Merit Points Group 1 for Dancer and Scholar! (08/13/2008)

[evilpaul]

I'd kind of like to see Dancer get some sort of TP regen. That would probably be a Group 2 thing if SE adds it all though.

SCH could really use some skill+ for Dark Arts, possibly an MAB bonus as well. Hopefully, something better than 100 seconds off Modus Veritas recast or some shit.

It'll be interesting to see what they actually end up doing. SE managed to make AF that's actually kind of useful (several pieces at least), and may be able to continue the trend with merits (and the TOAU jobs AF+1/Relic).

[Kabbalah]

Hopefully, yeah. But still, it's telling when most of these posts about merits about SCH.

[Eldelphia]

Wrong! I looked into the future and saw the SCH merits.

• Light Arts Duration (+2 minutes)
• Dark Arts Duration (+2 minutes)
• Helix Accuracy (+1%, based off of the time of day)
• Storm Recast (-2 seconds)
• Enhances Accession effect. (Raises range of AoE effect by 1)

You saw it here first!

Septimus, you're evil. Funny, but evil. I hope you don't call these into being by posting here...

[DaGod]

Wrong! I looked into the future and saw the SCH merits.

• Light Arts Duration (+2 minutes)
• Dark Arts Duration (+2 minutes)
• Helix Accuracy (+1%, based off of the time of day)
• Storm Recast (-2 seconds)
• Enhances Accession effect. (Raises range of AoE effect by 1)

You saw it here first!

If this is it i will just kill myself >.<

[Septimus]

Septimus, you're evil. Funny, but evil. I hope you don't call these into being by posting here...

That would just confirm my amazing psychic abilities.

[evilpaul]

That would just confirm my amazing psychic abilities.

We'd need Alla to get somebody to suggest in an interview they add pickles so everyone can make a char and send you 8 on Bahamut

[Septimus]

We'd need Alla to get somebody to suggest in an interview they add pickles so everyone can make a char and send you 8 on Bahamut

Don't shoot the messenger. This is the problem with having the sight, everyone blames you when your amazing predictions comes true...

[Talint]

DNC needs help all around. I've picked up the job again, and I've figured out a lot of whys in regard to Squenix's design of the job. I'm going to be writing about it in my blog soon.

But as it stands, because DNC can't do any one thing well, it gets overshadowed by pretty much every other support job. Since the baggage DNC brings with it is quite the trade-off, there's almost no point. There's also some implementation issues that need to be addressed, like gaining TP without the need for pre-fighting would help DNC in endgame areas.

Not that I'd ever suggest to Square-Enix specifically that they implement -x- ability or trait for a job. I know better than to mess with an evil genie.

[Maxxthepenguin]

In my estimation, DNC needs:
Better ways to reduce TP the opponent gains. They don't have enough subtle blow, really. Maybe some step that itself reduces opponent TP would help.
A small buff to steps. Box step + Dia 2/3 + Def Down debuff (angon, acid bolt, etc) is already incredibly potent, but on their own the steps aren't especially fantastic. If full merits increase potency by 5%, that would be enough.
Something more unique to do. We have healers who are more efficient on HNMs than DNC. I don't think its feasible to make DNC worth a slot over WHM in situations where you need full healing power.

Now, that is only saying what would make it able to be used, not that it would be used. There is likely going to be a public perception issue for a long time.

More mathaliciously: A 18% defense down on the enemy will usually be about equivalent to 2 minuets. Without any other def down (and assuming it all works as I think it does), 18% def down would be essentially equivalent to 22% attack up. This bonus increases with more def down on the opponent until you hit the pDIF cap. That doesn't even include the bonuses gained from the other steps.

[Kyreth]

DNC needs endgame help. On some mobs it's hard to tp, and with all the cures being on the same timer you can't heal fast enough.

Having had some DNC go through the ranks in our LS and having done 25 or so levels myself- yeah, it's definitely where the merits are going to help. If they chop time off cures, or give DNC some form of TP gain/improved Store/anything to be able to pull TP off endgame mobs decently, it'd fix much.

As it is, I think more folks get benefits out of /DNC than DNC at the top.

[Alistaire]

Don't shoot the messenger. This is the problem with having the sight, everyone blames you when your amazing predictions comes true...

Until the day when some creepy guy shows up and takes your brain.

[Tsuko_Asura]

Having had some DNC go through the ranks in our LS and having done 25 or so levels myself- yeah, it's definitely where the merits are going to help. If they chop time off cures, or give DNC some form of TP gain/improved Store/anything to be able to pull TP off endgame mobs decently, it'd fix much.

