PLD Gear Advice. Please assist

[TaalAzura]

Going for triples at this point in the game is spending needless gil. You can do all the content in the game in single melds. Doubles make it a little easier. Triples (especially a tier-2 materia triple) make only a small difference. What are you planning to actually do with this gear in the month and a half before shutdown?

Having an extra +16 STR on a single piece of gear means that you could potentially free up an entire slot to use for something else; seems worth it to me. I got lucky and hit +44 MND on just my helm and don't need a single piece of gear with MND on it (more or less), giving me a ton of more options.

[Brannigan]

That's great and all, but, again: what is he actually planning to do with it? There's a good chance we'll be getting new content with actual good items that drop. There's no guarantee that triple melds will be that great comparatively (or worth the gil). I think it'd be a pretty good bet that gil will still have some value, but even a decent triple meld might not.

There is literally nothing that requires maximizing your stats through the materia slot machine. Who cares if you have 100 STR gauntlets if you're never even going to fight something that challenges a naked paladin?

Looking at the OP's history he's pretty new. Triple melds are fine, but he'll probably benefit more in the long run by getting "adequate" gear and then stockpiling gil while doing content for fun and items.

[UnasCarter]

I hear you, Brann, thanks for the pointers. Before my first post I had planned on melding and melding, over and over, to achieve what I thought was neccessary to have a decent PLD set. Your (collective) advice has made me think twice about the set I want to produce. I want to have a strong PLD gear set, with a couple of nice pieces that make people think, "nice piece", you know? But, I blew my Cobalt Sabs up trying to double meld Bloodthirst for over +100 HP. Now i've settled for a +65 HP pair I bought from the wards for 99k. Leaving my Gauntlets at +22 STR too, so I am listening. I would like a +40 MND Celata, so going to keep trying.

As for what I want to achieve in game before 2.0; I want to become a bad ass PLD. So while I'm still developing my game and becoming experienced in the end game fights some tasty gear would give me a little lift right.

:Saving my pennies for ARR:

[Molly_Millions]

That's great and all, but, again: what is he actually planning to do with it? There's a good chance we'll be getting new content with actual good items that drop. There's no guarantee that triple melds will be that great comparatively (or worth the gil). I think it'd be a pretty good bet that gil will still have some value, but even a decent triple meld might not.

There is literally nothing that requires maximizing your stats through the materia slot machine. Who cares if you have 100 STR gauntlets if you're never even going to fight something that challenges a naked paladin?

Looking at the OP's history he's pretty new. Triple melds are fine, but he'll probably benefit more in the long run by getting "adequate" gear and then stockpiling gil while doing content for fun and items.

This is fine and all, but the advice I read all over the forums is to first and foremost, cap your stats. That's not real easy to do without a couple triple melds. Given that the average number of tries to get a triple like the one I suggested is 17, and that MND materia is so cheap, I don't really think going for a triple melded celata is out of the question.

Also, we know that materia melded gear will be changing, and probably stats from gear as a whole. It's probably going to get nerfed some. But given the difficulty in obtaining some of the melds, it's not unreasonable to think that triple melds for example will get nerfed to the point of uselessness as some on these forums seem to want to suggest.

My position is that I'd rather gear up for 2.0 now since we have the ooprtunity, rather than wait and see and get behind the curve.

[Sounsyy]

I'm also of the opinion that you should gear what you can now. But also there's no need to go overboard. Militia tank set is great general tanking piece. Lots of hp, vit, and mnd with a little bit of enmity, and best of all, it's free and fairly easy to get. DL/HDL, has some of the best stats in slot, again check out those pieces I recommended. This is also free, but harder to get. Start with a +30mnd celata, they're cheap and readily available on markets. Once you have militia set and a helmet, the only pieces you really need to worry about melding are your str gloves and maybe a shield. Again, you can find tide-me-overs really cheap on markets. Remember, get yourself decent gear before you go for great gear.

Oh, and don't be afraid to try to tank endgame content before you have your dream gear set. Experience benefits you far more than any triple melded piece will. Better gear only makes your job easier, it doesn't make you good at it. You will learn how to tank far better in less than perfect gear than you would waiting for better gear.

