Salvage v. King Gear, OR Should Tanks Blink? (Milkman split)

[Sifer]

Totals + Sushi:
- Acc: 66 + ~55 = 123
- DEX: 20
- Att: 84
- STR: 6 + 5 = 11
- Haste: 22% + 10% Dual
- StoreTP: 8
- Eva: 2.5

I thought all sushi capped around 30 acc?

[RKenshin]

Long time ago there was a test posted here that showed sushi was giving values at about +55 acc and higher. I'm pretty sure I remember them concluding that sushi didn't appear to cap either.

This was with Sole, checking mobs in sea. I'm not sure if anything changed/anyone else did testing since then though.

[Lyramion]

Difference of Usu and Curry vs Mixed and Sushi
98 Attack, 15 STR, 5 Store TP, 31.5 Eva VS 31.5 Accuracy, 3 DEX, 3% Haste, 5% Dual

I spent quite some time toying around with the different setups in my head.

The item I am unsure about is the Hope Torque. 4 more ACC at the expense of 7 ATK sounds like a tradeoff to be considered. Also meat will have an even greater increase in ATK when you calculate the gain of +25%ATK of Berserk in. Only using Subs for 75 ATK it is still an extra 18 ATK for 3 minutes out of 5.

Since with perfect gear you could viably eat meat with full Usu I think that it could potentially be a viable alternative. Especially since more Eva effectively allows you to spend less time casting shadows, which in reality could make more of a difference in total attack rounds than 3% haste would.

I can only underline the mass evasion comment. Of course IT things do not miss often but getting a higher chance on top of your normal DD gear "for free" is awesome. One time I was unlucky to have no shadows up and only took a 570 Fangrush with Berserk up because the Skoffin missed a hit




Some real examples on how the Usukane & Meat setup you described (minus HQ cerb and with PCC instead of hope) can work out for NIN. My food of choice was Hedghogpie (90ATK 6STR 5ACC)for all three Partys.

http://img72.imageshack.us/img72/6708/ninsgi3.png






http://img74.imageshack.us/img74/8743/parse1sz6.png

Colibri Mamool Camp. 2 BRD Min 2x March Mad. The 2 MNKs weren´t lacking anything critical like Togi or Haidate but weren´t exactly the best either. Madrigal really made my ACC shoot high while I have no clue what the 2 MNKs would be doing without it.


http://img74.imageshack.us/img74/9915/parse2gp4.png

Mamool Staging Point. COR and BRD - Chaos Roll, Fighters Roll, 2 March. DRK had good gear like Ace Helm but was sadly lacking Homam pants.


http://img74.imageshack.us/img74/5536/parse3rm9.png

Mamool Staging Point - North Camp. NIN NIN WAR/SAM BRD COR WHM LS PT. Some sleepy mage moments for windwall and Lurker with no gravity makes ACC look a bit funny here. WAR/SAM top of the foodchain with red curry.

[Ashira]

that depends on the playstyle of the Paladin. In reality, you have more spammage and more MP to do that spamming with. A NIN/DRK can cycle through all the Absorbs, Stun, Bind, Sleep and be out of MP. A Paladin can spam Cure III for ~+35 (or more) enmity every 3s and make hate soar. NIN/DRK has no advantages over PLD/NIN in terms of spell spammage, and if you want to comparse job abilities, all those the NIN would use cannot be merited while the Paladin's can be taken down to 4:10. That's nearly three Sentinels in the time of two Souleaters. Both JAs also reduce damage taken of a given type, so they provide utility greater than the /DRK stuff. Who's constantly losing enmity? Not this Paladin, that's for sure.

I think that Ashira was more trying to say that you're not as free to spam as a NIN would be. Sure, you could spam endless Cure IIIs but you'll lose hate faster than you gain it if you end up getting hit all the time. With PLD your freedom, or free time to cast spells, is just more limited than a NIN's (which is what I think her point was). With the extra shadow, higher odds of parry/evade, and faster recast timers a NIN can afford to spam more without risking taking damage. At the same time though, PLD doesn't completely attempt to avoid damage like NIN does.

In addition, it's worth mentioning that as NIN you can almost endlessly spam Stun/Bind/Sleep/Blind/Slow without running out of MP with balladII/refresh (you mentioned otherwise.. and using absorbs as /DRK is usually a really bad idea now), which you almost always have as a tank. This also factors into it being more spammy, because PLDs don't tend to cast chainspell style like a NIN may. In the end there's really no argument over who is casting spells more often between them.

