An incorrect assumption and more findings.
Previously, I have shared some testing regarding the relationship between
Rayke/
skillchains and negative status ranks. This was based on the assumption that Rayke and skillchains have the same effect at all resistance ranks. This testing, I have come to find, is not a valid test to show a their relationship with negative status ranks. It is actually just a fluke that it aligns with the hit rate testing previously performed
here and
here.
How is this so? I was doing some testing with Rayke on elementals in Ru'Aun Gardens and found that I was unable to land any negative status effects relying on elemental resistance ranks regardless of the number of correlating runes used (with the exception of Impact which always takes effect with or without Rayke for unrelated reasons). The fact that Rayke was not working for negative status effects relying on elemental ranks at rank A+(5%) just as it had no effect for Sleep and it's A+(5%) negative status rank therefore invalidated the previous method of testing used to claim Rayke does not affect negative status ranks. This also made me question my original testing with negative status ranks and skillchains. I believed this behavior pointed to some other undocumented characteristic of the highest resistance ranks.
This led to some questions: How do the highest elemental resistance ranks of A+(5%) and A(10%) react to attempts to change their ranks? It is already known a monster's negative status rank can be lowered via Immunobreak from the highest resistance rank of A+(5%). Are the highest elemental ranks able to be lowered via Rayke and skillchains as well?
First, just some data to start with at rank A+(5%). As an M lvl 25 RUN/RDM, I went out to the dark elementals in Ru'Aun Gardens and tried to land Frazzle using a magic accuracy set after using Rayke with 3 Tenebrae runes.
3 Tenebrae rune Rayke + Frazzle
Full Duration: 0
Partial Resist: 0
Full Resist: 400
For an ability that lowers elemental resistance ranks it sure seemed to be doing a lot of nothing. If Rayke had taken effect, its dark rank should have gone from A+(5%) to B(20%) and Frazzle should have landed easily. Interestingly, when Rayke was used on the dark elemental the chat log displayed the normal message as if it had taken effect normally.
Next, I wanted to see how Rayke behaved at rank A(10%). My next target was the Shadow Lord HTMB on VE (Lvl 113). First, I needed to verify it's dark resistance rank of A(10%).
Monster stats here. This testing was done during it's second form so I wouldn't have to deal with the magic shield of the first form. I cast Frazzle on it multiple times to get a baseline. I'm not going to bother listing all the gear or find target dMND for this because I'm only looking for a data set to compare to. I just stacked as much magic accuracy as I could since there are no published magic evasion values for this.
Relevant Stats:
M lvl 25 RUN/RDM
1109 Magic Accuracy (including Enfeebling skill from /RDM and gear)
Cornelia and Star Sybil Trusts-Magic Accuracy +49
Marine Stewpot-Magic Accuracy +90
Frazzle +150 Magic Accuracy Bonus
Total Magic Accuracy: 1259
Frazzle Baseline at rank A(10%)
Full Duration: 0
Partial Resist: 4
Full Resist: 96
Since Frazzle has a forced 1/2 resist state at ranks C-(50%) and higher, the above sample seems to be in line with the forced capped hit rate of 5% for rank A(10%) when this is taken into account. I would like to do some more testing in the future to verify how the resist states of a two-state negative status effect relying on elemental ranks are stepped down during a forced resist (e.g. full duration is obviously stepped down to 1/2, is 1/2 duration stepped down to full resist?) to know if this is actually our hit rate for certain. For now, we are just looking for obvious changes. In the next sample, I cast Frazzle after using Rayke on the Shadow Lord with just one Tenebrae rune.
Frazzle with a 1 Tenebrae rune Rayke
Full Duration: 0
Partial Resist: 49
Full Resist: 1
I stopped here in the second sample since it's very obvious that Rayke has changed the Shadow Lord's dark resistance rank from A(10%) to B+(15%).
Next, time to test skillchains. As an M lvl. 34 RDM/NIN I went out to Cirdas caverns to make darkness skillchains (CDC>Requiescat) on some lvl 103-105 Livid Umbrils with dark rank A+(5%).
Monster stats found here. In this trial I wanted to see if it was possible to change a monster's A+(5%) rank via skillchains in order to land Frazzle during a magic burst. Again, I'm not going to bother finding dMND or listing all the gear used to cast Frazzle as it's not super important for this.
Relevant Stats:
M lvl 34 RDM/NIN
1500 Magic Accuracy (including Enfeebling skill, gear, merits)
Cornelia and Star Sybil Trusts-Magic Accuracy +49
Marine Stewpot-Magic Accuracy +90
Magic burst-Magic Accuracy +50
Frazzle +150 Magic Accuracy Bonus
Total Magic Accuracy: 1839
Magic burst Frazzle on Umbril
Full Duration: 0
Partial Resist: 0
Full Resist: 600
As can be seen, not a single Frazzle landed in 600 magic burst attempts. It seems like skillchains have no effect on the Umbril's A+(5%) dark elemental resistance rank. If they did, there would have been some partial resists totaling around 5% of the overall sample from being lowered to rank A(10%).
I used a standard TP set with a 1 dmg sword/dagger in the main/offhand for TP phase and used the same equipment to weaponskill.
Now, back to the Shadow Lord HTMB as RDM. I performed the same baseline test as I did on RUN and repeatedly cast Frazzle during the second form to get a baseline using the same magic accuracy as above minus the magic burst bonus.
RDM Frazzle rank A(10%) baseline
Full Duration: 0
Partial Resist: 5
Full Resist: 95
Very similar to our baseline results obtained with RUN. Next, I performed darkness skillchains (CDC>Requiescat) during the second form and cast Frazzle during the magic burst window.
Magic Bursted Frazzle
Full Duration: 0
Partial Resist: 50
Full Resist: 0
It seems safe to say that the Shadow Lord's A(10%) dark rank was lowered to B+(15%) by the darkness skillchains.
In conclusion, there are many things that the data sets above seem to suggest:
1. Neither Rayke nor skillchains can lower a monster's elemental resistance rank from the highest rank of A+(5%). It seems the only way to do so from this rank is via a mechanic built into the monster (i.e. Gartell changing elemental resistances). To me, this seems like an intentional characteristic put in by the devs.
2. Rayke and skillchains are able to lower elemental resistance ranks starting from rank A(10%) and lower.
3. This
testing method with Rayke and
this testing method with skillchains are not valid tests to show that they do not affect negative status resistance ranks since they do not work for elemental resistance ranks either at rank A+(5%). I will amend these previous posts to reflect this information. Negative status ranks are still unaffected by Rayke or skillchains as shown via hit rate testing
here and
here.
