[X] My Assistant

Otherwise Tenb will nerf it...

Don't worry, it's already been nerfed in that it doesn't reduce magic rating anymore, it's just not gone live yet. (IMG:[invalid] style_emoticons/default/rolleyes.gif)

For the record, any spell that makes any other spell completely useless will be reined in. In this case, weaken was making spells like sleep and silence pretty much wasted points, as the monsters couldn't do any real damage anyway, and would in fact burn down the MP they had on nothing.

Do the individual elemental ratings affect the power/strength of elemental attacks, or just the chance/duration of the possible status effects they can cause? And I'm guessing it's safe to assume they reduce the power of enemy attacks of that element.

They increase the power but not the duration. And yes, they also work as defense ratings.

edit: haste does not make sense costing 18MP for 4 turns :x

So put more points into it, and increase your support magic proficiency.

@Tenb: Also, I think the item-drop algorithm could use a tiny tweak for harder difficulties (battletoads). See this post for my reasoning

Not really. Playing on battletoads already gives you a +500 bonus to the loot roll in addition to a 4x bonus to the monster stat calculations for loot quality on mobster drops, which brings you into the part of the spectrum where elixirs can drop, but you're playing the easiest arena challenge which doesn't give a loot bonus at all. It wouldn't make sense if you could just farm elixirs just replaying the 200C First Blood challenge, which despite taking some time is really not that hard even on that level. So unlucky rolls can still produce lesser and average restoratives, but at least you're out of the range for crude.

Don't worry, it's already been nerfed in that it doesn't reduce magic rating anymore, it's just not gone live yet. (IMG:[invalid] style_emoticons/default/rolleyes.gif)

[01:31] ehspectre: if kru limits weaken to physical only, I will be very sad, since it saves me on a regular basis from magic. (IMG:[invalid] style_emoticons/default/sad.gif)

WHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHY. (IMG:[invalid] style_emoticons/default/cry.gif)

It should still reduce magic rating, just not nearly as much. (IMG:[invalid] style_emoticons/default/ohmy.gif)

edit: sonic reminded me of the existence of Barrier, which I assume is the magic version of weaken. =/

This post has been edited by Spectre: May 12 2009, 09:30

So learn silence. (IMG:[invalid] style_emoticons/default/rolleyes.gif)

Besides, right now there's no way to tell whether a monster skill is physical or magical in nature, except for seeing if it's affected by Absorb. For common monsters, 3 have a magical attack skill while 7 have a physical attack skill.

And barrier is actually the magic version of shield. The magic version of weaken doesn't exist yet, but it'll be added eventually.

So right now would be a really good time to use weaken, before its nerfing goes live.

Playing on battletoads already gives you a +500 bonus to the loot roll in addition to a 4x bonus to the monster stat calculations for loot quality on mobster drops, which brings you into the part of the spectrum where elixirs can drop, but you're playing the easiest arena challenge which doesn't give a loot bonus at all. It wouldn't make sense if you could just farm elixirs just replaying the 200C First Blood challenge, which despite taking some time is really not that hard even on that level. So unlucky rolls can still produce lesser and average restoratives, but at least you're out of the range for crude.

So where do loot bonuses start? Learning curves? Schooltastic?

This post has been edited by DemonEyesBob: May 12 2009, 09:53

Don't worry, it's already been nerfed in that it doesn't reduce magic rating anymore, it's just not gone live yet. (IMG:[invalid] style_emoticons/default/rolleyes.gif)

ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

YOU IDIOTS ><

Bah, looks like it's going to be back to pussy mode with me...

Those rabit bites and peakcock and whale, godamnit

So learn silence. (IMG:[invalid] style_emoticons/default/rolleyes.gif)

It's not even on my tree. wth is silence...

So where do loot bonuses start? Learning curves? Schooltastic?

They start with the second arena challenge, but they don't scale very fast until you start getting into the real ones. Graduation has +100, then they increase by about +50 for each level.

ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

YOU IDIOTS ><

Bah, looks like it's going to be back to pussy mode with me...

Those rabit bites and peakcock and whale, godamnit
It's not even on my tree. wth is silence...

Hamsters and peacocks both use physical skills. (IMG:[invalid] style_emoticons/default/rolleyes.gif)

You know I heard that if you keep rolling your eyes they'll get stuck up there :|

They start with the second arena challenge, but they don't scale very fast until you start getting into the real ones. Graduation has +100, then they increase by about +50 for each level.

...
So, doing graduation on hard should give a more than decent chance of good items? I keep hearing about these people with elixers, but I have yet to see one :\

I can barely beat New Beginning. Am I better off (item-wise) trying mid-level arenas on hard+?

