Fun, Fast Duo Combo advice?

[Mamonmoo]

I posted this question in another thread but i figured i may get an answer faster if I make my own thread.

I plan on duoing with a friend for the majority of my game play and we kinda have a plan for what jobs we'd like to do. I kinda want advice on if the jobs paired would work well in a duo party. And any suggestions on where to lvl would be great. Seeing as I'm a complete noob to this game beyond my extensive "backseat gaming" off my brother.

Starting jobs 1~30
me: Theif, Friend: Warrior

Next set, first main job. 1~40? with sub
me: DNC/THF, Friend: RNG/WAR

Final set, last main and sub up to 60 and beyond
me: PUP/DNC, Friend: COR/RNG


We'd prolly get parties occasionally but for the most part we'd be a duo. I would like to lvl RDM somewhere in there but im not sure when it would be best to add that. (replace DNC?)
Any help would be loverly.

[Ryoii/Nonomii]

Re: Fun, Fast Duo Combo advice?

I strongly encourage playing the jobs you find most enjoyable and look forward to providing you advice based on my experience duoing WAR and WHM from Lv1 to Lv20 and SAM/WAR and RDM/WHM from Lv40 to Lv75.

I would recommend that you both take advantage of Signet, Empress Band, and Fields of Valor to optimize your progress. Jarre has written a great thread, "Starting from Scratch? Is it easy? See here", to guide you through using them and making gil.

Jarre chose to level several jobs, but I personally recommend you both start as Warrior (WAR) and take it to Lv5+ to get used to the game. Start with an axe and shield and switch to great axe at Lv5. Then keep using both weapons or just great axe. Since you are fighting weak enemies, you may find the Raging Axe weapon skill better than Shield Break, but Sturmwind at Lv23 will be better than Raging Axe. Also this gives you both the Provoke ability for swaping hate and pulling enemies.

Starting the game with your job set to Monk (MNK) will give you the White Belt as a bonus. You can still immediately change job to WAR. MNK is a great alternative to WAR, but you will lack Provoke, which could be annoying in a duo. Thief (THF) with a sword is another option. It will start out weak, but Sneak Attack at Lv15 helps it keep up with WAR and MNK.

If Regen Field Support is enough to keep you from having to rest, you may continue to Lv18 on WAR, MNK, or THF. There is also something called Selbina Milk which will give you an additional 1 HP per 3 seconds, but it will cost you about 2k gil per hour. Also I recommend eating Sausage to increase your damage on any job up to Lv30.

Alternatively I recommend taking White Mage (WHM) or Red Mage (RDM) to Lv18 to unlock your subjob and then change back to WAR. WHM gets Cure at Lv1 and Cure II at Lv11. RDM gets Cure at Lv3 and Cure II at Lv14. Using the Refresh Field Support, you will each get enough MP for Cure every 24 seconds or Cure II every 72 seconds. You can count on Refresh + Cure as being the equivalent of at least 1 HP per second, which is three times better than Regen.

Once you have subjobs unlocked, you both could use WAR/WHM (Cure at Lv1, Cure II at Lv22) or WAR/RDM (Cure at Lv6, Cure II at Lv28) to continue to Lv30 and unlock the jobs you desire. You may find some other combination such as THF/WHM and WAR/RDM or MNK/WAR and RDM/WAR works for you.

I'll comment on PUP and COR later. They should work as a duo, but they may be expensive and slower than many other combinations.

[neighbortaru]

Re: Fun, Fast Duo Combo advice?

I would not recommend your original setup. Even with the field support from FOV, you will still need someone to /WHM (or main) for those annoying status effects. Royii has good suggestions. The only thing I will add is that generally, you would want to duo with a combination of a) strong melee and b) good support with capable melee. If you don't mind it, stick with WAR with axe & shield + WHM with hammer & shield for 1-50 so you get a feel for the game/working together.

[Ryoii/Nonomii]

Re: Fun, Fast Duo Combo advice?

After Jarre's latest response, I'm absolutely convinced that duoing to Lv30 should be both fast and fun with just about any job combination, but I agree with neighbortaru that WHM subjob will make life easier since you can remove poison, blind, etc and get protect and cures.

I believe you should take one of the following three routes:

Quickest to Trying PUP & COR
RDM + WHM to Lv18
WAR/RDM + WAR/WHM to Lv30 (MNK/WHM or THF/WHM could let your friend try something different)
PUP/WAR + COR/WHM to Lv60 (COR/WAR will work when status cures are not needed)
DNC/WAR + RNG/WHM to Lv37
PUP/DNC + COR/RNG to Lv75

Quickest to trying DNC & RNG
RDM + WHM to Lv18
WAR/RDM + WAR/WHM to Lv30
DNC/WAR + RNG/WHM to Lv37
PUP/WAR + COR/RNG to Lv60
PUP/DNC + COR/RNG to Lv75

Trying SCH & DNC along the way
RDM + WHM to Lv18
WAR/RDM + WAR/WHM to Lv30
SCH/RDM + DNC/WHM to Lv30
PUP/WAR + COR/DNC to Lv60
DNC/WAR + RNG/WHM to Lv37
PUP/DNC + COR/RNG to Lv75

COR/RNG will be expensive, but it may be what your friend enjoys most. Alternatively COR/DNC will let your friend save some money by fighting in melee range while providing healing assistance with drain samba and curing waltz.

