Is there any reason I keep getting one shotted by Astral Flows?

[Juri_Licious]

I'll put on up to 30 elemental resistance of that specific Avatar, and the Astral Flow will always kill me. I'm level 90 DNC / 45 NIN. Is this normal?

[Alkalinehoe]

30 resistance isn't a whole lot. Have you tried making a -MDT set?

[Juri_Licious]

30 resistance isn't a whole lot. Have you tried making a -MDT set?
Not yet, I wasn't sure if Astral Flows counted towards it.

[Alkalinehoe]

Not yet, I wasn't sure if Astral Flows counted towards it.
I was under the impression it did, however, I would wait til someone else could confirm it though. :x

Edit: Wiki says yes.


Damage inflicted by these attacks can be reduced by Shell and other "magic damage taken -%" effects.

[Xanaduu]

if ur talking about prime fights, just sub whm, that will give u shell 2, needed bar spell, stoneskin (if it doesnt break b4 it 2hrs) and haste. for good measure u can also add w/e elemental staff for an added boost. i've done it as both dnc and pup, makes short work of em^^

[Kasandaro]

In terms of effect, 30 resistance is something of a joke - you're probably not seeing a change in damage at all. Endgame (75) situations, tanks were attempting to gear for 200+, for comparison. Avatars, you'd probably want to see ~100 to reliably get a damage cut.

You'll probably get more mileage subbing RDM for Shell II and barspells (Stoneskin and Phalanx won't hurt, either).

[Raksha]

/whm or /rdm would give native mdb trait also.

[Eeek]

I'll put on up to 30 elemental resistance of that specific Avatar, and the Astral Flow will always kill me. I'm level 90 DNC / 45 NIN. Is this normal?

Yes, that's normal, even in Abyssea. As was mentioned previously, +30 resistance to an element isn't going to help much, if at all.

Inside Abyssea, players have Atma options to help mitigate elemental attacks like Astral Flow. Players can infuse specific Atma with significant elemental resistance (up to +100), and in combination with Shell5, the appropriate Barspell from a mage (WHM barspells are best), or even Carols from a BRD, it's possible to reduce the damage of Astral Flow, big nukes, and elemental attacks down to easily manageable levels. For mobs and NMs that cast big nukes of any element, Atma of the Future Fabulous (awarded for WoTG mission completion) is an option and grants +50 Magic Defense Bonus. When combined with Shell5 and a proper Magic Damage Taken set, even strong nukes like Thundaga4 won't break 1000 damage.

Soon after Scars came out, I found my THF and DNC dying mainly due to powerful nukes. I'd known about MDT (Magic Damage Taken) sets for a long time, but I was too lazy to build one. I have one now, and I don't go into an NM fight without it. It's amazing.

Here's my personal MDT set~
Neck: Twilight Torque (-5% Damage Taken)
Ear1: Merman's Earring (-2% MDT)
Ear2: Merman's Earring (-2% MDT)
Body: Avalon Breastplate (-5% MDT)
Ring1: Dark Ring (-6% MDT, among other assorted defensive stats)
Ring2: Dark Ring (-6% MDT, among other assorted defensive stats)
Back: Lamia Mantle +1 (+4 Magic Defense Bonus - this goes into my /sack if I really need the space)
Waist: Resolute Belt (+2 Magic Defense Bonus - this goes into my /sack if I really need the space)

All together, this set grants -26% Magic Damage Taken via 6 pieces of gear (with a bonus +6 Magic Defense Bonus). With a WHM's merited Shell5, I reach the -50% Magic Damage Taken cap. I'm not mathy enough to know exactly what's needed to reach -50% MDT with a SHell5 from a notWHM mage.

My set uses some expensive and r/ex gear, so let's step back to a good starting point~
Ear1: Merman's Earring (-2% MDT)
Ear2: Merman's Earring (-2% MDT)
Ring1: Merman's Ring (-4% MDT)
Ring2: Merman's Ring (-4% MDT)

With only 4 pieces of AH gear, it's simple to reach -12% MDT pretty quickly, and as a bonus, these earrings and rings can be equipped by all jobs. If you have Shinryu access, adding a Twilight Torque to this set makes for a 5-piece -17% MDT set that's quick to assemble, will not cause a player to blink (if that's a concern), and is equippable by all jobs.

Augmented Dark Rings can be farmed from the large gold chests in Abyssea - Konschtat. They can be augmented with up to -6% MDT along with other defensive stats.

If an Avalon Breastplate is too expensive (I bought it mainly to save inventory space), the Coral/Merman Harness Set and the Lore/Lore+1 Robe set also provide MDT in the visible body armor slots. If you cannot find Coral/Merman's Armor on the AH, a Bonecrafter can make them for you.

Finally, here's an FFXIAH link to Level 50 to 90 MDT gear equippable by DNC: http://www.ffxiah.com/search/item?&races[]=128&jobs[]=524288&description=Magic%20Damage%20Taken&level[0]=50&level[1]=90#adv

The above link will help you research gear and find crafting recipes for gear that's not often on the AH.

Good luck!

[scaevola]

EDIT: derp

[Starcade]

I'll put on up to 30 elemental resistance of that specific Avatar, and the Astral Flow will always kill me. I'm level 90 DNC / 45 NIN. Is this normal?

Yes. Your only real defense is not to let the Astral Flow and the 2 Hr resolve.

If it can wipe entire Dynamis parties, it can kill you rather easily.

[Eeek]

Yes. Your only real defense is not to let the Astral Flow and the 2 Hr resolve.

If it can wipe entire Dynamis parties, it can kill you rather easily.

Wrong.

Like most things in the game, players can survive Astral Flow if adequately prepared and ready for it.

On another note, I'm always happy to see questions like Juri's. It helps everyone discuss, learn, and improve. :)

[Kensagaku]

Yes. Your only real defense is not to let the Astral Flow and the 2 Hr resolve.

If it can wipe entire Dynamis parties, it can kill you rather easily.

Yeah... no.

Eeek made a good point; MDT gear is not hard to get, nor is it hard to make a 4-5 line macro for basic MDT gear (earrings/rings/twilight torque). From experience, MDT makes a good deal of difference; recently I invested in an MDT set for my BLU (Coral Visor/Scale Mail/Finger Gauntlets+1/Cuisses+1/Greaves+1/Twilight Torque/4% MDT ring) and it's saved me a couple of times, especially in my soloing when sometimes you can't stun and have to eat a nuke to the face.

That aside, if you haven't had a chance or don't have the gil at the moment to get a basic MDT set/don't have a healer friend that can tag along/don't want to beg a Shell off of a healer you come across/don't have resistance atma then yes, Starcade's right. Eating Astral Flow is not fun by any stretch, and will more likely than not show you to your dirt nap. However, the items to at very least craft this gear are usually cheap, and if you shout for a bonecrafter, offer maybe a 2k tip (That's how much I generally tip, 2-3k as a thanks for a crafter to take their time to attempt my stuff) you'll likely get some gear before long.

Also who wipes to avatars in Dyna anymore? o_O Sleep the avatar, kill summoner, no AF to the face. Of course recent experience dictates that you'll get the guy who thinks its a good idea to diaga or accidentally attacks the avatar once in a while... x_x;