Common mobs with odd properties

[Armando]

Original Post

What the title says. This is mostly a thread for the curious, and those who like random and unusual facts.

In the last couple of days, I've been testing various mobs. It all started when I noticed FFXIclopedia listed Beetles as DRK mobs. I knew they were PLDs, but needed to get some hard evidence. Using Studio Gobli's formulas for mob stats I was able to verify this. However, in the discussion page, I caught this:

Feral Drain has proven beetles (Besides the obvious Lumberjack) to be PLDs, should we change the job on this page? or are we not taking the jobs from Feral Drain seriously as some are obviously stupid (Evil eyes being WAR/BLM for one)? Emperordragon 04:34, 16 September 2007 (CDT)

This, of course, piqued my interest. And from there, I kind of just kept going. This is what I've got:

Ahriman
Indeed WAR/BLM mobs. While I tested this, I discovered Eyes on Me has very peculiar properties: its damage is not affected by the mob's TP, the target's INT/MND/CHR levels, or Shell. Yet Jelly Ring does increase its damage. MDB seems to work though. I also made sure to test if its damage depended on the mob's current HP, or my max HP, but no. Finally, it can't be resisted. Yup, it's pretty much constant, guaranteed damage.

Ghosts
Also WAR/BLMs.

Hecteyes
BLM/WAR mobs (which is already unusual in itself, as most mobs have the same sub as their main job,) and have a natural +10 Evasion. Also, much like how Ghosts and Ahriman have full access to BLM spells, it seems /WAR mobs have access to Double Attack (and probably all other WAR traits) pre-50; at least Hecteyes do.

Abraxas
Found a thread many months ago in Allakhazam where it was confirmed (again using Studio Gobli's formulas for mob stats) that Abraxas are indeed WAR/RDM, like the info on their soul plate suggests.

Morbols
WAR/WAR like the great majority of mobs. However, as if they weren't dangerous enough with their high damage hits and Bad Breath, these bastards hit faster than the average mob. Based on the TP they give me when they hit me, their Delay must be somewhere between 197 (3.28 secs) and 209 (3.48 secs.) For reference, the vast majority of non-MNK mobs have 240 Delay (exactly 4 seconds.)

Worms
Tested last week that they cast more often than other caster mobs; however, they only cast when their target is out of range. Haven't tested their jobs but most likely BLM/BLM since they lack Double Attack.
Currently looking into Goobbues.

Current info:

Abraxas
Job: WAR/RDM
VIT: ???
AGI: ???
Notes: Second-hand confirmation

Ahriman
Job: WAR/BLM
VIT: ???
AGI: D
Notes: Eyes on Me can't be resisted, and its damage is not affected by: the user's TP or HP%; the target's INT, MND, CHR, or HP; Shell; and according to FFXIClopedia, Utsusemi. Its damage is reduced by Magic Defense Bonus, and wearing Magic Damage Taken +X% does increase its damage accordingly.

Crawlers
Job: WAR/WAR
VIT: C
AGI: E
Notes: E-ranked Defense.

Ghosts
Job: WAR/BLM
VIT: D
AGI: D

Goobbues
Job: WAR/WAR?
VIT: ???
AGI: ???
Notes: 309-321 Delay. Defense and Evasion don't match the formulas; looking into this.

Hecteyes
Job: BLM/WAR
VIT: D
AGI: B
Notes: Evasion +10

Magic Pots
Job: RDM/WAR
VIT: D
AGI: ???
Notes: Evasion doesn't match the formulas; looking into this.

Manticores
Job: WAR/WAR
VIT: B
AGI: E
Notes: 359-371 Delay (probably 360?) Increased movement speed.

Morbols
Job: WAR/WAR
VIT: E
AGI: E
Notes: 197-209 Delay (probably 200?)

Worms (Original + RoZ Areas)
Job: BLM/BLM
VIT: D
AGI: D
Notes: Only casts when target is out of range; reduced time between casts.

Worms (Uleguerand Range; CoP areas in general?)
Job: RDM/BLM
VIT: E
AGI: C
Notes: Only casts when target is out of range; reduced time between casts.

References:
- Standard mob Delay: 240
- Average stat ranking: D (this holds true for PC races as well.)
- Base Defense depends on monster family, not its job. The great majority of mobs have C-ranked Defense.
- Monster's Support Job is NOT capped at half the main job's level.

