dynamis two nights ago

I'd imagine xarc relic is probably the best for non-big endgame fights and it's definitely the best for exp groups. Almost the entire zenith set sucks(head/legs are useless now), 42mp/17hp is much better than 50mp/-50hp; and you get 4 more charisma on top of that. Unless you're trying to debuff a really high level HNM, you really won't need the skill; I haven't had much problem getting debuffs to land on fafnir/nidhogg while not having great gear.

Anything besides really high level fights, I'd wear them over anything else.
 
My gear priorities for BRD are simple:

1. Don't die. I'm useless when dead. So I avoid -HP, -VIT, -evasion (well, not that that one matters *too* much), -resist stats (-fire resist is a good way to die to Mijin). And wear -enmity where I can. If other gear happens to come with +HP or +VIT or -dmg%, cool, but I'm not gonna waste an equip slot just *for* that.

2. Get those obnoxiously long buffs done faster, so they don't hamper my reaction speed to other stuff as much. (Added perk is that casting speed is 100% macroable.) This applies to debuffs too, though a percentage increase to those is less of an absolute difference (since they're faster).

3. Actually land those debuffs. This priority goes downhill the larger a group you're in. It's a near necessity when solo/small group, quite important in a party, and becomes progressively less important the more redundancy you have. Lullaby stick rate matters less with 15 sleepers than with 2 sleepers, after all.

4. If and only if subbing a mage job, enough MP that I have elbow room to work with, as I spend and regenerate my MP. 200 is a little tight, 250 is fine, 300 is nice, more than that and I wouldn't notice it anyway. I'll take it if it doesn't compromise one of the above.

I manage MP very differently on BRD than on WHM. On BRD, max MP is elbow room (and if I have to macro it out for something I care about more, I will - my max MP currently bounces around because of earring equip swaps). On WHM, it's my lifeblood and only gets macrod out for resting.
 
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