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\ Dans Red Mage Guide to Final Fantasy 11 /
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\ E-mail : DanAK97@Yahoo.com /
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\ Version 1.60 /
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Sections
The Intro Stuff
1. Version and Things to come
2. About me
3. Why write this FAQ?
4. Disclaimer
Getting into the Class
1. The Red Mage Job
2. Important Terms
3. Choosing a Race
4. Choosing a Sub
5. Abilities and Traits
6. Spells and Magic
7. Equipment
8. Artifact Armor
9. Acquiring the AF Equipment
10. How to play a Red Mage
11. Where to level
12. BALLISTA!
Closure
1. Frequantly Asked Questions
2. Credit and Thanks
Intro Section 1. Version and Things to come
-------------------------------------------
Coming in a future version...
Acquiring the Red Mages AF armor
A more complete list of quests for scrolls
Version 1.6 -Added a new section, BALLISTA!
04/23/04
Version 1.5 -Updated trait stacking
03/21/04 -Fixed a few quests
-Added listing of ALL RDM skill ranks
-Small gramatical changes
Version 1.4 -Added complete info on the Red Mages AF weapon
02/10/04 -New section on getting the AF equipment
Version 1.3 -Apparently by fixing gramatical errors, I manage
02/07/04 to create totally new ones, which I've now totally
fixed. I think...
-Red Mage AF section partially complete.
-Almost completely finished the spell list.
Version 1.2 -Added a list of spells the RDM can use
02/05/04 along with level requirement, and MP cost.
Version 1.1 -Fixed a few gramatical and spelling errors.
02/04/04 Added a tiny bit more material, nothing stand-out-ish.
Version 1.0 -The original.
02/02/04
Intro Section 2. About the Author
---------------------------------
Every FAQ needs one of these, but most need a shorter version then what
they have, so ill keep it short and sweet. I play a Red Mage (as well
as many other classes) on the Seraph Server. I go by the handle Danielsan,
and any e-mails asking me if I know Mr Miagi will be ignored. =P
Also, dont spam me, flame me, or anything like that... All other e-mails
that follow a rational thought pattern will (eventually) be responded to.
I appreciate any corrective information as long as you dont start the
letter as so..."st0pib n00b my !nf0 pwns j0 fAq"
Seraph Server : Danielsan (I have not played in weeks due to class)
E-mail : DanAK97@Yahoo.com
AIM : DanAK97
Intro Section 3. Why Write this FAQ?
------------------------------------
I felt like it. I only saw one other Red Mage guide at the time and it seemed a
very incomplete and vauge, so I decided to create my own.
Simple as that.
Plus im currently playing the RDM class, after partying along side many
at higher levels, and greatly enjoying it.
Intro Section 3. Disclaimer and the Legal Junk
----------------------------------------------
So far several websites have official permission to post this FAQ.
www.gamefaqs.com
www.ign.com
www.neoseeker.com
There have been a bunch of others that have formally asked me, and recieved my
permission, but right now im STILL too lazy to go look up
who, and so the list remains as is.
You can use this guide however you want as long as you follow these
simple rules:
1. Dont profit from my work (I.E. You cant print and then sell this guide)
2. The FAQ must remain in its original form. That means dont replace my name
with your own, you lamer. I did write it after all. Its not like im
asking you to send Gil to my delivery box, im just asking for the credit
I deserve.Simply having my name on here wont cost you a thing.
3. If your going to copy a peice of the FAQ for your own, please cite mine
and put a link. Even if it just says something short like "Section borrowed
from Danielsans FF11 RDM FAQ, found @
it from>"
4. Send me an e-mail telling me your going to use it, and the url where it
can be found. You dont even need to wait for a response for me. As long as
you followed rule 1, 2, and 3 you should be good to go.
Whew! That was much longer then I wanted it to be....And so without further
Ado, the FAQ!
Section 1. The Red Mage Job
---------------------------
So what exactly is a Red Mage? Well simply put, its a very versatile class that
can do a little bit of everything. A Red Mage (henceforth RDM) is capable of
using some Melee Weapons, casting some White Mage (henceforth WHM) spells, some
Black Mage (BLM) spells, and wearing some armor. However they also have their
own set of spells that can only be used by a Red Mage.
What all this means is you can fill gaps in a party if needed, you can cover
healing but your no WHM, and your nukes will never put out the raw damage a
BLM is capable of. But for the most part, a Red Mage is a Buff/Debuff class.
And as simple proof, they are the ONLY Class that has a perfect score in
Enfeebling. Thus skill will increase slightly faster, and more importantly,
the Cap (max value for the skill) will be higher then another same level class
with a lower rank in that skill. A WHM or BLM may be capable of casting debuffs
but they may find the monsters resist more, and the duration isnt quite what it
should be. Obviously, the reason is their Enfeeble skill caps (maxes out) at a
lower value for the same level then a Red Mages would. All classes have
Rank A skills which will help make it obvious what they should primarilary
be doing.
Examples of classes and their Perfect Rank skills...
Warrior - 2 Handed Axe skill
White Mage - Healing skill (duh?)
Red Mage - Enfeebling
I could list more but I think you get the idea...
Section 2. Red Mage Skills
-------------------------
Combat Skills
-------------
Skillname Rank Description
--------- ---- -----------
Sword B Duh...
Dagger B Yeah...
1h Club D Again...
Archery D Bows...
Throwing F F = Failure
Evasion D Pretty Obvious
Parrying E Block attacks w/ weapon, occasionally
Shield F Block attacks w/ shield, sometimes (F!)
