FFXIV All Jobs Unlocking & Requirements (Pictomancer & Viper Added)

SHADOWBRINGERS UPDATED: Dancer and Gunbreaker added. Learn the requirements and how to unlock all jobs and classes in FFXIV!

DAWNTRAIL Guides! Dawntrail L90-100 Miner Leveling, Botanist Leveling
Dawntrail Normal Raid Guide (Quick, Spoiler Free)
See: Viper STARTER Guide / Rotation | Pictomancer Starter Guide / Rotation

Hello there and welcome to our completely overhauled FFXIV Job Unlocking & Requirements Guide! This guide is updated up to Dawntrail! Let’s get right to it, straight to a summary table! Althrough I have a feeling you’re here for (SCROLL TO:) Viper or Pictomancer lol. Beastmaster? Kinda like Blue Mage, Dawntrails limited job. Not much info yet will update asap.

I’ll add a small blurb at the very end for Unlocking DoH and DoL jobs. If you’re confused, or maybe looking for a base class – look at the notes below the table.

LOST IN YOUR JOB QUEST?
CHECK RIGHT BELOW YOUR MAIN SCENARIO QUEST BOX!

Prefer to discuss / give feedback on reddit? See /r/MahikoSan FFXIV Job Unlocking Guide

Job Requirements & Unlock Quest: SUMMARY

Click on the class name to scroll to its more detailed section.

Job	Code	Unlock Quest Name	Location & Area	X	Y	Requirement Note
Viper	VPR	Enter the Viper	Uldah	9	9	Disciple of War or Magic L80
Pictomancer	PCT	The Joy of Pictomancy	Old Gridania	8	10	Disciple of War or Magic L80
Astrologian	AST	Stairway to the Heavens	The Pillars	15	10	Disciple of War or Magic L50
Bard	BRD	A Song of Bards and Bowmen	New Gridania	15	11	Archer (ARC) L30
Black Mage	BLM	Taking the Black	Uldah - Steps of Nald	7	12	Thaumaturge (LNC) L30
Blue Mage	BLU	Out of the Blue	Limsa Lower Decks	10	11	Disciple of War or Magic L50
Dancer	DNC	Shall We Dance	Limsa Lower Decks	9	12	DoW or DoM L60
Dark Knight	DRK	Our End	The Pillars	13	8	Disciple of War or Magic L50
Dragoon	DRG	Eye of the Dragon	Old Gridania	14	5	Lancer (LNC) L30
Gunbreaker	GNB	The Makings of a Gunbreaker	New Gridania	11	11	DoW or DoM L60
Machinist	MCH	Savior of Skysteel	Foundation	8	10	DoW or DoM L50
Monk	MNK	Brother from Another Mother	Uldah - Steps of Nald	9	10	Pugilist (PGL) L30
Ninja	NIN	Peasants by Day, Ninjas by Night	Limsa Lower Decks	8	16	Rogue (ROG) L30
Paladin	PLD	Paladin's Pledge	Uldah - Steps of Thal	9	11	Gladiator (GLD) L30
Reaper	RPR	The Killer Instinct	Ul'dah - Steps of Nald	13	9	Disciple of War or Magic L70
Red Mage	RDM	Taking the Red	Uldah - Steps of Thal	14	11	Disciple of War or Magic L50
Sage	SGE	Sage's Path	Limsa Lominsa Lower Decks	9	13	Disciple of War or Magic L70
Samurai	SAM	The Way of the Samurai	Uldah - Steps of Nald	9	9	Disciple of War or Magic L50
Scholar	SCH	Forgotten but Not Gone	Limsa Lower Decks	4	11	Arcanist (ACN) L30
Summoner	SMN	Austerities of Flame	Limsa Lower Decks	4	11	Arcanist (ACN) L30
Warrior	WAR	Pride and Duty (Will Take You...	Limsa Upper Decks	11	6	Marauder (MRD) L30
White Mage	WHM	Seer Folly	Old Gridania	6	10	Conjurer (CNJ) L30

From here, let’s have a little note about each and every job (or class) you want to unlock, its requirements, and a little protip for each!

Base Classes Unlocking, Requirements & Tips

ALMOST ALL base classes (WITH THE NOTABLE EXCEPTION OF ROGUE), can be accessed as you create your character, as you spawn into this world! Here’s a quick table of base classes (click on the box below), and where to unlock them.

Base Class unlocking table

Job	Code	Unlock Quest Name	Location & Area	X	Y
Arcanist	ACN	Way of the Arcanist	Limsa Lower Decks	4	11
Archer	ARC	Way of the Archer	New Gridania	15	12
Conjurer	CNJ	Way of the Conjurer	Old Gridania	6	11
Gladiator	GLD	Way of the Gladiator	Uldah - Steps of Thal	9	11
Lancer	LNC	Way of the Lancer	Old Gridania	14	5
Marauder	MRD	Way of the Marauder	Limsa Upper Decks	11	6
Pugilist	PGL	Way of the Pugilist	Uldah - Steps of Nald	9	10
Rogue	ROG	My First Daggers	Limsa Lower Decks	8	16
Thaumaturge	THM	Way of the Thaumaturge	Uldah - Steps of Nald	7	12

ALL OF THE BASE / ARR JOBS
seem to have ditched the old requirements to unlock..?
You only need Level 10 in your original base class?

Rogue is a little different. It’s the only base class you cannot START THE GAME WITH. So any new player aspiring to be a Rogue (and eventually Ninja) would be best served by choosing a starter base class that spawns in Limsa, either Arcanist or Marauder. But honestly, it doesn’t make much of a difference.

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Astrologian Unlocking, Requirements & Tips

Here’s a quick summary on unlocking Astrologian.

