Viability of BLU in Salvage

[Amaryssa]

Currently, my Salvage group has an assortment of folks with a somewhat vast majority of jobs we can play between us. My bf has BLU 75 as one of his options. We tried this last run by giving BLU the first magic cell with pretty decent results.

Has anyone else experimented with BLU in Salvage? As cell caller for my group, I'm interested in knowing how others deal with the well-rounded aspects of a BLU as healing/tank/DD.

Any information is appreciated

[Valrath]

I'd love it if my blu got the 1st or 2nd magic cell. Diamondhide is very, very helpful, and we can heal decently. However, I usually don;t get magic cells til late 2nd or even 3rd sometimes, making diamondhide kinda useless. (Mobs hit harder so it lasts less, and there's usually an established tank by 3rd floor as opposed to mass hate bouncing)

[Uzor]

Personally, I prefer SMN over BLU in Salvage. However, Feather Tickle is somewhat useful, and sticks rather good on pretty much all NM's. Too bad it have such a horrible recast time, though.

[Arkanna]

I've been doing Salvage lately as BLU and it feels like it's my best way to contribute atm. My job choices are BLU, BLM or SMN only, and while BLM would be better for some objectives, BLU seems a better fit for many things.

I've been having a great time Cannonball'ing LAC in the ass to complete my Morrigan hands. ^_^/

[Amaryssa]

Personally, I prefer SMN over BLU in Salvage. However, Feather Tickle is somewhat useful, and sticks rather good on pretty much all NM's. Too bad it have such a horrible recast time, though.

In your mind, what makes SMN better than BLU? I'm looking for some concrete logic to take back to my group to analyze. Thanks

[Uzor]

Quite honestly, SMN isn't much better then BLU, untill you unlock their STR DEX and AGI, and other random stats

For one, SMN Stoneskin caps at higher then BLU stoneskin. Even doing Zhayolm boss with 6 people reduces the damage you take from roughly 550 per person to 270, instead of the 380 from BLU. Additionally, while BLU can dish out some good damage, they feed a whole lot more TP then SMN do. Not sure what kind of damage Disseverment do, but since it gives 50% TP, it hurts you more then you gain from it normally. Especially on NM's with high-damaging moves and/or self-healing moves (Restoral). Sure, Cannonball can be good damage, but that mainly requires all equip cells, VIT and STR to be unlocked, and preferably THF sub for Cannonball.

SMN on the other hand, can throw our Earthern Ward every min, and with STR, DEX and AGI unlocked, they can throw out 1400 Predator Claws for 0 TP. I don't remember exactly the damage my SMN usually do on bosses, since I have damage filtered, but I believe he do around 800-900 pretty constantly. I'd have to ask him again, but he's not online atm.

I never really used SMN that much until I discovered SMN stats are capped as well, and that Predator Claws apparently have an AGI and DEX mod.

[Mertron]

When we do boss runs I come blu/thf but usually get one of the last magic cells (tanks and mages get first before dd's). Frightful Roar, Cannonball, Disseverment until poison wears then put it back on, help heal (and if the group setup calls for it, kite when you pull hate)

When we do regular farming runs I come blu/nin and usually get an earlier magic cell since you can tank farming mobs and DD as /nin effectively.

[Uzor]

I guess its a matter of taste, really. My BLU also have SMN lvled, and I'd rather have a SMN then a BLU. With my other shell, the BLU also have BLM lvled, so we'd rather have him go BLM then BLU I've tried both, and I've always found SMN more effective then BLU. Although that could be due to various things, he might simply be a better SMN then BLU

[Seditedi]

1400 Predator Claws on a boss???

[Uzor]

No, on weaker mobs in Salvage, such as gear and gears.

[Starr]

Predator Claws apparently have an AGI and DEX mod.

Interesting, never heard anything like this before.

