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Table of Contents:
What are Merit Points? | Merit Point Menu | How to Accumulate Merit Points
How to Spend Merit Points | Cancelling Spent Merit Points | Effects of Raised Attributes

General Merit Point Categories
HP/MP/Max Merits | Attributes | Combat Skills | Magic Skills | Others | Weapon Skills

Job-Specific Merit Point Categories
Warrior | Monk | White Mage | Black Mage | Red Mage | Thief
Paladin | Dark Knight | Beastmaster | Bard | Ranger | Samurai
Ninja | Dragoon | Summoner | Blue Mage | Corsair | Puppetmaster
Dancer | Scholar | Geomancer | Rune Fencer

What are Merit Points?[]

Once a character has reached level 75, you will have the option to earn limit points when defeating enemies, instead of Experience Points. 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 character whose main job has reached level 75 or higher, though some merit categories will partially affect lower-level jobs.

Merit Point Menu[]

Merit menu

Once a player has reached level 75, they can speak to the Nomad Moogle in Ru'Lude Gardens (next to Maat) to enroll in the "Moogle Merit Management" system and receive a permanent key item: Limit Breaker. They will then be able to access the "Merit Points" menu from the "Status" menu to view current limit and merit point totals, and to spend merit points on upgrades. This menu is only accessible when the character's current job is level 75 or higher.

Merit adjustments can only be raised or lowered inside a Mog House or Rent-a-Room; merit points cannot be allocated elsewhere. However, it is possible to switch from experience point mode to limit point mode in most areas, except when under a level restriction, or when participating in Besieged.

How to Accumulate Merit Points[]

New Merit Animation

When a character has reached the maximum amount of Experience Points (43,999) after reaching level 75 (or higher, if the appropriate limit break quest has been cleared), they will automatically begin accumulating limit points when fighting monsters that would otherwise yield EXP. This occurs even if you have not yet obtained the Limit Breaker, so it is not necessary to leave an Experience Points party to enable collecting merit points (i.e. on a first job, you may reach 75, cap your xp and gain the merits needed for New Worlds Await in the same session). Limit point accumulation may also be manually enabled at almost any time, provided you are level 75 or higher and possess the Limit Breaker.

Experience and Limit Points Modes[]

Merit switch

A character 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 collecting limit points, their main job and level will be displayed in blue in the status window instead of white, and the EXP meter will be greyed out. You must be level 75 or higher to do this.

Once a character 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 or higher (it is not necessary to switch modes for each job).

If a character is KO'd while in LP accumulation mode, they will lose EXP as normal. To regain that EXP, the player must switch back to EXP accumulation mode before fighting.

However, if a character has reached the maximum amount of EXP and has automatically switched to limit points as a result, he/she will automatically switch back into experience points mode until capped once again.

If a character on Merit Point mode drops to level 74 as a result of being KO'd, he/she will resume collecting EXP if they were in LP accumulation mode, until they have reached level 75 once again. In such a case, the player will begin collecting LP 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.

Collecting Points[]

When set to limit point accumulation, after each battle a message informing the player how many limit points his/her character earned will appear in the message window (in place of the previous message informing the player how many Experience Points his/her character has earned). A notification that the character has gained a merit point is announced just as if they had gained a level and a fanfare and banner is shown; however, the character will not have their HP/MP refilled as they do upon gaining a level.

The maximum number of merit points a character can stock is 30 base (plus up to 45 additional if Maximum Merit Points is fully merited) . You will continue to receive limit points past this point (up until 9999/10000 LP toward the next merit point) but any limit points earned after accumulating this amount will be lost.

Limit points and merit points collected on all level 75 jobs are combined, and are totaled together in your Merit Point menu. A character does not have to earn the merit points playing the job he/she wants to spend them on.

Special Considerations[]

Experience Points earned from experience scrolls (e.g. a page from the "Dragon Chronicles") may only be used to earn EXP, not LP. Even if the character is in LP accumulation mode, the item will still only grant EXP when used. If the character is unable to accumulate any more EXP, the item may still be used but it will have no effect.

