Nai_Calus
Sep 9, 2004, 04:32 AM
I'm bored, and Skorpius has inspired me, drat him.
So, unless you're incredibly unobservant or have somehow never read a single thread I've posted in, you know that I love FOmars. They're my PSO life. I'll play another class for a bit occasionally, but I always go back to my FOmars. The class just does it for me. So I know a thing or six about it, which I will share with you. Prepare for an Infomercial on FOmars. :3 *puts on glaring suit covered in question marks and gets out the juicer and exercise equipment*
General FOmar thoughts:
FOmars are an odd class. Their stats are all over the place, but generally low. They possess the highest ATP of the Forces, the lowest ATA in the game, the third highest MST in the game, the second-worst DFP and HP in the game, bad DFP and EVP and odd technique boosts. They get no access to the useful female-only weapons, shields and armor that could cushion them. Their main strength lies in being versatile, and being challenging. Despite their common use by n00bs, they are not a n00b class, rather, they're a class better suited to experienced players who know what they're doing.
Should I make a FOmar?
Well, it depends, really. Are you experienced at the game? Are you willing to spend the time to hunt down the items he will need to be successful(Or do you already have them)? Are you willing to accept that you will never be 'uber' or have a truly 'easy' time? Can you deal with taking a lot of damage and having trouble hitting in some areas? In most cases, you'll be better off going with a HUnewearl or a RAmarl or a FOmarl or a properly specialized class. FOmars are not for everybody, not by a long shot. If you plan to take all your main characters through c-mode, you may wish to think twice about taking your FOmar through, as they are utterly unsuited to it. FOmars in cmode are the equivalents of RAmarls and HUnewearls - The most worthless, unwanted examples of their class.
Now let's cover some basics:
FOmars don't have the best stats, but they can do quite well. As an example, here is my melee-oriented L145 FOmar, with some mats used, a Guard Wave, Secret Gear, Soul Banish and 5/145/50/0 Rati equipped, with L30/29 S/D going:
ATP: 1721( 897)
DFP: 771( 234)
MST: 773( 773)
ATA: 207( 162)
EVP: 708( 489)
His LCK is in the 80s, because I use him as a melee character.
Now, this isn't exactly the best thing since sliced bread, but as you can see, it's not horrible, either. Going the other way, boosting MST, he gets in the neighbourhood of 1000ish with virtually no other emphasis on MST. No, they're not awesome specialized stats. FOmar doesn't DO that.
FOmar can max with two units, see the guide stickied in Mag, Quest, Item and Section ID for methods.
Ok, so what to do with him? Well, you can play techs or weapons, and you can do different things in each:
Technique-based FOmars:
There's not that much to say here, if you can't figure out how to use a Force as a Force you have issues. I will note the following:
Support:
FOmar can be good at this, but it's going to be painful on your part. You can't use Marina's Bag and you have no native Resta/Anti boost. Wear a Resta Merge. Build your PB meter by standing in the thick of things drawing enemies to you and taking a beating. See my support Force guide for in-depth coverage of Support Whorcing.
Damage:
FOmar isn't really suited to this. He has decent tech boosts in the damage area, but his lower MST(Not much better than FOmarl's) keeps him from doing the real tech damage. Indeed, online a FOmar is often better off using weapons to deal damage - You do more for less TP usage with weapons than you will with techs. However, the best place to raise a FOmar until you get to online Ult levels is offline Ult, which you can easily hit around L40 if you're dedicated and twinked to hell. There your damage techs will be a huge asset as you level past the point of being OHKOed. Boost 'em as necessary - Merges, etc. However. I do NOT recommend Magical Piece or the 9-star Wands for FOmar if you plan on using your Gi techs with any frequency. The male Wand tech-casting animation is horrible, and while FOnewm can get away with being knocked around a bit, FOmar is hopeless. You want to get your techs out as fast as possible. If you're doing hand-me-downs, you might as well hunt down a Sorceror's Right Arm and get a Sorceror's Cane - It boosts Gi techs and provides a slight TP cost reduction. Also, the FOmar has a unique casting animation with Rods that is in my opinion excellent - Not much slower than casting bare-handed. Gibarta should be avoided in favour of Rabarta, but Gizonde's awesome speed and Gifoie's TP-saving ability to hit more than one wave(Especially in Ult Mines!) make them well worth using.
Weapons:
Again, a couple of things here.
