Just finished parsing my log file from a night killing
seafuries. With a six-note, wakizashi, haste belt, and
augmentation (putting me at max haste), I averaged just about
11.0 damage/sec in melee. Factoring out a haste belt and
factoring in Verses, that would've been about 8.2 damage/sec
which agrees with the average Raiel got.
How does this compare to instrument attacks?
CoC+CoD with a lute at L50:
CoD = ~50 damage/6 sec
CoC = 32 damage/6 sec
total = 82 damage/6 sec = 13.7 damage/sec
total w/ gypsy lute = 85 damage/6 sec = 14.2 damage/sec
total w/ Kelin's lute = 98 damage/6 sec = 16.3 damage/sec
Chants with a drum at L50:
FCC = ~31 damage/6 sec
CoF = 48 damage/6 sec
total = 127 damage/6 sec = 21.2 damage/sec
total w/ MM drum = 148 damage/6 sec = 24.7 damage/sec
total w/ Selo's drum = 169 damage/6 sec = 28.2 damage/sec
So the Chants offer superior damage, but the Chords can be
mixed in more easily with healing. Since healing affects your
entire party, that can easily make Hymn+Niv's+CoC+CoD better
than the Chants. Chords are also better against multiple
targets (obviously), since just one extra target doubles the
damage rate.
If I used the Chords while fighting with weapons, that would
put me at 18 damage/sec. But I lose out on half the healing
with the Hymn+Nivs+CoC+CoD combo as well. OTOH, using the
Chants with weapons equipped puts me at about the same damage
rate as if I were using a normal drum (21.7 damage/sec).
Since there's no healing factor here, if I'm going to use the
3 Chants, it clearly makes more sense for me to use my Selo's
drum than my weapons.
If I'm using only two chants (CoFl+CoFr), then with a Selos
drum my damage is 128 damage/6 sec = 21.3 damage/sec. With
weapons it's 19 damage/sec. So it still makes sense to use a
drum.
FCC debuffs MR though, which is arguably more useful, so if I
use FCC+CoF, then with a Selo's drum my damage is 105 damage/
6 sec = 17.5 damage/sec. With weapons and singing the Chants,
it's also 17.5 damage/sec. So this will be a toss-up
depending on resist rates.
So in a nutshell, there are very few situations where our
weapons will be superior to an instrument attack.
On a whim, I tried FCC+CoFl+CoFr+CoC on one seafury, switching
instruments. I managed to steal it from my friends who were
grouped (L38 bard, L35 cleric, L43 monk w/ FBSS, L44
enchanter). My calculated damage was 221 damage/6 sec = 36.8
damage/sec for that configuration. Obscene. :)
--
John H. Kim
kim@...