Animator's Workshop: A Puppetmaster's Guide 2.0

Usually magic bursting is done with the master backlining, so switching between midnights and tinhaspa during maneuvers and bursts should be no problem.

I recommend switching weapons all the time if the master is just backlining.

That's a pretty good point, and I think you're correct if all you are doing is backline nuking. Thanks for catching that!

On my pet jobs, I use a gearswap to toggle whether main and sub slots are locked or not. ie: whether engaged or not.

then sets include those slots if in pet only mode, and do not if in master-engaged mode. which might also be used for Am3 active.

its stolen completely from Falkirk's bst lua.

Who else is hoping for 5-10 pet DT on Ambu capes next month? That would be... pretty nice.


Thanks for the advice. I'm going to tinker around with it a bit, and farm an Ukko Sash for sure. Tried the set that I posted. It worked but man I had forgotten just how unwieldy auto nuking is! I am just in a mindset of having as close to everything for puppetmaster as I can despite the bad auto AI.

10 would be kind of insane. Little doll would be damn near indestructible

So now that we have a clear idea on what the defensive stats are (and know 100% that pets get some goodies), I want to go over what kind of backs people are going to be doing.

We already have the pet tank option
PET TANK
master eva/meva
pet att/acc
regen10

I'm thinking about this piece and wondering if its best to DT5 or MDT 10 onto it. Its not very hard to cap pdt on Valoredge, but when it comes to dps-tanking with sharpshot body/valoredge head, it maybe best to use DT to make sure we hit that pdt cap? (After duoing again with Nezha I found this set to be the most useful)
I only have master eva/meva on there for backlining situations

I know Magic damage seems to be the main problem with pup, so for Valoredge only tanking MDT would be best?

And then I'm trying to think about what to add onto the dual backpiece

master acc/att
pet acc/att
pet haste 10
????

I'm leaning towards pet pdt10 or DT5 here in order to use strobe and effectively tank and dual dps.

Thoughts? I didnt have time to math out all the DT and PDT and MDT with each frame and attachment, but do those things sound about right?

Valor tanking MDT 10 making a whole new cape just for that

1) For pet tanking cape:
I'm kinda thinking DT- instead of MDT- on pet tanking, just because neither type of damage should actually be a real threat to your puppet in a solid pet tanking gear set (even if you're a bit under MDT- cap).

DT- has some use for uncapped damage reduction of ANY type if you're ever in non-tanking gear, where your puppet is likely to be uncapped for both physical AND magical damage reduction. For example: your puppet gets caught by a TP move while you're in Heyoka enmity set for a voke/flash; you're using some sort of hybrid pet tanking/DD gear with some offensive pieces at the expense of max pet DT; you're using a non-VE frame for some reason like flyingsquirrel mentioned.

Also, hey, it's something for BDT- and those occasional oddball non-elemental damage moves that are helped by neither PDT- nor MDT-.

Honestly, I'd probably have preferred Pet: Status Resist over any of the actual choices - but I'll gladly accept more DT options.


2) For hybrid master/pet TP cape:
Kind of a tough call. I can't see major fault in flyingsquirrel's logic for pet PDT- or DT-. But then again, even now, the risk of the puppet being in serious danger in any situation where you're both meleeing is rather low as it is. So, I think I'll probably end up going for master DT- here.

ItemSet 352162

With cape @
EVA/MEVA master
Pet : acc
Pet : Regen
Pet : DT 5%

So we can have alot of enmity all the time

Looks like an interesting set, but maybe tali'ah pants with midnights would be better?
Also that allows for a adoulin ring to nq for those of us scrubs who haven't done the quests

Edit: unless you wanted that haste.
Also, overbearing ring or tali'ah ring for pet stats if back lining.

This might be a dual tank set, but you said master Eva and meva so I'm just assuming other wise

I never engage as pup, i'm a lazy one, only let my pet doing tank or damage.

For pure tanking/damage reduction, -pdt is useless and -dt is mediocre. -10% mdt is the biggest boost.

