FFXIV Guide v1.0 [Patch 3.01]

A general game guide. Tips for getting from level 1 to 50, and 51 to 60. A full end game run through. A Hunting, and PvP guide. Macros, UI customization, and much more! Only available on Google Docs.

Please Use the Link to Google Doc. Sorry for the Inconvenience.

I'm no longer updating the steam version of this guide. Mainly due to how cumbersome steam guides is. It really doesn't work well with very large guides, at the time of writing this more than half of this guide isn't even displaying.

I'm currently in the process of importing and updating this guide on Google Docs.

Currently I'm allowing anyone to directly comment on the Doc. Feel free to leave your feedback. Thank you!

Link to Updated Guide Here[docs.google.com]

Update January 4, 2017: I haven't played or updated my guide in quite some time, and I'm aware that by now my guide is very out of date. So if there are any ambitious current players that want to keep updating it be my guest. Anyone can make additions via the google doc at this time.

Unlocking Battle Classes and Jobs

Classes in Gridania

• Archer - New Gridania
  
• Conjurer - Old Gridania
  
• Lancer - Old Gridania

Classes in Limsa Lominsa

• Arcanist
  
• Marauder
  
• Rogue

Classes in Ul'Dah

• Gladiator
  
• Pugilist
  
• Thaumaturge

Job Requirements

Warrior

• Maurauder Level 30
  
• Gladiator Level 15
  
• All Marauder class quests complete

Paladin

• Gladiator Level 30
  
• Conjurer Level 15
  
• All Gladiator class quests complete

Monk

• Pugilist Level 30
  
• Lancer Level 15
  
• All Pugilist class quests complete

Dragoon

• Lancer Level 30
  
• Marauder Level 15
  
• All Lancer class quests complete

Bard

• Archer Level 30
  
• Pugilist Level 15
  
• All Archer class quests complete

Ninja

• Rogue Level 30
  
• Pugilist Level 15
  
• All Rogue class quests complete

Summoner

• Arcanist Level 30
  
• Thaumaturge Level 15
  
• All Arcanist class quests complete

Black Mage

• Thaumaturge Level 30
  
• Archer Level 15
  
• All Thaumaturge class quests complete

White Mage

• Conjurer Level 30
  
• Arcanist Level 15
  
• All Conjurer class quests complete

Scholar

• Arcanist Level 30
  
• Conjurer Level 15
  
• All Arcanist class quest complete

Leveling from 1-50

These are just general tips to help you get from starting out to max level, I won't be going very in-depth here.

• Follow the main scenario quests. Every feature in the game is unlocked through the main scenario questline. It will serve as your tutorial throughout the game. If you're ever lost look at your journal for the next main quest.
  
• Read the help menu popups!
  
• Make sure to do your level 1 class quest (at your guild), and make sure to come back every 5th level for the next quest.
  
• Do your Hunting Log!
  
• Log out in sanctuaries (friendly towns/camps.) It will generate bonus rested exp, amount varies depending on how long you were logged out for.
  
• Starting at level 10, in your character menu you will get points to dump into your main attributes. You will continue to get more points as you level. So don't forget to allocate them! (As BRD you should be dumping everything into DEX.)
  
• Start the game with a class you think you'll like! Don't get caught up in meta like which class has the highest dps. All classes are good, and all are pretty well balanced. If you're leveling with a friend, be aware that you really won't be able to play with them if they started in a different city. You would need to run through high-level areas to make it to other starting cities. Just be patient, you'll be able to play with them around level 15.
  
• Once you're level 15, you will unlock access to all the classes (You will need to go from guild to guild to unlock), feel free to pick up and try out other classes you might be interested in. While you're in Limsa Lominsa, don't forget to pick up your challenge log. The Challenge log is a great source experience/gil and it resets every week (I believe Tuesday mornings.)
  
• Around level 20, you will get your chocobo license, which makes travel a lot easier, you will also pick out your Grand Company at this time. It really doesn't effect too much in the game. Pick whatever you like (Go Maelstrom!) The only long lasting impact from which alliance you'll pick is Frontline PvP. So if you're playing with friends and you're all interested in PvP, you'll all probably want to roll the same GC.
  
• Guildhests. Don't forget about these! They are quick and easy to complete. They are essentially a primer for mechanics you'll encounter in dungeons, and to introduce you to party play. They also give huge first time completion bonuses (once for every job.)
  
• By the time you're into your early 20's you'll want to decide and stick to a main combat class. Leveling is primarily done through side quests, main storyline quests, and story dungeons.
  
• If you are still leveling multiple classes past 20 I would recommend completing story quests and side quests only on your main. Side quests are one-off, as in can only be completed once, on one class. If you insist on leveling up multiple classes simultaneously I would recommend using Leves, FATEs, and Dungeons for your non-mains. If you spread all of your bonus exp over multiple classes it is really going to bog down the rate at which you'll hit 50.
  
• At level 30, you'll want to finish up your class quests, which will unlock your job and transition into your job quests. You'll need to level another specific class to level 15 in order to unlock the job of your choice (for Bard it is Pugilist).
  
• Complete your job quests every 5th level (just like class quests) until 45-50, where you'll unlock your "AF" armor. Job quests also give a job-specific abilities, so it's best to do them as soon as they are available.
  
• The game really slows down once you get to the 45-50 range. Dungeons, FATEs, any remaining quests, challenge logs, and Leves can help give you that last little push to the level cap.
  
• Once you've hit 50, finish up your main storyline missions.
  
• After you have your first 50, your other combat classes will now receive a +50% Armory bonus to Exp.
  
• Congratulations! The game has now just started!

Bard: Cross-Class Abilities

Cross-class abilites further augment your standard set of abilites. You can switch out these abilities to suit different types of content. It provides a bit of variation between people playing the same class. To be honest though, pretty much everyone uses the same set of cross-class abilities. Archer can only use cross-class abilities from Pugilist and Lancer.

Lancer Abilities:

Feint (Lancer Lv2):


Delivers an attack with a potency of 120.
Additional Effect: Slow +20%
Duration: 10s


Keen Flurry (Lancer Lv6):
Adds extra survivability.

Increases parry rate by 40%.
Duration: 20s


Invigorate (Lancer Lv22):
A must have for Bard. This will keep you going in long grindy fights without having to reduce you damage unlike Army's Paeon.

Instantly restores 400 TP.


Blood for Blood (Lancer Lv34):
Stacks with Raging Strikes to grant you a huge boost to damage.

Increases damage dealt by 10% and damage suffered by 25%.
Duration: 20s

Pugilist Abilities:

Featherfoot (Pugilist Lv4):
Adds extra survivability.

Increases evasion by 15%.
Duration: 15s


Second Wind (Pugilist Lv8):


Instantly restores own HP.
Cure Potency 450
Cure potency varies with current attack power.


Haymaker (Pugilist Lv10):
Combos well with Featherfoot. Possible use in solo content. No place in PvE content. I've never seen a bard use this ability. Even in PvP Feint is a much better choice.

Delivers an attack with a potency of 170.
Can only be used immediately after evading an attack.
Additional Effect: Slow +20%
Duration: 12s


Internal Release (Pugilist Lv12):
The cornerstone of Bard buffs. Complements all of Bards abilities and buffs. A truly must-have.

Increases critical hit rate by 10%.
Duration: 15s


Mantra (Pugilist Lv42):
Leveling pugilist all the way to 42 just for Mantra is a pain. However, it does give a nice little boost if you're doing end game content. Every bit helps.

Increases HP recovery via curing magic by 5% for self and nearby party members.
Duration: 15s

My recommended cross-class progression:

• Level Archer to 15: Unlocking other classes.
  
• Level Lancer to 2: Unlocks Feint.
  
• Level Archer to 30: First half of the requirments for Bard.
  
• Level Pugilist to 15: Unlocks Internal Release, Second Wind, and Featherfoot. Requirements for unlocking bard met.
  
• Complete Quest "A Song of Bards and Bowmen" to unlock Bard
  
• Level Lancer to 34: Unlocks Invigorate and Blood for Blood
  
• Level Bard to 50
  
• Level Pugilist to 42: Unlocks Mantra

Recommended Abilities:

Solo:

• Internal Release.
  
• Blood for Blood.
  
• Invigorate.
  
• Second Wind.
  
• Feint or Featherfoot.

PvE:

• Internal Release.
  
• Blood for Blood.
  
• Invigorate.
  
• Second Wind.
  
• Mantra or Feint (Only if you don't have a Dragoon in party.)

PvP:

• Internal Release.
  
• Mantra
  
• Invigorate.
  
• Second Wind.
  
• Feint (Insanely good in PvP)

Bard: Combat - Part I

What rotation will maximize my DPS?

To be honest, Bard doesn't really have a rotation so to speak. A rotation infers that you will be using the same set of abilities in the same order for maximum effectiveness. Maybe throws in a couple of situational abilities in very specific circumstances. Given the randomness of certain procs on bard and the fact that not all of the buffs will line up in a set rotation we need to take a different approach. Which is why I view it as more of a priority list rather than a rotation.

Why I use a priority list.

• Bards do not have a set order in which they need to do their abilities as we don't have any direct combos like Dragoon or Monk.
  
• If you did try to do a set rotation you would lose valuable procs for extra damage.
  
• The idea is to get the maximum amount of damage out of each of your abilities. Only using an ability if the abilities additional effect has worn off, or if the ability had a pending proc.

Priority List:

You should always prefer a GCD (Global Cooldown) ability over an off GCD ability. Ex: If Bloodletter is up you should by all means try to get it out immediately, but not at the cost of stopping your GCD rotation.

Note: The only exception to the rule that I use is Misery's End ahead of everything: because it is bard's highest power move and it isn't worth potentially missing an opportunity to use it.

GCD Priority List:

Misery's End
Straight Shot buff (This buff should be up 100% of the time)
Windbite DoT
Venomous Bite DoT
[/previewicon]Straight Shot proc
[/previewicon]Heavy Shot (Base Attack, spam this ability unless there is a buff or proc that needs to be applied that is higher on the priority list.)


