Salvage II - Slavage Harder

[Lisotte]

You equipped Scanner, the automaton deemed its chance to get a resist too high, and thus it didn't cast at all. Standard Spiritreaver behaviour.

To get around this, either unequipp Scanner (it will nuke, and you will still get some decent ones, probably), skill up your automaton's magic if it's not capped, and/or use a Tranquilizer to increase its macc.

That's a good guess... but no. All of my auto's skills have been capped for over a year. I actually was trying to fix the issue so I was testing different things on the fly while my party members were freaking out at me over vent; I started with scanner AND tranquilizer, tried with no scanner but tranquilizer, tried w/out either, tried with both blm head and rdm head, swapped out a number of attachments.

Actually, the real answer may be (credit to ffxiah pup forums), that I may have not gotten spellcasting unlocked. It never occurred to me to unlock it for myself at lamps (considering that we were low on time and I used sharpshot till the bosses), but also I assumed it would have been unlocked off of mobs (all my other attributes and penalties I knew of were unlocked.

Going to test it tomorrow.

[Taim Meich]

Hm, that looks like the most probable cause, considering what you said. I guess you're using alternator, how's the automaton faring in Salvage II with it? Haven't tried it yet, as I always have to go as SCH.

[zephr]

Is this a known Dahak mechanic? Enwater on 1F Bhaflau seems to trigger TP move lock on them for some reason.

[Terravcota]

Is this a known Dahak mechanic? Enwater on 1F Bhaflau seems to trigger TP move lock on them for some reason.

I think someone posted it a while back but I don't bring a SCH so I didn't really think about it.

Edit: Here's the post - http://www.bluegartr.com/threads/113...=1#post5662558

[Kaisha]

anyone else notice that using formless strikes on cerb in BR2 causes it to go apeshit on TP moves? i use FS at 45% so it's not the every 100TP at 25% either.

Always goes ape-shit when I HF Formless it. I just figured at certain HP% tics it gets a free TP move for it (similar to other NMs like Odin/Bahamut), since I've gotten back2back2back2back Magma Hoplon from it once. Not that I'm complaining about a 2min kill on it.

Also, is HQ Hydra supposed to randomly be able to punch your face in? Last run both my MNK and our SAM got murdered from what looked like a triple attack for a combined 1.2k damage. Had to reset it, and the second attempt went perfectly fine (albeit with a little more DT thrown in)

[noodles355]

Fuck SSR Dvrgrs. I'm gonna have enough plans for 5/5 Morri+1 before it fucking puts out the 45 I need. God I hate this zone.

[bechyni]

I hade the same problem with Usu head/feet 45. I would alternate runs between plan farming and 45 farming, let's just say I had 56 plans before getting a 45

[kenshyn]

Always goes ape-shit when I HF Formless it. I just figured at certain HP% tics it gets a free TP move for it (similar to other NMs like Odin/Bahamut), since I've gotten back2back2back2back Magma Hoplon from it once. Not that I'm complaining about a 2min kill on it.

Also, is HQ Hydra supposed to randomly be able to punch your face in? Last run both my MNK and our SAM got murdered from what looked like a triple attack for a combined 1.2k damage. Had to reset it, and the second attempt went perfectly fine (albeit with a little more DT thrown in)

Is that any magic or just the game saying f u to mnks? That sucker went bat shit cray when I hit formless strikes without hundred fist to kill it fast needless to say didn't end well....

[Lisotte]

Hm, that looks like the most probable cause, considering what you said. I guess you're using alternator, how's the automaton faring in Salvage II with it? Haven't tried it yet, as I always have to go as SCH.

Absolutely tearing things up. We usually do SSR or zhayolm so I don't get it unlocked any time soon, but prior to that it will do armor shredder for ~2k, after getting alternator for ~4k (wasn't watching too closely but a friend said he'd seen it hit for 5k). I also tend to self-SC a lot even when in a group, and, particularly without gear, stringing pummel is absolutely devestating (it's obviously even better with gear but its base damage potential is so high that it works really well in a situation w/out gear). I usually hit 2k damage with nothing but my rigors unlocked.

We also generally go lowman btw, with 3-4 people, so myself on pup, a thf, a whm/rdm/sch, and sometimes a blu. Took a pld in place of the blu last time though.

That said, if I can't figure out this blm frame casting issue then I probably can't go to zhayolm 2 on pup.

[shepardG]

It had to have been lack of magic unlock, try it again grab magic on 3rd or 4th. You'll be fine

[Sechs]

Always goes ape-shit when I HF Formless it. I just figured at certain HP% tics it gets a free TP move for it (similar to other NMs like Odin/Bahamut), since I've gotten back2back2back2back Magma Hoplon from it once. Not that I'm complaining about a 2min kill on it.

