Cloud Of Darkness HTBF

No one knows with absolute certainty what causes PS to either absorb magic or physical. Your VS>VS should be doing around 70% physical, 30% magic damage. The above SS>VS>VS is doing around 45% physical, 55% magical damage.

The sample size of all this is very small, but the people doing 3step suggest its absorbing magic very/all the time, you're suggesting its a 50/50 rate. If there is a fixed formula to decide if its going to absorb magic or physical, it could be weighted to favor one side ie: physical damage must outnumber magic damage by a 2:1 ratio for it to absorb physical, or something like that. It would explain why you're getting 50/50 between physical or magic absorb, and why the 3steppers are getting magic absorb most of the time.

I'm sure Thorny or someone else familiar with the various battlefield systems in FFXI can explain it in better detail, but from what I understand, HTBFs aren't considered "instances"; You're not warped into an entirely new zone. Instead, you fight the actual boss in the same zone you're in, and thus, they aren't able to apply a queue system, I assume due to "restrictions". They'd probably have to change the way the zones behave (like would you still continue to see "Number 475 is next up" if you are in the fight already?). You run into the same problem with every other HTBF, and even Aman Trove, though that behaves slightly different. Other instances like Sortie, Ambuscade, Omen, Odyssey, some TVR missions etc can use a queue because you are moved to another area to begin the battle.

Now CAN they make a queue system for HTBFs or other battlefields? Absolutely. Is it worth the effort? My guess is the only congestion is on Asura during certain hours, or maybe Bahamut/Odin with high traffic time or shortly after release, so maybe it's not worth them investing in it. Since the drop rate is so much higher than Shinryu HTBF, people will get their drops quicker, and so the line will die off much faster over time than Shinryu did. They probably made it this way because Shinryu was such a colossal failure at launch with congestion, paired with bad drops, and then the change to Merits. They probably think 30 merits (and better drops) "fixes" the congestion problem that they created with the last fight.

I agree, it's very dumb trying to enter the fight and it makes it quite frustrating, but this is SE being too lazy to address the problem and instead putting bandaid solutions over it.

After about 30 fights of playing around and finding cool things to do, we now farm this by just engaging and spamming Savage Blade a bunch. No magic damage whatsoever outside of Dia II and, sometimes, a Luminohelix. That's about 10k damage versus a volley of about 210k Savage Blades just in the first 15s. It dies pretty fast after that.

The absorb is definitely random and not dependent on amount of damage type.

It might depend on order of actions tho, that I could not say.

Has anyone paid much attention to the weather inside the zone? I've seen light, fire, darkness and maybe water? Seems like it is more frequent than Reisenjima itself.

Been farming this a lot yesterday, only miss mask now:

With gravity + kiting strat this fight was a joke, otherwise with 7 adds it can snowball out of control quickly (specially with ppl using glass cannon sets)

Only seen 1 mask drop so far after many VD runs, yesterday the queue on Asura was mostly instant for my group, we ran for several hours

Finished farming CoD two days ago.
I did about 10 runs E diff as DNC/WAR (th3), ~10 runs E diff and 15 runs N diff as War/Sam (th3), all solo. Look like the drop rate on back, belt and neck is not bad at all in E. The mask ended up droping in N.
The drop rate is not to bad for low tier diff imo.

This is a pretty reasonable overview. I don't think they specifically need the zone change to use a queue though; it's more that they have different entry systems already coded. Rather than change anything about the entry system, they just add a new BC parameter to the existing menu. The queue system triggers a server-initiated menu when it's time to go in, there's no reason that menu couldn't handle the in-zone warp instead.. but it would require them coding it and it wouldn't increase the number of available battlefields anyway. A (minor) consideration would also be that the queue inherently slows things down when they aren't congested; you often have to wait 30-60 seconds for your queue to pop even when instances are available. No such delay when doing HTBC(unless you're on Asura).

Basically, creating a new queued BC in an area that's already set up for queued BCs is much simpler than creating a new entry system. Creating a new old-style BC in an area that's already set up for them is much simpler. They most likely could've dropped it into Selbina/WoE and used the queue easily enough, but I suppose they felt it'd hurt immersion to hold it in a different zone.

Been soloing it like 6 times a day on VE over the past few days. Got everything but Mask now. Have soloed it on WAR and BLU(just focus on damage and kill adds EZ).

