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**Icemage** · 05-24-2006, 11:28 AM

Re: BLU evaluation

I've found BLUs that I've partied with to be VERY flexible.

Offensive:
BLU makes a very good attacker, even at later levels, when outfitted with correct subjobs and gear. /THF in particular makes BLU a very good DD, with Sneak Attack, as so many of the offensive physical spells are single-hit. Decent 1H sword damage (about on par with a Paladin's, and more accurate due to most offensive Blue Mages overloading on Accuracy).

Defensive:
BLU in their defensive posture appear to play much the same role as Summoners do, only better. Diamondhide is simply incredible (AoE Stoneskin, very strong), and with WHM sub they can remove status effects, cure very competently with Cure III, Curaga II, Divine Seal, and Magic Fruit in their arsenal.

Support/Enfeeble:
Frightful Roar tears up enemies when it lands, Jettatura is truly godly if you can land it consistently. Other effects are situationally good, depending on what you're fighting, but those stick out in my mind.

Drawbacks:
More so than any other mage in the game, BLUs are MP hogs. Blue mages tend not to rest much unless they're in a dedicated defensive posture, and many blue magic spells cost a fortune in MP, so you really need at least one very competent MP recovery job in the party (RDM, BRD, COR) who can land their effects consistently, or preferably two, in order to support the MP usage of a blue mage.

Icemage

**qaitakalnin** · 05-24-2006, 11:37 AM

Re: Our roles in PT

yeah a thf in crappy gear can do the dmg you just did....but with you and the thf together you just doubled your parties damage output. By self SCing you also create an additional opertunity for any mages in your party to magic burst again increasin your parties total dmg output. I speak on this from the point of view of having ptd with several blue mages in recent weeks and watching what they do. I think that blue mages are DD's of a very high caliber and will open up a lot of different strategies for all lvls of play in this game.

Honestly i am hopin someone soon comes up with a good tanking strategy for the Blue mages, it appears possible and like ninja (i dont think nin's were intially tanks when they first came out where they, took some time to figure out yes?) but maybe not, i have only ptd with the DD versions (/thf and /nin).

**Ellipses** · 05-24-2006, 12:06 PM

Re: BLU evaluation

I've only partied with one BLU so far. 41-43 party, with WHM/BLM (me), WAR/NIN, SAM/THF (later replaced by DRK/WAR), SMN/WHM, BLU/NIN, and COR/WHM. The BLU basically shared tanking with the WAR. I wasn't paying a heck of a lot of attention to what specific moves she was doing, but I do know she was SCing and MBing, both with the WAR and SAM and on her own. During one fight, just to see how it would go, I Hasted her. Halfway through the fight, she had hate solid. The WAR couldn't strip it off her with two provokes and a WS. MP never seemed to be a big problem for her, either, but we weren't pulling terribly fast, and the COR was keeping Evoker's Roll up.

**LadyPeorth** · 05-24-2006, 03:09 PM

Re: BLU evaluation

My feeling is normally, I'm gonna pull hate with my Damage over Time, rather than with spells. I mostly just debuff the mob though and SC with myself when I see neccessary. I'm a paticular fan of RLB -> Sickle Slash, then Bursting MP Drainkiss.

**drecan** · 05-24-2006, 11:44 PM

Re: BLU evaluation

i've tried to tak as a blu/war just to help me get out of the dunes alot faster. metallic body is a good thing cause its stoneskin but bad cause of the mp cost. but with pollen and keeping up cocoon i thought I was on par for dunes' lvl pld's. once i hit 20 i tried the /nin but wasn't too impressed but may go back to it once i hit 50 and get dual wield II. but for now i'm going to stick to /whm (currently 25blu) and help out with what i can. also if i'm not mistaken i saw a slight increase in spell damage output when they would land of course (couldn't tell you if i landed more with /nin or /war compared to /whm). I goign to try and keep clear mind trait but with lack of blu points and fighting mandy's (healing breeze is good there) my points are somewhat very selective.

but anyways blu's role is very versitile and i've noticed that alot of jobs can make for a good sub on blu. i'm may start to lvl rdm to sub with blu. since I also pick my spells by secondaries (slow, poison, ...) and pretty much try to do as much as possible to bring whatever we fighting down.

**Feenicks** · 05-25-2006, 02:14 AM

Re: BLU evaluation

To be honest, I don't rate Metallic Body that highly. At lower levels it consumes a lot of MP and will stop maybe one hit before it runs out.

**Gagnome** · 05-25-2006, 04:06 AM

Re: BLU evaluation

Metallic Body = Rice Paper

This is at any level. Soon you will be able to maybe block 2-3 hits. Pray that Diamondhide comes quick.

**AngryUndead** · 05-25-2006, 07:21 AM

Re: BLU evaluation

It seems that Metallic Body needs to be modified based on your skill and stats as you go up in levels, but it really doesn't hang with you very well.

It needs to scale better.

As far as BLU goes.. lol.. I've never been in a party as one, nor had one in a party with me. Sad really.

**drecan** · 05-25-2006, 01:46 PM

Re: BLU evaluation

i actually hate metallic body to be honest with you. too much mp loss just for a cool graphic animation and it always 'wears off' just before i get hit once.

**Icemage** · 05-25-2006, 01:59 PM

Re: BLU evaluation

Isn't metallic body just a standard Stoneskin? Has anyone done any testing with it to find a formula for damage absorbed yet?

If it's anything like Stoneskin, it won't do a whole lot until you hit at least level 60. Stoneskin is terminally weak up until that point because you just don't have high enough MND or Enhancing Magic skill to boost its power to acceptable levels, and I'm sure Metallic Body probably works much the same way.

I'd be interested to see what a level 60+ BLU thinks of Metallic Body. I know that, having seen Diamondhide in action in a party (NIN NIN NIN BLU RDM BLM), it's immensely potent, and it is probably just an AoE version of Metallic Body.

Icemage

**LadyPeorth** · 05-25-2006, 06:05 PM

Re: BLU evaluation

Metallic body is less than Stoneskin. Metallic Body is like Stoneskin at 25%. While in Yhoator Jungle, I decided to test it on my 29 BLU. Vs a goblin, 1st hit...it wore off and I took about 23 damage. This was with Cocoon up as well. Metallic Body's MP cost, effect, and the fact that it gives no stats for slotting it, make it a poor choice for anything but a freshly starting BLU.

To finally put the deal closed on Metallic Body...besides on a NM or in a BC, have you ever felt the need to dispel Metallic Body from the crab you're fighting?

Edit: It's also still not that good at 46...which even Titan's AoE version at least absorbs one hit fully.

**Icemage** · 05-25-2006, 06:12 PM

Re: BLU evaluation

Eh... Stoneskin is singularly unimpressive when you first get it, as well. That's the point I was trying to make - I'd like to hear what higher level blue mages are seeing as far as damage absorbed.

Icemage

**Neomage** · 05-25-2006, 06:37 PM

Re: BLU evaluation

Higher level BLUs will have roughly the same dmg absorbtion, because Metalic Body isn't based on stats. That means the incrace will be mabye, at max, +100 dmg from 8 to 75. IMO, Diamondhide > Metalic Body. Everything owns metalic body.

**Jei** · 05-25-2006, 06:54 PM

Re: BLU evaluation

Just PT with a 72 BLU. my comment is, holy shit....
haste himself
slow the mob
headbutt every AOE
reduce defense
stoneskinga
savage blade > self SC light

so awesome. soooooo awesome.

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