Magic Skills Rank Description (No, Seriously this time!)
------------ ---- --------------------------------------
Divine E Light Based Spells, like Banish.
Healing C- Helps Healing Magic Spells, more skill = more HP
Enhancing B+ Increases duration of SOME (not all) Buffs
Elemental C+ Attack spells like Fire, Water, Thunder, etc
Enfeebling A+ Affects Debuff Accuracy (IMPORTANT!)
Dark E Affects Dark Accuracy (Bio, Drain, and Aspir)
On a side note, why do RDM get a divine skill yet no divine spells?
Section 3. Important Terms
--------------------------
Stats:
Str - Strength, factors into melee damage
Dex - Dexterity, helps melee accuracy and has a small critical hit chance
Agi - Agility, helps ranged accuracy, and evasion in general
Vit - Vitality, Helps your defense out
Int - Intelligence, Magic Damage, Helps defeat enemy spell resistance
Mnd - Mind, Determines healing spell power, and helps you resist spells
Cha - Charisma, Mostly a stat for helping Bard songs and Beastmaster charming
ATTACKER - Any class that deals damage primarily through physical combat.
Being an attacker does NOT automaticly make you a tank, and vice versa.
TANK - The member who will be taking the hits. Typically a PLD and/or WAR but
at very low levels most attackers can get away with it. Provoke is a must if
your the tank. To best understand Attacking and Tanking, you should go read
another FAQ, since this is the first and last time I will mention either.
Both are somewhat outside the scope of the RDM class.
HATE - Whoever has the most hate will by the one the monster aims at. Doing
anything that hinders the monster (like attacking, debuffing) or helps the
party (healing or using abilties), will build up hate. Even sitting down to
regen HP/MP builds up hate.
BUFF - Any spell that increases your/party performance. The spell "Enfire",
which adds fire damage to melee attacks, is a good example.
DEBUFF - Any spell that decreases your opponents performance. Blind is a very
common and useful spell, which reduces your targets melee accuracy.
ENFEEBLING - The skill which is factored into the opponent resisting your
"Debuffs." A higher skill means the enemy resists less often.
PULL - One player angers a monster, typically by shooting a bow or throwing a
boomerang at it. Once the monster is after the player, s/he then retreats to
the "camp" where the party engages the monster. In an unsuccessful pull, the
player pulling can sometimes suffer an untimely death. The key is to use
ranged weapons so as to have a generous headstart.
CAMP - The spot the party determines will be the battle ground for their
fights. This lets the mages rest while a puller searches for the next target.
A very basic and common, yet amazingly efficent tactic. Obviously dont choose
a spot where aggressive enemies appear.
BC - Burning Circle - An area where certain special events or boss battles
are triggered.
NM - Notorious Monster - A hero monster who is much more powerful then the
surrounding area would warrent. Be warned, some of these are soloable at level
15 while others can tear a level 75 party to peices before you can even yell
"Benidiction!" It really depends on the paticular NM.
BCNM## - Burning Circle Notorious Monster ## - Basicly I mention this because
its the affordable way to get refresh. Note that I said affordable, not safe
or easy. The ## at the end signify what the level cap is. Anyone above the
level cap thats participating, will be reduced to the capped level for the
duration of the fight, and believe me, its a LONG Fight. So you may need to
prepare equipment and spell macros.
RDM - Red Mage
WHM - White Mage
BLM - Black Mage
AF - Artifact Armor
JSE - Job Specific Equipment
RSE - Race Specific Equipment
TICK - No, not a tiny blood sucking parasite. The ammount of time for a regen
effect to happen. When talking about Auto-Refresh or Auto-Regen, a tick is
every 3 seconds roughly (exactly one vandiel minute). When refering to
Sitting (meditating) a tick is every time you gain that small regeneration of
HP/MP. Sitting longer yeilds a small but cumulative increase to the regen
rate, by the way.
Section 3. Choosing a Race
--------------------------
Lets face it. Some races just arent built to play certain classes. Galka and
Elvaan tend to make poor Red Mages. Im not saying you cant be one so dont even
think of spamming or flaming me, but in my opinion they just arent good choices
for a classthat centers around having INT and MP. On the other hand, Taru have
the MP but lack a few of the other stats the RDM might want (Str, Vit). However
at the higher levels the added MP and INT will really help alot and compensate
for the lack of other stats, so its all a matter of personal taste and style.
Galka/Elvaan
Pro : High HP, strength and vitality. Elv have good MND too
Con : The most important stats, Int and MP, are terribbly low
Neither race is well suited for a RDM. The high HP wont help much because you
dont really take damage. So while these races may do just fine for the early
levels, when you start to get higher your low key stats will really start to
hinder your progress and effectiveness.
Hume
Pro : Well Rounded Stats, Balanced HP and MP, Can easily play all other classes
Con : No stat excels or stands out
Humes are well rounded, as are RDM, so Hume make a good choice. The ring Humes
get for starting in Bastok is HP +3 DEX +1 VIT +1
Mithra
Pro : Higher AGI and DEX then Hume. Can play most other classes easily
Con : Lower Vit and Mnd. Chr doesnt matter much, but its very low. Females only
Mithra have a slightly higher AGI which helps dodge and DEX which helps your
melee attacks hit. The lower MND and VIT dont really hurt too much. But damn
the female character only thing! Damn you Square Enix!! The ring Mithra get
for starting in Windurst is MP +3, INT +1 AGI +1.
