Red Mage Ballista; a Discussion.

[Hyrist]

I'm sure many of you in the game have tried it more than once, well it's become more of a hobby for me in the game, mainly cause my RDM ins on the back burner for all but Ballista till I catch up my subjobs.

So lets post your expirnences in Ballista, your joys, your dissapointments.

My current expirences, both public and private (private being the Ghelsba remake) overall, were enjoyable, with only one complaint, the lack of overall damage impact. However I have never subbed a full on melee job to the class asside form ninja, so I have a limited expirence in a physical damge dealing sence. However, by far, we have the most tools of the trade to completly annoy any and all enemies on the field. We can make the strong weak, and make the weak dead.

Anyways I am going to break down some theories I have as far as good RDM ballista combos.

IMPORTANT AT ALL LEVELS. Baraero and Barsilence is your friend. Getting silenced kills a Redmage's preformance at any level. Echo drops are heavily recomended for anyone who is playing in an area where normal items can be used.

Quarry Quarry Quarry. Be a Petra Whore, stick close to friends, (for Mana powders) and carry a good amoung of MP items and status removal items. You will feel your smaller MP pool here very keenly.

Oure enfeebles and self-buffs are not to be undestmated, at all. (As a Mnk or a Drk how s/he likes to be paralized, especially if the monk just threw up Hundred Fists) and Between Sleep (2), Gravity, and Bind, we have the ability to immobileze multiple opponets one after another.

No matter which subjob or cap I have, I always manage to pull this trick, I bind a paladin, or some other melee or tank class persuing a low on life mage, then proceed to keep him/her there (Gravity, Sleep, Bind) while stacking EVERY Debuff imaginatable on him/her. Then quite simiply leave him there to wait for all the immobilization spells to wear off. (Psst, using sparingly, do it too often and you'll find yourself gang-raped near the end of a match)

If you are being chased, use your head, dont panic. Do you have enough MP to immobilize some of them? Can you lead them to your allies? And if you are going to die anyways, make it hell on them before you go down.

No matter how powerful our combinations can be, no matter what, you are still a mage class, which makes you the personal pet of all Damage Dealing classes looking for a quick gate breach status. That and the fact that we can be very dangerous, makes that nice red outfits of ours, a huge target spot on our arse.

Oh, and for god sakes, level archery! Its imeasurbly helpful if you get a hold of a stack of sleep arrows, or for a "Ballista King" combination I will mention later.



RDM Ballista Kings (Lvl 30 and 60 caps only cause I have limited my expirence to those two areas)


Level 30
Red Mage / Ninja
Key Equipment: Seihei, Dual Centurion Swords, Deicent Bow/Arrows, Mithkabobs

This combination is insainly unfair for any 1 on 1. Anyone with a long delay weapon looses flat out agianst you, and even Monks have a tough time taking you down. At this level we are still at a stage where our enspells more than make up for our lack of melee strength (and the mithkabobs dont hurt either) And Dual weilding with this trait actually helps overall, as people shift in and out of melee range. (Making the slightly added weapon delay a non-issue).

Dispite this, you play defenceivly. Keep your protect, Utsumi, Shell, and Aquaveil up at all times, enspells and spikes on only when you hit the offensive. And make sure you stay close to an ally melee class in public ballista. Other Mages LOVE to shread blink, so always wait to recast till after they Aga, then resume. If you get a hold of a Body Boost item, you'll be harder to take down than a Paladin or Monk.

A general offensive stragity, keep them pineed down with at least gravity. Always go with the enspell of the day, (you only get blaze spikes at this level) Ranged Attack while approaching in (if they are distracted or running twards you), weaponskill/melee to whittle down their life. Cast nukes to finish off.

Ranged Attacks grow TP, and yes we can still deal damage with WSes here. So take whatever potshots you can to have a full set of TP quicker when the game gets close quarters. Horn Arrows are the best equipment here as it helps with ranged accuracy.

You get into trouble? Dont care about gil? Chainspell Utsumi:Ichi is your friend. It dosent matter HOW many people are on you, you are almost completly invunderable for 30 seconds. I tanked a Hundred Fists with this method. (Being Paralized Blinded and Slowed diddent help either) After the hundref fists wore off, the Monk had to run away as my melee damage dealer friends showed up, and I was back at full life thanks to alternating cures between my Utsumi casts. (But I was out of MP.) The wonder about this is quite simply, you DONT have to have MP to defend yourself with this combo, just alot of Seihei.

At level 30 this definatly shows our endurance above most other job classes, especially 1 vrs 1.


Level 60

Red Mage / Black Mage

Can we say Nukefest? Yes ladies and gentlmen we get to make people hurt with this combination Ga Spell coverage is the unique traite of this job class, and while it dosent hurt nearly as hard as a Black Mage's Blizzaga II, the constantly Ga harrying makes any /nin completly useless, and in drawn out battles it makes the difference between several of your teammates dead, or several of their teammates dead.

MP items are god here, so is your convert/refresh. You would be amazed how many people in a public ballista will ignore a red mage converting in the middle of a huge fight, so do it rather freely. You also get acess to thunder II, your highest damaging spell, its great for making an unexpected monk into a microwaved cheezeburger.

Getting low on Mana? Hello Aspir. Hit up your fellow enemy mages for a few points of MP, and while your at it, Drain their HP for a quick cure. White mages and summoners are great targets as they have little darkness resistance. Doing this is actually very good especially if you can drain 50 or more MP from them, as it will prevent them from curing their allies, or nuking your buddies.