Astrologian Unlock Quest: Stairway to the Heavens
Location: The Pillars (15,10)
NPC:
Requirements: Level 50 DoW or DoM
Aetheryte -> Aethernet: Ishgard / Foundation
Expansion: Heavensward

New players wanting to play AST asap will have to take a bit of a detour. The requirements are having a disciple or magic or war at level 50. So you might as well level up a healer. Start the game as Conjurer (into White Mage), or Arcanist (into Scholar).

The sad part is Astrologian starts at L30. Ouch.

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Bard Unlocking, Requirements & Tips

Here’s a quick summary on unlocking Bard.

Bard Unlock Quest: A Song of Bards and Bowmen
Location: New Gridania (15,11)
NPC:
Requirements: Level 30 Archer (ARC), and all class quests.
Aetheryte -> Aethernet: New Gridania -> Archers Guild
Expansion: Base / A Realm Reborn

Being part of the original roster of Jobs, new players aspiring to play BRD have it easy. Simply start the game as an Archer, and you’ll be well on your way to being a Bard!

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Black Mage Unlocking, Requirements & Tips

Here’s a quick summary on unlocking Black Mage.

Black Mage Unlock Quest: Taking the Black
Location: Uldah – Steps of Nald (7,12)
NPC:
Requirements: Level 30 Thaumaturge (THM), and all class quests.
Aetheryte -> Aethernet:
Expansion: Base / A Realm Reborn

As one of the original Jobs, new players wanting to blow up the world with BLM simply have to start the game as Thaumaturge, and you’ll be burning your path to Black Mage in no time.

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Blue Mage Unlocking, Requirements & Tips

WARNING: MEME TIER JOB. PLEASE READ

Here’s a quick summary on unlocking Blue Mage.

Quest: Out of the Blue
Location: Limsa Lower Decks (10,11)
NPC: Zealous Leatherjacket
Requirements: Level 50 DoW or DoM
Complete the main scenario quest “The Ultimate Weapon.”
Aetheryte -> Aethernet: Limsa Upper Decks -> Limsa Lower Decks
Expansion: Base / A Realm Reborn

HOLD IT! BEFORE YOU HAVE DELUSIONS OF GRANDEUR ABOUT YOUR CARREER AS A BLUE MAGE – BLU is the first “Limited Job” which means quite a bit IT DOES NOT REACH MAX LEVEL! So hold your horses. Sadly you have to choose something else for a serious path.

It’s meant to be a fun sidejob which has a completely different progression path and goals from your typical combat jobs. Currently, Blue Mage is a purely “for fun” kinda job… I suppose…

Fun is loosely defined, btw. Don’t @ me if it doesn’t pan out.

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Dancer Unlocking, Requirements & Tips

Here’s a quick summary on unlocking Dancer.

Dancer Unlock Quest: Shall We Dance
Location: Limsa Lower Decks (9,12)
NPC: Eager Lominsan
Requirements: Level 60 DoW or DoM
Aetheryte -> Aethernet: Lower Decks Aetheryte straight up… it’s near.
Expansion: Stormblood

As one of the Shadowbringer Jobs, Dancer requires you have a level 60 disciple or war or magic to unlock. So new players have a bit of a journey ahead before they get to shake dat booty.

Technically the quickest way to level up to 60 is by taking advantage of tank or healer queues, but I would highly advise newer players to play a similar role – so starting from Archer into Bard should get you in rhythm.

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Dark Knight Unlocking, Requirements & Tips

Here’s a quick summary on unlocking Dark Knight.

Dark Knight Unlock Quest: Our End
Location: The Pillars (13,8)
NPC:
Requirements: Level 50 DoW or DoM
Aetheryte -> Aethernet: Ishgard / Foundation –
Expansion: Heavensward

New players wanting to play DRK asap will have to wait a bit. You need a Level 50 disciple of magic or war to unlock Dark Knight. My advice is to get used to tanking, and start the game as Gladiator (into Paladin), or Marauder (into Warrior).

Sadly, Dark Knight is one of three jobs that “backtrack” in level, starting out their journey at Level 30. Oof.

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Dragoon Unlocking, Requirements & Tips

Here’s a quick summary on unlocking Dragoon.

Dragoon Unlock Quest: Eye of the Dragon
Location: Old Gridania (14,5)
NPC:
Requirements: Level 30 Lancer (LNC), and all class quests.
Aetheryte -> Aethernet: New Gridania –
Expansion: Base / A Realm Reborn

New players attracted by the flashiness of DRG are in luck – it’s one of the original jobs so starting the game out as Lancer (LNC) will “point” you in the right direction.

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Gunbreaker Unlocking, Requirements & Tips

Here’s a quick summary on unlocking Gunbreaker.

Gunbreaker Unlock Quest: The Makings of a Gunbreaker
Location: New Gridania (11,11)
NPC: Gods’ Quiver bow
Requirements: Level 60 DoW or DoM
Aetheryte -> Aethernet: New Gridania straight up. Near aetheryte.
Expansion: Shadowbringers

New players who wanna squall it up as GNB will have to put in some work first. You need an L60 combat class of any other kind. I highly recommend picking something of the same role though. So Gladiator into Paladin, or Marauder into Warrior are your best bets.

Gunbreaker starts at L60 so there’s no real time lost there.

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Machinist Unlocking, Requirements & Tips

Here’s a quick summary on unlocking Machinist.

Machinist Unlock Quest: Savior of Skysteel
Location: Foundation (8,10)
NPC:
Requirements: Level 50 DoW or DoM
Aetheryte -> Aethernet: Ishgard / Foundation
Expansion: Heavensward

New players who want to pile it in with the bots as MCH are in for a bit of work… You need an L50 combat class, which technically is easiest reached by a tank or healer.

HOWEVER, I will always recommend another class of the same role so Archer (ARC) into Bard (BRD) would be my shot at a recommendation.

Sadly, Machinist is one of three classes that backtrack their level – starting out as a Level 30 character. Hnnng.

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Monk Unlocking, Requirements & Tips

Here’s a quick summary on unlocking the Monk job.