Absorption is totally random. Sometimes I get fights where every single time it gives me the Primordial SUCC, it absorbs physical and I have to turn. Sometimes every single time it absorbs magical, and I get to end the fight in 6ish minutes instead of 10.

Just Savage Blading with THF sub. Only time SCs happen is if I somehow catch an SB after a Detonator or one of Iroha's Fusion WS. So always a majority of physical damage. It's really just a coin toss each time for what he absorbs.

Got to do a single run on Normal with some LS mates. Nothing dropped, sadge.

the zone has constant weather, it cycles though them all. at least single weathers, i don't think i've seen any double weather.

You do kill adds? I did maybe 10-15 runs on VE and with a backline of ygnas, ulmia, koru-moru, joachim and moberaux I find they most of the time (every one except 1) they can sustain healing just fine independant of whether the adds are focusing me or the trusts. I found targeting just the cloud to be faster solo on VE, I also don't play around with subtle blow sets as I find adds pop pretty much just as fast/many as with store TP set (guess chirich rings provide some SB anyway).

I'm sceptic if it sticks but I tend to hit the adds with scouring spate for the -attack down which should make it a bit easier for the trusts.

I think I'll have to stick to VE though, tried E with a more damage focused backline (qualtada) as my first run and got overwheelmed pretty quickly by the adds.

I also think the red ruby is linked to HP, at least it seems to take much longer to befor it uses it if I just auto attack. Once I do my first skillchain expiacion -> chain affinity thrashing assault -> savage blade -> cdc It usually pops red ruby befor I get the chant du cygne out. Haven't seen a add pop befor it does the glowing ruby stance either.

Uh yeah. The adds on VE are limited to 3 adds for the whole fight. And they're quite annoying imo. Not annoying if it's the Amano add. But Bravura add has a pretty strong atk down aura, can't see the fight being faster with one of those alive. Plague aura from Spharai add is annoying but not too bad. Encumberance aura is pretty bad for killspeed, too.

My backline is Monberaux, King of Hearts, Iroha II, Sylvie, and Qultada. Sylvie dies half the time to a Waning Vigor that I don't turn fast enough for cause she's attached at the hip. Have seen he adds OHKO Qultada, Monberaux, or Iroha if I don't pick them up immediately and the Trusts weren't full HP. Qultada from full HP. Generally I'm on the ball enough that it doesn't happen, but sometimes it's whack.

Still 100% Magic Absorb as a 3 stepping MNK. Still haven't seen mask either from VD.

Someone needs to add the new gear to the website
So you can add it to item sets
Has the line died down yet?
i checked the first few days after release
Decided to wait the line was like 2017 ambuscade

Can get like 30 Regen on PLD with this gear
WHM going to love you long time...

Swap Iroha II for Arciela I.
Haste II without worrying about Sylvie's Haste I's, a potent AOE heal and she spams Dispels.

I want my WHM on edge, always. Finger always ready to point when I eat dirt.

Arciela I doesn't cast Dia III. Her AOE heal doesn't restore MP. And it's really not that hard to just click off haste 1 so that KoH reapplies Haste II.

Rise from Ashes on the other hand restores HP and MP and gives 500 HP stoneskin to the whole party. It's like an AOE elixir with diamondhide.

Trying to do this on E with my DRK and BRD... I'm doing fine until the volto's start amassing. Usually getting her down to about 20% before everyone dies. Both my DRK and the BRD have capped -DT >< yet they still melt me. We're running Sylvie/Koru/Joachim/Kupipi to try and cure through it ; o.

All I'm reading in terms of strategy, I've read that it's best to ignore the adds but, clearly that's not working. We've also tried sleeping them to no effect.

On E I would probably just kill them as they spawn. If you can find someone who will tank, it will be much easier.

We dropped the VE and they still just swarm us, ugh.

BRD can save NiTro for sleep when the adds get out of control. Once you get to the point where you think it's time, pop nitro, Horde Lullaby 2 on all the adds, then move cloud out of the auras.

I dunno why we're having trouble with this, we can't land the lullaby even with NiTro.

ItemSet 398044

That's the debuff set being used + using tropical crepe for the macc. Linos is +10 singing skill, Kali is +15MACC, +10 String/Wind. We alternated using Blurred +1 but had the same problem.

I did have a little bit of trouble landing Nitro Lullaby on VD with everything except Carn/Prime. 5 adds out, 3 it landed on first try, two others resisted multiple times but eventually it stuck. I am going to guess that the adds may have the Resist Sleep trait, depending on which Relic weapon they're wielding. Or maybe they all have an innate resistance to it via a Tenacity trait or something.

