PUP = Hybrid Set

So I was debating if i want to make a full hybrid set (Rawhide path c for 15 acc/pet 15acc/3da) or a balls to the wall pet only set (Herc - familiar path 30acc/racc/atk/ratk 4da/crit) or taeon (25acc/racc/atk/ratk 5% haste/ 5% DA)

Herc and taeon obviously are superior pet only sets. Herc can get slightly higher acc/atk but lacks haste. Herc is also cheaper to augment than taeon.

Rawhide also has the obvious advantage of being easier to get and augment. It also gives some acc to master. And both rawhide and herc lack pet haste (as far as ive seen , have yet to get pet haste on herc).

So the question is:

• Do you tp in a master only set, then switch to pet only if they are having issues keeping up with tp

or

• Do you do you tp in hybrid set and just build slower master tp and faster pet tp.

My current pet hybrid set:
ohtas (augmented)
herc sash
karagoz +1 mantle

On stuff like Apex mobs and low threat NMs that I can melee, I do my best to keep in a hybrid set. However, I watch TP closely and will switch to either a full master TP set or full pet TP set as the situation calls for it and one of us is lagging.

For "serious" stuff, in addition to the risk of death I don't know that a full hybrid set allows the master enough accuracy for my liking. So as of this update I'm more inclined to stand back and do pet-only DD, playing more like a BST. Though, since I have Kenkonken, if it's at all viable I do like to use that and get in there to WS for aftermath to help the puppet since it's such a major boost (even if I have to WS, then just stand back out of range). This is even viable if you're not punching at all - can use Tactical Switch to get 1000 TP, get in to get AM1 for accuracy, and get out (though AM3 is nice if you can manage 3000 master TP, including via temps, COR rolls, or whatever).

My default "hybrid" set is something like this, but I constantly tweak it a little here and there:
ItemSet 340924
- Taeon pieces have Pet: Haste+5%, DA+5, Acc+23~25
- I really like Pitre Tobe+1 and Naga Kyahan D for hybrid stuff
- If master needs a little more acc, I'll swap the Epona/Cessance for something like Ramuh+1 / Dignitary's or Zennaroi.

Above set is Automaton haste+26%, but sometimes I willingly drop it to 21% and just use 100% master focused Herculean Gloves (augmented with TA+4% and a bunch of acc).

Notes on augmentable sets:
Taeon: for hybrid purposes the Chapeau and Tights are best suited for the task since they have reasonably good base master stats, so you can go all out on pet augments and not get a total zero for master gear. Body/Hands are less appealing for this, and there are many better feet options.

Rawhide: I'm not that impressed by Rawhide C path stuff, other than body is pretty solid (but I really like Pitre for that sweet pet Store TP, plus acc for both).

Herculean: I could prob use some more Herc duplicate pieces myself with pet augs, but I don't have them now. If I was looking to get them, obvious first choices would be hands (which I really want to get now!) and boots. Head/Legs have more mediocre master stats, and Body is nice but pretty hard to obtain for me and most people at the moment and my priority wouldn't be using it for automaton augments.

If using Ohtas (which you clearly should use unless you have KKK):
You get a lot more leniency with pet haste equipment. With that extra pet haste+10%, I'd remove Taeon Gloves from the above set as my first swap, and then also drop either (a) Taeon Tights (and use Samnuha or something else master-focused), or (b) the pet ring/earring and use master stuff in those slots.

hm a hybrid, of hybrid sets...

2 taeon and 2 herc pieces would cap pet haste while not losing to much acc/atk from master.

I just loathe augmenting taeon gear again.

LOL I hear ya. Glad I held onto my pet-focused DD set that I debated overwriting.

If there's one saving grace, Rao pieces are generally a perfectly fine substitute for Taeon from a tanking perspective (personally I tank in Taeon body/legs and Rao hands/feet). So if you're holding onto a tanking Taeon piece, can swap that out and maybe still use an existing Snow Acc augment.

I also found that it wasn't very hard for me to get max DA/haste augments on Taeon. And stones are getting cheaper and cheaper from continued presence on the login campaign, and current Adoulin dial. Now's as good a time as any...

When you guys speak of hybrid are you talking about a set where you can do damage and hit and also allows for your pet to get the most out of the set as well? ( reducing gearswap? )

If yes then I assume you switch to specific set when WSing for you or pet right?

(off question)

Is the pupp tank pet viable in mid game content.. (easy AA etc )

I m thinking about upping my verethragna and dusting off the pupp.

yes, i was hoping for a set that can lower my DD as little as possible while adding some acc/atk/da/haste to pet so that we can tp at a relatively even rate.

