If you know how much it takes to kill a certain mob when they have a certain percent of hp whether it be EP or an exp mob, Practice using Souleater at that right time and immediately ws. Knowing how much your weapon skills do is very important when using such a risky ability. Honestly it's really not useful using Souleater for regular hits. Only weapon skills. So if the mob doesn't die from your "Souleate" weapon skill take the effect off.
Just use soul eater great macro that HieiKitty gave, and use drain as much as possible if your dark magic skill is high this combo is heavenly because you'll barely lose any Hit Points and do massive damage in the process.
Being a Mithran DRK/THF, I hit slightly lower but I've been told I'm a lot more accurate and hit the mob more often. So, using Souleater isn't as big of a problem when I play.
However, when I do use Souleater, I try and save it for when the mob is at about 15-20% HP. My permanet has a PLD for tanking and I have a DRG/WAR for a Fuidama partner. I'll usually wait until my TP is at least 125%, pop my Souleater macro - see below if anyone is interested - along with Sneak Attack and Trick Attack, get behind my DRG and pop off for a nice Guillotine!
Last weekend during an experience party, I was on averaging 700-800 damage on Incredibly Tough Toramas in the Labyrinth of Onzozo. What's even nicer was being able to Skillchain well with my DRG's Skewer for at least another 300-400, and if for some reason the Torama was still alive after that, we just popped a Magic Burst onto it.
By the way, if any DRKs out there want a good macro for telling your party that you're using Souleater, here's what I do:
Hieikitty's Souleater Macro 1 /p {Souleater} = {Just used it.} Mages {Ready!} <call10> 2 /wait 4 (this gives my WHM and two RDMs time to cast Regen on me and prep for casting Cures) 3 /ja "Souleater" <me>
If done right and you are a DRK/THF, smack your Fuidama + Guillotine macro, and BANG!
Thanks a bunch for the macro. I am an up and coming DRK with a lvl of 27 heading for 30 this week. Will dial this in and see what it can do for prty. I noticed you are using THF. I am using WAR as sub-job until 60+ then I have been told to bring in THF. Whats your opion?
If done right and you are a DRK/THF, smack your Fuidama + Guillotine macro, and BANG!
You are annoying. Not only are you annoying, but you are an idiot. Just call it SATA. Memo: You are NOT Japanese. Saying Fuidama, or w~ does not making you Japanese.
I know I'm a tad bit late to respond to this, but you don't have to be a total ***. As long as you what she's talking about, she can call it whatever the hell she wants. The world doesn't revolve around you.
You know, it was called fuidama for a long time by NA users before we decided to call it SATA. After the NA PC release, most players(at least on my server) were using Japanese terms. It isn't about being "Japanese," that might just be what he/she learned in the beginning.
Once long ago, I heard that Souleater also enhances your accuracy, so I went to test it. This wasn't a very comprehensive test, so I don't have any exact numbers.
I found a mob that was Low Evasion with all my accuracy gear on, but not with none of it on. Then I doffed it all and hit Souleater, the mob that was only Low Defense moments before was then Low Evasion too.
As I said I have no numbers to say if this is a percentage boost or simply +X Accuracy, but from my test I am rather sure that it does boost it. If anyone has done some more comprehensive tests with parsers and the like, please post them, I'm rather curious.
It seems to me, albeit my own little world, that Def can affect Accuracy in some small way. As a Drk Elvaan I have noticed that I miss more often on Mobs with lots of Def and land attacks if their Def is small to begin with or is lowered by result of Dia, etc.
Therefore, if you use a move to increase your attack you should hit more often, right? Well, I don't really notice much of a difference with +30 ATK. I have missed before even with Beserk and Last Resort.
I don't have enough data to prove this, but when I use Souleater I tend to connect more often than if I use Beserk or Last Resort.
Since Souleater subtracts from your health to increase your damage directly, it could have a far greater impact. It does not rely on your ATK to do more damage. It is added regardless.
One mob in particular I missed every shot and it proceeded to murder our group. I used Beserk + Souleater + Blood Weapon + Last Resort and landed about 3 criticals in a row.
Interestingly enough I prefer to play with a PLD and a THF in the upper 30's and 40's for the benefit of the SATA love. With this possibility I can be first voke (My DRK's sub is WAR until 60 for SATA) and lower my initial HP so SE costs less, and with all the love a good SATA viperbite brings to my friendly neighborhood meatshield I can tap berserk, LR, and SE without bother of pulling hate and destroy what's left of the mob's 3/4 remaining HP in a few hits. Cover is a nice fallback though ^^b
ok listen SE adds the health you lose to your attack, while one person says its a percetage of your health u lose ive seen the contrary, SE gives your attacks a percentage increase in dmg, thats y u lose so much more HP when using it with a weaponskill then just using it, example, SE LR SATA guillotine did 1314 damage to shadow lord and SE took about 400-500 life from me which completly proves that the person who stated it cant kill you is wrong, i have seen dark knight "fall down" after being stupid and using SE then a ws, for him to be right i woulda had to have 5000+ life for souleater to only take 10%, and the 400-500 was what i had lost before he hit me afterwards so dont try that he wasnt paying attention ****.
