Astolfo a joke !

[Jeubond]

Is it me being old, embittered & twisted, or has all the time & gil I spent on upgrading my Guichards +2 [pet-pdt axe] to +3 been a complete waste of time ?
I didn't expect a whole lot of extra damage or even extra pet-pdt despite the supposed increase in stats.
And good old SE you didn't disappoint . . .
What I have now is an axe that has a fancy new name but that gives a worse performance than the one I upgraded !
In Aby with Ruinator fully merited on my +2 I enjoyed an average of 2.5k minimum dmg, with +3 1.8k . . .
I have been trying to upgrade my Farsha despite all information against it & could with Ruinator hit Fistule for 1.6k - 2.4k, now 1.1k - 1.6k.
Don't get me started on Dipper just about lasting 1 fight with the extra 2% -pdt whereas before it would last until I left.
Disgusting & yet another player you have lost for FFIV SE . . .
Jon

PS. All done using exactly the same gear/atmas for +2 & +3.

[darkhorror]

What are you talking about? They are better axes, eye balling on a random NM where you won't know it's level or what else is going on doesn't tell you anything. Plus the difference between these two axes on WS is about nothing inside of abyssea.

I would suggest if you are looking for a damage axe I would go with STR/Attack axe. LVL 99 STR attack axe is 74 dmg, 276 delay, +11 STR, +22 attack. Look at it compared to lvl 90 Farsha, which has same damage same delay, one less str, 22 less attack. Only has Cloudsplitter which is crap, and aftermath that will help with damage. But then you will miss a Ruinator.

[Jeubond]

Hi Darkhorror,
Thanks for your reply & I may just take your advice concerning the Str/Att axe.
I neglected to mention that I didn't just whack a few mobs & then decided I didn't like the Astolfo I really did try to make sure my testing was done as fairly as possible. I checked every mob before fighting etc, but I speak as I find & it just does not perform as expected in Abyssea.
Being a full-time bst I know my axes & I know it's a game but you sort of know when things are not quite right [silly as it may sound], I didn't wait to change them from +2 to +3 to Astolfo but collected all the items required & upgraded both axe's with the moogle at the same time. I went straight to Aby & started testing, I couldn't believe the numbers at first
but by checking through my log & comparing with numbers taken from the +2 could see the difference.
However . . . .
Whilst I'm quick enough to moan & whinge I'm also quick to praise their use with Rampage in Abyssea !
My testing is not yet completed but I'm finding them excellent for this ws, whereas ruinator was my ws of choice I'm now finding that rampage is just as good if not better at times. Watch this space.
I still have to try them in Dynamis, just need to get my Perle dusted off then will try . . . .
Right, time to go find something else to whine about, lol !
Take care,
Jon

PS. I still don't intend to try FFIV

[darkhorror]

If Rampage is coming even close to Ruinator you aren't doing it right. What atma's do you use, and what is your WS gear?

[Xilk]

Aye, what atma are you using?

sorry, but I have a couple astolfo and a few guichards's +2 of different elements. I'm nailing out better damage on my astolfo.
My experience doesn't match yours at all, and I have several axes to compare.

[darkhorror]

You can't do a test the way you did, mobs in abyssea have too large a level range and trying at two different times, not knowing tp return, or much else you will never get good numbers. As I said the difference between the two weapons in abyssea will be smaller than you can tell even with a parser. The damage difference is just too small.

[Zaknafein]

Astolfo's seem to be an upgrade over the +3 pdt axes to me. Same base damage as 90 Farsha also..grumble grumble

[Jeubond]

Right, wipe egg off face time & profuse apologies to SE & you guys for wasting your time with my foolishness.
Thanks go to my partner who upon hearing about my Astolfo's decided to try them in my absence & even though I have Pet Mag Def axes/gear macro decided to swap my usual VV atma for Vicissitude. Like many I go straight to the 'reinfuse prev atma set', scroll down, select etc, a sharper eye might have noticed 1 V instead of the usual 2 VV but not me, there you go eh.
I'm especially peeved as you Xilk are what I consider to be the epitomy of a consummate bst, someone who's every word I have followed both in the Zam forums & here since I first started with ffxi & to be made to look stupid in front of you rankles somewhat !
I'm open to suggestions as to a suitable punishment for my partner . . .
I'd also like to say how much I like my Astolfo's now & have punished Fistule so severly with them since that I am now on the Bukhis Wing stage of my Farsha, I'm about to start collecting ki, I recall Xilk that in the zam forums you had attempted several solo's & while there is no update to the thread wondered if you had managed with the last update & new pets to beat Bukhis yet ?
Take care & apologies once agin fella's !
Jon

[Xilk]

