RDM Group 2 Merits.

[Shinryuu]

You don't need to be evasion tanking a mob for Blind to have a positive influence on the situation.

Actually, in quite some situations, you do.

[shaddix]

Actually, in quite some situations, you do.

This is correct, pld isn't going to evade an hnm more than minimum % anyway. Blind or no blind. I guess your thf could benefit from having blind on it, so I guess you don't have to be @_@!!!! Though virtually you do @_@;

[FailureMidgard]

I actually wasn't arguing for Blind II, per se. I was just stating the obvious, in a vacuum, Blind II > Blind I > Nothing. That's really isn't a debate you can even argue >_>
You don't need to be evasion tanking a mob for Blind to have a positive influence on the situation.

Now, lets have more posts about Para 2 from people I can trust... lol

In a Vaccum, -31 mp < -5 mp < 0 mp.

I should clearly use this to draw the conclusion that Nothing > Blind I > Blind II.

No, I'm not being serious, but comparing "in a vacuum" is one of the dumbest things I've ever heard, unless you are actually fighting a Vacuum Monster inside of said Vacuum, and are trying to optimize to beat it.

[Raineer]

In a Vaccum, -31 mp < -5 mp < 0 mp.

I should clearly use this to draw the conclusion that Nothing > Blind I > Blind II.

No, I'm not being serious, but comparing "in a vacuum" is one of the dumbest things I've ever heard, unless you are actually fighting a Vacuum Monster inside of said Vacuum, and are trying to optimize to beat it.

Let me know when you choose a 4 INT ring with -31 mp over a 4 INT ring with 0 mp and we'll talk.

Jesus christ you people can derail anything, Blind II is below the bottom of all RDM T2 merits and we all agree on that. It doesn't mean the spell shouldn't exist, there are SITUATIONS (oh christ look out) where it works and would actually be extremely beneficial.

If you don't like it, don't merit it. Logic is hard.

Since no one else has posted in the thread about Para II except "yeah it's like totally better" then I'll assume it's not worth it either.

[FailureMidgard]

Let me know when you choose a 4 INT ring with -31 mp over a 4 INT ring with 0 mp and we'll talk.

Jesus christ you people can derail anything, Blind II is below the bottom of all RDM T2 merits and we all agree on that. It doesn't mean the spell shouldn't exist, there are SITUATIONS (oh christ look out) where it works and would actually be extremely beneficial.

If you don't like it, don't merit it. Logic is hard.

Since no one else has posted in the thread about Para II except "yeah it's like totally better" then I'll assume it's not worth it either.

31mp is the cost of blind2. 5mp is the cost of blind. 0 is the cost of not casting one.

Hey wait, so you agree that 0 mp is better than -31 mp in a vacuum? That means it's always better outside the vacuum too, right? As in, there is never a situation to cast blind or blind2.

Look, I agree its situational, you're the one that came here and made the "blind is better than no blind in a vacuum, therefor blind is always worth casting". Well, if the mob is capped on accuracy before and after blind, then the blind does -nothing-. In fact, in a very large # of situations, blind gives you 0% avoidance. Please tell me how in your vacuum the 0% avoidance of blind and the 0% avoidance of blind2 compare.

Blind is situational, highly situational, as in, when someone is trying to and/or has a chance to avoid something. It is not always better than no blind, I'm sorry to say, because blind costs mp and has a cast time.

[Shinryuu]

http://animewriter.files.wordpress.c...er-monster.jpg

Quick guys, Blind it!

[Byrthnoth]

HNM RDM: 5/5 Slow II, 5/5 Paralyze II
Salvage RDM: 3/5 Slow II, 5/5 Phalanx II, 2/5 Dia III
Solo RDM: 5/5 Bio III, 5/5 Slow II
RDM who duos Charby with THFs and NINs a lot: 5/5 Slow II, 5/5 Blind II

So what you merit depends on what you want to do. Every spell got worked in. If you're a hardcore HNM tank party RDM, then you should probably also have 5/5 Phalanx 2. If your LS does a lot of zergs, then at least one of your RDMs should have Dia III. This (and doing a ton of Salvage) is why I chose to merit like the Salvage RDM.

On the Slow vs. Paralyze shit:
If your Slow II potency is the difference between your tank being able to regularly get Ichi up and not, then Slow is more valuable than Paralyze because it will save you a ton of MP over time. If your tank can get Ichi up regardless, then it becomes a question of what will reduce the number of attack rounds the monster gets more. Whichever reduces them more will let your tank spend more time building hate and waste less time casting Utsusemi.