Monk Unlock Quest: Brother from Another Mother
Location: Uldah – Steps of Nald (9,10)
NPC:
Requirements: Level30 Pugilist (PGL), and all class quests.
Aetheryte -> Aethernet:
Expansion: Base / A Realm Reborn

New players who have the unexplained desire to punch stuff ASAP with MNK are in luck – it’s one of the original jobs so starting the game off as Pugilist (PGL) will allows you to hit it off in no time.

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Ninja Unlocking, Requirements & Tips

Here’s a quick summary on unlocking the Ninja job.

Ninja Unlock Quest: Peasants by Day, Ninjas by Night
Location: Limsa Lower Decks (8,16)
NPC:
Requirements: Level 30 Rogue (ROG), and all class quests.
Aetheryte / Aethernet: Limsa Upper Decks
Expansion: Base / A Realm Reborn

New players wanting to live the NIN dream will want to get to Rogue (ROG) ASAP. However, you cannot start the game as rogue!

That being said Rogues need a relatively low unlock requirement (L10, and a low level MSQ). The most efficient choice for me personally is picking any other class that starts in Limsa: Marauder or Arcanist, then switch to Rogue when able.

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Paladin Unlocking, Requirements & Tips

Here’s a quick summary on unlocking Paladin.

Paladin Unlock Quest: Paladin’s Pledge
Location: Ul’dah – Steps of Thal (9,11)
NPC:
Requirements: Level 30 Gladiator (GLD), and all class quests.
Aetheryte -> Aethernet: Ul’dah
Expansion: Base / A Realm Reborn

New players wanting to star the game as PLD are lucky – it’s one of the original jobs! Simply starting the game as Gladiator will reinforce your path straight into the shield.

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Pictomancer Unlocking, Requirements & Tips

See: Pictomancer Starter Guide – Rotation, Setup, etc

Here’s a quick summary on unlocking the Pictomancer Job.

Pictomancer Unlock Quest Name: The Joy of Pictomancy
Location: New Gridania -> Conjurer’s Guild (8.0, 10.3)
NPC: Cheerless Hearer
Requirements: Level 80 Disciple of War or Magic.
~~Aetheryte -> Aethernet~~: TBA
Expansion: Dawntrail

New players wanting to star the game as PLD are lucky – it’s one of the original jobs! Simply starting the game as Gladiator will reinforce your path straight into the shield.

Aspiring artists apply! If you wanna be a Pictomancer, you’re gonna any other combat class at Level 80. If you want a “similar” job, then go with Black Mage on your journey upward. Once you make the switch, Pictomancer starts at Level 80!

Along your way you can try the Summoner (start game as arcanist), or Red Mage (once you reach L50).

Otherwise, pick tank or healer to improve your queue time haha.

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Reaper Unlocking, Requirements & Tips

Here’s a quick summary on unlocking Reaper.

Reaper Unlock Quest: The Killer Instinct
Location: Ul’dah – Steps of Nald (12.8, 8.6)
NPC: Flustered Attendant
Requirements: Level 70 DoW or DoM
Aetheryte / Aethernet: Ul’dah – Steps of Nald, Adventurer’s Guild
Expansion: Endwalker

Since RPR unlocks at a high level with many skills, check out our Reaper initial skills, setup and rotation guide.

New players wanting to be up and coming edgelords rushing into Reaping might want to start as any melee DPS. Pick any starting melee DPS (Monk, Dragoon, or Ninja) as your goal, and unlock its base class (Pugilist, Lancer, or Rogue respectively).

Alternatively, if you want to reach L70 ASAP you can abuse tank or healer queues, but, I heavily suggest going for a similar role and job as the one you’re aspiring to me.

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Red Mage Unlocking, Requirements & Tips

Here’s a quick summary on unlocking Red Mage.

Red Mage Unlock Quest: Taking the Red
Location: Uldah – Steps of Thal (14,11)
NPC:
Requirements: Level 50 DoW or DoM
Aetheryte -> Aethernet:
Expansion: Stormblood

New players itching to swashbuckle as RDM will have to level up another combat class to L50 first. While technically leveling a tank or healer would improve your speed I always recommend picking a similar class to kickstart your journey!

That being said, the closest thing would be Thaumaturge (THM) into Black Mage (BLM). From there, get to Red Mage!

Luckily RDM starts as L50 so you’ll pick up right where you left off.

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Sage Unlocking, Requirements & Tips

Here’s a quick summary on unlocking Sage.

Sage Unlock Quest: Sage’s Path
Location: Limsa Lominsa Lower Decks (9, 13)
NPC: Sharlayan Maiden
Requirements: Level 70 DoW or DoM
Aetheryte / Aethernet: Limsa Lominsa Lower Decks
Expansion: Endwalker

Since SGE unlocks at a high level with many skills, check out our Sage initial skills, setup and rotation guide.

Rushing for Sage? Then you might wanna train up any other healer first until L70 then switching up to Sage. If you’re absolutely new then you’re going to want to start the game as one of the healer classes, Conjurer or Arcanist, which becomes White Mage and Schiolar Respectively.

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Samurai Unlocking, Requirements & Tips

Here’s a quick summary on unlocking Samurai.

Samurai Unlock Quest: The Way of the Samurai
Location: Uldah – Steps of Nald (9,9)
NPC:
Requirements: Level 50 DoW or DoM
Aetheryte -> Aethernet: Uldah

New players wanting to train in the blade of SAM have to level up another combat class to Level 50 first… Technically, the fastest way is to level up a tank or healer to take advantage of faster queues –

BUT! I always advise going for a similar role on your journey. Pick any starting melee DPS (Monk, Dragoon, or Ninja) as your goal, and unlock its base class (Pugilist, Lancer, or Rogue respectively).

Luckily Samurai starts at L50 – right where you left off!

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Scholar Unlocking, Requirements & Tips

Here’s a quick summary on unlocking Scholar.

