Between the BLU updates in 5.45 and new Moogle event, there are lots of new BLUs and PFs looking to run Aurum Vale with BLUs. I've run AV BLU parties with randoms from PF as well with FC mates. I've noticed that most don't have the right spells, some don't use right tricks and very few co-ordinate to time skills perfectly. Times have varied from 4 minutes to 12 minutes. When you're farming, you want to run as quickly as possible.
My main reason to write this guide was to share with FC mates. But I decided to share with community not only so others can benefit from it, but also so others can point out flaws and help improve it further. I'm a relatively new BLU coming off a longish hiatus, so don't claim these to be most optimal strats. I've picked things on the fly running AV, watching videos of speedruns from last year and am still learning. But I'll update the guide based on comments and inputs for future players who come across this.
Essential Spells and where to get them
The first three above are the only spells you need to use for everything that is not the final boss. Ram's Voice freezes the mobs and Ultravibration kills anything that is frozen. Every single mob in Aurum Vale can be frozen.
Next are spells that we want mainly for final boss.
BLUs don't get an LB. BLUs make LB out of their own flesh and blood and we get 4 of them in a dungeon. Our LB is what I like to call I just BLU myself combo.
Some other optional spells that are good to have
Other than these, more DPS and Primal spells that you have, the better. Check resources section for link to essential BLU DPS Spells.
Locked and Loaded and Ready to farm
Now that you got all the spells, now is the time to use them. Ideal party composition would be 4 BLUs with 3 DPS and 1 Tank. Next best would be 3 BLU DPS and 1 non-BLU tank. More BLUs = more Ultravibrations available to instakill mobs. Next up are two essential tricks to kill all mobs and first two bosses. I'll be using these names in rest of guide, ignore the cringy names and move on.
It is good to decide order in which everyone will use Ultravibration. It has a longish cooldown and you want to avoid a scenario where you wasted 2 Ultras on single mob and then waste time on another coz everyone's Ultra is on cooldown.
Note: If you die the cooldowns reset. So if you think you wasted Ultravibration or don't have enough BLUs, suicide after 1st or 2nd boss to reset cooldowns.
Mobs before 1st boss
Tank does the standard run-to-left and grabs the mobs outside boss room. Make sure not to miss any strays. There are two common strats used here:
No matter what of above you use, it would be good to make sure none of the mobs aggro into the boss room. They are annoying and I've seen them chase past the 2nd boss. Not that big a deal if they survive and chase, but can get lethal for tank or DPS they aggro.
First Boss
Missile Dual Hit to insta shot the boss. If not timed well, don't worry. Keep casting and it will go down quick.
Morbol room
Tank bring all adds to the big Morbol and Freeze Ultra it.
Mobs before 2nd Boss
Same as mobs before 1st boss. Remember, you don't need to pull every enemy in the room, only ones on your way to boss. But tank should take care to make sure none aggro DPSes following the tank.
Second Boss
Same as first boss, Missile Dual Hit.
Mobs after second boss and Two Morbol room
This is the tricky part which will make or break the run. Tank needs to run to the room with two morbols taking any adds aggroed on the way. Things can get hectic and messy, BLUs should keep Swiftcast ready for any emergency healing. If you have 3 Ultravibrations at this point you can Freeze Ultra all mobs before the Morbol room to give tank some breathing room. First person to use Ultravibration should have it off cooldown by now.
Once you get to Morbol room, with adds or not, tank needs to bring the two Morbols together. Then Freeze Ultra them to kill them both with a single cast.
Mobs before final boss
You should have at least one Ultravibration available at this point. Use it to gather all adds, including strays from earlier and Freeze Ultra them. If you find running out of Ultra at this point of run, consider using suicide to reset cooldown after 1st and/or second bosses. You also have the option to use your Primals to kill the Morbol in first room and save the Ultra there. That way your primals should be ready for final boss.
If you still struggle with having Ultravibration ready at this point, or any other, consider picking up Launcher. It uses tons of MP and is like missile but AoE. Unlike Missile, it reduces enemy HP by 50%, 30%, 20%, or 10% of their HP.
Final Boss
This is going to be standard tank and burn. Try to keep Off Guard up on boss, but try to save at least one for Final Stings. Aim is to get boss health low enough so you can finish it off with Final Sting combo. What that number is, will depend on your DPS and how many BLUs you have with Final Sting. It would vary between 10-15% per BLU, more if you save your oGCD primals for Moonflute window, which you should unless you started with Moonflute Opener. Moonflute Opener is basically you dumping all your highest DPS spells within that 15 second window. For exact rotation, check out one of the resources at end of guide. Number will be lower if you don't have Moonflute.
What I normally do is start with Moonflute opener. By the time Waning duration ends, I do the Final Sting combo. ?You can add any primals available before the Final Sting to push damage further. There will be some trial and error required here to figure out what works best for party. If you're not sure, save it for final 10%.