Note: Some people seem to be confused by the difference between a buff and a proc.

A buff is any kind of positive status effect. You will see it on your status bar.

Where as a proc is a "Programmed Random Occurrence". You can identify these by a flashing yellow border around the ability on the hotbar. (Ex: Heavy Shot can trigger a proc on Straight Shot causing the next Straight Shot to pretty much auto-crit.)

Off GCD Priority List:

These abilities should be weaved in between GCD abilities.

Bloodletter
Blunt Arrow (Unless you're on silence duty)
Flaming Arrow
Repelling Shot (Unless doing so would cause dangerous positioning)

Note: Repelling Shot is also a great utility ability, use it to quickly get out of bad situations.

Maximizing Your DPS:

To hit the full potential of bard you will need to use all of your buffs and items:

• Offensive buffs Internal Release, Raging Strikes, Blood for Blood, Hawk's Eye, and Barrage
  
• Dexterity Potions (only during raids)
  
• Potent Poisoning Potions (only during raids)

The most effective way to use them is to weave these in between cooldowns of abilities on your priority list. As to when and in which order, however, is situational. (Ex: During a fight you might save cooldowns for a specific phase, like an upcoming DPS check.) The general way to manage cooldowns is by starting with a "full open" (described below in "How To Open A Fight") Where you'll weave in all of your cooldowns and items (items only for raids) at the beginning of the fight, and then use them as they come back up throughout the fight.

Try to clump together Blood for Blood, Hawk's Eye, and Barrage when possible. (And by clump I don't mean all 3 in a row. Weave them.) In general you always want to try to use Hawk's Eye and Barrage together, because they have identical cooldowns and complement each other very well. Also, be aware that you will take more damage when Blood for Blood is up. So use it wisely.

Generally speaking you want to try and have as many buffs up as possible when casting DoTs. The ones that matter most for boosting DoT damage are Internal Release, Raging Strikes, Blood for Blood, and Hawk's Eye. I also view Internal Release and Raging Strikes as the other complementary pair of buffs. Unfortunately they don't have the same length cooldown like HE and Barrage. So they will only line up about every 2 minutes, but when they do you hit like a freight train.

Quelling Strikes can be used just before pulling. It also doesn't hurt to pop it during the fight whenever it comes back up, though generally it isn't needed. Personally I don't find myself using it too often.

Bard: Combat - Part II

How To Open A Fight:

In this section I will be posting several different openers. The reason for this is simple. There is no one definitive way to do it. Everyone will have their own variation, and until SE puts out its own API so that we can parse with 100% accuracy we won't really know for sure. If you would like to submit your own opening drop a link in the comments, or message me on steam. If possible have an accompanying parse (solo party, dummy, about 1 minute long) to go with it. So please, try them out. Test them, and find out what works for you.

Originalmente postado por Vitus Aeolus of Goblin:

(Note: This is a basic opener, meant for trash pulls.)
Full Open:
Quelling Strikes (If needed)
Internal Release
Straight Shot (For buff)
Bloodletter
Raging Strikes
Windbite
Blood for Blood (Unless taking huge damage, then this would be HE followed by Barrage)
Hawk's Eye
Venomous Bite
Barrage
Blunt Arrow
Heavy Shot
Flaming Arrow
Heavy Shot
Procs (if available, or earlier if they were up before Blunt Arrow/Flaming Arrow)
Repelling Shot

-At this point you would follow priority

Originalmente postado por Krietor Highwind of Ragnarok:

(Note: This is meant for raids.)
Perfect Opener:
This is what it should look like when you cast your first DoT, All the Buffs align so that you can have full buff duration during your first set of DoTs and reclip them right before they run out (Opener Only).



-> 7Sec Pre-Pull
Foe Requiem (Be aware that this will pull monsters.)
Battle Voice

-> 3Sec Pre-Pull (If no Foes needed)
Quelling Strikes
Hawk's Eye

-> PULL
Bloodletter (need to hit when the tank does the first hit on the boss)
Straight Shot
Raging Strikes
Blood for Blood
Heavy Shot
Internal Release
HQ X-Potion Of Dexterity (or Best Available)
Windbite
Barrage
Blunt Arrow
Venomous Bite
Flaming Arrow
Bloodletter (If available)
Heavy Shot
Potent Poisoning Potion
Heavy Shot
Bloodletter (If available)
Repelling Shot

-> Reapply Dots, Clip them when you see 8 seconds left so they are reapplied with all buffs up. ONLY DO THIS ON THE OPENER

-> Priority System
Link to Krietor Highwind's Guide[solitude.guildwork.com]

Originalmente postado por Erikdayo:

(Note: This is meant for raids.)
A Much better and more efficient opener:
Internal Release
Straight SHot
Bloodletter
Hawk's Eye
Windbite
Raging Strikes
Blood for Blood
Venomous Bite
Blunt Arrow
Heavy Shot
Dexterity Potion
Barrage
Flaming Arrow
Heavy Shot
Poison Potion
Heavy Shot
Repelling Shot
- repeat

Note that all HS should be replaced with Straighter Shot when proc'd. BL should be pressed between every GCD always. You do not want to delay procs BL procs ever. You can delay Straighter Shot procs if you need to refresh your dots first.

Mr Happy has an excellent video on the bard "rotation":

(Note that this a a pre-2.1 video, changes have occurred to Blood for Blood, Internal Release, and Rain of Death. Among other things.)


Flowchart reference (Submitted by user 啊~~~, created by Denmo Link[i.imgur.com]):

Bard: Combat - Part III

Maximizing Your DoTs and Straight Shot buff:

To maximize the most damage for TP consumed try to reapply DoTs right when they end or at least while they are at 1s remaining. Same for Straight Shot buff (unless you have a pending proc obviously.)

Applying Multiple DoT's:

This is a practice that I don't see many other bards do. From what I've seen it gives a noticeable boost to overall damage. After you do your fight opening priority, switch to the next target briefly and apply both DoTs then switch back. Not only are you passively damaging the next target, but you are now doubling the chance at Bloodletter procs. I typically try to have 2-3 targets DoT'd at all times. If there are more than 3 targets you should be using your AoE priority list.

AoE Priority List (Only use on groups of 3 or more enemies):

Misery's End
Straight Shot buff
Quick Nock (Base Attack, spam this ability unless there is a buff or proc that needs to be applied that is higher on the priority list.)

Don't forget to weave in off GCD abilities!

Alt List: If for some reason you cannot get close enough, or if monsters are stacked too loosely for Quick Nock use this alternate list.

Misery's End
Straight Shot buff
Rain of Death proc
Quick Nock proc
Wide Volley (Base Attack, spam this ability unless there is a buff or proc that needs to be applied that is higher on the priority list.)

Don't forget to weave in off GCD abilities!

Managing Your TP:

Invigorate. Invigorate is your best friend. Use it any time you are at 540 or less TP. If you still find yourself running out of TP even with rotating Invigorate you can use Army's Paeon. However, using Paeon does reduce your damage by 20% so only use it if you are out of TP and invigorate isn't close. 20% damage reduction is better than standing around, waiting to use abilities because you're out of TP.

Managing Your Enmity:

If you find yourself pulling aggro make sure to use Quelling Strikes. If you have far better gear than your tank I would also wait a few seconds at the start of a fight to let you tank build up enmity before you engage the enemy.

Kiting:

Kiting is a great way to add extra survivability in solo content. That being said, for the love of all that is holy do NOT kite during dungeons/trials/raids unless explicitly told to do so. While kiting might keep you alive a bit longer, you are also making it very difficult for the tank to pull back aggro. Not only that, but you will ruin positional attacks for melee DPS. This will cause them to lose valuable buffs, significantly reducing their damage. Don't do it!

Originalmente postado por Bonzaiferroni:

A word about kiting: it is one of Bard's unique though often misused abilities. First, soloing it is amazing. Do Piesteskin maps all on your own. Enjoy challenging the hardest Leve difficulty while leveling up.

Realize it also makes it very challenging for a casters to assist you as well. If the mob travels too far to the flank of the caster, the spell will interrupt. You can think of casters as having an invisible cone of effectiveness for each single target spell, and it is narrower than you might think! (This also goes for the healer that may be trying to heal you while you kite!)

That being said, there are some great situations for kiting in a dungeon. Namely, when the tank goes down. Any mobs for which you are next in line for aggro, you can put in a holding pattern while the party re-stabilizes. In this situation it is best to do a fairly tight kiting circle AHEAD of your group and not around it (for the aforementioned reason).

What if the tank AND the healer go down during a boss fight? There are a few of these fights that you can finish off entirely through kiting. This is a situation for BARD GLORY. Enjoy those commendations!

And also don't forget about Shadowbind in situations where a tank goes down if there is more than one monster. As long as nobody damages it, it will take the additional mob out of the fight for 10s (which feels like an eternity in a situation like that.) It might just keep you alive, and clutch a duty victory. FOR BARD GLORY!

AoE Dodging Tips:

Okay, so for AoE attacks there is 3 steps.

• 1) Ground target (cone/circle/line) will appear.
  
• 2) The ground target will disappear.
  
• 3) The animation for the AoE attack will go off

The thing to be aware of is if you are standing in an AoE attack during step 1, and remain in for step 2, you are going to be hit. End of story. It doesn't matter if you move out of the way before the animation completes, you're still getting hit. Vice Versa if you are in on step 1, and move out on step 2 you aren't going to be hit. Even if you run back in and it looks like the animation is smashing you in the face.

Now this isn't really that big of a deal until end game content. A good example is during Titan HM when he uses Landslide while Bombs are out. So bombs are all around you and if you are too close when they go off you will die. At the same time Titan does a line attack called Landslide right in the middle of your safe zone. So in order to dodge you must move within bomb range. The only way to survive is to step out of Landslide and then immediately run back in once the ground target disappears. The Landslide animation will appear to hit you, but you will have successfully dodged both mechanics.

Bard: Songs and When to Use Them

Swiftsong: I use this ability when I have to travel in town. I also try to keep it up whenever possible in dungeons as it does speed things along.

