Anyone here that could help?

First off, I'd like to say first that I'm really mostly interested in the old content, due to a friend that is fed up with Adoulin and will only help me with the expansions prior.

I'm currently a lvl 65 WHM, and I have up to lvl 70 unlocked. While I intend to main WHM, I've played around with some other jobs and have them up to subbable levels for now, particularly RDM at 49 and BLM at 45 (I'll work those last few in eventually).

What I'd like to know is what could I expect my role to be in supporting my friend, who is a Dark Knight? I know that job in previous FFs had relied on HP a lot, and I'm assuming it's not much different here.

At the moment I'm just getting started, really. We've tackled my AF gear, and I'm up to mission 5-2 for Bastok. He's on break with FFXIV, so I'm guessing I'll have plenty of time to prepare gear and spell-wise. I just need to know what I need to tackle first.

I've tried to keep my skills up, but I'm guessing I'll need to max out at 70 to fight Maat. Spells-wise I'm missing mostly the spells from 61 up (with Raise II and Reraise II and Cura being the exceptions). Aside from AF gear I'm pretty outdated. A friend got me a Red Cape +1, a Rainbow Cape, a Penitent's Rope, and Blessed Mitts so I guess I'm sort of covered there. Some other high lvls that helped me got me a Dark Staff and a Light Staff. So I guess that leaves the earring, ring, and neck slots (sub, ranged, and ammo, too?).

I kinda just need a direction to go on that I might could solo or at least reasonably acquire help for (I know everything's in Adoulin these days...)

In my opinion i would work on getting to level 99 and getting SoA gear. Maat fight is fairly easy as white mage seeing as you only have to survive for a set amount of time/HP, bring a few Yagudo Drink, food and some meds. Check out http://wiki.ffxiclopedia.org/wiki/Sh...ars/White_Mage for more info, assume it will be twice as difficult as you think. He will be easier on Dark day.

As for pre-SoA i would suggest doing CoP (easy these days and ring is still good), Abyssea (whm legs still used in end game) and Dynamis (gil and +2 gear).

I would also like to entertain leveling Sch, as a job it is just as useful as Whm endgame but it is also a capable Blm. Sch is a job that people are looking for end game these days for their stun spam. If not a level 99 job you will want it for a subjob.

Dark knight = MP sink, expect to be casting Cure, alot.

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Originally Posted by Redryno

In my opinion i would work on getting to level 99 and getting SoA gear. Maat fight is fairly easy as white mage seeing as you only have to survive for a set amount of time/HP, bring a few Yagudo Drink, food and some meds. Check out http://wiki.ffxiclopedia.org/wiki/Sh...ars/White_Mage for more info, assume it will be twice as difficult as you think. He will be easier on Dark day.

As for pre-SoA i would suggest doing CoP (easy these days and ring is still good), Abyssea (whm legs still used in end game) and Dynamis (gil and +2 gear).

I would also like to entertain leveling Sch, as a job it is just as useful as Whm endgame but it is also a capable Blm. Sch is a job that people are looking for end game these days for their stun spam. If not a level 99 job you will want it for a subjob.

Dark knight = MP sink, expect to be casting Cure, alot.

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The only think I disagree with is the Adoulin gear.
WHM/sch = very fun once you get a hang of all the JAs. (tip: treat sublimation as the spell refresh, not as a convert)
WHM/rdm is also a very good choice cause of the fast cast and convert, but light art's buff and -10% recast = curing madness... so I tend to favor /sch over /rdm for whm.

IMO, the best gear for whm is still AF3+2 and Nefer Head (idle in Nefer, Macro AF3+2... gwenditha head is ok, but until you make a yagrush, that divine benison augment on the AF3 head is godly), Heka's body, serpentes set, and either NNI pants or AF3+2 pants.
As for weapons.... either a Arka IV or a Tamaxchi (so actually I only SORTA disagree with Redryno's Adoulin gear comment). I prefer Tamaxchi over Arka IV, with Heka's body, AF3+2 hat, and Serpentes set you already have 30% cure potency. So to reach cap, you need only 20% more. Either Arka IV or Tamaxchi will give you +21% (ensures you reach the 265/265 8bit code cap) But I prefer the club over the staff for 2 reasons:
1) one item swap for -na macros with yagrush, instead of 2 with the staff.
2) genbu shield. -10% PDT and +10eva... AND you can get -cure time too?? That's better than any grip you can do atm.

But you don't even NEED Tamaxchi. There's SO much +cure% stuff out there now... that any whm who doesn't have the max +50% is doing things wrong.

And as for alternatives.... Gwenditha body with a slight cure% augment can give you the same potency as Heka's... but the 3mp/tic refresh from Heka's and the -cure casting time... make Heka's still superior IMO.
I wouldn't change serpentes set for anything... because that 1mp and 1hp/tic... soooo gooood... The cure potency isn't the reason to have them. it's the refresh.

As for all other slots... Loquacious earring... and um.... sirona's ring... and... well... just fill the rest of your slots with stuff that makes your heals better lol.
Fast cast, cure potency, occasionally quickens spellcasting....
Just make sure you cap your cure potency, and then the rest is entirely up to you and your tastes.