Elemental Seal should be saved for Firaga, Thunder II, or Aspir. Anything else is really a waste of time unless you are trying to Silence a mage throgh Baraero/Barsilence. The lower chance of a reistance in ga spells really does help out emencely.

Oh, and Avoid using diaga, your fellow mages have tones of sleep spells too, and while spamming ga spells might hamper their progress somtimes, using diaga will prevent them from sleeping the opponet alltogether for 60 seconds.

Defensivly, Phalanx, Stoneskin, Blink, Aquaveil, Baraero, Barsilence, and Shock Spikes are your best bet. (Shock spikes stop people from moving via stun, far more effective if you are trying to run) Its nearly impossible to keep all up at the same time realisticly, but do your best to keep your deaths as few as possible. Another good tip is to Equip an Earth Staff to your back for that added VIT and damage reduction. However if you want to go offensive, dagger and shield is your best bet. (Again, store up TP with Archery, then Cyclone for an MP free Ga)

However it should be noted that if you show off your nuking strenght (especially Via chainspell) Alot of job classes will have second thoughts of persuing you alone, or even with just one friend.

I should note that one on one you generally ignore the ga spells unless you are trying to shread blink. Keep enemies at a distance, and paitently take them appart with your nukes.


Red Mage / Ranger (Ballista King)

Fear a Red Mage Ranger. Our otherwise Ignored archery becomes very prominate here, as we can, in a heartbeat, strip away 600+ of an opponets life, via Sidewinder and Barrague Combined. Add that to our base nuking strenght (Thunder II) and we are a long range menace.

You can either go for specalized immobilzation (Sleep Arrows) or for added damage (Demon Arrows). Equipment wise you can go dagger sword or earth staff, dosent matter beyond your prefrence. However I reccomend a Dagger over a sword as you loose a good AoE attack as you do not sub a mage class.

Bow lets you take full advantage of an immoblized opponet, or just picking on jug pets and summoned avatars. This also makes a Dadlius (Icarus) wing VERY deadly. (As if one sidewinder wasent enough. Ever see 3 in a row? From a Red Mage?)

The only catch here is quite simply, you need to have had payed attention to your archery up to level 60, and most red mages classes havent, unless they have leveled another job. You can choose between Str/Dex and Ranged Accuracy on your own as far as euipment and food. But asside form your AF, you dont have to worry too much about mage gear in ballista as a rdm.



Anyways thats enough form me. What combinations do you have to sugest. Tips and tricks, or just complaints you like to share? Discuss!

[Squerril]

Very nice.

Although how is Sidewinder/Archery from the "RNG nerf" in terms of damage?
I leveled archery to 135 when the nerf happened and haven't touched it since.

[Kittyneko]

Very nice.

Although how is Sidewinder/Archery from the "RNG nerf" in terms of damage?
I leveled archery to 135 when the nerf happened and haven't touched it since.

Weak. :/ If you think it's nerved.. But on the other hand, you're a Rdm, your Archery matters none.

[UnnamedGalka]

I remember teaming with a RDM/DRK who was quite lethal.

[lionx]

I forget where but Grendal has showed some interesting data on RDM/RNG pre-patch...its under alot of threads but it shows that its not as bad as you think.

[WishMaster3K]

We get Sidewinder at lvl 59, and there is an influx of RDM Melee gear. I myself have a full set of Wise gear, and a couple of the pieces are pretty good for meleeing considering we don't get much else.

[Hyrist]

Unfortunatly Wise gear is only used in capless and ther are much more powerful equipment and combinatins to use for Ballista then.

I've been hit by a RDM/RNG's sidewinder (Rdm to Rdm) for roughtly 400, this is post ranged nerf. It can still deal quite the damage.

Speaking of ranged attack damage, have anyone made any determination as to the cotnroling effects of elemental arrows? Perhaps they wuld be more deadly in the hands of a rdm, who has better mage stats than a rng, who would rather go for the straight damage arrows anyways?

I'll have to pratice with them in a round of archery skilling. RIght now my ranger is close to 27, I can almost taste the ranged damage now in ballista.

[UnnamedGalka]

This is a bit off-topic, but has anyone else noticed just how nerfed Sleep/Lullaby have become in Ballista?

In my last match, I was playing MNK, wearing a Sniper's Ring and a Peacock Charm. All told, I went into the match with about a -16 penalty vs. Darkness. You'd expect that I wouldn't dare face down a mage without poison on.

Well, three times in a row I resisted Sleep completely, and every time I was put to sleep, it only lasted a few piddling seconds. Maybe I just got lucky...or maybe the last Ballista update grabbed the Nerfbat and laid the smackdown on Sleep.

As a RDM, have you noticed? Does it affect your Ballista strats any?

[WishMaster3K]

in Ballista, Melee carry Poison Potions anyway, so I simply adapt my playing style to not depend on sleep. Sleep is useful if you want to stop a WS or a spell or something. The PPs will wake them up, but they'll be interrupted. Kinda like getting paralyzed if you're trying to do a JA or something.

But anyway, the most dangerous jobs to RDMs could possibly be WAR. I'm not gonna go into how to stop WAR, because It's possible, but the RDM will need merits to match their strong points, because WARs are insanely overpowered in Ballista (1k Rampages on average =[ )

But THFs and NINs are probably the most annoying because they are the most directly opposing to RDMs. They have their own tools, and as seen by the melee soloing power of THFs and NINs, can hold their own 1 v 1.