Scholar Unlock Quest: Forgotten but Not Gone
Location: Limsa Lower Decks (4,11)
NPC:
Requirements: Level 30 Arcanist (ACN), and all class quests.
Aetheryte -> Aethernet: Limsa Upper Decks
Expansion: Base / A Realm Reborn

New players strategizing their way to SCH should rest easy since it’s one of the original jobs! Starting out as an Arcanist (ACN) should put you right in the books to become a Scholar!

As an added bonus, SCHOLAR EXP IS SHARED WITH SUMMONER – so you can choose to pew pew when it suits you! (Soloing, for example). By shared I don’t mean halved – they gain it equally!

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Summoner Unlocking, Requirements & Tips

Here’s a quick summary on unlocking Summoner.

Summoner Unlock Quest: Austerities of Flame
Location: Limsa Lower Decks (4,11)
NPC:
Requirements: Level 30 Arcanist (ACN), and all class quests.
Aetheryte -> Aethernet: Limsa Upper Decks
Expansion: Base / A Realm Reborn

New players wanting to control deez SMN pets are in luck. It’s one of the original jobs so starting the game as Arcanist (ACN) will put you right in control up to Summoner!

As an added bonus SUMMONER EXP IS SHARED WITH SCHOLAR, so you get a healer to boot! Double value! By shared I don’t mean halved – they gain XP at the same time!

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Viper Unlocking, Requirements & Tips

See: Viper Starter Guide – Rotation, Setup, etc

Here’s a quick summary on unlocking the Viper job.

Viper Unlock Quest Name: Enter the Viper
Location: Ul’dah – Steps of Nald (9.3, 9.2), It’s near the main Aetheryte.
NPC: Worried Weaver
Prerequisites: Level 80 Disciple of War or Magic.
~~Aetheryte -> Aethernet~~:
Expansion: Dawntrail

If you’re itching to stab your way (multiple ways, actually) through with the Viper – you’ll have to wait. You need another Level 80 combat class of any other kind! But don’t sweat it, because Viper starts at Level 80 as well!

If I could recommend a class most similar to Viper from the base game (for new players wanting to rush in), it’s probably Monk, or Dragoon – both melee DPS. You can progress to other melees like Ninja, Samurai, or Reaper down the line.

I don’t advise this, but, you can also roll healer or tank to improve your queue time while leveling up. Heh.

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Warrior Unlocking, Requirements & Tips

Here’s a quick summary on unlocking Warrior.

Warrior Unlock Quest: Pride and Duty (Will Take You…)
Location: Limsa Lominsa Upper Decks (11,6)
NPC:
Requirements: L30 Marauder (MRD), and all class quests.
Aetheryte -> Aethernet: Limsa Lominsa Lower Decks -> Marauders Guild.
Expansion: Base / A Realm Reborn

New players itching to be an Axe-wielding WAR, fret not! It’s one of the original jobs so starting off as a Marauder (MRD) will put you in the right direction straight to Warrior!

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White Mage Unlocking, Requirements & Tips

Here’s a quick summary on unlocking White Mage.

White Mage Unlock Quest: Seer Folly
Location: Old Gridania (6,10)
NPC:
Requirements: Level 30 Conjurer (CNJ), and all class quests.
Aetheryte -> Aethernet: New Gridania
Expansion: Base / A Realm Reborn

New players who want to go straight to WHM are in luck. It’s one of the original jobs so simply starting your journey as a Conjurer (CNJ) will set you on the straight and narrow to White Mage!

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DoH and DoL Jobs – Might as well put it here!

Just a quick addition here, if you’re trying to unlock all of ’em I’ll list ’em by location first.

Crafters (DoH) Disciple of the Hand
Limsa: Armorsmith, Blacksmith, Culinarian.
Ul’dah: Alchemist, Goldsmith, Weaver.
Gridania: Carpenter, Leatherworker.

Gatherers (DoL) Disciple of the Land)
Limsa: Fisher
Ul’dah: Miner
Gridania: Botanist

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Summary, Closing , Related Info

THAT’S IT FOR ALL JOB UNLOCKS!

I’ll be updating this guide with further supplemental info in the very near future, so stay tuned! GOOD LUCK UNLOCKING THOSE JOBS AND GETTING THOSE REQUIREMENTS!

I suppose I can add some links here in the future as well.

Prefer to discuss / give feedback on reddit? See /r/MahikoSan FFXIV Job Unlocking Guide

FFXIV Caster DPS Role Actions: Guide & FAQ (Dawntrail UPDATE)

All you need to know about Caster Role Actions in FFXIV, the replacement for cross-class skills!

Here’s quick guide about Magical Ranged Role Actions! (previously the cross-class skills system). This time around, we no longer have to choose – and have access to all Role Actions! (As a note, people informally refer to these classes as “Caster”)

Dawntrail Update: Added Pictomancer (PCT) into the mix. Dawntrail changes are:

Addle: Duration up to 15s from 10s. (L98)
Swiftcast: Cooldown reduced to 40s from 60s. (L94)

What Jobs get the Magical Ranged Role Actions?

Job Classes

Black Mage (BLM)
Pictomancer (PCT)
Red Mage (RDM)
Summoner (SMN)

Base Classes

Arcanist (ACN)
Thaumaturge (THM)

Caster DPS Role Actions – Navigation:
Caster Role Actions List | Role Actions Uses & Discussion

Magical Ranged Role Actions List

Lvl	Action	Description	Duration	Cast	Recast
8	Addle	Lowers target's intelligence and mind by 10% for 10s.	10	Instant	90
10	Sleep	Puts targets to Sleep in an AoE.	30	2.5	2.5
14	Lucid Dreaming	Regain MP over time.	21	Instant	60
18	Swiftcast	Next spell is cast without cast time.	10	Instant	40
44	Surecast	Spells can be cast without interruption. Ignore most position altering effects.	6	Instant	120

Swiftcast improves it’s cooldown from 60 to 40 via Role Trait at L94.

