PLD Gear?

[SwordCoheir]

Do you have test results or know where I can find some? Because I haven't seen any tests for DEF. I've seen them for VIT, but not for DEF. Without test results, this is an assumption.

Well as Stufoo pointed out there is a trait given to CONJ/WHM that adds/increases magical defense gained from Protect.

http://ffxiv.gamerescape.com/wiki/Enhanced_Protect

And back when the classes were initially revamped in 1.19 (1.20 maybe?), they did state that when they removed Shell they were adding a trait to Conj that gives Protect Magical Defense properties, so it's generally believed that they are classified as separate stats.

Considering there is no Magic Defense stat, I can easily see why you could assume that. But if you cast/receive Protect from a CONJ/WHM if you look at your elemental resistances they themselves increase. So it leads me to believe that your resistances is your only form of Magic Defense outside of VIT.

If you wan't an example of why Defense isn't generally believed to affect Magic Defense though, I can tell you on more than a few occasions when doing Garuda anyone who get's hit with Mistral Shriek/Song generally get's hit for around the same amount of damage as I do on either PLD or WAR.

[Sounsyy]

I'd prefer it if we PLDs didn't turn another thread into a DEF/VIT/STR/ENM/HP pissing match please.

Let's assume that DEF only affects physical damage(which makes sense because Chimera's magical attacks still hit like a truck), and let's assume that VIT does offer some form of M.DEF - regardless of whether you believe it does or not.

VIT starts getting diminishing returns on DEF pretty early at level 50. (I kept all the same gear equipped with no DEF+ materia and then reset my point allotment resulting in no change to my DEF after losing 23 points of VIT.) So, first point is: you're going to buff them separate if you want both. Don't buff VIT if you want to increase your DEF. Arguably the only reliable way to buff DEF is to equip HQ gear or do materia melds, which can be added to chest piece or shield only if I'm not mistaken. Which limits the potential amount of DEF you can stack, especially because IMO you should materia HP to chest piece instead because you have a lot of HP to make up on PLD.

Now, my second point. The reason I can't justify stacking VIT boils down to two reasons unrelated to what VIT boosts: 1) PLD already has a naturally high VIT stat. 2) almost every single piece of gear requiring PLD WAR has some value of VIT on it already. I don't have a single VIT ring or VIT materia meld and I've accrued +30 VIT off of my gear. If I go Felt Trousers with double Ironman's Will, I've got 15+ more VIT. So that's... roughly 285ish VIT without trying to buff it at all. Anything beyond that number I consider only useful for situational purposes.

In conclusion, you'd want to stack DEF over VIT because you already have a ton of vit and your def is just sitting there if you don't pay it special attention.

Now getting back to the OP's topic about gear options; IF you want hp, block stat, and m.def GREAT, you've got 30-45 VIT-worth of it without even trying as soon as you get rid of that AF. Now you can focus on stacking more important things! Like ACC, STR, HP, ENM, and capping MND. You've got a lot of crap to buff and ideally you're going to have more than one set of gear. An HP/ENM set for tanking things that hit harder than you can mitigate and are hard to build enmity against. A STR/ACC set for DD tanking, because some fights you've just gotta burn and if you wanna tank, you gotta compete. Also, a VIT/DEF set for trash mobs, FNMs, Princess, etc. This set you can buff the hell out of your mitigation stats and stop arguing which stat does what and for how much.

[Molly_Millions]

I'd prefer it if we PLDs didn't turn another thread into a DEF/VIT/STR/ENM/HP pissing match please.

Let's assume that DEF only affects physical damage(which makes sense because Chimera's magical attacks still hit like a truck), and let's assume that VIT does offer some form of M.DEF - regardless of whether you believe it does or not.

VIT starts getting diminishing returns on DEF pretty early at level 50. (I kept all the same gear equipped with no DEF+ materia and then reset my point allotment resulting in no change to my DEF after losing 23 points of VIT.) So, first point is: you're going to buff them separate if you want both. Don't buff VIT if you want to increase your DEF. Arguably the only reliable way to buff DEF is to equip HQ gear or do materia melds, which can be added to chest piece or shield only if I'm not mistaken. Which limits the potential amount of DEF you can stack, especially because IMO you should materia HP to chest piece instead because you have a lot of HP to make up on PLD.