TaruTaru
Pro : Tons of MP, Higher INT, Slightly Higher AGI (then a Hume)
Con : Drasticly lower HP, Strength, and Vitality. Slightly lower MND
TaruTaru also make good RDM because of the MP and INT. However the HP MP
pools are too similar and can cause your Converts to fall short of topping off
your MP. Also their STR and VIT suck, so they need more then a small AGI boost
to compensate. And they are so goddamn...short and cute...I just want to...
punt a field goal with one....The ring Tarus get for starting in Windurst is
the same as mithra, MP +3, INT +1, AGI +1.
Section 4. Choosing a Subjob
----------------------------
This is a very important aspect, and often sparks heated debates between
players that can lead to unrest in a party, hurt feelings, and petty name
calling. Lets all take a minute to realize its a game and people are free to
choose whataver subjob they want. Having said that, be aware that at higher
levels, a Galka Red Mage/Warrior is not likely to get too many invites
compared to a Hume Red Mage/Black Mage.
Subs for Red Mage
Warrior - You'll have a Defense Bonus, eventually an Attack bonus, and some
nifty abilities to keep your chain spell company. However, what you really
want at higher levels is MP and INT and warrior simply fails to deliver. The
same mostly holds true for all the Non MP using classes such as Theif, Monk,
Samurai, Ranger, Beastmaster and Dragoon.
Bard - Bards are very good as a main job but get reamed in the arse when
subbed. No instrument, and songs that are WAY behind the level that they would
be useful at, should make you reconsider using Bard as a sub for any class.
Ninja - Surprisingly, this seems to pop up as a RDM sub very often at low
levels. Considering that its not a very good sub for a RDM I cant imagine
why. You dont really get any useful Ninjitsu, and Duel Weild lets you weild
two weapons, but the delay time is doubled, so whats the point unless your
going to get a high ninja level, when duel weild stacks and reduces delay time.
Paladin - This sub actually adds some decent MP, some defense, but lacks in the
INT area. The MND boost isnt bad, but Paladin makes a better Main job. By no
means will you be able to tank when subbing PLD.
Dark Knight - Heres an intresting combo I have yet to try. Compared to Black
Mage, the INT is only a tiny bit worse (like 2 points), but the MP lacks a
little, which really hurts your convert ability. Also it doesnt add nearly
as many useful spells and abilites as BLM. The attack bonuses dont hurt
either, but RDM would get it around the time their Melee damage really drops
off compared to an Attack class, making them mostly worthless in the grand
scheme of things. Weapon bash is a wasted skill, and Using Souleater
(Sacrificing your HP to do extra melee damage) conflicts with Convert
(sacrificing your HP to restore MP)
Summoner - You still have a very high INT, Good MND, and your MP pool will be
big. However the summons are all half level, which means they kind of suck.
Auto-Refresh is useful, but RDM get Convert and the Refresh spell 10 levels
sooner so its not as useful as one might think. So while this is a good sub,
its not a great sub.
White Mage - Now were getting to the Good stuff. White Mage is the "prefered"
sub till mid-high levels. A RDM/WHM has a good HP and MP pool, as well as the
ability to be a strong backup healer with a solid MND attribute. Clear Mind
helps regen MP, and it stacks with the RDM clear Mind as well. Divine Seal
(Whm 15) is a good ability for when you hit RDM 30, and auto-regen at 50
(whm 25) never hurts. You can get some of the party buff spells (like
protectra) and your INT is also decent. WHM is the best sub to start, and
the second best RDM sub after lvl 30 or 35 (in my opinion). This is also
the prefered sub job for RDM's doing BCNM 40.
Black Mage - Save the best for last, I always say. This is the prefered sub for
the higher levels, once you really start to get going. With the 2nd Best MP
(Summoner is 1st) and the Best INT, this seems to take the cake. Better still is
the 2nd and 3rd BLM Magic Attack traits stack with the RDM Magic Attack traits,
making for some excellent spell damage. Black Mages also get Elemental Seal
which
is a great ability for debuffing. And at RDM lvl 40 (BLM 20) you will also get
MP
conserve which sometimes randomly reduces the cost to cast spells. Warp at RDM
lvl 34 also helps to make you lazy. =P
Section 5. Abilities and Traits
-------------------------------
Active Abilities - These abilities must be activated by the player. They have
limited durations, and a refresh time (sometimes called a "cooldown" time)
before they can be used again, but you already knew that didnt you?
Chainspell - Level 1
This is the RDM jobs 2hr. Some people say it sucks but they obviously havent
been using it correctly. True, its use is not quite as obvious as Manafont
(the BLM 2hr) or Invincible (PLD 2hr) but in the right situation it can be
very handy. If used properly you can drop tons of spells on a target in a
matter of seconds!
Duration - 30 seconds
And of course being the "2hr" ability, the refresh time is, 2 Hours.
Convert - Level 40
This ability will finally show up in your job skill list at level 40 (by now
chainspell must have been getting lonely) and its well worth the wait. Its
simple purpose is to directly and instantly swap your HP and MP values. So
if you have 2 MP but 500 HP, after using convert you will have 2 HP and 500
MP (you cannot exceed your BASE HP or MP, which do NOT swap with this ability).
One last thing, use it VERY carefully while in combat because it can get you
killed.
Duration - Instant HP <-> MP swap
Refresh Time - 10 minutes
Passive Traits - These abilities are always "on" and working. And yes, they
are cumulative.
