P.A. - FFXIV Guild

FFXIV Red Mage Leveling Guide

Level up your Red MAGE (RDM) ASAP! Setting up – Early Rotations – Gear Checks and more!

If you’ve found yourself here, you’re likely leveling up a Red Mage. You’ve found the right place. Hopefully, our Red Mage Leveling Guide helps you out – especially with setting up and the early L50+ rotation!

Red Mage Leveling Guide Navigation:
Page 1: Unlocking, L50 Skills & Rotation, L50 Gear, Class Quest List
Page 2: Leveling RDM 50 to 60 (Basic info for now)
Page 3: Leveling RDM 60 to 70 (Basic info for now)

For those who jumped right into this page, we will add a little blurb about unlocking Red Mage, if you haven’t already.

Unlocking Red Mage (RDM) Job

Quest Name: Taking the Red
Quest Location: Ul’dah – Steps of Thal (Merchant Strip) (X:14, Y:12)
NPC Name: Distraught Lass

You will be rewarded with the Soul of the Red Mage, your main hand weapon (Mythrite Rapier), and a free coffer of 115 left side gear (Red Attire Coffer)! Equip them as soon you have them!

Since Red Mage starts at level 50, there are a few things you have to “catch up to”… Namely, your Skills, Rotation, and to a lesser extent, Gear.

Fresh Level 50 Red Mage Rotation & Skills

RDM Rotation Summary

Red Mage is all about generating Black and White mana “equally”, then subsequently dumping it using our melee combo. We use Dualcast on every “long spell”, which is Verthunder or Veraero.

It’s also HEAVILY influenced by procs.

In the next tab we go into the nitty gritty, and talk about EVERY SKILL you’ve unlocked just now.

L50 RDM Single Target Rotation

L50 RDM Basic Single Target Rotation

Gaining Mana Phase

Jolt (L2) (DUALCAST ON).
Verthunder (L4) or Veraero (L10), use what boosts your LOWER mana (DUALCAST OFF).
===
Proc triggered? Verfire (L26) or Verstone (L30), Use that (DUALCAST ON).
No Proc? Jolt (DUALCAST ON).
===
Verthunder (L4) or Veraero (L10), Use what boosts your LOWER mana (DUALCAST OFF).
Repeat from here (Either Jolt, or Proc Triggered)

It may seem a little odd reading it – but try it out first, it makes a lot of sense after a few cycles. After the gaining mana phase, it’s melee time.

80+ Black and White Mana? Melee Phase

Corps-a-corps (L6) (optional – to dash close to them)
Riposte (L1) (Melee Combo A)
Zwerchau (L35) (Melee Combo B)
Redoublement (L50) (Melee Combo C)
Displacement (L40) (Optional – backflips out)
(Go back to gaining mana phase)

Also, use Fleche (L45) whenever able.

L50 RDM Basic AoE Rotation

For 2 Enemies: Use Single target rotation on one of them.

For 3 Enemies: Scatter (L18) spam is “ok”, but generates colored mana slowly. I would replace all Jolts with Scatter, and try to use as many Dualcasts on Veraero and Verthunder. Any procs gained should be saved for when 1/2 guys remain.

For 4+ Enemies: Scatter spamming seems best. While mana charges slowly, you’ll do far more damage.

At 52 (might as well give you an idea now), Moulinet is an AoE melee attack which uses your Black and White mana – so don’t worry, you have an AoE rotation for both ends.

L50 RDM Misc (Cooldowns, Utility)

L50 RDM Misc skills (Cooldowns, Utility)

Acceleration (L50): ENSURES that the next spell you cast will trigger its proc. Obvious uses, use as often as possible.

Fleche (L45): An off-GCD nuke to be used as often as possible.

Tether (L15): Binds enemies, largely useless.

L50 RDM Role Actions

TL;DR – for general usage:
Lucid Dreaming > Diversion > Swiftcast at 32

Caster role actions are pretty slim pickings…

For a more detailed write-up check out our Caster DPS Role Actions Guide.

Fresh level 50 Red Mage: Gear Check

The free gear you get from completing the Red Mage quest is item level 115. All things considered this ain’t so bad. HOWEVER, it is missing the right-side accessories, and belt.

Ignore this section if you plan to sully yourself in PotD forever.

I want better than 115 item level!

There are only 2 possible item level upgrades from 115, and 4 possible sources:

120 gear from World of Darkness (hassle if you don’t have it already)
120 Ironworks gear from “old tomestone” (not too bad to obtain!)
130 Dreadwyrm gear from Final Coil (hassle if you don’t have it already)
130 Augmented Ironworks gear (needs Carbontwine and Carboncoat…)

While I imagine many people have these lying around – I can only faithfully vouch for only ONE of these tiers – 120 Ironworks from older tomestone gear is easy to obtain, and can be fairly worth it as they’re shared between many classes.

And, if you happen to get Carboncoat and Carbontwine from WoD (queue up that Alliance Raid!), great!

If you read the clicky above, you can FILL UP THE BLANKS with the left table, or TRYHARD AND UPGRADE with the right table. I will not be listing Dreadwyrm or WoD gear in these tables, due to their difficulty to obtain for people who weren’t there at the time.

