Hume/Taru Brain Transplant

[Coinspinner]

Weapons and skills aside, total melee damage depends on two stats, Str and Dex, and their associates Attack and Accuracy. Mithra have the highest Dex and Accuracy. Elvaan have the highest Str and Attack but the poorest Dex and Accuracy. Galka have a high amount of both. Overall a fair and even split, with no race being clearly dominant in all ways, though it is often said that an Elvaan with +Accuracy equipment will out-damage a Mithra with Str/Attack gear.

For BLM it's different. Two stats matter, MP and Int. Unlike melee, one race, Tarutaru, has the highest of both stats making them clearly dominant for this job. Mind you, I'm not saying this is unfair or anything. But one day I had a thought... if Hume's and Taru's Int stats where swapped, would either make a clearly better BLM?

In other words, from this...

[CODE]
Taru Hume

Int: 73 62
MP: 730 550 [/CODE]

...to this.

[CODE]
Taru Hume

Int: 62 73
MP: 730 550 [/CODE]

Elvaan have the highest Mnd, but due to Cure caps they are considered inferior at WHM to Taru, the race with the lowest Mnd (tied w/ Mithra). Unlike Cure spells, the elemental nukes we use in combat seldom, if ever, reach their damage cap. So with their Int stats swapped, is one still clearly better? I know BLM have differing opinions on whether MP or Int equipment is preferable.. but this a larger difference than equipment can make.

So... discuss. :spin:

[Nodoka]

I'd take INT over MP anyday. ;D

I hardly ever ever ever use all my MP while EXPing, so I'd take the extra bit of damage. Even if you do 5 more damage per spell, each of that 5 damage adds up per battle. Times that by the amount of stuff you have to kill per level and thats alot of damage.

So my opinion is, unless you're Galka or Elvaan, go for INT instead of MP, to a reasonable extent. (Ie: Dont go for +1 INT when you could have +40 MP; that 40 MP is an enterly new spell)

[FFXITsukasa]

Ugh... dont mind me.. Im only level 18, maybe thats why i prefer MP, but I need lots of MP right now, not sure if its due to lack of updated equipment, but I have less than 200 MP and I can only cast Blizzard a few times before I am exhausted. Not to mention I am usually the enfeeblist in a party which drains my MP away even more. So rather than have more MP so I can nuke like mad rather than a bit of extra damage. Im just bitter cause I have to heal in battle to get my MP back.

[Yunna]

You do have Silver Hairpin Equipped yes?

That helps a little @ your level. Don't think you can afford astral rings yet.

[wyzat]

Im a hume blm/whm at lvl 20 i have 200 MP....its bad right now I use 70% of my Mp on a normal fight sometimes 100% and Mp regen while resting is slow. So id take the MP. wish i had 2 astral rings but i dont have 200-300k heh

[AtraposBLM]

I never really had that problem as a taru lol. I always wore the most +int I could find, and I didn't pick up anything with +mp until lv40 and electrum rings, and later with the AF. That, by the way, is when you'll really see a taru's racial advantage show up - everyone wearing the same +mp, the taru dominates the show *by far*. Ah well, people play what makes them happy.

[riceburner4540]

hell, even now at 55, that mp difference shows...tarus with their 750-800mp pool and me with my gimped 600. makes me wonder why they're going for all that +mp gear, i hardly use up all of mine anyway...luckily though, since they mostly go after all +mp, i go after all +int and then we'll be even (or almost, tarus still have an advantage) in terms of power, but then tarus can afford to cast a couple more spells if they don't fear getting aggro...i'm usually on borderline of getting smacked so i dunno if thats possible .

off topic: i got a question for you Atrapos...i'm having some trouble with mysticmaker profblix. for some reason, he is heavily camped every single time i drop in...there was one time i brought my party there when i thought it was safe just to find 2 high levels (1 75 drk, 1 68+ blm) camping it about an hour after i got there...they got the spawn since it spawned right next to them while i was just out of range...

any tips on how to ensure i get the spawn? placeholder gobs to kill? things like that would help.

as for the original post...i think if the stats were switched, the two races would be completely equal. tarus can close int gap with +int while humes can close the mp gap with +mp or the races can simply enhance their strong points.

[AtraposBLM]

I agree that it would balance humes and taru's out, but then what about the fact that taru's make the worst melee's? If taru's weren't the definitive choice for black mage, what reason would anyone have to play them? They don't make the best whm's, nobody seems to understand they make the best red mages (come on...convert with other races means they have to burn more MP on healing themselves up to full...a taru rdm has a perfect convert ratio allowing them to have the most MP after convert than any other race. Coupled with their naturally higher max mp....and seriously, yes, a rdm can melee, but no, it doesn't make 2 shits of a difference), and they make *by far* the worst monks. That's like saying why don't we make mithra's worse at being thf's and ranger's so that hume's can be better at it...the races are pretty balanced as it is, but as in other jobs, there is usually a clear favorite. Let us taru's have our niche!


