Random Question Thread

[Thulius]

Vision earring worth wearing over drone for RNG? Currently level 55 if it matters.

[Xrave]

8-hits Vorpals are not contemplated by the gameplay unless I've mistakenly interpreted my swords TP return all along, AFAIK you shouldn't be allowed to pull off more than 7 hits (4 base +1 from DW + 2 DA, one for each hand)

Why do people still think you can only DA once per hand(weapon)?

You can DA one per hit of the WS without doing more than 8 hits per WS. So yes you can do an 8 hit Vorpal, however the chances of it happening are almost 0.

With /NIN and just Brutal, you have a 0.000625% chance of it occuring. Assuming 95% accuracy that becomes 0.000594% chance.

[Nyuneko]

Is Barfira really helping against Mijin Gakure?

I have read people wearing BQ ring while getting Mijin Gakure noticed no difference when compared with no BQ ring; Ifrit not absorbing Mijin Gakure; or using Mijin on Gurfurlur's magic shield will still do damage despite it being a supposedly fire elemental attacks, etc... So does it mean that Mijin Gakure actually has no element and barfira actually doesn't help against Mijin Gakure? I haven't actually done any actual testing(ie bringing a NIN or 2 to ballista to test >.>), and not like Barfira cost a lot to cast, but just wondering.

EDITicture of Console for Halion

Courtesy to this Japanese furnishings site.
http://www15.ocn.ne.jp/~amezishi/kagubaka/kagubaka.html

[Saraphym]

random q.

is there any way to amplify/change the sound that notifies you when you receive a /tell. Its way too subtle for me. via 3rd pt program or w/e is fine, just anything that you can hear from like a room away with the speakers up.

[Thulius]

Is Barfira really helping against Mijin Gakure?

As I understand it, Mijin is a non-elemental magic attack. Someone can correct me if I'm wrong, but shell and whatnot should still help to reduce damage.

[Nyuneko]

Is Barfira really helping against Mijin Gakure?

As I understand it, Mijin is a non-elemental magic attack. Someone can correct me if I'm wrong, but shell and whatnot should still help to reduce damage.

If that's the case, then Barfira wouldn't help, as Barfira is just a fire-elemental magic defense bonus, I think? But still doesn't explained why it still does damage through Gurfurlur's magic absorb... unless non-elemental magic attack can't be absorbed. =X

[Judai]

Is Barfira really helping against Mijin Gakure?

I have read people wearing BQ ring while getting Mijin Gakure noticed no difference when compared with no BQ ring; Ifrit not absorbing Mijin Gakure; or using Mijin on Gurfurlur's magic shield will still do damage despite it being a supposedly fire elemental attacks, etc... So does it mean that Mijin Gakure actually has no element and barfira actually doesn't help against Mijin Gakure? I haven't actually done any actual testing(ie bringing a NIN or 2 to ballista to test >.>), and not like Barfira cost a lot to cast, but just wondering.

EDITicture of Console for Halion


Courtesy to this Japanese furnishings site.
http://www15.ocn.ne.jp/~amezishi/kagubaka/kagubaka.html

1. BQ Ring doesn't increase the amount of damage you take. Tried of people thinking that. It only lessens the resist rate you will have against fire based attacks.

2. Pretty sure Mijin was tested to be Non-Elemental.

[Tajin]

Anybody having troubles connecting? Probably just a thing from my ISP, that or I got hacked

Edit: Error code POL-1160

Edit while editing: Yep, most likely my ISP, oh well Eugene if you are reading this, guess the buffalos will have to wait ;;

[Retrieving/C.D/Searain]

8-hits Vorpals are not contemplated by the gameplay unless I've mistakenly interpreted my swords TP return all along, AFAIK you shouldn't be allowed to pull off more than 7 hits (4 base +1 from DW + 2 DA, one for each hand)

Why do people still think you can only DA once per hand(weapon)?

You can DA one per hit of the WS without doing more than 8 hits per WS. So yes you can do an 8 hit Vorpal, however the chances of it happening are almost 0.

With /NIN and just Brutal, you have a 0.000625% chance of it occuring. Assuming 95% accuracy that becomes 0.000594% chance.

I've never seen Vorpal Blade returning more than 16% TP's with Ridill/Joyeuse and I've religiously used this weapon combo for over a year basically 24/7 (I still occasionally switch to Axe in main hand and even more rarely to Gaxe and Gsword however, given the nature of the activities I've been doing in-game lately, my weapons of choice tend to be swords).

