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unknowngst
Jun 16, 2014, 06:25 AM
I am total newbie to this Phantasy Online thingy, tried out playing PS02 SEA version last week, and really like the gameplay, features and customizations. So I started planning out my character's build, by readings a lot of great guides on this forum.

I tried all 3 base classes to lv10, and find it really hard to pick one...I really wish to level and play all of them. Each of them has its own attraction and I find it fun trying different playstyles.
- I really like playing hunter, constantly switching between halberd, sword and wired-lance fighting different enemies, that's so cool!
- I like hunter which can shoot while moving/dodging, even has chargable PA that can crouch on ground shooting! Like the lock-on mode too.
- Forcer is like futuristic magi, combines magic with technology; I like how spells will behave differently when charged vs non-charged and blinking out of danger when fighting out big bosses.

But I am now in a dilemma:
I read a lot of posts in this forum, and through the guides, I understand that:
1) Best, specialized in one playstyle/stat (like go full T-ATK or full S-ATK, best is never half-ass'ed).
2) Best, go for pure stat mags.
3) Specialized is always better than hybrid.
4) The game although allows hybrid classes, but doesn't seems to make them optimal?/viable?

But...I really can't pick one...I am truly considering playing all with one character.

So here I am, asking you veterans:

I started out as Newman Female.
Since I am playing all classes, I plan to make my mag balanced in all 4 stats: S-ATK, R-ATK, T-ATK & DEX.
How gimped I will be if I go with this plan?

I am really not the min-max'ing type of player, I just want to have fun :) BUT, I do not want to be a burden/deadweight to whatever team/group either.
So when I reach end-game, if my damage is just going to be, say, 10-20% lower, perhaps that isn't too big deal? I don't know...that's why I am asking.

Exactly how much difference will be the DPS/survivability if I go all-balanced hybrid instead of pure?



EDIT:
BTW, reason I have DEX in my Mag's plan:
- I wish to get Antlia's support ability (Status Clear A), so that means DEX must be highest at lv30.
- Then I wish to get Leo's support ability (Buff E when PB Full), so that means I'll do 23/23/23/26 at lv95 (to lock the type), and make it 27/23/24/26 at lv100 -> evolves to Leo.
- Finally, I wish to use Apus's Photon Blast Julius-Nifta all the time, I'll make 27/23/29/26 at lv105 -> change to Apus, and from then on keep T-ATK always 1 point more than the rest.
Hope this explains :)

Lumpen Thingy
Jun 16, 2014, 06:41 AM
don't make a mag like that.if you really want to play all classes you can play most of them within 2 characters without fucking up any of your stats with the right mags and trees

Kietsu
Jun 16, 2014, 06:43 AM
If you do that with your MAG you won't be able to equip the endgame weapons for just about every class. That's a pretty huge deal in DPS Star Online.

Furthermore, if you want your MAG to have specific abilities or photon blast, just buy them from the Excube shop once you get your hands on some.

musicmf
Jun 16, 2014, 06:50 AM
The biggest thing with Mag stats is the ability to equip certain weapons. Sometimes this just means being able to equip something earlier, at other times it can be the difference between being able to equip a certain item or not even at max level. [*ninja'd*]
If there's going to be a huge difference in damage, this will probably be the reason.

Otherwise, it's as you mentioned before, we do pure mags to Min/Max.
[SPOILER-BOX]But let's say you do 58/58/59 on your Mag. That gives you around 120~ less stats then a pure mag in each.
For TATK, I believe lower end is around 2000~ TATK. If your -120 (1880) because you went hybrid mag you'll be ~6% weaker DPS.
2500~ is around Midrange TATK, so -120 (2380) for the mag will make you ~4.8% weaker.
3000+ TATK is probably great gear. -120 (2880) from mag leaves you being ~4% weaker then a person with a pure mag.

I'm sure SATK and RATK would be similar.[/SPOILER-BOX]

Overall going pure mag will probably give you the greatest DPS (+5~10%), but the damage isn't difference isn't going to have people yell "Your weak, get out of my Multiparty!"

The bigger issue would be making good skill trees for your classes, and getting good equipment and affixes for them.

-------

Oh, and don't pump Dex onto your Mag.
You should also ignore that status effect clear trigger action, just wait out status effects or use a sol atomizer.
The Status buff is similarly useless. If you really did need shifta, you could use the item to give you this buff. That way you get it when you need it instead of waiting for PB.
Finally, use excubes to choose your Photon Blast when it's already lv100, don't tailor your mag to get the photon blast.

