Beastmaster Reward Guide

Welcome!
Hello everyone! And welcome to the Beastmaster Reward Guide! My name is Linkzell, a Beastmaster from the Ifrit server, now on Odin. Several changes to Beastmaster have occurred since the Level Cap increase to above Lv.75. With Abyssea and other areas full of monsters that cannot be charmed, plus new Grounds Tome areas and monsters for high level players, Beastmasters are not using their pets like they used to!

Pre Lv.75 cap increase, players, Beastmaster main or Beastmaster sub, would down as much CHR as they could in order to Charm the strongest monster in their current area (Korrigan in The Boyahda Tree for example). At witch point, when the pet is about to die, the player will Leave the pet and claim a new one. This was common practice. It was cheep, pets were readily available, and there was no reason to prolong the life of the pet.

Beastmaster players have the ability to call a pet with the ability Call Beast starting at Lv.23. Before reaching the Lv.76+ pets, most of the call pets were only used during times that a charmable pet could not be used (Such as a BCNM). These pets had lower then average HP and Defense, so Reward was used to prolong the pet's life. Due to this, Reward items such as Pet Food and gear that increased its potency went overlooked and was rarely sought after.

Now that Beastmaster have stronger pets that also last longer (up to 2-3hours!), Reward has become a very valuable asset to the Beastmaster arsenal of abilities! In this guide, we will be looking at the following items: And...
 * Ready... Set... Reward! (What is Reward, and how to use it well.)
 * What is Pet Food?! (The different types of pet food and when to use them.)
 * Gear for a better feeding! (The different gear to increase Reward)
 * MND your manners! (Ohh no, another stat for Beastmaster?!)

Ok, then. Lets get started!

Ready... Set... Reward!
Reward is a job ability that Beastmaster gets at Lv.12. It is an ability that allows the use of Pet food and pets items. Reward is very much so the veterinarian all in one ability. It can cure your pet, remove stats aliments, or even give you pet a Regen state. A detailed account of reward can be found on the Reward page. With that said, lets move on to items that can be used with Reward...

What is Pet food?!
Pet food is the main source of curing you current pet. You get your first pet food, Pet Food Alpha Biscuit, at Lv.12 and you get access to a new pet food every twelve levels. Here is a list of all the pets food and some info for each item:

This is the first Pet food you get access to at Lv.12. At this point, you kinda have to use this one if you want to cure your pet. The base cure rate for Alpha is 50HP. There is a formula for all pet food. For Alpha, it is "50 + 2*(MND-10)". The cap for Alpha is 70HP. Pet Food Alpha can be crafted or purchased from several NPCs for 10-12gil/pet food. For more information, please look at the Pet Food Alpha Biscuit page.



The next pet food you can use is called Pet Food Beta Biscuit. You can use this pet food starting at Lv.24, twelve levels after Pet Food Alpha. Beta is a better pet food all together then Alpha and should be used at this point. the base cure rate for Beta is 180HP. The Beta formula is "180 + 1*(MND-33)". The reward cap on Beta is unknown. Beta can, as with Alpha, be crafted and bought from several NPCs for 81-93gil/Pet food. For more information, please look at the Pet Food Beta Biscuit page.



After Pet food Beta comes the next food, Pet food Gamma! Pet food Gamma is available at Lv.36 and again, like the other pet foods, is better then the ones before it. If you have the means to use Gamma, then use this over Beta. Gamma has a base cure rate of 300HP. The formula for Gamma is unknown but follows the suite of "300 + ?*(MND-?)". The cap, if there is one, is also unknown. Gamma cannot be bought from an NPC, but can only be crafted. A BST in the mid-30s should be able to farm the ingredients for Gamma to craft the food for themselves. For more information, please look at the Pet Food Gamma Biscuit page.



Pet food Delta is next on our list. Available at Lv. 48, This pet food will follow suite with all other pet food. The base cure rate for Delta is 530HP. As with pet food Gamma, the formulas and HP cap are unknown, but follow the pattern of "530 + ?*(MND-?)". This Pet food cannot be bought from NPCs, but can be crafted and is a drop form the Goblin Tamer. Lv.48BSTs should have no issues farming the ingredients for Delta. For more information, please look at the Pet Food Delta Biscuit page.

Also, if you notice the ribbon on the biscuit image for the item. It is the only pet food that has one. It is rumored that CHR, as well as MND, play a part in the modifiers for Reward. But, I have not tested this, nor has it been confirmed.