Mage's Ballad: Pretty straight forward, if your Mages are hurting on MP pop it to keep 'em going. I typically use it if they are at 50% or lower, in most dungeons you won't even need to use it if your healer is good at managing their MP.

Originalmente postado por Gabriel Celeste on Balmung:

Mage's Ballad should also be used after a wipe or between trash pulls if your healer is at low MP. When I heal dungeons on my WHM, I will almost OOM myself most of the trash pulls spamming Holy to make everything die quicker. The few bards who pop Ballad in between pulls for a few seconds always get my commendations. The same goes for party content after a wipe. Singing Mage's Ballad while your healer buffs the party allows them to refill mana faster so the pull can happen sooner. There's nothing more boring than seeing Stoneskin finished and realizing that the WHM is still only at 10% MP.

Army's Paeon: By far the least used song. I only seem to use this song in speedruns where I'm having to constantly AoE (great for popping for a few seconds between pulls to get you back in the fight quickly.)

Foe Requiem: Probably the most undervalued song in Bard's arsenal. Not only does it reduce all nearby enemies elemental resistance it does it with NO decrease to you own damage! If you have a Summoner or Black Mage in the party you should try to keep this up as much as possible! (Remember to keep a decent MP pool if you feel you might need to use Ballad.) My only real gripe about requiem is that it doesn't seem to benefit any other jobs even if they supposedly have elemental attacks. A good exapmle of this is Windbite. It says it does wind damage, however, foe requiem doesn't seem to add any additional damage. Same with certain monk "elemental" attacks.

Originalmente postado por Gabriel Celeste on Balmung:

Foe's Requiem works for all magic damage if I recall correctly. This means that if your healer is contributing to damage in any significant way, Foe's should still be on, even if the other two DPS are melee. Any bonus in outgoing damage is preferable to a full MP bar doing nothing. :)

A Final Note Reguarding Songs:

Be aware that some song will generate aggro (All but Swiftsong I believe.) There are some situations where you will be expected to use songs between pulls. Typically on speedruns, but there are other situations. Just be aware that songs have a pretty significant aggro range, so always try to be aware of your surroundings. (Special thanks to Kajico for this suggestion.)

Gear - Part I (i50-70)

What stats should I be looking for?

Typically speaking, item level is king. You almost always want to pick up the higher iLv item even if the secondary stats are not as good. That being said I would rank the importance of stats (primary and secondary) in the following order:

1) Weapon Damage
2) Dexterity
3) Accuracy (Up to the accuracy cap of the monsters you're fighting and no more.)
4) Determination (Because it's hard to find gear with it.)
5) Critical
6) Skill Speed

Level 50 - Just the Beginning

As a fresh 50 you will start by getting your Choral gear, otherwise known as AF (Artifact.)



You aquire these by completing your bard storyline quests (Pieces of the Past, Requiem for the Fallen.)

Choral Chapeau[xivdb.com]
Choral Shirt[xivdb.com]
Choral Ringbands[xivdb.com]
Choral Tights[xivdb.com]
Choral Sandals[xivdb.com]

You will also want to fill out your accessories (item level 50ish or above), you can have your FC crafters make them for you or simply buy them off the marketboard. Obviously the higher item level the better. If you completed all of your hunting logs don't forget to pick up your Master Archer's Ring[xivdb.com]. To get the ring you will need to speak with Jonathas in Old Gridania near Apkallu Falls. You will also talk to Jonathas anytime you want to collect any item reward from an achievement.


As an entry weapon i would recommend a Longarm's Composite Bow[xivdb.com] (as you will need it later anyway for you Relic Reborn quest), or your grand company weapon assuming you have a high enough rank and enough seals. Crab Bow[xivdb.com] would also work.

Now begins the grinding:

Start farming Mythology and Soldiery tomestones any way you can. Dungeons, trials, raids, daily beastmen quests, and treasure hunting all work. And dont forget to do your daily roulettes!

You can use these stones to purchase AF+1 bard (i90) gear, Auroral (i100) gear and the items required to make i90 crafted gear from Auriana in Revenant's Toll located in Mor Dhona [22,6]


As you grind stones you will likely get some Mercenary's (i55), Toxotes (i60), Shikaree's (i70), and Darklight (i70) drops from dungeons, fill in with these until you can purchase your Bard and Auroral gear. Farm content for imporved drops doing anything you can do to keep boosting your average item level.

Mercenary's Gear (i55):

All of the Mercenary's gear drops from the following dungeons: Amdapor Keep, The Wanderer's Palace.

Mercenary's Pot Helm[xivdb.com]
Mercenary's Action[xivdb.com]
Mercenary's Mitts[xivdb.com]
Mercenary's Slops[xivdb.com]
Mercenary's Leggings[xivdb.com]

Toxotes Gear & Accessories (i60):

Toxotes Bandana[xivdb.com] (Amdapor Keep, Copperbell HM, Haukke Manor HM)
Toxotes Tunic[xivdb.com] (Amdapor Keep, Copperbell HM, Haukke Manor HM, Pharos Sirius)
Toxotes Bracers[xivdb.com] (Amdapor Keep, Copperbell HM, Haukke Manor HM, Pharos Sirius)
Toxotes Belt[xivdb.com] (Amdapor Keep, Copperbell HM, Haukke Manor HM)
Toxotes Kecks[xivdb.com] (Amdapor Keep, Copperbell HM, Haukke Manor HM)
Toxotes Moccasins[xivdb.com] (Amdapor Keep, Copperbell HM, Haukke Manor HM)

Toxotes Choker[xivdb.com] (Amdapor Keep, Copperbell HM, Haukke Manor HM)
Toxotes Earrings[xivdb.com] (Amdapor Keep, Copperbell HM, Haukke Manor HM)
Toxotes Wristlets[xivdb.com] (Copperbell HM, Pharos Sirius)
Toxotes Ring[xivdb.com] (Amdapor Keep, Copperbell HM, Haukke Manor HM)

Shikaree's Gear (i70):

Shikaree's gear drop from the following locations: Brayflox's Longstop (Hard), Halatali (Hard), The Lost City of Amdapor.

Shikaree's Mask[xivdb.com]
Shikaree's Doublet[xivdb.com]
Shikaree's Gloves[xivdb.com]
Shikaree's Sash of Aiming[xivdb.com]
Shikaree's Gaskin[xivdb.com]
Shikaree's Boots[xivdb.com]

Gear - Part II (i70-80)

Darklight Gear & Accessories (i70):

DL gear and accessories are dropped from the following locations: Brayflox's Longstop (Hard), Halatali (Hard), and The Lost City of Amdapor.

Darklight Eyepatch of Aiming[xivdb.com]
Darklight Corselet of Aiming[xivdb.com]
Darklight Bracers of Aiming[xivdb.com]
Darklight Hunting Belt[xivdb.com]
Darklight Kecks[xivdb.com]
Darklight Caligae of Aiming[xivdb.com]

Darklight Choker of Aiming[xivdb.com]
Darklight Earrings of Aiming[xivdb.com]
Darklight Bracelet of Aiming[xivdb.com]
Darklight Band of Aiming[xivdb.com]

The crafted i70 Gryphonskin gear seems like a waste of money to me. Don't even bother with this, just farm dungeon gear. In my opinion you won't be holding onto it long enough to make it worth while. However, it is worth noting that you can meld materia onto the gryphonskin to further increase your vitality and other stats which will give you a lot more survivability (and minimal dps loss if you overmeld the correct stats.) The one piece of gryphonskin that probably would be worth making would be the ring. An overmelded Gryphonskin Ring[xivdb.com] is very good until you can aquire 2 out of any of the 5: myth, sol, allagan/high allagan, or extreme primal rings (Which will probably take awhile.)

Challenge the Hard Mode Primals:

After you start to build your item level up, and progress in your relic reborn quest it is time to start challenging the Hard Mode Primals. Upon defeating each primal there will be a chest with a random primal weapon in it. The weapons you are looking for are Ifrit's Bow[xivdb.com] (i60), Garuda's Spine[xivdb.com] (i70), and The Bow of Crags[xivdb.com] (i80)

Be aware that the HM primals curve out pretty hard if you are in a group of new players. From Ifrit being a proverbial "a walk in the park" to Titan being "omg Titan and his hard rock anthem are melting my face off." That being said Titan isn't really that bad. It just takes time and practice. Once you get it down its a very rewarding fight. Titan HM is by far my favorite fight in the game. Its just genuinely fun. (2.2 introduced the echo buff. As long as your party survives a decent amount of time before they wipe, the entire party will recieve a stacking buff increasing HP, Damage Delt, and Healing Potency up to---I believe---25%. This make Titan HM quite a bit easier, You will still need to know the fight a decent amount as there are abilities that will knock you off the arena---resulting in instant death. However, Overall it does make the fight a lot more forgiving.)

Now, if you beat all 3 and lined up your Relic Reborn quest right, you are now the proud owner of the relic bow! Grats!

Artemis Bow[xivdb.com]

Challenge the Crystal Tower:

The crystal tower is FFXIV's first raid (and the only 24-man.) From here you will look to get Ballad (i80) gear. As a whole the set if rather underwhelming. The only piece I believe that is really "good" is the gloves. This set will further help you transition from dungeon (i60-70) to Bard/Allagan (i90) gear. (As of 2.2 there is no longer a restriction on how many pieces you can recieve each week.)

Ballad Crown[xivdb.com] (Dropped from Acheron)
Ballad Corselet[xivdb.com] (Dropped from King Behemoth)
Ballad Gauntlets[xivdb.com] (Dropped from Thanatos)
Ballad Sash[xivdb.com] (Dropped from Thanatos)
Ballad Sarouel[xivdb.com] (Dropped from King Behemoth)
Ballad Boots[xivdb.com] (Dropped from Bone Dragon)

Ultima HM:

Ultima Choker of Aiming[xivdb.com]
Ultima Band of Aiming[xivdb.com]

Another piece of supplemental content to help bridge the gap between dungeon and bard/allagan gear. I was pleasantly surprised at how difficult this fight was. Maybe its just because I have less practice at it, but I felt it was closer to early 1st coil difficultly than Titan HM. Beating Ultima will drop 1 random Ultima (i80) accessory. (2.2: This fight also recieved the echo buff, not sure on exact % max)

Gear - Part III (i90-95)

Mythology Gear:

Use mythology tomestones to unlock this next tier of gear. Luckily, unlike some classes, bard has a lot of great gear that can be bought through myth. The same can't really be said for the accessories though.

