Most Advantageous WHM Cure Potency Setup?

Hello Yekyaa :) I hope my experience with White Mage can help you make a decision.

First of all, I cap fast cast during precast so I do not rely on that gear while I cure. You will not see me relying on those pieces in my sets other than Orison Pantaloons +2 which I use for "Converts 5% of "Cure" amount to MP" and the 7 MND.

First, I would like to show a set without Orison Bliaud +2.



Stats:
Cure Potency : 50%, MND : +80, Refresh +1 (on the body if your lucky enough).

Cons:
- Lacks potentially two (or three) refresh from other mainstream builds.
- Does not take advantage of "Enhances "Afflatus Solace" effect" from the Orison Bliaud +2 body.
- Expensive, but worth it to me :)

Comments:
I am using this set atm until I get +2 body. I haven't been playing a lot lately due to reasons outside the game. So this is what I rely on atm. I actually substitute Cascade Belt for Pythia Sash +1 because I synthesized it myself.

Now, here are some Orison Bliaud +2 builds that I have come up with:



Stats:
Cure Potency : 49%, MND : +60, Afflatus Solace bonus effect, Refresh +2.

Cons:
- You loose out on 1% Cure Potency and 20 MND.

Pros:
- You gain 1 Refresh.
- You gain "Afflatus Solace bonus effect" from the body.

Comments:
To gain the benefit from Orison Bliaud +2 you have to make sacrifices, and that sacrifice is MND. And since this set does not have a 50% cure potency build, it lacks heavily.

- Without this body, you will need to cure at least 1200 HP to gain the full stoneskin effect at 25% HP cured for a max of 300.

- With this body you only need to cure 1143 HP to gain the full stoneskin effect of 35% HP cured for a max of 400.

So, even though this set lacks 1% cure potency and 20 MND, in the end the 100 HP bonus to stoneskin wins over the first set provided.



Stats:
Cure Potency : 50%, MND : +43, Afflatus Solace bonus effect, Refresh +3, Regen +1.

Cons:
- You loose 37 MND compared to the first set provided.
- You loose 24 MND compared to the first Orison Bliaud +2 set.
- IMO Serpent armor is a handicap preventing the use of more useful gear.
- You end up curing for less than the previous build.

Pros:
- You gain two (or three) refresh over the first set.
- You gain 1% more Cure Potency than the first Orison Bliaud +2 set making up for the lost MND.
- You gain "Afflatus Solace bonus effect" from the body.

Comments:
Pretty much what I said in the first Orison Bliaud +2 comment.

Except... your using way to many armor spaces for Cure Potency gear. Yea, your reaching the cap, but your using so many spaces that you could be using MND for. And I HATE serpent armor, it is such a waste to be using for curing in my opinion. The fact that you need to take up TWO spots just to get 5% Cure Potency says it all. If you want the refresh just switch to them while your Idle :\



Stats:
Cure Potency : 50%, MND : +50, Afflatus Solace bonus effect, Refresh +3, Regen +1.

Cons:
- You must lower your HP to <75% for Medicine Ring to activate. So basically only WHM's that care about their job that much would bother using it.
- You loose 30 MND compared to the first set.
- IMO Serpent armor is a handicap preventing the use of more useful gear.
- Expenisve.

Pros:
- You gain two (or three) refresh over the first set.
- You Gain 7 MND over the 2nd Orison Bliaud +2 set.
- You gain "Afflatus Solace bonus effect" from the body.

Comments:
In my opinion if your a White Mage that is willing to go out and get Medicine Ring to work then you are above average. Yes, you don't need the ring, but to me that is being lazy and cheap! There is nothing wrong with that, there are some people who don't want to get extra armor to lower their hp, and also fear they might die more because of it (and you might die more). And again, I hate serpent armor. Read above on Orison Bliaud +2 #2 to know why.

And finally...



Stats:
Cure Potency : 50%, MND : +63, Afflatus Solace bonus effect, Refresh +2.

Cons:
- You must lower your HP to <75% for Medicine Ring to activate. So basically only WHM's that care about their job that much would bother using it.
- You loose 17 MND compared to the first set, but you make up for that with the body.

Pros:
- You gain two (or only one) refresh over the first set, but you can always use Serpent gear in your Idle set!
- You gain 1% Cure Potency and 3 MND compared to the first Orison Bliaud +2 set, You gain 20 MND compared to the second Orison Bliaud +2 set, you gain 13 MND comared to the third Orison Bliaud +2 set while still having 50% Cure Potency.
- You get rid of the stupid Serpent gear clogging your equipment slots.
- You gain "Afflatus Solace bonus effect" from the body.

Comments:
In my opinion this is the best set you can have while using Orison Bliaud +2. You gain so much while keeping the use of Cure Potency gear down to a minimum (5!, compared to 8 in the second Orison Bliaud +2 set, but only 4 was used in the very first set). Yes, you loose the refresh from Serpent armor but you can always switch to those pieces while your not casting!

Yes, you do have to use Medicine Ring, but if your serious about your WHM you'll understand the importance of doing so.

Also, As I've said in my first set I actually substitute Cascade Belt for Pythia Sash +1 because I synthesized it myself.

Other Armor:
- I would suggest not using Serpent Gear for curing, they are nice for Idle though :), unless you have heralds, but you can put heralds on when you need to run.
- Sirona's Ring looks nice, but infact it only adds up to 6 MND.
- Aqua Sachet is just the same as Quartz Tathlum. I just like how it looks :)
- Let's not forget Bibiki Seashell, it has 4 VIT, and if you can't get Aqua Sachet or Quartz Tathlum for some reason then it is a nice old school choice.
- Don't forget to use Korin Obi and Twilight Cape during Lightsday and Light Weather!

Conclusion:
In the end our job is simply to keep our party alive and any set will complete the job. But how you gear out your whm is based on how you feel about the job and if you want to go all out that is up to you. The most important thing is that we should love the job and take it seriously but also have fun doing it.