L50 RDM Basic GearL50 RDM Better Gear

L50 Red Mage Gear – Basic of the Basic (i115)
Weapon	Mythrite Rapier	FREE from coffer
Head	Red Hat	FREE from coffer
Chest	Red Bilaud	FREE from coffer
Hands	Red Gloves	FREE from coffer
Belt	HQ Rainbow of Casting	Crafting / Market
Legs	Red Gaskins	FREE from coffer
Boots	Red Boots	FREE from coffer
Earring	HQ Mythrite Earrings of Casting	Crafting / Market
Neck	HQ Rainbow Ribbon of Casting	Crafting / Market
Wrist	HQ Mythrite Bangle of Casting	Crafting / Market
Ring	HQ Agate Ring of Casting	Crafting / Market
Ring	HQ Agate Ring of Casting	Crafting / Market

L50 Red Mage Gear – Tomestone (i120+)
Weapon	Ironworks Magitek Degen	Tomestone
Head	Ironworks Hood of Casting	Tomestone
Chest	Ironworks Doublet of Casting	Tomestone
Hands	Ironworks Gloves of Casting	Tomestone
Belt	Ironworks Belt of Casting	Tomestone
Legs	Ironworks Breeches of Casting	Tomestone
Boots	Ironworks Boots of Casting	Tomestone
Earring	Ironworks Earrings of Casting	Tomestone
Neck	Ironworks Choker of Casting	Tomestone
Wrist	Ironworks Bracelet of Casting	Tomestone
Ring	Ironworks Ring of Casting	Tomestone
Ring	(Cannot use 2 of the same!)	–

Purchased from Auriana – Mor Dhona (X: 22.7, Y: 6.6)
For the other ring, use one from the other tab, Dreadwyrm, or Augmented Ironworks.

Red Mage Class Quests: Where!?

It happens to everyone, don’t worry. We will be listing the relevant chunks per tier on the respective page of this leveling guide as well, for easy reference.

Red Mage Job Quests 50 to 60

LVL	QUEST	LOCATION	COORDS		ISSUER	REWARDS
LVL	QUEST	LOCATION	X	Y	ISSUER	REWARDS
50	Taking the Red	Ul’dah -Steps of Thal – Merchant Strip	14	12	Distraught Lass	Soul of the Red Mage; Mythrite Rapier, Red Attire Coffer
50	The Crimson Duelist	Central Thanalan	20	21	X’rhun Tia
52	A Rewarding Struggle	Eastern Thanalan	12	22	X’rhun Tia
54	Tracking the Cabal	Western Thanalan	12	13	X’rhun Tia
56	A Vermillion Vendetta	Western La Noscea	28	28	X’rhun Tia
58	On Lambard’s Trail	Western La Noscea	28	26	X’rhun Tia
60	Stained in Scarlet	Northern Thanalan	20	21	X’rhun Tia	Manafication

Red Mage Job Quests 60 to 70

LVL	QUEST	LOCATION	COORDS		ISSUER	REWARDS
LVL	QUEST	LOCATION	X	Y	ISSUER	REWARDS
60	The Color of Her Hair	Mor Dhona	23	8	X’rhun Tia
63	Traced in Blood	Idyllshire	6	5	X’rhun Tia
65	Nightkin	Idyllshire	6	5	X’rhun Tia
68	Child of Lilith	Idyllshire	6	5	X’rhun Tia
70	With Heart and Steel	The Pillars	11	11	X’rhun Tia	Verholy, Duelist’s Attire Coffer

I’m sure you’re itching to level up – and I hope you took the above preparations to heart! Just continue onwards with the links just above!

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FFXIV Astrologian Leveling Guide

Level up your Astrologian (AST) ASAP! Setting up – Early Rotations – Gear Checks and more!

Praise the stars! If you’re here, then you wanna level up an Astrologian! The heavens guided you true then – cause your Astrologian Leveling Guide will help you out! Especially with setting up from L30 so you won’t get overwhelmed!

Astrologian Leveling Guide Navigation:
Page 1: Unlocking, L30 Skills & Rotation, L30 Gear, Class Quest List
Page 2: Leveling AST 30 to 50 (Basic info for now)
Page 3: Leveling AST 50 to 60 (Basic info for now)
Page 4: Leveling AST 60 to 70 (Basic info for now)

For those who jumped right into this page, we will add a little blurb about unlocking Astrologian, if you haven’t already.

Unlocking Astrologian (AST) Job

Quest Name: Stairway to the Heavens
Quest Location: The Pillars (X:15, Y:10)
NPC Name: Jannequinard

You will be rewarded with the Soul of the Astrologian, your main hand weapon (Star Globe), and a free coffer of 30 left side gear (Velveteen Cowl and Velveteen Tights)! Equip them as soon you have them!

Since Astrologian starts at level 30 (unlocked when you get another character to level 50), there are a few things you have to “catch up to”… Namely, your Skills, Rotation, and to a lesser extent, Gear.

GET A DPS CHOCOBO IF YOU PLAN TO SOLO.

Fresh Level 30 Astrologian Rotation & Skills

Thankfully, there aren’t too many skills unlocked by L30 so you won’t be overwhelmed.

AST Playstyle Summary

The heart of the cards… You gotta have faith when playing AST as it’s one of the classes more heavily affected by RNG!

Card management is a whole ‘nother layer placed on top of the already many list of things healers have to worry about – a daunting yet rewarding prospect! Inversely, mismanage your cards and you will suffer.