the only thing i dont like about this ability is that it only activates when you hit the mob..meaning you have to hit the little f***er b4 you can use your ws on it...and if you know anything about drk its that drks acc really blows...heh but whatever...drks still kick *** =)
I prefer DRKs to wait till the mog is close to death to use SE. It really does drain mp when I have to spam cure the DRK. I have grped with horrid DRKs that popped it just to look cool, then I have grped with DRKs who used it near the end of the fight and finished the mob. DRKs can be amazing if played correctly. You just have to keep the entire party in mind when using your skills. It would kinda be like me (68 WHM) casting Holy and Banishga II just to look cool. It doesn't benefit the entire pt. What benefits the pt benefits you in the long run, because you gain more xp.
Hehe.. that's why I layer it all at the end of the mobs life. The only bummer is if the PT kills it off first as I'm going through the motions..
But nothing looks cooler than using Berserk, Souleater and Last resort followed by Shadow of Death and watchin' the goblin fall on its butt. I swear its eyes are a little more open after pulling that off for a kill too.
Unfortunately, WS's don't work with 1 or 2 of those abilities, but luckily the hit right after makes up for it.. so even if its two hits... its still impressive looking.
There is a certain finesse needed to impress the team mates. <g>
Personally I stick to regular hits with mithkies. Once my TP is up, I wait for the mob to hit that 10-15% of health left. When I stack, I stack knowing he will either be dead or 1 hit away. Of coruse thats at lvl 30+. I have yet to see the mobs and how effective melee hits are on them at later levels.
So, remember, DO NOT USE unless you follow the cover option that a previous poster mentioned(with PLD), or you KNOW you can kill or near-kill the mob.
Have to say tho, it does p-o the BLM in the group if he really likes getting the kill stats. <g>
PS2 is great for doing this, because your hands can work faster than macros if you get it down right. I've dealt the final blow many times with SoulEater/Berserk/Last Resort and usign a WS followed by a hit or two... Is great fun... but I only advise it if you fully know what you're doing. If you do, it's impressive to everyone around, if you don't.. well.. let's just say you'll find yourself short an entire PT fairly quickly. I just like havin fun :)
Does SE stack with ranged attacks? Last Resort does but it actually raises your atk. i think SE just kills ur HP per hit. but i dont know if thats only for melee or not. if it does Last Resort>>Soul Eater>>Sharpshot>>Barrage>>Sidewinder would be super pimp! and also kill me :( o well
This is INCREDIBLY vulnerable to cheesy/melodramatic macros! Like-"Crimson tears, take away my pain! Souleater!"-Amazing quote, crappy DRK. Yay Crawler's Nest.
All DRK abilities are more useful if you work together with your tank. Of course I'm assuming it's a PLD. Every time I'm gonna use this, I always warn the PLD, and he tells me if cover is ready or not. If it is I stand behind him, and use it right after he vokes the mob. Then when he notices the mob attacking me, he uses cover.
If your tank is a NIN, WAR, or even a n00b PLD, might be best to use it right after his second voke, and click it off as soon as the mob turns his attention to you. You could also stack, Berserk/Trick Attack, LR, and SE for a WS, then click them off.
BTW anytime you pull hate from your tank, and your WHM has to spam cures on you, it's not really you doing the DMG. It's your WHM doing DMG through you. Not very impresive :| You're not helping your pt at ALL. DMG dealers are there to make the fights go by quicker, and if your has to wait extra time for the WHM to heal MP because he used half of it on you, then you're not doing your job. The good ones can deal DMG while on the verge of drawing the mob's attention, but very rarely actually pull the mob away from the tank. Now that's IMPRESIVE O_O
Lasting for 1 minute, It drains 10% of the current HP and adds it on to your physical attacks, including Weapons skills. And stacks with most Job abilities ie SATA. Most people, including me, use this ability when the mob is 1/3 of it's full HP. Why? Because not only will you draw hate from activating the ability, you will also draw massive hate when you start hitting things for 100 more damage than everyone else. Best used as a finisher. The DRK two hour should >>ONLY EVER<< be used in combination with this ability.
SE takes 10% of your HP with every hit. So if your HP was 500 you would lose 50 the first hit, bringing you down to 450. Then you would lose 45 the next hit, bringing you down to 405, etc. So you will approach 0 HP but never hit it. What will kill you is when you get into the red and a mob smacks you for 150 damage.
SE won't kill you. The after effects (low HP) of SE will leave you vulnerable to be killed. Use this ability wisely.
I love Soul Eater. It may waste whm mp healing me but if i use it when mobs almost dead say 40% hp its kewl. It takes life with each hit but adds a nasty number to normal attack say like 50 more. Works well with DRK 2HR.
consume hp from you?.... doesnt sound like a very good skill. . . . also last resort needs to last longer of have a shorter cool down time 30 seconds is just too short to be waiting 5mins to do agian