Why I think the PvP Meta Level should be 150

[Exitus]

Bear with me because I see this posted on other sites so I thought I would throw my hat into the discussion. Here seemed like good of place as any.

Also bear with me that I am not saying that the PvP Meta Level should 100% without a doubt be 150, but rather the reasons I why *I* personally think it should be 150. BUT I also think the rules should be changed around dueling.

IMHO, the PvP Dueling Meta Level should be moved up to 150. Both HP *and* FP potions should be banned in dueling. The Physick Flask should still be allowed.

Here is my reasoning behind this:

First regarding the FP Flasks: People have said the reason the HP Flasks have been banned in dueling in both Elden Ring and past FromSoft titles is because the Host will have more Flasks. This is true for FP Flasks as well, but this rule was never enforced for FP Flasks because in prior FromSoft titles, not having FP Flasks made pure casting builds suffer drastically. I believe this to no longer be the case due to the existence of the Physick Flask (I will get into why shortly). In short, if the logic behind banning HP Flasks is that the Host has an advantage due to the number of Flasks, this rule should also be applied to FP Flasks.

This is also why I think that the PVP Meta Level should be moved to 150. It allows people to figure out their build with more flexibility. This also allows Pure Caster builds to function by being able to branch into Mind.

Here is an example of a level 120 Pure Sorcerer Build with Astrologer as the Starting Class:

50/30/9/12/12/70/7/9

One could argue they could use the Soreseal to get more out of their stats, but the thing is, the only useful stats for a pure caster would be the Vigor and maybe some Strength to meet most weapon requirements. Marika's Scarseal wouldn't do much for them either except give some Mind and Intelligence since Faith and Arcane would be useless to them.

Basically, pure casters become purely reliant on Blue Flasks at 120. Now let's bring it to 150:

60/50/9/12/12/70/7/9 *or* 60/40/9/12/12/80/7/9 *or* 50/50/9/12/12/80/7/9

Now they have wiggle room, and they can either boost their FP even further or Boost their Sorceries Further. Or they could sacrifice the Health and get both. The point is, now they have options and aren't stupid reliant on the FP Flasks.

But I can hear the DS3 PvP Veterans in the distance "But what about the Havel Monsters and 1-shot builds?"

Let's for giggles make a Strength-based Havel Monster who is meant to be the tankiest of tanky bois and just cheese through all of the things with a 2-handed weapon:

60//17/35/55/16/9/30/7 (Vagabond Starting class)

So this build would have enough Strength to reach the soft-cap when 2-handing anything. and enough Dex to use just about whatever 2-weapon they wanted. They would have enough Endurance to properly use said weapon with a bunch of high-poise/absorption armor. To top it all off, they have enough Faith to use Black-Flame Protection, making them even tankier.

This seems over the top, until you realize one thing: Their FP. They would have just enough FP to cast Black Flame's Protection and use a few weapon arts. Once they are out, they are out. They can't swig an FP flask to keep it up the entirety of the fight and use Weapon Arts mindlessly. They get to be a Havel Monster, but now they have to actually make sacrifices to being a Havel Monster. Even if they were to use the Soreseal (which would be more valuable to them than the earlier Caster build), what good would it really do them? Sure, it would get them 20 Levels, but what would they even do with it? Well I suppose they could invest into a bit more Mind, because going anywhere else would be kinda pointless since the soft-caps for them have already been met. So they would use the Soreseal to, theoretically, get more Mind for more Weapon Arts and Casts, but at the cost of reducing their overall absorption by 15%. They literally become less tanky to get that Mind. They make a Sacrifice.

This is why I think removing the FP Flask from Duels at level 150 would solve a lot of problems: It makes the Mind stat a more attractive stat by virtue of players not being able to gain that FP back in duels unless they specifically craft their Physick to do so. It also makes sense to do this by virtue of the Host having more flasks.

Again, this is just my opinion. I would love to hear the thoughts of others.

TL;DR: A 150 PvP Meta makes more sense if you remove FP flasks from duels. It makes Mind a more attractive stat and forces "One shot builds" and "Havel Monsters" to invest into Mind or run out of FP after a couple of Weapon Arts.

EDIT: Added a TLD;DR

[i killed god]

Marmarmar34 původně napsal:

Ok but who's stopping ppl from drinking in duels?

