Simple question about Focus + Berserk

[DeadlyToothpick]

After hitting 30 (and beyond) with monk I can finally use zerk as a SJ ability. I was just wondering, should I be spreading these abilties apart so I can always have some sort of buff up? For DRK I always spread out my abilities, but for mnk I just stack them to hell and go from there...Just wondering if that's what I should be doing

Any input is appreciated. Sorry if this has been covered before.

[Naota1369]

i hit a macro for zerk + focus at begginning of each battle when available. i find that this works nicely and raises my DoT very much so

[Mullenkamp]

It's at your discretion really...I personally alternated using Berserk one fight, and Focus the next until about level 48-50 when you start fighting a lot of beetles... then it helps to use both. It also isn't a bad idea to save Focus to use before Raging Fists, especially if you're closing out your specialty Fusion skillchain.

[Redlimit]

In an EXP party situation, they key is to be as efficient as possible. This means doing a high ammount of damage constantly for long periods of time.

It is usually better if you don't use both abilities at once. Use one for one battle, then the second ability for the next, then the first one again...

Example:

First battle - use Berserk
Second battle (Chain #1) - use Focus
Third battle (Chain #2) - use Berserk
Fourth battle (Chain #3) - use Focus
.
.
.
This continues until the chain is done. Since both are on 5 minute timers, you should be able to have one of the two abilities on for each fight. Now, if you are at the end of a chain and need to kill an enemy fast, then go for both.

Also note that this is for EXP situations only, although it can apply to other things as well, such as long NM and HNM battles.

If you use both at the same time, you get about 3 minutes of high damage, but then 2 minutes of normal. If you space them out, you should have continuous medium damage with no stopping.

[Mithrael]

When i level MNK (which isn't as often as i 'd really like), I Keep berserk up whenever it's available, and use Focus before multi-hit weapon skills when it's available. Especially in the 30->45 levels, mobs die so easily it's not practical to do a skillchain every battle, so focus is more or less ready for every other skillchain, and will last through the next battle after the skillchain.

[KamaAina]

I use them toegether for added damage on important chain #'s.

Which depending on how good the party is, is either chain #5 or 6+

It takes a while but you will get used to the timer and know when to use it so it is up and ready for important chains.

In most xp parties I am in, I start out with Focus+Berserk

Focus lasts one battle, berserk lasts ~2.5 then when its off after I use my WS if its not dead, or sometimes before the mob gets to camp I use warcry (you dont get agro if no one is engaged and fighting).

In my opinion that is the best way to spread out damage. But I always use them toegether unless my timer gets thrown off from paralyze or something. Apart they are mediocre boosts, but toegether they are really strong, and really make the difference at the end of chains.

[--e]

why use them separately?
Unless you're taking aggro, you want to be doing as much damage as possible. The best way to do this is to stack berserk and focus. Why hit for more damage if you're hitting less often? Why hit more often if you aren't hitting for as much as possible?

Figuring out how the timers work in relation to your exp pt's pulls takes time and intuition, but you'll figure it out eventually. You want the highest % possible of your time exping to be with berserk and focus. You also want to be sure that berserk and focus are stacked on your weaponskills (makes a HUGE difference in rangeki).

You'll figure out as you go what works best for you, but not stacking them sounds to me like using hundred fists and not using focus. Why?

DRK is totally different, though. I'm no expert so feel free to correct me, but in my experience DRK's abilities are mutually exclusive. They don't affect each other. Use berserk - raises attack. Use Last Resort - raises attack. Use Soul Eater - raises attack. Use them all together and you're eating dirt, but that's a separate topic. MNK's focus and berserk (and, too often, dodge too) are closely interrelated in that they aplify each others' effect.

did that make sense?

--e

P.S. this is important to my performance in exp situations, so I'd love it if someone could dissuade me or confirm my position.

[Mithrael]

edit: i apparently can't read...

you want to be doing as much damage as possible

In my pre-51 experience (read: pre-double attack and pre-kick), multi-hit weapon skills for my MNK are too inconsistent to not have the help of Focus. The availability of of accuracy gear is pretty slim. Even with my 2 sniper rings, raging would often only land 2-3 hits on IT flies or beetles. Focus usually brought it up to 4-5, which effectively doubled weapon skill damage. Then for the next fight both abilities would generally be active, etc.

I don't doubt that by the time you're 51, 60, 70, etc. that accuracy becomes less of an issue with weapon skills and that you don't have to be as careful to have the focus crutch. If only Agressor were a lv.35 job skill....

[FinalPhantasy13]

Level 58 and sence about level 40 I have always used them seprately. why? cause using them together may mean one great battle, but then the next battle you are kinda just there. By using them seprately one battle you may not be hitting extremely hard the first battle, but you are hitting consistantly. And the second battle you may miss a little more than you would like, but you are getting in stronger hits. IMO our diffrence from other melee jobs is our ability to be consistant, and spreading out the abilities means ultimate consistancy. That way, you never have a fight when you feel like you are just kinda there. Hope that helped.

[Rones]

I really don't see why you would use them seperately. Each enhances the effect the other has, focus gets more bonus out of berserk, and vice versa. Sure one fight will be weaker, but your overall DoT average with the two fights combined will be greater if you had put both effects together. If you are worried about one mediocre fight after you use both, organize with your other DD. If its a drk or war for example have him use his abilities one fight and use yours the other.

Combing these two great effects really shine since you get so much more out of them cobmined than you do seperately.

[Redlimit]

Using them seperately means you are doing greater damage over time than if you stack them. This is good for EXP situations (because they last a long time), or other long battles (HNM, BCNM, Mission Arenas, etc).

By stacking them you get about 2 minutes of high damage, 1 minute of medium-high damage, and 2 minutes of regular damage. This also means that you only get to stack your abilities about every second fight. You will have to go entire fights without a combat boosting ability.

Staggering them, you get medium-high damage constantly, with no breaks (the refresh timers will always overlap so you can always have one or the other on in every battle). Over time you will be doing more damage this way.

By all means, stack them if you are fighting one enemy, or in a short battle (basically any non-EXP situation), but for EXP parties, efficiency and consistency rule above all else. Completely wasting one enemy, then doing normal damage on the next is worse than doing good damage on all enemies.

[Rones]

Lets say each boosts your offensive abilties by 50%. Using them together isn't going to simply give you 100% boost, the way each compliments the other I say you would get 125-150% boost from it (numbers just for examples sake). At the very worst you break even in DoT.

Consider for example 5 mins of fighting, you use focus for the first 2 min and then berserk for the last 3. You get above average damage for the whole fight. Now consider using berserk and focus at the same time at the start of the battle. Your DoT for the 5 mins will be higher because each of those berserked hits have a greater chance of hitting and each of those more accurate swings are going to hit harder. Each ability compliments the other resulting in a higher performance than you get seperate.

This is the same idea behind exp parties in the first place, together your stronger than individually. You don't fight monsters 1 at a time in line.

efficiency and consistency rule above all else.

In this situation, they run countrary to the other. You will get your highest efficieny of DoT by combining, and highest consistency with alternating them. You have find a nice balance among the two. In this case I recommend you alternate using job ablities with your other DD which raises your consistency without hurting your efficieny (since his abilities don't boost the effect yours have, efficiency is unaffected).