FOnewearl questions

[jspacemunkey]

i'm making a Fonewearl, emphasis on techs with little or no melee, and i'm wondering whether or not battle units (or items with "built-in" battle units) affect casting speed. should i reserve a slot for a god/battle? i would imagine that if i'm using a weapon that casts a tech (ex: hildebear's cane) a battle unit would affect the weapon's tech casting speed, but not my FO's. i can't find an answer in the guides or through the forum search so any help is appreciated.

also, could someone please confirm for me that luck does not affect tech damage in any way? i found a thread that seemed to indicate that luck will not affect tech damage (and i seem to remember this being true from waaay back before i took a seven month break from pso) but i want to be sure. for any tech-focused FOs, should i bother using luck mats at all if i'm planning to, by and large, avoid melee? thanks again for any help.

[17]

luck only makes meggit stronger. i mean the chance to hit wil be larger wen you haver more luck.

[lain2k3]

Ignore the above http://www.pso-world.com/psoworld/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/icon_rolleyes.gif

Luck will do absolutley nothing for a casting force.

*/battle units do not affect casting speed.

[jspacemunkey]

thanks much, lain. that'll make maxing stats a bit easier, plus i won't have to hunt up yet another 45 luck mats.

[Dingo]

if i recall correctly there was an earlier debate on whether or not battke units affected casting speed....no one could really tell....i myself would like some clearance on that subject

[lain2k3]

On 2004-07-07 08:56, Dingo wrote:
if i recall correctly there was an earlier debate on whether or not battke units affected casting speed....no one could really tell....i myself would like some clearance on that subject



They do not effect casting speed, Read the above post. I know what I am talking about. http://www.pso-world.com/psoworld/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/anime1.gif



<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: lain2k3 on 2004-07-07 09:16 ]</font>

[Eanae]

They do not effect casting speed, Reda the above post. I know what I am talking about. http://www.pso-world.com/psoworld/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/anime1.gif

Or so you like to think http://www.pso-world.com/psoworld/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/icon_razz.gif

But this is what I believe to. I've experimented alittle with my force. Battle units don't really do much anyways. I mean, if your weapon is slow, it's gonna be slow. I use a battle unit for my yamato just to speed it up a bit. Ive tried em on my force, and unless you're melee, they're useless. http://www.pso-world.com/psoworld/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/icon_yes.gif

[lain2k3]

god/battle is one of the best Items a hunter can use, but yes, They are worthless for casting forces.

[jspacemunkey]

it's a relief that i don't need another god/battle. my first two showed up in rapid succession, but i'm getting stiffed by 'delts on my third and fourth. thankfully i won't have to look for a fifth for my FO.

i'm hoping my FOnewearl is as fun to play as i'm expecting. when pso hit xbox last year i made a FOmarl and she bottomed out. the problem was that i twinked her too quickly. i gave her a ton of high lvl tech disks and used them as fast as i could (which was fast thanks to her high mind mag and large quantities of mind mats). she got to the point where she could only cast one or two techs before her tp bar was empty. not gonna let that happen this time.

[Saffran]

Above poster: I have the same problem with blue burst. Gave a Shato to my FO and her 400TP are now depleted faster than I can clear 3 rooms. It's annoying...

Apparently you're playing GC, if you're only going for massive spells don't bother with anything aside MST. 4 God Abilities will cover most of your weaknesses anyway.

[jspacemunkey]

ah, but that was the problem. my FOmarl had high mst for a low-level character, allowing her to learn some fairly high-level techs. i upgraded her techs so quickly that i outpaced her tp growth and she could not cast many techs before running out of tp. it was foolish, but now i know better. i'm going to pass new techs to my FOnewearl at a slower rate so her tp costs don't outpace her tp capacity.

[Vielka]

On 2004-07-07 10:12, jspacemunkey wrote:
ah, but that was the problem. my FOmarl had high mst for a low-level character, allowing her to learn some fairly high-level techs. i upgraded her techs so quickly that i outpaced her tp growth and she could not cast many techs before running out of tp. it was foolish, but now i know better. i'm going to pass new techs to my FOnewearl at a slower rate so her tp costs don't outpace her tp capacity.



http://www.pso-world.com/psoworld/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/icon_smile.gif exactly....

[PaleKid15]

On 2004-07-07 10:12, jspacemunkey wrote:
ah, but that was the problem. my FOmarl had high mst for a low-level character, allowing her to learn some fairly high-level techs. i upgraded her techs so quickly that i outpaced her tp growth and she could not cast many techs before running out of tp. it was foolish, but now i know better. i'm going to pass new techs to my FOnewearl at a slower rate so her tp costs don't outpace her tp capacity.