Useful Resources
While this guide is specific to AV, the strats deployed here work on most dungeons. In most dungeons only first boss can be Missiled, while in some none can be. Most mobs are susceptible to Freeze. If not, you can try petrification though I can't recall AoE petrify spells off top of my head (Level 5 Petrify maybe?).
Hope you find this helpful. Even if you knew all this already, it helps improve the quality of BLUs you find in PF.
Keep BLUing yourself!!!
submitted by /u/FemRoe4Lyfe
[link] [comments]
Continue reading...
My main reason to write this guide was to share with FC mates. But I decided to share with community not only so others can benefit from it, but also so others can point out flaws and help improve it further. I'm a relatively new BLU coming off a longish hiatus, so don't claim these to be most optimal strats. I've picked things on the fly running AV, watching videos of speedruns from last year and am still learning. But I'll update the guide based on comments and inputs for future players who come across this.
Essential Spells and where to get them
- Ram's Voice - ThisEarliest you can get it is from Cutter's Cry last boss [Level 38]. Easiest to get it from Carnivale stage 21 or Chimera from ARR relic trial which is quick enough unsync.
- Ultravibration - This is from Level 68 mob in The Peaks. I killed it at around Level 61.
- Missile - This can be quick or not depending on if you've done Hildebrand ARR quests and unlocked Battle in Big Keep (not to be confused with Battle at Big Bridge). If you have it unlocked, it is easy. You get it from the green chicken in phase 1 of trial. It'll only cast Missile when you're in chicken form. There is almost always a PF to learn this spell. If not, try to solo unsync or get a helper to separate the bosses.
- Optional Hydro Pull - This is from first boss in Level 70 dungeon Drowned City of Skalla. This is not must have but helps to make sure no mobs escape your insta kill combo. Get it if you can. Must have for at least one in party.
The first three above are the only spells you need to use for everything that is not the final boss. Ram's Voice freezes the mobs and Ultravibration kills anything that is frozen. Every single mob in Aurum Vale can be frozen.
Next are spells that we want mainly for final boss.
- Aetherial Mimicry - You get it from 1st boss in Pharos Sirius (Hard) which is a level 60 dungeon. PFs for this are also common enough, or you can solo unsync it. This is basically BLU stance spell. You can use it to get a DPS/Healer/Tank stance. It can be considered optional as all strats in this guide work without this, but I'd say it is essential for fastest runs. DPS stance increases Critical and DH rate by 20%.
- Whistle - Level 56 giraffe like enemies in Sea of Clouds, easy to get.
- Final Sting - Can get it from trash mobs before 1st boss in Sunken Temple of Qarn, or LEvel13 Killer Wespe in Middle LaNoscea. No reason not to have it.
- Moonflute - You need to clear 10 stages in Masked Carnivale for this. There are plenty of guides but they haven't been updated with newer spells, which make these even easier. It increases DPS by 50% for 15s and after it runs out disables all skills and attacks for another 15 seconds.
- Off Guard - You need to learn 5 spells to get this. No reason to not have this. You get it from one of the BLU quest NPCs near Weaver's Guild Aetheryte in Uld'ah. This doesn't stack, so need to take turns to always keep it up on boss.
BLUs don't get an LB. BLUs make LB out of their own flesh and blood and we get 4 of them in a dungeon. Our LB is what I like to call I just BLU myself combo.
- Final Sting combo - Whistle > Moonflute > Final Sting
Some other optional spells that are good to have
- White Wind - You may get it alongwith Missile from the green chicken, or can learn from NPC if you've learned 10 spells. No reason not to have it. It heals everyone in party for same amount of HP that you currently have. Which means if you cast it at full health, it will heal everyone to full health. Downsides are high MP cost and draws aggro from the amount it heals. Use this to clutch heal your tank. Good to keep swiftcast ready for this while running through mobs. I'd consider this a must have if your tank is dying.
- Toad Oil - Level 24 Mob in the area beyond Vesper Bay. It increases evasion, increasing survival for BLU tanks when doing wall pulls and for other BLUs in case they aggro any mobs.
Other than these, more DPS and Primal spells that you have, the better. Check resources section for link to essential BLU DPS Spells.
Locked and Loaded and Ready to farm
Now that you got all the spells, now is the time to use them. Ideal party composition would be 4 BLUs with 3 DPS and 1 Tank. Next best would be 3 BLU DPS and 1 non-BLU tank. More BLUs = more Ultravibrations available to instakill mobs. Next up are two essential tricks to kill all mobs and first two bosses. I'll be using these names in rest of guide, ignore the cringy names and move on.
- Freeze Ultra - Tank gathers the mobs, then Ram's Voice > Ultravibration to kill them all. Add a HydroPull before Ram's Voice to make sure all are bunched together within range of the two attacks. I've often seen parties miss a mob or two coz they were too quick to Freeze Ultra mobs, which mostly happened coz they were worried tank might die. If things look risky, Ram's Voice to freeze mobs around tank first before doing rest of combo to give tank some breathing room. You can co-ordinate in group so one person is the designated HydroPuller and others cast Ram's Voice after they see HydroPull show up on puller's cast bar. Don't sweat it though, you'll get hang of it with practice.
