In case meriting protectra V wasn't bad enough...

[Dragoy]

Odds are there is a more or less of a 'carbon copy' of the topic over at the Japanese side. ^^;

I would imagine they're just as annoyed by this as we are, and I even think they mention in the past that they are looking into something like this... perhaps that was defence in general, but either way, it's good they're looking into it, finally!

(Not saying we shouldn't keep voicing our stuff or anything, but yeah!)

[Babekeke]

Odds are there is a more or less of a 'carbon copy' of the topic over at the Japanese side. ^^;

I assume so, too.

I even think they mention in the past that they are looking into something like this... perhaps that was defence in general, but either way, it's good they're looking into it, finally!

I recall there was a lot of discussion about defence in general when they changed the COR rolls, (PLD roll in particular)

[InsideOut]

If that gif is any indication of how your WHM looks at his/her keyboard while you're all dying, then I can understand your concern for miniscule MP values. Aside from that, thank you for justifying my argument.

Activating a job ability, while wasting a stratagem, so you can use triple MP for one spell that already has an AoE version, doesn't sound so minuscule. But then again, I don't have a problem with being the sole whm, recasting spells midfight, or any of those other crazy circumstances.

Hey everyone!

We reviewed your feedback and we are considering adjustments so that the effect of Protect becomes stronger in the future. The benefits of the current Protectra V feel low because the upgrades are based on a static value. One direction we are exploring is to make the defense increase based on a percentage rather than a static amount. Thank you for the suggestions and please keep them coming.

Amazing. Can't wait.

[Llana_Virren]

But then again, I don't have a problem with being the sole whm, recasting spells midfight, or any of those other crazy circumstances.

Exactly. If we're not having an issue with being the sole whm, or recasting spells, then why is the MP cost an issue again?
Either MP is an issue, or it isn't. Saying "it costs too much MP, therefore your idea is stupid" while simultaneously saying "I don't have any MP issues" invalidates your original argument.

I'd assume that is supposed to be a cigarette, but considering how totally oblivious to logic you are, I'm gooint to assume it's been laced with something.

That, and .gif aren't really needed on an official forum except to distract readers from the fallacy of your argument.

[InsideOut]

Exactly. If we're not having an issue with being the sole whm, or recasting spells, then why is the MP cost an issue again?
Either MP is an issue, or it isn't. Saying "it costs too much MP, therefore your idea is stupid" while simultaneously saying "I don't have any MP issues" invalidates your original argument.

I'd assume that is supposed to be a cigarette, but considering how totally oblivious to logic you are, I'm gooint to assume it's been laced with something.

That, and .gif aren't really needed on an official forum except to distract readers from the fallacy of your argument.

This is about you going through an unnecessary effort to give your party an AoE buff, which triples your MP cost and uses a stratagem, all for a spell that you consider to be useless. lol It's just odd and wasteful.

Then there is the issue of you considering it crazy to be the sole WHM, rebuff your party midfight, and have 2 or fewer primary healers in your alliance. It seems as if you are the one having MP or whatever problems in normal alliance setups.

I doubt enough people read these forums so I have no reason to put on a show. I use the .gifs because they make me smile. You use a stratagem to AoE Protect V your own party but, at the time, say that "Protectra V sucks". What you need to do is recreate that lv63 Protectra IV macro and relax. Its not that serious.

[Llana_Virren]

A bunch of nonsense.

Since you're really trying to ignore the whole point of what I was saying, I'll really try to explain it once more.

Protectra V as a merit option is a waste of merits. Protect V is not a waste of MP. Enhancing party defense is not a wasted effort, which is why I use Accession>Protect V over Protectra IV. Also, I have absolutely no MP issues inside or outside of Abyssea/VW instances, because I know what I'm doing. Using a strategem before a fight is not a waste... you're not using it on anything else at that point anyway.

"But you can Accession>Shell V the mage party". Yes, I could, but that would be a waste of MP, since they should be outside of the casting/aura radius anyway.

"But what about rebuffing during a fight?" If I have to combat-cast a buff midfight and run into the red zone, I'm going to use Protectra IV due to time expedience. However, I may also do an Accession>Run in>Protect V if I think I have the time or if it is safe to do so. Obviously conditions such as timing, current MP, etc will play a factor, however I will always make an effort to give my party the most bang for any spell I cast.

"But what if you're the only WHM in your alliance?" Then obviously what you do will depend on how well you can hold your MP while keeping people alive. In my case, Accession>Protect V does not hurt that balance, so I do it. If I find myself in a situation where it would be unwise to do so, then obviously I will not do it. However, it is not always unwise to do so. However, it is always unwise to not give your party and/or alliance 100%.

