at low levels

[Tomato_Kai]

Re: at low levels

I'll agree that gear isn't everything, but I wouldn't say gear is nothing, even before 29. You won't always have a RDM in the party, especially at lower levels, and that +MND can help for debuffs (slow and paralyze). Plus, while it may not be as important, you can also get a little extra MP from gear.

- Friar's Rope
- Justice Badge
- Holy Phial
- Saintly Rings
- +1 wands
- Hairpins (as you mentioned)
etc.

Yes! Thank you. This is a good list. I'd also include maybe Onyx/Energy/Energy +1 Earrings to that list as well. I'd say that any one of of those pieces of gear a new character can obtain with just a bit of farming. And that's something which everyone except the most venerated players among us does with frequency. Warriors need to farm for their gear, as do mnks and thfs, and blms. Why should whms not have to?

[nanatsu]

Re: at low levels

Thank goodness some people that were actually knowledgeable about WHM and mage jobs in general spoke up. I was about to have a heart attack when I read some of the stuff on the previous page >< I play a several different DD and mage jobs and no matter what job I'm on, the last thing I want to see is a WHM only casting Protect on the tank and skipping Shellra altogether. Honestly, that doesn't do anything for my confidence in a healer.

[Firewind]

Re: at low levels

I made that post at about 2am which is why I missed out a lot of useful gear. A lot of the early level WHM gear will take you up to AF levels if you're strapped for cash. As a 32 WHM this is what I use:

Main: Solid Wand (Pilgrim's for resting, Maul for farming)
Sub: Mahongany Shield
Ranged: n/a
Ammo: Fortune Egg (Better than nothing)
Head: Silver Hairpin +1
Neck: Justice Badge (Because i can't get the NM that drops Holy Phial to spawn)
Ear1: Energy Earring
Ear2: Energy Earring
Body: Seer's Tunic +1
Hands: Devotee's Mitts
Ring1: Saintly Ring
Ring2: Saintly Ring
Back: Cotton Cape (Still need to do the quest for my White Cape and Spipi is too heavy camped to get a Mist Silk)
Waist: Friar's Rope (I can't find a Mobhwa Sash on the AH so it's the next best thing)
Legs: Seer's Slacks (I don't have the Custom Slacks yet. Grabbing those Short-Shorts on Saturday)
Feet: Seer's Pumps

Like I said earlier, a lot of the gear I use has been used since the Dunes Levels because well there is not much else that a WHM needs. As a Hume WHM I prefer to go for a +MND based build (I like my Cures to be capped, Barspells to resist stuff and enfeebs to stick) although I heard that later on a +MP build is much more useful

[Ahi_Khali]

Re: at low levels

Hey all thank you so much for all the great tips that you have explained to me. Right now I am leveling mnk just to get some gil for whm. Then I am going to start playing whm when I get enough gil, which should be soon. Thanks again btw! =)

[Firewind]

Re: at low levels

Oh there are also Astral Rings that are highly useful if you happen to play an an Elvaan or Galka. That give 25MP in exchange for 25HP so a pair would give you +50MP and -50MP. The only problem is that they are a drop from a Lv20 BCNM so getting them is pretty nasty because of the low level cap the the fact that only 3 people can be in the party for that particular BCNM battle.

I wouldn't advise using them at lower levels because 50 MP is a LOT at that level but they are a good alternative to Saintly Rings before something better comes up. There isn't a whole lot of +MND gear until just before AF levels so a lot of the low level +MND gear listed earlier will last you until then so is worth hanging on it. later in stuff such as the White Cape and Devotee's Mitts become available

Going for a MND based build or MP based build is mainly down to opinion and playing style. Personallty I prefer to have the extra MND because you never know when you will need it. My MP pool is smaller as a result however it does not take as long to rest it all back and I'm usually just resting when heals aren't needed/enhancing magic doesn't need refreshing/white enfeebs have stuck anyway. That and if the tanks are good then you will never need to heal anyone other than the Tanks and occasionally the DDs when voke's hate starts wearing off. I have access to Benediction if it all hits the fan. Benediction is a hard skill to use properly but one you figure out when and where to use it it becomes one of your most valuble abilities.