As it is, I think more folks get benefits out of /DNC than DNC at the top.

lolKI and such, but someone actually went through the math of it all, and a DNC/SAM shouldn't technically have any problems maintaining a positive TP gain whilst keeping steps up on anything. I still don't feel them to be a necessary part of end-game, but, yeah.

[Damane]

lolKI and such, but someone actually went through the math of it all, and a DNC/SAM shouldn't technically have any problems maintaining a positive TP gain whilst keeping steps up on anything. I still don't feel them to be a necessary part of end-game, but, yeah.

steps can miss, especially on high evasive mobs, aka probably half of the HNMs

[Not Kuno]

Dnc can get Conserve TP. BRILLIANT

[Dawin]

I'm surprised no one has mentioned new stratagems for Group 2 Scholar merits. I'd love to see a stratagem that caps at +20% Magic accuracy, or one that caps at enmity -50%.

I just really hope they don't waste all of the merit options on weather or day effects.

And like everyone else, I'm hoping for stratagem timer - 2 seconds per merit upgrade.

[Cow_k]

I'd die for an emnity down strategem... That's one that I'm hoping for with tier 2.

[Kabbalah]

steps can miss, especially on high evasive mobs, aka probably half of the HNMs

So maybe something along the lines of Flashy Shot, where the DNC ignores level penalties for a certain amount of time, would be in order?

Or maybe something similar to Zanshin, where the DNC has a chance to instantly reuse any step that has previously missed?

Just some brainstorming about sambas here (since these are, IMHO, the most unique part of the DNC), but a [non-merited] samba that might open the doors for new HNM strategies and actually make the DNC useful on HNMs would be a Drain TP effect; the Drain TP effect would be 100% for any DNC, but significantly lower for anyone else.

Another idea would be to tweak the Haste Samba so that it also slows down the enemy a bit.

An option to Healing Waltz would be something like a esuna-like samba that checks for status effects every time the player makes a successful hit and tests to erase one status effect.

A cool Category 2 merit would be to add an actual Drain effect to Drain Sambas, ala Blood Weapon, though it would probably cap around 25~50%. Another use of Cat 2 merits might be to enhance the effects of all flourishes across the board.

[Talint]

A small buff to steps. Box step + Dia 2/3 + Def Down debuff (angon, acid bolt, etc) is already incredibly potent, but on their own the steps aren't especially fantastic.

This is probably one of the biggest reasons why DNC isn't more powerful. I'll use Haste Samba as an example, speaking in broad generalities.

Chances are good that, in this day of playing, you'll have a RDM and a BRD in the same party (not always, but most of the time). The Haste spell will give 15%. Bard Marches will give another 20%. Hasso will throw down yet another 10% if you're SAM or /SAM, so you're already at 45% Haste.

Haste Samba, if you get it, will add another 5% on top of that. Since it doesn't overwrite or work against any of those other hastes, you're looking at 50% - excluding gear completely. A 5% Haste samba is pitiful in of itself (especially since it's only a weapon-delay haste), but if you add it to all the other potential haste, it's so much better.

I'm not sure how you fix something like that, without making somebody unhappy.

[Delekii]

This is probably one of the biggest reasons why DNC isn't more powerful. I'll use Haste Samba as an example, speaking in broad generalities.

Chances are good that, in this day of playing, you'll have a RDM and a BRD in the same party (not always, but most of the time). The Haste spell will give 15%. Bard Marches will give another 20%. Hasso will throw down yet another 10% if you're SAM or /SAM, so you're already at 45% Haste.

Haste Samba, if you get it, will add another 5% on top of that. Since it doesn't overwrite or work against any of those other hastes, you're looking at 50% - excluding gear completely. A 5% Haste samba is pitiful in of itself (especially since it's only a weapon-delay haste), but if you add it to all the other potential haste, it's so much better.

I'm not sure how you fix something like that, without making somebody unhappy.

It would have been easy to fix if they didn't already implement it the way they did. With BRD buffs already as strong as they are, and rdm haste on top, they proceeded to add not one, but two more buffing jobs, with all the buffing jobs' buffs working independantly of each other. If they had made it so that the same type of buff was not worth using from two different jobs the same way it is not worth using the same buff from two of the same job, then it would have been the case that if you have a cor+brd+dnc, you wouldn't have march + minuet + drk roll + haste samba and have it be worthwhile.

As it stands now, they are fucked because they cant add more potent buffs without causing serious imbalance when job combos are considered..

[spooky]

I wish people would stop referring to DNC as a buffer comparable to BRD. It's a front-line healer, as SE themselves have stated. You're lucky to get any kind of haste at all. I think they should have only given you curing (HP and status) dances.
You’ll probably find the merits are only going to make you a better front-line healer and not a better buffer.