THF Evasion Gear SetFollow

Main: Auster's Staff (AGI+5 Evasion+10)
Neck: Windurstian Scarf (Outside nation's control: Evasion +7)
Body: Antares Harness? (AGI+8 Evasion+8)
Hands: Master Caster's Mitts (Outside nation's control: AGI+2 Evasion skill+10)
Ring: Wind Ring (Windsday: Evasion+15)

I'd personally go with Rogue's Bonnet +1, or at least work that into a "casting ustsusemi" macro.

I'm also going to guess that you ruled out Bat Earrings because of the need to blind yourself, but you might consider the JSE Rogue's Earring for times when your HP is below 75%. (If that indeed is the trigger..)

Alright, guys. I'll admit I don't know everything about this job yet/still, but I was under the assumption that Evasion Skill > most Evasion pieces. I use an Evasion Earring (+3 skill). How much generic Evasion+ do I have to put in that ear slot to outshine the Evasion earring?

In fact, here's what I've got for my Evasion set at the moment. Note that I'm not anywhere close to finishing CoP, so any Sea items are, unfortunately, out of the question.

Head: Optical Hat
Neck: Evasion torque
Ear1: Evasion Earring
Ear2: Velocity Earring
Body: Scorpion Harness
Hands: War Gloves +1
Back: Corse Cape
Waist: Scouter's Rope
Legs: OH LOOK I CAN USE THF AF FOR SOMETHING!!!
Feet: Bounding Boots

I've been eyeballing some upgrades (like the Windy CP hands (I'm Bastokan)), but most require me knocking out some missions that require - GASP!! ... other people being on and willing to help me out.

Can anyone recommend any purchases?

From my testing, evasion > +evasion skill when the mob is a lower level. When I farm spiders outside Whitegate. I have problem keeping up shadow with my 'boxer mantle' + Rappare Harness, whereas my Amemet Mantle +1 and Scorpion Harness will give up close to capped evasion.

Evasion vs Evasion Skill is Voodoo.

More of either is good, of course, but
which one will do more for you,
on a given job,
in a given situation,
isn't real clear.

Even if the Boxer's Mantle did exactly nothing, the difference between the Mantle and the Harness would be 10 EVA, or 5% hit rate for the mob. One less hit every 20 swings is not taking you from "problem keeping up shadow" to "close to capped evasion." That also ignores the +Parrying on the Mantle.

The current popular theory on Evasion Skill seems to be that it works in tiers, meaning that it would be possible for +skill to have no effect because of not breaking a new tier, or simply already being at the maximum tier. Even after years of research on evasion tanking, though, the relationship is still not clear. Fortunately, there are very few instances where you need to choose between one and the other on comparable gear in the same slot, so the issue really doesn't come up very much as more than a theoretical discussion.

Wivre Mask +10 Evasion

In my original post, I chose Emperor's Hairpin, as Turnerbrown pointed out, the +3 AGI. My original choice was a Wivre Mask+1, but I changed it just before posting because I figured that +3 AGI put it above the mask in evasion by .5 (Mask+1 = +11... Emp. Pin = +10+3AGI(or effectively +1.5 evasion) = +11.5). Am I wrong on my AGI general assumptions? If so, that would change my Ring1 and Ring2 slots. (Thanks for the Wivre Ring+1 post.)

Yeah, I had considered those earrings. D-Q'd them on account of their effect being conditional. Not saying they're not good, or they have their place.

And to clear up the matter for a few other posts, the point of this set is not an Utsusemi casting macro. Personally for that, I throw on as much haste and fast cast as I can, and then put evasion into the leftover slots. No, this "set" I brought up for discussion isn't even really a set I'd probably use completely. Oh, I'll keep improvoing my current set towards it, but I'd consider the rate of return (benefit per gil/time to obtain,) before I'd build it in completeness. The point is to compile a list of gear that gives the highest evasion boost possible for each equipment slot. This ignores the other attributes of the equipment, such as defense, etc.

I also seperated out my totals as Evasion and Evasion Skill, because I'm not totally sure of the difference in effectiveness, in hopes that someone smarter than myself would come along and set the record straight. Thanks for the input you gave on that topic, guys. Gives me something to think about.

(Also thanks for the post about those Patrician Cuffs, Emisary Boots, and Bandolero Scarf. Thanks!)

I wish I knew where to get them from but I'm pretty sure it's from WotG. I don't have it "yet" but I will after seeing those boots and plus this one....
Gnadbhod's Helm
Lv.71 STR+6 DEX+4 Attk +8 Slow+5%

I will be ordering WotG ASAP lol

Sweets, you make it sound easy, lol jk.

