Gear woes.

[Kholdstare]

Okay, I'm a lvl 58 BLU (Elvaan). I'm a bit confused about what gear I should invest in, what's better than what, etc. I currently act as a DD, and usually focus on STR, Acc, and MP, with INT on the back burner, but still emphasized over things like VIT and CHR. At this point, I have:

Weapon - Wise Wizards Anelace. I like this better than the acc + attack from the Musketeer Commander's Falchion.
Shield - Faerie Shield (I hope to get an Astral or Tortoise shield, but both will require a LOT of money, so I'm going to take care of other slots, first)
Ranged - Junior Musketeer's Chakram +1 (can upgrade to +2 or go for my RSE sachet)
Head - Valkyrie Mask (will either be upgraded to AF hat or, if I can get one, a Voyager's Sallet.)
Body - Magus Jubbah (I prefer the damage boosts to the acc boosts of a peti or SH.)
Hands - Light Gauntlets (want to upgrade to Pallas Bracelets once I have the scratch. Not sure if I should, what with the dex drops and such)
Legs - Magus Shalwar
Feet - Magus Charuqs
Neck - Spike Necklace (looking to upgrade to Chivalrous Chain at 60)
Earrings - Insomnia + Antivenom
Rings - Puissance + Venerer's (again, hope to upgrade to Victory and Woodsman's. All a matter of expense, of course.)
Waist - Life Belt (hoping to get Swift or Potent.)
Back - Red Cape +1 (Not sure whether to just get an Amemet Mantle when I hit the level, or to get something more int-based like this.)

Essentially, I feel my gear is nice and up-to-date, and ungimpy, but I can't help but wonder. The stats on the AF look great (I'd probably use the hands for tanking, but not exp) but, is BLU one of those few jobs whose AF lasts a huge chunk of their career, or are there a lot of better alternatives for these pieces, because I sure can't seem to find any at my level (plenty at higher levels, though. What a shocker.)

Also, if you noticed, I have quite a few expensive items coming up. Are there any that you suggest I go for first or don't go for at all?

[Icemage]

Re: Gear woes.

At level 59 you have access to Vermillion Cloak, which will do more for your overall performance than any other body piece IMO. If you are looking for someplace to invest a large sum of gil, you'd be hard pressed to find a better investment at that level IMO.


Icemage

[Kholdstare]

Re: Gear woes.

At level 59 you have access to Vermillion Cloak, which will do more for your overall performance than any other body piece IMO. If you are looking for someplace to invest a large sum of gil, you'd be hard pressed to find a better investment at that level IMO.


Icemage

I personally can't believe I forgot about this piece, seeing as it's the only thing I've ever eyed that'd be better than the Jubbah. Plus it solves my headgear issue, since I won't be wearing any >.>; Thanks for bringing that back to my attention.

[Minaku]

Re: Gear woes.

People may not like to hear it, but your AF body really isn't very good at all except when you're casting spells. You don't need an SH, but you really should get a Peti to tp in, since you're not casting spells for the vast majority of the fight. To be really effective at a versatile job like blu, you need to macro in certain pieces for certain situations.

[Kholdstare]

Re: Gear woes.

People may not like to hear it, but your AF body really isn't very good at all except when you're casting spells. You don't need an SH, but you really should get a Peti to tp in, since you're not casting spells for the vast majority of the fight. To be really effective at a versatile job like blu, you need to macro in certain pieces for certain situations.

I actually find myself casting quite often actually. I'm not constantly casting like a BLM would be, but I don't just save it up for a self-SC or SACA+spell, plus I do a lot of debuffing with magic spells. (edit: and no, I don't wind up being a burden on the refresher, or causing a lot of downtime. I actually find myself pulling a lot, as well, so I conserve my MP, but I don't hoard it).

I mean, this isn't to say that a peti isn't useful (though really, if I were to get an acc body, I'd go for broke and get a SH) but I find the AF body more useful for someone who casts more than once a fight.

[Shinhiryu_Kage]

Re: Gear woes.

It may sound silly, but I got BLU to 32 and found myself carrying around 4 sets of gear.

1 each for Accuracy, INT, MND, and CHR.

Now, I won't begin to tell you this is the funnest type of gameplay, having to macro between 4 sets of armor to cover various situations, but, I will tell you that it was pretty uber to be able to hit all my spells and burst where needed for very good dmg.

I had a headache after it was all over but it was worth it for pulling nice big phat #'s on dmg and using THF sub.