- Missile Dual Hit - This is where everyone casts their Missile at same time. Missile has 66.66% (2/3) hit rate and reduces enemy HP by 50%. Trick here is, all try to cast Missile at same time as it snapshots health used for calculate at the time you cast it (Note: Not sure I worded it correctly, better BLUs than me will correct me). So if any two of the Missiles cast at same time land a hit, it means 50%+50% = 100% damage in one GCD. More BLUs casting Missile means greater chance of landing dual hit. Use a macro in party chat or countdown if needed to time the cast.
It is good to decide order in which everyone will use Ultravibration. It has a longish cooldown and you want to avoid a scenario where you wasted 2 Ultras on single mob and then waste time on another coz everyone's Ultra is on cooldown.
Note: If you die the cooldowns reset. So if you think you wasted Ultravibration or don't have enough BLUs, suicide after 1st or 2nd boss to reset cooldowns.
Mobs before 1st boss
Tank does the standard run-to-left and grabs the mobs outside boss room. Make sure not to miss any strays. There are two common strats used here:
- Sacrifice - Tank gathers mobs' aggro and dies to them while the DPS move into the boss room. Once boss dies, tank can use shortcut to wrap to boss room. This would be preferred if using 1T+3BLU.
- Kill the mobs - Use Freeze Ultra to insta kill mobs before boss room. Ideally it would be BLU Tank doing this while DPS kill the boss.
No matter what of above you use, it would be good to make sure none of the mobs aggro into the boss room. They are annoying and I've seen them chase past the 2nd boss. Not that big a deal if they survive and chase, but can get lethal for tank or DPS they aggro.
First Boss
Missile Dual Hit to insta shot the boss. If not timed well, don't worry. Keep casting and it will go down quick.
Morbol room
Tank bring all adds to the big Morbol and Freeze Ultra it.
Mobs before 2nd Boss
Same as mobs before 1st boss. Remember, you don't need to pull every enemy in the room, only ones on your way to boss. But tank should take care to make sure none aggro DPSes following the tank.
Second Boss
Same as first boss, Missile Dual Hit.
Mobs after second boss and Two Morbol room
This is the tricky part which will make or break the run. Tank needs to run to the room with two morbols taking any adds aggroed on the way. Things can get hectic and messy, BLUs should keep Swiftcast ready for any emergency healing. If you have 3 Ultravibrations at this point you can Freeze Ultra all mobs before the Morbol room to give tank some breathing room. First person to use Ultravibration should have it off cooldown by now.
Once you get to Morbol room, with adds or not, tank needs to bring the two Morbols together. Then Freeze Ultra them to kill them both with a single cast.
Mobs before final boss
You should have at least one Ultravibration available at this point. Use it to gather all adds, including strays from earlier and Freeze Ultra them. If you find running out of Ultra at this point of run, consider using suicide to reset cooldown after 1st and/or second bosses. You also have the option to use your Primals to kill the Morbol in first room and save the Ultra there. That way your primals should be ready for final boss.
If you still struggle with having Ultravibration ready at this point, or any other, consider picking up Launcher. It uses tons of MP and is like missile but AoE. Unlike Missile, it reduces enemy HP by 50%, 30%, 20%, or 10% of their HP.
Final Boss
This is going to be standard tank and burn. Try to keep Off Guard up on boss, but try to save at least one for Final Stings. Aim is to get boss health low enough so you can finish it off with Final Sting combo. What that number is, will depend on your DPS and how many BLUs you have with Final Sting. It would vary between 10-15% per BLU, more if you save your oGCD primals for Moonflute window, which you should unless you started with Moonflute Opener. Moonflute Opener is basically you dumping all your highest DPS spells within that 15 second window. For exact rotation, check out one of the resources at end of guide. Number will be lower if you don't have Moonflute.
What I normally do is start with Moonflute opener. By the time Waning duration ends, I do the Final Sting combo. ?You can add any primals available before the Final Sting to push damage further. There will be some trial and error required here to figure out what works best for party. If you're not sure, save it for final 10%.
Useful Resources
- Blue Academy discord - If you're interested in BLU, you must join this discord. They have everything you need. Check resources section for useful links on what spells to use, Moonflute Opener, BiS gear, tips for specific fights etc. As I said, they cover everything BLU and have a very active BLU community.
- Blue Spells - All BLU spells in one place for you.
- BLU DPS Spells and Moonflute Opener by Blue Academy
While this guide is specific to AV, the strats deployed here work on most dungeons. In most dungeons only first boss can be Missiled, while in some none can be. Most mobs are susceptible to Freeze. If not, you can try petrification though I can't recall AoE petrify spells off top of my head (Level 5 Petrify maybe?).
Hope you find this helpful. Even if you knew all this already, it helps improve the quality of BLUs you find in PF.
Keep BLUing yourself!!!
submitted by /u/FemRoe4Lyfe
[link] [comments]
Continue reading...