Digesting the Update (Events)

So we've had a week to play with the update and check out all the new toys SE has given us. I myself have been rather casual about leveling, something no one should find surprising given my aversion to leveling before the update. That said I have NIN about half way to 78 and my BLM deleveled to 75, where it remains with about 3k tnl. Leveling aside, there was an immense amount of content in this update that I wanted to check out, and for the most part I have.

Abyssea

As I said in my last update, Abyssea is quite fun, it is content one can do solo or as a group, the only gripe is the time constraint, but there's nothing that can be done about that. There is also some very nice gear that you can purchase with Cruor (Abyssea currency), the gear for NIN is niche/side grade stuff (and I think it may be pink), but the mage set has some actual upgrades to my current gear.

Aurore gear (light armor): Looking over this set the two obvious beneficiaries are RNG and THF as the set is stacked with DEX, AGI and RACC. It also contains quite a bit of Haste, which would benefit any job wearing it. On NIN there are two pieces worth considering, the head and legs.

• The head piece contains DEX +4, AGI +4 and Haste +4%; the obvious comparison is Walahra Turban, which has HP +30, MP +30 and Haste +5%. To me this is a side grade, do I want to give up 1% Haste for a bit more ACC and RACC for DD, in most situations, no. Well how about WS, DEX is a modifier on Jin after all, again the answer is no, as one should either have a Hissho Hachimaki (ACC +8, ATK +8) or an Anwig Salade with WSACC +15 augmented on it. So while it seems like something for a NIN to get, ultimately there is better gear worth your time.

• The leg piece is a bit harder to dismiss, but it's also ultimately a side grade to what a NIN should already have. The piece itself has ACC +9 RACC +9 and Haste +3%. DD is the one place where a NIN could consider using this piece, BUT, only if you don't have Byakko's Haidate, if you have the kitty pants then there is no reason whatsoever to trade 2% haste for 1 ACC, you'll only be gimping yourself doing so. For WS it makes even less sense if you have Byakko's as that 15 DEX almost assuredly takes your average NIN to the next DEX tier (which will up the average Jin damage quite a bit). The last place to consider this piece is in your Ranged set, but again it falls just short of what a NIN should already have and that Ninja Hakama (also applies to +1), that piece has RACC +10 on it.

The rest of the set a NIN would have to be daft to even consider, there's simply no value add for NIN, even though it has some very nice stats. I think when the time comes and my RNG is at a point it can equip this gear I won't be so quick to dismiss it.

Teal gear (Mage armor): To me, this set has a couple of pieces that are immediate upgrades to my current gear (my BLM has average gear, nothing all that elite). Because I plan to get a few pieces I will end up completing the set (I'm one of those people who aren't happy until I have 5/5 of a set, even if I never use some of those pieces).

• The first piece that has me salivating is the head piece. For starters it's a blue…ahem, teal pimp hat, and I would get this just to wonder around town, but the stats on it are also top of the line, INT +6, MND +6, Enmity -2. This piece is basically a Demon Helm +2; the added MND will obsolete any other piece BLM can equip for curing, enfeebling and most importantly Stoneskin. The Enmity -2 is also very nice, as a nuker I can't begin to stress how important Enmity down gear is, and this rivals Sorcerer's Petasos, though the +1 has -3 on it. This piece is without question the first one I plan to target and obtain.

• The body is also very nice, especially for those of us who simply don't have the time to obtain Morrigan's from Salvage. You will find a lot of BLMs in the game have one of two bodies, Morrigans or Genie/Igqira (I went a different way and use Errant because I can't stand the way Genie looks). In comparison this is Morrigan's -1 as all of the stats are a bit less than that magnificent piece, but it moves well ahead of Genie imho. The stats on the Teal Saio are INT +6, MND +6, MACC +4 and MATK Bonus +4, The Genie Weskit has Elemental Magic Skill +6 and MATK Bonus +7. While the Genie clearly has it beat with the Magic Attack Bonus, it only comes in handy if you land your nuke, the Teal Saio, on the other hand, offers much more accuracy and still has the ability to do the similar damage with the INT. I'm definitely getting this.

• For me the gloves and pants would be side grades as I have Oracle's Gloves and Shadow Trews. I would go for the pants because of the INT, but they have no enmity down like Shadow's and if I get the body then I lose the -3 Enmity I was getting from Errant's, so at some point I have to start thinking about surviving a nuke. The hands are MND based and could come in handy for healing and Stoneskin. The feet aren't a side grade to anything I have, they are an upgrade, but like the hands, they are MND based and would be used for the same things, which are nice to have on BLM, but ultimately do not define the job.

Overall this set looks great, and should be good until the next update, lol!  Ultimately this will mean a lot of time spent in Abyssea, but it's worth it as it has a lot to offer.

Walk of Echoes

Stupid Hate Rules = Stupid Event. I don't see the point in paying 1k to have my ass handed to me repeatedly for a half hour. It'd be one thing if it was a controlled event where you knew all the participants, but it's open to anybody and thus open to every fucking idiot in the game. It only takes one clueless dumbass to ruin things, fuck this, I'm not doing it again.

VNMs

This one surprised quite a few people as it was not mentioned in the one sheet, but SE added a new VNM path. There were a couple of differences in this path, first the mobs are easier, not "any idiot can do them now" easier, but noticeably not as difficult as the first group of VNMs and secondly, they give you no XP (though you can get skill-ups on them). The Tier III on this path is a Tiger (Dewan) and by all accounts, it seems to be Byakko's big brother. We made two attempts on it, neither resulted in a win, but we did get it down to 30ish%, a couple of tweaks and this fight will be no problem (and ultimately may be the easiest path to Yilbegan).

I'll go over the job changes (NIN and BLM, who cares about the other jobs lol) and more of the new gear in a future blog, for now my fingers are tired and I probably should get back to work anyway...