WHM Choices Of Armour

I WILL CHOKE YOU! D:<

;;

A lot of the discussion in this thread somehow evolved into some people listing all their WHM gear sets, with caveats regarding how they have some other yet-to-be-finished niche-situation gear sets "in the works".
That's nice and all. I think every (real) WHM in 2011 knows there's more to playing WHM (well) than just spamming high-tier cure spells. So, let's just stick to the questions posed by the OP, in order to help him out, rather than offering a host of unsolicited advice topped with ego-stroking ...

1. Serpentes Cuffs/Sabots are a decent choice for WHM. They're not ideal, and yes, Augur's Gloves with Orison Duckbills +2 is a better combination.

2. Belt choices for WHM are all really mediocre. I'd say Cleric's Belt (AF2) is probably the "best" you can find, if you happen to do CoP Dynamis. Other than that, any belt that adds Mind or Haste is a good choice. There's no need to be picky with the Waist slot for WHM, in general.

3. For Neck item, I would choose Fylgja Torque. It's much better (for general usage) than a Mind-based Neck item. If you happen to do Einherjar, Morgana's Choker is one of the better Mind-based Neck items, but Fylgja Torque is still a better option.

In general, for WHM gear, you want equipment that allows you to cast spells more efficiently (MP spent : HP restored), more quickly, and more often. Any gear that adds Cure Potency will be favorable, and therefore the most desirable, and therefore (typically) the most expensive. If you don't want to spend a ton of Gil on WHM, then get the cheaper (and free) Cure Potency items, then use whatever Armor Slots you have remaining for Haste, Fast Cast, and Mind boosts. If you still have empty Slots after that, you might as well use them for MP+ or Enmity- stuff.

You can buy this whole set off the AH for under 600k gil (Bismarck server):



It's not an ideal WHM set, nor would I consider it to be a great WHM set. However, it is "good", or at least good enough for general usage, especially for a 2nd (dual-boxed) character.

If you're willing to put in some work for Trial of the Magians and killing a few NMs for Rare/Ex items, then this is another (better, and about the same cost in Gil) adequate WHM set you could use:



Again, you won't ever see either of these gear sets even mentioned in any sort of "Best Gear" discussion for WHM. That's not my intent, nor do I believe it was the OP's request.

@Elanabelle I hope that's not me you're referring to, because it definitely was not my intent to neither ego stroke nor start a best gear discussion, but merely list the sets I use.

My current WHM setup for healing only:
Macro in for precast:

(this set has the stoneskin casting time gloves in them, just ignore that part)

This is my base set, and it switches back midcast:


I've worked to upgrade the earrings, but you can definitely just use the NQ earrings to start out with. I don't have the WHM feet either yet (the seals have been a total pain to get) and am still working on my cure potency trial staff. Still a bit to go before full cure potency, but it does the trick for now.

I'm struggling with my no enmity set, to be honest- on one hand, enmity is an issue with things like Voidwatch for cure5/6. So I could macro in -enmity pieces for that, but in doing so, I lose out on other things like cure pot. (i.e., switching in a mirror tiara for the Orison cap +2. Right now I'm just sticking with the Pax Grip for switching, but am not really sure how to handle the issue- or even if I should care, since I'm an Elvaan and with stoneskin/blink/phalanx/boost-vit up (capped enhancing skill/merits), I can afford to take a few hits. But maybe it's worth considering for Taru? I dunno.

if you're really concerned about enmity, i'd look into using a good facio over af3+1. you could also do medicine ring but i personally don't care for it. the facio has enmity- on it and also can get enmity- augments, so that'll both add -enmity and free up other slots for it.

Well I guess that's the thing- I'm not really sure IF I am really that worried about enmity, or if I even should be. I have a Facio's with -enmity and 10% cure potency, so I guess I could throw that on if it was an issue for that particular cure. Good point.

Here is some constructive criticism, take it how you want but I'm just trying to help.


1. Why in the world would you have all those crazy gear sets but not have a cure potency set close to 50%? That should be every single WHMs priority (the only thing I can sorta think of is you are a RDM main who moved to WHM)

2. You should not be curing in AF3+1 body if you can't hit even a 40% build. It is much more beneficial to cure in your Facio 10% body at all times right now (not just for the -enm) until you can really beef up your set. If you are really hung up on getting 10% cureskin bonus (once you +2 your body) then I would switch it out once you can hit 44% cure potency without Facio.

