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Greetings,
My character name is Mishaela and I play a White Mage, currently from the Kingdom of San'doria, residing on the Gilgamesh server in Final Fantasy XI. Having got the game on October 28th and avidly playing since, I have come to make the decision to officially create a White Mage Character.
I choose the Mithra race as my White Mage career began for the following reasons:
1.) The Mithra have a high agility rating which allows them to dodge well.
2.) The Mithra slightly edge out Humes as White Mages, because of Mithra's evade ability, though their HP vs MP is simliar.
3.) The Mitha have a well balanced amount of HP vs MP, from what information I have gathered. Versus a Taru, in my opinion, the ability to survive one to two more hits is far greater than sacrificing that notion for the sake of maybe "double" the mp.
I don't wish to concur that Mithra are the dominant White Mage race. I really don't have the proof. However, in an effort to find a race that has great mp and survivablity, I assumed the Mithra would fit rather well for this idea. Therefore, I chose her.
In any event, though the concept has been thoroughly beat like a dead horse, I still cannot find good information from vetern players on what Sub-job is best suited for the following White Mage play style: "Full Support." By this I mean, completely backing up a party with heals, buffs, and raises, occassionally throwing in debuffs/nukes if and when necessary.
(On a side note, I don't know if one can really "play" a White Mage any other way except as a "Full Support" character. A White Mage damage dealer, per se, may be viable. I really don't know.)
I did alot of reading and I have come up with what information I have found, the following decision:
Out of the three Mage classes available (e.g. Black Mage, Summoner, Red Mage), I concur that the Summoner is the best suited for a White Mage.
Here's why.......
Summoner Sub-job
For a "Full Support" White Mage playstyle, this is the best out of all the choices given a person while keeping to the "mage classes." Let's look at the (positive) specifics:
MP rating = A+ as compared to other classes - Summoners get a huge mana pool to power their summons. Their MP rating is the best in the game, beating out White, Black, and Red Mages. I don't really plan on using the summons at much higher levels. I just want to power my magic point's pool.
Summons: At half strength, I don't really intend, like I mentioned before, to use them frequently at higher levels. Maybe in the beginning, sure, but from what I have read, they are not worth the mana dump at higher levels. That's not to say the rest of the Summoner Traits "aren't."
Job Traits:
lvl10 Max Mp Boost - more MP for healing and less downtime
lvl15 Clear Mind - raises mp regen while healing = less downtime
lvl20 Resist Slow - slight resist vs slow = I want to say great because your reaction time in battle is better, but not "too" sure.
lvl25 Auto Refresh - recover mp while standing/running = less downtime
Less downtime, to me, is a good thing. The less I have to rest to regain my MP, the more time my party has to grind, the more xp we can obtain.
More MP, to me, means I can save my party in a pinch and don't have to fret over not having enough magic to really "function."
Though the summons are spectacles in and of themselves and breathtaking at that, I really don't want to use a half powered summon at, say, lvl55 when I'm grinding with a party. I just want the benefits of MP mangement Summoners give you.
Now....
Black Mage Sub-job
MP Rating = B as compared to the Summoner, A+ to all other classes. (White Mage gets just a tiny bit "less" than Black Mage as far as MP.)
Black Magic: I don't ever, ever, ever, intend on nuking anything with a Black Magic spell at higher levels when grinding w/a party. I have heard "numerous" people say that Black Magic below lvl40 does next to ZERO damage against the higher level monsters. About the only 3 spells I can find that would greatly benefit my White Mage, however, are Warp, Tractor, and Escape. Though, tractor might be useful "a few times," not really too sure.
Job Traits:
lvl10 Magic Attack Bonus - more damage on nukes; I don't intend to nuke unless its some undead, so more damage to me isn't really "all that great."
lvl15 Clear Mind - Regen more MP while resting - Very nice, yes, but read on..
lvl20 Conserve MP - "occassionally" reduce mana cost of spells - occassionally isn't really going to cut it with me.. not when you're grinding and every moment counts because you, the white mage, are the life line of the party
lvl30 Magic Attack Bonus - again more damage - not useful, the damage dealers should be concentrating on this.. I'm the Healer, not the Nuker
lvl50 Magic Attack Bonus - see above
I really don't see the how the Black Mage gives you better "support" than the Summoner. I don't intend on using Nukes and I don't need magic spell damage. I need MP, MP and more MP.
I am the party's Life Line. If I am piddling around throwing nothing but nukes and debuffs, I am going to get kicked out of a party VERY quickly. (Unless the party is just a glutton for punishment.)
With this being said, let's look at the Red Mage...
Red Mage Sub-job
MP Rating: C as compared to Summoner, B as compared to White and Black Mages. (Though Red Mages get a tiny bit less than a White Mage.)
White & Black Magic: This is really redundant and pointless. Why would you want to have a subjob that gives you access to spells you already possess. You wouldn't. In addition, we have already went over the Black Magic spells. With a Red Mage, Black Magic is "further" reduced. Your spells will be doing ZERO damage a lot sooner than one would wish, that is, to higher level monsters. Therefore, Red Mage magic is "useless" as compared to a Summoner.