Trait Name level
---------- -----
Resist Petrify 10
Fast Cast 15
Magic Attack 20
Magic Defense 25
Resist Petrify 30
Clear Mind 31
Fast Cast 35
Magic Attack 40
Magic Defense 45
Resist Petrify 50
Resist Petrify - This trait prevents you from being petrified as easily, and
supposedly reduces the duration even if you are. I havent seen it in action
too much, and I doubt anyone will find it very useful. And yes they obviously
stack, so having two resist traits will be stronger then just one.
Fast Cast - Finally, at level 15 the RDM gets a useful trait! Although the
effect may seem small its there. Once you get the 2nd Fast cast you will
notice a drastic casting time decrease, and the RDM AF has another Fast Cast
trait on it (specificly the headgear)
Magic Attack - You may not find this too useful at level 20, but you'll be
glad to hame them later on. This somewhat raises the damage your elemental
skills do (Stone, Water, Aero, etc)
Magic Defense - Really, this one is self explanatory. And though it wont stand
out much, its effects are there and can come in handy at times.
Clear Mind - The RDM gets this trait very very late, compared to both the WHM
and BLM but its much needed as your MP becomes more and more important as you
gain levels. Of course at 40 you get convert which easily offsets the lack of
multiple clear minds the other mage jobs get to stack.
NOTE: If your sub a job that gives a trait which is identical to one of your
main jobs traits, the first instances of the trait DO NOT STACK. The second
third and so on DO STACK. For example, the FIRST Black Mage Magic Atk up
trait and Clear Mind trait will NOT Stack with the Red Mages FIRST Magic Atk
and Clear Mind traits, but all the rest will stack. Why Square Enix did this
I cannot say but it has certainly been a topic of great confusion and
misunderstanding in the past.
Section 6. Spells and Magic
---------------------------
Spells for a Red Mage are pretty easy to figure out. The easiest way is to go
to your local Auction House and look under Scrolls, then either White or Black
Magic. The levels and classes that can use that spell will all be listed. Red
Mage can use a fair number of both spells, but note that there are drawbacks.
In most instances, the level requirement is higher then either a WHM or BLM,
or the spell has a diminished effect.
For example, Stone is a lvl 1 BLM spell, and Cure is a level 1 WHM spell, but
RDMs cannot learn Cure till level 3 and Stone till level 4. Another example is
protect. At level 7, a RDM can learn Protect, which targets a single person.
But a WHM at level 7 can learn ProtetRA which hits the entire party with
protect for the same MP cost as one protect spell. Also there are many spells
that ONLY a White mage or Black Mage can learn. However Red Mages do get a few
spells to call their own.
Unquie Red mage spells mostly consist of the En's. These add damage to your
melee attacks. Its pretty simple, you cast on yourself and for the duration of
the spell every melee hit you land will also deal small elemental damage. This
works best with fast weapons that hit often. All of the spells are fairly easy
to acquire through the towns spell shop or the AH. If your having trouble
affording or finding a certain spell scroll, odds are its one that can be
acquired through a quest or NM drop.
Here is a list of all the spells a Red Mage can cast. Im missing MP value for
a few still.
Spell level MP Description
----- ----- -- -----------
Dia 1 7 Lowers targets defense and deals 1 damage/tick
Cure 3 8 Restores targets HP, Cap is 30 HP
Stone 4 9 Earth based damage to target
Poison 5 5 Deals 1 damage/tick
Barstone 5 6 Increases your earth resistance
Paralyze 6 6 Target randomly "skips" actions (is paralyzed)
Protect 7 9 Improve targets defense by 10 points
Barsleep 7 7 Increases your sleep resistance
Blind 8 5 Lowers targets accuracy
Water 9 13 Water based damage to target
Barwater 9 6 Increases your water resistance
Bio 10 22 Lowers targets attack and deals 1 damage/tick
Barpoison 10 9 Increases your poison resistance
Bind 11 8 Target is unable to move (can still attack)
Aquaveil 12 12 Reduces spell interruption
Barparalyze 12 11 Increase your Paralyze resistance
Slow 13 15 Slow targets attack speed
Baraero 13 6 Increase your wind resistance
Aero 14 18 Wind based damage to target
Cure II 14 24 Restores targets HP, Cap is 90 HP
Diaga 15 12 Casts an Area of effect version of Dia
Deodorize 15 10 Prevents enemies from smelling you
Enthunder 16 12 Adds lightning damage to your melee attacks
Shell 17 18 Improves targets magic defense
Barfire 17 6 Increases your fire resistance
Silence 18 16 Target is unable to cast magic
Barblind 18 13 Increase your blind resistance
Enstone 18 12 Adds earth damage to your melee attacks
Fire 19 24 Fire based damage to target
Sneak 20 12 Prevents enemies from hearing you
Enaero 20 12 Adds wind damage to your attacks.
