Diablos Is Here

[Enialas]

Re: Diablos Is Here

I'm going to go out ona limb on this and make a generalized assumption.

Red Mages can't cast Phalanx on anyone. Most of those abilities will be level capped. You probably won't be able to do Noctoshield, Dream Shroud, neither Blast or Ruinous Omen at sub or low level, those abilities are POST 37.
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well I am a rdm and except for Protect/Shell/Haste all Defensive and Offensive buffs are self only.

I think that poster was confused with refresh and since phalanx & refresh are rdm only spells, because w/ Diablos smns get Gravityga too. Now all they need is Bahamut or someone else and give him Refreshga and at least 1 variation of every rdm spell is no longer rdm only.

all self stat/elemental/protection buffs whm can can do for party, excluding phalanx
Blinkga/Stoneskinga/Hastega whm & rdm, 2 of 3 self only
En-spells rdm only but i saw En-thunder with Ramuh
Now Phalanxga and Gravityga

so now all we've got is Refresh and superior enfebelments. with a Refresher comming w/ ToAU....

anyone saying ???/smn would be awesome using the Astral Flow afility just doesn't understand how the game works and like Omniblast states, not all the abilities can be used subbed.

atm, the only way a 75smn will know what level each ability is, is to walk into a level capped area and check. this is of course till somone posts it on somepage or someother place, by finding out this way.

[Zempten]

Re: Diablos Is Here

I wonder if the PT version of Phalanx is even going to be worth it. Last time I checked a RDM with Pahalanx going against a IT didn't really make that much of a difference. I don't see how a PT version of Phalanx is going to effect PTs that fight IT type mobs all time.

I suppose it might be stronger?

[Armando]

Re: Diablos Is Here

Phalanx directly subtracts X ammount of damage (in the case of RDMs, calculated based on Enhancing skill) from what would've been the final damage. Tanks need more than 1 point of VIT to subtract 1 point of damage from what the mob hits them for. No matter how you cut it, Phalanx in itself is pure gold. The only factors that could lead to it not being worth it as a Blood Pact are: 1) how much damage does it remove? 2) What's the duration? 3) What's the MP cost? I doubt it's useless, and it's a push in the right direction to back up those tanks that actually take hits.

[Karinya]

Re: Diablos Is Here

Actually, that's not quite true: because an exp mob's attack is usually higher than your defense (even with defense food, Protect, etc.), each point of VIT typically stops *more* than one point of damage (and VIT has an even greater effect on criticals, and of course, dual wield/HTH, double/triple attacks or multihit WS). It's only in farming or ballista that you get to be "high defense" to most things that are attacking you.

However, it's really hard to get more than 120 or so VIT even at very high levels, and in the 50s you can't even get that much, so Noctoshield will still be really helpful to PLD or WAR tanks, I bet. Just think about getting hit for 80 instead of 100 per hit...

On the other hand, if it "works" like Rolling Thunder, then it will suck, which would be too bad.

[aegina]

Re: Diablos Is Here

it seems to me like this spell will be exceptionally good against monk-type mobs, who hit multiple times for rather weak damage a hit. am i wrong?

[Enialas]

Re: Diablos Is Here

phalanx is like the damage resistance in d&d 3.0 and up

basically:
mob does 100 damage against tank
phalanx absorbs 20
tank takes 80

mob makes 2 attacks for 50 each
phalanx absorbs 20 per attack
tank gets hit 2x for 30 hp each

in the 2 min or so duration of phalanx and tied with stoneskin/earthen ward, you can see how many cures you can save fighting multi-attack but low damage mobs versus powerful attack mobs.

also in regards with Phalanx as a spell, iirc it takes an extremely high Enhancing Magic skill to block 20 damage.

i'd see this phalanx effect to be affected by the Summing Skill stat. it only makes sense to me.

[Caspian]

Re: Diablos Is Here

i'd see this phalanx effect to be affected by the Summing Skill stat. it only makes sense to me.