Astrologians just “feel” different… their unique cooldowns… how you can (and force) “stars to align” to maximize their effects… It’s unexplainable at this early stage but if this sounds amazing to you – continue forth!

L30 AST Dungeon and Group Basics

L30 AST Healing Basics

ALWAYS CHECK YOUR STANCE IF IT’S ON: At level 30 you only have Diurnal Stance – which adds a Heal over Time to some spells, as well as increasing all your healing potency, while reducing enmity.

Benefic (L2) is your basic, low mana low potency heal. Benefic II (L26) costs a lot more but heals for more as well. Use accordingly.

Essential Dignity (L15) is used to “fix” desperate situations. It quickly heals up any low life party member!

Use Draw (L30) as often as possible, so it goes on cooldown faster. The more buffs you can provide your team the better your runs will be!

L30 Ultra BASIC card usage notes:
Bole (green) on tanks (increased defense)
Balance (red) on highest DPS.
Arrow (light blue) on “class that benefits from reduced GCD”, or best DPS.
Spear (dark blue) on “class that benefits from crit”, or best DPS .
Spire (yellow) regenerates TP – very narrow use.
Ewer (bright blue) regenerates mana, usually use on self.

Helios (L10) is your basic AoE heal.

Ascend (L2) to ressurect fallen allies.

DPSING IN DUNGEONS:
open with Combust (L4) on each enemy.
Malefic (L1) when you’re not healing.

L30 AST Soloing Basics

Combust (L4) on enemies who will last more than 12~ seconds.
Malefic (L1) Spam.

ASTROLOGIANS DPS IS SO LAUGHABLY BAD EARLY ON THAT YOU MUST MUST MUST GET A DPS CHOCOBO IF YOU PLAN TO SOLO

Use Draw OUTSIDE combat (it’s usually not worth the GCD). Balance > Spear > Arrow is what you’re looking for.

THERE IS NO AOE TO SPEAK OF. Simply “Combust all guys” is your best bet.

L30 AST Misc (Cooldowns, Utility)

L30 AST Misc skills (Cooldowns, Utility)

We may have touched on these lightly in the boxes above – but i’ll be listing all of these skills here again.

Lightspeed (L6) is a POWERFUL cooldown which increases healing potency, reduces MP used, and decreases cast time. Godly.

Ascend (L12) to resurrect allies during combat. Usually paired with the Role Action Swiftcast, or in utter desperation – Lightspeed.

Essential Dignity (L15) is an ULTRA off GCD heal that gets better the lower the targets HP is. This is one of the best heals in the game! More noticeable during raids – but this pulls its weight in ANY content.

Draw (L30) is your best friend, and I cannot fit all there is to know about it here. You will learn more and more about draw and its related skills as you journey as an Astrologian!

Undraw (L30) removes currently active card. Only used to throw away unwanted cards to speed up the cooldown of Draw.

L30 AST Role Actions

Long story short, for general purposes:
Protect > Swiftcast > Lucid Dreaming > Any

For a detailed write up: check out Healer Role Actions Guide.

Fresh level 30 Astrologian: Gear Check

The free gear you get from completing the Astrologian quest is, ultimately, lacking. You only get a chest and leg armor, while lacking Helm, Belt, Gloves, Boots – and the entire 5 right-side accessories. If you plan to maximize your options in leveling – you wanna shore this up ASAP.

Ignore this section if you’re one of those pure PotD types.

ODDLY SOME OF THE HEALER GEAR AT THIS LEVEL IS 31.
You may as well level up once before upgrading.

L30 AST Basic of the Basic gear
Slot	Item	Note
Weapon	Star Globe	Free from coffer
Head	Velveteen Cowl	Free from coffer
Body	Velveteen Cowl	Free from coffer
Hands	HQ Velveteen Dress Gloves	Market board / WVR
Belt	HQ Velveteen Sash	Market board / WVR
Legs	Velveteen Tights	Free from coffer
Boots	HQ Velveteen Dress Shoes	Market board / WVR
Earring	HQ Malachite Earring	Market board / GSM
Neck	HQ Malachite Choker	Market board / GSM
Wrist	HQ Malachite Bracelet	Market board / GSM
Ring	HQ Malachite Ring	Market board / GSM
Ring	HQ Malachite Ring	Market board / GSM

OPTIONAL MELDING: Savage Might > Savage Aim > Heaven’s Eye > Quicktongue. Personally, I only melded the accessories (and I used them all the way to L50!)

Astrologian Class Quests: Where!?

It happens to everyone, don’t worry. We will be listing the relevant chunks per tier on the respective page of this leveling guide as well, for easy reference.