Now, on to the GOOD pet food! Pet Food Epsilon is available at Lv.60 and should be your Reward food of choice till Lv72. Even at Lv.95, I still keep a stack of 12 Epsilon on my person in case I need a low cure for my pet or removing status aliments. The base cure rate for this food is 750Hp! The formula is "750 + 2*(MND-45)" and as with our next two Pet food, It Has No HP Cap!!! We will get into adding MND and Reward+% gear later in the guide. But, Epsilon can cure as much as you can gear for. Again, this pet food is only crafted and a 60+ BSt should have no issue getting the ingredients. For more information, please look at the Pet Food Epsilon Biscuit page.



Pet Food Zeta... When looking at the cost of ingredients, farming locations, AH prices, cure rate and Cooking skill lvls needed, this well be the pet food you will use the most all the way to Lv.95. Usable at Lv.72, the cure rate base for Zeta is 900HP, the highest so far. The formula is "900 + 3*(MND-45)" and has no cap. Like all other pet food after Beta, this cannot be bought from any NPCs. This is a Lv.59 Cooking recipe. If you haven't leveled Cooking to <60+, I would do so. Making Zeta is far cheaper then buying it. Lv.72 BST can farm the ingredients with zero issues, and with better results at Lv76+ with Dipper Yuly. For more information, please look at the Pet Food Zeta Biscuit page.



Last, but not least, we have Pet Food Eta. Pet food Eta is currently the top tier pet food in all respects. With a base cure rate of 1200HP and a formula of "1200 + 4*(MND-50)", this Pet food will give you the best bang... if you have the buck. The problems with Eta is making it. One of the main ingredients is Buffalo Meat. It can be expensive and farming them can take lots of time or a high lvl CHR. Also, this is a Lv69 cooking synth., so cooking at 60+ is needed. AH prices tend to be 2.5times more then Zeta. The point is, I like to keep 1-2 stacks of this around if needed, and if you can make/buy this food full time, then do so. If not, stick with Zeta. For more information, please look at the Pet Food Eta Biscuit page.



Now, Pet Roborant is not a "Pet Food", but it is used with Reward. Unlike pet food, this item stacks to 99, not 12. Pet Roborant removes status ailments from your pet much like the spell Erase, but works with all status aliments. Things to remember about Roborant is that you can only use it when your pet is at Stay. So to use in combat, you will have to Heel then Stay your pet before using. This item is only crafted. Keep a stack of them around if you need to remove a state that is not covered by Beast Jackcoat or Monster Jackcoat. For more information, please look at the Pet Roborant page.



Much like Pet Roborant, Pet Poultice is an item that is not a pet food that can be used with Reward. Stacking to 99, this item gives your Pet a direct Regen effect. Although pet food also gives a Regen effect, this effect last for up to 5mins. and stacks with pet food regen. Cheaper then pet food, keep a stack around if your pet needs just a boost instead of a full cure. Can be used while your pet is engaged with an monster.

Gear for a better feeding!
Up to this point, we have explained reward and the items you can use with the ability. In this section, we will explain the types of gear that effect reward. There are two types of Equipment that effect Reward: We will be looking at the gear that augments Reward first:
 * Gear that Augments what Reward does.
 * Gear that increases the HP% Recovered.



The Beast Jackcoat is the first item at Lv.58 that you have access to that augments reward. This is the body piece from the BST AF1 set received from the quest Borghertz's Wild Hands. If you use a pet food with Reward while wearing this Jackcoat, you pet will be cured of Paralyze, Poison and Blind. Unlike the WHM equivalent spells, one pet food will cure all three states if all three are present at the time. Excellent if your pet is Paralyzed.





First off, I want to explain the difference in the Bison Warbonnet and Khimaira Bonnet. Both are almost the same in what they do, but the K. Bonnet is the better choice. The only real difference is the crafting mats. But none the less, They both reduce the recast time for Reward by 10secs. There is no advantage in the HQ pieces except the stats shown. Like all Reward equipment, it must be worn before using reward. This may not be much, but mixed with the BST merits that reduce the recast of Reward and the merits that increase the potency of Regen from your Pet food and Pet Poultice, you could be looking at a nice combo!



Following suit with the Beast Jackcoat, the Monster Jackcoat is equable at Lv.72 and is acquired in Dynamis - Bastok or Dynamis - Buburimu. It is the Body to the BST AF2 set. This body, when used with Reward, cures Silence, Slow and Weight. Though not as useful as the Beast Jackcoat, it does have its uses and will fit well in your Reward build.

