Post by Raizo on Dec 8, 2006 3:41:11 GMT -6
This thread is gonna be under construction for awile and I'm sure other ppl have written more cohesive and better guides but I want to try and do one for the forum. I'm gonna try to cover a lot of basics and do's and dont's, equipment, tips, strats and whatever else not about being a WHM.
Remember this Guide is based on personal experience and research I have done into the job. By all means do what works best for you and just remember to enjoy the job and playing.
To start WHM is not exactly what a lot of ppl consider a fun job in FFXI. Also while cheaper(you never really need the best gear, people will invite you to PT anyways) and easier to lvl than most jobs out there (actually probably the cheapest and easiest) it is not always a walk in the park. Try playing in Aydeewa Subterrane and tell me how much fun your having as a whm. There are a lot of judgement calls your going to have to make on a regulaer basis which are going to directly affect your PT and Xping process.
Remember this. It may not matter that you have the best gear as a WHM as it will help but not define your ability to play the job effectively. And as with any job, just because you have the best gear does not make you anywhere near a good player. Learn your role, take advice, pay attention, prepare in advance by having the right macros and for the love of god keep Reraise up.
[glow=red,2,300]- In the beginning[/glow]... so your a lvl 1 WHM, maybe you have a SJ maybe you don't. It doesnt matter that much cause you're a weak SoB with a little wand and mobs are going to be kicking your ass. The first few lvls are easy enough, but getting to about lvl 12 which would be my personal lowest lvl at which I will PT in Valkurm Dunes can be a pain. Grab a Bronze Hammer at lvl 5 for soloing, the DMG increase will help.
Bronze Hammer Lvl:5 DMG:8 Delay:324.
This is the strongest club until lvl 12 Brass Hammer. Buy some better armor, anything that gives better DEF. Not only is this important when soloing but also when the Mob in a PT decides to wail on you. Once you start Pting you won't need dmg dealing weapons anymore (unless you're soloing) so focus then on +MND and or +MP clubs and staffs. Until then just wail away on mostly Easy Prey or DC Mobs, use an empress band and some STR+ or ATT+ foods and the grind shouldn't be that bad. Duoing with someone can also be effective post lvl 7 or 8.
If you are able to camp the NM "Nunyenunc" LVL 12 Bird in West Sarutabaruta it drops the Pilgrim's Wand. It's a 100% drop rate I think so its not a bad camp.
This wand is good for all mage jobs. Combined with Ginger Cookies(HMP+5) this will enable you to Rest MP like a madman, all the way til 51 and the Dark Staff.
Remember to learn all your spells and try to keep any that will be available in the next 2-3 levels on you in case you don't stop back into town while XPing. This is always a good rule at any level.
[glow=red,2,300]Basic Macros[/glow]
/ma "Cure" <t>
/ma "Cure" <me>
/ja "Benediction" <me>
--As a rule for macros don't ever just randomly assign a macro to a space. Keep your macros organized and while your preference is obviously what you're gonna do this is my suggestion.
-- Keep Cure macros together along with spells like Poisana, and Aquaveil assigned to the Ctrl key group 1
-- Attack spells and Enfeebling like Dia, Banish, Paralyze, Blind (if subbing BLM) I assigned to Alt key group 1
-- While it may not be necessary to ever do, you should assign a seperate cure macro for the tank and only the tank in your PT.
example- /ma "Cure II" <tanks name> or <p0> (first party member on top of list) through <p5> (last member on party list)
I generally use <t> for all my macros instead of <stpc> or other target variations, however having an emergency macro with your strongest or 2nd strongest cure spell that you can hit without worrying about targeting the tank or accidently curing someone else is helpful. I usually keep one like this for when the tank goes into red health.
-- If you insist on putting /party chat messages in your macros, keep them to a minimum. basic cure spells are not really necessary for the amount you are going to be using them. Backup or non-main healers should sometimes use these kinds of macros to let the main healer know they are helping and that they should focus elsewhere. Important macros that should have /party chat in them are Protectra and Shellra macros to let everyone know to get or stay close to get buffed.
-example line 1 = /p Gather together Protectra
line 2 = /wait 3
line 3 = /ma "Protectra" <me>
This macro lets the PT know to get close to you for buffs and the wait timer lets them get into position before casting. You can change the timer or simply not use one.
[glow=red,2,300]Food[/glow]- No matter what job at what lvl food helps. If everyone spends a little extra money to enhance themselves via food, dunes parties can take on a drastically better form. As the WHM you'll want to take something along that will either increase Max MP or Helps regen MP while healing (hMP). Personally I never use pies as I rarely get a chance to rest to full mp in a pt, thereby negating the effects the pies give. hMP is (for a whm) the best thing you can use. Below are 3 popular choices, although I dont know the price that Mushroom stew goes for its an excellent food that gives MP+ hMP+ and the enmity -4 goes a long way in avoiding those situations when the mob kills you for spamming cures. Ginger Cookies are dirt cheap, I think about 1k or so from NPC or 2-3k from AH. Wizard cookies are generally never really needed over Ginger especially under lvl 60 and the price difference is dramatic. 20-25k a stack I think.
