[Blueyes]

I did a little searching but couldn't find any hard evidence on this... I was listening to some linkshell members who were bashing Animated Flourish, saying it was useless. They said it gave less enmity than Boost.... is this true? I find that hard to believe, personally..

[Kalima]

Wiki says it generates as much as flash (although it didn't specify with 1 or 2 FMs) I remember reading somewhere (sorry can't find link) that 1 FM does 1/4 enmity of provoke and 2 FM does half of provoke. How true is that, not sure, but it would be easy to test out. Just grab someone with provoke and no enmity merits/gear and have them voke a mob, then see how many AFs it takes to get it off them (without attacking or otherwise manipulating hate of course). Won't be exact but should give you a comparable idea of how much it generates.

[Nudecke]

http://kanican.livejournal.com/20722.html

Provoke is 1800 VE and 1 CE vs Animated Flourish 1500 VE and 1 CE

So Animated Flourish is almost as strong as provoke, though it doesn't differentiate between 1 and 2 FM, so thats probably with 2.

[alexxisonline]

animated flourish enmity IS about the same as provoke, coupled with a divine waltz you should be more than fine. make it work

[Thedreamer2]

Af is relativ good hate low lvl, but at 75 its not really helpfull cause once once u did it, what to do for keep hate ?....dnc can do nothin but wait another Af..., and Divine doin like nothin at 75...
i still seriously have doubts about dnc tank, no matter what he do he jus cant generate a good amount of hate, and he cant tank srly stuffs...only a good back up or first voke in the best case...so just give up on Af...

u want be a merit tank ? lvl nin or war...thats not good enouth jobs ?...

[Treize Kordero]

Honestly Animated Flourish is ok but Provoke is always better. The both of them together is even greater than just one alone.
I've done DNC tanking up until the low 50s when leveling DNC and I can say the best tanking I did was with DNC/WAR using self-healing, voke, and Ani-Flourish.. it sucked taking on anticans but shit it got the job done.. so being a xp mob tank or a merit tank is very possible.. just that on HNMs.. well you'll get no love from them.

Unless you can find a way for the mob to hit you for the same amout or less as a xp mob.

but to answer your question what Nudecke said in my opinion is correct i've seen that information posted on multiple FFXI related sites and I believe that 2FM would give you the 1500 VE and 1FM would give half or less. I do know that 1FM Animated FLourish is weaker just don't know by how much

[Prothescar]

It'd be difficult to test Provoke vs. Animated Flourish simply because everything you or a mob can do lowers hate that has been accumulated from either.

Animated is significantly weaker than Provoke from personal experience with one Finishing Move, but with two it's around half to three quarters of the strength, as it's already been said.