Whats better?

[Callisto]

Rajas for SAM, you can just get a Snow Ring for BLM. If it was RDM I'd say take the Tamas, but I do think Rajas is more valuable to SAM than Tamas is for BLM.

[Drex]

Tamas is for inventory space, Rajas is best ring for SAM period. I'm whm/blm/rdm/sam 75 and still went rajas.

[Celebrindor]

As a Tamas owner, I'd say the only reason for a Tamas is the inventory space (much more vital on RDM than BLM to be honest) and for the -3 emnity on the ring. If you were a career mage only I'd make a strong argument for that -3 emnity, but yeah, if you also play a melee Rajas is more bang for the buck. For what it does, it completely destroys the other CoP rings...but like I said I chose Tamas, and even as a RDM and BLM I still wonder about Rajas for my RDM meleeing ^^

[Maaglin]

There is no replacement for what Raja's offers. If you took Tamas for inventory +1 and you have a melee job, you fail.

[Mrdude]

So, I've always used Merman's earring in Ear1 (replacing Suppa for tp, or not changing if gaxing) for Raging Rush and Rampage both.

Recently, I've been wondering more about pixie. I don't know an amazing amount about crit tiers and how it works, but what I heard for birds 118-119 is the magic number. Currently at 111 dex in ws for both rampage and Raging Rush.

So, Pixie + Iota would put me at 117. I guess what I'm asking is, with my current dex rating pixie+ Iota(or other dex ring) vs Merman's + Ulthalam's

[Hyriu]

Not relevant to your question but I'd replace Merman's by Assault, idk on your server but on Alex Assault earring is cheaper, unless you have a job who can't use it

[Mrdude]

Assault is 160k more, Mermans is also needed in my -magic gear for paladin.

[Eldelphia]

Tamas is for inventory space, Rajas is best ring for SAM period. I'm whm/blm/rdm/sam 75 and still went rajas.

I really don't understand this, unless SAM is your pride and joy. I can understand why the OP is having an issue but with your jobs I'd have gone Tamas. But that's cos my Tamas is welded to my char's finger for almost everything. For a mage it's the same deal as for a Rajas, it's a unique combination of stats on ONE ring. The fact you can have 5 MND and 5 INT and 30 MP and -3 EMN - for a mage I don't see anything beating it. Whenever these discussions come up, people say 'oh well you can just get 2 MND or INT rings' and an MP ring and an -emnity ring. Bugger that - I'll have one neat package which is the best for most of my jobs.

/shrug, each to their own.

[Greatguardian]

The most coveted quality of the Rajas Ring isn't the fact that it has Str *and* Dex *and* other melee stats, it's the fact that it bumps most 2h'ers up an x-hit build tier. People using Rajas ring just for Inventory +1 in place of Flame and Thunder rings come very close to outright misusing the piece.

[Aragon of Odin]

I'm Rdm, Blm, War, Nin 75, altho Nin basically doesn't get used at all. Thing with Tamas is I can never really think of a situation where you'd need both MND and INT at the same time, which is why the ring is so replaceable. With Rajas, the STR and DEX are helping you on a hit to hit basis and the added Store TP and Subtle Blow are just a huge bonus.

I can see why having just 1 melee and 3 mage jobs he decided to go with Rajas, it can't really be replaced.

[Karinastar]

So, I've always used Merman's earring in Ear1 (replacing Suppa for tp, or not changing if gaxing) for Raging Rush and Rampage both.

Recently, I've been wondering more about pixie. I don't know an amazing amount about crit tiers and how it works, but what I heard for birds 118-119 is the magic number. Currently at 111 dex in ws for both rampage and Raging Rush.

So, Pixie + Iota would put me at 117. I guess what I'm asking is, with my current dex rating pixie+ Iota(or other dex ring) vs Merman's + Ulthalam's

Having at least 117 DEX in your WS build for Raging Rush/Rampage will bump up your WS average a fair bit on birds. I'd say it's worth it, considering you're only losing like 10 attack and are actually gaining a few acc from the DEX on the two pieces as well.

[Isiolia]

I'm Rdm, Blm, War, Nin 75, altho Nin basically doesn't get used at all. Thing with Tamas is I can never really think of a situation where you'd need both MND and INT at the same time, which is why the ring is so replaceable. With Rajas, the STR and DEX are helping you on a hit to hit basis and the added Store TP and Subtle Blow are just a huge bonus.