Or you could just learn ryuker and have 10 meseta at all times, eliminating the need for fluids... seriously, what you are saying is a little off.If you have enough MST to learn the technique, you should have enough tp to cast quite a few. And the higher level spells only cost a little more, and d significantly more damage, which will usually make you use less tp.

On the topic of FOnewearls, I have a few things to say.

My FOnewearl is lvl 133, and I must say, I no longer enjoy playing with her. GI or RA tech bonuses are ALOT better than basic IM(C)O. And the lack of an S/D range bonus, can be troublesome when supporting (though not too big of a deal). One very nice thing about FOny's is their resta. 2x Range, and there high MST takes it to over 1000 hp restored per resta. The penetraing megid is also very nice, so it is a good idea to pick an ID that has good ep2 drops. However, since a few weapons also give penetrating megid, it's a little less impressive. If you want a support and melee FOmarl > FOnewearl IMO, if you want casting FOnewm > FOnewearl IMO. I wouldn't reccomend a FOny, but that's just me. Alot of people like FOnewearls, and they are very good for c-mode.

[jspacemunkey]

hyperbole is the word. of course i'm exaggerating, but i found that i was running out of tp too frequently to be able to play with any success. it was frustrating. that FOmarl, along with all my original characters, was deleted long ago so there's no way for me to check her stats. anyway, i'm certain that i was not able to cast many techs before her tp meter was empty. if it sounds a little off, well, i know that's the way it happened so there's nothing else to say.

as for class, i realize that FOnewms are probably better as a pure tech FO. overall, i prefer the way FOnewearls look (hate FOnewm costumes, apologies to those who feel differently) and i'm definitely planning for a lot of ep2 playing with the penetrating megid. since i play mostly offline i'm not concerned about support issues. if i did play online, i'd make sure to get something to increase S/D range (madam's umbrella, for example).


<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: jspacemunkey on 2004-07-07 11:09 ]</font>

[cHaOsMaZtA]

On the topic of FOnewearls, I have a few things to say.

My FOnewearl is lvl 133, and I must say, I no longer enjoy playing with her. GI or RA tech bonuses are ALOT better than basic IM(C)O. And the lack of an S/D range bonus, can be troublesome when supporting (though not too big of a deal). One very nice thing about FOny's is their resta. 2x Range, and there high MST takes it to over 1000 hp restored per resta. The penetraing megid is also very nice, so it is a good idea to pick an ID that has good ep2 drops. However, since a few weapons also give penetrating megid, it's a little less impressive. If you want a support and melee FOmarl > FOnewearl IMO, if you want casting FOnewm > FOnewearl IMO. I wouldn't reccomend a FOny, but that's just me. Alot of people like FOnewearls, and they are very good for c-mode.



I don't really know what you're talking about. My fonewearl just turned level 100 and she pwns the ruins. I have the 3 basic techs, and gizonde, rafoie, and resta set to the action menu. With a fire scepter: agni, mace of adaman, club of zurinium, and a Red Merge, all my techs are boosted at least 40% except gizonde (and the only thing I use that on is claws and groups of del-d's and indi belra's (which aren't too common)). And against enemies that are non-ice-resistant, barta hits most of them anyways, if you position yourself right. I haven't ventured too far into episode 2 yet, but when i do, i'm sure i'll be thankful for the megid penetration and 30% boost. I guess its all a matter of personal opinion and playing style.



<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: cHaOsMaZtA on 2004-07-07 11:12 ]</font>

[Ketchup345]

On 2004-07-07 11:11, cHaOsMaZtA wrote:
I haven't ventured too far into episode 2 yet, but when i do, i'm sure i'll be thankful for the megid penetration and 30% boost. I guess its all a matter of personal opinion and playing style.


30% boost?

Do you mean the one to Simple Techs? Because there is nothing that boosts the effectiveness of Megid besides ability to penetrate, and higher tech level.

[PaleKid15]

On 2004-07-07 11:11, cHaOsMaZtA wrote:


On the topic of FOnewearls, I have a few things to say.

