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Well, because I'm rather bored atm (and taking a short break from things) I thought I would put up some newbie guides for the various classes, starting with Gladiator. And so without further delay...
Gladiator
Your primary tools are the Sword & Shield, your primary role the tank. But don't let that fool you into thinking you can't also dish out the pain - Unlike the Paladin in FFXI, Gladiators can actually be built up to deal pretty good damage with the right gear, stats and abilities. But for the sake of ease, I'm going to focus on a Paladin-style build for us FFXI folk.
Gladiator is probably the trickiest class to balance stat-wise because you need good chunks of 4 vital stats, listed in order of importance:
VIT - Governs defense, but what you're really after here is HP. For Disciples of War, you gain 7~9 HP per point of VIT. The enhanced defense also appears to be much more noticeable than in XI.
DEX - Simply put, like in XI, if you can't hit anything, you won't get any hate. This could taper off at later ranks when more enmity generating abilities become available however. It is still unknown of DEX affects evasion and shield block rate.
MND - MND just barely edges out STR for the #3 slot because unlike in XI, it boosts your maximum MP (by 2-3 for War classes. 7-9 for Magic) while also increasing the potency of healing magic. This bonus applies both to HP gained from restorative magic and curing power for a nice little double-whammy. It also increases magic defense, but the main reason you need this is for survivability (MP & Cures)
STR - Like DEX, if you can't cause any decent damage, you're likely to lose the attention of the enemy quickly. Don't go overboard with this stat, but don't neglect it either. I would say 1~2 points every level tops.
Until more info can be ascertained about some of the other spells like Absorb-Attack, it's probably a safe bet to say you won't need INT at all, and likely not much PIE either since the majority of your magic will be cast upon yourself.
Elemental Resistances: This is very tricky. On the one hand, lots of Fire & Earth will greatly benefit Red Lotus, as well as your crafting & gathering classes (listed below). On the other hand, it will leave you vulnerable to all the other elements, so go with what you feel will work best.
Recommended sub classes:
Conjurer - This is a no-brainer. Conjurer gets Cure, Stoneskin Protect Shell and Raise. The biggest benefit this time around is that there are no longer separate AoE spells in XIV. So as a "Paladin", with enough MND, you can effectively heal the entire party keeping everyone alive and the enemy good and pissed at you. The other spells are mostly just for soloing or buffing when idle.
Marauder - I would strongly recommend getting this up to at least 6 for the Blood Bath ability. It converts a portion of the damage dealt by your next attack into HP, allowing you to spike hate and recover at the same time with a weaponskill. You also get some nice AoE WS early on which can make holding hate against multiple targets much easier.
Lancer - Lancer has several abilities that are just phenomenal. Increased movement speed in battle, faster TP generation, and even an ability to redirect some of the damage you take to another enemy behind you.
Pugilist - Probably the most vital sub class next to Conjurer, Taunt and Second Wind are skills you simply just can't do without. Taunt is basically another provoke, while Second Wind expends TP to restore HP further increasing your survivability. This should be your primary focus as a sub class after learning Cure from Conjurer.
Recommended Support Classes:
Armorer - This really doesn't need any explanation. Make and service your own armor.
Blacksmith - If you want to get anywhere as an armorer, you'll need to take up Blacksmithing & Goldsmithing to be able to make the materials you'll need as an armorer, as well as your own weaponry. Carpenter and Leatherworker are also good subcrafts to support blacksmithing, but if that's too much work just make friends who can deliver the parts you need.
Miner - Another no-brainer. Unless you want to be paying for all your crystals and materials, I strongly recommend taking up miner to fuel your metalcraft.
Gladiator
Your primary tools are the Sword & Shield, your primary role the tank. But don't let that fool you into thinking you can't also dish out the pain - Unlike the Paladin in FFXI, Gladiators can actually be built up to deal pretty good damage with the right gear, stats and abilities. But for the sake of ease, I'm going to focus on a Paladin-style build for us FFXI folk.
- Primary Stats
Gladiator is probably the trickiest class to balance stat-wise because you need good chunks of 4 vital stats, listed in order of importance:
VIT - Governs defense, but what you're really after here is HP. For Disciples of War, you gain 7~9 HP per point of VIT. The enhanced defense also appears to be much more noticeable than in XI.
DEX - Simply put, like in XI, if you can't hit anything, you won't get any hate. This could taper off at later ranks when more enmity generating abilities become available however. It is still unknown of DEX affects evasion and shield block rate.
MND - MND just barely edges out STR for the #3 slot because unlike in XI, it boosts your maximum MP (by 2-3 for War classes. 7-9 for Magic) while also increasing the potency of healing magic. This bonus applies both to HP gained from restorative magic and curing power for a nice little double-whammy. It also increases magic defense, but the main reason you need this is for survivability (MP & Cures)
STR - Like DEX, if you can't cause any decent damage, you're likely to lose the attention of the enemy quickly. Don't go overboard with this stat, but don't neglect it either. I would say 1~2 points every level tops.
Until more info can be ascertained about some of the other spells like Absorb-Attack, it's probably a safe bet to say you won't need INT at all, and likely not much PIE either since the majority of your magic will be cast upon yourself.
Elemental Resistances: This is very tricky. On the one hand, lots of Fire & Earth will greatly benefit Red Lotus, as well as your crafting & gathering classes (listed below). On the other hand, it will leave you vulnerable to all the other elements, so go with what you feel will work best.
Recommended sub classes:
Conjurer - This is a no-brainer. Conjurer gets Cure, Stoneskin Protect Shell and Raise. The biggest benefit this time around is that there are no longer separate AoE spells in XIV. So as a "Paladin", with enough MND, you can effectively heal the entire party keeping everyone alive and the enemy good and pissed at you. The other spells are mostly just for soloing or buffing when idle.
Marauder - I would strongly recommend getting this up to at least 6 for the Blood Bath ability. It converts a portion of the damage dealt by your next attack into HP, allowing you to spike hate and recover at the same time with a weaponskill. You also get some nice AoE WS early on which can make holding hate against multiple targets much easier.
Lancer - Lancer has several abilities that are just phenomenal. Increased movement speed in battle, faster TP generation, and even an ability to redirect some of the damage you take to another enemy behind you.
Pugilist - Probably the most vital sub class next to Conjurer, Taunt and Second Wind are skills you simply just can't do without. Taunt is basically another provoke, while Second Wind expends TP to restore HP further increasing your survivability. This should be your primary focus as a sub class after learning Cure from Conjurer.
Recommended Support Classes:
Armorer - This really doesn't need any explanation. Make and service your own armor.
Blacksmith - If you want to get anywhere as an armorer, you'll need to take up Blacksmithing & Goldsmithing to be able to make the materials you'll need as an armorer, as well as your own weaponry. Carpenter and Leatherworker are also good subcrafts to support blacksmithing, but if that's too much work just make friends who can deliver the parts you need.
Miner - Another no-brainer. Unless you want to be paying for all your crystals and materials, I strongly recommend taking up miner to fuel your metalcraft.
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