Right, wipe egg off face time & profuse apologies to SE & you guys for wasting your time with my foolishness.
Thanks go to my partner who upon hearing about my Astolfo's decided to try them in my absence & even though I have Pet Mag Def axes/gear macro decided to swap my usual VV atma for Vicissitude. Like many I go straight to the 'reinfuse prev atma set', scroll down, select etc, a sharper eye might have noticed 1 V instead of the usual 2 VV but not me, there you go eh.
I'm especially peeved as you Xilk are what I consider to be the epitomy of a consummate bst, someone who's every word I have followed both in the Zam forums & here since I first started with ffxi & to be made to look stupid in front of you rankles somewhat !
I'm open to suggestions as to a suitable punishment for my partner . . .
I'd also like to say how much I like my Astolfo's now & have punished Fistule so severly with them since that I am now on the Bukhis Wing stage of my Farsha, I'm about to start collecting ki, I recall Xilk that in the zam forums you had attempted several solo's & while there is no update to the thread wondered if you had managed with the last update & new pets to beat Bukhis yet ?
Take care & apologies once agin fella's !
Jon

Wow, I'm flattered. Thank you. I just like playing bst and talking about it on forums. There are plenty of better bst than I out there.

I wouldn't worry about being embarrassed over the mishap w/ atma. Stuff happens. You found the solution. all good.


Ah... well, as far as Bukhis Kills go I've not been making a priority out of them. Bukhis can be solo'd by a bst... but the kill rate is really terrible and you need luck. More luck now needed since SE fixed the bug where Doom wouldn't kill pets.
Now it kills our pets. Bukhis really has 120k hp. He takes forever to grind down, and you get hit w/ alot of TP moves. It is actually more time efficient to farm the cruor and brew him 3x/brew if you can get 2x ppl to hold trigger sets. (if you have 3x ppl though, you can just kill him w/ other strats/jobs anyway)

You'll spend way too long kiting now, while CB is down.

However the 2nd part of the issue is this: Farsha is spectacularly unimpressive. Cloudsplitter LOOKS really, really cool. but that's all. the damage really is less than primal rend. The aftermath does not make up for the lack of damage. The next emphasis would be that its a good Ruinator Axe... and thats true. However, there is no way I'll be upgrading farsha passed level 90 unless there is a HUGE change in the price for upgrade items.

A level 90 farsha has the exact same damage and delay as a level 99 Astolfo. I've almost finished my fire path Astolfo. which has 1 point of STR more than level 90 Farsha. So there is a much easier to get axe which will outperform the only farsha I would get for ruinator.

I still might finish it to level 90, but I have other priorities. I really want an aymur. I'm not even going to work on a guttler (they are fantastic weapons and a bst can solo build a level 95 guttler within 2 months if dedicated). I'd rather concentrate my resources on getting aymur. its always been my favorite legendary weapon option. Using it on Test Server only solidified my decision.

[Jeubond]

Hi Xilk,
Please forgive my delay in replying I was hoping to have a success story for you instead of yet another tale of woe . . . [it's being so cheerful as keeps me alive, :)]
First off I mean what I say & speak as I find, I can think of only one other Bst who I aspire to be as good as apart from you and that is a Taru Bst who has a lot of stuff on YouTube [talk about Chaos ! If that's not enough of a hint pm me].
Your posts in all the forums I've seen all talk with the benefit of experience and for a relative newb bst like me that is worth a mint !
I should add it's not just me, I know a few other bsts who hold you in high-regard too, maybe SE could give you your own special title not Beastmaster but Master Beast ?!

Ok, I have been busy gaining the ki I need for Bukhis but having major problems with 'Khalkotaur', I spam Snarl so that if it uses Apoc Ray my pet will take it instead of me [I'm not really a craven coward just have a weak backbone . . . :)]. However, I instead of my pet get it in the neck every time and although I keep Holy Waters on me my pet seems to ko, is Apoc Ray a dual-hit ability or is something else happening ? I use GG, all Ferine +1, 2 X Pet-pdt Astolfo's [:)] or 2 x Pet Mag Def axes, DG, Apoc & V atma, Twilight Torque, Anguinus belt & Ferine Mantle.
I'm open to suggestions as to any changes I could make !

On the 'is it really worth it' Farsha front obviously not, but it's something I started a while back & having spent so long camping all those minor nm's is a project I am determined to see through until cloudsplitter mode. For the sake of 50 items it seems pointless to give up now. I am also working on Primal Rend and hear what you say about other Astolfo's but am trying to get my ferine to +2 before I upgrade any more axes.

Thank you once again !
Jon

[SpankWustler]

I'd like to start out by saying "Astolfo" is the funniest name for anything ever. I would totally become a modern day viking if axes named "Astolfo" existed in real life.


Ok, I have been busy gaining the ki I need for Bukhis but having major problems with 'Khalkotaur', I spam Snarl so that if it uses Apoc Ray my pet will take it instead of me [I'm not really a craven coward just have a weak backbone . . . :)]. However, I instead of my pet get it in the neck every time and although I keep Holy Waters on me my pet seems to ko, is Apoc Ray a dual-hit ability or is something else happening ? I use GG, all Ferine +1, 2 X Pet-pdt Astolfo's [:)] or 2 x Pet Mag Def axes, DG, Apoc & V atma, Twilight Torque, Anguinus belt & Ferine Mantle.
I'm open to suggestions as to any changes I could make !

