The Beast Within -- A Guide To Blue Mage

I think windbuffet +1 would be a better swap, even with the loss of 1% DW, but I'm not sure.

Some basic numbers on a target with 1000DEF, 700EVA, 180VIT, 160AGI

For a solo BLU/WAR using gearsets in the OP (minor changes like Bleating Mantle instead of Atheling) and self buffs/debuffs only (Nat. meditation, Erratic flutter, Sweeping Gouge):

DW3 DPS: 987
DW4 DPS: 1011

Adding +3 Victory March (or 2x Trust Marches would achieve the same thing, Haste cap):

DW3 DPS: 1270
DW4 DPS: 1239

Change Shetal, keep Marches:
DW3 w/ Windbuffet +1 DPS: 1242
DW4 w/ Windbuffet +1 DPS: 1310

Put Shetal back on, change earrings, keep Marches:
DW3 w/ DA Earring Set DPS: 1231
DW4 w/ DA Earring Set DPS: 1289



Basically DW4 is always a DPS gain, but when you have basically any form of Haste outside of your own you need to switch to Windbuffet Belt +1. If you can afford the loss of support spells, the spellset I posted earlier is probably the best one.

25% Gear
43.75% Magic (Flutter + a single +3 March or 2x Trust Marches)
25% DW + 11% DW OR 30% DW + 5% DW

1 - .36 = .64

1024 - 256 - 448 = 320

320 * .64 = 204

204/1024 = 19.9% Delay remaining, 80.1% Delay reduction (.1% overcap)


1 - .35 = .65

1024 - 256 - 448 = 320

320 * .65 = 208

208/1024 = 20.3% Delay remaining, 79.7% Delay reduction in addition to extra multiattack from Windbuffet

This means additional DW like ring isn't worth it either and you will never need Samba.

Ah, fractional haste instead of a straight % would create a slight discrepancy. Still unsure if I'd want to give up utility spells to achieve DW4 most of the time. Maybe I should get back to work on a Tizona, which would at least make me feel comfortable with losing Battery Charge. Having Yagrush WHMs around would also make it an easier choice.

Hopefully we'll just see that job point expansion soon, and maybe a few spell slots to go with it.

You can drop battery charge without tizona if you:

1) bring med(they are free from the box)

2) reset spell mid run if you know 2 min down time inc

3) ask rdm!

Yeah I'd toss that on a rdm for sure, this update has upped Blu enough that whine from backline can be met with a stfu and do your job.

What box? Nevermind, you mean goblin mystery box. Is it a reliable source though? Super Ethers takes too long to use and Hi-ethers and Elixir Vitae give too little.

I guess you could carry yag drinks but they don't stack and I'm pretty sure SE hasn't changed that. It's too bad that SE doesn't make meds viable anymore. Be a nice boost to the alchemy economy.

Gear wise, this is probably review for everyone but am I missing anything?

Respite Cloak +3 refresh
OR Wivre Hairpin (aug +1 refresh) and a +2 refresh body (3 total)
OR Spurrina Coif (aug with +2 refresh) and a +2 refresh body (4 total)

Serpentes +1 refresh

Refresh ring +1 refresh if you used your SoA choice for that.

Stearc Subligar aug +1 refresh... If you're desperate.

Fucho-no-Obi For when mp is less than ~50%

In cases where you won't loose tp or it doesn't matter you could use a weapon.
Bolelabunga refresh +1
OR 2-h weapon + Oneiros Grip 1 refresh(when below 76% mp)

So if you went all out you could get 8 a tick or 9 a tick when below 50% mp.

You didn't mention poor people like me who use Auspex coif! (just to avoid looking at lolheads with hairpin)

It's a better option than hairpin anyway. You get some def out of it.

It's all situational, no doubt. I just love having that self-reliant MP recovery for when I need it and it'd be great to never even have to take it into consideration. I'm sure I'd still feel like I'd have to make a concession somewhere even with 90 set points. It's like new inventory spaces; you feel spoiled when you get more of it, then it fills up way too fast anyway.

After running some numbers (not posting the wall of maths here, sorry. choose to believe or not to believe, it's your prerogative), Uson/Bura BLU is about 7% behind a Mythic SAM before considering multistep SCs for the SAM.

How's Uson/Bura compare to a Claidheamh Soluis/Bura? Claidheamh Soluis augmented with Accuracy+15 & Double Attack+4. Someone told me Uson still wins but is it just due to the DEX and a bit lower delay? I'd think the DA/higher base dmg would push it ahead.