NINs and THFs, however, cannot dodge magic, so if they use poison potions, use it to your advantage. Hit them with a Bio2 to lower attack, and pop on Ice Spikes, and simply tank their asses with Stoneskin and Phalanx up. They'll killl themselves very fast.

Phalanx alone at lvl 75 nullifys the pitiful Base Damage of 25 from the highest THF Dagger. Add that to possibly a WAR sub with Defender and the Def Bonuses and Protect 4, THFs are less of a problem then ppl think.

NINs can do some insanely nasty DoT, on the other hand, and a NIN who is properly equipped can bust out some Blade: Jins in the 650+ mark. But NINs have Katana's that don't exceen 40 Base Damage, and while that's comparably strong, not at 75. I laugh at 45Base Damage.

2H weapons are dangerous, because they hit hard, but 2h users suffer from delay. It is entirely possible to recast stoneskin, w/o AF hat, in between a Gkatana, Polearm or Scythe swing.

But melees are not to be taken lightly, they all have their own strengths and weaknesses. Samurai's can over power us with constant WSs. And RDMs tend to simply out last opponents, but SAMs can keep on pouring on the damage, so against heavy melee we need to break out our heavier enfeebles. Blind, I find doesnt help enough to be cast. Paralyze, Slow, Poison2 and Bio2 help us exponentially.

Drgs have crazy damaging weapons, exceeding 80, but DRGs also tend to have +Slow on their gear. I don't fight too many DRGs in Ballista, but I suppose it's good reason.

DRKs are deadly, to an extent. And I say this only IF they pull off their WSs. They have a lot of +Acc (DRKs, by nature, tend to have these by default.. . .) but they suffer from low Def. I love ballista as RDM/WAR, because I tank half the fight, then when they bust out their buffs to one shot me (when you see a DRK do Last Resort AND Soul Eater, he's going to WS. . .) And I turn off defender, (warcry is already up) bust out Berserk and let loose with a Vorpal Blade.

(I'll write more later, my Keyboard is being retarded. . .)

[Omni]

i want to fight you wishmaster :biggrin:
too bad you are not on remora :worry:

[WishMaster3K]

And it's too bad you're gimp =O

ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

ROFL XD

My friend is on Remora, he say's that it's the most jacked up economy. So, no thanks. Allegedly you have to be making 1mil a day to get anywhere, and forGET about starting out.

but this isn't a "Why starting this game post Holiday-Season 05 Sucks" thread, it's a "RDM have weaknesses, like other jobs, but we are very uber" thread.

[Omni]

this is coming from a guy that had sexy leo avatar.....

ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

how's them apples?!

yea remora is a fucked up server. its pretty lame if you ask me. i cant wait for another world shift. ill be the first one to sign on. i'd hope you would too, or else i be call you yella!

i still want to fight you... sexy leo.

[WishMaster3K]

LEO IS T3H SHEX!!!!!!!

I like my server, mainly cause after 75 levels of exp grinding, events, friend making, and so on, I've come to love the community I'm a part of. However, money issues make things really hard. It's impossible to do anything with less than 50k, even gear up for a BCNM40.

I suppose the saying is true where you need money to make money. . .

[UnnamedGalka]

In my experience, you also have to watch out for BLM, too. A good BLM is the biggest opportunist in Ballista, constantly putting up Invisible and nuking enemies who are preoccupied with other battles. If allowed to cast, their high-powered nukes can eat right through your buffs and take a sizeable chunk of your health away. Having played BLM many times in Ballista, I have to say that I've ruined many a RDM's day by sneaking up on them while they were in combat and blasting them with a -ga III spell, then quickly Stun+Bind and let my teammates finish him off.

A good RDM, however, is always aware of his surroundings. For example, some of the best RDM I've come up against could take on five of my teammates at once, take notice of me through the chaos even with my Invisible up, and throw a Silence my way. Blink, of course, rarely ever catches it. (And if I'm really unlucky, it's a battle in which normal items are not allowed and I'm left digging for an echo drop.)

Once I get the Silence off of me, I start casting. A split-second before my nuke goes off, the RDM casts the bar of the element I'm using and takes only 1/4 of the damage. Or he uses incense and takes no damage at all. And all the while, he's still handling my teammates like a champ.

He finally kills one of my team and, of course, gets away and scores a million petra.

I swear, some of these people play Ballista a little too much.

[JeanRC]

1 vs 1 RDM = King. They have too many spells that can stop you from killing them.
Spell like sleep, bind, silent all depend on enfeeble skill which mean rdm are champion of it again.

[WishMaster3K]

Yeah, what SE gave us to assist our PTs in turn makes us unfair against other players. I'm trying to get some of that uber RDM gear for meleeing, in addition to meriting some combat skills (i'm too lazy to outrightly merit, so I'm raising PLD for sword/shield/parry, lol. Also, having a HL PLD in my LS as another job gives my LS some versatility and lets me get my name on some of the lists, like for crimson, or the already finished Koeing & Adamant lists, XD)

Our above-average proficiency in melee coupled with our very potent magic enfeebles translate into walking castles of doom.

As RDM, get used to being teamed up on. Don't get mad, no one is foolish enough to take you 1 on 1 unless they want a sure death. I find that the thing that makes me the deadliest is the fact that after 75 lvls of Chat-Log reading and soloing against ITs where you need to time your spells in-between swings, fighting people is not that far removed.

So, I get teamed up often, and you just learn to deal with it.

I'm going to list the gear I think is optimal, but I know that having things like the Joyeuse and the Genbu's Shield is like having Double Attack and an Earth Staff. Joyeuse has only 35 Base Damage, but DA's maybr 50% of the time, which also translates into additional enspells.

