Hauteclaire

[ValisOfValefor]

Heheh, found this over on Somepage
(http://ffxi.somepage.com/itemdb/9021)
Hauteclaire

Level 71
Rare/Ex
Drk/Pld
Damage: 46
Delay: 240
DPS: 11.5
Effects: Accuracy +7
Divine Magic Skill +8
Physical Damage Taken -7%
Additional Effect: Light Damage

Apparently it drops off Khamira, they're having a discussion of it over at KI

This looks Hawt for Paladin tanking at endgame :thumbsup:

[dirtyclown]

I think I just came a little.

[Armando]

I saw it on Alla but forgot to post here. Such a sexual sword.

[ValisOfValefor]

Heheh this sword is the most BRUTAL thing ever!

[Lmnop]

lots of things have me wary about this sword... well, all of it, really. Last I knew, it wasn't even confirmed to be a sword but I've been out of the loop (original Half Life today). But the stats really do point to that or... maybe a mace. Which, I almost wish it was to make use of A rank club skill.

Alright, Looking at Somepage now. Ok ok it's a rediculous sword. Yeah, it's pretty much insane. For a PLD, it actually makes Excalibur seem "situational."

And OMG! I just saw the add'l effect light damage. Seriously, just the Damage/Delay is great (same DMG as Juggernaught, only 2 under Hrotti). Add in Acc+7 and it's a viable sword option. If the Light damage proc's often enough (I'm expecting around the same realm as that new Greatsword from Cerberus... In fact this is prolly a bit of a counterpart to it) then it could match Company Sword.

But I know what's really incredible about it... I see what the turtles see.

So yeah, lose 30% of the Earth staff, gain half the delay, gain over half-again the DMG, and only uses half as many hands to use. Paladins aren't going to ever use cures again.

[Kirsteena]

Rumoured to drop from Khimeria.

[Icemage]

Rumoured to drop from Khimeria.
Second-hand confirmation - apparently one dropped from Khimaira on Midgardsormr last night after it was defeated. I have not seen it with my own eyes, but my LS is usually pretty reliable about such things.


Icemage

[Davitron3000]

Interesting sword. I would love to get my hands on it. Not sure how much I would use it though. The + enmity on the Macuahuitl +1 is hard to pass up for big fights, and I am not sure if I would use this over my Company or Justice Sword for experience/merit parties. (I would definitely use it over Company if I wasn't in a full party.) The accuracy on it is pretty hawt.

Still I would love to have it and try it out. Wonder what it looks like. Be nice if it uses the Sanguine Sword model or the Hrotti model.

[Loial]

LS on my server got the Seveneyes club. I've seen a couple screenshots of an LS getting both the club and the sword. I think its legit and the mob drops the sword.

[Rai]

I'm not worried at all about no Enmity on the sword. I have never had problems with hate, and when it comes to big fights, in the past kiting with Earth staff, you lost out on enmity from not having Koenig Shield or a sword with + enmity.

I see it as the same situation as VIT vs HP. Throughout a PLDs leveling VIT was always #1, then when you hit endgame HP becomes #1. Well, I give - physical damage priority over enmity. Because I have found endgame is more about survivability than hate issues. Mobs don't turn away from my PLD until after I am dead, so best way to protect the mages is to stay alive.

Maybe I'm old fashioned but I was a Life Belt > Royal Knight's Belt PLD. I liked hitting the mob, perhaps the fact I am Elvaan I was a little more sensitive to this than other races of PLD.So I don't really car for the Macuahuitl +1, just a personal thing.

[Davitron3000]

I'm not worried at all about no Enmity on the sword. I have never had problems with hate, and when it comes to big fights, in the past kiting with Earth staff, you lost out on enmity from not having Koenig Shield or a sword with + enmity.
I see it as the same situation as VIT vs HP. Throughout a PLDs leveling VIT was always #1, then when you hit endgame HP becomes #1. Well, I give - physical damage priority over enmity. Because I have found endgame is more about survivability than hate issues. Mobs don't turn away from my PLD until after I am dead, so best way to protect the mages is to stay alive.

I don't use an earth staff. I like the + enmity from sword and shield slots while kiting way more than the damage reduction on earth staff.

Maybe I am not as good at tanking, but I stack on the enmity and I still lose hate sometimes. Maybe my LS Blackmages are mean and want to make me look bad. I don't know.

I try to gear up balancing my + enmity, + shield, and + hp, in that order of importance.

[Icemage]

When straight tanking, damage reduction is superior to enmity+. Gaining more enmity is good, but without damage reduction you also bleed enmity fast while getting hit.

As for BLMs making you look bad, slap your Bards around and tell them to merit Foe Sirvente so they can give you Ballad II + Sirvente. :) I just took down Tiamat a couple of days ago while playing Bard and Sirvente is nothing short of miraculous.


Icemage

[Davitron3000]

When straight tanking, damage reduction is superior to enmity+. Gaining more enmity is good, but without damage reduction you also bleed enmity fast while getting hit.

If the mob isn't hitting you, damage reduction is useless though. I think it goes both ways. I like to try to balance things out, I just place a priority on +enmity.

Don't get me wrong, if I can get my grubby paws on this sword I will try it out :P
Usually I feel my damage reduction is covered with my shield skill and that having +enmity in my sword slot allows me to free up other slots (like using Boxers mantle in place of High Breathe mantle). However, if I get the sword one day and it works better, I will use it.

