Blu/pld?

[Losrase]

I am currently leveling though the low 60s as a BLU/NIN and I realized that this must be the worst level range to solo through. I have been leveling on robber crabs(con decent to a level 62) with my NPC in kuftal tunnel (sp?). The reason is there are only two pet camps at this level and are always taken by time I am able to log on. During my leveling experiences at this level I notice once my shadows drop, I become a wet paper bag. I get normal hit for 60 and crits are around 100-110. I usually lose 1/8 to 1/4 of my hp before I get my shadows back up. (Yes I do use head butt and sprout smack to slow him down. I am usually about a few seconds short of being able to recast utsisemi(sp?)). My question is would BLU/PLD be better at soloing. I was thinking that cocoon + metallic body(It should last 2-3 hits before I start taking damage) + PLD shield blocking + PLD defense traits + PLD spells would be a alternative soloing option? I would be able to save a few blu spell slots because /PLD comes with their own curing spells.

I started leveling PLD (only level 14 now) to try this but I realized people must have already thought of this and should know if it is worth the trouble.

[Armando]

No.

1) You can already cure
2) More Defense than what Cocoon provides won't help
3) Half-capped shield skill and and Defenseless Lv.30 all job bucklers aren't going to mitigate more damage than Utsusemi

Bottom line: You'll never get the mob's damage close enough to 0 on just VIT and Defense alone, and you can't use Phalanx, so stick to Utsusemi.

Oh and Metallic Body sucks and it's not worth the MP and time it takes to cast it.

[Icemage]

Definitely not. You won't have Auto-Refresh, and the defensive abilities are pointless. If you want to be able to cast Cures, use /WHM instead.


Icemage

[Khidir]

wild carrot is also a more mp efficient option /whm would give you aquaveil as well as auto regen and some MAD for helping with the crab aoe which hurts a bit

and eventually reraise once you get 66

consider stoneskin as well with a decent mind build you can get more utility out of it than metallic body I stopped using it after about 11 when i started exping because it just didnt block enough damage to be worthwhile vs the castiing time

[Icemage]

wild carrot is also a more mp efficient option /whm would give you aquaveil as well as auto regen and some MAD for helping with the crab aoe which hurts a bit

and eventually reraise once you get 66

consider stoneskin as well with a decent mind build you can get more utility out of it than metallic body I stopped using it after about 11 when i started exping because it just didnt block enough damage to be worthwhile vs the castiing time
Wild Carrot isn't a fix-all for BLU though. It's the only targetted healing spell that BLU can cast on other players, and it's too expensive to use to wake sleeping party members (Kazham jungles, for instance). You could use Healing Breeze for that, but 55MP is a bit of overkill when usually there's only 2-3 people that are still asleep.

Metallic Body is pretty worthless past level 20. It's useful when you're solo to buff your HP by a bit at that point since you can cast it before resting and still have it there when you take on the next enemy, but otherwise not really any point to using it.


Icemage

[IfritnoItazura]

Wild Carrot isn't a fix-all for BLU though. It's the only targetted healing spell that BLU can cast on other players
Don't forget Magic Fruit. (That one can be used on other party members, right?)

* * *

Metallic Body is a waste of spell points; I'd rather have debuffs like Sprout Smack, Wild Oats, or Sandspin than Metallic Body.

[Icemage]

Don't forget Magic Fruit. (That one can be used on other party members, right?)
Yes, but it's so high level (58) that you need to be smacked if you still need to ask these sorts of questions by that point. :)


Icemage

[Khidir]

i was only considering solo but with pt play yes at low lvs /whm has definite benefits

[Celeal]

No.

Oh and Metallic Body sucks and it's not worth the MP and time it takes to cast it.

IMHO, I found that Metallic Body is situationally useful for solo-ing T mobs or below, for BLU/NIN to recast Utsusemi: Ichi without being interrupted: Cocoon, Metallic Body, Head Butt, and Utsusemi: Ichi can work well togather.

[Einhard]

Damn, I'm surprised Lilith didn't jump on this yet. LOL

BLU/PLD is actually one hell of a sub. However, you won't get the full use out of it until you're around lv. 70 where you can get the Auto Refresh trait out of the sub, then lv.74 you have access to Flash. I've found that Flash resist less than Actinic Burst and it can help ya put up your cures and buffs up for that short period of time.

While I understand that the OP is lv.60 at the time of his post, I'd like to shed some light on BLU/PLD and some of the gear and spells are for those who're 75.

I've only played around with it in campaign battles and I learned BLU/PLD from Lilith when we were hanging around the community center, so kudos to him on that.

You get the defense bonus I and II traits. It isn't hot stuff but they're still helpful. You can further boost your defense with Protect II. Undead Killer is meh unless yer fightin' undead (d'uh). Auto Refresh at lv. 70 from PLD sub is sexy, since it no longer requires you to set the four spells needed (two at lv. 75).

