Blue Mage: Best thread ever

[Prothescar]

Everyone keeps saying physical potency merits aren't worth having except for heavy strike, when it seems to me that heavy strike alone is reason enough to merit physical potency. It's going to depend on what you use BLU for I suppose, but if you're taking BLU into nyzul then I would highly recommend physical potency. Even with pizza +1 heavy strike is inconsistent in there. It is very valuable however considering how many blunt-weak opponents (pots, skeles, etc) there are. Heavy strike to Goblin rush is usually enough to take down any pot or skeleton very quickly.

It's also very valuable in dynamis. Versus EP mobs I would assume you don't need the extra acc, but versus DC mobs the extra accuracy will come in handy (even with pizza +1).

Overall, I use heavy strike ALL the time, therefore, for me, it makes much more sense to merit physical potency. I use RNG for voidwatch 95% of the time, especially on bismarck/rex (wildfire go), so I'm not familiar with all the magic accuracy you may need versus those.

Honestly I can say I've never had an issue in Nyzul Isle or Dynamis to where Heavy Strike was "inconsistent"... particularly so that 10 accuracy would give me enough hitrate to be worth an entire set of 5 merits. Idk, to each their own, but really I have no idea where you're coming from with this post.

Hate to change the subject but just wondering about blu spells (and future use).

Currently our main source of damage in end game content practically starts and ends with CDC. That said what is it that makes our spells weak?

Based on what I searched on wiki and posts, my assumption is that the "blue attack" no longer can keep up with an nm's defense forcing us to have an abysmally low pDif?
If that's the case, then only way we can up our damage is through defense down enfeebles?

Pretty much... blue magic attack has always been shit on endgame targets due to having no way of increasing it in large quantities. To bypass this, you had things like SACA Cannonball which not only bypassed attack, but forced a crit.

[Yugl]

Do I have to change anything in my resources for it to work? Or is it fine as is? Also a ton of new triggers were added/changed since I last played BLU, did you make another guide for those like the initial ones?

Edit: There also doesn't seem to be a set for tping in refresh, was that removed?

That's there; there's a set called "Refresh" which you can turn on and off. Default is on, but typing //netherspikes will remove the refresh gear. Not sure if I made a new guide. A brief overview would be

Dancing Chains: Update gear
Vulcan Shot: Remove PDT/MDT gear (Basically, use TP or Idle gear)
Aegis Schism: MDT
Barbed Crescent: PDT
Carnal Nightmare: Full Evasion
Poison V: Change TP type
Poisonga V: Change WS type
Scop's Operetta: Changes midcast for Utsusemi
Herb Pastoral: Changes cure type
Shining Fantasia: Use Breath gear
Raptor Mazurka: Equip movement gear
Foxfire: Change gear set for stun (Like headbutt/sudden lunge)
Netherspikes: Equip or Unequip Refresh for TP set
Diaga V: Cast in Spell Interruption or PDT for enfeebles/buffs

Resources should already work, but update them anyways.

[agerknux]

Right, also to mention the use of Heavy Strike and Quadra Strike(under CA). Since there is no feasible way to increase blue magic attack, wouldn't defense down help?

The sources we got for def down are
Angon: 20%
Alternatively blu spells: Roar or benthic at 10%
Tourbillion: 33% except it still doesn't freaking work.

Dia 3: 15%
Box Step: 5-13%
Def down sword: 16%? I assume it will not stack with Angon/Blu spells however.

Even with Dia and Angon, anything with a defense of about 720 and we still may be hard pressed to reach 1.0 pDIF.
I may be missing some other stuff. But for mobs like pil, we'd see a decent increase in damage, still no where near what CDC can put out.

[Fereydoon]

That's there; there's a set called "Refresh" which you can turn on and off. Default is on, but typing //netherspikes will remove the refresh gear. Not sure if I made a new guide. A brief overview would be

Dancing Chains: Update gear
Vulcan Shot: Remove PDT/MDT gear (Basically, use TP or Idle gear)
Aegis Schism: MDT
Barbed Crescent: PDT
Carnal Nightmare: Full Evasion
Poison V: Change TP type
Poisonga V: Change WS type
Scop's Operetta: Changes midcast for Utsusemi
Herb Pastoral: Changes cure type
Shining Fantasia: Use Breath gear
Raptor Mazurka: Equip movement gear
Foxfire: Change gear set for stun (Like headbutt/sudden lunge)
Netherspikes: Equip or Unequip Refresh for TP set
Diaga V: Cast in Spell Interruption or PDT for enfeebles/buffs

Resources should already work, but update them anyways.

Sweet, thanks!

[Prothescar]

Right, also to mention the use of Heavy Strike and Quadra Strike(under CA). Since there is no feasible way to increase blue magic attack, wouldn't defense down help?

The sources we got for def down are
Angon: 20%
Alternatively blu spells: Roar or benthic at 10%
Tourbillion: 33% except it still doesn't freaking work.

Dia 3: 15%
Box Step: 5-13%
Def down sword: 16%? I assume it will not stack with Angon/Blu spells however.

Even with Dia and Angon, anything with a defense of about 720 and we still may be hard pressed to reach 1.0 pDIF.
I may be missing some other stuff. But for mobs like pil, we'd see a decent increase in damage, still no where near what CDC can put out.