-------

If your server has 2 free character slots, then making a second character to split up your classes (so you can use 2 different mags) wouldn't be such a bad idea; like Lumpen mentioned.

unknowngst
Jun 16, 2014, 07:40 AM
Ah, I didn't know you can use X-Cube to choose Photon Blast...great, that saves a lot of trouble.

Looks like my current mag is screwed up...

I really don't feel like leveling a different character...I like one character unlocks all classes, and able to switch class anytime. I don't really mind a 10% dmg differences, but you guys are right, I will not be able to equip the highest tier weapons...
Hmm...I have some AC left...guess what I'll do is: buy 3 mags, go pure stat for all of them, and equip S-ATK mag for melee, R-ATK for ranged, and T-ATK for tech. Will this work?



EDIT: Why no dex though? I see that almost every weapon type will have some weapons that require DEX instead of S/R/T-ATK.

EDIT2:
1) I remembered stunned by some boss, and couldn't use any item/spell during that period. Isn't that why Mag's trigger action is useful? Or I am able to use "sol atomizer" (never seen one before yet) even when I am stunned?
2) What are the recommended trigger actions I should get?

Sanguine2009
Jun 16, 2014, 07:53 AM
dex contributes to minimum damage of non rare weapons. rare weapons(7* and up) have a flat 90% minimum damage which is far higher than you can reasonable achieve with dex. end game you WILL be using rare weapons(and most likely far before then) so the only purpose dex serves is for the equip requirement of a handful of weapons that have equivalents that require standard attack or easily met through base stat alone defense.

Vintasticvin
Jun 16, 2014, 08:13 AM
Not sure if OP is still going to use the forums but here are my tips that will most likely enrage the purists. Just place 30 points on all attack attributes and once you have your combat style figured out just place the remaining points to main attack and probably boost your secondary to 35 or 40.

At your best with my layout you won't do too bad but you won't be doing good either but the good news is you can play most or all classes with ease.

unknowngst
Jun 16, 2014, 08:44 AM
Thanks alot everyone for your input, that helps me a lot.

And yes, of course I am still reading this thread :D

Bought 3 mags :p

Still need some hints on these questions:
EDIT2:
1) I remembered stunned by some boss, and couldn't use any item/spell during that period. Isn't that why Mag's trigger action is useful? Or I am able to use "sol atomizer" (never seen one before yet) even when I am stunned?

2) What are the recommended trigger actions I should get?

Achelousaurus
Jun 16, 2014, 08:46 AM
As Braver, I feel offended that you talk about 3 bases classes and not 4.
Lol, jk.
I can only recommend braver though, it's tons of fun.

Also, being too gimped is by itself not very fun.
My damage is pathetic and it is kinda annoying to not get many kills cause I take 5 times longer >_>

I'd say just try your mag (without dex), the biggest problem will be being able to equip stuff later I guess.
Not sure about endgame cause I'm not there yet but you can check if you can equip stuff with this:
http://pso2-skill.pwnedgalaxy.net/skillcalc.php
This will also let you simulate skill trees for all classes. note that most skills work if you are subclassing but some require thie class to be the main class.
Also, sometimes sometimes it's better to go with a differen main class for the stats and use a weapon that can be equipped by all classes.
For example Hunter has better stats than braver, so it's better to do it in this case (unless using Orochi).

More or less all info about pso2 is collected here:
http://pso2.cirnopedia.info/

People tend to say don't waste a single skill point on survivability, just get good and dodge everything but that is nonsense. It takes a long time and the game is often really cheap (getting hit several times a second, dying while using mates, etc) and sometimes you only lose 10% or 15% damage when getting a big survivability boost.

TehCubey
Jun 16, 2014, 09:06 AM
OP plays on SEA servers - they don't have Braver yet and won't for a long time, I think. Or do they?

Anyway since OP already has a mag for each type, just use the S-Atk mag if you go katana braver, or the R-Atk mag if you go bullet bow.



Still need some hints on these questions:
EDIT2:
1) I remembered stunned by some boss, and couldn't use any item/spell during that period. Isn't that why Mag's trigger action is useful? Or I am able to use "sol atomizer" (never seen one before yet) even when I am stunned?

2) What are the recommended trigger actions I should get?

You can't do anything while stunned, the only thing you can do is not to get hit in the first place.