Blazing 20 8 Deals fire damage to enemys who attack you
Spikes
Gravity 21 24 Lowers targets movement and evasion
Barblizzard 21 6 Increases your ice resistance
Regen 21 15 Automaticly restores 5 HP/tick
Enblizzard 22 12 Adds ice damage to your melee attacks
Blink 23 20 Causes next attack/spell to miss you
Barsilence 23 15 Increase your silence resistance
Blizzard 24 30 Deals ice based damage to target
Enfire 24 12 Adds fire damage to your melee attacks
Sleep 25 19 Puts target to sleep
Barthunder 25 6 Increases your lightning resistance
Invisible 25 15 Prevents enemies from seeing you
Cure III 26 46 Restores targets HP
Protect II 27 28 Increases targets defense
Enwater 27 12 Adds water damage to your melee attacks
Thunder 29 37 Lightning based damage to target
Dia II 31 59 Lowers targets defense more, deals 1 hp/tick
Dispel 32 25 Remove a helpful enchantment from target
Phalanx 33 21 Gives you a certain level of damage resistance
Stoneskin 34 29 Absorbs a certain ammount of damage
Stone II 35 43 Stronger Earth based damage to target
Bio II 36 66 Lowers targets attack more, deals 1 hp/tick
Shell II 37 37 Increase targets magic defense
Raise 38 150 Brings a dead player back to life
Barvirus 39 25 Increase your virus resistance
Water II 40 51 Stronger Water based damage to target
Ice Spikes 40 16 Deals ice damage to enemys who attack you
Refresh 41 40 Automaticly restores 3 MP/tick
Barpetrify 43 20 Increase your petrify resistance
Aero II 45 59 Stronger Wind based damage to target
Poison II 46 38 Stronger version of Poison
Sleep II 46 29 Stronger version of Sleep
Protect III 47 46 Increase targets defense
Cure IV 48 88 Restores targets HP
Haste 48 40 Increase targets attack speed
Fire II 50 68 Stronger fire based damage to target
Shell III 57 56 Increase targets magic defense
Shock Spikes 60 24 Deals thunder damage to enemys who attack you
Protect IV 63 64 Increase targets defense
Stone III 65 108 Earth based damage to target
Water III 67 119 Water based damage to target
Shell IV 68 Increase targets magic defense
Aero III 69 159 Wind based damage to target
Fire III 71 145 Fire based damage to target
Blizzard III 73 158 Ice based damage to target
Cure V 73 144 Restores targets HP
Thunder III 75 Lightning based damage to target
Quests for Items and Scrolls
Yes I know alot of these are BLM only, many of the quest scrolls are. But
BLM IS the "prefered" RDM sub at high levels after all...
I dont know the exact levels of fame required, im too lazy to go look it up
and its too much work to find out myself. Remember, you can never have too
much fame, so if the quest isnt offered, just do some other quests.
Trade him a meteorite (its rare/ex). It can be found on enemies in the
East/West Sarutabartua areas. Its a very very low drop rate. The
circlet is pretty good for the lvl.
-=Legendary Plan B=-
Client: Kopuro-Popuro, Windurst Woods, Manustery
Reward: Scentless Armlet
Required: Medium Fame, "The All-New C-2000" and
"A Greeting Cardian" quests cleared.
Bring this ambitious Taru a, Revival Root, a Wolfs Hide, and a piece
of Luminicloth. The Cloth is actually a little pricy for a low
level character.
-=Know One's Onion=-
Client: Kohlo-Lakolo, Port Windurst, Behind Warehouse
Reward: Blazing Spikes Scroll
Required: Medium Fame, "Truth, Justice, and the Onion Way" Quest Cleared
Trade 4 Wild Onions to Kohlo-Lakolo. Buy from the AH, or kill the
goblins in the Sarutabarutas and Horutoto Ruins for them.
-=Mean Machine=-
Client: Unlucky Rat ,Bastok Metalworks, 1st floor, Cermet Factory
Reward: Warp scroll, lvl 17 BLM
Required: At least a little fame
Simply go to the Auction house and buy a Slime Oil, then trade it to him.
There are no low level slimes that can drop this, that im aware of, plus its
very cheap at the AH.
-=Making the Grade=-
Client: Fuepepe, Windurst Waters, Aurastery
Reward: Aspir scroll lvl 25 BLM
Requirement: Medium Fame
The quest can be very easy and cost you a few thousand gil, or it
can be very hard, take hours and a full party of level 40+ characters.
The easiest way is to simply buy the "Test Answers" from the Misc section
of the Auction house. The hard way is to journey deep into the Inner
Horutoto ruins and kill the Wendigos (Skeletons) for the test Answers.
-=The Rumor=-
Client: Novalmauge, Chateau d'Oraguille, G-8
Reward: Drain scroll
Required: At least a little fame
Novalmauge wants some Beasts Blood. Buy at the Auction House. Too Easy.
More quests coming...uhh....eventually?
Section 7. Equipment, Weapons and Armor
---------------------------------------
This section is really a no brainer. The Auction house is the best way to tell
what you should be wearing, simply go into the approiate section, sort by
level, then sort by job (in that order, doing it backwards nerfs things up).
Armor - Basicly you should be wearing decent armor, similar to the attacker
classes (not quite as good as the tanks at higher levels). Try to aim for rings
and earings that add MP, INT, MND, and mabye resistance to Air. "Air
resistance you say? Wtf??"
The short answer is the the status effect "silence." It is the bane of every
job that contains the word "Mage", and having a resistance to air also doubles
as a resistance to silence. The Air Solea footgear adds Air resist and Evasion,
which makes for a good peice of footgear that will last you a while. But its up
to you really, Silence doesnt come into play all that often so it really takes
a backseat to the other stats. The "Converts HP to MP" rings are very useful for
Non-Taru RDM. Taru might actually want a "Converts MP to HP" ring. Evasion up
gear is also a good idea.
Weapon and Shield - Just find a good short sword and decent shield. The shield
isnt too important, as long as you have something in that spot for the sake of
your shield skill. At the earlier levels (till late 30s I guess) you can still
hit well and deal good damage despite your best weapon skill (1 handed sword)
not being a Rank A. But as the levels go by, you will slowly notice you start
to miss way too much and dont deal enough damage to those "ITs". At that point
you may want to keep both a good Sword, and a Club that adds +int/mnd so you
can switch as needed.