1) Mushroom Stew
Duration: 180m
MP +40
STR -1
MND +4
hMP +4
Emnity -4
2a) Ginger Cookies
Duration: 3m
hMP +5
2b) Wizard Cookies
Duration: 5m
hMP +7
So yeah GINGER COOKIES are your friend. Just make a macro as they only last 3 minutes and you'll need to pop them constantly.
/item "Ginger Cookie" <me>
The other kind of Food you want to keep on you are Drinks. While not absolutely necessary to have, drinks such as Melon Juice, Grape Juice, Yagudo Drinks etc. are very handy as they give you a Refresh effect (regen MP) and can used in conjunction with Food like your cookies and pies. Some mages,especially those with cooking skills, will keep synthing materials for drinks on them to make juices as they go. This is a great way to get MP back but is very expensive. Personally I only ever kept 2-3 drinks on me when I partied for emergency use in case the fight was going badly and I was running out of MP.
[glow=red,2,300]Partying with your WHM[/glow]- So you're ready to put your flag up and watch the PT invites roll in? Don't worry they will, and they will when you're not seeking either.
-- Valkurm Dunes Lvls 12-18 (18-20 optional)
-- I really cannot recommend Pting here before lvl 12 although it can be done if the entire PT is competent, which in Valkurm, is rarely the case. Now is the time when you must start thinking on your feet as you (being the WHM) will more or less set the pace of the PT based on your MP. The faster you can regenerate MP the faster the PT and Experience Points are gonna move along. This will be true for most of your career.
[glow=red,2,300]Gear[/glow]
-- Well like i said earlier Gear for WHM isn't the most important thing in the world, and for the most part i would have to say overall its the cheapest job gear-wise that I know of. This doesn't mean there isn't lots of expensive nice gear to own, but WHM can get by on a fairly small budget. The most expensive things in the long run will most likely be your spells. Anyways, to start, focus on things like Hairpins that give extra MP. Depending on your race and how much money you have, getting every last piece of gear that has MND+ and MP+ is always a good move. Personally I was mostly broke until lvl 36 so I focused on just keeping semi updated armor and focusing on MP+ gear when i could afford it. I never really worried about MND+ gear except Ascetic Rings which are very cheap.
--Doing your damn job so nobody dies or at least avoiding deaths as much as possible. YOU are the WHM, YOU are responsible for keeping those PT members alive, YOU will probably be blamed for the deaths that do occur, YOU will then say "WTF! the tank didn't voke!" or something to that effect will take place.
-- Seriously though WHM are not vital to an XP PT but damn if they don't help facilitate the XPing process nicely. Knowing when to use your spells properly is the most important thing you need to know. So...
[glow=red,2,300]1) [/glow]Protectra and at Lvl 17 Shellra - always keep these buffs up on all PT members. You can create a macro such as this for getting everyone together (listed above). If protect or shell wear in the midde of a battle, you should usually run into the fight and buff all the melee members, then worry about getting everyone else separately or after the fight. If you can position yourself in the middle of the melee and the mages and try to get everyone at once. However when getting close to a fight be careful of AoE moves or line of sight moves. So avoid running up behind the tank.
[glow=red,2,300]2)[/glow] Cure 1 is gonna be your bread and butter spell for awhile although Cure II is absolutely essential for bigger cures. Cure II is a Lvl 11 Spell so really coming to the dunes at Lvl 11 is fine, but without Cure II you're asking for someone to die. The reason I say Cure 1 should be your focus is this - although casting enough Cure spells will pull hate, Cure II is going to pull hate a lot faster, which = a dead you. I've seen WHM in Valkurm and Qufim only using Cure II spells as a minimum cure, even when the person they were healing only needed a Cure to reach full HP. This is a waste of MP and a faster way to gain hate. Not to say that you should be so conservative in your curing that you let someone die, just judge the situation first. If a Tank goes into the yellow it's not the end of the line for him. The only time this is really dangerous in Valkurm is fighting Pugils as their Screwdriver JA can really do some DMG. Otherwise dont freak out unless they hit the red. Then no matter what hit them with a Cure II ASAP. Generally you always want the Tank as close to full HP as possible but don't overdue the hate.
[glow=red,2,300]3)[/glow] When fighting Mobs with AoE (area of effect) attacks like a goblins bomb or a fly's Cursed Sphere, you will be curing more than usual. At level 16 you will get Curaga, which is an AoE cure spell for all PT members in range. DO NOT USE Curaga in the middle of a fight!! You will get a lot of hate and will more than likely die a very quick death. Unless absolutely necessary Curaga spells should only be used in fights in the early lvls if the Mob has an AoE sleep move and you need to wake everyone up quickly. The Most effective use of Curaga is to use it after a fight when most of the party is missing health. (Also save your Divine Seal Job Ability -lvl 15- for Curaga to completely fill everyones health. Using Curaga in this method will eliminate extra MP healing costs after a fight and will save time as well. Now at lvl 16 most mages mp pools (even tarus) will be too small to use Curaga often, but if you can manage it always try to leave enough MP for one.
