Difference between Shellra and Bar*****ra?

[Telona]

Shellra says it increases magic defense. Does that mean basically it protect some amount versus all types of magic (fire, water, paralyze, etc) at the same time, while the Bar*****ra spells offer even more specific protection against that one magic type?

And if so, is there an idea how they compare numerically? Obviously the best is to have both up, but for let's say a Fire Bomb, would Shellra or Barfira offer more protection?

[Icemage]

The strength of Shell, like Protect, is constant. The barXXXX spells, on the other hand, seem to take their power from your Enhancing Magic skill, so a direct comparison of the spells is not possible.

In general, the bar<element> spells are mostly pretty useful against attacks of that element, and barpoison(ra) is handy as well.

The bar<status> effects, on the other hand, are of limited use at best at the moment. From personal experience, they offer little to no protection against those effects when the enemy is more powerful than you are (which is almost always the case).


Icemage