Also the commonly agreed upon rules of the community. Healing is replenishing your mistake/trading allowance. That's all a health bar is. Part of making a build is also deciding how big your health bar and absorption will be, both of which contribute to your mistake/trading allowance. If you start healing in duels, both of these lose some importance, and it takes away from the relevance of build-making. That's why the community's decided that healing in duels is a no-go.

[Nihrahk]

ShotgunShine původně napsal:

Nihrahk původně napsal:

Perhaps, but don't forget that most people go to 150 naturally on an average playthrough. Gatekeeping pvp at 120 is just a bad move, because people who then want to go for pvp after finishing the game would then need to make a new build and finish at 120 and might not even bother because of it.

ShotgunShine původně napsal:

Having it at 150 is more fair for them as it allows them to go straight into pvp with nothing to stop them.

People finishing the game at a higher level than meta isn't an excuse for pushing the meta to the point where builds no longer matter. If you're gonna be someone that PVPs in ER, you'll very likely put at least 3x the amount of time in PVP than your time in PVE. And making a second character is much faster your second time around because there's less completionist stuff to do, you can just speedrun to what you need.

That's false. Also, what do you mean "to the point where builds no longer matter" even? Plenty of varied builds in 150. You still see pure builds of all kinds and a couple of hybrids. RL 150 doesn't change much at all when it comes to pvp. People just do slightly more damage and might have a bit more poise perhaps, but that's the only difference. You won't see Bullgoats everywhere.

ShotgunShine původně napsal:

Nihrahk původně napsal:

I actually have a medium rolling bullgoat monster at the 120 range. I might perhaps lose some damage, but with the right talismans, infusions, etc I can still one shot people and have a lot health and poise. At 150 there wouldn't be much of a difference really. I would only get a very minor boost in damage.

You're one shotting people who are also trash at buildmaking. And I also have a bullgoat monster at 125, and despite minmaxing my heart out, I had to make concessions on the build. That's what balanced buildmaking is, you can't hit all your marks without making a few concessions. 150 throws all that out of the window.

No, some of those builds that I've fought were very solid, yet still got one shot easily even when I didn't use a bunch of buffs and 150 throws nothing out the window.

ShotgunShine původně napsal:

Nihrahk původně napsal:

Besides, people having more vigor is only a good thing, because I hate it when I one shot someone. Not to mention that even at 150 there are still people who have very low vigor. People with only 1300 health or lower isn't a rare sight at all.

That's their problem, not yours. How people still run around with sub-50 VIG at RL125+ is beyond me, but it's not my problem. Eventually, they'll learn they die less if they respec and put more points into VIG and make concessions on their builds.

Eh, I somehow doubt these people will ever learn to spend points into vigor.

ShotgunShine původně napsal:

Nihrahk původně napsal:

See, the real issue here is how this game is balanced. You can easily do an absurd amount of damage with very minor sacrifices if you know what you're doing. It doesn't matter if it's pve or pvp.

Definitely not true. Especially not at 125. Except for very specific weapons, builds, and WAs, all of which will likely be balanced in the future.

Hopefully that happens sooner rather than later. Plenty of broken stuff that even takes away the fun of doing pvp sometimes.

[Narm]

Marmarmar34 původně napsal:

Narm původně napsal:

The finger severer.

But that's not an instant use item.

No, but that's a non-issue. I successfully finger sever most of the time anyways. Cast an area denial spell or weapon art and sever. Or just immediately sever. Doesn't matter if you succeed, as long as they repeatedly see it happen immediately after using an hp flask.

They will eventually figure out that it's because of flasking. Then they will either adapt, or accept not getting to finish many of their duels. It is fine either way.

[i killed god]

Nihrahk původně napsal:

That's false. Also, what do you mean "to the point where builds no longer matter" even? Plenty of varied builds in 150. You still see pure builds of all kinds and a couple of hybrids. RL 150 doesn't change much at all when it comes to pvp. People just do slightly more damage and might have a bit more poise perhaps, but that's the only difference. You won't see Bullgoats everywhere.

My point is that there are significantly less concessions to make in your build when you hit 150 vs at 125. At 125, you have to consider possibly using a soreseal, you may have to drop your main damage stat, you may have to drop your endurance and settle for less poise, or even sacrifice some VIG, or even run less mind on a caster build, all so you can hit your marks. That's where the beauty of buildmaking comes in; what's the player willing to give up. You have to prioritize, and build your build around those priorities. There are significantly less concessions to be made at RL150 because almost every build will be able to hit every one of their goals. There's gonna be a few cookie cutter all-rounder archetype builds that everyone will flock to, and that's a lot less interesting. Every melee can/will be able to hit 100+ poise with 60 VIG, and maxed out damage stat. Every mage will be able to rock 50 VIG with maxed out damage stat, no soreseal, and possibly high poise. It makes for less interesting gameplay. That's also the reason why max level PVP isn't very interesting either. Builds no longer matter.

