Gonna stick this video in the OP so no digging necessary for an exhibition:
https://youtu.be/GArBKJrJDq8



On top of this not calculating correctly (it gives a flat -# delay instead of -10% total), it also affects 1-handed weapons. That means at 5/5 merits you're roughly doubling the speed of a 264 delay weapon like the Kraken Club. It's an easy test with a lolOrganics which also has 264 delay; with your basic zerg set you'll go from ~4 second delay between swings to ~2 seconds with Last Resort active.
This ever gonna get fixed? It's been broken the entire time I've been on this server (since January). The tactical nuke aka KC DRK is dishing out twice the damage it should be. Gee, I wonder what 15 of them with ~100 base delay before buffs could do.

How do you think AV and DL are being killed? DRK zerg + broken lunar cry. I wouldn't get your hopes up for a fix anytime soon; it would cause quite the outcry among the endgame community.

If Feint worked properly, it would fill the role Lunar Cry currently occupies-- moreover it would free a spot in the ally for another DRK rather than a /SMN. Desperate Blows being broken is an issue, but I wouldn't give it so much credit as to suggest that it provides the difference between a win or a loss on either AV or DL (because as everyone who participates in endgame knows, DL is oh so hard.) I'm willing to bet that more than 3/4's of our DRKs never bothered to merit Desperate Blows anyway, and it certainly doesn't appear to be hampering our progress any.

Sure, this needs to be fixed, but I don't see anyone in the endgame community shedding a tear. The better players always adapt.

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I'm skeptical that these merits are affecting 1h weapons. I've played DRK for a long time on this server and I'd be interested to hear how you tested this. Could you post your methodology and results?

The quote you have taken from the wiki is not from the right era anyways. If you look at the history of these merits, in 2007 they did actually reduce delay by 5% per merit. Use the history tab on the side of the page in the future.

http://ffxiclopedia.wikia.com/wiki/Desperate_Blows?direction=next&oldid=279751

The 10% total figure you say is accurate comes from an adjustment in 2013, as seen in the following post:

http://forum.square-enix.com/ffxi/threads/29831-Overall-Battle-System-Adjustments-for-the-Future

I'll be testing 1h weapons with some DRKs in my linkshell to see if this is actually occuring. Rocl, I would be interested to hear about your own tests and their results here. I don't believe that 1h weapons are affected currently, but if they are, it obviously needs to be changed.

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Fid: 75 DRK/RNG/COR/THF/BST/BRD/NIN
Mini: 75 RDM/PLD/BLM/BLU
https://www.topshelf.team/
2017 TS Fantasy Football Champion

Speaking of weird stuff - I am kinda certain (though I sadly didn't log it beforehand), that my damage with ranged weaponskills on Sam/Rng got reduced when I took the overwhelm merit from SAM category (I know it's for melee ws only)... Maybe I am imagining stuff, but it feels like it actually subtracted 5%

Overwhelm doesn't work. It's not doing anything positive or negative to your damage. Sorry you wasted the merits Sam/rng in general is unfortunately not at all a good DD on nasomi. Ranged attack is pretty fun and powerful at low lvls but its damage does not keep up as you get higher even for a rng, let alone Sam who have a piddly C+ archery skill. Do yourself a favor and take the time to figure out how to get yourself a nana and you will never dream of /rng again anyway.

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Thanks for the response - I am sorta confused by overwhelm though - some swear it works, others say the opposite, so no idea what to think.

In regards to sam/rng - I ain't serious about it or anything - it's just what I use for farming EP, decent challenge and even match mobs in quick succession.

I am saving for hachiryu before nana ^^

Both are obviously great items for SAM, but you might find that the Nana has a more noticeable umph than the Hachiryu body if you're prioritizing which to get first.

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Another broken item/effect.

On topic, I believe what Rocl says about 1-handed weapons being affected by Desperate Blows from experience. As Fid said it's a total of 25% with 5/5 merits, add haste gear and spells and you halve delay easily.)

At best, that’s a poor abstraction and it misses the point. The Nana as a self-contained item functions correctly. It’s Zanshin, as stated, that’s broken and the Nana becomes stronger as a result. In terms of non-relic GKs available, the Nana is still far more likely to out perform other options with a properly coded Zanshin effect in place. Granted, though we haven’t had the pleasure of testing Hagun on Nasomi, we have had the opportunity to play with the Futsuno— and while it’s a fun toy, it has too great a disparity to close in order to be viable against a Nana, with or without a correctly functioning Zanshin effect.

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