Alternator

PUP is such an ADD job!

Mana channeler, too. It's not much, but it does give 5 MAB even with no maneuvers up.


Which testing do you want? I don't know who/where/if anyone has done a lot of concrete testing with KKK, and I haven't *** much with overload testing since http://ffxi.allakhazam.com/forum.html?forum=253&mid=128557623266471965#1 which was before Heatsink had even gotten its update to apply across the board. The only thing I've done since is confirm that Cirque Farsetto +2 does count as 2 instances of "reduces rate of overload" the same as AFgloves+buffoons.

Wat. Ice maker stacks multiplicatively with MAB, and generally at 3 maneuvers adds well over a thousand damage to the nuke, if not more, though it depends on the target. When you consider that, and the fact that while the global recast is a lot shorter, there's still a significant ~33 second delay between each nuke even if you leave the puppet deployed and do nothing, there's really no reason not to use icemaker.


Essentially, If your INT < your puppet's INT, maneuvers generate 20 burden, but if it's the same or higher, maneuvers generate 15 burden. The threshold, from my testing seems to be equal to the number of total elemental slots the puppet has (so 37 for spiritreaver), plus 5 for each instance of "reduces rate of overload" present when the maneuver is used, and +10 for cirque farsetto +2. In other words, with INT+70 on the puppet, 3 maneuvers create the same burden as 4 would otherwise, though it's not quite that simple because none of this deals with the other type of burden (there are two), but that one is a lot more static (+1 each time a maneuver is used), so that's not really the point.

Also, it's worth noting that I never got around to seeing how KKK works into my numbers, because it was a pain to get any sort of accurate test on. I think my working guess was that it either influences the RNG that determines whether you overload or not, or that it does something else I couldn't easily see, but I didn't get to do extensive testing with it on the test server before I went on hiatus.

I haved used 70 ice maneuvers in a row with kkk and not overloaded

With tactical processor!

I was under the impression if you deactivate>activate than redeploy the spell delay is reset, is that not the case? And yes I'm aware how ice maker works.

Aye but, that's, y'know, kind of the point of KKK, aha.

As far as I can see even after messing around with different attachments and switching between Alternator/Animator (Level 1) there seems to be no difference when it comes to overloading other than the fact that it happens slightly faster on Alternator. Then again, as I said, if you are playing PUP properly, you will rarely overload. KKK just babysits you through it by suppressing it entirely!

You can only ADD every min, so either way, a good pup is waiting on that and not maneuvers. I used to Activate, Nuke, 4x manuever, nuke, deactivate on ultima back at 75

For NMs, you could always sub /SCH and help out the melees a bit with Light Arts + cures in between setting up maneuvers/waiting for Deactivate to be up. It's not much but it's better than just standing around and makes good use of all the lolmage gear PUP gets.

Anyway, back on track, Alternator. What I would like to know is the best way to test how much evasion bonus it gives as, again, in Delve, E100 almost tanked a whole bunch of mobs (Armor Shatterer > Tactical > Armor Shatterer, sorry melees.) and only got hit once.

It's obvious there is a bonus, but I want to know how much. Apart from eyeballing logs, is there any specific way to test this? Since Alternator gives MAB+40 it might not be too far fetched to assume it also gives Evasion+40 but I don't want to jump to conclusions.

I missed the "ADD" in your "ADD nonstop" bit, but my point still stands. Because of the 33 second delay between nukes, deactivate's 60 second recast, and the fact that <75% MP triggers aspir on any mob with MP, there's really no reason NOT to use ice maker. Sure, you can activate and deploy immediately for that initial unbuffed nuke, but you're still gonna be waiting 30 seconds before the next nuke, and you aren't on your first ADD cycle, deactivate won't be up for another minute anyway. Thus, it basically works out to:
Activate -> Deploy -> Nuke -> Apply Ice while waiting 30 -> Deploy -> Nuke -> Apply water/ice while waiting 30~40, deploy for aspir casts -> deploy -> Nuke -> deactivate -> repeat. Aspir doesn't (or didn't the last time I bothered with it) eat the ice maker charge, so you can keep loading up maneuvers while your puppet gets the derp out of its system.

Mind you, doing something like that requires a lot more attention than just the standard ADD nuke once-twice with ice maneuvers, so you'll wear yourself out faster, and won't gain a huge amount anyway, since, due to the lack of affinity bonuses, we more or less need the huge MAB boost from Ice maker for our nukes to be competitive.

I actually kind of assumed it was EVA+40 myself, since it would make sense. Another thing i noticed was with the VE frame today after getting my alternator. It was blocking the T level Mandragora attacks for as little as 3 damage without any earth maneuvers up. Other than that, it was taking strictly 20-ish dmg a hit, and again, with extremely high evasion was barely hit at all.