Job Traits:
lvl10 Resist Petrify - This probably is nice. However, I don't really know the significance of resisting petrification at higher levels. Do monsters truly petrify at an alarming frequency? If so, then this is invaluable to a White Mage subbing Red. But, again, the pros do not outweigh the cons here as we continue
lvl 15 Fast Cast - "occassionally" reduces your casting time - I am not "completely" sure as to what this trait does. I am going to go on what a friend of mine told me and say "it reduces the seconds between recasting spells." If that is true, that is excellent. However, the "occassionally" part really lacks any true merit here. Compared to the summoner's traits, again, the pros do not outweight the cons.
lvl 20 Magic Attack Bonus - see Black Mage's Job Traits above
lvl 25 Magic Defense Bonus - I believe this is useful, for when you aggro a monster due to multiple cures and curaga. If that mob throws spells, Magic Def is a plus. Exactly how much it adds for you, is a mystery to me. But if the gain is small, then its certainly not worth it, when compared to a summoner's traits.
lvl 30 Resist Petrify - More petrification resistance. I hope a vetern can comment on this idea. I don't really see the bonus here.
lvl 31 Clear Mind - regens more mp during healing, this is a great mod... but, not when its with all the other things you get as a Red Mage AND comparing it to a summoner's Traits.
lvl 40 Magic Attack Bonus - see Black Mage's Job Traits above.
The Red Mage Sub-job can give your character more INT/MND. But, when considering that you aren't planning on doing "alot" of damaging with your spells, how is increasing your damage really much of a beneift?
The Red Mage, in my opinion, is obsolete, when subbing it under a White Mage main job. It just doesn't give you much in the way of MP POOL as Summoner does.
I hope that no one takes this post subjectively. I merely want to be educated myself and hopefully, some vetern players will shed some light on what Sub-job is good for the White Mage.
But as its stands, the Summoner is winning with me. I don't see how getting more damage on your spells and resistance to petrification, or "occassional" faster casting and lower mp cost, really outweight having a large magic pool to base your White Magic spells off of and the ability to regenerate that magic pool at a fast rate. Having a lesser "downtime" is a big bonus to me, because xp grinding is brutal anyway in FFXI. As a healer, I want to save people in a pinch and maintain the party hp status quo and defense, "with" the occassional debuff or nuke. If I was going to be a nuker, I'd play a Black Mage. If I was going to be a damage dealer, I'd play a Monk or a Dragoon and Penta-Thrust all day long.
If anyone can shed any light as to why I shouldn't play a summoner, please do so. I would really appreciate it.
Thanks and Take care!
Mish
My character name is Mishaela and I play a White Mage, currently from the Kingdom of San'doria, residing on the Gilgamesh server in Final Fantasy XI. Having got the game on October 28th and avidly playing since, I have come to make the decision to officially create a White Mage Character.
I choose the Mithra race as my White Mage career began for the following reasons:
1.) The Mithra have a high agility rating which allows them to dodge well.
2.) The Mithra slightly edge out Humes as White Mages, because of Mithra's evade ability, though their HP vs MP is simliar.
3.) The Mitha have a well balanced amount of HP vs MP, from what information I have gathered. Versus a Taru, in my opinion, the ability to survive one to two more hits is far greater than sacrificing that notion for the sake of maybe "double" the mp.
I don't wish to concur that Mithra are the dominant White Mage race. I really don't have the proof. However, in an effort to find a race that has great mp and survivablity, I assumed the Mithra would fit rather well for this idea. Therefore, I chose her.
In any event, though the concept has been thoroughly beat like a dead horse, I still cannot find good information from vetern players on what Sub-job is best suited for the following White Mage play style: "Full Support." By this I mean, completely backing up a party with heals, buffs, and raises, occassionally throwing in debuffs/nukes if and when necessary.
(On a side note, I don't know if one can really "play" a White Mage any other way except as a "Full Support" character. A White Mage damage dealer, per se, may be viable. I really don't know.)
I did alot of reading and I have come up with what information I have found, the following decision:
Out of the three Mage classes available (e.g. Black Mage, Summoner, Red Mage), I concur that the Summoner is the best suited for a White Mage.
Here's why.......
Summoner Sub-job
For a "Full Support" White Mage playstyle, this is the best out of all the choices given a person while keeping to the "mage classes." Let's look at the (positive) specifics:
MP rating = A+ as compared to other classes - Summoners get a huge mana pool to power their summons. Their MP rating is the best in the game, beating out White, Black, and Red Mages. I don't really plan on using the summons at much higher levels. I just want to power my magic point's pool.
Summons: At half strength, I don't really intend, like I mentioned before, to use them frequently at higher levels. Maybe in the beginning, sure, but from what I have read, they are not worth the mana dump at higher levels. That's not to say the rest of the Summoner Traits "aren't."
Job Traits:
lvl10 Max Mp Boost - more MP for healing and less downtime
lvl15 Clear Mind - raises mp regen while healing = less downtime
lvl20 Resist Slow - slight resist vs slow = I want to say great because your reaction time in battle is better, but not "too" sure.
lvl25 Auto Refresh - recover mp while standing/running = less downtime
Less downtime, to me, is a good thing. The less I have to rest to regain my MP, the more time my party has to grind, the more xp we can obtain.
