EZ Automaton Guide

Category:Guides 
=The EZ Automaton Guide=
Even among other classes that use pets, Puppetmaster is unique. Your Automaton can be equipped in a variety of ways by selecting Attachments, heads and frames. AI can also be indirectly controlled by your choice of heads and frames, as well as equipped Attachments, active Maneuvers, your HP percentage, enemy HP percentage and relative positioning. 
Each aspect of your automaton has its own quirks and complexities. The goal of this guide is to walk you through the basic use of the automaton rather than being a how-to guide for partying, camping, etc. For the time being, the focus will be on the first 10 levels.
So, you just opened up your PUP job. Let’s walk through the process of getting to know your automaton.
==The ON/OFF Switch==
Yes, even turning your automaton on and off has its quirks. Using the Activate job ability makes the little guy appear. He will have full HP and full MP. Unfortunately, the Activate ability has a 20 minute recast time, so try to prevent it from dying. Changing jobs can reset the Activate timer.
Your automaton will also begin with burden for every element just above threshold. We will discuss this more later. At this point, what you need to know is that burden is a bad thing that slowly reduces over time. You will want this at a minimum when you are about to use your automaton in battle, so don’t wait until the battle starts before activating it. Activate your automaton early on when you are safely in the correct zone and level sync.
You can dismiss your automaton with the Deactivate pet command. It makes your pet disappear and will also reset the recast time for Activate if the automaton HP is 100%. 
Level Sync will automatically make your automaton disappear without using the Deactivate. This means that you will have to wait for the full recast time before you can use activate again. 
NOTE: This is true only if you are syncing to below your current level. If the party syncs to you, or above your current level, your automaton will not disappear. (Tested this on my own PUP)-- Kigh, Fenrir
*The take-way tips
**Activate a few minutes before battle if you don’t need to zone or lvl sync
**Deactivate your automaton with it having full HP if possible
***You may wish to use a macro along the lines of /echo <pethpp> before deactivating
**Deactivate (with full HP) before and after level sync
**Deactivate and Activate can be a quick way to refill MP if necessary
***Deactivate and Activate will also reduce TP back to 0 
**Deactivate (with full HP) and Activate is a quick way to reduce mega-high burden
==Default Behavior==
Now that you know how to bring out your new friend, you have a companion who will follow you around, copy some of your emotes and happily watch you die when that orc agros. 
Yes, your automaton will not actually fight unless you use the Deploy pet command, so don’t expect it to help a whole lot just because you take hate. When you use Deploy your basic un-upgraded lvl 1 automaton will then charge this target, engage in melee, cast Dia if mp allows and use the occasional Slapstick TP move.
If you are trying to pull you will see that often your automaton will stop the mob in its tracks if you just use the Deploy command. You will typically deploy to your target and then then use Retrieve to have your automaton follow you to your camp. When you arrive at your camp you will redeploy so that your automaton can actually fight your enemy.
==Maneuvers==
Other than using Deploy or Retrieve, elemental Maneuvers are the main way you will control your automaton in combat. Maneuvers all share a 10 second recast time. In order to use a maneuver you must have an Animator, Turbo Animator, Animator +1 or Alternator equipped.
There is an elemental maneuver job ability for each of the eight elements. You can have a total of three maneuvers in effect at the same time. They are displayed at the top of your screen with all your other status effects. Each maneuver will remain in effect until one minute passes or you use three maneuvers after it. At this point the only things your maneuvers can do is give +1 to the stat that corresponds to that element and to potentially cause an overload .
==Burden and Overload==
Each time you use a maneuver you place stress on your automaton. This is referred to as Burden. The burden of each element is independent of the others. Using a maneuver of one element will not increase or decrease the burden of another. For example, using two dark maneuvers 1 minute apart will accumulate the exact same burden if there was an ice maneuver within that period or not.
