Want to play a class specifically for the purpose of soloing old content such as alexander, bahamut and many hard or extreme difficulty dungeons and trials.
That being said, I am stuck between three options.
RDM: decent dps and ridiculous self-healing
BLU: intended solo class
WAR: great burst damage with (sustainable?) plenty of self-healing
The reason why I'd consider WAR along with the other two is that I already main several dps jobs, meanwhile I don't have fun playing any of the healer jobs. My thought process is that if I'm to level up a job to a point that I can solo most old content, which is quite a time investment, might as well do it with a class that can fill a different party role for the sake of occasional quick queues. But if I am to be frank, I'm not exactly a fan of both RDM and WAR weapons and their postures. And I only know BLU being a side content solo class, what it does I have no idea.
Which of the three would you recommend based on my need and why? Thanks in advance:o
Which of these classes best at solo old content?
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11-14-2021, 10:21 AMLitheSuxmanWhich of these classes best at solo old content?
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11-14-2021, 10:24 AMryouma17
i use redmage when doing old content, it does good damage and has good self healing, even at level 80 old primals like ramuh still do good damage so you'll need that healing
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11-14-2021, 10:27 AMWhite_Wolf_X
Most classes with some kind of self healing really, pld and war are my favs to do it with.
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11-14-2021, 10:29 AMItMe
Of those 3, WAR is the best at soloing a lot of current content, so my money is on it for being best at old content.
(Except for PotD, RDM beats it there, but not HoH). -
11-14-2021, 10:36 AMRowde
BLU for the most part since you get the benefits of DPS dmg and better defense thanks to Mighty Guard + Basic Instinct when solo.
Outside of that, familiarity with fights becomes super important even when doing lower level content solo. As a dps some fights will require a perfect rotation to skip problematic mechanics or outright kill the opponents before reaching later mechanics that are too overwhelming for DPS def/health.
Tanks will give you more wiggle room, but the fights will take longer. PLD is generally the easiest Tank to solo content with because clemency is so strong and can be used whenever you want (provided you have enough MP). There is at least once instance of a boss that will use a move that drops you to 1HP in the Alexander series. Once you know it's coming you can certainly deal with it on any class... but it's less hairy on tanks since you can cheese the mechanic with Invulns (it will still drop you to 1 HP, but follow up auto attacks won't kill you with invuln up). -
11-14-2021, 10:38 AMNeoyoshi
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11-14-2021, 11:22 AMSomeRandomHuman
Overworld content - generally BLU. Otherwise RDM or GNB. Or anything with a max level chocobo. xD
Trials - Healing intensive fights go to PLD otherwise WAR fell cleaves to victory.
PotD - RDM and MCH take the cake.
HoH - Not sure. I hear GNB is pretty nasty in there though.
Dungeons - BLU. If BLU can't access it then probably RDM or GNB. -
11-14-2021, 12:57 PMMomo_Kozuki
BLU Mage handed down the best solo class for content available to it:
-100% uptime of Sprint with Basic Instinct and won't slow down by being in-combat.
-Super tough too thanks to Basic Instinct, while hit hard thanks to no-DPS-penalty Mighty Guard. Can Diamond Back tank-buster if necessary and heal up to full in a single GCD, as long as you have more than half of your max HP.
-Have wide AoE attack that pulls, allowing you gather and finish off survivors.
-On-demand instant-cast burst that can kill pesky monsters (ones with paralyze or ranged) during a dungeon rush from a far.
-For trial run, as long as it is not Shiva/Ramuh, BLU can instant delete boss. For Shiva/Ramuh, it requires lucky critical or soften the boss a bit without let them enter invuln state before Final Sting. -
11-14-2021, 02:58 PMRisvertasashiIf you can overlevel the content, BLU hands down. There's a reason SE won't let it get to general max level, or DF content, or do ultimates even in an all BLU party - it's the most concentration in power of any class by far.Quote:
Originally Posted by LitheSuxman
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11-14-2021, 03:17 PMJeeqbit
Paladin is good for soloing too and most of the time will be the first one that can do it. Warrior's self-healing is good but still more limited than paladin. You can think of paladin as the tank version of red mage. Once it's possible on a warrior it's more desirable because it can heal while doing damage, although paladin will be able to do this next month.
