Beginner How-To Guide

Stammer’s Guide for Beginners

 * So, you’re a beginner and want to learn about Vana’diel, do you? Excellent! I love it when people are willing to learn some new stuff. A little about me: I’ve leveled every job at least a little bit, and I’ve tried every race. I’ve also written an entire line of guides for every job, except Puppetmaster. Um, so yeah, I know how the vast majority of the game mechanics work, and I’d like to give a brief-yet-hopefully-detailed-enough-for-you-to-understand overview of the game.


 * Let’s cut to the bare facts, FFXI is an MMORPG, and all of which are designed for medium and high-level characters. But if you don’t like a slow start, FFXI probably isn’t for you. This game takes a long time to learn, and there isn’t a lot to do before you hit Lv.10 or even 20. There are far too many different ways to go about doing things it’s scary. For example, macros. If you want to chain together a bunch of abilities, spells, timings, or chats, macros are an awesome way to go about doing things, but I’ll get to that later.

Level Zero

 * Before you can even start the game, you’re given a wide variety of choices in which to create your character. There aren’t as many choices as other games, but the ones that are here, are generally nicer looking. Only a couple of faces look kind of ugly, but that’s just my opinion. When you hit the character creation screen, your first option is to pick a race.

Races

 * First and foremost, let me tell you that race should be the absolute last thing you worry about when picking stuff. No race has any abilities or traits other races don’t have. The only difference is an incredibly minor difference in stats, which can be made up by a set of equipment often referred to as Race-Specific Equipment, or RSE. These special sets of equipment are specially suited to make-up your negligible difference in stats, and possibly even surpass other races whose stats are naturally higher than your own. By level 75, the extremes in stats may be as high as 9 apart, which can be usually made up by one single piece of equipment. Anything said about specific things will be elaborated to give more of a feel to what the race’s strengths and weaknesses are.


 * Humes have very general, well-rounded stats. They look like humans do in our world, and generally reflect our behaviour and temperament. Humes can play any job very well, but won’t excel in any aspect of any job. This just means that they can mould into the various aspects of any job easier than other races. It’s a great race for people who don’t know what they want to play as yet, or just like having incredible well-roundedness.
 * Elvaan have the highest strength and mind in the game, but low intelligence, agility, and dexterity. They also have great vitality and HP, but low MP. This rounds-out to an incredible front-line fighter or general enfeebler. Elvaan are a tall race with pointy ears and generally ‘chiselled’ stature. They are very noble and are strong in their beliefs.
 * Tarutaru are a child-like race in terms of stature. They possess the largest heads and smallest bodies, yet still have a mature look. These little fighters possess incredible MP and intelligence, as well as quite high agility and dexterity, but the lowest vitality and HP in the game, and quite low strength. Tarutaru excel at any and all mage job very well, and with high dexterity and agility, play front-line fighters just as well. Tarutaru are very smart and have mature temperaments, in general.
 * Mithra have the highest dexterity and agility in the game, but low vitality and charisma. Everything else is quite well-rounded. Only the females fight, and as a result, no males are ever seen in the game. Mithra are cat-like, in that they possess tall ears and long, slender tails, and some sport tattoos on their faces. Mithra are a very proud race, and very often times put others before themselves.
 * Galka are enormous, brute fighters that look like big, furless bears. Galka have low MP and charisma, but make up for it by having the highest vitality and HP in the game, as well as high strength. Galka certainly make great front-line meat shields and damage-dealers with the highest resilience in the game. Galka have no reproductive organs as a result of their reincarnation “reproduction”, but are referred to as males.


 * After you choose your race and gender, you are given the choice of hair colour, and then body size. Body size plays no role in any stats, just makes you overall taller and larger in comparison to others of the same race. After races, you are given the choice of six starter jobs.

Six Starter Jobs

 * One of the final things you do when you start off is choose a starting job. Though you can change your job at any time for no cost, the only obligation is the equipment given, which doesn’t change with the job if you should choose to change jobs.