[glow=red,2,300]4)[/glow] -Bar- spells like "Barfira" are very useful tools to help reduce damage taken by moves/spells that have elemental properties. Most of these spells don't last very long so you usually have to recast after every 1-2 fights. Mob abilities like Bomb Toss are fire based so use Barfira to help reduce dmg to all your melee. Cursed Sphere is water based. Some may argue these bar effects are negligible but I would always recommend using them if you know the mobs you are fighting are going to be using these moves often.
[glow=red,2,300]Post Hell, Subjobs and beyond... oh and more hell...[/glow]
-- Ok now you have achieved at least lvl 18 and left the Dunes behind, hopefully but probably not forever
. You also have you SJ (subjob) now so make sure that it's lvled before you progress further. What SJ you say? Well let's look at the options...
--[glow=red,2,300]BLM[/glow] is undeniably the most popular and viable SJ WHM uses. You get the 2nd largest MP pool bonus, spells like Blind for Mob debuff (enfeebling magic, which I personally used a lot in Pties) and during the lower lvls, sometimes you can even land a few decent powered nukes (elemental spells) or assist with a MB (Magic Burst). Once you hit lvl 34 you get Warp (BLM 17) and this is great for after you learn your teleport spells starting at 36 for getting back to town. You will also will get the Elemental Seal JA (BLM 15) at lvl 30 for pretty much gauranteed debuff lands - this is especially useful when using Sleep or Sleepga to help when athe PT gets a link or aggro and they need help sleeping the Mob.
Line 1 = /ja "Elemental Seal" <me>
Line 2 = /wait 1
Line 3 = /ma "Sleep" <t>
Set that up as a emergency use macro for a quick ES + Sleep. There have been many times while I was lvling WHM that the BLM or RDM had sleep resisted, had multiple mobs and only slept one, or got thier casting interrupted when trying to sleep and I saved thier (and the PT's) ass by landing the sleep.
Anyways /BLM is an extremely good choice as a SJ all throughout your career as a WHM. ^^
-- [glow=red,2,300]RDM[/glow] is pretty much similar to BLM except the MP pool bonus is not as large and you will not get Elemental Seal or the aga spells. However you will receive Fast Cast bonus at 30 (15 RDM) and 70 (35 RDM) which is very nice in general. Nothing like saving someone with a Cure that wouldn't have hit fast enough otherwise ^^ . You will also get the Phalanx spell for extra DMG resistance in case you get into trouble at 66 (33 RDM) and Dispel at 64 (RDM 32). Now by the time you get Dispel you should be partying with a job that can use this like RDM, BRD, BLU however there have been times when I was PTing without Dispel and have subbed RDM for it. Also good for Solo as you will also get the -En_ spells for elemental weapon DMG bonus. RDM in short is a very nice SJ as well.
- [glow=red,2,300]SMN[/glow] I have not yet tried as I am currently lvlng my SMN ; ;. However I know it is a very popular SJ choice as it will give you the largest MP pool bonus and teh uber Job Trait at 50 WHM (25 SMN) Auto-Refresh
. While I don't know for sure whether this is the best way to go as I don't have any experience with it or any other added bonuses /SMN will give, the simple 1 MP / 3 sec refresh tick can't be bad lol. Combine that with a Noble's Tunic (68 WHM only Body piece that gives Auto-refresh) or Relic Body (also refreshes) + if XPing in Aht Urgan areas with Sanction Refresh you can achieve 3mp/tick by yourself. Have a RDM, BRD, COR or combination and you will get MP back faster than you can use it O.O .... well kinda
-- [glow=red,2,300]BLU[/glow] I have no idea if this a good SJ for WHM, I'm assuming the MP pool bonus is comparable to RDM or less and I don't know of any benfits in general besides DEF bonus spells. I'll try to research this as an option but I don't really see it as viable except for Solo maybe.
Other than that i'm not sure what other SJ would be very good for WHM in XP parties. BRD might be ok under certain circumstances - Mages Ballad 1. NIN would be of course good for solo but really only after you get Utsusemi: Ni at 74. Anyways those are the most Popular choices I know of.
[glow=red,2,300]Levels 18-25[/glow]
-- You may stay in Valkurm until lvl 20 or you may go to Qufim Island which is a very popular place to lvl 18-25 (mostly 20-25). However there are other options, most ppl just don't use/ know about them. There is typically never just one place to XP at any lvl. Anyways Qufim is probably where you'll be.
At lvl 20 WHM get a spell called 'Sneak'. While you have the effects of Sneak any Mobs (barring True sight/ Sound) that aggro by sound will not came after you. Use this to sneak by worms and all undead in Qufim, help out your PT members too, they will appreciate it ^^. At 25 WHM get 'Invisible' spell, which while active will avoid any Sight aggro like the giants in Qufim.
