Smn / Blu

[Cecilisimo]

Hey folks,

Sorry if this has been mentioned before in this forum but i couldn't find it so i thought id ask.

Would SMN/BLU be a good combo? What do you all think would be the PROs and CONs of this combo?

Any help would be great

[Feba]

No.

SMN/WHM. Learn it, live it, love it.

[na2tt300zx]

No.

SMN/WHM. Learn it, live it, love it.

agreed

[Cecilisimo]

Ima def go for SMN/WHM for partying but i was just interested in the possibility of SMN/BLU for soloing, wondered wht the advantages / disadvantages of this combo would be

[LoneGamer]

Usually, soloing as a SMN means Avatar kiting. So, the more MP you have the better. WHM sub > BLU sub for that, too.

[Rain_Blade]

Smn/blu thread: Smn/blu

[Cecilisimo]

Hmm ok thanks folks, /BLU might be fun to play around with, but for practicallity of soloing and partying it seems that /BLU just doesnt get good enough stats/spells to be of any real use until 30+ even then it seems very limited in what it can do for you. I think the mana pool from /WHM would be the best bet since the whole point of being SMN is to summon things...the more time you can have them out and the more MP they have disposable for abilites the better. As i understand, the mana pool from /BLM is a benefit too since they have a very high mana pool, however this doesnt seem to appeal to me for similar reasons, even though i play as BLM currently. I've just started lvling my WHM this weekend, so ill get him to a suitable lvl ready for when i unlock SMN.

Thanks for the input folks

[Omgwtfbbqkitten]

Usually, soloing as a SMN means Avatar kiting. So, the more MP you have the better. WHM sub > BLU sub for that, too.

Soloing also means risking taking lots of damage, at 32, SMN/BLU would have Cocoon, Auto Regen, Beast Killer and Healing Breeze whereas with /WHM they wouldn't have things like Auto Regen til 50. It might only be 20 HP recovered a minute, but when you solo, you might see a bit of resting and this is very potent with the signet changes of late. SMN would still see access to curative magic from Carbuncle and Leviathan and varying levels, too.

/WHM would be better for straight-out curing, but since SMN solo almost always entails doing so at a distance while carby does the work, you shouldn't be in mob range while doing Healing Breeze anyway. Earthen Ward and Aerial Armor are also very useful and I'd think Cocoon would be better in a pinch than Protect or Protect II anyway.

[Cecilisimo]

Soloing also means risking taking lots of damage, at 32, SMN/BLU would have Cocoon, Auto Regen, Beast Killer and Healing Breeze whereas with /WHM they wouldn't have things like Auto Regen til 50. It might only be 20 HP recovered a minute, but when you solo, you might see a bit of resting and this is very potent with the signet changes of late. SMN would still see access to curative magic from Carbuncle and Leviathan and varying levels, too.

/WHM would be better for straight-out curing, but since SMN solo almost always entails doing so at a distance while carby does the work, you shouldn't be in mob range while doing Healing Breeze anyway. Earthen Ward and Aerial Armor are also very useful and I'd think Cocoon would be better in a pinch than Protect or Protect II anyway.

Hmm i think its certainly worth trying out, just to see, its hard to know exactly what it would be like until its tried first hand. Worth trying especially after obtaining Leviathan for the healing abilities. Omgwtfbbqkitten has a good point about auto-regen and caccoon so it could be a viable choice for soloing.

as far as partying goes though i think the best bet is still old faithful SMN/WHM


From reading into the subject more, it seems that as /BLU relies heavily on Physical stats such as STR it would probably be more suited to a melee job such as DRK or PLD than to a SMN, the added extra MP strain of casting blue magic (same goes for BLM) would take time away from avatar lifespan and MP that would be better spent on abilities such as Blinkga and Stoneskinga (in a PT situation anyway) or Levviathans healing abilities.