Ranged:
This is what most so-called 'melee' FOmars are. The ones you see running around with their spiky hair and Devil's Wings and Charge Vulcans/L&K14 Combats. I disapprove of them, it's a horribly inefficient way to play. But if you MUST range:
Suggested equipment: High Hit % Mechs. Charge Vulcan or Berserk Vulcan for max damage, L&K14 Combats work wonders as well. Get a Holy Ray. Preferably with Hit, but Holy Ray naturally has very good ATA, so it's not as much of a priority. Get a good Slicer. Yes, a slicer, for when you have multiple enemies to deal with. Rainbow Baton, Red Slicer, Flight Fan, whatever.
You can get away with Sacred Cloth, since you're not generally going to be in the thick of things. God/Arm takes precedence over anything else if you need it to max your ATA. Cure/**** units, etc. Boost your ATP as much as possible, as well. You'll need it to do damage with your mechs. As a random note, the FOmar's mechgun casting animation is unique, and quite good.
Melee:
This is what most FOmars claim to be, and what very few actually are. There is a place for ranged weapons here, but it is not as your primary method of attack. This is where FOmar can really be an asset on a team and where the real fun and trouble lies: Close-range combat.
If you've used a HU, you know all about this: Sword/Partisan, whack the group o' Boomas, haul out the Double Saber-type and let that Belra have it, whip out the Handgun and shoot that Gee down. That's basically what you do with a proper melee FOmar... While simultaneously being a support Force and using your damage techniques to the team's tactical advantage. Anyone can whack a Bartle, but it takes skill to really be good at it. Since this is after all my favourite part of FOmarism, this will be the longest, most detailed section, of course. Besides, this is probably why you made the damned FOmar in the first place, all three of the other FOs are far better at standard FOing than FOmar is.
Ok!
First off, you can do this at low levels in low difficulties, and even online at low levels in low difficulties. I've got a L44 FOmar on BB who currently melees. Indeed, your low level equipment set for that is the same as your high level equipment set, varying only in the degree of the weapon. Low levels entail a Soul Eater, Double Saber and Varista/Bravace/similar Handgun, with whatever armor/units you can scrape together. High levels entail:
Soul Banish - This is your primary weapon. You most often encounter packs of Booma-type enemies in PSO, and the most efficient way to dispatch them is to attack them all at once.
S-Rank Twin - You're gonna have to go through c-mode. Deal with it. It'll make you a better player anyway. ...Just don't do it with your FOmar. You've got a HUcast/HUcaseal/RAcast/RAcaseal/FOnewearl/FOmarl tucked away SOMEWHERE, right? XP Use 'em. This is your single-part close-range boss and singular enemy/paired enemy/strong enemy weapon. Dragon? Use this. Couple of Barbles? Use this. Belra? Use this.
Red Handgun or Holy Ray: You're gonna need a firearm eventually. Mostly for things such as shooting down traps, attacking flying enemies/bosses and the like. An argument must be made here in favour of Slicers for things like packs of Canabins or Gees. A further argument must be made that you're not going to hit them without Hit % on the Slicer. Which brings us to Tactical Techniques.
Wow, you sure can kill those Gees faster and better with your Soul Banish than with your Handgun or that puny little Slicer. But damn it, they're flying! Well, assuming a RA isn't already shooting them down, this is where techs come into play:
Gizonde: Mericarols and friends, mostly. Also Shock attempts on mechanical nasties. Most useful on floor 6 of East Tower if you end up not going up to the Merikle with the rest of the team for whatever reason. Assign it a button, unequip your weapon, and spam this. Done properly and with a high enough level, the Meris won't be able to move.
Rabarta: General freezing. Also good for Gees, since they're weak to Barta-types. Gets them out of the sky while giving them a bit of damage.
Rafoie: Canabins don't like this. Too bad for them. Gets them down, damages them. Also used in conjunction with Trap Visions to take out traps in the absence of an android.
Realize, while we're at this, that there are areas such as Seabed and Tower where you're better off NOT meleeing. Partly because you will never hit things consistently there, and partly because things will own you there. You really don't want to tangle with an Ill Gill as any class, let alone a FOmar who can't even hit it. Use common sense. Fall back to support only when you have to. Needless to say, keep up support at all times. You are a fighter, but you are also a Force, and being a Force should come first - Support your team. Heal them. Use Jellen and Zalure at all times unless the enemy can't be J/Zed, use Shifta and Deband, keep up the Resta, Anti and revivals as needed. This not only makes your teammates happy to have you, it helps you out as well. When you can hit, though, do so - Zero averages around 250 on a normal hit, 500 on a heavy and 700 on a critical heavy.
