Spoilers*Test Server

[Tashan]

Wow the one weekend I decide not to spend with FFXI and everything blows up.

A lot of good stuff come from the Test Server and the upcoming version update. Thanks to SE, Prothescar and those whom credit is due to for their hard work.

I think I must be a fundamentalist, because the news which excited me the most is that we are now getting 7 Skills per level rather than the current 6. Between level's 91-95 we will be getting an additional 35 Blue Magic Skill Points.

Let's see what the D (Base Damage) for that increase looks like:

Pre-Update

D = floor((Blue Magic Skill*0.11)*2)+3
Efflux D = floor((Blue Magic Skill*0.11)*3)+3

Level 90 Cap
D = 82 | ED = 122
Cap + 8/8 Merits
D= 85 | ED = 127
Cap + Merits + Magus Jubbah(+1)
D = 89 | ED = 132
Cap + Merits + Jubbah + Mavi Tayt +2
D = 92 | ED = 137
Cap + Merits + Jubbah + Mavi Tayt +2 + Tathlum
D = 93 | ED = 138

Post-Update
Level 95 Cap (396 Skill)
D = 90 | ED = 133
Cap + 8/8 Merits
D= 93 | ED = 138
Cap + Merits + Magus Jubbah(+1)
D = 96 | ED = 143
Cap + Merits + Jubbah + Mavi Tayt +2
D = 100 | ED = 148
Cap + Merits + Jubbah + Mavi Tayt +2 + Tathlum (447 Skill)
D = 101 | ED = 150

Although it's expected, we have still earned a noteworthy increase in Base Damage to a lot of our most recent physical spells. Gaining 7 Skill Points per level rather than the current 6 means we've gotten away with one extra D tier and 2 extra Efflux D (Level 95 w/ 6 points per level and aforementioned equipment - D = 100, ED = 148). Pretty much we gained a free Mavi Tathlum.

This is incredibly helpful as we have not yet reached Cap D for our current bread and butter physical spells, and possibly never will.

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Other than this I'm very excited for Heavy Strike. Not because of the spell itself but because Square Enix it shows that Square Enix has definently been taking notice of the way Blue Mage plays and is responding to it. Favourable Cost : Damage ratio's, Low Costs and with our current Refresh options and expanding MP pool this job has recieved a very good boost. It also makes Double Attack with one fewer spell point cost than Acrid Stream.

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Regarding Sudden Lunge I'm somewhat mixed between positive and negative.

The Good: It's a New Head Butt

Something I've definently wanted. We have many Stun spells but none of them have stood out more than HB. It's a prime example of Simple being Better.

The Bad: Casting Time: 1 second. Recast Time: 12 seconds

sigh.

It's 0.5 seconds longer to cast and takes 2 seconds longer to use again. While this may be argued as something small, it does concern me.

In my recent ventures of tanking NMs from Apadamak to Glavoid I've been finding it hard to always be 100% on time to stun TP moves, even with Fast Cast. In my opinion, Violent Flourish and Flat Blade is a lot more reliable. On one hand they're instant. On the other, Head Butt has to go through the animaton of "charging" "casting" and then it's on on the monster. VF and FB just have the latter one.

The Good: 18 MP

Win.

The Good: Store TP

I think I'm one of the only people that equip Store TP 1 consistently. At the very least this will replace Tail Slap (a spell which I think is underrated btw) and if this spell can really also replace Head Butt it will save an extra 3 Set Points (for me at least).

Other than that, it's a very promising spell. I'm hoping it has a better range than Head Butt and takes longer to be "completely resisted" by appropiate mobs.

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RE: Barrier Tusk.

I'm spamming the shit out of this. Pure tanking win. Cocoon + Magic Barrier + Barrier Tusk = Fuck Yeah SE.

[Etrigan]

So two things I wanted to throw out there that I noticed about the new spells.

> Harden Shell works with Diffusion
> Mortal Ray lands on monsters inflicting them with doom, but it can just "wear off" before the mob dies. No Cursna involved (reporting as a potential bug)

[Sharnak]

Just tested today,
What i found is Sudden Lunge very very impressive. but too impressive til i start scary that SE will nerf it later =w=
Barrier Tusk is same issuse to MOST of blue buff magic it's too short time. Same to many many blu buff magic it's alway just 30 sec - 1 min
You will not fun if need keep buffing even during fight 1 mob =w=

[SpankWustler]

Other than this I'm very excited for Heavy Strike. Not because of the spell itself but because Square Enix it shows that Square Enix has definently been taking notice of the way Blue Mage plays and is responding to it. Favourable Cost : Damage ratio's, Low Costs and with our current Refresh options and expanding MP pool this job has recieved a very good boost. It also makes Double Attack with one fewer spell point cost than Acrid Stream.

In addition to all of this, Heavy Strike is apparently treated as a critical hit. So it should perform almost as well on high level/high defense monsters as it does on everything else.

Heavy Strike is the spell that all single-hit Blue Magic should aspire to be.

[Atoreis]

In addition to all of this, Heavy Strike is apparently treated as a critical hit. So it should perform almost as well on high level/high defense monsters as it does on everything else.

Heavy Strike is the spell that all single-hit Blue Magic should aspire to be.

After all it's a 90-95 spell so we are closing to the end and spell like that is not a surprise. Gimping it would be even worse then never adding it.

[Kitkat]

There have been reports that Heavy Strike may chain with CdC to make light also, though I'm having a hard time testing this. The spell is just beastly for a one hitter doing anywhere between 4700~6.3k depending on mob making it hard to test if there is actually any bugged SC going on unless fighting an NM. If this is true that it is actually skill chaining with cdc to make light then that is just insane, but currently I can't find anything that lives through WS+Spell to see if there is any additional unaccounted damage happening. Even without CA/Efflux it is doing around 1900~2400 in abyssea using SS/RR/Apoc making it one of the most MP efficient spells and very minimal TP Feed. Though I do wonder if possibly the spell is bugged and is only supposed to occasionally crit hit.

[Demonofhunger]

After all it's a 90-95 spell so we are closing to the end and spell like that is not a surprise. Gimping it would be even worse then never adding it.

Yeh, I've been praying for a spell I could use on HNMs and high Def mobs for the last two years. If this spell gets nerfed, I'm going to cry real man tears.

[Lordscyon]

Well my Question is will the test server stuff be garunteed too be transfer too the actual game? if not spoilers might confuse people?

[Kitkat]

There is a possibility that what we see on the test server will not transfer over into the game. The point of the test server is to see how the general populace uses the new spells/abilities and that it is not unbalanced in regards to how the devs want the game to be, or that there aren't bugs with how the spell/ability/new content is intended to work. So there is a chance that between the time that we use the spells/abilities/new content on test server and the time it is released there could be changes to the way it all behaves if it isn't following the model the dev team initially wanted it to.

[Prothscar]

I fully expect, though do not want, a Sudden Lunge nerf before it hits live. What I do want, (please Devs!) is for some of the spells to be slightly adjusted. I outlined them earlier in the thread.

Barrier Tusk having a duration more in line with Phalanx would also be very welcome.