Blue Mage Tanking

[Albatross]

Maybe I'm overlooking something, but why are people comparing BLU and PLD without considering the -Shield Mastery- trait that PLD gets. Even if blu had shield skill it wouldn't mean anything in comparison to that trait, as I'm sure all PLDs, myself included, are very aware of how powerful this trait is.

[Ultimagi]

Thieves, however, can get their weapons under 180 delay, so the inflection would be applicable to them.

More applicable than Store TP and Meditate, Double Attack, or Accuracy Bonus? You're failing to see the point that other subjobs have more to offer.

Ninja sub and suppanomimi will give a 25% boost to melee DPS

If your damage is coming from your swords, level a melee job.

along with the extra hit on WS.

Sword Weapon Skills suck with the exception of Vorpal Blade, Blue Mages get much more damage from their TP closing Skillchains opened by other melees.

As you said, subbing Thief is by far the best way to maximize spell damage. My point is that most people sub Ninja for no faster TP, 1 extra hit on weak Weapon Skills they shouldn't be using anyway, and spamming more spells, using more MP, to keep up with the damage they could've done with Sneak Attack. As for other jobs besides Blue Mage, the benefits of Dual Wield are dwarfed by other options. Can we stop this derail now?

why are people comparing BLU and PLD

I'm not comparing it to Paladin. Paladin is not an option for me, yet.

Does anyone have anything else relevant to add to the topic?

[Tsuko_Asura]

Only really relevant on a more personal level, but I think you should be more concerned about learning how to play Blue Mage in its more traditional sense rather than trying to expand the role if you truly believe spell damage is all that matters in any and all situations.

[AoshiZ]

Only really relevant on a more personal level, but I think you should be more concerned about learning how to play Blue Mage in its more traditional sense rather than trying to expand the role if you truly believe spell damage is all that matters in any and all situations.

Like Pld/Rdm?

[Ultimagi]

With my multitude of jobs, I never get to use Blue Mage in any endgame situation. The most opportune position I could use it to fill would be tanking, since we often lack Paladins. There you have the reasons, even though I need not be revealing them. You mentioned relevancy, then continued to mock my choice of play style. If you have something relevant to say, say it. If not, stop posting.

[Ultimagi]

Dancer might not be the best at providing defensive capabilities, but has anyone tried its enmity generation as a subjob?

[yrpaine]

Dancer might not be the best at providing defensive capabilities, but has anyone tried its enmity generation as a subjob?

i've died a lot as sam/dnc in ein when spaming curaga on my pty (then having tons of mobs pissed at me). but for that to work you need to hit more than 1 person.

[anathema]

Tanked Byakko over a year ago when blu came out. Blu/War. It was a last minute decision because we were short and I had a Pld/War as the other tank. Genbu Shield / Jelly Ring / Umbral Cape. Full Homam. Defensive food to combo with defender and used that to do 400-500 damage cannonballs for Hate. Along with provoke and magic fruit i was easily able to hold hate and trade hate with the pld.

Overall took less damage per hit than the pld. Fairly easy to tank. Pld's gear wasn't uber by any means and this is not a comparison of blu versus pld, but more of a Blu can do it easily.

Used this same setup vs Sarameya, except with a Beastslayer plus the Blue magic combo for Beast Killer trait. Blu/War best tank for Sarameya, imo. Take very little damage from physical hits and constant intimidates. CA Cannonball for hate, Saline Coat to counter Chainspell, and Healing Breeze for Firagas.

[Tsuko_Asura]

Used this same setup vs Sarameya, except with a Beastslayer plus the Blue magic combo for Beast Killer trait. Blu/War best tank for Sarameya, imo. Take very little damage from physical hits and constant intimidates. CA Cannonball for hate, Saline Coat to counter Chainspell, and Healing Breeze for Firagas.

Nothing compares to a Samurai with a fire kit. Seigen was made for things like Sarameya.

[Suiram]

BLU can tank--and tank well, in the sense of capping hate and staying alive--anything a PLD/NIN, a RDM, or a NIN can tank provided there are no adds in the AoE area (Darters). Setting Actinic Burst, Temporal Shift, Jettaturra, Exuvation, and Magic Fruit, as well as the relevant job traits (Refresh, Conserve MP, Max HP, MDB, "Killer" if applicable). You just don't keep hate in this situation through DD, you do it with those spells (hence why you need to be clear of AoE). I've personally tanked variously Khimaira, Cerberus, Jormungand, Bahamut (2), Omega, Ultima, Tinnin, JoL (although BLU/RDM, and any /RDM can do that, really), Serameya (although didn't do very well because didn't know about how hate works in that fight at the time), Ixion and various other smaller things. The only part that made it noticeably inferior to any other accepted tank was my own lack of experience with things.

[Nicholette]

As blu I have tanked Tia and Cerb, and used no - dmg gear other than earth staff. I dont bother with Macuahuitl at all. Actinic burst is max hasted and treated like i treat my flash on PLD same with blank gaze (good hate tool, and dispel lands on tia), I spam jettatura whenever its up (it very occasionally terrorizes Cerb), temporal shift whenever on cerb but saved for touchdown on tia (always stuns), and i toss exhuviation out occasionally but rarely need to diffusion exhuviation as I wouldn't be able to get the mob off me defeating the purpose of sharing hate with a cotank. I have a macro that does CA BA Convergence one after another for a little Enmity boost. As long as nothing in the area to catch with AoE blu is much like a pld but with the rdm spamming of the spells (but can do HP - + sets with magic fruit much like a pld also).

http://i44.tinypic.com/2s67cw0.png
Tiamat aerial shot. Pretty standard dmg reduction from fire resist this shot was before I had some fire gear that I have now. Saline Coat and Cocoon in the shot are not necessary at all ever this was an early test and the spells really have no use except for saline on ultima.

