Alkalurops

[Urthdigger]

Looking over the new items this patch I have to wonder: If you had one of these made, what would you put on it? Or is it doomed to remain another example of not fully grasping what healers want?

Looking at what it has on it to begin with, we have 62 damage and 4.1 delay for a 15.12 DPS, not necessarily the highest damaging staff (Not that I can think of any reasons to melee with it, but just for completion's sake, and because it's got an active stance animation). Then we have HP +80 (More survivability and extra MP from Blissful Mind), MND +25 (Bonus healing, magic accuracy, and melee damage), and Magic Accuracy +10 (Accuracy of sleep, as well as secondary effects from our nukes).

All in all, it's a fairly well-rounded staff, as far as I can tell. It is not the best at any single area: Chiran Zabran's Tempest is purely better for healing (But suffers from -magic accuracy) and the GC Sanction weapons are better for spellcasting damage (but have MP drain and don't help healing). However, neither of those options support materia.

When it comes to materia options, we have vitality, mind, piety, elemental attack potency, regular attack magic potency, magic crit potency, and parry. I can see reasons for all of them outside of parry (Well, and all the elemental ones besides Earth or maybe Wind). What materia options would you put in one if you got one, and why? Or would it be a lackluster item even with materia?

[Estellios]

I'd put magic attack on it. Any kind of defensive buff isn't really needed in lowman groups but any kind of boost to damage output goes a long way. It also makes the staff truly well-rounded which is the point of classes and helps you stretch yourself out more in lowman stuff.

You are only going to be using Conjurer for lowman/xp/spiritbond in most cases, anyway.

[Urthdigger]

I'd probably put some form of magic attack as well, either from the general bonus or via earth magic attack, but this was partly because I did have a reason where I might want to use CNJ over WHM in something other than a lowman. Specifically, in situations where damage per second is of critical importance, but they still want enhanced protect/stoneskin and ready access to cures. Case in point, assisting on a BLM burn on Garuda, where my only options for attack were stone and stonera (She's healed by wind attacks). Going as CNJ would have allowed me to cast thunder, giving me something to cost when both my stone spells were on cooldown. Probably a bad example because they've supposedly fixed Garuda, but who knows when another such situation will crop up. Technically, a serpent sergeant staff would be better if the MP drain doesn't turn out to be an issue, but only so long as sanction is up.

[Estellios]

It's really just the fact that it's staff also that makes Magic Attack the only really good thing to put on it. Staves can't accept healing potency which most people would do, and it's not worth stacking VIT if you don't have access to Regen.

With the new Vanya gear CNJ has access to better Magic Attack stuff than WHM does and I think we will be seeing distinctions like that in the future as the game progresses. Once classes get more spells/abilities around 2.0 we most likely will start seeing ability reasons to choose one over the other, kinda like how THM is better vs BLM in certain situations because it has access to Raise and such but in others you REALLY want Sleepga or Flare or Freeze.