How does one improve "Focus?"

[Tybr]

<div>Hello all,</div><div> </div><div>I was checking my skills the other day when I saw my "focus" skill was amazing low...like 35 when all my other skills were maxed out. (focus affects your ability to remain un-interupted when using CA's [I believe])</div><div> </div><div>Does anyone know of a way to improve this skill?...</div><div> </div>

[Luk]

<div></div>get hit while casting, really hard to o for us, just about all our cast timers are 1 second or less

[Iseabeil]

<div>buy cheapest NPC poisons ye can find, locate some grey heroics that are enough to last a while but without risk to ye. attack it, and keep chain-activating the cheap poison. lousy way, but only way i seen to increase focus on swashies so far is to be attacked when loading poisons.:/ its possible rings etc can work too, not sure.</div><div> </div><div> </div>

[b0nehead]

<div></div>I've had mine improve by getting hit whilst harvesting question marks (doesn't happen often tho).... also seem to remember improving when being hit whilst harvesting nodes, although can't be 100% on that one.

[TheSummoned]

<div></div>Get a small group of grey mobs hitting on you (they must hit you) and cast CoQ while they're hitting you. Easy, fast and effective.

[Klantic5]

<div></div><div>I don't think that you can "Call" during combat.  What I do is I bought a hex doll and or a ring of agility (really, anything that takes a long time to cast) and cast it vs one high gray or low green mob.  You're bound to get disrupted. <img src="/smilies/283a16da79f3aa23fe1025c96295f04f.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /></div><div> </div><div>Enjoy!</div><p>Message Edited by Klantic5 on <span class="date_text">02-04-2006</span><span class="time_text">12:19 PM</span></p>

[Serindyl]

Resource gathering while being hit on also improves it.

[Rendoir]

<div></div><div>Snag a bunch of greys, then call for help, then CoQ, when it gets interrupted cast again. Easy and effective ;p</div>

[Klantic5]

<div></div><div></div><p>Am I wrong in that you can't cast "Call" in combat?</p><p>Message Edited by Klantic5 on <span class="date_text">02-04-2006</span><span class="time_text">12:19 PM</span></p>

[Rendoir]

<div>then call for help.....</div><div> </div><div>quoting me from above post</div>

[Sabatini]

I definately got a raise yesterday while harvesting. First time that ever happened and kind of amused me.

[Klantic5]

<div></div><div></div><p>Ah, I mentally missed the "call for help" part.  My fault.</p><p>Message Edited by Klantic5 on <span class="date_text">02-04-2006</span><span class="time_text">12:18 PM</span></p>

[Dr. Unk]

<div></div>Using potions or posions while fighting is the best way I've found, I got like 2 or 3 skills up just using one charge of posion.

[Carna]

<div></div>I maxed my focus at level 38 inside 30min last weekend from a starting point of 35 focus... actually it was almost 29min on the button. I'm not sure that it does me a lot of good. If you stop and think carefully, there is an easy method for you to max focus any time you feel like it.... For a scout though, it's really not worth worrying about.

[Ahmuntar]

<div>You can also use your agi, sta,str,wis, and int rings to cast also while pulling greys.</div><div> </div><div> </div>

[Mathe]

<div>There isn't a reason to level it anyways. Swashbuckler has no spells that can be interrupted. That is why it is so hard to level for Swashbuckler, because it is never really used. Odds are quite slim that you are going to be casting a poison or potion or hex doll while being hit.The only things that can interrupt you are not stopped by Focus, like being hit with Stun while casting Escape. Focus reduces the chance of a non-interrupt or stun or stifle or similar effect ability from interrupting casting.</div>

[Snapdragyn]

<div></div>I had the same problem on my monk alt, & just got a group of greys to beat on him while he used the 'catalogue creature' ability -- long cast time, nothing to buy, & if it actually succeeds you're not wisked away from wherever you're training.

[Griffinclaw]

<div></div>I found it best to try and " Catalouge" whatever you are fighting, that will raise it quickly

[Mipsie]

Catalogue Creature, now why didn't I think of that? Brilliant wheeze, thanks to both of you who suggested this.<div></div>

[Iseabeil]

<div>mmm.. indeed, time to start cataloging! <img src="/smilies/283a16da79f3aa23fe1025c96295f04f.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /></div><div> </div><div> </div>

[AratornCalahn]

Proof that swashys dont think <img src="/smilies/69934afc394145350659cd7add244ca9.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" />I had mine foucs maxed since I realised I HAD foucs <img src="/smilies/69934afc394145350659cd7add244ca9.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /><div></div>

[Luk]

<div></div>I had mine at max, though since lvl 50, I think I have actually made it to 253 on my focus skill.