Moving on to the Gear that increases the Hp% recovered to reward: (This will be listed by Gear slot > Level > Potency)


 * Main/Sub Slots



For any Beastmaster that is not sub NIN or DNC for Duel Wield, this is the Shield for you. Equable at Lv.72, the Pallas's Shield comes from the NM Pallas in Vunkerl Inlet (S). It has good DEF, Pet:DEF+10 and Reward +5%. Although this shield will prevent you from hitting the Reward+ cap of 50%, it is an excellent choice if you do not duel wield.



Although lacking a good DAM rating as an End Game Axe, the Zoraal Ja's Axe comes with a hefty Reward +10% mod on it. Dropped from the NM Zoraal Ja's Pkuucha in Wajaom Woodlands. For you non duel wield BSTs, this is a perfect match with the Pallas's Shield. Subbing NIN or DNC will allow equipping 2 of these nice axes for +20% reward. Excellent Axe weather you use one or two.

Current Reward+ Axe/Shield: 15% Current Reward+ Axe/Axe: 20%


 * Hands Slot





The Ogre Gloves and the +1 are the only Hands equipment that give Reward %+. Both the NQ and HQ are craftable, with the NQ also coming from the brown caskets in Gusgen Mines. The NQ give reward+10% and the HQ give +11%. If you are not wielding 2 Zoraals', the HQ will be needed to get you as close to the 50% cap as you can. If buying from the AH, the HQ is much more expensive. Pick witch one you want and run with it.

Current Reward+ Axe/Shield/Gloves +1: 26% Current Reward+ Axe/Axe/Gloves: 30%


 * Earring Slot



This earring is not available till Lv.90, but it serves two good purposes. A drop from Battlerigged Chariot in Abyssea - Altepa, this earring gives Pet:Acc.+3(Witch is always nice!) and Reward +2%. Acc. aside, 2% is what it is, 2%. Best used by Beastmasters not using 2 axes but the + in Pet:acc is good for everyone. A must have for any BST making a pet DD set.

Current Reward+ Axe/Shield/Gloves +1/Earring: 28% Current Reward+ Axe/Axe/Gloves: 30%


 * Feet Slot







For the feet slot, we have 3 sets of Boots to look at. We have the Beast Gaiters, Beast Gaiters +1 and the Monster Gaiters. We will start with the Beast Gaiter pair. The Beast Gaiters are the reward for the quest Scattered into Shadow. These are the feet from the BST AF1 set. Equable at Lv.52, this is a staple in BST charming set and is used until the mid-70s to give Reward+10%. This is an excellent piece of gear, don't pass it up!

Due to the difficultly of Limbus, I can not recommend the AF1+1 Boots. Yes, they do give 5+CHR and increase the Reward % from 10% to 11%. If you have them, they are better then the NQ AF1, but I woulden't go out of my way for these like I would for the Beast Helm +1 (ill explain this one later...) With that said, take a look at the...

Monster Gaiters!!! This is a MUST HAVE set a boots for your Reward+ set! A nice upgrade from the +10% Beast Gaiters, these boots give a whooping +20% to Reward. The Monster Gaiters are the boots from the AF2 set and come from Dynamis - Beaucedine and Dynamis - Tavnazia. The AF2+1 give +1DEF and +1VIT from the NQ and no + in Reward. So if your getting these just for the Reward +, don't bother to +1 them. Again, a must have. Get them when ever you can!

Current Reward+ Axe/Shield/Gloves +1/Earring/AF2 Boots: 48% Current Reward+ Axe/Axe/Gloves/AF2 Boots: 50%

What ever combo of gear you decide to use, remember that the Reward + cap is set at 50% at the moment. x2 Axes will help you hit the cap but, they can be expensive or time consuming to farm. Either combination will get you close or at the cap, so gear up to fit your play style.~

[Best Set for Reward: Axe/Axe/Gloves +1/Earring/AF2 Boots: 53%]

MND your manners!
Alright! So... by this point, you have taken your base Pet Food Zeta from 900HP to 1350HP or your Pet Food Eta from 1200HP to 1800HP! Congratulations! I really mean that. By getting just these few pieces of gear you are saving so much Gil in Pet food just by curing more/Reward. But... what if I told you that you could Cure more per Reward?! "More then +50%, You say?!" Yes... yes you can! If you remember back in this guide I was listing formulas? You guessed it! Reward is Modded by the MND stat. The last 3 Pet foods (Pet Food Epsilon Biscuit, Pet Food Zeta Biscuit and Pet Food Eta Biscuit), have no hard cap on Reward. So the higher your MND, the better your cure.

'''[MND gear chart and macro patterns to come. Please do not edit till Ver.1.0 is released on the talk page.]'''