String Theory: A Puppetmaster's Guide *NEW*

String Theory is currently still very outdated until I get around to fixing it up.

I can share certain attachment setups if you have specific ones in mind, but generally there's no single setup that fits every situation, so adapting is necessary.

Dang, I had no idea it was outdated. It's been working so well for me. In that case, I still have tons of master levels to go. What is the setup for max dps while getting exemplar on Locust mobs? I typically do bats or beetles.

If you're going for maximum damage via multistepping (Shijin>Piercer>Vsmite>Shatterer>Vsmite), then I'd go with:

- Fire/Fire/Wind (overload can be quite tricky due to Flame Holder until maneuvers are at 5 min duration; use Cooldown liberally)
- VE/SS
- Inhibitor 1+2
- Attuner
- Flame Holder
- Magniplug 2
- Truesights
- Turbo Charger 1+2
- Optic Fiber 1+2
- 2 flex slots

This setup doesn't use Auto-Repair Kit 4 or Light Maneuvers in order to make the maton put out max DPS, so you'll have to keep it alive with Repair or Dawn Mulsums instead. If you're just fighting bats there's usually no AoE to worry about, so the maton is relatively safe. If you still find it tedious, then you can just use ARK4 with Light/Wind/Fire instead.

The flex slots kind of depend on your gear and playstyle. Your choices are:

- Speedloader 2: which lets the Automaton close into beautiful amounts of skillchain damage, especially on bats (possibly 70k+ on the Lights); downside is that the maton will be a lot slower at closing SCs, so if you want to 5-step quickly it might annoy you
- Magniplug 1: if not using Speedloader 2
- Stealth Screen 2: may help keep the maton from pulling hate after a big Shatterer>Light closer
- Heatsink: massively helps with preventing Overloads on the Automaton since Flame Holder can get a bit crazy with the burden
- Coiler 2: small amount of extra DA for TP gain if you aren't using KKK AM3, but without Thunder Maneuvers it's not hugely noticeable
- ARK4: like explained above
- Armor Plate 4: increase survivability to make up for the lack of ARK4
- Target Marker: if you really need more Acc

All setups assume you are wearing Pet: Haste+25-26% in gear so the maton can keep up with TP speed. Ambu cape + Heyoka cap + Heyoka legs usually sacrifice the fewest master stats while still capping the maton.

I'd also say either Verethragna or KKK are the best options for this playstyle. Vere makes the strongest SCs since you'll mainly be using VSmite, whereas KKK helps your maton keep up better with TP speed (plus Overload suppression). But AM3 is not strictly necessary if you give the maton a little bit of time to catch up with TP before you WS.

If you don't have Samurai Roll you may also have to opt for shorter skillchains instead, such as VSmite > Shatterer > VSmite.

Hi! I wanted to provide an alternative strategy for the post above, but Kenkonken is required.
I made a video of my puppetmaster grinding on Locus Colibri. It uses 3 fire maneuvers at all times with VE/VE and typically gets lights between 75k and 99k.

https://youtu.be/D7cFMQ-PPSY

This is a 4 step skillchain with an optional 5th step if the colibri is still alive:
Howling Fist - String Shredder - Shijin Spiral - Bone Crusher - Victory Smite

Pros of this strat:
Colibri is almost always dead if you get all 5 WS off.
Soloable with trusts.
Don't need to multibox.
Depending on your gear, you can leave some trusts behind and bring some leechers to fill the last 2 spots.
Colibri are not threatening. This is a very safe farm.

Cons:
Requires Kenkonken.
Colibri is a highly contested area.
Feather tickle will ruin some of your chains.
You need to Deactivate->Activate your automaton roughly every 4 minutes or you will overload. (You may as well do it when you need to build AM3).

Attachments: "Inhibitor", "Inhibitor II", "Attuner", "Flame Holder", "Speedloader", "Speedloader II", "Magniplug II", "Target Marker", "Coiler II", "Stabilizer IV", "Optic Fiber II", "Optic Fiber"
TP Gear: main: Kenkonken
ranged: Animator P+1
head: Foire Taj +3
body: Pitre Tobe +3
hands: Foire Dastanas +3
legs: Mpaca's Hose\
feet: Mpaca's Boots
neck: Shulmanu Collar
waist: Moonbow Belt +1
ear1: Schere Earring
ear2: Cessance Earring
ring1: Gere Ring
ring2: Niqmaddu Ring
back: Visucius's Mantle
To see the back augments, look at the end of the video where I show all of the gear and attachments.

