Quote Originally Posted by Byrth View Post
Well, Obis give a penalty if used incorrectly while a combined Obi could not Still, that was also technically true of Staves and those got combined.

Other Obi things:
* If you use an Obi on the wrong day right now, it forces a weather penalty.
* If you get nuked with an element that opposes the current weather/day with the right Obi on, you force the penalty of that element.
* If you get nuked with an element that is strong to the current weather/day with the right Obi on, you force the bonus of that element.

A combined Obi would be more useful defensively but equally useful offensively. People rarely use the waist slot for MDB/MDT (MDB+4 for PLD? Slipor Sash for mages?) and can cap out easily with other slots and Shellra V, but the complexity of macroing in Obis currently combined with the odds that you're going to be increasing rather than decreasing the magic damage you take from spells makes them pretty untenable as a defensive option unless you're fighting a monster that only uses one element with a Scholar to keep you Storm'd (like Rainstorm vs. Tiamat). If you eliminate the chance that you'll be taking increased damage from the spells, then you could just use an Obi all the time. MDB+4 vs. (at worst) a 2/8 chance at forcing a negative day proc.

The improvement is slight, but it exists (unlike for belts and gorgets).
Using the wrong staff also provided a penalty, though obi's are farm more situational.