I don't see how any of that has to do with PLD vs NIN/DRK though. <.< Might've missed her point! Or I'm misreading. D:

And well, every tank job is constantly losing enmity! -60/second! All conventional tank jobs have proven they're capable of hitting and maintaining hate near/at the enmity cap though, that is old news.

If a NIN/DRK is casting Abs-spells, I'm laughing. Typically it's Kura, Hojo (in skill gear 'til it lands, then haste gear is fine for more spamming), Stun, Bind, Sleep. The end. Two of those spells together cost less than 1 Cure III, so...

PLDs can cast Cure III all day, but if no one has lost any HP, that Cure III isn't going to do them any good at all. If you're a full damage mitigating PLD and trying not to get hit, with Utsusemi, and you're keeping hate, you don't have anyone to Cure III - unless you say, swap out of Ares Body and back into it to reset your max HP. Or a mage does the same. Which was part of my point about the gear swapping in the first place.

It isn't a NIN/DRK vs PLD/NIN argument, my argument was more about why I believe PLDs put a little more focus on +Enmity gear than I think NIN/DRKs need to (I think many NIN/DRKs wear more +Enmity than they need to and don't even realize why/what the point of it is). And I wasn't counting out all other forms of 1MP/tick that PLD has on them between Sanction, Auto-Refresh, and Parade Gorget, etc, but more saying that that Ares 1MP/tick isn't going to make or break you with what else you already have, the way that Judai was suggesting it COMPLETELY REVOLUTIONIZED his PLD, which to me just sounds, again, like he's putting way more stock into one piece than it deserves.

[Ashtray]

that depends on the playstyle of the Paladin. In reality, you have more spammage and more MP to do that spamming with. A NIN/DRK can cycle through all the Absorbs, Stun, Bind, Sleep and be out of MP. A Paladin can spam Cure III for ~+35 (or more) enmity every 3s and make hate soar. NIN/DRK has no advantages over PLD/NIN in terms of spell spammage, and if you want to comparse job abilities, all those the NIN would use cannot be merited while the Paladin's can be taken down to 4:10. That's nearly three Sentinels in the time of two Souleaters. Both JAs also reduce damage taken of a given type, so they provide utility greater than the /DRK stuff. Who's constantly losing enmity? Not this Paladin, that's for sure.

I think that Ashira was more trying to say that you're not as free to spam as a NIN would be. Sure, you could spam endless Cure IIIs but you'll lose hate faster than you gain it if you end up getting hit all the time. With PLD your freedom, or free time to cast spells, is just more limited than a NIN's (which is what I think her point was). With the extra shadow, higher odds of parry/evade, and faster recast timers a NIN can afford to spam more without risking taking damage. At the same time though, PLD doesn't completely attempt to avoid damage like NIN does.

In addition, it's worth mentioning that as NIN you can almost endlessly spam Stun/Bind/Sleep/Blind/Slow without running out of MP with balladII/refresh (you mentioned otherwise.. and using absorbs as /DRK is usually a really bad idea now), which you almost always have as a tank. This also factors into it being more spammy, because PLDs don't tend to cast chainspell style like a NIN may. In the end there's really no argument over who is casting spells more often between them.

I don't see how any of that has to do with PLD vs NIN/DRK though. <.< Might've missed her point! Or I'm misreading. D:

And well, every tank job is constantly losing enmity! -60/second! All conventional tank jobs have proven they're capable of hitting and maintaining hate near/at the enmity cap though, that is old news.

If a NIN/DRK is casting Abs-spells, I'm laughing. Typically it's Kura, Hojo (in skill gear 'til it lands, then haste gear is fine for more spamming), Stun, Bind, Sleep. The end. Two of those spells together cost less than 1 Cure III, so...

PLDs can cast Cure III all day, but if no one has lost any HP, that Cure III isn't going to do them any good at all. If you're a full damage mitigating PLD and trying not to get hit, with Utsusemi, and you're keeping hate, you don't have anyone to Cure III - unless you say, swap out of Ares Body and back into it to reset your max HP. Or a mage does the same. Which was part of my point about the gear swapping in the first place.

