No melds in savage?

[Kobalos]

So last night I was doing E1S with my static and we had a pug tank that had no melds in his gear not even in his weapon. He stated he didn't need to and that he was doing savage 'raw'. He was kicked, but I am curious are melds a necessity in savage? Can you clear without them? I am still new to savage but always thought they were a must...Thoughts?

[Gwenorai]

So last night I was doing E1S with my static and we had a pug tank that had no melds in his gear not even in his weapon. He stated he didn't need to and that he was doing savage 'raw'. He was kicked, but I am curious are melds a necessity in savage? Can you clear without them? I am still new to savage but always thought they were a must...Thoughts?

For savage? Yeah, you want melds. Could you do them without melds? Probably, if you're like the 90+ percentile who makes zero mistakes in both mechanics and rotation, as to make up for the lack of the extra 'umph' you would be getting. I honestly don't understand why someone would go into savage without melds though... It's not that hard.

[HyoMinPark]

Melds are absolutely a necessity for Savage. I’m sure Savage can be cleared without melds. But with how easy materia is to get—and with the boosts they give you when it comes to substats (which influences your damage)—there’s no reason to not be melded when you step into high-end content. VIIs and VIIIs are extremely easy to get. Participating in a single Hunt train will likely get you enough clusters to meld an entire set of gear.

[KageTokage]

I feel like most people prefer to buy their materia from the MB, which seems a little silly when considering time/gil-efficient hunts are for getting them.

[Liam_Harper]

You technically "can" do Savage without them, but you absolutely should use them. They're reasonably cheap (or free for a full set with a single hunt train). Why turn down something that adds damage?

It's more about effort put into your character and optimizing your damage than whether you can or can't clear without them. It's a warning flag of a player who doesn't take Savage seriously. Think of it this way, how likely is it that a player who can't even bother to meld, is going to have put the effort in to learning their class, the encounter and rotation to their best potential?

[Sebazy]

My thoughts on this are that if you aren’t willing to put the effort in to meld your gear then I can’t be bothered to put the effort in to carry you.

Melds don’t make or break much unless you’re really on the cusp of enrage. But it’s just lazy to not meld regular gear. I haven’t had to buy materia in years and I don’t regularly do hunts. I just get all I need from dungeons and 24 man

[Hash_Browns]

Melds make up a lot less DPS then people think, but that being said melds should be the 100% standard in Savage content.

If anyone in my static showed up without melds, we would probably get out of the instance, each other person would take turns slapping them, and then we would hand them some damn materia. I usually offer free pots/food/materia to my static for a reason. I want everyone to learn & be at their A game.

[Crushnight]

Melds are not required for savage unless going for week 1 kills, Ultimate however get them melds. It is extremely advised to meld your gear appropriately to your job if you want to tackle this type of content, reason being it shows you are committed enough to do the learning necessary for savage+ content be it rotation/mechanics what have you.

Someone unwilling to meld their gear for savage+ content is a red flag as a sign they may be lazy and unwilling to adapt to any group and might even be looking for a carry at which point the boot is calling for their batookie.

[MPK]

As long as you can carry your weight it should be fine right? I'm pretty sure my alt wasnt melded at all since no gil to get materia with

[thrashette]

Back when I first started raiding in Deltascape (only started playing a couple months before SB's release, although I technically got a character up to like level 20 back in 2015), I didn't understand that melding was really a "thing." I made it clear that I was a noob before I joined my static, but I managed to clear the first two fights. My damage and survivability increased significantly once I melded my gear, though. I'd say that melding in savage isn't really optional, considering you unnecessarily disadvantage yourself and your group. But it is completely possible, just like it's possible to clear dungeons with a tank wearing only two pieces of gear. Doesn't make it a good idea. Materia is so cheap and accessible this expansion, so there's really no excuse.