[Eliseus]

I personally wouldn't waste your gil or time trying to meld at all on your PLD except maybe a double/triple melded belt right now. I tank in full militia and random GC legs and hold threat fine, and really that is all your used for right now on pld, no matter what you do your DMG isn't going to make or break a fight at all and you aren't going to be able to get enough defensive things to really help you survive when your whm should be keeping you alive NP on any fight in this game. Well alive if you do things properly like dodging breaths (even then you can stand in most if you toss a heal on yourself right after) and dodging 100tonz swing etc...

With the proper rotation you will be able to hold threat NP on anything without these melds that everyone keeps suggesting you get.

Also, you don't need anything special for your PLD to even get militia, just need to know how to get threat on an NM and run in circles. Hell, people do it naked for fun all the time. Should give more hamlet points imo :P

Now if you have time to waste and gil, I'd go all day for those melds, but you really don't need them, at all.

[Sounsyy]

I personally wouldn't waste your gil or time trying to meld at all on your PLD

I have to disagree with this. Now is the perfect time to be buffing up your gear. You have a million ways to make easy gil, easy seals, plenty of inventory space, and there's plenty of mats at very low prices on the markets. Will these pieces be "optimal" in 2.0? Maybe, maybe not. But if Militia/Darklight/Sentinel/triple melded cobalt is better than plain cobalt/AF in 1.0, I can guarantee it'll still be better than plain, unmelded cobalt/AF in 2.0. Your cobalt mitts with 30-40 STR or your cobalt celata with 30-50 MND are still going to be better than AF gloves/head in 2.0, even if there's something out there in 2.0 endgame that's better. Gear now so the only gear you have to get in 2.0 is the new gear.

Why wait to gear up til 2.0? You'll be busy doing a million other things. Leveling new jobs, crafting adjustments, new world to explore, possible Gold Saucer, new quests, new content of all descriptions. Don't waste your time in 2.0 gearing up when you literally have two months left of 1.0 where there's nothing better to do.

[Eliseus]

I have to disagree with this. Now is the perfect time to be buffing up your gear. You have a million ways to make easy gil, easy seals, plenty of inventory space, and there's plenty of mats at very low prices on the markets. Will these pieces be "optimal" in 2.0? Maybe, maybe not. But if Militia/Darklight/Sentinel/triple melded cobalt is better than plain cobalt/AF in 1.0, I can guarantee it'll still be better than plain, unmelded cobalt/AF in 2.0. Your cobalt mitts with 30-40 STR or your cobalt celata with 30-50 MND are still going to be better than AF gloves/head in 2.0, even if there's something out there in 2.0 endgame that's better. Gear now so the only gear you have to get in 2.0 is the new gear.

Why wait to gear up til 2.0? You'll be busy doing a million other things. Leveling new jobs, crafting adjustments, new world to explore, possible Gold Saucer, new quests, new content of all descriptions. Don't waste your time in 2.0 gearing up when you literally have two months left of 1.0 where there's nothing better to do.

I don't think you read any of my post at all did you? Because My post was directed at you really don't need melded gear on pld, at all, except maybe melded belt.

[Sounsyy]

??? Yes I read it. I still disagree. Sure, no job needs triple melds, but they help... sometimes a lot. (Reviewing my earlier post: )

Better gear only makes your job easier, it doesn't make you good at it.

PLD gear is no exception. Do you need +40 STR gauntlets or +40 MND helm or a double melded DEF/HP kite shield to tank? No, but they can make your life easier. Just because you can tank iffy or hamlets or whatever naked now, doesn't mean you will be able to do so in 2.0. Why are you advocating that players not try to boost their gear when it's relatively easy to do so now in 1.0, especially when there is really nothing else to do?

[Eliseus]

How do you know triple melded gear is going to be good in 2.0. See what I did there? Stop spotting nonsense, I didn't tell him to not get double/triple melds, I said if he has the gil and time to go for it, but besides that you can do everything in this game SOOOOOOOOOOO EASY ALREADY that you don't need the melded gear. Also with the whole 1:1 ratio melded gear is suppose to be with raid gear in 2.0 that would also make melded maybe not worth it in 2.0. Would you like to put words in my mouth more or? Again, read my post.