and by most I mean Burns end game and pretty much just killing EM+ mobs for what ever reasons thank you
I have not even unlocked BlueMage but I am thinking of doing it when I get back on FFXI I know physical spells are good was just unsure about Breath spells and other Magic based ones also.
Are Breath Builds Worth It? (HP Builds Of Course) For Most Situations
Are Breath Builds worth it? (HP Builds Of Course) for most situations
they can be very useful at times, but don't think you can get yourself out of needing elemental staves, lol. breath spells are going to be your cheaper/inventory saving alternative to a full magical build for the most part. it's relatively easy to push blu's hp over 1500 with mostly AH gear, and there are 2 head pieces that add +10% damage to the spells on top of that. for the most part breath builds can also do fine with NQ staves since breath damage isn't subject to the direct increase of damage provided by them (their over all accuracy is more or less the same using either HQ or NQ from first-hand experience).
one of the more awesome attributes of breath spells is that their damage isn't subject to level correction, heat breath on a lv.1 tunnel worm is going to do the same damage on a demon in dynamis - xarcabard. there are situations where this can be very useful if the spells aren't going to be heavily resisted, blu with the ability to use magical/breath spells on jailor of fortitude just destroys the poor thing, lol.
the down side to breath spells is probably their inaccuracy in some situations. when a breath spell gets resisted it's pretty much like falling on your face, because blu's magic based spells don't normally do "wtf" damage in the first place.
oddly enough, one of your best breath spells is going to be your lowest level one, poison breath. it may seem kind of odd, but it's cost <> dmg along with it's recast make it pretty powerful where it's not getting resisted. after that heat and frost breath are going to be your spells of choice with flying hip press being decent should you need it.
if you really want to get into the magical builds your first step would be getting HQ staves, they are the single most powerful piece of gear that you'll ever use for these builds.
your first build should be your standard build with heavy amounts of int+mnd (focusing on int, but taking mnd with it when possible), this build is meant for your basic spells; firespit, corrosive ooze, maelstrom, possibly ice break, and your most powerful spell regurgitation. I call regurgitation magical blu's most powerful spell because, well it is with it's; low cost/casting time/recast, casting range, increased damage when cast from behind, near 0 enmity gain, not to mention it's added effect of bind it's pretty much on a level of it's own when geared for properly. after regurgitation, corrosive ooze is your second most efficient spell having low recast with a decent damage/mp ratio. firespit's more or less a "check this out" spell to be used with multiple buffs (it's more or less a standard spell, but don't rely on it too heavily). maelstrom and ice break are situationally useful when you may be needing AoE damage spells.
your second set uses primarily the same gear with some changes to focus on mnd, this is for magic hammer and mind blast (you'll use this primarily for enemies in the dragon family to take advantage of the monster correlation bonus). I don't personally have much experience with mind blast, but it can be powerful for wyrm fights from what I've researched.
your final build focuses singularly on chr, this is meant for eyes on me. this is one of the stronger spells in nearly any situation, the fact that almost no enemy resists darkness magic along with the general ease of stacking high amounts of chr make it hard to overlook. being a demon based spell, this spell also replaces mind blast where applicable. the build's down fall is the obscurity of some of the gear needed along with the fact that you'll want a nearly complete set of gear for one spell, not very appealing esp. for someone like me with little to no inventory space as is, orz.
now even though those builds will focus on stats to help with any macc issues along with damage don't overlook mab gear for any piece you can get a decent amount (basically moldavite/novio earrings and uggalepih pendant when active). don't even bother with macc gear for the most part, if you really need it, af body will add 15 skill for ~15 macc (realize you'll lose 10/11 int/mnd/chr from errant/mahatma doing this), but normally magical blu spells are very accurate. full morrigan's is probably one of the better sets for magical builds outside of eyes on me, but don't go drooling over it 'cause that's pretty much all it's really good for on blu and these builds(magical) are more niche then others you may be using on a normal basis, and if it's possible you'll want to utilize monster correlation to it's fullest.
one of the more awesome attributes of breath spells is that their damage isn't subject to level correction, heat breath on a lv.1 tunnel worm is going to do the same damage on a demon in dynamis - xarcabard. there are situations where this can be very useful if the spells aren't going to be heavily resisted, blu with the ability to use magical/breath spells on jailor of fortitude just destroys the poor thing, lol.
the down side to breath spells is probably their inaccuracy in some situations. when a breath spell gets resisted it's pretty much like falling on your face, because blu's magic based spells don't normally do "wtf" damage in the first place.
oddly enough, one of your best breath spells is going to be your lowest level one, poison breath. it may seem kind of odd, but it's cost <> dmg along with it's recast make it pretty powerful where it's not getting resisted. after that heat and frost breath are going to be your spells of choice with flying hip press being decent should you need it.
if you really want to get into the magical builds your first step would be getting HQ staves, they are the single most powerful piece of gear that you'll ever use for these builds.
your first build should be your standard build with heavy amounts of int+mnd (focusing on int, but taking mnd with it when possible), this build is meant for your basic spells; firespit, corrosive ooze, maelstrom, possibly ice break, and your most powerful spell regurgitation. I call regurgitation magical blu's most powerful spell because, well it is with it's; low cost/casting time/recast, casting range, increased damage when cast from behind, near 0 enmity gain, not to mention it's added effect of bind it's pretty much on a level of it's own when geared for properly. after regurgitation, corrosive ooze is your second most efficient spell having low recast with a decent damage/mp ratio. firespit's more or less a "check this out" spell to be used with multiple buffs (it's more or less a standard spell, but don't rely on it too heavily). maelstrom and ice break are situationally useful when you may be needing AoE damage spells.
your second set uses primarily the same gear with some changes to focus on mnd, this is for magic hammer and mind blast (you'll use this primarily for enemies in the dragon family to take advantage of the monster correlation bonus). I don't personally have much experience with mind blast, but it can be powerful for wyrm fights from what I've researched.
your final build focuses singularly on chr, this is meant for eyes on me. this is one of the stronger spells in nearly any situation, the fact that almost no enemy resists darkness magic along with the general ease of stacking high amounts of chr make it hard to overlook. being a demon based spell, this spell also replaces mind blast where applicable. the build's down fall is the obscurity of some of the gear needed along with the fact that you'll want a nearly complete set of gear for one spell, not very appealing esp. for someone like me with little to no inventory space as is, orz.
now even though those builds will focus on stats to help with any macc issues along with damage don't overlook mab gear for any piece you can get a decent amount (basically moldavite/novio earrings and uggalepih pendant when active). don't even bother with macc gear for the most part, if you really need it, af body will add 15 skill for ~15 macc (realize you'll lose 10/11 int/mnd/chr from errant/mahatma doing this), but normally magical blu spells are very accurate. full morrigan's is probably one of the better sets for magical builds outside of eyes on me, but don't go drooling over it 'cause that's pretty much all it's really good for on blu and these builds(magical) are more niche then others you may be using on a normal basis, and if it's possible you'll want to utilize monster correlation to it's fullest.
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ok thanks ^^ ill have to look into most of this when i get back on FFXI
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