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 Healer Role Actions: Guide & FAQ (Dawntrail UPDATE)

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

Here’s quick guide about Healer Role Actions! (previously the cross-class skills system). This time around, we no longer have to choose – and have access to all Role Actions!

Dawntrail Update: Just a minor update to Swiftcast.

Swiftcast: Cooldown reduced to 40s from 60s. (L94)

What Jobs get the Healer Role Actions?

Job Classes

Astrologian (AST)
Sage (SGE)
Scholar (SCH)
White Mage(WHM)

Base Class

Conjurer (CNJ)

Healer Role Actions – Navigation:
Healer Role Actions List | Role Actions Uses & Discussion

Healer Role Actions list

Lvl	Action	Description	Duration	Cast	Recast
8	Repose	Puts target to Sleep.	30	2.5	2.5
10	Esuna	Removes a single debuff from your target.	-	1	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
48	Rescue	Pull a party member to your side.	-	Instant	120

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

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Healer Role Actions: Quick Strategy & Discussion

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

Repose

I dont think this has ever been used in raiding, but this is a godlike soloing and questing skill. Putting enemies to sleep so you can interact with objects is the best.

Esuna

Bind it close – this comes up in almost all dungeons and many raids. And it’s very important to use when it does come up! Clearing a debuff is often the difference between life and death.

Lucid Dreaming

Use it often. Restoring your mana is great for reasons I need not expound on. “Mo’ Mana, No Problems”. Timing on using it isn’t so important these days but try to avoid “mega overflow”.

Swiftcast

Will mostly be used to instant cast your resurrection. You can use it to cast while moving, which is another good use-case (even for DPSing). I don’t really need to explain how or why this is good haha.

Surecast

Very useful in raids, and sometimes in dungeons. Preventing a knockback can cheese mechanics, as well as prevent your spell from being interrupted!

Rescue

An amazing skill that saves lives. Admittedly it’s quite difficult to use sometimes because of its “animation lock”. Admittedly I forget to use this when I could have saved someone – bind it “close enough”. I had it bound to 8 before, and I didn’t get much saving done until I bound it closer.

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Healer Role Actions – Navigation:
Healer Role Actions List | Role Actions Uses & Discussion

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

Like us on Facebook for more updates!

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FFXIV Astrologian (AST) Basics Guide & FAQ – Shadowbringers Updated!

Shadowbringers Updated! A guide on the basics of Astrologian! AST unlocking & requirements, why play a Astrologian, and other FAQ’s

An aspiring Astrologian? Assuming I’m right, you’ll ascertain a lot of AST job basic information and FAQs in our Astrologian Basics Guide. Read on if you’re expecting to learn about unlocking AST, Astrologian Job Identity, trait and skill list, crafters and gatherers related to AST, and link to other important Astrologian info!

Astrologian is a Healer job, which came out in 3.0 Heavensward with Dark Knight and Machinist. AST was the first new healer class after the original pair, White Mage and Scholar.

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How to become an Astrologian? Unlocking AST:

The quest to unlock and become an Astrologian is called “Stairway to the Heavens”, located at The Pillars 15:10 given by the NPC Jannequinard. The only OFFICIAL requirement is having ANY level 50 Disciple of War or Disciple of Magic class leveled.

The UNOFFICIAL “unspoken” requirement is actually being able to walk into Ishgard. Do not attempt to unlock AST if you don’t even have Ishgard in your map (Heavensward content).

Note that, upon completing the quest you MUST EQUIP the “Soul of the Astrologian” to actually formally BECOME a AST.

Rushing to or want to know how to unlock a certain class? Learn more:
FFXIV Job Unlock & Requirements Guide.

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Astrologian Playstyle & AST Job Identity

If you’ve asked yourself, “Why play, try, or choose Astrologian?” – here’s my attempt at selling you the AST class.

Want to shield? Want to do HoT’s? Well Astrologians can do both… but not really at the same time. The AST stance system in FFXIV lets you choose what kind of healer you want to be out of combat. While certainly not on the level of other healers in terms of raw power – they have a ton of utility and weird skills that more than cover their weaknesses.

Historically, AST is the move active healing job. The amount of buttons you press is actually taken into account in their design by having shorter cast times on spells (allowing you to have space for your numerous “off gcd skills). The card system can be brutal for newer Astrologians, as this adds layers of decision making and mechanical friction to playing the class well.

Aesthetically and thematically, FFXIV’s Astrologian is damn sweet. They represent the card reading stargazing mystic extremely well. They have some of the best looking skills in the game. However, I’d say this job is not beginner friendly – so be prepared for a challenge while you grow with the job.

