FFXIV gear comparison: compare two gear sets, meld materia to the cap and see the stats that change

The game's Item Comparison weighs one piece against what you wear. The gearset comparison keeps two whole sets side by side for one job and level, with melds, food and medicine, and shows how every attribute and derived value moves between them.

Where are gear sets in the game?

Open Character from the main menu, then Gear Set List. Equipping a class or job's main-hand weapon changes your class; register the equipment you wear as a gear set. Item Comparison is in the context menu of any item.

How far does a materia raise an attribute?

Each piece has a limit per attribute that depends on its item level and slot. A melded materia adds its full value only while the attribute stays under that limit; the part above it is lost. The comparison caps every meld this way and shows what was kept and what was lost. Advanced Materia Melding adds slots only to equipment that allows it, and the highest grades only fit the first of those slots.

What do food and medicine add?

Food and medicine raise an attribute by a percentage of its current value, up to a fixed maximum per item. The comparison applies both to the totals you build, so the same meal adds more to a stronger set until it reaches its maximum.

What do the derived values mean?

Critical hit rate and damage, direct hit rate, the determination and tenacity multipliers and the recast of a 2.50-second action come from the attributes through the game's level-based formulas. A small change in an attribute moves a derived value only when it crosses the next step, which is why two sets with different totals can show the same rate.

Worked example

A level 100 Midlander Black Mage wearing only a high-quality Classical Longpole totals 775 Intelligence, 673 Critical Hit and 597 Spell Speed: a 6.8% critical hit rate, a ×1.418 critical multiplier and a 2.48-second recast for a 2.50-second spell. On a normal-quality longpole, Critical Hit is 228 against a limit of 253, so a Savage Aim Materia X worth 36 adds 25 and loses 11. Grilled Dodo and a Potion of Intelligence are then added on top of those totals.