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Caster DPS Role Actions: Quick Strategy & Discussion

Here we talk a little bit about each of the role actions, and their applications.

Addle

Very useful for raids and other boss fights. Severely reduces the targets magic damage for a short period of time. Usually used to help mitigate heavy tank busters or raid AoE. Remember it only works on magic damage!

Sleep

An AoE sleep spell with giga long duration. Amazing for story content. (Sleep -> interact). Very niche to borderline useless otherwise.

Lucid Dreaming

Slowly restores mana. Should be used often (I suppose) for Red Mages, Summoners, and Picto to regain mana over longer fights. Is it even useful for Black Mages!?

Swiftcast

Usefulness depends from class to class, but generally speaking any caster can benefit from this. Will mostly be used to “move while doing a cast”, and can be saved for a fast Resurrection for Summoners.

Can improve DPS by converting longer (2.5+) cast speed spells into instant ones.

Surecast

Anti-knockback. Super useful for raiding. Negating a knockback is huge to “cheese” mechanics, but also prevents your cast bar from being interrupted.

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Swiftcast improves via Role Trait at L94.

Caster DPS Role Actions – Navigation:
Caster Role Actions List | Role Actions Uses & Discussion

Well, that’s about it for the Magical Ranged Role Actions! FOR NOW! I’ll be adding to this soon.

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FFXIV Arcanist (ACN) Leveling Guide & Rotation | ShB UPDATED

How to level up your Arcanist (ACN) fast! Rotation, skills, reminders, and the best places to be in any level – HERE!

Aching to level yer’ Arcanist? Lured in by the pets? Don’t sweats. Well you’ve found the right place. Hopefully, our Arcanist Leveling Guide helps you out!

While this page focuses on Arcanist info like skills, traits, rotation, and playstyle notes. The GENERAL PROCESS that you follow is outlined in our FFXIV General Leveling Guide – use it alongside this guide. Looking at that, we’re in the “A Realm Reborn Tier” as we’re only looking to level our Arcanist up to 30.

Arcanist Unlocking? Other basics?

How to unlock the ACN Class? Taken from Arcanist General Guide & FAQ – which you should read if you need more basic info about ACN.

Location: Limsa Lominsa – Lower Decks, Arcanist’s Guild (6, 10)
Related Quests: (all in the same place)
> So you want to be an Arcanist
> Way of the Arcanist
> My First Grimoire
— Others: You may also begin the game as Arcanist

Arcanist is a Magical Ranged DPS class (commonly referred to as “caster), falling under the Disciple of Magic category. Also, if you’re curious about the job you turn into, Arcanist are the prerequisite class for unlocking Scholar and Summoner.

This guide has three major segments:

Arcanist Leveling Rotation & Skill Changes – How new skills affect your play.
Arcanist L1 to L16 – General reminders and notes.
Arcanist L15 to 30 – General reminders and notes.
I’ll mention it again, knowledge from General Leveling Guide is REQUIRED.

I put rotation changes up top as you might reference it often. Without further ado, let’s get to it.

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Arcanist Rotation for Leveling, Skills, Traits, Etc.

In this segment we run down how each skill and trait affects your Arcanist’s rotation during the leveling process.

L1 Skill Unlocked Ruin – Essentially, this is your “basic attack”. Or basic spell, I guess.

L2 Skill Unlocked Bio – An instant cast DoT (Damage over time) spell. Always open fights with it, and renew it when its duration is 3s or less. While this is a good habit to form, the initial form of this DoT is actually horrible – the enemy life expectancy has to be 24 seconds for it to be good.

L4 Skill Unlocked Physick – A basic healing spell. Nothing else to say here!

L4 Skill Unlocked Summon – Calls forth a blue caster-type minion that helps you DPS! Emerald Carbuncle is cute ain’t it?

L2 Skill Unlocked Miasma – A second DoT! Like its predecessor, it’s still quite unimpressive. Only worth if enemy life expectancy is around 21 seconds.

L8 Role Action Unlocked Addle – Reduces targets INT (reduces enemy magic damage). Has almost no use in non-boss encounters and basic leveling activities.

L10 Skill Unlocked Egi Assault – Has different effects depending on which summon you’re using. Blue pet: AoE attack. Yellow pet: gives you a chunky self shield.

L12 Skill Unlocked Resurrection – Revives a dead ally, even in combat, but at the cost of a lot of mana, a huge cast bar, and your newly returned friend suffering a stat penalty. That being said, this is one of the most important skills in group content.

L15 Skill Unlocked Summon II – Brings Topaz Carbuncle by your side – a yellow “support” / tank type pet. The self-shield (from Egi Assault) is pretty useful for tougher solo encounters.

Summon I – Blue is more suitable for AoE (dungeons), while
Summon II – Yellow is more suitable for single target and most solo content.

L18 Role Action Unlocked Swiftcast – Primarily used to speed up Resurrection. Advanced usage is “continuing to DPS while moving”. In group content, I highly suggest simply saving it for res during the leveling process.

L18 Skill Unlocked Energy Drain – An off-gcd nuke that gives you your first stack of Aetherflow! USE THIS AS OFTEN AS YOU CAN, but never “overcap” your Aetherflow. Aetherflow is used to execute certain skills. The first of which is Fester. This is the cornerstone mechanic of any Arcanist-evolved class.

L18 Skill Unlocked Fester – Ah, your first skill which REQUIRES Aetherflow to use . It’s a single target nuke that is stronger for each of YOUR DoT’s on the target.

While your DoT’s may not be the best, keeping them up so you have a more powerful Fester is worth it.

L24 Role Action Unlocked Lucid Dreaming – Gives you mana! Use this early and often as there’s almost no point holding on to it. Don’t wait until you’re low on mana.