 * Warrior: Damage-dealer or tank? You have to be prepared for both. The job whose abbreviation is “war”, you know can dish-out damage just as good as you can take it. Warrior is definitely the game’s most ‘real’ meat-shield early in the game, and one of the most basic damage-dealers later in the game. It doesn’t get any magic or overly-fancy moves, but it’s the best choice for a starting job for anyone going into any form of front-line fighter in the game. As a support job or as a main job, it can help parties out a lot. Though you start out with a sword, I strongly suggest you get an axe and shield as soon as you can afford it. See my Warrior guide for more information.
 * Monk: Truly one of the most ruthless damage-dealers in the game, performing several hits at a time in most cases, especially later on. Even right from the get-go, Monk is amazing. It’s also incredibly easy to level. Monk is a damage-dealer that combines enormous damage with moderate survivability; though don’t take that as me telling you Monk can tank. Though Monk gets the highest HP and vitality in the game, it suffers with less of an armor choice. Hand-to-hand weapons aren’t necessary to do anything on Monk, but they will increase your damage per hit as well as your delay between attacks by a small amount. When you start, you’re given a really good belt that gives 1 strength right from the get-go. If you can afford one, try buying a hand-to-hand weapon. It will help. See my Monk guide for more information.
 * White Mage: The predominant main healer in the game, possessing some of the greatest friendly spells. At any level, a White Mage is greatly accepted into parties. White Mage is amazing in both the role of main job and support job for a wide variety of other jobs, especially other mages. Early on, it can be a little tough, and White Mage is one of the most difficult jobs for a beginner to master, but it pays off in the end. Eventually, you get Teleport spells and a slew of spells no other job in the game receives. If you choose to start as White Mage, you get your first Cure spell, which will really help you out-last your targets, and a little Rod. White Mages should focus on spells over anything else, but having appropriate gear, and weapons (for soloing),can really help things move more smoothly. See my White Mage guide for more information.
 * Black Mage: Few can escape the impeccable power of a Black Mage. Wielder of all things unholy, and reigning as one of the most powerful damage-dealers out of anything in the game. Black Mage gets an enormous number of elemental and enfeebling spells that, in general, far surpass the power of anything else. Whether you’re Lv.1 or Lv.75, you’ll be out-doing a lot of your allies. This does come with a price, however. In exchange for Black Mage’s amazing power, it gets some of the weakest equipment and overall attack and defense, leading to very difficult soloing, and difficulties if you grab the monster’s attention. When you start as a Black Mage, you get your first in your line of elemental spells, Stone, and a Staff. Like for White Mage, Black Mages should buy their spells before anything else. See my Black Mage guide for more information.
 * Red Mage: The “Jack of all Trades”. Red Mage gets a huge variety of spells from both the world of Black Mage, and the world of White Mage. However, both of their proficiencies are weaker as this job. Red Mage also gets a ton of its own spells, making it later on one of the most accepted support-role jobs or even healers in the game. Red Mage is fierce at soloing, partying, and doing a large amount of things. Where it’s really predominant is in enfeebling its targets and enhancing its team mates. Red Mage also gets a wide range of weapons and armor to choose from, making it super versatile. When you start off, you get a small Dagger and the spell Dia. Try trading in your dagger for a sword of some sorts before you go out into the wilderness. See my Red Mage guide for more information.
 * Thief: Thief isn’t really a “thief” per se. Thief is more like an assassin. In parties, a Thief is generally a main puller and a support-role job. It makes sure that the monster’s attention is generally on the tank. Starting out, most parties don’t like Thieves because they are basically watered-down Warriors with less attack and less defense. When Thief finally gets some of its own flavours, namely at Lv.15 and Lv.30, things change and Thief becomes a lot more useful and a lot more fun. When you start off, you’re given a Dagger. If you can, try purchasing a sword to replace it, as daggers are generally useless until about Lv.30. See my Thief guide for more information.


 * After you choose your starting job class, you’re now onto naming your character. Names in Final Fantasy XI can’t be more than one word and can’t have a second capital letter. It also can’t have numbers and stuff in it. Furthermore, it can’t have any profanity in it, but that’s a given. However, since Final Fantasy XI is a smaller MMO spanned around several worlds, you are still capable of creating an enormous variety of names. If you just can’t think of one, you can get the game to think of one for you. These names are specific to your race. Though they may sound weird, that’s what all NPCs of your given race are like. For example, a Hume may get something like Brutus or Hortense, depending on your gender. An Elvaan may get something like Jyraneux or Amaura. Tarutaru have interesting names that are generally two words. Since it’s condensed to one word, you may get something like Naikopaneiko (Naiko-Paneiko) for a male or Napupu for a female. Mithra also use both names when referring to each other. You may get something like Rohhapuh (Roh Hapuh). Galka generally have two words for their names like Rising Bull, so the name would be Risingbull. For the most part if you want to use a random name, you can quickly change your race to something like Hume or Elvaan and pick one of their random names if you don’t like having two words condensed into one.


