Tier 2 Merits for a few jobs

[Appie]

Invigorate is great if you want to skip buying persikos au lait while soloing. In parties or events I think the value drops considerably.

Mantra is much more situational. Spikes hate, raises PT members HP up to 20%, and assists SE darks.

Comparing the cost of +HP gear versus persikos is not a fair comparison (since one is a consummable), but I think its clear that many people think +HP is a valuable commodity.

For me, I think Mantra is underrated.

This is what I don't understand or maybe I'm missing something, but looking at Kaeko's chart... how does this spike hate? I heard of monks using it to get hate, but the numbers to me are like: why bother?

[Cream Soda]

Invigorate is great if you want to skip buying persikos au lait while soloing. In parties or events I think the value drops considerably.

Mantra is much more situational. Spikes hate, raises PT members HP up to 20%, and assists SE darks.

Comparing the cost of +HP gear versus persikos is not a fair comparison (since one is a consummable), but I think its clear that many people think +HP is a valuable commodity.

For me, I think Mantra is underrated.

Only part of getting 20% hp is that it lasts 3 mins and has a 10 min recast and you have to cure the extra mp you get in the first place.
Mantra also doesn't stack with drain II so that also lowers its value for SE drks.
I had mantra once. MPK'd my mnk burn in KRT with it for a good laugh then took it off.

[Vodou]

This is what I don't understand or maybe I'm missing something, but looking at Kaeko's chart... how does this spike hate? I heard of monks using it to get hate, but the numbers to me are like: why bother?

I'll have to go back and see but iirc the amount of enmity is base times number of people that are affected by the mantra, so I think its a multiple of what you see in the chart against how many people are affected.

Cream:

Good points as usual. I guess to some extent both are pretty situational and tbh I can see invigorate being used more often especially in small or solo situations. There still are a few circumstances where +20% HP is a solid addition while the regen ability of invigorate can be acquired otherwise (drinks, spells, e.g.).

I would have preferred to be able merit down the counterstance -defense trait myself. ^_^

[Appie]

I know, it's 60 VE per member cast on in Kaeko's list, so 360 total including yourself? That's just 60 higher than a boost (or other MNK JA except stance). Considering it has a 10min cooldown, that's rather crap?

[Evildemon]

Monk was salvage onry > 1 formless strikes, 5 penance, 4 invigorate

Drk was full time and used for zerging a lot > 5 desperate blows, 3 dark seal, 2 muted soul

well what i woulda done if i had the chance too. Reasons being i had leveled monk for salvage and was doing a strictly salvage only build and the 5 penance was nice for lowered tp accumulation particular on gears/chariots. the invigorate was nice for a little regen to help alleviate some curing by the mages.

[Vodou]

I know, it's 60 VE per member cast on in Kaeko's list, so 360 total including yourself? That's just 60 higher than a boost (or other MNK JA except stance). Considering it has a 10min cooldown, that's rather crap?

Wow that enmity figure is nothing like what I expected. I'm not saying it got changed, but I was under the illusion (delusion lol) that is was way higher when I first saw it.

So scratch that as a useful hate tool for tanking.

[Shinryuu]

I'm in the process of leveling DRK myself and I'll go 5 diabolic eye (it loses way too much when you go from 5/5 to 4/5), 4/5 DB and 1/5 DS.

I'm leveling DRK mainly for zerging, though I'll use it occasionally for other stuff if I feel like it. Let's assume for a certain zerg, you want seigan or another subjob. Now, zerging = haste. Haste caps at 80%. In a zerg, you will hit the magic haste cap, 43%. Adding 20% from 4/5 DB, you will only need 17% haste in gear. Sacrificing the bodypiece for the soul eater bonus, this won't be hard. Homam x3, swift belt, turban. Swift belt doesn't have HP on it, which is a shame. But: 1/5 dark seal! DS+Drain II will add a lot of HP.

If your DRK's only job is zerging, 5/5 DB slightly opens up some gear choices. If you're using it for anything else, meritable aggressor is way too awesome to pass up.

[Tulun]

if you are a real drk. 5/5 db is a must for any situation, for any setup, for any sj when your not KC-ing. Dont depend on others like dnc. they are too rare atm and dont think you will be forever sj sam in every situation.

other 5 is either 5/5 eye or 4/5 eye + 1 seal

I'm the other way around.
The way I look at it: Diabolic eye is up 60% of the time with 5/5. Huge acc bonus; and every DRK needs it in many situations, especially if they want to use better attack food.

