Optimizing Gate Of Tartarus

If there's a stat nerd out there that likes solving problems that most would consider not to exist, I've got one for you. Help me come up with a WS gear set to optimize the relic WS Gate of Tartarus. TY much love. I'm assuming the best thing for it in general is to stack INT but perhaps some slots are better served with something else.

If you're not getting much in the way of attack buffs, you'll want to stat priority be:

big gob of attack > WSD > INT

If you're getting Honor march/Minuet, chaos roll, fury/frailty, etc. then it'll basically just be WSD > INT.

You'll likely want to prep targets with Shell Crusher (-25% defense) and then pop off GoT.

As I told you 15 years ago, it's not really a good WS, and to this day that still holds true. There aren't many good staff WS though. Depending on the attack vs defense, Retribution could outpace Gate. And at high fTP Full Swing will be roughly similar damage. If you swapped to using weapons built to favor them, that would likely be true to a larger degree.

Nirvana can melee SMN better because of the AM3, by a large amount as well, but yeah.

At least with what I currently have now, it definitely does not. You may not be factoring the damage bonus granted by the weapon (which is not granted on those latent WS weapons). GoT was substantially more effective near 1000 TP over retribution with mainly attack increases-



(I've done them both many more times than this, the first GoT was more typical)


At any rate... I have a Cho'j Band (14 attack) and 2 shiva rings +1 (9 INT each), should I use both shiva rings or only one?

Like I said, I'm interested in this for the sake of being interested in it, I don't care what other WS is or isn't better; The aftermath and WS effect grant me virtually infinite MP while also making it safer to be close to a mob, which retribution can't do. I have the 119 III afterglow relic (no augment yet). Telling me what I should have done once upon a time or what you think I should do that isn't relevant to this topic doesn't do me a service.

I committed to it over a decade ago before those other things existed and I don't regret one minute of it, so I'm looking for information that's constructive to my goals.

ItemSet 370573

Maybe Fotia Belt instead.

wouldnt a WS damage belt (i.e. snow belt affects GoT) be better in that slot?

(edit: I realized the fotia belt is the combined WS belt)

Thanks for indulging me, by the way.

Debatable. The Fotia items increase fTP by 0.1, not the 10% weapon skill damage it claims. GoT is a 3.0 fTP, so fotia takes things from 3.0 to 3.1. I'd wager it's still probably better than the belt offered, simply because of the free WS 1% of the time with damage being fairly even between the two.

As for Retri vs GoT it would require a total gear differential as well, including weapon (Retri going to want the Ambu staff). Retribution is also MND/STR, not INT, so you'd want a different stat priority too. But if you're able to get your attack high enough, GoT will regularly beat it, because the biggest benefit is Retribution has a 1.5 attack mod, so if you have enough attack, it's not as big of a deal.

Llewelyn's gearset is likely best you can find. With maybe the belt change, and the Adoulin WSD ring for slot 1 as upgrades. Actually kinda surprised SMN relic+3 has melee attack in every slot, but I guess it makes more sense than MAB like some mage jobs have.

I'm actually legit surprised by that as well lol. Currently I just have that ambuscade pet job set for accuracy, but there's no attack there. Seems I need to get on those relic armor upgrades...

So about that throwing slot, is swapping that going to affect the summon while it's on? or is the pet level only determined when called?

It will lower your avatar's level briefly, yeah.

Thanks for the help here, I"m actually well on my way to realizing most of that set- I still need mid boss runs for two dynamis zones. I had already built an ambuscade cape with attack/accuracy focus.

But good luck on the AMAN trove ring lol....

hey. I haven't even logged into the game yet so I don't really know much just yet, but is there any likelyhood of the new battle content influencing what I might want to use at all?

The belt got INT+10

Metamorph ring would replace one of the rings with INT+16