 * After you pick a name, you’re given the option of which world you would like to start in, or if you would care to use a Gold World Pass to your friend’s server. A Gold World Pass will give both you and your friend some neat and interesting items as time progresses.


 * Finally, you choose your starting nation. You are not by any means obligated to stay in that nation for the rest of your career, and you can switch out for the most part whenever you want for a fee. Each nation has its own flavour and its own style of people. The only thing you may want to consider is what race your character is, because if you match it, you get a really good nation-specific ring (if you don‘t match race with area, there is still another way to get the ring). You can talk to anyone on any team, and you can party with them, so it’s complete preference.

Three Starting Allied Nations

 * The Kingdom of San d’Oria
 * Most people start off in this area, generally because it has the most RPG feel to it. In general, monetary income is on par with leveling speed here, so beginners should find it not too difficult to start here. Just remember to find help early on so you know where you’re going and what you’re doing. Before you leave the Kingdom, remember to get Signet every time and sell your crystals in stacks on the Auction House. Be careful of the Orcs, as they will attack you on sight. Be even more careful if there’s more than one around at the same spot, because they will link together and attack as a group. If you are an Elvaan and start here, you will get the San d’Orian ring, giving 2 defense and one to each strength and mind. Your best bet in this area would be to kill worms and Rabbits until Lv.5, and then everything that checks “Decent Challenge” or lower until about Lv.9-10. Afterwards, head through La Theine Plateau to Valkurm Dunes and look for a party.


 * The Republic of Bastok
 * The industrious city of Bastok is a place of power and might. You level the easiest in this area, and the road to Valkurm is the easiest. Though fast leveling generally means less monetary income for your party levels, there are still a large number of ways to get money. Stone Eaters just outside Bastok’s walls, or Tunnel Worms inside the Zeruhn Mines can both be really fast for gaining experience points. Just be sure to not run too far away from them or they will cast spells on you. Beware the Quadav. These large, turtle-like creatures will become aggressive if you go anywhere near them, and if there’s several in one group, they will all attack you. Remember to get signet to both participate in your nation’s conquest, as well as get some crystals to sell in stacks on the Auction House. Any Humes or Galka who start off in Bastok will get the Bastokan Ring, providing 3 HP, and one to each vitality and dexterity. To get to Valkurm when you hit Lv.9-10, travel north through the west section of North Gustaberg to Konschtat Highlands, then keep heading north to Valkurm Dunes.


 * The Federation of Windurst
 * Vana’diel’s Federation is by far the most beautiful of the three areas to start in. Unfortunately, the monsters in said areas are probably the most difficult, and can prove a worthy challenge, Lv.1 through to Lv.10. On the other hand, due to both long leveling time, large areas, and rarer drops, Windurst can be easily the best area to start in for money. Silk Thread drops from Crawlers, and Beehive Chip drops from Bees can both sell for a pretty penny if you sell them in stacks on the Auction House. Bees are your safest bet for early levels, as Mandragoras can use some really annoying techniques. Remember to get Signet before you leave every time. It’s free, and gives you conquest points and crystals, both capable of further boosting your money. Avoid attacking Crawlers unless you know you can take them. Poison Breath without any remedies can take you from 100% to 0% HP over time, since it takes a seriously long time to wear off. Also beware the Yagudo. Though at peace with the Windurstians, they will still ambush you and attack you on sight. They will also link together and team up if they see their buddies attacking you. Starting as Mithra or Tarutaru in Windurst gives you a great ring that gives +3 MP, and one to each agility and intelligence. The trip to Valkurm from Windurst at Lv.10 is more difficult than the other two. You need to get through Sarutabaruta, Tahrongi Canyon and Buburimu Peninsula to get on a ship (costs 100 gil). Assuming you survive all of this and the boat ride, you will arrive in the port town of Selbina, which takes you to Valkurm. Set your home point when you get there!


