Blind II Question:

[Krandor]

if you want your mages to take 20 less damage from things have them eat a fucking taco. Merit 3 para 2 slow 1 dia, the rest of you are retarded for deluding yourselves into thinking phalanx 2 makes any kind of difference compared to para or slow on HNMs or dia3 on merit mobs.

Assuming your reply was aimed at Lockecole, He pretty specifically stated tanks, not mages. For a RDM who is primarily in the tank party Phalanx II is a godsend, especially for PLDs with good shield skill gear.

[Lordwafik]

What about Blind II as a hate/enmity spell? I use blind a LOT when tanking... it's cast pretty fast and gives a lot of hate, not to mention low MP cost. Ya or nay?

When I was fucking around with a Nin friend, we tested Blind II vs. Kurayami: NI for hate, by casting at max distance, both him first/me first, and before the mob could attack, and it would always go towards me(Blind II). However he was only 73, if that even matters.

Who landed the spell first, you or him?

[FFXIFlux]

Assuming your reply was aimed at Lockecole, He pretty specifically stated tanks, not mages. For a RDM who is primarily in the tank party Phalanx II is a godsend, especially for PLDs with good shield skill gear.

I have trouble thinking of 20ish HP blocked as godly.

[Cephius]

Assuming your reply was aimed at Lockecole, He pretty specifically stated tanks, not mages. For a RDM who is primarily in the tank party Phalanx II is a godsend, especially for PLDs with good shield skill gear.

I have trouble thinking of 20ish HP blocked as godly.

Exactly. Para procing more, the mob attacking 6% slower, or mobs dying faster > taking 20 less damage per hit. There are plenty of things in this game that reduce damage, and even more that restore your HP when hit. There isn't anything that makes para proc more, enhance slow, or lower mobs defense furher (other than agnon). Phalanx 2 = worthless.

[Krandor]

I guess Defending Ring is a piece of junk then

[aurik]

I guess Defending Ring is a piece of junk then

It is. Next time you guys get one of these trash, invite me to alliance and I'll dispose of it for you.

[Krandor]

I guess Defending Ring is a piece of junk then

It is. Next time you guys get one of these trash, invite me to alliance and I'll dispose of it for you.

I don't think we've camped Behemoth/KB in like 4 or 5 months <_<

[Demosthenes11]

Assuming your reply was aimed at Lockecole, He pretty specifically stated tanks, not mages. For a RDM who is primarily in the tank party Phalanx II is a godsend, especially for PLDs with good shield skill gear.

I have trouble thinking of 20ish HP blocked as godly.

Exactly. Para procing more, the mob attacking 6% slower, or mobs dying faster > taking 20 less damage per hit. There are plenty of things in this game that reduce damage, and even more that restore your HP when hit. There isn't anything that makes para proc more, enhance slow, or lower mobs defense furher (other than agnon). Phalanx 2 = worthless.

Phalanx II = steady awesomeness. 20 damage less on every attack over fight is great, not to mention a godsend in dynamis. Para II is only good in bursts, and costs too much mp to warrant using it over para I. Slow II can be argued I suppose, but Dia III is completely different. It doesn't help take less damage. For me, dia III x3 and phalanx II x3. The Dia III works great for HNM, hence the full merits (recasting it every 30 seconds is stupid mp-wise).

The thing is here, there are replacements for slow/para II and dia III, but no replacement for phalanx II. You can't cast phalanx I on a tank, therefore it is the biggest enhancement out of all of the rdm merit abilities

[Cephius]

You're comparing two things under unequal conditions. Defending ring is good because it's equipment, and its pretty easy to chose it when the only other damage reduction ring option is a jelly ring. Not the case for phalanx 2, there are simply better options available.

EDIT for above post:

Paralyze II is a major upgrade from paralyze I when it's fully merited. Even with full enfeebling gear paralyze I sometimes get resisted on HNMs, but para II almost always sticks and almost always has a MUCH higher proc percentage. If you can't afford the MP to cast para 2 perhaps you should consider investing in a some sort of MP gear or something because I never have any trouble with MP casting those debuffs. I stand by my original statement that the enhancements to paralyze and slow far outweigh the damage absorbed by phalanx 2, and that dia3's uses outweigh it as well. Feel free to disagree, I admit that Red Mage is one job that can be and is played differently (and effectively) from person to person.

[Demosthenes11]

You're comparing two things under unequal conditions. Defending ring is good because it's equipment, and its pretty easy to chose it when the only other damage reduction ring option is a jelly ring. Not the case for phalanx 2, there are simply better options available.

Correct, para I, Slow I, and phalanx II

[Ksandra]

The thing is here, there are replacements for slow/para II and dia III, but no replacement for phalanx II. You can't cast phalanx I on a tank, therefore it is the biggest enhancement out of all of the rdm merit abilities

qft. You can still cast para and slow without merits, but you can't cast phala on others without merits.

Plus plds love it in dynamis. Not saying you have to get it, but saying it's useless is rather silly. Everything in this game is situational, phala has it's palce like everything else.

[Cephius]

I've argued my side, we can just agree to disagree I guess. I don't have anything else to say other than I think that Phalanx 2 is getting a bit overrated.

