something that's been bugging me

[jamela]

I have used a focus set for digging in risky spots. I seem to recall that your actions use significantly more focus and have a much higher failure rate. In light armour extraction actions never fail unless you use a quality stanza over your level, the same actions in medium armour failed, at a guess, about 20-25% of the time, resulting in fewer and lower quality materials. On the other hand, I was able to leave the scene more often with something to show for my efforts. Haven't yet gotten around to lowering the quality stanza to see if I could get a failure free action and still dig materials useful for my crafting.

[enemy123]

i used MA for every lvl of CC i did, even before the hp boosts to the armor. the less stam used in MA seemed to work well with how fast daggers burn stam out.

[zarozina]

I didn't realise you got a stam malus in HA

[nonde]

Medium Armour is a combat magician's dream come true. .

And a healer's nightmare. The malus difference when healing mages in MA is significant. One, possibly 2 pieces are tolerable, but beyond that heals need to be taken from team to top up the MA user in many circumstances.


Re: focus MA, there is a penalty same as with hp MA. I am able to dig with 1 piece and pull the same number of mats as I don't use focus intensive extracts but can lose flexibility to prospect during extracts occasionally due to the penalty and have been told that 1 piece can reduce mats pulled with a cp.

Zysha

[ghyselsj]

Well, I've always been an MA lover. Even before the HP boost, I preferred it over HA, and why?

Dodge Bonus. A well crafted MA set has the same dodge boost as a standard LA set (+1 per piece). For a dodge tank, that is one big reason to use MA ove HA. The lower malus is another one. Losing 1000 HP compared to HA (if you can wear 250 HA that is... I can wear 250 MA, but not HA) only means 1 extra hit from most high-end mobs you'd survive.
Of course, for nameds/bosses/other nasty things (kinchers for example) you'd wear HA most likely for the extra HP and PF, or you're a goner. But for regular grinding? MA for dodge users, no doubt. Parry users will of course almost always be better off with HA (not too hard to get a nice parry bonus) because with the same recipe, MA will have +1 parry, whereas HA will have +2.

For maging, I frequently pair up with an elementalist when working my affs, and then it's very handy to be in MA, since I can't dodge while casting/linking. So, the extra protection helps a big bunch. As does the extra HP. And before you say I'd drain sap too much... false. If you open the "Active Links" window, you will see that the sap drained per tick to keep up the link is the same in MA and LA.
Personally I have the sap reserves to last an entire fight when afflicting (AoD ) but if this shouldnt be the case, have your MA made with sap bonus. At q250, that means 625 extra HP and 625 extra sap, compared to with LA, you'd only have half of that, or only HP/Sap.

And then of course there is ele tanking. Same as above, but you will ofcourse drain much more than with affs. However if no dedicated tank is present, it's the next best thing since an ele needs to be healed anyway, might as well make it less hassle for the healer(s) and let them keep one person targetted. The ele will more often than not get the aggro anyway so thats another reason.

In short, the limits of MA have yet to be found. If used right, it can be a very powerful tool

[calel]

... because with the same recipe, MA will have +1 parry, whereas HA will have +2.

That' s pretty relative as both pre-craft values are different and there' s more than 1 recipe for each to get those modifiers.

The only occasions i' d be using MA would be for suporting melee role, ofcourse depending on the target and the weapon of choice. I find it to be a very bad idea to support in MA with daggers for instance; I usually end up drawing to much attention away from the main tank. Ofcourse it' s entirely possible mobs just don' t like me stabbing and cutting away at knee-height.

[kmatoy]

Yep, Yeppers what Zysha said hehe... healing someone with a FULL set of MA is a CONSTANT EVIL thing so if ya wear it better not team One piece is fine but the rest drains!!! I have had a top on when I forage and it steals two less mats I could pull But if yer blow up alot or dig in a dangerous place could be that one piece that saves yer life...
BTW Love you Zy ** Hugs**

[iwojimmy]

.
. I find it to be a very bad idea to support in MA with daggers for instance; I usually end up drawing to much attention away from the main tank. Ofcourse it' s entirely possible mobs just don' t like me stabbing and cutting away at knee-height.

knee height or crotch height ?

I'd be pretty distracted myself...

I have always liked MA, quite disappointed when they gave it the same level requirement as LA - instead of just keeping the original stat requirement

[sehracii]

Parry users will of course almost always be better off with HA (not too hard to get a nice parry bonus) because with the same recipe, MA will have +1 parry, whereas HA will have +2.

Going to comment along the same lines as Kyerna on this

I'm not a heavy armorer, but I didn't think you could get +2 parry on HA with just excellent harvest mats as I use to get +1 on MA. And excellent harvest mats are much much easier to get in large quantities than dug supremes or boss mats.

[shameless advertising]
So much so I offer +parry MA sets in my shop openly to anyone with dapper.
Click the link in my sig and order your very own!
Currently limited to Q230
[/advertising]

[ghyselsj]

Going to comment along the same lines as Kyerna on this

I'm not a heavy armorer, but I didn't think you could get +2 parry on HA with just excellent harvest mats as I use to get +1 on MA. And excellent harvest mats are much much easier to get in large quantities than dug supremes or boss mats.

[shameless advertising]
So much so I offer +parry MA sets in my shop openly to anyone with dapper.
Click the link in my sig and order your very own!
Currently limited to Q230
[/advertising]

I'm 99% sure that your recipe is the same as mine and if it's the case, then i"m 99% sure that recipe gives +2 parry on HA.

EDIT: Seems I was wrong after all. Still, parry users benefit more from HA, since you can make +1 parry HA with greater ease than MA, and +2 HA with slightly more effort than +1 MA. So my point remains, HA is usually better when you use parry.