You are in the middle of the action, so things like Sacred Cloth aren't all that recommended, even in Temple and Caves. It's not that hard to use a Cure/Paralysis or carry Antiparalysis/Sols, honestly. Stick with real armor - Guard Wave, Aura Field, Luminous Field, etc. Whatever matches your level and what you have available.
Slots are pretty well defined for a melee FOmar: You're going to want a God/Battle, without a doubt. God/Arms as necessary on top of your Mag's DEX to max your ATA. God/Power is good. A Cure/**** or God/HP is a good idea as well.
Your choice of shields is extremely limited. Basically, you can pick either a Secret Gear, an Attribute Wall or a Tripolic Shield. Attribute Wall and Secret Gear are both excellent low-level shields that will serve you well even into Ult - My FOmar still uses his Secret Gear, and he does just fine. Tripolic Shield is of course the best available choice. When and if Sonic Team ever releases Red Ring, of course, that will become the best choice, both for the excellent DFP/EVP and also for the 20 ATA boost. Resta Merge is not recommended - For one thing, you're probably already with the HUs, who are the ones most often in need of healing anyway, therefore, your natural range should be sufficient.
Mag should follow the usual lines - 5/145/50/0, 5/135/60/0 or 5/125/70/0. Note however that anything over 50 will become excessive in conjunction with a God/Arm around L145, and is thus questionable. Indeed, at L200, 50 DEX will max out a FOmar entirely. It depends on how you want to distribute your units, and what you feel like raising. Mag type is to personal taste. Most people will go for Sato or Nidra, I personally use a Rati.
As you can see, the FOmar can be used in a number of ways, and adapted to almost any situation. His major flaw is his poor ATA, but even that can be generally worked around. The most important thing to remember with a FOmar is to use him the way that's most fun for you, and to be patient with him. He WILL frustrate the hell out of you for a while, but if you stick with him, he'll give you a fun time. Just don't give him an ID with a great Seabed unless you've got a Demonic Fork and L30 Megid. XP
Anything you disagree with, have a question about, etc, post it. I'm listening.
So, unless you're incredibly unobservant or have somehow never read a single thread I've posted in, you know that I love FOmars. They're my PSO life. I'll play another class for a bit occasionally, but I always go back to my FOmars. The class just does it for me. So I know a thing or six about it, which I will share with you. Prepare for an Infomercial on FOmars. :3 *puts on glaring suit covered in question marks and gets out the juicer and exercise equipment*
General FOmar thoughts:
FOmars are an odd class. Their stats are all over the place, but generally low. They possess the highest ATP of the Forces, the lowest ATA in the game, the third highest MST in the game, the second-worst DFP and HP in the game, bad DFP and EVP and odd technique boosts. They get no access to the useful female-only weapons, shields and armor that could cushion them. Their main strength lies in being versatile, and being challenging. Despite their common use by n00bs, they are not a n00b class, rather, they're a class better suited to experienced players who know what they're doing.
Should I make a FOmar?
Well, it depends, really. Are you experienced at the game? Are you willing to spend the time to hunt down the items he will need to be successful(Or do you already have them)? Are you willing to accept that you will never be 'uber' or have a truly 'easy' time? Can you deal with taking a lot of damage and having trouble hitting in some areas? In most cases, you'll be better off going with a HUnewearl or a RAmarl or a FOmarl or a properly specialized class. FOmars are not for everybody, not by a long shot. If you plan to take all your main characters through c-mode, you may wish to think twice about taking your FOmar through, as they are utterly unsuited to it. FOmars in cmode are the equivalents of RAmarls and HUnewearls - The most worthless, unwanted examples of their class.
Now let's cover some basics:
FOmars don't have the best stats, but they can do quite well. As an example, here is my melee-oriented L145 FOmar, with some mats used, a Guard Wave, Secret Gear, Soul Banish and 5/145/50/0 Rati equipped, with L30/29 S/D going:
ATP: 1721( 897)
DFP: 771( 234)
MST: 773( 773)
ATA: 207( 162)
EVP: 708( 489)
His LCK is in the 80s, because I use him as a melee character.
