[Omgwtfbbqkitten]

OK, ten hours after starting to download the update, I finally succeeded. I got a good nap in the meantime. I looked up the info on FFXIclopedia and some of the interpetations of the new merits were worded funny, so I though I'd clarify them here.

Grimorie Recast
Shortens recast of Light and Dark Arts by 2 seconds per merit.

So 5/5 would mean 50 second recast on either. Its nice, but I don't know if I'll bother with this category since I seldom find myself constantly switching between the two at high levels. It was more common at low levels for me to switch up and I generally didn't like doing that since I had to reset my Addendums each time.

Modus Veritas Duration
Increases duration effect for Modus Veritas by 10%

5/5 would get you 50% duration increase, which I think would actually negate how MV cut helix durations originally. Nice, but I think I've used MV all of three times since I got it. The 10 min recast on MV doesn't help matters, either.

Helix Magic Acc./Atk.
Increase magic accuracy by 3 and magic attack bonus by 2 for helix spells.

5/5 here would mean +15 Magic Accuracy and +10 MAB for helix spells. Now this I really like because it gives a bit more freedom and ease up the conditions under which these spells are cast. I'll probably Max this one.

Max Sublimation
Increase the maximum amount of MP available via sublimation by 10

5/5 would mean an extra 50 MP off sublimation. Whether or not you go for this would probably depend on your gear setup and race a bit. This would be really nice for tarus since the conversion ratio on Sublimation is based on HP and that's a department in which tarus kinda lack. Its hard to justify more HP gear to improve the Sublimation effect, too, so this is a better choice for me.

Overall, I think SE did a fairly good job on SCH Group 1. I was worried we'd get to merit helix accuracy and that would be it, but thankfully SE decided to put it all in one category for us considering we have job abilities to consider as well.

[Malacite]

Personally I'm leaning on MV and Helix merits. For one thing wiki says multiple scholars can stack MV on the same mob (which is crazy!!!) but more over, this way you can also use Ebullience to land a big helix and then double it's power without cutting down the duration for some very nasty DoT.

It does seem kind of silly that they didn't allow SCH to merit MV's recast though. At this point I'm still betting Category 2's will either give new addendum spells and/or stratagems, but who knows SCH might actually see tier 2 Storms/Helix.

[Omgwtfbbqkitten]

You can already get some AM-quality numbers from a non-Modus helix, I doubt there will be another tier of Helix

[Omni]

Looks like 5 sublimation and 5 helix for me when I get there.

I think even if they were to give a MV recast merit, it would be not-that-cool like all the other long recast timer /ja.

[Malacite]

Sublimation honestly seems like a waste to me. Oh yay another 50 MP... now, if they'd allowed you to merit the rate at which it converts HP>MP, THAT would have been unbelievably good.

[Yellow Mage]

Originally Posted by Malacite

now, if they'd allowed you to merit the rate at which it converts HP>MP, THAT would have been unbelievably good.

Not only unbelievably good, but broken: the maximum rate of Refresh that is possible in the game from sources that are not equipment nor Auto-Refresh traits (basically, anything that gives you the Refresh status icon) is 3mp/tick, which Scholars can already achieve whilst using Sublimation with a Mortarboard. That's the same rate the Red Mage spell gives, by the way.

[LilithAngel]

Wouldn't Mage's Ballad (both of them, w/Gjallerhorn) and Evoker's Roll (hitting on 11 w/o SMN, or 5/10/11 w/SMN) count? If so, then the maximum refresh rate is slightly higher than 3/tick (from one abilitiy/set of related abilities). I know Refresh doesn't stack w/ Sublimation, and Ballad/Evoker's does, but the effect is the same. I'm well aware of the "splitting hairs" argument about Haste and March not being exactly the same (and how this is the same situation), but the end results are, and this is what I'm talking about. I don't see how Sublimation giving 1 or 2 more a tick would be broken, seeing as how we already have abilities that do that now (albeit one that costs hundreds of millions of gil, and the other that requires luck).

I guess the arguement there would end up being basiclly more Red Mage whining.

[Omgwtfbbqkitten]

Originally Posted by Malacite

Sublimation honestly seems like a waste to me. Oh yay another 50 MP... now, if they'd allowed you to merit the rate at which it converts HP>MP, THAT would have been unbelievably good.

