Farm That I Should - Nelveska Temple and Desert Despair (Substitute SIFT Edition)

u/testmonkeyalpha's out for the week enjoying his/her vacation, and SIFT request comments have been popping up like bunnies in the DHT. So, on the suggestion of u/theunderline, I've now made a post for it here.

Raid Challenge Loot

Marshal Rod
[Rod] ATK 7, MAG 100

Just a plain old stat stick. For comparison purposes, this is 9 Mag better Omnirod, the occassional IW free weapon loot, but worse than Draco Spike with its additional 1 mag and mag dragon killer during the Gungnir apocalypse.

Good for new players, skippable for veterans if it wasn't the completion award.

Nelveska Temple (Mog King Clearance Sale)

Nagnarok
[Sword] ATK 10
Effect: Stand Back (5% p.evade), Confuse (30%), Disease (30%)

Worse than the 10% evade Kiyomori which is still running. However, not everyone can wield a katana, and the only other weapon-based evasion are on limited/event gears, and Swordbreaker. However, the latter has issues as its evasion source, Crisis Evasion, doesn't stack with other source of itself, whereas the MK one doesn't have that same limitation. Ontop of this, the confuse status effect has some application in arena.

If you're not set in your 100% evasion gearing (particularly the weapon slot), this is a good pickup.

Pantherskin Bag
[Mace] ATK 84
Effect: Luxury (Auto-heal [60 HP, 1.2x], Auto refresh [3%])

First off, your HP heal is bad and you should feel bad. Beyond that, the only really notable thing is the 3% MP heal, which can stack with other sources. Looking at the list all other sources of weaponized autorefresh are on either limited s/tmr's (no maces), or SS Nichol's big rod, which not only has a better recover rate, but also comes with a massive 30% MP passive.

Usable for new players due to the Atk stat alone, but niche for veterans due to the small sources of weapon auto-refreshes.

Featherweave Cloak
[Accessory] DEF 15, SPR 15
Effect: Featherweave Cloak (5% p.evade, 10% m.evade)

To get it out of the way, magic evasion doesn't stack, so don't bother focusing on building a 100% magic evasion tank. Though it is still nice for survivability. Looking at the evasion accessory list, the only ones that aren't limited/event are two 5* TMR (Jiraiya and Noctis), Sazh's TMR (20%), and Zephyr Cape (5%, story). However, both of those wallet-friendly equipments are unstackable, with the latter suffering the same issue due to Crisis Evasion issues above. This cloak is basically a direct upgrade over the cape due to both the stackability issue, and the additional magic evasion for survivability for what is probably a magically squishy tank.

Once again, if you're not set in 100% evasion gearing (particularly the accessory slot), this is a good pickup.

Septième
[Accessory] MAG 30
Effect: Auto-Limit (1 LB/turn), Camouflage
Females only

Looking at the list of Flat Mag-oriented accessories, this is just okay.

However, if you expand the list to include sources of LB support in addition to flat MAG, then the only other ones are PNK-2's TMR, the Fan Festa 2018 gift, and maybe Circe's TMR if you consider hightide effects, with both TMR's being better stat-wise (the fanfesta accessory is a mess).

If you "de-expand" that list to look only at autolimit effects, then besides PNK, the only other non STMR/limited accessory would be HT Lid's and Elfreeda's TMR, both 5* bases.

Good for new players for the raw-stats alone, and camoflauge to help their squishy mages live. And unless you're swimming in auto-LB accessory support, this is a good item to pickup for veteran too. Just beware that this is female-only equip, so no cross-dressing Clouds here.

Progression of Fervor
[Materia] Increase HP (10%) and ATK/DEF (5%)

For the HP alone, this is a barely acceptable pickup for new players. Though only if they have spare currency lying around, before they progress to something better.

Progression of Belief
[Materia] Increase MP (10%) and MAG/SPR (5%)

It is my belief that this is too shitty even for new players.

