Optimal Blu Merit build?

[Keni79]

Hey BG,

My Blu just hit 75 today and after I started reading the 170+ pages of the Blu post in the advance section my eyes have become raisins and I still am a bit wary of where to spend my merits.

Currently my magic skills are capped out 8/8 Eley/Enf(raise the fucking cap anytime SE) but my combat merits are pretty wide open 8/8 GKt and 3/8 Sword which I do plan on taking to 8/8. Really I guess I'm just looking for some advice on how to go about capping out the Tier I/2 Blu merits.

Suggestions/Advice would be appreciated.

[jimbobsonofgod]

physical potency 5
Chain affinity recast 5

Enchainment 5
Assimilation 5

[Yugl]

Physical and Magic Potency 5
Assimilation 5
Enchainment 4
Convergence 1 (Might fix that)

[VZX]

Magic accuracy 5
Either Physical Potency 5 or CA recast 5. Depending on your final gear set and for what you're using your BLU.

Assimilation 4 or 5
Diffusion 1 (if you do lowman limbus on temenos, this will help a lot for astral flow counter)
Enchainment 5 if you're melee oriented, Convergence 5 if you're mage oriented.

[Ultimagi]

5/5 Magical Blue Magic Accuracy
5/5 Chain Affinity Recast
5/5 Enchainment
?/5 Assimilation
Spend anything you don't put into Assimilation on unlocking Convergence or Diffusion if you think you'll use them.

[Meian]

Magic accuracy 5
Either Physical Potency 5 or CA recast 5. Depending on your final gear set and for what you're using your BLU.

Assimilation 4 or 5
Diffusion 1 (if you do lowman limbus on temenos, this will help a lot for astral flow counter)
Enchainment 5 if you're melee oriented, Convergence 5 if you're mage oriented.

Correct answer

[Keni79]

Thanks peeps,

One other thing, Sword Skill/Acc is the driving factor behind Physical magical landing but not increasing damage and Blue Magic Skill is for landing magical spells and also raising the damage cap on magical spells.

Correct, or did I get my wires crossed?

Mainly I think I would be using Blu as a side project/fun job as I don't think I would really be that effective on Gods/HNMs/Protos with my lack of room to merit Blue Magic Skill so I think I'll go with the following build and use the job while farming proto sets/sky trigs or for soloing Imps!

Magic accuracy 5
Physical Potency 5
Assimilation 4
Diffusion 1 - I do have a Lowman limbo shell.
Enchainment 5

Someday when I can merit Blu Skill I guess I will change those Tier I merits to something that includes the reduced CA timer.

Thanks again for the input guys.

[Ultimagi]

Sword Skill/Acc is the driving factor behind Physical magical landing but not increasing damage

Correct.

Blue Magic Skill is for landing magical spells and also raising the damage cap on magical spells.

It also raises the damage of physical spells.

Mainly I think I would be using Blu as a side project/fun job as I don't think I would really be that effective on Gods/HNMs/Protos with my lack of room to merit Blue Magic Skill so I think I'll go with the following build and use the job while farming proto sets/sky trigs or for soloing Imps!

Blue Mage is the most versatile job in the game, it can literally do anything. It not only has a place at any endgame event, it has several. With some practice and gear, you can deal heavy damage of any type, nuke with several different elements, tank, and even heal. Merits, just like with any job, only help some, they're by no means required.

Edit: I'd also like to point out that Diffusion is extremely situational. The example of using Saline Coat while fighting a Summoner Notorious Monster is the only practical use I can even think of since you can't maintain any enhancements on a 10-20 minute timer. Convergence is a nice boost to Magical Blue Magic, but again has very limited uses on a 10-20 minute timer, you will get much more consistent results from better equipment and enhancements. Physical Blue Magic Potency is only going to help cap accuracy of multiple hit spells like Disseverment, which is easy enough to achieve with equipment, enhancing yourself, and/or enfeebling the enemy. These spells are also situational however, since they give the enemy 10 TP per hit landed, so against anything where that matters, you should be sticking to Sneak Attacking single hit spells.

[Meian]

Edit: I'd also like to point out that Diffusion is extremely situational. The example of using Saline Coat while fighting a Summoner Notorious Monster is the only practical use I can even think of since you can't maintain any enhancements on a 10-20 minute timer. Convergence is a nice boost to Magical Blue Magic, but again has very limited uses on a 10-20 minute timer, you will get much more consistent results from better equipment and enhancements. Physical Blue Magic Potency is only going to help cap accuracy of multiple hit spells like Disseverment, which is easy enough to achieve with equipment, enhancing yourself, and/or enfeebling the enemy. These spells are also situational however, since they give the enemy 10 TP per hit landed, so against anything where that matters, you should be sticking to Sneak Attacking single hit spells.

Well, don't forget can also use it when tanking for an emergency Diffusion ==> Exuviation (which is the only reason I'd consider meriting once into this less than for Saline Coat). Forgot the amount of hate on this vs. Invincible and other higher enmity abilities/spells.

[Ultimagi]

I just don't think those situational gimmicky uses really warrant putting merits into them that could go to Enchainment or Assimilation.

[Meian]

I just don't think those situational gimmicky uses really warrant putting merits into them that could go to Enchainment or Assimilation.

I think it depends what you do. If you often tank then my reasoning for MAYBE "1" level into Diffusion warrants it. Other than that, yes go full out on Assimilation (main one, 5/5, period) and Enchainment.

[Araius]

I think it depends what you do. If you often tank then my reasoning for MAYBE "1" level into Diffusion warrants it. Other than that, yes go full out on Assimilation (main one, 5/5, period) and Enchainment.