Hamsters and peacocks both use physical skills. (IMG:[invalid] style_emoticons/default/rolleyes.gif)

Rabid Bite does dark damage, so does that make it elemental+physical?

This post has been edited by DemonEyesBob: May 12 2009, 12:14

So, doing graduation on hard should give a more than decent chance of good items? I keep hearing about these people with elixers, but I have yet to see one :\

Well, there are two paths in the loot table to the normal elixirs. In one of them, you need to roll for a restorative then score more than 1500 on the loot roll. Considering the actual roll is 1-1000, you need bonuses to get that high. In the other you need to roll for a "rare" drop (0.2 %) then score *less* than 1200, so you can get that at any setting and difficulty.

Rabid Bite does dark damage, so does that make it elemental+physical?

Yep.

Oh, and I like (IMG:[invalid] style_emoticons/default/rolleyes.gif). It seems suitable, more often than not. (IMG:[invalid] style_emoticons/default/rolleyes.gif)

First arena challege on Battletoads, eh? Let's try it...

Yeah, whatever, heh.

In the other you need to roll for a "rare" drop (0.2 %) then score *less* than 1200, so you can get that at any setting and difficulty.

What happens if you roll more than 1200?

And a future question... In the far off future, will equipment make their debut as monster drops or will the shop opening be the only source? And will any equipment have minimum/maximum requirements in stats to be effective?

Oh, and I like (IMG:[invalid] style_emoticons/default/rolleyes.gif). It seems suitable, more often than not. (IMG:[invalid] style_emoticons/default/rolleyes.gif)

I use the that emote more than any other emote available. After that is (IMG:[invalid] style_emoticons/default/ohmy.gif) and (IMG:[invalid] style_emoticons/default/wink.gif). It is by far the best one at conveying the emotion. (IMG:[invalid] style_emoticons/default/rolleyes.gif)

ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

YOU IDIOTS ><

Bah, looks like it's going to be back to pussy mode with me...

Those rabit bites and peakcock and whale, godamnit
It's not even on my tree. wth is silence...

I was actually sort of thinking that ever since the first person mentioned weaken in this subforum, since I've been using its since almost day 1. (IMG:[invalid] style_emoticons/default/huh.gif)

Whatever, I'll learn and adapt, I'm far more inclined to use enfeebles and enhancing magic to their full effect than others; being a Red Mage in FFXI has conditioned me to do that. Funny enough the playing style for me between the two is the same: reduce the enemies combat potential and patiently whittling down the enemies HP. People hate it when a RDM decides to solo a Notorious Monster for like 2 hours, but we do eventually kill it, something that most other jobs can't do. (IMG:[invalid] style_emoticons/default/rolleyes.gif)

example in point:

First arena challege on Battletoads, eh? Let's try it...

Yeah, whatever, heh.

For arguments sake, I did get one of the weakest enemies in the system, but I took a full blown jiggle crit which did like 4 times what I'm used to on normal and hard. I won this without items, my spirit attack, and without shield and shadow veil (I don't have them unlocked so I can't use them even if I wanted to). Doable if you know what to do. I doubt I could do arena round two on battletoads, though sleep and silence (whenever I unlock this tree) would come into play big time. I rely on MP tanks and a good deal of points in my wisdom to keep my MP up, while having strong endurance and attack. my agility and intelligence is not so important at the moment and therefore lower than the rest, though they'll have to catch up a little some time. The point is like many RPGesque games, having equal growth priorities between all stats does not work (unless you max them all out, but I digress)

45 6 You gain 29 Credits!
45 5 You gain 367.25 EXP!
45 4 Arena Clear Bonus! Received [Scroll of Shadows]
45 3 You are Victorious!
45 2 Green Slime has been defeated.
5 5 Jiggle hits you for 151 wind damage.
5 4 Green Slime uses Jiggle (with weakened)
2 5 Jiggle crits you for 595 wind damage. (ouch, what a critical)
2 4 Green Slime uses Jiggle (without weakened)
0 2 Spawned Monster A: MID=1 (Green Slime) LV=51 HP=4700 MP=120 SP=26 NA=95 Type=hostile

This post has been edited by Spectre: May 12 2009, 15:21

First arena challege on Battletoads, eh? Let's try it...

Yeah, whatever, heh.

You know, you have to actually *try*. (IMG:[invalid] style_emoticons/default/rolleyes.gif)

Battletoads, like its description implies, is mostly "I dare you to play at this rating". It's not meant to be beaten, much like the game it's named after.