I also like using Ice Spikes to send opponents into early retirement.

BLM/RDM is VERY dangerous and should be watched for at any time. They have Dispel and Fast Cast, making fighting them a chore. Don't forget Phalanx -_-

But a RDM/WAR with 600 Defense is no joke, and Chainspell Drain can stop 3 Gate-Breach hungry Melees :P

[Weeeekujata]

I like the defensive approch in ballista.
I put myself to 1500hp /war put shock spikes and run into a mob while they all try to take me down letting my team mates pick them down.

[WishMaster3K]

Do you have some nerf that lets you easily find HP Boost and Giant's Drinks >.> ? ? ? ?

I go nuts when I have a Wizard's drink, allows me to spam my lvl3s. . .

I do notice that when I have that much HP, dealing with Sidewinders and Guillotines is much easier.

Is it me, or did the sudden RNG infatuation with RAtk put an end to the Ballista Nerf comments? I've seen Sidewinders popping off in Ballista in exceed of the 1k marks again =[

I think that being able to adjust your accuracy by distance made RAcc gear less necessary and now RNGs are overpowered again (boo hoo hoo ;.; lol, j/k)

[Weeeekujata]

Do you have some nerf that lets you easily find HP Boost and Giant's Drinks >.> ? ? ? ?

I go nuts when I have a Wizard's drink, allows me to spam my lvl3s. . .

I do notice that when I have that much HP, dealing with Sidewinders and Guillotines is much easier.

Is it me, or did the sudden RNG infatuation with RAtk put an end to the Ballista Nerf comments? I've seen Sidewinders popping off in Ballista in exceed of the 1k marks again =[

I think that being able to adjust your accuracy by distance made RAcc gear less necessary and now RNGs are overpowered again (boo hoo hoo ;.; lol, j/k)

1500 no food

[WishMaster3K]

BS, as a RDM main!?! [how?]

[Weeeekujata]

Keep in mind I have HP Merits, and some of the game Highest hp boosting items, for the missing slots you can use OGRE set pieces for cheap hp boost. oh ya RSE pieces are great too belt + hands for taru(I dont use feet bind boots better for cheaper and higher def)

few items like tutelery, gigant mantle, etc..

[WishMaster3K]

Oh yes.... Gear. Reminded me that in addition to raising PLD for skill, I'm doing it so ppl are more likely to help me out with things like the Joyeuse, Jelly Ring, and multiple other Physical Damage%- items.

Of course, I've seen RDM/NINs take the offensive approach, and it was very dangerous. I kinda want to raise NIN, even tho i can't STAND Elshimo as a NIN (invites SUCK!!!!) and prices are rising so insanely that it's heartbreaking.

=[ Oh well, I'm sure i'll be 37 NIN eventually, but NIN isn't as fun as PLD is. NIN is a lot of work, and you're never sure you have the right amount of hate. WARs easily steal hate from me as a NIN, but as a PLD I notice that even if I forget to do my second or 3rd provoke, and the other melees do theirs, the mob still doesnt turn.

I've also noticed that Goblin Rush is a joke, easily cureable and very soft. I've ALSO noticed that I shield block a LOT (Aspis +1)

Anyway, enough RDM Defensive talks. Anyone ever try the RDM Offensive approach? I'm tempted to see if subbing WAR and going to STR and ACC increases will help me out. I was planning on using the Joyeuse for TP gain and letting Vorpal Blade fly, even tho the Joyeuse is only 35 Base Damage. . .

[Karinya]

I'd suggest RDM/DRK for the offensive approach. More attack bonus, Vorpal Blade, Last Resort, Souleater... and oh yeah, Drain and Aspir. VT-IT resist them a lot, but they really rock even match opponents (especially with -resist dark from sniper rings etc.) Even Stun in uncapped. It doesn't reduce your MP as much as /WAR, although you definitely will notice a hit compared to a mage sub.

And if you're 74+, you probably have it leveled anyway for Chainstun.

But I haven't done that much Ballista, myself. Only enough to see that while RDM are probably the most dangerous job alone (and anyone they can't beat they can certainly get away from), anyone alone will lose to 2-3 people who know what they're doing (or, at best, escape from them).

Also, stick to the normal items forbidden matches. Enfeebles are much more effective when people can't spam poison potions and echo drops. Buying your way to victory sucks anyway.

[WishMaster3K]

Ok, lemme write these out so we can compare them all.

PLD | WAR | DRK

All of these give us access to Vorpal Blade, whichis a very strong multi-hit WS

PLD or WAR for a Def approach

WAR or DRK for an ATK approach

WAR has Warcry and Berserk, while DRK have Last Resort and Soul Eater. Berserk is a big NO in Ballista, especially as a RDM, because attentive Melees can one-shot us with berserk up.

So the DRK latent 2 ATK bonuses, Last Resort and Soul Eatter outweigh WAR to an extent in this sense. Although WAR gives Double Attack, it doesnt proc enough to make subbing it over DRK in the sense of going for ATK worth it. imo. . .

But what about WAR or PLD for DEF? All /WAR gives us accessto is Defender, but that's a 3 min ability with 3 min recast, ie, constant. I tihnk with PLD all we actually get is Sentinal and the Def bonuses. . . any input on this?

[Armando]

WAR gives Defense Bonus I (Defense +10) at 20 (RDM), Berserk at 30, Double Attack and Defender (yes, it is constant ;3) at 50, and Attack Bonus I (Attack +10) at 60. Just so you know, Double Attack has been estimated to have a 12% activation rate, and can activate on WS.