You are aware that the max result of sublimation is based on your HP, right? That means a Galka gets more out of sublimation than a Taru does. Given Tarus have a larger manapool to spend, Taru SCHs meritting sublimation are going to get more out of sublimation. A galka that merits this may or may not pose the risk of breaking Stoneskin while resting. Even with the merits, a Taru probably wouldn't come close to that risk without a really big HP build and MNK subjob.

And who subs /MNK for SCH anyway?

[Saphiera]

Oh wow they seem really really nice! Once I get my character back I'm going to put merits into Grimoire and Helixs first!

[Malacite]

Grimoire would have been excellent IF it was more than 2 a merit IMO. If you could bring it down to say 30 seconds, then it'd be a no brainer as that would make switching arts during a crisis much less of a hassle.

[Omgwtfbbqkitten]

Originally Posted by Malacite

Grimoire would have been excellent IF it was more than 2 a merit IMO. If you could bring it down to say 30 seconds, then it'd be a no brainer as that would make switching arts during a crisis much less of a hassle.

If you're constantly switching between Light and Dark Arts at 75, you're not playing the job right. You don't have to switch to Light Arts just because you're casting White Magic, nor should you have to Dark Arts > Addendum: Black for Dispel since that's what /RDM is for.

[Yellow Mage]

Originally Posted by LilithAngel

Wouldn't Mage's Ballad (both of them, w/Gjallerhorn) and Evoker's Roll (hitting on 11 w/o SMN, or 5/10/11 w/SMN) count?

Originally Posted by Yellow Mage

(basically, anything that gives you the Refresh status icon)

So no.

Originally Posted by LilithAngel

I know Refresh doesn't stack w/ Sublimation, and Ballad/Evoker's does, but the effect is the same. I'm well aware of the "splitting hairs" argument about Haste and March not being exactly the same (and how this is the same situation), but the end results are, and this is what I'm talking about.

Mage's Ballad and Evoker's roll stack with Sublimation while Refresh doesn't because Mage's Ballad is as much Refresh as March is Haste: it isn't. I do not get what's so hard to get about that: if Ballad didn't stack with Sublimation, then neither could March, nor Paeon, nor Minne, nor whatever else Songs because that is what the status effect is counted as, a song, not Refresh. Rinse and repeat for phantom rolls.

[Omgwtfbbqkitten]

You know, this "Magic Critical Hit rate" stuff on the latest gear seems to be a new design, I can't help but wonder if SCH could gain a Group 2 Merit trait out of that. I'd merit it o.o/

[Yellow Mage]

Hate to rain on your parade, but Group 2 Merits are always Abilities/Traits/Magic. If SCH was going to get some kind of Magical Critical Hit Rate bonus, they'd have gotten it in their Group 1 Merits, like Red Mage Magic Accuracy Merits and Black Mage Magic Potency Merits. While it could be possible they could get an Ability/Trait that makes use of "Magic Critical Hit Rate," I have a feeling Scholar is just going to be stuck with Merit spells for their Group 2 Merits.

[Omgwtfbbqkitten]

Originally Posted by Yellow Mage

Hate to rain on your parade, but Group 2 Merits are always Abilities/Traits/Magic. If SCH was going to get some kind of Magical Critical Hit Rate bonus, they'd have gotten it in their Group 1 Merits, like Red Mage Magic Accuracy Merits and Black Mage Magic Potency Merits. While it could be possible they could get an Ability/Trait that makes use of "Magic Critical Hit Rate," I have a feeling Scholar is just going to be stuck with Merit spells for their Group 2 Merits.

I'm still betting mostly on new strategems. Magic Critical Hit Rate could be given as a trait, though meritting Conserve MP would probably be more likely.

Also, COR had two Rolls that later appeared in the form of a Group 2 merit or new spell.

Drachen Roll didn't have anything in common with DRG, except that DRG got Strafe, which improved the magic accuracy and attack of a Wyvern Breath. Drachen Roll was MAB/MAcc long before that

Then there's Gallant Roll and Reprisal. Reprisal is pretty much the same thing as Gallant's except it encourages more shield blocks and reflects damage as it does so. Blaze Spikes didn't make much sense when applied to PLD until they reworked the concept into Reprisal.

Now, I'd complain these two Phantom Rolls completely useless after these merits and spell came out, but then I just look at all the vendor trash BRD has in his buff list and look at the higher ratio of useful buffs I have. No reason to complain.

I don't see why SE would give SCHs spells in Group 2, though, SCHs are far too JA-based of a mage for them to do that.