Killer Instinct: The Beastmaster Compendium

Why you list DA for magical WSs?

Even removing all of those (more minor) bonuses like SC damage or Macc for less resists... the main comparison from a raw WS damage perspective is whether MAB+16 is competitive with WSD+12 STR+18.

Just at a glance, I wouldn't trade WSD for MAB at a 1.25 ratio - and that doesn't even get to the 18 additional STR (and slightly more MND) helping as stat mods for Cloudsplitter.

For some perspective, not all that long ago when Reisenjima augmented WSD/MAB gear was #1 for magical WS, there were always discussions about how much MAB was enough to equal 1 WSD. General rule of thumb was always something like 3-4 MAB : 1 WSD (exact ratio depending on totals in your set).


Shouldn't have! Disregard that. And it doesn't change the overall point at all.

Sure, Nyame legs are objectively better (at least definitively around the R20 mark.) No argument there; Never was. The question I intended to pose is "Are Augury Cuisses +1 a good enough alternative to be listed as such?" The answer to that depends a lot on the purpose of the suggested sets. If they are meant to be aspirational / BiS with concessions only on very expensive items then I'd wager not and would say that some of the current alternatives should be removed (certainly Leyline Gloves -- They stick out like a sore thumb.) If the recommendations have some leeway like they seem to me, then pieces that are within a few hundred max WS damage of absolute best sound like fair game.

I concede that Cloudsplitter may lose too much in this specific comparison but clarity never hurts.

Yes. They're entry level MAB legs for someone who doesn't have Nyame. They might cost a pretty penny, but that shouldn't matter. Also not included is Sacro Breastplate. But I remember looking at the front page sets a while ago and I could have sworn those two pieces were at one point included. Falkirk usually lists a ton of useful alternatives, but perhaps over time with the prevalence of Nyame gear it's a given most players will pick WSD path, so it might not be mentioned for that reason

I think the real issue is there are just some pieces listed as "alternatives" that are a bit out of date. Even when some of the main sets got updated with current gear, it looks like some of the previously listed alternatives didn't get removed or changed.

Like, just to pick a random example from one of the other WS sets, there's no reason Cheruski Needle (STR+3 DEX+2) shouldn't be removed as an alternative for Decimation and Ruinator. It's literally right next to a STR+5/DEX+5/Acc+10/Atk+10 piece that anyone should be able to easily obtain (Voluspa Tathlum, acquired from Domain Invasion points). Or why would anyone still use a Justiciar's Torque (STR+4/Atk+15) on Mistral, when something like Rep. Platinum Medal (STR+10/Atk+30) is easy to get and free from TVR missions?

I don't think anyone is actually advocating for those being good choices in 2025, even for more entry level sets. More just a matter of having forgotten to remove stuff that might have been a viable alternative in the past but is now easily surpassed by newer options.

(and to be clear, I'm in no way trying to badmouth one of the best FFXI job guides around - just a reality that in a constantly evolving game, the guide isn't always going to be fully caught up, especially in the supplemental alternatives listed for not quite super-commonly used sets)