Once the burden of an element reaches a certain threshold adding more maneuvers of that element poses a chance of triggering an overload. Overload is a status condition which prevents the use of maneuvers and has a slowing effect on your automaton. The duration of your overload status is proportionate to the amount of burden over the threshold you are before the overload occurs. Burden decreases over time so increasing the time between uses of the same element will reduce the chance of reaching the overload threshold. This makes alternating elements useful in that you can always have some maneuvers active while not hammering any single one. The longer you wait between activations of a given element the less likely you are accidently go above threshold. Maintaining as low a burden as reasonably possible can also minimize the duration of an overload should you accidently cross the threshold. 
Each time you activate or zone your automaton the burden of all elements are reset to being just above threshold. This means that using even a single maneuver immediately after activation or zoning poses a risk of overload. If possible you may want to wait a minute or two before using a maneuver. Fortunately, these overloads tend to be short in duration. This burden reset may be useful in cases where an extreme load of burden has been accumulated.
It can be difficult to keep precise timing of the maneuvers that you have used. Over time you will gain a sense of how likely you are to cause an overload at any given time. You will want to develop a pattern that works for you and takes advantage of the attachments you are using. For example, it is pretty safe to use a maneuver and then wait for it to time out before using that element again. This works well if you only want to keep one maneuver of that element active at all times. If you begin this alternating pattern when you have a low degree of burden you can also throw in an occasional second maneuver of the same type with a reasonable degree of safety. While it is possible to have three maneuvers of the same type active at once the risk of overload is much higher. This is especially the case if you recently activated or you have already built up a significant amount of burden.
==2 hour==
Overdrive is the Puppetmaster 2 hour ability. It will let you use maneuvers freely without the risk of overload for one minute. The only limits are the recast time and the maximum of having three maneuvers active at a time.
The problem with this is that is that it gives you the opportunity to place an extreme amount of burden on any element you abused during your 2 hour. If possible you will want to use the deactivate/reactivate trick to reduce your burden to a more reasonable amount.
==Equipment Menu==
When you select ‘equipment’ from your normal menu you will get an additional box listing ‘Master’ and ‘Automaton.’ Selecting ‘Master’ will take you to your standard equipment menu. Selecting ‘Automaton' will take you to your automaton’s inventory.
Your automaton’s equipment screen shows 12 grey boxes. This means that you can equip a maximum of 12 attachments at one time. These slots look like the ones in your inventory except that there is no ‘body,’ ‘main,’ ‘ammo,’ etc. Any attachment can be placed in any order. 
In addition, there is a limit to the attachments you can equip for any given element. The icons representing these look like the elemental resistance icons of your own equipment screen except that next to each you will see 0/5 next Fire, Ice, Wind, Earth, Thunder, Water and Fire. Dark and Light have 0/3 next to them. Each attachment takes up a certain number of elemental capacity. For example, a Mana Tank takes two dark charges. If you equip it you will see 2/3 next to the dark icon. This means that you would only be able to equip an additional dark attachment that takes 1 charge. As another example, Armor Plate II takes up three earth capacity slots. If equipped this would take up 3/5 of your earth capacity. You would be able to equip one more attachment that takes up 2 earth capacity or you could equip 2 attachments that take up 1 earth capacity. Note that neither of these scenarios would affect the capacity of other elements.
==Attachments==
I have included a list of Attachments by the type of effect they have. A complete list of attachments listed by element can be found here.
===Basic Attachments===
Now that we have discussed how elemental maneuvers work lets take a look at how they help your automaton. A list of attachments can be found here. 
Every basic element has two tiers attribute raising attachments that may be strengthened by adding a maneuver of that corresponding element. Each of the tier 1 stat boosters takes 2 capacity and can be obtained via alchemy or from the standard merchant Yoyoroon in Nashmau for 4940 gil. When equipped each of these will add 5% of the stat with 0 corresponding maneuvers and an additional 5% for each active maneuver of that elemental type.
For example, a Tension Spring will add 5% Attack with no active fire maneuvers, 10% Attack with one fire maneuver 15% Attack with two active fire maneuvers and 20% Attack for 3 active fire maneuvers.