My FOnewearl is lvl 133, and I must say, I no longer enjoy playing with her. GI or RA tech bonuses are ALOT better than basic IM(C)O. And the lack of an S/D range bonus, can be troublesome when supporting (though not too big of a deal). One very nice thing about FOny's is their resta. 2x Range, and there high MST takes it to over 1000 hp restored per resta. The penetraing megid is also very nice, so it is a good idea to pick an ID that has good ep2 drops. However, since a few weapons also give penetrating megid, it's a little less impressive. If you want a support and melee FOmarl > FOnewearl IMO, if you want casting FOnewm > FOnewearl IMO. I wouldn't reccomend a FOny, but that's just me. Alot of people like FOnewearls, and they are very good for c-mode.



I don't really know what you're talking about. My fonewearl just turned level 100 and she pwns the ruins. I have the 3 basic techs, and gizonde, rafoie, and resta set to the action menu. With a fire scepter: agni, mace of adaman, club of zurinium, and a Red Merge, all my techs are boosted at least 40% except gizonde (and the only thing I use that on is claws and groups of del-d's and indi belra's (which aren't too common)). And against enemies that are non-ice-resistant, barta hits most of them anyways, if you position yourself right. I haven't ventured too far into episode 2 yet, but when i do, i'm sure i'll be thankful for the megid penetration and 30% boost. I guess its all a matter of personal opinion and playing style.



<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: cHaOsMaZtA on 2004-07-07 11:12 ]</font>


Damage techs kind of suck in ep2, and megid does not have a 30% boost (wasn't sure if thats what you meant). And I can tell you right now, ONLINE- basic techs (and most others) are useless. And offline,a FOnewm would be faster, so i guess we have a different definition of "pwn".

[Nai_Calus]

L100 and you think someone who had it at L133 doesn't know what they're talking about? XD Hah.

FOnewearls are ultimately boring. Why? They don't DO anything else with any efficiency and never can. They have semi-decent ATA still lower than that of the lowest HUcast, mediocre growth on it that makes it not all that worth trying to max, horrible, horrible ATP... All they really DO is MST. Their ATA at best will get them some efficiency with a nice 60% Hit Gush Raygun or something.

Every other Force is at least somewhat suited to melee. All of them. The males both have superior damage tech boosts. FOmarl has superior support tech boosts.

Simple techs can do a lot of damage(FOnl fresh into Ult with L21 Foie and a Club of Laconium can pull over 450 damage on a Bartle), but they are only useful in certain situations that do not occur often. Barta is about the only one that's consistently usable, and even then it's questionable - Why use a tech that only hits in one direction and has no possibility of freezing enemies? Rabarta will hit all around you and can freeze. Even Gibarta, slow as it may be, is more useful since it has a wider field of attack and can also freeze.

Penetrating Megid is nice, but this can be achieved via the use of weapons.

Furthermore, online the much higher tech resistances make a casting Force's life miserable. You'll feel like a L3 character again, getting slapped around and doing barely any damage(And no, it's not going to be like when you were L3 and dropped a Booma in two Foies, it's going to be more like 6 or http://www.pso-world.com/psoworld/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/icon_cool.gif, going back for fluids every ten seconds...

FOnewms are, online, probably better in some situations casting, but they can still melee decently.

With a FOmar or FOmarl, you're actually better off doing melee damage. The ATA is low, so you can expect plenty of misses, but in most of the game it won't be so much that it's impossible to accomplish much. Seabed is squicky, but then, most characters have a very hard time soloing Seabed online until a very high level.

If you're set on a Force, I would recommend the humans. FOmarl's tech damage is weak, with the lowest max MST and no damage tech boosts outside of 50% to Grants, but she is an awesome support character played correctly online or in multi-mode with her 2x range boost to both S/D and R/A, and can do some nice damage with weapons. Her ATA is low(Max 170), but the growth on it is NICE.
FOmar has slightly stronger techs due to higher max MST(Note that at most levels on techs they lack boosts for or have the same boost for, FOmar and FOmarl will do about equal due to having a very similar MST growth rate), and native damage tech boosts to Gi-level and Grants(30% to both). He isn't the best suited to support, having a S/D range boost but no R/A boost, but he can most definitely be used in that respect, and used well(Ask the people I used to play with online about FOmar as support FO. XP). His ATP is the highest of the Forces(Maxes at 1002), and his ATA is the lowest in the game(163 max). He has decent growth on both. Online a non-max ATP FOmar(Around 890ish ATP w/Mag) with L30 support techs and a 0/0/0/0 Soul Banish can do comparable damage to a middling-level HUmar. (Yeah, FOmars are my FO area of expertise, mine's L144. XP)

The difference of course with melee is that it takes less TP and is not dependant on enemy technique weaknesses. L30 J/Z is L30 J/Z, and the same goes for L30 S/D. I can take a Soul Banish to enemies in Forest online and consistently do near 500 damage on a heavy hit to a hoard of them, averaging near 1250 damage a combo to as many enemies as are in Partisan range. A FOnl with boosted simple techs via 9-star Canes might be able to do 500 damage online to enemies eventually, but it takes her more time to clear the same room overall since outside Barta she only hits 1 thing at a time with her simple techs.

