Scholar Discussion #3 (post March patch)

[Kaeko]

Klimaform says "Increases the magic accuracy for spells of the same element as the current weather"...

We've been focusing on nukes right now, but what about Sleep, Repose, Lullaby, or other key enfeebles? May try this out on bats or something later.

[Enygma55]

Gonna assume it applies to all magic. Nothing in the text implies otherwise. As for lulliby its not magic so i doubt it works.

[Miltani]

rune chopper's latent is activated when you engage right?

[Muffins]

Yup, and drains 3mp/tick.

[Miltani]

Need to point out about the Alacrity >> Manifestation >> Klimaform Idea, the lowest you can get the recast on that is 3 minutes. The recast reduction is capped at 50%, so after AoE Klimaform, you're going to auto cap it at 3:00 with Alacrity.

Also, whoever caught that SCH can use rune chopper <3

Is this 3mins with haste gear or w/o it? Because I managed to get alacrity + manifestation + klimaform down to 2min 13sec with haste gear. Might be able to drop it further if I have goliard body

[Kimiko]

So Max Damage output for Scholar would beeeeeeee...

Main: HQ Staff
Sub: Bugard Strap +1 (Why were there no extra Straps in this update or WoTG :<) (INT+1)
Ranged: Phantom Tathlum (INT+2)
Head: Scholar's Mortarboard (INT+4) or Yigit Turban (MAB+2)
Neck: Uggalepih Pendant (MAB+8) or Prudence Torque (INT+5)
Ear1: Novio Earring (MAB+7)
Ear2: Moldative Earring (MAB+5)
Body: Yigit Gomlek (MAB+5)
Hands: Vicious Mufflers (MAB+5)
Ring1: Tamas Ring (INT+5)
Ring2: Snow Ring (INT+5)
Back: Aslan Cape (INT+5) or more realistically for most, Prism Cape (INT+4)
Waist: Penitent's Rope (INT+5) or Ksi Sash (INT+5 [MAB+2 Salvage onry~])
Legs: Mahatma Slops (INT+8)
Feet: Yigit Crackows (INT+3 MAB+2)

So that's... INT+34~43 with MAB+24~36 (optimal MAB36 INT34)

Not too shabby~ More-or-less Same gear as Blm, but without Sorc.Ring and Morrigans. (so losing MAB+10 and INT+8 and M.Acc (lolKlimaform))

Then there's the Obi's for Added damage and the staves too~ Personally, I'd be happy to swap Gomlek for AF Gown for +15 Skill for a few things, Flans are squishy tho.

Problem with this setup though is that you get at most (assuming full elemental merits) 272 elemental magic skill which is going to produce an unacceptable level of resists. I would likely use this as my nuke/helix set for best results:

Main Hand: (Appropriate Elemental Staff)
Off-Hand: Bugard Strap +1 (INT +1)
Throwing: Phtm. Tathlum (INT +2)
Head: Scholar's M.board (INT +4)
Neck: Elemental Torque (Elemental Magic +7), Swap to Ugg. Pendant in low MP (Latent Effect: MAB)
L. Ear: Novio Earring (MAB +7)
R. Ear: Moldavite Earring (MAB +5)
Body: Scholar's Gown (Dark Arts: Elemental Magic +15)
Hands: Goliard Cuffs (M. Acc +4, MAB +4)
L. Ring: Tamas Ring (INT +5)
R. Ring: Snow Ring (INT +5)
Back: Prism Cape (INT +4)
Waist: (Appropriate Elemental Obi)
Legs: Mahatma Slops (INT +8)
Feet: Scholar's Loafers (Grimoire: Reduces Spellcasting Time) (may swap with Yigit for INT +3, MAB +2, but the fast cast on Loafers is insane...)

INT +29, MAB +16 (higher with uggalepih), Elemental Skill +22 (+4 M. Acc from Cuffs, total 302 effective EMS), with the appropriate storm spell active, you should have no problems landing spells for high-level damage.

[Kimiko]

Meanwhile, in terms of sublimation, since I've only seen speculation about how it works. Let's summarize what we know so far.

*Cap is 25% of max HP (33% with Scholar's M.board on). When is the cap determined, upon initial activation, upon using the stored MP, or some other point in time?)

*Refresh & Refresh food does not proc when sublimation is active. However, effects such as ballad and evoker's roll work (need verification on evoker's roll though). Possible glitch, or is SE trying to move away from red mage?

*Sublimation, while actively draining HP will prevent sleep. Will it stop other sleep effects such as nightmare?

[Valacar]

Maybe I missed this, but what is the % fast cast on SCH AF feet?

[whoami]

It isnt 33% hp instead of 25% just 50% faster at getting you to 25% hp cap. I've tested and retested ussing <hpp> with blockaid on and /rdm with no hp regen to me mess with it. If you want some SS ill provide them but ive tested this multiple times already.

edit. Also for stoping sleep yes it will as long as SS isnt up eating the hp dmg.not sure about nightmare though.

