Clarification on how Flash works

[Akaasha]

Could someone clarify how Flash works? I've seen som theories thrown around and my questions might have been answered inside some post which I can't seem to find.

1) If a mob is under the effect of Flash and I use Flash again (while the mob is still under the effect of Flash), does it stack enmity-wise? From what I gather it doesn't and do I then need to wait it out (debuff) to use it again if I want additional enmity?

2) It seems like continues use of Flash makes the debuff shorter or is it just some mobs that are more resistant to it and thus the timer is shorter? I.e does the mob become more resistant to it with continues use?

Can't test anything atm as I'm posting from work.

Cheers!

[CrazyDuck]

its the only AOE emity ability paladins get from 1-39 at least and spamming it destroys your mp,plus you need to use it about 4 times to get agro from it,

use it straight away at the start and they use it again every combo rotation and prey your group don't attack anything other than what you are attacking because paladins cant hold multiple agro very effectively like warriors/marauders can

[Krsnik]

Emnity-wise it does stack, but if you use it let's say back-to-back, the status effects are completely resisted.

Mobs gradually build resistance to it's effects overtime after each use, I think the first time the effects last 12 seconds, then 6, then 3, then completely resisted. I'm not TOO sure, but there's a time window when they are vulnerable to flash again.

It's the same for Shield Bash and Shield Swipe. Don't know if this is a universal thing though.

[WingsofWar]

Could someone clarify how Flash works? I've seen som theories thrown around and my questions might have been answered inside some post which I can't seem to find.

The value of enmity that Flash generates is based off of your gear/stats like DETERMINATION&STR. So if you have some bad gear for your level, your flash is going to suffer. Flash also fails to generate proper enmity when compared to your main attack skills which have multipliers. Like Savage Blade has a x3 enmity multiplier and Halon has a x5 multiplier.

Yes Flash stacks, but you need to throw a lot of flashes in succession to build a half-decent aggro table but by then you will have depleted your MP pool.

[TommySmiles]

Flash does just fine holding hate.

The diminishing return is limited to the 'blind' effect it inflicts. Flash generates a flat amount of threat, regardless of how many times you use it.

[Sqwall]

Your party NEEDS to attack the SAME MOB for this to work.
Group of 3-4 mobs
Mark one
Shield Lob
Gather
Flash>>>Fast Blade>>>Savage Thrust>>>Rage of Halone>>>Repeat

the enmity you gain isn't worth the MP...it's only an INITIAL mob gatherer at the start of battle...nothing else

Mob's of 1 (boss)
Shield Lob and Begin with Fast Blade>>>Savage>>>Rage of Halone>>>Flash for moments of no damage on you...Repeat x3 and following 3 rotations just leave Flash out (could work in Riot Blade for MP lost)

[Themis]

Answers:

Flash generates enmity whether the Blind lands or not. The blind effect is simply a trait bonus that may boost enmity too, but is not the main generator if enmity.

It's quite typical for debuffs to become less effective the more they are used. There are exceptions to this, however, which currently forms part of the strategy in some high level content.

Extra:

The spell is affected by Weapon Damage, STR and Determination in the same way weapon skill damage is calculated. It can be thought of like a weaponskill that doesn't do damage (so it won't wake sleeping mobs or break bind), is AoE and costs MP instead of TP. It's also very likely that Shield Oath affects the enmity generated, which makes Flash a potent AoE enmity tool that shouldn't be neglected.

At Lv50PLD, I can recover about 130-150MP per Riot Blade combo, so two of these is enough to recover the MP spent on a single Flash. I typically pull with Shield Lob, then Flash the mobs as they arrive. Starting with a couple of RoH combos (if mobs aren't being slept, I tend to alternate targets to spread enmity building as we lack in any other AoE tools), and throwing in Flash whenever the Blind wears off - mobs missing is the best form of damage mitigation; 0 damage vs >1 damage.

Even during dungeons/content which caps you at much lower levels, Flash is still very useful to use, especially as an opener for that initial enmity on all targets involved. MP also recovers quite quickly between pulls, so there is no reason not to be using it when it's worth doing so - I would say 2+ mobs before RoH, and 3+ mobs after RoH because it's easier to split weaponskills when you have 3 of them to use.

Whilst Flash won't generate as much enmity on a single target than a RoH combo (due to Savage Blade having ~3.125x enmity multiplier and RoH having ~5x multiplier which stacks with Shield Oath bonus), when you do have several mobs on you, that enmity is applied to each and every mob you hit with the spell, making it an effective means of AoE tanking. Bolstered with efficient cycling of targets to spread those RoH combo multipliers, and you shouldn't have issues with most tanking scenarios.

Source of data: http://www.daevaofwar.net/index.php?...sjob-analysis/ - there's a lot of info in the thread that contain specifics by, what I would consider, highly reputable sources in themselves (DoW/Dancing Mad LS/Blue Garter LS etc).

[Akaasha]

Thanks for all the input, escepcially to you Themis. I didn't know that the abilities had different enmity multipliers and I'm gonna check out that page for more information.

Cheers!