Sharpshot frame and Valoredge frame both have built in ~12% damage reduction. pdt is easily capped already without the new cape augments. Harlequin has 6%, stormwaker 0%

if you are using Harlequin frame for a magic casting pro/shell tank, then you only gain 1% pdt to cap from the new cape (if perfect -dt set already).

As several have said here, its probably most useful for a hybrid cape.

My question is whether it really matters much (in a set where master and puppet are both meleeing) to have fulltime pet enmity. I don't think it really does. Ideally, swap into max enmity for strobe/flashbulb, and you should be fine without enmity gear during normal TP. Heyoka pieces are still worth considering for the great master/pet acc, pet haste to hit cap, and master crit rate... but the enmity is a really minor concern when the puppet is just auto-attacking.

That being said, yeah I guess you could do an all-in-one master+puppet DD set, with some pet enmity, some pet DT, capped pet haste, decent master melee stats... More of a lazy set that you can more or less fulltime, but it won't be ideal for TP, won't be ideal for tanking, and won't be ideal for enmity. Kind of a "good enough" version of all three.

Some of the gear choices are a little puzzling too.

a) If you're actually punching the mob, I'd think a slot like Isa Belt is a bit of a waste if you have to give up Moonbow/+1. I'd much rather go all master here than all puppet, and give up the Pet:DT-3% that likely isn't really impacting you all that much. Isa to me is a pet-only build piece; otherwise it's between Moonbow/+1 and Klouskap/+1 (only if you need it to cap pet haste).

b) Similarly, why Regal Ring for a master-only piece? Niq. Ring is probably the better call for master focus, or Varar/+1 for a more hybrid/pet focused choice.

c) Also, assuming you intend the master to be punching anything in this set, Anwig Salade is problematic. I get that it's a ton of pet DT- in one place, but a total nothing for master and minimal help for pet offense (if you need to cap pet haste, Klouskap is the better bet). Tali'ah+2, Heyoka, Herculean, Taeon - all legitimate options that I'd probably prefer over Anwig here.

Personally, I'd just use something more designed for maximizing offense, and manually swap into enmity set or a heavier pet DT set as needed. Most of the time, ARK regen and attachments/native DT alone will be fine for keeping the puppet alive on any content where it's actually viable for both master and puppet to melee. On stuff that would hurt the puppet badly enough to require heavier DT, 99% of the time you won't want the master in range - so you'd just backline and use a full pet-focused set.

I think a range of sets is nice (and swapping between them is to some extent a matter of 'feel' that requires moment to moment adjustment)

- 100% master focus
- Master/puppet hybrid, more offensive focused (maybe take a couple pet DT pieces out in exchange for high value master-only stuff like Moonbow Belt or Niq Ring, or master/pet non-DT gear like Heyoka, Tali'ah Turban +2, Pitre Tobe +1~3, etc.)
- Master/puppet hybrid, more pet DT focused
- Full pet DT set


Two issues with that:

1) Your statement is only true if you are assuming use of other equipment with heavy pet DT- wherever possible. I think the value of additional cape DT- is in allowing you more flexibility to remove some DT- in other gear slots (or get "caught" in stuff like pet enmity or WS gear and still have some additional damage mitigation for all types of damage)

2) Even if MDT is the biggest boost in a pure turtle DT set (which I agree is true), the practical difference between having the MDT and not having it is minimal at best. Mobs simply aren't killing your puppet with sustained physical OR magical damage if you're already using a decent tanking set - puppet death really comes from gimmicks where a few more points of xDT- doesn't matter: one-hit KO moves, crazy status effect stuf, etc.

I think that it comes down to deciding whether the flexibility of DT- is better for you, or you really want the (rather small) incremental improvement of better MDT in a tanking set where magic wasn't going to be a real threat anyway.

MDT is probably only truly relevant to the extent that by taking slightly less damage, you lose slightly less enmity. On the other hand, more DT- when you're in your enmity set also results in slightly less overall enmity loss, so that's probably more or less a wash.