Also, is HQ Hydra supposed to randomly be able to punch your face in? Last run both my MNK and our SAM got murdered from what looked like a triple attack for a combined 1.2k damage. Had to reset it, and the second attempt went perfectly fine (albeit with a little more DT thrown in)

I dunno about that but I agree there has to be something about those cerb mobs because majority of times (not all?) both NQ and HQ cerb spam TP moves like there's no tomorrow when they're low HP.
Not sure it happens all the times (think it doesn't) and I have no clue if it's somehow related on Formless Strikes since I use that all the times so I dunno what goes on without it.

What I know is that I use FS around 60% on NQ and around 70% on HQ, and the back-to-back TP moves usage doesn't start until lower HP.
I don't think it's the typical "use tp moves at 100% when under 25% HP", there has to be something else because I've had 3 Gates of Hades one after another, literally, or several other combination of fast successive TP moves.
Think it was lower than 25% tbh, because when he starts doing that he tipically dies shortly after.

Doubt it's related to Hundred Fists either because I had it happen on the NQ too and I don't use HF on that.

[Kaisha]

Perhaps he just straight up receives a multiplied amount of TP received from magic damage compared to melee? Eg. 30tp per nuke rather than 10.

Can't nuke as fast as you melee, and the fight 'was' designed to want you to balance physical/magical due to the tug-of-war effect on his PDT/MDT, so HF-FS would spike his TP up fast enough where he'll have 100%+ during each of his TP moves at lower HP, resulting in the spam.

[chichicha]

Today did 2 Hq Cerberus in 2 runs.
First one was smooth, easy stable killed. (Dropped 1 Skadi mask and 1 morri hands)
However, 2nd one went crazy like spamming Archeron moves so fast... Multiple times.

Only things different are...
1st Killed, we don't have much SC. Mainly just 2 WS SC light / darkness/ Fusion.
2nd killed, we did lot if SC,impact -> fusion -> gravitation -> darkness

I wonder would that be something like magical dmg > physical dealt will proc that crazy fast spamming multiple Acheron Flame.

[Shenrien]

If you spike a large amount of damage to Cerb you will force TP moves, I notice this when I'm swapping from Ugu to Murasame when I hit 45% and my first WS will chop off ~12% and the rest will be ~9% and every WS will force a TP move, the TP move is random sometimes its GoH or AF, but he tends to favor hoplon and ululation.

[Carraway]

From what I've observed (duoing BR2 every permit since double drop started with MNK/WAR and SCH/RDM), magic damage seems to just give Cerberus a lot more TP to the point where a Formless MNK will cause him to spam moves and a Formless HF MNK will cause him to chain moves nonstop. If a group can't handle healing through Acheron Flame -> Acheron Flame -> Acheron Flame on Orthrus, they can adjust their strat accordingly. I hit Formless on NQ at 50% and Formless/HF on HQ at 40%, had a close call once with a rare Acheron x3 sequence, but I didn't die.

Also, re: BR2 dahaks, nuking Water also seems to slow down their rate of WSing, but it doesn't lock WSs like Enwater on a MNK does. My guess is that each occurrence of Water-based damage reduces their TP by a certain amount.

[Lah]

ok, I have never had any problems like this with one or 2 MNKs using HF FS, I must be lucky.

[Lah]

nvm I see ZR2 magic is from Sophist F3

[Kaisha]

Just Mamool can drop magic, so if you need more than one, spend some time on the Mamool on S path of 3rd floor.


As for Cerb's spam, it's zero problem with a WHM healer. Not sure how a SCH or RDM would keep up though due to lack of easy -ga Cures. It's dead fast enough after HF-FS that MP shouldn't really be an issue for SCH if they burned Celerity/Accession Cure3/4 though, or 1hr with them for unlimited stratagems.

[Lah]

I always take RDM for BR, much much much prefer it to WHM there. Slow/Para2 help a lot.

[Carraway]

As for Cerb's spam, it's zero problem with a WHM healer. Not sure how a SCH or RDM would keep up though due to lack of easy -ga Cures. It's dead fast enough after HF-FS that MP shouldn't really be an issue for SCH if they burned Celerity/Accession Cure3/4 though, or 1hr with them for unlimited stratagems.

Depending on who the third is, you (general you) can just leave them off Cerb when you turn on Formless/HF. When I duo it, the SCH Embravas at the beginning, Kaustras after I engage, nukes between cures/cleanses, then basically just chainguns cures below 40% (if necessary). I also use 5/5 Mantra (no AF2+2 feet).