Instant Stoneskin, Blink, Phalanx

[Khamsin]

So, I've noticed that Lv.50 Blink is 5 shadows.

I'm not certain exactly how much Stoneskin is, but its a decent amount. I've noticed it's varied from person to person, among those who have attempted to parse it.

I don't know how effective Phalanx is since I haven't tried using it.

However, I have enough extra FP to swap Blink for Phalanx, which would stretch out stoneskin and get more efficiency out of my Auto-Regen. But, how good is Phalanx? Is Lv.50 Phalanx better than 5 shadows from Lv.50 Blink?

Also, how does Lv.50 Dread Spikes do?

Basically, I have 40 FP open for defensive feral skills, so it's either gonna be Stoneskin + Blink, Stoneskin + Phalanx, or Dread Spikes.

[Kur]

I've been using a RDM/WHM evil weapon with stoneskin and phalanx, usually gives me enough time to wittle down an opponents health to where I can't be beat unless I get unlucky. I just wish I could find more even level opponents (lvl 34 atm) so I could get a better idea of how the insta spells are working.

[souleman]

Watched a fight where (once stoneskin broke) the average hits were 26 damage. Took 12 hits to break stoneskin, but 1 of those hits was a crit. So it was approximately 286 damage + the crit hit. Only 2 crit's after stoneskin was down, and they were both between 50 and 60. That would put it at right around 340. So I would guess level 50 stoneskin is probably the same as maxed RDM stoneskin (right about 350).

Phalanx I haven't figured out a way to determine.

I use dread spikes, and at level 50 have seen it drain anywhere from 250 to 350 total. My guess would be that it is also a 350 max, and when it only drained 250, the other mob had some type of magic def bonus going on (not sure who owned it so couldn't ask).


note: this was from scrolling up and looking at logs, not an actual parse, so take it for what its worth.

[Thufir]

For Instant Dread Spikes has been draining 4hp for each level of the skill in the fights that i've been able to watch so far. Which would put it at draining 200hp at lvl 50 skill.

[Doc]

I have lvl50 Instant Phalanx on my mandy and it's awesome. Significantly cuts down damage, but run into problems if the mob is able to dispel. :/

[rath]

I had lvl 50 spikes. Unless they start innate, I would not waste fp on them. Everyone uses stoneskin and wastes your spikes. Plus arcana resist most of the damage, and undead resist it 100%

Level 50 spikes seemed to drain 200 points worth of damage, regardless of your mobs HP base.

[Priran]

Neither is always better than the other, it really depends on what kind of mob yours is and what you think you'll be fighting.

Phalanx is better for Mimics and Crabs focusing on defense.
Blink is better for Chigoes.
Phalanx is better for damage-oriented mobs when chigoes, monks, black mages, and ninjas are expected to be the biggest threat.
Blink is better when your damage mob expects to fight mainly things that hit once a round.

Blink also has the advantage of costing half the FP and being harder to Dispel.

Stoneskin and Dread Spikes are 200 HP.

[Not Kuno]

Blink also gets rocked by Pit Ambush.

[senseless]

phalanx lv50 reduces 20 dmg per hit on physical and magical dmg.

Tested on mobs with dread spikes. Also tested on mobs that have additional effects capped to where it would 50 dmg to others, but 30 dmg to ppl with phalanx.

[Khamsin]

Originally Posted by senseless

phalanx lv50 reduces 20 dmg per hit on physical and magical dmg.

Tested on mobs with dread spikes. Also tested on mobs that have additional effects capped to where it would 50 dmg to others, but 30 dmg to ppl with phalanx.

Could get a buddy with a Cactuar to test with, too. If 1000 Needles only does 980, then you'll have a concrete answer there, too.

[Priran]

Originally Posted by Khamsin

Could get a buddy with a Cactuar to test with, too. If 1000 Needles only does 980, then you'll have a concrete answer there, too.

