[nefarious.lover]

Sham, I added 3.5 for you.

Good catch, I forgot about that suggestion since I don't personally do it.

[Thiefkiller]

What you just described is a less fluid, more sloppy, spammy version of what I already posted.



I'll FRAPS what I do sometime. You can do the same. We can compare mean-time-to-WS between the landing of the bolts and SA>>WS.

Your way is better than nothing and better than disengaging but I whole-heartedly stand by running to the side and unlocking v.s. side-stepping, which I don't need to tell anyone with eyes; is slower.

I see your point, but I've done both to every degree of detail you could imagine. The act of unlocking in and of itself makes that method slower. Using a controler and toggling your camera while side stepping, in close proximity to the mob allows you to side step more quickly.

I say it is more fluid becuase all of hese things are happening at the same time, and in the natural course of your engaged swings. I stand by my claim that this way is faster.

I did not mean to offend or call your way inferior. I will test the actual time it takes, but this way takes about 3 seconds form the time you press your bolt macro to the time your WS is going off.

[Phlow]

Something of minor note:

I solo'd THF from 25 > 32 VERY fucking quickly using Bloody Bolts, capped marks, a NIN sub with eva/racc gear.

It wasn't until I became too evasive that this started to suck - No damage done to you means your bolts don't do 80 damage per hit. Unbelievably useful for solo'ing.

[Thiefkiller]

Something of minor note:

I solo'd THF from 25 > 32 VERY fucking quickly using Bloody Bolts, capped marks, a NIN sub with eva/racc gear.

It wasn't until I became too evasive that this started to suck - No damage done to you means your bolts don't do 80 damage per hit. Unbelievably useful for solo'ing.

Actually, much like the drain spell, the bolts do their damage, whether or not they give you hp back

[nefarious.lover]

Gearswaps break lock-on anyway.


Are you not gearswapping?

I really only note to unlock as a "Just Incase" or to verify that you should indeed have your target unlocked.

[Thiefkiller]

Gearswaps break lock-on anyway.


Are you not gearswapping?

I really only note to unlock as a "Just Incase" or to verify that you should indeed have your target unlocked.

Yes, I gear swap, but I do so before firing the sleep bolt. I guess my fingers are just trained to hit that lock button on my controler as Im swinging around, hitting my SA macro. Kind of like learning to type, my fingers just know the motions and has been quicker for me. May be complicated for others?

I gear swap and feint simultaneously, and ready my Sleep bolt <stnpc> macro blue arrow on the mobs head, waiting for my next atack round. The instant it starts I hit the confirm button, firing the bolt and immediately swing around to the back (get close enough to the mob and you can do this very fast), all the while masing mt SA macro. AS SA fires, Im mashing my DE macro.

So I get what you are saying about it being all button mashy. For me, the only interest is time this takes. And this is the fastest way I have yet to be able to Solo SA A WS.

At any rate, I am always interestded to compare (what is clearly a skillful thf) strategy to my own. I am interested in your FRAPS as you said. I would welcome a quicker way than I have been doing it.

EDIT:

Along this vein. Do you know of any testing or have any insight regarding INT and MND effecting potency of things like blind bolts and paralysis arrows? These stats mod things like Holy bolts and drain bolts etc, so its not entirely impossible. Have never seen any information on it.

[nefarious.lover]

Haven't gotten around to testing it.



And you should pop feint at around 70% TP, to save you the time as you're trying to set up sleep >> SA >> WS, and because it'll speed up that last bit of TP.

Also I strongly advocate for the use of stuns and just fast bolts that you either make stnpc a separate macro or just do manual targeting on non-engaged mobs through the menu. I just use plain old <t>, because I find there to be too much of a margin of error to play around with subtargetting every time I need to fire a bolt.


Subtargetting also breaks gearswaps from spellcast, unfortunately.

[Thiefkiller]

Haven't gotten around to testing it.



And you should pop feint at around 70% TP, to save you the time as you're trying to set up sleep >> SA >> WS, and because it'll speed up that last bit of TP.

Also I strongly advocate for the use of stuns and just fast bolts that you either make stnpc a separate macro or just do manual targeting on non-engaged mobs through the menu. I just use plain old <t>, because I find there to be too much of a margin of error to play around with subtargetting every time I need to fire a bolt.


Subtargetting also breaks gearswaps from spellcast, unfortunately.

I usually time it in the mid 80's. I try to time it so my next attack round plus the sleep bolt itself will push me over 100. I used to do it later for feint (In the 90's) is because feint wears off over time (Its not as strong in the beginning as when it completely wears). And I wanted as much acc buff on my ws as I can get. But with good timing it seems to work just right in the mid 80's

I do have 3 seperate Sleep macros actually . One <stnpc> with no racc swaps for this solo sa ws, one <stnpc> with racc swaps for crowd control as you mentioned above and one for <t> with racc swaps, to "stun" spells long ja's etc (again exactly as you said above)

I think what drew me to this post is how so much of what you posted reflects how I also try to maxmize bolt utility, and my frustration many thfs' lack of versatility in this area. A very good read.

I dont use spellcast, as I couldnt be bothered to set it up, but I do use script macros and that has been more than enough to satisfy me.