Please Assist a Very Confused Newbie

EDIT: I experimented a bit myself so I'll just answer my own questions here- though relevant advice is still appreicated.

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I've read a guide (http://www.phantasystaronline.net/fo...ginners-guide/) and it talks a lot about Mags but there are a good number of fundamental questions I just don't know the answer to.

1: What determines "Section ID"? Is Section ID used to determine what your mag evolves into at some points?
For example, for Rangers, Dex > Pow > Mind for a level 50 Mag can get either Kaitabha or Bhirava- but the only differentiating feature shown (http://www.pso-world.com/sections.ph...cle&artid=1016) is some kind of color-coded tiny image- which means absolutely nothing to me.

A: Section ID refers to the color code you are given, which is determined by your character name at character creation. It's also nice to know about it before making a character since some things will benefit certain classes and some will not. Some Mags, as of MagLevel 50 are determined by Section ID. http://phantasystar.wikia.com/wiki/Section_ID

2: What determines which Photon Blast you get?

A: It's determined PURELY by what kind of Mag it evolves into. The 3 MagLevel 10 Mags all have predetermined PBs, determined by class. It was a hassle finding info on this- but I did! http://www.pso-world.com/sections.ph...cle&artid=2452

3: How does Feeding work? I looked at the chart but any one thing raises a bunch of different attributes by varying amounts- I don't understand how it ultimately raises the stats.

The Mag-Feeding menu can be opened with F4, and the numbers shown (http://www.pso-world.com/sections.ph...cle&artid=1021 & http://www.pso-world.com/sections.ph...cle&artid=1031) are the PERCENTAGES by which the 4 gauges rise, at 100% the Mag levels up, but the gauges do not reset (i.e. they maintain however much they were raised in the gauges that did NOT level up). For this reason it's advisable to pay close attention to what gauges are filling up, since there doesn't seem to be a method to de-level Mags if you leveled the wrong stat!

4: This is probably the most important question: How long does it actually take to max a mag? If it doesn't take very long I could experiment and figure this out myself and get comfortable with it. This is important because I need to know how early I need to have everything absolutely figured out.

Mags get 'hungry' every 3.5 minutes (in Ultima BlueBurst you can activate a timer by pressing Spacebar[Textchat] and typing "/magtimer #" where # = 1/2/3 for different types of reminders) and when hungry you can feed them a few generic items (monomate, dimate, monofluid, antidotes, etc.) before they become full and the timer resets. Since you can only utilize this every few minutes it's strongly advised to work out EXACTLY what you're going to be making.

It's totally possible that there are more questions that I didn't even think to ask- this is just overwhelming for a new player...

The Mag's evolution at 10, 35, and 50 determine the photon blasts it learns.
If the blast to be learned at 50 is a duplicate of the 35, then it doesn't learn anything at that time, but may learn one if conditions change (section ID feeding it at a level that is a multiple of 5 or stat order changes at multiple of 5, etc). It's been a while, so this is purely by memory: the blast learned at 10 is based on what class is feeding it, and 35 only cares about the highest value stat (that isn't DEF).

Leveling a mag differs between mags. If you look at the feeding charts, you'll notice some mags level certain traits very quickly, while others take more time. (It has been many years, but I think I remember a MIND Sato or Nidra was done a lot quicker in comparison to a POW/DEX Rati for example). Leveling up to 35 or 50 should usually be pretty quick.

I should mention, a mag should usually only need attack stats of your class. A hunter and ranger mag should only need attack and accuracy, and a force mag should only need mind. It may be worth looking at your class's caps in order to see what you want their stats to be.

If you can manage to get a lv100 evolution, that should speed up feeding by a large amount. Look into it, but don't go out of your way to get it. Defense is a useless stat to have on a mag, and mind is useless for non-spell casters, so having to have them match your accuracy and power will ruin the mag. If you can make it so the requirements are accuracy=power, then maybe go for it. Note that you can make a character of another section ID and give it the mag for the last feeding, if you want a specific mag (for a specific ability, for a specific look, or because it's easier get).

Most photon blasts are pretty useless. The damage just isn't worth it, especially solo. The shifta+deband one is useful for android characters when soloing though, and their trigger commands (heal when hit, revive when killed, etc) are worth getting.