Section 8. Red Mage AF
----------------------
Quest for AF1: A Red Ordeal
Weapon - Fencing Degen
Level req. 41
Damage 22
Delay 224
MP +10
Int +1
Mnd +1
Other AF Quests Later. For now, heres the stats, so you can drool over them =P
Headgear - A spiffy red hat with a white feather, like in original Final Fantasy
Defense 23
Level req. 60
MP +20
Int +3
Elemental skill +10
Enhances Fast Cast trait
Body - A red vest, it stands out but not nearly as much as the hat
Level req. 58
Defense 44
MP +14
Cha +5
Spell interuption -10%
Enfeebling skill +10
Gloves - Red of course, but as with all the other peices, not as stand outish as
the hat. The hat is like a beacon that simply screams "Im a high level Red
Mage!"
Level req.54
Defense 16
MP +12
Dex +4
Resist Dark +10
Parry skill +10
Legs - No more descriptions, go find a screen shot. A picture is worth a
thousand words. Im pretty sure www.playonline.com has a good one.
Level req. 56
Defense 33
MP +13
Mnd +3
Healing skill +10
Enhancing skill +10
Feet - Red Boots. Screenshot. Find.
Level req.52
Defense 13
MP +11
Agi +3
Resist water +10
Shield skill +10
Section 9. Acquiring the Red Mage AF
------------------------------------
You must do the AF peices in order, from top to bottom. I will have them
all listed in the correct order once I discover how to get other peices.
-=Red Ordeal (AF1)=-
Client: Sharzalion, South San d'Oria, the Pub/Inn
Reward: Fencing Degen (RDM AF Weapon)
Talk to Sharzalion. She will ask for an item, something like Orcish Food.
The NM that drops the key that leads to this item is in Davoi. It will
eventually spawn at E-9 once you kill the place holder orcs. The NM is a
very dangerous Black Mage named Purpleflash. Hes a big fan of the GA's and
II's (such as Firaga or Stone II) so Shell II is a MUST. I think the NM is
only level 45-50, so with 2 players above 55 you should be able to take
him out.
Once he drops the Storage Key, you need to find the "Storage Hole" in Davoi.
This is easier said then done, as the spot seems to teleport randomly around
the zone, every 60-120 seconds. (This is not an exact time, just an educated
guess)
Once you find the hole, quickly trade it the key and get your Orcish Food.
Then simply return and trade it back to your cilent.
NOTE: If you /shout asking (nicely) where the storage holes, nearby players
may tell you if they spot it.
Section 10. How to Play a Red Mage
--------------------------------
In this section I will typify and generalize what a RDM should and should not
be doing in a normal (successful) battle.
When soloing early on (lvl 1-10), simply start by casting a debuff or two from
a distance, then engage the enemy in melee. Theres not much more to it then
that.
In a party you should be focusing on debuffs. Blind, Paralyze, Dia, those kind
of spells. Later, the battles sometime last long enough that the debuffs will
wear off, and so obviously, you will need to recast them. Having a RDM can take
away the need for a BLM and WHM to blow part of their time and MP on Debuffs
that work less often and for shorter periods of time. Debuff Examples are
causing enemy to inflict less damage with Bio, lose attacking time when
Paralyzed, miss altogether with Blind, and lose defense with Dia. Then you
basicly move into melee and start attacking. Also, you can do backup healing
since those debuffs are generally very cheap. Because the enemy is less
dangerous and inflicts far less damage, this means less pressure on the WHM
to heal. More WHM MP means more EXP chains, making RDM a valuable job. Its
probably more efficent to have a RDM and a WHM then to have two WHM, though
dont quote me on that.
Once you get Convert (lvl 40 Ability) and learn Refresh (lvl 41 Spell) Red Mages
become more popular. Many times you will be invited to a party where they dont
really want you to do anything except cast a few debuffs, and then constantly
keep all their mages refreshed. It happens. Also a RDM / WHM can make an
excellent Main Healer when looking to chain enemies, because they can refresh
themselves, and Convert between battles. But typically at 40, you should no
longer need a guide telling you what to do, you should know already to debuff,
En/Melee when needed, Backup heal, and Magic Burst at every oppertunity.
Strategic retreats - This is another area where the RDM shines. When shit hits
the fan and you need to run, more often then not half your party will fall to a
grisly fate before reaching the zone. And if the White Mage uses benidiction,
then s/he is mostly likey the first to fall. However as a Red Mage part of your
job is to see it never comes to such a thing. There are several ways to help
prevent this situation from ever occuring but your 1/6th the party, so if the
other 5/6th manage to botch things up theres not a thing you can do to stop it.
However there are plenty of ways to walk away from such a situation without a
single death.
The first is Bind. A level 11 spell that prevents and enemy from moving. It
doesnt hold strong enemies for more then a few seconds but sometimes thats
enough for your party to make their escape. Enemies can still use spells or
ranged attacked. Not that great at higher levels.
The second, and much more efficent way, is Gravity. A level 21 spell, this
reduces the targets Evasion, and movement speed. As you may know, Monsters
have a nasty habit of hitting you while giving chase, even though they seem
to be too far away and you can never seem to hit them if the situation is
reversed. Most enemies are exactly as fast as a human character and some are
faster....there are very few (if any at all) that are slower. But gravity cuts
down monster movement speed to half! This spell easily allows you and your
party to escape the monsters drasticly oversized melee range, and flee to
safety.
