Favored Automaton

[Lessina]

I ponder this sometimes, so I figured I'd ask.

Which Automaton head and frame do you prefer. I've met a few people who use Valoredge and nothing but, and a few who are pretty religious about the Soulsoother.

Personally I'm become pretty fond of the Sharpshot just recently, and haven't used the other frames in abundance.

So favorite Frame/Head combo and why?

[AyinDygra]

Valoredge and Sharpshot because they can take a few hits and deal out their damage without needing to worry about MP or exploiting the instant-MP refill function of automaton activation. I spend most of my Pup time solo with Dancer as my support job.

(Also, I won't ever touch the mage frames or mage jobs in any games I play as a general rule.)

[Alhanelem]

I use VE if it's too dangerous to use other stuff, otherwise I use sharpshot.

I'm not going to avoid any component of any job as a rule, you should be prepared to use something it if it's the best tool for the situation. If you're not willing to touch one part of your job, you're not utilizing your job to its fullest. If you're only soloing and subbing DNC, you're not using the job to its fullest either. Of course, I guess I can't blame you since you have MNK90, theres no real reason to use anything else...

[Hayward]

I tend towards the mage frames for Centurion (SoulWaker mostly for soloing purposes), but Valoredge has impressed me lately. String Shredder is just plain filthy for closing skillchains. Between that, Galvanizer, and Shield Bash Valoredge makes for a pretty impressive fighting partner.

[Dfoley]

Anyone who goes for VE or BLM over Shapshooter, clearly doesnt have automaton range atk caped. If you think VE is nice, try closing a light skill chain with SS -> VS -> light

SS with the new ws and attachments is just grossly over whelming on valoredge.


*Dont get me wrong, both have their place. AKA blm when you want to nuke and retrieve and dont want to melee yourself. VE when you need to throw a pet at something, but dont want to go yourself.

[Alhanelem]

VE is the "safer" choice. Sharpshot is the glass cannon. If you're not having a problem keeping it alive, the latter will often be better. But the best PUP will use them all in specific situations, such as vulnerability to certain damage types.

[xbobx]

I use VE most of the time. I don't have VS so Can't skillchain with SS as effectively. VE is easy, deploy, don't have to worry about mob moving, he is harder to kill, can attack two mobs at once, and can do 8k self chains with him on nms.

SS needs it's defense boosted, still can die in 2 to 3 hits.

[StingRay104]

I tend to be an eva tank on myself and have my pup keep me alive, he's much better at keeping me alive than others lol plus PUP has really good eva, so throw on some eva atmas and rr and have fun. Other than that I go with what works best, ranged, melee, spells, whatever the situation calls for, best way to go I think.

[Kuroganashi]

Favorite gotta be WHM Frame for high lvls and at low lvls I Love the PLD Frame ^^

[Dawezy]

Sharpshot, it tends to end the lives of many of the mobs I engage. With the Flame Holder proc'ing (and the WS *doesnt* miss lol) he puts my damage to shame - I find myself regularly tanking mobs in Abyssea for friends with /NIN and bouncing enmity between Herzog and myself.

In alot cases the mobs dont live long enough to be of any potential threat to myself, my auto or my friends.

;)

[katz]

Full time sharpshot the last 3 months mainly because its underskilled. When I was leveling in a party I stuck to rdm whm or blm so hes fully skilled with magic. Hes capped melee on Sharpshot but havent touch Valorsedge at all. Low levels this frame was just too weak so never been out since. Probably finish capping range then try it again. Dont have any problems with keeping the sharpshot frame alive mainly due to him standing off the mobs while I tank it.

[Drhatchet]

I sharpshot for just about everything other than soloing. Not saying the other frames aren't used ever, just sayin' more often than not Sharpshot is my go-to guy.

[Seha]

If I can dd freely without caring for hate, SR is my favourite. It's the one that pulls out the most damage.
SS is the one I use the most cause for soloing/lowmanning is often the one I actually need.
When I have a healer and I'm tanking stuff I use VE(cause most likely it's a nm with aoe abilities).

Haven't used Sharpy in a while now, maybe I should give it some love.

I totally ignore Harly and SW.

[Tsukino_Kaji]

I'm sure I'd favor mage if it was over 120 skill. lol

[Lessina]

I'm pretty sure 88 Magic skill is the golden number to skill up. Cursena is your friend.

[Tsukino_Kaji]

I'm pretty sure 88 Magic skill is the golden number to skill up. Cursena is your friend.Has anyone tried "buying" skill ups? Could you poison yourself and poisona your way to success? lol

[Telford]

Has anyone tried "buying" skill ups? Could you poison yourself and poisona your way to success? lol

That would get really expensive really fast, not to mention you'd have to fill your inventory with poison pots.

Even if PUP was your first high level job (40+ for the soulsoother head) you could get to 48 magic skill using /pup on whatever lv 30 job you used to unlock PUP, then its just another 12 points until you have access to silena where you can use the mutes in Beadeaux to skill up to ~90 for cursna and then you can afk to cap at the afflictors.

