BST resources

[jamal]

Been leveling up BST (slowly) lately and curious on a couple of things...was just wondering if someone could point me to a good resource. KI is good on some topics, not sure if BST is one of them.

Mainly looking for discussions on whether CHR+ has an effect on the duration of the charm, ie will unequipping CHR+ gear after the initial charm lowers the duration of it...been experimenting on my own and my results are inconclusive.

Also helpful would be discussions on how much CHR+ is advisable in different situations, as well as anything on ra/ex gear worth getting. I'm also looking for the intimidation chart, but I'm sure I'll find that rather easily.

Thx in advance,
J

 

[Neyla]

CHR has no impact on the duration of the Charmed effect, just on whether or not you'll land the Charm in the first place. Even then it's overrated to some degree, especially once you can use an Apollo's Staff and see just how much of a joke Monster Signa really is. Charm+ armor (AF and AF2 basically) are the only pieces that effect duration, and you can swap them out as soon as it lands with no repercussions.

 

[jamal]

That was my guess since the length of charm seemed somewhat random...the only reason I thought it might be affected is the higher the level on the mob I succesfully charmed, the shorter the charm length seemed to be, which I thought could be directed at the CHR difference between myself and the mob.

 

[Neyla]

Charm duration can be fairly random at times, but a safe rule of thumb is that the higher level the mobs is, the quicker it will turn on you. Tough and higher will certainly turn on you in a considerably shorter span of time than something Even or lower. You almost get a feel for how long Charm will last after a while, but in the end using Familiar is the only way you can really guarantee yourself a set amount of time with a pet.

 

[jamal]

That'll help, thanks

 

[Rorschach]

Actually, Alla's bst forums are probably the best you'll get. No joke. Its not like the rest of the forums there.

 

[jamal]

Definately wouldn't have checked there, thanks

 

[Neyla]

As for your question about times when you might need to stack more CHR than others, probably most of the time you can get away with using the right rings, earrings and waist to get the job done, along with Signa pre-51 and Light/Apollo's post-51. You'll want to stack more if the pets you're using belong to a family notorious for being charm resistant, like slimes or opo-opos. Charming VT-IT mobs is really the only time you'll need every single point of CHR you can muster (coupled with Familiar), like when a lot of BSTs travel down into the Aqueducts and use VT-IT slimes to farm fomors while questing the Gaudy Harness.

And yeah, Alla's BST forums are surprisingly resourceful. BSTs, in my experience, are probably the most helpful class when it comes giving each other tips and advice, since it's not a well-traveled road and most of us remember what it was like when we were coming up. That's not to say there aren't assholes running around in sheepskins - ToAU especially brought the worst out in our ranks - but we're often friendly, especially the higher profile names you might recognize from around these parts.

 

[K. Ishitar]

Actually, Alla's bst forums are probably the best you'll get. No joke. Its not like the rest of the forums there.

This is true but ffxionline has the author and his topic from alla remade over at the site, which has even more addings such as specific experience postings of camp grounds for bst, after alla sold themselves to IGE most moved over there you will find a lot still on alla but you will find more on ffxionline.

A tip: take time to learn which mobs are charm resistant a few that I know of are

slimes
opo-opo
pugils

Chr+ may be needed more for those than worrying about charm+ since the duration even with charm+ may not be enough and you'll need to keep them constantly under control.

Those that are charm resistant seem to resist duration a bit more than just the job ability but my lv only reflects my small experience

 

[LadyKiKi]

This is true but ffxionline has the author and his topic from alla remade over at the site, which has even more addings such as specific experience postings of camp grounds for bst, after alla sold themselves to IGE most moved over there you will find a lot still on alla but you will find more on ffxionline.

A tip: take time to learn which mobs are charm resistant a few that I know of are

slimes
opo-opo
pugils

Chr+ may be needed more for those than worrying about charm+ since the duration even with charm+ may not be enough and you'll need to keep them constantly under control.

Those that are charm resistant seem to resist duration a bit more than just the job ability but my lv only reflects my small experience

Add:

Mandies
Flytraps

To the list too.

ToAU ... the leech camp ....

*KiKi shivers.

 

[jamal]

As for your question about times when you might need to stack more CHR than others, probably most of the time you can get away with using the right rings, earrings and waist to get the job done, along with Signa pre-51 and Light/Apollo's post-51. You'll want to stack more if the pets you're using belong to a family notorious for being charm resistant, like slimes or opo-opos. Charming VT-IT mobs is really the only time you'll need every single point of CHR you can muster (coupled with Familiar), like when a lot of BSTs travel down into the Aqueducts and use VT-IT slimes to farm fomors while questing the Gaudy Harness.

Followup to this part. Since CHR stacking doesn't need to be maxed out, it seems that its possible to deal at least earlier levels without weapon swapping. With the Signet Changes allowing conservation of tp that has been accumulated while resting, I'm resistant to weapon swapping unless completely necessary. If I can make up for the CHR in other pieces of gear, it almost seems like a better bet as you won't lose out on TP. My STR's from previous merits are obviously combat related, and its very easy to finish out a mob 25% or less with one or two hits and a weaponskill rather then swinging away or scrambling to find another pet.

This is situational, and I know there will be situations where I will need to swap to Apollo's later...however I'm not seeing an immediate downside to adding the CHR pieces in somewhere besides the weaponslot, if a large cap isn't needed.