The third and most popular way is sleep. At level 25 RDM learn sleep and so
unless someone damages the monster, it will typically stay asleep for a long
time (a long time to escape, not long enough to sit down and heal) Ive seen
groups of monsters that were totally immobilized by a high level Bard and Mage
using sleep spells and songs so dont underestimate the power of sleep. Just
let your party know not to hit it anymore.
Just be warned when the status wears, and the enemy is unbound, unweighted,
or awake, YOUR most likely going to be their new best friend. Blink or Stoneskin
would be a wise choice.
Section 11. Where to level
-------------------------
level 1-10 - Sub or no sub, you should be able to solo till about level 10.
Start the battle by drawing your weapon from a distance, then casting a spell
on the enemy. Level 1-5 all you really have is Dia, which is fine. At level
6 you get paralyze which is a slow casting spell, making it a prime choice
to start the battle with. Basicly cast your debuffs, then smack the enemy
with your sword till it goes down, curing yourself as needed.
level 10-14 - now you need to start partying. Perfection wont be demanded so
relax and learn the ropes, youve got some space to screw up still, at this
point deaths dont hit your EXP nearly as hard as later on. Better to make your
mistakes early when they wont cost you as much. Basicly one person should pull
to the area youve decided to camp, and inbetween battles all the mages rest
for MP. Simple and basic concept.
level 15-20 - I suggest going to valkurm dunes, since you will want to unlock
your sub job there at level 18 anyways.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
The following is an excerpt from Tyrant234's Subjob/Advanced Job FAQ, also
found at Gamefaqs.com
There are two places you can obtain a sub-job. The first
of which is Selbina, in the Valkurm Dunes, halfway between
San d'Oria and Bastok. The second is Mhuara, a port city
Northeast of Windurst.
Once you receive the SubJob quest from either Selbina or
Mhaura, you cannot go to the other town and attempt to do
that quest. Be absolutely certain you want to do the quest
in the town that you are in before talking to the NPC that
enables that quest. Those NPC's are Isacio and Vera, from
Selbina and Mhaura respectively.
In my opinion, the Selbina SubJob quest is the easier of the
two as Snippers, Damselflies and Ghouls are nowhere near
the difficulty of a Bogy at this stage in the game. However,
Bogy's are not near the rarity of a Ghoul, and Ghouls do tend
to have a very low drop rate for the Magicked Skull.
In order to get a SubJob in Selbina, several conditions
must be met:
1) You must have a Damselfly Worm
2) You must have a Magicked Skull
3) You must have a Crab Apron
4) You must be level 18.
In order to get a SubJob in Mhaura, several conditions
must be met:
1) You must have a Dhalmel Spit
2) You must have a Mighty Rarab Tail
3) You must have a Bloody Robe
4) You must be level 18.
And thats all from Tyrant234's Subjob/Advancedjob FAQ.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
I personally agree. Both Ghouls and Bogys only show between the hours of
22:00-4:00 but Bogys are a level 25 monster, and a very nasty one at that.
But if you have a high level friend who doesnt mind coming to kill a bogy
for you, the drop rates on the Bloody Robe arent too bad. From my experiance
they drop the robe about 1/3rd of the time.
level 20-28 - You must make the dangerous walk to Jueno eventually, and 20 is
the level most people choose to go. Thats because the chocobo quest is doable
at 20 (NOTE: Now its 15 but it used to be 20) and this way you dont need to
leave and go back to valkurum to get your sub job unlocked. You can also start
leveling at Quifim (connected to port jueno) at level 20. The enemys there
start getting weak at 26 or 27, and By 28 you cant even chain enemies for
good exp anymore. Thats when you know its time to move on.
After that, most people move to Khazam, or one of the areas surrounding Jueno,
but where you go is up to you...
Section 12. BALLISTA!
---------------------
Ballista is an awesome new (at the time of my writing this) feature that has
been added. You get to join a team of people from the same nation (Windurst,
SanDoria, or Bastok) and duke it out with people from other nations, in a
game that appears to be a wacky mix of Soccer, Halo, and Kill the Carrier.
The rules are simple (more detailed rules at playonline.com)
You /quarry to find items such as Petras. You can also occasionally find
HP/MP potions, or invisible powder.
Petras are used to score goals. TO score a goal you must touch a ROOK while
you have at least 1 petra and the gate breech status. Your team will gain
points equal to the number of petras you have, you will then lose all petras
and your gate breech status.
By killing an enemy player you recieve "Gate Breech" status which means your
allowed to score.
/quarry digs for items
/sprint is like a mini version of flee that anyone can use, but you CANNOT
use it if you have 1 or more petras.
/scout tells you where the nearest ROOK is
If you DIE you have 3 options (You will Never lose ANY exp during Ballista)
Respawn: Back to a predetermined point. Full Status, No Weakness, But you lose
ALL Petras and Gate Breech Status.
Auto-Raise (Wait): An auto raise type effect will eventually kick in, bringing
you back to life on the spot. Full HP, Half MP, No Weakness, but again you
lose ALL Petras and Gate Breech Status.
Raise: Only occurs a teamates Raises you. You recieve the Weakness effect
(lasts for 5 min), same as any ordinary raise. However you get to keep all
your collected Petras and I think (im not sure) you keep Gate Breech. This
can be dangerous cause one good hit from a powerful foe could bring you down
again, giving that enemy the gate breech status. Plus, 150 MP is ALOT when your
fighting in a 60 minute battle. Endurance is key
Basic Strat
-----------
So far I have just started playing so I have little else to say YET. However
RDM seem to be a very valid class for this game, since they can bind enemy
players, and heal friendlies. I plan to participate in many many ballista
events during the next few weeks so if you see me, /wave!