***EDIT*** I forgot. I carried around one more set of armor. One for STR on WS, but I never used it because was spamming Red Lotus Blade at this time. lol

[Armando]

Re: Gear woes.

5 sets of armor is kinda overkill. I mean, I can see STR/Accuracy for melee, spells, and WS, and INT for MBs, but what spells do you have at 32 that actually warrant full MND and CHR sets?

As far as the rings go, I think you'd be better served by Woodsman + Vernerer, especially since you're using AF over SH. It's not that STR isn't good, but I don't think the 4 STR on Victory Ring will make that big of a difference on spells (I haven't looked closely at the specifics of higher level spells, but that statement generally holds true) and if money is an issue then at the very least you'd be better off upgrading other areas first, and even if you still went with 1 STR ring + 1 Acc ring, the 1 STR you gain from replacing Puissance with Victory isn't worth the expense.)

Also, I'm pretty sure an Amemet Mantle +1 would serve you a lot better than a Red Cape, and the NQ is very cheap and still good.

[Shinhiryu_Kage]

Re: Gear woes.

CHR for Breath Attacks. I actually forget now why I had MND equipment lol.

[Armando]

Re: Gear woes.

Breath Attacks? Those are based solely on your job level and current HP (and the mob's angle from you, which shouldn't be an issue vs a single target.) I imagine the MND was for healing spells, but, eh, I wouldn't bother.

[Shinhiryu_Kage]

Re: Gear woes.

Oooh ok. I played BLU way back during release. I read on forums here that CHR affected breath attacks. I remember there being documented proof too.

But if you say its not, then great fyi for me.

[Kholdstare]

Re: Gear woes.

5 sets of armor is kinda overkill. I mean, I can see STR/Accuracy for melee, spells, and WS, and INT for MBs, but what spells do you have at 32 that actually warrant full MND and CHR sets?
As far as the rings go, I think you'd be better served by Woodsman + Vernerer, especially since you're using AF over SH. It's not that STR isn't good, but I don't think the 4 STR on Victory Ring will make that big of a difference on spells (I haven't looked closely at the specifics of higher level spells, but that statement generally holds true) and if money is an issue then at the very least you'd be better off upgrading other areas first, and even if you still went with 1 STR ring + 1 Acc ring, the 1 STR you gain from replacing Puissance with Victory isn't worth the expense.)
Also, I'm pretty sure an Amemet Mantle +1 would serve you a lot better than a Red Cape, and the NQ is very cheap and still good.

I was also considering this route with the rings, and I was thinking of the Victory ring as a spot to be filled LONG after the expensive stuff (like a woodsman's ring, astral shield, etc.) As for the Amemet Mantle, I'd most likely get an NQ to begin with (they're so ridiculously cheap on Kujata last I checked). I just worry about deficiencies in INT and/or MND, though I suppose that IS what a second gear setup is for. I dunno, it feels like time is being wasted swapping gear around to MB and such, but at the same time, I do WANT the magical benefits.
Meh, sacrifices must be made, I suppose.

[onorok]

Re: Gear woes.

Shield - Faerie Shield (I hope to get an Astral or Tortoise shield, but both will require a LOT of money, so I'm going to take care of other slots, first)

Tortise Shield is free, you just need to get ToD and start camping the NM. Pop time is 21 hours & 10 minutes after last kill. If there is a server reset, I would go to the camp at 19 hours after the reset and just hang out. Check www.ffxi-atlas.com to get an idea of the spawn area. NM spawns with two other quads, but you can kill them without aggro probably and then focus on the NM. Fight might take you a few minutes, but I did it as a mid-50s BLU/THF. Also went 1/2 on the drop.

And at 68 there is the rare/ex shield Pelican drops, down in Kuftal Tunnel. You'll need some help getting it, but it will be a good shield for 68-74, and then if you're lucky, replace at 75 with Genbu's Shield.

Ranged - Junior Musketeer's Chakram +1 (can upgrade to +2 or go for my RSE sachet)

Since you're elven, the RSE sachet is a good bet. I was using a Tiphia Sting, but I managed to throw it. I also kept a Morion Tathlum (sp?) until I hit 66, and then I picked up a Phantom Tathlum. If you want to be flexible and have a DD & MP set, I'd recommend having a Tathlum for the slot.

Head - Valkyrie Mask (will either be upgraded to AF hat or, if I can get one, a Voyager's Sallet.)

I think at 62 there is a rare/ex mask with STR+2 and MP+10 called a Shadow Mask? It drops from an NM shade under the San d'Oria castle (name is escaping me right now). You would need help, and I think it is a 72 hour repop. I use a Voyager Sallet myself, and AF when I need INT & MND.