Nihrahk původně napsal:

No, some of those builds that I've fought were very solid, yet still got one shot easily even when I didn't use a bunch of buffs and 150 throws nothing out the window.

If they got one shot, they were, by definition, not good builds. Especially if the player using them doesn't have the skill to avoid the one shot. You can make a glass cannon build work if you're a good enough player that you can always win trades and punish accordingly. If you're getting one shot, you need to review your priorities.

Nihrahk původně napsal:

Eh, I somehow doubt these people will ever learn to spend points into vigor.

People in DS3 did, after a while. You still saw some concessions being made in builds for pure casters and other hybrids (we're back to buildmaking here), but for the most part, most people in the arena understood that VIG=important.

Nihrahk původně napsal:

Hopefully that happens sooner rather than later. Plenty of broken stuff that even takes away the fun of doing pvp sometimes.

Seeing how 1.04 was, I have full faith in Fromsoft that the next few patches will do a lot for the good of the balance.

[Exitus]

ShotgunShine původně napsal:

50/10/22/20/77/9/9/7. Crimson+2, Erdtree+2, Great Jar, last talisman is a swap for Drake talismans/Shard of alexander/Spear talisman/etc as necessary.

No disrespect, but that isn't 80 Dex lol, but I suppose it is close enough. I get your point here.

ShotgunShine původně napsal:

Exitus původně napsal:

So basically, if I am correct, your build does 1 thing really well,

It does many things very well, as it's a DEX build with high poise, high abs, high health, and access to a huge variety of weapons. It still has about 19 free weight for weapons. 80 DEX lets you have some absurd damage on a lot of weapon classes. It's a minmaxed PVP build, in short.

I feel like you are adding too much fluff to what your build actually does. Yes, you have access to many weapons, but that doesn't change that you will only use 1 or 2 at a time. Maybe 1 or 2 more with the Great Jar Talisman and depending on the weapons you use.

In dueling environment, you're build does two things: have decent damage and absorption without buffs. That's it. You don't have the stats or the Mind to do anything else.

ShotgunShine původně napsal:

Weapon arts are not, and should never be intended to be your main offense. This is the problem with PVP in ER. WA are so strong that most people use them as a crutch as opposed to learning how to use weapon types and getting better. You don't need more than 10 mind on a melee. I don't even use more than 30 mind on a pure caster. If you can't make 10 mind work on a melee character, you need to get better at using weapons instead of relying on WA, sorry to say.

ShotgunShine původně napsal:

Why would I remove FP flasks? I run 5/2 split as a summon, and 10/4 as a host. I never run out of FP. Even without FP, I still have enough weapon swaps, and enough proficiency with my weapons that I don't need to rely on WA to secure a kill. If anything, I can turn it into a war of attrition until you burn all your FP and blue, then you'll have to fight at a significant disadvantage.

I think you just answered my point. The reason you run with less Mind, even on a Caster with only 30 Mind, is because you have the FP flasks. You can afford to not have the Mind because you have the Flasks. You also appear to be coming from the point of view of an invader/invaded, not a duelist. Otherwise, that 10/4 or 5/2 wouldn't matter at all. Even to address the point of how you can turn it into a war of attrition... Why can't you do that if both parties have more Mind and no flasks?

I agree with you on your point about WAs. People shouldn't be using them as a crutch. But as it stands right now, people can just spam those same WAs recklessly and not care simply because FP Flasks are allowed, especially in a dueling setting where you can run 6 or even 12 FP Flasks because, after all, why not? Taking away their FP Flasks but giving them the opportunity to grab more Mind (if they wish) would reduce WA usage, not increase it.

EDIT: My quote areas messed up.

[Seven ate you]

Exitus původně napsal:

Seven ate you původně napsal:

Only reason why flasks are banned is because all healing consumables are banned.
The main build that would get hurt from banning blue flasks are pure spell casters, at 125 and 150.
So I don't think blue flasks should be banned.

Also, for the meta level, there are 2.
125 and 150 with 125 being the more popular one.