Now, this isn't exactly the best thing since sliced bread, but as you can see, it's not horrible, either. Going the other way, boosting MST, he gets in the neighbourhood of 1000ish with virtually no other emphasis on MST. No, they're not awesome specialized stats. FOmar doesn't DO that.
FOmar can max with two units, see the guide stickied in Mag, Quest, Item and Section ID for methods.
Ok, so what to do with him? Well, you can play techs or weapons, and you can do different things in each:
Technique-based FOmars:
There's not that much to say here, if you can't figure out how to use a Force as a Force you have issues. I will note the following:
Support:
FOmar can be good at this, but it's going to be painful on your part. You can't use Marina's Bag and you have no native Resta/Anti boost. Wear a Resta Merge. Build your PB meter by standing in the thick of things drawing enemies to you and taking a beating. See my support Force guide for in-depth coverage of Support Whorcing.
Damage:
FOmar isn't really suited to this. He has decent tech boosts in the damage area, but his lower MST(Not much better than FOmarl's) keeps him from doing the real tech damage. Indeed, online a FOmar is often better off using weapons to deal damage - You do more for less TP usage with weapons than you will with techs. However, the best place to raise a FOmar until you get to online Ult levels is offline Ult, which you can easily hit around L40 if you're dedicated and twinked to hell. There your damage techs will be a huge asset as you level past the point of being OHKOed. Boost 'em as necessary - Merges, etc. However. I do NOT recommend Magical Piece or the 9-star Wands for FOmar if you plan on using your Gi techs with any frequency. The male Wand tech-casting animation is horrible, and while FOnewm can get away with being knocked around a bit, FOmar is hopeless. You want to get your techs out as fast as possible. If you're doing hand-me-downs, you might as well hunt down a Sorceror's Right Arm and get a Sorceror's Cane - It boosts Gi techs and provides a slight TP cost reduction. Also, the FOmar has a unique casting animation with Rods that is in my opinion excellent - Not much slower than casting bare-handed. Gibarta should be avoided in favour of Rabarta, but Gizonde's awesome speed and Gifoie's TP-saving ability to hit more than one wave(Especially in Ult Mines!) make them well worth using.
Weapons:
Again, a couple of things here.
Ranged:
This is what most so-called 'melee' FOmars are. The ones you see running around with their spiky hair and Devil's Wings and Charge Vulcans/L&K14 Combats. I disapprove of them, it's a horribly inefficient way to play. But if you MUST range:
Suggested equipment: High Hit % Mechs. Charge Vulcan or Berserk Vulcan for max damage, L&K14 Combats work wonders as well. Get a Holy Ray. Preferably with Hit, but Holy Ray naturally has very good ATA, so it's not as much of a priority. Get a good Slicer. Yes, a slicer, for when you have multiple enemies to deal with. Rainbow Baton, Red Slicer, Flight Fan, whatever.
You can get away with Sacred Cloth, since you're not generally going to be in the thick of things. God/Arm takes precedence over anything else if you need it to max your ATA. Cure/**** units, etc. Boost your ATP as much as possible, as well. You'll need it to do damage with your mechs. As a random note, the FOmar's mechgun casting animation is unique, and quite good.
Melee:
This is what most FOmars claim to be, and what very few actually are. There is a place for ranged weapons here, but it is not as your primary method of attack. This is where FOmar can really be an asset on a team and where the real fun and trouble lies: Close-range combat.
If you've used a HU, you know all about this: Sword/Partisan, whack the group o' Boomas, haul out the Double Saber-type and let that Belra have it, whip out the Handgun and shoot that Gee down. That's basically what you do with a proper melee FOmar... While simultaneously being a support Force and using your damage techniques to the team's tactical advantage. Anyone can whack a Bartle, but it takes skill to really be good at it. Since this is after all my favourite part of FOmarism, this will be the longest, most detailed section, of course. Besides, this is probably why you made the damned FOmar in the first place, all three of the other FOs are far better at standard FOing than FOmar is.
Ok!
First off, you can do this at low levels in low difficulties, and even online at low levels in low difficulties. I've got a L44 FOmar on BB who currently melees. Indeed, your low level equipment set for that is the same as your high level equipment set, varying only in the degree of the weapon. Low levels entail a Soul Eater, Double Saber and Varista/Bravace/similar Handgun, with whatever armor/units you can scrape together. High levels entail:
Soul Banish - This is your primary weapon. You most often encounter packs of Booma-type enemies in PSO, and the most efficient way to dispatch them is to attack them all at once.