Bard's Gear:

Bard's Chapeau[xivdb.com] (495 Mythology)
Bard's Shirt[xivdb.com] (825 Mythology)
Bard's Ringbands[xivdb.com] (495 Mythology)
Bard's Tights[xivdb.com] (825 Mythology)
Bard's Sandals[xivdb.com] (495 Mythology)

Hero's Accessories:

Hero's Earrings of Aiming[xivdb.com] (375 Mythology)
Hero's Necklace of Aiming[xivdb.com] (375 Mythology)
Hero's Bracelet of Aiming[xivdb.com] (375 Mythology)
Hero's Ring of Aiming[xivdb.com] (375 Mythology)
Hero's Belt of Aiming[xivdb.com] (375 Mythology)

Zenith Weapon:

Artemis Bow Zenith[xivdb.com]

To upgrade your Artemis Bow (i80) to the Artemis Bow Zenith (i90) you will need to buy 3 Thavnairian Mist[xivdb.com] (300 Mythology each). The mists are sold by Auriana in the Mythology (DoW) section under the others tab.



Once you have them go back by Gerolt (North Shroud 30,19.) Near Gerolt there are 2 furnaces, trade the Bow and the 3 mists to the furnace and you're done!

i90 Buy Order:

I would start by getting all of the myth pieces that have thier allagan counterpart drop in a later turn. As it will likely take you awhile to acquire them, if you wanted to use the allagan over bard piece. That being said you don't need to buy gear in any specific order. This is just my recommendation.

With 2.2 out, how you spend your myth can vary geatly. Some people might skip the Bard gear altogeher and just use myth to upgrade their atma weapon. As long as you continue to up your ilvl you're on the right path.

• Bard's Tights (Allagan is Turn 5)
  
• Hero's Belt (Allagan is Turn 5)
  
• Hero's Ring (Allagan is Turn 5)
  
• Bard's Shirt (Allagan is Turn 4)
  
• Bard's Chapeau (Allagan is Turn 2)
  
• Bard's Ringbands (Allagan is Turn 1)
  
• Hero's Earrings (Allagan is Turn 2)
  
• Bard's Sandals (Allagan is Turn 4)

The rest of the myth gear is optional. Plan the myth gear buying around other available gear such as Allagan/EX primal drops, and Auroral gear. I would recommend upgrading you Artemis Bow to Zenith if you haven't already. This will allow you to start the Atma quests, which are about as much fun as a colonoscopy. However, the relic/zodiac will likely be an ongoing quest throughout the game and you probably want to stay on top of it.

Challenge the First Coil of Bahamut (Turns 1-5):

The first coil may no longer be the toughest content in the game any longer, but man you wouldn't know it. You will need a well coordinated 8-man group if you are going to succeed. Don't expect to breeze through this content. You will probably want several veteran players to accompany you through the coil. If you are going in with a PUG, expect to fail. As the weeks go by and players have more i100 gear, and they continue to expand on the echo buff I think it will become more feasible to PUG.

Turn 1 Tutorial
Turn 2 Tutorial
Turn 3 - Bahamut's Fun-House requires no tutorial
Turn 4 Tutorial
Turn 5 Totorial

Allagan Composite Bow[xivdb.com] (Turn 5)

Allagan Visor Of Aiming[xivdb.com] (Turn 2)
Allagan Cuirass Of Aiming[xivdb.com] (Turn 4)
Allagan Gauntlets Of Aiming[xivdb.com] (Turn 1)
Allagan Tassets Of Aiming[xivdb.com] (Turn 5)
Allagan Trousers Of Aiming[xivdb.com] (Turn 5)
Allagan Sollerets Of Aiming[xivdb.com] (Turn 4)

Allagan Choker Of Aiming[xivdb.com] (Turn 4)
Allagan Earrings Of Aiming[xivdb.com] (Turn 2)
Allagan Bracelets Of Aiming[xivdb.com] (Turn 1)
Allagan Ring Of Aiming[xivdb.com] (Turn 5)

Gear - Part IV (i90-100)

Challenge the Extreme Mode Primals:

After completing all of the HM primals and the pre-requisite quests you can talk to Urianger at the Waking Sands (West of Camp Horizon) to pick up "Primal Nature" and begin the EX Primal quest chain. These fights are tough. You're probably going to want to watch some videos to familarize yourself with their patterns. Each primal will drop an i90 accessory piece, and If you beat all three you get an i90 weapon.


Garuda - "Gale-force Warning": Tutorial Here.
Having a lot of ranged dps really makes this fight easy. Wicked wheel---which is cast by Garuda, and Suparna---can one shot melee dps within its range. It is just a lot more difficult as a melee.

Vortex Ring Of Aiming[xivdb.com]


Titan - "Quake Me Up Before You O'Ghomoro": Tutorial Here.
The hardest of the EX primals. This fight is extremely unforgiving. Practice, practice, practice, and follow the tutorial and you'll get it with time.

Tremor Earrings Of Aiming[xivdb.com]


Ifrit - "Ifrit Ain't Broke": Tutorial Here.
All-in-all this fight is pretty easy. It is only difficult for healers, as they will have to juggle healing and positioning. If you have a bad healer you will probably wipe over and over. Pretty steep dps check, but if your group is coordinated it's cake.

Inferno Bangle Of Aiming[xivdb.com]

Once you've completed all 3 quests you can wrap up your quest chain and collect this rock'in bow:

Elfin Bow[xivdb.com]

Challenge Leviathan Extreme:

In my opinion this fight isn't nearly as difficult as Titan EX, It is pretty reactionary but relatively easy. I would be upset at the lack of difficutly in the fight if I didn't find it so enjoyable. Its just a really entertaining fight. Good job SE.

Tutorial Here.

Leviathan drops i95 weapons in this fight. The weapon can be further upgraded to i100, but you need a Mirror of the Whorl[xivdb.com]---which is also dropped from Leviathan EX, but at a low drop rate.

Wave Bow[xivdb.com]
Tidal Wave Bow[xivdb.com]

Challenge Thornmarch Extreme:

Fight the good king for a i100 neck piece! Overall a very fun fight. You'll want to watch a video before entering, and will probably need a decently coordinated group to complete it. Difficult, but still pretty forgiving.

Tutorial Here.

Fancy Loot: Ribbon Of Aiming[xivdb.com]

i100 Weathered Auroral Gear & Accessories:

(Courtesy of Riddley Aensland (Excalibur))

Weapon:

Weathered Rosenbogen[xivdb.com] (1 + 10 )

Gear:

Weathered Auroral Coif[xivdb.com] (495 Soldiery)
Weathered Auroral Tabard[xivdb.com] (825 Soldiery)
Weathered Auroral Bracers[xivdb.com] (495 Soldiery)
Weathered Auroral Sash[xivdb.com] (375 Soldiery)
Weathered Auroral Brais[xivdb.com] (825 Soldiery)
Weathered Auroral Boots[xivdb.com] (495 Soldiery)

Accessories:

Weathered Auroral Earrings[xivdb.com] (375 Soldiery)
Weathered Auroral Choker[xivdb.com] (375 Soldiery)
Weathered Auroral Wristlets[xivdb.com] (375 Soldiery)
Weathered Auroral Ring[xivdb.com] (375 Soldiery)

Gear - Part V (i100-i110)

Challenge Syrcus Tower:

ST is the second 24-man raid to hit FFXIV. All-in-all I'm very impressed: gorgeous environments, interesting fights/bosses, good pacing, and a great story. I would say it's a bit on the easy side, but that's probably for the best. Constantly wiping because 1 person in a 24-man raid kept screwing up would suck. Besides, if we need stupid difficulty we already have SC and SC (Savage) for that.

Tutorial Here

All loot will be i100, so this is a nice piece of content to help nudge newer players into end game. The only downside is that there is a weekly item lockout. You only get 1 piece of gear per week, so choose carefully! (note: If you loot any specialty items it WILL count as your piece for the week.)

Also, I feel like I have to mention the ridiculous looking gear this place drops. I mean seriously! Just look at this freaking hat!

LOOK AT IT!


Amon's Hat[xivdb.com] (Dropped by Xande)
Amon's Coat[xivdb.com] (Dropped by Amon)
Amon's Sleeves[xivdb.com] (Dropped by Glasya Labolas)
Amon's Sash[xivdb.com] (Dropped by Glasya Labolas)
Amon's Breeches[xivdb.com] (Dropped by Xande)
Amon's Boots[xivdb.com] (Dropped by Scylla)

i100 --> i110 Upgrade Items:

There are 3 specialty items you will need in order to get your soldiery weapon and upgrade your i100 Weathered Auroral gear into i110 Auroral gear.

Unidentified Allagan Tomestone[xivdb.com] (UAT):
This item is used to make the Weathered Rosenbogen[xivdb.com].
Requires 1 UAT + 10 Rowena's Token (Soldiery)[xivdb.com] (130 Soldiery each, Sold from same vendor as Weathered Auroral gear just in a different tab.)

Drops from: Amon and Xande in Syrcus Tower (ST). Also drops from Turn 6-8, Turn 6-8 (Savage).

Oil of Time[xivdb.com]:
This it is used to upgrade all of your accessories from Weathered Auroral to Auroral.

Drops from: Syrcus Tower, Turn 6-9, Turn 6-9 (Savage)
Obtained from: Trading x2 Blood-spattered Mark Log[xivdb.com] to Aelina in Mor Dhona (x22, y6). (An explanation of hunts and how to aquire Blood-spattered Mark Logs is available in the "Hunts" section.)