My apologies if I'm not understanding the issue correctly, but maybe this will help:

Apocalyptic Ray is conal. Imagine the area that would be covered if Khalkotaur drunkenly puked up two liters of Buckfast Tonic Wine; that is roughly the shape of Apocalyptic Ray's area of effect. As long as you stand on Khalkotaur's tail, Apocalyptic Ray shouldn't be able to hit you and your pet at the same time.

[Jeubond]

Hi Spank,
Many thanks not only for your advice but also making me bust a gut with larfing about a happy memory many years ago !
I did know that A Ray was 'conal' but didn't know that to avoid it I had to be anal & fight Khalk from behind.
When I originally read up on the fight I couldn't visualise exactly what sort of area conal would take up but thanks to your charming description I now know exactly what you mean.
Following a visit to the Buckfast premises [home to dipsomaniac Mnks :)] many years ago my partner & I decided to purchase a bottle each after the obligatory tour & small tot of the substance at the end.
Like many such brews in the late 70's like 'Aunties Inferno' etc, Buckfast had no resemblance to any drink living or dead which is why only hardened drinkers living in Govan, Glasgow ever brought it. At 15% alc vol & @ tuppence a bottle it did the job a lot quicker & faster than a pint of 'gasmilk' made by passing the old type of heating gas through a pint of milk.
Yummy . . .
I digress, after the tour which was quite interesting I seem to recall [about all I can remember thankfully, such memories are best left forgotten ! lol] us sitting in the abby grounds & as it was a nice sunny day decided to smoke a small maryjane cigareete ["tut,tut . . ."] & partake of our purchases. After the 1st swig had removed our throat & stomach linings we began to quite enjoy it, however we didn't stop at 1 swig . . .
Bad move, very bad move, everything went very horribly wrong very quickly !
Suffice to say I do recall our 'conal rainbow yawns' on the bus back, [I blame the petrol fumes], I do know the bus was pretty full & that we managed to include all the ill-fated travellers in our celebrations.
Larf ? I nearly sh** . . .
Anyway what that's got to do with the price of fish I don't know, I just wanted to thank you !
Cheers . . .
Jon :)

[SpankWustler]

Hi Spank,
Many thanks not only for your advice but also making me bust a gut with larfing about a happy memory many years ago !
I did know that A Ray was 'conal' but didn't know that to avoid it I had to be anal & fight Khalk from behind.
When I originally read up on the fight I couldn't visualise exactly what sort of area conal would take up but thanks to your charming description I now know exactly what you mean.
Following a visit to the Buckfast premises [home to dipsomaniac Mnks :)] many years ago my partner & I decided to purchase a bottle each after the obligatory tour & small tot of the substance at the end.
Like many such brews in the late 70's like 'Aunties Inferno' etc, Buckfast had no resemblance to any drink living or dead which is why only hardened drinkers living in Govan, Glasgow ever brought it. At 15% alc vol & @ tuppence a bottle it did the job a lot quicker & faster than a pint of 'gasmilk' made by passing the old type of heating gas through a pint of milk.
Yummy . . .
I digress, after the tour which was quite interesting I seem to recall [about all I can remember thankfully, such memories are best left forgotten ! lol] us sitting in the abby grounds & as it was a nice sunny day decided to smoke a small maryjane cigareete ["tut,tut . . ."] & partake of our purchases. After the 1st swig had removed our throat & stomach linings we began to quite enjoy it, however we didn't stop at 1 swig . . .
Bad move, very bad move, everything went very horribly wrong very quickly !
Suffice to say I do recall our 'conal rainbow yawns' on the bus back, [I blame the petrol fumes], I do know the bus was pretty full & that we managed to include all the ill-fated travellers in our celebrations.
Larf ? I nearly sh** . . .
Anyway what that's got to do with the price of fish I don't know, I just wanted to thank you !
Cheers . . .
Jon :)

Somehow, this is the most informative post I've ever read on these forums. As someone living in the US, I always wondered if the legends were true. I also found out about "gasmilk"!

Good luck with your giant demon bull things!

[Edd]

Is it possible to give the elemental trial of the magian axes different names similar to the staff trial ones? Right now I have 2 PDT axes, 2 MDB axes, 1 attack axe, and am working on 2 evasion axes.

I would like to be able to macro the axes in as needed, and as such do not want to fully upgrade all of my axes. Right now I have two axes upgraded fully to Astolfos, two axes upgraded to Guichard's Axe +3, two axes upgraded to the +2 version, and the final axe only upgraded to +1. I would like to get the full benefits from a fully upgraded Astolfo from all of the axes, but it is not feasible to do so since they all share the same name once fully upgraded. Please change the axe's names like you did for the staff trials.

[Tsukino_Kaji]

They would concider it, but had no plans on doing so, then vanished on teh subject all together.