Neither choice is crazy, but I'd lean toward DT- myself, with Pet: MDT- second place (and Pet: PDT- third place). And we CAN always make multiple capes... though honestly, I don't know that I really see enough additional value in MDT- to make a second pet tanking cape.

Should also add that a lot of mob move typing never really gets fully explored. Often people kind of stop at physical or not then maybe check mdt. Heck 99% of our "breath" dmg hasn't even been checked against bdt just assumed if not pdt/mdt then bdt when that is definitely not true. So it wouldn't necessarily be crazy to have a dt and mdt if you were really going for biggest boost

Also, after more thought since initial reaction last night... I still would have preferred pet: status resist for tanking :) Too bad players got that option, but pets didn't. That might actually make a more noticeable difference in tanking in full on defensive gear, where the things that tend to really trip a PUP tank up are weird mechanics and statuses, not sustained damage of any type.

EDIT: Or, you know, pet enmity+10... man, wouldn't THAT have been great. Way more useful than more pet xDT- options which, while nice, are ultimately not a big practical difference.

Psylo said that set was puppet only and that he's too lazy to dual lol. That's why it's isa and not moonbow, etc

The reason for constant enmity would probably to again be lazy and not need to change sets haha

On pup I really always think everyone can play to their own playstyle. The flexibility of the job really allows for it

Reasonable enough to do like a "lazy" all-in-one set if you're trying to, say, multibox and not have to give too much attention to the puppet. In that kind of a situation though, I'd be kind of surprised if enmity matter THAT much - anything serious enough that you really want to maximize enmity is going to warrant a bit more active attention to the puppet, and anything more trivial probably won't really be a big deal for the puppet to maintain hate.

Also, if it's puppet only, something like Regal Ring or Denouements makes zero sense since it does nothing for the pet. Maybe that's what threw me off.

I guess my instinct is that if you're doing pet only and trying not to swap much... eh, I'd prob look more at stuff like a more DT- oriented set that has some offense (Taeon pieces with DT-/DA/Acc being great for that).

My bad for regal ring, was thinking the bonus tranfert to pet too but no.
And yes, i'm lazy as f... and i don't want to engage when i tank as pup, if i die byebye tank.

Is the Rao Set +1 still BiS for pet tanking?

For survivability anwig would win most the time as should Foire Churidars +3. But yeah the rest unless alluvion other stats really making a difference somehow.

Of course some situations this will change like say eating big moves that aren't effected by dt that you can survive with a little more hp or against mobs where physical dmg is the primary danger

Rao+1 or Taeon, either is fine and arguably either one can be "BiS" based on situation. Aside from gimmicks/one-shots (that will kill a puppet regardless of gear), you shouldn't really be dying with any of Rao +1, good Taeon, or NQ Rao though.

Rao/+1: have the primary advantage of more HP. Helpful for reduced enmity loss, but raw HP is helpful in some relatively uncommon situations (e.g. a max HP set to try to survive Dancing Fullers, if you're daring enough to bet on no badly timed Curse and your GEOs can actually put Luopons away). Rao's Acc is either helpful or a potential liability (more TP feed = more mob TP moves; also more chance of puppet getting TP to use a WS and screw up a SC - particularly relevant with a SCH+MB setup).

Taeon: has the potential advantage of Meva. The max of Meva+25 per piece on 4/5 Taeon + Ohrmazd stacked is the same Meva+125 as an Idris Geo-Attunement (and even 20 each exceeds the MEva+95 of a skill 900+ Dunna Geo-Attunement). The reduction in magic damage taken (and resulting lower enmity loss) can potentially make up for or exceed Rao's enmity retention via HP, and Meva can also help mitigate annoying debuffs. Taeon have the minor additional perk of Regen+3 per piece from Leaforb slot (or could do Repair+ pieces) - nothing gamebreaking, but I'll gladly take 12HP/tick.