[Zetah]

Personally I like Phalanx2, but I'm a PLD, however I'd rather RDMs have Slow2 before getting Phalanx2. It's especially cool on lesser things, cause I'll shield block for less than 10 dmg and such, even in dynamis. Got hit for 5 dmg by a MNK. Maybe 2 upgrades of Slow2/Para2/Phalanx2? I do notice Para2 makes fafhogg get paralyzed more often.

[FFXIFlux]

The thing is here, there are replacements for slow/para II and dia III, but no replacement for phalanx II. You can't cast phalanx I on a tank, therefore it is the biggest enhancement out of all of the rdm merit abilities

qft. You can still cast para and slow without merits, but you can't cast phala on others without merits.

http://ffxi.somepage.com/itemdb/7471

PLD can phalanx themselves. Phalanx on PLD isn't such a godsend that anybody bothered using this rather cheap item.

The comparison to defending ring is ridiculous. The more you need defending ring, the less useful Phalanx is and vice versa. If you're getting hit for small amounts of damage, Phalanx is godly, but who fucking cares? It's when you're getting raped in the face for 600 a hit that defending ring is stopping 3x what Phalanx II is that you actually NEED the damage reduction.

[Demosthenes11]

The thing is here, there are replacements for slow/para II and dia III, but no replacement for phalanx II. You can't cast phalanx I on a tank, therefore it is the biggest enhancement out of all of the rdm merit abilities

qft. You can still cast para and slow without merits, but you can't cast phala on others without merits.

http://ffxi.somepage.com/itemdb/7471

PLD can phalanx themselves. Phalanx on PLD isn't such a godsend that anybody bothered using this rather cheap item.

The comparison to defending ring is ridiculous. The more you need defending ring, the less useful Phalanx is and vice versa. If you're getting hit for small amounts of damage, Phalanx is godly, but who fucking cares? It's when you're getting raped in the face for 600 a hit that defending ring is stopping 3x what Phalanx II is that you actually NEED the damage reduction.

Is that a joke? <.< Switching out Aegis or +3 enmity or w/e shield you are using for 30 seconds and then making yourself completely useless for the 10 seconds it takes to actually use them damn thing, followed by a recast of 10 minutes making you only have phalanx on for 2 minutes every 10 minutes?

And lol@the ninja edit website; clicked the link and was like "wtf o.O"

[Ksandra]

The thing is here, there are replacements for slow/para II and dia III, but no replacement for phalanx II. You can't cast phalanx I on a tank, therefore it is the biggest enhancement out of all of the rdm merit abilities

qft. You can still cast para and slow without merits, but you can't cast phala on others without merits.

http://ffxi.somepage.com/itemdb/7471

PLD can phalanx themselves. Phalanx on PLD isn't such a godsend that anybody bothered using this rather cheap item.

The comparison to defending ring is ridiculous. The more you need defending ring, the less useful Phalanx is and vice versa. If you're getting hit for small amounts of damage, Phalanx is godly, but who fucking cares? It's when you're getting raped in the face for 600 a hit that defending ring is stopping 3x what Phalanx II is that you actually NEED the damage reduction.

Guess we don't need to cure either since tanks could just use hi-pots instead.

[Khamsin]

The thing is here, there are replacements for slow/para II and dia III, but no replacement for phalanx II. You can't cast phalanx I on a tank, therefore it is the biggest enhancement out of all of the rdm merit abilities

qft. You can still cast para and slow without merits, but you can't cast phala on others without merits.

http://ffxi.somepage.com/itemdb/7471

PLD can phalanx themselves. Phalanx on PLD isn't such a godsend that anybody bothered using this rather cheap item.

The comparison to defending ring is ridiculous. The more you need defending ring, the less useful Phalanx is and vice versa. If you're getting hit for small amounts of damage, Phalanx is godly, but who fucking cares? It's when you're getting raped in the face for 600 a hit that defending ring is stopping 3x what Phalanx II is that you actually NEED the damage reduction.

Guess we don't need to cure either since tanks could just use hi-pots instead.

http://ffxi.somepage.com/itemdb/8030

[Ksandra]

http://ffxi.somepage.com/itemdb/8030

?

[RKenshin]

Considering the size of that shield I'm not even sure the enchantment would outweigh how measily the damage reduction will be from blocks.

And, why is everyone only talking about PLDs? As a NIN I love the spell just as much.

[Swatt]

The thing is here, there are replacements for slow/para II and dia III, but no replacement for phalanx II. You can't cast phalanx I on a tank, therefore it is the biggest enhancement out of all of the rdm merit abilities

qft. You can still cast para and slow without merits, but you can't cast phala on others without merits.

http://ffxi.somepage.com/itemdb/7471

PLD can phalanx themselves. Phalanx on PLD isn't such a godsend that anybody bothered using this rather cheap item.

The comparison to defending ring is ridiculous. The more you need defending ring, the less useful Phalanx is and vice versa. If you're getting hit for small amounts of damage, Phalanx is godly, but who fucking cares? It's when you're getting raped in the face for 600 a hit that defending ring is stopping 3x what Phalanx II is that you actually NEED the damage reduction.

if your pld's getting hit for 600 constantly, i think he should put some gear on. or at least his shield.

and you've gotta be kidding me... i'm not swapping my shield out to wait forever to apply phalanx on. this phalanx vs slow vs para arguement is dumb. there's bound to be more than 1 rdm in the alliance, just get each of them to specialise in one spell.

and ya, i guess i could get carbuncle's pole.