At lvl 21 WHM gets Cure III and [glow=red,2,300]Regen[/glow]. Welcome to one of your new best friends. Cure III is obviously nice for the larger curing capacity, but again, do not overuse this as it will get you large amounts of hate. Regen however feel free to use liberally. Regen costs 15 Mp to cast and regenerates 5Hp/3sec tick. The spell lasts for 25 ticks or 75 seconds, resulting in a total of 125 HP regained. I cannot stress enough how useful regen spells are, especially for PLD tanks. If you don't keep a PLD tank regen'd I will come find you in game and skull thump you with my club. >:/ Always keep regen on the tank. NIN tanks can be the exception to using regen at times. NIN are fine to use regen on as well but focus more on straight cures when they start to take DMG as they will take DMG faster than PLD. There have been times when I was trying to keep my NIN tank regen and he almost died due to regen haveing a long cast time. If a DD (damage dealer) in your PT gets hit and is not seriously hurt cast a regen on him. This will take care of healing him at low MP cost and if he continues to draw hate you already have a headstart and continued heal for him. So Regen may have a long cast time but it is an extremely useful spell and every time I go through Qufim I see too many WHM under utilizing or just plain not using it ; ;.
At lvl 25 WHM gets Raise ^^. This is one of the most important spells you willl ever learn as i'm sure you will encounter plenty of dead ppl on your journey. Once you hit 25 you are becoming a very useful and almost fully functional WHM. Congratualtions! now if you ever go to Valkurm Dunes again you will get /tells for raises almost gauranteed lol.
[glow=red,2,300]Levels 24/25-75 [/glow]
Note: while there are always more popular places to XP sometimes those areas become overcrowded so you will likely start to see a lot of different places to lvl. I'll go over some examples but as I don't know every zone for every lvl I will just go over more details for what you should be doing in general, gear, food, spells, tactics wise.
Kazham / Elshimo Region (Yuhtunga and Yhoater Jungles)
- are most likely where you will be lvling anywhere from 24/25 - 32/33 although now as you lvl more you will see an inceasing number of different areas to XP in.
- Both Yuhtunga and Yhoater jungles are similar in many ways and most XP parties will fight primarily Mandragora's in both of them. Goblins also being a more risky but viable option depending on your PT setup. Sahagins, Pugils, etc. are all options also available but more rarely used. If you are fighting Mandragora's you will quickly learn to hate them. They are monk type mobs that hit 2x per attack and have an extremely annoying AoE sleep move that you as a WHM will need to always be aware of avoiding by not sticking to close to the fight. The last thing any PT wants is for thier WHM to be slept and therefor unable to cure. Now if you are already unaware of this little fact; Curing someone (regardless of what type of cure spell) will wake them up from sleeping. This is very important here as your tank and DD will be getting put to sleep very often. This is going to be where the 'do not curaga in the middle of a fight' rule is going to be broken. When the entire PT is sleeping and you have the extra MP to spare it may be a good idea to cast curaga to wake everone up in one shot. If you are going to be using curaga it may be a good idea to keep Blink cast on yourself to help avoid any dmg after you cast.You do not have to do this! But it can help depending on the situation - you make the call. At this point the tank should have an easier time regaining the mobs attention. Once you hit lvl 28 you can learn the Stoneskin spell which will protect you from any dmg until the mob eats through the stoneskin. You will usually be able to take a few hits before taking any real dmg so this is a lifesaver. At 27 you will learn Protectra II which will also help in dmg reduction. Also regardless of what mobs you are fighting in these jungles this will probably be around when hMP+ foods may start being more beneficial than Pies and other Max MP+ foods. Mandy's AoE sleep, goblins bomb toss etc. you will be seeing a lot of AoE attacks that will be taxing your MP and you will need to regain as fast as possible while resting.
Lvl 29 spell Cursna - This spell removes the effects of curse. Simple enough and good but this spell will not remove the curse/weakened state after being raised. You simply have to wait it out.
Lvl 32 spell Erase - when you reach lvl 32 you will be able to learn the spell Erase. This is an extremely good spell and IMO very important to have. This used to be the most expensive WHM spell there was, i'm not sure about current prices but I think it's really very cheap now. Anyways back in the day some WHM skipped learning this spell until later when they could afford it.
Anyways back to the point. Spells like Poisana, Blindna, Paralyna etc. all work to cure a specific staus ailment. Erase on the other hand works on a very wide multitude of status effects that other spells can't cure. Erase will not work on any status effects that your other spells will, like blind, poison etc. However it will remove the effects of Slow, Bio, Dia, Evasion down, Accuracy Down, Max HP down, Gravity etc etc. There are some status effects that Erase will not work on ; ; like imps Amnesia. But there aren't many things a WHM can't cure.
- thats all for now, when i have more time ill continue to update this, feel free to correct me or just plain call BS on whatever you disagree with. then i will remind you that im the 75 whm here more soon to follow
Decided to post my current gear here, there's quite a few pieces i still want but if I ever buy a Noble's tunic i'll pretty much consider my WHM to be complete for the time being... as a taru I can get away with focusing less on MP+ and such and more -enmity. Cure clogs + merited cure casting time -12%(current) = -27% casting time(will be 35% at full merit ^^)
Remember this Guide is based on personal experience and research I have done into the job. By all means do what works best for you and just remember to enjoy the job and playing.