Sands of Time[xivdb.com]:
This item is used to upgrade all of your gear pieces from Weathered Auroral to Auroral.

Drops from: Syrcus Tower (Xande), Turn 6-9, Turn 6-9 (Savage)
Obtained from: Trading x3 Blood-spattered Mark Log[xivdb.com] to Aelina in Mor Dhona (x22, y6). (An explanation of hunts and how to aquire Blood-spattered Mark Logs is available in the "Hunts" section.)

Note: Turn 6 drops either an Oil OR a Sand, not both.

How to upgrade Items:
Once you have all required items you will need to bring them to Drake in Hyrstmill (North Shroud (30, 20)), right near Gerolt. (Note: If you currently have a prerequisite item equipped you will need to unequip it in order to trade.)

Auroral Gear & Accessories:

Weapon:

Rosenbogen[xivdb.com] ( Sand + Weathered)

Gear:

Auroral Coif[xivdb.com] ( Sand + Weathered)
Auroral Tabard[xivdb.com] ( Sand + Weathered)
Auroral Bracers[xivdb.com] ( Sand + Weathered)
Auroral Sash[xivdb.com] ( Sand + Weathered)
Auroral Brais[xivdb.com] ( Sand + Weathered)
Auroral Boots[xivdb.com] ( Sand + Weathered)

Accessories:

Auroral Earrings[xivdb.com] ( Oil + Weathered)
Auroral Choker[xivdb.com] ( Oil + Weathered)
Auroral Wristlets[xivdb.com] ( Oil + Weathered)
Auroral Ring[xivdb.com] ( Oil + Weathered)

Gear - Part VI (i110-i115)

Challenge Ramuh Extreme:

The Striking Tree (Extreme) Tutorial / Full Run Video

A very intense, fast-paced fight. Lot of moving parts in this one, and as such you will need good communication to beat it. I've also noticed that this fight can go sideways in a hurry. Several times we've had Ramuh down to about 4-7% and it seemed guaranteed. Then BAM! Party wipe. I found it enjoyable, but the general attitude I seem to get from other players about it is "meh". Even with the improved loot since 2.38 I haven't seen many people doing this one. Maybe people are starting to find the current primal "formula" stale.

Drops:

Thunderdart[xivdb.com]
Judgement Ring Of Aiming[xivdb.com]

Challenge the Second Coil of Bahamut:

Oh Second Coil, we've had such fond memories. Like when I slammed my face into Turn 7 for about a month straight before finally (read: agonizingly) beating it. Same with Turn 8... and Currently Turn 9... You know what, I'll just say it: These fights are Hard; Like, Stupid hard. Don't expect to get anywhere without a solid, well-coordinated group. Seriously, anyone who beat 6-9 within the first month or two of release... I tip my large, feathered, goofy-looking bard hat to you. These fights can be SUPER frustrating and SUPER unforgiving. However, all of the frustration is worth it for that single moment when you FINALLY defeat a boss that has been absolutely destroying you for the past month. So really, the only advice I have is this: watch videos, and keep on practicing.

Turn 6 Tutorial / Full Run Video
Turn 7 Tutorial / Full Run Video
Turn 8 Tutorial / Full Run Video
Turn 9 Tutorial / Full Run Video

As of 2.38 SC will drop several best in slot items for Bard. All gear and accessories will be i110, and the weapon is i115.

Weapon:

High Allagan Composite Bow[xivdb.com] (Turn 9)

Gear:

[/previewicon] High Allagan Mask Of Aiming[xivdb.com] (Turn 7)
High Allagan Coat Of Aiming[xivdb.com] (Turn 9)
High Allagan Gloves Of Aiming[xivdb.com] (Turn 7)
High Allagan Belt Of Aiming[xivdb.com] (Turn 6)
High Allagan Breeches Of Aiming[xivdb.com] (Turn 8)
High Allagan Boots Of Aiming[xivdb.com] (Turn 6)


Accessories:

High Allagan Earrings Of Aiming[xivdb.com] (Turn 6)
High Allagan Choker Of Aiming[xivdb.com] (Turn 8)
High Allagan Bracelets Of Aiming[xivdb.com] (Turn 7)
High Allagan Ring Of Aiming[xivdb.com] (Turn 8)

Gear - Zodiac Weapon Part I

Artemis Bow Atma [xivdb.com]

Part One:

(Note: You must already have your Zenith weapon (detailed in "Gear Part II & III") in order to acquire the Atma weapon.)

To start the quest you must talk to Gerolt. He is located in Hyrstmill (Northern "town" in North Shroud.) You must also have the Zenith relic weapon equipped when you speak to Gerolt.



After you speak to Gerolt, he will send you to speak to Jalzahn across the road. He will give you your next task.

Part Two:

Jalzahn will ask you to bring him 12 Atma seals.

Now the first step to this is pretty simple. Get a subscription to a video steaming service (Netflix, Hulu, Crunchyroll, Amazon Prime, etc.), because this is going to be a very long process.

Got a couple of seasons queued up? Alright, lets start..

Atma seals can can be found by participating in any FATE in a specific zone (see the table below for locations.) The Atma quest is not something you should rush through (in order to preserve your sanity.) The Atma seals appear to have a drop rate of around 5%. This means that you will be farming A LOT of FATEs. I would also recommend spiritbonding spare gear and accessories, and chocobo experience farming while you're doing this. Because why not.

IMPORTANT: YOUR ZENITH RELIC WEAPON MUST BE EQUIPPED in order to get Atma drops from a FATE.[/b][/u] This is a common mistake, don't waste your time!

When you get an Atma seal it will pop on your screen similar to item drops in dungeons (but doesn't require a roll.) So it is automatically added to your inventory (SO MAKE SURE YOU HAVE SPACE IN YOUR INVENTORY.)

(Note: You can acquire multiple of the same Atma. You can also use them to upgrade a Zenith weapon on a different job. They are not locked to the job they were farmed with.)

Name of Atma	Atma Location
Atma of the Maiden	Central Shroud
Atma of the Scorpion	Southern Thanalan
Atma of the Water Bearer	Upper La Noscea
Atma of the Goat	East Shroud
Atma of the Bull	Eastern Thanalan
Atma of the Ram	Middle La Noscea
Atma of the Twins	Western Thanalan
Atma of the Lion	Outer La Noscea
Atma of the Fish	Lower La Noscea
Atma of the Archer	North Shroud
Atma of the Scales	Central Thanalan
Atma of the Crab	Western La Noscea

Artemis Bow Animus[xivdb.com]

Now that your brain has been thoroughly turned into mush, we can work on Animus! You're probably pretty disappointed that your shiny new i100 bow still has the same stats as your i90 Zenith. But don't worry! We'll upgrade it!

Speak with Jalzahn once again and you will be asked to complete the “Trial of the Braves.”
This trial requires you to trade 1500 Tomestones of Mythology for a book. There are 9 books (13,500 Myth) total. You must complete all 9 in order to get your Animus (Now with stats that aren't total crap!)



This book will list Enemies, Dungeons, FATEs, and Leves you must complete all sections to receive the books bonus on your Atma weapon. For example:



Animus is pretty straight forward, but once again I would recommend spiritbonding/choco farming. The "Enemies" section of the books are perfect for chocobo farming, As the 100 enemies you need to kill will complete the challenge logs "Bosom Buddies I & II", Giving huge exp bonuses.

Artemis Bow Novus[xivdb.com]

To start off you need to complete the quest Celestial Radiance (starts with Jalzahn again.)[/i]

Once you've completed the intro quest this will lead you into the quest Star Light, Star Bright. You will need to purchase 3 Superior Enchanted Ink. The Ink can be purchased from Rowena for 500 Mythology each (1500 Myth total.) You will then need to travel to Central Thanalan (x23 , y13) and trade the 3 Ink to Hubairtin for a Sphere Scroll.

And now the fun begins...

To complete the Sphere Scroll you will need to "Infuse" it 75 times.
Each infusion requires 2 items: Materia and Alexandrite.



Alexandrite can be obtained from the following methods:

• Completing FATEs with Animus weapon equipped (similar to Atma farming).
  
• Purchase and complete a Mysterious Map from Auriana (Revenant's Toll) for 800 Myth each.
  
• Repeatable quest "Morbid Motivation"[xivdb.com]. Quest is repeatable once per day. Requires players to complete an Expert Duty Roulette. Quest rewards 1 Mysterious Map. Complete map for Alexandrite.
  
• Purchase Alexandrite directly (no map required) from your Grand Company's Hunt Vendor for 200 Allied Seals each. (More details in the "Hunts" sections.)

Note: Solving Mysterious Map is similar to solving other Treasure Maps. Players will need the skills Decipher and Dig. When the player fails mysterious map, the map disappears and no alexandrite is awarded.

Note: There is a cap to each tier you can insert. The cap is determined by dividing the max stat cap by the number of Tiers (4). So in the case of Crit, the max stat cap is 44, so you will need 11 tier I, 11 tier II, 11 tier III, and 11 tier IV in order to cap it. Now Det is capped at only 31, so the it's divided as equally as possible; 7 Tier I, 8 Tier II, 8 Tier III, 8 Tier IV

What stats to choose:



I chose to go for full Crit and Det. It seems to be the most popular option. However it is worth noting that tier IV materia is very expensive. All said, my Novus will probably cost me about 7.5 million in materia (Only counting the stuff I didn't farm myself.) That's also not considering all of the Myth spent on Alex Maps, that could have been spent on crafting mats (and lost money from potential sales from materials/products.)

It seems that a safe route would be to simply avoid tier IV materia. Which is possible if you go 33 Crit / 23 Det / 19 Acc. It simply won't be as powerful though. Mainly because it is very hard to find large sources of Det, and Acc is everywhere in end game gear. Don't waste stat on anything but Crit, Det, and maybe Acc. Skill Speed is garbage.

Reddit Novus Infusion discussion threads Here - And Here

Gear - Zodiac Weapon Part II

Artemis Bow Nexus[xivdb.com]

For the (current) final step of your Zodiac weapon you will need to attune your weapon by collecting light (Soulglazing). Different content gives different amounts of light.