It isn't a NIN/DRK vs PLD/NIN argument, my argument was more about why I believe PLDs put a little more focus on +Enmity gear than I think NIN/DRKs need to (I think many NIN/DRKs wear more +Enmity than they need to and don't even realize why/what the point of it is). And I wasn't counting out all other forms of 1MP/tick that PLD has on them between Sanction, Auto-Refresh, and Parade Gorget, etc, but more saying that that Ares 1MP/tick isn't going to make or break you with what else you already have, the way that Judai was suggesting it COMPLETELY REVOLUTIONIZED his PLD, which to me just sounds, again, like he's putting way more stock into one piece than it deserves.

With a beserker's torque used right, pld/nin can have a huge edge in keeping hate that they normally wouldn't be able to. Don't even need to swap hp gear or get hit.

The pld/nin can just sit back spamming cure IIIs all day while still mitigating damage.

Call me stupid or whatever, but I'd take that ability over being able to wear an Ares Body.

AND it's only 200k woo!!!

[Ferien]

that depends on the playstyle of the Paladin. In reality, you have more spammage and more MP to do that spamming with. A NIN/DRK can cycle through all the Absorbs, Stun, Bind, Sleep and be out of MP. A Paladin can spam Cure III for ~+35 (or more) enmity every 3s and make hate soar. NIN/DRK has no advantages over PLD/NIN in terms of spell spammage, and if you want to comparse job abilities, all those the NIN would use cannot be merited while the Paladin's can be taken down to 4:10. That's nearly three Sentinels in the time of two Souleaters. Both JAs also reduce damage taken of a given type, so they provide utility greater than the /DRK stuff. Who's constantly losing enmity? Not this Paladin, that's for sure.

I think that Ashira was more trying to say that you're not as free to spam as a NIN would be. Sure, you could spam endless Cure IIIs but you'll lose hate faster than you gain it if you end up getting hit all the time. With PLD your freedom, or free time to cast spells, is just more limited than a NIN's (which is what I think her point was). With the extra shadow, higher odds of parry/evade, and faster recast timers a NIN can afford to spam more without risking taking damage. At the same time though, PLD doesn't completely attempt to avoid damage like NIN does.

In addition, it's worth mentioning that as NIN you can almost endlessly spam Stun/Bind/Sleep/Blind/Slow without running out of MP with balladII/refresh (you mentioned otherwise.. and using absorbs as /DRK is usually a really bad idea now), which you almost always have as a tank. This also factors into it being more spammy, because PLDs don't tend to cast chainspell style like a NIN may. In the end there's really no argument over who is casting spells more often between them.

I don't see how any of that has to do with PLD vs NIN/DRK though. <.< Might've missed her point! Or I'm misreading. D:

And well, every tank job is constantly losing enmity! -60/second! All conventional tank jobs have proven they're capable of hitting and maintaining hate near/at the enmity cap though, that is old news.

If a NIN/DRK is casting Abs-spells, I'm laughing. Typically it's Kura, Hojo (in skill gear 'til it lands, then haste gear is fine for more spamming), Stun, Bind, Sleep. The end. Two of those spells together cost less than 1 Cure III, so...

PLDs can cast Cure III all day, but if no one has lost any HP, that Cure III isn't going to do them any good at all. If you're a full damage mitigating PLD and trying not to get hit, with Utsusemi, and you're keeping hate, you don't have anyone to Cure III - unless you say, swap out of Ares Body and back into it to reset your max HP. Or a mage does the same. Which was part of my point about the gear swapping in the first place.

It isn't a NIN/DRK vs PLD/NIN argument, my argument was more about why I believe PLDs put a little more focus on +Enmity gear than I think NIN/DRKs need to (I think many NIN/DRKs wear more +Enmity than they need to and don't even realize why/what the point of it is). And I wasn't counting out all other forms of 1MP/tick that PLD has on them between Sanction, Auto-Refresh, and Parade Gorget, etc, but more saying that that Ares 1MP/tick isn't going to make or break you with what else you already have, the way that Judai was suggesting it COMPLETELY REVOLUTIONIZED his PLD, which to me just sounds, again, like he's putting way more stock into one piece than it deserves.

