Ballista Roles and Questions

[Yugl]

War job: Voke, voke, voke, voke, voke, WS, voke, voke, die, voke, voke, WS, voke, voke.

Then, just in case you forget, voke more.

Voke prevents JA/Spell's for a short period if it lands, and it makes you target the War.

It does not put your cursor on him though, so you need to find them and manually switch targets.

So voking + running behind someone is VERY disorienting, much like whiplash.

That + WSing whoever you just voked and running is wonderful, rock that raging rush.

Hermes' if uncapped or gtfo.

I think it just prevents JAs that don't target the WAR; not completely lock JAs (Aka Jump will work). Then again, it's been almost a year since I've fought a WAR in Ballista.

Edit: To add more, Ballista is a MOVEMENT based competition. Do not stand there and expect your opponent to do so as well. Make it a habit to move around if it prevents WSs or lets you get in a hit before they do. Movement speed rocks the arena, so Crimson those legs if you have them, trotter those boots, and Hermes those sandals.

[Konda]

most important stats:

1) +movement
2)HP
3)multihit weapon
4)DEF


Depending on your server, you migh find it dificult to get a decently attended Official Match Ballista.

In my experience, it's hugely more popular with JP players and they mucch prefer 60cap because it's much more balanced.

On caitsith, the ballista scene has all but died, and I no longer try to attend matches because 99% of them seem to be cancelled. this is very unfortunate as Ballista is one of the most exciting and challanging things in ffxi and it's a huge shame that there isn't any material rewards outside of cool titles.

[ronin sparthos]

I think it just prevents JAs that don't target the WAR; not completely lock JAs (Aka Jump will work). Then again, it's been almost a year since I've fought a WAR in Ballista.

Edit: To add more, Ballista is a MOVEMENT based competition. Do not stand there and expect your opponent to do so as well. Make it a habit to move around if it prevents WSs or lets you get in a hit before they do. Movement speed rocks the arena, so Crimson those legs if you have them, trotter those boots, and Hermes those sandals.

<3 me some runners getting killed mid-flee by sidewinder, slug shot or quick draw. It's even funnier when someone uses a ranged WS like Mistral Axe.

It always puts a smile on my face, even when im the one running. >.>

[DragonCloud64]

<3 me some runners getting killed mid-flee by sidewinder, slug shot or quick draw. It's even funnier when someone uses a ranged WS like Mistral Axe.

It always puts a smile on my face, even when im the one running. >.>

I love how cannonball made mid flee kills way too easy ;;, Blu would probably be a lot less ridiculous in uncapped without it...

[Cream Soda]

To those of you who say don't bring smn, you obviously haven't played with a good smn. Full defense build + taco paired w/ merited Geocrush is a fucking problem. The one in particular I've dealt w/, the only times I would even bother to go near him would be w/ no petra, as he always had sprint availalbe. Great damage, very annoying, hard to approach.

[ClarkSammich]

To those of you who say don't bring smn, you obviously haven't played with a good smn. Full defense build + taco paired w/ merited Geocrush is a fucking problem. The one in particular I've dealt w/, the only times I would even bother to go near him would be w/ no petra, as he always had sprint availalbe. Great damage, very annoying, hard to approach.

This. I've had Geocrush deal upwards of 880 without shell on, plus if I remember right, it stuns for a good 3-5 seconds.

SMN is kind of funny in ballista, there's one (well, was one. ballista has been dead a long time now) who seemed to have a constant flow of Revitalizers, and she was tricky as fuck. I don't know how she was so stealthy, but she would always, always level half a team with Aerial Blast, guaranteed. You'd see a Garuda wandering around, and know it was coming, but she was nowhere to be seen. I miss ballista

[Rionel]

SMN is basically much more flexible/potent in the uncapped ballistas. Before, they didn't have much offensive capabilities as their BPs were pretty awful because of scaled down damage and aside from Astral Flow, in most level capped matches, had nothing really good to kill people with.

Of course that all changed when the merited BPs were introduced and tweaked. Against opponents without any Magic DMG reduction, a fully merited BP + MATK merits leads to about 800-900+ DMG that pierces shadows and has pretty long range.

/SCH is probably one of the best subjobs for SMN because it suddenly gives them a lot more tricks and fun stuff:

- Sleep that can land + 800-900DMG Avatar BP every 50ish seconds = death. If you manage to land a merit BP then a well casted Alacrity Sleep right afterwards... well, it's pretty obvious only Galkas/Giant Drink people are gonna live through the next part (just be sure to Release your Avatar or be really far away)! Not many jobs in ballista break 1600~1800 HP. SMN with Sleep is a godsend really.