[Zosi]

BLU is extremely helpful on bosses for Roar and Diamondhide. SMN might be good as an "added on" DD, in the sense that they do the damage themselves and don't rely on others, but BLU helps make your other DDs more efficient, which is a definite win in my opinion. The only time my group ever takes a SMN is for Zhayolm MB, and that's usually a SMN in one party and a BLU in the other, if possible.

[Seditedi]

Predator Claws apparently have an AGI and DEX mod.

Interesting, never heard anything like this before.

I thought it was confirmed that PC stats did not affect avatars.. only job level >_>.

[Amaryssa]

Hmmmm. My BLU has PLD WAR and DRK at 75, so we don't have the option of him coming SMN (but we can shuffle other stuff around to get our only 75 SMN to come as SMN). So far he's been coming /NIN and using Disseverment, Head Butt, Hysteric Barrage and Frenetic Rip. The damage has been huge on the regular farming mobs (we unlocked nearly all his equipment first and let him tank 1st and 2nd floor), and he solo'd trolls with ease in Vermillion Cloak while other mages rested mp and the others fought other mobs. His debuffs seemed to stick pretty well on the LBC without us killing any gears and he was the last tank-like person alive.

I can't recall him ever using Cannonball or /THF now that I think about it though.

This is all interesting!

Zosi, how do you give cells to your BLU as far as priorities go?

[Uzor]

Predator Claws apparently have an AGI and DEX mod.

Interesting, never heard anything like this before.

I thought it was confirmed that PC stats did not affect avatars.. only job level >_>.

PC stats indeed doesn't. I've tried this myself. Your level affects the SMN's stats, though. You don't think a lvl 1 avatar would have the same stats as a lvl 75 SMN, now do you?

Either our SMN's always complained that their damage is gimp in Salvage, so I theorized that the avatar's stats might be capped in the same way that the SMN is capped. So I gave the SMN AGI, DEX and STR, and for everyone that were unlocked, the avatar's damage increased. The other stats made no noticeable difference. So I'm guessing STR affects their damage just like 30 STR increases the damage of any WS with no STR mod, while DEX and AGI are the mods for Predator Claws.

Either way, every blood pact likely have stats tied to them. I haven't experimented much since that since I now just tend to give SMN any left-over status cells that no one else need.

[fantasticdan]

I have two things to say about blu in salvage. Very good healer/debuffer early on; access to slow, dispel, silence, def down, flash, stun. etc, plus the most mp efficient cures a long with native auto-refresh and conserve mp, plus 4-shadow blink and cocoon for defense, all for just 1 magic unlock.

Other thing is, since the update, if you give blu/nin magic/weapon/subjob at the beginning, they can zerg/solo through the lower floors pretty damn fast.

As for smn stat thing, I think it was shown somewhere that pets stats are locked with masters stats in salvage. Meaning summons str/dex is locked when smns str/dex is locked. Pup is the same way, not sure about bst or drg.

[Chupunpupun]

I have two things to say about blu in salvage. Very good healer/debuffer early on; access to slow, dispel, silence, def down, flash, stun. etc, plus the most mp efficient cures a long with native auto-refresh and conserve mp, plus 4-shadow blink and cocoon for defense, all for just 1 magic unlock.

Other thing is, since the update, if you give blu/nin magic/weapon/subjob at the beginning, they can zerg/solo through the lower floors pretty damn fast.

As for smn stat thing, I think it was shown somewhere that pets stats are locked with masters stats in salvage. Meaning summons str/dex is locked when smns str/dex is locked. Pup is the same way, not sure about bst or drg.

Does roar stack with Dia II or III? If not, why use roar over Dia II when roar have a higher casting time and require you to be in range of AOEs?

[fantasticdan]

Dia and defense down are separate status effects and stack.

[Alpsyche]

http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e1...onball1674.png

I think BLU is awesome in Salvage. :D
I've beaten that damage, but it's the one I have handy.

Weapon, Magic early rocks. Defense Down, Diamondhide, Head Butt all kick ass.

[Arthars]

blu is good to have if you have a semi huge group of more than 7 people