[Ryoii/Nonomii]

Would you melee with a staff and main heal for merits? I'm not expecting the PLD to also tank. Bouncing hate around those with NIN and SAM subjob would be best.

The 1 DEX = 1 ACC and 1 STR = 1 ATK changes certainly could help staff users with Spirit Taker get back mp from fighting, but would it really be enough? I put together an example of a WHM, but I think this might even work better as a PLD. See the example below of an Elvaan PLD/WAR fighting Greater Colibri. I didn't give the PLD any staff merits since no normal PLD would waist them there.

What are your thoughts?

Example:

Character
Lv75 Elvaan PLD/WAR without Staff Merits

Equipment
Main: Martial Staff (DMG56, DLY390, TP Bonus)
Off-hand: Mythril Grip+1 (STR+2, VIT+2, ACC+2)
Ammo: Tiphia Sting (HP-25, ACC+2, ATK+2)
Head: Optical Hat (ACC+10)
Neck: Royal Guard's Collar (ATK+4, ACC+4)
Earring1: Fowling Earring (STR+1, ACC+3, "Bird Killer")
Earring2: Hospitaler Earring (Cure Potency +5%)
Body: Haubergeon (STR+5, DEX+5, ACC+10, ATK+10)
Hands: Royal Knight's Gauntlets (ACC+3)
Ring1: Spinel Ring (DEX+4)
Ring2: Spinel Ring (DEX+4)
Back: Amemet Mantle (STR+1, ATK+10)
Waist: Life Belt (ACC+10)
Legs: Royal Knight’s Breeches (STR+2, DEX+2, ATK+3)
Feet: Darksteel Sabatons (MP+6, DEX+3, VIT-1)
Food: Meat Mithkabob (STR+5, ATK+60)

Stats
HP: 1331-25=1306
MP: 266+6=272+1MP/3SEC
STR: 77+2+1+5+1+2+5=93
DEX: 59+5+4+4+2+3=77
MND: 69
INT: 46
+ATK: +2+4+10+10+3+60=+89
+ACC: +2+2+10+4+3+10+3+10=+44

Double Attack: 10%
Staff Skill: 269
Attack: 8+269+93+89+15%=528 (average with berserk)
Accuracy: 200+69*0.9+77+44=383

Enemy
Lv82 Greater Colibri
Defense: 327
Evasion: 339
VIT: 67

Hit Rate with Meat Mithkabob: 75% + (383-339)*0.5% + (75-83)*4*0.5% = 81%
cRatio = 528/327-(83-75)*0.05 = 1.21
pDIFF = ??? Not sure how to get this now
Spirit Taker Damage/MP Return = 56+(93-67+4)/4+(69+46)*0.5*0.83*1.5*1.21? = 199DMG/MP

Summary
Hit Rate: 81%
Spirit Taker MP Return: 199MP
Haste: 15% (from RDM casting haste)
Double Attack: 10%
Average <60 seconds to 100TP (~55 seconds not including casting)
(9 Swings after weaponskill with 5.525 second delay, 81% accuracy, and 10% double attack rate)

Comparibly this PLD could only get 478MP from a 300% Chivalry every 12.5 minutes if he had that fully merited. While the PLD's damage isn't going to be very significant, it still might make him an equally acceptable alternative to a WHM if you already have a RDM for Haste. Also if you have a BRD, the PLD would get Minuet x 2 along with the rest of the melee, which will make their job easier.

/sigh /comfort WHM

[Empedocles]

Sounds interesting!

It'd be good to see this tested..... so many things look good on paper but not in-game....

[Icemage]

Why staff? Greatsword does much better damage. If you're going to merit on PLD, at least until 2H weapons get nerfed in the upcoming update, use Greatsword.


Icemage

[Sevv]

staff for the spirit taker weaponskill. Personally you are better off with /sam for more spirit takers. It will be alot harder for pld to main heal then drg, if that is what you are basing on. I have main healed alot as drg with using a staff for spirt takers.

[Ryoii/Nonomii]

Sev, how much MP do you get back from Spirit Taker? Isn't it overkill for your extremely efficient cures? Also you are usually main healing a PLD/NIN, PLD/WAR, or some other job? I'm assuming you are getting significantly more MP now that you can take off a lot of ACC gear.

I'm really quite curious because I plan to level DRG next. I love the potential flexibility of all the jobs, so I'm looking into what possiblities might be more outside the box.

[Sevv]

it on average before the 2h update would give me back 300-400 and my mp for main healing drg while dding was about 350~400. was a bottomless bit of healing basically.