I am a total plebe in terms of trigger actions so I mostly use HP Restore A and Revival A. Or did you mean Photon Blasts? Ketos Proi is the only good one where SEA stands now. Japanese servers upgraded damaging photon blasts to actually deal some good damage but once again, you won't see that for a while.

musicmf
Jun 16, 2014, 09:27 AM
1) I remembered stunned by some boss, and couldn't use any item/spell during that period. Isn't that why Mag's trigger action is useful? Or I am able to use "sol atomizer" (never seen one before yet) even when I am stunned?

2) What are the recommended trigger actions I should get?

If you are actually talking about "Stun", then you just mash on direction buttons to get out of stun faster. This status really isn't one of the bad ones.
(Similarly, when you get Dark Falz Luther/Loser, he can "stop time" and make players stop moving. Yet again, you mash on your movement buttons to get free.)

The other status that should stop you is Freeze; and unfortunately there is nothing you can do about this one. And you cannot use items while frozen either.
If you really want "Status Heal", the "A" version is given by an emergency code, so you can probably find it in the player shop for 1050 Meseta. The "B" version (Higher chance, but longer cooldown) is in the Photon Shop. So even still you shouldn't waste Mag stats to make a certain type -just for the trigger action-

I personally like:
PB Device / Ketos P
Support Device / Invincibility A
Support Device / PP Restore J
Support Device / Revival A
Support Device / HP Restore B (To fill the rest of your slots

Ketos P is the best Photon Blast, giving massive PP Regen for the duration. Since you can spam PA/Techs more often while this is running, it's easier to build up again.
Since it's easier to build up, it allows Invincibility to trigger decently. (Often times, your PB builds faster then the cooldown, so not all PB fills will trigger invincibility)
PP Restore (Although, this is from the TATK mag @ lv30 evolution) is nice because you can keep your mag at 0 hunger, and if you need to force it to trigger you can feed it one item and it'll activate, giving you a nice PP boost for a while. Otherwise, keeping your mag fed will give you a PP boost ever now and then, often times when your walking and it doesn't help; but still.

Revival has a small chance in ressing you when you die... not the greatest or most reliable trigger, but its kinda nifty when it activates.

All other slots I have HP Restore B because it has a decent activation rate, with good health recovery. You fill multiple slots because each has a separate cooldown attached to it. So if one goes off, the second can activate the next time your hit.

---

If you wish, you can replace some HP Restore B (Or Revival) with Status Heal B, and possibly Stat Boost K (Buffs at random intervals) or Stat Boost H (Buffs at emergency code start).

And when your server gets the Photon Blast buff, some of the offensive PBs could be considered. (Julius Nifta)

WildarmsRE5
Jun 16, 2014, 09:46 AM
OP is Playing in SEA, no Loser, no Braver, and is probably gonna take 2 years before they get Loser and 1 year for Braver. . . and no Shunka/Hatou PA, the era of Sakura-Endo spam days.

unknowngst
Jun 16, 2014, 10:00 AM
About the Stun/Freeze: Yea, I noticed my character can't do anything, that's why I am thinking of having my Mag equips the Status Heal trigger action, so that I have some chance to escape...but I didn't know you can actually buy them...so thanks for the info :)

So I guess, Photon Blast is purchasable, Trigger Action is purchasable...so the only thing I need to worry about Mag is Stat and Mag Auto Attack...
Hmm...I see that Pure R-ATK and Pure T-ATK will get mags with good auto attack...but I am worried about the Pure S-ATK Mag: Delphinus. It is doing Uppercut...I thought Uppercut is bad, right? Imagine I am trying to chain my sword combo, and suddenly I missed because my enemy is up in the air due to my mag auto attack...
Anyway to change Mag's auto attack, but still able to go full S-ATK?


And yea...we don't have Braver yet, but I read about it and saw some vid seeing it in action, looks fun too! I also read the latest video, where you get a girl with like...kungfu rocket boots, that's pretty cool too! Not sure how long before we get it though :(


@musicmf
Yea, Julius Nifta sounds really great...I can imagine a lot of fun coming from pulling enemies into a center...that's why, as I said in earlier post, I wanna eventually evolve my mag to Apus for Julius Nifta...but I guess it doesn't matter anymore since I can exchange with X-Cube :D

Achelousaurus
Jun 16, 2014, 10:10 AM
Knockdown is amazing, uppercut is retarded.

Uppercut also causes knockdown once the enemy hits the ground but very often the launch will break your combo and launch the enemy outside of your attack range.

Speaking of which, I thought you could also change the auto action?
Cause I really need to get something else, this uppercut is hella annoying.