Edited, Sep 17th 2008 6:43pm by BigSexyGalka

Nope, no longer so. Here are your options for "best":

Weapon1: Ermine's Tail
Weapon2: Adder Jambiya +1
Ranged: Ungur
Head: Emp Pin / Wivre Mask +1
Neck: Eva Torque
Ear1: Novia
Ear2: Triton
Body: Antares Harness
Hands: Master Caster's / Denali / Patriarch's(sp?) (for voodoo eva skill)
Ring1: Wivre Ring +1
Ring2: Wivre Ring +1
Back: Boxer's
Waist: Scouter's
Legs: Raven Hose
Feet: Dance Shoes +1

Some of this gear is augmentable. DK if it's possible to get more +eva on them. There's also other augmented gear like ACP/MKE/ASA.

That it would, I have been felled. Adder+1 is still better cuz of the added effect (I'd say) but, kinda forgot it actually had less net eva.

Point you have. I only said Adder+1 because I forgot Azoth had more eva. I have 2 wivre rings +1 that, to be honest, I've only used (1 of them) once or twice in like the last year. I don't find them to be worth it, as is the case for you as well. Also, I too agree that while Emp Pin / Wivre Mask +1 is for max eva, it's gimpy. I have and will always use Optie hat for the same reasons.

Let's be clear about it for sure, max evasion is not always going to be best. And hell, it's not even going to be worth it to go "absolute max evasion" even for your "max evasion" build.

Edited, Feb 25th 2010 3:37pm by Shamaya

Wait, you prefer the Acc on War gloves over the PDT on Denali, but prefer the 3AGI over the acc on ohat?

Doesn't make sense to me.

For the times when you'll NEED a max evasion setup, and can't make do with out every single last piece you can get, the chances are shadows will go down. At that point the PDT will make much more of a difference than 3AGI.

Also -HP ftl.

Your ideas work assuming you'll have so much eva that you'll never be hit, but you will get hit.

You are maxing eva in a complete 100% eva kit, so don't care about the acc, and so use the emp pin, but then you "prefer the acc from war glvoes".

If you "don't need teh acc from ohat" because you're using something like sushi, then you wont need the acc from War gloves either. Unless your set puts you at 92%+ with sushi...

Separately I understand your two choices, but together they contradict themselves and make no sense.

Doesn't look like anyone mentioned Patrician Cuffs, Eva Skill+6 on the hands, no conditions.

When my MST.CST. don't apply, I'll use these over war gloves+1.

Also, Emissary Boots ftw!

Eva skill go awayyyy

Most people don't mention them because they are further down the list of good hand pieces, and harder to get than the better ones.

There are a few generally accepted formulae that have evasion skill coming out behind just straight evasion + pieces. One of which, is from 0-200 Skill 1 Evasion skill = 1 Evasion, after 200+ evasion skill 1 evasion skill = .9 evasion. According to this formula, patrician's cuffs actually offer less evasion than Denali or War Gloves +1. Denali offers decent chunks of STR and Attack, War +1 Offers 6 Acc.

Given that Patrician's cuffs don't offer anything useful to a Thf other than best case scenario equal evasion without any other useful stats, I'd say that is why no one mentions them for THF. We just have better, easier to obtain options.

Emissary boots are in a similar boat, but in this case there is no way that their evasion will beat even NQ Dance Shoes. That, and Dance Shoes are very cheap to obtain from the AH.

The parrying on them is a tough thing to quantify because it is so variable. Even players that have it capped will tell you it isn't something you can rely upon. But I'd be willing to wager that even with the +5 parrying skill on them, you won't see he attacks avoided that you will with Dance Shoes +1.

I've heard people say that they are great campaign boots...but I can't see how. You don't get points in campaign for evading hits. When I do campaign, its THF/DNC in full TP/DD gear, pop that body boost and Tank/DD/Take Damage/Cure/WS/Fourish/Voke. This has been the best solo combo I've had expeience with so far to get those 4-5k numbers per battle. So an evasion set wouldn't even factor in for me...unless its an "Osh*t" moment. But I can't see myself grabbing emmisary boots for "Osh*t" moments in campaign.

Edited, Feb 26th 2010 10:08pm by ThiefKiller

Suggesting it? I'll say it straight up: outside of Campaign, even NQ Dance Shoes are better than Emissary Boots (maybe not if you have capped parrying).

I believe you have fallen victim to the fallacy that because +Evasion skill is more rare (and, consequently, more expensive) than +Evasion, it must therefore be superior. Testing does not agree with this belief:

http://ffxi.allakhazam.com/db/jobs.html?fjob=10;mid=1205954796117947076;num=63;page=1

+Evasion is better than +Evasion skill. If you feel better spending 500k on a pair of Emissary Boots than 8k on a pair of Dance Shoes (or 300k on a pair of Dance Shoes +1) then go ahead... but don't act like they are actually better. They are the equivalent of a gold-plated iPhone: money that you are spending just to show that you have money.

It's what I use. I'll take hp+25 eva+5 emnity+3 over eva skill+7 hp+7 any day.

Mythic weapon go go go!