RDM Gear Question(s?)

[Redness]

I'd like to consider myself a veteran RDM for the most part, having played the job for almost 2 years now. Right now I'm trying to max my enfeebling skill/magic accuracy set. Mainly focused on Bind/Gravity, since I am in the solo game a lot.

Here's what my gear looks like for say Bind:

Aquilo's/Bug. Leather. +1 / Phantom Tathlum
Warlock's chapeau(AF2 eludes me)/Enfeebling Torque/Enfeebling Earring/Loq. Earring (Loq. never comes off.)
Warlock's Tabard/Duelist's gloves/Snow Ring(Hope to replace with ToaU ring shortly)/Tamas
Prism Cape/Penitent's Rope/Mahatma/Duelist's boots.(Only 1 pair of feet atm.)

So, baring my need to farm sea/limbus/dynamis for the obvious cape/pants/head piece, what can I optimize here? Mahatma vs. Wise +1 for example?

I do Salvage twice weekly, but we have the most atrocious drop rate on morrigan body/hands 35s ever. (Fk you SE.)

As far as I've read, Magic Acc. wasn't worth its weight except to stack where you can't put skill. Is this true/false? (Talking bind/gravity/sleep here still. Slow/Para is another discussion entirely.)

Is 8INT on pants better than 3 Magic Acc.?

Thanks for your help BG.

[G-Rod]

Goliard boots are nice, and fairly easy/quick to obtain.

[Byrd]

As far as I've read, Magic Acc. wasn't worth its weight except to stack where you can't put skill. Is this true/false? (Talking bind/gravity/sleep here still. Slow/Para is another discussion entirely.)

Generally speaking, yes.

Is 8INT on pants better than 3 Magic Acc.?

Not for enfeebling, no. There is no standard enfeeble where INT is a determining factor in either landing the spell or duration. I suppose you can't eliminate it as a factor 100%, but if it is, it's so small that +3 Magic Accuracy is going to have a bigger impact. I'm not positive about the effect of INT on elemental enfeebles (Shock, Rasp, etc.) , but I think that falls under Elemental Skill.

And I agree with G-Rod, Goliard Clogs are wonderful, and drop from level 20 Nyzul Isle. +4 INT, +4 MND, + 2 Magic Accuracy and +3 hMP make them my favorite all around piece of foot gear for Red Mage. If they only had some MP, I might never take them off.

[theo]

As long as you're talking about max skill, you may as well stick an Elite Beret +1 on that. Warlock's Chapeau is nice for grav/sleep if you know for sure it will land, lowering your recast so that you can cast it again sooner. But in all other situations I trust my Beret (that is until duke has mercy on me, aka never).

Master Caster's Bracelets are a nice addition as well, although their usefulness is fading with every new expansion (less time spent in areas where they function). At the very least they'll always be good for Dynamis.

As far as Wise+1 vs Mahatma legs goes: This is a rare occasion where I might actually say Wise+1 wins. This is solely based on my belief that INT has a very minimal affect on accuracy. You said you're going for a max skill/accuracy setup, so right there, Wise+1 is going to probably win. That being said, Nashira Seraweels = sex and win.

[Bagel]

It's never been shown precisely what kind of relationship skill, m. acc and INT/MND have. PERSONALLY, I've always felt it mirrors the way melee accuracy works, with 2 INT/MND = 1 m. acc and skill either being the same as m. acc or .9 skill past 200 equalling 1 m. acc. Square even pretty much confirmed at Fanfest that all of these contribute to magic accuracy, but evaded answering with hard numbers.

[Ambir]

It's never been shown precisely what kind of relationship skill, m. acc and INT/MND have. PERSONALLY, I've always felt it mirrors the way melee accuracy works, with 2 INT/MND = 1 m. acc and skill either being the same as m. acc or .9 skill past 200 equalling 1 m. acc. Square even pretty much confirmed at Fanfest that all of these contribute to magic accuracy, but evaded answering with hard numbers.

So you're saying that all MagAcc gear (apart from Aureole and Morrigan Hands) can be discarded, because there are stronger accuracy effects from INT/MND gear? Using MagAcc gear a lot in positions where there is no skill gear, I don't get that feeling at all.

[Isiolia]

May also be a case similar to nukes where you need to at least exceed the mob's INT (or MND) total for accuracy. If that's the case, Mahatma would be a solid piece to keep in over Wise or something in the legs slot. Even assuming 2 of a stat for 1 MAcc I feel would be appropriate.

Subjectively this seems to work for me on the few things I fight that actually resist, Xarc NMs for instance. It'd also corrolate to the general feeling towards CHR and songs that I've seen.

Things work differently between magic types, IE, Dark magic skill for damage vs Elemental skill not boosting it. Still, given that a relationship between stats and Enfeebling magic is known to exist, at least for some spells...stands to reason to me that stats help them to some degree, and a hefty chunk of stats in a single slot would be valuable. I tend to stick with Mahatma slops personally.