Astrologian Job Quests 30 to 50

LVL	QUEST	LOCATION	COORDS		ISSUER	REWARDS
			X	Y
30	Fortune Favors the Bole	South Shroud	25	23	Leveva
35	Hanging in the Balance	The Pillars	15	10	Jannequinard
40	A Lesson in Patience	The Pillars	15	10	Jannequinard
40	Slings and Arrows	The Pillars	15	10	Leveva
45	Ewer Right	The Pillars	15	10	Jannequinard
50	Loved by the Sun	The Pillars	15	10	Jannequinard
50	Spearheading Initiatives	The Pillars	15	10	Leveva	Astrologian’s Attire Coffer

Astrologian Job Quests 50 to 60

LVL	QUEST	LOCATION	COORDS		ISSUER	REWARDS
			X	Y
50	Sharlayan Ascending	Coerthas Central Highlands	26	30	Jannequinard
52	Empty Nest	The Pillars	15	10	Jannequinard
54	Conviction	The Pillars	15	10	Jannequinard
56	Feather in the Cap	The Pillars	15	10	Jannequinard
58	Trumped	The Pillars	15	10	Jannequinard
60	The Hands of Fate	The Pillars	15	10	Jannequinard	Welkin Attire Coffer

Astrologian Job Quests 60 to 70

LVL	QUEST	LOCATION	COORDS		ISSUER	REWARDS
			X	Y
60	East Meets West	The Pillars	15	10	Jannequinard
63	Ride Like the Wind	The Pillars	15	10	Leveva
65	Come Rain or Shine	The Pillars	15	10	Jannequinard
68	Behind Door Number Two	Kugane	13	13	Kyokuho
70	Foxfire	Kugane	13	13	Kyokuho	Constellation Attire Coffer

Astrologian Leveling Guide Navigation:
Page 1: Unlocking, L30 Skills & Rotation, L30 Gear, Class Quest List
Page 2: Leveling AST 30 to 50 (Basic info for now)
Page 3: Leveling AST 50 to 60 (Basic info for now)
Page 4: Leveling AST 60 to 70 (Basic info for now)

I’m sure you’re itching to level up – and I hope you took the above preparations to heart! Just continue onwards with the links just above!

Don’t forget to like us on Facebook!

Pages: 1234

FFXIV Machinist Leveling

Level up your Machinist (MCH)! Setting up – Early Rotations – Gear Checks and more!

If you’ve found yourself here, you’re likely leveling up a Machinist. You’ve found the right place. Hopefully, our Machinist Leveling Guide helps you out – especially with setting up and the early L30+ rotation!

Machinist Leveling Guide Navigation:
Page 1: Unlocking, L30 Skills & Rotation, L30 Gear, Class Quest List
Page 2: Leveling MCH 30 to 50 (Basic info for now)
Page 3: Leveling MCH 50 to 60 (Basic info for now)
Page 4: Leveling MCH 60 to 70 (Basic info for now)

For those who jumped right into this page, we will add a little blurb about unlocking Machinist, if you haven’t already.

Unlocking Machinist (MCH) Job

Quest Name: Savior of Skysteel
Quest Location: Foundation (X:8, Y:10)
NPC Name: Stephanivien

You will be rewarded with the Soul of the Machinist, your main hand weapon (Steel-barreled Carbine), and a free coffer of 30 left side gear (Toadskin Jacket and Toadskin Brais)! Equip them as soon you have them!

Continue doing any and all quests in the chain. You should get the Hotshot skill before proceeding.

Since Machinist starts at level 30 (provided you have a level 50 character), there are a few things you have to “catch up to”… Namely, your Skills, Rotation, and to a lesser extent, Gear.

Fresh Level 30 Machinist Rotation & Skills

Thankfully, there aren’t too many skills unlocked by L30 so you won’t be overwhelmed.

MCH Rotation Summary

The MCH “rotation” or if we can even call it that, is all about bullets, procs, RNG, and frustration.

Reload and Quick Reload add bullets into your gun that “surely” proc your next combo in the chain. If you’re doing it “raw”, your combo is reduced to a chance.

You must be very keen of procs, and maximizing the use of every bullet!

It’s useless to go into detail this early at L30. In the next tabs, we will mention ALL AVAILABLE SKILLS and the context wherein they’re used.

L30 MCH Single Target Rotation

Use Reload (L4) and Quick Reload (L26) as often as possible. Be mindful never to go above 5 bullets.

Is Hotshot (L30) buff up? If no, use Hotshot, if yes, proceed.

Split Shot (L1) Proc or bullet? Proceed. If not, spam Split Shot (L1)
Slug Shot (L2).

If you have Reassemble (L10), use it only on your strongest skill (in this case, Slug Shot with Ammo.

Heartbreak (L6) when the enemy is at low life.

L30 MCH Basic AoE Rotation

L30 MCH AoE Rotation

DO NOT USE YOUR AOE ON 2 TARGETS. A case can be made for using spread shot on 2 guys IF YOU HAVE AMMO – but I don’t think it’s ultimately worth it.

Spread Shot (L18) spam on 3+ targets. Obviously with 4 or more targets, Spread Shot becomes beastly – but be wary of the TP costs.

Remember to still keep Hotshot (L30) up.

L30 MCH Misc (Cooldowns, Utility)

L30 MCH Utility Skills

Reload (L4) and Quick Reload (L26), just a reminder, gives bullets which increase potency on most skills, and ensures proccing the combo chain.

Reassemble (L10) ensures your next weapon skill is a critical strike – always save it for your strongest shot.

Blank (L15) is a decent pushback, you can interrupt skills with it. Careful using it in dungeons – you don’t wanna loosen up piled enemies.

Rapid Fire (L30) speeds up your GCD considerably for 3 skills. Useful in the near future with Wildfire (L30). For now, it’s a generic DPS cooldown.

L30 MCH Role Actions

Long story short a basic solo setup is:
Invigorate > Second Wind > Peloton > Any

For a detailed guide check out our Ranged DPS Role Actions guide.