On to mysticmaker - the best way I've found to ensure getting the spawn is to bring 3 friends - a drg, a brd, and a pld. The drg and the brd run around the room clearing ALL mobs (cockatrices and goblins). Dragoon at ~60-61's penta spam will simply DOMINATE everything around, making it safe for you and the paladin to camp opposite sides of the camp. The paladin keeps voke/flash ready, and you keep stun handy. After 1.5-2.5 hours, mysticmaker should show up (I've had him pop while we weren't clearing gobs, and while we were...hard to tell if he's a placeholder or not). He *tends* to spawn around the middle of the room, but I've only killed him 4 times, so it could just be coincidence. If you don't have 3 handy friends, just bring a dragoon with /thf sub. If you don't have a drg friend, just tell them they get to keep all the loot. The time I went that got me my moldavite netted ~75k worth of drops (~2-3 stacks of cockatrice meat, a gold ingot, a couple 2-3k objects, cockatrice skin, and he can steal beastcoins). Then, just have him pull cockatrices and you keep him healed. Make sure you have manafont up, and bring a couple drinks. Mysticmaker spawns, you stun him, and start to fight him. A 61 dragoon will REALLY tear apart profblix, so they make a great addition to have. Don't bother trying to silence him...it just won't work lol.

[FFXITsukasa]

I would love more MP but I am gonna go for Intelligent gear so I have lots of damage. Eremite Rings should be ok, I wish I could have Eremite Rings + 1 but they get real expensive. Legionarre staff adds to MP right? How much are they?

[Coinspinner]

Originally posted by AtraposBLM
I agree that it would balance humes and taru's out, but then what about the fact that taru's make the worst melee's?

I wasn't thinking about game balance at all, just wondering if Taru's MP or Int was the bigger advantage I guess. I never even suggested I wanted this change, since I'm Mithra and it would make me seem even GIMPER than I am now. =P

Originally posted by AtraposBLM
If taru's weren't the definitive choice for black mage, what reason would anyone have to play them? They don't make the best whm's, nobody seems to understand they make the best red mages (come on...convert with other races means they have to burn more MP on healing themselves up to full...a taru rdm has a perfect convert ratio allowing them to have the most MP after convert than any other race. Coupled with their naturally higher max mp....and seriously, yes, a rdm can melee, but no, it doesn't make 2 shits of a difference), and they make *by far* the worst monks.

They DO make the best WHM though, and the best RDM, and the best SMN. For the "other" mage classes MP matters far more than other stats, and Taru far outstrip other races in that category too.

They're arguably the best Bard too. Aside from MNK, the performance difference between a melee of anotehr race and a Taru melee is basically one or two melee swings per fight, if that. I've had Elvaan PLDs tell me flat out that Taru make the best PLDs too, the extra aggro control and healing from all their MP being worth more than higher HP and Vit. Ninja? They barely ever get hit and Taru have great agility for tossing shuriken.

Hell, people play Taru just as often for the way Taru look as the stats, same as Elvaan mages. Except that Taru melee are better than Elvaan/Galka mages...

Originally posted by AtraposBLM
That's like saying why don't we make mithra's worse at being thf's and ranger's so that hume's can be better at it...the races are pretty balanced as it is, but as in other jobs, there is usually a clear favorite. Let us taru's have our niche!

Mithra have one job where they are clearly best (THF) and a bunch where they are competitive. Taru is the best choice for all mages and bard, without real competition. Not really a niche, more like half the party.

That's aside from the point though, as if this where ever the case I'd be even more disapointed than the Taru BLMs...

[AtraposBLM]

I agree that taru's make the ideal mages - but lot's of people are stubborn and say race doesn't matter. Well, I'm sorry, it does. Can other jobs work? Absolutely. Will a same-skilled player do better as a taru? Absolutely.


Anyways, to answer the question you proposed in a round-about way, I'd say the following:

In initial levels, the most important thing is +int. You can eat foods to make up for mp (and add int), but adding +15-20 int adds +30-40 damage per spell. That's a pretty big deal for lower level players, especially considering how low your damage is at that point.

As you get into the III line of spells, you'll start to notice that your damage isn't being effected much by your int, and that your mp pool is starting to get a little strained. At this point, I shifted over to mostly +mp gear. Also, any time you're given the choice between a +elemental magic skill item, and anything else, take the e.m.s. It's more important than anything else.

After lv51, your priorities are:
1. Elemental Magic Skill
2. MP
3. Int

[shwiggy]

mp all the way, hume for life!

I stack the +mp gear like no tomorrow and have enough so that I have more mp than hp, but still have like 200mp less than a taru with the same equip. But come on, you knew that when you rolled up a mage that wasn't taru =p

As for Profblix farmers love him because he drops 6-9k gil and various spells. He seemed to spawn in the same place every time without a placeholder, so you can basically sit there until he shows up.

[Coinspinner]

Originally posted by AtraposBLM
I agree that taru's make the ideal mages - but lot's of people are stubborn and say race doesn't matter. Well, I'm sorry, it does. Can other jobs work? Absolutely. Will a same-skilled player do better as a taru? Absolutely.


Anyways, to answer the question you proposed in a round-about way, I'd say the following:

In initial levels, the most important thing is +int. You can eat foods to make up for mp (and add int), but adding +15-20 int adds +30-40 damage per spell. That's a pretty big deal for lower level players, especially considering how low your damage is at that point.

As you get into the III line of spells, you'll start to notice that your damage isn't being effected much by your int, and that your mp pool is starting to get a little strained. At this point, I shifted over to mostly +mp gear. Also, any time you're given the choice between a +elemental magic skill item, and anything else, take the e.m.s. It's more important than anything else.

After lv51, your priorities are:
1. Elemental Magic Skill
2. MP
3. Int

I agree with everything said in this post... nicely put.

[riceburner4540]

thanks for all the replies regarding mysticmaker

*dusts off friend list*