FFXI Final Fantasy XI Red Mage Guide 2


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This Red Mage Guide was written by Danielsan.

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 \ Dans Red Mage Guide to Final Fantasy 11 /
  \=======================================/
       \ E-mail : DanAK97@Yahoo.com /
        \==========================/
              \ 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. The Red Skills

  3. Important Terms

  4. Choosing a Race

  5. Choosing a Sub

  6. Abilities and Traits

  7. Spells and Magic

  8. Equipment

  9. Artifact Armor

  10. Acquiring the AF Equipment

  11. How to play a Red Mage

  12. Where to level

  13. 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


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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 @ "

  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
SkillnameRankDescription
SwordBDuh...
DaggerBYeah...
1h ClubDAgain...
ArcheryDBows...
ThrowingFF = Failure
EvasionDPretty Obvious
ParryingEBlock attacks w/ weapon, occasionally
ShieldFBlock attacks w/ shield, sometimes (F!)


Magic SkillsRankDescription (No, Seriously this time!)
DivineELight Based Spells, like Banish.
HealingC-Helps Healing Magic Spells, more skill = more HP
EnhancingB+Increases duration of SOME (not all) Buffs
ElementalC+Attack spells like Fire, Water, Thunder, etc
EnfeeblingA+Affects Debuff Accuracy (IMPORTANT!)
DarkEAffects 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 amount 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 4. Choosing a Race


    --------------------------

    Lets face it. Some races just aren't 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 5. 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 imaginewhy. 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 6. 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 NameLevel
    Resist Petrify10
    Fast Cast15
    Magic Attack20
    Magic Defense25
    Resist Petrify30
    Clear Mind31
    Fast Cast35
    Magic Attack40
    Magic Defense45
    Resist Petrify50


    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 Casttrait 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 7. 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 spellsthat ONLY a White mage or Black Mage can learn. However Red Mages do get a few spells to call their own.

    Unique 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.

    SpellLevelMPDescription
    Dia17Lowers targets defense and deals 1 damage/tick
    Cure38Restores targets HP, Cap is 30 HP
    Stone49Earth based damage to target
    Poison55Deals 1 damage/tick
    Barstone56Increases your earth resistance
     
    Paralyze66Target randomly "skips" actions (is paralyzed)
    Protect79Improve targets defense by 10 points
    Barsleep77Increases your sleep resistance
    Blind85Lowers targets accuracy
    Water913Water based damage to target
    Barwater96Increases your water resistance
    Bio1022Lowers targets attack and deals 1 damage/tick
    Barpoison109Increases your poison resistance
     
    Bind118Target is unable to move (can still attack)
    Aquaveil1212Reduces spell interruption
    Barparalyze1211Increase your Paralyze resistance
    Slow1315Slow targets attack speed
    Baraero136Increase your wind resistance
    Aero1418Wind based damage to target
    Cure II1424Restores targets HP, Cap is 90 HP
    Diaga1512Casts an Area of effect version of Dia
    Deodorize1510Prevents enemies from smelling you
     
    Enthunder1612Adds lightning damage to your melee attacks
    Shell1718Improves targets magic defense
    Barfire176Increases your fire resistance
    Silence1816Target is unable to cast magic
    Barblind1813Increase your blind resistance
    Enstone1812Adds earth damage to your melee attacks
    Fire1924Fire based damage to target
    Sneak2012Prevents enemies from hearing you
    Enaero2012Adds wind damage to your attacks.
    Blazing 208Deals fire damage to enemys who attack you
    Spikes
     
    Gravity2124Lowers targets movement and evasion
    Barblizzard216Increases your ice resistance
    Regen2115Automaticly restores 5 HP/tick
    Enblizzard2212Adds ice damage to your melee attacks
    Blink2320Causes next attack/spell to miss you
    Barsilence2315Increase your silence resistance
    Blizzard2430Deals ice based damage to target
    Enfire2412Adds fire damage to your melee attacks
    Sleep2519Puts target to sleep
    Barthunder256Increases your lightning resistance
    Invisible2515Prevents enemies from seeing you
     
    Cure III2646Restores targets HP
    Protect II2728Increases targets defense
    Enwater2712Adds water damage to your melee attacks
    Thunder2937Lightning based damage to target
     
    Dia II3159Lowers targets defense more, deals 1 hp/tick
    Dispel3225Remove a helpful enchantment from target
    Phalanx 3321Gives you a certain level of damage resistance
    Stoneskin3429Absorbs a certain ammount of damage
    Stone II3543Stronger Earth based damage to target
     
    Bio II3666Lowers targets attack more, deals 1 hp/tick
    Shell II3737Increase targets magic defense
    Raise38150Brings a dead player back to life
    Barvirus3925Increase your virus resistance
    Water II4051Stronger Water based damage to target
    Ice Spikes4016Deals ice damage to enemys who attack you
     
    Refresh4140Automaticly restores 3 MP/tick
    Barpetrify4320Increase your petrify resistance
    Aero II4559Stronger Wind based damage to target
     
    Poison II4638Stronger version of Poison
    Sleep II4629Stronger version of Sleep
    Protect III4746Increase targets defense
    Cure IV4888Restores targets HP
    Haste4840Increase targets attack speed
    Fire II5068Stronger fire based damage to target
     
    Shell III5756Increase targets magic defense
    Shock Spikes6024Deals thunder damage to enemys who attack you
    Protect IV6364Increase targets defense
    Stone III65108Earth based damage to target
    Water III67 119Water based damage to target
    Shell IV68 Increase targets magic defense
    Aero III69159Wind based damage to target
     
    Fire III71145Fire based damage to target
    Blizzard III73158Ice based damage to target
    Cure V73144Restores targets HP
    Thunder III75 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.

    -=Star Struck=-
    Client : Koru-Moru, Windurst Walls
    Reward: Circlet, lvl 9 RDM Headgear
    Required: Medium Fame

    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 8. 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 9. 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 10. 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 11. 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 12. 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 13. 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 unision "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.
    "<generic-monster-of-DEATH> hits Lethos for <severe-overkill> 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!

    Skryer has all your Final Fantasy XI cheats, exploits, hacks, guides, strategies, and more!