To start WHM is not exactly what a lot of ppl consider a fun job in FFXI. Also while cheaper(you never really need the best gear, people will invite you to PT anyways) and easier to lvl than most jobs out there (actually probably the cheapest and easiest) it is not always a walk in the park. Try playing in Aydeewa Subterrane and tell me how much fun your having as a whm. There are a lot of judgement calls your going to have to make on a regulaer basis which are going to directly affect your PT and Xping process.
Remember this. It may not matter that you have the best gear as a WHM as it will help but not define your ability to play the job effectively. And as with any job, just because you have the best gear does not make you anywhere near a good player. Learn your role, take advice, pay attention, prepare in advance by having the right macros and for the love of god keep Reraise up.
[glow=red,2,300]- In the beginning[/glow]... so your a lvl 1 WHM, maybe you have a SJ maybe you don't. It doesnt matter that much cause you're a weak SoB with a little wand and mobs are going to be kicking your ass. The first few lvls are easy enough, but getting to about lvl 12 which would be my personal lowest lvl at which I will PT in Valkurm Dunes can be a pain. Grab a Bronze Hammer at lvl 5 for soloing, the DMG increase will help.
Bronze Hammer Lvl:5 DMG:8 Delay:324.
This is the strongest club until lvl 12 Brass Hammer. Buy some better armor, anything that gives better DEF. Not only is this important when soloing but also when the Mob in a PT decides to wail on you. Once you start Pting you won't need dmg dealing weapons anymore (unless you're soloing) so focus then on +MND and or +MP clubs and staffs. Until then just wail away on mostly Easy Prey or DC Mobs, use an empress band and some STR+ or ATT+ foods and the grind shouldn't be that bad. Duoing with someone can also be effective post lvl 7 or 8.
If you are able to camp the NM "Nunyenunc" LVL 12 Bird in West Sarutabaruta it drops the Pilgrim's Wand. It's a 100% drop rate I think so its not a bad camp.
This wand is good for all mage jobs. Combined with Ginger Cookies(HMP+5) this will enable you to Rest MP like a madman, all the way til 51 and the Dark Staff.
Remember to learn all your spells and try to keep any that will be available in the next 2-3 levels on you in case you don't stop back into town while XPing. This is always a good rule at any level.
[glow=red,2,300]Basic Macros[/glow]
/ma "Cure" <t>
/ma "Cure" <me>
/ja "Benediction" <me>
--As a rule for macros don't ever just randomly assign a macro to a space. Keep your macros organized and while your preference is obviously what you're gonna do this is my suggestion.
-- Keep Cure macros together along with spells like Poisana, and Aquaveil assigned to the Ctrl key group 1
-- Attack spells and Enfeebling like Dia, Banish, Paralyze, Blind (if subbing BLM) I assigned to Alt key group 1
-- While it may not be necessary to ever do, you should assign a seperate cure macro for the tank and only the tank in your PT.
example- /ma "Cure II" <tanks name> or <p0> (first party member on top of list) through <p5> (last member on party list)
I generally use <t> for all my macros instead of <stpc> or other target variations, however having an emergency macro with your strongest or 2nd strongest cure spell that you can hit without worrying about targeting the tank or accidently curing someone else is helpful. I usually keep one like this for when the tank goes into red health.
-- If you insist on putting /party chat messages in your macros, keep them to a minimum. basic cure spells are not really necessary for the amount you are going to be using them. Backup or non-main healers should sometimes use these kinds of macros to let the main healer know they are helping and that they should focus elsewhere. Important macros that should have /party chat in them are Protectra and Shellra macros to let everyone know to get or stay close to get buffed.
-example line 1 = /p Gather together Protectra
line 2 = /wait 3
line 3 = /ma "Protectra" <me>
This macro lets the PT know to get close to you for buffs and the wait timer lets them get into position before casting. You can change the timer or simply not use one.
[glow=red,2,300]Food[/glow]- No matter what job at what lvl food helps. If everyone spends a little extra money to enhance themselves via food, dunes parties can take on a drastically better form. As the WHM you'll want to take something along that will either increase Max MP or Helps regen MP while healing (hMP). Personally I never use pies as I rarely get a chance to rest to full mp in a pt, thereby negating the effects the pies give. hMP is (for a whm) the best thing you can use. Below are 3 popular choices, although I dont know the price that Mushroom stew goes for its an excellent food that gives MP+ hMP+ and the enmity -4 goes a long way in avoiding those situations when the mob kills you for spamming cures. Ginger Cookies are dirt cheap, I think about 1k or so from NPC or 2-3k from AH. Wizard cookies are generally never really needed over Ginger especially under lvl 60 and the price difference is dramatic. 20-25k a stack I think.
