.
 * On the other hand, some Notorious Monsters (Gurfurlur the Menacing, Medusa, Gulool Ja Ja) take a ridiculously long time to defeat and should be kited, as defeating them is not necessary to win.
 * For melees, fight and stun as needed. Accuracy gear/food is highly recommended, as many players have trouble hitting Besieged mobs reliably, even at 75 with merits.
 * For mages Cure and buff NPCs (especially the Serpent Generals) and anyone else around. Stun and Flash can be helpful. Dia II and Dia III also helps, as it does damage to the mob and lowers its defense for the melee that are attacking it.  Status bolt effects rarely stick.
 * BLMs have reported being able to do more Damage meleeing with a Scythe than nuking. Nukes are generally not worth the MP cost.
 * Unless your PC can handle heavy amounts of lag, stay away from the initial waves, particularly in the Bastion, as these tend to have lag issues.
 * During an Undead Swarm besieged, having many players attack a Draugar makes them near-impossible to kill, as they can drain back all of their HP in a single Blood Saber.

Besieged Allies
Mercenaries are not alone in Besieged. Imperial soldiers and other reinforcements also lend their skills to drive out the beastman hordes. In addition, there are five Serpent Generals who have been personally charged by the Empress with the defense of Al Zahbi. They are each allowed a name that corresponds with the symbols of the Empire. The Imperial symbols consist of five serpents, each associated with an element--fire, water, earth, wind, and the heavens. Each general possesses a mirror used to open the Hall of Binding, so their protection in battle is crucial.
 * A good strategy for Besieged is to find one of the Generals and stick with them. If you are a damage dealer, /assist them and attack their target. If you are a healer, buff them with Protect/Shell/Haste and help keep them alive if they get in trouble. Be sure to check before Besieged starts that the General you want to help hasn't already been captured.

For more information, see Besieged Allies.

Enemies in Besieged
There are three invading forces in Besieged. In contrast to their name, the Mamool Ja Savages are actually a highly disciplined military force. A specific military role is automatically assigned to every Mamool Ja citizen based on social classification, and their discipline is a direct result of the intensive training they receive in order to carry out their duties. The army is comprised of units that specialize in one particular field of battle. Supposedly, to prevent infighting amongst the different classes, the soldiers are given no opportunities to learn skills outside of their specialization. However, this also means that troops trained to undertake a certain task cannot be easily replaced should they fall--a fatal chink in the Mamool Ja's armor.

Emerging from the recesses of Mount Zhayolm and Halvung, the Troll Army is a decently organized fighting force. The Trolls' ancestors served as a mercenary unit in the Imperial Army, and were afterwards hired by the Moblins. The reasons for their move to Mount Zhayolm are debatable, but they were able to maintain autonomy over their mercenary lands (also known as Halvung Territory) by paying tribute to the Empire until the conflict for the Astral Candescence began. With the motivating force of recovering autonomy over their mercenary lands, the Troll Mercenaries are a highly determined fighting force. Their might and hostility towards Aht Urhgan make the Trolls the Imperial capital's greatest threat.

The undead swarm is very simply organized, consisting only of manipulators and the manipulated. The Lamiae and Merrows themselves created the undead, but have no misgivings about expending them in order to survive or accomplish a goal. The undead can only follow the simplest instructions, and thus present very little threat when alone. In battle, however, the undead are so numerous that losses are of no concern, and storm tactics tend to prevail over sophisticated strategies.

For more information, see Enemies in Besieged.

Temporary Items
In every Besieged, you receive a number of temporary items used to assist you in the fight (up to 15). However, if certain NPCs are taken prisoner, you will not obtain a specific item. You can receive up to 15 items total. Here are the items, the function of each item, and the relative NPCs:
 * {| border="0" width="100%" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="2"

!width="25%"|NPC !width="25%"|Item !width="50%"|Description
 * - BGCOLOR="#D87093"


 * - BGCOLOR="#e3e6ff"
 * Rughadjeen
 * Carnal Incense
 * provides a small amount of time of invulnearability to physical attacks


 * - BGCOLOR="#e3e6ff"
 * Gadalar
 * Spiritual Incense
 * provides a small amount of time of invulnearability to magic


 * - BGCOLOR="#e3e6ff"
 * Mihli Aliapoh
 * Megalixir
 * Fully restores HP and MP, can be used while medicated


 * - BGCOLOR="#e3e6ff"
 * Giant's Drink
 * Doubles Maximum HP, 10 minute duration
 * Doubles Maximum HP, 10 minute duration


 * - BGCOLOR="#e3e6ff"
 * Shihu-Danhu (Warp Taru)
 * Wizard's Drink
 * Doubles Maximum MP, 10 minute duration


 * - BGCOLOR="#e3e6ff"
 * Djinabaha (AH Manager)
 * Hi-Elixir
 * Restores 50% of your max HP and MP


 * - BGCOLOR="#e3e6ff"
 * Max-Potion +3
 * Restores 700 HP (leaves you medicated for 15 minutes)
 * Restores 700 HP (leaves you medicated for 15 minutes)


 * - BGCOLOR="#e3e6ff"
 * Pro-Ether +3
 * Restores 350 MP (leaves you medicated for 15 minutes)
 * Restores 350 MP (leaves you medicated for 15 minutes)