You need 2000 Light on your weapon to finish soul attunement.

Reward Titles (amount given after completing content):

• Feeble: 1 Light
  
• Gentle: 2 Light
  
• Bright: 4 Light
  
• Brilliant: 8 Light
  
• Blinding: 12 Light
  
• Newborn Star: 16 Light

Completion Tiers:

• "No Activity": 0 - 199
  
• "Indisctinct Activity": 200-399
  
• "Faint Activity": 400-599
  
• "Slight Activity": 600-799
  
• "Modest Activity": 800-999
  
• "Distinct Activity": 1000-1199
  
• "Robust Activity": 1200-1399
  
• "Vigorous Activity": 1400-1599
  
• "Intense Activity": 1600-1799
  
• "Extreme Activity": 1800-1999
  
• "Bursting Activity": 2000+ (Complete)

There is also a rotating light bonus window. The bonus will be for a specific trial/raid for about 2 hours. At the end of the bonus it will switch to a new trial/raid.

Your new best friend: ffxivlight.[www.ffxivlight.com]
Reddit Live Nexus Farming Thread

Hunts - Part I

What are Hunts?

Hunts, in my opinion, are a throwback to the Notorious Monster system of FFXI. That system however, was plagued by RMT and extremely long and painful spawn timers. Not to mention a claim system that made you want to tear your hair out in large clumps. All-in-all I think SE did a great job rolling out this system, and were quick to patch it to reflect player feedback. With each patch hunts seem to get more and more enjoyable.

The Hunt system is pretty straight forward: it requires players to roam from zone-to-zone hunting powerful monsters. All hunts will be level 50, but will have varying degrees of difficulty. They are ranked as such, from least to most powerful: B-Rank, A-Rank, S-Rank.

How Do I Start Hunting?

To be honest, you don't really need anything to start hunting, as long as you have adequate participation in a fight you'll get allied seals and tomestones even if you haven't started the hunt quest.

However, to take advantage of the daily and weekly hunts you will need to do the level 50 quest "Let the Hunt Begin" at your own Grand Company. Daily hunts to me, seem a bit grindy. You only need to kill a few easy monsters (3 sets of normal monsters for 4 allied seals and 1000 gil, and 2 FATE bosses for 10 allied seals and 2000 gil.), But with how fast you can get seals from A and S ranks it hardly seems worth it. That being said, if you're the type that doesn't like to compete for monsters or deal with a few bad apples this might be the route to go. (The overall competitiveness/anger in hunts has gotten a lot better since patch 2.35, so I wouldn't worry about it.)



The weekly hunts (Elite Hunts) require you to kill a B-Rank Mark. B-Rank Hunts respawn every 5 seconds, can spawn almost anywhere within the zone, and can be easily solo'd with a chocobo companion (At least in my experience.) Upon completion you will receive 50 allied seals and 5000 gil. There is no reason not to do these; They're quick and give a great reward. They reset every Tuesday alongside Soldiery/Second Coil.

What are Elite Marks, Hunt Ranks?

Elite marks are the monsters you're hunting for, and are categorized by Ranking. Hunts are pretty easy to spot as they will always be level 50. All hunts have a unique name and a special "Hunt" threat icon. Each major zone will have three elite marks: a B-Rank, an A-Rank, and an S-Rank. In each major zone, you will find a "Hunter-Scholar" NPC near the Aetherytes; Which will tell you the names and lore of that zone's elite marks.

B-Ranks [Easy]: Solo/Duo-able. Mark is passive until engaged. B-Ranks will only give a reward if you have them as your current Weekly Mark. Gives 50 allied seals and 5000 gil. 5 second respawn; can be almost anywhere in zone.

A-Ranks [Medium]: Require a full party to kill. Mark will be aggressive, and are usually quite large. Respawn timers usually vary between 3-5 Hours. Gives max 20 allied seals, 80 tomestones of mythology, and 20 tomestones of soldiery.

S-Ranks [Hard]: Are very large and angry monsters: give hugs with caution. They respawn roughly 32-72 hours after being killed. There are methods of "force-spawning" certain S-Rank monsters, Though I have no idea how it works. Gives max 50 allied seals, 200 tomestones of mythology, and 40 tomestones of soldiery.


(Note: Each zone is grouped together, From left to right: B, A, S Rank. Courtesy of Ariyala Ta'nya)

Be aware that some A-Ranks and quite a few S-rank monsters do have instant-kill AoE and targeted abilities. As a Bard you'll also want to be aware that some Hunts have damage reflection abilites (Ex: Counter Maneuvers); Because we are glass-cannons we very easily end up murdering ourselves on it.

Participation and Rewards.

If you help kill an A or S-Rank monster, you'll get allied seals. Allied seals are a new currency that are (at the moment) only obtainable through hunts. Similar to the FATE system, you will be judged based on your participation. The number of seals you receive after a hunt depends on your participation ranking, and the rank of the hunt.

Participation:

• Bronze: 10% of max reward.
  
• Silver: 60% of max reward.
  
• Gold: 100% of max reward.

It is also worth noting that since there are so many players participating in Hunts it is a lot more difficult to accrue participation than compared to FATEs. There also isn't a window with your "participation medal" and reward list like the one that pops up after completing a FATE.

Rewards:
Once you have gathered some allied seals you can buy some items at the Grand Company vendor (there's a new special one for allied seals):

• Grand Company i70 gear (vanity). 600-1000 seals for each piece of gear, 1740 for the weapon.
  
• Alexandrite - Used for upgrading animus to novus relic weapon.
  
• Myth i90 gear, 20-40 seals
  
• Housing items
  
• Minions
  
• Venture tokens
  
• Aetheryte tickets
  
• Blood-splattered logs[xivdb.com] - Can either be dropped randomly when you kill an elite mark (Only from A and S-Ranks and very rarely) or they can be bought with 250 allied seals. The logs can be traded to Aelina in Mor Dhona (x22, y6): Oil of Time (for 2 logs), Sands of Time (for 3 logs). These two items allow you to upgrade Weathered Auroral i100 gear into i110 Auroral gear. You do this by bringing the oil/sands and Weathered gear to the Drake in Hyrstmill (North Shroud (30, 20)), right near Gerolt (it's called Gerolt's Masterworks).

Hunts - Part II

How to Quickly Find Marks and Get Full Credit.

The First thing you'll want to do is try to get yourself into a hunting party. There really seem to be two different kinds of hunting parties: active and passive. In an active hunting party you and your fellow party member will go from zone to zone scouring the map in search of freshly spawned marks. Passive parties aren't nearly as exciting; essentially they sit around and wait for one of its members to be fed a mark location from its Free Company or one of its Hunting Linkshells.

A solo player attacking an A or S-Rank Mark will almost always result in a Bronze participation ranking. Being part of a full party will greatly increase the odds of getting Gold (max) participation. By sharing information with your hunting party you can quickly teleport around and rake in allied seals. You should also ask around your Free Company and any hunting parties you're in if they have any open hunting linkshells. Being in 1-3 hunting linkshells makes the whole process a lot easier (because you're sharing information with hundreds of people at a time.) Actually getting into good hunting linkshells can be very difficult though, as most are completely full (at least on my server it's like that) Another thing to be aware of is that since most players who frequent hunts have at least a couple of linkshells there is a massive game of telephone going on in the background. Whenever you see a Mark get called you need to get there ASAP, because it was probably found several minutes ago but had to get relayed through many different linkshells.

Best practices are to get a full party and have everyone show up to attack the mark, as your cumulative damage, enmity generated, and healing done by the party will result in a higher individual participation rank. So for a better chance at Gold you will want at least one healer just spamming high enmity heals, and one tank spamming enmity moves. Not to say you NEED a healer or a tank; It just makes it a lot easier.

If you are in a serious hunting party there is also a good change that they have a "TheHunt" page going. Ask for a link. This will show approximate kill times for marks, as well as estimated respawn times.

Sharing information

You may notice have noticed a lot of people linking positions in chat with clickable positions (Ex: South Shroud (10,16).) You can very clearly see a link because it will have an orange arrow next to it.
Whenever you share information with your party/FC/LS try to also link your information. There is a great tutorial in this Reddit thread that explains exactly how to do it. These clickable links are extremely useful, not only will they show you a flag on your map with the position, they also make it very easy to click on the nearest Aetheryte to teleport directly to it.

(An example of a link in chat)

When sharing, try to give detailed information (Ex: "Mark Name" "Location" "Mark Rank" "Status: Pulled, Unpulled, Dead") It would be a good idea to setup a few macros just for this purpose. An example would be "/p <t> Found It! <pos> A-Rank, Unpulled". This will help to save people from running all the way to a mark only to find it's already dead (very frustrating.)

Even when you see a B-Rank it's still nice to /shout its position. It might save someone some time.

Etiquette

General etiquette is to share the information of a find and wait for a few minutes while people show up. While it might be a bit harder with more people around it's not that much harder, as long as you're part of a full party. One of common exceptions to the rule seems to be that if people gather very quickly and the mark starts to "flicker" due to restrictions on the maximum displayable characters. Once a mark starts to "flicker" for people it tends to get pulled on the spot. This was said to have been fixed in patch 2.35, I still see it happen from time to time though.

Another thing you might see is someone shouting "RESET". This means they want whoever have hate to walk the mark from is spawn point until it goes invincible and resets back to it default state and spawn point. This will give more people time to show up, or simply restart if there was a mass wipe for some reason (usually dps killing themselves on reflection.) Resetting the mark will also reset any contribution earned up until that point. Also be careful not to spam reset a mark either, it can be considered griefing.

(A special thanks to AliceHeuz and Vandesaan, their guides were an invaluable reference for making these sections.)

PvP - Part I

Frontlines:

Final Fantasy isn't made for PvP, The FF community doesn't like PvP. I see comments like these every time someone so much as mutters the term PvP. Anyone who has actually tried it would probably agree: Frontlines is just plain fun. It's a nice change of pace from the regular game. I understandably realize that the Wolves' Den left some players with a bad taste is their mouth, but Frontlines is everything PvP in FF should be.