PLD gives Defense Bonus I (Defense +10) at 20, Shield Bash (lol) at 30, Resist Sleep (though from the looks of it, you already have that in Ballista ;P) at 40, Defense Bonus II (Defense +22) and Sentinel at 60, Cover (hey, it COULD be of use considering RDM's ability to stay alive) at 70, and Flash (the mini-blink!) at 74. Sentinel is relatively worthless as a Defense buff from a practical point of view. Roughly 12% Defense bonus for 30 seconds. Pretty weak compared to Defender, though it doesn't hinder your Attack. However, it's on a 5 minute timer. Flash might be of use at 74, though...with a bit of luck, that nasty WS will miss you. PLD also doesn't subtract from your MP pool as much as WAR will, since PLD actually gets MP.

[WishMaster3K]

The raw outclassing in Defense and the fact that we get MP with PLD sub as opposed to WAR may enhance our taking hits in Ballista. But things happen in PvP, so being able to Warcry, turn off defender, Berserk, then Vorpal may save us in ways we never know. And DA is 9-12% ;.;

[Armando]

Mm...to be honest, I wouldn't say it's a "raw outclassing." It's a 12 point advantage, and it's definetely present, but it's note an enormous difference. A few points more damage per hit. When very high attack and defense numbers are involved, that 12 point difference doesn't change the ratio very largely. If you run around with Defender on, you wouldn't miss it anyways, lol.

[Lmnop]

unless you're using Brutal Earring and a higher damage sword, I don't think double attack needs much attention -- you'll be using Joy and if Joyeuse procs, /war double attack won't. So you'd do what? go from 50% double attack to 55% double attack or something. Not really worth it IMO. However, the berserk/defender thing gets potent. I could see a rdm/war actually playing like a mage and just using /war and earth staff for the "Armored Car" strategy. Of course, i'd prefer Joy+Genbu combo. As far as pld goes, I think this is an avenue pretty much unexplored. On paper, it seems like you could time your flashes for a few seconds after a Samurai meditates, for instance. And even Shield Bash could be useful. The biggest scenario in my mind is someone using Utsusemi between your melee swings just to have you bash their heads in, but that'd be difficult.

[WishMaster3K]

Ok, let's rewind so I can keep up:

Ok, I've seen this reference:
flash might be of use at 74, though...with a bit of luck, that nasty WS will miss you.
On paper, it seems like you could time your flashes for a few seconds after a Samurai meditates, for instance.
Flash is like a mini-blink

Wth? I know that flash temporarily blinds the enemy, per decription on paper. And I also know that it is different from Blind, because we are allowed to have Blind and Flash on a mob at the same time. I ALSO know it is a giant hate-builder.

But now that these references are being mentioned, I don't truly know the usage of flash. Since it is as fast as Stun, I'm sure it has usages. . . As opposed to stopping an ability like stun would, does Flash make abilities miss???

[Hyrist]

No, but it makes the accuracy of weaponskills terrible. Flash could mad a RNG miss a sidewinder even with sharpshot up. Or make a Guillitine hit twice isntead of a full set. But it last so short that usually all it does is prevent a few normal Melee swings in ballista.

Timed correctly though that can save someone's arse.

Now while capless Ballista is great and fun. Ballista Royal and the Ballista I personally love the most is 60 cap. Items like Joyuse and Genbu's shield simply dont exhist in that field.

I'm trying to focus on a deicent pair of weapons to try to use for a 60 cap, but unshure how to go by this. There are three possible weapons I can see being useful here.

Carnage Rapier, Wise Wizard's Analance, and a Royal Guard's Fluret.

[WishMaster3K]

RDM/NIN with RGF main and WWA sub FTW

Anyway, 60 Ballista is the most balanced, because everyone has access to AF and none of the extreme God gear and such.

But after you've beeen 74, 60 caps won't do it for you anymore, lol.

You may think different, but trust me, I felt the same way. I did 60 caps up until I was like 68, then I retired from Ballista for 5 levels. At 73, with all I accomplished, I could't possibly drop down to 60 again ;.;

But anyway, uncapped is a serious testament to how a RDM with AF and a few careful gear selections can hold their own and maybe over power someone with HQ melee gear.

[Armando]

Yeah, Flash drops down accuracy a LOT. You could simply trigger it as soon as you see anyone popping double jumps, Berserk, Souleater, Mediate, etc. and with a bit of luck their WS will miss. And I've used Shield Bash on one-on-ones with my PLD to cut off WAR/NIN recasting. What I'll do is that I'll take off the first shadow, then after I take off the second shadow I'll Shield Bash to wipe the third, and since I'm single weilding my sword is fast enough to swing at them again while they're still recasting, and thus cutting them off. After that it's a very uphill battle for them to try to recast against me, since with a 240 Delay sword you're swinging as fast as the average mob.

Oh, and Defender and Berserk are very good for mind games, because they cancel each other out. For example, if you run around with Defender on, and you pop Berserk, all you've really done is restore your Attack and Defense stats to their normal levels. Most people would just see the Berserk and see it as an opportunity to try to one-shot you, and will go all-out there. Not only that, but now you're free to drop Defender at ANY point and restore the effect of Berserk, but they can't see that you've dropped Defender, so they're left completely in the dark as to when you'll actually WS them. Or you can use them for two Berserked WS without penalizing your Defense. Berserk, WS, put up Defender, then later cancel Defender, WS again, remove Berserk. If you get TP for a third one, Warcry, WS. By now Berserk and Defender should be ready again.

