How To: Use Razonde

[youcantcatchtheblue]

For alpha testers, if you ever wondered why the Force tech Razonde sucks so badly, then perhaps you were doing it wrong ;)

In this video I show how it should be used, to be specific, jumping from above while using it. It's a long 12-minute gameplay video, but I use Razonde a lot, so you'll get to see it in action.

Video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lix9NhU3Oic&hd=1

I found it to be quite a useful tech, especially if you're playing Hybrid style with no rod and melee-ing with a Gunslash. Lots of different playstyles in this game, so experiment!!

I was using a controller in this video since it's easier to have access to both melee and the sub-palette at the same time (you really only need to be using one type of spell at a time and the d-pad is quick enough to scroll through which spells you want to use). And there you have it!
Let me know if you guys have other ideas to make it better!

[Kent]

It is positively heart-warming to see a Force running around and not using some sort of silly Rod or Wand sort of nonsense, and still being able to effectively use techniques and melee(/ranged) attacks properly.

It also seems that with this sort of playstyle in mind, one would prioritize their skills toward evasion and quick charging bonuses. Hopefully in subsequent testing versions, they'll add more Force skills that aren't specifically dealing with techniques.

The only real concern I have from watching the video though, is about accessing the sub-palette with a controller. Using the D-pad to cycle through them works just fine for the hotkey bar in a game like Final Fantasy XI or XIV, where the pace is much slower, but in a fast-paced action game like this, it seems like an inelegant solution. Though it seems to be working fine in the forest areas there, I could only imagine that late-game areas get quite a bit more hectic, and it might start to be a problem.

If I'm not mistaken, the default control setup for a gamepad has you use the left and right directions on the D-pad to cycle through things, then LT to use whatever is in that slot. Wouldn't it be a better idea to have LT act like a shift key (similar to how RB is currently for weapons), that lets you use the sub-palette actions directly, by holding LT and pressing the D-pad directions or face buttons? That just seems like a better idea to me, at least for characters like Forces, that have a lot of abilities at hand (techniques).

[Serephim]

Most people used Razonde incorrectly indeed, but even using it correctly, it's a pretty lackluster technique.


Im sure it gets more useful at higher levels, but i found Zonde a much safer option in nearly every case.


Razonde was pretty Meh in PSO as well. At higher levels though, its range got crazy, and it was a pretty decent stunning attack.



Razonde was the kind of technique that was only useful if your character had a Ra-Tech class boost. As such, it was only really useful to me on Fonewm.

[Ceresa]

It is positively heart-warming to see a Force running around and not using some sort of silly Rod or Wand sort of nonsense, and still being able to effectively use techniques and melee(/ranged) attacks properly.


Except it's not effective, at all.

Even with the lowly 3 star rod my tech damage as a Fonewearl was doubled with it. The rare rods have stats twice as good. It'll be even worse for the races with less base tech.

20 pp for a tech, 30~ pp for a PA, 100 base pp to work with, a tech not boosted with the rod is very low on the priority of things worth spending PP on. If the techs actually consistently landed status effects it would have some use, and even then it's not like freezing something offers much difference to the guaranteed launch of some PAs. Look at said video, it's around 80 damage for a charged tech versus 200+ with a PA combo. You could get two melee swings (which are only limited by what you physically hit in terms of target limits) in the time it takes to charge a tech to deal the same damage AND restore PP on top of it to throw out another PA.

As to the topic, people weren't doing it wrong with Razonde, there's like one enemy in the alpha weak to lightning, technically using Razonde at all would be doing it wrong.

[Serephim]

Razonde would be useful for dealing with enemies crowding you in the event you're using a melee weapon.

But in terms of damage, it just wasn't a very good technique to me.



Did anyone notice ANY kind of technique evolution going on in this alpha? Because with the size and effectiveness of Charged Foie, i can't possibly imagine what could change to make it any more effective without completely crowding the entire screen.

