Merit Point Additions(07/22/2006)

[Rovec]

With the upcoming merit point additions, you will be able to improve your character even further with all-new abilities and spells in the existing 15 job categories.
Merit point job categories will also become available for blue mages, corsairs, and puppetmasters.

Merit Point Categories
The existing 15 job categories will be improved to allow players the opportunity to further customize their level 75 characters with unique abilities.
These improved categories will include 4 to 8 abilities for each job. Depending on the distribution of merit points, it will be possible for players to access multiple new abilities.
Check out the upcoming version update news for what's in store.



- Subcategories
The 15 existing job categories will be divided into subcategories. Group 1 will include conventional abilities, while Group 2 will include the new job abilities, job traits, and spells.

- Accessing New Abilities
You can access Group 2 abilities by spending 1 point on the ability you wish to learn. Additional points spent on the same ability will shorten the recast time or enhance the effect (refer to the help text for each ability to learn the specific bonus).
Lowering the number of merit points in an ability to zero will cause it to disappear from your ability list.

- Ability Point Maximums
The Group 1 and Group 2 subcategories have separate totals for the maximum number of possible ability increases. Spending merit points to improve conventional abilities will not affect the acquisition of the new abilities.

Merit Points for Blue Mages, Corsairs, and Puppetmasters

In the upcoming version update, merit point job categories will be added for the three new jobs introduced in the Treasures of Aht Urhgan expansion disc.
These categories will initially contain only the Group 1 subcategory, allowing players to improve the basic abilities for these jobs.

<ROVEC> Guys, let me put this into easy to understand terms. I might be wrong, but here's what this is saying. [glow=red,2,300]With Merit points, you will be able to perchase NEW job traits, JAs, and Magic. [/glow]

Just think, at lvl 75 you can spend say 3 Merit points and unlock...*pulls something randomly out of a hat* Sic 2 for beastmasters or another jump move for drgs, or a new job trait that gives you Resist amnesia, or a magic spell that cures it, or casts it! This is major news.

EDIT: You see in the picture above? Those are Blood Pacts that only the Avatar Primes got, you could never get them as a smn...untill now

[cycerath2]

if I were to guess anything, I have 4 choices:
1. -% damage reduction - This almost Needs to be one of them, it'll put us a heck of alot closer to competing with nin.
2. +% shield projection rate - This would help soo much in tanking Gods with sword/shield. I think this is also a need.
3. Shield Mastery II - each merit would give us 1 more TP when blocking, think.. 8-10 TP when blocking we could spam ws and hold hate through damage if we so choose
4. Phalanx JA (hate spike) - this would be an excellent way to take less damage and would be awsome, even if the recast and duration was that of berserk.

Shild mastery 2 merited 2 times, +% shield projection rate 2 times, you'd get 6 TP ea block and would block more often, I don't think plds should get provoke. like earlier stated, it would make us go /nin, and although blinking makes us take no damage it wouldn't really be traditional tanking, and I hope nin's merits are derived more to Damage or a Cover ablitiy so that they can blink damage (covering plds) while plds get as much hate as possible behind, so that it's a team effort. nin takes less damage while PLDs provide the nins with the hate needed. would be cool imo.

Personally, if we do get a provoke ability I'm going to be leveling rdm and subbing it, cause I hold hate through damage taken, if I'm not taking damage how do I hold hate.. Damage but that would gear us away from being traditional tanks (even though I like to go DD on many occasions, TP burns or Trios in preticual)
but /nin would have a gimped ninjustu skill, while as plds we have enhancing magic skill naturally so rdm wouldn't be as gimped. (btw, I have capped enhancing magic as pld ^^V it's @ 200 exactly)

[Rovec]

I could see how several of those could be introduced but I'm not sure on the shield block rate increase, seems to be like it wouldn't be much different then meriting shield.

I do really like your idea of ninjas getting a form a cover and thus letting both ninjas and plds tank in a kinda duo way end game. I could see that solveing alot of things If it caught on o.<;

Personally, a defender type JA that increased Magic def is one on my list and a magic def+ trait maybe. I've also heard of some hopeing for a 5 min recast move that has a 2 min effect and gives us a dmg to mp kinda effect. That would also be really handy o.<; Some have suggested a trait that gives pld more def and magic def from protects and shells too. So if a nin got protect he'd gain *pulls number out of a hat* 40 def like normal, while we'd gain 80 or somethin'. Another idea is a new form of cure, just for us. Kinda like how Cure V doesn't draw hate based on hp cured (it's got a no hate gain I think, not sure tho.). We'd have a new cure that heals for double hate.

There are alot of very sweet ideas out there and if any of them are reality then I find no reason to complain Including your ideas, but we'll have to wait till later toda to find out *counts down the 13 hours till he can start the update*

[Suzumu]

list of the new merits ^.^

war
ability - Warroir's Charge
ablity - Tomahawk
trait - savagery
trait - aggressive aim

monk
ability- Mantra
Ablilty - Formless Strikes
trait - Invigorate
trait- Penance

whm
ja - Martyr
ja- Devotion
magic protectra +shellra 5

blm
magic ...... all Ancient Magic II <.<

rdm
dia III
SLow II
paralyze II
Phalanx II
Bio III
Blind II

thf
ja - Assassin's Charge
ja - Feint
trait Aura Steal
trait Ambush

pld
ja- Fealty
ja- Chivalry
trait- Iron Will
trait- Guardian

drk
ja- Dark Seal
ja- Diabolic Eye
trait Muted Soul
trait Desperate Blows

bst
ja- Feral Howl
ja- Killer Instinct <- lol
trait Beast Affinity
trait Beast healer

brd
ja- Nightingale
ja- Troubleadour
song- Foe Sirvente
song- Adventurer's Dirge

rng
ja- Stealth Shot
ja- Flashy Shot
trait Snapshot
trait Recycle

sam
ja- Shikikoyo
ja- Blade Bash
trait Ikishoten
trait Overwhelm

nin
all elemental ninjustsu are now San
ja- Sange - omg... a ja besides Mijin Gakure /joy
trait Ninja Toll Expertise

drg
ja- Deep Breathing
ja- Angon
trait Empathy
trait Strafe

[Goero]

pld
ja- Fealty
ja- Chivalry
trait- Iron Will
trait- Guardian

What does Iron will and Gaurdian pertain to? Thats what i wanna know.. Thanks though suz

[Suzumu]

Iron WIll - after taking massasive dmg from a WS or JA fromyour oppent, and u about to die, it will make certain you will have 1HP remaining!




nah j/k iunno lol, would be cool tho

[Goero]

bah.. woulda preferred that then what Iron will Really is... though it is Nice.. spell interuption down when you have Rampart up

Fealty sucks >.> high resistance to enfeebling >.> BAH

[Rovec]

Bah! You're under rating it already! No more def down from undead, curse, blinds, attack down, etc if we can time the JA to the mobs moves.

[cycerath2]

what's the duration on Fealty (sp?) cause if it's like defender, you could merit it and have it up at all times.

P.S. I think I have figured out what I'm gonna merit:
1. Chivalry - can help with down time if you get links or something goes wrong, kinda like an emergency JA
2. Guardian - this can be great for storing enmity before a SC, or in a TP burn party where it's lots of damage fast; Sentinal> Flash > cure4 > Vorpal blade (500+) > everyone else's TP =D come to think of it.. I wonder if Guardian would work on the Hate reset moves.. cause then pld > nin for alot of fights that would be interesting to test.. I may have to merit Sentinal to max now =)