I can see why having just 1 melee and 3 mage jobs he decided to go with Rajas, it can't really be replaced.

While this is true to a large extent, personally I also factor in usage of the respective jobs. When I originally got my Tamas ring, I didn't have a melee job that'd really make use of a Rajas (BST on the way up was all).

The reason I haven't traded it in is due to the fact that I still wind up going mage most of the time. Rajas would only -really- shine for me on WAR/SAM, since otherwise I'm not cutting down on hits to 100TP. So a part time sub on a job I only get the chance to use occasionally.
It's not a matter of "well if you geared better..." because I already have my melee jobs geared at or above the level of people I do things with. Simply comes down to what jobs people have available.

So, I've stuck with the ring that gives me "lesser" bonuses, but is glued to my finger on jobs I'm usually called to play. So in turn, it benefits me as a player more, instead of sitting in my safe for the one in ten chance that I might not be on BRD/RDM/BLM for something.

For very occasional use of a Rajas for 6-hit or something, there do seem to be alternatives, such as using Carbonara or accommodating Aurum or Askar body. Not ideal, necessarily, but possible.

[drwaffles]

Ugh, had this debate on another forum more often than I care to remember... "Rajas has unique stats and Tamas does not" is a terrible argument. Subtle Blow is pretty useless in most situations so we'll discount that, but the Store TP is indeed nice if you're using it to complete a 6-hit build with maximum efficiency. However, there are usually other options available for attaining a 6-hit build without Rajas.

When you demonize Tamas Ring because it has a lot of stats on it that are available on different rings, you're neglecting to acknowledge that the main stats (5 INT and 5 MND) come coupled with 30MP and 3 -enmity as well. Being able to have those stats available to you at the same time in the same slot does make Tamas Ring unique, and invaluable not only to inventory-conscious mages but also to ones that enjoy maximising their potential. Remember, you melee-obsessed perfectionists are not the only people in the game that want to perform optimally.

I'm not saying that Tamas is a "better" ring than Rajas at all, but to say that someone is a retard for choosing one over the other is totally ridiculous and exactly the kind of thing I'd expect to hear from a forum chock-full of people who place melee jobs on a pedastal and couldn't give two shits about mages busting their asses to play their jobs to the highest possible standard. Tamas is the best and most versatile ring in the game for mage jobs, don't go choosing Rajas just because some guy on BG said you're retarded if you don't. Pick what you think would suit you best.

[GImpers]

There is no replacement for what Raja's offers. If you took Tamas for inventory +1 and you have a melee job, you fail.

This statement is pure fail.^^

I originally chose Tamas because at the time I completed CoP, my 75s were BLM, WHM, BRD, and PLD. So, it was an easy choice. I've since leveled SAM to 75 and I really enjoy playing it, even though I consider myself a BLM. My gear for BLM is pretty optimal, I'm just missing a few R/E pieces. However, I also want my SAM to have an optimal build.

I won't be giving up any inventory spaces because I already have mp and INT rings. I also don't do much endgame anymore. My BLM really only gets use when I solo merits.

Even though Tamas is a great ring, I'm going to get a Rajas. If I don't love it, I'll pick up Tamas again in a month.

[amentis]

Ugh, had this debate on another forum more often than I care to remember... "Rajas has unique stats and Tamas does not" is a terrible argument. Subtle Blow is pretty useless in most situations so we'll discount that, but the Store TP is indeed nice if you're using it to complete a 6-hit build with maximum efficiency. However, there are usually other options available for attaining a 6-hit build without Rajas.

When you demonize Tamas Ring because it has a lot of stats on it that are available on different rings, you're neglecting to acknowledge that the main stats (5 INT and 5 MND) come coupled with 30MP and 3 -enmity as well. Being able to have those stats available to you at the same time in the same slot does make Tamas Ring unique, and invaluable not only to inventory-conscious mages but also to ones that enjoy maximising their potential. Remember, you melee-obsessed perfectionists are not the only people in the game that want to perform optimally.

I'm not saying that Tamas is a "better" ring than Rajas at all, but to say that someone is a retard for choosing one over the other is totally ridiculous and exactly the kind of thing I'd expect to hear from a forum chock-full of people who place melee jobs on a pedastal and couldn't give two shits about mages busting their asses to play their jobs to the highest possible standard. Tamas is the best and most versatile ring in the game for mage jobs, don't go choosing Rajas just because some guy on BG said you're retarded if you don't. Pick what you think would suit you best.

