Red Mage meriting

[Hyrist]

No, seriously people need to stop jumping the gun on insulting people, it's a terrible habit and it adds absolutely nothing constructive to the community. This cannot be overstated or overemphasized.

Personally, I don't think the spell is worth the 5 merit slots it takes to really outpace Bio II =/. Even if all you do is solo only, you may honestly benefit more from Slow/Para 2 at 5/5 assuming the game isn't completely immune to them forever.

It takes ~45 seconds of consistent attacking for Slow II at 5/5 to start making a difference over Slow II 1/5. You break out of melee range/delay for any time during that and you're wasting merits if your primary method is soloing or quick fights.

Paralyze II is different as it triggers on spells and on any given attack that's not counted as a TP move. So Bio III 5/5, Slow II 1/5 Para 4/5 for kite tactics. 5/5 Bio III, 5/5 Slow II for coccon tanking and use Ice Spikes otherwise.

The increased Defense Reduction justifies it for outside solo play over Bio II, though you'd get more use out of Dia III IMO.

Still, I'd much rather prefer that these were scrolls and each merit went into potency modifications for each CATEGORY of spell.

Either way I'm more interested how the merits will change as the updates come than how they are now. Which is why I recommended waiting or not getting too attached to any one format.

[saevel]

One note though Hyrist, unless your using signet and the monster is weaker then you, that -attack down isn't doing anything.

Monsters have a floored cRatio of 1.0. Mean that even if you inflicted them with 1 attack while you had 400 defense, it would still treat it like they had 400 attack. Its why PLD's groan that defense doesn't mean anything and how MNK's even with CS up still don't take that much damage when they do get hit. SE cheats pure and simple.

You only need enough defense to overcome the monsters attack and ensure it doesn't get a bonus, any extra is worthless unless you get crited.

[cidbahamut]

I'd rather be the bad guy brow-beating you than let some new Red Mage run around thinking that casting Bio III is going to make them take significantly less damage and dramatically improve their soloing performance while kiting.

Heck, even saevel agrees with me. Excuse me while I go check to make sure it isn't raining fire from the sky.

One note though Hyrist, unless your using signet and the monster is weaker then you, that -attack down isn't doing anything.

[Hyrist]

You reach far fewer people when your corrections are laced with insults.

Savele on the other hand did it right.

Although, the counter would bet that TRUE min/maxers would be able to use that attack reduction to switch to more offensive gear, but even I probably woulden't go that far.

Again, it's a consideration. I've listed my merits and the reasons why I choose them, note that they don't involve Bio III in practice. It really depends on the circumstances, though honestly, if they're really going to fix Debuffs, we should take a note on the floored Attack calculations over to the Developers as part of what needs to be fixed.

[Neisan_Quetz]

Money on their answer being 'it would make higher level monsters too easy'.

[Hyrist]

My response: Then make them harder.

[Neisan_Quetz]

Not sure how much harder you're wanting them to be... The easiest method - immunity to being debuffed, or being unaffected by them

Failing that, rapid TP accumulation and/or high levels of store TP either on hit or during/inbetween TP moves, unnamed TP moves for regular hits and/or hits with added effects, inflicting weakness status, back to back high damage AoE TP moves/spells... I suppose changing modes/behaviour based on statuses affecting them?

[Hyrist]

Or values high enough that the absence of specific debuffs that they are vulnerable too make them neigh unbearable to fight.

I've always wondered why monsters haven't yet been designed that are invulnerable or highly resistant until something like say, a magic burst skillchain has been preformed. Then temporarily be vulnerable for a window of time, (that could possibly be extended depending on debuffs that were landed on it.)

There's a wide variety of possibilities for monsters they've not yet explored. Likely due to the coding involved.

[Swords]

No argument from me there Hyrist, this game has gone from challenging, to casual, to way to easy and fast paced. Even if SE did some minor tweaking such as vastly boosting mobs defense and hp (and I mean double, tripling it or even more) it could put a monkey wrench in zerg tactics long as the mob can outlast the players JA/2hr/Spell buffs. That's just speculation off the top of my head.

Although Voidwatch somewhat remedied that problem by giving a mob wicked TP moves, even if a mob did not have some killjoy TP move having immense defense would weaken players attacks and WS's and at the same time immense hp where a mob can outlive a players buffs would only further weaken a players ability to damage them leaving hate on the fritz and increasing the likelyhood of death if zerging. It does give RDM an added bonus however, it would give us a situation where we could utilize some/all of our enfeebles to help ensure success, pending SE does not keep up with this bloody immunity/flat resistance trend.

[Neisan_Quetz]

All more HP will do is make the fight take longer, look at the infamous PW fight.