- Dispel. So, if your manage to sleep somebody and you know they have Shell... it's time to just Dispel them to hell. Dispel works on MAX HP effects too, so get on that if you can. With Dark Arts, Dispel is like 2.7s casting and 9s recast so it's actually pretty fast too.

- Aspir is a nice addition for getting more MP. Sublimation technically helps out a lot too. Just mix it in with Elemental Siphon and MP shouldn't be as big a problem! I don't recommend using Alacrity with it though (that should be saved for Sleep mostly) but if you don't feel like you're in any real danger, than go ahead for some faster Aspirs.

- Drain. This is actually a really good thing to combo with your Avatar merit BPs, as Drain + Pluto Staff is actually adding some decent damage + getting you back some HP! So if you can time it right, you can also pull off a 800-900DMG BP with a 100~DMG Drain with the right conditions, which means about 900~1000 DMG with one go. Pretty sweet.

- Alacrity is pretty much the only stratagem you should use in most situations for ultra fast casting sleeps etc. See a guy running with low HP? Alacrity Drain! Need more MP and have nothing else to do? Alacrity Aspir! Pretty dang useful.

/SCH is a very offensive subjob however. No natural stoneskin or curaga is a bit of a downer and because of all the dark based spells you'd be using as well, I'd really recommend a Pluto's Staff for added effectiveness but that means no Earth Staff. Also wear Dark Magic Skill (Lolz) for better Drains/Aspirs, Sleep should land no problem already against most people with Dark Arts.

It's actually really fun to do uncapped as SMN. Just don't rush in or anything obviously or you're dead meat. But people probably won't bother you as much knowing you can deal almost 3/4 - 1/2 their HP bars with an attack that is virtually unavoidable by normal means plus all the above reasons.

Thank God SE put in the "if a BP doesn't fire off because of range, it doesn't use up the timer" thing. It certainly helps a lot VS those people that used to flee out of range of the BP, then run back in. However if your Avatar gets slept, that's a different story =( Oh well.

SMN/SCH is awesome. The end!

P.S. - Shiva Heavenly Strike + Sleepga is funny shit. =)

[Meian]

Don't forget the earring that reduces damage (forgot the name and % atm but I'll look it up later this evening) for certain jobs like SMN (there was a BLM one too) that is really helpful when low HP.

Also, the boots that gave Flee chance when low hp is good to have also on certain jobs that can take hits and tend to run a lot (SMN).

I miss the days when Flaming Crush one shotted most jobs (except stuff like MNK and RDM with stoneskin) but merited BPs came instead as a decent replacement.

Wish Hades had more Diorama/Ballista/Brenner. Went to one a few weeks ago and that was the first one for months (by JPs, the only ones I see who do it now).

I really hate RDM in general in Ballista... more so than BLU

As for BLU, run + hit + run repeat back and forth to avoid the big 3 if you're fighting one. I like to do BLU/WAR for self-sc Light that tends to one shot everything so far. Plus, they don't really expect it XD

[liggy 0]

SMN/SCH is awesome. The end!

do you spend 90% of the fight running? or hiding out side of everyone's visible range with that kind of paper thin def? (/sch, not refering to smn main. i myself enjoy the hell out of playing smn)

unless you have some awesome support


Might be just me, but anyone not trolling you on the field for GB is an idiot.

[Raen Ryong]

If playing DRK, don't forget about your Binds/Sleeps/Stuns! Magic is a big deal in Ballista and it's really not hard to land.

Poisonga strips shadows, just don't try to sleep after!

If you're gonna do something "obvious" like Souleater (since it signals you're about to WS), make sure the enemy can't Third Eye/outrun it

Don't neglect your Drains!

Your role as a DRK is to perform basic crowd control functions while having the ability to run in and oneshot (or almost oneshot) -most- jobs. You can cripple magic casting jobs with your Guillotine which is VERY handy with BLUs (don't approach one without)! If you end up in a lengthy 1v1 with a BLU, just sleep > aspir > sleep > aspir until the MP is all gone, though this rarely happens.

As for idle gear, I wouldn't put too much emphasis on Haste. AF(+1) head is good for Dark Magic/Souleater, Parade Gorget is unlikely to help much since you should be using Souleater a lot so don't worry about it too much... Ethereal Earring is VERY sexy indeed, Chaos+1 are a fine pair of hands, and use Crimson Cuisses if you have them. It's worth considering using Jelly/Patronus Rings too perhaps... you shouldn't have accuracy problems on anything that's not trying to evade.

Also be careful of using a Haubergeon-line armour piece in 60cap... SAM/RNG can really fuck your world up when it doesn't miss those Sidewinders.

[Rionel]

do you spend 90% of the fight running? or hiding out side of everyone's visible range with that kind of paper thin def? (/sch, not refering to smn main. i myself enjoy the hell out of playing smn)

unless you have some awesome support


Might be just me, but anyone not trolling you on the field for GB is an idiot.

