Scholar Discussion #3 (post March patch)

[Grey Jorildyn]

Oh I'm well aware that in terms of damage:mp ratios that AM II is not cost-efficient. However, those spells reduce resistance to elements and add another spell to the repertoire where as SCH only has the Tier IV and then waits for their timer on it. As I stated before though, I'm no SCH, nor am I a BLM, but I know one irl!

[Toth]

Even they are not mp efficient, they and Gas are still the most powerful spells in the game and BLM is the only job where you can merit high damage spells to improve their accuracy and total damage (as well as general Elemental Potency as BLM).

What SE needs to do in my opinion is take away the elemental resist buildup of NMs that they implemented a few years past. This single-handedly ruined any chance a group of BLMs could ever do consistent damage on these mobs and robbed BLMs of a spot in TP burns (before the patch, they could get off 3 spells worth around 3k+ damage in 30 seconds; after the patch, you'd be lucky to get 1k) . Even with the best gear possible, if you are the unlucky BLm subject to the building resistance, you get screwed. I understand that this system was put in place to deter RMTs from manaburning everything. Now that the RMT problem has drastically reduced, it is time SE think strongly about repelling this unhappy NM characteristic. It would certainly aid SCHs nuking as well.

[Havok]

As an elvaan, my low base int (only 64 on sch/rdm) is making it kind of hard for me to settle on a good nuking set for high level things. Any recommendations on what to go with? I'm still working on getting goliard hands and merciful cape, but I have pretty much everything else available, besides relic, because it doesn't drop.

[Valisk]

besides relic, because it doesn't drop.

We've freelotted (Lv 50+ SCH) the last 4 Havok :3

[Not Kuno]

Still havn't seen any sch, after doing pretty much every zone at least once.

[EternalSnow]

As an elvaan, my low base int (only 64 on sch/rdm) is making it kind of hard for me to settle on a good nuking set for high level things. Any recommendations on what to go with? I'm still working on getting goliard hands and merciful cape, but I have pretty much everything else available, besides relic, because it doesn't drop.

I am an elvaan!!! I have okay gear. I nuke in errant body and the af hat XD.

[Havok]

We finally got a sch piece to drop last night.

Of course it was the feet from windurst, which are horrible.

And I lotted a 48.

[Grandphoenix]

Question about herald's gaiters is there a way I can cast with scholar's loafers and get the cast time effect (If I recall won't get the recast bonus right?) and end in heralds? My current macro I've been trying just alternates them.

[The Blackrose]

Question about herald's gaiters is there a way I can cast with scholar's loafers and get the cast time effect (If I recall won't get the recast bonus right?) and end in heralds? My current macro I've been trying just alternates them.

Easy way:
Use Spellcast and filter in based off of precast and aftercast.

More difficult way:
The issue is you need to specify this with each spell you use.

/equip Feet "Scholar's Loafers"
(insert other macros here)
/ma Spell Target
(macro standard casting feet here)
/wait x (x = based off of the relative cast time of the spell)
/equip Feet "Herald Gaiters"

Obviously this is going to hurt if you're using standard macros.

[Magicide]

As an elvaan, my low base int (only 64 on sch/rdm) is making it kind of hard for me to settle on a good nuking set for high level things. Any recommendations on what to go with? I'm still working on getting goliard hands and merciful cape, but I have pretty much everything else available, besides relic, because it doesn't drop.