Vishnu Vest
[Clothes] DEF 36, SPR 36, MP 15%
Resistance: Fire ( 25%), Ice ( 25%), Lightning ( 25%), Light ( 25%), Dark ( 25%)

So much elemental resistance. On clothes alone, the only four that are situationally better, due to either having higher resistance for one particular element, and/or having other elemental resistance. However, the singular-element improvement ones are mostly fire-based, which is one of the easier elements to gear against, and the multi-element ones are either stuck on an STMR (Luneth's), or female-only (Cele's).

If we expand that to include all chest-pieces, then we can add another 20 that are situationally better depending on the element coverage needed, most of them either being better for a single element and/or stuck on an event/STMR. Even if you look at Rainbow Robe which has a better elemental coverage, it is unable to cover dark-element like this MK gear.

Just get this gear. Trust me. You want it.
"I don't know who you are. I don't know what you want. If you are looking for ransom I can tell you I don't have Lapis, but what I do have are a very particular set of elemental resistances. Resistances I have acquired over a very long career. Resistances that make me a nightmare for people like you. If you let my Moogle go now that'll be the end of it. I will not look for you, I will not pursue you, but if you don't, I will look for you, I will find you and I will negate you."

Dark Shiva & Golem (Late Edit Addition)

Golem's Shell
[Heavy Armor]: DEF 70, SPR 42
Poison (Null), Disease (Null)

In terms of raw stats, only Wilhelm's STMR is better. That said, K.Delita's TMR provides better eHP due to the HP passive, while Ozetta's trading off Def for additional Spr. The status immunity is a nice bonus, though on a tank, only the poison factor of it here is a real boon (tanks have so much defensive stats from equips that ~30 DEF/SPR is a drop in the bucket).

Mystic's Robes
[Materia]: Increase MAG/SPR (30%) when equipped with a robe

For healers where the Spr component really matters, there are far better choices. However, for mages, there is more benefit here due to adding some additional bulk while maintaining some Mag, but only if you expect on them taking on uncovered magical damage. On the flipside, there are some materia that have similar Mag strength, but instead boosts HP, which generally helps more as it boosts not only magical effective HP, but also physical and fixed damage. Similarly, for evokers, this is a good enough amount of both stat's to be worth considering.

Shiva's Tiara
[Hat]: DEF 3, MAG 51
Resistance: Ice ( 50%)

In terms of raw stats, only two headgear are better in terms of Mag provided, both of which are STMR's. In addition, of the various headgears that provide over 30's in Mag stats, only one other one provide any sort of elemental resistance (ST Luka, fire-only). It's major flaw is that it provides almost no other defensive stats, particularly raw stats. Otherwise, it's a pretty nice hat to have around.

(Super) Trust Mastery Rewards (Late Edit Addition)

High Seraph Ultima's TMR
Untrue Saint [Materia]: Increase MAG (30%) when equipped with a hat, Increase MAG (30%) when equipped with a robe
Unstackable

Conditional 60% mag is pretty decent, especially given that both hats and robes are a very common equip on mages. Looking at the materia list, the only ones that tie or beat the 60% thresholds are all STMR's. Definitely worth farming for if you pick one up and have a mage, maybe also if you have certain hybrids.

High Seraph Ultima's STMR
High Seraph's Dagger [Dagger]: ATK 98, MAG 167, Ultimate Power (Increase modifier (0.75x): Perfect Ultima Sword, Increase modifier (1.5x): Arcane Magicks - Ultima, Ultima, Ultima Blow, Increase modifier (2x): Ultima Sword)

Perfect Ultima Sword (Orlandeau): 15x => 16.5x
AMU (HS Ultima) - Ultima: 6x~18.5x => 7.5x~20x
Ultima (unehanced): 3.73x => 5.73x
Ultima Blow (Mace of Zeus): 5x => 6.5x
Ultima Sword (Thunder God's Plan): 3.3x => 6x

On stat's alone, this could go well on either a hybrid unit, a mage, or potentially Beryl. In terms of other daggers, this currently has the highest flat MAG, and fourth highest ATK. If we expand it to all weapons, then this is ends up coming close to multiple other weapons in terms of Mag, but really losing out to Tiana's and Qin's STMR, both being somewhat unconventional weapon types for mages (throwing and 2-H instruments, respectively). That said, Ultima can wield both of those, though she loses out on her TDW bonus with the latter.