All of us nowadays have invisible swap macros that allow us to cure for the full amount of a cure3 when we're at full HP. Swapping in HP>MP gear first, it can be done with Cure4 as well. Being at full HP is irrelevant, as are visible gearswaps. (edited for Ashtray's post: You don't even need Berserker's; there's a shitload of HP on Rings/Earrings that you can swap in and out at your heart's content and never blink)

Really though, the difference is so minimal between the bodies that it's irrelevant anyway. When you're dealing with tanks who can easily hit the cap, 4 enmity is a whopping 380 points, which can be made up for with 1-2 casts (which, in the time it takes you to get to that cap, Ares's body has already given you ~100 MP, more than enough to cast these spells for "free"). This is not an efficiency issue, it's a personal preference issue. Some of us would prefer not to blink, some of us want to "maximize" the effectiveness of each spell (even though this only matters for what, the first 5 minutes of a fight?) In the end, we're all hitting the hate cap anyway, and at that point, your Enmity mod isn't doing anywhere near what you're expecting it to do, so who cares whether you're casting in +28 or in +32?

[ringthree]

ares(seriously PLD onry....only HNM LS-less war and drk uses ares)

This part interested me.

There are two apoc drks I know that lean towards using Ares' legs instead of Homam.

That setup seems to be better than most alternatives.

And yeah, I don't agree about the Ares thing. In all seriousness I would consider the set to be of one of the top WS gear sets for the jobs it is available for. IMO it is also the best set of Jump/HJump gear for DRG or any /DRG.

Laugh at that all you want, but optimizing gear for JAs/WSs is no less of a practical application as macro'ing a body piece for refresh in between other sets of gear.

Jumps are dependent on if you need the extra TP to get to 100. Barone legs generally suck compared to Ares's but if you use Barone for Jumps you can get to 100 most of the time without having to use Askar body (only way to get a true 6-hit without Valkyries Fork). I think I would prefer to TP in Ares's over Askar in general on DRG, but they are all good pieces. If DRG didn't have multiple ways to get assist getting to 100 TP in six hits or less (Barone Jumps, Penta Thrust +4TP ~, /SAM) then it would be far less relevant.

[Ashira]

Some of us would prefer not to blink, some of us want to "maximize" the effectiveness of each spell (even though this only matters for what, the first 5 minutes of a fight?) In the end, we're all hitting the hate cap anyway, and at that point, your Enmity mod isn't doing anywhere near what you're expecting it to do, so who cares whether you're casting in +28 or in +32?

And in general, yes, I even said that point, if it works for you, great, etc.

My point is that I tend to try to maximize my jobs to the fullest extent - which is why even after getting Marduk Tiara, it was hard for me to sell my Elite Beret +1 (which I used for Divine and Enfeebling on WHM - not so much the Summoning skill because AF1 head has same skill bonus) because I would use it for WHM Enfeebling (finally gave in and swapped that for Nashira Turban because inventory space and money are precious ._.), so that were I PLD, yes, I would swap in the higher Enmity piece for Flashes and probably the Cure IVs - yes, tanking at a length of time, we hit a hate cap and regular actions will keep that CE capped, but fully maximizing will keep VE as near capped as possible too, which PLD/NIN is more limited than PLD/RDM, RDM/NIN, or NIN/DRK at keeping up, which I suppose is where more of my arguments about spell spammage and whatnot come into play.

If you keep hate perfectly fine in whichever case, then by all means, it's fine, and I've said that before as well. But if you were put head to head with someone who was very particular about gear choice on each spell as such and swapped out for maximization on each spell, one tank would be holding hate a lot more often with a lot less MP usage.

[Havok]

If you keep hate perfectly fine in whichever case, then by all means, it's fine, and I've said that before as well. But if you were put head to head with someone who was very particular about gear choice on each spell as such and swapped out for maximization on each spell, one tank would be holding hate a lot more often with a lot less MP usage.

Thank you! I have never once done the whole macrofuck my HP around to spam cure myself, and there are other tanks in my LS who do. I keep up hate with them just fine, and I'm not spamming my MP into oblivion.

Though I have to admit, now that we usually have gjallarballads, I get a little annoyed at having lots of MP at all times. I'm holding hate though, so who the fuck cares?

[Lyramion]

The trick to Curespamhate macros isn´t the PLD - it is making your WHM do it


Using Zenith on one side and my Devotion setup on the other side makes room for more than a cure 4 would ever cure.

[LLK]

Wow, what a debate.

I don't think either side of the coin can be wrong, I just think it depends on who you're working with.