Fresh level 30 Machinist: Gear Check

The free gear you get from completing the Machinist quest is, ultimately, lacking. You only get a chest and leg armor, while lacking Helm, Belt, Gloves, Boots – and the entire 5 right-side accessories. If you plan to maximize your options in leveling – you wanna shore this up ASAP.

Ignore this section if you’re one of those pure PotD types.

FOR THE ACCESSORIES: Fluorite Tier, OPTIONALLY melded with Heaven’s Eye > Savage Aim > Savage Might. You can meld your other gear, too, if you like.

L30 MCH Basic of the Basic gear
Slot	Item	Note
Weapon	Steel-barreled Carbine	Free from coffer
Head	HQ Steel Sallet	Market board / ARM
Body	Toadskin Jacket	Free from coffer
Hands	HQ Toadskin Armguards	Market board / LTW
Belt	HQ Toadskin Belt	Market board / LTW
Legs	Toadskin Brais	Free from coffer
Boots	HQ Toadskin Leg Guards	Market board / LTW
Earring	HQ Fluorite Earring	Market board / GSM
Neck	HQ Fluorite Choker	Market board / GSM
Wrist	HQ Fluorite Bracelet	Market board / GSM
Ring	HQ Fluorite Ring	Market board / GSM
Ring	HQ Fluorite Ring	Market board / GSM

Machinist Class Quests: Where!?

It happens to everyone, don’t worry. We will be listing the relevant chunks per tier on the respective page of this leveling guide as well, for easy reference.

Machinist Job Quests 30 to 50

LVL	QUEST	LOCATION	COORDS		ISSUER	REWARDS
			X	Y
30	Master of Marksmanship	Outer La Noscea	20	18	Rostnsthal
35	Always the Last Place You Look	Foundation	8	10	Stephanivien
40	Rook Before You Reap	Foundation	8	10	Stephanivien
40	Securing the Locks	Foundation	8	10	Stephanivien
45	A Suppressive Strategy	Foundation	8	10	Stephanivien
45	Blood on the Sands	Foundation	8	10	Stephanivien
50	Rage against the Machinists	Foundation	8	10	Stephanivien
50	The Power of a Tourney	Foundation	8	10	Stephanivien	Junior Machinist’s Armor Coffer

Machinist Job Quests 50 to 60

LVL	QUEST	LOCATION	COORDS		ISSUER	REWARDS
			X	Y
50	A Joye-less Celebration	Foundation	8	10	Stephanivien
52	Pushing the Brume	Foundation	8	10	Stephanivien
54	A Joye-ful Reunion	Foundation	8	10	Stephanivien
56	Wheels of Justice	Foundation	8	10	Stephanivien
58	Taking the Fall	Foundation	8	10	Stephanivien
58	Rusted Steel	Foundation	8	10	Stephanivien
60	Rise of the Machinists	Foundation	8	10	Stephanivien	Machinist’s Armor Coffer

Machinist Job Quests 60 to 70

LVL	QUEST	LOCATION	COORDS		ISSUER	REWARDS
			X	Y
60	The Machinist’s Choice	Foundation	8	10	Stephanivien
63	The Hrunting Heist	Foundation	12	12	Hilda
65	Release the Hounds	Foundation	12	12	Hilda
68	Snouts Down, Tails Up	Foundation	12	12	Hilda
70	The Mongrel and the Knight	Foundation	12	12	Hilda	Gunner’s Armor Coffer

I’m sure you’re itching to level up – and I hope you took the above preparations to heart! Just continue onwards with the links just above!

Don’t forget to like us on Facebook!

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FFXIV Dark Knight Leveling Guide

Level up your Dark Knight (DRK) ASAP! Setting up – Early Rotations – Gear Checks and more!

If you’ve found yourself here, you’re likely leveling up a Dark Knight. You’ve found the right place. Hopefully, our Dark Knight Leveling Guide helps you out – especially with setting up and the early L30+ rotation!

Dark Knight Leveling Guide Navigation:
Page 1: Unlocking, L30 Skills & Rotation, L30 Gear, Class Quest List
Page 2: Leveling DRK 30 to 50 (Basic info for now)
Page 3: Leveling DRK 50 to 60 (Basic info for now)
Page 4: Leveling DRK 60 to 70 (Basic info for now)

For those who jumped right into this page, we will add a little blurb about unlocking Dark Knight, if you haven’t already.

Unlocking Dark Knight (DRK) Job

Quest Name: Our End
Quest Location: The Pillars (X:13, Y:9)
NPC Name: Ishgardian Citizen

You will be rewarded with the Soul of the Dark Knight, your main hand weapon (Steel Claymore), and a free coffer of 30 left side gear (Steel Cuirass and Padded Velveteen Trousers). Equip them as soon you have them!

Since Dark Knight starts at level 30 (although unlocked if you have a level 50 character), there are a few things you have to “catch up to”… Namely, your Skills, Rotation, and to a lesser extent, Gear.

Fresh Level 30 Dark Knight Rotation & Skills

Thankfully, there aren’t too many skills unlocked by L30 so you won’t be overwhelmed.

DRK Rotation Summary

The DRK rotation is all about mana management. While it doesn’t fully show yet at this low level, traces of it are seen.

