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