Puppetmaster Guide by Poof

Also, note that you will have to permanently attach them to your Automaton's Inventory. You've probably noticed that attachments are stackable but this is for crafting purposes only and there is no reason for you to acquire more than one. If your Automaton has received a specific Attachment into its inventory, it can not receive another. Your Automaton will have to have the attachments attached via an NPC in the Automaton shop. Once attached, it will become permanently a part of your Automaton and will show up in their inventory which is separate from yours. Thankfully, they have their own inventory and don't require you to carry around all those attachments!

You'll definitely want to collect all 50 of the attachments to maximize your Automaton's versatility, so start collecting as soon as you are financially capable. Below is an outline discussing the attachments and their effects.

You can buy the first 16 attachments and it's a good idea to go ahead and do so. Make the trip to Nashmau to save yourself some gil because the Auction House tends to list these for twice what they are worth. You can purchase all 16 for a total of 118,920 gil from Yoyoroon or wind up paying double that if you try to buy them from the Auction House.

The ENM will be your biggest challenge because they can only be acquired when a level 60 Puppetmaster wins the ENM battle Pulling the Strings. On top of that, most level 60 Puppetmasters are likely to immediately equip an attachment they don't have if it drops. When these attachments are posted on the Auction House, it tends to reflect a situation where the Puppetmaster has acquired a duplicate of an attachment they already own. Another catch to the ENM is it can only be attempted once every five real-life days, win or lose, and the attachment only has a chance to drop on top of the reward of 2000 Experience Points.

These attachments are valuable at any level, though, and can take some time to collect. If you have the gil, start collecting early by snatching them off the Auction House. Look for opportunities when more than one are listed to possibly get a better price.

• With the expansion of the The Chocobo Hot and Cold Game into the Altepa Deserts and the Elshimo Jungles, the Pulling the Strings attachments are now also available in VCS crates for participants who possess the Desert chocograph or the Jungle chocograph.

The first 16 attachments cover basic behavior and status enhancements. They are easily acquired for a total of 118,920 gil from Yoyoroon in Nashmau. If you don't have that much gil on you, then just focus on the attachments that you think will best suit your playing style until you can afford the rest. While information on these attachments already exists, I've decided that some may find it useful if I went beyond the basic descriptions by explaining them in further detail and offering recommendations for their usage.

Tension Spring (Standard)

The increase to your puppet's attack is useful for all frame combinations, though too much attack may give your puppet unwanted hate. When using a mage setup in solo play, you may prefer tanking while your puppet heals you, but an early Slapstick from your mage puppet may cause it to get unwantedly smacked around a bit.

Loudspeaker (Standard)

This attachment can wait until you get the the Stormwaker frame, but that doesn't mean it's useless for getting started with your new Harlequin frame.

Accelerator (Standard)

This attachment can wait until you get the Sharpshot because until you get that frame or obtain a Turbo Charger you'll probably never have Wind Maneuvers up. The evasion is nice when farming with your Sharpshot to keep it from getting hit if the prey you are sniping doesn't die quickly. Due to the damage output of the Sharpshot in solo play, you are likely to see your Sharpshot dropped fast by a monster that can land decent attacks on it.

Armor Plate (Standard)

A good piece to have on any of the frames, especially at lower levels, but most useful for the Valoredge so it doesn't have to be a priority unless you feel your puppet pulls hate too often and takes too much damage.

Stabilizer (Standard)

This attachment should be an undebated priority. Accuracy is one of the most expensive stats in the game. Fortunately, it's much easier to acquire accuracy for your Automaton.

Mana Jammer (Standard)

There is little use for this attachment unless the monsters you are fighting like to use -ga elemental spells. Think of this attachment like you would the spell Shell and how often you really need the Shell buff. However, this attachment and its Tier II version can be vital in soloing an Avatar battle.

Auto-Repair Kit (Rejuvenative)

Consider getting this attachment from the start; it's very useful in maximizing uptime when you are soloing your way to a level high enough to get a group in Valkurm Dunes.

Mana Tank (Rejuvenative)

A great starter attachment for your first frame and also very useful with the Stormwaker frame. Combined with the Tier II version, your Automaton will be able to regenerate MP at a rate that would make any Red Mage jealous.