3. -enm shouldn't be much of an issue no matter the zone right now with V and VI since those Cure spells are very limited in the hate produced. I would be more worried about MP from V and VI in Voidwatch, -enm should be more of an issue with cures III and IV.


4. last bit of advice, get an orison cape or sunbeam cape, no point in using Ixion cape, you're taking away from your Cure V and VIs with the -5 VIT, it might not be a lot but it makes no sense when you can get more MND and no -VIT for a really easy to obtain/cheap alternative: sunbeam cape

Thanks, constructive criticism is always useful, and yes ofc you're right.

1. You are correct in your guess- I have all the sets I have bc I was RDM before WHM- and most stuff translates.
2. I did have the Sunbeam cape but I didn't like the minus mp and felt that with Elvaan stats I'd be okay with the Ixion.
3. Have killed Mangy Tailed Marvin a few times and still haven't gotten the little rabbit to drop the cape.


Goal-
22% cure pot staff
10% AF3+2 head
2% neck
4% gloves
3% cape
(10% atma)

So it's really just the staff and cape that I need- ofc I will have to put in the extra 9% (still haven't figured out how to do that either) outside of aby, probably will just use the Facio's I have with the 10% on it. I wouldn't say that I'm necessarily "hung up" on the extra stoneskin from the af3 body but I do have enhancing fully capped and fully merited, so it seems useful.

could be wrong but I'm near positive that enhancing skill does not effect cureskin. Cureskin caps @ 300hp from a cure without the bonus from AF3 body. Keep in mind it is using 25% of your potential cure amount. If you have relatively weak cure numbers you are potentially not hitting cap on Cure VI? I can't remember what a weak cure VI looks like, but you're also not getting close to cap on Cure V.

I don't even think I hit 1200 (the required amount to hit cureskin cap 25% of 1200 = 300) with Cure V using a 49% build. I can't remember 100% but I think my Cure Vs come in under 1100. I get real close to hitting the cap on a Cure V though since I'm getting +10% from body. My Cure VI will always cap out the cureskin + 10% bonus from the body.


Also I forgot that some people use cure atmas so I didn't realize you were 10% higher. Your plan looks like a good plan I just suggest using Facio until like I said you can hit at least 40% without it.

You're right, it doesn't. It's only effecting my boost spells and personal stoneskin. (I knew this too, not sure why I even said that)

I think I will parse my numbers inside vs outside Aby, and look to see where I am in relation to the 300 vs 350 cureskin cap- bc I'm pretty sure my cure numbers even right now are rather high. I will definitely macro in the Facio for the time being though, esp outside Aby.

TY for the conversation. ^^

hey no problem :)

that 350 is actually 330 though ;) unless the people you are curing are wearing stoneskin enhancing equip (no one does) and even then I'm not sure if it works for cureskin or if it's limited to stoneskin-ga like from Accession or SMN etc.


Also as a side note for normal stoneskin spell.

@ 256 Enhancing, You only need 95 MND (total), to max out stoneskin potency (350 stoneskin) this is without the bonus stoneskin gear that allow you to break the soft cap. All gear available I think still caps you @ 450. Everyone should be hitting the soft cap on stoneskin today pretty easily.

Just letting you know that enhancing doesn't play much of a roll nowadays for it since you mentioned your merits. However they do help with Barspells so I don't recommend removing them :)

Yes and they also help with gain and boost spells- I did the math and you can get numbers from just the +5 up to around +14 for the stat, based on your gear/skill/merits. So it's a nice extra boost. When WHM, I generally keep my party with boost-vit.

NO!!!!!!!!!!! Not the maffs! Curse You!!!
I'm so lazy i haven't even bothered my son to finish the cure staff trial... /note to me


+2 boots I got, you were talking about a +7 belt vs mp belt but I needs MP ima elf!!! I wanna see if it's worth it without actualy doing any work or looking it up... or using a calculator which I am almost certain will just lol at me when I input all my data and then download a virus to my computer so I can't play anymore.

Right so /rdm equip mind belt, spam cures on yourself to deplete mp, convert and hit yourself with cure VI, wait five minutes remove belt and repeat

Even Elvaans don't need MP that bad anymore. As an Elvaan myself, I roll with more HP than MP. The only MP piece I will sometimes use is if I'm outside Abyssea, I'll use Bifrost Ring instead of Aquasoul Ring. (Tamas stays on either way.) Aside from that, I have very little MP from equipment anymore. In fact, for me it's more about the order I swap in, so that I don't lose MP while changing gear. Most of my equipment sets leave me around the same MP that my idle set has, so it works out fairly well. For example I start casting cures in Cure Clogs & Orison Locket, but then I swap Marduk's Crackows in to increase MP, then Fylgja+1 to lower MP, and end up not losing any.