1) Mushroom Stew
Duration: 180m
MP +40
STR -1
MND +4
hMP +4
Emnity -4
2a) Ginger Cookies
Duration: 3m
hMP +5
2b) Wizard Cookies
Duration: 5m
hMP +7
So yeah GINGER COOKIES are your friend. Just make a macro as they only last 3 minutes and you'll need to pop them constantly.
/item "Ginger Cookie" <me>
The other kind of Food you want to keep on you are Drinks. While not absolutely necessary to have, drinks such as Melon Juice, Grape Juice, Yagudo Drinks etc. are very handy as they give you a Refresh effect (regen MP) and can used in conjunction with Food like your cookies and pies. Some mages,especially those with cooking skills, will keep synthing materials for drinks on them to make juices as they go. This is a great way to get MP back but is very expensive. Personally I only ever kept 2-3 drinks on me when I partied for emergency use in case the fight was going badly and I was running out of MP.
[glow=red,2,300]Partying with your WHM[/glow]- So you're ready to put your flag up and watch the PT invites roll in? Don't worry they will, and they will when you're not seeking either.
-- Valkurm Dunes Lvls 12-18 (18-20 optional)
-- I really cannot recommend Pting here before lvl 12 although it can be done if the entire PT is competent, which in Valkurm, is rarely the case. Now is the time when you must start thinking on your feet as you (being the WHM) will more or less set the pace of the PT based on your MP. The faster you can regenerate MP the faster the PT and Experience Points are gonna move along. This will be true for most of your career.
[glow=red,2,300]Gear[/glow]
-- Well like i said earlier Gear for WHM isn't the most important thing in the world, and for the most part i would have to say overall its the cheapest job gear-wise that I know of. This doesn't mean there isn't lots of expensive nice gear to own, but WHM can get by on a fairly small budget. The most expensive things in the long run will most likely be your spells. Anyways, to start, focus on things like Hairpins that give extra MP. Depending on your race and how much money you have, getting every last piece of gear that has MND+ and MP+ is always a good move. Personally I was mostly broke until lvl 36 so I focused on just keeping semi updated armor and focusing on MP+ gear when i could afford it. I never really worried about MND+ gear except Ascetic Rings which are very cheap.
--Doing your damn job so nobody dies or at least avoiding deaths as much as possible. YOU are the WHM, YOU are responsible for keeping those PT members alive, YOU will probably be blamed for the deaths that do occur, YOU will then say "WTF! the tank didn't voke!" or something to that effect will take place.
-- Seriously though WHM are not vital to an XP PT but damn if they don't help facilitate the XPing process nicely. Knowing when to use your spells properly is the most important thing you need to know. So...
[glow=red,2,300]1) [/glow]Protectra and at Lvl 17 Shellra - always keep these buffs up on all PT members. You can create a macro such as this for getting everyone together (listed above). If protect or shell wear in the midde of a battle, you should usually run into the fight and buff all the melee members, then worry about getting everyone else separately or after the fight. If you can position yourself in the middle of the melee and the mages and try to get everyone at once. However when getting close to a fight be careful of AoE moves or line of sight moves. So avoid running up behind the tank.
[glow=red,2,300]2)[/glow] Cure 1 is gonna be your bread and butter spell for awhile although Cure II is absolutely essential for bigger cures. Cure II is a Lvl 11 Spell so really coming to the dunes at Lvl 11 is fine, but without Cure II you're asking for someone to die. The reason I say Cure 1 should be your focus is this - although casting enough Cure spells will pull hate, Cure II is going to pull hate a lot faster, which = a dead you. I've seen WHM in Valkurm and Qufim only using Cure II spells as a minimum cure, even when the person they were healing only needed a Cure to reach full HP. This is a waste of MP and a faster way to gain hate. Not to say that you should be so conservative in your curing that you let someone die, just judge the situation first. If a Tank goes into the yellow it's not the end of the line for him. The only time this is really dangerous in Valkurm is fighting Pugils as their Screwdriver JA can really do some DMG. Otherwise dont freak out unless they hit the red. Then no matter what hit them with a Cure II ASAP. Generally you always want the Tank as close to full HP as possible but don't overdue the hate.
[glow=red,2,300]3)[/glow] When fighting Mobs with AoE (area of effect) attacks like a goblins bomb or a fly's Cursed Sphere, you will be curing more than usual. At level 16 you will get Curaga, which is an AoE cure spell for all PT members in range. DO NOT USE Curaga in the middle of a fight!! You will get a lot of hate and will more than likely die a very quick death. Unless absolutely necessary Curaga spells should only be used in fights in the early lvls if the Mob has an AoE sleep move and you need to wake everyone up quickly. The Most effective use of Curaga is to use it after a fight when most of the party is missing health. (Also save your Divine Seal Job Ability -lvl 15- for Curaga to completely fill everyones health. Using Curaga in this method will eliminate extra MP healing costs after a fight and will save time as well. Now at lvl 16 most mages mp pools (even tarus) will be too small to use Curaga often, but if you can manage it always try to leave enough MP for one.
