Sylph.Hitetsu said:
I know someone's mentioned this before, but I can't for the life of me remember who or where.
I'm rewriting my BLM spellcast and was wondering if anyone knew offhand the better impact on spell tiers for INT vs MAB?
If I remember right, I saw someone say that T1/2 would benefit more from INT+ because of their low base damage, whereas T3/4/5/AM2 benefit more from the MAB+ because of their higher damage.
Just looking for a bit of confirmation if someone can let me know <3
If you've chosen to fully merit ("5/5") AM2 spell(s), then those specific casts are getting a large Magic Accuracy boost. Therefore, it's much less likely that your AM2 nuke will be resisted. In this case, you can safely forgo Accuracy and load up on MAB+ against most targets.
Outside of that, INT+ isn't all that needed for nuking in Abyssea, presuming you're using the Cruor INT buff and some INT+ from Atma and food.
Outside Abyssea, for all non-AM2 casts, I believe it's important to follow this rough guide:
Elemental Skill+ = decreases the chance you will be resisted, but does not add damage to an unresisted cast.
Magic Accuracy+ = reportedly also decreases the chance you will be resisted, and does not add damage to an unresisted cast.
INT+ = slightly increases damage (not as much as MAB+) and slightly decreases the chance you will be resisted (not as much as Elemental Skill+).
MAB+ = greatly increases damage, but does not lower your chance of being resisted.
So, account for your race (base INT), merits (Elemental Skill, INT), and the level and traits of your target, and select your gear appropriately. If you're getting resists (anytime your nuke lands for 50% damage or less) more than 10% of the time, your Elemental Skill level isn't high enough. Adjust your gear accordingly.
If you're getting resists 5% of the time or less, then you can experiment by swapping Elemental Skill out for MAB.