S-Rank Twin - You're gonna have to go through c-mode. Deal with it. It'll make you a better player anyway. ...Just don't do it with your FOmar. You've got a HUcast/HUcaseal/RAcast/RAcaseal/FOnewearl/FOmarl tucked away SOMEWHERE, right? XP Use 'em. This is your single-part close-range boss and singular enemy/paired enemy/strong enemy weapon. Dragon? Use this. Couple of Barbles? Use this. Belra? Use this.
Red Handgun or Holy Ray: You're gonna need a firearm eventually. Mostly for things such as shooting down traps, attacking flying enemies/bosses and the like. An argument must be made here in favour of Slicers for things like packs of Canabins or Gees. A further argument must be made that you're not going to hit them without Hit % on the Slicer. Which brings us to Tactical Techniques.
Wow, you sure can kill those Gees faster and better with your Soul Banish than with your Handgun or that puny little Slicer. But damn it, they're flying! Well, assuming a RA isn't already shooting them down, this is where techs come into play:
Gizonde: Mericarols and friends, mostly. Also Shock attempts on mechanical nasties. Most useful on floor 6 of East Tower if you end up not going up to the Merikle with the rest of the team for whatever reason. Assign it a button, unequip your weapon, and spam this. Done properly and with a high enough level, the Meris won't be able to move.
Rabarta: General freezing. Also good for Gees, since they're weak to Barta-types. Gets them out of the sky while giving them a bit of damage.
Rafoie: Canabins don't like this. Too bad for them. Gets them down, damages them. Also used in conjunction with Trap Visions to take out traps in the absence of an android.
Realize, while we're at this, that there are areas such as Seabed and Tower where you're better off NOT meleeing. Partly because you will never hit things consistently there, and partly because things will own you there. You really don't want to tangle with an Ill Gill as any class, let alone a FOmar who can't even hit it. Use common sense. Fall back to support only when you have to. Needless to say, keep up support at all times. You are a fighter, but you are also a Force, and being a Force should come first - Support your team. Heal them. Use Jellen and Zalure at all times unless the enemy can't be J/Zed, use Shifta and Deband, keep up the Resta, Anti and revivals as needed. This not only makes your teammates happy to have you, it helps you out as well. When you can hit, though, do so - Zero averages around 250 on a normal hit, 500 on a heavy and 700 on a critical heavy.
You are in the middle of the action, so things like Sacred Cloth aren't all that recommended, even in Temple and Caves. It's not that hard to use a Cure/Paralysis or carry Antiparalysis/Sols, honestly. Stick with real armor - Guard Wave, Aura Field, Luminous Field, etc. Whatever matches your level and what you have available.
Slots are pretty well defined for a melee FOmar: You're going to want a God/Battle, without a doubt. God/Arms as necessary on top of your Mag's DEX to max your ATA. God/Power is good. A Cure/**** or God/HP is a good idea as well.
Your choice of shields is extremely limited. Basically, you can pick either a Secret Gear, an Attribute Wall or a Tripolic Shield. Attribute Wall and Secret Gear are both excellent low-level shields that will serve you well even into Ult - My FOmar still uses his Secret Gear, and he does just fine. Tripolic Shield is of course the best available choice. When and if Sonic Team ever releases Red Ring, of course, that will become the best choice, both for the excellent DFP/EVP and also for the 20 ATA boost. Resta Merge is not recommended - For one thing, you're probably already with the HUs, who are the ones most often in need of healing anyway, therefore, your natural range should be sufficient.
Mag should follow the usual lines - 5/145/50/0, 5/135/60/0 or 5/125/70/0. Note however that anything over 50 will become excessive in conjunction with a God/Arm around L145, and is thus questionable. Indeed, at L200, 50 DEX will max out a FOmar entirely. It depends on how you want to distribute your units, and what you feel like raising. Mag type is to personal taste. Most people will go for Sato or Nidra, I personally use a Rati.
As you can see, the FOmar can be used in a number of ways, and adapted to almost any situation. His major flaw is his poor ATA, but even that can be generally worked around. The most important thing to remember with a FOmar is to use him the way that's most fun for you, and to be patient with him. He WILL frustrate the hell out of you for a while, but if you stick with him, he'll give you a fun time. Just don't give him an ID with a great Seabed unless you've got a Demonic Fork and L30 Megid. XP
Anything you disagree with, have a question about, etc, post it. I'm listening.