I'm 75 Whm, Blm, Brd, Sam.
Your argument about six-hit gears being available on other slots is faulty.

Look at it this way. I could give up acc+5 for Dex+5/Str+5/STP+5/Subtle Blow+5, or I can give up...
Dusk Gloves, Haidate, Fuma's, etc.
The Rajas is invaluable for precisely this reason. You can maximize your other slots, while taking a very minor hit on your ring slot. It's a win-win.
Also, for non-samurai jobs, it can be difficult to nab that x-hit, you'd have to use sub-par pieces like shit chain etc.

Tamas isn't a bad ring at all. But it's not a great ring either. For my WHM, I use Aqua (cure V), for my blm, I use snow. My sam would be considerably hampered without my rajas ring, while my mage jobs are virtually unaffected.

MP on tamas is completely irrelevant in this situation, especially for a blm. MP is completely meaningless on blm.

Soooo what I'm trying to say is, Rajas > all. I got my Rajas when my only melee job was 25 sam. I don't regret it one bit. (This is coming from an abyssal earring blm, btw. >.> DARK MAGIC SKILL YES).

[drwaffles]

Stuff

So you prefer to favour your melee job(s) rather than optimise your mage jobs, and that's fine. But don't go around saying that people who choose to do the opposite are idiots. At the end of the day, Tamas/Trooper's, Tamas/Aqua, Tamas/Sorcerer's or Tamas/Snow are superior combinations to Serene/Trooper's, Aqua/Aqua, Snow/Sorcerer's or Snow/Snow and you can't dispute that. Indeed, max MP is not an important stat, but the fact that Tamas gives you a little bit of extra MP to use in conjunction with the maximum stat bonuses you can get from a ring is a little more icing on the cake.

[Alistaire]

I think there's already a thread for rajas vs tamas vs war vs mnk vs cop vs toau etc

But honestly, it boils down to how much better the cop rings are than their alternates. Tamas has 30 MP and -3 enmity. The 30 MP only matters if you're at full mp (and very minutely counts toward keeping sanction/sigil refresh active) and the -3 enmity matters only if you're on the verge of taking hate. The -only- other benefit is if you have something with both an INT and MND mod, which afaik is only a few BLU spells.

For Rajas though, it's almost the opposite situation. It has +DEX/STP/Subtle Blow on top of STR for situations you'd use a STR ring, or +STR/STP/Subtle Blow on top of DEX for DEX/acc ring usage, and in most situations they complement each other. Only situation where the DEX boost to a "STR ring" doesn't help is if you're doing sneak attack on a non-dex mod ws. STR always helps WS.

3 minor benefits over alternatives but that are constantly benefitly your job vs 2 even more minor benefits that most of the time have no noticeable effect at all.

tbh I'm surprised there is a rajas vs tamas in that other thread or this one.

[Redshift]

So you prefer to favour your melee job(s) rather than optimise your mage jobs, and that's fine. But don't go around saying that people who choose to do the opposite are idiots. At the end of the day, Tamas/Trooper's, Tamas/Aqua, Tamas/Sorcerer's or Tamas/Snow are superior combinations to Serene/Trooper's, Aqua/Aqua, Snow/Sorcerer's or Snow/Snow and you can't dispute that. Indeed, max MP is not an important stat, but the fact that Tamas gives you a little bit of extra MP to use in conjunction with the maximum stat bonuses you can get from a ring is a little more icing on the cake.

You don't have to prefer melee over mage, the benefits of Rajas far outweigh Tamas.

Rajas does much more for melee jobs (2handers, other melee don't exist anymore) than mages. Going from 7 to 6 hit lowers time to get to 100TP significantly and greatly increases your output. For BLM, it would save me one inventory since I could use it for nukes and stoneskin, but I still need Ether Ring for Sorc Ring anyway. RDM, saves one inventory on enfeebles. Ether or Tamas for Convert, situational depending on gear and race. Enmity -3 and that extra MP+30 on your first spell is barely going to do anything.

[Mayareira]

Tamas is a terrific ring for mages and its perfectly acceptable for them to own/want one. I really don't understand "rajas better rajas yada yada" argument. Its a matter of preference.

[SamanosukeShiva]

the correct answer is obviously sattva