Grit is your tank stance, which reduces damage and increases enmity.
Darkside is a substance that STOP MANA REGEN but increases damage.
Blood Weapon converts damage to MP, but cannot be used with Grit.

It’s useless to go into detail this early at L30, but at least the above gives you an idea of the “shuffling” and “tradeoffs” of the various DRK “stances”.
In the next tabs, we will mention ALL AVAILABLE SKILLS and the context wherein they’re used.

L30 DRK Tanking Basics

This should be your basic flowchart when inside dungeons.

Do I need Grit (L30) ? (Probably yes)
Is Darkside (L30) on? (It probably should be)
Unmend (L15) Ranged pulling skill (Optional)
Unleash (L6) x2: AoE Bonus Enmity
– (More experienced tanks can ditch one or both of these Unleashes)

Single Target rotation on one enemy

Hard Slash (L1)
Spinning Slash (L4): Bonus Enmity.
Power Slash (L26): Bonus Enmity.
You can do this once per enemy in the pack.

After the enemy group is “near death” and the risk to you is lower, start asking yourself these questions:

I should have full or near full mana by the next enemy group…
Can I SAFELY off Grit (L30)?
Should I use Hard Slash (L1) > Syphon Strike (L10) to regain mana?
Can/should I save Blood Weapon (L18) for the next pile?

After the enemies die, make sure to OFF Darkside to regain any lacking mana before the next pull.

L30 DRK Single Target Rotation

L30 DRK Basic Single Target Rotation

It feels a bit strange discussing a single target rotation in the context of a tank (I guess for soloing and “last enemies in a pack”). It seems redundant after the above tab but here it is.

Can I SAFELY off Grit (L30)?
Is Darkside (L30) on? Can I Darkside?
Is Blood Weapon (L18) available? Can I maximize the mana gained?

Hard Slash (L1)
Spinning Slash (L4): Bonus Enmity.
Power Slash (L26): Bonus Enmity.

I desperately need mana!

Is Blood Weapon (L18) available?
Hard Slash (L1)
Syphon Strike (L10) Regains mana on hit!

L30 DRK Basic AoE Rotation

It’s pretty bad. You cannot contribute any meaningful AoE damage this early on.

4 Enemies or less: Use single target rotation on one of them.

5 or more: Unleash (L6) spam.

Sadly, even FOUR targets isn’t enough for Unleash to outrun your single target rotation.

L30 DRK Misc (Cooldowns, Utility)

L30 DRK Misc skills (Cooldowns, Utility)

Grit (L30): Tank stance which increases toughness and enmity produced.

Darkside (L30): Increases damage but SHUTS OFF mana regen.

Blood Weapon (L18): CANNOT BE USED WITH GRIT. Increases damage, converts damage to MP, reduces TP cost of skills and increases “skill speed”. Quite a huge buff, which you should maximize each time it’s up.

Unmend (L15): Ranged pulling skill.

Unleash (L6): AoE enmity generating skill with weak damage.

L30 DRK Role Actions

Long story short, for general use:
Provoke > Low Blow > Rampart > Any

For more detailed info, check our Tank Role Actions Guide.

Fresh level 30 Dark Knight: Gear Check

The free gear you get from completing the Dark Knight quest is, ultimately, lacking. You only get a chest and leg armor, while lacking Helm, Belt, Gloves, Boots - and the entire 5 right-side accessories. If you plan to maximize your options in leveling - you wanna shore this up ASAP.

Ignore this section if you’re one of those pure PotD types.

FOR THE ACCESSORIES either:

Sunstone Tier + MELDING VITALITY I, OR
Sphene Tier + MELDING STRENGTH I.

Personally, I prefer Sunstone, with or without VIT I melded.

L30 DRK Basic of the Basic gear
Slot	Item	Note
Weapon	Steel Claymore	Free from coffer
Head	HQ Steel Celata	Marketboard / ARM
Body	Steel Cuirass	Free from coffer
Hands	HQ Steel Gauntlet	Marketboard / ARM
Belt	HQ Steel Plate Belt	Marketboard / ARM
Legs	Padded Velveteen Trousers	Free from coffer
Boots	HQ Steel Sabatons	Marketboard / ARM
Earring	HQ Sunstone Earrings	Marketboard / GSM
Neck	HQ Sunstone Choker	Marketboard / GSM
Wrist	HQ Sunstone Bracelet	Marketboard / GSM
Ring	HQ Sunstone Ring	Marketboard / GSM
Ring	HQ Sunstone Ring	Marketboard / GSM

Dark Knight Class Quests: Where!?

It happens to everyone, don't worry. We will be listing the relevant chunks per tier on the respective page of this leveling guide as well, for easy reference.