Now, my second point. The reason I can't justify stacking VIT boils down to two reasons unrelated to what they boost: 1) PLD already has a naturally high VIT stat. 2) almost every single piece of gear requiring PLD WAR has some value of VIT on it already. I don't have a single VIT ring or VIT materia meld and I've accrued +30 VIT off of my gear. If I go Felt Trousers with double Ironman's Will, I've got 15+ more VIT. So that's... roughly 285ish VIT without trying to buff it at all. Anything beyond that number I consider only useful for situational purposes.

In conclusion, you'd want to stack DEF over VIT because you already have a ton of vit and your def is just sitting there if you don't pay it special attention.

Now getting back to the OP's topic about gear options; IF you want hp, block stat, and m.def GREAT, you've got 30-45 VIT-worth of it without even trying as soon as you get rid of that AF. Now you can focus on stacking more important things! Like ACC, STR, HP, ENM, and capping MND. You've got a lot of crap to buff and ideally you're going to have more than one set of gear. An HP/ENM set for tanking things that hit harder than you can mitigate and are hard to build enmity against. A STR/ACC set for DD tanking, because some fights you've just gotta burn and if you wanna tank, you gotta compete. Also, a VIT/DEF set for trash mobs, FNMs, Princess, etc. This set you can buff the hell out of your mitigation stats and stop arguing which stat does what and for how much.

All good points, and thank you for being reasonable. There are enough whiny PLDs in this section of the forums without folks coming in here looking for an argument.

[GreyJorildyn]

get off your high horse jackass, and show me some test results for defense like i asked.

http://kanican.livejournal.com/#asset-kanican-55915

[Stufoo]

reset my point allotment resulting in no change to my DEF after losing 23 points of VIT.

Defense from VIT and Attack from STR do not show up in the stats screen, but it is present in formulas. There is no cap on the return from these 3:2 stats. STR keeps increasing damage done (through attack returns) well above AA and WS caps. Hope this helps.

[Aceofspades]

Stop posting when you only believe stuff, that's your problem. VIT is both physical and magical, Defense is not magical that's what resistance is for and why there's an entire subsection of materia called elemental veil. Do you have any clue how this game works? Why would they need an extra trait on protect to lower magical damage as well if defense (what you get from protect) mitigated it in the first place?

Stop posting.

LOL , coming from a person who perfers DLH armor? As a matter of fact both are important but def is more benifical in damage mitigation then vit. Would you like a parse to test against? Would be happy to supply one on monday, given my static dosent afk on the weekend, (not likely event) I would LOVE to see your HP/ENMITY built take the damage I take, your stuck in this pre war tank world where everything revolves around tanks dealing damage and staking enmity, who cares if the whms are the only reason you can take a hit , right? moron, better idea, YOU stop posting

[Aceofspades]

Defense from VIT and Attack from STR do not show up in the stats screen, but it is present in formulas. There is no cap on the return from these 3:2 stats. STR keeps increasing damage done (through attack returns) well above AA and WS caps. Hope this helps.

realy? SE released the formulas for a game they havent even finished devloping? they never released forumlas for XI! , a game they had perfected stat effects on... again, YOU stop posting

[GreyJorildyn]

realy? SE released the formulas for a game they havent even finished devloping? they never released forumlas for XI! , a game they had perfected stat effects on... again, YOU stop posting

It's funny you say this when you're always asking for "testing" lol. Yeah it was tested and the formula was backwards engineered. People do these things in MMOs. They don't just eyeball shit and say "oh, well this seems to be better...". Crazy right?

Holy shit-tickets you are ridiculous. You're a total joke dude lol

[Aceofspades]

It's funny you say this when you're always asking for "testing" lol. Yeah it was tested and the formula was backwards engineered. People do these things in MMOs. They don't just eyeball shit and say "oh, well this seems to be better...". Crazy right?

Holy shit-tickets you are ridiculous. You're a total joke dude lol

k, back to my point, SE never released formulas soo anything that is devised is only an asumption, wich is a therory at best, dont try to delude facts with your elitest banter. I still parse less damage taken then you and hold hate as well , if not better, should i post yet another video and parses? I mean if yall are accepting that as currency of the realm now, then I would be more then happy to submit, sadly last time I did , it was disreguarded as "not good enough" because tests were done on ifrit. Yet the link you posted had results comming from tests done on low lvl mobs. Soo wich is it? cant have it both ways troll.

[GreyJorildyn]

The mobs in that test are level 50 and there are 52 iirc, haven't read it in awhile. But you do know that you "believe" in the formulas yourself right? You banter about this stat or that stat being more potent than another but you've never posted any evidence, unlike that link which is a thorough, scientific test displaying the formula. You don't even know what a troll is either, clearly. Trying to tell you the truth only seems to infuriate you.