On Kaeko's blog I listed a gear set that makes it possible to hit the 320/120 threshold on a fully-merited Elvaan SCH. It ain't easy:

Main: HQ Staff
Sub: Appropriate Elemental Grip (2 M.Acc)
Range: ---
Ammo: Phantom Tathlum (2 INT)
Head: Argute Mortarboard (7 skill)
Neck: Elemental Torque (7 skill)
Ear1: Elemental Earring (3 skill)
Ear2: Morion Earring +1 (2 INT)
Body: Scholar's Gown +1 (3 INT, 15 skill)
Hands: Genie Gages (8 skill)
Ring1: Tamas Ring (5 INT)
Ring2: Omega Ring (3 INT, 3 M.Acc)
Back: Gleeman's Cape (5 INT)
Waist: Argute Belt (5 INT, 2 M.Acc)
Legs: Mahatma Slops (8 INT)
Feet: Goliard Clogs (4 INT, 2 M.Acc)

A fully-merited Elvaan SCH starts with 272 base skill (under dark arts) and 69 INT. This gear adds (7+7+3+15+8 ) 40 skill and 9 M.Acc for an equivalent 321 skill, and (2+2+3+5+3+5+5+8+4) 37 INT for 106. Add in +7 INT from a cream puff and another +7 from a fully-merited Stormsurge Hailstorm and you're at 120.

(It's been mentioned that in the earring slot, if you have a Moldavite + Novio that 12 MAB is probably worth more in terms of overall damage than the 3 skill, 2 INT from the earrings in that setup, but it was mostly just an intellectual exercise to see if an Elvaan SCH could get to 320/120 without an Aureole.)

For mere mortals such as myself, we probably have to swap the Argute Belt for a Penitent's Rope (losing 2 M.Acc) and the AF2 head for AF1 or AF1+1. If you don't do Einherjar, replacing the Omega Ring with a Snow Ring is best and the back piece becomes either a Prism or Merciful Cape. Most will generally be opting for the standard Bugard Strap +1 instead of the elemental grips, which isn't a big dropoff.

It's worth noting that if you choose to nuke in something like Errant body+AF1 head, or an Ixion Cloak, even an Elvaan can push past 120 INT without too much difficulty. My standard MaxMAB set puts me at 119 before food or hailstorm, which is great for damage on puddings but a problem at HNM's. If your general rule is "Nuke in AF1 body, stack big numbers elsewhere" then it generally won't matter if your numbers come from INT, skill, or M.Acc, or a combination thereof.

[Telamond]

So, where would you place the SCH during end-game events?

[Classikmage]

So, where would you place the SCH during end-game events?

Mpst of the time, in the BLM PT.

[Eldelphia]

So, where would you place the SCH during end-game events?

Which event and who else do you have?

SCH make extraordinary alliance healers if they have a decent -EMN setup. They're useful because of the ability to AoE all status. They can support well with AoE Stoneskin/Phalanx in any party.

For BLMs they're nice for the weather and the support/healer role. Or you can have them handle crowd control.

Really unless you need haste, you can put a SCH anywhere and they'll find a niche. They're certainly not always going into the BLM party.

[Ultimagi]

This is a job I'm interested in using endgame as well, since there's so few of us, and even fewer who know what they're doing. I just got my first Electrum Stud, should I upgrade the Mortarboard or Gown first? Is Focalization worth getting? Or should I just max out Stormsurge and Enlightenment?

[Shin Volcano]

I personaly wouldnt bother upgrading more then 1 level in Enlightment, it still has flaws, like the full penatly spell cost and casting times, I personaly did 4/5 focalization, and i'm pretty impressed with it, it's bascialy a mini-elemental seal, espcially together with Klimaform. it's really the only merit worth upgrading besides storm surge (did 5/5) as the others have very little to no use whatsoever. Stomrsurge is a god send as full merited +7 to corsponding weather stats like +7 INT for hail storm etc is nothing to laugh at, Tranquility would acttually be good for cures but due to the charge cost it's a waste of merits as well. and i'd say do gown 1st, it's similar to how BLM AF+1 hands work, but for SCH i did feet 1st to replace the awful rostrum pumps ( i hate - HP anything on SCH since i abuse sublimation, and i have 0 luck with goliard feet) then gown, head, pants in those order. but that's just my personal set up.