Perhaps a legitiment reason for SMN"s to lvl that skill? Last I heard they couldn't find any real use for it. Maybe this will be part of it. (Or maybe not, who knows with SE)

[DakAttack]

Re: Diablos Is Here

The summoning skill allows you to summon elements faster I think, but I know it contributes to the amount of high level spells they use, rather than low level.

[Armando]

Re: Diablos Is Here

Actually, that's not quite true: because an exp mob's attack is usually higher than your defense (even with defense food, Protect, etc.), each point of VIT typically stops *more* than one point of damage (and VIT has an even greater effect on criticals, and of course, dual wield/HTH, double/triple attacks or multihit WS). It's only in farming or ballista that you get to be "high defense" to most things that are attacking you.

Actually, by the 40's when eating meat, IT mobs were checking normal to low defense...if defense follows that trait, it's not that hard to get your defense higher than the mob's attack. I see where you're coming from, what I meant to say is that it seems to take more than one point of VIT to reduce the enemy's "DMG" by 1 (which could lead to 2-3 points of damage being reduced if the mob has high attack or scores a critical). I can see Phalanxga working well with a Spartan Hoplon, too (50 enchantments of Phalanx for 17 damage reduction per hit for 3 minutes, 10 minute reuse.) Phalanxga could be used while the PLD is waiting for the recast timer, that way he doesn't have to cycle through many Spartan Hoplons just to keep a permanent Phalanx effect.

[Enialas]

Re: Diablos Is Here

Perhaps a legitiment reason for SMN"s to lvl that skill? Last I heard they couldn't find any real use for it. Maybe this will be part of it. (Or maybe not, who knows with SE)

get a few different summoners same level if possible and different skill levels, and and have one BP phalanxga some short time before 1000 needles, record damage and after fight cancel buff and have a different summoner test the next one with thier phalanxga.

at least this and earthen ward could be tested in this manner to see if summoning skill affects them. since despite all the other tests no one believes them since damage is random barring 1000 needles.

[Karinya]

Re: Diablos Is Here

Actually, by the 40's when eating meat, IT mobs were checking normal to low defense...if defense follows that trait, it's not that hard to get your defense higher than the mob's attack. I see where you're coming from, what I meant to say is that it seems to take more than one point of VIT to reduce the enemy's "DMG" by 1 (which could lead to 2-3 points of damage being reduced if the mob has high attack or scores a critical). I can see Phalanxga working well with a Spartan Hoplon, too (50 enchantments of Phalanx for 17 damage reduction per hit for 3 minutes, 10 minute reuse.) Phalanxga could be used while the PLD is waiting for the recast timer, that way he doesn't have to cycle through many Spartan Hoplons just to keep a permanent Phalanx effect.

It's not really that symmetric. When was the last time an EP checked high defense to you (assuming your weapon is skilled up)? Even without food? That's the equivalent of you being high defense to a monster. Heck, as a PLD in full defense gear, EP crabs rarely check high def if I'm using a weapon that I'm skilled up in.

Attack in general is higher than defense, except for PLDs, defensively geared WARs and maybe crabs and beetles. (And characters whose weapons are not skilled up or not an A skill rating, but that doesn't apply to monsters.) Therefore the difference between higher level attack and lower level defense is much bigger than between lower level attack and higher level defense (which, as you point out, can even reverse and favor the attacker). I think the highest level beetles in the game are only used for exp up to 51 or so, and crabs to 57-58. After that it's balanced or high attack mobs from then on. Genbu's defense may be higher than his attack, but his attack is still higher than *your* defense, because he's an HNM 12+ levels higher than you.

Regardless, I think that Noctoshield could be quite useful, if it absorbs a significant amount. Anyone have data yet? All it takes is you, Diabolos and a cactuar... just post your SMN level, Summoning Magic skill, and how much damage you took from 1k needles.

[raven]

Re: Diablos Is Here

weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee