Tanking in Campaign Battle

[Rothy]

Was just wondering, what level were you able to successfully tank in Campaign Battle as a PLD and what subjobs/equipment you lean towards using?

Also, what level do you become able to solo the mobs (or at least duo them)

[Elwynn]

Re: Tanking in Campaign Battle

I can only speak as someone who has seen a few PLDs in campaign, and most of them were PLD75/DNC. (And even when anon, it's not hard to tell that someone is PLD/DNC. You can, uh, tell by the pixels.) That seems a very popular combo, and the people who pull a mob and solo it halfway across the map tend to be PLD/DNC.

[Karinya]

Re: Tanking in Campaign Battle

Well, I was already PLD75 when Campaign came out, so I can't say much about the level question.

/DNC is quite useful for PLD in campaign, if you are soloing and don't have a healer, refresher, or anyone else backing you up. Being able to heal yourself with either your MP *or* your TP is much more useful than Provoke, Defender, or Utsusemi. If you are /DNC, Justice Sword or Joyeuse are great. I usually use parade gorget for endurance. You have to keep up your HP to keep it active, but having that 1 mp/tick plus auto refresh and sigil is pretty nice. (You can also Aspir Samba campaign mobs, regardless of job.)

The main point in soloing campaign mobs is that you have to be able to regain MP (or if /DNC, MP and TP) faster than the mob can damage you. Kill speed is not really an issue; if you are losing MP over time, you will run out before you kill a campaign mob solo, even with a DD setup. And of course enmity doesn't matter if you're soloing.

If you have the opportunity to duo, I think a RDM would probably be ideal - enfeebles, refresh, healing if you need more of it. In Campaign they can easily provide all of that in between swings at the mob since staves are not needed to land spells on Campaign mobs.

[Kailea]

Re: Tanking in Campaign Battle

It would be better for you to get a 2H sword, sub DNC or SAM, and try to DD for your experience. Unless you join a PT and or wait for that Union thing that's coming in the next update.

[Takelli]

Re: Tanking in Campaign Battle

Most of the Pld that I have actually sucessfully fully tank a mob from 100% to 0% Hp where Pld/Dnc. Most of them had Pld a Hauby, some had eva gear, some had haste gear, and others had HAste/Damage/Defense.

Its all really preffereance for how you want to tank a monster in campaign.

[Raydeus]

Re: Tanking in Campaign Battle

It all depends on the mob but tactics vary little unless it's a NM you are tanking. And going /DNC you get Voke too. But I wouldn't recommend using a GS unless you don't intend on keeping hate.

So, I'd say to tank mobs effectively you'd have to be lvl 70+ but I was already 75 when Campaign was added so I can only speculate.

The good thing about Campaign is you can try whatever gear combo you feel more comfortable with. So no one can really tell you about preferred sets of gear, you'll have to try stuff out for yourself to see what suits your playstyle better.




PS > Although I have way more fun fighting/tanking mobs as RDM. And that's without even considering I've tanked and survived NMs (Except for that MNK NM) that pretty much slaughter PLDs in Campaign.

[Celeal]

Re: Tanking in Campaign Battle

PLD/DNC is very useful, especially after level 70+ which Healing Waltz from /DNC is available. Being able to depend on yourself and stay alive is top priority.

[Armando]

Re: Tanking in Campaign Battle

What Karinya said. I go 75 PLD/RDM to Campaign and I have a lot of endurance - but campaign mobs have 20k HP, not the paltry 3k you find on most mobs. Endurance is a big issue for me - I usually can't straight-up solo a mob without running out of MP. With the assistance of an NPC (especially the healer types) I can get it done, but otherwise I find myself in grave danger by the time the mob is down to around 20%. PLD/DNC has practically infinite endurance so long as the mob can't damage it faster than it can convert TP into HP; and with a Joyeuse, Shield Mastery III and Reprisal, a PLD can get TP very, very fast.

I can, however, duo a regular mob with ease with the assistance of just one more person, on /RDM. It doesn't matter who. A healer keeps me alive, anyone else lowers the mob's life expectancy greatly. I'm pretty fond of RDMs because not only can they Refresh me, I have Atonement, and I've seen many RDMs with Death Blossom. Being able to do Death Blossom (??? damage, I have filters) -> Atonement (720) -> Light (720) regularly throughout the fight really fucks up the mobs. I like having a DRK in the vicinity for similar reasons - go go Spinning Slash.

I was already 75 by the time I started doing Campaign, so I can't comment on lower levels.

[Malacite]

Re: Tanking in Campaign Battle

I would say around 65 at the earliest you can safely start to tank Campaign mobs, depending on what you're fighting.

Orcs cheat like hell as do Gnoles. They counter way too often. You should be OK against quadav and yagudo.

[ItazuraNhomango]

Re: Tanking in Campaign Battle

Most of the Pld that I have actually sucessfully fully tank a mob from 100% to 0% Hp where Pld/Dnc. Most of them had Pld a Hauby, some had eva gear, some had haste gear, and others had HAste/Damage/Defense.

Its all really preffereance for how you want to tank a monster in campaign.

Some PLD/DNC's have all of those gear while doing Campaign Battle, in addition to a few pieces of Koenig for Curing Waltz. Full DD setup if not tanking or co-tanking, and can change to hybrid or defensive setup if solo or have the monster locked down.

I can, however, duo a regular mob with ease with the assistance of just one more person, on /RDM. It doesn't matter who. A healer keeps me alive, anyone else lowers the mob's life expectancy greatly. I'm pretty fond of RDMs because not only can they Refresh me, I have Atonement, and I've seen many RDMs with Death Blossom. Being able to do Death Blossom (??? damage, I have filters) -> Atonement (720) -> Light (720) regularly throughout the fight really fucks up the mobs.

If I'm a RDM in campaign battle, why would I let a PLD/RDM tank? Monster facing me generally means more experience points. YOU can help lower its life expectancy, I'll take the higher exp. (Granted, not easy to keep monster off a PLD/RDM with Atonement... heh. I would enjoy the attempt, though.)

* * *

I would say Lv.60 is when exp from campaign battle start to look attractive. Wouldn't try to solo, though. Tanking NQs? Maybe, if in party with support. Then again, 'support' such as RDM or even WHM will get better exp if they tank themselves, so don't pester them to help you tank.

[Rothy]

Re: Tanking in Campaign Battle

I have a WHM and a RDM friend who can't really tank in Campaign battle, so support is not that hard to find for me. Looks like I just need to get to 60-65 then.

I heard a few times that /DNC is good for most races, but PLD/RDM is better for Taru. Is this true?

[ItazuraNhomango]

Re: Tanking in Campaign Battle

I have a WHM and a RDM friend who can't really tank in Campaign battle, so support is not that hard to find for me. Looks like I just need to get to 60-65 then.

If you have WHM and RDM friends willing to spend a couple of hours in CB with you, why not just form a real exp party for much better exp for all? Unless you're after AN's for Iron Ram?

I heard a few times that /DNC is good for most races, but PLD/RDM is better for Taru. Is this true?

No.

The only job combination which consistency rip monsters away from my RDM/DRK in CB is PLD/DNC. (Assuming we start fighting the same monster around the same time.) Monster facing you generally results in more experience points, so /DNC is the best SJ for PLD in CB. At Lv.75, anyway.