[lionx]

Lets just say that many a time i seen Gullitones miss, and Meikyo Sushei(sp>>), along wtih alot of hits in Mighty Strikes/Hundred Fists, miss when i Flash them. This SAM tried to do self-SC on this other teammate, Flash made him miss 2 WS in which was enough time to pwn him.

In parties, Flash can conserve more MP as it can last upto 6-7 max seconds sometimes, also it can make stuff like Goblin Rush completely miss(its also instant as its unstunnable). With a PLD tank, this saves me alot of MP so thats why i would call it a Mini-Blink. Course that doenst stop a PLD and WHM to coordinate their flashes so that its seconds apart making things easier. Doesnt mean that the PLD wont get hit though, but its a real useful tool that i feel many WHMs dont utilize/plan with their PLD tanks as the rate of hitting is extremely low. This also is useful with NINs if you ever party with them when they get hit and need to cast Ichi. Or if the NIN tank is really good, help him save a few shadows/NIN tools

Personally i feel its a tad bit weaker than Stun, but its not something to be underestimated.

[Armando]

No TP move is instant as you've seen my NPC stun "instant" mob TP moves ;3 And mobs have interrupted my Flash with normal hits before. However, the timing to stun a WS or TP move IS inhuman because the window of opportunity is too small, there's lag involved, and there's also lag in the reaction time of the player. But yes, Flash, while it doesn't guarantee anything, is extremely potent and its MP-efficiency goes up as the damage of the potential hits avoided goes up. I'm sure a RDM/PLD could also achieve something similar to Chainspell Stun or Chainspell Utsusemi by using Chainspell Flash when in trouble. The other nice thing about Flash is that on AoEs like Whirl of Rage, it'll miss almost everyone.

EDIT: Also, Flashing a WS is superior to Stunning a WS because Stun doesn't cause a TP loss. It simply delays. If the WS misses due to Flash, the TP is lost all the same.

[Karinya]

For monster TP moves, at least, there is significant difference in the "windup" times. I've become pretty good at Flashing Whirl of Rage, the weapon area damage+stun move. It often does it in the middle of the party's SC (because of TP given by the opening weaponskill and/or the 20% rule and/or sheer perversity) and a counter-Flash can save the SC+MB by making it miss the closer instead of stunning him. On the other hand, there are some moves that are too fast to reliably counter-Flash, as well as many that aren't even affected (magic damage TP moves such as goblin bomb aren't affected by Flash, as well as buffs, Dream Flower etc.) When it works, it is better than Stun because the TP is wasted, but it doesn't work on everything.

I haven't played around with Flash in Ballista, but I think that it would only work if your opponent is stupid, laggy, or using a macro that has the JA+WS together (and if they keep using that macro after being counter-Flashed a couple times, that falls under "stupid"). Berserk or even Souleater lasts long enough that they can afford to wait out the Flash and then WS, unless you already have them bound and are about to run.

[Armando]

It's pretty hard getting away with leaving Berserk up, though...you're opening yourself for an ass-kicking from any WS that hits you, and the defense penalty stacks up quick the more people you have on you. And like you said, if the opponent doesn't stay to try to tear you apart now that you're more vulnerable, that means they're running away.

[JeanRC]

i hardly see whm use flash. flash is really a useful spell. if a pld and whm take turn to use it, at least 30-50% of the battle a pld will not get hit. But of cos the pld and whm need to take turn to use it and keep using it once the cool down is off. although flash give u some hate which make whm dont use it i think but with a pld tank a whm hate is not a problem unless he do some crazy cure4 or ga cure.

[WishMaster3K]

I've seen Shield Bash beind used to Stun, and during last night's BQ run, the two PLDs would stun her Firaga3 if given the chance.

Maybe it was just timing that mine didn't work, but I tried Shield Bash on a Bomb toss and it didn't work :(

[lionx]

I dunno i heard people said the "Bash" moves were nerfed or something..i dunno it seems to work on certain things but fail on others..mayhe spell only? -_-

[Karinya]

Shield Bash only sometimes stuns. Items that enhance shield bash help some, but it's still not 100% chance of stun (well, maybe with Aegis, I dunno.)

[Armando]

The nerf was that the higher your level (or the mob's, can't remember) the lower the chances of the stun succeeding. I still use it if it's really a matter of life or death but it's unreliable at best, and for a PLD tank in an EXP party it's best saved for emergencies because it also carries a pretty big hate spike with it, I'd say bigger than Provoke. So that's what Shield Bash + does? That had been bothering me for a while, I was dying to know. I figured it'd be that or more hate. And yes, PLD + WHM Flash alternating is very efficient. I avoid Cure III on my PLD since I got Flash unless the mob turns, just because Flash can easily save me more damage for the same MP, while getting some good hate.

[WishMaster3K]

PLDs can see when Flash wears right? I mean, you should, of course you should, I see when enfeebles I cast fall. What I mean is if it's wise to cast Flash, if you have the MP, when it falls, or to save it for a Skill.

Cause the way I figure, with what Flash does, is it worth casting that to save more MP in the long run due to a proficient Accuracy loss? Or not. . . because I wouldn't be suprised if it was a gradual loss in potency, making it most useful for nerfing a WS or such. . .

I gave up on casting Blind on Rangers, since they have soo much damn RAcc. Lately I've been noticing that Rangers are buffing up on Ratk, and using the distance update to get even better numbers.