Hands - Light Gauntlets (want to upgrade to Pallas Bracelets once I have the scratch. Not sure if I should, what with the dex drops and such)

You can also look at the level 50 giga bracelets (Enky?). I have seen a few 75s using those.

Feet - Magus Charuqs

For DD set-up I use Mountain Gaiters and swap in Rutter Sabatons on WS/CA. They're more a luxury than anything, will probably sell once my BLU and NIN are both 72+.

Rings - Puissance + Venerer's (again, hope to upgrade to Victory and Woodsman's. All a matter of expense, of course.)

If you are going after a Voyager Sallet, there is also the Jaeger Ring that drops from the same NMs. If you can get that over a Venerer's, I'd recommend it.

Back - Red Cape +1 (Not sure whether to just get an Amemet Mantle when I hit the level, or to get something more int-based like this.)

Keep the Red Cape +1 for non-DD situations, and get an Amemet Mantle for 61+.

Hope this helps give some more ideas/options.

[Kholdstare]

Re: Gear woes.

Tortise Shield is free, you just need to get ToD and start camping the NM. Pop time is 21 hours & 10 minutes after last kill. If there is a server reset, I would go to the camp at 19 hours after the reset and just hang out. Check www.ffxi-atlas.com to get an idea of the spawn area. NM spawns with two other quads, but you can kill them without aggro probably and then focus on the NM. Fight might take you a few minutes, but I did it as a mid-50s BLU/THF. Also went 1/2 on the drop.
And at 68 there is the rare/ex shield Pelican drops, down in Kuftal Tunnel. You'll need some help getting it, but it will be a good shield for 68-74, and then if you're lucky, replace at 75 with Genbu's Shield.
Since you're elven, the RSE sachet is a good bet. I was using a Tiphia Sting, but I managed to throw it. I also kept a Morion Tathlum (sp?) until I hit 66, and then I picked up a Phantom Tathlum. If you want to be flexible and have a DD & MP set, I'd recommend having a Tathlum for the slot.
I think at 62 there is a rare/ex mask with STR+2 and MP+10 called a Shadow Mask? It drops from an NM shade under the San d'Oria castle (name is escaping me right now). You would need help, and I think it is a 72 hour repop. I use a Voyager Sallet myself, and AF when I need INT & MND.
You can also look at the level 50 giga bracelets (Enky?). I have seen a few 75s using those.
For DD set-up I use Mountain Gaiters and swap in Rutter Sabatons on WS/CA. They're more a luxury than anything, will probably sell once my BLU and NIN are both 72+.
If you are going after a Voyager Sallet, there is also the Jaeger Ring that drops from the same NMs. If you can get that over a Venerer's, I'd recommend it.
Keep the Red Cape +1 for non-DD situations, and get an Amemet Mantle for 61+.
Hope this helps give some more ideas/options.

those are all very good suggestions (I don't know WHY I said the tortoise shield would cost me money, I know what drops it. O_o) although I'm probably going to just craft/farm/camp like mad until I have the cash for a vermy and chivalrous chain. After that, it's a lot of impossible mob camping. (Can BLU even do anything to the dobsonflies? >.>
/hurray! D:
Thanks for the suggestions, folks. I have a better idea of where I plan on taking my gear focus.

[Armando]

Re: Gear woes.

I dunno, it feels like time is being wasted swapping gear around to MB and such, but at the same time, I do WANT the magical benefits.
Meh, sacrifices must be made, I suppose.

You can swap the cape in while the spell is casting and with good use /waits you can have the Amemet back in within 1-2 seconds of having completed your MB. In the end you hardly lose any time and you have both on for when it counts.

[onorok]

Re: Gear woes.

those are all very good suggestions (I don't know WHY I said the tortoise shield would cost me money, I know what drops it. O_o) although I'm probably going to just craft/farm/camp like mad until I have the cash for a vermy and chivalrous chain. After that, it's a lot of impossible mob camping. (Can BLU even do anything to the dobsonflies? >.>
/hurray! D:
Thanks for the suggestions, folks. I have a better idea of where I plan on taking my gear focus.

You might be able to do something to Dobsonfly on your own, but it could very well be very risky. I got all of my rare/ex drops from it over a year ago, going as PLD with a small alliance that did the Invincible --> Astral Flow method. Lately I have been reading about BLM that solo it, but it is very time consuming and you need to have a lot of buffer exp because it's basically a pull --> DoT --> die & reraise --> DoT etc. method.