Artifact Armor +2

[wildsprite]

Sorry, but no matter your skill, your gear is gimp if you play any melee job and do not have a Brutal and Rajas. They are the easiest pieces of gear in the game to get that last from start to end, literally being in the best setups even though they are level 75 cap gear. While you have only mentioned SMN & RDM as your jobs, I will say that you are not missing out a ton from not doing CoP for those 2 jobs if you play RDM as a mage only. But if you played another job, say THF, or DRK, I would say you are gimp, because you miss 2 of the most basic and yet amazing pieces of gear in the game.

I don't play melee jobs, and I intend to get a Tamas ring once CoP is finished for me,

however I am going through CoP for the story, which I happen to be enjoying

[Economizer]

I understand there are many events where a WHM without a SCH is functional,

If you don't have light weather to work with then haste belts tend to be best in slot due to the large amounts of recast reduction.

While I know some players favor a Witiful Belt, personally I favor the Goading Belt (the enmity doesn't hurt in the slightest currently), but if I ever fight AV I'd be strongly considering the Ninurta's Sash. Still the argument about it being buyable stands.

I'd love to meet a person who's so die hard WHM that they won't focus on any other job.

Well, I can't say I don't gear other jobs...

Though I wonder if someone that die hard is probably looking to Sea for Altruistic Cape to get that 1 extra Healing Magic Skill in the back slot for Cursnas. I'm sure they wouldn't be interested in Merciful Cape for maximizing Boost spells either.

Altruistic isn't really worth it.

Merciful is definitely worth it currently.

Rajas Ring is pretty good for the melee inclined (doesn't hurt that Tamas is crap).

Healer's Mitts +1 are still pretty good for what they do.

The Shedir Manteel is roughly best in slot for TP build for melee White Mage (and also very good for a recast set).

The Adhara Turban and Healer's Duckbills +1 are essential parts of any spell interrupt set, although building such a set is hardly essential.

[SpankWustler]

I'll take any and every set of JSE that the Development Bros feel like making. The last few sets have been really interesting, and many pieces of Artifact Armor +1 such as the Ninja body or the White Mage hands have yet to be replaced in whatever niche they fill.

Looking at the amount of Dual Wield on the Ninja Relic Body +2, I have to wonder if it intentionally stops short of replacing the AF+1 piece completely. If that's the case, I'd really love level 99 versions of this stuff that level 99 equipment might be taking care not to replace.

I don't play melee jobs, and I intend to get a Tamas ring once CoP is finished for me

Sadly, I am not exaggerating when I say that you would be better off just getting the Raja's Ring for those times when you melee on your mage jobs. Tamas Ring was originally a valid option for someone with only mage jobs, but it has not aged well at all. The only positive thing that can be said about Tamas Ring now is that it's free.

[wildsprite]

Sadly, I am not exaggerating when I say that you would be better off just getting the Raja's Ring for those times when you melee on your mage jobs. Tamas Ring was originally a valid option for someone with only mage jobs, but it has not aged well at all. The only positive thing that can be said about Tamas Ring now is that it's free.

in that case I guess I'll get the Raja's Ring then

[Economizer]

Sadly, I am not exaggerating when I say that you would be better off just getting the Raja's Ring for those times when you melee on your mage jobs.

Shoot, Occult Acumen benefits from Store TP, and Subtle Blow limits TP feed. It's an irreplaceable ring for casting if you need those stats... whereas Tamas isn't just replaced for what it does, but stomped into the ground.

[Zhronne]

As to the OP I honestly don't care for the idea of AF+2 in the sense of having the same look.

I do like the look of AF1 armor, it's so FF-esque! But it's not just a matter of looks, doubt I would fulltime any piece.

My concerns are mainly about the job specific enhancements on AF1 (and AF1+1) pieces.
Some are unique and really awesome.
Those effects stay the same in the upgrade from AF1 to AF1+1. It was the same for AF2 and AF2+1.
Then AF2+2 came, they upgraded all of those job specific effects, and so people like me started dreaming the same could happen to AF1, having AF1+2 with upgraded effects.