I'm personally only a fan of 125 over 150 because, as you've just demonstrated, all you really do with the extra points is put them mindlessly into endurance or mind.

That is not the justification I have heard from several Veteran PvPers. They have all said the reason that HP Flasks were banned in any souls game was because if it ever came down to a fight of attrition, where both parties were trading and using Healing flasks, the Host would always have an unfair advantage in a duel. Healing consumables create no such disadvantage. By that logic, healing spells would also be banned and they never were.

Besides, there aren't that many healing consumables to begin with. The only one I can think of off the top of my head is the Warming Stone and even it costs FP.

The no healing rule goes back all the way to demon souls, and it was to not have really long fights.

Healing spells are allowed because they're really punishable, impractical and take space on a build.

And there is the healing consumable that poisons you.
The main reason why consumables are banned is because they aren't as slow as healing spells, and the old demon souls reasoning.

EDIT: Mobile auto correct

[Nihrahk]

Argonaut původně napsal:

Nihrahk původně napsal:

Perhaps, but don't forget that most people go to 150 naturally on an average playthrough. Gatekeeping pvp at 120 is just a bad move, because people who then want to go for pvp after finishing the game would then need to make a new build and finish at 120 and might not even bother because of it.

No one made you spend those runes on souls.

No, but people naturally decide to spend those runes on levels.

Having it at 150 is more fair for them as it allows them to go straight into pvp with nothing to stop them.

If everyone finishes at 150 then wouldn't they have plenty of people to fight against?
You mean that they don't? I get far more action at 150 than at 120.

I actually have a medium rolling bullgoat monster at the 120 range. I might perhaps lose some damage, but with the right talismans, infusions, etc I can still one shot people and have a lot health and poise. At 150 there wouldn't be much of a difference really. I would only get a very minor boost in damage.

At 150 you wouldn't need the right talismans, infusions or anything else to still one shot people. You'd also be light rolling.

You might, or you might not and no, you would not be light rolling. You underestimate how much Bullgoat actually weighs.

See, the real issue here is how this game is balanced. You can easily do an absurd amount of damage with very minor sacrifices if you know what you're doing. It doesn't matter if it's pve or pvp.

But you can't also have 100 poise and 2.1k hp. The only issue here is that you want to pvp at 150 so you can use something stupid or broken that means you can win without no effort but everyone knows better and is keeping out of that range so you're just running into other, equally broken builds that counter yours..

Stay at RL125 and get tonnes of pvp. Go to 150 and cry on forums.

Oh, but you can. Wrong again too. I don't do 150 to use something broken, I go to 150 because I want to. My builds are very fair and balanced, if I notice something broken I always replace it with something weaker.

Also, that last point is as I already said earlier, I get more action at 150 than 120-125. At 120-125 I sometimes wait hours for the popular spots and nothing. At 150 it's pretty fast for me.

[Ponyeater]

Who the heck plays PVP in this anyway? This game is best played with multiplayer off.

[goobyplz]

fighter pl told me lvl 137 can interact with both lvl 124 and up over 150, making it the ideal in between level

[Cooperal]

I like 150. It's enough to excel at one damage stat, raise a secondary stat somewhere between 20-30 for certain requirements, a small boost to mind AND survive vigor checks. 125 still sounds okay but lower than that split-builds get left out in the dust. They choose between either getting one-shotted by single stat builds or having big shortcomings with their damage scaling.

[Nihrahk]

AOC Karen Smollett původně napsal:

fighter pl told me lvl 137 can interact with both lvl 124 and up over 150, making it the ideal in between level

I might have to try that...

[Narm]

AOC Karen Smollett původně napsal:

fighter pl told me lvl 137 can interact with both lvl 124 and up over 150, making it the ideal in between level

Yes, but now you have an advantage over the 125 people, and a disadvantage against the level 150. You can do this if you wish, but it's not ideal.

[Bricky strong]

You can have Both, 125 class and 150 class. The Pros will be in the 125 so when you get gud at 150 you think about making a proper 125.

[i killed god]

Exitus původně napsal:

No disrespect, but that isn't 80 Dex lol, but I suppose it is close enough. I get your point here.

With Okina Hat, 77 base DEX becomes 80 DEX. Funny how math works, right? The rest of the set is Veteran's Chest+Legs, bringing total poise to 61 (breakpoint). You can wear whatever you want in gloves depending on how much extra free weight you want for your weapons.