[Vashyron]

I tried to play a bit of "FOmar" with a Gunslash and even if I charged techs that the enemies were weak to it was pretty.... crap. Was better off just meleeing everything in that case.

I think only those big shield guys were weak to Lightning in the Alpha, which made it even less useful to be throwing Razonde around.


Did anyone notice ANY kind of technique evolution going on in this alpha? Because with the size and effectiveness of Charged Foie, i can't possibly imagine what could change to make it any more effective without completely crowding the entire screen.

The Lightning Strikes when it's raining in Naverius looks like it could be higher level Zonde.

[Serephim]

uncharged techniques are still pretty shitty, yeah.


I thought the same thing too, about the Forest Lightning = higher Zonde. But what bugs me is that the current techniques are pretty godlike in form already. Im expecting another "every 10 levels" thing to go on, which sucks pretty hard.

[Ark22]

You are basically doing what I did in PSO. But I will make that tech work B) Jump near a boss and use it. BEAST

[Dinosaur]

I think if you're going to play with uncharged techs, it's absolutely mandatory to max out Normal Tech Advance and Tech JA Advance. You would probably also benefit from things like PP up and Bolt Tech PP save just so you can chain JA'd techs.

Yes, I know we could only max one thing out in alpha, but alpha is gone now and we need to think higher (levels).

[Eclipse5632]

We also don't know what the full skill trees will be like, so trying to optimize now is kinda useless.

[youcantcatchtheblue]

Yes, I did notice that even on FOmarl equipping a rod gave Techs at least a 50% damage boost. But still I really liked the Hybrid gameplay and I was having a lot more fun mixing things up with having both the Gunslash and Techs. Having great damage would be a plus, but having fun while playing is also important ^^;

And so I really hope they add some useful weapons for Force that doesn't cut back your Tech damage as much as the Gunslash did. I'm really looking forward to what new things may come in the future!

[Serephim]

Having fun is what it's all about, fortunately. I wonder what Time Attackers will do now that missions are no longer 100% pre-set.



The good thing about Razonde is that they actually used their brains, and it's not just another HOLD BUTTON DOWN RELEASE technique. Hopefully each technique wont just be a copy of the other again.

[Vashyron]

Having fun is what it's all about, fortunately. I wonder what Time Attackers will do now that missions are no longer 100% pre-set.

Didn't stop them when PSU had different block layouts!

(I personally don't understand how it's possible to even "TA" in these type of games where there are so many random variables.)

About hybrid weapons, the Alpha already had at least 2 that I saw, 7* Wired Lance and the コートエッジ 7* Sword added Tech Power. (The later even required Tech Attack to equip.)

But yeah in the Alpha you had no way to use Techs on these weapons.

[Serephim]

well, thats because although the maps had different layouts, the spawns were always 100%.


And, the enemies on PSU were pretty damn stupid. Enemies in PSO2 seem to be much more variable in their movements and actions.

[Ceresa]

There's no locked doors in PSO2, people wanting to TA will just run through all the mobs to the end and hope they don't get one of the codes that actually puts a wall in front. Eventually a lack of said walls and a lucky fast route from zone line to zone line will coincide and a fast time will be born.

And there's really little incentive to not play like that all the time as it is. Might as well ignore regular mobs and only do the fairly frequent code events along the way for the bonus exp so your time spent killing trash has more value. If they add mission clear boxes to the finished game (and I suspect they were only absent here to discourage farming) then you have even less reason to kill stuff that isn't mandatory.

[Dinosaur]

There's no locked doors in PSO2, people wanting to TA will just run through all the mobs to the end and hope they don't get one of the codes that actually puts a wall in front. Eventually a lack of said walls and a lucky fast route from zone line to zone line will coincide and a fast time will be born.