With the huge WS updates wouldn't the additional WSD bonus be better due to Bias swaying so much more so to WS Damage as apposed to white damage?

But WSD only affects first hit, even with mirror'd WS. I can see it being crazy good for Rudra THF using Alluvion dagger.

As an aside it's hard to justify saving up 3000 for Savage/Expiacion. Although they do basically a guaranteed 12-13k or so at 3000, CDC is doing 6-12k at 1000 TP, so no point in using those WS unless you happen to be at 3000 already, just CDC all the things(not counting Tizona of course).

Claid is still worse with every possible perfect augment, but I am getting some other interesting sword combos coming out ahead. checking to make sure i didnt *** it up

For CDC, the relative potency of +WSDMG has actually dropped.

Have got dual DEX Usons beating any other non-mythic sword combination.

On a target with 1900DEF 870EVA 200VIT 200AGI (using motenten's tojil model), optimized buffs (Haste2, Victory+5, Min5+5, Sword+5, Blade+4, 11Chaos, 11Samurai, Nat.med, Berserk, Smouldering Salisbury, Swwping Gouge, Dia II, Dunna 800skill Frailty for BLU;;;;;Haste,Victory+5, Advancing+5, Min5+5, Blade+4, 11Chaos, 11+Samurai/11 Miser, Hasso, Berserk, Overwhelm, Smouldering Salisbury, Dia II, Dunna 800skill Frailty for SAM) and top tier gear for both the BLU and the Koga SAM, I have BLU coming ahead in DPS by 11.35% before skillchains. BLU affords better buffs and gearing options due to superior haste and accuracy availability, but the gap closes slightly if the SAM is getting Haste II. This is assuming the BLU is going for allout DD, no support spells and only doing self/diffused buffs. On the example target, thanks to dual DEX usons and room for an additional Madrigal mostly, BLU doesn't need to wear any accuracy swap gear outside of whirlpool mask.

Something's probably wrong with my calculations, I can't trust my own numbers this time.

Dual DEX usons eh?

tried with capped attack, uncapped attack, capped accuracy, uncapped accuracy; occassionally, STR uson in main hand came out ahead, but only slightly. Bura was never ahead in offhand. Can only surmise that the 5 extra base damage, additional base damage from DEX, and advantage of less required accuracy in other slots to cap has overtaken the 12str (19 w/str uson incl) and 3DA with this gigantic boost to the weight of CDC's base damage. I can't detect any malfunctions in these calculations that would cause such an enormous disparity. Normally these things come out to a 5-10 DPS difference, but this is bigger than that.

Wow, I never thought I'd be stashing my Bura away...

Give me time to scan for more bugs just in case something is amiss before spending money on a second DEX sword or putting Bura on the shelf. It may be something to do with player error measures (I have WS and spell use delays implemented to simulate someone actually playing the game rather than a "everything is perfectly robotic" circumstance; fun fact, need to double BLU's avg WS delay to 2.8s vs SAM's 1.4s for DPS to match. 2.8s to hit a WS macro is pretty bad, please dont do that) or adjusted delay calculations.

Instead of playing the game, I play spreadsheets. The graphics aren't as good and I don't get to actually kill anything. I wouldn't recommend it.

This is probably silly but if acc is capped how about Mimesis for offhand? 5 less base damage than Uson, but DEX+3 and STR+10.

I don't know about now, but I know before that Mimesis was inferior to just about everything and, at least on Sylph, costs more than a DEX Uson, so I wouldn't recommend it.

Prothescar, I haven't said it before, but the fact that you continue to work on the guide and help players even after leaving the game is damned respectable. Thank you for all the effort you've put into this community.

*** kissing over.

Comes out behind. It's actually 7 less base damage (135 vs 128) which outweights whatever benefits you'd get from the other stats, particularly since spellcasting is useless again outside of debuffs.

Worth noting that Tizona got a significant buff out of all this. Much stronger 3000TP Expiacion + the added AM3 hits being worth 2.25fTP on CDC makes Tizona plain scary.

QFTMFT

Have you tried a model with Xia offhand (capping acc on tojil is pretty ez)

Seconding props to Proth! Damn you for making us thinking about a 2nd Uson but thank you for keeping the faith in Blu, all of us doing Tizona working harder ;p

Wait, is it:

"Bura was never ahead in offhand."

or, as the guide says under Uson:

"It's only better to use this sword in your offhand over Buramenk'ah if your accuracy is severely undercapped..."