Frontlines is an objective-based game, not a team deathmatch. Teams get the most points by working together to complete objectives. Murdering the enemy teams isn't a priority here, more like a means to an end. The biggest problem is a small portion of the community loses sight of the fact that this is a game. Just have fun, there's no need to rage. Not only will you not have fun, you will ruin other players experience. Frontlines isn't serious business, calm down, take a breath, and enjoy yourself. If we want to get bigger and better PvP experiences we need to encourage a thriving, fun PvP community. (Alright, I'll get off my soapbox now.)

What is Frontlines?

Frontlines is a 72-man Player versus Player instance where players fight for their Grand Company to control the Carteneau Flats. Players will KO opposing players, capture control points (which I'll call Objectives), and fight neutral monsters called Interceptor Drones to generate Tactical Rating Points. The winner is decided when any team hits the point cap (1000/1200/1600 - depending on queue size), or whoever has the most points at the end of the 30 minute time limit. To unlock Frontlines, you must be level 50, and complete the quest "Like Civilized Men and Women" at your Grand Company. After you complete the quest you can use the Duty Finder to queue up. Be aware that you can only party with people of the same GC.

Staging

When you enter the Carteneau Flats, you will appear in your Grand Company's staging area. You'll have 2 minutes to coordinate with teammates and prepare for battle. While in this area, you can cast buffs, hop on mounts, or change jobs. There are no set team compositions in frontlines, so whenever you're in the staging area feel free to adjust your job to better deal with the battle and give your party more flexability.

Objectives

Once the 2 minute staging timer is up, the gate opens and the battle is on. Once you're out of the gate you will fall down a small cliff face. Once you've crossed over it it will be impossible to return to the staging area unless you have been KO'd.

Below is a map of the objectives, taking them is pretty straight forward. Just stand in the giant circle with a flag in it.



While standing in an objective, a gauge will appear in the duty list showing its current status. The more players you have within the circle than your opponents, the faster the objective will be captured. Be aware that in order to capture an objective you must have more allies than enemies inside the circle. And in order to take an objective from an enemy you first need to neutralize it. When neutralizing an objective, points go to the team that had the most players in the circle. The gauge in the duty list will tell you who has the most players while in the circle. So it is possible for two different teams warring over the same objective to end up splitting the neutralize/capture.

Capturing an objective earns you Tactical Rating points. Additionally, every 3 seconds, your team's Tactical Rating increases for each objective your team controls. The more objectives controlled, the more points you generate:

Objectives	Points/3 Sec.
1	1
2	2
3	4
4	8
5	16
6	32

Your team can also get points for completing the following actions:

Action	Points
KO an Opponent	5
Neutralizng an Objective	10
Capturing an Objective	10
Slay Interceptor Drones	20
Slay the Interceptor Node	200

Heliodrome

I've done probably about 30 Frontlines matches so far, but have yet to be on the B alliance. So I have no idea what times the drones/node spawn. Thankfully AliceHeuz has a great Frontlines guide on reddit. Link here

Originalmente postado por AliceHeuz:

At the middle of the map stands the Heliodrome. There are allagan drones and nodes which will spawn in the area regularly. 6 drones will spawn after 3 minutes into the fight, then another set spawns 3 minutes after the previous set has been defeated. 1 central node spawns some time after the second set -- and I don't really know the timings after that. The drones do a laser AOE easily dodgeable; the nodes do periodical damage over the whole Heliodrome. The team dealing most damage gets the credit. The heliodrome can really give an edge in Tactical Rating, so don't neglect it!

PvP - Part II

Things you should know:

• Frontlines is synced to i80. So wear any piece of gear i80+ that allows you to stack det and crit.
  
• The general strategy in every game I've been in is this: A team goes to the left Objective, C team goes to the right Objective, and B team assists A and C after capturing their GC outpost. B team continues to support until allagan interceptors spawn. Rinse and repeat.
  
• You have PvP skills, use them.
  
• You generate a level 2 Limit Break, use it.
  
• Limit Break gauge will decrease over time if your party isn't in combat.
  
• Coordinate with party members to burst down enemies.
  
• As a Bard it's you job to harass casters. Your attacks interrupt their castings, and don't forget to be generous with Blunt Arrow.
  
• As a Bard your damage can be hindered depending on your distance from the target.

  Originalmente postado por mrmesssypants:

  There is actually a "sweet spot" for bard pvp damage, between 10 and about 18 yalms away from the target. Or for reference, about right where repelling shot pushes you to. Any closer and your damage will fall by a huge amount. Any farther and you get the same fall off. Your crits when you are right up close won't even hit for as much as your normal attacks in the sweet spot. If you can maintain that sweetspot distance, you will rip people apart.

• Use mounts to traverse the map faster. Just be aware that if you're hit by an enemy while mounted you get Heavy for 20 seconds. If you're in enemy territory this can be a death sentence.
  
• If you die with friendly healers around wait for a raise. Otherwise you'll have to wait 5 seconds (and an additional 5 seconds for every death after that) to respawn in your staging area.

Rewards for Frontlines:

	Mythology	Soldiery	Wolf Marks	PvP Exp
1st Place	50	25	600	400
2nd Place	50	25	450	300
3rd Place	50	25	300	200

It's also worth noting that you can use the Wolf Marks to buy cool PvP gear, and at 100 Frontline wins you also get a GC specific Warhsteed mount.

Macros

Macros are a great way to make room on your hotbars. This is paramount if you are using a controller. However, It is important to remember that no macro is perfect for all situations, and that generally speaking you should avoid combat macros.

While on a hotbar, macros are easily identified by the gear in the upper-right corner of the icon.

There is really only one macro I would recommend everyone have, and it isn't so much for you as it is for other players.

/macroicon "Blunt Arrow"
/ac "Blunt Arrow" <t> <wait.1>
/p Blunt Arrow <t>! <se.2> <se.2>

(The reason for the wait 1 after the action is because if you spam the button to get off Blunt Arrow you wont also spam party chat with "Blunt Arrow! Blunt Arrow! Blunt Arrow! etc." <sound effect> spamming is pretty obnoxious.)

Use this whenever you're on silence duty. While some well coordinated groups don't need it. It really doesn't hurt to throw it on.

Action Macros and /wait:

Before I get into this I would like to state that you should not use the following macro. Having a macro with 2 on GCD abilities will result in a LOT of DPS loss. The following description is simply to inform you why you shouldn't use it.

When using the /wait command it is important to realize exactly how it works. The system will only take a solid number or a number and a half, and will always round up. So "/wait 1" would be 1 second, "/wait 1.1" wouldn't register and would be a wait of 0, and "/wait 1.5" would be 2 seconds.

With that in mind, if we make a Venomous Bite/WIndbite macro:

/macroicon "Venomous Bite"
/ac "Venomous Bite" <t>
/wait 2.5
/ac "Windbite" <t>

There is two problems with this:

• The /wait 2.5 will be rounded up to 3, so anytime we use a macro like this we are losing .5 seconds of the GCD.
  
• You can't use any off GCD abilities or buffs in between that VB and WB. If you use any other action while in the middle of a /wait macro it will terminate the macro mid process.

It is because of this that I only macro together off GCD actions (Misery's End, Bloodletter) and a single GCD action with no /waits. Not two different GCD actions (which would require a /wait because they share the same cooldown.)

General Space Saving Macros:

Easy Buff Button:
/ac "Internal Release" <me>
/ac "Raging Strikes" <me>
/ac "Blood for Blood" <me>
/ac "Hawk's Eye" <me>
/ac "Barrage" <me>

If you use a button like this I would highly recommend at least having a secondary hotbar that has all of the buffs on it so you can see when they are ready to be recast.

Now generally speaking this is a really lazy button. We could easily take this a set further, clean it up and make it a lot more flexible by breaking it up into 2 different macro buttons (or more.)

A better (but less compact) macro would be something like this.

Buffs 1:
/ac "Internal Release"
/ac "Raging Strikes"
/ac "Blood for Blood"

(note: In some situations you won't want to use Blood for Blood, like when you know you're going to be taking heavy damage. So by having it at the end you can choose to simply not activate it.)

Buffs 2:
/ac "Hawk's Eye"
/ac "Barrage"

This works well because Hawk's Eye and Barrage complement each are very well and have identical cooldowns so they will always be ready around the same time.

You don't have to break it up this way. Some people prefer to include Quelling Strikes, or to have Internal Release or Blood for Blood on their own buttons. Do what ever works for you.

Easy Attack Button:

Disclaimer: It's Important to realize that by using a macro like this you will not be maximizing your dps. Due to not being able to "pre-queue" GCD attacks, and server latency you will have a slight delay. So for the absolute best DPS only manually fire abilities, DO NOT USE MACROS. Now, with that being said you can think of these macros as a "safety net". Using them won't be as good as flawlessly using manual abilities. However, if you miss a Misery's End or are sloppy at manually firing abilities these macros will produce better overall DPS.

Originalmente postado por Detozi Deis on Gilgamesh:

Using a HS/ME/BL macro will definitely decrease your maximum potential DPS but it'll probably increase most players actual dps unless they're truly flawless at hitting Bloodletter right as it comes up. You let Bloodletter get refreshed once or twice without using it and any damage increase you might be getting from not using macros is lost.

/macroicon "Bloodletter"
/ac "Misery's End" <t>
/ac "Heavy Shot" <t>
/ac "Bloodletter" <t>

You can pretty much spam this button so long as there isn't anything higher than Heavy Shot on the priority list. Also works for AoE, just replace Heavy Shot with Quick Nock/Wide Volley.

You could also go a step further and do the same for Venomous Bite, Windbite, and Straight Shot. (This way you'll have less chance of missing a proc as soon as its up.)

Ex:
/macroicon "Venomous Bite"
/ac "Misery's End" <t>
/ac "Venomous Bite" <t>
/ac "Bloodletter" <t>

Song with Battle Voice:
/macroicon "Army's Paeon"
/p Army's Paeon| TP <se.7>
/ac "Army's Paeon" <me>
/wait 4
/ac "Battle Voice" <me>

Note: You will lose a small amount of time using this macro. If you don't want to use Battle Voice just do an action before it goes off and it will terminate the macro.