Inhibitor (Standard)

This attachment has its uses for any frame at any level, so go ahead and pick it up right away. It will encourage your Automaton to hold its TP until you have TP or until a Skillchain is opened that it can close. It's very useful in parties because your Automaton will constantly try to close Skillchains with other party members as well as you.

Mana Booster (Standard)

This is another nice attachment to start out with because it can be useful on the Harlequin frame.

Scope (Standard)

There is no reason to get this attachment until you obtain the Sharpshot frame. Since many people choose the Sharpshot first, you may want to plan ahead and obtain it if you have the gil. Unless you are sniping very weak monsters and farming their drops, you'll always want this equipped on your Sharpshot frame.

Shock Absorber (Ability)

This attachment is required to trigger the Stoneskin ability for your puppet and it is very useful when fighting monsters that have AOE type attacks as well as just plain soloing and keeping your repair time down to a minimum. A definite grab for the new Puppetmaster.

Volt Gun (Trait)

Though not very popular because it requires two thunder elements to equip, I like this attachment. I used it quite a bit when starting out to zap all the crabs and fish that are the typical prey until the jungles at around level 25. Unless you bought and planned to fill up your thunder elements with the Stabilizer attachments, go ahead and grab this one.

Stealth Screen (Standard)

This is a decent attachment for soloing, but once you start collecting a lot of attachments you'll probably see this one start to collect dust. Not a bad grab for the early Puppetmaster if you don't mind using Water Maneuver to keep it from getting hate and getting pummeled. This attachment can be a nice companion to other water-based attachments that you would be more likely to use the water maneuvers for.

Damage Gauge (Standard)

Though an absolute must for mid-level to high-level solo play, getting this attachment from the very beginning isn't a bad idea either. The Harlequin is able to cast Cure and may save your life with it.

Mana Conserver (Trait)

This is a great companion to the Mana Tank, Mana Tank II, and Mana Converter for the Harlequin and Stormwaker frames. Unlike the Black Mage Job Trait, which activates randomly, this attachment will consistently reduce the amount of MP a spell consumes in direct relation to the number of Dark Maneuvers that are active.

The attachments divided into two more groups of 8 that represent each element. All of them may be crafted with Alchemy or Goldsmithing, but the second group of 8 can also drop from Hilltroll Puppetmaster. The first group of these attachments focus more on controlling your Automaton's behavior such as using Provoke or Flash. The second group consist of Tier II attachments of the original eight. These Tier II attachments can be stacked with the first Tier attachments for a combined bonus.

Strobe (Ability)

The only frame that you'll ever seriously use this on is the Valoredge, however, grabbing it when you are just starting out isn't a bad idea either. If you run into trouble, you can toss up a Fire Maneuver and make your Harlequin frame provoke and hold the mob while you make a clean getaway. Later on, when you get Repair, you can put even more distance between you and the mob by invoking the Repair ability on top of the Fire Maneuver that makes your puppet provoke allowing it to stay alive longer while you run to the zone. Of course, this will usually sacrifice your puppet and you'll have to wait till Activate if the timer isn't ready.

Scanner (Trait)

This attachment was a complete waste until the December 2006 update which dramatically improved its usefulness. This is very nice to have right away for the Harlequin and will continue to prove its usefulness on the Stormwaker.

Pattern Reader (Horological)

I like this attachment because it only costs one wind element to equip but as with the rest of the evasion attachments, it can wait until you have the gil to burn on it because of its limited, situational use.

Analyzer (Ability)

The analyzer directly reduces the damage of a move, according to the number of earth maneuvers active. It works on all special attacks, regardless of damage type (physical, magical, breath, etc). It will not "count" a move unless the puppet is harmed.

The analyzer can only keep track of one move at a time. If the puppet is hit by a different move, all memory of the previous will be lost. Thus, this is only effective when the puppet is hit repeatedly by one, and only one move. The count is independent of which mob used the move, and the puppet does not have to be deployed. Memory persists across multiple mobs, but will reset upon zoning or reactivation.

Heat Seeker (Horological)

This is a nice Accuracy enhancing attachment that only costs a single Thunder Maneuver. Accuracy is never a bad thing and any of the frames can make use of it so grab it right away, if you can. Stack it with Stabilizer and/or Target Marker and toss up Thunder Maneuvers to really see it shine.

