How-To Guide: Dancer

de:Vorlage:Leitfaden

Dancing with the Celebrities
As a fairly new job class in the world of Final Fantasy XI, few things are known about the job. There still isn’t really a classification of the job yet. So far, I’d say it’s within the category of Corsair in that it’s a damage-dealer with support aspects. It’s a very well-rounded job with the ability to deal moderate damage, getting its own Provoke ability, being able to cure/heal, and at the same time, may also enfeeble the target or enhance its own stats. '''Please note: This is all on-the-spot information. As the job is still brand-new, new information must be gathered to make this guide more effective. If anyone wishes to change anything with more correct information than what is given, please do so.'''

Hume

 * While it is still unsure what stats, if any, affect Dancer in any undiscovered way, we all know that Hume plays any and every job with a well-rounded effort. No matter what support job he or she chooses, you know it will work well. What is known about Dancer is it can deal damage and tank, allowing for Hume’s well-rounded strength, agility, vitality, and dexterity to be played well.

Elvaan

 * Elvaan have the highest strength and second-highest vitality in the game, but has the lowest agility and dexterity in the game. That being said, it doesn’t seem possible to be any better or worse than any other race in this setting. However, Elvaan Dancers might have a harder time soloing because Sambas require a constant stream of landed hits. Worst case scenario, there’s a lot of accuracy gear out there.

Tarutaru

 * These little guys are on the other end of the spectrum than Elvaan. They have high dexterity and agility, but the lowest strength and vitality in the game. They also unfortunately have low HP. However, they have high MP and intelligence, which opens up the playing field for a more mage-end support job such as White Mage to help the party in a more support-role job.

Mithra

 * Much like their Tarutaru team mates, they have low strength and vitality, but have the highest dexterity and agility in the game. With those stats, they can keep Samba going for longer than other races. Also like Tarutaru, where they lack in meat-shield tanking, they make up for in mage support jobs or accuracy for dealing damage.

Galka

 * Few things are as awesome as a massive Galka twirling around performing Jigs, Waltzes, and Sambas. They definitely take tanking to a whole new level with their highest combined vitality and HP in the game.

Weapon

 * Dancers can use hand-to-hand, sword, and dagger. Dagger being the highest skill of the three as a “B” and the other two being classed “D”. Unfortunately, daggers are quite ineffective until mid-to-high levels. However, since it has higher accuracy (due to higher skill), it would be your better choice for later parties. Save your TP for Waltzes and Steps, since you don’t get any good weapon skills until Cyclone and Dancing Edge. However, using hand-to-hand or sword in the low-to-mid levels can be your best choice.

Armor

 * Not surprisingly, Dancers have a very similar set of armor as Thief. In that, they can wear harness armor, leather armor, and a lot of cloth armor. Also like Thief, they don’t get any access to heavy armor like plate or scale. That being said, they can’t play meat shield nearly as well as a job like Paladin or Warrior, but with harness and leather, they can still do fairly well once they get their first Flourish finish (Lv.20, a Provoke). Since stats aren’t known for dances, take your pick as to how you like playing, though accuracy truly does help for soloing.

Advanced Job Quest

 * Talk to the female Hume NPC named Laila in Upper Jeuno G-7. Then, talk to the Mithra NPC, Rhea, dancing beside her. Go to Southern San d’Oria to the tavern near the Mog House and talk to the first NPC on the right, Valderotaux. Do any kind of dance you want, it won’t make a difference. Go back and talk to Rhea. Next, travel to Jugner (S) to the pond at I-5. Click on the “Glowing Pebbles” and you will receive another cut-scene. Finally, head back to Laila in Upper Jeuno and talk to her. Congratulations! You can now become a Dancer.

Soloing 1-10

 * Your two best choices in terms of support jobs for these levels would be either Monk or White Mage. If you sub Monk, use hand-to-hand weapons as you’ll get a boost in attack speed, which slightly makes up for the lack of base skill. If you choose a White Mage sub, you’ll get longer survivability and overall lower downtime, but less attack speed with hand-to-hand. In that situation, both sword or hand-to-hand would be useful. By level five, you finally get your first dance, Drain Samba. Sambas have a neat effect. How it works is after you dance, you are given an additional effect where the next hit gives your target a negative effect called Drain Daze. This effect has an incredibly short duration of about five seconds, which will reset itself every time you successfully land a hit. Partying really helps, even at a low level like 5 because the daze will reset after a fellow party member hits it too. Everyone within your six-person party can reset it and will gain the additional effect.

Valkurm 10-20

 * This is your first real party situation. You should always have a decent setup, and the more party members, the better, especially for Dancer’s Drain Samba. At this point, your best bet would still be to sub either Monk or White Mage and use either hand-to-hand or sword. Level fifteen is when you get your next job-specific ability. A new kind of dance called a Waltz. Curing Waltz heals a target party member for a certain amount of HP (approximately 70) for the small price of 10 TP.