MP is out, efficiency is in. (Of course, that's in endgame. In early levels, Elvaans still need help in the MP department.)

None of my belts have MP on them anymore. I use Siegel Sash, Cascade Belt, Goading Belt, and Austerity Belt. I have my Cleric's Belt in the satchel along with all my other Max MP stuff (Dryad's Staff, Bifrost Ring, Staff Strap, Weald Gages, etc) but it seems like I never use them anymore.

lol XD

Random question and I didn't want to make a whole new thread for this. If I were to use Med. Ring for my (atm) 30% CurePot WHM, is there a way I can make it so I don't have to click off my HP cruor buff every time I cast a cure? Either through subjob (I use /SCH for Light Arts, etc), Spellcast or otherwise?

Also, related, you need 3 Abyssites of Merit in order to get to where clicking off cruor buffs would take you to latent HP, right? <_<

You can have spellcast work with the cancel plugin to cancel the buff for you when you no longer meet the HP requirements. Canceling a cruor buff should last you for a few minutes.

Thanks for all the info for each slot and different choices, plus the gearsets helped make it easier. Im actually not near the cure cap, sadly. I just augmented my genbu shield with cure +1% and cure spell cast -7% paired with my templar mace. If i get augur gloves i think i'll be sitting on 37% since i have nobles tunic >.<

Currently working on marduk feet like tweeek mentioned, i don't really see the benefit of Orison Duckbills +2 over marduk feet in a cure situation. As for waist i decided to stick to the witch sash he already had since i don't have the numbers to go to CoP dyna areas and farm a cleric's belt.

the buff id should be 88 I think btw, too lazy to look it up

Will you be working on surya's staff? That would be the easiest thing for someone that hasn't reached the cure potency cap to do

Yeah, the HP Boost buffID is 88, in case anyone needs it ^^

Hoping a 10% boost to my curepot will help so I'm not so spammy with cures on harder fights. I really should start working on my Surya's, but the bottled pixies trials are gonna make me kill myself ; ;

I want to but its no, because its my friends character andi have to gear up myself aswell

[/b]


If you have recall meri and recall pash easy as pie. Take a dd with you. Mob pops at the base of the spine near recall crystal kill lot get drop recall pash then choco or run drop of recall meri and mob is either almost dead or popping when you get back. Can also retrace I didn't have retrace when I did mine.

lol the jury has found you guilty of hypocrisy, I hereby sentance you to put all that on and go pl in qufim for eight hours.

/gavel

medicine ring is sooo easy to uuuuse, yet no one seems to be using it anymore ;_; (except me on my lolwhm)

Because standing at 50-75% HP when you are the healer who is responsible for keeping the entire group alive just isn't worth an extra 10% potency to most people. It doesn't matter how good you are, someone standing next to you can always pull hate and drop an AOE on your head that gets you killed. It's just not worth it, especially with so many ways to get cure potency these days. It's better to plan for taking massive damage at any point, so you're ready when it happens. That's my policy, anyway. As the healer, you are the last line of defense. It's your job to be ready for anything.

These days I roll with more HP than MP. Sitting at about 1350 / 1150 outside Abyssea with no food. It's truly not uncommon in a bad situation for me to be the only healer left alive/unweakened. Ask yourself how many times that 10% potency has really saved the day?

I used to swear by the Medicine Ring back in the days where every ounce of efficiency you could squeeze helped. In fact, I still have mine even though I never use it anymore. This was back when getting over 5mp/tick required both a RDM and a BRD at the same time. The age of efficiency has passed, and we're now in the age of fast cast.

wtf needs a med ring when you got a yagrush /drool



P.S. I just find med ring annoying personally, why would I deal with that nonsense when we can hit 50% without it?

depending on what you're doing, i see how medicine ring is useful, but i don't want to have to switch back and forth between using different sets based on when i do need the hp and when i don't.

I'm just very stubborn, as medicine ring is the last piece of armor that connects to the early years of my whm. I don't use it when the situation calls for a larger HP buffer, but other than that I love my 5k ring that's as powerful as a nobles <3 <3 <3 <3