BLU DD analyze

Recently, someone on my server posted a "BLU should get invite to incursion cuz I can support and outparse MNK and SAM" then started lots of drama. In fact someone sent a /tell to me in game saying BLU is useless in incursion cuz of stun and so on, only bad mages need a BLU.

Also there are several thread on OF complaining how MNK is much stronger than BLU and such.

So I decided to post some opinion regarding this matter. IMO whenever this DD issue is brought up, it always became a 1 sided POV with everyone and their mother exaggerating to defend for their favorite setup.

IMO, BLU is indeed a DD job that you sacrifice some output for extra support, which is fact. However, BLU's output is also fairly close to a MNK, while MNK provides extra HP and formless, BLU provides hardenshell(which can be AoEed), cocoon and aoe erase.

I haven't play the job for a while, however, after sitting down and play with spreadsheet, I was fairly shocked at how much dmg increase BLU got recently, mainly because recent set point increase which allows extra DD job trait.

At 70 set points, besides basic TA/DW3/acc bonus/cocoon/def down/haste2/WoP/store TP1, BLU can also set:

1) Extra 2 tiers of acc bonus, anytime you need acc buff, this job trait allows more multi attack in gear.
or
2) Crit attack bonus
or
3) Skillchain bonus
or
4) Mix them....such as 1 tier of acc bonus+ crit attack bonus, remove wind/cocoon/haste2 for extra DD job trait.

Note that I think I'm missing some other DD trait, since I'm not familiar with new traits/spell after 2014.

Since my spreadsheet does not have crit attack bonus job trait, I'll set acc bonus3 job trait for now.

I think one of the major advantage of BLU is the high acc without the need to rely on  JA such as focus. The downside is that BLU doesn't have good offensive JA like Impetus.

Spreadsheet target: tojil, no acc buff from food, no COR and GEO, just BRD march and min. Both MNK and BLU uses R15 path B delve2 weapon, using gear sets on the last page of AH forum. I also switch sets for MNK when focus down to make sure acc is exactly capped.

MNK's avg DPS while factoring impetus/focus/berserk up and down: 711
BLU's avg DPS, while factoring berserk up and down: 647

I may be gearing wrong on both jobs, but it shouldn't make more than a few DPS difference. Around 90% of MNK it seems. If you don't have a mage that can haste 2 or need to turtle, BLU can get a lot closer to a MNK.

While it's not SAM(which is an untouchable DD anyways), IMO BLU can compete with other DD under certain circumstances. The question is, will you sacrifice 10% dmg to invite a DD that can do 10% def down, AoE def+, aoe erase and self haste?

Note that the argument of "just stun the move in incursion" is invalid IMO, anytime the move goes off it's dmg decrease for everyone. I've been clearing delve before ilv added to the weapon when stuns were really important and the groups that can clear them always had competitive stunner, I've never seen a group with 100% stun rate unless they're using robot. Sometimes ppl just miss stuns, it's called human error.

IMO, if you factor the human error in event, BLU isn't that bad as a DD. It's certainly not half of MNK like how ppl on OF claimed.

BTW, I used to defend for the usefulness of other job's job point category, now I'm starting to see how broken BLU's job point category is - -. You can gain 1~2 extra job trait with 10/10 job point, when job point category increase to 30 it'd be utter OP, while other DD job may not gain extra job trait since max lv stick at 99.

Oh and btw, some fact:

Almace 119 isn't bad at all, don't listen to what forum person says, especially someone on the forum who often downplay the performance of legendary because he doesn't have one. According to spreadsheet, when ODD is up it certainly beats delve2 R15, and ODD is fairly easy to activate, unlike AM3 from mythic.

If you look at the fact that almace has extra acc, and the ability to activate odd at 1000 TP, it can probably compete with mythic under certain situation as well.

BLU!

Ever since last update WoE coins price dropped a lot, so I decided to finally unlock CDC and play with BLU again.

