Materia VIII vs IX

[Rongway]

Yeah... not the best naming pattern...

Or you could, like, you know... Read the item description.

Doesn't change that the naming pattern is odd....

The numbering is fine. The melding priority within a single stat is numerical in descending order:

X > IX > VIII > VII > VI > V

Because if you want to put Xs on something you put Xs on it until you can't; then you put IXs on it. If you can't put Xs on it at all, you also cannot put IXs on it at all, so you put VIIIs on it until you can't put VIIIs on it, then you put VIIs on it.

[Azuri]

The numbering is fine. The melding priority within a single stat is numerical in descending order:

X > IX > VIII > VII > VI > V

Because if you want to put Xs on something you put Xs on it until you can't; then you put IXs on it. If you can't put Xs on it at all, you also cannot put IXs on it at all, so you put VIIIs on it until you can't put VIIIs on it, then you put VIIs on it.

Alas, this is how you end up with newbies who find Xs a bit pricey with IXs in guaranteed slots. Your priority simply doesn't work. VII/VIII and IX/X is an unfortunate system considering I - VI are all direct upgrades from each other. We really should have had VII (Large) and VII (Small) or something similar in ShB.

[Floortank]

Or you could, like, you know... Read the item description.

Yeah man, read the item description. It totally would have answered your question.

[Nihility]

kind of wish they just changed 6/8/10 to like... "Greater Materia" or some such to highlight the difference a bit better.

I understand why they made the change but would have been a nice touch for people unfamiliar with overmelding

[Alexandre_Noireau]

Yeah man, read the item description. It totally would have answered your question.

So smart aren't we? how about you read the OTHER materia too? Might find a line or two on the item description.

It's pretty clear how each materia can be used after that.

And naming pattern is perfect. Not confusing at all... For people who reads.

[Payadopa]

Yeah man, read the item description. It totally would have answered your question.

I read both discriptions but I still didn't get it. But then again I only use the meld NPC. Does the game actually tell you about overmelding? I still have no idea how that works. lol

[Avidria]

I read both discriptions but I still didn't get it. But then again I only use the meld NPC. Does the game actually tell you about overmelding? I still have no idea how that works. lol

I actually don't remember if the game tells you about it, but I'm also pretty sure the quest to unlock it is in the same place as the quest that teaches you how to extract and meld in the first place. It's been like... years since I did those but I'm pretty sure at least the first one is part of the MSQ, or required for it.

The only thing the item descriptions actually tell you is that even numbered materia can't be used for overmelding past the first slot. Which I suppose probably doesn't help much if you don't know what an "advanced melding materia slot" is. I'm assuming there's gotta be a quest somewhere, but I'm also pretty sure I ended up just reading guides or having a friend tell me that "you can put 3 of the best materia in crafted pieces and then have to go down to the next highest odd numbered materia for the 4th and 5th slot." Some of it will show you that when you go to meld, cause it just straight up won't let you put in more than 3 10s for example, but you also won't see that at all if you don't have a crafter leveled to the point where you can actually do that yourself anyway.

I feel like more clarity in how they work probably wouldn't hurt, like adding a note to the odd numbered ones that explicitly says "can be used to fill advanced melding materia slots" or something, but I also just don't remember when/where/if the game explains how this works to non-crafters lol

[Rongway]

Does the game actually tell you about overmelding?

Just the very basics:

/activehelp
Search: meld
Advanced Materia Melding

In more detail than the game gives you:
Any equipment that ...
(1) has at least one materia slot
and (2) does not say "Advanced Melding Forbidden"
... actually has five materia slots regardless of how many are visible.

The green visible slots are 100% success slots and an NPC can fill those. The invisible red slots can be filled by any player who has any one crafter job at least as high as the equip level of the gear. It used to require specifically the crafter that makes and repairs the gear, but they changed it during ShB to allow all crafters to meld to any gear, so any crafter that is high enough will do. These slots are not 100%, so you will break many materia while working on overmelds. The X, VIII, and VI materias can only go in green slots and the first red slot. The IX, VII, and V materias can go in the remaining red slots.

Most blue gear has "Advanced Melding Forbidden". This is listed below the equip level, in the same part of the Item Help that names the gear's current dye color.

[Payadopa]

Ah. That's very informative. Cheers! I should work on my crafters I guess. lol