 * No Matter Where You Start…
 * To get the rings I told you about, you don’t need to be those races. If you get rank 3 in any of those areas, you can purchase them through Conquest Points.
 * Goblins are in all three areas, and they will attack you (in groups possibly) like the three nation-specific aggressive monsters.
 * Bombs are aggressive to sight, sound, magic casting, and low HP, so be careful during foggy days.
 * You should be able to find help from players throughout the game and in all three areas.
 * The first three missions are doable before Lv.10, so it doesn’t hurt to get them done.
 * Learn the game before you go venturing out. Remember to always /check your targets before you engage.
 * Get Signet whenever you leave your home nation or anywhere else. It will allow monsters to drop crystals and will also give you valuable Conquest Points. I strongly suggest collecting 1,000CP and spending it on an Empress Band, as it will last you a long time.
 * When you’re running to Valkurm Dunes, in Tahrongi Canyon, La Theine Plateau, and Konschtat Highlands, you’ll see enormous cermet structures that have Teleport Crystals of which you should pick up on your way for your first time. It will save you a trip or two eventually.

There’s Something About That “Aggro”

 * Up until now, I’ve used the terms “aggression” but that takes a long time to type, and very few people in the world of Vana’diel actually use that whole word, so they’ve shortened it to “Aggro.” This is a term used in two ways. One, it describes the way a monster attacks. Between Lv.1 and Lv75, you’ll find monsters that will want to attack you. If the monster doesn’t /check “Too Weak To Be Worthwhile”, they will attack you. Some monsters attack by sight. Sight aggro is long range, but you can run behind the monster if you’re lucky. Some monsters will attack by sound. Sound aggro is short-range, but it’s all around the monster. As long as you’re in range, they will attack you. There are several other kinds of aggression that you should know about, though. Magic aggro is extremely long-range and the monster will target you the very second you initiate any spell cast. Elementals are one of very few monsters that will attack to magic, so that’s something to keep in mind. Undead primarily aggro to HP lower than 75%, so watch out. HP aggro (oftentimes called blood aggro) is long range much like magical aggro. Bombs are monsters that will aggro you in every way, so avoid them at all costs.

Aggro in Terms of Hate

 * As I mentioned, aggro has a second meaning. This second type of aggro is often referred to as enmity or hate. What this generally means is how much a monster hates you and therefore how much he wants to kill you. Almost everything you do in the game generates enmity. Attacks generate enmity, curing someone who already has the monster’s hate generates enmity, using anything on yourself generates enmity, and even resting where the monster can see you will generate enmity. It is very difficult to tank without the use of the Job Ability that Warriors get called “Provoke”. Provoke provides an incredible boost of enmity to the user, so only use it if you want to get hit. As a healer, you want to keep your party alive without getting too much of the monster’s attention, same as a nuker (like Black Mage), where you want to damage the monster as much as you can without getting its attention. Hate is categorized in two ways: gradual and spike. Gradual enmity, such as consistently striking the monster with your sword, will take longer to attain, but similarly will take longer to lose. Spike enmity like Provoke will seriously annoy the monster for a short time, hopefully by which time, Provoke can be used again. Casting spells on yourself is said to give yourself an additional boost of enmity as opposed to casting spells on others, which is what makes Paladins such effective tanks.

Tactical Points, Weapon Skills, Skillchains, and Magic Bursts
Assuming you’ve been playing for at least a little while at this point, I’m sure you’ve noticed the third bar beneath your MP on the top left-hand corner of the screen. Those are your Tactical Points (or TP), which you gain every time you strike a monster or are stricken by one. This gauge will go all the way up to 300%, but you usually won’t let it pass more than 100%. Once you get a weapon skill to Lv.10 (which will happen when you get almost any job to Lv.3 or higher), you will get a Weapon Skill. These can be used every time your TP gauge hits 100% or higher and will deal very high amounts of damage in place of a free hit. In a party, you can combine Weapon Skills into Skillchains, which will deal extra damage and open up a monster for a Magic Burst. For an example, using Fast Blade and then Raging Axe, you will create the Skillchain “Detonation” which is a wind element Skillchain. Skillchains will only happen when Weapon Skills are timed about 3 seconds apart (+/- 1 second due to lag). Summoner Blood Pacts and at higher levels a Blue Mage’s spells can also be used in Skillchains. Magic Bursts will increase the accuracy and damage of the next spell, and if you use an enfeebling spell, it will often last longer. These are achieved through spells cast shortly after a skillchain. After the skillchain’s animation, you have about five seconds to cast a spell of the skillchain’s element to get the full effect of the burst.