[tass]

go up to a weak aggroing enemy and use call of quenos and let it or them beat on u. Just dont hit the mob or call of quenos wont recast.<div></div>

[TheSummoned]

<div>Oh, it does help when you're harvesting or calling with a DoT on you.</div>

[Geero]

<div></div><blockquote><hr>Ahmuntar wrote:<div>You can also use your agi, sta,str,wis, and int rings to cast also while pulling greys.</div><div> </div><div> </div><hr></blockquote>QFT

[geldonyetich]

<div></div><div>I usually try meditating to increase my focus...</div><div> </div><div>Oh, right, you mean IN game.</div><p>Message Edited by geldonyetich on <span class="date_text">02-01-2006</span><span class="time_text">11:33 AM</span></p>

[Suta]

<div></div><blockquote><hr>Tybr wrote:<div>Hello all,</div><div> </div><div>I was checking my skills the other day when I saw my "focus" skill was amazing low...like 35 when all my other skills were maxed out. (focus affects your ability to remain un-interupted when using CA's [I believe])</div><div> </div><div>Does anyone know of a way to improve this skill?...</div><div> </div><hr></blockquote>Just get a heap of green con V easy monsties to beat on you and keep using Catalog over and over on one of them. Best way to raise it <img src="/smilies/3b63d1616c5dfcf29f8a7a031aaa7cad.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" />

[Tybr]

<div><blockquote><hr>TheSummoned wrote:<div></div>Get a small group of grey mobs hitting on you (they must hit you) and cast CoQ while they're hitting you. Easy, fast and effective.<hr></blockquote>Genius...</div>

[overfloat]

<div></div>Seems this is no longer necessary. As of a few patches ago, all my skills were boosted to max -- most noticeably, safe fall and focus capped out (think those were the only two left, actually). I haven't checked other characters yet but I noticed after wondering why I was getting no safe fall skillups for 20 minutes of jumping! I'm guessing most non-tradeskill skills auto-max now.

[SageGaspar]

Nope. It was a one-time bug/feature that boosted everything by about 100. My Safe Fall is 142/252, having been in the low 30s before the patch.<div></div>

[overfloat]

<div></div>Ah ok. Must've boosted some skills by more than 100, because my Focus was closer to 100 originally and is capped at 300 now. Unfortunately the boost means I have no good reason to throw myself off cliffs any more. <img src="/smilies/9d71f0541cff0a302a0309c5079e8dee.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" />

[Kitsune]

What about L 45 Assassin? I cn't take damage. Will this work with Grays too? I did improve Parry on my L 34 Zerker by getting beat up on  - I hit once then turned off auto hit so I only parried. Would appreciate advice as my Focus is the only low stat pulling down my Avoidance. 79 of 227.. dunno how it is so low as I always use Specials and HOs. Can't solo much at my level though in Feerrott.. <img src="/smilies/9d71f0541cff0a302a0309c5079e8dee.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /> <div></div>

[Luk]

um, where did you get the idea that focus effects your avoidance?the only thing that focus really does for a scout is lower the chance of being interrupted when casting evac<div></div>

[Kitsune]

Well, it says so on my P screen when I Mouse over the stats for Avoidance - all in nasty red letters.... that I have a lwer than normal score cos one of my stats is not at the right level for my Level. So I then go to the Skills screen and only low scores for my Skills in Parry, etc are my Archery, and my Focus. Also letting myself be hit on by a mob at L 30 while casting Catalogue put my Focus up 3 points. If it only matters to my Evac, then why does it lower my Avoidance and red-flag it in the P window? <div></div>

[Luk]

if you are in offensive stance, you get a penalty to defense and parry while getting a bonus to slashing piercing and ranged, focus has nothing to do with avoidance

[Ciar20]

I have gained skill in focus not actually tried to do it, just by harvesting or being poisoned they all work well, just being interupted works well.<div></div>

[Kitsune]

Well I did some lettign mobs hit on me and managed to raise my Focus up by 5 points and am no longer Red Tagged with explanatory text... most confusing all this.. unless I had some kind of brief in game bug? <div></div>

[rulerjimbo]

<BR> <BLOCKQUOTE> <HR> Klantic5 wrote:<BR> <P>Am I wrong in that you can't cast "Call" in combat?</P> <P>Message Edited by Klantic5 on <SPAN class=date_text>02-04-2006</SPAN><SPAN class=time_text>12:19 PM</SPAN></P><BR> <HR> </BLOCKQUOTE><BR>you dont even have to call for help..running into mobs and having them aggro you doesnt put you into combat..therefore you can still CoQ :o

[Delpha]

<DIV>For what it's worth, I think this is a skill best raised when without effort.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>I get me a hex doll and equip it - cause that's just my way.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Whenever I am doing a quest that requires me to go wail on greens or greys - again - it's my way. <img src="/smilies/3b63d1616c5dfcf29f8a7a031aaa7cad.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>I will pull a group or two, and then when I find another group, I will get into casting range and use the hex doll to pull them.  This way I don't need to run over and possible lose the aggro of some of the current mobs I'm 'fighting'.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>They are green/grey so I'm not really taking damage.  It can take me anywhere from 1 to 6 tries of the hex doll before it goes through un-interrupted - but in that time I usually gain 2 to 6 points of focus.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>So I've been slowing working it up - but since it has no real advantage - I don't put much effort into it.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Agimi</DIV> <DIV> </DIV>