A lot of people will argue that an MP build is better but personally I think that you don't need a ton of MP if you know how to manage it properly. I see too many mages just tossing out cures and nukes like candy on Halloween and wondering why they spend so much time resting and/or laying face down in the dirt waiting on a raise. I also see healers doing pretty dumb things like curebombing a DD. A far more effective way of curing would be to regen the DD so you gain a minimal amount of hate and they get 125HP over the course of the next minute while you have hardly any extra hate left, the DD is being healed and you have your cures ready for if the tank starts losing health or someone needs an emergency heal. This is especially important at 20-30 when most of the tanking classes still don't have a lot of hate gaining tools at their disposal.

Although that being said, when you hit the Jungles and start fighting the Gobbies there keeping everyone within about a 3 miles radius of the thing as close to full health as possible is much more important as Bomb Toss can easily one shot someone close to 75%HP even with Protect/Shell (I forgot if it was classed as physical or magical but since it's a TP move I'm assuming physical) and Barfira up. Bomb Toss is scary and a Gobbie randomly starting a battle with it before the WHM can get barfira up on the party is even scarier (Which is also why WHMs hate Pullers who don't say WHAT they just pulled because they don't know what barspell to get up and you never know if the mob is just going to spam TP moves for the whole fight). I had a party wipe within seconds to a VT+ Smithy because of that and it was quite possibly the scariest thing I've ever seen. The tanks died, the DRG was critical and died right after, the BLM's sleep spell didn't stick and she went down next leaving me and the RDM to run away from a Gob that was flipping out and killing everything anywhere near it. It killed us while we were running for the zoneline and started beating on the other party camping near the zoneline.

Gobbies that go on a rampage are scary X_X

[Deeke]

Re: at low levels

The only armour from 10-29 that is even remotely useful to a WHM would be the Zealot and Devotee's Mitts and the Windurstian Slops. There is a lot of other mage gear but it benefits BLM, RDM and SCH much, much more. The Baron's Gear (Which seems geared more for RDMs) or Mage's Gear (You lose the head slot and 20+ MP from a Silver Hairpin and gain no useful stats). What is there that realy benefits WHM before Seer's? A new player should really just save thier money and get Seer's +1 when they get to 29.

There's an easy pop-NM in Carpenter's Landing who is hurt by your suggestion that there is no other useful gear for WHM10-29.

Mycophile Cuffs
RareEx. [Hands]
All Races
DEF:6
INT+1 MND+2 Enmity-2
LV 25
WHM BLM SMN SCH

These gloves are within any player's reach with access to some mid-level help. Best gloves until WHM AF too, in my humble opinion.

[Firewind]

Re: at low levels

Personally I prefer the Devotee's Mitts because they are much easier to find. Mycophile gets camped a lot on my server (Kujata) so it's usually much easier to wait two levels for Devotees.

Although having both would be awesome if you sub BLM because then you will be able to drop some pretty powerful Magic Bursts by sub job level standards and then macro the Devotee's back on for when you are back to using white magic.

[Ellipses]

Re: at low levels

While we're recommending gear:
Pilgrim's Wand
Pilgrim Tunica
Baron's Slacks
Mohbwa Sash (+1)

If you can get the +1 sash, that's +5 hMP at level 20, the equivalent of the Ginger Cookies loved by mages the world over. Obviously, it's for swapping in and out (though the stats on the sash and pants are good enough to leave them on until Seer's).

[Deeke]

Re: at low levels

With regards to Devotee/Mycophile, I'll take the -enmity over the 3 extra MND regardless. The only thing I'd macro Devotee's in for is slow/paralyze and stoneskin, then swap straight back to Myco.

The point of Devotee's being easier to obtain is certainly valid. That said, I'm surprised that the Mycophile NM is camped 'a lot' on any server, it being a pop NM with a 15 minute timer and all.

Anyway, like I mentioned, personally I think Myco are the best out there until AF gloves. I'd still want to go grab these gloves at level50.

To each their own though.

