New player duo suggestions?

[Tivul]

I'm looking for a good recommendation in terms of two classes that mesh well together and do fairly well duoing for experience. My friend is looking to play a BLM and I'll play just about anything. He's new to the game and I've played a bit before. Any suggestions?

Thanks!

[Pteryx]

Re: New player duo suggestions?

If he wants to play BLM, then of the six starting jobs I suggest Warrior. It's the closest thing to a real tank you can get at this point, as well as a vital tanking subjob. At level 5 you get Provoke. Use that at the start of the battle and every 30 seconds after that, and you'll be doing quite a bit to help your squishier friend stay safe. He'll need to learn restraint himself, though.

If you like playing that way, then once you unlock subjob ability at 18, you level Monk while he levels White Mage; get those to 15, and then use them as your subs to get WAR and BLM to 30. After that, your options open up quite a bit and you'll have seen a lot more of what's out there and can consider if you want to try something new. -- Pteryx

[Lmnop]

Re: New player duo suggestions?

Or you can just use BLM.

2x BLM seems to duo quite well at pretty much any level.

[Tivul]

Re: New player duo suggestions?

Good to know - I'm thinking we'll probably both go BLM or I may go WHM. I'm having a tough time deciding what advanced job I want to main come 30+, though. I think that's mainly due to the fact that I'm not sure what role I wish to take on. I would really like to be a DD, but I know those are by far the most common one can find. SMN always has intrigued me, but I'm not sure if I like the idea of being a main healer. What's the point of having all those cool pets if you don't get to flaunt them :D

[Nandito]

Re: New player duo suggestions?

How about something uncontrollably sexy?

Double Dragoon Duo. Ooooh yeah. Nothing would be more sexy than a male and female in DRG AF duoing... then again, your friend is a guy so uh, duo male in AF is just as good.

Would need a WHM, RDM, or BLU sub to make use of Healing Breath. One alone can solo well, but two is just kickass. Can also duo Avatar prime fights as if they were EP mobs.

[Prons]

Re: New player duo suggestions?

Good to know - I'm thinking we'll probably both go BLM or I may go WHM. I'm having a tough time deciding what advanced job I want to main come 30+, though. I think that's mainly due to the fact that I'm not sure what role I wish to take on. I would really like to be a DD, but I know those are by far the most common one can find. SMN always has intrigued me, but I'm not sure if I like the idea of being a main healer. What's the point of having all those cool pets if you don't get to flaunt them :D

Or you could just level blm all the way without geting an advanced job. Black Mage can solo (and probably duo) well up to 75 or so I hear.

[Ellipses]

Re: New player duo suggestions?

If you're only going to be duoing, there's nothing stopping you from playing SMN (or any other job) however you want, as long as it works for the two of you. Pick-up parties will have expectations, and you'll have varying degrees of success trying to go against those, but if it's just the two of you, do whatever you please.

[Tivul]

Re: New player duo suggestions?

I appreciate all the input from you guys. All this planning and what-not will probably fall by the wayside once I get in-game and see something astonishing that catches my eye, but right now SMN, DRG, and BLM all look intriguing...as do BLU and SCH

[The Mauva Syndicate]

Re: New player duo suggestions?

My husband and I have been mostly duoing - WAR, BLM, WHM, RDM, all have been fun and interesting. With two you will sometimes have odd subjob combinations in order to provide specific skills, that you wouldn't necessarily see in a full party, but its situational (which should really be the FFXI motto).

SCH, BRD, BST, NIN, DNC, SMN are all useful with two, we've found - maybe more, just haven't unlocked the others yet

[Nuriko]

Re: New player duo suggestions?

I would think RDM might be useful later on ... certainly, it's nice to have somebody to make sure the mob sleeps.

[Tivul]

Re: New player duo suggestions?

Quick question: how popular are the following classes nowadays: BLM, RDM, SCH, and BLU?

[Omni]

Re: New player duo suggestions?

blm: not popular for high chain merit parties or xp parties after lv.55. very popular for end game.

rdm: always popular, more so after lv. 32 when you get dispel and is used everywhere

sch: still a new job and still has yet to be adopted in the mainstream but from my experience i think they are great for just about everything. good nukes, good healing, good buffs. i can see sch being popular in end game once more ppl lvl sch.

blu: decent solo'er, not too popular in xp, non existent in end game.

[Tivul]

Re: New player duo suggestions?

I'm sure many of the technical reasons will be way over my head, but any particular reason BLU is so unpopular at end game? Also, has anyone done much digging into what subjobs are decent for a SCH?

[Lunaryn]

Re: New player duo suggestions?

I'm sure many of the technical reasons will be way over my head, but any particular reason BLU is so unpopular at end game? Also, has anyone done much digging into what subjobs are decent for a SCH?

BLU is seen as a DD rather than a support character. BLU needs to cast physical blue magic to DD effectively. This uses MP. Meripo hates this job because it loses its effectiveness in a no-downtime party, which is considered the norm now.

As for SCH subs, what I've heard is /WHM 1-19, /BLM 20-39, /RDM 40+. There may be a few situations where you'll be expected to sub WHM 20+, but Addendum: White should cut down on this. RDM's subbable abilities complement SCH main very well, to the point you'll rarely be expected to sub anything else once you get Accession. BLM's usefulness 20-39 stems from the fact that SCH has no native Magic Attack Bonus trait, which /BLM provides at SCH20; by 40 /RDM is providing this.

[Feba]

Re: New player duo suggestions?

Double Dragoon

You know, I never really got into that ame.