Category:Merit Points

What are Merit Points?

 * Once a player has reached level 75, he/she will have the option to earn limit points when defeating enemies. Once 10,000 limit points are obtained, they convert into one merit point.
 * Merit points are a type of currency used to "buy" extra enhancements for a player whose main job has reached the last level cap (75).

Merit Point History

 * July 2004: Merit point system introduced.
 * September 2004: Merit categories were expanded to include Combat skills, Magic Skills, and Other skills.
 * February 2005: Merit categories were expanded to include Job-Specific Upgrades.
 * December 2005: Maximum number of upgrades per item and per category was increased.
 * July 2006: New Job-specific abilities and traits, new spells, song and bloodpacts.

Merit Point Menu

 * After a player has received the key item Limit breaker from the Nomad Moogle in Ru'lude Gardens, he/she will be able to view current limit and merit point totals in the status window by selecting the "Merit Points" button from the Status menu. This menu is only accessible when the player's current job is level 75.
 * This menu allows you to view your current limit points and merit points, to view merit points you have spent, and to view the categories you can spend merit points on.
 * When a player is in his/her Mog House (or Rent-a-Room), he/she is able to switch between EXP and limit point accumulation modes, as well as able to spend and cancel merit points.
 * As of September 14, 2005, it is is no longer possible to switch between EXP and limit point modes by speaking with the Nomad Moogle in the Ru'Lude Gardens.

How to Accumulate Merit Points

 * When a player has reached the maximum amount of EXP (43,999) after reaching level 75, he/she will automatically begin accumulating limit points when fighting monsters that are at least Easy Prey.
 * A player can begin collecting limit points before reaching the maximum amount of EXP by switching to Merit Point mode under "Mode Switch" on the merit point menu.
 * When a player is eligible to begin collecting limit points, his/her main job and level will be displayed in blue in the status window.
 * Once a player has accumulated 10,000 limit points, the points will automatically be exchanged for a single merit point. Switching to limit point accumulation mode affects all jobs that have reached level 75.  It is not necessary to swtich modes for each job.
 * If a player is KO'd while in limit points accumulation mode, he/she will lose EXP as normal. To regain that EXP, the player must switch back to EXP accumulation mode in his/her Mog House before fighting.
 * If a player on Merit Point mode drops to level 74 as a result of being KO'd, he/she will not automatically be switched back to EXP accumulation mode, but will accumulate EXP until reaching level 75 once again. The player will begin collecting limit points again once he/she reaches level 75. Note that this not only applies to deleveled jobs, but also to subsequent jobs to hit level 75, so it is prudent to switch to EXP accumulation mode before leveling from 74 to 75 in order to build some buffer.
 * All limit, merit, and experience points are saved internally. Switching between limit point and EXP accumulation modes does not result in a loss of any point types.
 * EXP earned from items (eg. a page from the "Dragon Chronicles") cannot be converted into limit points. If a player's mode is set to limit point accumulation and the player does not have the maximum amount of EXP, the item will grant EXP (which goes toward his/her buffer).  If a player uses one of these items after accumulating the maximum amount of EXP at level 75, the item will have no effect.  Likewise, experience points earned at the end of Besieged go straight to the player's buffer.
 * Limit points and merit points collected on all level 75 jobs are combined, and are totalled together in your Merit Point menu. A player does not have to earn the merit points playing the job he/she want to spend them on.
 * When set to limit point accumulation, after each battle, a message informing the player how many limit points he/she earned will appear in the message window (in place of the previous message informing the player how many experience points he/she earned). A notification that the player has gained a limit point is announced just as if they had gained a level, but no fanfare or banner is shown, and neither does his/her HP or MP bars refill.
 * The maximum number of merit points a player can stock is 10. Any merit points earned after accumulating this amount will be lost.

How to Spend Merit Points

 * Merit points can only be spent while inside a player's Mog House or Rent-a-Room.
 * To spend a merit, a player must access the merit point menu, select the category he/she wants to upgrade, and select Raise. There will be a series of confirmation messages.

Cancelling Spent Merit Points

 * A player may wish to undo an upgrade he/she has already made in order to spend points in the same category on different upgrades.
 * When a player cancels an upgrade, he/she does not get the spent merit points back.
 * To cancel a merit, a player must access the merit point menu, select the category he/she want to upgrade, and select Lower. There will be a series of confirmation messages.

Effects of Raised Attributes
The effect of merit points upgrades in the general categories apply to any and all jobs that the player sets as his/her current main job, including jobs that are not level 75. More upgrades apply as the player's main job increases in level, as shown below.

General Merit Point Categories
Upgrades in the following merit point categories affect all of a player's jobs, as per the table above.

