Souleater...wondering

[Hisdon]

I've been toying around with my favorite skill in the game for a while now...and I've tried two different meathods of using it...both times I start it at 3/4th the mob's health to make sure the tank has enough agro

meathod 1) for a while I used it every other fight, if the tank was good (didn't do this often on the degree that most PLD's simply blow...if I land a crit hit, they loose agro) I'd use Berserk one fight, Souleater the next. Worked well but at that Chain 5 mob I never had it up. =/

meathod 2) I save it for that last mob of the chain. I warn the PLD far in advance (and he knows what I plan to do this fight) so he makes a fuckton of hate. This works well but I feel my damage is a little lacking during the rest of our chains

what one would be most politically correct? =/

[Thorrion]

I always found the best way is to go more and more offensive as the chain goes on...

Mob #1: No special abilities - there's no need since there's no timer on the first mob.

Mob #2: Try for no specials again, should have plenty of time to kill.

Mob #3: Go Berserk, this should last through mob 3 and 4 easily, assuming the group is killing well enough not to have downtime by now.

Mob #4: Depending on the power of the group... if 4 is going to be the final one before downtime, use Souleater... if you're going to reach a 5th, save Souleater for that.

Just my thoughts.

[gix]

One thing on Souleater: if your PLD can't handle the hate, try to go behind him and have him cover you. That should give you some breathing space for a few hits.

[Kosy]

My sig simply states my new found excitement (read below).

With that said, I turned on Soul Eater about a week ago. I don't trust ANY tank to cover me or take back the hate. I used to try it at 2/3 of Mob's HP down, but that don't work. I think when you have a Raging Fist happy MNK in the party, thing's ... change :sweat:

However, I still output just a tad bit more damage than the MNK or DRG. We always can get Chain to #4, 5 without too much stress either. We always renkei each battle (sometimes even the first one in an exp chain).

Now, with my increased attack and damage output, I think our Tanks will have a hard enough time. DRG will get Pentathrust very very soon (about 2 ws level away). I don't think there's any need to upset the hate balance anymore than it will be already.

It's kind of strange, but I don't notice that much more of an improvement in damage when I do turn on Soul Eater *shrugs*. For now, I won't bother until at higher levels, when supposedly the tanks will be more competant at that time.

[kazthegun]

i use souleater in three situations:

1. during renkei, if the tank is good enough to maintain hate for a 250-500 dmg vorpal scythe, or if i'm starting the skillchain for a thf to fuidama onto the tank, i will alternate using souleater and last resort with the WS (vorpal scythe in this case) in order to help turn the mob.

2. when the mob has 1/3 - 1/4 hp left. i usually end up turning the mob a short time before it dies, and if PT'd with a pld, i get cover'd.

3. in emergency situations, such as if the tank is near-death, there is a link and sleep/lullaby is getting resisted, etc.

[Madison]

Originally posted by kazthegun
i use souleater in three situations:

1. during renkei, if the tank is good enough to maintain hate for a 250-500 dmg vorpal scythe, or if i'm starting the skillchain for a thf to fuidama onto the tank, i will alternate using souleater and last resort with the WS (vorpal scythe in this case) in order to help turn the mob.

2. when the mob has 1/3 - 1/4 hp left. i usually end up turning the mob a short time before it dies, and if PT'd with a pld, i get cover'd.

3. in emergency situations, such as if the tank is near-death, there is a link and sleep/lullaby is getting resisted, etc.

I Only use Soul eater for those purpose's listed well not on renkei i dont notice a huge increase in dmg on vorpal so i dont bother.

[Kosy]

Originally posted by gix
One thing on Souleater: if your PLD can't handle the hate, try to go behind him and have him cover you. That should give you some breathing space for a few hits.

BTW, how exactly does Cover work? I know this is probably the wrong place to ask this, but you mentioned it in here, so I'll ask anyway =P

I have partied with about 8 PLDs already. Each one of them were like ... uh ... and only a couple actually used it while another told me how it supposedly worked and when I did what he said, it didn't do anything ... :confused:

Last night, this was the situation: I pull with Abs-AGI. This was on Exoray (VT). It hits me with 2 hits (almost 160 dmg total). S'okay, I should've lost hate with that ><

PLD uses Flash + Provoke. Standard stuff I guess (My own PLD is only level 14, I don't know this stuff!)

