Blue Mage Tanking

[Taskmage]

Re: Blue Mage Tanking

Well I was picking on one of your posts earlier, so all's fair.

I doubt your statement about PLs is true. I have some respect for the people that posted their tanking experience to 40, and I think they would have mentioned if the real tank was a level 75 outside the party.

Yeah, I recognize Auto-Regen is unimpressive, but it's basically free hp for setting two good abilities I see no reason not to set, this is Curaga and Sleepga. I was just pointing out that all options had not been explored and the jury is still out, which I think is a fair statement to make.

I agree with you that they're probably a better DD than a tank. They have many more abilities geared toward that role than for taking hits. However, the point is that blu can tank in some capacity if equipped right and played right, which is enough to satisfy me.

[DakAttack]

Re: Blue Mage Tanking

I suppose Healing Breeze and Sheepsong might be good to equip depending on your role. I play an offensive and enfeebling role, so I reserve most of my skill slots for Enfeebles, +Str, +Dex, +Vit, and abilities I can Magic Burst with. At 31 they gave me two more slots and five more points, so I put them into Poison Breath, good for Distortion MB, and Soporific, which combined give me Clear Mind. Healing Breeze and Sheep Song are two slots and six points combined, which is a lot, and they don't offer much in the offensive department.

I suppose if there was an ability, most likely past 37, that caused a high amount of threat Blu/Nin could tank pretty well. Sandspin, Cocoon, and Utsusemi, along with an ability to hold hate would be a force to be reckoned with.

[Omni]

Re: Blue Mage Tanking

I love sandspin. How long is metallic body lasting for you guys at a higher level? 100 dmg taken even?

[Tsikuro]

Re: Blue Mage Tanking

I love sandspin. How long is metallic body lasting for you guys at a higher level? 100 dmg taken even?

Yeah, the damage Metallic Body absorbs grows as you level. Seems like I can take about 3 hits from DC mobs at this level.... but I'm pretty sure, as with everything else, we'll get a 'stronger' stoneskin later.

[Yoko]

Re: Blue Mage Tanking

The game dont need another tank options

I am sorry, but the game DO need more possibilities for tanks. I cant remember just how many times ive tried making a group but without a tank, nothing can work. I did use the word "possibilities" though, because although blu can tank, it wont scale up to a pld or nin in the traditionnal way, but in certain situations, it can do just as good i bet. Ive tanked numerous times, and with juices and careful use of spells and combinations for killer effects, i was doing VERY fine.

People need to stop trying to set blu into stone as a DD role, blu is a very versatile class, and yes, we are awesome at DD' but its just a part of our arsenal; with all the spells we get, with all the combinations we can get through job traits, sub job, food, and gear, we would be fools to ignore the extreme potential of the class. (No intent to offend anyone, just tired of people trying to categorize BLU)

[Karinya]

Re: Blue Mage Tanking

Yeah, the damage Metallic Body absorbs grows as you level. Seems like I can take about 3 hits from DC mobs at this level.... but I'm pretty sure, as with everything else, we'll get a 'stronger' stoneskin later.

Diamondhide, most likely. Although it may be prohibitively expensive for a melee sub BLU that doesn't rest during fights.

As far as a hate grabber, Healing Breeze might work, if you have the MP for it. But holding hate with MP has its own problems, as any PLD can tell you.


I think you are all overlooking the possibilities of WAR/BLU, though. Cocoon is (reportedly) fully effective when subbed, so a WAR/BLU has access to any heavy armor in the game except PLD AF, good shields and pretty good shield skill, tanking foods, plus Cocoon and Defender (if desired). For hate they have provoke, warcry, berserk-and-cancel, aggressor, and with refresh, healing breeze, plus more damage than a PLD.

I think BLU's defensive abilities coming at such a low level was not intended to promote BLU as a tank (except at low levels where there are no real armor differences), but to promote it as a tank _sub_.


Tsikuro's account is interesting, but it does sort of jump out at me that there were no really high-hate DDs in his party. Unless the SAM was activating his berserk during fights or WSing right at the start of every fight, they're not really facing a real hate challenge. If BLUs can hold hate off an all-out attacking MNK, DRK, RNG or especially BLM by spamming bludgeon and have enough mp to sustain that through a chain, *then* there's a balance problem. If DDs all have to hold back (or certain ones can't be invited at all) to let the BLU tanks stay on top of the hate list, then it's not necessarily better than other party setups where a higher-enmity tank allows people to push their damage higher.

