Elemental Staves

[Hilde]

As a PLD to what extent do I need to actually have or use them?
I vaguely know of their uses, I know I can almost craft them but can I attain level 51 and farther with out them?

Am I simply to have the light and dark staff to macro into my healing & cure casting?

[Murphie]

Re: Elemental Staves

Dark Staff is useful for resting in order to speed up MP recovery.

Light Staff could be used to macro into cures, but it will play merry-hob with your TP, as you'll never have a weapon in your hands long enough to use a Weaponskill. Also, if your staff isn't skilled, you won't hit the mob nearly as often as you should.

Earth Staff is a possible option for HNM situations, but it's not usually required for general EXP parties.

[Taskmage]

Re: Elemental Staves

Dark Staff is the only one I ever see plds use in exp.

Light Staff you probably shouldn't bother with if you don't already have it. It'd mess with your TP like Aelathir said and the extra damage you take from getting hit without your shield's defense or chance to block probably negates the extra cure potency if you're using it in combat.

Earth Staff has that sexy Physical Damage Taken -20% mod on it. I think it used to be more popular in exp parties, but I've never seen it used.

[Murphie]

Re: Elemental Staves

I bought all three for my PLD when she hit 51, but I only ever used Dark Staff. Because it's sexy.

But I totally stood around Jeuno in the other two. /shallow

[Davitron3000]

Re: Elemental Staves

Exactly what Aelathir said.

I bought my Dark Staff first, seeing it as the most beneficial to me at 51. (pre Auto-
Refresh, so I don't know if it is as needed now), and then I purchased my Earth Staff.

I still have/use both. I never used a Light Staff.

Another nice thing about using a Staff is that the Weapon Skill Spirit Taker is really
nice. So you may eventually want that.

[Ellipses]

Re: Elemental Staves

I'd imagine the introduction of Shield Mastery makes using an Earth Staff even less desirable. If you're going to go that route, and if you macro in a Light Staff for cures, you may as well macro in a Water Staff for Flash, too. Wouldn't recommend any of it, though, from what I've seen.

[Icemage]

Re: Elemental Staves

I'd imagine the introduction of Shield Mastery makes using an Earth Staff even less desirable. If you're going to go that route, and if you macro in a Light Staff for cures, you may as well macro in a Water Staff for Flash, too. Wouldn't recommend any of it, though, from what I've seen.

You'd swap in Light/Apollo Staff for Flash before Water Staff. The increased Light Magic Accuracy is way more effective than a fistful of MND.

This works for WHMs (I have Light Staff in my Flash macro as WHM), but doesn't work very well for PLDs.


Icemage

[Ellipses]

Re: Elemental Staves

You'd swap in Light/Apollo Staff for Flash before Water Staff. The increased Light Magic Accuracy is way more effective than a fistful of MND.

This works for WHMs (I have Light Staff in my Flash macro as WHM), but doesn't work very well for PLDs.


Icemage

Hrm. See, I hadn't seen any actual comparisons of the two for Divine Magic. But I would've thought the Divine Magic Skill +10 would make a dent with Flash, nevermind the MND.

[Maju]

Re: Elemental Staves

They are all quite useless for exp. I could see myself using dark staff after a particularly nasty battle to regain MP, but switching over to it after every battle is a huge waste of TP.

[tdh]

Re: Elemental Staves

It's been a very rare occasion that I've seen a PLD use a Staff to tank for more than 2 fights. However I have heard rumor of PLDs using Spirit Taker in EXP for the MP, but I've never actually seen one doing it. May be great for DC soloing, but I don't think it's worth it for EXP.

Disclaimer: I am not a PLD. Don't plan to level PLD past Lv.37. Just tossing out what I've seen as a RDM, since I've hung out with a lotta PLDs in my day.

[Icemage]

Re: Elemental Staves

I've seen PLD tanks in XP parties using Earth Staff + Spirit Taker before, but this was pre-ToAU + burn party madness. I doubt it works well enough now to be worthwhile.


Icemage

[Murphie]

Re: Elemental Staves

They are all quite useless for exp. I could see myself using dark staff after a particularly nasty battle to regain MP, but switching over to it after every battle is a huge waste of TP.

Most of the time it wasn't necessary for me to use my Dark Staff in EXP, but I still liked to have it around just in case. Plus, in the early 50s, you're not exactly racking up the damage as PLD, so I'd rather focus on having all of my MP at the start of the next fight rather than a bit of TP.

[Armando]

Re: Elemental Staves

Hrm. See, I hadn't seen any actual comparisons of the two for Divine Magic. But I would've thought the Divine Magic Skill +10 would make a dent with Flash, nevermind the MND.

Well, look at it like this - for nuking, it's more effective to equip the corresponding staff than to equip Ice Staff (Elemental Skill +10).

[Ellipses]

Re: Elemental Staves

Well, look at it like this - for nuking, it's more effective to equip the corresponding staff than to equip Ice Staff (Elemental Skill +10).

Good point. I don't know why I didn't make that correlation.

[Raydeus]

Re: Elemental Staves

After Shield Mastery and the higher Shield rate my Earth Staff has been collecting dust whenever I play as PLD (69 atm).

Sword and shield combo now gives you much better TP, shields seem to be more effective to reduce dmg than the -20% from staff now, and you also get Shield Bash.

So there isn't much reason to use Earth Staff anymore unless you don't have Refresh/Ballad and you are lvl 63 or higher (Spirit taker).