As for BLMs making you look bad, slap your Bards around and tell them to merit Foe Sirvente so they can give you Ballad II + Sirvente. :) I just took down Tiamat a couple of days ago while playing Bard and Sirvente is nothing short of miraculous.
Icemage

My LS had a shortage of Bards for the longest time. Recently I did have a Bard for a Proto-Omega fight and he had Sirvente merited. I main tanked it as Pld/nin and it helped out greatly. (especially because I don't have a lot of Pld/nin tanking experience, nor a great gear set up for it)

[FranckKnight]

But I know what's really incredible about it... I see what the turtles see.
So yeah, lose 30% of the Earth staff, gain half the delay, gain over half-again the DMG, and only uses half as many hands to use. Paladins aren't going to ever use cures again.

Add to that : Allows use of shield. Remember, Spell interruption down on Shield Block now. Earth staff is two handed.

You can probably reduce more damage overall than an Earth Staff using Hauteclaire + Koenig Shield now.

[Davitron3000]

Add to that : Allows use of shield. Remember, Spell interruption down on Shield Block now. Earth staff is two handed.
You can probably reduce more damage overall than an Earth Staff using Hauteclaire + Koenig Shield now.

I was under the impression you could reduce more damage with just Koenig shield and high shield skill than you can with Earth Staff since the shield updates.

[Lmnop]

yes, so now add on this sword and 90% DR Sentinel to your already impressive shielding rate. 'Nuff said? Of course not. Get a BLU or SMN in your party to give you Stoneskin (As Karinya pointed out in another thread). With all that defense and damage taken -%, your Stoneskin will last for YEARS. Ok, 30 seconds.

[Icemage]

I was under the impression you could reduce more damage with just Koenig shield and high shield skill than you can with Earth Staff since the shield updates.
Koenig Shield > Earth Staff, except in those cases where individual hits do outrageous amounts of damage and you can't afford to take those hits (Tiamat/Jormungand with Mighty Strikes up, Geush Urvan, etc.).

On the other hand, Aegis beats everything, and unless there's some weird hidden flaw in Hauteclaire, then Hauteclaire + Aegis beats anything else you can wield as a Paladin, bar none.


Icemage

[Karinya]

Except for kiting. Even Aegis can't shield block an attack from behind. If you're kiting something that does physical damage, earth staff may still beat hauteclaire/aegis. (If it does magical damage too the aegis will win, of course.)

In some cases you may hold hate better with Excalibur/Aegis than with Hauteclaire/Aegis (since you'll do significantly more damage), but Hauteclaire/Aegis will take less damage which is usually more important. Anyway, who's crazy enough to try to upgrade two relics? Even if Khimaira becomes a claimed-in-0.2-seconds hnm, it's still orders of magnitude easier than upgrading an excalibur.

[Icemage]

Aegis is also -25% Magic Damage, however. In a kiting fight, most of the time what little is hitting you tends to be magic, not physical, so Aegis still > Earth Staff when kiting in most fights except for perhaps Vrtra.


Icemage

[JP_Ikari]

I guess seeing every PLD that fights Grand Wyrms go /NIN, this is a big help in more ways than 1. But still can't cover that 25% you lose from EStave. As for hate issues upon losing Mac +1, just cover it in another area of your body (if you still don't tank with HBM, you should start doing so), or even start thinking of merriting enmity. That's how I see it. Kiting is a different thing all together. Obviously you can't shield block while running, so it's still smart to use an Estave on that. But like someone said awhlie ago, this sword makes every other equipment turn situational.

JP

[Lmnop]

I suppose it's a good point that this sword being dual wielded with something else somewhat offsets the loss of a shield if you're doing dual swords. Would be interesting to see. Of course, I have to make small correction: 20% on Earth staff, not 25.

[Hankthetank]

Actually you can block while kiting and using a shield, you just need to be extremely familiar with your kiting area.

1. Face the mob
2. Go into First person view
3. Run backwards
4. Kite while running backwards and facing the enemy.

In first person view you can run backwards at full speed when not engaged. In first person view the game still considers the direction you are facing as the "front", so you can technically run at full speed away from the mob while still facing the mob and having the opportunity to shield block.

Its pretty cool, not the most useful thing, but neat none the less.

Sincerely,
Hank

[Armando]

Actually, you don't have to be unengaged, just unlocked from the mob. Not sure if you meant to write that instead or not, but I figured I'd point it out. It's a cool trick, I like to use it to make mobs miss their close-range WS.

[Malacite]

If going /NIN, I'd actually offhand this for DD purposes (Main hand Company Sword), otherwise offhand something like durandal for +VIT and/or Enmity?


Still, this + Aegis = zomg! ^^b

[Karinya]

I don't think it would be worth giving up the extra attacks and TP gain of Justice or Joyeuse, in a PLD/NIN DD situation. Acc is normally not important against mobs that you would actually use that setup for, anyway.

On the other hand, its DMG is second only to Hrotti and Excalibur I think (except on Windsday when Mighty Talwar is in there too), so you could go Hauteclaire/Justice.

[Shinhiryu_Kage]

I haven't fought Khaimara (sp?) yet.

What is that HNM like? More importantly, where is it..... w