MND/MP <or> INT/MP????

[Patchinko]

Re: MND/MP &lt;or&gt; INT/MP????

I went back and edited! Sorry, Patchinko. I wasn't paying attention.

It's okay!

By the way, stick with the Corsair avatar, I think it's your best one. ＾＾

[Murphie]

Re: MND/MP &lt;or&gt; INT/MP????

It's okay!

By the way, stick with the Corsair avatar, I think it's your best one. ＾＾

Thanks! I like it a lot too.^^ But I change them based on what job I'm on at the moment. (points to sig)

[ItazuraNhomango]

Re: MND/MP &lt;or&gt; INT/MP????

Saintlys are ~300k on Lakshmi but Solace is ~80k. Only difference is level 10 req vs level 36.

Saintly Ring +1 went up 250k as of last night on Ifrit... >_< Solace was 90k, but I'm only Lv.30. Unfortunately, neither was available.

I may just hang on to my Devotee's mitts and see if I can pick up Solace later. There's always Goblin Mushpot instead of Sweet Rice Cake... (Or ginger cookies, if main healing.)

[nazlfrag]

Re: MND/MP &lt;or&gt; INT/MP????

Wait for the +3 NQ rings, around 50. Saintly/eremite's with their +2 bonus will last you until then. HQ of these are nice, but these are NQ versions with the same bonus (of course I want the HQ rings <.<), you just have to wait ^^. If you can't wait, well they will always be useful in level capped areas, so they are a good investment.

I love Mushpot as a rdm, and have to reccomend it. Cheap and useful, better than melon pie (which I use often enough, though <.<). I use it whenever a blm is around, it makes our enfeebs awesome.

[zagex]

Re: MND/MP &lt;or&gt; INT/MP????

Hale Ring from Assault... Lvl 50, +3 Mind, +3 Int (rare, so no dice with 2 of them). Have your cake and eat it too... If I can only friggin convince my LS to start getting staging points so we can do these...

[Patchinko]

Re: MND/MP &lt;or&gt; INT/MP????

I'm hoping to get a Tamas Ring as well. It's a big endeavor, but that ring is simply incredible.＾＾

[Oogami]

Re: MND/MP &lt;or&gt; INT/MP????

I don't think I was unclear when I said the best RDMs carry around multiple sets of gear? If one wants to be mediocre, he or she can go ahead and just have a MND set. If one wants to be the best, he or she will have sets that maximize his or her capabilities in any situation.

People like me would have had a difficult time following this logic about how a player is considered mediocre if he/she is not the best. There are so many other levels in between "best" and "mediocre". What happened to "better" and "good"? Even "average" has a better feel than "mediocre".

Besides, there can only be one best RDM in the whole of Vana'diel, and if you're on the same server with Avesta, you're by default mediocre by that logic .

[Taskmage]

Re: MND/MP &lt;or&gt; INT/MP????

No, by this logic a rdm who just has a mnd set is mediocre, while the best rdms (plural, indicating a group of rdms who are better) carry multiple sets of gear. Patch makes no statement to the effect of "you're either elite or you suck" which is how everyone seems to be taking it, so I don't see why you're agonizing over this.

[Patchinko]

Re: MND/MP &lt;or&gt; INT/MP????

Taskmage covers it well there. I'm not going to elaborate further for fear of people continually misunderstanding what I'm saying and taking offense to it when it's not meant to be offensive.＾＾；

[Oogami]

Re: MND/MP &lt;or&gt; INT/MP????

That's the problem.

Patch might not have meant it to be that way, but the way it was worded reads as such. "Mediocre" does have a negative connotation, as compared to "Average" or even "Run-off-the-mill".

And frankly, "mediocre" sucks when compared to "best". That is not an unfair conclusion to draw.

[Murphie]

Re: MND/MP &lt;or&gt; INT/MP????

Yes, but it's been elaborated on several times over the past week. Patch's original intention has been made very clear. If people want to continue to read into it, that's not his responsibility.

Personally, I think mediocre is the perfect term to describe a RDM who doesn't swap gear or try and better themselves.

[Patchinko]

Re: MND/MP &lt;or&gt; INT/MP????

