How Incapacitation Works
Some mobs have body parts that are highly susceptible damage, and certain Disciplines have the perfect ability to do them in. We only used concussive blow during the course of the video, but there are a vast number of skills that rock a particular mob's world. If you are curious as to how they work, take a look at the incapacitation charts from Yesterday's News.
What does Incapacitation Do?
According Square Enix, incapacitation does the following things:
- Weakens the Monster – This definitely applied to the Aldgoat Billy, as his regular attacks hit for way less than before. Sadly, the Billy was near death whenever the horns were knocked off.
- Prevent the monster from using Special Attacks – This may work with Certain mobs, but the Aldgoat Billy was still able to use his charge attack. However, the knockback distance was dramatically reduced.
- Influence the type of loot dropped – Not only do incapacitation effects affect the type of loot dropped, but the loot is generally better than before. The Skull Eyepatch is a great item that will easily be an upgrade for most Disciplines of War.
Things I Learned about Incapacitation
There are a lot of things I learned that Square Enix doesn't tell you about Incapacitation. Over the course of the few hours tested, I learned a few invaluable things.
- Lay off the DPS. – Let the Discipline responsible for incapacitating the mob do the job before you bring on the damage. When myself and Zissling were fighting Aldgoat Billies, the mob was near death every time the effect happened. Boss fights will probably be somewhat different in this regard, but don't overload on damage when it comes to regular mobs.
- It takes longer to kill the mob. – Naturally, it will take a little while longer to kill the mob when holding back on the DPS, but trust me when I say the rewards are well worth the extra time spent.
- The loot is much better. – I tested 3 different types of mobs, and you are adequately rewarded for the extra time spent. The Aldgoat Horns are all a key component in Horn Glue, which currently sells for top gil on every server.
- It doesn't require a Battle Regimen. – Due to the fact that SE listed both of them together, many people have been led to believe that a Battle Regimen is required to access the incapacitation effects. This isn't true at all, end of story.
Now you should be ready to go incapacitate mobs yourself. If you need any further information, please review the incapacitation charts. Otherwise, please drop a line if confusion persists.