L26 Trait Unlocked Corruption Mastery – Transforms Bio into Bio II, which is just better all around. Stronger initial damage, stronger DoT. Doesn’t change your rotation in any way – the key even rebinds itself…

L26 Skill Unlocked Bio II – This isn’t really an unlock – the previously mentioned trait simply upgrades your old Bio.

L30 Skill Unlock Bane – Finally, some consistent AoE! Spreads your DoT’s to all nearby targets, but weakens them on the “new targets”. There’s some math and situationality of when to bane and when to manual DoT – let’s save that discussion for Summoner related discussion as it’s irrelevant now, and irrelevant for Scholar.

Completing the L30, “Sinking Doesmaga” quest and unlocking Bane marks your final class quest as Arcanist. You now have the right to become a Scholar or Summoner!

Arcanist Rotation – L1 to 30 SUMMARY

Here’s a by the book summary of what your ACN rotation is in the early leveling process. Adjust to your currently learned skills.

ACN 30 Single Target RotationACN AoE Rotation

ACN L30 Single Target Rotation

- Energy Drain up? Use as an OGCD if possible.
- Have Aetherflow? Fester, use as an OGCD if possible. DoTs must be up!
- Miasma > Bio (Unless enemy is on brink of death)
- Egi Assault (If Blue)
- Ruin Spam

ACN L30 AoE Rotation

- Apply DoT’s one one guy, then Bane (Definitive value at 3+ targets, not bad at 2)
- Energy Drain up? Use as an OGCD if possible.
- Have Aetherflow? Fester, use as an OGCD if possible. DoTs must be up!
- Egi Assault (If Blue)
- Ruin Spam

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Wow, now that I typed it out – pretty much Bane is the only difference.

While your DoT’s may not be the best, keeping them up so you have a more powerful Fester is worth it, even if your full or “good enough” DoT duration won’t tick. Don’t sweat about optimizing it this early on.

Arcanist Leveling: L1 to 30

As per the general leveling guide, this tier is divided into two sub-chunks. So I’ll be sub-chunking the following segments into two “tabs” as well. These two tabs represent A) L1 to 16, and B) L16 to 30.

Arcanist Leveling L1 to 30 Activity Flowchart

A rundown of things you can do to gain EXP – again split “to 16”, and “to 30”.

ACN 1 to 16ACN 16 to 30

ACN Leveling Activities to L16

Remember the universal truths: Main Scenario Quest is king, and always have your passive EXP buffs (FC, Food, Chocobo, etc)

Renewable EXP sources

- FATES (Great when you're in queue)
- Levequests (Actually good EXP but better saved for DoH or DoL)
- Deep Dungeon -Palace of the Dead (Repetitive, terrible for LOW levels)

Burst EXP sources

- Challenge Log* (Complete passively until nearing reset, then force it)
- Guildhests (First completions per class is mega bonus EXP)
- Hunting Log (Great source of EXP this early on)
- Sidequests (Personal preference. Better if in tandem with MSQ!)
- Duty Roulette: Guildhest (Pretty irrelevant...)

*Challenge Log won't be unlocked in this tier if it's your first time around. While you need to be L16 to initially unlock it, it can be used by any level character thereafter.

Well, there’s not much to point your bow at this early on, but here’s where the arrow falls nonetheless. It’s slim, but you gotta start somewhere.

Of course, adjust this to your own personal preference.

ACN Leveling Activities to L30

Remember the universal truths: Main Scenario Quest is king, and always have your passive EXP buffs (FC, Food, Chocobo, etc)

Renewable EXP sources

- Dungeons (Stable, "fun", massive EXP easpecially with rested bonus)
- FATES (Great when you're in queue)
- Deep Dungeon -Palace of the Dead (Repetitive, but fast)
- Levequests (Actually good EXP but better saved for DoH or DoL)
- Beast Tribe (EXP is meh, but great for getting cosmetic items)

Burst EXP sources

- Duty Roulette: Leveling (The ultimate EXP source until L50)
- Challenge Log (Complete passively until nearing reset, then force it)
- Guildhests (First completions per class is mega bonus EXP)
- Hunting Log (More for completionism or first timers, it's "alright")
- Sidequests (Personal preference. Better if in tandem with MSQ!)
- Duty Roulette: Guildhest (Pretty irrelevant...)

A few adjustments to your leveling mentality here, mainly the addition of Duty Roulette: Leveling, as a daily burst, and straight queuing Dungeons as an option as well.

Of course, adjust this to your own personal preference.

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Important Notes (ACN L1 to 30)

Here are the important things to keep in mind during the process.

ACN L1 to 30 Gear Updates: Needed?

TLDR: Not really significant. This applies to both sub-tiers. Just make sure to pick up whatever along the way, or find dirt cheap upgrades in the MB or wherever (quests etc).

Important notes to keep in mind

ACN 1 to 16ACN 16 to 30

As always, Main Scenario Quest takes the highest priority.

There are too many skills that get unlocked here for me to talk about individually, which is why the skill unlock / rotation segment above should be your guiding light in that regard.

Limited Burst EXP sources take priority: Newly unlocked Guildhests, Challenge Log entries, Hunting Log.

Renewable EXP sources if you need to grind: FATE’s are great, followed by Levequests and if so you choose, Sidequests. (Deep Dungeon: POTD – can you zone it from Level 1? Even if you could, I don’t think I would…)

At level 15 you get access to your first Dungeon, Sastasha, but I don’t see much reason to grind there, unless you wanna burn rested EXP and want to hit 16 ASAP.

At 15 you should catch up and do your class quests, as you do get a skill form it – Summon II, which is pretty alright. It’s a better summon for soloing.

A note on Levequests: Can be an attractive source of EXP. Every tier has “good and bad” levequests so it’s up to you if you wanna go try them out. Main downside is using them up in place of DoH / DoL. Consider using them if you’re at or near the Levequest allowance cap!

As always, Main Scenario Quest takes the highest priority.

Starting L16, you open up Duty Roulette: Leveling, which is you should be doing everyday! This is an important source of EXP – it’s a huge daily burst! Also at L16 you can unlock Challenge Log if you haven’t already.