Lv60+ you may enjoy parties or Campaign more than duoing normal or pet mobs, so you might change to PUP/DNC when you don't need to tank or provide as much damage. Also this is where COR/RNG becomes a good damage dealer with Slug Shot, Barrage, and the second accuracy bonus.

Ultimately you both may decide against PUP and COR. I'll be interesting in hearing about your experiences.

[Mamonmoo]

Re: Fun, Fast Duo Combo advice?

Thanks alot! Gave me alot to think about. I'll pass this on to my friend. Are there more duo friendly areas we should frequent during our leveling?

[Ryoii/Nonomii]

Re: Fun, Fast Duo Combo advice?

There are enemies to target or avoid based on the jobs you both finally choose. For example, I highly favored flying enemies (Birds, Flys, Single Bats, and Colibri) since I used a Polearm which gets a 25% bonus to damage against them. I could also target Crabs and Crawlers since my RDM could dispel their defense boost abilities. However, I avoided Triple Bats since they could give me attack down.

I duoed prior to Fields of Valor and the improvements to EP and DC xp, so I generally targetted EM and T enemies which I could chain without downtime. I added VT enemies once I got higher level. I tried beastmen pet enemies when I started duoing with less optimal job combinations. The beastmen pets have ~1/3 the HP of normal enemies, but their master is many levels higher and will kill you if you mistakenly let him see you take his pet. This was annoying, but I usually still managed to get some chains. I also duoed with a BST as RDM, which forced us to target enemies near where he could charm pets.

I'm expecting you will simply target EP and DC enemies which are needed for your Fields of Valor Training Regime. Later you might switch to beastmen pets as those start taking too long to kill.

Normal Camp Site Guide
Beastmen Pet Guide

[Mog]

Re: Fun, Fast Duo Combo advice?

Can't go wrong with duo blm, yep.

[Reverent Knight]

Re: Fun, Fast Duo Combo advice?

I wouldnt recommend going melee duo, you dont have the tabs to blow keeping FOV regen on all the time when your just starting out because the pages dont give you many but the buffs still cost the same.

I'd recommend a War Whm Duo for starting out. Double mage makes you a bit squishy imo and double melee is just dangerous when you see your hp bars drop to yellow and theres nothing you can do about it.

I wouldnt recommend War/whm either you've got such a pathetic MP pool and your healing magic skill is only half your main jobs level so youll have reduced potencey cures and less mp to cast them repeatedly.

I've had a great time duo right from konskat highlands at level 10 to qifim island at 30 with blu/whm and a war/mnk.
Ive had even better success with Blu/whm with a Drk/War. went from 10-21 in 1 sitting with xp band fov and signet ep-dc bonus.

Id have started earlier but I had to wait till level sync level at 10 before I could duo. Once dark gets drain and aspir they can survive ok and I just top him up with a cure or 2 after the mobs down, one more level an d I get cure 2 and the dunes gets really easy then. Ive been killing T+ goblins in the dunes like they were easy prey for the most part.

[Kailea]

Re: Fun, Fast Duo Combo advice?

I would say best duo combo starting out, would always be melee/mage

WAR and RDM or WAR and WHM

and when you can get subjobs.....

WAR/MNKorTHF and RDM/WHM or WHM/BLM

[Armando]

Re: Fun, Fast Duo Combo advice?

The problem with duo BLM is that you don't get any party experience at all besides manaburns.

Melee/Mage combos can still get party invites and exercise proper party mechanics along the way, besides having a more varied solo experience.

[Mamonmoo]

Re: Fun, Fast Duo Combo advice?

I kinda don't want to be stuck with just one role while playing in a duo, either just DD or just healer...i thinks its kinda boring. I like the idea of being RDM and WHM duo...though I see your point of being too squishy. Maybe I'll start out as theif and then go to RDM while my friend goes from WHM to WAR....P: hm...decisions...just to clarify, do it cost gil to change jobs? even if they are the basic starter ones?

[Yellow Mage]

Re: Fun, Fast Duo Combo advice?

do it cost gil to change jobs?

No. Just talk to your moogle and you can change at will.

I like the idea of being RDM and WHM duo...though I see your point of being too squishy.

Heheheh . . . we're not all that squishy . . .

[Reverent Knight]

Re: Fun, Fast Duo Combo advice?

Thats the fun of being a duo, one of you go mage for an hour and one of you go melee then swap over. keeps it interesting, plus you can get to level 10 say in the starter zones in an hour or too then go job change and swap jobs and re use the same area again.

[Drkray]

Re: Fun, Fast Duo Combo advice?

I'am doing rdm/nin blu/nin pass 41 is nice combo we are doing nice chain in xarcabard and doing Fov same time.

[Mamonmoo]

Re: Fun, Fast Duo Combo advice?

now my friend does a complete 180 and wants to be a Dark Knight/Samurai. lol Start as a monk, then go war/mnk, sam/war, drk/war, and then finally drk/sam. Which I guess leaves me to be more supportive in my job choices. I'll prolly stick to the same plan ryoii suggested but just replace war with thief.