1000 Needles doesn't do 1000 damage in pankration

[Hashmalum]

Dread Spikes is overrated IMO. Besides the disadvantages already mentioned, certain mob families have high natural dark resistance and will resist it a lot. That includes everything under the "demon" category (imps, ahriman, tauri) as well as malboros.

[Lordwafik]

and 38fp is hog-o-riffic

[Booyaka]

What are good mobs to get phalanx from, besides high lvl weapons. I been trying on xarc weapons for awhile with no luck.

[Khamsin]

Originally Posted by Booyaka

What are good mobs to get phalanx from, besides high lvl weapons. I been trying on xarc weapons for awhile with no luck.

Low level weapons. Go to Qufim.

[JoOeetheplatypuS]

I think RDM weapons are the only ones that give instant phalanx

[Amele]

how is damage reduction bonus by the way? (Also 38fp) since it serves a similar purpose.

[Priran]

I went through tons of RDM weapons and the only ones that gave me Phalanx were the ones near the entrance of Ro'maeve. They're weak enough that I was able to shoot 12 slides on WHM before I had to rest, the only annoyance is the run.

[Khamsin]

Originally Posted by Priran

I went through tons of RDM weapons and the only ones that gave me Phalanx were the ones near the entrance of Ro'maeve. They're weak enough that I was able to shoot 12 slides on WHM before I had to rest, the only annoyance is the run.

I got my Phalanx from one of the RDM weapons in Qufim, by the tower (where Trickster Kinetix spawns).

[Lujei]

Originally Posted by Amele

how is damage reduction bonus by the way? (Also 38fp) since it serves a similar purpose.

My Wivre has that as an innate, as well as level 50 SS and Phalanx. He doesn't take a ton of damage, but he can't really deal any quickly, either.

[rath]

Originally Posted by Hashmalum

Dread Spikes is overrated IMO. Besides the disadvantages already mentioned, certain mob families have high natural dark resistance and will resist it a lot. That includes everything under the "demon" category (imps, ahriman, tauri) as well as malboros.

Actually no, my best results with dread spikes are on tauri and plantoids. worst results are on arcana, does like 0-5 on arcana of any kind.

[Hashmalum]

Some plantoids are weak to dark, yes. Cactuars and mandies (which are both reasonably popular) are weak to dark. So are treants and saplings. Malboros aren't. I laugh cynically at anything that fights my malboro that wasted its FP on Dread Spikes; my personal experience has been that it is resisted the vast majority of the time, and that the Dread Spikes mob will get its ass kicked even if it is a couple levels higher than mine (ameretat model, WAR/SAM 36, both job traits, innate Attack Bonus, Instant Stoneskin; of course ever since I added the stoneskin a few levels ago it's hard to tell how much the spikes would be draining for). Acroliths seem to be totally immune to drain effects including Dread Spikes. There are enough undead, acroliths, malboros, etc. out there that I wouldn't ever bother with Dread Spikes unless I got it as an innate. Dread Spikes doesn't help much when the mob you are fighting has Instant Stoneskin (quite common) or Dispelling Attack (very useful but rarely seen) either.

[Thistle]

I got Instant Phalanx from a RDM weapon in Sauromugue Champaign.

Think instant blink comes from any WHM mob? I'm looking for it and thinking about trying those Spring Sahagin in SSG.

[Kellen]

Originally Posted by ThistleChaser

I got Instant Phalanx from a RDM weapon in Sauromugue Champaign.

Think instant blink comes from any WHM mob? I'm looking for it and thinking about trying those Spring Sahagin in SSG.

Instant Blink also comes from Puks too.

[Thistle]

Originally Posted by ThistleChaser

Think instant blink comes from any WHM mob? I'm looking for it and thinking about trying those Spring Sahagin in SSG.

I'm going to guess no. Took 50 pictures, got WHM main, WHM sub, WHM scrolls, WHM job traits, MND +25, MND bonus, and magic defense, but no insta blink/stoneskin/protect, even though it was casting all those.

Going to try puks!