Learning Bloodrake

Has anyone else actually got this spell? I tried today for 3 hrs with friends in Bostaunieux Oubliette and the vampyr there used every TP and spell dozens of time but never once used bloodrake. Fighting Count Dracula didn't go any better, same issue with that NM.

Any ideas on what NM will actually use this ability that won't involve me back tanking for too long waiting?

Solo'd it in Bos. Oub myself, took about 3 hours.

I did get it in Bos. Oub with a group of 3-4 other BLU's, but we were probably there for an hour before he actually used the move. Either they really don't like using it, or theres some condition to get them to do so? No clue. But it was a pain to get.

I also learned this in Bost. oub solo. I read some where that they use the move more frequently when their hp is between 75%-100%, due to a coding error. They do also use the move at lower %s, just maybe not as frequently.

I geared up an evasion/haste set with genbu shield+ low dmg sword and just melee'd while keeping slow/blind (discharge/drape) on him, and almost every mob used it or killed me with doom first, lol.

I did a shout a while back and got 6 of us into there. At the end of about 2hr, 5 of us has gotten the spell while 1 didn't due to skill being way too low. We also did pick up 1 JP BLU dualboxer there.

I do recalled he uses Bloodrake throughout his HP range because he has used it as first TP move as well as near deaths. I tanked him mostly just using genbu shield + eva sword while others just whack him on low dmg club/dia, etc.

Man, I could never level BLU seriously. I just don't have the patience to learn spells. Took it to 30 for the job emote, only got one spell (Cocoon) by accident. BLU seems really REALLY weak without spells. I think it may have taken me longer than any of the other jobs I levelled to 30. Might've been faster if I bothered to learn spells, but then I would have taken time learning spells.

Well, good luck to all the professional Blue Mages out there. Seems like a really amazing job, though a little too complex for me.

This is good for me to see. I haven't gone after this one yet (as I was getting some friends together to help fight the vamps), but it's good to know that I "could" be in there a few hours trying to learn this spell. And Zarchery, I actually had the same thought about Blu when it first came and I watched my wife play it (she only played till around 12lvl). After I read a couple of things and learned my first few spells, I was hooked. And the funny thing is, I really enjoy hunting the mobs for my new spells. It was the first "mage" job I could get in to. Lol

I was the same initially. I got it to 11 and got bored. Then went to 16 when a friend asked if I had a lvl 11 job for astral burn pt. I didn't go too well as the tank got stuck healing so we lost half the mobs lol.

So I sat at 16 for ages, tossing out Mavi seals left right and centre as it was my only job under 30. Then for some reason I got the urge to go spell hunting. I think just to get away from the abyssea way of exping. I'm now 63 and got most of my exp from just farming spells. Occasionally when I cap skill and have no more spells that I can learn I'll join a book burn and get a couple of levels then go off hunting again.

What my party found is that the mob in Bos. didn't like using the move below 75%
So we would hold it and feed it tp until it used it and then just zerg it down.

Why isn't Castle Zvahl Keep [S] an option?
Look, see. Easy target for blu!

Because there's only one and its respawn time is immense.

There are 3 Varkolak's iirc, one in each room you portal to otw to the Keep.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Sparthos

There are 3 Varkolak's iirc, one in each room you portal to otw to the Keep.

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I've only heard of the 1 secret room, thanks for the info.

However, there are also 3 bats in the rooms and 1 in the hallway which all link w/ the varkolak. If you're planning to make the trip up to here bring lots of holy waters for doom and clear the bats out first.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Tohihroyu

Why isn't Castle Zvahl Keep [S] an option?
Look, see. Easy target for blu!

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This is where i soloed the spell... killed bat in the hallway then was able to pull the vamp without link. It used Bloodrake a decent amount. learned spell on second kill, took me longer to find the secret room than to learn the spell lol

Learned it in the sandy dungeon while grouping with a bunch of BLU I just met there. Learned it 1/1