[Tsukino_Kaji]

WHat about MP?

[Telford]

equip the mana tank (I or II) and the economizer, mana converter, or Mana Conserver
make this macro:
/ja "Dark Maneuver" <me> <wait 60>
/ja "Dark Maneuver" <me> <wait 60>
/ja "Dark Maneuver" <me> <wait 60>
/ja "Dark Maneuver" <me> <wait 60>
/ja "Dark Maneuver" <me> <wait 60>
/p <call1>

and you can go afk for 5 minutes and come back and hit the macro when you hear the call or just let the auto run out of mp and it will run in and kill your deploy target and you can deactivate/activate or dea. MP isn't really an issue.

[Tsukino_Kaji]

Economizer is 1.5m. >.<

[Niyariko]

After capping all my auto's skills last night with the new skill up attachment, I finally have the luxury in choosing whichever frame I like to play.

I love using Sharpshot, but most of the time I show up on friend events as pup, everyone would ask me to use Soulsoother. However, the wacky AI and long idle time between each spell cast has always disappointed the group in critical moments ><; Soulsooth is a great frame for soloing, but this is also the frame I hate using the most.

[Saefinn]

Valor Edge can be beautiful at times, when the AI has done exactly what I want it to do it has tanked very well and when I was a low level in Yuhtunga Jungle the little guy impressed me. As I sent him after a IT Mandragora I aggrod a gobbie, I sacrificed the little guy to take on the Mandragora whilst we killed the goblin. I kept maneuvers going to increase his survivability, once the goblin was dead the automaton was still at it, so I gave in, chucked him a repair and helped him finish off while the party healed themselves. Of course, I reckon it was a fluke, because he must have used his shock absorber a lot. But still, I think it's a testament to how Valor Edge can take a beating and in parties I've found he's been a great back-up tank.

However, I have been taking a lot of love to Soulsoother, my gear between 60 and 70 has been rather gimp, but this guy takes good care of me. I found with using Soulsoother and enmity+ gear I can solo pretty well with PUP/NIN, because he'll enfeeble the enemy making it easier to keep shadows up, and when they're down the guy keeps you alive and also removes any harmful status effects. I find he's a great companion for soloing.

At the moment those 2 are my favourite, but then I've not given Sharpshooter a fair trial and once I've skilled him up I'm sure I shall and might find love for him, particularly as I love Ranger and love Corsair's ranger side (hence I'm normally COR/RNG), so it'll be interested in seeing how well Sharpshooter ranges. :)

[kenshyn]

Rng frame with valor head is my fun combo for me allows me to slowly keep its melee skills up and still get the damage output from the rng.

[Tsukino_Kaji]

Ok, so how dose this cursena skill up thing work? She'll only cast it when engaged, but then she'll just kill the target.

Edit: Ok I ran into a taru there and he taught me how to engage then walk away. lol

[Geebee]

Sharpshot ftw everytime 5k+ solo lights skill chain in Abyssea every 30 seconds or less, makes me smile everytime whos lol now huh?

[xbobx]

5k seems very low. I do 6k on average with VE doing darkness. I would think you should be hitting 8k with light.

[Anza]

Depends on the situation:

- Need physical DD? Sharpshot. It doesn't matter if it dies after pulling hate, we have DEA on a 60 second recast.
- Need magic DD? Spiritreaver.
- Solo or healing in a lowman situation? Soulsoother.

Valoredge might get better with more attachments, but it's still not there yet. Can't tank well enough to be a reliable tank on most things, can't DD as well as Sharpshot, don't need puppet survival when you have DEA available.

[Yokoh]

Sharpshot frame is my preferred choice of pet. With the option of making a self SC (light) for dmg total of over 3k+ (outside Abyssea) its just insane. But its very situational, i love using WHM when healing is low, BLM when magic is needed, and Valor, when i need to shift hate and run away ;P

[Miera]

I use Soulsoother when I am by myself and think I need some healing, VE when I just want to throw it at some stuff and let her release some anger problem on some mobs before she does it on me.

I rarely use VE frame but I'd actually would like to. I have been changing atmas around for her and seeing what I feel comfortable with.

Sharpshot I don't use as much, she doesn't shoot as much and I am usually fighting things that have nasty AoEs that could potentially kill her if I set her to melee range.

I only use the BLM frame to build me Azure lights

[TimeMage]

Lately, I use Soulsoother the most, because I'm not as PUP when we do bosses/NMs in abyssea most of the time, and when I go PUP I'm soloing or doing some duo/trio activity without any real healer. However, I think my favorite is still Sharpshot. Armor Shatterer closing Fusion after SP is awesome damage (Don't have Vereth to do a Lv3 skillchain), and as someone said above, who cares about your automton dying after getting attention? Just bring another one up with DEA and heal it (or not!) with an oil+2.