If a character has their level reduced when entering a Level Restricted Area, they will gain the full amount of limit points that they would have gained if they were actually that level (assuming the character's actual level is 75 or above, and is in LP accumulation mode). This is in contrast to experience points, which are under such conditions. When in a Level Restricted area, the amount of limit points gained is the greater of the following two calculations: one using actual character levels (calculation A), and one using character levels under influence of the level cap (calculation B). This is opposed to experience points, in which case the greater of calculation A and 50% of calculation B is awarded as experience points.

WARNING: Any instance of earning experience will only give EXP or LP, never both at once. For instance, if you are in EXP accumulation mode and are 100 EXP away from cap, defeating an enemy worth 300 EXP will only grant you 100 EXP and 0 LP. This can be very disturbing with events such as FoV, Campaign, or Besieged rewards, where a potentially large amount of experience can be awarded all at once, yet most of it can be wasted due to having lost a small amount of EXP from having been KO'd at an earlier point in time. It is advisable to check your EXP totals and EXP/LP accumulation mode before participating in such events.

Level sync[]

Limit points can be earned while under the effect of Level Sync. Although you can check the number of limit points and merit points you have while under the effect of Level Sync, it is not possible to change modes from limit points to experience points or vice versa while under the effect of Level Sync.

How to Spend Merit Points[]

Merit categories

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

Refer to the general and job-specific categories below for possible merits.

Canceling Spent Merit Points[]

A player may wish to undo an upgrade that was made in order to spend points in the same category on different upgrades. To cancel a merit, a player must access the merit point menu, select the category they want to upgrade, and select Lower. There will be a series of confirmation messages. Note that any merit points that were spent to make the upgrade originally will not be refunded to the player.

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 their current Main Job, including jobs that are not level 75. More upgrades apply as the character's main job increases in level, as shown below.

Job Levels Upgrades in effect per item
1-9 0
10-19 1
20-29 2
30-39 3
40-49 4
50-54 5
55-59 6
60-64 7
65 or higher 8+Verification Needed

General Merit Point Categories[]

Upgrades in the following merit point categories affect all of a character'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").

For Example: A player can perform 15 upgrades on HP; 8 upgrades on HP and 7 upgrades on MP; 15 upgrades on MP; or any other combination adding up to 15. However, upgrading both HP and MP 15 times each is not possible. (This is a good example of how max combo works and was true when the max combo was 15. Currently the max combo for HP/MP is 75, allowing both HP and MP to be upgraded 15 times each.)

There is also a limit on the total number of upgrades that can be done on each item ("Max per item") and the number of merit points that are required per upgrade increase cumulatively as you complete each upgrade for that item.

For Example: 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.
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.

HP/MP/Max Merits[]


[1→2→3→4→5→5→5→5→5→7→7→7→9→9→9]
Max combo: 75
Max per item: 15 (45 Maximum Merit Points)

  • Max HP (+10 per upgrade)
  • Max MP (+10 per upgrade)
  • Maximum Merit Points (+1 per upgrade)
    • This option follows a different progression than HP and MP.
      [1→3→5→7→9→12→15→18→21→24→27→30→33→36→39→42→45→48→51]

Total merit points needed to master HP or MP : 83
Total merit points needed to master Merits : At least 1741.*

*This is assuming the cost to upgrade caps at 51.

Attributes[]


[3→6→9→9→9→12→12→12→12→15→15→15→15→18→18]
Max combo: 105
Max per item: 15

  • 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)

Total merit points needed to master ONE skill : 180

Combat Skills[]


Only skills that the current (level 75) job possesses can be adjusted.
Raising combat skills may grant access to weapon skills not normally available to a job. [1→2→3→3→3→3→3→3]
Max Combo: 152 (includes Defensive Skills)
Max per item: 8

Total merit points needed to master ONE skill : 21

Magic Skills[]


Only skills that the current (level 75) job possesses can be adjusted.
[1→2→3→3→3→3→3→3]
Max combo: 112
Max per item: 8

Total merit points needed to master ONE skill : 21

Others[]


[1→2→3→4→5]
Max combo: 10
Max per item: 5

Total merit points needed to master ONE skill : 15

Weapon Skills[]