[Kimiko]

5% recast time, 2.5% casting time reduction. Active when a grimoire is in effect (for comparison, rostrums + loq. earring = Scholar's Loafers)

[Kimiko]

It isnt 33% hp instead of 25% just 50% faster at getting you to 25% hp cap. I've tested and retested ussing <hpp> with blockaid on and /rdm with no hp regen to me mess with it. If you want some SS ill provide them but ive tested this multiple times already.

Sure if you could please, let's try to clear up any misconceptions about the ability so we can start exploiting it to it's fullest.

[Roy]

Its not worthy that when your HP dips just below 49% sublimation automatically becomes complete. but obviously only the amount you earned not total amount of mp restored

[whoami]

Start
http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/e...6-45-46-37.jpg
inbetween at random intervals
http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/e...6-45-57-71.jpg
http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/e...6-47-02-54.jpg
http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/e...6-48-04-89.jpg
http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/e...6-48-29-00.jpg
finished amount recorded
http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/e...6-49-04-01.jpg

As you can see 25% hp taken with af hat. Sorry for all those photos inbetween just showing no gear swapping happened or random cures.

[Gabz]

5% recast time, 2.5% casting time reduction. Active when a grimoire is in effect (for comparison, rostrums + loq. earring = Scholar's Loafers)

Wait you mean the opposite right? 5% fast cast // 2.5% recast?

[whoami]

tested with RR as a 69 sch/rdm af feet + light arts recast is 48 sec. light arts + /rdm was 51 seconds. arts 10% /rdm FC 1 is 5% lines up with recast of 5% on af feet. .8*60= 48

[Kaeko]

Tried a Bhalfau Rem. Run today with 5 melees and 1 SCH/RDM. I was able to keep everyone buffed with Stoneskin and Phalanx for Defense (took first magic, ability, and sub). In addition, Enblizzard ROCKS this. The mobs on this take double magic damage or something because the additional effect was 36+ and never resisted. Using a Kraken probably would have been hilarious. This added a retarded amount of damage for pretty much free cost. Feels great since I had to go BLM before to all the salvage runs, which SUCKS for 3-6 man runs.

Also, I was solo popping Ix'Drk on SCH/RDM yesterday as well. Can basically kill an Aern and the reraise without resting + MP to spare. This is a pretty hard thing to do, even with my BLM... Parsimony spam + Weather just makes the damage/MP ratio so high... Conserve MP can also kick it too. To give you an idea, you're saving about 80 MP a 4 nuke, which is almost like getting off an Aspir every time you nuke on your BLM... When Ix'DRK popped, I was still able to DD while kiting pretty easily with Alacrity usage (50% casting and recast time reduction). Aspirs or Drains every 30seconds is pretty cheesy. Helix is also very useful on Ix'DRK in particular. I was getting off some 163s with Cryohelix using Ebulliance, which ends up over 1000 damage for 79 MP.

Hmm... what else...

I've been messing around with SCH crowd control tools in Campaign. If you Accession cast on someone in campaign, it only hits their party (or no1 if solo), but if you target a NPC, you'll hit everything... everyone participating in campaign. You can rack up max points pretty fast with that. I was able to crash my shitty laptop by casting a well placed Shell4-ga that hit 60+ people or something. The funnest thing I've found is actually not playing backline, but crowd control kiter. I use a lot of Celerity, Alacrity, and Manifestation on this. A good example is trying to save the fight by holding down Shadowfang (the Kindred boss, if you've seen him, you know how bad he is with the 700 damage Hecatomb Wave spam). He'll kill me in 1 WS or 2 hits even with buffs, but I've held him for a good 20 minutes by Managing Gravity and Bind using Alacrity. Getting a 30 second recast on Gravity or 23 second recast on Bind can be a life saver when dealing with this guy, who I can barely outrun even with Gravity on. Potentially very useful if your SCH has to hold something hard and needs to juggle timers. I typically do this on the Fort zone near windy btw (provides great kiting space). Also, there are lots of magic user beastment here, so I can do the ultra-cheesy Manifestation Aspir for 1000MP.

Unrivaled damage/MP efficiency in solo makes it a better soloer of non-NM IT++ than BLM in my opinion. I use Parsimony almost exclusively in this.

Accession Buffs makes it incredibly easy to provide defensive and offensive buffs to 5 melees in Salvage. Enspells rock here.

Alacrity is particularly useful when holding very difficult mobs with Gravity and Bind to manage long timers. Celerity Cure IV is also good at keeping yourself alive with something on you if you Blink Cast.

Basically, every single event I usually do, whether it's solo, limbus, big events, etc, SCH is not only been useful, but exceptional. The only big thing I haven't tried with it is HNM DD, but with some other posts about Klimaform, I think it performs well in this too. I'm a bit sad that my BLM feels so obsolete now, but it is pretty exciting to be on a job that seems to excel at every situation. If I were SE, I'd nerf it, but since it's such a rare job, I don't see one coming... Don't even have merits or ample gear choice yet.

