For The Shinies! A Guide For Thief

Not applicable to you, but I'm doing B path but keeping it at Rank2, at least until I find out the improved stats on the REM weapons.

If you're not using THF for SoA stuff, you should most likely go the STR route.

There's a solid argument for Evasion route too as pure DD weapons are more likely to get replaced quicker with new content compared to niche defensive weapons.

I mean, Aphotic will be replaced as a pure DD dagger as soon as relics are upgraded. There's nothing stopping you dropping the 38~mil on taking the STR path to rank 15, however as soon as you get Izhiikoh and update your Relic, it will be completely redundant. If you make the AGI path then even with Izhiikoh and upgraded Relic, Aphotic will still have a niche use as a defensive weapon. The same way that an AGI Thokcha did.

I would never Rank 15 Aphotic on the STR or DEX path knowing that the relic adjustment is coming up. It just seems completely illogical to drop that much gil on something I know is going to be replaced so soon.

I hope no one is taking any weapon to 15. Leave aphotic at rank 2 str and then switch paths when it gets replaced. It's not overly complicated.

For fodder mobs where my attack is already capped, will I get more mileage out of the double attack from /war or haste samba from /dnc? Not sure if this is gear dependent so my tp set is:
ItemSet 302462

Have no intention of making mandau.

This is assuming everyone making these weapons had a relic to start with. Some people consider ranking up Bereaver as a waste, but not everyone who plays DRK has a Ragnarok.

What fodder content are you doing where you're attack is capped without berserk? That TP set you posted is around 590-600 attack unbuffed. Let's give benefit of the doubt and say you're elvaan so 600ish. + 140ish (again highballing) from RCB is 740. You're not using Acid Bolts so unless you're doing this fodder content with a mage who's casting Dia II, the only mobs you'll be capping attack on are Greater Colibri lol.
Even with Acid Bolts and Dia II a mob would have to have 400 DEF or less for you to be attack capped unless you're rolling with a cor or brd. For reference we assume DC dynamis mobs to have 430-450ish def.

Sorry bro but u wont cap attack on shiz using dat

In light of your response my question may look pretty weird. Perhaps I poorly formulated it and made some wrong assumptions regarding capped attack. I'm trying to blow through trash mobs to make a 2-4 attack dagger for kicks, which requires killing lots of weak mobs for the trials (I guess additionally it doesn't make sense that I put Pug as my offhand in that set). I probably should have included that bit of info and been more specific about what I was trying to actually DO. A few examples of EP mob types I need:

Arcana x700
Lizards x700
Beasts x700
Amorphs x700

I may have subconsciously been trying to avoid the inevitable pointless "why are you making a 2-4 attack dagger" critiques, and due to that I overgeneralized my question and omitted relevant info-- that was my bad. In case my reason for making this dagger is relevant to anyone though, it's really just for fun :) A lot of my goals were obliterated by the Matsui bomb, and this is free with a fun result, so I figured why not. Hopefully that clarifies things a bit.


I'm not deluded enough to think I would be capping attack on meaningful mobs. Though my assumption that I would be even on very low end mobs could have been wrong too, as I said above. My intention was not "I am so pimp I can cap attack on XX, look at my pimp attack-capped set." I posted my gearset simply to avoid any follow-ups requesting it. I don't think my gear is amazing and I wasn't implying that it is even remotely so.

Edit:

I'm also eating yellow curry buns (in fact, lets include RCB too) if needed, and I have +24 (total) attack from augments on Aphotic and the two Manibozho pieces. I have a RDM mule so Dia III is on the table. I'm a taru with capped STR+DEX merits.

Edit 2:

Ninja edits for clarity

If you're killing ***for trials like those, I would say you probably can assume to be attack capped on pre-75 EPs if you're using acid bolts. If you're doing them in abyssea, assuming RR/GH/Apoc, I would say you probably wont be capped.

If you have a pocket mage to keep you cured, go /war, if you don't and you're solo, go /dnc for cures more than anything else.

Coolness, thanks.

This confuses me. I'm quoting this from the Mercy Stroke + SA Delve NQ Set comments. I'm wondering if I'm just missing some part like "wear this just in case the mob turns so you'll actually hit" or something like that (I admit I skipped right to the Mercy Stroke part because that's what I'm interested in at the moment). If you're stacking the WS with Sneak Attack, why does accuracy make any difference?

I can't speak for the guide itself but Sneak Attack only modifies (guarantees) the first hit of a WS. Though Mercy Stroke is a single hit (it's not if you're dual wielding like you ought to be), THF is jam-full of Double, Triple, and Quadruple attack possibilities. The accuracy would affect those extra swings.