:
Basic Attribute Attachments	Basic Attribute Attachments	Basic Attribute Attachments	Basic Attribute Attachments
Attribute 	Element 	Tier 1 Name 	Tier 2 Name
Attack 	Fire 	Tension Spring 	Tension Spring II
Magic Attack 	Ice 	Loudspeaker 	Loudspeaker II
Evasion 	Wind 	Accelerator 	Accelerator II
Defense 	Earth 	Armor Plate 	Armor Plate II
Accuracy 	Thunder 	Stabilizer 	Stabilizer II
Magic Defense 	Water 	Mana Jammer 	Mana Jammer II
HP 	Light 	Auto-Repair Kit 	Auto-Repair Kit II
MP 	Dark 	Mana Tank 	Mana Tank II
The corresponding light and dark attachments work a little different. The light equivalent is the Auto-Repair Kit which gives 4% increase in maximum HP with no light maneuvers, 1 point Regen with one light maneuver, 2 point Regen with two light maneuvers and 3 point Regen with three light maneuvers active. Likewise, the Mana Tank gives you 4% increase in maximum MP with no dark maneuvers, 1 point Refresh with one dark maneuver, etc.
All of the tier 2 items take 3 elemental capacity, have similar names to their tier 1 counterparts and have double the effect. For example, Tension Spring II gives you 10% increase in Attack with no active fire maneuvers, 10% increase in Attack with one active fire maneuver, etc. This also applies to the Auto-Repair Kit II and the Mana Tank II. These tier 2 items must be crafted, farmed from a Hilltroll Puppetmaster or purchased at the Auction House.
===AI Altering and Spell Casting Attachments===
;Inhibitor :Your automaton will use weaponskills when your TP is below 90%. When your TP is above 90% it will only use TP moves after someone else in the party does in attempt to create a skillchain. It also has a Store TP effect that increases with the number of active fire maneuvers. This attachment takes up a fire capacity of 1. It can be purchased from Yoyoroon for 9925 gil or synthed.
;Strobe :Your automaton will use Provoke with a recast time of 45 seconds if a fire maneuver is present. It will also increase enmity some even if no fire maneuvers are present. enmity will increase further with each active fire maneuver. This attachment takes up a fire capacity of 1. It can be synthed or dropped from a Hilltroll Puppetmaster.
;Reactive Shield :Your automaton will use Blaze Spikes with a 65 second recast time if a fire maneuver is in effect. It uses 2 fire capacity. It can be synthed or obtained through the Targeting the Captain quest.
;Mana Booster :Your automaton will cast spells more frequently. This is in effect with no ice maneuvers present and frequency increases even further with each ice maneuver active. It uses an ice capacity of 2. It can be purchased from Yoyoroon for 9925 gil or synthed.
;Shock Absorber :Your automaton will use Stoneskin when a earth maneuver is present. It has a 3 minute recast time. It uses 1 earth capacity. It can be purchased from Yoyoroon for 9925 gil or synthed.
;Mana Channeler :Your automaton will use magic less frequently but will have an increased Magic Attack when it does. It uses 2 water capacity. It can be found as a drop from Ob, Pulling the Strings or from the chocobo hot and cold game.
;Damage Gauge :Your automaton normally only uses curing spells when its HP or yours is very low. This will increase the threshold of remaining HP necessary for it to begin curing. Normally your automaton will cure at about 30% remaining HP with no light maneuvers, 35% with one, 50% with two, and 75% with three. With Damage Gauge equipped it will cure at 50% with no light maneuvers, 70% with one and 80% with two. It uses 1 light capacity. It can be purchased from Yoyoroon for 9925 gil or synthed.
;Flashbulb :Your automaton will use Flash if a light maneuver is present. The recast time is 45 seconds. It does not trigger the amount of Enmity that the normal spell does. Flash will not require MP and will be cast even even if the automaton is silenced. It uses 2 light capacity. It can only be synthed.
;Eraser :Your automaton will remove all active maneuvers and a certain number of status effect on itself and you. One status ailment will be removed for each light maneuver present.