I forgot deactivate had such a long cooldown, never mind than lol. I'm used to smn where it's like 10s.

I will fight some today and double check with/without Alternator! Awesome!

I thought I was just going crazy when I noticed this in Limbus, VE blocked a ton of hits on Apollyon Mandragoras.

Have you played around with Sharpshot? I know they can't block, but they can parry, and he seems to be doing that often too (this time on Apollyon crabs).

Best way to test this would probably be Ducal/Regen atmas and grab some Mandragoras in Abyssea, then slowly add Earth Maneuvers with Barrier Module and see just how much he can take with/without Alternator. Eyeballing won't give exact numbers but finding out if these types of skills were also raised it could give VE tanking/Ventriloquy a ton more potential.

http://forum.square-enix.com/ffxi/threads/33162-Attachment-to-rival-all-others-for-PUP-only-players.?p=432115&viewfull=1#post432115

No big damage boost from Alternator, it seems. The difference of 27 damage from the 70 dex is more or less in line with the scale of where it should be, though it implies that the automaton fSTR cap is more than twice what I'd initially expected

Some BST or SMN tests recently showed that monster fSTR caps at a very large but kinda arbitrary value (I forget exactly what).

Hmm, more Emergency Maintenance today (10th). Keep your fingers crossed!

Ugh soon as I log on, I d/c...maintenance. How long maintenance supposed to be? However I am excited this animator gives PUPs a large step forward.

To stay on thread topic I was curious if you have tested the (not proved yet) eva and def boosts with any tough NMs yet, to see it automatons actually can survive more than 1-2 AoEs.

If they just gave pup a fin stay command it wouldn't be a huge issue on the AOE ><;;. It's not like the mechanics aren't already in game stare bst lol...

Not sure what others have been getting but the stat bonuses seem significant inside delve. PUP in my party last night was getting 3k armor shatterers. Was impressed when empy drks were resolutioning for under 2k. Making my inner pup itch.

Yeah, I reported on this back on Page 3. Also wot, my DRK has a Hoarfrost inside Delve and still breaks 2k, what are they doing wrong?


If you deploy mage frames/Sharpshot at a range, they'll stay out of range. No AOE issues here, unless you're getting smacked about in Reives a ton.

They'll stay at range if you deploy them within 15'. If you deploy from 15.1~17.9, your puppet will charge headfirst into the battle and start meleeing, and if the monster moves at all, and increases the distance, the puppet'll charge in. Sure, that gets a bit of a buffer for bigger mobs, but your deploy range doesn't. We need a stay command, not a derpy AI that can't resist the urge to leeroy that ***.

Not enough accuracy is my guess. I noticed on shijin (mnk, no love for pup ;_;) my tp returns were all over the place even with madrigal and sushi if I didn't use a good bit of acc in ws set.

On topic: They didn't ninja nerf alternator in last night's update right? I'm at 27k/30k at the moment for it. :D

I didn't notice a nerf, since i went pup to my LS events tonight as crowd control mostly, killing wivres out by the raptor.

I don't have any issues with Shijin Spiral except when the "dreadful energy" comment comes up, and I even set a personal record with Rigors for 5816 last night.

As for Armor Shatterer with Alternator, I toss up 2 wind, 1 fire maneuvers. Still does around 2700 to the raptor, where as 3 wind did 2500. Even with maneuvers down, there were no ranged accuracy issues, so thinking about tossin Barrage Turbine back in

Yeah, no nerfs here. Sharpshot is still king in Delve, and Spiritereaver is great on NMs!

Gonna be dicking about in Abyssea and Limbus later, will post any neat stuff I find out here.


Oh man, I love Barrage Turbine, mainly because of the huge TP boost it gives (which Sharpshot needs), never once have I not used it since it came out.

Thinking about putting my Magic Skill merits into Ranged now!

I am strongly biased toward the WHM automaton

I actually went 5/5 Melee and 5/5 Ranged skill for my auto, but they meant jack in Adoulin areas. So i toughed it out with my WHM Auto, which i cleverly named Zero.

If/when i put barrage turbine back in, my buddy will be known as 4 gun quickdraw Zero to me

I have melee/range merits because I just didn't see any point to magic merits!

Do you still need the magic merits to get all the spells? or is that not important anymore :<

you don't!

darn, now i have to remerit PUP ;A;

I don't know what Heatsink does exactly - but I was doing something with KKK equipped and I figured - EH! I don't need Heatsink!

Nope!

I don't know what the hell it's doing but after I removed it I started overloading all the *** over the place (using a sequence of three different maneuvers even)

Put it back on and I've been spamming maneuvers back to back for two hours while skilling Guard and I have not overloaded once


Since I'm using an Alternator I'm wondering if Heatsink does something to the dStat check

alternatively it could just massively reduce the chance to overload or substantially accelerate the decay of burden