Anyone else feel like this or is it just me?

[wolfsraine]

I was running moogle the other night as BLM. My stats aren't the greatest, but I think they're ok.

Int 367
M.Atk 505
M.Acc 440

This is all before food.

There were 2 other BLMs in the group with me, only wearing AF. One of them was even using that NM drop level 35 one hander... Going through the logs, I'm barely seeing a difference in our damage. My thunder is hitting for around 550-600 and thundara varied between 1000-1100. They were not far off at all. Same 500 range on thunder and high 900's on thundara.

Am I just over estimating how much gear should affect my damage? I'm hesitant to spend my money on double and triple melds if the increases are this marginal.

Maybe I'm just not focusing on the right stats?

Anyone else feel this way?

[Shorty]

From my personal observations (so don't take this as a definite answer), the bonus from stats is additive rather than multiplicative. Which means the following:

Say for example, a well equipped BLM will have 40 extra int compared to the less equipped BLM and 1 int gives 2 extra damage to thundara (random numbers, please refer to detailed tests for actual numbers):

For a low resistance mob (like the moogle adds): Lesser geared BLM does 1000 damage Thundara, so better geared BLM does 1080 damage. i.e. 8% increase in damage.

For a high resistance boss (like Ifrit): Lesser geared BLM does 500 damage Thundara, so the better geared BLM does 580 damage. i.e. 16% increase in damage.

Granted those numbers are made up and exaggerated a bit to show a point. But it means this, the easier the enemy you're fighting, the less different you will notice from int-based attacks. When you get onto harder fights like Garuda, or Chimera (resistance wise) you will quickly notice the gap to start widening between an epicly geared BLM and one still clinging onto most of his AF pieces.

Also don't forget the RNG range of all damage may sometimes bring damage numbers closer between different gear levels for a short period of time. Parse more, and you should start noticing the averages stabilize.

Hope this helps.

[Kazai]

I understand Shorty. Will it be the same in 2.0? Tthis 1:1 change has me a bit confused...

[Asiaine]

Presently there is not a massive difference in damage done with improved stats. An example quantification with arbitiary numbers:
Person H with 375 Int in battle with person L with 250 Int in battle.
Person H has 50% more Int (250 * 1.5 = 375)
Person H will NOT do 50% more damage.
Person H will do closer to 10-15% damage.

(Analysis based on Phase 1 'Mana Burn' portion of Garuda fight).
Also, if Person H misses one more time than Person L, person H and Person L could end up doing the same amount of damage.

Although stats of course make a difference, they are not the be-all end-all decider for how well you do in combat.

The way I look at it is, having a piece of equipment/weapon with a very high stat increases the efficiency of 'stat to slot' ratio. I.e.: Having +18 instead of +5 INT in a ring slot is more efficient. (obviously). However, I do not read this as every slot has to be maximized. Rather, it gives you freedom on where you place your emphasis for gear.

The other aspect to keep in mind is the challenges out there and what they require of us:
XP -- Gear hardly needed.
Ifrit -- Demonstrated to not even need gear, and can be done with basic AF.
Moogle -- Can be done with basic AF.
Garuda -- First 'primal' to want more than AF, but does not need DL/3xMeld. A few good pieces, HQ Jewellry, maybe a single meld.
Raven (Hard) -- Can not comment on this yet, as I have not done it. But I would suspect (since its optional and has only a tiny reward) that this might need to have GOOD gear (although I doubt a requirement for DL/3xMeld still. Maybe just as good as 2x Meld).
Speed Runs -- Whole different game, you need good gear depending on your setup.


Therefore: With the exception of Speed Runs and Raven there is not really the need to spend oodles of gil or time getting optimal gear. Time is better spent in understanding how to use your skill and jobs and work with the basic strategies needed.

3x Melds, DL gear are attractive and great if you are trying to maximize your potential, but 'game wise' I do not expect they to ever be 'needed'. And most certainly do not expect them to be needed in more than one slot.

Sorry for the long answer, but hoping to help people not obsess/worry over gear and focus more on just being good with their skills timing and strategy.

[Shorty]

I understand Shorty. Will it be the same in 2.0? Tthis 1:1 change has me a bit confused...

This unfortunately, u'll have to wait for a dev to reply to...

[Alkimi]

Moogles probably aren't an ideal to mob to compare your gear on, they're pretty weak.

If you did something like Garuda you will notice a hell of a lot more difference. Most BLMs I see around would be completely ineffective in fights like these.