After doing this for a few more hours. I want to make 2 comments about this strategy.

One is an improvement. If you can get your puppet to 5m maneuvers, and use Cooldown on cooldown, you don't have to Deactivate to reset burden. Just make sure that you use cooldown before refreshing your 3 fire maneuvers. This means you'll have to break your xp chain a few times before it's ready to do this. Keep your puppet healthy with Repair.

The other is a simplification. Spamming Stringing Pummel -> String Shredder is almost as good as 4 stepping light, and a lot more consistent. Feather tickle isn't as big of a problem, and kenbishi seems to want to close this 2-step more quickly.

Hey Aerix, without looking through pages and pages, I'm just wondering if you have soloed any Sortie bosses and if so which and what setup for automaton (1hr?)

... So Aerix instead of me reading, can you repeat everything just for my sake? cuz I'm like lazy and all.

Sorry, I haven't been able to play FFXI much in recent times and haven't had the opportunity to do Sortie on PUP so far.

Hopefully someone else can answer your questions.

Prime HTH weapon and one of the TVR completion rewards (presumably). Both look quite interesting.

The Varga Purnikawa could be our best all-purpose weapon if the WS is strong enough to compete with Godhands HF, as it'd also boost our Automaton at the same time. Very likely nowhere as much as Mythic AM3, but still quite decent. The 3 levels add up to quite a large chunk of extra Attributes and Acc/Atk.

The ring is nice for pet burning and dual TP setups, while also being interesting to other jobs as the DA+10% should be a solid upgrade to Petrov or Hetairoi.

Also, not sure if it has been talked about yet elsewhere, but all the Prime WS skillchain attributes imply they could self-skillchain with themselves. In Maru Kala's case, it'd be

Liquefaction > Impaction = Fusion > Fragmentation = Light

just by using the same WS three times in a row.

I know Tru's tank guide is from 2017 - but indeed it works well.
I just pup/blu, spam 8 Blank Gaze, then one Jettura (suck at spelling), make sure I have relic pants on, then Ventriloquy - I think calculation is 15000CE.

New to PUP... Does Pet: Haste also act as Flurry for the automation in a ranged setup or does it affect melee only?

melee only, only flurry type effect is the attachment that lowers time between shots

I'm trying to understand the PUP Repair sets listed in the guide. Long term, my goal is to not use Nibiru Sainti because I don't want to lose TP when I use Repair (in the situations where I'm fighting with my automaton). But if I have to swap weapons for now, in some situations, I understand why that is the case.

What's the significance of the AF Body+3 in these sets? Does Automaton Maximum HP increase Repair amounts? If so, why not keep Herculean Helm and use Adagardas (increase automaton HP based on frame): https://www.bg-wiki.com/ffxi/Gnafron%27s_Adargas

ItemSet 378256
ItemSet 378257

Basically, I don't have PUP AF1+3 body yet, but I'm working towards it and I'm trying to make sense of Repair sets and restrictions.

Max HP determines the initial heal amount, potency+ determinea the regen potency, i dont know if there is any potency cap so you could swap the auto hp piecez to potency pieces, just means less initial heal and thus likely less total healed

Repair is % based so it goes for max hp+

Ah ***I typed all that out and *** it up lol
(I think it's right now)

What's the auto hp that you're going to repair (3k)
~1230+2400=3630 (overcap)
ItemSet 392087
~1518+2080=3598
ItemSet 392088
~1368+2360=3728
ItemSet 392089

Rao/Herc head/hands interchangable

1418+2360
Rao Feet instead of Foire is 50 more hp when no status- needed

I always repaired in 5/5 rao+1 cause inventory save

If resetting TP doesnt matter:
Gnafron's adargas will add another 60~100 hp to the initial heal
Nibiru B will add 20 to the initial heal and 40~160 to the regen

I'm so lost.

Repair does 2 things. Initial Heal + Regen.