 * - BGCOLOR="#e3e6ff"
 * Daedalus Wing
 * gives 100% TP (does not make you medicated)
 * gives 100% TP (does not make you medicated)


 * - BGCOLOR="#e3e6ff"
 * Demoralizer +1
 * Heavily reduces a single mob's TP
 * Heavily reduces a single mob's TP


 * - BGCOLOR="#e3e6ff"
 * Lethe Water +1
 * Erases buffs from a single mob (exact amount of buffs removed unknown)
 * Erases buffs from a single mob (exact amount of buffs removed unknown)


 * - BGCOLOR="#e3e6ff"
 * Dahaaba (Chocobo NPC)
 * Hermes Quencher
 * Gives "Flee" effect, 30 second duration (leaves you medicated for 15 minutes)


 * - BGCOLOR="#e3e6ff"
 * Chochoroon (Appraiser)
 * Scroll of Instant Reraise
 * Gives "Reraise" effect


 * - BGCOLOR="#e3e6ff"
 * Revitalizer
 * Instantly restores all Job Abilities, including two-hours
 * - BGCOLOR="#e3e6ff"
 * Remedy
 * Removes paralysis, silence, blindness, poison, and disease effects
 * }
 * Removes paralysis, silence, blindness, poison, and disease effects
 * }

Experience
Every successful Besieged is awarded with experience points and Imperial Standing points.
 * {| border="0" width="60%" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="2"

!width="25%"|Besieged Level !width="25%"|Max Experience Points !width="25%"|Max Imperial Standing Points
 * - BGCOLOR="#D87093"

It appears the limits might no longer be static (certainly in level 6 Besieged), but varies depending on how many NMs are killed. The exact formula is currently unknown. (+40 for each NM killed?)
 * - BGCOLOR="#e3e6ff"
 * Beastmen Level 1
 * 300 XP
 * 300 IS
 * - BGCOLOR="#e3e6ff"
 * Beastmen Level 2
 * 400 XP
 * 400 IS
 * - BGCOLOR="#e3e6ff"
 * Beastmen Level 3
 * 500 XP
 * 500 IS
 * - BGCOLOR="#e3e6ff"
 * Beastmen Level 4
 * 600 XP
 * 600 IS
 * - BGCOLOR="#e3e6ff"
 * Beastmen Level 5
 * 700 XP
 * 700 IS
 * - BGCOLOR="#e3e6ff"
 * Beastmen Level 6
 * 1200 XP
 * 1200 IS
 * }

If the Astral Candescence is taken:
 * Maximum experience gained cut in half.
 * (Unknown effect on Imperial Standing).

No specific info yet on how the experience is calculated - most melee get maximum experience points. Engaging an enemy by itself will not earn you any experience, but it does not seem to matter whether you're actually hitting the enemy or not. Healers need to do a lot of healing/raising to get maximum XP, but they don't need to do any damage themselves.

Casting Shell 1 on an NPC seems to be worth 2 experience points. A Phantom Roll is worth 20 points.

Prisoners
During Besieged, prisoners will occasionally be taken captive, and it is up to the adventurers to go and liberate them. Prisoners can be taken even if the beastmen are not victorious in capturing the Astral Candescence. NPCs may be kidnapped, including the Auction House Manager, Chocobo Stables owner, Serpent Generals, and the Warp Taru Shihu-Danhu. Until they are rescued, their services (along with the rest of that guild) are unavailable. Although a beastmen base can hold up to 24 prisoners, beastmen may not capture more than 8 NPCs per besieged. If a Serpent General is defeated in besieged, there is a 50-50 chance that general will be taken prisoner. The only NPCs that cannot be claimed prisoner are NPCs wearing Siraphi Gear (the ones that give Sanction, give Mog House assignments, and stand next to the generals).

To liberate a captive, proceed to appropriate beastmen strongholds (Mamook, Arrapago Reef or Halvung) and locate the prison cells or hatches. Open the cell/hatch by picking the lock (by having Thief use Thief's Tools) or using the appropriate key (Mamook Blackscale Key, Halvung Brass Key or Lamian Bone Key).
 * After a Besieged, captive Serpent Generals should be the top priority in being liberated as Beastmen forces are more likely to win the next besieged if they only have to defeat 2 or 3 Serpent Generals to break the seal.

After you liberate an NPC, speak to them when you arrive back in town. He will reward you with 100 Imperial Standing points (500 if the NPC is a Serpent General) and a ??? Item.

Recovering the Astral Candescence
If the Beastmen are successful during the besieged event they will capture the Astral Candescence. Adventurers will have to attack the beastmen to recover it and regain its benefits. To recover the Astral Candescence, head to the region that has possession of the Astral Candescence. Note that runic portals will be unavailable.

Two temporary key items will be required to enter the BCNM. Only 6 members are allowed to enter the BCNM fight at a time and all 6 members must possess both key items. The fight is uncapped with a 30 minute time limit.

The Beastmen will not recover HP or respawn should the party wipe. Recovery will require multiple parties to enter the BCNM and gradually defeat the beastmen.
 * For more information on recovery see: Astral Candescence.