Valkurm Dunes

 * This is where Final Fantasy XI becomes a true MMORPG. You have to party to go anywhere, and fights last a lot longer than when you were soloing. Every party should have a few essential things: one or two tanks, one or two healers, and two or more damage-dealers. This is only a guide, feel free to do whatever you want, but that is how things should go until about Lv.18 or so. After 18, it’s best to have two tanks, two damage-dealers, one healer, and one nuker or support job like Red Mage, Bard, or Corsair. Fighting in parties is simple, yet complicated. It’s a step-by-step phase, that once learned can be really fluid. Once everyone is ready and able to fight, the puller (usually a Ranger, Thief, or Samurai) will head out and pull a monster. Hopefully the puller will only get one target, but if that isn’t the case then you should probably run away. ALWAYS make sure your party knows you’re running away, and don’t do so if the rest of your party thinks they can take it. Assuming you only get one monster, like a Lizard (standard Lv.10-12 monsters), everyone engages battle and begins wailing away. Usually right at the beginning of the fight, the tank (Warrior, Paladin, or Ninja) will use Provoke to get spike enmity and hopefully keep hate until the end of the fight. All of the damage-dealers consistently attack, and the healers keep everyone healed. Often times in very early levels, the White Mage won’t be able to keep up healing, and a secondary Provoke will have to be used. If the White Mage runs out of MP, or HP control is getting out of hand, fellow mages will often use cures to help him out. If the party is lucky, everyone attacking the monster will have enough TP to use a weapon skill, and if used in the proper order, initiate a skillchain, which can then be magic burst onto by a mage. This will often take a monster of that level down 25-50% HP, so only use a skillchain when you don’t think it will be a waste. During the course of the fight, the monster will use special skills of its own. These will range from area attacks (Bomb Toss, Fireball, etc), to single-target attacks (Goblin Rush, Tail Blow, etc), to status effects (Plaguebreath, Baleful Gaze, etc). Each of which are going to put the White Mage on his toes in one way, shape, or form. Usually when a monster is 25% or less HP, they will use their attacks whenever they get the chance to. Goblin Bomb Tosses are usually based on their current HP and how much TP they’ve accumulated. Though sometimes they drop their bomb on accident and kill themselves while dealing minimal damage to the party. When you do kill the monster, it will say who finished it, how much experience you’ve acquired, how much money you’ve acquired (usually not a lot), and what items if any the party found. Please note that you will not get the item immediately. In order to do so, remember to ASK YOUR PARTY, then go into the Treasury and lot for the item you want. Most of the time, the party just lets it go wherever.

Death

 * Sometimes someone may slip-up and you, someone else, or even the entire party can end up dead. You lose 10% of your maximum experience when you die, so you don’t want that to happen to you. If you ever get enough money, buy a bed and put it in your Mog House. It will reduce the amount of experience lost when you die. If a White Mage, Red Mage, Scholar, or Paladin happens to pass you while you’re laying there, dead, oftentimes, they will Raise you, giving you back 50% of your lost exp and letting you continue where you left off. However, until Lv.20-25, it’s not a big deal to just go back to your Home Point. When you are risen, your health and magic will both be at about 10% of their usual height for about 5 minutes by an unremovable force called Weakness. In that five minutes early in the game, chances are you could have made double the exp that you lost. However, later in the game, that’s not the case, as 10% can mean up to 2,400 experience lost. Raise II and Raise III will both raise you like normal, but will restore 75% and 90% of your lost exp back respectively. However, they will only act as Raise I in terms of restored exp until you hit Lv.50 and above. If you’re in Valkurm Dunes, your best bet is to go back to your Home Point and run back, as it will save a lot of time. And don’t be afraid to die for the sake of others. If you’re a Warrior and you die saving a White Mage, they and your whole party will thank you for it. As the phrase goes, “The tank should be the first one to enter battle and the last one to leave if things get bad.” Meaning, you should be the last person to zone out of the area if the party can’t handle things.

