Courtesy In Passing?

I tend to cast spells on people as I pass by and see them fighting. Running through a lower level area and see somebody struggling against a mob, I'll cure 'em a few times so they don't die and usually cast protect and shell on them as well. Just being friendly.

But I'm never quite clear on the etiquette or effects of doing anything to the mob. I don't want to pull the mob off of them or damage their kill. Is there anything I could do to it w/o affecting their XP or grabbing onto the mob at all? Blind/Slow/Gravity, anything?

A related question - every so often I'll see someone fighting something and get linked by another mob. Would it be good etiquette to sleep the link? I don't want to affect them getting the kill or steal XP or anything, just trying to be neighborly and give them some breathing room to deal with the mob they're currently fighting.

So is there anything a good samaritan should do? Or is it really best to just silently wish them well and move on w/o doing anything?

Curing or buffing someone from outside their pt won't do anything to their xp.

Just keep in mind that your high level buffs will wear off very quickly on a low level character; this might be frustrating for them if you overwrite buffs they intended to keep up for longer.

However, if you take any offensive action on a mob--even a link--you will ruin the xp the person might have gotten from it. Make sure you don't have damage spikes up if you pull hate off someone; this counts as an offensive action.

Edit: as for what to do when you see someone get a link, it's really up to your own judgment. Does the person seem able to handle both mobs without your help ? Does the person have a PL hiding around the corner ? If either of these is the case, you'd best just leave things be. :)

I guess what I'm not clear about is what constitutes an offensive action? i.e., is it actually damaging the mob or simply doing anything to it? Blind/Slow/Sleep won't actually cause any injury to the mob, so I didn't know if that'd count as offensive action which'd screw up their kill.

Mainly I was thinking about specifically sleeping a link to buy 'em time. It popped to mind since I was in a room killing stuff, and so was another soloer. He pulled a gob and another one ran up and linked. w/o even thinking about it, I slept the second one and went on with my fight. As I said, just buying him some breathing room. He did go on to kill 'em both.

It wasn't until later that it occurred to me that that might've been interfering as opposed to being polite.

Any action you can take on a mob--with the exception of curing mobs that aren't undead ("no effect" message)--constitutes an offensive action.

Not 100% sure but I've heard of people skilling up magic by casting enfeebles on mobs in abyssea without them aggroing... Not an offensive action? Idk I'm a melee, I just go beat the ***out of things.

I'm not sure which abyssea mobs exhibit that behavior, but it is possible to skill several kinds of magic by casting on Hpemde-type mobs in sea; as long as they do not take any damage, they will not attack.

I think that might have been it. Obviously didn't pay much attention to it with it being irrelevant to me.

There is one thing you have to be careful about with Hpemdes, though. XD Even though they aren't attacking, they technically still aggro, so SMN avatars will automatically attack them and ruin everything.

enfeebles do count as a claim/action

the rule i follow if doing something like this is:
-cures
-never run after a cure
-do nothing to the mob directly or indirectly.

some people have gotten mad for tossing cures<no idea why> so generally i pay no mind to other people unless they ask.

Enfeebles count as claim, and the mobs will give them no exp. I believe spikes(blaze/shock/ice etc) reduces their EXP but I could be talking out of my *** there.

I usually give Protect II and Shell II if they're lowbies. Usually a CureskinCure(I'm WHM usually) and a Haste. If they have a link, I'll babysit them until their mob is dead. If the link is far too high for them I might kill it, depends on situation.

Usually you shouldn't touch links, and only give them cures/buffs.

Unless it's changed sometime during the past 6 years, spikes will most definitely kill xp.^^

Think they fixed spikes several years ago to where they don't proc on mobs claimed by others.

Every time I am in a low level zone I always cure I someone and I always get a thank you say. I'm just a really nice person and I return the favor that others did to me many years ago when I was in hard zones ( pre FOV/GOV and level sync).I do not always expect a thank you, but I feel pretty nice when I am able to help out .:)

I remember back in the old days when i was drg/whm everywhere..
I was farming in altepa desert and saw a friend on rdm/nin soloing cactrot rapido, I casted a few cure IIIs to "help" him and went to the op to warp out to my home nation.
When i was close to the op, my friend lost hate, cactrot rapido came and destroyed me and with the tp he got killing me went back to my friend and 10k needled his ***.
So instead of help what i did was a nice unvoluntary mpk lol

Since that day i don't usually do anything for others unless they ask, unless maybe raise or healing someone that isn't fighting.


The other day i raised someone and he didn't even say anything, 10 mins later i went back to the area and he was dead again so i /sit on top of him, /dozed and continued my way lol
Still it wasn't enought for him to say anything <.<

when i see a nin/dnc solo a nm (especially if im waiting for my turn to pop it) i cast him haste protect5 and shell5 from, my whm mule

Ive been out farming briarious and saw a thf + whm pop him and get 2houred right in the face.
thf drops to the ground, gets up and tries to tank it weak


I sent him ally invite and jump in bri taking over tanking.
my blm triggers yellow on it. We bring it down and gave him all drops
He was very happy.


did the same on the scorpion nm in attowha chasm
i had just taking on 6-8 scorpions to death warp my home
they come pop nm and soon after bite the dust (did turn in his tp move)

I went down and snagged the nm
got it down to 25% and tossed them an ally invite


some people might say its waisted time
but it things like that that just make you feel good the rest of the day

I cast full buffs (haste, shell, protect) and cure.. I wait to see if I've taken hate from the mob and if I have, I'll stand there until it's dead or they got it back...

Should be noted I really only do this (doesn't really happen anymore) when passing through low level areas, and I only do it when I've ran across someone who is literally fixing to die.

If you have any form of spikes up, and you cure someone then get hit by the mob they were fighting it will nerf their xp if there is a level gap. Not sure how that works with gear that gives effects when struck, but I assume it is the same deal.