CDC's a major reason, but it's also because BLU's been given a massive amount of melee DD potential through new traits and, passively, through new spells. You can sub WAR without any major drawbacks to defense thanks to Occultation and Sudden Lunge, for example.

[Alistaire]

Right, also to mention the use of Heavy Strike and Quadra Strike(under CA). Since there is no feasible way to increase blue magic attack, wouldn't defense down help?

The sources we got for def down are
Angon: 20%
Alternatively blu spells: Roar or benthic at 10%
Tourbillion: 33% except it still doesn't freaking work.

Dia 3: 15%
Box Step: 5-13%
Def down sword: 16%? I assume it will not stack with Angon/Blu spells however.

Even with Dia and Angon, anything with a defense of about 720 and we still may be hard pressed to reach 1.0 pDIF.
I may be missing some other stuff. But for mobs like pil, we'd see a decent increase in damage, still no where near what CDC can put out.

Bilgestorm, while shorter duration than Tourbillion and 25% defense down, at least actually works.

[Vriska]

Quick question; BLU atmacites for VW?

[dasva]

Also with af2+2 and merits agnon goes to 25. And light shot dia III to 20%!

[Meian]

Came back to FFXI, got Blu from 75 to 99 some days ago, been skilling up blu skill but was having issues figuring out how much blu skill minimal for up to 99 spells. They say 10 levels below is minimal but after going 0/40 on Sudden Lunge with 343 blu skill (with merits and magus jubbah) I was wondering if it was just an annoying spell to learn or of the whole 10 levels skill minimum was a lie. Currently raised skill more to 342 base without counting merits or magus jubbah, but didn't want to run around trying to learn spells if I was still too low.

[Prothescar]

Quick question; BLU atmacites for VW?

High/capped hitrate: Coercion/Deluges/Tropics
Lower/uncapped hitrate: Coercion/Deluges/Valiant

[Nightfyre]

Came back to FFXI, got Blu from 75 to 99 some days ago, been skilling up blu skill but was having issues figuring out how much blu skill minimal for up to 99 spells. They say 10 levels below is minimal but after going 0/40 on Sudden Lunge with 343 blu skill (with merits and magus jubbah) I was wondering if it was just an annoying spell to learn or of the whole 10 levels skill minimum was a lie. Currently raised skill more to 342 base without counting merits or magus jubbah, but didn't want to run around trying to learn spells if I was still too low.

It's 29 skill below cap for the level at which you can use the spell, not 10 levels.

[Ophannus]

Wouldn't mind if they gave us a berserk for blue attack or modified our formula for blue attack at higher levels. Even just giving us more auto-crit spells or spells that have massive attack bonuses would be sweet. Anyone know if 300% SACAfflux Benthic/Vanity Dive/Heavy Strike is any good at 99 against stuff like Odinv2/Legion?

[Neisan]

Managed to get Barbed Crescent's accuracy down effect to land on Chasmic, has anyone checked to see if lands on anything harder?

One sec on loading screenshots

Spoiler: show

was /rdm and no other method of putting accuracy down on Hornet.

[Ophannus]

Would it be possible to compile a list of what Blue Magic Level the tiers increase by instead of having to calculate using the formula each time? Could add to the bgwiki page for blue magic each tier or something.

[Prothescar]

.11 * x. If it's a higher whole number you're there. Not really that hard or time consuming. Using combos of useful pieces of gear (Mavi tayt +2, Magus jubbah +1, Khepri wristbands, mavi tathlum, mirage keffiyeh +2):

Lv99(No merits): 46
lv99(8/8 merits): 48
445: 48
455: 50
460: 50
475: 52
480: 52
485: 53
492: 54
500: 55

[Yugl]

Floor(0.11x): Serious business.

Hard Mode: Excel
Column 1: Skill levels (460-X)
Column 2: =FLOOR(A1*0.11,1)

Easy Mode: 464, 473, 482, 491, 500, 510, 519, 528, 537, 546, 555

[Ophannus]

500 might be the hard cap.
tl;dr for most career BLU with merited skill:

475: 52
480: 52
485: 53
492: 54
500: 55

[Ophannus]

485 is probably the sweet spot tier and most realistic for most merited BLUs since you can reach that with AF2+2 head/AF1body/Af3legs/Mavi Tathlum which leaves other slots. Could sacrifice STR feet for Blood Greaves and Ire Torque+1 for Scarf to bump up another tier, but it'd be only what, 1 base damage?

[Prothescar]

500's only really there for posterity since you need useless crap like Mavi scarf and Mirage charuqs +2 to get it. Max blue magic skill atm is 505. (In salvage only: Mirage Keffiyeh +2, mavi tathlum, mavi scarf, magus jubbah +1, khepri wristbands, antica ring, zaffre cape, ksi sash, mavi tayt +2, mirage charuqs +2)

Current ideal attainable tier is at 492 (493 w/ Mirage keffiyeh +2, mavi tathlum, magus jubbah +1, khepri wristbands, mavi tayt +2, and zaffre cape).

Current realistically attainable is at 485 (485 w/ Mirage keffiyeh +2, mavi tathlum, magus jubbah +1, mavi tayt +2, and zaffre cape).

[Ophannus]

Khepri >.<