You honestly can generate as much enmity as you could possibly want, I don't really run out of MP and would do so less now with AF2 body. (I could care less about the -2 enmity on it as I was initially tanking with hardly any enmity gear). There are some advantageous job traits that you get with blu over PLD including mdb, conserve mp, auto-regen and I love the fact that temporal shift stuns and blank gaze dispels, you also get some additional haste that PLD doesnt have access to in Nashira body.

I have 75 PLD and would much rather tank something on blu because I feel I can generate significantly more hate, I imagine this is what a player with a nin/drk and pld/nin feels like as well. Just as long as nothing is in the way blu should be able to tank whatever.

Edit: To add, some of the people in this post have suggested head butt, other blu stun spells, and even other phys blu spells. I would strongly and I mean very strongly advocate not doing phys spells ever for obvious TP reasons.

[VZX]

I just feel I need more refresh on BLU when tanking

[Ultimagi]

Very nice post Nicholette, you've given me hope!
What equipment do you tank in if not damage reduction?

[Yugl]

Looks like Bronze Harness + Crimson Legs to me!

[Hogie]

Looks like Bronze Harness + Crimson Legs to me!

Yaaa geez what a gimp tanking in low level gear, and omg is that a water staff... nub

[Nicholette]

Ichi & Ni

input /equip main "Earth Staff";
input /equip sub "Mythril grip +1";
input /equip head "Walahra Turban";
input /equip ear2 "Loquacious Earring";
input /equip body "Nashira Manteel";
input /equip hands "Homam Manopolas";
input /equip back "Shadow Mantle";
input /equip waist "Swift belt";
input /equip legs "Homam Cosciales";
input /equip feet "Homam Gambieras";

Fire gear
input /equip ring1 "Ruby Ring";
input /equip ring2 "Malflame ring";
input /equip feet "Power Sandals";
input /equip main "Neptune's Staff";
input /equip legs "Crimson Cuisses";
input /equip neck "Buburimu Gorget";
input /equip body "Bastokan Harness";
input /equip hands "Tarasque Mitts +1";
input /equip back "Cerberus Mantle";
input /equip head "Black Ribbon";
input /equip ear1 "Ruby Earring";
input /equip ear2 "Crimson Earring";
input /equip waist "Water belt";

Enmity (what I wear when casting any spell or using a JA)
input /equip main "Macuahuitl +1";
input /equip ear1 "Eris' earring";
input /equip back "Cerberus mantle";
input /equip waist "Warwolf belt";
input /equip ring2 "Mermaid ring";
input /equip neck "Ritter Gorget";
input /equip head "Cache-nez";
input /equip body "Nashira Manteel"; (been debating putting relic body here but the spells are shortcast and i get back into standing quickly)
input /equip legs "Homam Cosciales";
input /equip hands "Homam Manopolas";
input /equip ring1 "Balrahn's Ring";
input /equip feet "Homam Gambieras";
input /equip sub "Macuahuitl +1";
input /equip ear2 "Eris' earring";
(Blank Gaze and Actinic Burst same equip except waist(swift), ear(loq.) and head(turban))

Standing
input /equip ring2 "Merman's ring";
input /equip main "Earth Staff";
input /equip ear1 "Loquacious earring";
input /equip ear2 "Magnetic Earring";
input /equip back "Shadow mantle";
input /equip waist "Warwolf belt";
input /equip head "Louhi's mask";
input /equip body "Mirage Jubbah";
input /equip legs "Crimson Cuisses";
input /equip hands "Homam Manopolas";
input /equip neck "Ritter Gorget";
input /equip feet "Marine F boots";
input /equip sub "Mythril grip +1";
input /equip ring1 "Merman's Ring";
Just got the merman's earrings and louhi's mask in the last month and plan to get at least the earrings soon to try Khimmy once. One could obviously go crazy in this set and really max it out, I'm just limited by gil and space.

Honestly the only set that I think is really important is the haste, capped ichi and ni timers make hnm's a breeze.

[Nicholette]

I just feel I need more refresh on BLU when tanking

I always tanked in 2 brd + rdm situations ballads 3 refresh 3 autofresh 1 relic body 1. 8 MP/tic and in ToAU areas 9 with sanction. conserve mp to save me a tad, magic fruit cheaper than cure IV, pretty cheap spells. I've managed and have time to cast nonesense spells in my set when I get bored. With 1 bard I'm sure it would be tough and I'd have to manage a bit better.

[Max™]

Capped Ichi and Ni timers +Eseal Elegies make tanking a breeze.

Gotta love them Brd/Blm's .

Also: My tip for Blu tanking is to line up and try to SATA a huge CB onto a Bard, and have the bard move.

[Ultimagi]

I see, the gear in your screenshot was your fire resist build.

[Lonewind]

3rd hand info, but Pld in my ls often mentions a JP post about blu/sam w/ terra staff, third eye tanking and using meditate to get tp up for stronger spells. dunno how much truth there is to it, just throwing it out there.

This won't work since BLU does not have innate Staff skill, no physcal spells (I'm assuming since you mentioned TP) will land.