As for the where to put SCH...i'v found a use for SCH in almost every suitation/event where i can replace WHM or BLM, and in SOME cases RDM, since there is always somone to haste when needed, BLM PT=full storm and MAgic accuracy support, ESPCIALLY on HNM where BLM damage is heavly required such as KHIM and Tiamat. Salvage, limbus, Nyzul all i prefer SCH over WHM because they are far more useful, i am debating dynamis still tho, as most of my task revovles around fast raises when shit hits the fan of course cures and lots and lots of crowed control.. only time i recommend whm over sch is...well nothing..i'll always love WHM but i'v found SCH far more usefull in pretty much every event, but there are STILL people who don't understand how it works better, ussualy old school players who don't change, like an old freind debated me down when i said how do they like sch in dynamis when i was going to apply to there dynamis shell, giving me BS of how RDM does everything better blah blah i'm like besides haste and refresh, i'v already found and done shit that rdm can't come close to.. she clearly had no clue what she was talking about or even seen the job, so i just stoped there... and abonded my desire to join them but yea..it takes convicing, the job is so easy to be shitty at that you see more bad SCHs then good ones.

[Ultimagi]

That's true for any job, but I guess some jobs get away with it a little easier.
Focalization is really that good? I thought 2 charges was a little killer. But if you can't use Strategems under Enlightenment, it's not exactly useful either. Would be handy to cast Reraise II once an hour from Addendum: Black, or land a quick Magic Burst from Addendum: White.

[Shin Volcano]

It is a huge loss at 1st, because 1 merit for 5 accuracy isnt good for the cost but if you upgrade it, it helps, it gets the biggest use however during your 2 hour since charges are free, but a good example is focalization sleep 2 on things that are hard to sleep, like PLD NM mobs in dynamis etc, or you really need that gravity to stick, or aoe gravity, it al depends on how you manage your charges, just play smart and you will see the advantage. i'd love it to be one charge...but SE seemd to think 2 was the way to go. but abilites like Altruism and that's only good for....2 spells is a comeplte waste, because it comes down to after stormsurge...what other option is there..?

[Ultimagi]

Ya that merit combo seems like the best bet. You get Enlightenment on the rare occasion you need it, and 4/5 Focalization for landing black magic better.

[Magicide]

Though I don't want to reopen the debate as to the merits of soloing on SCH vs. BLM, I will say that from an Elvaan perspective, SCH is by far the more appealing option. As a BLM I would never have considered soloing Apollyon NW, for example, just because I don't have the mp pool to burn through the early floor mobs without some lucky Conserve MP procs. On SCH this is no problem, and I can and have solo'd Apollyon NW as an Elvaan SCH (with lucky vortex pops I've had as much as 15 minutes remaining on my KB kill).

So while the drawbacks to SCH that Kaeko points out (largely that we have a damage/time ceiling due to stratagem recharge) are very real, to me they are outweighed by the drawbacks of BLM: lack of an option that combines MP efficiency with a reasonable damage output.

I'd also take the Pepsi Challenge as far as soloing Ix'MNK is concerned. Being able to land Alacrity Helices is huge, as is the mp sustainability that Sublimation allows. Not to say that I could personally do it faster than any BLM out there (I'm not foolish), but SCH has some inherent advantages in a fight like that one.

Obviously there will always be jobs better suited for certain fights (SCH's biggest weakness, incidentally, is as I see it our hopelessly codependent marriage to /RDM) but there is also variation within different races and merit distribution. For me, leveling SCH has opened up an ability to solo all kinds of things that I would have never even tried on BLM.

[Ultimagi]

As of now, I don't have much opportunity to use Scholar in endgame. Having White Mage, Black Mage, Red Mage, and Bard really doesn't let you use anything else. So if I put some time into getting better stuff for it, I'm not sure if I should be aiming for a better main healing Scholar, or Black Mage party Scholar. This would help pick whether I want a more potent Stoneskin from Scholar's Pants +1 or slightly more Intelligence from Scholar's Gown +1 or Scholar's Mortarboard +1.