Overall, the same concept applies. Daily and Weekly bursts of EXP > Basic Renewable EXP sources of your choice > Other side activities to alleviate boredom or monotony.

Renewable EXP sources? At this point it’s Dungeons, FATES and Deep Dungeons, and maybe some Levequests. Burst EXP sources? Roulettes, new Guildhests, Hunting and Challenge Logs.

at L20 If you haven’t unlocked your Companion (combat Chocobo), do so now. You can begin the process now – it entails getting your first mount as well (at least for most new players).

At level 30 get your class quests done, as it’s one of the prerequisites to transform into either Scholar or SUmmoner!

Levequests notes, same as usual. Sad to take ’em away from crafters and gatherers, but it’s viable EXP. Definitely use them up if you’re overcapped on allowances.

Stop at Level 30! Unlock your advanced job as soon as you can!
(ACN turns into Scholar or Summoner at Level 30)

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Arcanist L30 Onward: Unlocking ADVANCEJOB

STOP WHAT YOU’RE DOING ONCE YOU HIT Arcanist LEVEL 30.
Unlock Scholar or Summoner ASAP!

How to become a Scholar or Summoner? Unlocking Scholar or Summoner requires a Level 30 Arcanist, and completion of the L30 ACN Class Quest. From there, return to your guild and it should point you to the quest! See: Unlocking all jobs.

The reason we unlock ASAP is, not only to get a new skill at L30 (SCH gets Adloquium, SMN gets Summon III – Ifrit), but most if not all new skills and traits going forward are for SMN/SCH and not ARCANIST, so you have no reason to stay as an ACN any longer.

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Arcanist Leveling – Related Reads

Some good reads and related links here:

General Leveling Guide – Oft mentioned here, but bears mentioning again.
Arcanist General Basics Guide – Basic info regarding the ACN class.
Scholar General Basics Guide – Basic info about ACN advanced job, SCH.
Summoner General Basics Guide – Basic info about ACN advanced job, SMN.
Unlocking all Jobs and Classes – Summary on how to become the various jobs.
Caster Role Actions – a more detailed look and use cases for them.

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Summary and Closing

And with that YOU’RE DONE WITH LEVELING Arcanist! Congrats! Hopefully our Arcanist Leveling Guide helped you out.

Join our IRL Cross-World Linkshells (socials lol):

Instagram (@ffxivguild) - We just rezzed our Insta, check in for more coming soon!
Twitter (@FFXIVguild) - Finally un-boomering myself because our Twitter is back.
Facebook (/FFXIVguild) - Like us on our OG social.

Contact us about anything and everything. Don't be shy! Love our guides and want to let us know? Got questions or corrections? Suggestions for improvement? TALK TO US! How, you say?

Comment below if it's about this guide. Message us on any of our socials above about anything. We're organizing our email situation if you're into that.

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Pages: 123

FFXIV Arcanist (ACN) Basics Guide & FAQ – Shadowbringers Updated!

Ascertaining to be an Arcanist? Arrive unto answers with our FFXIV Arcanist Basics Guide & FAQ. As implied, this is for players wanting to know the absolute basics, and answer some of the most common questions regarding ACN.

Likely, one of the main reasons you’re here is either unlocking Arcanist, or wondering about the eventual advanced jobs you can evolve into, Scholar or Summoner.

How to become an Arcanist? Unlocking ACN:

Primarily, you can begin your journey into Eorzea and start the game as an Arcanist – simply choose it as your starting option upon character creation.

If you didn’t start as an ACN, you can unlock the Arcanist class by going to the Arcanist Guild in Limsa Lominsa Lower Decks (around 5,11), look out for the quests either “Way of the Arcanist”, or “So you want to be an Arcanist”.

Other unlocking prerequisites? I’m 99% sure you need to complete the Level 10 class quest of your STARTING CLASS if you want to unlock any other new ones.

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Why should I play or choose Arcanist?

This question is semi irrelevant as, along with any of the other base classes, the only reason you’re an Arcanist is simply a stepping stone into both Scholar and Summoner. But, I’ll give you a little description of what to expect anyway.

Scholars are a technical shielding / mitigation healer job (which still retains the pet, don’t worry). They’re a type of healer which rewards encounter knowledge and healer duo cohesion more so than its peers. While not known for sheer power, they are hyper efficient and have tools to help any situation.

Summoners are a DoT / Pet based magical DPS job which has been known to have a multi-phase rotation. Their job identity has been the most “fluid” of all, as they’ve been soft reworked quite a bit over the years.

So if either or both of these jobs got you thinking, go get your Arcanist levels dinging! You’ll do well to learn a little more about what you’ll eventually BECOME:
FFXIV Scholar Basics Guide, FFXIV Summoner Basics Guide.

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Arcanist Crafters and Gatherers?

I often get asked “What Disciple of Hand or Disciple of Land classes go well with ACN?” Another related question to this is “Should I level them with my Arcanist simultaneously”?

Leveling up your DoH and DoL classes should be thought of as a separate goal all on its own. I suggest leveling up DoH classes all together, and all DoL classes together (except the optional Fishing). Do not try to align your combat class levels to your non-combat levels. Trust me.

My only advice related to this is to never cap your levequests. If you’re at max leve allowances, feel free to spend them on Fieldcraft, Tradecraft, or Battlecraft leves just to uncap ‘em.

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What’s the best race for Arcanist?

TLDR: I don’t know a single person who changes race for their main class for stats. The gain is not even .1% from worst to best. My advice? Choose for aesthetics.

If you REALLY wanna do it, check out our FFXIV Racial Stats Guide, which, FAIR WARNING – I am about to recheck and update next week. But honestly, it’s best you don’t even click on that – THE MICROSCOPIC INCREASE IN STATS IS NEAR IRRELEVANT.

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Related Arcanist Guides – Read More!