I must've performed thousands of Vorpal but still, normal TP return on a fully connected one appears to be 14%, Warrior's Charge usually produces a 15% one while all my damage records (including 1600+ ones on Skoffins, Decos and Sea Puks) were 16%'s, no exceptions.

The only Store TP items that made it into my WS gearset are Rajas Ring and Brutal, therefore (and thanks Kwon for clearing up a couple things) my base TP should be 5.3 pre-Store TP addition, in WS configuration (.85 from Dual Wield since Suppa gets removed while weapon skill'ing).

(5.3+5.3+1+1+1)*(1.06) = 14.4 TP

...on a 5 hit Vorpal, thus, since I've never noticed a TP return greater than 16% (and aside from paying maniacal attention to my character's performances, as people must've noticed by now I sorta get off on WS big numbers) I think we can pretty safely assume that DA can only get triggered twice during a Vorpal Blade as anything/NIN.

Whoever claims of having witnessed "8 hits" Vorpal Blades is either mistaken or just full of shit, regardless the likeliness of getting one statistically wise I should've seen at least a couple during the past year and a half and unfortunately, I haven't.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not questioning the reliability of your mathematical premise however I couldn't care less about the conclusion itself since my pluri-annual empiric experience outright refutes it, making its relevance in this instance is basically null; if I couldn't pull one off you haven't either, trust me.

This is one of those situations where practical experience rather than message boards-powered precepts or theorycrafting has the highest weight, besides, I dare you to prove otherwise specifically for a Dual-Wielded Vorpal.

[Liquidedust]

Justice/Joy or Joy/Justice?

Way back when, I was told to mainhand Justice, but now I'm getting conflicting advice.

Greater chance of an 8-hit vorpal with Justice in main hand. but greater damage overall on Vorpal with Joy in main-hand. Apart from that no real difference between main or off-handing them as far as I know.

Holy shit, never give PLD advice again.

Justice Sword will not, under any circumstances, have any affect on the number of swings Vorpal Blade does, nor will any multi-hit weapon. Ever.

Other than that, it doesn't matter which you main-hand or off-hand, but don't you think Justice/Joyeuse looks cooler? (I do. )

Hmmm I have been told that justice could proc more then once on ws's but I could have been informed wrong so, but you always learn more the longer you play.

Just assumed it could proc more then once just as DA can on multi-hit weaponskills but well I reticify my statement then (keeping it unedited though for the whole conversation to make sense though).

(This assumption since I have seen double DA's on Raging Rush and Guillo for example, just assumed Justice could proc more then once on a multi-hitter)

[Lyramion]

For years of using Blade Jin - Never seen more thn 2 DAs go EVER. Every hand can only DA once - it is that way sadly.

[Noobta]

Quick question, what are the preferred sub jobs for scholar and dancer? Thinking of picking FFXI up again and wanted to level something new

[Tomiko]

Quick question, what are the preferred sub jobs for scholar and dancer? Thinking of picking FFXI up again and wanted to level something new

Sch: I've seen Whm, Blm and Rdm used.

Dnc: Mnk til 20, then generally Nin is the most common.

[Rena]

Is Barfira really helping against Mijin Gakure?

As I understand it, Mijin is a non-elemental magic attack. Someone can correct me if I'm wrong, but shell and whatnot should still help to reduce damage.

Shell/magic damage taken reduction gear helps, but just to clarify, MDB does not.

[Therin]

Justice/Joy or Joy/Justice?

Way back when, I was told to mainhand Justice, but now I'm getting conflicting advice.

Greater chance of an 8-hit vorpal with Justice in main hand. but greater damage overall on Vorpal with Joy in main-hand. Apart from that no real difference between main or off-handing them as far as I know.

Holy shit, never give PLD advice again.

Justice Sword will not, under any circumstances, have any affect on the number of swings Vorpal Blade does, nor will any multi-hit weapon. Ever.

Other than that, it doesn't matter which you main-hand or off-hand, but don't you think Justice/Joyeuse looks cooler? (I do. )

Hmmm I have been told that justice could proc more then once on ws's but I could have been informed wrong so, but you always learn more the longer you play.

Just assumed it could proc more then once just as DA can on multi-hit weaponskills but well I reticify my statement then (keeping it unedited though for the whole conversation to make sense though).