[Radiuz]

Re: Common mobs with odd properties

yea, I never thought about the job of a worm but all the worms I fought casted black magic.

I wasn't sure that all types of worm mobs were actually just black mages lol

but thanks for the info. It really helps, so now people could be aware of common mob's abilities and such.

it'd be dangerous fighting a mob who is thief in upper 50's because they might have triple attack which could be bad for soloing IMO but I haven't reached over 60's lol

there is possiblities for people to tell what job that mob is, you can tell by what weapon their wielding, though it also may vary if they cast a spell

[WovenDarkness]

Re: Common mobs with odd properties

Worms
Tested last week that they cast more often than other caster mobs; however, they only cast when their target is out of range. Haven't tested their jobs but most likely BLM/BLM since they lack Double Attack.

Would that be solely concerning aggro? I could have sworn that I've been Rasped while dealing with them while inside melee range when leveling BST. ...of course, that's the only time that I can remember actually noticing. I've mostly been whm and blm...so melee is relatively new to me. I don't count my war exp as that was many moons ago and I was just trying to come to grips w/ FFXI.

[Icemage]

Re: Common mobs with odd properties

Would that be solely concerning aggro? I could have sworn that I've been Rasped while dealing with them while inside melee range when leveling BST. ...of course, that's the only time that I can remember actually noticing. I've mostly been whm and blm...so melee is relatively new to me. I don't count my war exp as that was many moons ago and I was just trying to come to grips w/ FFXI.

Worms that are aggressive detect by sound. They will never cast spells if you are in melee range of them. You can still get nailed by a spell that was started when you were outside of melee range, however.


Icemage

[WovenDarkness]

Re: Common mobs with odd properties

Worms that are aggressive detect by sound. They will never cast spells if you are in melee range of them. You can still get nailed by a spell that was started when you were outside of melee range, however.


Icemage

Interesting. Not that I don't believe either of you, but hell, I just like to check shit out for myself. Thanks 1) for the information, and 2) for the clarification.

[Kafeen]

Re: Common mobs with odd properties

With the exception of beastmen I don't think mobs have specific jobs, just abilities and spells specific to their race.

For example:
You say Worms are BLM/BLM. WTF? Firstly why the sub? Secondly, they don't have BLM based spells, they have earth based spells. They'll use Rasp, They'll use Stone and Stonega of various levels but you'll never see one casting Fire or Aero.

You say Morbols are WAR/WAR. Again, why the sub the same as the main, this will have no effect at all. Do you see them using Aggressor, Beserk or Defender? No. They simply have the double attack trait due to their many arms.

[WolfieTG]

Re: Common mobs with odd properties

What about Beetles and Crabs? how come they have MP? its not like they cast magic?

Aren't Crabs PLD's? with there defence bonus's and resist sleep trait?

[Vyuru]

Re: Common mobs with odd properties

Worms that are aggressive detect by sound. They will never cast spells if you are in melee range of them. You can still get nailed by a spell that was started when you were outside of melee range, however.

They will still cast Rasp on you though, even if you are in melee range, but that is the only spell that they will cast and they will cast it rather infrequently.... But normally right when you need to rest

[Armando]

Re: Common mobs with odd properties

For example:
You say Worms are BLM/BLM. WTF? Firstly why the sub? Secondly, they don't have BLM based spells, they have earth based spells. They'll use Rasp, They'll use Stone and Stonega of various levels but you'll never see one casting Fire or Aero.

Everything in the game has a job and sub, even if it doesn't have the spells for its job learned or S-E doesn't tell them to use its JAs on occasion. In most cases, mobs have the same sub as their main (thus why I list Ahrimans, Ghosts, and Hecteyes as unusual.) This does have an effect - although the mob wouldn't gain any new traits, it DOES affect its stats. A WAR/WAR mob is going to have more STR and VIT than a WAR/BLM mob.

What supports all this is the fact that the formulas for calculating mob stats were figured out quite some time ago. It's just something that's not very well known. If you know a mob's job, sub, and racial stat ranks, you can predict the Evasion and Defense for almost anything in the game save for a few rare mob families with additional bonuses (such as Antlions, which have a 20% defense bonus.)

Moreover, I don't see the relevance in saying that a worm is not a BLM because it doesn't have all BLM spells. I could be a worm on my BLM too, if I only picked up earth spells =P And even Beastmen BLMs don't have all spells. I've never seen a Lv.60+ BLM mob stop and cast Stone I on me, despite the fact that their AI is stupid as a brick and will let them cast the same enfeeble twice in a row.