;Replicator :Your automaton will use Blink when at 50% HP (75% with the Damage Gauge equipped) with a one minute recast time if wind maneuvers are present. One wind maneuver will generate 2 shadows, two wind maneuvers will generate 3 shadows and three wind maneuvers will generate 4 shadows. It uses 1 wind capacity and can only be synthed.
===Combat Enhancements===
;Flame Holder :It increases weaponskill damage based on the number of active fire maneuvers. It has no effect with no fire maneuvers present. It uses 1 fire capacity and is synthed only.
;Tranquilizer :It increases Magic Accuracy. I am not certain how great the increase is or whether it is affected by the number of ice maneuver present. It uses 2 ice capacity. It is obtained by Scouting the Ashu Talif and Targeting the Captain.
;Ice Maker :It increases the Magic Attack of a spell and removes all ice maneuvers currently active. There is an increase by 20% for each ice maneuvers active and there is no effect with none active. It uses 1 ice capacity and is synthed only.
;Scope :It increases Ranged Accuracy by 5%, plus and additional 5% for each wind maneuver active. It uses 2 wind capacity. It can be bought from Yoyoroon or synthed.
;Turbo Charger :It adds a Haste-like effect. There is a 5% Haste with no wind maneuvers active, 15% with one, 20% with two, and 25% with three. It uses 2 wind capacity and can be obtained by Scouting the Ashu Talif, Royal Painter Escort, and Targeting the Captain.
;Hammermill :It increases the damage from Shield Bash and percentage of the mob receiving Slow in proportion to the number of earth maneuvers active. There is no effect with no earth maneuvers active. It uses 1 earth capacity and is synthed only.
;Volt Gun :It has an Enthunder-like effect with damage that can very depending on the mob’s level. It uses 2 lightning capacity and can be purchased from Yoyoroon for 9925 gil.
;Heat Seeker :A thunder maneuver is needed to raise accuracy by 1 point per second up to a cap of a 30 accuracy bonus. This bonus does not instantly wear off when there are no longer any active thunder maneuvers. It uses 1 lightning capacity. It can drop from a Hilltroll Puppetmaster or by synthesis.
;Dynamo :Increases critical hit rate. Exact properties are unknown. Uses 2 lightning capacity. It is obtained from Targeting the Captain.
;Coiler :It increases chance of a double attack. This effect increases with each thunder maneuver active. The double attack rate becomes about 5% with no thunder maneuvers, 10% with one, 26% with 2 and 40% with three. It uses 2 thunder capacity and is obtained as a drop from Ob.
;Smoke Screen :It raises Evasion but decreases Accuracy by the same amount. It is active with no dark maneuvers active. It is unclear how this effect changes with dark maneuvers present.
;Drum Magazine :It increases Ranged Attack speed when used with the Sharpshot Frame. A wind maneuver must be active for it to take effect. Each wind maneuver by an additional amount. Three wind maneuvers can come close to doubling the firing rate. It uses 2 wind capacity. It is obtained from Pulling the Strings and the chocobo hot and cold game.
;Pattern Reader :It gradually increases Evasion. The exact effects are unclear. It uses 1 wind capacity. It is obtained from Hilltroll Puppetmaster and can be synthed.
===Damage Control===
;Analyzer :Damage is reduced by an increasing percentage when the automaton is repeatedly hit with the same special move. The effect is increased by the number of earth maneuvers in effect. The type of the damage doesn’t matter as long as the automaton takes damage. This effect is not limited to the same mob, but he counter is reset when a different special hits the puppet. It uses 1 earth capacity. It can be obtained from a Hilltroll Puppetmaster or by synth.
;Steam Jacket :It increasingly reduces damage taken from the same type of attack. As soon as a different attack damages the automaton this effect resets. The effect is always active but the effect increase with each water maneuver. It uses 1 water capacity and is a drop from Ob.
;Equalizer :Damage is reduced proportionate to the number of earth maneuvers active and the percentage of your automaton’s maximum HP the damage would be. In other words, small attacks do almost full effect while large attacks have a larger percentage reduction. Basically this helps prevent the automaton from being devastated by a singe blow. It uses 2 earth capacity. It can be obtained from Ob, Pulling the Strings and the chocobo hot and cold game.