To use this category, the quest Martial Mastery must be completed.
Weapon skills can only be adjusted by a level 96+ job capable of using the WS. You must possess the required skill level to use the WS, but you can spend merit points on the WS without having the required 357 skill level.
[73%→76%→79%→82%→85%]
Max combo: 15
Max per item: 5

Shijin Spiral Hand-to-Hand (DEX Bonus by 3% per upgrade)
Exenterator Dagger (AGI Bonus by 3% per upgrade)
Requiescat Sword (MND Bonus by 3% per upgrade)
Resolution Great Sword (STR Bonus by 3% per upgrade)
Ruinator Axe (STR Bonus by 3% per upgrade)
Upheaval Great Axe (VIT Bonus by 3% per upgrade)
Entropy Scythe (INT Bonus by 3% per upgrade)
Stardiver Polearm (STR Bonus by 3% per upgrade)
Blade: Shun Katana (DEX Bonus by 3% per upgrade)
Tachi: Shoha Great Katana (STR Bonus by 3% per upgrade)
Realmrazer Club (MND Bonus by 3% per upgrade)
Shattersoul Staff (INT Bonus by 3% per upgrade)
Apex Arrow Archery (AGI Bonus by 3% per upgrade)
Last Stand Marksmanship (AGI Bonus by 3% per upgrade)

Total merit points needed to master ONE skill : 123

Job-Specific Merit Point Categories[]

Upgrades in the following merit point categories are in effect only when the specified job is the character's main job and when it is level 75 or higher. All merits in these categories become completely inactive if the character delevels to 74, or receives a level restriction under level 75 under any circumstances.

Within each category there are two groups, each with separate "max combo" and "max per item" values. Upgrades in Group 1 enhance abilities, traits, and spells that the job already possesses, while upgrades in Group 2 grant and enhance 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→5→5]
Max combo: 10 (for each job)
Max per item: 5

Total merit points needed to master ONE skill in group 1 : 15

Total merit points needed to master ONE skill in group 2 : 22

Warrior[]


Group 1

Group 2

Monk[]


Group 1

Group 2

White Mage[]


Group 1

Group 2
  • Martyr (+5% HP granted per additional upgrade)
  • Devotion (+5% MP granted per additional upgrade)
  • Animus Solace (Base damage absorption bonus to the Afflatus Solace Stoneskin effect is +5 per merit level)
  • Animus Misery (Base damage storage bonus to Afflatus Misery is 5% per merit level)

Black Mage[]


Group 1

Group 2

Red Mage[]


Group 1

Group 2

Thief[]


Group 1

Group 2

Paladin[]


Group 1

Group 2
  • Fealty (+5 seconds duration per additional upgrade)
  • Chivalry (+5% MP granted per additional upgrade)
  • Iron Will (+19% effect per upgrade)
  • Guardian (+19% effect per upgrade)

Dark Knight[]


Group 1

Group 2

Beastmaster[]


Group 1

Group 2

Bard[]


Group 1

Group 2

Ranger[]


Group 1

Group 2

Samurai[]


Group 1

Group 2
  • Shikikoyo (+12% TP granted per additional upgrade)
  • Blade Bash (+15 seconds to Plague duration per additional upgrade)
  • Ikishoten (+3 TP gained per upgrade)
  • Overwhelm (+5% WS damage bonus per upgrade for the first 3 upgrades; +2% increase each for the last 2 upgrades)

Ninja[]


Group 1

Group 2

Dragoon[]


Group 1

Group 2
  • Deep Breathing (+10% enhancement to breath potency per additional upgrade)
  • Angon (+15 seconds Defense Down duration per additional upgrade)
  • Empathy (+1 copied effect and +200 EXP granted to wyvern per upgrade)
  • Strafe Effect (+5 wyvern breath accuracy per upgrade)

Summoner[]


Group 1

Group 2

Blue Mage[]


Group 1

Group 2

Corsair[]


Group 1

Group 2

Puppetmaster[]


