Final Fantasy XIV starter guide

By BatRastered — March 10, 2014
Tags: blog ffxiv gouki-linkshell guide ps4

With the release of the PS4 version only a month away, we know there will be many new faces on Eorzea. Here's how to not look like a n00b even though you are one.

Choosing a server (world)

There are only two datacenters, North America (located in Montreal) and Japan. Pick a server from the DC closest to you. If you want to play with the Gouki team, pick Malboro (NA).

Choosing a race

Hyur (Human): Really? Zzzzzz.
Elezen (Elf): About the same size and shape as human, can get a bit taller and has pointy ears. Good wizarding material. You think Legolas is the star of the LotR and fantasize about Spock.
Miqo’te (Cat people): A tiny bit smaller than humans, but not annoyingly so. Have cat ears on top of their heads and whiskers. You’re probably into furries and/or MLP.
Roegadyn (Giants): Big, muscular. Great for tanks or if you really want to see the detail in those armor pieces and have poor eyesight or a small monitor. You like bodybuilders, Muscle magazine is your porn.
Lalafell (Hobbits): Tiny, round, cute, and annoying. If you are a pedophille or just like trolling people, this is your dream race.

All kidding aside, the race you choose doesn’t matter much. We’re talking about 1-2 points in your base stat. If you REALLY are in to min/max when you MMO and you can’t live without those 1-2 points, follow this rule: Tanks should pick Roegadyn and choose Sea Wolves for the sub race. Melee DPS should choose Hyur Highlander. Archers should choose Elezen Wildwoods. Casters should choose Elezen Duskwights and Healers should choose Miqo’te Keepers of the Moon.

Choosing a class

FFXIV uses the basic three role MMO approach: Tanks, Healers, and Damage Dealers. The name in (paranthesis) is the job you can become at level 30. Each class can become a specific job, except the arcanist which has two possible jobs, see below.

Tanks
Leaders of the raid. Stand in front of the enemy mobs and take all the hits for the party. High HP, low damage.
Classes:

Marauder (Warrior) - High vitality, good at managing groups of enemies, you’ll have to manage your combos to make sure your defensive options are available when you need them. Does more damage. Carries a giant axe.
Gladiator (Paladin) - Mitigation is the name of the game.Takes less damage, defensive options are many and not reliant on combos. Has healing options. Not as high vitality and doesn’t deal as much damage. Carries a sword and a shield.

Healers
Buffs the party and keeps the tanks from dying while they are getting smacked around.
Classes:

Conjurer (White Mage) - Your basic healer class. Relies on mana (MP) to buff and heal the party. Can deal some damage over time (DoT) spells and debuffs too. Massive heals and AOE heals when needed. Carries a wand (one handed) or staff (two-handed). Can carry a shield if equipped with one handed weapon.
Arcanist (Scholar)* - The arcanist is not technically a healer, they do have a low level cure but also, upon reaching level 30, can choose between two jobs. One of those jobs, the Scholar, is a healer. The scholar is more of a mitigation healer, whose heals can also provide shields from some incoming damage. Doesn’t have the large group heal of a White Mage, but makes up for this by having nearly endless MP and a fairy summons which also heals the party. Carries a book of spells. *(As an Arcanist you will go into dungeons as a damage dealer, only after you become a Scholar can you queue up as a Healer).

Damage Dealers
Do damage to the enemy mobs. Massive damage. Kill them before the healers run out of mana.
Classes:

Thaumaturge (Black Mage) - Typical caster type, can deal massive damage, but takes some time to cast and is weak against physical attacks. REALLY great AOE damage. Nothing else comes close in FFXIV. Low mobility: can’t move while casting or you’ll have to start over. Carries a cudgel (one handed) or rod (two handed). Can carry a shield if using one-handed weapon.
Arcanist (Summoner) - Caster that focuses on DoT spells and has a pet to help do more damage. With the proper spells and pet actions they can out damage anyone on a single target. Can spread DoT to other targets near main target as well, but can’t keep up with BLM as more targets are added. Carries a book of spells.
Pugilist (Monk) - Punch things! Melee damage. Relies on combos building on combos to slowly build towards massive damage. Needs to be up close. Carries knuckles or claws in each hand.
Lancer (Dragoon) - Stab things! Melee damage. Relies on combos and positioning. Can be a pseudo off-tank with the right gear and stats. Needs to be up close. Carries a lance.
Archer (Bard) - Ranged physical damage. Great mobility, can run and shoot. Once becoming a Bard, can also fill a utility role by buffing the party with songs. Carries a bow & arrow, later on a harp is built in to the bow.

Tips & Tricks

Time Saver: There is a ferry in Limsa Lominsa that will take you to Vesper Bay for 80 gil. Set LL as a favorite or home point as you will often need to return to Vesper Bay for the story.

Money Saver: Talk to the chocobo porters in each new settlement you visit. You can travel between the ones you’ve talked to for much cheaper than a teleport. Use the free time to take bathroom break.

Stay in Sync: Do the main story quests and your class/job quests as they become available, don’t fall behind as these quests unlock many of the games features.

Easy Rider: Stay focused on the story and your main class quests until you get your chocobo mount. Much of the world unlocks here, and having a mount makes doing side quests and gathering much easier.

Keys to the City: As soon as you are able to roam around one of the big three cities, make sure you seek out and attune to all the aetheryte crystals in town. This will allow you to teleport throughout the town, and once you have all of them attuned you can even teleport to the exits.

Friendship: Get yourself into a “Free Company” as soon as you can. This is FFXIV’s equivalent of a guild and can provide you with certain buffs in addition to some buddies to raid with.

Stacking Gil: When you have optional quest rewards, always take the gil. You can usually buy the items for cheaper than money rewarded and sometimes you can even find HQ versions or just plain better gear for the price and your level.

Gathering: Don’t do it until you have a Grand Company and a chocobo mount. Once you have those buy a “Survival manual” from your GC and some cheap gathering food from the vendors (Rabbit pie). Do levequests with both of those turned on and you’ll level up quickly.

Daily roulette: Once you are level 16 and have unlocked your second dungeon, you should do the low level roulette every day (You can do it as often as you want, but the bonus is only once per day). The bonus experience is well worth it, and you need to learn to play your class in dungeons.

FATEs: In between story missions and dungeons, you should get a group together and run some fates. These are fairly easy XP grinds but will also net you some Grand Company Seals (once you’ve joined a GC). From about level 10-16 you should go to Aleport and run those until level 16 and you can unlock the first two dungeons. After that, the dungeons will be better XP and help you learn your to play your class properly. Other good times for fates are around Quarrymill level 20-28, Costa del Sol level 28-36, Camp Dragonhead levels 36-45, Revenant’s Toll levels 42-47, and the Ceruleum Processing Plant in N. Thanlan for levels 46-50.

Join us on the Malboro server... leave a comment below with your character name if you want to join our free company. We'll even make you some starter gear!

Final Fantasy XIV