Oh, and I didn't mean to imply that I always stay stationary in one gear set. I just minimize the amount of visible gear being swapped to make it easier on my support. AFv2 Feet for Sentinel is a no brainer. Just like having a nice MDB/-% down build. Hell I even macro in extra enimty+ into my Flash/Cures. I just do it in areas where they don't make me blink. And there are plenty.

You can find a nice inbetween that works. Or you can find 1 extreme or the other that works. Or you can find whatever that works. As long as it's working it's working right?

[BerenTebogo]

If you keep hate perfectly fine in whichever case, then by all means, it's fine, and I've said that before as well. But if you were put head to head with someone who was very particular about gear choice on each spell as such and swapped out for maximization on each spell, one tank would be holding hate a lot more often with a lot less MP usage.

Thank you! I have never once done the whole macrofuck my HP around to spam cure myself, and there are other tanks in my LS who do. I keep up hate with them just fine, and I'm not spamming my MP into oblivion.

Though I have to admit, now that we usually have gjallarballads, I get a little annoyed at having lots of MP at all times. I'm holding hate though, so who the fuck cares?

Shiz does when he dies from being retarded.

There's a reason I use the C3 HP macro, and it's because our BLM are idiots.

[vagus]

Are salvage pieces better then king pieces? In some slots for some jobs, no question about it. Bottom line there are many options for people to get gear. Salvage is definetly an option for the people who jumped to WoW saying they hate sitting in Aery. Lol. Nyzule Isle is also an option for some decent gear for certain jobs.

-v

[Vacht]

yeah, kings are terrible. Stop camping them so i can get my N legs already

[RKenshin]

Some real examples on how the Usukane & Meat setup you described (minus HQ cerb and with PCC instead of hope) can work out for NIN. My food of choice was Hedghogpie (90ATK 6STR 5ACC)for all three Partys.

Grats on full Usu! And yeah, those results are pretty nice.

One mistake I also just realized in my last post, is I was using 2h values of acc in reflecting my theorized accuracy results. NIN is about 15 acc short of that, so the accuracy range is slightly lower.. But still manageable.

I'd still like to try both setups one day though.

With a beserker's torque used right, pld/nin can have a huge edge in keeping hate that they normally wouldn't be able to. Don't even need to swap hp gear or get hit.

The pld/nin can just sit back spamming cure IIIs all day while still mitigating damage.

Call me stupid or whatever, but I'd take that ability over being able to wear an Ares Body.

AND it's only 200k woo!!!

This is what I love about tanking with a PLD/NIN. I have an HP macro that makes a good 400-500 HP to be cured for PLDs if they're getting capped on MP faster than they can spend (which isn't too uncommon with lolGjallaBRD), and it works out great.

Same thing applies every time Souleater recast comes around, I can pop out katanas and melee for a big boost in hate while the PLD spams Cure IVs for just as big of a boost. I'll always stand by the idea that a NIN/DRK + PLD/NIN gjalla duo is probably the best tanking setup in the game when played right with skilled tanks.

And yeah, I don't agree about the Ares thing. In all seriousness I would consider the set to be of one of the top WS gear sets for the jobs it is available for. IMO it is also the best set of Jump/HJump gear for DRG or any /DRG.

Laugh at that all you want, but optimizing gear for JAs/WSs is no less of a practical application as macro'ing a body piece for refresh in between other sets of gear.

Jumps are dependent on if you need the extra TP to get to 100. Barone legs generally suck compared to Ares's but if you use Barone for Jumps you can get to 100 most of the time without having to use Askar body (only way to get a true 6-hit without Valkyries Fork). I think I would prefer to TP in Ares's over Askar in general on DRG, but they are all good pieces. If DRG didn't have multiple ways to get assist getting to 100 TP in six hits or less (Barone Jumps, Penta Thrust +4TP ~, /SAM) then it would be far less relevant.

I'm not really sure what you're saying, at least in regard to full Ares set for jumping? I may have been unclear but I was talking in regards to the entire Ares set being the best jump/hjump gear IMO.

But, you should just about always need jump to help push you towards 100 TP. Maximizing damage on DRG/SAM involves maintaining a 6-hit build, using Jump/HJump as close to the second they're ready as possible throughout the entire PT, and using TP as close to the second you break 100 as possible. As long as you're fast on macros, there really shouldn't be any reason you're not jumping within 1-3 seconds of it being ready.