Heatsink (Correlational)

This attachment is very useful when you are pouring on Fire Maneuvers and don't want to Overload. You probably won't start spamming Fire Maneuvers until the Valoredge so this little doohickey can wait, if you want to preserve gil. A nice way to use it is to do a set of Double Water Maneuvers in between a serious string of Fire Maneuvers. Do your own testing to find a nice balance.

Flashbulb (Ability)

This little beauty has an effect similar to the Flash spell and activates when a Light Maneuver is up. With practice, you can use it during a mob's special attack and make it miss! Don't start leveling without this gem!

Mana Converter (Standard)

Without this attachment, Puppetmaster would lose an incredible amount of its viability as a solo artist. Get this attachment as soon as possible and don't even think of getting the Stormwaker frame if you haven't obtained this yet.

Tension Spring II (Standard)

As far as Tier II attachments go, this one should be at the top of your list. It has a use for virtually every frame and head combination, so get it as soon as you can.

Loudspeaker II (Standard)

This can wait until you get the Stormwaker frame and it compliments the frame very well. I wouldn't suggest waiting too long to get it after you obtain the Stormwaker or you might find yourself largely disappointed with the frame's performance without this attachment.

Accelerator II (Standard)

Another evasion attachment that has limited situational use and can easily wait until you just have gil to burn.

Armor Plate II (Standard)

This little wonder is useful for any frame and helps increase your Automaton's survivability. Get it as soon as you can, especially for your Valoredge frame.

Stabilizer II (Standard)

Another accuracy enhancing attachment that's probably worth its weight in gold. Missing is equal to zero damage.

Mana Jammer II (Standard)

This attachment grants your puppet a Magic Defense Bonus similar to shell and has limited situational use. Feel free to put this one off until you have gil to burn.

Auto-Repair Kit II (Rejuvenative)

This is a fun attachment to stack with the Auto-Repair Kit for some incredible Auto Regen. Any time you are fighting mobs with AOE abilities you are going to find it much more economical to activate these attachments than burn a bunch of Automaton Oil. At Melee Skill level 150 when your Valoredge gets Cannibal Blade, you won't really need to worry about having these attached and can use the slots for something else.

Mana Tank II (Rejuvenative)

A great attachment for your Harlequin frame to start out with if you can afford it. The Harlequin has a small MP pool and this will help relieve that as well as add a more potent Refresh effect than the Mana Tank. Don't forget though, this attachment can stack with Mana Tank as well and having both of them for your Stormwaker frame is invaluable.

The rarest of the attachments, and therefore the most expensive. These attachments are acquired from the ENM Pulling the Strings. I purchased all of these before I was eligible to do the BCNM and have found them to be priceless. Depending on your server, the price may be somewhat affordable to outrageously expensive. Though, not required to perform well, you'll definitely want to grab them as soon as you can. The drop rate in the ENM is random and not 100% so you may end up with duplicates that you can use to sell and try to purchase attachments you haven't obtained. However, getting 8 drops, regardless if they are duplicates or not, can prove to be quite a chore. You can only do this battle once very 5 earth days, the battle itself, can be difficult to win, and you may just end up with 2000 Experience Points and a handful of Worm Mulch and no attachment.

Attuner (Standard)

This Attuner ignores a percentage of defense based on the number of Fire Maneuvers up. In other words, this attachment will focus on keeping your puppet's attacks at the higher end of the calculated damage curve of its attacks versus the defense of the mob you are fighting.

Drum Magazine (Correlational)

This attachment sacrifices Accuracy for speed in Ranged Attacks. You can help offset the loss in Accuracy with other attachments. While you may not want to equip this attachment 100% of the time, its nice to have on if you plan to hit Overdrive with the Sharpshot frame.

Equalizer (Standard)

This attachment outright reduces the actual physical damage being done to your Automaton by a percentage, in respect to the the calculations between the attack directed at it and your puppet's defense and vitality. In other words, if your puppet's vitality returns a curve of 50-100 and its defense is checked on an attack that returns a value of 65 points of damage, this attachment will reduce the number 65 by a fixed percentage based on the number of Earth Maneuvers that are active. This attachment is phenomenal for any frame, especially a tanking Valoredge!

Target Marker (Standard)

The Target Marker is another priceless gem that makes your puppet a force to be reckoned with when paired with the Attuner. This attachment will allow your puppet to greatly ignore a percentage of a mob's evasion in relation to the number of Thunder Maneuvers that are active.