[Armando]

I don't know the rules of Flash in Ballista. I don't see why it'd be nerfed, honestly. It only lasts enough against a mob to let it miss 2 to 3 attack arounds. Of course, these are mobs that swing only about once every 4 seconds, while a two-hander takes twice as much. It all depends on how much they hit you for. If they can do over 50-60 damage a hit on single-handed weapons, it could save more HP than Cure II. However, it's on a 40 second timer, and Fast Cast IV reduces around ~15% of the recast...that's still a 34 second recast, 28 if you Haste yourself too. Of course, I'm sure a WS at those levels can do some pretty high so it's probably best to save it for that. Phalanx/Stoneskin will probably serve you better for taking normal hits.

EDIT: Yes, you can see when Flash wears. That's how I keep track of how good or bad a particular Flash was (i.e. if it wore off really quick, if it lasted long but the enemy got in a shot anyways, etc.)

[Hyrist]

Flash in Ballista by no means is nerfed. And Blind for 60 cap at least is still usefull, even against rangers.

The great thing about blind is that although it is far less potent, it lasts a heck of alot longer. It is part of my trio of spells that I use to nerf the hell out of a melee trying to kill me. (Paralize, Slow, Blind)

Anyways, thanks for the advice Wishmaster, I have both of them and tried their preformance, they go well together, but I still am going to try out dual Carnage Rapiers to test out their preformance. (The HP drain effect works wonders when farming, even for the NQ, a pair in ballista of the HQ might prove very usefull in staying alive and dealing what I call "Efficent Damage Exchange"

[Armando]

I look forward to your Carnage Rapier data, Hyrist. I've been wanting to find some good info on HP drain weapons. I know the very most basic info (will drain HP, will kick in more often on weaker mobs, etc.) but I've always wanted to know approximately how much HP it drains per proc, how often the proc kicks in on EP/DC/EM, and if it's equally effective in Ballista. Vampire Claws or Bloody Rapier could be nice for my girlfriend THF to farm/solo/duo with and deal "efficient damage exchange." Also, I understand these things will also remove HP from the enemy even if you recover 0 HP, much like drain?

[WishMaster3K]

Yup, just like the drain spell. And even tho we're talking about HP Drain weapons, if you want to give a THF a sword, I suggest the Musketeer Commander's(or Captains, I'm not sure) Falchion for her sub. That'd be nice TP gain in 60 cap if it wasn't for the fact that THFs don't get Shark Bite until 61 -.-;;; But otherwise, I feel it's a good, all-around sword.

If I would have had a properly leveled NIN sub when I was fawkin around in te 60 caps, I would have only stuck with that. I think that Utsu:Ni is the prominent factor in RDM/DD, and we can survive much better than with DRK or WAR or PLD. (Actually, I think /WAR might be the best in the sense of going the armored car approach)

But I faced an extremely skilled RDM/NIN who took out me and 2 teammates at the same time. (Slept me and the BLM while she raped the SAM =[ ) The Dual-Wield bonus available at lvl 50 gives us faster TP than single wielding, but I believe Apple Pie found that in certain cases (Joyeuse Main, genbu sub) you get TP faster with only maining certain weapons.

For me, I go with Base Damage being the most important thing than DoT. With Haste on, the RGF hits like a dagger, but the WWA is a tad more stronger in addition to giving an ATK bonus. I've resolved to Sub RGF for the bonuses, but main a sword like Gold Sword +1, for higher end damage on the WSs.

[Armando]

Thanks for the suggestion ^^ My girlfriend is only 46 as of now though.

Dual Weild doesn't increase TP gain, unless you're dual weilding weapons that you can push under 180 delay to exploit the 5 TP floor. Dual Weild, unlike haste, reduces Delay but also reduces TP proportionately. Also, if you're using a multi-hitter with a non-multihitter, you're essentially slowing down your TP - the multihitter now only gets a bit over half as many chances to proc. You'd gain faster TP with a Joyeuse alone.

[WishMaster3K]

Wow, I was only aware of half of that. Dual Wield is a small increase in Haste to the weapons, but at the same time, it's only curbing the TP gain. I noticed that because using 1hA as a WAR/NIN, I was only getting 10TP per two swings (I think. . .I gave up on WAR since the jungle is kinda boring there sometimes :( )

I also noticed that when I'm RDM/NIN, my TP gain is lowered, but I get TP faster than if I main, so I suppose, substantially, it adds up. . .

What about weapon delay? I notice that with the Gold Sword I gain TP insanely fast as a /WAR and with Haste, because one swing gives me 6 TP and the next swing gives me 7, then back to 6. It alternates, and if I knew the TP/WeapDelay equation, I'd know why -.- But I'm not too good with numbers, so someone post it and I'll get back to them in a few days, lol.

But anyway, Gold Sword, because of it's delay, gave me a substantial TP gain increase over my RGF, in addition to a higher Damage ceiling due to it's Base Damage.

Now I ALSO noticed that my Raging Axes are stronger when I do Axe/Axe, as opposed to Axe/Shield, and I've heard many things: Ranging from the concept that DA may proc on the WS to the sub weapon get's a hit in the WS as well.

I'm not sure what to believe, And I decided to look at my TP.

I know that with the recent TP adjustments, ie, a 2 hit WS, you get the amount of TP you'd get from a normal hit for the first blow, then each additional hit gives you 1 more.

So with 6, i believe, normal as a TP gain from an Axe at my WARs lvl, Getting 8 TP back meant that both hits of the WS connected and I got an additional strike, right?