At the same time, depending on Jump for a 6-hit to work is rather inefficient.

[Ohemgee]

Wow, what a debate.

I don't think either side of the coin can be wrong, I just think it depends on who you're working with.

Oh, and I didn't mean to imply that I always stay stationary in one gear set. I just minimize the amount of visible gear being swapped to make it easier on my support. AFv2 Feet for Sentinel is a no brainer. Just like having a nice MDB/-% down build. Hell I even macro in extra enimty+ into my Flash/Cures. I just do it in areas where they don't make me blink. And there are plenty.

You can find a nice inbetween that works. Or you can find 1 extreme or the other that works. Or you can find whatever that works. As long as it's working it's working right?

Even in the end when the tanks are set and happy, you need to rely on everyone else to not be half retarded, which is asking too much sometimes.

D:

[Valisk]

There's a reason I use the C3 HP macro, and it's because our BLM are idiots.

If they are anything like they use to be (back in FS or Atariii), then I'll vouch and agree with that! lol

[Bakthi]

Skadi isn't exactly amazing, speaking as RNG/THF/COR. (edit: until now I didn't fully realize how pathetic COR's gear selection is, so I guess skadi is pretty good.)

...

Hands:
RNG- seiryu drops are better
THF- Homam/Dusk are better
COR- w.hands

I've used w.hands for a while, and I was kind of afraid to switch to Skadi hands and lose all the r.acc, but it really wasn't a problem. Maybe if I one day fully merit sword I won't hate TPing with Joyeuse and no sushi, but I do now, so sushi it is. With that in mind, I use STR, AGI, and ratk wherever I can for WS. Also, I use the hands for Quick Draw (die SE for not giving COR s.kote).

(Yeah, I'm usually with a BRD, but Madrigal is not usually on the menu. I could use RNG roll, but it just isn't as good as sushi, and holy shit SMN + COR + SAM roll is the most fun exp ever).

Feet:
RNG- sidegrade from relic, maybe
THF- homam
COR- skadi is good
-the existence of striders and w.legs marginalizes one of the primary benefits (I imagine BST loves them though)

I do so love them on BST. We tend to spend a fair amount of time running away from things (and occasionally towards them). The only shitty part is that BST needs something like this a lot more from 1-74 than at 75.

That, and I'm happy now to let other people lot the w.legs that so rarely drop, since my COR doesn't really need them.

Edit: for my jobs, especially since my focus is BRD and COR, Salvage destroys kings. Oh sure, I'd love N.head or E.body for when I get to play around with my other jobs, which are actually pretty well geared. But E.body is like...Haub +3. I can deal, especially given the time and drama trade-offs, and the scheduling headaches. Not like I HQ'd my heca hands/feet either.

[ringthree]

And yeah, I don't agree about the Ares thing. In all seriousness I would consider the set to be of one of the top WS gear sets for the jobs it is available for. IMO it is also the best set of Jump/HJump gear for DRG or any /DRG.

Laugh at that all you want, but optimizing gear for JAs/WSs is no less of a practical application as macro'ing a body piece for refresh in between other sets of gear.

Jumps are dependent on if you need the extra TP to get to 100. Barone legs generally suck compared to Ares's but if you use Barone for Jumps you can get to 100 most of the time without having to use Askar body (only way to get a true 6-hit without Valkyries Fork). I think I would prefer to TP in Ares's over Askar in general on DRG, but they are all good pieces. If DRG didn't have multiple ways to get assist getting to 100 TP in six hits or less (Barone Jumps, Penta Thrust +4TP ~, /SAM) then it would be far less relevant.

I'm not really sure what you're saying, at least in regard to full Ares set for jumping? I may have been unclear but I was talking in regards to the entire Ares set being the best jump/hjump gear IMO.

But, you should just about always need jump to help push you towards 100 TP. Maximizing damage on DRG/SAM involves maintaining a 6-hit build, using Jump/HJump as close to the second they're ready as possible throughout the entire PT, and using TP as close to the second you break 100 as possible. As long as you're fast on macros, there really shouldn't be any reason you're not jumping within 1-3 seconds of it being ready.

At the same time, depending on Jump for a 6-hit to work is rather inefficient.