[Silent Howler]

I've been thinking... Smn/Whm is probably the best overall for party situations, and not a bad combination for solo either...but what about the solo avatar fights?

For Smn/Whm, the spells you may use in those fights are Aquaveil, Protect, Cure, Dia, and Banish. Aquaveil is nice because it lowers your chance of spell interruption. Helpful when you need to get Carby out quick. Protect is a given. Cure is nice in a tight spot and if you have the MP to spare. Dia and Banish are there to use if they're still alive after the three Searing Lights.

Smn/Blu, they can use both Metallic Body and Cocoon, which are nice because it is very likely that you will get hit during these fights. Wild Oats doesn't have much use in battle, but it gives you +10HP, and +HP is suggested. Pollen is basically the same as Cure, but also gives +5HP when set. And then there are a few others that can help beat the avatar if they are still alive towards the end.

Main reason to pick /Whm: Probably Aquaveil.
Main reason to pick /Blu: Probably Metallic Body.

[Icemage]

I've been thinking... Smn/Whm is probably the best overall for party situations, and not a bad combination for solo either...but what about the solo avatar fights?

For Smn/Whm, the spells you may use in those fights are Aquaveil, Protect, Cure, Dia, and Banish. Aquaveil is nice because it lowers your chance of spell interruption. Helpful when you need to get Carby out quick. Protect is a given.

Cure is nice in a tight spot and if you have the MP to spare. Dia and Banish are there to use if they're still alive after the three Searing Lights.

Smn/Blu, they can use both Metallic Body and Cocoon, which are nice because it is very likely that you will get hit during these fights. Wild Oats doesn't have much use in battle, but it gives you +10HP, and +HP is suggested. Pollen is basically the same as Cure, but also gives +5HP when set. And then there are a few others that can help beat the avatar if they are still alive towards the end.

Main reason to pick /Whm: Probably Aquaveil.
Main reason to pick /Blu: Probably Metallic Body.

Are you talking about Prime Avatar fights? Because you do realize you can't use any subjobs in the mini-fork battles, right?

Couple of quick comments on the main topic:

Main reasons to use /WHM:
Protect I/II
Shell I/II
Curaga I/II
Erase and other inexpensive status-removal
Blink
Stoneskin

Main reasons to use /BLU:
Coccoon
Healing Breeze

Metallic Body isn't worth the MP or time to cast. It absorbs so little damage that it's almost obsolete the moment you get it, and never improves. The offensive Blue Magic doesn't do anything when subbed; it stops working on much of anything once you pass around level 10/5. The accuracy of Blue Magic revolves around your Blue Magic skill, so most of the offensive debuffs and attack spells just start failing with no effect beyond that point.

In other words: SMN/BLU is useful up to around level 10, maaybe a level or two beyond.


Icemage

[Silent Howler]

Are you talking about Prime Avatar fights? Because you do realize you can't use any subjobs in the mini-fork battles, right?

Yes you can. For the mini-fork battles at least. How else could I have used Aquaveil after entering the fight?

[Saren]

Nevermind >< Didn't see Silent Howler saying exactly the same thing I was doing. Sorry

[Rain_Blade]

Are you talking about Prime Avatar fights? Because you do realize you can't use any subjobs in the mini-fork battles, right?

You can use subjobs. You just can't use any other avatar other than carbuncle if you got those two mixed up.

[Icemage]

Yes you can. For the mini-fork battles at least. How else could I have used Aquaveil after entering the fight?

Hmm... I must be thinking of Maat.

Either way, though, Aquaveil is a level 12 WHM spell. There's no way you can cast it in the avatar fight, with or without a subjob since the level cap is 20.

You can take any buffs you want in with you, however - so you can cast it before going in and have it for however long it lasts.

This is one of those times when you might use /BLU, since Coccoon is only level 8. It might save you a bit of pain and suffering, since you have Pollen to replace Cure I, as well as Coccoon which vastly outperforms Protect.


Icemage