There's always invisible. Hohoho... though I agree my setup is fairly low defensive wise. SMN in the first place has awful defenses anyway even with a sub like /WHM or even /PLD if you decide to go there. It's not a very good rushing in job either, you gotta be pretty patient. I just find /SCH would be a really good sub for it offensively, which I think SMN in uncapped is decent.

Any team without good support is probably doomed to losing in the first place anyway ;x I would assume that would be the case. It's not just about the single player, right?

I'm not really sure what other options you might have for SMN as a subjob though. I mean, you could do /WHM for Stoneskin I guess... or maybe /PLD for Sentinel? >_>? What would you want to suggest? ;x I just find /SCH to be a little more on the flexible side. Personal choice I guess!

[ClarkSammich]

I've seen /BLU work really well for SMN in 60 cap, not sure about uncapped.
Cocoon, wild carrot, sheep song (which lands with ridiculous ease when subbed), quesyshroom to wipe shadows, etc.

[Limlight]

If playing DRK, don't forget about your Binds/Sleeps/Stuns! Magic is a big deal in Ballista and it's really not hard to land.

Poisonga strips shadows, just don't try to sleep after!

If you're gonna do something "obvious" like Souleater (since it signals you're about to WS), make sure the enemy can't Third Eye/outrun it

Don't neglect your Drains!

Your role as a DRK is to perform basic crowd control functions while having the ability to run in and oneshot (or almost oneshot) -most- jobs. You can cripple magic casting jobs with your Guillotine which is VERY handy with BLUs (don't approach one without)! If you end up in a lengthy 1v1 with a BLU, just sleep > aspir > sleep > aspir until the MP is all gone, though this rarely happens.

As for idle gear, I wouldn't put too much emphasis on Haste. AF(+1) head is good for Dark Magic/Souleater, Parade Gorget is unlikely to help much since you should be using Souleater a lot so don't worry about it too much... Ethereal Earring is VERY sexy indeed, Chaos+1 are a fine pair of hands, and use Crimson Cuisses if you have them. It's worth considering using Jelly/Patronus Rings too perhaps... you shouldn't have accuracy problems on anything that's not trying to evade.

Also be careful of using a Haubergeon-line armour piece in 60cap... SAM/RNG can really fuck your world up when it doesn't miss those Sidewinders.

it really makes me sad how 99% of drk's ignore the magic aspect of the job. I can land sleep on anything outside a pld. Bind is another good one but lets be honest. Anyone worth their salt generally has a resist bind build of some kind or a cath waiting in the wings. Bind isn't too good most of the time, but still should always have it macro'd.

I eat sam's for lunch as drk. >O if they have a poison pot on then bind, and absorb tp them to death lol.

[Limlight]

I've seen /BLU work really well for SMN in 60 cap, not sure about uncapped.
Cocoon, wild carrot, sheep song (which lands with ridiculous ease when subbed), quesyshroom to wipe shadows, etc.

/blu is great for any job with a natural mp pool.

FUCKING SHEEP SONG JESUS I HATE/LOVE IT lolol

I miss fairy and those ballista matches with veg and crew :/

We revived it for a bit here on phoenix but it died again after summer ended. I reallyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy miss ballista. Been wondering if any servers are still loopy about it? Had the itch for a long while now.

[gozaimasu]

Mostly everything has already be said, I'll tell you some tips or tricks though.

While gear-swap macros do not work, you can still change your arrows without penalty.

Another good sub for RNG is WHM if anyone hasn't said it. You can use diaga to clear shadows off of melee and mages. Diaga > sleep arrow on a mage with stone skin would also force the mage to clear stone skin, if they wake up early hit them with a WS.
WHM also gives you some defense like stoneskin, blink, and cures.

It is a good idea to have a macro platelet above you ballista macros consisting of the items you can dig up in ballista. Echo drops macro is very good for mages, so you'll probably want that one next to your main set of macros.

About petra, the farther away you are from the rook, the higher chance you have a finding a petra. Depending on the lead you have on the other team also determines how easy it is to find petra. If I'm on the winning team and we have a twenty to thirty point lead, I like to quarry around 50-60 Ym away from the rook. If it is tied 40-50 is generally fine. You can tell your distance by using the /scout command. Once you are at an appropriate distance and you find a petra, you can quarry in that same spot for a greater chance to find petra, like a chain of them o.O.
Depending on how defense oriented your gear is, should dictate whether you dig for petra then get gate breach, or keep sprint available and get gate breach first.
If you are wearing WS and DD gear, it will be easier for you to get gate breach, but you will also become a target in the eyes of other melee, so it is good to keep sprint up as you can escape once people start looking at you.
If you are playing with more defensive equipment, people will most likely go for a weaker target.

if you sprint away after you get gate breach, unless you team is behind by a lot, it is a good idea only to dig for 3 petra then get back in the action. petra number four and five can often take as long as the first three to find if you are ahead (keep in mind you are quarrying while on your way to the rook.) If you can score 3 > 2 > 3 > 3, before the other guy scores 5 and 5, you will have scored about the same, but made much more gate breach available for your party.

and don't ever type in say or shout, or talk to the people who type in say or shout....