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11-14-2021, 03:33 PMJennah
For the most part, whatever your main class is will do just fine on a lot of what you mentioned.
I've been going through NewGame+ trying to solo everything; my Dancer main has done just fine for all but a couple of fights through Heavensward (Nael, Nidhogg, Warring Triad, last half of Alexander) that I've had to use my Paladin for.
A "good solo class" can really only do about 1 tier higher content than just any random class. -
11-14-2021, 10:07 PM_Pigzig
BLU also has solo progression if you want something to do
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11-15-2021, 12:47 AMLitheSuxmanIt seems to be the logical choice here for me to play RDM then. But then if I can solo most content with RDM what's the purpose of BLU? It seems a little bit odd that it's difficult to level up BLU without help from other players but it's branded as a solo content job.Quote:
Originally Posted by ryouma17
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11-15-2021, 01:11 AMRowdeIt's already been explained, are you just cherry picking posts to respond to that support some narrative?Quote:
Originally Posted by LitheSuxman
If you're not familiar with the content. There is some stuff that will be an actual DPS race when solo, even when doing it level 60 stuff unsync at 80. As long as you can kill the targets before they get to problematic mechanics, or have a plan to deal with mechanics if you reach them, it has the potential to be faster clears. Remember that healing on RDM takes away from the same resource you do to do your dmg spells with. So you can't heal forever, you get rooted every other cast and swift is on a one minute cooldown.
Tanks will give you way more defensive options for dealing with the same mechanics, but the fights will ultimately take longer. WAR is great when you know the fights and know how to manage your cooldowns for healing while in combat. The issue again is if you are unfamiliar with a fight, WAR only has the one heal on a one minute cooldown that can be used without an actual target. This is part of the reason why PLD is generally the safer Tank to solo with at first, and typically is the first job that most solo clears are done with. In addition, PLD has Hallowed Ground as it's Invuln which is far superior to the tanks invulns in most Solo scenarios.
BLU gives you the a mix of both tank and dps, it even has the equivalent of a tank Invuln it can cast whenever it wants as long as you have the MP available. The main hinderance is that it's level cap is 10 levels lower than every other job. You'll still have way more defensive options than a normal DPS and probably be able to dish out more consistent dmg than a tank though. Plus, again, with familiarity there is more potential to cheese fights, especially near the end, since Final Sting combo can do so much dmg in one hit. -
11-15-2021, 01:38 AMLiam_HarperWhy ask advice if you're going to pick one post and ignore the rest?Quote:
Originally Posted by LitheSuxman
BLU is much better than RDM at soloing a lot of content (except PotD) and for anything BLU struggles with you'd want a tank. PLD is the best pick, but WAR is strong too. BLU also has a lot of use for speed-running old content and has been the best choice for multiple moogletome events and the old dungeons and alliances for the current Relic. It's well worth having a Blue Mage leveled.
Warriors Nascent Flash no longer requires a target, so their healing is quite decent now.Quote:
Originally Posted by Rowde
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11-15-2021, 02:42 AMShironeko_Narunyan
I found GNB works pretty well, too. Can burst things down and has a constant stream of healing.
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11-15-2021, 03:41 AMLitheSuxmanQuote:
Originally Posted by Rowde
My reply was neither to cherry-pick on answers I gather nor a conclusion of my pick. I'm confused as to the aggressiveness coming from the two of you. I read all of the replies and simply chose one that I find it puzzling to ask for clarification.Quote:
Originally Posted by Liam_Harper
Anyroad, I'm still new to the game and has a lot to learn about what works and what doesn't, considering EW will be coming out in weeks, I think I will put leveling BLU aside for now and focus on getting a tank alternative, and thanks for reminding me that time put into healing is a loss in dps so it seems RDM isn't really outracing WAR or other tanks in terms of soloing content.