DISCLAIMER

DISCLAIMER: This is not meant to be a blurb that aligns with the current meta. That changes from patch to patch. Our goal here is to provide you with an idea of what the job is trying to be, getting cues from both the Developers’ concrete decisions on job design, as well as our own feedback.

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What Crafters & Gatherers should Astrologian level?

While it’s common in MMORPG’s to think you want to craft your own gear as you level up your AST… I DO NOT RECOMMEND IT.

Leveling up your DoH and DoL jobs should be thought of as a different activity completely. To be honest, if you’re a newer player, simply ensure that you DO NOT OVERCAP Levequests (always have less than 100).

The only relation a combat job has to a crafter or gatherer class is “which classes do you need to repair your gear”? My advice, ultimately, is pretty much all or nothing – level up all DoH classes in tandem. As a separate project, level up all DoL classes in tandem (with the optional Fisher).

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What’s the best race for Astrologian?

Racial stats are (was?) a thing. However, I highly recommend not caring about it. The difference in performance between the “best” and “worst” race for you is not even 0.1%.

My advice? Pick for aesthetics. Will you stay the same job forever? If you change mains, will you race change? Ultimately, the difference is so microscopic that I cannot in good faith tell you that racial stats are an integral part of your character.

I won’t even link the Racial Stats Guide, as I haven’t checked up on this in a while – and I don’t want to cement the idea that the “best race” really matters.

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Related Astrologian Guides – Read More!

Here are a few useful links for you:

General Leveling Guide for ALL combat classes / jobs
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:

Adding a “links to further resources”, we’re doing a site restructure so once those links are set, they’ll go in here.
Human-readable, newbie-friendly skill and trait list.
> I used to have the in-game skill list here, but I found it useless as the in-game one is better… I’d rather have a new player friendly rundown.
More descriptive job identity? Pics?
> I dunno… pictures of the job gauges? A gif of some flashy skills?
Feel free to suggest anything else via comment or socials!

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Summary & Outro

Well that’s about it for a really, really basic guide that hopefully points some lost souls in the right direction, or answers some of your questions regarding Astrologian.

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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!

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FFXIV 3.3 Astrologian (AST) Best in Slot (BiS) Gear

3.3 UPDATED! AST Best in slot guide! “Always play the hand ‘yer DEALT!”. AST Lore buy order, Melding, Pages & Normals, more!

So the cosmos have guided you home – back home to the grind for gear! If you’re looking AST BiS for 3.3 you’ve found well! Here, you can find three options for the AST BiS…

Note: It goes without saying that -Diurnal will be almost identical to WHM BiS, Nocturnal will be almost identical to SCH BiS. So if you follow that “Classic mindset” you can check those out. However, in this page I will be talking about the DET focused set.

3.3 Notes: Aside from filler gear, the only thing that affects BiS is Relic – Sphere of the Last Heir. While melding may depend on your main stance, PIE is always a good idea, followed by DET if you adhere to this pages’ ideology.

Navigation: Astrologian BiS
AST BiS | Discussion | Lore Buy Order (&Pages) | Crafted TBA

3.3 Astrologian Best-in-Slot

AST	Item	Meld 1	Meld 2	Pie	Det	Crit	SS	N
Weapon	Prototype Midal Metal Astrometer	PIE V	PIE V	112	118
Offhand	-			-	-	-	-
Helm	Midan Horn of Healing	PIE V	PIE V	72	66		-
Body	Augmented Hailstorm Coat of Healing	DET V	DET V	117	99	-	-
Hand	Augmented Hailstorm Gloves of Healing	DET V	DET V	51	24	69	-	ANY
Belt	Midan Belt of Healing	DET V	-	54	46	-	-
Legs	Midan Trousers of Healing	PIE V	PIE V	104	-	112	-
Boots	Midan Boots of Healing	DET V	CRIT V	72	58	12	-
Neck	Augmented Primal Choker of Healing	PIE V	-	49	49	-	-
Earring	Augmented Primal Earrings of Healing	DET V	-	54	46	-	-
Wrist	Augmented Primal Bracelet of Healing	DET V	-	54	12	-	36	ANY
Ring	Midan Ring of Healing	DET V	-	54	46	-	-
Ring	Augmented Primal Ring of Healing	DET V	-	-	12	36	51
Food	Frozen Spirits	-	-	26	11	-	-
Stats	Totals from items ->			819	587	229	87
	Totals w base, melds, gear ->			1080	805	583	441

AST BiS Discussion

Again if you follow the classic Diurnal=WHM, Nocturnal=SCH you can check their respective BiS pages with the only chain being the weapon.