Dark Knight Job Quests 30 to 50

LVL	QUEST	LOCATION	COORDS		ISSUER	REWARDS
			X	Y
30	Ishgardian Justice	Foundation	11	12	Fray
35	The Voice in the Abyss	Foundation	11	12	Fray
40	Heroic Reprise	Foundation	11	12	Fray
45	Declaration of Blood	Foundation	11	12	Fray
50	Our Answer	Foundation	11	12	Fray	Dark Knight’s Armor Coffer

Dark Knight Job Quests 50 to 60

LVL	QUEST	LOCATION	COORDS		ISSUER	REWARDS
			X	Y
50	The Wages of Mercy	Coerthas C.H.	13	16	Unflinching Temple Knight
52	The Knight and the Maiden Fair	Foundation	13	12	Sidurgu
54	Kindred Spirits	Foundation	13	12	Sidurgu
56	Original Sins	Foundation	13	12	Sidurgu
58	The Flame in the Abyss	Foundation	13	12	Sidurgu
60	Absolution	Foundation	13	12	Sidurgu	Chaos Armor Coffer

Dark Knight Job Quests 60 to 70

LVL	QUEST	LOCATION	COORDS		ISSUER	REWARDS
			X	Y
60	In Memories We Walked	Foundation	13	12	Sidurgu
63	The Widow and Her Love	Coerthas Western Highlands	32	36	Sidurgu
65	The Orphans and the Broken Blade	Dravanian Forelands	32	23	Sidurgu
68	We Can Never Go Home	The Churnign Mists	28	35	Myste
70	Our Compromise	Foundation	13	12	Sidurgu	Abyss Armor Coffer

I'm sure you're itching to level up - and I hope you took the above preparations to heart! Just continue onwards with the links just above!

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FFXIV Samurai Leveling Guide

Level up your Samurai ASAP! Setting up – Early Rotations – Gear Checks and more!

If you’ve found yourself here, you’re likely leveling up a Samurai. Welp! You’ve found the right place. Hopefully, our Samurai Leveling Guide helps you out – especially with setting up and the early L50+ rotation!

Samurai Leveling Guide – Navigation:
Page 1: Unlocking | L50 Skills & Rotation | L50 Gear | Class Quest List
Page 2: SAM Leveling 50 to 60 (Basic info for now)
Page 3: SAM Leveling 60 to 70 (Basic info for now)

For those who jumped right into this page, we will add a little blurb about unlocking Samurai, if you haven’t already.

Unlocking Samurai (SAM) Job

Quest Name: The Way of the Samurai
Quest Location: Ul’dah – Steps of Nald (X:9, Y:9)
NPC Name: Ul’dahn Citizen

You will be rewarded with the Soul of the Samurai, your main hand weapon (Mythrite Uchigatana), and a free coffer of 115 left side gear (Nameless Armor Coffer)! Equip them as soon you have them!

Since Samurai starts at level 50, there are a few things you have to “catch up on”. Namely, your Skills, Rotation, and to a lesser extent, Gear.

Fresh Level 50 Samurai Rotation & Skills

SAM Rotation Summary

Lemme tell you the absolute basics of the Samurai rotation. It revolves around generating any number of those three fancy orbs (called Sen – Samurai’s Primary Resource) “Getsu, Ka, and Setsu” then expending these using Iaijutsu. Depending on how many of these you have, Iaijutsu’s actual skill changes.

At 52 onwards (I might as well mention it now), you will gain a secondary resource called Kenki to expend on various utility skills. You can Kenki naturally as you do various weapon skills.

In the next tab we go into the nitty gritty, and talk about EVERY SKILL you’ve unlocked just now.

L50 Samurai Single Target Rotation

Samurais have “3 basic combo trees” since you need to gain three different types of Sen. This is a basic single target rotation.

L50 SAM Basic Single Target Rotation

Hakaze (L1)
Jinpu (L4) (Grants 10% Damage up buff)
Gekko (L30) (Gain Getsu!)

Hakaze (L1)
Shifu (L18) (Grants 10% “Offensive Speed” buff)
Kasha (L40) (Gain Ka!)

Hakaze (L1)
Yukikaze (L50) (Gain Setsu!)

Iaijutsu (L30) (3 Sen: Midare Satsugekka)

“Repeat”

Note: For long fights such as bosses (or anything more than a minute) using Iaijutsu on 1 Sen is Higanbana – a ONE MINUTE DoT!

Note: Try to keep up both the “Speed” buff from Shifu and the damage buff from Jinpu at all times. Remember that while the Samurai doesn’t care WHICH Sen you choose for Iaijutsu, choosing the wrong “path” might lead to dropping one of these powerful buffs.

Note: Personally, I start with the chain which leads up to the “speed bonus” buff – as it’s more “valuable” than 10% damage UNLESS you plan to open with 1 Sen Higanbana – then the 10% Damage buff is better.

L50 SAM Basic AoE Rotation

This is typically used on “3 or more guys”.

Fuga (L26) : This is a cone skill.
Mangetsu (L35) (Gain Getsu!) : Circular AoE centered on yourself.

Fuga (L26) : This is a cone skill.
Oka (L35) (Gain Setsu!) : Circular AoE centered on yourself.

Iaijutsu (L30) (2 Sen: Tenka Goken) : Large cone nuke.

Note: Against 2 guys, the “SPEED” wherein you gain sen is the upside here. You will be using Tenka Goken every 5th GCD. Using the AoE rotation against 2 enemies has a very very strong case, unlike most other classes whose clear breakpoint is usually at 3.

Note: The problem with this rotation is heavy TP use, and you will never actually trigger your buffs. This is the primary reason why the AoE rotation “sucks” against 2 enemies.

L50 SAM Misc (Cooldowns, Utility)

L50 SAM Misc skill rundown

Meikyo Shisui (L50): God… discussions on this can get complicated at max level but for now basically it allows you to “cheat” combos. If it isn’t obvious by now, the best use of this is to do combo finishers which grant you Sen! (Gekko – Kasha – Yukikaze > Midare!)

