The Quintessential White Mage: Guide by Alamaxia

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Introduction

 * I am Alamaxia, a level 65 Hume White Mage from the server Diabolos. This is my first time making a guide, but I hope it is helpful to anyone wishing to become a great White Mage.


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About the White Mage Class

 * The White Mage class is not something to be trifled with. As a White Mage, you are the party's lifeline.  Each action you take effects the outcome of the battle, especially in the early levels.  A single misplaced cure could be the difference between life and death as it might draw aggro, might cure the wrong person and the tank dies, or you waste MP and run out by the time the battle is over.  Learning how to conserve MP, when to cast the big spells, and when to recast spells are all a part of becoming a White Mage.

Hume

 * Pros : Good balance of HP and MP allow you to take a hit if you draw aggro and still toss out the cures.


 * Cons : MP pool starts to be dwarfed by the Tarutaru very quickly.

Elvaan

 * Pros : High MND helps the effectiveness of cures and certain other magics.
 * High STR is an asset in the early soloing levels.


 * Cons : Poor MP keeps you from being able to heal for an extended period of time without rest.

Tarutaru

 * Pros : With by far the highest MP, the little balls of hate are able to cure much longer with no need to rest.


 * Cons : Little HP and VIT makes these the squishiest of the squishy.
 * First 10 levels are possibly the hardest you will face out of any job.

Galka

 * Pros : The first 10 levels are easy, as you can deal the hits and take them as well.
 * A Galka in WHM AF looks awesome.


 * Cons : Smallest MP pool of any race.

Mithra

 * Pros : Decent HP and MP, so you are able to take a hit or two before diving back into cures.


 * Cons : Same with Hume, MP pool can't match the Tarutaru.

1-10

 * Pick up an Ash Club and some armor for the first few levels. Once you reach level 4, do yourself a favor and get a Bronze Mace.  Hammers tend to make soloing a little less painful.  Go to your favorite starting area, and pick on the small ones.  You can take Even Match up until about level 3, then you must resort to killing mainly Decent Challenge or Easy Prey as your melee abilities are about that of a clam.  Be sure to use Dia at the beginning of every fight so that your hits do a bit more damage.  Once you get Banish, open battles with that since it has a longer cast time, then follow up with Dia.


 * If you can find someone to party with for these first 10 levels, do it. You will get slightly less XP per kill, but without having to rest every two battles, it ends up being more in the long run.

10-20

 * Here is where being a White Mage is the hardest. Your MP pool is not yet developed, your cures can't keep up with the damage mobs put out very well, and you draw more aggro at times than the tank can keep.  If you want, you can continue to solo WHM to 14 or 15 (I did it, and I can honestly say it was horrid).  At level 11 you get Cure II, but do not use this spell unless in a DIRE emergency.  Its MP cost will drain your pool extremely fast, and at this level the enmity gained from this could easily draw aggro off a tank that has just used Provoke.  A good motto to follow is "Heal early, heal often."  Don't wait until the party members are in the orange to toss a big cure on them.  This will not only make the party uneasy, but the aggro could bounce to you, kill you, and thus kill the party.


 * Be sure to keep all Enhancing Magic spells on your party. Protectra boosts the party's defense by 10, lasts 30 minutes, and is very cheap to cast.  There is no excuse for not keeping this up on a party at any level.  The bar-spells you gain such as Barwatera and Baraera are very useful in Valkurm Dunes.  The Crabs and Pugils in the dunes are both water based and use many water attacks, so be sure to have Barwatera up to minimize the damage the party takes when abilities such as bubble shower are used.  Even the Damselflys in Valkurm Dunes use an AOE Poison ability that can be resisted with more water defense.