I could very well be way off, it wouldn't be the first time. Appreciate the discussion.

 

[Fellina]

For just standard xp on my bst, my charm set consists of AF, light staff (not the HQ, I'm brokeded) and star necklace. I haven't noticed any significant difference in charming EM mobs with more CHR than that (as elvaan, I should add). I have a little more difficulty with T-IT mobs that I try to charm, but I get into those situations so rarely that I've never bothered to buy more chr gear. If I do decide to boost my charm set in the future, I think a HQ light staff would serve me better than CHR rings and such.

Having said that, however, I still pimped out CHR as much as possible pre-51 just because there wasn't anything better for charming. I had a signa, and used it, but I can't really say how much difference it made over no signa.

I haven't been keeping close count, but I'd guesstimate and say that with my current low-CHR setup I've mischarmed maybe 1 out of 75 times on leeches at the Colibri camp. I've never had a pet come uncharmed mid-fight since getting my full Charm+ AF. Massive CHR+ at higher levels really seems to be needed only on resistant mobs (whether due to their nature or their level).

 

[Neyla]

Followup to this part. Since CHR stacking doesn't need to be maxed out, it seems that its possible to deal at least earlier levels without weapon swapping. With the Signet Changes allowing conservation of tp that has been accumulated while resting, I'm resistant to weapon swapping unless completely necessary. If I can make up for the CHR in other pieces of gear, it almost seems like a better bet as you won't lose out on TP. My STR's from previous merits are obviously combat related, and its very easy to finish out a mob 25% or less with one or two hits and a weaponskill rather then swinging away or scrambling to find another pet.

This is situational, and I know there will be situations where I will need to swap to Apollo's later...however I'm not seeing an immediate downside to adding the CHR pieces in somewhere besides the weaponslot, if a large cap isn't needed.

I could very well be way off, it wouldn't be the first time. Appreciate the discussion.

You can get by without using the staves all the time. I don't always use my Apollo's unless I'm dealing with a resistant family because, yeah, TP is key to a BST. But there's still a noticeable difference in the mischarm rate when they're equipped, so if you're having a bad run of it - and that does happen from time to time - ditch the TP and use whichever stave you're packing. I'd use them with slimes no matter what.

 

[Fellina]

I should also add that with my particular style of BST soloing, I always finish the mob with a WS, leaving me with (effectively) no TP at the end of each fight; hence swapping to light staff for charming doesn't affect my performance in DD any.

 

[jamal]

You can get by without the staves. I don't always use my Apollo's unless I'm dealing with a resistant family. But there's still a noticeable difference in the mischarm rate when they're equipped, so if you're having a bad run of it - and that does happen from time to time - ditch the TP and use whichever stave you're packing. I'd use them with slimes no matter what.

Will do...and I'll actually get to use WW to make a piece of gear I can actually make use of for the first time ever XD

 

[jamal]

I should also add that with my particular style of BST soloing, I always finish the mob with a WS, leaving me with (effectively) no TP at the end of each fight; hence swapping to light staff for charming doesn't affect my performance in DD any.

Yea, after I had posted I figured I could finish with a ws, and would also allow for charm with light, then switch to dark for mp regen if needed without having to worry about tp loss.

I'm a tad bit OC >.>

 

[Gideon19]

Hey Jamal... your STR, CRIT, and Axe merits will affect your strategy in the early levels. You'll be stealing hate from your pet if you decide to melee along with your pet at the start of the fight so you may have to lay back a bit. CHR + Gear is what I stuck to in the early levels.

And welcome to the Beast Community. You will never find a job so addicting and frustrating at the same time! :biggrin:

Some of my links:

http://wiki.ffxiclopedia.org/index.php/Beastmaster_Post_Update_Viable_Hunting_Grounds

http://ffxi.allakhazam.com/forum.html?forum=10&mid=1096838303937842675&num=40

http://wiki.ffxiclopedia.org/index.php/Beastmaster_Cooking_Guide

 

[jamal]

Hey Jamal... your STR, CRIT, and Axe merits will affect your strategy in the early levels. You'll be stealing hate from your pet if you decide to melee along with your pet at the start of the fight so you may have to lay back a bit. CHR + Gear is what I stuck to in the early levels.

And welcome to the Beast Community. You will never find a job so addicting and frustrating at the same time! :biggrin:

Some of my links:

http://wiki.ffxiclopedia.org/index.php/Beastmaster_Post_Update_Viable_Hunting_Grounds

http://ffxi.allakhazam.com/forum.html?forum=10&mid=1096838303937842675&num=40

http://wiki.ffxiclopedia.org/index.php/Beastmaster_Cooking_Guide

Thanks for the links. You forgot ENM+ merits too >.> I don't melee until the pet is dead, one swing usually pulls hate right now. I've even been pulling hate just debuffing dia/Para...obviously why I'm looking for help >.>

 

[Neyla]

Pet hate will balance out as you level further and the pets improve in terms of stength and durability, though the merits will definitely make it more challenging.

I forgot to mention it's also important to use the Apollo's Staff if your name is Mischarmifirien.

 

[jamal]

Pet hate will balance out as you level further and the pets improve in terms of stength and durability, though the merits will definitely make it more challenging.

I forgot to mention it's also important to use the Apollo's Staff if your name is Mischarmifirien.

Yea, Mattaru had mentioned that to me, if it doesn't get better then this, it will be a very long road.