[glow=red,2,300]4)[/glow] -Bar- spells like "Barfira" are very useful tools to help reduce damage taken by moves/spells that have elemental properties. Most of these spells don't last very long so you usually have to recast after every 1-2 fights. Mob abilities like Bomb Toss are fire based so use Barfira to help reduce dmg to all your melee. Cursed Sphere is water based. Some may argue these bar effects are negligible but I would always recommend using them if you know the mobs you are fighting are going to be using these moves often.
[glow=red,2,300]Post Hell, Subjobs and beyond... oh and more hell...[/glow]
-- Ok now you have achieved at least lvl 18 and left the Dunes behind, hopefully but probably not forever
. You also have you SJ (subjob) now so make sure that it's lvled before you progress further. What SJ you say? Well let's look at the options...--[glow=red,2,300]BLM[/glow] is undeniably the most popular and viable SJ WHM uses. You get the 2nd largest MP pool bonus, spells like Blind for Mob debuff (enfeebling magic, which I personally used a lot in Pties) and during the lower lvls, sometimes you can even land a few decent powered nukes (elemental spells) or assist with a MB (Magic Burst). Once you hit lvl 34 you get Warp (BLM 17) and this is great for after you learn your teleport spells starting at 36 for getting back to town. You will also will get the Elemental Seal JA (BLM 15) at lvl 30 for pretty much gauranteed debuff lands - this is especially useful when using Sleep or Sleepga to help when athe PT gets a link or aggro and they need help sleeping the Mob.
Line 1 = /ja "Elemental Seal" <me>
Line 2 = /wait 1
Line 3 = /ma "Sleep" <t>
Set that up as a emergency use macro for a quick ES + Sleep. There have been many times while I was lvling WHM that the BLM or RDM had sleep resisted, had multiple mobs and only slept one, or got thier casting interrupted when trying to sleep and I saved thier (and the PT's) ass by landing the sleep.
Anyways /BLM is an extremely good choice as a SJ all throughout your career as a WHM. ^^
-- [glow=red,2,300]RDM[/glow] is pretty much similar to BLM except the MP pool bonus is not as large and you will not get Elemental Seal or the aga spells. However you will receive Fast Cast bonus at 30 (15 RDM) and 70 (35 RDM) which is very nice in general. Nothing like saving someone with a Cure that wouldn't have hit fast enough otherwise ^^ . You will also get the Phalanx spell for extra DMG resistance in case you get into trouble at 66 (33 RDM) and Dispel at 64 (RDM 32). Now by the time you get Dispel you should be partying with a job that can use this like RDM, BRD, BLU however there have been times when I was PTing without Dispel and have subbed RDM for it. Also good for Solo as you will also get the -En_ spells for elemental weapon DMG bonus. RDM in short is a very nice SJ as well.
- [glow=red,2,300]SMN[/glow] I have not yet tried as I am currently lvlng my SMN ; ;. However I know it is a very popular SJ choice as it will give you the largest MP pool bonus and teh uber Job Trait at 50 WHM (25 SMN) Auto-Refresh
. While I don't know for sure whether this is the best way to go as I don't have any experience with it or any other added bonuses /SMN will give, the simple 1 MP / 3 sec refresh tick can't be bad lol. Combine that with a Noble's Tunic (68 WHM only Body piece that gives Auto-refresh) or Relic Body (also refreshes) + if XPing in Aht Urgan areas with Sanction Refresh you can achieve 3mp/tick by yourself. Have a RDM, BRD, COR or combination and you will get MP back faster than you can use it O.O .... well kinda -- [glow=red,2,300]BLU[/glow] I have no idea if this a good SJ for WHM, I'm assuming the MP pool bonus is comparable to RDM or less and I don't know of any benfits in general besides DEF bonus spells. I'll try to research this as an option but I don't really see it as viable except for Solo maybe.
Other than that i'm not sure what other SJ would be very good for WHM in XP parties. BRD might be ok under certain circumstances - Mages Ballad 1. NIN would be of course good for solo but really only after you get Utsusemi: Ni at 74. Anyways those are the most Popular choices I know of.
[glow=red,2,300]Levels 18-25[/glow]
-- You may stay in Valkurm until lvl 20 or you may go to Qufim Island which is a very popular place to lvl 18-25 (mostly 20-25). However there are other options, most ppl just don't use/ know about them. There is typically never just one place to XP at any lvl. Anyways Qufim is probably where you'll be.
At lvl 20 WHM get a spell called 'Sneak'. While you have the effects of Sneak any Mobs (barring True sight/ Sound) that aggro by sound will not came after you. Use this to sneak by worms and all undead in Qufim, help out your PT members too, they will appreciate it ^^. At 25 WHM get 'Invisible' spell, which while active will avoid any Sight aggro like the giants in Qufim.