I want to type a lot more but I have class @_@ I hope this is decent advice... We are both on Fenrir (I'm Richi) so I will see you there ^^/

[Hanayaka]

Thanks for all the advice. The next thing is for me to go try it all out and report back here.


For those wondering about Ballista servers, I think Fenrir has one of the most active Ballista populations. We recently had a large portion of an end-game shell transfer to Fenrir solely for Ballista. We also have quite a few active NA players who attend Ballista regularly - which is what actually piqued(sp?) my interests.

[hagun]

I have some Ballista videos I made and you can check out to see how I play.

Redd's Ballista Videos

I usually stick to SAM for Ballista. I would recommend SAM/RNG even though you can use Namas Arrow with any other sub. I am going to assume Namas is strong in Ballista so you don't need to stick with Sidewinder. Since I don't have Namas, I usually stick to a lot of ranged accuracy with a mix of STR. I am assuming Namas won't have any accuracy issues so pile on as much STR as possible. Always more STR. The accuracy of Namas along with RNG sub should be all you need. However, you must have on Myochin kabuto (preferably +1) and Saotome kote at all times. Since Namas will be your primary WS, stick to Soboro for faster TP gain. You don't need haste gear. You shouldn't need any accuracy gear as well. However, if for some odd reason your Namas is inaccurate, make adjustments.

Now for fighting. Always have Seigan up. Use Hasso if you feel invincible or have enough support for it. In most cases, Hasso isn't worth it. It's more harm than good. Now about Seigan, it should always be up, but keep Third Eye unused. There is a trick to this. Everyone who approaches a SAM will first check if Third Eye is up. They will swing until there is no anticipate then follow with a WS. This is why it's crucial that you don't use Third Eye immediately. Instead let them hit you, then immediately use Third Eye, there is a very good chance that after they hit you to check for Third Eye, the next attack will be a WS. This take time to master.

Why did I say SAM/RNG instead of SAM/WAR when you have access to Namas with /WAR? The main reason is Barrage as well as Sharpshot. Let me tell you, Barrage is an awesome tool. Always stack Barrage and Sharpshot. Doing this might ensure you a high damage hit with massive TP gain. It's in your best interest to utilize this immediately when ready.

Use Camouflage and prism powders to stalk/scout potential targets. A good combination is using Barrage and Sharpshot then apply Camouflage if you know the whereabouts of your target. You must work quickly here as the effect of Camouflage is currently very unreliable. It can wear off as soon as you apply it.

If you are going against a mage, it's in your best interest to use Gekko if your next WS will not kill said target instantly. The silence can turn things around very quickly. Bear in mind that there are some smart Ballista players who carry echo drops.

In Ballista, Sekkanoki greatly reduces your WS accuracy (in anecdote, WS accuracy is reduced by 90%). As a result, use Sekkanoki only with Rana then followed by another WS. Gekko or Namas after Rana will result in Darkness. Ending Rana with Namas will be the best choice. Rana is a three hit WS and is bound to at least land one hit and offset Sekkanoki's crippling effects.

While SAM has a good survival factor, it's best that you have back up. It's the same for every job honestly. Going solo will usually end up giving the other team points. Stick with your team and play as a team. Ballista is a team sport.

Good luck and have fun. Ballista is the most enjoyable aspect of FFXI for me. Sadly, most people just don't do it and it's been pretty much dead for a long time now on my server and others.

[Max™]

Friend of mine moved to Fenrir just for Ballista, so I can attest to that.

He's the one that got me to start voking, before which I HATED it as War, cause while I can be REALLY nasty (smacked a friend's monk with a 1111 2hred Steel Cyclone cause my team said he popped HF) with Tp...

Hey, you want this Gate Breach?
Sure, I'll take it.
*crush*
*Crush*
*CRUSH*

In a sustained 1 on 1 it's just about hoping I get TE up for WSes and getting gangbanged randomly.

That was before vokespam though, the only thing I noticed was doing what Redd just said about letting people (monks in particular) hit me once, then pop TE and eat a full asuran for no damage. Turns out War/Sam is something of a monkslayer when used right.

After knowing what Voke does... hee hee.

Favorite was watching a couple friends 1v1 Drk vs Mnk, randomly voked the Drk as he went to sleep the monk, causing him to sleep me, to everyones amusement.