(This assumption since I have seen double DA's on Raging Rush and Guillo for example, just assumed Justice could proc more then once on a multi-hitter)

Yeah, sorry if I was a cock but I've argued with countless idiotshits on KI about whether or not Justice Sword can proc during a WS and I really don't see how anyone could think that, at all. At the rate that Justice Sword goes off, you'd certainly notice (let's put it this way: if you had a 50% double attack rate on each swing of your WS, you'd hit 8-hit Vorpals somewhere around 6.25% of the time, and 7-hit Vorpals about 12.5% of the time, which is grossly ridiculous - i.e, 1.4-2k Vorpal Blades on PLD, and I dare you to find a Vorpal Blade from a PLD that ever nears 2k on anything that isn't already weak to slashing or damage in general).

Searain - I can't personally say that I've ever had more than 2 double attacks to go off in a WS, because I don't have WAR leveled, so I typically don't have a very high double attack rate - but keep in mind, that even though you've probably done over 50,000 Vorpal Blades in your FFXI career, the chances of you seeing an 8-hit Vorpal according to his statistic is still astronomically low. 1 in 168350, to be exact. Note that this doesn't prove whether or not you can DA more than twice, but don't let the fact that you've never seen it happen sway you to think that it's impossible.

[Retrieving/C.D/Searain]

Factor in DA from Warrior job trait and the occasional DA enhancing gear (such as Warrior's Cuisses et similia on Mighty Strikes'd WS) and the probabilities should start falling within the realm of reasonable. Regardless, my experience, albeit it doesn't provide an utterly conclusive evidence since this stuff is kinda hard to prove either way - I will concede this point - still holds more water than his theories.

Connotatively speaking, why would something be coded into the game in a way which basically makes sure it never, ever happens, unless it was something outrageously game-breaking (which definately isn't the case and even then, it'd be sorta dumb although comprehensible)?

No matter how small the chances of getting a x3+ DA on Vorpal (or any multi-hit WS comprised of 4- hits, such as Jin, while dual wielding - btw, Sea's also NIN 75) were, people would've noticed it at some point if it was actually possible, I've never seen anything of the likes being reported here or elsewhere though, feel free to correct me if I'm wrong.

[Ferien]

Double Attack Stuff

The astronomically low chance to do it applies to everything except WAR. For WAR with 20% Double Attack (5 merits and Brutal), the chance of getting more than 2 DAs in a 5-hit WS is ~5.8%. With base 10% DA, the chance is around 0.96%. Searain's using Ridill and Joyeuse, so presumably he's WSing in 15% (Brutal and no DA merits), which gives him a 2.7% chance for more than 2 DAs. It's a one-in-37 shot, which, while rare and made rarer by the fact that accuracy is never 100%, you'd see it every once in a while.

Edit: beaten ;;

[Amele]

Is Barfira really helping against Mijin Gakure?

As I understand it, Mijin is a non-elemental magic attack. Someone can correct me if I'm wrong, but shell and whatnot should still help to reduce damage.

Shell/magic damage taken reduction gear helps, but just to clarify, MDB does not.

really? that's.. interesting if it's the case, do you have a reference or did you do the tests yourself?

[Rena]

Is Barfira really helping against Mijin Gakure?

As I understand it, Mijin is a non-elemental magic attack. Someone can correct me if I'm wrong, but shell and whatnot should still help to reduce damage.

Shell/magic damage taken reduction gear helps, but just to clarify, MDB does not.

really? that's.. interesting if it's the case, do you have a reference or did you do the tests yourself?

It's based on my observations in Dynamis as WHM. I regularly take exactly the same amount of damage as everybody else in the party, with small fluctuations that could be explained by magic damage - gear, most likely coral/merman's earrings. I don't usually check party members, but when I do, and do the math, it adds up. If MDB worked against Mijin, then logically I should take less damage than people in my party just about every time, but I never saw numbers that matched up.

[Amele]

Is Barfira really helping against Mijin Gakure?

As I understand it, Mijin is a non-elemental magic attack. Someone can correct me if I'm wrong, but shell and whatnot should still help to reduce damage.

Shell/magic damage taken reduction gear helps, but just to clarify, MDB does not.

really? that's.. interesting if it's the case, do you have a reference or did you do the tests yourself?

It's based on my observations in Dynamis as WHM. I regularly take exactly the same amount of damage as everybody else in the party, with small fluctuations that could be explained by magic damage - gear, most likely coral/merman's earrings. I don't usually check party members, but when I do, and do the math, it adds up. If MDB worked against Mijin, then logically I should take less damage than people in my party just about every time, but I never saw numbers that matched up.

I'll accept that, I'm rarely in range for mijin (and when I am I always have some partially damaged stoneskin up) so I don't get to compare like that.

this also settles the 'does MDB from barspell merits affect it even though it isn't elemental' debate. -> all that's left now is to find someone who's tested the mdb bonus on 'incorrect' elements.