(and dear god... DRK.... so many cures.... SO MANY CURES.... lol --It actually won't be that much if your friend has a Apocalypse--)

Just remember: HAVE FUN WITH IT.
There's always an optimal build. But not everyone has the time for that.
Lucky for you, WHM's optimal build is hella easy to get and is mostly not Adoulin stuff. (though Heka's body is AWFUL to get)

I really want to stress that I'm only going to be doing the old content; Adoulin is just a blip on my radar right now. Especially considering the complaints I've heard about it. I don't even own the expansion.

I appreciate the response, but PLEASE, scale it down. Surely Adoulin isn't a must-have for the older content now, is it? I apologize if most of the equips mentioned actually aren't from Adoulin, but I'm not very familiar with most of those equips at all. Also, I really would like to do as much as I can do, and not just pick and choose what content will get me to the "endgame" (again, I'm omitting Adoulin here).

That being said, thanks for the heads up on what it's like to party with a Dark Knight. I sort of figured I'd have to Cure a LOT, I just didn't know if there was anything he might have equipped or might use that's tied to how much HP he has left. I actually never checked his equips so I really can't help on that.

lol the only thing I mention from adoulin is Tamaxchi and any gwenditha stuff.
Everything else comes from either VW (Heka's), crafted (Nefer hat), or Abyssea (serpentes).
The alternative to the empy+2 legs are Nares Trews (?)... mage pants from NNI.
An exchange of casting time for cure potency and %mp returned for a hard refresh.
Just replace Tamaxchi with that VW club.... um... it's got only 15% cure potency... but with Genbu's and all the myriad of other cure% stuff out there.... you'll be fine with it instead of Arka IV.

Personally I think WHM is a bit of a balancing act. Unless you cheat with Windower you can't have optimum stats at all times – or at least you couldn't pre-Adoulin, I don't know about the newer gear – but your options do increase as you level higher and you can start to customise your equipment around your playstyle. As a general rule I'd familiarise yourself with the wiki – http://wiki.ffxiclopedia.org – as you can get an awful lot of information there, including where to get certain pieces of equipment.

As for the role you play, Dark Knights do tend to need a bit of extra care from time to time. I would first say that healing is a two way process – your charges have some responsibility to be careful and act sensibly if they have the tools that allow them to do so. Regen magic might be a useful tool if your friend is blood tanking things, especially at your current level, but Regen tends to get less and less useful as the game progresses. Also be sure to research your targets before starting an event – knowing which monster attacks do what beforehand is really useful. Finally, don't just hammer your top tier cures – select based on the need at hand. I see so many high level WHMs spamming Cure VI and it drives me insane. Efficiency is important.

For DRK specifically, if your friend is sensible and doesn't just ignore danger then he/she has abilities like Dread Spikes, Drain and Stun that can help you both out and are very effective. Be aware of Souleater, which allows DRK to sacrifice HP for more damage – HP you will have to keep on top of, and if s/he has more HP while using it then she'll do more damage. Last Resort will drop his/her defence by a somewhat significant amount too, so just be aware on what JAs are used.

I have always believed that your macro layout is one of the most important aspect of WHM. To react quickly you will have to know your macros well and have most of your key spells macroed in order to use them effectively. Gear swaps do matter for WHM, increasingly so as you level up, so I would strongly recommend coming up with a macro layout that suits you and practising with it. Spells that you will need often or in an emergency – Cure, Regen, Erase, Haste, Repose etc – should be on your main set, with other spells like enfeebles in easily accessible secondary sets. Have a look at the “/macro set X” command, too, for swapping macro pallets on the fly – extremely useful.

Subjob – your choices at your level are SMN, BLM and SCH, with RDM becoming more useful after levels 80 and 82. SMN nets you Auto-Refresh, BLM nets you Conserve MP and utility spells, and SCH nets you sublimation (at lv70), arts, stratagems, a “fast cast” type effect and Conserve MP. After 82 RDM will net you proper fast cast, Refresh and Convert, and utility enfeebles. SCH is generally considered the best choice from level 20 upwards, but I would rather eat my own eyeballs than use something as repulsive as SCH as a subjob so I use /RDM. BLM and SMN become less and less useful as you level up higher but are an adequate choice at 65. If in doubt, probably go with /SCH.

For up and coming gear choices, it seems like you're off to a good start. Your capes and Penitent's Rope are all nice pieces, and your Blessed Mitts are part of a fantastic set that I would highly recommend. You will soon have access to the Noble's Tunic too. Blessed + the Tunic is a really nice set that beats your AF for curing in, but most of the AF pieces still have situational use so keep them around – AF body for enfeebles, legs for Repose. Your AF hat is still okay for curing at around this level too.

Accessories tend to be a bit of a weak point for WHM – you usually have a choice between MP or MND. I had both and swapped between them as the battle changed, but what you want to do is up to you! Remember that MP accessories are useless once you've used up the MP in them – depends on whether you want to go that far or not!