Plus, if they were getting 200 exp per mob on #4-5 with corsair's roll, then they were choosing their camp/targets more intelligently than most pickups, which would probably improve any party's performance.

[locus]

Re: Blue Mage Tanking

Not that I've tanked in a while, but a picture is worth a thousand words. Here's 2 thousand.

[LadyPeorth]

Re: Blue Mage Tanking

For HP drain moves... Blood Drain leaves a lot to be desired. 1:30 recast, very low low return (I think 21 is highest HP I've gotten from it). The only thing better than drain about it is the 10 MP cost. I'll test the other (Digest, Blood Sabre, MP Drainkiss) as they become available.

[locus]

Re: Blue Mage Tanking

For HP drain moves... Blood Drain leaves a lot to be desired. 1:30 recast, very low low return (I think 21 is highest HP I've gotten from it). The only thing better than drain about it is the 10 MP cost. I'll test the other (Digest, Blood Sabre, MP Drainkiss) as they become available.

You're in for a major letdown ^^

[Vyren]

Re: Blue Mage Tanking

Oh BLU can deffinatly tank, but I think it's one of those jobs where you get SO MANY abilities, it can fill almost any role. My boyfriend and I are staticing our BLU's as far as we can, he's going to set tanking spells, and I'm going for the DD, he's /WAR and I'm /DRK (may change though).

I think not only because of the wide range of spells you get, but how you set them can change WHAT BLU is dramaticly. Hopefully people aren't going to shove BLU as TANK ONRY or something else onry. ; ; It would be nice to have a job that's playable how you want. Like you have a Tank and a WHM and need DD, Ask a BLU. You desperatly need a tank? Ask a BLU. It works nicely IMO.

[Zempten]

Re: Blue Mage Tanking

I know this may sound retarded but . . . . what's wrong with leveling in the Promy's around the 3rd floor? You still gain exp towards your lvl, but your still capped at lvl 30, where most of us agree that BLU can tank.

I just remeber doing the Promy's around that time and getting a chain 4 up there with just a normal PT. I'm leaning towards something like chain Head Butt between 3 to 4 BLUs might still work up there.

It's just food for thought. God I hope I don't get flamed

Double Post Edited:

I think not only because of the wide range of spells you get, but how you set them can change WHAT BLU is dramaticly. Hopefully people aren't going to shove BLU as TANK ONRY or something else onry. ; ; It would be nice to have a job that's playable how you want. Like you have a Tank and a WHM and need DD, Ask a BLU. You desperatly need a tank? Ask a BLU. It works nicely IMO.

I completely agree with you. I think BLU can really support any role and I love to think about jobs in terms of flexibility rather then set in stone role. I mean I've seen DRK/WHM tarutaru work well against mobs with tons of AE (if stun doesn't catch it his curaga will) or even DRG/WAR in the meadows works relatively well. So basically I'm just saying, I think BLU/??? where the ??? depends on how flexible the person wants to be.

BTW, just want to say I noticed that my healing breeze was doing 99 when I subbed /WHM and was doing the regular 65 or 66 when I was subbing /NIN last night. I might have been blinded though since I was really tired. Maybe I'll try it out later and post some SS

[Medalink]

Re: Blue Mage Tanking

Very nice info so far. BLU can tank up to the 40's with no problem so far. Lets get more evidence if they can tank up to the 60's and 70's.

I think we all can agree BLU can do many many things.

Medalink

[massaranger]

Re: Blue Mage Tanking

EWWWWW Blu tanking i did it form lv 20 - 25 EWWWWW i hate to say but it works but as i said i still disagree the only reason i tanked because there were none avalible as soon as we got a pld i was like thank god.

[Taskmage]

Re: Blue Mage Tanking

Problem with being so versatile is the above. Due to preference, equipment, learned skills, etc some BLUs are going to be unwilling or unable to fill some of the roles that are possible for blu. Blue mages are either going to need an extra line in their search comments or I'm going to be conducting interviews with any blu that I consider inviting. ^^

[massaranger]

Re: Blue Mage Tanking

Problem with being so versatile is the above. Due to preference, equipment, learned skills, etc some BLUs are going to be unwilling or unable to fill some of the roles that are possible for blu. Blue mages are either going to need an extra line in their search comments or I'm going to be conducting interviews with any blu that I consider inviting. ^^

I guess in the end to get in a party at the moment i have found i will do whatever job that is asked of me as long as a i get closer to the next lv and to my goal. I will do whatever it takes and do whats best for the party at the moment