Imagine a Temple Cyclas +2 with upgraded Chakra effect and +15 VIT, imagine an upgraded Temple Gloves +2 that furtherly enhances the amount of attack you get from Boost.
Imagine a Ninja body +2 with some useful stats and 10% Dual Wield.
AF1+2 feet with perma 25% movement speed
And so on, and so on, and so on.
There are many of these situational AF1 pieces that I still use to macro in and out, it would be incredibly awesome to have an upgraded version of those pieces, if not to fulltime it at least to even furtherly enhance those special job abilities/spells of each Job in the game.

[Zagen]

I do like the look of AF1 armor, it's so FF-esque! But it's not just a matter of looks, doubt I would fulltime any piece.

My concerns are mainly about the job specific enhancements on AF1 (and AF1+1) pieces.
Some are unique and really awesome.
Those effects stay the same in the upgrade from AF1 to AF1+1. It was the same for AF2 and AF2+1.
Then AF2+2 came, they upgraded all of those job specific effects, and so people like me started dreaming the same could happen to AF1, having AF1+2 with upgraded effects.

Imagine a Temple Cyclas +2 with upgraded Chakra effect and +15 VIT, imagine an upgraded Temple Gloves +2 that furtherly enhances the amount of attack you get from Boost.
Imagine a Ninja body +2 with some useful stats and 10% Dual Wield.
AF1+2 feet with perma 25% movement speed
And so on, and so on, and so on.
There are many of these situational AF1 pieces that I still use to macro in and out, it would be incredibly awesome to have an upgraded version of those pieces, if not to fulltime it at least to even furtherly enhance those special job abilities/spells of each Job in the game.

I understand what's wanted and I'd prefer along the lines of: new body armor with enhanced Chakra effects instead of AF+2.

With the exception of a few pieces in Relic+2 they're all still macro items only, they become better macro items but still macro items only. I'm sure I'm missing some but the only one close to "full time" that comes to mind are NIN's Relic Legs and at 75 those were close to full time.

[Mirage]

But why? I think the designs are pretty cool, and SE loves reusing things that look cool. Why not use the new designs they're going to make on gear that is even better?

[Zhronne]

I understand what's wanted and I'd prefer along the lines of: new body armor with enhanced Chakra effects instead of AF+2.

The result would be the same, I don't really care for looks and I don't want to factor the portermooglization of AF1+2 gear, so the difference is in another aspect.

That is: were they to release AF1+2 we'd have the warranty that EVERY SINGLE ONE of those bonuses would get an enhanced version.
Were they to follow your paradigm, we would only see a couple of pieces here and there for some jobs.

This is my main concern.
If Matsui comes here tomorrow and says "we're gonna release new gear with augmented version for every single one of the job specific enhancement of AF1" then I will have nothing to complain about. But realistically that won't happen, while with AF1+2 they'd be "forced" to do it.
And that's probably the reason why they don't want to do it: too much effort

I'm sure I'm missing some but the only one close to "full time" that comes to mind are NIN's Relic Legs and at 75 those were close to full time.

Uhm I never said they are fulltime pieces, sorry if I made other people assume so from my posts.
I more or less think the same way as you do, altough I have a much more optimistic view on the issue.
Yes, the majority of those items are macro-only for JAs or WSs etc.
There are some exceptions. The number of these exceptions is very small if you're the sort of player that has a fuckton of awesome gear (Salvo+1, NNI, Legion etc), while it becomes potentially larger if you're an average player that hasn't got much more than Empyreal+2 and some random Voidwatch stuff.

So on a large perspective, AF2+2 offers a relatively easy to obtain option for average players in many slots.
From this point of view, it's a good thing no?

I'm sure the same could happen with AF1+2.
Some itemizations (the majority? :P) were completely random and made you wonder why they even bothered to put those stats on the slot, but some other options would be good, it's just that their stats are too low.

[Zagen]

As long as AF+2 doesn't have something stupid like requiring full augmentation like Relic+2 does now to be stored it's just ascetics for me. After playing for 10 years looking at different gear is appealing.

As to Mirage's comment: what's to stop new gear from not only being awesome but also replacing AF/+1?