GoldenFalcon
Jun 16, 2014, 11:05 AM
Trigger Actions can also be set using items, so don't do anything too fancy with your new mags

But, the only real way to have all 3 attack types at your disposal is to be Braver/Force or Braver/Techer (Or Bouncer/Gunner)
Braver has a few rare weapons that can cast spells effectively (high magic power) but the melee and ranged options are limited to stylishu katena and magestic bow, which can both be very PP heavy

unknowngst
Jun 16, 2014, 11:07 AM
Knockdown is amazing, uppercut is retarded.

Uppercut also causes knockdown once the enemy hits the ground but very often the launch will break your combo and launch the enemy outside of your attack range.

Speaking of which, I thought you could also change the auto action?
Cause I really need to get something else, this uppercut is hella annoying.

Exactly, wish to know if this possible...anyone know how I can maintain a pure S-ATK mag, but somehow able to:
1) Not getting Delphinus so that upper-cut won't happen?
OR
2) Somehow can change the attack of Delphinus become knockdown instead of uppercut?

GoldenFalcon
Jun 16, 2014, 11:12 AM
Exactly, wish to know if this possible...anyone know how I can maintain a pure S-ATK mag, but somehow able to:
1) Not getting Delphinus so that upper-cut won't happen?
OR
2) Somehow can change the attack of Delphinus become knockdown instead of uppercut?

Excubes can be spent to change his attack type to Blow (which does knockdown)

Macman
Jun 16, 2014, 12:45 PM
If he's playing SEA then chances are he's also playing in a version of the game before all the unit requirements were dropped to non-existence.
Whether or not they'll do the same as JP did with them I don't know, but it might be worth keeping an eye on your preferred defense stat growth and slightly augment your mag to ensure you can use whatever set you plan on using down the line.

Great Pan
Jun 16, 2014, 07:41 PM
Remember, Shunka is still your friend. Use Shunka only.

WildarmsRE5
Jun 17, 2014, 01:02 AM
Remember, Shunka is still your friend. Use Shunka only.for fukks sake, IT HAS BEEN SAID PLENTY OF TIMES HE'S PLAYING IN SEA.

THERE'S NO FUKKING BRAVER/SAMURAI IN SEA.

and I bet it's going to take 2 years before they get it, 3 years before they get Bouncer. . .

Chdata
Jun 17, 2014, 01:19 AM
1) Best, specialized in one playstyle/stat (like go full T-ATK or full S-ATK, best is never half-ass'ed).
2) Best, go for pure stat mags.
3) Specialized is always better than hybrid.
4) The game although allows hybrid classes, but doesn't seems to make them optimal?/viable?

But...I really can't pick one...I am truly considering playing all with one character.

I started out as Newman Female.
Since I am playing all classes, I plan to make my mag balanced in all 4 stats: S-ATK, R-ATK, T-ATK & DEX.
How gimped I will be if I go with this plan?

If there's things you like out of multiple classes, consider the following:

Play all of them on one character!
Pay for multiple characters to play more than one. (This will profit you more in the future, because you'll be able to farm 600k a day once per character, as opposed to having only one).

Every class is like playing a completely different game. Infact, switching weapons is like playing a new game, sometimes. Some weapons have PAs that are effective if they take up all of your inventory spots. Some classes facilitate using multiple weapons at once, like Hunter.

Yes hybridding will make everything weaker. But if you decide to play multiple classes, you shouldn't really be missing out on variety because you can choose to play the other class combination that is more optimal for another type of weapon.

I'm mainly a force main, but I also have braver and hunter maxed. I'm working on maxing Ranger, Fighter, and Gunner too.

I switch between classes based on what weapons I feel like playing with, and don't bother trying to use weapons I think are fun if they don't fit the class I'm playing at all. Sometimes I also switch classes for efficiency, which is only important for Tower Defense really. (Unless you get into competitive TA, which you probably won't).

The problem with a balanced mag:

1. DEX is commonly considered useless.
2. The common reason to level up your mag is to be able to equip stronger weapons at a lower level, because it counts towards the stat requirements to equip things.
3. Secondarily, it also is a substantial damage bonus if you specialize your mag into one stat. 60 atk points in S/R/T is actually a pretty big damage bonus at max level.
4. Even splitting your mag by 3 will gimp all 3 class types you intend to play. I've simply bought 3 different mags for my all class main, I wouldn't be able to play all classes on her without doing that because there's things that even at max 70/70 I can't equip without a proper mag.
5. My second character is ranged based classes only, and only has a r-atk mag. I have a third character I'm working on who will only have an S-atk mag. This is a viable option to do, as you don't need to pay for the extra mags and get more for your moneys worth by making another character.