I'm not a melee by nature, so some of these concepts are annoying. Have me explain the difference between shit you can't see, like MAgic Accuracy compared to Skill compared to Stats, not shit that can be found out with equations >.<!!!!! lol

[Armando]

There's hidden decimals in TP. TP formula for weapons between 180 and 480 Delay is [(Delay - 180)/256]*6 + 5. There should be no difference in TP gain between dual weilding two plain weapons and single-weilding one of them. Gold Sword gets 6.41 TP so on the third hit it gains 7 instead. When dual-weilding and using WS, there's an extra initial hit from your off-handed weapon that gives full TP. That's why Axe/Axe Raging Axe hits harder than Axe/Shield. And yes, you can check for double attacks by looking at your TP gain after the WS. Fast Blade should give 7 TP single-weilded, if it gives 8 there was a double attack involved. Just be sure to watch for when you're hit, because as you know that gives 2 TP and may fool you into thinking you got two double attacks if you weren't paying attention.

[WishMaster3K]

For reference, here are the TP rates:
Delay 150-180: Fixed at 5%
Delay 180-480: [(Delay - 180)/256]*6 + 5
Delay 480-999: (Delay + 480)/80



^^ look what i found!!! I wonder who wrote that >.> Maybe Someone we know and, now, love <.< (http://www.ffxionline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=52568)

TY Armando, I understand TP now. Rate up!

[Armando]

Hehe, glad it was of help ;3

[UnnamedGalka]

Flash can be extremely useful in Ballista if you know exactly when to use it.

Heh heh heh...fondest Flash memory I have...

Playing WHM in uncapped. Flashed a MNK a split-second before she hit Asuran Fists -- she wiffed all eight attacks. ^_^

[WishMaster3K]

RDMs can't be beaten in Ballista, period. RDM/WAR, I took on a NIN and a BRD at the same time, had no repercusions. They didnt damage me, I'll post the screenies later. BRD caught me with Evisceration when Stoneskin was down, but i had defender, protect 4 and phalanx, hit me for 37.

Stoneskin was up this one time, and my Elvaan MNK friend let rip with Asuran, hit me for 0. Gotta love Blind and shyte. But even so, w/o Stoneskin, I remember taking the same MNK and a SAM at the same time, and SA Tachi: Gekko + Asuran didnt kill me in one shot. I was at 100 HP and silenced atm, but still, I wasnt dead ^^

I'll post screenies of Brenner later this evening.

[UnnamedGalka]

RDMs can't be beaten in Ballista, period.

Granted, RDM is one of the best jobs in Ballista, but a RDM is definitely not invincible. Enough melees gang up on a RDM and he's history, especially if the melee have a couple of their own mages backing them up.

Also, BLMs in particular can be quite the bane of RDMs. -ga III spells will chew right through a RDM's defenses like nobody's business. I can't count how many times I've ruined a RDM's day by sneaking up and nuking him while he was distracted.

[BurningPanther]

Yeah... sneaking up on him.

If he got the drop on you, or even if you saw each other coming, a BLM isn't left with much after being silenced.

Throw Bind into the mix, and all you can do is say your goodbyes as the RDM takes you apart.

[WishMaster3K]

I've tanked my share of melees. I mean, chainspell is enough to keep me alive long enough for my THFs, RNGs and WARs to one shot all the mell attacking me.

Numerous times I've tanked gangrapes, and it was cause I ran in, fully buffed, and spamming Diaga so that me melees didnt need to worry about shadows. When 4 Jobs are desperately focused on you, and for some reason forget to notice that I'm not taking damage and their lives are dropping by the hundreds, it's gratifying.

And Mana Potions and Giant's Drinks are fun add-ons. I have 2k HP, and I wear full Enhancing+ in Ballista. My phalanx stopst 25+ damage, right off the top, then you factor in my Defense with Defender, Protect 4, Def food, making it head and shoulders above the attack of the melee. . .

RDM/WAR are like the armored battle cars in Ballista.

And BLMs are fucking evil. But not as evil as other RDMs, spamming Sleepga, which is SUPPOSED to be nerfed. They didnt nerf sleep for shit >.> God, I love poison potions.

[Alucath]

I'm loving brenner.. Not so many melees all ganging up on all the mages. Fast paced. Fun as hell.

Last night a red mage on the other team was carrying over ballista mentalities.. It got kind of annoying. As soon as he saw me, *Silence* and his BLM buddy right next to me got to Sleep / Quake / -ga II spells or whatever since the posten had me stun-bolted (I was running through :P).

The game's a lot more balanced than ballista though, methinks. I've got a video if anyone wants to host / see it.

[BurningPanther]

Break bread, homeslice! I haven't had the chance to try Brenner yet, I'd love to know the perspective of another Red Mage.

[Alucath]

lol Sorry for the delay in response. I'll send you an AIM message and send the video if you'd like.

Brenner is a lot more strategy oriented.. Lol Capture the flag with 4 flags and 8 flagposts.

[UnnamedGalka]

If he got the drop on you, or even if you saw each other coming, a BLM isn't left with much after being silenced.

I'm never too worried about Silence anymore. Nowadays, I don't do anything until I have Barsilencera+Baraera up. Coupled with my Aquilo's Staff, it's enough to stop Silence almost all of the time.

Throw Bind into the mix, and all you can do is say your goodbyes as the RDM takes you apart.

This is why I much prefer using guerilla tactics. The direct approach will always get a BLM killed -- I'm not dumb enough to try to take on a RDM 1 on 1. In fact, I always run away from RDMs on sight, unless they're distracted or seriously hurt.