[Jaice]

Re: at low levels

I've seen a few 'attaboys' for the Seer's Tunic +1 and I'm wondering if there's a hidden effect that I'm missing, the last time I looked it was +1def and about +2mp up from the normal Seer's Tunic which to me translates to over priced. Wouldnt the legs/gloves/feet be a better one to get upgraded for an extra point of mind in the comming battles? Am I just missing something?

[Ellipses]

Re: at low levels

You're not missing anything. The only compelling reasons I can think of for going HQ on the Seer's Tunic are 1) you keep it for a long, long time, even when you've switched to a different body outside of healing, so you may as well invest in the best and 2) CoP & other level-capped events, where every little bit helps. (I mean, apart from generally "better is good" and wanting to have the best.)

Way back when, I somehow had the impression that only the HQ had the +hMP. When I found out that wasn't the case, I traded down to the NQ immediately.

[Jaice]

Re: at low levels

Way back when, I somehow had the impression that only the HQ had the +hMP. When I found out that wasn't the case, I traded down to the NQ immediately.

That's what I was eyeballing when I finally hit 29 with my whm that was the only piece I diddnt buy +1 (except the headgear but that's for when my blm get's higher) It just seemed that the price was too steep for very little change on the main body.

[Firewind]

Re: at low levels

With regards to Devotee/Mycophile, I'll take the -enmity over the 3 extra MND regardless. The only thing I'd macro Devotee's in for is slow/paralyze and stoneskin, then swap straight back to Myco.

The point of Devotee's being easier to obtain is certainly valid. That said, I'm surprised that the Mycophile NM is camped 'a lot' on any server, it being a pop NM with a 15 minute timer and all.

Anyway, like I mentioned, personally I think Myco are the best out there until AF gloves. I'd still want to go grab these gloves at level50.

To each their own though.

Fair enough, personally I prefer the Devotee's Mitts because of the reasons I stated earlier. The Mycophile Gloves are a very good pair and are highly useful if you are a lone WHM and are fighting in an area requiring you to cure a lot. My honest opinion is that you should get both but if I had to choose one I think I would take the Devotee's.

And on the subject of the Seer's +1 gear it is like what was just said. Seer's will easily last you to AF levels so that is 29 right until the last peice at 60. That is a while 31 levels of use you will get out of them so it is well worth saving for the +1 versions purely because of the mileage you get out of them. Sure there are other pieces until then but the only one I would personally buy would be the Holy Breastplate for farming and BCNM fights.

Does having the +1 make you better than another WHM at the same level? No. Will parties pass you up for not having the +1? No. if you want to save your money then by all means skip the +1 gear and just get the regular Seer's Gear. The only HQ item I would consider absolutely essential for a WHM would be the Solid Wand since it is pretty much the only wand you will ever need until you get the elemental staves at Lv51. There are better wands but many people tend to skip them and go straight for the elemental staves.

The most important question to ask yourself about gear is this: Is there anything in the next five levels which will obsolete the equipment I'm thinking of obtaining? If the answer is yes you need to ask yourself if the item's bonuses justify you spending your hard earned cash on that item when a better one may be available in the next few levels. Yes keeping your equipment up to date is important but nobody is going to complain if you are saving for a better items that will be available the next time you level up.

[Tomato_Kai]

Re: at low levels

I'm learning to understand you a bit Firewind


Though, I think you're silly for saying that Mycophile Cuffs are hard to obtain. They're easier than you think, I think :O

You travel to carpenter's landing. You trade a sleepshroom, woozyshroom, and danceshroom to the ??? at (I-11), kill the spawned NM (he's on a 15 minute timer between fights, but that's it) and ... boom! Free gloves! Or, at least cheap gloves.

Though, I think I'd macro in Devotee's mitts for Cure III (to make the cap) anyhow, since we're already throwing hate considerations out the window.

[Silent Howler]

Re: at low levels

Though, I think you're silly for saying that Mycophile Cuffs are hard to obtain. They're easier than you think, I think :O

For someone who wants White Mage to be their first main job, this will be a problem. You would have to bring a higher level friend with to defeat the level 30-35 NM if you want to be able to use it as soon as it is available to you (level 25).