For certain select units, they'll also see a bump in terms of their damage on certain moves. First, I'm ignoring everything except PUS and AMU due to the others still having shitty modifiers even after the boost and/or forcing shitty equipments to actually use it. For Orlandeau, his one CD finisher ability gets just 10% stronger. The problems are that (A) Orlandeu cannot wield daggers without some kind of equip materia, (B) has no dagger masteries, (C) can only use the subpar attack component, and (D) is on a 4-T CD finisher when he is primarily a chainer, which this STMR does not improve.

For Ultima, the use of this dagger is much better. With it, she gets a 25% damage boost at no stacks when she starts, dropping down to a 7.5% boost at max stack. In addition, this is her main skill she spams, so the damage boost will be almost always applied.

For stats alone, it's not a bad STMR to get if you already pulled 4 Ultima's, especially if you plan on using her.

Beowulf's TMR
Hunter's Trade [Materia]: Increase HP/MP (20%) and ATK (40%)
Unstackable

An unconditionalized 40% ATK materia with some extra bulk and MP sustainability. Looking at just the HP/ATK stats only, there are few materia's that are either sidegrades or direct upgrades over this one. However, pretty much all of them are conditionalized in some manner unlike this TMR.

Not a bad grab, but you can hold off if you have some of its close cousins which you still use, like Proud Fencer.

Beowulf's STMR
Chaos Blade (FFT) [Great Sword]: ATK 168, MAG 127

The better hybrid weapon. Big stat stick that would be well-loved on some TDW hybrid unit.

Reis's TMR
Dragon's Tribe [Materia]: Increase MAG (40%), Increase fire, ice, and lightning resistance (30%)

Unconditionalized 40% Mag is good enough in my books to be considered using on its own. However, this also comes with three 30% elemental resistance, for adding some survivability while not trading away too much damage. Just on the elemental protection alone, not many other materia can boast its protection status. You probably heard of stories of elemental Tetris, so this will probably find its way into your party when the elements come into play.

Not a bad choice to farm.

Construct 8's TMR
Iron Giant's Armor [Materia]: Increase DEF/SPR (30%), Decrease ATK/MAG (20%)

It's called as an armor in name, but is not actually one? Mind blown.

With the exception of the current evokers, if your building for defensive stats, you probably don't care about the offensive stats. So, I will be treating this as an unconditional 30% DEF/SPR only. For those two stats alone, this is better than everything with notable exceptions of Adventurer V (unstackable), Panzer Omega (trial, lightning weakness), but ties with a couple of STMR's, L Shield Arts (conditional, trial), and Metamalboro (trial). However, there is more to survivability than just those two stats. If you factor other stuff like HP and elemental resistance, a couple more materia's join in the fray. If you consider building for only either magical or physical eHP, significantly more just straight out beat it, which is a possibility due to cover tanks being able to cover most, if not all of one damage type.

Honestly, you're probably in no big rush just to grab a jack-of-all-trade/master-of-none defensive materia rather than its specialized one.

0_0

tl;dr

Very Good

• Vishnu Vest
• Golem's Shell
• Shiva's Tiara
• Ultima's TMR
• Reis's TMR

Probably Get (depending on your gear)

• Nagnarok
• Pantherskin Bag
• Featherweave Cloak
• Septième
• Mystic's Robe
• Ultima's STMR (and give it to herself)
• Beowulf's TMR
• Beowulf's STMR (dependent on TDW and hybrid units)
• Construct 8's TMR (I begrudgingly place it here rather than below)

Newbie Get

• Marshal Rod (you're gonna get it anyways if you do the challenge event)
• Progression of Fervor (I like spammable sources of HP)

Crap

• Progression of Belief