Even with a half-assed shield skill from the PLD sub, you can still block attacks with a shield, even if it's proc rate is somewhat low, and you still get that additional TP from Shield Mastery I off of the PLD sub.

With Ethereal & Brutal Earrings, Warwolf Belt, Homam legs/feet/hands, Rajas, Jelly Ring, Amemet+1/Foragers. The list of kick ass gear for BLU/PLD goes on.

Head Butt, Seedspray/Sprout Smack, Frenetic Rip/Hysteric Barrage, Disseverment, Cannonball for your attacking spells. Reactor Cool, Refueling, Cocoon and Diamondhide for your buffs and Magic Hammer & MP Drainkiss for the Aspir. You can burst Magic Hammer from self SCing Light. Reactor Cool and Magic Hammer grants the Magic Attack Bonus I trait, boosting the Aspir spells. Set Chaotic Eye and Zephyr Mantle for the Conserve MP trait. Magic Fruit for that healing power. Don't forget your Cure line spells from PLD sub. Even if you don't use 'em often, they can come in handy.

As Lilith told me, BLU/PLD is a walking wall of death when the right person controls it.

I learned this from him so the credit goes to him. I'm sure Lilith made a post about BLU/PLD somewhere in the forums.

However, at your current level, stick with WHM or NIN sub for soloing. Although, I know you could use this information later on when you desire to try out BLU/PLD later on.

[Zempten]

BLU/BST would work alot better for solo around that lvl.

[Armando]

IMHO, I found that Metallic Body is situationally useful for solo-ing T mobs or below, for BLU/NIN to recast Utsusemi: Ichi without being interrupted: Cocoon, Metallic Body, Head Butt, and Utsusemi: Ichi can work well togather.I retract my statement to a certain extenct because I wasn't aware of how Meticallic Body scales (since it does so so goddamned slowly) and I thought it capped much lower. You're right, it can be used to recast Utsusemi, though its worth is still somewhat debatable since expending 19 MP every fight just to cushion one blow gets very costly, and it's slow as hell. If you just need to kill one thing, it's useful.

Einhard, Aspir is unaffected by MAB if I remember right.

[Losrase]

Damn, I'm surprised Lilith didn't jump on this yet. LOL

BLU/PLD is actually one hell of a sub. However, you won't get the full use out of it until you're around lv. 70 where you can get the Auto Refresh trait out of the sub, then lv.74 you have access to Flash. I've found that Flash resist less than Actinic Burst and it can help ya put up your cures and buffs up for that short period of time.

While I understand that the OP is lv.60 at the time of his post, I'd like to shed some light on BLU/PLD and some of the gear and spells are for those who're 75.

I've only played around with it in campaign battles and I learned BLU/PLD from Lilith when we were hanging around the community center, so kudos to him on that.

You get the defense bonus I and II traits. It isn't hot stuff but they're still helpful. You can further boost your defense with Protect II. Undead Killer is meh unless yer fightin' undead (d'uh). Auto Refresh at lv. 70 from PLD sub is sexy, since it no longer requires you to set the four spells needed (two at lv. 75).

Even with a half-assed shield skill from the PLD sub, you can still block attacks with a shield, even if it's proc rate is somewhat low, and you still get that additional TP from Shield Mastery I off of the PLD sub.

With Ethereal & Brutal Earrings, Warwolf Belt, Homam legs/feet/hands, Rajas, Jelly Ring, Amemet+1/Foragers. The list of kick ass gear for BLU/PLD goes on.

Head Butt, Seedspray/Sprout Smack, Frenetic Rip/Hysteric Barrage, Disseverment, Cannonball for your attacking spells. Reactor Cool, Refueling, Cocoon and Diamondhide for your buffs and Magic Hammer & MP Drainkiss for the Aspir. You can burst Magic Hammer from self SCing Light. Reactor Cool and Magic Hammer grants the Magic Attack Bonus I trait, boosting the Aspir spells. Set Chaotic Eye and Zephyr Mantle for the Conserve MP trait. Magic Fruit for that healing power. Don't forget your Cure line spells from PLD sub. Even if you don't use 'em often, they can come in handy.

As Lilith told me, BLU/PLD is a walking wall of death when the right person controls it.

I learned this from him so the credit goes to him. I'm sure Lilith made a post about BLU/PLD somewhere in the forums.

However, at your current level, stick with WHM or NIN sub for soloing. Although, I know you could use this information later on when you desire to try out BLU/PLD later on.

This is great, I just hit 70 this past Saturday (4 hours a week...thank goodness for Campaign/Campaign Ops).

Now I off to find Lilith's post.