Mid-levels 20-40

 * Right at level twenty is when you learn your first Step and Flourish. A Step is basically a mild enfeeble that can be stacked up to five times, each time consuming TP. Another big thing about Steps is they reward you with finishing moves, which aren’t super-powered weapon skills despite what it sounds like. What it means by finishing move is a finishing pose (a flourish). Anyway, you consume finishing moves to perform Flourishes, which are effective (yet sometimes inaccurate) support abilities for your party. For example, the Lv.20 Step is Quickstep which lowers the target’s evasion, and the Lv.20 Flourish is Animated Flourish, which is your Provoke. Level twenty-five is one of Dancer’s favourite levels because it gets something new in all three main dances. A new Samba (Aspir Samba), a new Waltz (Divine Waltz), and your first Jig (Spectral Jig). All Sambas work the same; Aspir just drains MP instead of HP (though it only works on monsters that have MP). Divine Waltz is Dancer’s “Curaga”, in that it heals in an area effect. Spectral Jig is simply a self-targeted Sneak and Invisible. In these mid-levels, you also get one more Samba, one more Waltz, two new Steps, and two new Flourishes.

Your AF Weapon

 * …Hasn’t been released yet.

Mid-High Levels 40-60

 * Though there aren’t a lot of people this high level yet, it’s easy to predict Dancer will remain the same throughout these levels as it was through the mid levels. These levels are where you begin and finish the arduous task of getting your AF, however Dancer’s AF will be acquired, and do the ever-so-fun limit break quests (assuming you haven’t done them already). There aren’t a lot of new dances you learn in these levels. However, if you use a dagger (which you should by this level), you’ll be happy to know that you get Cyclone, a half-decent weapon skill finally. The only problem is, it has an area of effect, so it doesn’t work in cramped areas. By these levels too, a Samurai support job might be sufficient, as it gives a nice bonus to TP, and its job ability Meditate would really benefit you as a TP-using job.

Your Artifact Armor

 * …Also hasn’t been released yet.

High Levels 60-75

 * When the AF is released, and you collect it all, your life should hopefully be a lot better, since artifact armor helps define every job’s role in the game and gives it stats it both does and doesn’t need. However, as you close your final fifteen, you’ll finish learning all of your dances and get more amazing weapons and weapon skills. Like all jobs, Dancer will probably end-up subbing Ninja at 74 for soloing and survivability reasons.

End-Game

 * (Dynamis, Limbus, Salvage, merit parties, etc.)

Warrior

 * Could be a viable support job until 20, especially as Galka or Elvaan, since they have the highest possibility of being the better Dancer-tanks. Provoke, Defence Bonus, and its naturally high STR and DEX would always be handy.

Monk

 * One of the most used support jobs (I’ve seen) for Dancer. Since its highest combat skill is dagger, which isn‘t very effective until higher levels, you’re better off using either sword or hand-to-hand. And since hand-to-hand is granted a bonus with a MNK support job even by Lv.1, it’s probably the better of the two. Also, it increases a Dancer’s survivability with its naturally high vitality and HP. Boost and Dodge are a nice bonus too.

White Mage

 * A more support-role support job as it gives the user access to all sorts of cures, enfeebles, enhancements, and other spells like the ever-loved Poisona. If you use Astral Rings or just don’t like sitting there engaged in battle and doing nothing, this sub-job might be a better course of action than Monk.

Thief

 * High accuracy and evasion always benefit Dancer. By Lv.30, you get Sneak Attack, which allows you to deal more damage and get more TP if you’re lucky. Aside from that, it still makes one of the best farming support jobs in the game.

Bard

 * Adds to your support-role status. Of course, it doesn’t work quite as effectively when it’s subbed, but it still gets the job done. If used properly, it could even do good in the low levels.

Samurai

 * Store TP and Meditate help the Dancer’s sought-after TP stay at a high level. Unfortunately, Dancer gets no two-handed weapons, so Hasso and Seigan don’t take effect. Samurai as a sub-job is good for those Dancers who rely on either Animated Flourish and/or Waltzes a lot to keep the party in tip-top shape.

Ninja

 * Obviously a possible choice, as it can be for almost any job in the game, especially after level 74 when you get access to Ni. Dual Wield can help with keeping your weapon stats at a decent level, which is always nice.

Corsair

 * With Phantom Roll at a one-minute recast timer since the recent update, a well-timed Dancer can buff the party with a roll like Hunter’s Roll for accuracy, and then just before the battle is over switch over to Corsair’s Roll which gives an experience point bonus. Though possibly not as effective as other support job choices, it can still work.