Misc. Macros

Glow Stick!
/bm
/sit
/wait 1
/sit

If you have a Zenith weapon you can use this macro to make the weapon glow while on your back.

Blacklist
/blist add <r>

Blacklists the last person to send you a /tell.

Countdown
/p |COUNTDOWN|
/p 5 <se.5><wait.1>
/p 4 <se.5><wait.1>
/p 3 <se.5><wait.1>
/p 2 <se.5><wait.1>
/p 1 <se.5><wait.1>
/p FIRE! <se.11>

Error Spam:

Chaining together actions without the use of a /wait is very effective. However, it does generate an insane amount of error message spam. To turn this off simply:

Go to your Character Configuration in the main menu.



Under Log Window Setting, go to your Log Filters.



Go to the Announcements tab, and uncheck Error Messages.

Problem solved!


Special Characters:
Below is some special characters you can copy and paste into XIV, have fun!

★






Note: they are Unicode and wont show up here. You'll need to paste them into the game before you can see what they look like.

Altering the UI

If you are a player that is still using the default UI I would highly recommend trying out some new setups. There are tons of threads on the FFXIV subreddit (linked in additional resources) about UI customization. It is a great way to adapt the game to your unique playstyle. I would say one of the biggest problems with the default UI as a bard is how obsurdly far away the target frame is. It basically makes you stare at top of the screen every 5 seconds. And if you're looking at the top of the screen then you aren't looking at your hotbars and where your character is positioned.

Try getting all of the elements you stare at the most and centralize them near (but not blocking!) your character.

SheepheadCG has a wonderful video about basic UI optimizations. With some great insights for custom dps and healer UI.

Parsers and the First Rule of Fight Club

Parsers are officially against the Terms of Service for FFXIV.

That being said: many players use them, and the FFXIV team is well aware of this fact. Unlike malicious 3rd party software (RMT spammers, gathering bots, etc.), parsers are generally ignored by SE. The only way you will get in trouble for using a parser is if you broadcast it in game. (Note: Parsers are currently only available for PC)

The First Rule of Parser Club...

In this interview Yoshi P himself acknowledges it. As long as you're not sprinting around Limsa, shouting from the cliff tops, or shaming a dps in your party with their ♥♥♥♥♥♥ parse numbers you're fine. In fact, there has been some debate over whether or not SE can even tell if you're using a parser from their end (as it doesn't write in any of the game files, it only reads the log.)

Are Parsers 100% accurate?

No. Some damage is estimated (mainly DoTs I believe.) It is generally accepted that ACT is more accurate than FFXIV-APP, but FFXIV-APP is a lot easier on the eyes and has better widgets.

Why Would I Even Want a Parser?

• Before patch 2.35 many people specifically used them so they could see a Boss' percent health. In many end game raids bosses would change phases at specific health percentages. Why it took them almost a year to implement in game HP percentages I'll never understand.
  
• UI customization
  
• Custom Alerts - Set custom sound files or text-to-speech when predefined actions happen in game (Can also be set with a delay in FFXIV-APP)
  
• Auto translation - JP >> EN (FFXIV-APP only)
  
• UI Ability Timers (ACT only)
  
• Radar (FFXIV-APP only) - This one is a moral grey area. Some people feel as though the radar gives information to players that they shouldn't have. And when used specifically for hunts; gives them an unfair advantage (But generally speaking I feel non-parser players seem to over-exaggerate that advantage, as they don't really understand how it works and what its limitations are.)

Which Parser Should I Use?

I've used both extensively. I tend to lean toward FFXIV-APP. The interface is very user friendly, and looks way better. Though ACT is more accurate, but it was originally developed as a damage meter for Everquest 2. The interface is complex and clunky. It does have some cool feature that FFXIV-APP doesn't currently have (The on screen ability timers are really cool if you can fight the menus and actually get them to work.)

ACT

Download Here (Link removed by SE request)

ACT Trigger Tutorial (Link removed by SE request)

FFXIV-APP

Download Here (Link removed by SE request)

Installation:

Install Youtube Guide (Link removed by SE request)

FFXIV-APP Subreddit (Link removed by SE request)

Trigger List:

Below is a list of useful custom triggers that you can assign your own alert tones to:

General Bard:
You lose the effect of Straight shot
You use flaming arrow (delay 59s)

Moogle:
the effect of Bemoggled

Turn 6:
readies Blighted Bouquet
You suffer the effect of Thorny Vine

Turn 7:
readies Petrifaction
readies Venomous Tail
uses Cursed Shriek
You suffer the effect of Cursed Voice

Turn 8:
readies Allagan Field
readies Brainjack
recovers from the effect of Allagan Field
uses Inertia Stream

Turn 9:
readies Bahamut's Favor
readies Heavensfall
readies Lunar Dynamo
readies Stardust
suffer the effect of Garrote Twist
suffer the effect of Thunderstruck

(Feel free to comment any useful timers you think I left out)

Timer Sounds:

Personally I'm a huge fan of the "Metal Gear Solid Alert" Notification. I use it on a lot of the "If you miss this you're going to wipe the whole party" abilities during raids.

But other than that I try to avoid super annoying sounds. I actually downloaded this soothing alerts pack[lifehacker.com] that I stumbled across while browsing Lifehacker. They are just loud and unique enough that I don't miss them, and yet still manage to not be obnoxious after hearing them hundreds of times.

Special Thanks!

Obviously a huge thanks to Naoki Yoshida and the entire FFXIV team for creating such a phenomenal game. I'd also like to thank everyone from the Kupo Troop FC on Goblin for being such an awesome group of people. The game just wouldn't be the same without you.
Finally I'd like to thank you all for reading!

Additional Resources

If you are new to the game here are some great resources to get you started and get involved with the community!

The FFXIV database[xivdb.com]

Visual Hunting Log[dimensionaldeath.com]

The FFXIV Subreddit

Mr. Happy's YouTube Channel

XIV Nation YouTube Channel (Appears to have died - Will keep watching it though, hopefully it comes back.)

FFXIV Gear Calculator[ffxiv.ariyala.com]

Patch 2.2 Guide - by Focusedgamers/Rubies Sparkle[docs.google.com]

Reddit Thread: 2.3 guide

End Game Loot List for patch 2.38[docs.google.com]

Reddit Thread: PSA: The Map, <pos>, and You.

Nexus Weapon - Light Bonus Tracker. ffxivlight.[www.ffxivlight.com]

New Player's Guide to 2.3 [1-50, to i110]

Reddit Thread: I Asked for Feedback on this guide, lots of great discussion.

and obviously the official forums.

Changelog/To-do List

To-Do List:

• Add more to Macros and UI Customization.
  
• PvP abilities section
  
• Wolves' Den

Changelog:

9/25/2014:
Finished Fronlines in PvP section.
Made a lot of changes based on feedback from reddit.
9/24/2014:
Started working on PvP section.
9/23/2014:

• Added and Finished Leveling 1-50 section.
  
• Finished parsers section.
  
• Added to Additional Info.
  
• Finished Zodiac Weapons Part I.
  
• Added and Finished Zodiac Weapons Part II.

9/22/2014:

• Finished Gear - Part VI.
  
• Working on Zodiac Weapons.

9/19/2014:

• Finished Gear - Part V.
  
• Added Gear - Part VI.

9/18/2014:

• Finished Hunt - Part I.
  
• Added & Finished Hunt - Part II.
  
• Edited Gear - Part IV.
  
• Added info to Additional Info.

9/17/2014:

• Began updating guide to 2.38.
  
• Added info to Gear - Part I.
  
• Filled in Gear - Part IV.
  
• Started Gear - Part V.
  
• Added Hunt Section.
  
• Added Zodiac Weapon Section.

4/23/14:
Edited and added to gear sections. Making it current to patch 2.2.
Added more info to additional resources.
3/6/2014:
Added more info to the macro section.
Added more info to the gear section.
3/5/2014:
Filled out more in gear section.
3/1/2014:
Started filling in the gear section.
2/27/2014:
Added a UI section.
2/25/2014:
Added a flowchart in combat.
2/24/2014:

• Added additional resources.
  
• Added Mr. Happy's bard rotations youtube video in combat section.
  
• Removed my Step-by-Step section until I can do more testing.
  
• Filled in Macro Section.
  
• Filled in Songs Section.
  
• Flipped Bloodletter and Straight Shot Buff in priority list.
  
• Filled in Unlocking Archer/Bard Section.

2/23/2014: Fixed some minor mistakes.
2/22/2014: Guide Released.
Finished Sections (or mostly finished):

• Intro
  
• Abilities
  
• Cross-class abilities
  
• Combat

All Icons, artwork, and screenshots are property of Square Enix.
FINAL FANTASY XIV: A REALM REBORN is a trademark of
© 2010 - 2014 SQUARE ENIX CO., LTD. All Rights Reserved.

[Nolu]

This guide has helped me a lot. Thank you for making it!


(Would love to see an update sometime! -crosses fingers- )

[Buttstuff Werewolf]

A very helpful guide! Thank you for posting. =)

[NickGrande]

Hopefully I get time within the next couple of months to update this. Might be changing direction a bit though. maybe make it more of a general guide. I'd still keep in the Bard combat sections, might even add combat sections for other jobs.

[Reisjem]

Thanks you!

[NickGrande]

You're welcome! =D

[Anika]

Oh my, thank you for guide! you are my hero :)

[NickGrande]

No you do not. You can play keyboard-mouse, or controller. It is worth noting though that the controller controls are very intuitive, and I would argue a skilled controller player would do just as well as a kb-m player in endgame.

[Alex Eku]

do you need a controller to play the game?

[NickGrande]

Nice catch - I fixed it. Thanks!

[Alluboy]

BTW, Mantra actually gives 5% increase in healing, not 20%, since the 20% increase is unlocked as a trait for Pugilist, and as far as I know, traits don't work on other classes.