I've had a FOnl before. Several, actually. Three or four never made it past Normal(A baby FOmar kills Vol Opt with Gizonde faster than a FOnl kills him with Zonde, which irked me since FOnl is supposed to be the OMGWTF caster FO). My last one made it to L61 before I realized that I had not consistently used he in seven months, and had no desire to further use her.

Meanwhile, I have a L144 FOmar and a L82 FOmar on GC, and I'm thinking of replacing the dead FOnl with yet another FOmar. I know that at least I won't get bored with him. I'm also planning on raising yet another FOmar on PSOBB. FOmar/FOmarl can just do more. They can support the team. They can tech nuke offline with reckless abandon. They can melee and pretend they're HUs and get away with it. They even have the ATP to get away with attacking physically in Tower - Get a Holy Ray with a bit of Hit and you'll be able to land hits and actually do damage with 'em.

For the love of god, make a human Force. @_@ It's just more fun(And challenging, with a FOmar. Easily the hardest class to play. Seperates the men from the boys. XP)

[Vielka]

i love my FOnewearl. Shes a level 134 at the moment. That thing can clear out any room quickly and take any hit on single or multi player.. Like people keep posting around here, its up to your preference. Keep in mind that both Fonewman and FOnewearl can be equal. Yes newmans have a 30%boost to gi and ra techs..If you give them a Summit Moon, then they have a 30%boost to everything. Newearls have a 30%boost to normal techs, give them a pyscho wand and they now have a 30% to ra techs.. They are pretty much even if you look at it that way. My buddy has a level 134 Fonewman and i can clear a room quicker than he can.. You just have to ask yourself this question.. Do i want to be a nuker or a fire breathing bitch?Enjoy

[PaleKid15]

On 2004-07-07 12:17, Vielka wrote:
i love my FOnewearl. Shes a level 134 at the moment. That thing can clear out any room quickly and take any hit on single or multi player.. Like people keep posting around here, its up to your preference. Keep in mind that both Fonewman and FOnewearl can be equal. Yes newmans have a 30%boost to gi and ra techs..If you give them a Summit Moon, then they have a 30%boost to everything. Newearls have a 30%boost to normal techs, give them a pyscho wand and they now have a 30% to ra techs.. They are pretty much even if you look at it that way. My buddy has a level 134 Fonewman and i can clear a room quicker than he can.. You just have to ask yourself this question.. Do i want to be a nuker or a fire breathing bitch?Enjoy



No, they are not even when you look at it that way. You can equip that P wand to a FOnewm and have +60% on RA techs and do about the same damage as basic techs with a 30% boost, but it hits multiple targets. And your friend obviously isn;t using the right weapons, has a worse mag, is missing or took bad mat, or something like that. Because FOnewms are faster than FOny's. End of story.

[jspacemunkey]

i have to say thanks to ian. a lot of effort went into that reply and you are obviously quite passionate about FOs. thanks for the reply! http://www.pso-world.com/psoworld/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/icon_wink.gif

bad news is, i've already made my FOnewearl and she's been fed all her mats. plus i made a mag for her, a (45/0/0/155) bana. there's no chance i'll recreate her now. basically, i want to play a FOnewearl. as vielka said it's an issue of preference. i am big on aesthetic (if i have to stare at the same character hour after hour he/she must fit my definition of cool) and i feel like FOs got stiffed on costumes. (hats are another story though.) FOnewearl looks the coolest IMO and i've never played the class before. (this is, of course, in addition to the appeal of natural penetrating megid and high mst/tp.)

however, i'm not going to rule out creating a melee FOmarl in the future, especially after reading ian's post. i want to have a couple FOs to play as i've never really gotten in to that particular class. HUs are nice but fairly straightforward and i'm not a big RA fan. i definitely want to explore the FO class more fully.


<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: jspacemunkey on 2004-07-07 12:40 ]</font>

[Vielka]

glad to hear.. i just created a fomarl the other day.. i plan to make her a straight melee http://www.pso-world.com/psoworld/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/icon_smile.gif