Please explain BiS stuff to me

[Malzian]

I'm not a troll.. I genuinely want to know so that I can keep improving

Then I refer you back to my comment below:

BiS is a mathematical meta designed specifically for min-maxing of stats in order to optimize the output (damage typically, but can also be healing and such) of a particular job. The issue with trying to be "BiS", though, is that it can actually be situational to the fight so one duty can have one BiS build while another can have a different BiS build. On top of this, you generally only need to be BiS for 2 things: FFLogs and Savage progression raiding. If you're not doing either of these than BiS doesn't much matter.

All of that being said, if you want to figure out your BiS you can always use the tools on http://ffxiv.ariyala.com

[Felis]

I play a samurai, and everyone tells me there are different pieces of gear that are best in slot. I know I should go for pieces with Direct Hit and Crit, but I've crafted all my own 230 gear and penta-melded it with relevant materia - but I'm told that's still not good enough and that stuff like the Ala Migan coat is better.

Help!

I guess you have the ilevel 230 gear for a lv 60-63 job?
Replace them with ilevel 260/270 gears that have your favourite second stats

If you use it for your lv 70 Samurai then I guess you are trolling

[Rawrz]

He's using 320s. It was an obvious typo. I highly doubt your 310 set would be better than a 320 pentamelded version. Huge discrepancies in dps weights died with surplus accuracy.


This is his top. Too lazy to upload an image.
http://na.finalfantasyxiv.com/lodestone/character/7539284/equipment/3/

[Kaedan]

He's using 320s. It was an obvious typo. I highly doubt your 310 set would be better than a 320 pentamelded version. Huge discrepancies in dps weights died with surplus accuracy.


This is his top. Too lazy to upload an image.
http://na.finalfantasyxiv.com/lodest...4/equipment/3/

Indeed, I looked at his character. 320 pentamelds are perfectly fine. And he hasn't used trash stats or anything, so there is nothing wrong with this equipment. In fact, it's probably better than most players out there right now.

I suspect the problem is that people see green and don't bother looking at the ilvl.

[JunseiKei]

I genuinely want to know so that I can keep improving

BiS is figured by determining the statweight of each, then determining how much each piece gives you total. The gear with higher total is your best in slot, even if the stats aren't always ones you desire. Every time gear comes out, you weigh the total stats against each one and upgrade when you receive more total statweight.

The issue: we don't know what the statweights are currently and it's unclear if we will this time at all. The best thing I could direct you to is a graph showing the curve between direct hit, crit and determination and where the stats cross over being better over another. Actually, I'm a little afraid of linking it directly, but it said (and this is in the confines of DPS, not tanks or healers) that DH is king until you have around 2,900 crit. Unless you have a crit gimmick, like bard, where then you'd stack crit.

There's been a debate [on JP theory crafters] that each job has its own power modifiers and how stats affect it. IE: Monk's skill speed may be as good as direct hit. Not too dissimilar how spell speed seems to be generally favored for black mages. The stats change per job based on a bunch of different variables. Unfortunately, I doubt that we'll ever get concrete stat weights (like you might find on Monster Hunter's damage formulas) and all we will have to rely on is seeing logs and hypotheticals with number crunching. It's trickier to calculate and requires constant testing. For all we know, SE alters the stats slightly every time new gear is added and we'd have to re-evaluate it (like them simply rounding numbers).

The easiest rules to follow, though, are this: weapon damage > main stat > secondary stat. You won't be min- maxing, but you'll be okay until you pick up on what's better than something else.

That being said, I'm no theorycrafter, just echoing things being figured out by people far smarter than me, often in another language.

[Stormfur]

OMG.. I meant 320, not 230. /facedesk. Yeah, trying to do raids in 230s would be awfully trollish wouldn't it.

So I can't really use the stats on weapon/armor as a guide like I've been doing? For example, let's say my piece of crafted gear has strength, vitality, direct hit and determination. The materia melding shows I can add a bunch of crit since that's not even shown, so I could add a couple of materia VI's to have like 80 crit on top of the other stats - or would it be better to get a piece that has crit by default and THEN add crit materia to that if I could?