[SSJGotenx268]

So I'm pretty much...No. I am new to the game. I have been wanting to start this up for a really long time now and now that winter break is finally starting I figured now is a good time! I have a whole month off :D So, lets cut to the chase: Probably every MMO I have played I have been either melee DPS or ranged DPS. My favorite classes have been Warlocks, Necromancers, Warriors, and pretty much any melee dps that can hit hard with a 2h weapon :D I hated healing so I never bothered with it. So I started looking up different jobs and I noticed some that caught my eye that seem to be the same as other classes I have played back in the day - Ninja, Samurai, Warrior, Summoner, Black Mage, Dragoon, Monk. I probably forgot some, but thats what I remember off the top of my head.

So my problem is that I dont know what to start out with. Now I know some of them I named cant be learned until a certain level, but lets still keep them in consideration.

Questions:

I like tanking so warrior is in mind, but how different is it in this game than other games?

Is ranged dps in this game like burst damage or do you cast, wait a while, cast, etc? I like to keep consistancy.

Dragoon looks awesome. I like dragon pets :D Are they good melee dps? one of the best or one of the worst? Same goes for Samuria and Ninja.

I noticed Monk looks like the best burst melee dps. Is this true?

Are summoners strong? They look awesome and I definitely want to give them a shot once I reach the required level.

Sorry if I annoyed anyone who read this. I just want to have a clear mind when I start this game so I dont mess up, have to switch jobs, and start over again. I mean I'm going to have to anyway, but I dont want to just when I first start.

Thanks to everyone who will read and comment on this. :D

[Armando]

Warrior is considered a 3rd-rate tank, to the point that it rarely gets party invites for the purposes of being the main tank in a party. It does, however, make a perfectly suitable secondary/temporary tank (e.g. grabs the mob's attention for a few moments while avoiding damage, then it goes back to the main tank.) WAR is mainly invited for its damage.

As for ranged DPS, it depends on the job. BLM and SMN mainly do damage in bursts, for MP efficiency reasons. Ranger and Corsair deal damage on a constant basis.

Dragoon and Samurai make very good damage dealers, emphasizing more on power than speed (though this applies to just about every two-handed weapon user.) Ninja is capable of damage but is invited as a tank first and foremost.

Monk in FFXI has never been about burst DPS, it's always been about high damage over time (much like NIN.)

Summoners are capable of high burst damage at 70+ but before that are primarily invited as healers.

[Omgwtfbbqkitten]

Best advice I can ever give anyone is to get either WAR or WHM to 30 and unlock all the jobs and give each of them a fair shake. You don't really need to settle on a job yet.

Leveling WAR will give you a good start to most melee jobs, WHM will give you a good start to most mage jobs.

Get either to 30, get a nice, secure EXP buffer and then go out an unlock those jobs. Give them all a try before settling on any job for the long term. You may find what you thought one job was isn't what you had hoped and might find interesting things about other jobs instead.

[Yellow Mage]

Originally Posted by SSJGotenx268

I like tanking so warrior is in mind, but how different is it in this game than other games?

You can very definitely tank as a Warrior . . . however, despite people complaining about tanks being in short supply, you'll find that a Paladin or a Ninja will have much higher priority in taking the hits than you would. It's really more of a stigma than anything, but a Warrior that knows what he's doing can tank quite well.

Nevertheless, whatever you do on Warrior, whether it be Tanking or Damage Dealing, use shield break.

Is ranged dps in this game like burst damage or do you cast, wait a while, cast, etc? I like to keep consistancy.

To use ranged attacks, you need to hit a ranged attack macro for each attack; you can not auto-attack ranged. Otherwise, I am not sure what this question is asking . . .

Dragoon looks awesome. I like dragon pets :D Are they good melee dps? one of the best or one of the worst? Same goes for Samuria and Ninja.

People tend to look down upon actively rating/ecouraging the rating of Damage Dealers, epeen people excluded for obvious reasons (it's actually mostly because of them). That said, Dragoons in and of themselves are impressive damage dealers, and in reality, while they are pretty darn awesome on their own, the majority of the complaints about the job actually revolve around the over-advertised wyvern pet. Lack of control, unimpressive damage by itself, and so on.

I noticed Monk looks like the best burst melee dps. Is this true?

Note what I said earlier about ranking DDs. Also, please clarify exactly what you mean by "burst."

Are summoners strong? They look awesome and I definitely want to give them a shot once I reach the required level.