And there's really little incentive to not play like that all the time as it is. Might as well ignore regular mobs and only do the fairly frequent code events along the way for the bonus exp so your time spent killing trash has more value. If they add mission clear boxes to the finished game (and I suspect they were only absent here to discourage farming) then you have even less reason to kill stuff that isn't mandatory.

You could do that, but then you're probably going to be missing out on PSE bursts.

[Serephim]

And there's really little incentive to not play like that all the time as it is. Might as well ignore regular mobs and only do the fairly frequent code events along the way for the bonus exp so your time spent killing trash has more value. If they add mission clear boxes to the finished game (and I suspect they were only absent here to discourage farming) then you have even less reason to kill stuff that isn't mandatory.


All the better reason to not add mission boxes at the end. I guess it's just differing opinion. I see very, very little incentive to play a mission just to skip all the fighting to get to the end.


Unlike PSU, i wasn't playing PSO2's missions for the end reward, i was playing because the levels were fun. With the way things drop and the way enemies spawn in PSO2 right now (especially in multiparty areas), there really is absolutely ZERO reason for end-mission boxes.



You should be encouraged to get your EXP reward and go to the next god damn stage. I don't ever want PSU's boring ass mission spamming to ever return. Finding a mission to spam to max out enemy spawns (perhaps due to scripted interrupt events) is fine, but just so long as it never reaches PSU's level of "IM NOT PLAYING ANY OTHER STAGE IN THE GAME BECAUSE THIS ONE HAS ALOT OF EXP AND STUFF".




I don't get how people paid $10 a month to do that crap. Boss boxes are fine. Mission rewards were a terrible, terrible idea, and im happy they did away with them.

[moorebounce]

I like the old RaZonde. I don't like that christmas tree crap they started using in PSU.

[youcantcatchtheblue]

About hybrid weapons, the Alpha already had at least 2 that I saw, 7* Wired Lance and the [/SIZE]コートエッジ 7* Sword added Tech Power. (The later even required Tech Attack to equip.)

But yeah in the Alpha you had no way to use Techs on these weapons.


What do you mean? What are Tech Power and Tech Attack? I had both those weapons (Pink Wired lance & Giant Tron Sword, right?) and didn't recall them requiring anything special to equip. Your post is making me very curious!!

[Vashyron]

What do you mean? What are Tech Power and Tech Attack? I had both those weapons (Pink Wired lance & Giant Tron Sword, right?) and didn't recall them requiring anything special to equip. Your post is making me very curious!!

I don't know what people are calling these stats officially in English. Basically you got "Striking Attack" "Ranged Attack" "Tech Attack"

The コートエッジ Sword instead of like all previous swords relying on your Striking Attack stat to be able to equip it, it used the Tech Attack stat. Additionally in the 2nd page it shows that it adds to your Tech Attack stat like a Rod would.

Edit: Checked a wiki for accurate stats, it added 255 Striking and 100 Tech.

[Ark22]

Well Razonde was OP because it would stutter enemies instantly plus it was quick unlike gifoie and Rafoie had a 2 seconwait...or..1.5 secs EITHER WAY I totally understand them making it like a chrismas tree.

[youcantcatchtheblue]

I don't know what people are calling these stats officially in English. Basically you got "Striking Attack" "Ranged Attack" "Tech Attack"

The コートエッジ Sword instead of like all previous swords relying on your Striking Attack stat to be able to equip it, it used the Tech Attack stat. Additionally in the 2nd page it shows that it adds to your Tech Attack stat like a Rod would.

Edit: Checked a wiki for accurate stats, it added 255 Striking and 100 Tech.

I see. That's kinda weird since it didn't look like a type of sword that would give a boost in Tech stats as a bonus.

Which Wiki are you using, btw? I would love to read up on some more info!

[Vashyron]

I see. That's kinda weird since it didn't look like a type of sword that would give a boost in Tech stats as a bonus.

Which Wiki are you using, btw? I would love to read up on some more info!

http://www.ell2.com/pso2-wiki/