And it's just not the Double Attack. These mobs which I claim are WAR/WAR, WAR/XXX, or XXX/WAR also have Defense Bonus I. Can you derive some logic for every mob family getting a free 10 Defense?

What about Beetles and Crabs? how come they have MP? its not like they cast magic?

Aren't Crabs PLD's? with there defence bonus's and resist sleep trait?

Yes, both Crabs and Beetles are PLD/PLD mobs.

They will still cast Rasp on you though, even if you are in melee range, but that is the only spell that they will cast and they will cast it rather infrequently.... But normally right when you need to rest

I double checked lately, no go. It doesn't matter how long I stand in front of a Qufim Land Worm or a Shakhrami Maze Maker, it just won't cast. Plus, while I was running around Shakhrami, I saw a couple of small parties (mostly composed of DNCs as you might've guessed) and a BST take on worms, and not once did the worm cast on them (they all remained within melee range.)

I gotta side with Icemage on this one. It's most likely just the fact that the worm will aggro while you're still outside of melee range, and thus is pretty much guaranteed to attempt one spell unless you Silence it beforehand or you run up to it with Sneak up.

[Ziero]

Re: Common mobs with odd properties

And it's just not the Double Attack. These mobs which I claim are WAR/WAR, WAR/XXX, or XXX/WAR also have Defense Bonus I. Can you derive some logic for every mob family getting a free 10 Defense?Yes, both Crabs and Beetles are PLD/PLD mobs.

Sorta off topic, but you wouldn't have access to a general list of what jobs each basic mob has and what special traits they might possess would you? The best place I could think of to look up that info were the two Wiki's but they're spotty at best.

[Armando]

Re: Common mobs with odd properties

Yeah, the Wiki's kind of been failing at that. Had Beetles listed as DRK, presumably because they generalized from Lumberjack. And they have Goobbues listed as MNKs, even though I've been checking them yesterday and they certainly hit just once, they don't Counter, and they can Double Attack to boot. The only reason I haven't posted my info on them is because the Evasion the formulas give me are off by a little bit, so something must be wrong.

Been editing FFXIclopedia according to my findings, though.

Sorta off topic, but you wouldn't have access to a general list of what jobs each basic mob has and what special traits they might possess would you? The best place I could think of to look up that info were the two Wiki's but they're spotty at best.

The only thing I can offer, which is what I've been using as a reference, is this. Scroll down to the last post.

[Callisto]

Re: Common mobs with odd properties

Ahriman
Indeed WAR/BLM mobs. While I tested this, I discovered Eyes on Me has very peculiar properties: its damage is not affected by the mob's TP, the target's INT/MND/CHR levels, or Shell. Yet Jelly Ring does increase its damage. MDB seems to work though. I also made sure to test if its damage depended on the mob's current HP, or my max HP, but no. Finally, it can't be resisted. Yup, it's pretty much constant, guaranteed damage.

I know MDB affects it(BLU roll + Dream Shroud was huge in AU44), but isn't Shell pretty much straight % MDB? Or is Shell figured before MDB is?

Abraxas
Found a thread many months ago in Allakhazam where it was confirmed (again using Studio Gobli's formulas for mob stats) that Abraxas are indeed WAR/RDM, like the info on their soul plate suggests.

This makes me feel better about my time in Qufim as WAR/RDM 3-4 years ago, at least I know I'm not the only noob that tried it...lolabraxas! Ugh...I used a friggin Scythe too...

[Armando]

Re: Common mobs with odd properties

Shell is not MDB, Shell is equivalent to Magic Damage Taken -X% (and from what I've read, it even counts towards the 50% cap that stat supposedly has.) I found this a long time ago testing Skillchain damage; Shell will gimp its damage, MDB won't.

Blame S-E and their ambiguous descriptions for spells and abilities.

[Callisto]

Re: Common mobs with odd properties

Armando, Buffalo may be interesting to look at as well...they have to have some sort of casting sub, I'm not sure if they have DA or not.

The strange thing is they may actually have a different job setup in Limbus, as the Apollyon versions aren't Aspir bait like the normal ones are. /huh

[Armando]

Re: Common mobs with odd properties

Buffalo, huh? Looks like it would be a PLD mob, but we'll see. Do you know for sure if they Double Attack?

By the way, do Manticores and Goobbues have MP?