"Its not that serious." Not to you perhaps, but I like to be great at WHM, not just good at it. And while your .gif craze might be humorous, they don't actually add anything to your post except make them less serious.

The moral of the story: WHM is serious to me. Obviously, with my gameplay and experience, I have found the benefit of Accession>Protect V to outweigh the cost (both literally and figuratively). If that does not work for you, so be it; however it does not change the fact that Protectra V was a poorly designed spell that does not warrant the merits, which was the point of this thread. Proof: SE might actually fix it.

So, that being said, you're arguing something that doesn't apply to the situation at hand; you're debating MP usage when MP usage is not an issue, and you're contesting that Pro4 is better than any form of Pro5 due simply to the convenience of casting it.

I take WHM seriously, so if that's the difference between us let's just leave it there, shall we?

[InsideOut]

Protect V/Protectra V sucks because ,as we all know, it only gives +5 defense over Protect IV. Since you are willing to use 252MP and a stratagem for a spell that only cost 84MP, surely unlocking Protectra V by taking a merit out of Devotion would be a smart move.

I am a serious white mage. I have played it for years and gone out of my way to obtain Arka I, Arka II, and Arka IV light staff trials. My recast on CureIV is 2seconds. CureV is lowered down to 3 seconds. With double march, those recast timers go down a full second respectively. I've also gotten the Vishrava II staff(Earth Recast) just so I can keep up Accession+Stonekskin during stagger procs. I'm currently working on the Wind Recast equivalent to lower my Haste times. Its overkill but WHM is my love and I play it very very well.

Yes, I find your play style to be questionably silly. I take pride in my whm and the way I play it. For you to imply that you are somehow on another level is an insult.

[Babekeke]

I don't understand why you bother with protect in any shape or form for VW... everyone should be full-timing fanatics. I tend to play melee jobs at least 50% of my time now, and personally, I never even ask for protect of any form due to the very little difference that it makes. The 1 exception for me is in WoE on DRG/BLU using a rabbit pie I can get close to 1k def with pro v. But that's because every 1 def with cocoon and def food = 2.25 def (up to the food cap at least).

[InsideOut]

Babekeke, you know there are many times when you have all the right proccing jobs but somehow seem to go 5mins without a single proc. Its like praying to Altana for a voidwatch body drop. I'm sure it helps even if you don't notice.+

[Dantedmc]

Since you're really trying to ignore the whole point of what I was saying, I'll really try to explain it once more.

Protectra V as a merit option is a waste of merits. Protect V is not a waste of MP. Enhancing party defense is not a wasted effort, which is why I use Accession>Protect V over Protectra IV. Also, I have absolutely no MP issues inside or outside of Abyssea/VW instances, because I know what I'm doing. Using a strategem before a fight is not a waste... you're not using it on anything else at that point anyway.

"But you can Accession>Shell V the mage party". Yes, I could, but that would be a waste of MP, since they should be outside of the casting/aura radius anyway.

"But what about rebuffing during a fight?" If I have to combat-cast a buff midfight and run into the red zone, I'm going to use Protectra IV due to time expedience. However, I may also do an Accession>Run in>Protect V if I think I have the time or if it is safe to do so. Obviously conditions such as timing, current MP, etc will play a factor, however I will always make an effort to give my party the most bang for any spell I cast.

"But what if you're the only WHM in your alliance?" Then obviously what you do will depend on how well you can hold your MP while keeping people alive. In my case, Accession>Protect V does not hurt that balance, so I do it. If I find myself in a situation where it would be unwise to do so, then obviously I will not do it. However, it is not always unwise to do so. However, it is always unwise to not give your party and/or alliance 100%.

"Its not that serious." Not to you perhaps, but I like to be great at WHM, not just good at it. And while your .gif craze might be humorous, they don't actually add anything to your post except make them less serious.

The moral of the story: WHM is serious to me. Obviously, with my gameplay and experience, I have found the benefit of Accession>Protect V to outweigh the cost (both literally and figuratively). If that does not work for you, so be it; however it does not change the fact that Protectra V was a poorly designed spell that does not warrant the merits, which was the point of this thread. Proof: SE might actually fix it.

So, that being said, you're arguing something that doesn't apply to the situation at hand; you're debating MP usage when MP usage is not an issue, and you're contesting that Pro4 is better than any form of Pro5 due simply to the convenience of casting it.

I take WHM seriously, so if that's the difference between us let's just leave it there, shall we?

You take whm seriously, but you don't think casting -24.2% mdt on the entire mage party is more important than casting 60 defense on your melee party, even though you can do both if you would just put one merit into Protectra V. I think you need to get your priorities straight.