DNC Merits?

I finally finished getting DNC to 75+ and was curious about what I should merit on it.

No Foot Rise I know used to be popular to max out, but its kind of redundant if you ask me, now that we have Presto, but maybe 1 merit on it would be ok. As for other things, I think maxing out Fan dance would be a priority, just given its potential for soloing and what not, the same going for Closed Position.

As for group 1, I would think 5/5 haste samba and 5/5 reverse flourish? building flourish is just lol and steps acc isnt really needed as i dont have any trouble landing steps

comments? suggestions? appreciate any feedback

my advice would be 5/5 haste/reverse for tier 1. on tier 2 i like 1/5 fan dance and saber dance, 3/5 no foot rise, and 5/5 closed position.

This is how i did it

[Group 1]
10/10

Steps Accuracy 3
Haste Samba Effect 1
Reverse Flourish Effect 5
Building Flourish Effect 1

[Group 2]
10/10

Saber Dance 1
Fan Dance 3
No Foot Rise 5
Closed Position 1

Depends what you want to do.

I am 98% of the time solo or evasion tanking on DNC.

Even so I am still 5/5 haste samba even though i am using Fan Dance 100%b of the time (so can't use sambas).

5/5 Reverse Flourish is mandatory, with this a lucky double attack or having a occ.att.1-4 dagger and/or +1 AF3 gloves = 100% self skill chain capability for massive dmg. :3

Pyrric Kleos > Evisceration = Darkness for those who don't know:p

If your always playing with groups where your healing is covered by mages, put at least one into Sabre Dance for a good boost to DD.

I am 5/5 Fan Dance and Closed Position because of my play style.

And even in group play it is a good idea to have at least one magian evasion dagger, can offhand a 2nd one for soloing or a occ.att.1-4 times for extra tp when needed for higher demand situations.

It boggles the mind how often a DNC can get hate or be the last one standing, a full evasion set can be the difference between a wipe and victory:p

Group 1

5/5 Haste Samba/Reverse Flourish, pretty obvious.

Nothing else matters, etc

Group 2, it's really opinion based and how you play DNC

I'm 5/5 Saber Dance, 1/5 Fan dance, 2/5 NFR 2/5 Closed Position.

If you wanted to do fan dance could do...

5/5 Fan dance, 1/5 NFR, 4/5 Closed Position

personally for group 2 i did 1/5 saber 4/5 fan 5/5 no foot rise

group one is pretty obvious tho

This is pretty much exactly what I was thinking, I'm working on my 2 eva daggers, (on the malboro trial ._.) and just started trials for Parazonium +2 last night, 1 in Saber Dance just to have it in the situation is a good idea, because most of the time you will have mages in group situations, so it really doesnt hurt to take that 1 merit out of Closed Position or Fan Dance. Also, you didn't even bother to mention No Foot Rise, so I take it I was right about the whole Presto redundant thing :P

NFR is a god send. automatic 5/5

typically it's best to get at least a hand full on merits into nfr due to the fact that you arent always able to melee let alone get close to the mob to step on it, and starting a major fight with 100 or so tp is quite favorable.

that being said i had a slight realization where it's possible that you dont need to cap out reverse flourish anymore once you get +2 hands and you can probably start putting points into building flourish if you want to look at it from a DDing stand point.

By 5/5 you mean 2/5, because you should always be using Presto and if you can't melee the mob you should a) change jobs or b) at the very least pull something else to TP on.

If you can't get near a mob, you shouldn't be on DNC, period. Meritting something because you're doing things you shouldn't isn't very smart. NFR 1~2 is about all you need ever, since like I said if you're using it as a crutch for when you're not meleeing there's problems.


I don't think building flourish will ever have a place... keep in mind Reverse Flourish is still useful for if you need to throw the occasional waltz. DNC isn't a pure DD job, it's a hybrid, so thinking in a purely SC mind-set is foolish at best. On that note, Step Accuracy is a totally useless merit, and Building Flourish is close, no reason to move them honestly. :s

Nope 5/5, presto is handy when NFR timer is down. And I'd never change jobs :P

You say this like you're not using Presto at timer to enhance debuffs. Also, your profile currently shows you as BLM.

most of the time in endgame now you are even allowed to engage. so you have no time to use presto or step.

Either play with different people... or go a different job. Sure DNC is my favorite job, but there's no way in hell I'm going to butcher the fun of my favorite job by half-assing it and being a gimp-WHM.

If I'm a curebitch that can't engage... I play WHM. Simple. Not only is it actually more fun (since it was designed for that role...) it's infinitely more useful. :/

maybe, tossed WHM aside years ago, This maybe why I don't so anything but solo anymore :P

im saying on occasions where its impossible to get close to the mob (for example turul and reaving wind) you wont always be on a mob

as for puting 2 into closed position i find far more situational and far less useful, your merits kind of confuse me a bit though, you want 6 more evasion but you only have 1 merit in fan dance. i think we really do play quite differently if you ask me. as for wanting to build up building flourish, i hardly think that enhancing DD capabilities is making a pure DD. it was just a thought idk if i'd act on it myself though.

edit: additionally reverse is not the only step eating ja we use, that extra 5fm every 3 minutes covers those "limits"

You're supposed to kite that, I'm not seeing why you need NFR for it... :/


I don't really solo anything that *needs* additional Fan Dance merits. If I did, I'd fix it, but I play in a group setting typically and rarely solo. As for Closed Position... it's not needed but it's nice. I also haven't gotten EVA+ Kilas so it's a nice boost. TBH Your merits make less sense tbqh, lol.

well like you said, not needed but nice.


as far as my merits go i spend 80% of my time either soloing or duoing, so the near capped fan dance really helps and when im in a party or when the nm is terror'd i throw on saber dnc so i can kill the mob quickly as possible.

I just don't see why you'd max NFR instead of Fan dance, or putting some into Closed Position. The EVA gear you don't need can be put towards DD or PDT gear or what have you. :/

because a free 100 tp is nice?

and besides rings and neck piece, what exactly am i going to use for pdt?

edit: honestly the eva gear i use is a staple: af3 legs, dw3/eva10 mirke, boxers, slithers, ballerines, eva kila's etc etc etc in an evasion set wtf would i replace those with lol

It's nice for what? You have steps and they have timers. Sure you could get TP before a fight but is that really necessary...? If you're whiffing steps 2 merits should be just fine. :s


Darksteel +1? Head/body/hands/legs/feet take your pick. Denali hands, Earrings have PDT... colossus/that quested one.

which would be far inferior to what the gear i have mentioned give in terms of evasion, to lose one of those gear i'd have to atleast get 3 into closed position for maybe 2% pdt, not worth it lol.

Could use Charis+1/2 body, Dusk gloves... etc if you had enough EVA+ elsewhere and were capped.

which i would (in regards to the body) as far as hands go in an evasion set ocelots wins

Probably not for the PDT, but TPing in extra haste/dw gear isn't really a laughing matter.

Same difference, you're just nitpicking. My point is with merits you could free up the slot to use Charis body and/or ocelot gloves.

precisely why my mirke has dw on it to begin with, and slithers over haste gloves anyways because of the subtle blow, it's an evasion set not a DD set.

im pointing it out because you're looking at in terms of speed, but skipping over other things besides evasion, namely agi and subtle blow.

It has Subtle Blow. And if you can kill faster why the *** not?