HP+ boosts initial heal. The part shown on screen.
Repair+ ONLY increases regen. The part you don't see. 2400 max
So the total heal is initial heal + regen

Reward is a lot easier lol

So a full HP+ set will give a higher cure, and a repair+ will give stronger regen. The mix set heals the most overall.

Just for completion, how much HP does an M50 Valor/Sooth tank build auto have (non abyssea, non escha) 4k?

Without gear bonuses (no rao, no af, no taeon etc)

1908+2400=4308 Before Vorseals/Atma/Food
ItemSet 392091
Neo Animator R30

Yeah, heavily buffed I'm also seeing +2 pop up for Howling or V.Smite, but Fotia remaining the optimal choice for Stringing Pummel. TBH, I'd just assume Fotia is the safe call nearly always for PUP, but YMMV if you play in some bizzaro world where you're regularly running around with mega buffs on PUP.

Hello all. I have a question about 2 pet items. Is there anything "special" about the Sroda earring. The "Pet Alive" wording is unique to it so I just wanted to double check if there was something to that or see if it is just a bad translation.

The other item is Flickblix's Ring is the "Double Attack"+10 percentage? Most items say "Double Attack"+10% but this ring just says +10 and I am not sure if that means that it is adding +10 damage when Double attack procs.

Please and thank you in advanced.

"Pet Alive" means that your pet needs to be alive for effect DA+7% and melee pet dmg+10 to work.

% missing on Flickblix's Ring is most likely a typo.

So would love some help with Bumba V0 + Cor strats for pup.

There is a lot of information around that talks about pup, but nothing really for this specific strat.

I have a team of 6, and 3 of them need Nyame Armor, but I figure I can pup OD it myself. However I had some questions:

#1: What is the best gear for this and attachment setup?
Is it the Taeon 5 pc with 25acc/-4dt/and 5%DA with other pup accessories along the same lines? Also I saw one recommendation for pup attachments, but there was never an answer if that worked or not on Bumba.

#2: Best Frame/Head is Valor Edge -- Valor Edge?

#3: Is it too dangerous for SB/Rollsair to melee and add SB weapon skill damage? Is there a way to turn off SC's completely on pup?

Any additional comments or info would be appreciated.

And one other question I just realized. What is the accuracy needed on Bumba V0 for 95% hit rate? Or, what is his evasion on V0?

I have these stats on my pup automaton (before overdrive and maneuvers) with food and corsair roll 3 drachen (+5 only):

1397 Accuracy
1418 Attack
979 Evasion
1715 Defense (VE/VE)

Strobe (was doing Garuda HTMB)
Speedloader II
Attuner
Inhibitor II
Optic Fiber
Coiler II (does this work if I don't use Lightning Maneuvers?
Inhibitor I
Turbocharger II
Optic Fiber II
Magniplug II
Auto Repair Kit IV
Speedloader 1

Should I do something different with the speedloaders and inhibitors for Bumba V0? To not do skillchains with the Cor?

Hybrid armor shatterer Overdrive setup for bumba will be faster than the Bonecrusher setup.

Companion's roll is arguably the most important roll for Automaton too, it's a gigantic regain effect, I even tend to prioritise crooked cards on it over beast roll.

The frequency of automaton WS's goes up "a lot", with companion's.

Frames:

Valoredge head
Sharpshot body

Attachments:

Optic Fiber
Optic Fiber II
Auto Repair Kit 4
Steam jacket
Magniplug
Magniplug II
Flame Holder
Attuner
Armor Plate 4
Truesights
Turbo Charger II
Repeater

Can just use a Taeon Pet double attack TP set.

I have tested this setup on Bumba V1 and works fine.

Fire, Light, Wind Maneuvers.

Your accuracy stats are more than enough, you definitely don't need drachen roll.

And yeah, do everything possible to avoid skillchains.

BG says that for T3 V20 its around 1240 acc the requirement, which i think is quite low for the content lv.

Possibly Bumba V0 shouldnt be anywhere higher than a T3 on V20

Yeah, I'd agree there unless the designer's are idiots and don't know any math whatsoever.

Okay, think I got my questions answered ty!

Per this website: https://vanafratello.com/level-accuracy

Bumba is 1384 +8?