Exitus původně napsal:

I feel like you are adding too much fluff to what your build actually does. Yes, you have access to many weapons, but that doesn't change that you will only use 1 or 2 at a time. Maybe 1 or 2 more with the Great Jar Talisman and depending on the weapons you use.

In dueling environment, you're build does two things: have decent damage and absorption without buffs. That's it. You don't have the stats or the Mind to do anything else.

I mean, you don't need anything beyond that. Having access to a lot of the good weapons in the game, which you can outfit with a huge range of different WAs for different situations, being able to use a brass shield, and having obscene damage due to being at 80 DEX is literally all you need. You also have a LOT of flexibility on using WA even with only 10 mind. Again, I've never had issues with running out of FP (and if I do, I just chug a blue) because I don't make the WA my primary offensive tool. WA is, and should be a complement to your playstyle, instead of basing your entire playstyle off of it. The build is able to shrug off a lot of damage and deal a lot more, and can apply a lot of pressure thanks to high poise and access to a lot of weaponry. That in itself can put a lot of pressure on casters. It's a very flexible build. I don't need to fluff it up, it's extremely powerful as it is.

Exitus původně napsal:

I think you just answered my point. The reason you run with less Mind, even on a Caster with only 30 Mind, is because you have the FP flasks. You can afford to not have the Mind because you have the Flasks. You also appear to be coming from the point of view of an invader/invaded, not a duelist. Otherwise, that 10/4 or 5/2 wouldn't matter at all. Even to address the point of how you can turn it into a war of attrition... Why can't you do that if both parties have more Mind and no flasks?

It's from the POV of both an invader and a duelist. I run 5/2 whether I'm invading or dueling. Again, FP isn't critical to my build or playstyle (whether on a hybrid caster or a pure melee), it acts as a complement. Even if I ran out of FP completely (and couldn't chug blue for some reason), I'll be fine. The movesets and damage of a lot of my DEX weapons on their own accord can carry me to victory. And even then, I've never heard or seen anyone say that blue wasn't allowed in PVP, and I've played as far back a DeS. Even FS allowed blue estus in Duels in the arena. The reason is, you can pressure the chug if you know it's coming. There's still an incentive if someone wants to use my build but drop the DEX in favor of more mind (if their playstyle is centered around using WAs, which I don't agree with but to each their own). That said, mind is in no way critical to a melee build. Even if I had access to 10 extra stat points, I wouldn't dump a single one on mind. I'd probably get a little more STR to be able to one hand a few more weapons, and pump up my VIG.

Exitus původně napsal:

I agree with you on your point about WAs. People shouldn't be using them as a crutch. But as it stands right now, people can just spam those same WAs recklessly and not care simply because FP Flasks are allowed, especially in a dueling setting where you can run 6 or even 12 FP Flasks because, after all, why not? Taking away their FP Flasks but giving them the opportunity to grab more Mind (if they wish) would reduce WA usage, not increase it.

The issue with banning FP flasks in duels is it promotes battles to turn into battles of attrition, especially against pure casters. If you're a pure caster, no matter how much FP you have, you're 100% reliant on it. Whoever you're playing against can simply turtle and evade until you burn out, and you're a sitting duck. Allowing FP extends the caster's ability to maintain the offensive. Even then, I don't think you'll ever see anyone rocking 12 FP flasks. I don't even think I've seen anyone running more than 3 flasks in PVP, and I have quite a few hours. And speaking from personal experience, the people that DO spam WAs recklessly also tend to level up mind quite a bit. I've run into way too many people that use BHS for 10 minutes straight before stopping to chug a blue.

[Exitus]

ShotgunShine původně napsal:

Exitus původně napsal:

No disrespect, but that isn't 80 Dex lol, but I suppose it is close enough. I get your point here.

With Okina Hat, 77 base DEX becomes 80 DEX. Funny how math works, right? The rest of the set is Veteran's Chest+Legs, bringing total poise to 61 (breakpoint). You can wear whatever you want in gloves depending on how much extra free weight you want for your weapons.

Exitus původně napsal:

I feel like you are adding too much fluff to what your build actually does. Yes, you have access to many weapons, but that doesn't change that you will only use 1 or 2 at a time. Maybe 1 or 2 more with the Great Jar Talisman and depending on the weapons you use.

In dueling environment, you're build does two things: have decent damage and absorption without buffs. That's it. You don't have the stats or the Mind to do anything else.