;Schurzen :It prevents the automaton from dying by removing an earth maneuver and reducing HP to 1 instead of 0. It only works on physical attacks. It uses 2 earth capacity and can be obtained from Targeting the Captain.
===Enemy Dependent===
;Scanner :Your automaton will not cast spells that an enemy is resistant to. It will also avoid using status effects that are not useful against the enemy. It also prevents your automaton from casting spells on the mob unless it can kill it if the mob is a much higher level than you. It requires no active ice maneuvers to work. It uses 1 ice capacity. It is synthed only.
;Target Marker :It increases accuracy against ‘powerful enemies.’ The exact properties or this attachment are unknown. It uses 2 lightning capacity. It can be obtained from Ob, Pulling the Strings and the chocobo hot and cold game.
;Attuner :The Attack damage calculation will be altered in your favor if the enemy is stronger than an even match. No maneuvers are necessary. It takes 2 fire capacity. It is a drop form Ob and Pulling the Strings as well as the chocobo hot and cold game.
===Misc. Attachments===
;Tactical Processor :Unclear effect. Apparently increases chance of overloading. Uses 2 ice capacity. It can be obtained through the Pulling the Strings quest or from the chocobo hot and cold game.
;Stealth Screen :It reduces enmity and the effect is increased with water maneuvers. There is a loss of 10 enmity with no water maneuver, 20 with one, 30 with two and 40 with three. It uses 1 water capacity. It can be purchased from Yoyoroon for 9925 gil or synthed.
 
;Heatsink :It reduces the chance of Overload due to fire maneuver use. It requires no water maneuvers to do so. It uses 1 water capacity and is synthed only.
;Condenser :It can prevent overloads due to non-water maneuvers. There must be a water maneuver already active. This water maneuver will disappear when the overload is prevented. It uses 1 water capacity. It is obtained by Scouting the Ashu Talif and Targeting the Captain.
;Optic Fiber :It increases the effect of other attachments. It does not need any maneuvers for its own effect to work. However, some attachments will require three maneuvers of their corresponding element for there to be any noticeable difference. It uses 1 light capacity and is obtained from Targeting the Captain.
;Mana Conserver :It decreases the casting cost of spells by approximately 5% and increases MP savings by approximately another 5% for each dark maneuver active. It uses 1 dark capacity. It can be purchased from Yoyoroon for 9925 gil or synthed.
;Mana Converter :It will reduce your automaton’s HP by half and adds the same amount of MP over the course of 10 tics. With one dark maneuver active it will activate when MP is less than 40%. With two it will activate with MP is less than 60% and with three it will activate when MP is less than 65%. It uses 2 dark capacity and is synthed only.
;Economizer :This does not work like the economizer found in other Final Fantasy games. It can remove all active dark maneuvers to increase a percentage of the automaton’s MP if current MP is less than 50%. One dark maneuver increases MP by 15%, two increase MP by 30% and three increase MP by 45%. It uses 1 dark capacity and is obtained by Targeting the Captain.
==The First 10 Levels==
::You could potentially spend a fortune in parts right from level 1. This can be a waste, especially if you are not yet certain you want to take PUP very far. This section will discuss the parts that are most important for this level range. In my 'optional' category I mean the individual items help things go more smoothly. It does not mean that you should get every item in the category for them to be useful.
===What You Need===
::At this point you can easily solo or duo, and my selections will reflect that. Right now your automaton head and frame will lead it to cast a spell like Dia and charge an enemy for melee when you deploy it. 
::;Auto-Repair Kit II : This is useful in keeping your automaton in the fight and makes dismiss/activate easy without having to stop to heal. You can easily maintain a 2 or 4 point regen with this.
::;Mana Tank II :This is a sound investment in that both of your magic-capable frames can equip it. At this point it makes leveling magic skill easier since your automaton starts with low enough MP that you will often use it up before needing to rest. You can easily maintain a 2 or 4 point refresh with this.
