Recommended Gear Feature

Hello,

I'm uncertain if this is the correct forum to post this. I know the recent patch introduced the ability to apply recommend gear from the character window. I love this, thank you!

Thus far it has been accurate... however, I just noticed that it saw a "Square Ash Shield" as better than a "Nightprowler's Targe." Looking at these:

Code:

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Item                | iLvl | Req Lvl | Str/Rate
================================================
Square Ash Shield    | 17  | 17      | 8/28
Nightprowler's Targe | 17  | 15      | 10/35

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Both items have identical bonuses save for the targe which as one extra (+1 Determination). So from a bonus point of view, the targe is better. From a strength rate point of view, it is better. They are both at the same level. Why does the Recommended Gear feature choose the "Square Ash Shield?"

Not sure if I should log this as a bug or not. I mean if it is using required level, that just may be the way it is and it is acting as it should even if the recommendation is less than ideal :-|.

Anyone know?

If it is going on required level as a secondary criterion after item level, I'd think that the order on it should be reversed. Most cases I can think of where items of the same iLvl have different required levels, it's because of cases like this one where one has an item level boost for being a better quality/rarity level. The one available at a lower required level tends to be equal or better in stats than others of its Item Level.

Better yet, rarity itself would make a better secondary criterion. Purple > Blue > Green > Pink or HQ White > NQ White. I think they should go by that whenever there are multiple pieces for the right class/job that share the same item level. (That would also have put the green quality Nightprowler's Targe ahead of the white quality Square Ash Shield.)

The full criteria list should be ordered something like:
1) class/job appropriate
2) item level
3) rarity
4) spiritbond
5) item location in your armoury/inventory (just because they'd need something to finally break the tie if you have multiple matching items)

Actually, I did a few runs through the lvl 51 dungeon with my alts.
My alts are geared with ilvl 120 items that come from Poetics. (so, ilvl 120, blue stuff, required level : 50)
I did drop quite a lot of green equipment in the dungeon (ilvl 120, green stuff, required level : 51)

The recommended gear feature ALWAYS recommend blue gears, despite them requiring a lower level.
Sometimes their stats are even less interesting than green ones (blue equipment have Acc, green have Det)

So I guess the rarity is already a priority over iLvl.
Which makes this particular case quite weird.

An HQ square Ash Shield could actually be better, as the Det slot is replaced by one Materia slot.
But a NQ one is definitely weaker than Nightprowler's...

Interresting!