Need some advice on Melds

[Ironos]

Vitality in all open slots, and if overmelding is allowed, go Parry if you want to feel slightly safer (some would argue it's useless), or Crit if you want to do moar deeps.

If it's left side gear or Fending accessories, you can't meld VIT (it gives +0), so meld whatever it isn't. Slaying accessory - Meld VIT, Fending - Meld STR. Left side gear Meld whatever secondaries you want, most people will say Crit, unless you're trying to meet a SkS cap or Acc cap.

[Awful]

If it's left side gear or Fending accessories, you can't meld VIT (it gives +0), so meld whatever it isn't. Slaying accessory - Meld VIT, Fending - Meld STR. Left side gear Meld whatever secondaries you want, most people will say Crit, unless you're trying to meet a SkS cap or Acc cap.

This is what I was going to do left side crit, right side str seems like the most sensible direction for materia.

[Jpec07]

If it's left side gear or Fending accessories, you can't meld VIT (it gives +0), so meld whatever it isn't. Slaying accessory - Meld VIT, Fending - Meld STR. Left side gear Meld whatever secondaries you want, most people will say Crit, unless you're trying to meet a SkS cap or Acc cap.

Well that's just silly. Why put a slot on an item that is already capped on its main stats? Sigh. I guess this means multi-set tanking isn't quite as dead as I'd hoped.

I don't think you seriously get how Parry works, you want to rely on something as RNG that MAY or not block hits, more often big hits we are talking about (because CDs are there for a reason), horrible scaling, 20% flat even if you have 1k Parry IF attacked, gets checks from BLOCK first if you are PLD, Not any useful when you become OT due to some tank swap mechanics. Times to times again, Parry is just underwhelming to get if you can have other alternatives.

You must be new here. I'm the forum's resident crazy parry advocate. I was very careful with my wording (note how I said "feel" - it's very subjective). I'm very well aware of how Parry works on the combat table, and how "poorly" it scales (you're probably using the 35p:1% conversion that was determined back in 2.1/2.2, which has been largely shown inaccurate in Heavensward). HOWEVER: over the course of an encounter, tanks will often take damage amounts adding up to the millions. Some parses of Alexander Gordias bosses put the number in at 2.5M damage to tanks. Even if you only parry 10% of that, it adds up to 50,000 damage mitigated. That's nothing to scoff at, and nothing to ignore, and will save the healers quite a few GCDs--and evidence suggests that 3.1 full fending parry came in at ~35%. Assuming they adjusted damage in Midas, Antitower, and LCoAH to account for the new boosted HP (I'm hearing they did), and assuming they're true to their word and making more physical damage in encounters, let's crunch some numbers. With how much harder things are hitting, I'm guessing we'll see encounters that deal 4M damage, 90% physical. Let's also assume a 15% crit rate on the boss. So 4,000,000 * 90% (percent physical) * 85% (percent parryable) * 35% (parry rate) * 20% (parry mitigation) = 214,200 total damage mitigated by parry. That's eight times your max HP, when geared, ten if you're walking in with your upgraded Esoteric set. Your healers won't be planning on a parry, but it can mean the difference between needing two Cures to top off and a Cure + Cure II.

Long and short is that mitigation is mitigation. Killing something faster is not mitigation, because it does nothing to make the healers' jobs easier while the encounter is going on. Does Parry need adjusting to be more valuable? Yes. It doesn't feel very strong right now. But it is still worth taking, in this crazy parry advocate's opinion.

[Aaliyahrose]

I rely on Parry not so much for the fact that I need it against a tank buster, (when it works its a huge mitgation) but to parry potential cleave damage that hurts more than an AA. DRK has the best parry rating out of all tanks and I find it quite useful against rapid successive attacks. (i.e. Holy Bladedance or Uplander Doom? Is that physical?)

The occasional dodge on adds is nice to see as well, but that doesn't explain the extra addition of Parry melds. The Reprisal debuff + the % of damage parry offers is pretty much up there with the block % that PLD offers. I wouldn't necessarily go full Parry, but in longer battles healers appreciate the less damage over time anyway.