Blue Mage: Best thread ever

[Kyte]

Wanion belt is almost always better for CDC, so just go with that.

Not completely sure on which back is better, but I am sure that the damage difference isn't really worth the inventory space- I would go with Zaffre regardless of which is a fraction of a percent better.

For SCing, the blood greaves are quite nice.

[Nightfyre]

What's the best BLU TP set these days?

http://www.ffxiah.com/item-sets/134076

Though in review I believe Portus Collar should at least match Rancor in most situations rather than being an option for when you can't use Rancor.

Nightfyre says ~25 attack. Personally, I think the actual effect is +10 attack and that "BLU Attack" is different from the normal attack used for pDIF. That's assuming BLU pDIF acts the way we think though.

Yeah, that value assumes that our knowledge of melee pDIF (particularly ranged pDIF) translates to spell pDIF. It should be a reasonably accurate approximation pending further data though.

[Prothescar]

Have yet to encounter any evidence that dictates physical blue magic pDIF being separate from normal melee attack pDIF. Everything I've done indicates exact or near-exact matches, depending on number of data samples. Ranged attack pDIF, however, is up for debate. I still have to test that.

[Yugl]

Tbh, I've never seen tests of BLU pDIF one way or another. That's why I tend to stay out of that topic for BLU magic. Maybe AH has data, but I don't post there often. A link would he nice.

[Prothescar]

I've never published my data as I've never found it to be necessary, didn't think it would be questioned as the idea of physical blue magic mirroring 1h calculations (possibly main handed weapon, but I can't be dicked to do anything about looking at blue magic while wearing a staff or something). I'll see about sending it to you via PM though.

Am doing ranged attack tests right now, will make those public.

[doctorugh]

If you are doing ranged tests, plz confirm adding DEX adds to crit rate of said ranged spell. When I did this (longer ago than memory serves), its seemed like this was the case, but did not include the +5% that you actually merit (ie was at 15% cap).

[Yugl]

I would appreciate the PMed data. The main reason I bring this up is because the description on the JP side says BLU attack+2. SE is typically consistent about how merits affect a given calculation even if the description may differ from how we understand the ability (ex: Merit WS, Deep Breathing, Feint, etc).

[Prothescar]

I'm finding a couple of things that could skew testing based on Feather Storm, most importantly it seems to have up to a 10% attack penalty that I don't think was ever recorded.

I would appreciate the PMed data. The main reason I bring this up is because the description on the JP side says BLU attack+2. SE is typically consistent about how merits affect a given calculation even if the description may differ from how we understand the ability (ex: Merit WS, Deep Breathing, Feint, etc).

Will send if I can find it, it's likely in my pile of refuse data that I haven't looked at in forever million years.

If you are doing ranged tests, plz confirm adding DEX adds to crit rate of said ranged spell. When I did this (longer ago than memory serves), its seemed like this was the case, but did not include the +5% that you actually merit (ie was at 15% cap).

I'm not familiar with ranged attack crits, however insofar, over the course of about 120 saplings or so, I've had far less than a 15~20% critical hit rate.

[Nightfyre]

I'm finding a couple of things that could skew testing based on Feather Storm, most importantly it seems to have up to a 10% attack penalty that I don't think was ever recorded.

That explains the issues I was having with it vs crabs. Queasyshroom seemed normal though, I hit 3.0 pDIF at the expected attack value sans PP merits.

[Prothescar]

have to suspend research for now, however there's something retarded going on with my data.

[enoch]

Antica Ring, grrr. So I'm 499/500+ on skill and I wanna mess around breaking tier, but I've had no luck getting ring to drop. I'm using:

Maze Tabula M03
Maze Voucher 07
Rune 006, 014, 016, 017, 043, 046 and 094.
006, 014, 043, 094 are resonating.

I've entered a number of times with 6 CC and have yet to have anything at all drop from either chest. Am I doing something wrong or is it just a crap drop rate?

[Yugl]

Idk which those are, but the configuration: http://www.bluegartr.com/threads/376...=1#post5147001

[Ophannus]

Is it possible to get the proper rune for Antica Ring and the duplicate the maze tabula so others can buy it? That would be so boss since I'm sure tons of BLU are at 498/499.

[Yugl]

Yes.

[enoch]

Welp, that's the configuration I followed in making it. Killed it a bunch and not a single drop. Nothing. Just marbles, marbles, marbles. Thought maybe it might matter which rune resonated with which element or something - which isn't mentioned anywhere.

[Foldypaws]

http://www.ffxiah.com/item-sets/134076

Though in review I believe Portus Collar should at least match Rancor in most situations rather than being an option for when you can't use Rancor.

Thanks. And thanks for the notes up top because I was all about to ask what was the next best headpiece, as an Aug'd Kehpri hat isn't happening for me anytime soon.

[Aumaan_Kujata]

Welp, that's the configuration I followed in making it. Killed it a bunch and not a single drop. Nothing. Just marbles, marbles, marbles. Thought maybe it might matter which rune resonated with which element or something - which isn't mentioned anywhere.

It's been a million years or something since I've screwed around with farming MMM loot, so my knowledge may be incorrect or since-obsoleted, but my old notes indicated we got best results by resonating just what I was calling the "loot selector" rune, which is the stillness/motion/great war/tiny war that activates the chance to drop whatever you're after. I'm not sure which of tiny warrior and stillness selects for the ring vs the antica band, though. I'm also not sure if resonating several reduces the odds, or if you're fine as long as you resonate the important one (crappy sample sizes). Also, yeah, might, supreme might, other things which increase the difficulty (even if they don't actually, like adding magic), up the drop rate to some extent.

Not going to get guaranteed (or even decent) drops no matter what, of course, from content from that era.

[Yugl]

How soloable are those NMs now?

[enoch]

With the runes I previously listed, the beetle was hitting a well-geared, Masamune 99 Sam for ~350 and was highly evasive to the point where accuracy sets and madrigal were bantered about. It's very do-able low-man, but solo would be a challenge. Well-geared blu/nin with almace might be able to pull it off. You'd have to spam blank gaze to keep that rhino guard off him.

With regards to the resonating - I've switched mine around a bit. With Tabula 03 I can resonate Stillness and Dark Magic. I don't have Tabula 02, but I'll look up & see whether it has the elemental slots to resonate both Stillness and Tiny Warrior. In the meantime, I'll go with 03 today without any CC and see if making those changes does anything to the regular loot pool.

[Yugl]

Have you tried magic damage against him?