Didn't do too much, as I really wasn't feeling well yesterday. I did some campaigning, and I now have the Wings of Altana SSSS! :D
Got enough merit points now to max out Stormsurge, and now I'll be the permanent SCH in BLM parties casting out Hailstorm to everyone. >.> Not sure what to merit next.
Anyway, that's all of the report, now on to the lesson of the week.
Soloing Avatars for fun and profit!
Soloing a prime isn't really something new, as it's been shown that most any job can do it, especially subbing NIN and using resistance gear. But what if it could be done using no items, no Astral Flow, Fox only, Final Destination *cough*. I mean, doing it while using as few resources as possible. The general idea is to defeat the avatars using only the abilities and spells that cost nothing to use.
There are two things that make this possible, first is the Sublimation from /SCH that allows MP to be stored in exchange for an HP drain. The second is the Elemental Siphon that allows the Summoner to get MP from the spirits.
Having WHM up to 38 also helps in teleporting around to the various towns to pick up and drop off forks. Now, obviously, there shouldn't be a fame problem, but do be aware that level 8 fame is required to even get the forks.
For me, timing is important, as it allows me to fight the avatars at their weakest. So, fighting Shiva on Fireday gives me an edge, as does fighting Ramuh and Earthday, and so on. Pretty much, when I decide to fight an avatar, I take in account what day it is, and then fight the avatar that is weak to the day.
One of the most important thing is avatar perpetuation. Pretty much the less MP used in fights, the longer the fight can go. When a summoner runs out of MP, pretty much that's the end of the fight. So, keeping up MP is really important, and running out is paramount to death.
During the fight, using Sublimation takes approxiamately 5 minutes to fill out. During that time, it's important to keep HP up. If the HP gets below 50%, Sublimation stops working, and it will automatically appear as filled. I suggest using Penury (50% cost) and Regen II to keep up HP, and be sure to use Earthen Warp before the fight, as it'll help prevent HP loss.
Another tool to keep up MP is Elemental Siphon. Elemental Siphon will allow the Summoner to take MP from the elemental spirit summoned by the Summoner. There are two important things to keep in mind with Elemental Siphon. First is that the amount of MP is influenced by both day and weather. In these battlefields, there is a constant double weather, and this should be a guiding factor in which spirit to summon. For example, if fighting Ramuh on Earthday, a Thunder spirit should be used because of the double thunder weather. The other thing to be aware of is the timing. First is to move as far away as possible from the prime so as to not get beaten. Second is that if release is used, wait 3 seconds before using the elemental siphon macro. Hopefully, if enough distance is between the summoner and the prime, then there can be plenty of time to do an elemental siphon, and get the avatar out for the next round.
One final note to make is that when soloing primes, it's important to realize that this is not a race to see how fast to kill these primes, but an endurance race to outlast the primes. So, the key is MP conservation. When using bloodpacts, be aware of how much MP they use, and use them conservatively. Remember that running out of MP is paramount to death, especially since the Summoner has absolutely nothing else to fall back upon if the MP runs out.
And finally, it never hurts to be prepared for the worst. It's a good idea to come with an elixir or three for instant MP boost, and Astral Flow, while not needed, is very useful, especially if MP is low, and time is running short. An Astral Flow BP can do up to 15% of the prime's HP, so use it to end a fight quickly! But if things are running the way they should, this shouldn't be needed.
I'd have a video up, but it's about 15 minutes long, and about 3 gigs in size. I'm working on splitting it up and sharing it on Youtube, but I have no idea if or when I'll be done. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask.
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