Quote Originally Posted by Ilian View Post
If you want to standardize Spear and Arrow to compare them then its possible to compare them each over 30 seconds since its difficult otherwise. Since Spear is only 20 s, then 5% benefit is over 20s with 0% benefit over the remaining 10 s. This means:

Spear gives 3.3% crit over 30 seconds.
Arrow gives 5% SS over 30 seconds.

So its 3.3%crit vs 5% skillspeed which depend on stat weights. Most (if not all melee) are weighted DH > CRIT > DET > SS as far as I know. BLM still weights SS highest and BRD is CRIT first although, Ariyalas site does not seem to be updated. I'm not sure about the others.

3.3% Crit will outweigh 5% SS for most classes aside from BLM. My bias has been to aoe a Spear over an Arrow. So, if I have a pocket Arrow and then sleeve a 50%AoE and draw gives me a Spear, I will opt to hold the Arrow and use the Spear on my party. We have DRG, NIN, BLM and BRD so I just hold the arrow to use on BLM after Spear wears off.
You can't really compare them like that, though. Unlike attack speed, crit is an odd mistress.

An extra 10% chance to crit has more value on someone with low critical hit chance. Someone with a 10% chance to crit gets twice as much value out of someone who has a 20% chance to crit:
100 attacks, 10% chance to crit would be 10 crits. An extra 10% would add in another 10 crits (+100% number of crit hits)
100 attacks, 20% chance to crit would be 20 crits. An extra 10% would add in another 10 crits (+50% number of crit hits)

Attack speed, on the other hand, has increased value the more you stack it.

Of course, the duration is one thing and practical value is another. Considering the chance to draw and actually use a spear or arrow throughout the duration of an encounter doesn't dominate the cards you draw and use the effective gains from one or the other is hardly noticable