So basically they're the same, and if multi-attack kicks in (and there's a high chance that it should) then the accuracy from the hat pushes it over the top when fighting delve mobs. That makes sense to me. Thank you Tikal.

Bingo. You're welcome. I'm not sure how much of a difference it will make, but that's my educated guess on the logic.

Actually sneak and trick modify the first hit but I'm pretty sure it also guarantees a second hit, if there is one.

So it's 100% accuracy on two hits and force critical and damage boost on first hit.

Guarantees the off-hand hit. Don't call it the second hit, it's misleading.

Only exception is Sturmwind where both hits are guaranteed, for some reason.

Good to know it guarantees the off-hand hit.

Two hits are guaranteed. If you're dual wielding, the offhand takes precedence so you're guaranteed first and offhand but if you're single wielding for whatever reason, you get two hits when stacking if the ws you're using is >1 hit or you double, triple, or quadruple attack during a 1 hit ws

Hmm, you appear to be right. I stand corrected.

Curious how one would prove that, simple because if you triple on Mercy stroke (single-wield), making it a three-prong attack, but miss the two extra strokes, the TP return would make it look like you never triple'd to begin with.

Assassin's Charge.

^

Blind Potion, high level mob, floored accuracy. SA AC Mercy Stroke/Viper Bite/Any other one hit WS.

Check for 2hit TP return.

I thought this was proved back on alla years ago. There was a big thing about sa working for 100% acc on all 2hit WSs, not just stormwind (double thrust and impulse drive I remember at least)

OK, it's time to update the equipment portion guide, because I've realized I don't trust it to help upgrade my own gear, and I want to pay closer attention to dDEX levels this time around. Here's what I'm thinking:

Most equipment sections should have SIX gearsets:
* Pre-Abyssea gearset, 100K item price limit. Gear good enough to get you working in Abyssea.
* Post-Abyssea, basic VW, Dynamis, Delve Low-Tier gearset, 1M item price limit. Anything you can get solo or by doing easy shout pugs.
* Salvage II, NNI, Meebles, Delve High-Tier gearset, NQ Legion, R/M/E. 10M item price limit except for R/M/E. Anything you can get with a decent LS.
* Delve megabosses, Wildskeeper, Khepri, fully augmented Hecatomb. Everything in the game.
* The last two sets in high-accuracy gear.

I would use Pil (with only stalwart's for a buff) for the low-accuracy sets, and Delve Fodder for the high-accuracy sets. Delve Fodder makes for a good high-accuracy benchmark because while NMs are significantly more evasive, you're much more likely to get buffs to compensate, but for fodder you're often stuck with your gear and food accuracy-wise. Pil, I don't have any good justification, but I only want to do one target for low-accuracy sets.

And yes, I know the one-handed update is coming soon.

What do people think? What would you change about this plan?

Sounds like a reasonable plan to me.

That sounds to me like a good plan, staging the best in slot of each gear set by stages is very practical, just showing what's best now isn't helpful to 99% of the players atm, due to where the gear comes from...
Also I'm stealing this as I been thinking of doing something like that for the Bard Guide, when I get time...

I think this is very true, I notice even in farming as Thf (dynamis) in high damage out put gear you kill to fast and proc slow, changing up to more of an evasion set while proc'ing I have found useful. Also helps to take a little less damage, which in turn saves TP. NOTE: after proc go full DD of course. Damage out put is still significant even with evasion dagger.

Hey Guys,
Sorry this is a bit off topic, but as a fresh 99 THF what should be my targets for gearing up first?

Depends what you are needing THF for, but getting TH gear (Raider's+2 boots, assassin's armlets and TH Knife) is a good start, Raider's +1/2 set is probably the wisest first goal (need to get you out of the fugly pink gear), Aluh Jambiya is a solid dagger til you get the Delve one.
I'll be ingame in about 3hrs (at work atm) if you need any questions answering (since we're on the same server)

i'm trying to revamp my wife's base sets for thf, the ws set is pretty straight forward having read the thread, but tp seems to be the main variable here. this is what i've thrown together from what ive read for general content on her thf (dyna, general fodder, etc)

ItemSet 276100

we lowman alot so planning to stay away from rancor

im curious if (excluding salvage gear for the moment) there are any simple upgrades/fixes to consider. i figure oynos will be better for anything without a mage for haste but the listed daggers are her real dd options. she has access to most gear just work and events keep us slow on the salvage front, this is stepping up from the af3 head hands/af2 feet and thaumas build from pre-delve/salvage v2

oh and st1 dagger turned in, wont happen until rme update though