Random Question Thread XIV: No Not XIV, XI

[FailureMidgard]

Still not seeing how your WAR is even remotely as durable as his BLM. Again, if you're including PD, that should be a noted mutual luxury.

Because PD doesn't help black mages near as much. You're still relying on manawall to kill I believe, meaning you now have 1 pull per 10minutes, or you need 3 restore chests to take advantage of it. PD does not make you get hit for 0 (which makes it way better for Cleave than fanatics, you get a ton of TP from getting hit), and with that many mobs hitting you, you will have stoneskin broken (actually, how does Phalanx interact with PD? Never tried it...I guess if that turns PD'd hits into 0s, it works a bit better than I am saying) and then be interrupted on -agas. Past this, how are you pulling? I assume 1 blm pulls with manawall+SS, other black mage sleepgas, puller refreshes stoneskin before starting to aga? When you start requiring a restore chest to give to the smn every pull, you start losing out on manawalls for the black mages, as well as needing to potentially recover mp/convert after pulls. You and Thorny want PD to be a mutual luxury, but the fact of the matter is it's the only restore chest Cleave needs to operate quickly, whereas a BLM duo is already relying on restore chests to kill quickly at all, increasing the luck requirement. And I still maintain that the cleave group is killing slightly faster (and has a better comp for virtually any non-gravable NM than blm/rdm x2...though I could be wrong here, I dunno, never tried to blm burn a NM with manawall or anything). The only thing the black mage duo had going for it was less people and no red chests (as I see 3 as the minimum to efficiently cleave), and you're now arguing to add a 3rd to make the black mages just as durable...making the only benefit no red chests while killing slower, having a worse comp for most NMs, and requiring far more 2hr chests.

[rog]

Manawall stays up 50% of the time, and you've got 2 blms. Seems like a pretty simple matter of alternating to me.

[benny]

How much Regen does Atma of the Mounted Champion give?

[FailureMidgard]

Manawall stays up 50% of the time, and you've got 2 blms. Seems like a pretty simple matter of alternating to me.

For pulling sure...or are we now saying only 1 black mage is -againg each pull? You won't be able to have the 1 with manawall tank everything (enmity cap per action), and the other 1 will get interrupted after his first aga most likely.

[rog]

For pulling sure...or are we now saying only 1 black mage is -againg each pull? You won't be able to have the 1 with manawall tank everything (enmity cap per action), and the other 1 will get interrupted after his first aga most likely.

The one with manawall can just cast a cure4 or two to make sure he keeps hate. If you're paranoid about resists, they could even just nuke once by themselves, then have both nuke together. It's really not that hard.

[FailureMidgard]

The one with manawall can just cast a cure4 or two to make sure he keeps hate. If you're paranoid about resists, they could even just nuke once by themselves, then have both nuke together. It's really not that hard.

The second option you listed won't work, read back a bit, Thorny and I discussed it somewhere, but there's a max # of targets you can generate enmity on with any given action...when we Cleave pull, the puller (who has nothing but link/vicinity aggro on mobs) will very often have 3-4 mobs @ 50% still attacking him, because the Cleaves are only generating enmity towards a portion of the mobs hit. The cure method may work. Regardless though, even with 15/tick refresh, it takes a while to get MP back, and will slow down pulls having to give the SMN restores. Past that, you may end up with random down-time due to manawall timing (not a ton, but 20 sec every 2nd pull or something may add up?).

I'm not saying it isn't workable, I'm saying it isn't superior.

[Thorny]

I already said it isn't superior last page. Person with mana wall up nukes first if for whatever reason you don't have sufficient restore chests, other person sleepgas for them. Both nuke each successive nuke, a few mobs won't face the blm you're aiming to lock hate on but it's not enough to cause problems: most will. This doesn't even apply if you're duoing, since you'll always get at least one restore chest per 5 minutes, usually >2 so you can both fulltime mana wall. You really don't need perfect defense, just saying in terms of durability BLM is better than WAR.. 20 mobs hitting for 50-60 in PDT/protect/taco/phalanx will only cost you 500-600 mp... I have 1600 and convert every other pull + cruor meds every pull.