Don't we all aspire to be "the best" as opposed to "mediocre", Oogami? It seems like your issue is that you think I divided people into two groups: "mediocre" and "the best". You misunderstood. Most people are going to be in a spectrum between "worst" and "best", and "mediocre" is going to be just slightly below "average".

Most of us, myself included, will be somewhere between "mediocre" and "best" (hopefully above "average", maybe even "good".＾＾).

I honestly intended to have a negative connotation when I said, "mediocre". It isn't meant to be offensive, but if someone is a mid- to late-level RDM without any gear swapping, I think it's at worst a generous adjective to use to describe him or her. I certainly wouldn't describe him or her as "average" because from what I've seen, the "average" RDM at least has three elemental staves, a wand, and two sets of rings.

It doesn't mean that he or she can't improve or has no potential. But if someone is on top of dispels, refreshing and debuffs but gets reduced effectiveness often on INT-based spells because he or she is always in a MND+ suit of gear, for example, he or she is simply not doing the best he or she can. Of course, this doesn't mean having all HQ gear... but wearing MND+ rings while casting INT based spells is like having nothing on at all. A pair of NQ rings would be better than nothing.

[Karinya]

Re: MND/MP &lt;or&gt; INT/MP????

But if someone is on top of dispels, refreshing and debuffs but gets resists often on INT-based spells because he or she is always in a MND+ suit of gear, for example, he or she is simply not doing the best he or she can. Of course, this doesn't mean having all HQ gear... but wearing MND+ rings while casting INT based spells is like having nothing on at all. A pair of NQ rings would be better than nothing.

INT and MND have very small effect on resists, though. I'm not sure you realize just how small the effect is.


My list of things a RDM should have as soon as he/she is high enough level to wear them:
AF. Especially body and head, which are both excellent.
Elemental staves. Wind and dark minimum; ice and earth are also very useful. Others not as important but still nice to have (unless you main heal, in which case add light to the must haves).
Master caster's bracelets. You do *not* have to change nationality to get these. You only need to be rank 8, with your nation in first and Windurst in second, then you can get them from the Windurstian consulate for 48k CP. (If you *are* Windurstian rank 8, you can get them for 40k when Windurst is in first or second.)
Spider or enfeebling torque. Either is fine.
Errant houppelande, or another +hMP body piece. You may not get to rest much, but getting more MP out of the time you do have is pretty important.

Of course, if you have some useful abjuration, assault, dynamis or limbus gear, that's great too, but it's hardly reasonable to expect *everyone* to have those things. Glamour jupon would probably be really nice from 50-57 (I was over 58 before it existed, so I can only say it *is* really nice in 50 caps), but again, seems like a steep requirement to ask of everyone.

INT, MND and max MP are mostly what you get to fill in slots where you can't get anything *really* important, IMO (usually this means back, belt, rings, often earrings, neck before 65, sometimes other slots as well). They don't have a dramatic effect - even when you first get errant and can have several pieces on for +20 or more int and mnd, it's still not nearly the kind of difference you see from having AF body for the first time.


P.S. Regarding food - I've been a fan of brain stew for a while now. Good amount of INT and MND, some hMP, lasts 3 hours. It's kinda pricey for pickups where you may not get the full duration. If there were a "mage sushi" that gave magic acc, I would probably switch to that, but there isn't. Mage foods are so weak compared to melee foods... bard foods are even worse, though.

[Patchinko]

Re: MND/MP &lt;or&gt; INT/MP????

I changed my post. Thanks for the correction.

I keep accidently using the word "resist" when it's not what I mean.

For clarity, INT doesn't effect your rate of resistance, but it does increase the effectiveness of your spells and the damage they cause. Resistances are based on the associated skill (enfeebling for enfeebles, elemental for elemental and so forth).

Regardless, the point stands that if you're casting INT spells but wearing MND rings, it's like you're wearing nothing at all. I've been using INT and MND gear as an example because that's what the OP asked, but I think you've got the right idea, Karinya. Things like Spider Torque and Elemental Staves are worth more than a regular stat in that slot if available.

A couple of other good examples of "affordable" things like this are Morion and Wizard's earrings, and a Moldavite Earring which is RA/EX anyway. Wizard's earring is much better than a Morion when casting an elemental spell, but useless otherwise.

So yeah, later on in levels, of course equipment switching gets even more interesting with all the available gear that brings up stats other than just INT, MND and MP.