I hit it for my first strike (MNK and DRG was faster to draw and hit it already) for 145. I didn't notice if it was critical or not, but it was an abnormally high damage for a normal. Immediately I get hit. PLD does Shield Bash. Okay, I guess that's taken care of ...

... no. My 2nd hit was for a critical of 176. Again, I got slapped my Exoray. Only this time ... I got bitchslapped three times in a row, at which point I used Stun and ran behind the PLD, since he said that that's what I was suppose to do when he used Cover.

So here I am, behind PLD, stun wears off and supposedly Cover is in effect. Woohoo! What's this? Why is my HP in the orange now? Bitchslapped again for 3 more hits (Damn, I landed 3 more criticals totalling 500+ dmg). MNK provokes. DRG provokes.

Finally, it went after the MNK after Raging Fists and the Frogkicks his crotch for 378 dmg and hits him with Dark Spore for 423 -_-;;

So again, how does Cover work?

Another example. This was a while back so my memory is fuzzy. I'm smacking this Coeurl (Yhoator) for 3 criticals in a row and my hate-fate is pretty much sealed. All of a sudden - BAM! - PLD is in front of me (Either my 9600 Pro cheated and redrew his character in one frame or I'm seeing things) out of thin air. He takes blows for me, uses 'Vokes and calmly walks back to the opposite side. o.O How in hell ...

Same with another PLD. In each of these two last examples, I didn't "run behind" the PLD. The PLDs in both cases seem to have teleported their bodies in front of me and took the blows and hate away. Very ... strange.

:angel:

[ENWEH]

first monster: no ability
chain 1: no ability
chain 2: berserk
chain 3: berserk should carry over (last resort before renkei if it hasn't)
chain 4: last resort or berserk
chain 5: souleater + whatever else is up (Time I start depends on situation. When in a hurry I tell the PLD and healer I will be starting immediately then get behind PLD. PLD should provoke/flash/shieldbash/cover while the healer concentrates on me with PLD doing spot heals on himself. Usually have haste and you should be able to land a souleater renkei. This completely kills WHM mp and that's why I save it for last chain.)

Edit: if you plan on using any spells do it before souleater otherwise you waste a good portion of souleater casting.

[Valor]

I stopped using souleater for regular swings a long time ago. I only use it if I am behind in TP or we are fighting something beyond my level range.

Souleater now is just too much hate for any Paladin to handle, without wasting too much mana. It is not feasible anymore. Four swings max, the mob is on me.

Most of the time now, I combine Souleater with a weaponskill.

[Kosy]

Originally posted by ENWEH
first monster: no ability
chain 5: souleater + whatever else is up (Time I start depends on situation. When in a hurry I tell the PLD and healer I will be starting immediately then get behind PLD. PLD should provoke/flash/shieldbash/cover while the healer concentrates on me with PLD doing spot heals on himself. Usually have haste and you should be able to land a souleater renkei. This completely kills WHM mp and that's why I save it for last chain.)

Not unless you fight an Exoray. A PLD would not be able to cure himself and so would put extreme pressure on WHM due to Frogkick and Dark Spore. I must imagine there are other kinds of monsters like Exorays ...

[gix]

For Cover, think reserve fuidama position. Stand behind the PLD, have him Cover you, and it should say "Tank has covered Drk!" The next few hits the tank should take for you(assuming the mob is attacking you), which buys him enough time to take the hate back.

[ENWEH]

Originally posted by Kosy


Not unless you fight an Exoray. A PLD would not be able to cure himself and so would put extreme pressure on WHM due to Frogkick and Dark Spore. I must imagine there are other kinds of monsters like Exorays ...

Exorays should never be killed for exp as far as I'm concerned. Too easy for your group to get wiped out then the next group then the next then the next. No amount of skill can protect you from the random super hit.