I mean, you don't need anything beyond that. Having access to a lot of the good weapons in the game, which you can outfit with a huge range of different WAs for different situations, being able to use a brass shield, and having obscene damage due to being at 80 DEX is literally all you need. You also have a LOT of flexibility on using WA even with only 10 mind. Again, I've never had issues with running out of FP (and if I do, I just chug a blue) because I don't make the WA my primary offensive tool. WA is, and should be a complement to your playstyle, instead of basing your entire playstyle off of it. The build is able to shrug off a lot of damage and deal a lot more, and can apply a lot of pressure thanks to high poise and access to a lot of weaponry. That in itself can put a lot of pressure on casters. It's a very flexible build. I don't need to fluff it up, it's extremely powerful as it is.

Exitus původně napsal:

I think you just answered my point. The reason you run with less Mind, even on a Caster with only 30 Mind, is because you have the FP flasks. You can afford to not have the Mind because you have the Flasks. You also appear to be coming from the point of view of an invader/invaded, not a duelist. Otherwise, that 10/4 or 5/2 wouldn't matter at all. Even to address the point of how you can turn it into a war of attrition... Why can't you do that if both parties have more Mind and no flasks?

It's from the POV of both an invader and a duelist. I run 5/2 whether I'm invading or dueling. Again, FP isn't critical to my build or playstyle (whether on a hybrid caster or a pure melee), it acts as a complement. Even if I ran out of FP completely (and couldn't chug blue for some reason), I'll be fine. The movesets and damage of a lot of my DEX weapons on their own accord can carry me to victory. And even then, I've never heard or seen anyone say that blue wasn't allowed in PVP, and I've played as far back a DeS. Even FS allowed blue estus in Duels in the arena. The reason is, you can pressure the chug if you know it's coming. There's still an incentive if someone wants to use my build but drop the DEX in favor of more mind (if their playstyle is centered around using WAs, which I don't agree with but to each their own). That said, mind is in no way critical to a melee build. Even if I had access to 10 extra stat points, I wouldn't dump a single one on mind. I'd probably get a little more STR to be able to one hand a few more weapons, and pump up my VIG.

Exitus původně napsal:

I agree with you on your point about WAs. People shouldn't be using them as a crutch. But as it stands right now, people can just spam those same WAs recklessly and not care simply because FP Flasks are allowed, especially in a dueling setting where you can run 6 or even 12 FP Flasks because, after all, why not? Taking away their FP Flasks but giving them the opportunity to grab more Mind (if they wish) would reduce WA usage, not increase it.

The issue with banning FP flasks in duels is it promotes battles to turn into battles of attrition, especially against pure casters. If you're a pure caster, no matter how much FP you have, you're 100% reliant on it. Whoever you're playing against can simply turtle and evade until you burn out, and you're a sitting duck. Allowing FP extends the caster's ability to maintain the offensive. Even then, I don't think you'll ever see anyone rocking 12 FP flasks. I don't even think I've seen anyone running more than 3 flasks in PVP, and I have quite a few hours. And speaking from personal experience, the people that DO spam WAs recklessly also tend to level up mind quite a bit. I've run into way too many people that use BHS for 10 minutes straight before stopping to chug a blue.

I'm not sure what to tell you. With all due respect, you're coming off as a contrarian. You're first concern was WA spam, which would be reduced with removing the Flasks. Then your concern is for the casters. You mentioned you don't need the FP to be effective for your particular build, but then how would banning FP Flasks be a problem.

I'm going to assume you're not just being contrarian by asking: in the simplest way possible, what would be the issue of going to 150 while also removing FP Flasks?

You are correct that Casters would be impacted by the removal of FP flasks, but there are 2 things they can do:

1) They can get more Mind, and being a higher level allows them to do this.
2) They can use the Physick to give them FP and Free Spells.

There are ways around for Casters to get the FP that they need. At the end of the day, yes, they would have to be smart about their spell use. Even then, no build is 100% pure Caster. Even a build that uses 80 Intelligence and the minimal Strength and Dex can use a Magic Infused weapon and work with that. It won't be effective as a pure melee build, but it will work.

Here is the crux of my point: HP Flask use was banned in duels due to the Host advantage. This rule should also be applied to FP Flasks for the same reason. The Physick Flask combined with Higher Level for more Mind (if one chooses to get it) would mitigate the impact of this to an extent without it being unfair in favor of the Host. Raising it to 150 also makes it a bit smoother for most players since most people seem to finish the game around that level (assuming they aren't holding on to a bunch of Runes).