Keeping hate?

[TheBruce]

On the low damage monsters mentioned earlier. I don't even bother if the monster is an easy/decent monster. The monk in my group will just be destroying it quading for 200+. So I just let the monk work their evasion up.

With higher level monsters agro is tricky. I won't lie, a dark with soul eater/berserk/last resort or a ranger or even a monk (sometimes the monk draws more agro than even a ranger/dark, just because they lay such a beatdown) will at some point get agro that cannot be prevented.

It is teamwork. I tell my party to not use our devestating skill chain (Vorpal Blade => Sidewinder => Raging Fists) till I've accumalated enough damage for a flash than cure III than a second provoke. After that the monster might still turn to either the monk or the ranger and if we are timing ancient magic it becomes even a bigger problem. Darks I tell to step up their damage gently, so if they use soul eater I use sentinel, last resort I use bash and if they use Guillotine than I hit the monster with flash right off the bat and hopefully a voke/cure III or a cover in extreme situations will keep it on me. Darks abilities are on a similiar timer as paladins, so when they step it up, you do the same.

Also, don't think you haven't done your job as a paladin if you have to cover another party member . Other classes abilities are such agro inducers that nothing will completely keep the monster on you. I constantly have 3 cover macros for the 2 melee's in my party and the blm.

[Lyonesse]

You need more and more MP as you get higher in level to keep aggro. Normal methods just don't cut it once you hit 35. MP becomes uber essential.

At a start of a fight, I normally yank at the WHM to only keep me maintenance healed and let me drain my MP and skill banks to build aggro up. Sentinel, Cure IIIx2, Provoke, Shield Bash, WS, and another Provoke builds a stupendous amount of hate. It's enough that a DRK at level 40 can stack SE/LR/Berserk and not get aggro'd. It's also enough hate for a THF to toss a 450 damage STV off and not get the person he did it behind aggro'd. Just does wonders having MP =D. It's funny because the Japanese WHM in my party at the moment was puzzled as to why he hadn't gotten hit once in 3 hours. The two BLMs had gotten hit a grand total of 3 times in 5 hours. >=)

PLD/WHM aggro dynamics are also quite interesting but that's another thread entirely.

[TheBruce]

Problem with chaincasting cures is you blow your mana pool in 1 or 2 fights, even with refresh or ballad. Also your not attacking so doing no damage (yes we do little damage compared to other classes, but that damage is still a good portion of the monsters hp) and your not building tp for renkeis. (Unless your not in one which happens half the time).

If you want to get to exp chain 5 you have to conserve your mana through the fights, and getting super agro (which is sometimes needed, but not always) will just slow your party down because you'll need mana for the later monsters.

[Lyonesse]

Do note that my my list of aggro builders only used Cure III twice =P.

However, in most cases another melee pull while I rest for some MP and I use Starlight for additional MP gain. It's also not like I have a giant shortage of MP. I have like 220+ with my current gear setup or so at level 40.

[Kagi]

Starlight? What are you doing with that club? :sweat:

I'm always in a group that pulls really fast inbetween fights (sometimes I don't even get to regen anything by sitting), so pacing both mp and job abilities is important. No point using both bash and sentinel one fight and not having anything ready for the next. Also, once you get to 50-60 and thereafter the melee damage dealers start getting very much better damage through weaponskills and such... and the mages get ancients and higher level spells.

TP can be important for hate even out of a renkei. Many a time I've run out of everything to use in a battle and ws is the only thing I have left.

[Somajan]

I used to heal bomb cures all the time, then I thought of experimenting with a different system.

Baiscally I start off with a Cure II then afterwards the monster is basically locked on to me for a while, I'll then update the hate with a random Cure I here and there. It works actually, and the WHM uses cure I's on me to keep me alive. I usually end up using around 36-48 mana every battle, this is Qufim BTW, Haven't gone up to the heavier monsters yet.

[Lilandra]

quick question for you guys 3 or 4 lvls ahead, Vorpal blade, how much damage is it doing to an IT++ mob, also how much tp is it giving if you hit with every attack? I ask because im thinking of grabbing a life belt and accuracy + stuff i can. My reasoning: If i can spam Vorpal Blade and make it hit (with accuracy +) it would add to hate.
Just wondering

[TheBruce]

Not a bad idea actually. It varies on damage. Anywhere from 50-350 or so. My best is probably around 800 on some noob monster.

It gives around 30% back. So you do gain tp pretty quick.

Best thing about vorpal blade is how sick it looks. Its just violent looking on my elvaan.

[Lyonesse]

I use club for Seraph and Starlight at the moment (and eventually Moonlight when I get it next level). To be honest, I really don't like Shining Blade much and not sure if I'm going to like Seraph Blade at all. Club is a really nice alternative. It doesn't do the damage that a sword does (about 5-10 points differnece between an Royal Squire's mace and a HUnting sword) but it works wonders if you want to support the party while tanking at the same time. I always get caught in situations where I need a little MP (having odd MP numbers kinda sucks) whether it's to cast Flash or Cure III and Starlight always helps.

Besides, the more weapons you're good with, the better you can skillchain and more options for you to do in battle. And the skillcap for Sword and Club is exactly the same