More MP, to me, means I can save my party in a pinch and don't have to fret over not having enough magic to really "function."
Though the summons are spectacles in and of themselves and breathtaking at that, I really don't want to use a half powered summon at, say, lvl55 when I'm grinding with a party. I just want the benefits of MP mangement Summoners give you.
Now....
Black Mage Sub-job
MP Rating = B as compared to the Summoner, A+ to all other classes. (White Mage gets just a tiny bit "less" than Black Mage as far as MP.)
Black Magic: I don't ever, ever, ever, intend on nuking anything with a Black Magic spell at higher levels when grinding w/a party. I have heard "numerous" people say that Black Magic below lvl40 does next to ZERO damage against the higher level monsters. About the only 3 spells I can find that would greatly benefit my White Mage, however, are Warp, Tractor, and Escape. Though, tractor might be useful "a few times," not really too sure.
Job Traits:
lvl10 Magic Attack Bonus - more damage on nukes; I don't intend to nuke unless its some undead, so more damage to me isn't really "all that great."
lvl15 Clear Mind - Regen more MP while resting - Very nice, yes, but read on..
lvl20 Conserve MP - "occassionally" reduce mana cost of spells - occassionally isn't really going to cut it with me.. not when you're grinding and every moment counts because you, the white mage, are the life line of the party
lvl30 Magic Attack Bonus - again more damage - not useful, the damage dealers should be concentrating on this.. I'm the Healer, not the Nuker
lvl50 Magic Attack Bonus - see above
I really don't see the how the Black Mage gives you better "support" than the Summoner. I don't intend on using Nukes and I don't need magic spell damage. I need MP, MP and more MP.
I am the party's Life Line. If I am piddling around throwing nothing but nukes and debuffs, I am going to get kicked out of a party VERY quickly. (Unless the party is just a glutton for punishment.)
With this being said, let's look at the Red Mage...
Red Mage Sub-job
MP Rating: C as compared to Summoner, B as compared to White and Black Mages. (Though Red Mages get a tiny bit less than a White Mage.)
White & Black Magic: This is really redundant and pointless. Why would you want to have a subjob that gives you access to spells you already possess. You wouldn't. In addition, we have already went over the Black Magic spells. With a Red Mage, Black Magic is "further" reduced. Your spells will be doing ZERO damage a lot sooner than one would wish, that is, to higher level monsters. Therefore, Red Mage magic is "useless" as compared to a Summoner.
Job Traits:
lvl10 Resist Petrify - This probably is nice. However, I don't really know the significance of resisting petrification at higher levels. Do monsters truly petrify at an alarming frequency? If so, then this is invaluable to a White Mage subbing Red. But, again, the pros do not outweigh the cons here as we continue
lvl 15 Fast Cast - "occassionally" reduces your casting time - I am not "completely" sure as to what this trait does. I am going to go on what a friend of mine told me and say "it reduces the seconds between recasting spells." If that is true, that is excellent. However, the "occassionally" part really lacks any true merit here. Compared to the summoner's traits, again, the pros do not outweight the cons.
lvl 20 Magic Attack Bonus - see Black Mage's Job Traits above
lvl 25 Magic Defense Bonus - I believe this is useful, for when you aggro a monster due to multiple cures and curaga. If that mob throws spells, Magic Def is a plus. Exactly how much it adds for you, is a mystery to me. But if the gain is small, then its certainly not worth it, when compared to a summoner's traits.
lvl 30 Resist Petrify - More petrification resistance. I hope a vetern can comment on this idea. I don't really see the bonus here.
lvl 31 Clear Mind - regens more mp during healing, this is a great mod... but, not when its with all the other things you get as a Red Mage AND comparing it to a summoner's Traits.
lvl 40 Magic Attack Bonus - see Black Mage's Job Traits above.
The Red Mage Sub-job can give your character more INT/MND. But, when considering that you aren't planning on doing "alot" of damaging with your spells, how is increasing your damage really much of a beneift?
The Red Mage, in my opinion, is obsolete, when subbing it under a White Mage main job. It just doesn't give you much in the way of MP POOL as Summoner does.
I hope that no one takes this post subjectively. I merely want to be educated myself and hopefully, some vetern players will shed some light on what Sub-job is good for the White Mage.
But as its stands, the Summoner is winning with me. I don't see how getting more damage on your spells and resistance to petrification, or "occassional" faster casting and lower mp cost, really outweight having a large magic pool to base your White Magic spells off of and the ability to regenerate that magic pool at a fast rate. Having a lesser "downtime" is a big bonus to me, because xp grinding is brutal anyway in FFXI. As a healer, I want to save people in a pinch and maintain the party hp status quo and defense, "with" the occassional debuff or nuke. If I was going to be a nuker, I'd play a Black Mage. If I was going to be a damage dealer, I'd play a Monk or a Dragoon and Penta-Thrust all day long.
If anyone can shed any light as to why I shouldn't play a summoner, please do so. I would really appreciate it.
Thanks and Take care!
Mish
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