Making Money

 * Final Fantasy XI has an unfathomable number of ways to make money, even for beginners. However, this does not mean it’s easy to do. Prices will always be incredibly high for newcomers and even medium-level players. So you want to know how to make money?
 * Fishing is probably one of the most profitable yet boring things in all of FFXI to do in early levels. I’m not sure what it’s like on your servers, but where I come from, Moat Carp make for great profit. Find yourself a Carbon Fishing Rod and some Insect Paste, and fish away! It takes a while to get used to it, but don’t give up. It’ll be worth it when you head into Valkurm with a full set of Scale armor and a Bee Spatha +1.
 * Gardening is my personal favourite way to get money, but that’s because I’m lazy. It’s not the most profitable thing in the world, but you can do that and several other things at once if you play your cards right. The little Saplings you see jumping around can be killed for seeds. Plant the seeds, wait a little while, and before you know it, you’ll be ready to harvest.
 * Farming. The most common way of making money and the best way for Thieves to make their dough. Farming is a word used for going outside and killing everything in sight for their drops and/or money. In reality, they should have called it “Mugging”, but whatever. Stack your items in 12 if they can stack, then sell your finds on the Auction House. Most items don’t go below 1,000g per stack (or each if they can’t stack). Sometimes crystals can be worth a lot, too. It’s best just to stick to one type of monster to kill and get their drops, that way you don’t intimidate even more beginner players. Beehive Chips, Crystals, Silk Threads, and other things like that sell very well over the Auction House.
 * Crafting is a way for the rich to become richer. You need a lot of cash to get this started, but once the profit starts rolling in, it’s incredible. This way of making money takes time, dedication, and like I said, money. It’s best not to try anything on your own because of how many recipes there are. Look on the Crafting part of this site to learn more.
 * Teleporting, though White Mage exclusive, can make loads of cash in a short amount of time depending on what time it is. When you get to Lv.36, Lv.38, and Lv.42, you get Teleports that can save people a lot of time from running around. Don’t forget to set your Home Point in Jeuno or Whitegate and have Warp with your Black Mage support job!
 * There are a ton of other things you can do like hunt Notorious Monsters for their very rare drops, or doing Burning Circles, which are at the cost of accumulated Beastmen Seals.

Leveling Up

 * From day one until you quit, you’ll be levelling up at one time or another. There are several things you should know about it. When soloing, make sure you /check your monsters before you engage. Always remember to rest when your HP and MP get low and you don’t think you can take on another monster without even the slightest risk of death. As a mage, you want to pick up as many spells as you can. Until about Lv.10, you won’t have to worry about every single spell. The Cures and the affliction-removing spells like Poisona will do until you start to party. You will also have a much more difficult time soloing if you are a mage. Find a friend and party with them if you can. I’ll get into that in a bit. As a melee, you’ll be killing things fast if you have the right weapons. If you start off as Warrior, do yourself a favour and go Axe/Shield as you’ll be tanking and Axes are the best damage over time weapons for Warrior. As Monk, go with Hand-to-Hand weapons, and as Thief, either go Sword or Hand-to-Hand early on.
 * I recommend one thing for everyone when they level up. If you know what job you want to play as, this is how you could go about doing it. Level up your first job that you will use as your main support job’s support job to 18, then get the ability to use a support job. Then, level your main’s support job (assuming it’s not one of the advanced jobs) to 37 with your previously levelled job as your sub at 18 since support jobs are always half of your main. Then, level your main job to 75. For example, someone wanting to level Summoner as a main job. Level their Black Mage to 19, allowing for Warp and a support job. Then level White Mage to 38, getting the first five Teleports. Then, get Summoner and level it to 75. Simple, yet very effective. Many people find it frustrating to party with people with under-leveled support jobs.

Advanced Jobs
No matter what race you choose, or what job you levelled to 30+ first, you can pick from any advanced job after you hit 30 as any job. Even though they are called “Advanced”, they are no better by any means than the original six. Advanced jobs generally have lower stats but better abilities and traits than the main six. That’s why most of the time you will see Advanced jobs subbing Starter jobs, for example Samurai/Warrior or Summoner/White Mage. It’s all a preference, though. If you like Warrior, take it to 75. When I was levelling White Mage, I took it to 30 expecting to level Summoner, but I loved White Mage so much, I took that up instead. The unfortunate aspect of Advanced jobs is that you have to do a quest to get them done.
 * Some you can do solo as soon as you hit Lv.30 with ease: DRK, BST, BRD, RNG, SCH, DNC
 * Some you can do with a little help when you it Lv.30: PLD, COR, BLU, PUP
 * Some are just a little harder than others: SMN, DRG, NIN, SAM

All of them are great jobs, and if you want to level it, don’t let the difficulty of the job quest discourage you. It’ll be worth it in the end.


