Nasya said:
Let’s just say for arguments sake that TA on some mob does 200 and SA alone does 200-250... that totals to 400-450. TASA would be 500-520 on said mob (this are realistic figures on flies btw). Not only is there 50-70 more dmg, but 500+ dmg worth of hate was given to the tank rather then only 200. If you want I will do a test and post the results.
Since it was Just for arguement's sake, I will let it slide, but the numbers in my world look like this:
Bare Sneack Attack Damage: 180-220
Bare Trick attack damage: 150-180
Sneak+Trick Attack Damage: 330-350
Trick Attack + Dancing Edge: 330-440
Sneak attack + Dancing Edge: 350-460
Sneak+Trick +Dancing Edge: 500-700
But if I didn't macro in my SA & TA gear, the separate SA and TA would be equal to a stacked SATA.
Accuracy Is garunteed to be at least +30, I wear my Scorpion Harness at all times, and macroed in on Dancing Edge my Life Belt, and Peacock Charm, Sacrificing 5 Dex, 5 Str, & 2 Agi. But I have found Maximum Damage at this Mixture of Dex/Accuracy.
Keep in Mind these numbers are from a Raw non-debuffed Processionaire, at lvl 63, as well as being rounded. So if they seem low, they are...
So you can see though, with my SATA gear, I do 330-350 Damage, And when I split up the two abilities, and add their Damage I get a range of about 330-400. SO yes, the over all damage increases, but when you look at it in terms of Hate, would you rather have a full 350 Damage worth of Hate put on the tank? Or a measly 150?
Besides that, if your Ranger is getting hit while setting up SATA, then you need to choke it up and admit one of three things:
1) Your Ranger Doesn't know how to pull, and is getting hit way too much.(1 or 2 hits is Normal)
2) The Paladin is being a Moron and doesn't know how to Set up quickly.
3) Your Thief Is slow on the Settup, or Doesn't Prime his/her SATA before the fight.
In any of those cases, there are a lot more problems with the group then just the ranger getting hit, which means that SATA is that much more essential.
Granted, Raptors do move fast. But I am still yet to Have any issues with them in a good group. Most of the time, the ranger could pull it, settup and fire off a Sidewinder/Slug Shot without getting hit at all.
Here are some pulling ad settup tips:
Pulling (Logistics):
1) When your fight is about to finish, your Puller shoudl be readying his/her Utsusemi.
2) When your Puller goes out, they should be Announcing what they are pulling.
3) Your puller should Know What MP Decay is for the group and Pull accordingly.
4) Your Puller should almost always Pull at Maximum Distance!
5) Report your TP, and Monster in your Pulling macro:
» Example: /p <call14> >>> <t> <<< TP = <tp>.
Pulling (mechanical):
Ranger:
1) Party Settup:
»Your Mages should be Clustered.
»Your Tank should be across from the mages, with their back to the direction of the pull.
» Tank should Use F8 Right When the Mob Passes them to Target.
» Tank should lock on and Folow Target Imediately.
» Thief should Target Mob and Follow behind tank and be Primed with SATA.
2) Use your controls properly!
» Target Monster.
» Switch to first Person View.
» Use your Pulling Macro.
» While you are readying your ranged attack and are in first person view you can turn around without Disrupting Your aim.
» Run to camp.
» Look at Radar.
» When you see the mob has passed the Tank Hit * on the number pad. This will Whip your Character aroud and lock on for Settup.
» Tank anf Thief Shoudl Be lined up.
» Hit Ctrl+A
» Hit your Weaponskill Macro.
» Hit your Utsusemi again.
For a Thief Puller With Secondary Voke:
1) Party Settup:
»Your Mages should be Clustered.
»Your Tank should be in front of the the mages, with their back to the mages, facing Direction of Pull.
»Your Voker should be across from the mages, with their back to the direction of the pull, Facing the tank.
» Voker should Use F8 Right When the Mob Passes them to Target.
» Voker Vokes, engages and fires weaponskill.
2) Use your controls properly!
» Target Monster.
» Switch to first Person View.
» Use your Pulling Macro.
» While you are readying your ranged attack and are in first person view you can turn around without Disrupting Your aim.
» Run to camp.
» Look at Radar.
» When you see the mob has passed the Voker Hit * on the number pad. This will Whip your Character aroud and lock on for Settup.
» Tank anf Thief Should Be lined up.
» Hit Ctrl+A
» Hit your Weaponskill Macro.
» Hit your Utsusemi again.
All of this, when properly settup takes only a couple of seconds. Don't Be lazy, and Stop coming up with lame excuses. Or please, if you don't want to use a thief to thier full potential, don't waste thier time or yours, and don't invite them. You can do your dance with your crab and burn all the MP and Job abilities you want.
(Anyone notice how I am using PLD in all my examples? Reason: I never have these kinds of issues with Ninjas...)