Take this one personally: Avoid. Summoner.

I know Summoning Magic looks cool in other games and stuff, but honestly, as it is right now, the job is nothing but bad news until about 70-71. Just trust me on this one, if you ever get the urge to summon something, play FFXII Revenant Wings.

Really, I'm thrilled and all that Red Mages like me are getting our first recognition/update in six freaking years next Spring, but honestly, I feel so darn bad for Summoners I would have honestly preferred that and overhauling of their job took priority.

[Armando]

You can very definitely tank as a Warrior . . . however, despite people complaining about tanks being in short supply, you'll find that a Paladin or a Ninja will have much higher priority in taking the hits than you would. It's really more of a stigma than anything, but a Warrior that knows what he's doing can tank quite well.

The problem has never been stigma; WAR was the original tank and WAR main tanking is far rarer now than it was back when the game was young. The problem is that it doesn't tank as well as PLD or NIN - and people only want the best.

[SSJGotenx268]

Originally Posted by Armando

Warrior is considered a 3rd-rate tank, to the point that it rarely gets party invites for the purposes of being the main tank in a party. It does, however, make a perfectly suitable secondary/temporary tank (e.g. grabs the mob's attention for a few moments while avoiding damage, then it goes back to the main tank.) WAR is mainly invited for its damage.

Now I just read a guide saying I can get my first "Great Axe" at level 5. I'm assuming thats a 2h weapon. Should I get one when I hit level 5 or should I just stick with sword and shield until level 10?

[Telera]

Others have covered the other jobs, and since the only job I have over 70 is Summoner, I'm going to focus there.

As much as I love the job, as much as I've always wanted to be a Summoner since... hell, Final Fantasy Tactics, Yellow Mage is right. The job only really comes into its own from 70 onward. Before that, about the only thing anyone is going to want you for is to sub White Mage and be a ...White Mage. I have no problems with the idea of being willing/able to heal, but I do feel that it's a bit sad that the job is almost formless for seventy levels. Before you get your shiny Predator Claws and Spinning Dive and whatnot, there's little of use. The buffs are alright, but the only ones I use with any regularity is Earthen Ward (a few extra hits for those nins to get up shadows?), Fenrir buffs, and Hastega because Haste is love for all.

The avatars don't hit that hard, in my opinion, outside of their 70 pacts, and their 'regular' attacks are piss-pitiful so far as I'm concerned, especially considering their perpetuation cost. There's also the fact that some of the pacts get better with avatar TP. But letting an avatar melee is about idiotic, as the MP cost isn't worth the mediocre damage, and all it's doing is feeding the mob TP faster.

Getting your avatars is also a chore. You can do the mini fights at 20, but they take skill and gil sank into gear/food. The prime fights aren't bad at all with a full party, but you need to be 60+ probably to stand on your own there. And Diabolos requires a bit of progress in the Chains of Promathia storyline to get ahold of.

After 70, it's a kick ass job. But the getting there can get discouraging at times, trust me. I've been there.

[Armando]

Now I just read a guide saying I can get my first "Great Axe" at level 5. I'm assuming thats a 2h weapon. Should I get one when I hit level 5 or should I just stick with sword and shield until level 10?

WAR has two main weapons: (one-handed) axe and great axe. Of the two, Great Axe is strictly superior for most purposes until 55. After Lv.55, you can choose either one.

Also, even if Great Axe is better until 55, you should keep your axe skill capped in the meantime. You'll hate yourself later if you don't.

Be sure to read this before you start playing Warrior.

[Malacite]

Originally Posted by Armando

BLM and SMN mainly do damage in bursts, for enmity efficiency reasons.

ftfy. Hate is a much more limiting factor for BLM, though in SMN's case yes it is MP.


And I just want to Echo what BBQ said. Every job is different, and while they all perform similar roles the manner in which they do it in varies and you may end up liking a job you initially didn't.

[Aksannyi]

Originally Posted by Omgwtfbbqkitten

Best advice I can ever give anyone is to get either WAR or WHM to 30 and unlock all the jobs and give each of them a fair shake. You don't really need to settle on a job yet.

Leveling WAR will give you a good start to most melee jobs, WHM will give you a good start to most mage jobs.

Get either to 30, get a nice, secure EXP buffer and then go out an unlock those jobs. Give them all a try before settling on any job for the long term. You may find what you thought one job was isn't what you had hoped and might find interesting things about other jobs instead.

Best advice.

I would have said this myself, but was beaten to it.