Other pieces:
Anwig Salade generally assumed, but when max DT- isn't necessary (it often isn't), you could conceivably use Rao Kabuto/+1 or Taeon Chapeau for even more HP or MEva, respectively, if those are bigger priorities.

Foire +2/+3 legs or Tali'ah Seraweels +1/+2 are also legitimate DT- options that are perfectly fine to tank in, but despite more DT- I find that Rao/Taeon's additional advantages add more value than an extra 1-2% DT- that you don't likely need. For situations where you want to maximize puppet accuracy while tanking though, Tali'ah +2 are BiS for that application. And if for whatever reason you're looking for absolute max DT-, Foire+3's DT-6% is BiS.

Enmity gear:
Also worth noting that, in addition to DT- gear for tanking, an enmity set is a MASSIVE help to use for Strobe/Flashbulb. 5/5 Heyoka/+1 set + Rimeice Earring + Domesticator's Earring, swap it in prior to a flash/voke and then back to DT- set. To me, smart use of enmity gear is what separates a decent PUP tank from a really good one (that and good use of attachments/maneuvers, of course). I'd much rather have a PUP tank with all NQ Rao and a good sense of when to use enmity gear than someone who always fulltimes HQ Rao and never bothers with enmity gear.

Sometimes enmity gear is totally unnecessary to retain hate just fine (e.g., in a MB setup where hate is generally fine regardless), and sometimes if you're worried about getting rocked with a big TP move you'll want to stay turtled up in DT- set... but in general, once your DDs mix in some ranged damage, melee, or BST pets, pet enmity set becomes super helpful to get the most out of your automaton tank.

I'd like to add that people vastly overestimate enmity loss differences due to max hps (especially when dealing with already very high hps). You see how little dmg dt makes but can't see enmity as well. But remember while small that change in dmg will also reduce enmity loss.

To wit some very rough math since I don't have a puppet in front of me for exact hps and such and also doing averages since rounding will always mess with stuff but going from max DT with 3/5 rao+1 to 4/5 rao+1 would actually increase your enmity loss from non physical dmg that is effected by dt. Which should be the majority of the dmg your auto takes though we are getting closer and closer to capping mdt and bdt though actual dt is aways off

In fact +enmity would pieces would probably do more than +hp in terms of enmity loss reduction but those tend not to come with any dt so it's an even bigger push/pull (though on a primarily physical enemy where you can still cap pdt might be interesting)

does anyone have a gearswap with up to date gear sets they could share.

Sorry I would help you but I just use vanilla macros and gearsets~

Different question though.

Has anyone played with jolt counters?
With the new defensive augments on back pieces (10 counter) and these, I was wondering if there's any good information on how fun these are or not.

I would probably /mnk and roll with counter stance. rdm puppet for phalanx and haste 2, and then just have some fun on reisin mobs for cp.

There's a +1 on the AH right now and im half tempted to buy it

edit:
Just realized the super def- on counterstance.

Can anyone chime in on the below set for Pet only tanking? It's seems to work well for me, just looking for improvements. I do abit of duo work with SCH+PUP and pup is mostly used for omen/dynamis bosses. Thank you in advance for positive suggestions!

ItemSet 358101

Rao +1 is all path C
Back would have -5DT 10haste.

This brings me to 22% haste and -50DT.

SS/VE
Optic Fiber 1
Optic Fiber 2
ARK4
MJ4
Turbo Charger 2
Turbo Charger 2
Strobe 1
Strobe 2
Flashbulb
Armor Plate 4
Resistor 2
Inhibitor 2

I'd change the dt to mdt on back. damage taken caps at 87.5% for pets. if you're using optic 1+2+plate 4, one light maneuver and 21 PDT caps your PDT with valoredge frame, so you can edge out another 5% magic reduction that way.

Thanks. Would you say that is the best option? Or perhaps adjusting my attachments?

best option.

I'd argue you for both eventually. Though solid information on what type moves are often don't get much past non physical so might complicate use

dt cape would only get use on breath moves as far as i know