What does ability do?

[MAXrobo]

What does the ability stat actually do? I have searched the forums but cant find a clear answer. Iv heard it increases critical chance and reduces the difference between high and low hits, but no one seems to be sure.

The reason I ask is that I have been making an ability mag so that it would benefit all the classes. Its at 67 ability right now, but it don't see a difference. Am I just missing something or is raising ability really just a waist of time?

[Macman]

Nobody really knows aside from some weapons requiring ABL to equip.

[KurotenZer0]

I thought ability made photon arts stronger o,e?
Oops...

[Randomness]

It's believed to have some kind of beneficial effect on your damage output.

Precisely how it does that is unknown (Believed to involve bumping up the bottom end of your damage range, or something of the sort)

[buri-chan]

Current popular theory that I've heard is that it increases/stabilizes your damage range.

[gigawuts]

I've read on the japanese wiki that the player and the target have an ability value, the lower yours is relative to theirs the less damage you'll do. It levels your damage against enemies with higher ability.

[TheBlackMage]

I've been curious about this as well since I'm also raising an ability mag. (Something just told me to make one even though I wasn't 100% sure about what they do ^^;)


I've read on the japanese wiki that the player and the target have an ability value, the lower yours is relative to theirs the less damage you'll do. It levels your damage against enemies with higher ability.

So I'm assuming this means I'll have a easier time fighting things higher lvl than I (or more "tanky" than other mobs) more so than if I were to have a pure (in my case since I'm a FO) Tech Mag?

[gigawuts]

I really don't know. I can't raise a second mag to compare numbers, but right now I'm raising a pure S-ATK mag and when the game launches I'll buy another mag for pure ability. Then if both of those are terrible ideas, I'll do a third one I guess I don't really care it's only six bucks each.

[MAXrobo]

Well with what you guys have been saying I went out and tested it a bit by switching my mag on and off, and that seems to be right.

When it was on, my damage was pretty stable and high. Hitting the highest number about 80% of the time and other than that only dropping 1 or 2 points. but when it was off there was about a 40 damage gap between the highest and lowest hits (FOcast might not be the best to test with though :P)

anyway, this leaves me wondering how much is actually needed. would a lvl 200 pure ability mag really help that much if at lvl 60 I am already getting almost guaranteed the highest hit? Or will it all be worth less once we get very hard mode because the enemys have too high an ability?

[TheBlackMage]

I really don't know. I can't raise a second mag to compare numbers, but right now I'm raising a pure S-ATK mag and when the game launches I'll buy another mag for pure ability. Then if both of those are terrible ideas, I'll do a third one I guess I don't really care it's only six bucks each.

Thanks in advance, curious about how this will play out...

[gigawuts]

Hmm, I think I know what this is. It's probably both what I said AND what everyone else is saying.

Many games have damage spread with increased or decreased damage, but I bet PSO2 only has damagespread reduction - which can be improved with this stat.

The closer your ability value is to the enemy's then the lower your minimum reduced damage. Having a higher ability value would probably bring it to perfect hits every time.

I've been trying to figure out why it would behave as a second defense value, since everyone is saying it raises your min and max damage values, but this sounds like an actually good mechanic.

[buri-chan]

I can't offer any hard numbers, but what you're saying sounds about right. Since mag feeding plummets when a mag's stat reaches 50, I've been filling it up with nothing but discs. Going from 10 to 25 ability, I'd say I've gone from doing 90 ± 40 to 100 ± 30. Same upper-limit, but much higher average output.

[IHeartRice]

I just did a quick check and it seems like it makes a noticeable difference. Just went into an area and tested damage with/without my mag (LV 63 ability) equipped and a launcher.

Attacking the basic LV 24 monkey enemy:

With mag equipped ~1350 damage
Without mag equipped ~870

[Jakosifer]

Damage consistency.

[Windadept]

Damage consistency.

Exactly this.
Apparently it also raises your "critical" rate, which according to someone translates into doing the maximum amount of damage on your attack scale (rather than being a multiplier).

[BIG OLAF]

Current popular theory that I've heard is that it increases/stabilizes your damage range.

Oh, so Ability is (thought to) raise the bottom bar of all weapon's variance, huh? That's pretty handy, and definitely something I can see being useful to hardcore and/or speed-running players.

[Ryock]

I can definitely confirm that ability increases your minimum damage. I tested this very extensively with and without a unit that granted 30 ability. Average damage was not only better with the ability unit, but considerably better. Whereas 170-240 damage was consistent without the ability unit, 200+ damage was much more consistent with the ability unit.

[buri-chan]

So the question now is what a healthy ratio between primary attack and ability would be. I suppose it will depend upon what sort of damage we start doing later in-game, and what the precise amount of damage is gained per ability point. Maybe instead of pure-attack mags, the popular spread will be 150/50 or even 100/100.

[Zorafim]

See now, I'm wishing I made an ability mag instead of a attack power mag, since I play all three classes. Even if I'd be better feeding it weapons, it's more convenient having one mag. Not to mention cheaper, and easier to raise.

[GoldenFalcon]

I'm actually sad that my mag has 40 ability on it, because if I don't use the rest of my levels on the R-atk up skills, I can't equip Alba Laser until I can go above level 30

[TheBlackMage]

Now I'm curious about something...

If ability is so great would the only reason to have an "attack" Mag be so that you could equip weapons/discs sooner? Right now I'm making a sort of all around mag that's main attribute is ability but has some stats in melee and force as a secondary.

If someone has a ability and attack balanced mag would you mind sharing your findings? I wonder if for someone playing a dedicated class would it be better for them to have a pure ability, attack, or a balance between the two for a mag.

[Gama]

i'm going for a 24/00/25/50/00/00/00 mag since cap is 99

[Macman]

I'm not planning to buy a spare mag anytime soon so I'm going for a 30/30/30/09/00/00/00 mag to make use for all classes. I can round it out even more once they raise the Mag level cap.

[Sp-24]

If ability is so great would the only reason to have an "attack" Mag be so that you could equip weapons/discs sooner?

Not "sooner". Certain classes, like HUmarl and RAmarl, can't use level 9 disks at all unless they select certain skills or give their mag a few levels in the required stat. For RAmarl, it means either wasting 6 SPs so you could get one level in R.Attack Up or feeding your mag for 3 R.Attack levels for the much needed +3 increase in the R.Attack stat. Disks are just a tip of the iceberg, too - you need a lot of stat points to equip the best weapons.

[Macman]

All these people making really lopsided builds just to be able to use a Rappy Cannon or whatnot need to realize that we're soon going to have another 10 levels of stat growth coming to us. I'm not worried at all about making some of those high equipment requirements.

[Sp-24]

I find it funny that some people religiously believe that Sega will give them out 10 more character levels and 101 Mag levels and won't bring in something with even more ridiculous requirements than those 458 Attack weapons to compensate.

[mhjc]

I find it funny that some people religiously believe that Sega will give them out 10 more character levels and 101 Mag levels and won't bring in something with even more ridiculous requirements than those 458 Attack weapons to compensate.

The preview video shows gears that are already dropping and very few actually new things. I don't think they'll be adding much that'll be new, we may already be finding our lv40 gears as it is. I still don't think 10 levels of stat growth will help that much though, we still need mag stats to equip things.

I was going to hope for new weapons/items from the time attack ranking system, but it appears to just be another medal thing like the Interrupt ranking. It seems all I may have to look forward to are the new clothes, tundra and fighting new enemies.