So, you going to Pentameld?

Just curious. Not that I have a vested interest in your answers.

*hides class tag*

On a serious note, seeing as the Direct Hit scaling is about the same as before (1 Rank 8 materia = 1% direct hit) and with strength no longer being meldable, crafting accessories, unless they decide to straight up lock out advanced melding, are going to be worth up to 180 Direct Hit each. (2x60, 3x 20).

120 more than a single slot accessory of the same iLevel. 2% more direct hit per piece is 10% total, for an average increase of about 2.5%.

This is a pretty similar looking number to all the other times this has ever come up.

The question to me, then, stems on the expected 10ilvl jump.

430 to 440 (Ronkan) was minimal, to the point where I have yet to bother with buying the actual armor as I plan to craft myself the crafted armor. Accessories were also minimal but the price point was okay, even if quickly shoved aside by i450 trial.

A friend of mine believes that the i430 to i450 is the expected rate where i440 was a half measure meant to just be filler and thus didn't get the full benefit of its 10ilvls.

This means that raid gear being +20 ilvls up means that we can expect +17 Strength per accessory, or 85 total.

Against a strength score of 3650 (easy number) then 85/3650 equates to about 2.3% of your strength.

pentameld is imo always a good "option" since you have more control of the stats you want. so i guess it will depend on the secondary stat distribution.

Nothing has changed, those that are serious about early savage progression will want to pentameld as it will be impossible to get much further than the first couple without. The more casual that may do the first turn but not much further may or may not bother. The rest that doesn't even do savage will have no reason to.

Nah not this time, cost me too much money during SB lol.

If you want the better "option" on the same iLvl, pentamelded is indeed better.

But once we get the new tomestone and savage raid gear, pentamelded gear will be obsolete. During Live Letters they announced that accessories and belts from savage fights and (upgraded) tomestones will have 2 meld slots.

Your gain on pentamelded accessories would be +60 DH each, increasing expected damage by 0.25% each, 1% in total. Compared to the expected strength gain, it's a loss.

I myself did pentameld during SB, and I've had enough of it. I have more important things to do, e.g. leveling my gatherers/crafters/other combat jobs, re-learning rotations etc. (I don't even have time to do hunts ;_; )

Pentameld Crafted gear is only going to be a stopgap come 5.05. +40 per secondary stat per piece isn't going to be worth the lowered main stat/vit.