There is a limit on the total number of upgrades that can be done in each category ("Max combo"). There is a limit on the total number of upgrades that can be done on each item ("Max per item"). The number of merit points that are required per upgrade increase cumulatively as you complete each upgrade for that item.
 * Example: A player can perform 8 upgrades on HP; 4 upgrades on HP and 4 upgrades on MP; 8 upgrades on MP; or any other combination adding up to 8. However, upgrading both HP and MP 8 times is not possible.
 * Example 1: The first MP upgrade costs 1 merit. The second upgrade costs 2 merits.  The third upgrade costs 3 merits.  The fourth upgrade costs 4 merits. The fifth upgrade costs 5 merits.  The sixth, seventh, and eighth upgrades cost 5 merits each.
 * Example 2: If a player wanted to upgrade HP 4 times and MP 4 times, the HP upgrades would cost 1, then 2, then 3, then 4 merits, and the MP upgrades would cost 1, then 2, then 3, then 4 merits.

{| border="0" width="100%" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="2"
 * align="left" width="50%" valign="top"|
 * align="left" width="50%" valign="top"|

HP/MP
[1>2>3>4>5>5>5>5] Max combo: 8 Max per item: 8
 * Max HP (+10 per upgrade)
 * Max MP (+10 per upgrade)
 * align="left" width="50%" valign="top"|

Attributes
[3>6>9>9>9] Max combo: 5 Max per item: 5
 * STR (+1 per upgrade)
 * DEX (+1 per upgrade)
 * VIT (+1 per upgrade)
 * AGI (+1 per upgrade)
 * INT (+1 per upgrade)
 * MND (+1 per upgrade)
 * CHR (+1 per upgrade)


 * align="left" valign="top" colspan="2"|
 * align="left" valign="top" colspan="2"|

Combat Skills
Only skills that the current (level 75) job possesses can be adjusted. Depending on his/her main job, raising combat skills may not necessarily allow a player to use certain weapon skills. [1>2>3>3>3>3>3>3] Max combo: 12 Max per item: Varies depending on the item [1>2>3>3>3>3>3>3] Max per item: 8 [1>2>3>3] Max per item: 4
 * align="left" valign="top"| Weapon Skills
 * align="left" valign="top"| Weapon Skills
 * Hand-to-Hand Skill (+2 per upgrade)
 * Dagger Skill (+2 per upgrade)
 * Sword Skill (+2 per upgrade)
 * Great Sword Skill (+2 per upgrade)
 * Axe Skill (+2 per upgrade)
 * Great Axe Skill (+2 per upgrade)
 * Scythe Skill (+2 per upgrade)
 * Polearm Skill (+2 per upgrade)
 * Katana Skill (+2 per upgrade)
 * Great Katana Skill (+2 per upgrade)
 * Club Skill (+2 per upgrade)
 * Staff Skill (+2 per upgrade)
 * Archery Skill (+2 per upgrade)
 * Marksmanship Skill (+2 per upgrade)
 * Throwing Skill (+2 per upgrade)
 * align="left" valign="top"| Defensive Skills
 * Guarding Skill (+2 per upgrade)
 * Evasion Skill (+2 per upgrade)
 * Shield Skill (+2 per upgrade)
 * Parrying Skill (+2 per upgrade)
 * align="left" valign="top"|
 * align="left" valign="top"|

Magic Skills
Only skills that the current (level 75) job possesses can be adjusted. [1>2>3>3>3>3>3>3] Max combo: 8 Max per item: 8
 * Divine Magic Skill (+2 per upgrade)
 * Healing Magic Skill (+2 per upgrade)
 * Enhancing Magic Skill (+2 per upgrade)
 * Enfeebling Magic Skill (+2 per upgrade)
 * Elemental Magic Skill (+2 per upgrade)
 * Dark Magic Skill (+2 per upgrade)
 * Summoning Magic Skill (+2 per upgrade)
 * Ninjutsu Skill (+2 per upgrade)
 * Singing Skill (+2 per upgrade)
 * String Instrument Skill (+2 per upgrade)
 * Wind Instrument Skill (+2 per upgrade)
 * Blue Magic Skill (+2 per upgrade)
 * align="left" valign="top"|

Others
[1>2>3>4] Max combo: 8 Max per item: 4
 * Enmity Increase (+1 per upgrade)
 * Enmity Decrease (-1 per upgrade)
 * Critical Hit Rate (+1% per upgrade)
 * Enemy Critical Hit Rate (-1% per upgrade)
 * Spell Interruption Rate (-2% per upgrade)
 * }

Job-Specific Merit Point Categories
Upgrades in the following merit point categories are in effect only when the specified job is the player's main job and when it is level 75. They become inactive if the player delevels to 74.

Within each category there are two groups, each with separate "max combo" and "max per item" values. Group 1 enhances abilities, traits, and spells that the player already has, while Group 2 (added in the July 24, 2006 Version Update) grants and enhances new abilities, traits, and spells.

Group 1 [1>2>3>4>5] Max combo: 10 (for each job) Max per item: 5

Group 2 [3>4>5] Max combo: 6 (for each job) Max per item: 3

From FFXIclopedia, a Wikia wiki.