This. (see also: Shit's situational)

Unless you were dead-set that you would NEVER use Diffusion, it seems silly to restrict access to a *potentially* useful ability in order to get an extra...what..maybe 10 damage from that last Enchainment merit? Not even? Maybe I'm off on my math, and maybe for the "OMG MAX DMG NUMBAZ" crew it's worth it...but I'd much rather be a bit more well-rounded.

That being said, here would my ideal "well-rounded" setup:

Magical Accuracy 5
CA Recast 5 (not sold on Potency myself, usually prefer /THF and SA singles but...subject to change)

1 Convergence
1 Diffusion
5 Assimilation
3 Enchainment

[Ultimagi]

Shit's situational

My point is that it is too situational, to the point that is more of a gimmick than an actual tactic, considering you can only use it once every 20 minutes for things which can be handled better some other way.

it seems silly to restrict access to a *potentially* useful ability in order to get an extra...what..maybe 10 damage from that last Enchainment merit? Not even? Maybe I'm off on my math, and maybe for the "OMG MAX DMG NUMBAZ" crew it's worth it...but I'd much rather be a bit more well-rounded.

One Enchainment merit (on a Damage varies with TP spell) increases your fTP by about 0.1, roughly equivalent to using a Gorget on a Weapon Skill. It's a little more than 10 damage.

It seems silly to restrict damage you use every 1 minute 30 seconds (with appropriate merits) for a *potentially* useful ability you might use just for shits and giggles once a day. But hey, do whatever you want.

[Araius]

I buy the argument, except for I really do use Diffusion when it's up. If you don't, then yeah, it's worthless. But in the event you're tanking, it's a nice "oh shit" button with Exuviation. Astral Flow that you know when it's coming, it's nice to potentially save a good amount of time/death. I'm often in melee party for Dynamis, and I find Diff.+Refueling very useful for Xarcabard in particular, since it overwrites Demonic Howl. Diff.+Zephyr Mantle is nice in Nyzul, etc in the unfortunate event that some overzealous melee decided not to sub /NIN. To be perfectly honest, I thought I would regret getting Diffusion when I got it, but I've enjoyed having it at my disposal.

I'll have to do the math when I'm not supposed to be working as far as Enchainment goes though. I didn't realize the difference is equivalent to the gorgets just for 1 merit. That's more than I thought it was.

[Yugl]

So if I have only one more merit option with the current set up: Assimilation 5 and Enchainment 4, what is the best option? The 5th Enchainment, Diffusion, or Convergence.

[Ultimagi]

In my opinion, finish Enchainment. It will increase your performance every time you use Chain Affinity. If you can actually find a practical use for either of Diffusion or Convergence once every 20 minutes, they might be useful. However, I would not use them.

[Araius]

So if I have only one more merit option with the current set up: Assimilation 5 and Enchainment 4, what is the best option? The 5th Enchainment, Diffusion, or Convergence.

That's about the biggest shit's situational example I can think of. Depends what events you take BLU too, how many other BLU's are around and how they play/what their merits are, what other jobs are typically in your party, how much meritting you do as BLU, what sub you typically use, how many other merits you have for BLU, what kind of gear you have/plan to be able to get, etc etc etc.

For the way I like to use BLU, I would put the last 1 in Diffusion, but I could easily see arguments for any of them.

[jimbobsonofgod]

Yeah I put 1 into diffusion and personally I don't use it,

I wouldn't use convergence either, since when I'm debuffing mobs I'm doing crowds anyways.

That's why I said max enchainment.

[Yugl]

In my opinion, finish Enchainment. It will increase your performance every time you use Chain Affinity. If you can actually find a practical use for either of Diffusion or Convergence once every 20 minutes, they might be useful. However, I would not use them.

I use Convergence at Nyzul Isle, but I don't know how helpful it is.

That's about the biggest shit's situational example I can think of. Depends what events you take BLU too, how many other BLU's are around and how they play/what their merits are, what other jobs are typically in your party, how much meritting you do as BLU, what sub you typically use, how many other merits you have for BLU, what kind of gear you have/plan to be able to get, etc etc etc.

For the way I like to use BLU, I would put the last 1 in Diffusion, but I could easily see arguments for any of them.

I don't enjoy tanking (But have Earth Staff/Jelly Ring/Upcoming Cheviot Cape), but I will if needed. I generally use BLU for Nyzul Isle, Soloing, and any case where it is more useful than DRG or SCH. Otherwise, it's the other two (Note: No meriting on BLU).

[Yugl]

In my opinion, finish Enchainment. It will increase your performance every time you use Chain Affinity. If you can actually find a practical use for either of Diffusion or Convergence once every 20 minutes, they might be useful. However, I would not use them.

I use Convergence at Nyzul Isle, but I don't know how helpful it is.

That's about the biggest shit's situational example I can think of. Depends what events you take BLU too, how many other BLU's are around and how they play/what their merits are, what other jobs are typically in your party, how much meritting you do as BLU, what sub you typically use, how many other merits you have for BLU, what kind of gear you have/plan to be able to get, etc etc etc.

For the way I like to use BLU, I would put the last 1 in Diffusion, but I could easily see arguments for any of them.

I don't enjoy tanking (But have Earth Staff/Jelly Ring/Upcoming Cheviot Cape), but I will if needed. I generally use BLU for Nyzul Isle, Soloing, and any case where it is more useful than DRG or SCH. Otherwise, it's the other two (Note: No meriting on BLU).