===Optional But Helpful===
::;Shock Absorber :This is nice in that its stoneskin effectively gives your automaton an extra 100 HP. I list this in the optional section because depending on your race and sub it may already have a greater Max HP than you. If you are using the Auto-Repair Kit II you will likely need to rest before it does. Use this attachment before or during battles as necessary.
::;Volt Gun :This is a fun way to infilct extra pain upon your enemies. One thunder maneuver can give your automaton an enthunder effect that will last even after the maneuver wears off or you zone. It is very effective when you want to rapidly kill enemies for exp, but less so when you want to level your automaton's melee skill.
::;Strobe :This allows your automaton to more effectively tank for you by using Provoke. This is useful if you are have it using stoneskin. I list it as optional because your automaton tends to take hate back quickly if you simply stop attacking for a moment.
==The Second 10 Levels==
::This is where things start to get interesting. You gain access to a new frame of your choosing. You will also be gaining more fine control over your automaton as you equip more parts and apply new strategies. Your automaton will have a high enough magic skill cap that using maneuvers to influence its spell casting will be important.
===What You Need===
:::At this point you should already have a minimum of Auto-RepairI, Auto-Repair II, Mana-Tank I and Mana-Tank II. It is time to add Shock Absorber to the list of minimal equipment. The 100 hp Stoneskin it provides will go a long way toward keeping your automaton’s health near maximum. This is especially true when facing gobs due to their area of effect bombs. Other parts will be needed depending upon which frame you choose.
===New Frames===
::;Sharpshot :This is what I recommend as the first new frame. The Ranged skill is the hardest of the three automaton skills to keep near cap since this is the only frame with that skill. Using this frame early on will help minimize this issue. Sharpshot is the best damage dealing frame, so the effort is well worth it.
:::New Minimal Equipment
::::;Scope :Missing is an issue against Incredibly Tough mobs even when Ranged is capped. Since the Ranged Attack is Sharpshot’s best source of damage the Ranged Accuracy bonus from the Scope is a must.
::::;Stealth_Screen :High damage dealing can lead to your automaton taking hate. Sharpshot has minimal defense, so even if it only takes one hit before your tank regains hate the damage will still add up. This is especially important when fighting gobs due to their frequent use of bombs.
::::;Stabilizer, Stabilizer_II :Melee is Sharpshot’s secondary source of damage. Either stabilizer is fine or you can equip both. Note that Sharpshot cannot equip both stabilizers and the Volt Gun at the same time.
:::Minimal Loadout
::::Earth: 1/3 Shock_Absorber
::::Wind: 2/7 Scope
::::Light: 2/5 Auto-Repair_Kit
::::Light: 3/5 Auto-Repair_Kit_II
:::Optional Damage Dealing Additions (pick at most 2)
::::Thunder: 2/6 Stabilizer Reduce melee misses
::::Thunder: 3/6 Stabilizer_II Reduce melee misses, more expensive
::::Thunder: 2/6 Volt_Gun Additional damage, most important against weak mobs
:::Preferred Strategy
::::Sharpshot is a damage dealing frame. Deploy right next to the mob so that it can melee in between ranged attacks. Use Wind Maneuvers to enhance the effectiveness of Scope as needed. Auto-Repair equipment, Stealth Screen, Shock Absorber and a decent tank will generally be enough to keep it safe despite its low defense. Occasionally use a Thunder Maneuver if a Volt Gun is equipped.
:::Poor Strategy
::::Do not use Sharpshot to pull mobs. Unlike your typical puller, Sharpshot is likely to actually hit the mob. This is bad because the additional emnity from dealing the first damage along with the enmity from continued damage dealing make the automaton likely to take hate during the fight. Sharpshot has poor defense so damage can easily accumulate faster than you can repair it.
::;Stormwaker :This frame can use enfeebling magic, elemental magic and cures. It’s cure spells will only target you or itself. Curing also only occurs at certain HP thresholds. Active maneuvers will affect which spell is cast at a given time. Specifics are here. http://wiki.ffxiclopedia.org/wiki/Stormwaker_Head
:::New Minimal Equipment
::::;Mana_Booster :It decreases the time between casting spells. The time is further decreased with each active Ice Maneuver. The difference between having no Mana Booster and having a Mana Booster with one Ice Maneuver active is very noticeable. Note that since having an active Ice Maneuver causes Stomwaker to prioritize elemental magic this is a great part if you want to primarily use nukes. 