If you are main healing pld/whm pld/rdm pld/blu may all be better choices then pld/war. Also note most af af2 isn't a gear set choice no emnity + would be allowed in the set.

[Ryoii/Nonomii]

Wow! That sounds like plenty of MP. It certainly looks like anything other than Tarutaru PLD will need a lot of +MP gear.

Mostly I chose PLD/WAR because every PLD has it, and I think it provides the most MP return due to quick TP with double attack and harder hitting WS with Berserk. However, I think overall Hasso could make things better with 5% higher hitrate and 10% haste on top of SAM subjob giving Store TP+15 and Meditate.

Store TP+12 or greater will cut one hit off of the number needed to get to 100TP. However, Store TP+25 will get you to 100TP in two less hits. This could be done with SAM subjob (+15), Carbonara (+6), Chivalrous Chain (+1), Brutal Earring (+1), Bushido Cape (+1), and Attila's Earring (+1). However, I'd see SAM subjob (+15), Rajas Ring (+5), and Carbonara (+6) being the more likely way to go. There is also the Askar Korazin body (+5), but this is probably rarer than Rajas Ring.

This makes me notice that PLD/WAR with Carbonara (+6), Rajas Ring (+5), and Brutal Earring, Attila's Earring, Bushido Cape, or Chivalrous Chain can shave a hit off the time to get 100TP. This would be great for everything other than Colibri.

[Sevv]

pld wise at endgame



Ares' is hard to get but im working on it so thats why i put it in.
Homam is not too hard to get overall tho.

Edit: This is built on a hume. also i would have another +40 hp and +40 mp from merits. Also pld/whm due to -na fora better main healer.

[Ryoii/Nonomii]

Awesome Sevv. It is cool to see just how much better it could get when you move away from the easier to get gear and subjob. This is truly turning into a little guide on how to main heal as PLD.

[Sevv]

Originally Posted by Ryoii/Nonomii

Awesome Sevv. It is cool to see just how much better it could get when you move away from the easier to get gear and subjob. This is truly turning into a little guide on how to main heal as PLD.

What isn't noted is that with that gear:

3mp/tick refresh no sanction refresh.
The trick is really tho is with pld/whm as main healer it is not the best choice of main healing it is possible yes, but you lose haste, which is very much a big minus, of course you could drop a bard into the set for haste/attack songs and more refresh. We usually had a pld/nin in merit parties (because he is a friend and a ls mate) did decent damage and was a great pseudo back up tank to my war and had the healing power.

I think it would be great to test but my pld is only 55 atm.

Tho i doubt i will try this too much since i am working on an aegis =D

[Ryoii/Nonomii]

I'm mostly trying to keep in mind that there are Lv70 PLDs who are playing their first job, but they want to get to Lv75 and merit just like everyone else. Honestly I'm sure longtime PLDs will be able to merit with GS or PLD/NIN. I'm going to redo the build I'm suggesting to drop the cost. We can use Sevv's example of how to build as an endgame PLD.

[Sevv]

alot of the fact of people not getting merits are the same people who don't try to make them.

Endgame build go go pld/nin:

[Lmnop]

Originally Posted by SevIfrit

Also note most af af2 isn't a gear set choice no emnity + would be allowed in the set.

Why not? Who cares if you get hit a few times? PLDs are career cure-between-swing'ers. And they'll certainly have higher defense than any other healer will. And if he subs WHM, Stoneskin with a native enhancing magic skill.

In fact, this brings me back to Armando's Pld/Rdm. With Spirit Taker, could he be an infinite main healer as well as tank? I bet so. Considering Pld/rdm is already close to invincible...

Also, Pld/War would still be good for this layout just because anything that contributes to killspeed is a good thing -- even the main healer. Especially when said main healer needs to melee in order to keep up their mp supply.

[Ryoii/Nonomii]

I can see it being possible for the PLD to both tank and main heal, but they would need some extremely good gear to maximize Stoneskin and maximize their return from Spirit Taker. Not something I'd suggest for the new Lv75 PLD.

I'm actually thinking PLD/SAM would be best for tanking and healing. SAM subjob can absorb quite a lot of damage. Probably as much as RDM subjob, but then we have a problem of a lack of hate tools. This would likely require a TA + WS at the start of each fight.

[Lmnop]

If Armando can tank as Pld/Rdm already, I don't see too much problem. It's just casting between swings. Just cast Stoneskin between fights whenever the chance and mp allows -- don't rely on it. Getting hit really isn't all that bad. Even in fast-pulling TP burn parties.

And yeah, PLD/SAM would be interesting. Seigan may not be enough for dedicated tankery, but it would stem the tide a lot when you already have high defense and Flash.