To say cleave is far and away better is laughable, the difference is less than 10% and if you were going to be a hardass you could do 3 manaburn parties with the same number of players as two cleaves and come out ahead by a pretty decent margin. The obvious downsides to manaburn are that it requires more coordination to pull off, takes longer to cap pearl, and has to earth crusher ephemerals with restore chests for amber.. but those are all pretty minor. I'm in no way saying it's end-all, but to say cleave is the only efficient way to farm abyssea is silly. I can go in any zone I want any time I want with just my 2 characters and walk out with as much shit as I'd like.

[Rehn]

I want to pop verthandi for eyes, so what's a lowman setup (4-6?) to kill her efficiently? Never done verthandi once nor carabosse, so I don't know what to expect.

[Xera]

I want to pop verthandi for eyes, so what's a lowman setup (4-6?) to kill her efficiently? Never done verthandi once nor carabosse, so I don't know what to expect.

Extremely easy, 2 MNK or SAM tank with a little support makes short work of her, bring a dispel for her buffs and stunner for Winter breeze.

[Villian]

Is Verthandi soloable/lowman able?

[Scrooge]

How much Regen does Atma of the Mounted Champion give?

20 iirc correctly. But I've only equipped it once so maybe I wasn't paying attention well enough.

Is Verthandi soloable/lowman able?

MNK RDM BRD can kill it.

[Buffy]

What is this:

http://img230.imageshack.us/img230/5020/waterja.jpg


The part I don't get is the 'all of buffy's status parameters are boosted'.

edit: sorry for the stupid long gap in the pic

[lionsheart]

Saw the same question posted in a couple pages back but seems it didn't get answered: Any lowman strategies for Bukhis?

Upon checking wiki and some other researches, it seems to be pretty nasty with its cruor dispels. But I recall hearing the first report of bloodeye it sounded pretty impossible as well back then hence I am still having hope up. We do have 5 rdm/nins in this group and also access to the normal mnk mnk rdm brd whm blm(sch) setup. I'd prefer the later setup since it'd give us a better chance at grellow.

Thanks in advance!

[Caliburn]

I believe it is when we get martello cores back or something of the sort. Bastion success from people in the zone will return the cores and icnrease the amount of stat buffs the cruor stuff gives.

Also, holy cropfail, Batman!

[FailureMidgard]

Saw the same question posted in a couple pages back but seems it didn't get answered: Any lowman strategies for Bukhis?

Upon checking wiki and some other researches, it seems to be pretty nasty with its cruor dispels. But I recall hearing the first report of bloodeye it sounded pretty impossible as well back then hence I am still having hope up. We do have 5 rdm/nins in this group and also access to the normal mnk mnk rdm brd whm blm(sch) setup. I'd prefer the later setup since it'd give us a better chance at grellow.

Thanks in advance!

I'm sure mnk mnk brd rdm whm blm can do it. Use march+scherzo if you're scared and don't mind taking a bit longer. Bring holy waters and/or have the blm /whm just for cursna. Really, with Scherzo, nobody should die unless it's to shitty luck on Doom. I'd also suggest 1 HP atma since Cruor buffs will likely be dispelled.

[Langly]

Anyone picked up an Aizenkunitoshi and checked the (assumed) ftp Bonus on it for Katana Weapon Skills? Similar to Gorgets? More than? Less than?

[rog]

20 iirc correctly.

There wasn't a smiley that i thought was appropriate here, so i'll just use that.

[Thorny]

I'm sure mnk mnk brd rdm whm blm can do it. Use march+scherzo if you're scared and don't mind taking a bit longer. Bring holy waters and/or have the blm /whm just for cursna. Really, with Scherzo, nobody should die unless it's to shitty luck on Doom. I'd also suggest 1 HP atma since Cruor buffs will likely be dispelled.

won with MNK/NIN RDM/NIN BRD/WHM SCH/RDM THF/NIN BLM/RDM but had minor issues, don't see any problem with failure's setup, seconding the hp atma and scherzo

[eyedea]

not a cor, but whatever. does wise strap work for quick draw?

[Gun-it]

Would SAM AF+1 hands be worth getting for this penta set?

http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d18/NDL8691/penta.png

Belt is warwolf
and any other upgrades i should be working on. Non-sea gorget.