Let me clarify, you need either an Askar body or a Valkyries Fork to get to a true 6-hit set-up on DRG/SAM (depending on the other Store TP gear you are wearing, you can get to 100 from any number of extra hits from Penta Thrust), but if you use Barone legs for Jump and High Jump the additional TP from them makes you less dependent on the extra Penta Thrust hits giving you the TP needed to get to 100 in 6-hits (if you are using the best gear over Store TP gear you will need all 4 hits after the main hit to land to get to 100).

In this case, and because Ares's body pretty clearly exceeds Askar for TP build (even with 2% DA and Store TP), using Barone legs for Jumps (because of the TP bonus) is better because you can assure you are getting to 100 TP. It is actually rather efficient when you consider all of the trade offs involved.

All that being said, you are correct that Ares's are clearly the best Jump pieces for raw damage but if it requires using Askar over Ares's body for TP build, I think that using Barone on Jump is better to ensure a six-hit set-up.

[Genosync]

Skadi isn't exactly amazing, speaking as RNG/THF/COR. (edit: until now I didn't fully realize how pathetic COR's gear selection is, so I guess skadi is pretty good.)

...

Hands:
RNG- seiryu drops are better
THF- Homam/Dusk are better
COR- w.hands

I've used w.hands for a while, and I was kind of afraid to switch to Skadi hands and lose all the r.acc, but it really wasn't a problem. Maybe if I one day fully merit sword I won't hate TPing with Joyeuse and no sushi, but I do now, so sushi it is. With that in mind, I use STR, AGI, and ratk wherever I can for WS. Also, I use the hands for Quick Draw (die SE for not giving COR s.kote).

(Yeah, I'm usually with a BRD, but Madrigal is not usually on the menu. I could use RNG roll, but it just isn't as good as sushi, and holy shit SMN + COR + SAM roll is the most fun exp ever).

Feet:
RNG- sidegrade from relic, maybe
THF- homam
COR- skadi is good
-the existence of striders and w.legs marginalizes one of the primary benefits (I imagine BST loves them though)

I do so love them on BST. We tend to spend a fair amount of time running away from things (and occasionally towards them). The only shitty part is that BST needs something like this a lot more from 1-74 than at 75.

That, and I'm happy now to let other people lot the w.legs that so rarely drop, since my COR doesn't really need them.

Edit: for my jobs, especially since my focus is BRD and COR, Salvage destroys kings. Oh sure, I'd love N.head or E.body for when I get to play around with my other jobs, which are actually pretty well geared. But E.body is like...Haub +3. I can deal, especially given the time and drama trade-offs, and the scheduling headaches. Not like I HQ'd my heca hands/feet either.

Stick with Sushi and keep trading in the RACC for STR.

I usually Slug Shotted every time I hit 100%, and though I don't have an exact number, I'd say that I missed probably 8-10% of my Slugs total.

Skadi rocks so hard for Corsair. I didn't even have most of it. I was set up like this:

Head: Maat's Cap
Neck: Chram
Ear1: Suppa
Ear2: Triumph
Body: AF1 (no skadi/denali, but skadi>denali>AF1)
Hands: Crimson (would have used Skadi if I had)
Rings: Flame/Rajas
Back: Amemet+1
Waist: Warwolf Belt (I think, STR5 right? and was cheap lol)
Legs: Skadissssssss
Feet: Skadissssssssss

I could switch out and drop even more RAcc and still be ok. The bonuses you get from Sushi put you high enough that you can afford to drop it. Just... don't use meat, or ever think you'll be able to get away decently with using Meat on Corsair. If you can get Preludes, and use Hunter's Roll, maybe... MAYBE then. Sword Merits aren't going to help you either, you still have to eat sushi because you won't kick it up to even A- skill rating iirc.

Moral of the story: No matter what merits you put in, the best Corsair, statistically anyway, is going to wearing mostly Skadi pieces (idr stats on mask and they didn't matter to me cause str7 agi7 > whatever it was) and eating Sushi. Going on meat not only kills your melee accuracy but you'll barely hit any Slugs.

Suck it up. Play out your COR right and on Birds you can easily be the third DD and take two bards along for epic wins. And then one of the Bards can even melee if you're not trying to run a PT out (I did it once!).


Long story short: Corsair LOVES Skadi. It's the best possible gear they can pick up for the job right now, outside of Maat's Cap.

Additional Story: Skadi is insanely good, period, if you have all three jobs (that matter) that can wear it. (and yes, I just said BST doesn't matter)