Test Server - Feedback on BLU spells

[Mightyg]

Naturally this is a blu thread, so we talk about what we want to see improved, so back on topic.

Some thoughts on the recent batch of spells:

Heavy Strike should be unnerfed, increase it's cooldown if you have to balance it.
Barrier Tusk's duration isn't long enough to really justify using it. What's with the extra long casting time and mp cost too?
Dark Orb is ok, but really not great damage, especially compared to the kind of stuff other mage jobs have/got at 95.
Water Bomb isn't bad, but the damage is still not great. It's prettymuch only an enmity tool, and for situations where you want to silence a group of enemies.
Sudden Lunge is good. No complaints
Thunderbolt this is on a 5 min cooldown SE and it's used to stun. Cut the casting time and up the damage at least a little.

[Neisan_Quetz]

EDIT: page late

[Helel]

Fix Heavy Strike now please. It's completely useless at the moment. I can't even land it reliably on dynamis statues.

Edit: Did anyone even test this accuracy nerf over at SE? I'm not talking about the test server, because if they had been paying attention to the test server feedback, the nerf never would have happened in the first place. The accuracy penalty is absolutely insane.

[Neisan_Quetz]

In terms of buffing which a Whm or Sch could do it is, otherwise no.

[Lordscyon]

Hey i am just a taru with a big dream!

[Saenomo]

Mortal Ray: This spells accuracy is kind of low like everyone says, but you're not using it as was most likely intended. First, grab yourself three tough mobs, like Sandsweepers in Abyssea-Altepa. Then, Mortal Ray the first one using Burst Affinity to more or less make it land if you have Magical Accuracy and Blue Magic Skill merited for the extra boost to land the spell. Next, simply pick your AoE sleep of choice and then pick off mob 2 and 3. As the third mob is killed normally, the first one will drop from Doom effect and you've increased your kill speed by ~45% (3 kills in the time of 2 normal kills minus time to cast mortal ray and sleep).

I'd like to see Mortal Ray have high accuracy and a slightly lower cost, but dropped into Unbridled Knowledge. In exchange, could we have Bloodrake slid out in it's place?

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Now, can we talk about Pyric Bulwark? It's roughly as effective as a free Utsusemi shadow that will stop the next physical hit. It's right up there with Third Eye, except Third Eye doesn't always wear after the first hit. We can only use this to absorb one hit, and without careful planning, we can't really pick and choose which hit. If it only ate a hit that did at least 100 damage, that might be useful. If it had a time duration like Invincible (not as long of course), that would be very nice. Maybe let it negate one hit and any hit for the rest of that round. ( For example, it blocks a mobs hit, but the mob has Triple Attack and swings two more times. Since it's still the one round, those are negated too before it wears off. It would also mean that it would be useful for just about 3 seconds to fix a small mob linking issue.)

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In futility, I'd also like some reexamination of 1000 Needles, Bad Breath, and Jettatura. The first one could really use some accuracy to land with, even with capped magic merits, you practically need Azure Lore, Convergence, or Elemental Seal to land 1000 Needles and you've blown through most of your MP to do it. Bad Breath would be awesome if it wasn't nearly as expensive as 1000 Needles and rarely, if ever, landed most of the effects it's capable of. Jettatura is great for a BLU Provoke, but the effect won't help you because it really will never land on anything that actually matters without once again, large amounts of Magic Accuracy as with Elemental Seal.

[Sparthos]

Why would you waste time with Mortal Ray to kill anything? BLU can wreck mobs faster that than worthless spell can countdown doom on a target.

[saevel]

M.Ray's only worth setting for DWIII. Otherwise it's never worth casting.

[SpankWustler]

M.Ray's only worth setting for DWIII. Otherwise it's never worth casting.

The most cynical part of me is pretty sure that the whole reason Mortal Ray exists is that assure that some set points are totally wasted while acquiring Dual Wield III.