Third Eye (L6): Reduced your damage taken on the next hit by a tiny amount. This is connected to other skills later on, but try and practice it early and often.

Ageha (L10): Only usable on low life enemies. Grants a Kenki (more on this at L52…) bonus if its a “last hit”.

Enpi (L15): Is a ranged skill typical of most melee classes. Junk (for now…).

Iaijutsu (L30): Again, I might as well mention it here.
1 Sen: Higanbana – Long DoT, only used for long fights.
2 Sen: Tenko Goken – Large cone AoE.
3 Sen: Midare Satsugekka – Massive single target damage.

L50 SAM Role Actions

To summarize, for general purposes use:
Invigorate > Second Wind > Leg Sweep > Any

For more information about this, check our Melee DPS Role Actions Guide.

Fresh level 50 Samurai: Gear Check

The free gear you get from completing the Samurai quest is item level 115. All things considered this ain’t so bad. HOWEVER, it is missing the right-side accessories, and belt.

Ignore this section if you plan to sully yourself in PotD forever.

I want better than 115 item level!

There are only 2 possible item level upgrades from 115, and 4 possible sources:

120 gear from World of Darkness (hassle if you don’t have it already)
120 Ironworks gear from “old tomestone” (not too bad to obtain!)
130 Dreadwyrm gear from Final Coil (hassle if you don’t have it already)
130 Augmented Ironworks gear (needs Carbontwine and Carboncoat…)

While I imagine many people have these lying around – I can only faithfully vouch for only ONE of these tiers – 120 Ironworks from older tomestone gear is easy to obtain, and can be fairly worth it as they’re shared between many classes.

And, if you happen to get Carboncoat and Carbontwine from WoD (queue up that Alliance Raid!), great!

L50 SAM Basic GearL50 SAM Better Gear

L50 Samurai Gear – Basic of the Basic (i115)
Weapon	Mythrite Uchigatana	FREE from coffer
Head	Nameless Hachigane	FREE from coffer
Chest	Nameless Togi	FREE from coffer
Hands	Nameless Tekko	FREE from coffer
Belt	HQ Archaeoskin Belt of Striking	Crafting / Market
Legs	Nameless Hakama	FREE from coffer
Boots	Nameless Kyahan	FREE from coffer
Earring	HQ Mythrite Earrings of Slaying	Crafting / Market
Neck	HQ Rainbow Ribbon of Slaying	Crafting / Market
Wrist	HQ Mythrite Bangle of Slaying	Crafting / Market
Ring	HQ Agate Ring of Slaying	Crafting / Market
Ring	HQ Agate Ring of Slaying	Crafting / Market

L50 Samurai Gear – Tomestone (i120+)
Weapon	Ironworks Magitek Samurai Blade	Tomestone
Head	Ironworks Visor of Striking	Tomestone
Chest	Ironworks Cuirass of Striking	Tomestone
Hands	Ironworks Armguards of Striking	Tomestone
Belt	Ironworks Belt of Striking	Tomestone
Legs	Ironworks Hose of Striking	Tomestone
Boots	Ironworks Sollerets of Striking	Tomestone
Earring	Ironworks Earrings of Slaying	Tomestone
Neck	Ironworks Choker of Slaying	Tomestone
Wrist	Ironworks Bracelet of Slaying	Tomestone
Ring	Ironworks Ring of Slaying	Tomestone
Ring	(Cannot use 2 of the same!)	–

Purchased from Auriana – Mor Dhona (X: 22.7, Y: 6.6)
For the other ring, use one from the other tab, Dreadwyrm, or Augmented Ironworks.

Samurai Class Quests: Where!?

It happens to everyone, dont worry. If you’re lost we have reminders on the relevant pages AS YOU LEVEL UP, but we may as well put the entire list here… for reasons.

Samurai Job Quests 50 to 60

LVL	QUEST	LOCATION	COORDS		ISSUER	REWARDS
LVL	QUEST	LOCATION	X	Y	ISSUER	REWARDS
50	Master Musosai	Ul’dah – Steps of Thal	9	12	Musosai
52	The Sands of Debt	Ul’dah – Steps of Nald	12	10	Musosai
54	Blood on the Deck	Limsa Lominsa Upper Decks	11	11	Musosai
56	A Fraudster in the Forest	New Gridania	12	13	Musosai
58	Tears in the Snow	Foundation	14	13	Musosai
60	The Face of True Evil	Foundation	14	12	Momozigo	Meditate

Samurai Job Quests 60 to 70

LVL	QUEST	LOCATION	COORDS		ISSUER	REWARDS
LVL	QUEST	LOCATION	X	Y	ISSUER	REWARDS
60	A Dignified Visitor	Ul’dah – Steps of Nald	12	10	Momozigo
63	Trials of the Sekiseigumi	Ul’dah – Steps of Nald	12	10	Momozigo
65	Matsuba Mayhem	Kugane	14	8	Makoto
68	The Hunt for Ugetsu	Kugane	14	8	Makoto
70	The Battle on Bekko	Kugane	14	8	Makoto	Hisatsu: Guren; Myochin Armor Coffer

Well, hopefully this page helped you out in setting up your Samurai so your leveling process will come along much more smoothly. Proceed to the next pages with the links above!

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