Help me decide on gear please

[Aleste]

...we're talking about -casting reduction. Getting up to -50% in cure casting reduction gear makes a big difference.....the Surya's Staff ( -12%),....

Not to nitpick, but my Surya's+3 has 23% cure potency on it, no casting time-%.

On the grounds of casting time -%. I've never had problems with merits, /sch, af3+2 legs and orison locket.

[InsideOut]

Not to nitpick, but my Surya's+3 has 23% cure potency on it, no casting time-%.

On the grounds of casting time -%. I've never had problems with merits, /sch, af3+2 legs and orison locket.

There is more than one Surya Staff trial.
I don't have a problem with wearing universal gear setups like that, but to overlook the benefits of a -cure casting build in Abyssea is silly. However, I don't believe the WHMs here have have worn enough nor tested high percentage -casting reduction builds to speak from experience.

The -% Surya's Staff trial is tedious, most people don't have marduks body, and the acesors choker and clogs can be expensive and seem unnecessary to people who have the orison locket.

Its OK if you don't have enough gear to test out these things but don't argue the usefulness of -cure casting gear based on your experience with 'cure clogs'.lol

[Aleste]

Ok, I'll assume for the second that you're being deadly serious about cure cast time gear, to the point where you've killed 1,400 mobs with light damaging spells for a -12% staff.

Cure spellcasting time -%
Surya -12% (~1,400 mobs)
Aceso's -10%
AF3+2 -12%
CClogs -15%

Fastcast
Vivid Grip -2%
Incanter Stone -2%
Loq. Earring -2%
Marduk body -5%
Veela Cape -2%

/SCH -10%
Merits -20%

-92% Casting time

Recast reduction cap is 50%.
Casting Time reduction cap is 80%.

Average cure has a 2.5 second casting time; and with maximum alloted reduction is 0.5s.

Spellcast is quick, but factoring in latency to server there is no way you're using that much fastcast and getting the full quality cure off... and if you're introducing artificial delay in there to assist in precast and midcast, then what is the point in having the fastcast in the first place?

--edit clarity
I highly doubt you're getting 21 gearswaps done in under half a second.

[InsideOut]

Aleste-
I have said ,more than once, that cure potency is overrated in abyssea.
There should have been no reason for you to think that I would swap in anything mid-, pre- or after casting.

[Aleste]

I immensely disagree with that.

There's a difference between casting cure V for

1,000 w/ 250 stoneskins every 5.5 seconds for 85mp;
and
1,300 w/ 400 stoneskins every 7.5 seconds for 57mp;

Granted both of them end up with the exact same HP healed over time, but the latter does it much more efficiently.

The only arguement for that much fastcast/-cct% is for the curaga series, and I'd hardly advocate those.

[InsideOut]

/blinks eyes
/stares blankly
/exits thread

[Greatguardian]

There is no latency with the server in regards to gear swapping. That is all done client side, and then the results are sent to the server. If you want to be really anal about having -80% Cast time, just set a custom midcastdelay for 0.1 seconds and get the best of both worlds.

That said, I still think this debate is functionally retarded. With the release of the +3 Surya's trials, there's really no reason not to pursue a +3 Cure Potency staff alongside a +2 Casting Time staff. There's really no need for a Recast staff since Recast caps at 50%, which is easily attainable with minimal effort (25% gear, 15% spell, 10% Arts).

[Economizer]

Like I said, some of this goes down to playstyle, but ultimately, you don't need Cure Clogs to cure efficiently. If you are a good White Mage you'll be a master of timing cures to land just as the damage does, even without unnecessary gear like Cure Clogs or a neck piece.

Granted both of them end up with the exact same HP healed over time, but the latter does it much more efficiently.

But here is the thing - you can get a reasonable amount of recast reduction and cap cure potency. Recast reduction has a much larger impact, for much cheaper cost, then cast reduction does.

Ultimately, I favor wearing more haste gear and recast gear then many White Mages, and I see benefits from it. I can afford to avoid Cure VI like the plague it is, and pump out massive amounts of curing using lower tier cures, and I won't be an Abyssea only White Mage who wonders why I have to rest every thirty seconds after spamming Cure VI.

The only arguement for that much fastcast/-cct% is for the curaga series, and I'd hardly advocate those.

If you can find a situation where you are curing the majority of your party, they can be quite useful, especially since your AF3 pants can make a Curaga free to cast if you hit enough people. Of course, given how often one of these is casted, busting out a Celerity would generally be more effective then Cure Clogs.

[Retsujo]

Gotta agree with aleste on this one. I mean both preferences have their advantages and disadvantages, but personally I prefer the potency+ and solace bonuses over super-fast casts. I have had zero problems in and out of Abyssea, so it's my most comfortable build towards cures. Granted I don't have all the best gear ever to satisfy your standards with my argument, but that shouldn't deter an honest, intelligent, open-minded look at other possible ways to play your job than the one you're most comfortable with.

Of course I'm not saying you should consider changing the way you play, either.

[InsideOut]

Of course there is no reason for anyone to have problems using a potency build in or outside of abyssea. Thats why it is the universal playstyle.
Still, that doesn't change the fact that a -%cure casting build has an advantage in abyssea.
Curing faster allows for more time to do other things. From my experience, those 2-3 extra seconds of casting time matter. If someone is getting beatdown while you're casting haste,stoneskin,bar spell, or even curing, those 2-3 seconds matter. Its great to know that your next cure is going to go off like a quickcast. I think every whm has been there.

Potency is wasted in abyssea because most of the time you will be over curing. So if you're under curing you're playing it wrong. lack of MP and enmity gain should be of little concern.