Elemental Staves

[Taskmage]

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).

But that's mainly because the appropriate elemental staff increases the nuke's damage by 10-15% right? Since accuracy is the only concern with Flash, it doesn't seem to me that it would be a given that the light element accuracy from Light Staff would necessarily trump the accuracy added by +10 Divine Skill from Water Staff.

[Icemage]

Re: Elemental Staves

Elemental Staves also greatly increase magic accuracy of the appropriate element, which is why Bards use them for landing offensive songs (which have no direct damage component).


Icemage

[Taskmage]

Re: Elemental Staves

And why I use them as rdm on my enfeebles, but are we sure that the added elemental accuracy is greater than the accuracy from +10 to the magic skill? The +10 skill seems very significant to me. My Blizzard nukes are noticably much more reliable than other elements on my rdm due to the combined accuracy bonus.

[Balfree]

Re: Elemental Staves

regardless of what people say, get a light staff, if you have the cure spell, you will want a light staff, dont use in while fighting, but there will be so many situations you will need it, if anything... its handy

[Murphie]

Re: Elemental Staves

regardless of what people say, get a light staff, if you have the cure spell, you will want a light staff, dont use in while fighting, but there will be so many situations you will need it, if anything... its handy

You have to wear something when curing random noobs in Valkurm.

[Raydeus]

Re: Elemental Staves

You have to wear something when curing random noobs in Valkurm.

Like a "Ban Stick"?

[Murphie]

Re: Elemental Staves

Like a "Ban Stick"?

The quest for that is really too involved for me. So, in lieu of that, Light Staff all the way.

Balfree makes a point though. I'm sure there is some opportunity to make use of it.

[dirtyclown]

Re: Elemental Staves

You have to wear something when curing random noobs in Valkurm.

Field gear + Onion Sword for great justice!

[Icemage]

Re: Elemental Staves

+10 Skill isn't nearly as effective as an elemental staff of the appropriate element. Ask any BLM above 51; the accuracy of Ice-neutral nukes like Thunder IV is much higher with a Thunder/Jupiter Staff than with an Ice Staff, which has +10 Elemental skill.


Icemage

[nazlfrag]

Re: Elemental Staves

Thanks for clearing that up Icemage, I guessed the same thing testing Ice & Thunder staves with Thunder, but wasn't sure if it was solid. Time to finish my collection then ^^ Does this lower resists to elemental enfeebles too, or is ice staff more useful here? Do the staves aid in enhancing magic like barfire? Lastly, do staves weaken magic it's strong against, ie. does Aero with an Ice staff weaken the spell? Thanks for any help, I try to test these things but often end up more unsure than when I start <.<

[Empedocles]

Re: Elemental Staves

To the OP~

I got my Earth Staff first, and was using it when I was in Kuftal Tunnel with crabs. This is pre-shield patch, and I was one of the few who actually used Earth Staff until 55. If you do use Earth Staff at those levels, make sure you switch back to S+S as soon as you ding to skill it up to cap again.

I believe it helped overall exp time because at that level with crabs, because they can whack pretty hard and PLD's don't do much back. The main effectiveness with my Earth Staff tanking though, was that I learned a lot more through experience that way about how damage can help your tanking, because I was doing jack-all, and a lot of the time people don't realise how much damage helps you, al least at the lower levels.

I still keep my staff on me, because you never know when you might need it, but I haven't had occasion when I felt it was better than S+S after the patch came in. Earth Staff may be more of a hinderance now, even in Kuftal... I don't know.


Dark Staff came a little later, (I static with a Red Mage ) and I used that mainly when I was using Earth Staff constantly because swapping the two didn't make much of a difference between damage output. I use it after a particularly nasty link or after long periods of chaining mobs when everyone is down to almost no MP and it doesn't hurt to use it.


I've only purchased a Light Staff recently, purely for healing and random stuff, I doubt I'll ever use it in missions or exp'ing. I strongly suggest not to macro it in... but that's just me.

Sorry for the novel!

[Icemage]

Re: Elemental Staves

Thanks for clearing that up Icemage, I guessed the same thing testing Ice & Thunder staves with Thunder, but wasn't sure if it was solid. Time to finish my collection then ^^ Does this lower resists to elemental enfeebles too, or is ice staff more useful here?

Match the staff to the correct enfeeble to improve accuracy, yes. Fire Staff for Burn, Water Staff for Drown, Thunder Staff for Shock, etc.

Do the staves aid in enhancing magic like barfire?

Elemental Staves do not increase the potency of any defensive magic, except insofar as they give additional stat points which can sometimes affect such spells (+MND for Stoneskin, for instance). This also applies to Bard Songs as well.

Lastly, do staves weaken magic it's strong against, ie. does Aero with an Ice staff weaken the spell?

Yes. Opposed element magic is significantly weaker when using the wrong staff. So wind spells will be much less accurate and deal -10% damage with an Ice Staff equipped, even with +10 elemental magic.

Thanks for any help, I try to test these things but often end up more unsure than when I start <.<

It's not hard to test, you just have to know how to set up your test conditions to remove other factors from influencing your results.


Icemage

[Eyke]

Re: Elemental Staves

i plan on going pld soon. i was wondering do i need to level staffs as well?

i know sword and board for sure. just making sure and its worth it ^^

[Armando]

Re: Elemental Staves

i plan on going pld soon. i was wondering do i need to level staffs as well?

i know sword and board for sure. just making sure and its worth it ^^

There are very few situations in conventional EXP parties in which you'll be asked/it'd be better to use a staff. However, PLDs do have the highest Staff skill in the game (A-) and at 63 we can learn a Weapon Skill called Spirit Taker, which actually gives you as much MP as you hit the enemy for. This WS is extremely useful in many non-EXP situations (soloing, helping others with coffer mobs, quests, etc.) and you should definetely get it when you reach the appropriate level.

[Hilde]

Re: Elemental Staves

The main weapons especially with Shield Mastery are the sword and shield. I know a few Galka who use a great sword, but that's to generate hate through damage, since they can't count on using casting flash or self healing to help hold hate.

I picked up the dark staff, it helps my MP regen faster while healing it's pretty nice, but I don't forsee really fighting with it, until I go out on "skill up" or coffer key farming parties, when my sword & shield are capped.