[pchan]

I didn't know that among all categories of rdm, there was the category of those that duo charby with thf

[Thorny]

I didn't know that among all categories of rdm, there was the category of those that duo charby with thf

this is quite possibly the first time i've ever agreed with pchan

[Shinryuu]

When I ding RDM75 on my dualbox whore I'mma give it 5/5 ice, 5/5 convert, 4/5 Slow II, 2/5 Dia II, and 4/5 Bio III, I think. Correct me if I'm wrong but 4/5 Bio III means the effect lasts just as long as Poison II? Quite handy for lazymode soloing.

[Thorny]

When I ding RDM75 on my dualbox whore I'mma give it 5/5 ice, 5/5 convert, 4/5 Slow II, 2/5 Dia II, and 4/5 Bio III, I think. Correct me if I'm wrong but 4/5 Bio III means the effect lasts just as long as Poison II? Quite handy for lazymode soloing.

5/5 the bio and drop one off slow or dia, if you're getting bio anyway it's ehhh to not cap it since it's free duration for the same mp cost
also, go on msn more =[

[Athas]

Bio III is really worth putting 5 merits into? >.>

[Shinryuu]

Hi Ath <3

Throny I'm on MSN nao.

[Crizto]

Bio III is really worth putting 5 merits into? >.>

... If you solo a lot. Pretty sure this statement has been said multiple times on every page of this thread.

[Athas]

Well now it has.

[Natara]

It's pretty clear that it's situational and it all depends on what role you play in your ls events or even what kind of event your ls do most of the time. I have a friend who did 5 slow 2 + 5 para 2 and did just fine main heal in SSR, or another friend who did 5 phalanx 2 + 1 slow 2 + 1 para 2 and did just fine being the only rdm in certain HNM events... yet people keep arguing about it. ;P Can also simply talk to other RDMs in the shell and try to merit different things so your ls has everything covered!

Personally though, I did

5 Slow II
3 Para II
1 Dia III
1 Phalanx II

For Dia III, I love it! I never run out of MP in merit party, can go on an hour+ w/o converting. It's also nice in nyzul, salvage on high defense mobs.

For Phalanx II, I don't get to go as RDM for salvage that often really. I'm also helping a friend cap parrying skills after that I might change to 2 Dia III instead.

I can see Bio III being useful on old-styled Kirin kite ;x, and uh if you need the enf sea cape and have no friend to help you can actually solo the DRK Aern with just Bio III lv 5 DOT zone > Repeat (The two north rooms). The level 5 Bio III actually guarantees that it will still stick by the time you zone out and in.


Besides, Dia III I don't think it's worth doing just 1 level on any of the tier 2 merits. So, to sum it up, you can simply pick 2-3 of these options:

- Do 5 Slow II period.

- Do 1 or 2 Dia III if you merit as RDM a lot.

- Do 3-5 Para II, if all you care is HNM.

- Do 3-5 Bio III if you really really solo a lot.

- Do 3-5 Phalanx II if all you do is salvage.

[Massimo]

I can see Bio III being useful on old-styled Kirin kite ;x, and uh if you need the enf sea cape and have no friend to help you can actually solo the DRK Aern with just Bio III lv 5 DOT zone > Repeat (The two north rooms). The level 5 Bio III actually guarantees that it will still stick by the time you zone out and in.

Much, much easier to just kite Ix'DRK.. he's easy as hell to run away from.

Bio III 5/5 is useful for speeding things up solo, that's it really. It's never needed to zone Ix'DRK though, just seems like a lot of hassle and a chance of it being stolen.

[Aragon of Odin]

Sounds like he might be reffering to Ix'Drg and using the teleporter between the 2 North rooms.

[Natara]

No I did mean Ix' DRK. I know it's easier and better to kite if you have someone takes the adds away for you. I've duo'd him a few time by kiting and tossing hate. Bio III is really for solo though since you can't get rid of his Qns solo + the gharh + the pot on the way to the kiting room.

[Nevex]

I'm curious to know why most RDMs put more than a merit in Slow II.
It might be just me but why spend more merits into a spell that gets minimal improvements (magic accuracy on Slow II should be RDMs' last concern unless you fight Cerb and Khim a lot; the Slow potency gained is nowhere as close as the improvement level 1 Slow II has over Slow I) over spells that noticiably improve the more you merit (mainly Bio III and Phalanx II).
The difference between level 1 and capped Slow II is something like 3% potency cap right? It was posted somewhere a while ago.

Other than Blind II which is demeed the worst of T2 merits, RDM has so many good options that "wasting" half of the 10 upgrades they get on a single spell seems less proficient in the long run.
Besides what's the point of saying "Salvage RDM, HNM RDM" and so on?
Those who have said job leveled really play it only in specific scenarios and for nothing else? Seems weird to me.