 * Paladin is the chivalrous tank in the game. It is the best tank at both keeping enmity and keeping damage low over time. It uses healing magic on top of a slew of defensive abilities to take itself to the top. See my guide for Paladins to learn more.
 * Dark Knight is one of the best damage-dealers in the game. It gets some of the most ferocious attacks and abilities, even black magic to seal the deal. The biggest downside to Dark Knight is its high enmity-grabbing. Teamed up with a Paladin, this job is unbelievable. See my guide for Dark Knights to learn more.
 * Beastmaster is a great solo job for those who like to go it alone. If you like the job and want to party, it can be a formidable damage-dealer as well. Calling upon the thousands of beasts in Vana’diel, Beastmaster gets its powerful allies to help it in battle. See my guide for Beastmasters to learn more.
 * Bard is one of the best jobs for parties. Bard plays music to enhance the abilities of all of its allies, making them stronger and enhancing the overall use of every single other party member. Since these enhancements are so prominent, Bards are accepted to parties left and right. Just don’t expect much of an ability to solo. See my guide for Bards to learn more.
 * Ranger is another one of the best damage-dealers in the game. With guns, bows, crossbows, and all of those other abilities, Rangers tower over the battlefield with some of the highest damage over time in the game. Ranger gets amazing job abilities and a slew of accuracy to make sure every shot counts. See my guide for Rangers to learn more.
 * Samurai mix their impeccable power as damage-dealers with a ton of survivability. Samurai use their weapon skills far more often than other jobs, since they actually have some of the neatest traits and abilities in the game, allowing them to get tactical points faster than any other job. Through this, they hone their skills with the two-handed Great Katana. See my guide for Samurai to learn more.
 * Ninja is a very stealthy and quick job. Despite its great potential for damage-dealing, pulling, and enfeebling abilities, Ninja is often called to be a tank, using the spell Utsusemi. Utilizing this spell, Ninjas become nearly untouchable tanks! Though they do not require the same curing power to keep alive as a Paladin, they get far less enmity control. See my guide for Ninjas to learn more.
 * Dragoon is a very well-rounded damage-dealer, combining huge TP gain, high damage, and the best enmity control out of every single damage-dealer. Dragoons can call a pet wyvern to fight by their side and help them deal even more damage. On top of all of this, Dragoons can leap great heights and come down, decimating their enemies. See my guide for Dragoons to learn more.
 * Summoner controls the gods to do its bidding. Summoner possesses the highest MP pool out of every job in the game, and even has a perpetual “Refresh” trait that continuously rejuvenates its MP. Summoners perform trials to defeat the gods in combat, then can use them to do some powerful attacks. Summoner is generally used as a main healer in parties, despite all of this. See my guide for Summoners to learn more.
 * Corsair is a support-role job very similar to Bard. Corsair is a pirate that uses the power of six-barrelled guns and the luck of the dice to combine both damage and luck-based enhancements to the party. Corsair’s abilities vary with whatever jobs are in the party, and can increase a lot of stats even far higher than Bard can. See my guide for Corsairs to learn more.
 * Blue Mage uses monster spells against them. Every monster in the entire game teaches Blue Mage at least one spell, which can be set to deal some extraordinary feats. No job in the game has the extreme versatility of Blue Mage, allowing it to tank, damage-deal, heal, nuke, enfeeble, and play as a downright support-role job. See my guide for Blue Mages to learn more.
 * Puppetmaster changes things up a little bit. Instead of the master being the powerhouse, and the pet being a little support, Puppetmaster and its Automaton share the roles 50/50. Puppetmasters customize their automaton into performing almost any role in any scenario. As a result, it parties well, and solos even better.
 * Scholar combines the use of both White Magic and Black Magic to their fullest. Unlike Red Mage, it does not get to use a whole bunch of spells on its own, but instead digs deep inside itself and uses powerful stratagems to level the playing field with effects that allow them to switch between both arts of magic. Scholar requires a lot of strategy in how to go about doing things. See my guide for Scholars to learn more.
 * Dancer is another job that can fulfill many roles in a party scenario. Dancer can tank, deal damage, heal, and perform a wide variety of enfeebles that no other job can. All of this, without using a single MP. Instead of consuming magic, Dancer actually consumes TP to perform its vast array of abilities. See my guide for Dancers to learn more.