If I may, I'd love to know more about your opinions on the survivability of WAR compared to DRK, which I already play, just a few levels behind my main. Walking dead is such an unreliable ability that much I know especially in solo. In the meantime, I am doing research as to how 6.0 may change both WAR and DRK so I can finally settle on one of them. -
11-15-2021, 04:24 AMDaeriion_Aeradiir
As someone who has basically solo'd all solo'able content pre-70 (and up to lakshmi EX at 70) with WAR:
ARR - your pick basically doesn't matter. Outgoing damage is nowhere near high enough that self sustain matters, and most things fall over in 1-2 hits regardless of your pick. You can zerg extreme trial fights in <1-3mins regardless of pick. The only fights in ARR that would have issues would be T9 and savage second coil due to mechanics that can instant kill you regardless of level or mitigation.
HW - Dungeons will still auto fall over regardless of your pick, enemies can just survive an extra hit or two. Some savage raids are completely unsoloable due to mechanical issues one shotting you that are completely unavoidable like Judgement: Nisi in A4s, or make playing RDM near impossible with stuff like A3s's hand phase dealing insanely high damage that even WAR has trouble surviving without good CD usage. RDM will have a rougher time in EX trials due to certain instances of huge unavoidable damage that a tank can shrug off easily. BLU can solo a few of the fights RDM/WAR can't, but you need a ton of skill & planning in order to do so and it will not be easy by any means whatsoever.
SB: Self sustain matters much more for dungeons. outside of Lakshmi EX, you won't be soloing any of the EX trials or savage fights due to all of them having mechanics that will 1-shot you, or being unable to do enough damage to beat the enrage even if you can somehow limp to the end of the fight
TL DR, pick whatever the heck ya want for ARR solos as everything falls over, HW+ WAR has the most cushioniest time soloing things if you were planning to farm multiple runs of stuff. Don't expect to be soling anything even remotely difficult in SB. -
11-15-2021, 04:35 AMJeeqbitDRK survivability in a party is great from level 70 because of TBN, a magic shield absorbing 25% of maximum health worth of damage, on a 15 second cooldown. It's so good that a lot of the time, you can absorb entire tank busters especially when combined with Shadow Wall. It can prevent knockbacks, dooms and I would recommend thinking of TBN in situations where you would normally think of living dead, unless it's planned like a tank swap in extreme or savage.Quote:
Originally Posted by LitheSuxman
TBN is the best alternative DRK has to the useful invulnerabilities other tanks have, because like PLD's hallowed ground it can prevent incoming damage from affecting health (up to 25% health which is usually enough) and prevent knockbacks.
Alone, DRK can solo things with TBN but it is a lot more challenging than soloing with PLD or WAR and in some fights will survive a long time but still just die, depending on if the self-healing from their combo is enough.
How WAR is different is it usually takes the damage instead of mitigating it, then heals it back up. The invuln will prevent them going below 1hp, then they can heal it back up on their own with a combination of their combo, a heal called Equilibrium, Nascent Flash which makes their attacks heal them and Thrill of Battle which increases their health and heals the amount increased. They may lack TBN but TBN only goes so far without enough self-heals.
In EW, all of the tanks except DRK are getting more self-heals that will make them rival WAR for self-heals while attacking. -
11-15-2021, 10:51 AMRowdeIt still requires having something to hit though. During transitions WAR can only heal with Equilibrium if they didn't top themselves off with Nascent beforehand.Quote:
Originally Posted by Liam_Harper
TC gave me the impression that they were going to be solo'ing these things for the first time. I agree that WAR is fine if you know what you're doing, but I still think PLD gives more wiggle room for derps if they're also learning/experiencing the fights for the first time on top of doing them solo. -
11-15-2021, 12:54 PMKewitt
Non soloing old content sucks just use party finder.
Also what level do mean by old content. Because anything 70 and lower is old most any 60 content can be soloed by any job.