Suggestions to improve Ambuscade

[Dale]

If you're fighting monsters that aren't challenging to you or have much in the way of magic attacks then I can see why you might say that, but I'd imagine you aren't doing much at end game to believe it. Either that or you just aren't stacking enough of it to make a difference where it's needed.

I've tried stacking it before. It made no difference - especially against high level notorious monsters. Their enfeebles still hit me. Their nukes still hit me. It did nothing. So I have nothing but contempt for this stat.

You're much better off stacking - magic damage if you want to defend against spells - which ambuscade gear can provide.

[detlef]

The thing about magic evasion is that it's not pass-fail like physical evasion is. Instead, it's about partial credit. Magic damage can be resisted by 1/2, 1/4, and 1/8. Obviously, even a partial resist can be huge. Likewise, while it is possible to resist enfeebles outright, there is a significant benefit to getting getting a partial resist and having a shorter duration enfeeble. This is important because almost everything has an AoE that causes magical damage and/or enfeebles you.

Magic evasion works for all magic which is why Vex and Attunement are pretty ubiquitous against difficult content. On a more casual level, it means not getting hit in Herald's Gaiters or Serpentes Cuffs. I will grant you it's more prudent to improve magic evasion with support rather than gear but the stat itself is very important.

[OmnysValefor]

Yes, magic evasion (gear, barelement, barstatus) is what aids in causing things like petrifies, terrors, paralyzes to break early. Magic evasion is what causes shock spikes not to always stun the player.

I'd much rather be -dt capped in my Souveran +1 (or even nq) and have 1000 (or 600 in nq?) more hp, more magic evasion, +30% cure potency received, and more stats tanks should care about. You're not there to kill the thing, you're there to make sure it's trying to kill you. I swap for WS's,. I WS when my WS's are useful to the content.

Sulevia's has its place, and I'm glad it's there, but it's shouldn't be your goal for tank gear.

Edit: Lastly, it can be nice to hit less (rarely). Hitting less can mean less enfeebles from spike spells. If your phalanx can crunch hits down to 0, a paladin can really really slow down the boss' tp feed. Shield Mastery, at least with ochain/priwen, typically providing enough TP to close scholar skillchains where appropriate.

[Alhanelem]

I think the argument , because I've seen partial resists on enemies, goes something like this:

DT-/MDEF+ :
Oh shit, this 2600 damage magic nuke is about to hit me! But my DT- knocked it down so I survived
vs.
MEVA+:

Oh shit this 2600 damage magic nuke is about to hit me! Will I get a partial resist? Maybe? Possibly?

One produces certain results, the other is a gamble in the best of cases. Meva is s uperior in the case that a partial resist procs because of it, but that's not a sure thing or even a highly likely thing. If you have to give up your first line of defense to get more magic evasion, it doesn't seem like a good idea to me. magic evasion is RNG based and may or may not happen when you really need it, and it might mean needing to retry the fight until it works at the right time.

[OmnysValefor]

My first Sovereign Behemoths, I was on GEO with 3 BST, PLD and a WHM. My job was vex/attune.

The WHM was one of the BST's abyssea-geared mules (ilvl weapon and that was it). Meteors did pathetic damage to each of us, except for the WHM. She took the full brunt of every single one. Every single aoe-stun.

Yes -MDT/+MDB are absolutely wonderful stats. I much prefer "I'm going to take no more than X damage than this" than "I'm going to tank between Y/8 and Y damage from this". The thing I actually do is "I'm going to take no more than X damage from this and might even take less because we have all this resist." but forget about the perspective of a tank, it's hard to kill a solid tank. If it causes the damage dealers and everyone else to take less damage, that's a great great thing.

More importantly: Enfeebles/charm/etc, can frequently be the problem and no amount of -MDT or MDB changes that. A tank who is stunned or petrified can't parry, block, use abilities, or cure themselves. Bosses with paralyzes frequently have paralyzes so potent that they might as well be petrified (as far as ability to take action). Sometimes the paralyze is wide and the healer gets hit with it and has a hard time getting it off themselves.

You're simply undervaluing magic evasion's value on certain fights. No single source of it is usually enough (vex/attune stacked on undergeared people or gear with no barspells or vex/attune) but the cumulative effect can be is really fantastic.

[Garota]

Personally I'd like more than two Volume options throughout the month. So far there have been 12 distinct battles, 6 intense and 6 regular, next month will introduce 2 more. Why not be able to choose from those 14 different battles during any given month?

[Alhanelem]

Personally I'd like more than two Volume options throughout the month. So far there have been 12 distinct battles, 6 intense and 6 regular, next month will introduce 2 more. Why not be able to choose from those 14 different battles during any given month?

The rotating rewards and battles is one of the ceterpoints of the system. If you could pick any of them, everyone would just pick whichever one is easiest and farm that. The idea is that it's a piece of content that doesn't get too stale over time by virtue of the fact that it changes periodically.

[Diavolo]

I think the argument , because I've seen partial resists on enemies, goes something like this:

DT-/MDEF+ :
Oh shit, this 2600 damage magic nuke is about to hit me! But my DT- knocked it down so I survived
vs.
MEVA+:

Oh shit this 2600 damage magic nuke is about to hit me! Will I get a partial resist? Maybe? Possibly?

One produces certain results, the other is a gamble in the best of cases. Meva is s uperior in the case that a partial resist procs because of it, but that's not a sure thing or even a highly likely thing. If you have to give up your first line of defense to get more magic evasion, it doesn't seem like a good idea to me. magic evasion is RNG based and may or may not happen when you really need it, and it might mean needing to retry the fight until it works at the right time.

Well, it's your first line of defense for a reason, you're not going to sacrifice that for a less important defensive stat. The argument, as I saw it, was not whether m. eva is worth prioritizing over one stat or another so much as whether or not it has any value at all, which it obviously does, but of course even that depends on what you're fighting and your role in that fight.

[Catmato]

The idea is that it's a piece of content that doesn't get too stale over time

It fails spectacularly at that.

[Eckamus]

Not sure if it was mentioned before, but a increase in number of Hallmarks and Gallantry rewarded for completing Normal ambuscade would be something welcome. Intense ambuscade has received a double increase in points rewarded as such Normal should receive the same bonus. This would greatly help more casual, solo, lower play time or people who are returning to obtain gears without spending excessive amounts of time spamming ambuscade. As it stands, it feels like a lot of time is spent just doing ambuscade and nothing else. When there is so much else players can or need to do on their preferred job(s), for events etc... An example is a player with minimal play time or only able to play on weekends would have a hard time completing ambuscade every month and most of their playtime would consist of this event if they wanted cap it out every month. The problem is compounded even more if they are unable to complete Very Difficult or lower difficulties in a timely manner. Personally, i think a increase is justified and would help a large portion of players obtain what they need without spending a large majority of their time spamming Ambuscade.