At lvl 21 WHM gets Cure III and [glow=red,2,300]Regen[/glow]. Welcome to one of your new best friends. Cure III is obviously nice for the larger curing capacity, but again, do not overuse this as it will get you large amounts of hate. Regen however feel free to use liberally. Regen costs 15 Mp to cast and regenerates 5Hp/3sec tick. The spell lasts for 25 ticks or 75 seconds, resulting in a total of 125 HP regained. I cannot stress enough how useful regen spells are, especially for PLD tanks. If you don't keep a PLD tank regen'd I will come find you in game and skull thump you with my club. >:/ Always keep regen on the tank. NIN tanks can be the exception to using regen at times. NIN are fine to use regen on as well but focus more on straight cures when they start to take DMG as they will take DMG faster than PLD. There have been times when I was trying to keep my NIN tank regen and he almost died due to regen haveing a long cast time. If a DD (damage dealer) in your PT gets hit and is not seriously hurt cast a regen on him. This will take care of healing him at low MP cost and if he continues to draw hate you already have a headstart and continued heal for him. So Regen may have a long cast time but it is an extremely useful spell and every time I go through Qufim I see too many WHM under utilizing or just plain not using it ; ;.
At lvl 25 WHM gets Raise ^^. This is one of the most important spells you willl ever learn as i'm sure you will encounter plenty of dead ppl on your journey. Once you hit 25 you are becoming a very useful and almost fully functional WHM. Congratualtions! now if you ever go to Valkurm Dunes again you will get /tells for raises almost gauranteed lol.
[glow=red,2,300]Levels 24/25-75 [/glow]
Note: while there are always more popular places to XP sometimes those areas become overcrowded so you will likely start to see a lot of different places to lvl. I'll go over some examples but as I don't know every zone for every lvl I will just go over more details for what you should be doing in general, gear, food, spells, tactics wise.
Kazham / Elshimo Region (Yuhtunga and Yhoater Jungles)
- are most likely where you will be lvling anywhere from 24/25 - 32/33 although now as you lvl more you will see an inceasing number of different areas to XP in.
- Both Yuhtunga and Yhoater jungles are similar in many ways and most XP parties will fight primarily Mandragora's in both of them. Goblins also being a more risky but viable option depending on your PT setup. Sahagins, Pugils, etc. are all options also available but more rarely used. If you are fighting Mandragora's you will quickly learn to hate them. They are monk type mobs that hit 2x per attack and have an extremely annoying AoE sleep move that you as a WHM will need to always be aware of avoiding by not sticking to close to the fight. The last thing any PT wants is for thier WHM to be slept and therefor unable to cure. Now if you are already unaware of this little fact; Curing someone (regardless of what type of cure spell) will wake them up from sleeping. This is very important here as your tank and DD will be getting put to sleep very often. This is going to be where the 'do not curaga in the middle of a fight' rule is going to be broken. When the entire PT is sleeping and you have the extra MP to spare it may be a good idea to cast curaga to wake everone up in one shot. If you are going to be using curaga it may be a good idea to keep Blink cast on yourself to help avoid any dmg after you cast.You do not have to do this! But it can help depending on the situation - you make the call. At this point the tank should have an easier time regaining the mobs attention. Once you hit lvl 28 you can learn the Stoneskin spell which will protect you from any dmg until the mob eats through the stoneskin. You will usually be able to take a few hits before taking any real dmg so this is a lifesaver. At 27 you will learn Protectra II which will also help in dmg reduction. Also regardless of what mobs you are fighting in these jungles this will probably be around when hMP+ foods may start being more beneficial than Pies and other Max MP+ foods. Mandy's AoE sleep, goblins bomb toss etc. you will be seeing a lot of AoE attacks that will be taxing your MP and you will need to regain as fast as possible while resting.
Lvl 29 spell Cursna - This spell removes the effects of curse. Simple enough and good but this spell will not remove the curse/weakened state after being raised. You simply have to wait it out.
Lvl 32 spell Erase - when you reach lvl 32 you will be able to learn the spell Erase. This is an extremely good spell and IMO very important to have. This used to be the most expensive WHM spell there was, i'm not sure about current prices but I think it's really very cheap now. Anyways back in the day some WHM skipped learning this spell until later when they could afford it.
Anyways back to the point. Spells like Poisana, Blindna, Paralyna etc. all work to cure a specific staus ailment. Erase on the other hand works on a very wide multitude of status effects that other spells can't cure. Erase will not work on any status effects that your other spells will, like blind, poison etc. However it will remove the effects of Slow, Bio, Dia, Evasion down, Accuracy Down, Max HP down, Gravity etc etc. There are some status effects that Erase will not work on ; ; like imps Amnesia. But there aren't many things a WHM can't cure.
- thats all for now, when i have more time ill continue to update this, feel free to correct me or just plain call BS on whatever you disagree with. then i will remind you that im the 75 whm here
more soon to followDecided to post my current gear here, there's quite a few pieces i still want but if I ever buy a Noble's tunic i'll pretty much consider my WHM to be complete for the time being... as a taru I can get away with focusing less on MP+ and such and more -enmity. Cure clogs + merited cure casting time -12%(current) = -27% casting time(will be 35% at full merit ^^)