I have a ws set, pet has a ws set, but i cant seem to get the pet ws set working.

This is going to post that I'm from my old server, but I'm oh Phoenix now.

Would swapping out the Rimeice Earring with Handlers +1 work as well? And is there any easier way to get my hands on Rao gear that won't cost me 1Bil?

I have no money in game (and in RL too, but that's another matter.)

Also my only "geared" job is PUP. So I'm looking for a way to get my hands on the Taeon Gear too.

If your pet is tanking you will want handler +1 eventually. Rimeice will work to start, but the nm for handlers earring is super easy. I ended up getting 50 items from it, upgrading my earring to +1, then farming another nq earring. Took maybe 50 kills total.

Rao from t1 is actually really easy to get, you can get boot/gloves pretty easy. I went geo/blu/smn and we did BLU-> SMN - > Burst and every t1 died in 1 skill chain. If pup is your only geared job you can definitely do a few of the t1 with pet tank, it just gets tricky with gaze based doom on the caterae. Honestly, level geo and with moderate gear + dunna you can make a party for all rao drops no problem.

Taeon gear is super easy to get...after my post here i joined 3 parties and did 5 runs per party and had enough wings/drops to get a full suit. You can do it solo, (just do a t1 and stop after floor 2). If you make the simulcrum and just shout for a party its really easy to fill up (specially with campaign runing atm)

Re: Handler's Earring/+1:

From an offensive/hybrid perspective (i.e. the point of this topic), pet defensive stats are irrelevant to your consideration. The reason I use Rimeice in my hybrid or pet DD sets is purely for offense - pet: haste+3% stat allows me to reach capped automaton gear haste in the above set (or obviously also good any time you're under capped automaton gear haste). I mean, I'll happily take the defensive stats purely as a bonus, but that doesn't factor into my selection of the piece for hybrid/pet DD purposes.

As for Handler's +1 in general, I don't even think it's all that great for PUP when tanking. Pet PDT- is rarely/never an issue for tanking and there's a very good chance you're already capped. So Handlers is adding either nothing, or potentially improving something that's already so strong as to be fairly insignificant to boost further. On the other hand, Rimeice has DT-1% so helps MDT/BDT/non-elemental whatever damage, plus it has enmity+5, which is very nice for tanking. That's why I use Rimeice/Domesticator's as my tanking set.


Well, dustinfoley already talked about the abjurations. But if your concern is the Bewitched pieces, those do have a cost. They're crafted items so AH/bazaar or you or a crafter friend make them. Possible that the various ongoing campaigns or login point rewards can affect these prices though, so keep an eye out. I scooped up most of my cursed items for Escha abjurations in the wake of the login campaign that provided base materials for the synths of the curses stuff (so prices went down and supply went up for a bit).

Rao is potentially cheaper than Taeon though, as at least it's a predictable price. Taeon relies on random augs so you might get lucky immediately or might take a while. Either are good for tanking in 4/5 slots (along with Anwig Salade for head), R15 Rao and Taeon with pet DT-3~4% are more or less sidegrades. Rao+1 wins over either but is gonna be very pricey.

It's funny. I happened to get my Handler's Earring just after reading your post Capuchin. I'm thinking of staring a pet PDT set first for reasons of being able to solo as much as I can because my work schedule at the moment is insane. I barely get four hours a day to do anything. But I was going to use the Hybrid set you have listed and use some pet -PDT stuff to see if I can get a decent set up. I wanted to craft and I have an entire Mog Case filed with nothing but 80 Stacks of crystals. After that I just started selling them. All my crafting is at 0 though.

Just got +5% pet haste and +4 crit hit rate on my taeon tabard, and was wondering how that compares to the Pitre Tobe +1 for when I have TP ready to go and switch into full pet TP mode? If i had plus +5 haste and +5DA would that be much better than what I currently have/Pitre Tobe?


Edit: just got 25 pet accuracy as well.

No, because Pitre Tobe has the very unique(Before hercs anyway) pet stp +13 on it. Before Hercs came along, there were a whopping three pieces that had pet stp on them PUP could use. And I don't recall seeing Hercs with more than 10stp personally. Anyway, those three pieces are enough(with inhibitors) to get a puppet down to a six hit build, which is pretty good for the little guys. Actually, with Ohtas existing now, might be possible/viable to get them down to a 4-5 hit. I'll look into it.

ItemSet 342765


This is my hybrid set currently. Have exactly 26% Pet Haste, and all the Taeon pieces have TA+2, Acc/Attack, and Pet Haste

on the boots.