Here are a few useful links for you:

General Leveling Guide for ALL combat classes / jobs
Arcanist Leveling Guide
Scholar Basics Guide & FAQ
Summoner Basics Guide & FAQ
Adding new links as we update them!

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Upcoming Odds and Ends

Here’s a few things we’ll be adding on here in the near future:

A small skill list for “human readability”, as the in-game one seems like the best source for EXACT information.
List of relevant links for Arcanist, and some links for Scholar and/or Summoner.

Feel free to suggest anything else via comment or socials!

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Summary & In Closing

Well that’s it for our Arcanist Basics Guide & FAQ. There’s not much to say but these are really basic little guides to help out the budding or confused ACN, and hopefully future SCH and/or SMN! Hopefully we answered a few of your questions.

Join our IRL Cross-World Linkshells (socials lol):

Instagram (@ffxivguild) - We just rezzed our Insta, check in for more coming soon!
Twitter (@FFXIVguild) - Finally un-boomering myself because our Twitter is back.
Facebook (/FFXIVguild) - Like us on our OG social.

Contact us about anything and everything. Don't be shy! Love our guides and want to let us know? Got questions or corrections? Suggestions for improvement? TALK TO US! How, you say?

Comment below if it's about this guide. Message us on any of our socials above about anything. We're organizing our email situation if you're into that.

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FFXIV Arcanist / Summoner Stats & Materia Guide

NOTE: This page is for Arcanists planning to go Summoner. Not you? You were probably looking for the:
Arcanist->Scholar Stats Guide.

What’s a good arcanist stats build? What are useful summoner stats? Arcanist / Summoner materia? If any of these questions brought you here, you came to the right place. Whether its by stat allocation, gear or materia, knowing what stats your Arcanist or Summoner need should never be far from mind!

Arcanist (ACN) & Summoner (SMN) Stats

What are the arcanist or summoner stat weights?

INT > Critical Chance > Determination > PIE > Spell Speed > VIT

*These may vary slightly from patch to patch, or by personal preference. Following the recommendation above will always give you a good ACN & SMN build.

Arcanist (ACN) Summoner (SMN) Primary Stats Allocation

What stats should I add as an arcanist going summoner?

INT > PIE > VIT

Since this is where people may mess up the most, I’ll explain it in word for word. When you allocate stats, put as much points into your respective main stat (INT) as you can. If you cannot put any more points into those, place points into PIE (Piety). If you cannot put any more points into your primary stat or PIE, invest in VIT (Vitality).

Intelligence – Stat which increases your damage output the most.

Vitality – Increases total HP. Never a bad thing to have, considering everything else has almost no use to you.

Piety – Again, if you ever need to take another stat aside from MND or VIT.

Arcanist (ACN) & Summoner (SMN) Secondary Stats

What are good secondary stats for arcanist ->summoner, and why?

Critical Chance > Determination > Spell Speed

While you can’t allocate this directly, these will be heavily considered when picking gear upgrades and slotting materia.

Critical Chance – The most basic choice for increasing DPS.

Determination – More Damage, and could possibly benefit second wind.

Spell Speed – Reduces GCD, resulting in more damage.

Arcanist (ACN) & Summoner (SMN) Materia

This is directly related to the first section. As you may know, all gear has a limit for each stat it can have, the higher its Item Level, the higher amount of stats it can hold. So the idea is to max out (or get close to maxing out) the left most, and work your way right. Again:

INT > Critical Chance > Determination > PIE > Spell Speed > VIT

Materia Name
INT: Intelligence
PIE: Piety
VIT: Vitality
Critical Chance: Savage Aim
Determination: Savage Might
Spell Speed: Quicktongue

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FFXIV Arcanist / Scholar Stats & Materia Guide

NOTE: This page is for Arcanists planning to go Scholar. Not you? You were probably looking for the:
Arcanist->Summoner Stats Guide

What’s a good arcanist stats build? What are useful scholar stats? Arcanist / Scholar materia? If any of these questions brought you here, you came to the right place. Whether its by stat allocation, gear or materia, knowing what stats your Arcanist or Scholar need should never be far from mind!

Arcanist (ACN) & Scholar (SCH) Stats

What are the arcanist or scholar stat weights?

MND > PIE > Critical Chance > Determination > VIT > Spell Speed

*These may vary slightly from patch to patch, or by personal preference. Following the recommendation above will always give you a good ACN > SCH build.

Arcanist (ACN) Scholar (SCH) Primary Stats Allocation

What stats should I add as an arcanist going scholar?

MND > PIE> VIT

Since this is where people may mess up the most, I’ll explain it in word for word. When you allocate stats, put as much points into MND (Mind) as you can. If you cannot put any more points into MND, place points into PIE (Piety). If you cannot put any more points into MND and/or PIE, invest in VIT(Vitality).

Mind – Increases healing power. As a Scholar, this is your main concern.

Piety – Increases Mana (MP) Pool. While not such a big issue for Scholars, this is always good to have.

Vitality – When you cannot take anything else, go for VIT and be less squishy.

Arcanist (ACN) & Scholar (SCH) Secondary Stats

What are good secondary stats for arcanist -> scholar, and why?

Critical Chance > Determination > Spell Speed

While you can’t allocate this directly, these will be heavily considered when picking gear upgrades and slotting materia.

Critical Chance – The best choice for scholar, as critical heals will alleviate your problems of a small base heal, and beefing up the shields given by succor. Also triggers your pets passive.

Determination – A flat bonus to both healing and damage is always welcome.

Spell Speed – Reduces GCD and cast time, resulting in more heals. Not too hot for Scholars, though.

Arcanist (ACN) & Scholar (SCH) Materia

MND > Determination > PIE > Spell Speed > Critical Chance > VIT

Materia Name
MND: Mind
PIE: Piety
VIT: Vitality
Critical Strike: Savage Aim
Determination: Savage Might
Spell Speed: Quicktongue