~First And Final Line Of Defense V2.0~

Quick question regarding SDT and how it interacts with other forms of DT. Does it break the 87.5% DT cap? I.e. if wearing aegis, would you be able to reduce damage even more by using vallation/valliance? I'm guessing it won't, but I wonder if it's been tested. If it does break cap, /RUN becomes even more interesting than it already is. Thanks!

Le sigh...

Maybe I'm incorrect (which I hope I'm not) but the stated 50% should be against anything up to assuming level 121.

Again, using that point of reference, if a mob is above 121, the stated Blockrate would fall below 50.

I could be wrong though.

You are incorrect.

Srivatsa has a base block rate of 50%, when then gets modified by shield skill (which increases it) and mob combat skill (which decreases it). Basically, it's the block rate if your shield skill is equal to the mob's combat skill so there's no modification.

If a PLD had 0 Shield skill wearing Srivatsa, they'd have a 0% block rate (or whatever the minimum is, 5% maybe) against a level 121 mob, while if they had 1000 shield skill against the same mob they'd have a 100% block rate.

I'll just stick to editing the guide.

Also, if you don't reach the skill requirement for the enemy you're fighting, any block rate+ you have will do nothing until you reach the floor.

Sure would be nice if it worked like Parry/Inquatarta, but that would be far too kind to Paladins.

If this is the case, I highly recommend Paladins using Selindrile's LUA to disable auto majesty on cooldown if possible. Majesty although lacking CE can still be used for 340 VE initial hate, so it's pointless to have it on auto-loop when you're not engaged in battle, macro it! Another reason to disable automation in general is it makes you more or less a zombie in the battle, especially as a tank, since you need to initiate actions yourself to react to different situations.

What should I be looking to build for a fairly fresh 99 PLD? Haven't played this game in awhile and want to try a new job. I have a 119 COR and THF that I can farm with. Fairly average gear no REMA.

The 119 Koenig set looks like a go to set and Priwen based on what I understand.

at the very least Aegis is pretty much a requirement; I would personally still recommend Ochain as well. if you can get the Sakpata set that is a quick and dirty DT set that boasts impressive M.Evasion, as well as damage dealing tools.

Awesome! I'll start working on Aegis. I have a bunch of dynamis currency stocked up

Where is Aegis still best? Just on a few Aeonic fights?

I tend to use it on some Gaol T3 NMs. The instant cast nukes can hurt, and Sakpata's does not guarantee a resist on those(Sure helps your chances though.)

It's too bad that Aegis doesn't work on the damn fetter's attacks though. Arguably Priwen would be best for dealing with fetter spam. More Meva.

Other than that... Pulling caster type mobs in Sheol C? I haven't used Aegis for much else in a long time, but that's more to do with what content I still play than what the shield is still good for.

I haven't done an Aeonic clear in ages, but I'd probably use Aegis for some of that. Or like COR/RNG mobs in Dynamis D wave 3, etc.

Aegis will always have a place, because there will always be dangerous magical attacks. I just wish they'd ilvl it so that your physical defenses aren't pathetic whenever you do have to use it.

Is this the same Martel from Garuda?

I've always been on Ragnarok, so No.

Q: At what point do I need to upgrade ochain to benefit from its really good block rate? I have it at right after the colorless souls stage and trying to decide whether its worth it to upgrade it further.

It's costless aside from time invested, since you can stop at Lv90 for now. But if you have capped haste or haste2+fc midcast, Priwen with reprisal is almost as good and will just become better with Master Levels

Unless they will add Lv 160 or higher mobs, then you will be back to same situation, so I think it's better to have Ochain and be prepared.

I was looking at Martel's info on block rate vs higher ilvl mobs and I was under the impression that priwen needs more block rate to cap block vs ochain.

Right now I am more focused spending my time grinding out burtgang than doing ochain trials unless I absolutely have to do them. I just wanted to make sure that the naked ochain is as effective at blocking as the upgraded ochain.

you need to complete trial 4399 to get it to its level 90 version for it to get its block increase, every upgrade after is just adding more def/vit/dmg -> mp

Relying on Reprisal to have a decent block rate is pretty iffy, there are a lot of situations where dispel gets spammed or you can't stay haste capped due to dispel or Slow. You also have to stay in a high shield-skill set the whole time.

Thank you - is there any testing to confirm this?



AFAIK - the high skill shields don't make much difference versus ochain, unless there's info I haven't seen on this. Could you elaborate?

Stolen from Bgwiki:

This weapon is the fully upgraded Shield armor through the empyrean process, but it can be further upgraded through the Trial of the Magians.

Unlike the 85 version, level 90 Ochain is a size 6 shield with significantly different properties than the size 3 version.
Size 6 shields have a 110% base block rate. Base block rate being the block rate when shield skill and attacker combat skill are equal.

The higher level iterations of Ochain do not differ in terms of block rate or block damage reduction. Thus it's generally considered a waste of resources to upgrade past lvl 90.

The people over at BG usually reference tests from their forum on the individual pages however this page is bereft of that. However With the history of BG players and testing, I wouldn't doubt the veracity of these statements. Pretty sure with an item as widely owned as ochain, there really isn't anything new under the sun.

Ochain has been around for over a decade there is a lot of testing out there to confirm that you need to have the lv90 version to get the block rate.

The only other shield that is even close to Ochain levels of blocking is Priwen when you have reprisal up. Lowen was commenting on how risky it is to just rely reprisal and Priwen with how common dispel and slow are at end game content.

As for which to focus on first out of Ochain and Burtgang there is one clear winner Ochain. It will reduce damage taken a lot more than Burtgang will upping your survivability. Burtgang is more used as an enmity tool and secondly defensive when you have to switch from Ochain to Aegis.

Ah I misread their post. I haven't seen anything about the level 90 version of ochain in any of my readings/googlings but thank you for the clarification. Back to abyssea I go :)

Sharing my Paladin FC+80% set with an HP around 2964 without food. The advantage of this set is obviously capped FC without additional buffs or rolls and a decent amount of HP as a base to start building other sets on. Landing Blue Magic enmity spells with full enmity set potency becomes a lot easier as well, and you can start to switch some of your spells from SIRD to full enmity with this. The set was designed with minimal consideration for PDT/MDT because it's technically impossible to get hit in precast gear with the way gearswap works, so this is not recommended for midcast purposes during battle. Also one of the major disadvantages is the weapon swap, having to consistently cast spells will reset your TP every time. I added a weapon/shield lock toggle in my LUA for situations where TP/WS/chivalry is required, in which case the FC drops to 70%. Also this set uses the Gold Moogle Belt which unfortunately is obtainable only through the gold world pass rewards after 365 days have passed. You can swap the belt for other HP belts of your choice, the drop is not significantly huge.

ItemSet 382955

The gold moogle belt is also available via the adventurer appreciation campaign's random rewards. That's how I got mine. Although it took years of attempts.

If you or any other serious PLD could supply a list of gear, I can optimize FC+QC/Enmity/SIR or any other set while maintaining a required HP. My PLD and RUN are half *** geared so I don't know all the gear to consider for sets.

The PLD Community Guide on BGWiki and your resident Martel's Item sets on here are very good references when looking where to min/max your PLD. Tweak to how you see fit and include variety in your builds based on the situations in front of you. I used both to recently take up the job and while there is the the typical "one size fits all" common mindset. You'll stand out in the long run making different builds for different scenarios. Good luck!

I don't give a ***about playing PLD and I think you misunderstood what I'm asking.

If you're treating the game of HP swap vs FC gained, as "pattern matching" without consideration for what you're fighting, you're going to have a bad time...