[Muffins]

Basically, every single event I usually do, whether it's solo, limbus, big events, etc, SCH is not only been useful, but exceptional. The only big thing I haven't tried with it is HNM DD, but with some other posts about Klimaform, I think it performs well in this too. I'm a bit sad that my BLM feels so obsolete now, but it is pretty exciting to be on a job that seems to excel at every situation. If I were SE, I'd nerf it, but since it's such a rare job, I don't see one coming... Don't even have merits or ample gear choice yet.

Aside from taking my SCH to Salvage (it's only 72 now), I find myself using the same strategies and tactics in my play as you are. There are a ridiculous number of small, but tide-turning tricks available to SCH that, in my view, make it a cut above other casters.

Having been a 75 BLM for three years, I don't feel like the job is obsolete. Rather, I feel like it has, pardon the pun, graduated into a more fulfilling and multidimensional role - well beyond the "basic job" categorization. So... it's more like a BLM+1. ;o

[Lordwafik]

I took SCH to salvage too today, but to SSR instead Instead of the usual setup with the RDM WHM BRD backline, I changed RDM to SCH(me) , despite the fact that I was only level 70, I felt more effective with a backline like that. A few key notes :

- Adding enblizzard to monsters was like adding in an extra DD without the TP spam. Due to my level difference, sometimes the enspell would resist on the mob, I think if I was 75 it'd be better, but it was doing between 4-13 on most monsters per swing, this is perfect for people who take many 1h melees to salvage like we do (MNK THF Ridillwar etc).

- In regards to gears, AOE Stoneskinga proved the best defense out of anything, at 70 I had 4 charges, 1 per minute, which was plenty if I limited myself to using 1 per fight (2 if it kept doing restorals). Even through Tri-gear rail cannons it proved it's effectiveness.

- Gear train is now a giant joke with my Scholar, SCH = crowd control king. The train came in, and because our THF took first fanatic's drink, I couldn't fanatic+hold, but considering I'm lvl70 I didnt wanna, so what we did is let him hold it with fanatic, and when he had 10seconds left, I graviga'd the train (while melees were picking off mobs during this time and killing them). Then I kited them around, Manifestation Slept the remaining 4, then before they woke up, Manifestation Bindga, Manifestation Graviga, repeat etc. It was great.

Didn't try boss since we don't need items from him in our weekend runs, but wowwwwww at SCH, holy hell giant improvement and a major win on SE's behalf with this job.

Can't wait till I hit 75

Oh and fun fact, at lvl70, I did Acession > Phalanxga. RDM used Phalanx2 over me, and it had no effect. RDM has capped phalanx2 merits


SCH has it's place with melees most definitely, not necessarily in OMG BURN PT, but in plenty of situations and not just "here and there". Not only does it aid and complement Melees, but it does to BLM, but everyone knows how it helps BLMs. Enspells alone are huuuuuuuuge damage increase to 1h weapon users, +20 dmg a hit is wow. I did a little bit of "fun exp" in Castle Oz[S] today too, was giving them the same stuff of stoneskinga and enspellga and they enjoyed it greatly.


How I feel on SCH now is, they now will fill a role in the party without seriously damaging the slot where someone else could have been. For example, in a manaburn , SCH previously could have given people weather, but they'd fill a slot due to only being able to stick t3 nukes, and then again you couldnt even weather fulltime. Now, weather is possible more than fulltime, and t4 nukes help fill that gap.
In a melee party, we lack haste, yes, but when the backline is BRD, [RDM or WHM], SCH, we can make up for the lack of an extra DD with extra enspells alone, or in terms of survivability I can give them stoneskinga / phalanxga / aquaveilga etc at full potency, these alone could warrant sticking them in the tank party (PLD PLD RDM WHM BRD SCH), with the other extra benefit of landing Aurorastorm permanently on the WHM


Pretty much in summary :

http://img206.imageshack.us/img206/2...tterthaeq4.jpg


I know, a bit of an over-exaggeration, but you catch my drift!

(oof wall of text, didn't realize)

[Muffins]

rofl... Up until now, I couldn't explain my feelings on SCH in simple terms. You managed to do it, Wafik. Thanks. <3 XD

[Alibeemac]

Nice info on Salvage Wafik and Kaeko. I'll need to try that sometime with my group.

I had some Einherjar fun yesterday and wow SCH rocks for crowd control. I was aoe grav and binding everything continually when they wore and never ran out of charges. Was awesome.

Next main event for us is Bahamut 2 on Thursday and we always manaburn it. However given to the huge resists from Bahamut in this fight I am not sure if SCH would be a viable option as a job to take along. Would be interesting tho to see if Klimaform would let me nuke it unresisted... Aoe Klimaform may also make this fight go faster if none of the BLMs got resisted. Anyone have any thoughts on whether SCH would be of any use in a B2 manaburn setup by replacing a BLM?

So far SE is pure win for what they did to SCH in this update. I really hope they don't nerf it and I can't wait now for the merit categories.