It amuses me when people say "The 2 less Enfeebling Skill from Spider Torque compared to Enfeebling Torque can easily be made up with one merit"...
What about when you have 8 merits in Enfeebling Skill already? The two extra enfeebling skill cannot be "replaced" by anything, unless that something is another +7 Enfeebling Skill piece for the neck. This is because, regardless of what other skill gear you get, there will always be the availability to add +2 more in that slot.
Having said that, the upgrade from Spider to Enfeebling is only worth it if it's worth it to you (that makes sense somehow, trust me). If you do extreme soloing or HNM events, you may want to maximize your Enfeebling Skill set. If you can't justify the extra gil based on how you play/what you do, then stick with the Spider Torque, it really is a very nice piece for the price.
Better than Spider Torque for sure. Why would there be an extra 2 Enfeebling if it wasn't better?
@Zorander: Just because a RDM doesn't have Enfeebling Torque doesn't mean they are not a good RDM. Some settle for Spider Torque because they can't afford Enfeebling Torque. Hence why people say they can live without the extra 2 points. Most would know it's better but just can't get one.
With an almost 1M price tag here on Asura, I would much rather see RDMs use Spider Torque than Enfeebling Torque if they can't afford the price, rather than buying an Enfeebling Torque, and gimping themselves out in other areas.
It's okay to slowly upgrade things when gil allows.
This is one of the catch. Yes, 2 skill is better, and you should use this if you have the gil. But by how much better, I really think no one ever quantified it. I think the underline is, everyone should at least consider a Spider Torque, and upgrade if there is spare gil.
When I originally bought this thing 4 years ago it was very cheap compared to how much it is now. That said, it has served me very very well and if you're a career RDM who is called upon in any HNM event or things that require you to be at your best then this is indeed a solid investment.
I would like to argue that this item isn't going to make/break a RDM in exp. Even without it, you should be able to land debuffs by the time you can equip it. As of right now, due to level sync, most parties seem to be fighting the normal Colibri mobs, where debuffing isn't always ideal (although the good RDM will sub whm and take the debuffs off anyone hit by the Colibri's casting.)
But, until end game, you're not gimp if you don't have this. For exp purposes, you're better off trying to close the gap between your hp/mp for a more ideal convert.
But yeah, this is pretty much the best neck piece for RDM, hands down. If you can afford it, go for it, but don't get stressed because you don't have it. Unless you're raiding in RDM and don't have this or spider torque, or something.