Diurnal: Augmented Hailstorm Astrometer
Nocturnal: Prototype Midan Metal Astrometer

Click on the tabs below – “Determination?” and “Gear Discussion”

Why DeterminationGear Options & Discussion

This page isn’t just about being cute and different. The set offers power and consistency beyond the usual AST setups.

I don’t like crit stacked Nocturnal AST. Let’s get that out of the way. Hoping for a crit shield is never ever a habit you should form, or better yet, never a situation you find yourself in often (It’s likely a tank or healer error if that’s the case). I’m not too sold on SS stacked Diurnal, either. The base stance bonus is much larger than you’d think.

Piety is still the most important stat for either sect, though, and this set reflects that. Without Assize or Energy Drain, AST’s only have ONE MAIN REPLENISHER OF MANA – Lumineferous Aether (+Celestial Opposition Extension, which should always be used). More Piety means less reliance on Ewer, and in effect more cards meant for raid efficiency – given how Royal Road on Ewer is the amazing AoE effect.

Why Determination? DET DIRECTLY COUNTERS AST’s downside which is “slightly weaker heals”. Yes, I understand crit does this too – but not as consistently as DET does. The problem with AST is the RNG reliant gameplay, and I DO NOT want to compound that with crit! So this set takes care of both the “weak” and “random” weakpoints of AST.

But still, after all that following either WHM BiS or SCH BiS is A-OK and I’m sure its A8S clearable. The power level of both setups definitely have their ups and downs.

There’s some discussion here, but the core remains… after all, the set is full of linear power – boasting 800+ DET and 1000+ Piety. Damn.

Melding Strategy can be changed if you’re the “DPS-er” in your healing duo. A lot of healers may tell you that CRIT is the most important stat for DPSing – this is false. Accuracy and Piety are the most stable DPS stats Since our set is packed in Piety – you can Meld accuracy to your hearts content!

Flex slots? There’s only a small bit of wiggle room in gear choices:

Augmented Hailstorm Bottoms of Healing: Is a legit swap for more DET, but sadly comes with SS which has indeterminate usefulness… depends on which stance you main and your co-healer class/dynamic. You do lose a hefty chunk of Piety, though.

Bracelet -another mindless swap. SS or Crit. Retains Piety. No loss in DET.
Gloves – Same story, the list above use one of each variant.

AST Lore Tomestone Buy Order

The tome spending strat below is to obtain BiS fastest:

Weapon: good “filler” until you down A8S. Meld PIE I guess.
- Be mindful you need to time it with Hypercharged Tomestone
Body: Obvious second buy as any comparable Ilvl is from A8S
Hand: is “Equal to Midan”, but I guess just pick this up to save pages.
Ring > Earrings > Neck > Bracelet (is Equal to Midan)

ANYTHING ELSE IS OPTIONAL: Legs > Helm > Boots completing left (if you’re investing in fillers, left comes first).

USING UP PAGES AND MIDAS NORMAL PARTS

Click on the expandables below to see how you should spend pages, and which Midas Normal parts to get first –

Midan Savage Pages

MIDAN SAVAGE PAGES

The below spending strategy is purely to obtain BiS fastest:

A5S: Ring > Bracelet (equal to BiS) > Any
A6S: Belt > Boots > Helm > Illuminati Dark Gobcoat x 4 > Any
A7S: Pants > Illuminati Taut Gobtwine x 2 > Any
A8S: Weapon > Any (Gobdip is okay and just wait for Weapon drop)

Midan Normal Parts

MIDAN NORMAL PARTS

“what should AST’s pick up in Midas normal”! Is something I get asked often so here it is. This is a general thing, and people might have varying levels of gear or goals but as a catch-all good enough recommendation:

	M1N	M2N	M3N	M4N
Week 1	chain	lens	spring	spring
Week 2	bolt	lens	spring	spring
Week 3	pedal	pedal	crank	crank
Week 4	bolt	bolt	any	any (shaft)

Why avoid chest? Yes it has massive DET, but alas, this early on in the tier (and it’s gonna be replaced by Lore Chest very very quickly) PIE would be the smarter choice. Bolts -> Midan Ring > Midan Bracelet > Any

W5 and up – ANY.

Click the above!!!

AST Crafted Gear Viability

So we can quickly update all BiS pages, I wont discuss every detail just yet. But of course, the above will fulfill 90% of your needs. I usually update this later on…

Navigation: Astrologian BiS
AST BiS | Discussion | Lore Buy Order (&Pages) | Crafted TBA

Let the stars guide your looting and robot dismantling – and GL gearing up your AST for BiS in 3.3!

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