Side note: My main is all-class because I just like the convenience of not needing to switch characters all the time, and she has increased inventory to 100.

Macman
Jun 17, 2014, 02:32 AM
The only issue of playing a lot of classes for variety is that you have that much more gear to prepare for each of them.

Chdata
Jun 17, 2014, 02:37 AM
As a side note:

There's basically 1 mage class. (Force / casting)
Basically 2 range classes. (Ranger, Gunner)
Basically 3-4 melee. (Hunter, Fighter, Braver, ~Techer/Wand/Hybrid can less fairly less efficiently use spells than FO and just see the melee techer thread)

In a way, Force is technically as many classes as skill trees for elements you're willing to buy.

(Technically, not as many as whatever, cause there isn't an infinite amount of skill trees you can make l o l).

Choose wisely.

I've found plenty of reasons to actually spend money on the game just for the purposes of fun ways to play, and not necessarily efficiency.

unknowngst
Jun 17, 2014, 06:39 PM
Thanks all for the great advices everyone, I'll be playing all classes on 1 character, with 3 pure mags, and one screwed-up mags :D

I am wondering about what's the best way to level?
Should I focus leveling 1 class to very high to unlock stuff first? Or it doesn't matter?
I am now level 8/8/18, I focus leveling Forcer first because it happens to have more disc dropped and good items, and I want to unlock sub-class.
At what level I'll unlock every feature?

Sizustar
Jun 17, 2014, 06:47 PM
Thanks all for the great advices everyone, I'll be playing all classes on 1 character, with 3 pure mags, and one screwed-up mags :D

I am wondering about what's the best way to level?
Should I focus leveling 1 class to very high to unlock stuff first? Or it doesn't matter?
I am now level 8/8/18, I focus leveling Forcer first because it happens to have more disc dropped and good items, and I want to unlock sub-class.
At what level I'll unlock every feature?

Emergency Quest with a good MPA+ EXP up ticket
Daily order from NPC
New Area and Teacher NPC one time quest also gives exp.
TACO gives EXP too.

Macman
Jun 17, 2014, 06:50 PM
I can't say what would be the best way to level on SEA given how different it plays. On JP you pretty much get a free ride to level 25 just unlocking areas these days.
I guess just get your grind on and find a full multi-party area in a free field quest and follow them around killing mobs.

Chdata
Jun 17, 2014, 07:24 PM
Thank you for being this way.

moorebounce
Jun 17, 2014, 07:40 PM
If I had to start over knowing what I know now I would choose a base class to start out with. Then lvl every class on that one character and buy 2 extra mags. I would only make characters in the other free slots for the extra skill tree reset tickets they give out.

LordKaiser
Jun 17, 2014, 08:29 PM
Build a pure MAG with only one of the 3 offensive stats depending on the class you will use. Forget about Units that you can't equip. You'll save money on MAGs in the long run.

musicmf
Jun 17, 2014, 10:53 PM
I am wondering about what's the best way to level?
Should I focus leveling 1 class to very high to unlock stuff first? Or it doesn't matter?
I am now level 8/8/18, I focus leveling Forcer first because it happens to have more disc dropped and good items, and I want to unlock sub-class.
At what level I'll unlock every feature?

I would say focus on one class first.
If you had Braver, I would level that because it will unlock all 3 subclasses right away; but unfortunately you don't have access to that.

By leveling one class, you'll unlock; Subclasses, Franka CO turnins, and Klotho TA COs.
Those three will probably help you level your other classes faster, so that's why I recommend leveling up one abit first (Lv 20 for Hard, 30 for Subclass, 40 for VH IIRC)

Macman
Jun 18, 2014, 12:34 AM
I would only make characters in the other free slots for the extra skill tree reset tickets they give out.
I sincerely doubt the SEA version will be that generous if it took Sega of Japan about a year before they adopted this practice.

unknowngst
Jun 18, 2014, 05:29 PM
I see....thanks for the advice, I'll focus leveling one class first :)

As for creating characters for free reset ticket, that's a great idea! But I think I'll wait till SEA version gave out the 1st free reset ticket, to see their behavior...like, what if they make the skill tree reset ticket non-transferrable to different character :D Then we go Orz...