:::Minimal Loadout
::::Dark: 2/6 Mana Tank II
::::Dark: 3/6 Mana Tank II
::::Light: 3/3 Auto-Repair Kit II
::::Earth: 1/5 Shock Absorber
::::Ice: 2/7 Mana Booster
:::Optional Damage Dealing Parts
::::Ice: 2/7 Loudspeaker I	- Extra magic damage
::::Ice: 3/7 Loudspeaker II	- Extra magic damage
:::Preferred Strategy
::::I typically deploy next to the mob so that Stormwaker can melee as well as cast spells. I let it use an enfeeble, then alternate Ice Maneuvers and Dark Maneuvers. I try to keep up at least one of each to prioritize elemental magic, keep spell casting rate up via the Mana Booster and have refresh.
:::Alternate Strategy
::::Do the same thing, except deploy at a distance. Stormwaker will remain stationary if deployed a long way from the mob as long as it has MP. This will help keep it out of harms way so that you can easily deactivate/activate to instantly restore MP when needed. The main downside is that you lose the melee damage. In a good party this strategy doesn’t become advantageous until about level 24.
::;Valoredge :I do not recommend choosing Valoredge at this point. It can only skill up melee, which can also be skilled up by all the other frames. It has relatively high HP and defense, but remember that it cannot cast cure and your party’s healer cannot cure it. It is used for emergency tanking and skillchains. 
:::New Minimal Equipment
::::;Strobe ;This will cause your automaton to use its version of provoke. It is necessary for emergency/secondary tanking.
::::;Armor_Plate, Armor_Plate_II :If Valoredge is using provoke it is a good idea to give it some extra physical protection. Mana Jammer I and Mana Jammer II for magic defence are not as important at this level.
::::;Tension_Spring, Tension_Spring_II :Since melee is its only source of damage it may be advantageous to boost physical attack.
::::;Inhibitor :The Inhibitor is important if you mainly want your automaton to perform skillchains. Once your TP is at 90% Valoredge will stop using TP moves until someone in the party uses a TP move it can skillchain with. No active maneuvers are necessary for this effect. If you only want your automaton to spam weaponskills either do not equip this part or try to keep your own TP down as much as possible. Inhibitor also grants Store TP, which increases in potency with each active Fire Maneuver. Valoredge is initially able to produce Scission, Detonation and Induration.
:::::A list of weaponskills is here: 	http://wiki.ffxiclopedia.org/wiki/Automaton_Weapon_Skills
:::Minimal Loadout
::::Fire: 1/ Strobe
::::Fire: 2/ Tension Spring I
::::Fire: 3/ Tension Spring II
::::Fire: 1/ Inhibitor
::::Earth: 2/ Armor Plate I
::::Earth: 3/ Armor Plate II
::::Light: 2/5 Auto-Repair Kit I
::::Light: 3/5 Auto-Repair Kit II
:::Optional Damage Dealing Parts
::::Thunder: 2/5 Volt Gun -Additional damage, most important against weak mobs
:::Secondary Tank Strategy
::::It can be used to temporarily take hate to relieve an overwhelmed tank who is quickly running out of HP. A fire maneuver for provoke, earth maneuver for the shock absorber and light maneuver Auto-Repair will help keep Valoredge alive and keep hate while your primary tank gets cured.
:::Skillchain Strategy
::::An Inhibitor with active fire maneuvers can be used for producing skillchains with other party members fairly rapidly. The downside is that you may not want to use your own weaponskills as often because it will get TP much faster than you but will not skillchain automatically when you have low TP.
:::Poor Strategy
::::Do not use Valoredge to tank. Since it cannot be cured by a mage it cannot hold up against Incredibly Tough mobs for long. Later levels unlock potent oils for the Repair command. They are expensive but can restore a lot of HP
InsaneOne