I haven't play BLU and gear it properly for nearly 1 year D: My gears are sooo 2013! I missed sooo many spells D:

One of the main reason is because unlocking empy WS was too expensive for me, and BLU is nearly unplayable without CDC after WS update. Further more, my COR almost always bring more to the pt in terms of pt output, so I'm mostly on COR 24/7.

Anyways, now that I can finally afford CDC thanks to dice price drop, time to play BLUUUU! 

So, what's my opinion about BLU atm?

In WoE BLU seems like a popular job, on my server at least. Mainly because ability to deal ranged dmg via dart. Against fodder= haste2+ melee, against NM with terrible AoE= dart.

In Incursion, it can parse surprisingly high v.s another top DD like SAM. Mainly because aoe erase attack down and slow= more dmg. Self buff haste2 after haste/march dispel= more dmg as well. Harden shell/cocoon means less turtle, and you do need a lot of turtle to stay alive in incursion.

Overall, I think this job isn't nearly as bad as everyone said IMO. Time to start drama if I don't get invite on BLU! :D

I miss my BLU D:

/Continue to play with spreadsheet to find DD hierarchy.

Honestly though, I haven't get a chance to play BLU for ages, even though I did play BLU in all 3 delve1 zonee back in 2013/Aug and sept.

Although BLU wasn't as strong as MNK back then, it is still quite a viable DD and delve1 was clear-able with BLU in ally. Besides Ceizak, which COR just pwns, I was pretty sure my BLU could parse higher than my COR in zones like Foret in 2013.

However, last Tojil run I tried to bring my BLU to the pt for spells, I've noticed that my BLU falls way behind my COR in terms of total kill speed in 6 man setup, in fact I feel it's weaker than 18 man era. That's when I finally realized that there's absolute 0 reason to bring my BLU to delve anymore.

One of the main reason and the biggest change, is the lack of COR in usual 6 man setup.

Req avg dropped a lot without chaos+enhanced dia. Even though my BLU has double ILV 119 sword now, instead of ILV 119/113 combo back in Aug/Sept 2013, the gap between BLU and MNK is bigger due to the lack of attack from Req.

FUCK REQ D:

According to spreadsheet, using same setup as last time, /WAR, DW3, TA, STP job trait, R15 path A Usonmunku and Bura. BLU has 371 DPS using AH guide sets. Mythic AM3 doesn't seem to work on BLU spreadsheet so I didn't use Tizona.

Add def down from F. Roar, 405. However I can get over 430 on COR with just chaos + DA+ 15% def down dia. With chaos+ DA roll from COR, BLU has 439 with 15%(dia+light shot) def down, 491 with 25%(dia+light shot+ F.roar) def down. In most ideal situation, BLU has 590 DPS with haste samba, 25% def down and COR buff. Obviously the most ideal situation barely exist due to only 3 DD spot available.

Oh, I also had attack boost, berserk and aggressor all activated too. In real world none of the JA can be up entire time.

Which is quite unfortunate. BLU/WAR's output is about the same as COR/DNC even in AH guide gears, but without party buff. On lower lv NM Last stand downright avg higher than req.

Time to bug SE to fix other WS such as CDC :( Or else this blog is no longer "An empty vessel" :X

Btw, ever since I discover the awesomeness of Riverfin Soup, I've been using it and getting addicted D: The difference it made in zones like Ceizak is quite noticeable, further more, it allows DW head TP build in lower evasion area such as Tojil.

Most of the time, I did notice COR+2 DD has higher kill speed than usual 3 DD setup too. The only situation COR is bad as a 3rd DD is Tojil's first 25%(because any none MNK job suck on Tojil first 25%) and Yorcia megaboss(again, any piercing DD suck on it too). I also had 1 yorcia pt with MNK MNK COR kills slightly slower than usual, but I'm pretty sure it's not COR's fault since another pt with SAM MNK COR or SAM DRK COR kills much faster ;x

Time to convince more ppl to invite me as 3rd DD :x