New player, a few questions!

[naaros]

Thanks to both of you! =) I have been offering gil to have my items repair, and it has worked pretty quickly so far. But it's good to know I can do either.

@Archaedius - thanks for that link - will be very helpful. I'm not currently using food, but I definitely will start! It sounds rather complicated. XD At least compared to food in most games where you just use it and get a buff, lol. Thankfully, since I've been putting points in INT and Ice already, I will be able to use most sweets according to that chart which will give me more Magic Potency! Having more MP would also be nice, though. Hrm.

Thanks again!

EDIT: And do the stats on gear actually do anything? I mean... When I equipped a +5 MND ring, I expected my MP to go up (as that's something MND does), but it didn't change at all? *confused* =(

[Archadius]

It sounds rather complicated. XD At least compared to food in most games where you just use it and get a buff, lol. Thankfully, since I've been putting points in INT and Ice already, I will be able to use most sweets according to that chart which will give me more Magic Potency! Having more MP would also be nice, though. Hrm.

It sounds more complicated than it is.

For a best-case scenario, you're going to want to do the following:
- Put points into whatever stats you wish to flesh out your character (but save elements for food)
- This will let you crank up stats, and though you can never get "divine" bonus, you will still get "delicious" using only elements
- Move your elements up as you transition to different foods based on your ranks, but remember the ele stat has to match (on the chart) the rank of the food item not YOUR rank
- The post gives all info you need, food ranks, stats the foods increase, which element to use for which food group, etc, so take some time to have a look and plan out your path for lvling and which foods you intend to use

Just so you have a glimpse into the future:
- As r50 THM I have tons of points in MND and PIE, but my Ice (sweets) element stat is sitting at 60, this allows me to use Tomato Pie and Crowned Cake both with "delicious" bonus. ^_^