Mana Channeler (Correlational)

This attachment is a very nice compliment to the your Stormwaker frame, especially if you have the Tactical Processor equipped. The indirect, and often unforeseen, result of this attachment is that your puppet will do more damage per point of MP and will also prevent it from nuking its MP too quickly.

Eraser (Transpositional)

This attachment will remove all maneuvers, providing one of them is a Light Maneuver, and remove a bad status effect on you or your puppet. If you both have a bad status effect, the puppet will prioritize itself over you. I like this attachment when fighting stuff that has silence or paralyze attacks that can quickly sour what would typically be an easy battle. For example, if you are fighting an Antican and it silences you both, but you need your puppet to cure you, this attachment allows your puppet to erase the Silence effect off itself so it can continue to keep you alive.

Smoke Screen (Correlational)

This is a good attachment for your a variety of frame combinations for many different situations. I like to use it with the Valoredge when I'm using it to tank while soloing because Dark Maneuver also helps trigger Cannibal Blade if I have other maneuvers up.

Tactical Processor (Correlational)

This is a beautiful companion to the Mana Channeler and priceless for your Stormwaker frame. If you are a big fan of the Stormwaker, get this one as soon as you can.

These attachments were released in the October and December 2006 updates and focus on adding major enhancements and trickeries to your Automaton. You'll find some of them situational, and depending on your playing style, the sooner you acquire these, the better.

Dynamo (Standard)

Increase your critical hits with this delicious attachment and get it as soon as you can possibly afford it.

Turbo Charger (Standard)

This attachment only affects melee attacks which are great for seeing your puppet perform weaponskills more often. I especially like to put this on the Sharpshot because I always have Wind Maneuvers up.

Reactive Shield (Ability)

This is a great attachment for your Valoredge, or any frame you'd want to use in Ballista. With just one Fire Maneuver, your puppet engages a very nasty Blaze Spikes that causes quite a sting to anything or anyone that hits it.

Optic Fiber (Standard)

This attachment is pure genius and you should grab it as soon as you can. As its description suggest it helps enhance any attachments that you have equipped. However, it can't be used to trigger the abilities granted with some attachments such as Blaze Spikes or Stoneskin; you'll need to put up a Fire Maneuver or Earth Maneuver, respectively, to activate those.

Tranquilizer (Standard)

A wonderful companion to your ice-based attachments for your Stormwaker and Harlequin frame, this attachment helps you achieve more consistent numbers with your Automaton's spells.

Schurzen (Transpositional)

A great attachment for the Valoredge, this attachment may allow an Earth Maneuver to blink the effect of an attack that would have caused substantial damage to your puppet.

Condenser (Transpositional)

A nice addition to any frame, especially those you like to setup with many attachments of the same element. Your automaton may sacrifice a Water Maneuver instead of overloading, with the Condenser equipped.

Economizer (Transpositional)

This attachment erases dark maneuvers to restore MP when your Automaton is running low. It has become one of my personal favorites, particularly when soloing with my Healer puppet. You probably won't find much use for it until after level 50 when your Automaton has Cure IV, but if you plan on soloing after you reach that point, this is a must have if you want to maximize your potential.

SquareEnix tossed a couple new attachments in the March 2007 update which hints that there will be 6 more to come to complete the elemental set. These attachments are also relatively easy to obtain because they are crafted and the yield can satisfy the needs of 12 hungry puppetmasters. They are cheap and useful, particularly Flame Holder for your experience parties, so be sure to pick them up when you can.

Flame Holder (Transpositional)

This fancy, new toy will transpose all of your fire maneuvers to increase the attack of your weapon skills. The more Fire Maneuvers you have up at the time of transposition, the more damage the weapon skill can do! I particularly like to put this on the Sharpshot at any stage and the Valoredge before it obtains Cannibal Blade. If you have Attuner and both of the tension springs, the addition to Cannibal Blade isn't really noticeable enough to sacrifice DoT and there will be many instances where you'll have to put up a Dark Maneuver and not have a Fire Maneuver up before the Weapon Skill triggers. If you don't have Attuner yet, definitely slip this on!

Ice Maker (Transpositional)

This attachment is similar to the Flame Holder only it doesn't require you to build up 100% TP. It does, however, require you to be careful not to overload. A must equip for the Stormwaker frame but it even has its uses on the Harlequin!

Steam Jacket

Coiler