Even with 5/5 DB, the haste is up only 1/10th of the time (bit more if you merit recast, but only becomes nearly 1/8th). I think 60% ACC bonus > 1/10th-1/8th haste boost that is only situationally better (Hasso down, /nin sub, etc). The reduction to 4/5 Eye reduces it's effectiveness to only being up 40% of the time at best...

Sacrificing Dark Seal is a better option than Sacrificing 5/5 Diabolic eye if you use DRK a lot.

[xIndustrialxAngelx]

D: omg now I'm confused about drk merits! lol My drk is mostly used for meritting or so, so I'm /sam. it's also used for jar or other zerg NM's where i get to use KC

[Shinryuu]

You have a KC so don't bother too much with DB. If you have a KC I'd also go 4/5 DB, 1/5 DS, 5/5 DE.

[Maaglin]

What?

what what?

[Yugl]

what what?

Nvm, you said recast instead of effect the first time.

[Arthars]

I'm the other way around.
The way I look at it: Diabolic eye is up 60% of the time with 5/5. Huge acc bonus; and every DRK needs it in many situations, especially if they want to use better attack food.

Even with 5/5 DB, the haste is up only 1/10th of the time (bit more if you merit recast, but only becomes nearly 1/8th). I think 60% ACC bonus > 1/10th-1/8th haste boost that is only situationally better (Hasso down, /nin sub, etc). The reduction to 4/5 Eye reduces it's effectiveness to only being up 40% of the time at best...

Sacrificing Dark Seal is a better option than Sacrificing 5/5 Diabolic eye if you use DRK a lot.

yea i went for win-win

5/5 db and 5/5 eye hehehe. Im apoc drk, so 5/5 db keeps me top in non SP situation.

dropped my dark seal, and didnt really regret it

[Silenka]

Mantra is a trash ability imo, like Veg said you can even mpk your party with it if you hit it and, oops, there's undead around, sorry guys XD More work for your healers and not much gained for it. I'm doing 1 Formless 5 Penanace 4 Invig (maybe I will switch the last two, not sure yet).

[Maaglin]

Nvm, you said recast instead of effect the first time.

I didn't change what I said, so still not sure what you don't agree with?

Regardless of relic or not, every drk should put 5 in LR recast to compliment the standard 4 or 5 DB merits (which you should also get regardless of relic or not).

Relic drk's can for the most part ignore DE if they choose and instead focus merits in muted soul if desired. Although argument can still be made that even relic drks will get good mileage out of 5 DE merits.

If you have relic or can afford to use SE when it's available on a regular basis, you should do 5 SE recast merits instead of LR effect.

[Meepein]

Gonna go with the masses and say I went 5/5 DE, 4/5 DB, and 1 DS. I am not 100% sold on Dark Seal, but I think it is worth getting (however, it is the first thing to go of I want to cap out Desperate Blows which I do not believe I need to do.) Diabolic Eye is fantastic when capped out, the ACC boost is quite nice.

Group 1's, I have 5/5 Souleater, and I will *probably* do Last Resort Recast (finishing out merits on other jobs, my DRK is never used so it is low on the priority scale atm.) However, I went with SE recast for when my DRK sees use (which is almost never), so my Group 1's might be different if I were DRK more often.

[pchan]

I personally wouldn't use rajas on a Chariot, but maybe that's just me. Besides with a cor or someone /cor (Usually the brd or thf in our case), mnk's roll tops us off

As for penance yea you got the right idea there. I have lv 4 and my partner has lv 5 so we can keep it up full time

Sorry for late answer. Native trait for mnk is +20 SB, Hades sainti (7), usukane gotes (5), black belt (+5) for a total of 37 SB. Checking the wiki info on Monk's roll, most of the time you'll get more SB (worst case is +13 SB, most case will give 24-30) than needed to cap it out, which means attack rolls will preform better. It seems only useful when you don't use 2 MNKs.

[Cream Soda]

Oh, it probably would have mentioned that I don't have full usu, and utilize the Ulthalam's/Imperial combo for one of the reasons I wouldn't use Rajas in salvage.

[Arthars]

fuuuuuuuuuuuu imperial ring

i wantttttttttt

[Yugl]

I didn't change what I said, so still not sure what you don't agree with?

LR recast is 5 for everyone. Playstyle / relic will determine if you want to do 5 LR effect or SE recast.

I wasn't referring to an edit in your post.