Corsair: Guide by Kerb

This is not a guide on how to reach 75 in a month, or a guide on how to play like a fake Bard. This is a guide on how to play the job well. If you just want it at 75 in a month so you can put it on your HNMLS application and never play it, stop reading now.

Introduction to Corsair
Corsair is a job that may seem intimidating at first and is often played very, very badly. However, it is a very versatile, powerful job when played to its full potential. It is not cheap to play. Don't even bother starting unless you're willing to spend the money on bullets, cards, and good gear. Leveling Alchemy and Smithing to 60 will help with bullet costs a lot, but the only way to make COR cheap is to play it poorly.

Common Misconceptions
"Corsair is just like Bard!" - No. The only thing these two jobs have in common is that they're both support jobs.

"Corsair is a replacement for Bard!" - No. A party can function with one or the other, but to function well it needs both.

"Corsair is a good puller!" - No no no. A COR that pulls is either sacrificing most of their damage capability or pulling very poorly.

"Coffinmaker is a good gun!" - Nooooooooooooooooo. It's useless. Don't bother.

What can I expect?
You can expect to spend a lot of gil and a lot of time on properly gearing the job and paying for bullets. You will need at the very least a TP set, WS set, and QD set. You'll need either a Joyeuse or Mercurial Kris and a Martial Gun. You can also expect to be in very high demand for parties if you choose to seek, and expect to turn down some invites. Expect to use 3-4 stacks of bullets per hour when you're shooting for TP, and 1 stack per hour after obtaining a multihit weapon.

Overview of Corsair's Abilities
I'm not going to spend much time on the basics. This stuff is covered in the wiki already and is fairly obvious.