Bad job?

[Iscah]

Your helmet is a Friendship Circlet. The problem with this is it's item level 1, while you are level 19. I suggest buying a new helmet from a "Merchant" NPC.
...
Your job is a "caster", which means it casts things and doesn't do physical attacks. Don't walk up to them and auto-attack them because that's not what a caster does. The auto-attacks are based on the Strength stat, which is not found on caster gear so it's pointless and auto-attacks are suspended while casting. The auto-attacks also require you to be in melee range which is not where a caster normally is.

Friendship Circlet is generally fine at the low levels where its EXP boost is applied. If you need the extra firepower you might want to switch it for the solo fight, but if you're struggling on "very easy" then it is probably about the other things covered in the thread so far.

Re. auto attacks, I've been testing it out and at low levels (on WHM and RDM at least) they do a small but potentially useful amount of damage – something like 5% of what your spells are doing in the same period while you're standing in melee range. It's not enough to go out of your way for it, but it's worth activating auto-attack if you're there.

Of course, once you start getting stronger spells and your magical stats go up while your physical strength stays the same, the usefulness of auto-attacking dwindles to nothing. But then you shouldn't need it.

[Tarryme]

Right then. 3rd thing I need to do is get to level 20 and get those 2 stacks which is going to help. Shouldn't take long now.

I have a friendship earring. I think it's a 30% boost.

[Tarryme]

I have given up with this class (Thaumaturge). It feels very lack lustre especially when I found out there is no real elemental damage such as fire hurts ice creatures more than ice. So it feels I have a spell book full of the same spell but in different colours. Plus I wasn't really enjoying this class and that won't do if I'm going to take it all the way to level 80.

[Jeeqbit]

There isn't elemental damage because it would cause one class to have a significant advantage, damage-wise, over another class. In this game classes are all balanced quite evenly so that you won't be disadvantaged for playing your favorite class. That means there can be no elemental advantages for one class compared to others.

There are actually elements in the game on enemy attacks and we used to have elemental defenses ourselves, they were just not stacked because everyone stacks damage in an MMO. The elemental defenses got removed so that we couldn't stack them shortly before Eureka released, which is a really fun level 70 content that involves switching element to the same element (defense) or opposite element (offense) when different types of enemies.

[Iscah]

there is no real elemental damage such as fire hurts ice creatures more than ice. So it feels I have a spell book full of the same spell but in different colours.

It's a bit like that, unfortunately. You never pick spells (or any skills really) according to the situation beyond maybe adjusting your timing based on what the boss is doing, but it's generally "how efficiently can you remember and repeat this sequence" and giving mages elemental spells would mean you need loads of different buttons set up.

The one class (kinda sorta) that does use elements is blue mage, but that's side content and you're not able to use it for normal gameplay and questing so you can't make it your only class.

If you want to be a mage, your only other options are summoner (even more complicated than what you gave up on) or red mage which is much simpler but you need to be level 50.

I assume you've picked up, or are about to pick up, one of the two physical classes in Ul'dah. It shouldn't take too long to get up to speed (maybe a couple of hours) if you do your hunting log and any side quests you've left aside, and maybe some FATEs and leves.

The more non-battle EXP you can get into your class at the lowest levels, the longer your "rested bonus" will last since it's based on a percentage of your current bar so fighting monsters at low level will consume it almost immediately. So sidequests and log bonuses are a good help.

[Tarryme]

I know you'll think me mad but I started a new character (Alchemist). I watch a few vids on the magic users of ffxiv and a really liked the look of the Alchemist so that's what I have gone with. I have made a rule for myself this time that if I'm not a 100% happy with it at level 10 I will revaluate my choice.
I mean, that's it isn't it? If your not happy with your character and class there is no point carrying on.

[Jeeqbit]

Alchemist is a crafter. It doesn't do any fighting.

[Iscah]

I know you'll think me mad but I started a new character (Alchemist). I watch a few vids on the magic users of ffxiv and a really liked the look of the Alchemist so that's what I have gone with.

Do you mean arcanist, the spellbook user? Alchemist is a crafting class.

Anyway it's not terrible to start a few different characters – I have quite a few just to play around with different character designs, but also if you've restarted as an arcanist in Limsa you will have noticed that the start of the game is completely different for each city. It'll hit the same broad key points (important meeting and vision at level 5, fight the golem at level 9, etc) but the story is separate until they merge at level 15.

So if you like the story and worldbuilding then it's worthwhile starting a character in each of the three cities to see the different early games, though you've seen the two better ones now. Gridania is a bit dull.

[Tarryme]

Haha, yes. I mean a arcanist. It's early in the morning here.
Anyway this comes second to the magical world ffxiv is. If this was in VR you would be so engrossed and immersed you would lose all remaining touch with reality. It's somewhat like Death stranding weird but wonderful.

I'm not versed in the names of places yet but I have found myself in the seaport city were I done NOTHING. I was to busy getting involved in the massive gathering around the main crystal. It was fantastic.

[Tarryme]

A question.
From time to time the game will through you a banana skin in the form of 3 pretty hard enemy's. They are ranged melee and have AOE. My first instinct as a magic user is to Kite and dodge while getting the odd shot of my own in, but this doesn't seem to work in ffxiv and I am knocked out. So is it better to go toe to toe and grit it out?