MAGE TIP: Bring Juice for MP regen. You will ALWAYS be low on mana, unless your
hiding, and thus, not helping your team.
MELEE TIP: Bring Selbina Milk for HP regen. Its not worth a lot of HP but it
can sure save your butt, and its pretty cheap.
Closing Section 1. Frequantly Asked Questions
---------------------------------------------
Wouldnt be much of a FAQ without this section eh? If you have any questsions
not covered in this FAQ feel free to e-mail me.
Q. If Red Mage can do some of everything, doesnt that make it the best class?
A. No! It makes it a very versatile class but you can only do so many things
at once. Red Mage is the best AT Enfeeble. Just like White is the best AT
Healing, and Black Mage is the best AT getting the party killed by casting
stonega into a room full of bats....well you get the idea
Q. Can I solo after level 10?
A. Solo for EXP? Not really, this is a game that emphasizes partying. Only
the beastmaster can effectivly solo for EXP after 15.
Q. Why cant I be a Galka? Or an Elvaan? I dont care what you say, im being
a Galka RDM anyway!
A. Your absolutely right! its your character and your choice, and no one has
any right to tell you what you can and cannot do as long as it doesnt infringe
on their rights. But I do suggest you go read my section titled "choosing a
race" beforehand. Here is an actual quote from a party leader, during one of
my many party experiances.(our party was all about lvl 20, 5 members)
PT Leader "No ones /inv.... except a level 20 RDM/WAR.... elvaan =/ Should
we invite him?" Rest of Party, almost as if responding in usion "No"
So as you can see, you CAN be whatever Race you want, but dont expect parties
to fight over you.
Q. Is Red Mage Expensive? I can never seem to afford everything I want!
A. Red Mage does seem costly at first but its not nearly as bad as a Ranger
or Ninja. Also you can skip alot of spells if your short on gil. The most
important thing to do is to stay current with your debuffs, and try to get
stat + items. Also make sure you have a decent sword and shield, No one will
be expecting you to tank or take much damage so DEF boosting armor should
come last.
Q. What foods and drinks should I be using?
A. At lower levels, honey can be found on the bees, so I suggest you simply
store it away till you start to party. You should be able to save up a
stack of 12, or mabye even two stacks. Honey restores a few extra HP and MP
when meditating, and lasts a half hour. Juices add auto-refresh but only
last for a few minutes. Both of those items help with exp chains. The
strength and duration of the refresh vary by the juice type. Later you
will want to start using Khazam Pinnapples and Apple Pies. Pineapples give +5
INT and Apple Pies give +5 INT and +25 MP but Pineapples are much cheaper.
Both last 30 minutes.
Q. So whats the deal?! Do Bio and Dia stack, or cancel each other?!
A. Sadly I have no hard evidence to prove either side, but far more experianced
players seem to believe they cancel, rather then stack. I guess I would have
to say they cancel as well since I dont recall ever seeing Bio and Dia active
at the same time on me. But thats specious reasoning now isnt it...
Q. Why cant I be a really good Galka RDM? I can just use my RSE and get a big
boost to MP and INT! Then I have really high HP, MP and INT! So there!
A. Dont kid yourself into thinking that at level 60 your going to want to
still be wearing your level 30(ish) RSE equipment. Everyone else in your party
will just laugh and laugh....
Q. You mentioned in your 'Where to level' section that the minimum level for the
chocobo quest has dropped to 15, but that's not exactly accurate. I'm pretty
sure you still have to be 20 to do the actual quest, but now you can RIDE at 15
[if you change to a lower level class].
A. Thats entirely possible but all of my characters did the quest well before
the limit was dropped to 15 so I have no way of knowing. Just to clarify, at
15 you can ONLY rent from inside a town (cant rent at Gate Mea, Dem, etc)
and the riding time is half, 15 minutes. No riding gear helps either.
Q. *flame*flame* elvaan and galka make graet RDM @nD pwn @ll u suk n00b *spam*
A. Go fly a kite near some powerlines.
Q. I saw you on a different server then seraph, and you were a real asshole.
jerk.
A. Wasent me, I ONLY play on SERAPH.
Closing Section 2. Credits, Thanks, and stuff that simply dosent fit anywhere
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
First of all, Thank you to all my friends and family who have tolerated me
and my antics over the years, youve all been a great source of inspiration!
Thanks to the members of my linkshell, "Strength in Lunacy" for proving that
sanity and sleep are both greatly over rated.
My special thanks to:
"Simozene" for his help with information gathering,
"Medicus" for his motivational speeches about how school is more important,
"Faranim" for being such a spoony bard, I mean helping with quests,
"Keichan" for loaning (and borrowing) obscene ammounts of money,
"Lhexh" for looking up lots of stuff I was just too lazy to check,
and last but not least,
"Lethos" for providing me with horrible misfortunes to laugh at/about.
" hits Lethos for damage"
No matter how many times it happens, its always funny, if not funnier
My Thanks goes out to both "Square Enix" for making such an addicting game,
and "GameFAQs" for being the first to host my FAQ.
And last (but certainly not least) I thank myself for putting upaid, and
unrewarding hours into writing this FAQ based on my experiance. Go Me!