Group 1

Group 2
  • Role Reversal (+5% HP granted per additional upgrade)
  • Ventriloquy (+5% to higher enmity value and -5% to lower enmity value per additional upgrade)
  • Fine-Tuning (Increase automaton's accuracy by 5, ranged accuracy by 5, evasion by 5, and magic defense by 5 per upgrade)
  • Optimization (Increase automaton's attack by 5%, defense by 5%, and magic attack by 5 per upgrade)

Note: Automaton skill upgrades are slightly bugged. The automaton equipment window will report both current and max skill as being increased, but the automaton will continue to gain skill until it recapped the skill. I.e., after upgrading melee skill by 1 rank, your automaton will start receiving skillups again until it hits 242 skill on Valoredge. All the while, the equipment window will read 242/242)

Dancer[]


Group 1

Group 2

Scholar[]


Group 1

Group 2

Geomancer[]


Group 1

Group 2
  • Mending Halation (Causes your luopan to vanish and restores HP of party members within area of effect. Recast: 5 min. Increase amount of HP restored by 5 percent.)
  • Radial Arcana (Causes your luopan to vanish and restores MP of party members within area of effect. Recast: 5 min. Increase amount of HP restored by 3 percent.)
  • Curative Recantation (Grants a healing effect to Full Circle. Increase amount of HP healed by 5 percent.)
  • Primordial Zeal (Shortens casting times of elemental magic spells while under the effects of Collimated Fervor. Shorten cast time by 10 percent.)

Rune Fencer[]


Group 1

  • Rune Enhancement Effect (Increases potency of runes harbored by 2 points.)
  • Vallation Effect (Adds a magic defense bonus to Vallation and a magic defense bonus to Valliance of 1 point per harbored rune.)
  • Lunge Effect (Increases the accuracy of Lunge by 3 points per harbored rune.)
  • Pflug Effect (Enhances the likelihood of resistance activating by 1 point per harbored rune.)
  • Gambit Effect (Shortens recast time by 10 seconds.)
Group 2
  • Battuta (Increases the likelihood of parrying and deals counter damage after parrying dependent upon harbored runes. Recast: 5 min. Increase chance of parrying by 4 percent and increase counter damage by 4 points per rune harbored.)
  • Rayke (Expends runes to reduce elemental resistance of the target. Recast: 5 min. Increase duration of effect by 3 seconds.)
  • Inspiration (Grants a “Fast Cast” effect to Vallation and Valiance. Increase cast speed by 10 percent.)
  • Sleight of Sword (Grants a “Subtle Blow” effect during Swordplay. Increase the maximum value of Subtle Blow by 5 points.)

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 Job Abilities and Job Traits, Spells, Songs and Blood Pacts.
  • March 2007: It's possible now to switch between experience and merit points mode from outside Mog House. An animation visible to other players will now appear upon gaining a merit point.
  • June 2007: The maximum amount of merits able to be placed in the categories "Combat Skills" and "Magic Skills" have been increased. Combat skills have increased from 12 -> 20 Magic skills have increased from 8 -> 16.
  • June 2008: The maximum merits that can be placed on Group 2 abilities increases from 6 to 10 and the maximum that can be placed on a single ability increases from 3 to 5.
  • December 2010 - The number of Merits that can be stored is increased to 20
  • December 2011 - The number of Merits that can be stored is increased to 30. Specific weaponskills are added and given their own category within the merit menu.
  • April 2013 - Geomancy Skill and Handbell Skill have been added to the Magic Skills category. The maximum limit for point allocation in the Magic Skills category has been raised from twenty-four to thirty-two. The stat bonus and required number of merit points per upgrade for the merit point category “weapon skill” have been adjusted. The merit categories Scavenge Recast, Desperate Blows, and Recycle have been removed. The merit categories Scavenge Effect, Desperate Blows Effect, and Recycle Rate have taken their places.
  • May 2013 - Rune Fencer and Geomancer Merit Ability has been introduced.
  • Dec 2015 - Maximum merits expanded to +45 merits (75 total), Attributes combo total expanded to 105 merit points, Combat Skills combo total increased to 152 merits, Magic Skills combo total increased to 112 merits.

All items (229)

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