As you level up a bit more I think you will have to start choosing what you want to prioritise on in terms of gear. It depends on your playstyle to an extent. Your big hitters in terms of stats are:

• Cure Potency: I always prioritise this. It caps at +50% - try to get it there as soon as you can, but you won't be able to for a good few levels yet.
• Refresh: Always good to have. Body pieces are the best source.
• MP recovered when healing (“hMP”): At lower levels and for lowman stuff this is brilliant – get as much as you can if you find yourself resting. As you level up your resting opportunities disappear so this becomes much less useful, sadly.
• Fast Cast: Reduces casting and recast time. This is more important for bigger events with more people when you need to pump out healing more quickly. May or may not be useful for you, if you are mainly duoing, but I'm a big fan.
• Cure casting time reduction: Reduces casting time but NOT recast time.
• Haste: Reduces your recast timers but NOT casting time.
• Enmity reduction: Stops monsters eating your face. I fit this in wherever I can. I don't recall how important it is at lower levels, but it caps at -50 and any amount is welcome.
• Healing Magic Skill, MND, VIT: Minor bonuses to your Cure potency. Another stat I try to fit in where possible, but I tend to prioritise Fast Cast and enmity above MND. HMS is twice as potent as MND, which is twice as potent as VIT. MND is good for Stoneskin too.
• Magic Accuracy and Divine/Enfeebling skill: Help you land important spells. MND also contributes some accuracy, and also makes your enfeebles more potent.
• Enhancing Magic Skill: Useful for Barspells, but Protect/Shell/Haste/Regen don't benefit from this skill. Stoneskin does.

If a piece of gear is specialised for a certain role (such as your AF legs for Divine Magic) then try to only macro them in for that purpose. With only 6 slots to play with it can be a real challenge, but every little helps.

As for specific pieces:

• Cure Clogs – These are glorious. I am a big fan of fast cast and Cure casting time reduction pieces, so if you find your cures aren't hitting the mark quickly enough, these are a good starting point.
• Elemental Staves – You have the important ones, but Ice, Wind and Earth can be useful to land Paralyze, Silence and Slow if you enfeeble a lot. HQ ones are 5% better and worth getting if you can afford them. If you have Sleep from your subjob then you can use your Dark Staff for that, and Gravity will benefit from the Wind Staff too. Light Staff for Repose – don't be fooled by the Divine Magic Skill on the Water Staff.
• Trial of the Magians – the Cure potency staff “Arka IV” that you can make is superior to the Light Staff (but only for curing – keep your light staff for Repose) and well worth making. You can get to +24% potency on it at level 99, which is one of the best options.
• Fylgja Torque – from the auction house, a bit of Cure potency and enmity reduction. Good stuff. The Ajari Necklace is a lesser alternative, but very cheap, and useful for enfeebles with the MND.
• Roundel Earring – Obscenely expensive, but perhaps an option if you are getting help from your friend!

If you're going to be heading into Abyssea you have the opportunity to get hold of your Empyrean set. It's all right – some pieces are much better than others – so you can mix and match. Try not to just blindly wear the whole set – some lower-level pieces are actually superior.

• Head: Nice piece to have, with 10% Cure potency. The Divine Veil bonus gives you a chance to AoE your -na spells, but that might not be useful if you're mostly duoing.
• Body: This one has always been difficult for me. You can use it to effectively heal over the 50% potency cap, to an extent, but without a different cure potency body piece you may have to sacrifice stats in other slots. I don't use it, on balance, but you might love it. It's also hideously ugly, but does grant a +2 refresh effect.
• Hands: One of the weaker pieces, I rarely use these.
• Legs: Best piece - a brilliant MP conservation effect that is very noticeable, and I would consider these a priority. Try to get these.
• Feet: These are nice to macro in for barspells.

There are also some Empyrean accessories that might be useful:

• Orison Cape: A nice chunk of potency and enmity reduction.
• Orison Locket: 5% Fast Cast is great to have if you don't need the cure potency from the Fylgja Torque.
• Orison Earring: Quite nice, another bit of potency and enmity reduction.

There's also the Serpentes set (gloves and boots) in Abyssea that other people have mentioned – a set bonus of 5% Cure potency, with some refresh and regen, but you may sacrifice more than you gain in those slots, so again choose based on your playstyle and gear availability. Augur's Mitts have a +4% bonus to potency as well as some MND and healing skill as well.

There's also your Relic set from Dynamis, if you end up going there with your friend. These can be upgraded, but by the time you get to that point you will probably know what you want and don't want anyway!

• Head: Not great. Stick with AF.
• Body: In my opinion, the best looking WHM body piece, but it's only really useful as a regen macro piece.
• Hands: Again, not great, but okay for enfeebles.
• Legs: A hidden gem. These are fantastic for barspells and keep getting better if you ever upgrade them.
• Feet: Your Empyrean feet are superior to these, but a good Barspell choice until then.

I hope at least some of this has been useful, and I apologise if I've gone over stuff you already know. There's tons of other gear out there, especially from other events, so it's a good idea to look around based on the stats you want if you can – Voidwatch offers a lot, but be prepared to spam it for literally hundreds of attempts to get what you want, if you go down that route. Good luck!

This thread: http://www.ffxiah.com/forum/topic/36...ive-whm-guide/ is all you need.