What happens if you roll more than 1200?

You get cooler rare stuff.

And a future question... In the far off future, will equipment make their debut as monster drops or will the shop opening be the only source? And will any equipment have minimum/maximum requirements in stats to be effective?

They will be dropped and given as prizes in the arena as well as available in shops. When it comes to stat requirements, I haven't decided yet. It could be a combination of min level and min stat, or either of those.

I think I'm missing an ability point. I just came to the site to do my hourly battle and the front page had

Congratulations!
You have reached
Level 68!

However, after I went to the hentaiverse and finished my hourly battle I only had the 1 ability point I recently got from training another level of ability boost.

You know, you have to actually *try*. (IMG:[invalid] style_emoticons/default/rolleyes.gif)

Battletoads, like its description implies, is mostly "I dare you to play at this rating". It's not meant to be beaten, much like the game it's named after.
You get cooler rare stuff.
They will be dropped and given as prizes in the arena as well as available in shops. When it comes to stat requirements, I haven't decided yet. It could be a combination of min level and min stat, or either of those.

I *did* try. I just don't even have any healing items that could keep up with the damage being done.

I'll probably try again later. Bad luck that I got a second-max level Firefox. If I got, say, a level 24 Cockatrice it might have gone differently.

They will be dropped and given as prizes in the arena as well as available in shops. When it comes to stat requirements, I haven't decided yet. It could be a combination of min level and min stat, or either of those.

So kind of like Diablo 2. *nodnod*

Don't worry, it's already been nerfed in that it doesn't reduce magic rating anymore, it's just not gone live yet. (IMG:[invalid] style_emoticons/default/rolleyes.gif)

For the record, any spell that makes any other spell completely useless will be reined in. In this case, weaken was making spells like sleep and silence pretty much wasted points, as the monsters couldn't do any real damage anyway, and would in fact burn down the MP they had on nothing.

Why must you hurt the people who love you?

I think I'm missing an ability point. I just came to the site to do my hourly battle and the front page had

Congratulations!
You have reached
Level 68!

However, after I went to the hentaiverse and finished my hourly battle I only had the 1 ability point I recently got from training another level of ability boost.

Dunno how you managed it, but you somehow made the system load the user library for people who aren't in the HV Beta, so it incremented your old skill points instead. I've put it where it was supposed to go.

So kind of like Diablo 2. *nodnod*

Not entirely different, no.

Why must you hurt the people who love you?

Tough love?

OK I tried again. Loaded scrolls for haste and barrier up, plus two godly heal potions.

Next try: Level 27 ghost. Flee.

Next try: Level 26 whale. Flee.

Next try: Level 27 fox. Flee.

Next try: Level 27 cockatrice. Hmm. OK, let's try it.

barrier.

haste.

Down to half health while he's at about 2/3. Potion.

OK, that did it. Gave me time to max out OC and just power on through.

Victory with 79/442 HP left. Didn't even need to spirit to finish. Scrolls didn't seem to do much but the potion did the trick. And fortunately I got another potion as my reward.

So at least I can say I won at Battletoads. Event hough it cost me 500 Credits - the 170 I got for winning + the 150 or so I spent healing + 2 scrolls. And got a fair amount of experience. :-)

Uncoupling the rightmost column of spells from the previous ones seems pretty useful to me. I reset my points and re-invested them mostly in magic: Inferno, Snowstorm and one point each of Lightning, Poison, Slow and Weaken. (The left over points went into HP and MP.) I need to do more experimenting, but Weaken looks like a good bet to build up next.

I didn't bother with the EXP and credit bonuses this time, my theory being that if I can win consistently at a higher challenge level, that equates to a bigger EXP bonus anyway. Of course, I don't know if I can win at a higher level...

The issue I see with using the HP and MP tanks to take tougher fights rather than the XP bonus to tweak up easier fights is recovery time. If your HP and MP levels are derived from attributes, their regen rate scales up as the total does (assuming END and WIS are keeping pace). Your defensive stats also scale. When you use the HP and MP tanks, the regen rate and defense are flat. Enemies will do just as much damage, and if it took, say, 20 minutes to recover before, now it will take 25 minutes. Your success rate on higher levels may or may not be enough to balance this decrease in battle frequency. Of course you could get around that by using the healer or items more often than usual, but that eats credits or consumables. You're either burning through more credits in order to support the higher XP or you're betting that the increased drop rate and credit awards balance things out.

On the other hand, spending those points in the XP bonuses will earn you 127% of your base XP with zero increase in battle difficulty.