Try spamming all 4 Lullabies with nitro up. If you can't land it, could just be a macc issue because I definitely stuck it.

Set looks pretty decent, though I'd put some earrings in there. There are lots of different options with macc on them. What offhand are you using? For instrument you want gjalla for foe or (probably) daurdabla for Horde 2, depending on string skill tier. Blurred is fine too. Kali doesn't have a ton of macc or macc skill, even ambu weapons would be better, I believe..obviously carn is best if you have that, but there are other intermediate options. Check macc and macc skill for all

Do you have 5 merits in troubador?

Sorry for earrings I'm current using Crepuscular earring and dignitary, which adds another +20macc X_X. Unfortunately I'm out of luck on BRD REMA currently so best I have atm is augmented Linos and Kali. I read that Kali lasts quite a longtime : o. Ammurapi Shield is what I'm working on for offhand but in the meantime when it's BRD/NIN two augmented Kali : o

I would imagine though at VE, I should be landing everything with that..

Naegling and tauret have significantly more macc than kali so I would make that swap at least.

Kali is used forever for buffing (in offhand) so in some senses it lasts a while, but it's not very good for anything other than that or idle, imo.

Similarly, linos is fine for a starter instrument but, for buffing and debuffing at least, it is quite firmly destroyed by REMA.

I didn't realize it was possible to resist with NiTro up, but knowing that, I'd try to see if you can spam them until they land, since nitro also removes the cooldown.

Presuming you don't have the gil or don't want to invest it in BRD gear, you could also get MLs which are technically free to improve your macc.

Adds seem resistant to anything that keeps them stationary like sleeps and binds but are you sure BRD is not standing within Encumbrance aura since others reported they at least got it to stick vs some of the adds?

You could also try /BLM sub for elemental seal or sacrafice some of the offense spells for defense ones.
Do you have no better option to kupipi? his MP management is... disappointing, can see him running out of MP rather quickly and your group getting overwhelmed.

one thing you should always consider on your mainhand weapon now is the stat dubbed, "Magic accuracy skill."

Kali there only has +201. You wanna look for a weapon that has at least +242. The Ambu pulse weapons will have +250. Many also provide flat +macc stat.

Naegling for instance is +250 macc skill and +40 macc. Which is 64 more than augmented Kali.

You might also consider that the Brioso Cuffs +2 even though they enhance Lullaby +1, that lends more to duration than it does to Macc. The Macc+ of Song+ is still undertermined afaik, so you might consider swaping in hands with more raw MACC. If can get the Inyanga Dastanas +2 or the Fili Manchettes +2 those have roughly/exactly the same CHR for Song Macc in addition to +20ish Singing and Instrument skill for 40 more Macc. and more raw Macc on them too. Chiefly the Fili +2 has a lot more raw Macc, the same CHR value, and then the +34 macc from +skill.

If you believe in song+ for macc, then disregard.

Same goes for the other pieces in the set, though. As important as duration can be, if you aren't landing, then duration+ doesn't matter either, so look into raw improvement there as well.

Lastly, you can use Marcato unconventionally in order to increase the Macc of Lullaby by 50%. This may be undesirable, but if you're just trying your damnedest to eke out a win, it may be your way through.

But personally, on VE, I would just kill the adds. Lets you stop managing them completely, and on VE it can only summon 3 at all for the entire fight, so even if you were to wipe after you killed them, you could Reraise, wait on weakness if enough time, and resume the fights sans adds for the rest of the time.

Also got Null masque on VE even befor I had all the other drops, wonder if I got lucky or if it has similar drop rate to what the neck, back and waist have.

I wonder if drop rates are really better or if they just bamboozled us.

Entry fee is same as shinryu, if masuqe is rare like for example the cloak and dagger are in shinryu HTBF we might just not notice it as badly since there is only 1 rare drop instead of 5 or more that occupy the same drop slot. Masque still might just drop like 50 runs in on average, it just doesn't feel as bad since you get the accessories in a reasonable interval inbetween.

They might just gave us less and we are somehow more happy with it.

They need to add like a queue to this
The dungeon dwellers that haven't seen daylight
For over the last 20 years
Have been dry humping the entrance
For a couple weeks now
They are even using multiple accounts to try and block others
This is probably why it's 30 merits instead of 10