Macros
Whenever you press [Ctrl] or [Alt], you will see a bar of buttons across the top of the screen. These are your macros. Macros are used as a faster means of doing things like tell people when you have high or low TP or whathaveyou. Even though this is in the macro section, all of these can be used in normal chat. Every macro has its own page. At the very top of the page you have your macro title. It can consist of a few letters and numbers, but no spaces or symbols. Make it simple like “Voke” for a Provoke macro. The next six lines are for the macro in order from top to bottom. Following are a list of things you can put in the macros: There are other things you can put into your macros that do things other than tell your party your current status: The way you execute commands and such use a similar function to the different chats. All things with a slash in front of them have to be used at the very front of the macro. Macros such as this cannot have anything after it.
 *  - Tells the party your HP in a fractional notation.
 * - Tells the party your HP in a percent. (Both of these usually go in the same macro)
 * - Tells the party your pet’s HP in a percent assuming you have a pet.
 *  - Tells the party your MP in a fractional notation.
 * - Tells the party your MP in a percent. (Like HP, usually goes in the same macro)
 * - Only applies to Puppetmasters, really. Telling the party your pet’s MP.
 *  - Tells the party your Tactical Points in a percentage.
 * - Tells the party your pet’s Tactical Points in a percentage.
 *  - (# = 1-21) Sends a noise to everyone in the party, often annoying if repeated.
 *  - Your current target.
 *  - Your party’s current target. (ie: the monster with a red name above it)
 *  - You.
 * - Your position in a grid scale.
 * - Your last target.
 * /s - Say chat, heard by anyone in the immediate vicinity. “/s Goodbye!”
 * /p - Party chat. Used first on the macro. “/p I have to go to the bathroom.”
 * /t name - Tell chat. “/tell Playername I have to go to the bathroom.”
 * /l - Linkshell chat, assuming you have one. “/l I have to go to the bathroom.”
 * /sh - Shout chat. Tells everyone in the area. “/sh Sorry for shouting.”
 * /echo - Self-chat. Only you can see it. Any auto-translations lose the green and red brackets.
 * /wait # - Used to wait between spells or job abilities for timing purposes (in seconds)(# = 1-20)
 * /magic - Used to cast magic. (/magic “Spell Name” Target)
 * /ja - Job abilities (/ja “Job Ability” Target)
 * /ws - Weapon Skill (/ja “Weapon Skill” Target)
 * /equip - Used to equip things (/equip Slot “Item Name”)

Here is an example of a macro for Sneak Attack and Trick Attack with Viper Bite: What this macro will do is first tell the party that you are using SATA-VB, and they will notice it because of the Call. As that is happening, you will use Sneak Attack. One second later, you will use Trick Attack. One more second after that, you will use the Weapon Skill “Viper Bite” and it will be complete.
 * Title: WS
 * Line1:	 /party Using SATA + Viper Bite 
 * Line2: 	 /ja “Sneak Attack” 
 * Line2:	 /wait 1
 * Line3:	 /ja “Trick Attack” 
 * Line4:	 /wait 1
 * Line5: 	 /ws “Viper Bite” 

Auto Translator

 * FFXI was meant for all ages all around the world. For that to happen, they had to install some sort of translation device so everyone could talk to each other even if they didn’t know the first thing about the other party’s language. It’s very, very simple to use. Simply start typing a word (or type the whole thing), then press [Tab]. This will give you a choice of different things to say to other people. However, it will not work with spaces, so if you’re looking for “Thank you” just type “Thank” and then press [Tab]. The Auto Translator houses thousands of phrases, spells, abilities, and every job, race, and things like that. All things within green and red parentheses will be translated to everyone in whatever chat you use. Use this when in a Japanese party or are shouting for help. For example:
 * /shout {Teleport-Dem} {Can I have it?} {Reward:} 2000 {money}

In Closing
As I’ve mentioned, I know a lot about the game’s mechanics. Though I do not know everything. This guide was meant to be an easy-access source for anyone willing to learn just a little bit more about early and mid-game stuff. This is where I specialize in. Now, I may have forgotten to put a large portion of information in there. So if you have any further questions about me or FFXI, or just want to chat in general, please feel free to email me at cheat_commando_101@hotmail.com. Or if you want an alternative way to contact me, I’m known as Thnikkaman or Jessie on the world Caitsith. If you’re on that server, hit me up and I’ll help you get started the best I can.