Help please I'm a lancer and want to be a archer too

[rhytmic_rebel]

Hello everyone i'm new at this game and i've been scouring every where looking for a way to be a archer as well as a lancer. And need some help and insight. I'm not sure if i can do this thats why i'm asking. Can you also switch between the two during game play? When doing quests or fighting monsters can i switch between the two? I'm a level 18 lancer also.

[RubeheniaGrant]

You can unlock archer class if you have not already.
Now you can switch jobs in between quests/battles but not mid fight if that is what you are asking.

[Geryth]

Go to the Archer's guild in Gridania. Talk to the Guild receptionist. Go through all the dialogue and agree to become an Archer. The receptionist I think tells you to talk to the guild master. The guild master will give you a bow. Equip the bow and you automatically become an Archer. Equip your Lance and you're magically a lancer again. Your level and HP's and abilities will change everytime you change your weapon.

Use gear sets to easily switch between archer and lancer. When you equip your bow, you'll be level 1 and probably naked because all of your gear is higher than level 1 (likely anyway). When you equip your bow, put on all your level 1 gear you started the game with, and save a new gear set. Don't forgot to update your gear sets as you get better pieces of gear. Then to switch classes just equip a different gear set and you'll put on all the appropriate gear and switch classes at the same time.

Short answer: Yes, you can have both classes on a single character. No, you can't be both classes at the same time. There's no such thing as a lancer using a bow. Your class is the weapon you have equipped.

[Nutz]

You can switch as long as you're not in a dungeon or in battle (or I suppose in a cutscene or menu as well). It's very quick. After your level 10 class quest you get the ability to join other guilds. All you have to do is walk over and talk to the guild receptionist at whatever guild you want to join (Archer's in this case). You get a quest that pretty much involves you clicking yes when asked if you want to join and then talking to the guild master. After that the class is unlocked, you get the starter weapon and you get access to another gearset.

[Sagittarian]

After your level 10 class quest you get the ability to join other guilds.

^^ Important point.

[Niwashi]

Also, this game doesn't have any limitations on how many classes you have or how far you advance each of them. You can unlock all the classes in the game (8 combat classes, 8 crafting classes, and 3 gathering classes) and advance all 19 of them all the way to the level cap if you want to. The only limits are the fact that each class has to be leveled up separately (so advancing all of them takes time) and that there are only certain skills that can be cross-classed.

Cross-class skills:
When you have a lance equipped you're a lancer, so have all your lancer skills available (all the one's you've unlocked according to their level or quest requirements), and when you have a bow equipped you're an archer, so have all your (unlocked) archer skills available. "Cross-class skills" refers to the ability to use certain lancer skills even when you're an archer or certain archer skills even when you're a lancer (and so on if you eventually add other classes as well).

If you look at a skill description, there's a Requires line indicating what classes/jobs can use that skill. This will always include the skill's native class and its associated job. But some skills also include other classes that are compatible with using that skill. For instance, lancer attack skills like True Thrust or Vorpal Thrust just list "LNC DRG", meaning that only when you're actively a lancer or dragoon (i.e. only with a lance equipped) will you be able to use those skills. On the other hand, your Keen Fury skill shows "GLA PGL MRD LNC ARC CNJ THM MNK DRG BRD", indicating that any of those other classes or jobs can cross-class this skill and have it available as well.

To cross-class a skill, you need two things. (1) You have to have unlocked the skill on the class it comes from. For instance, I believe by level 18 LNC, Feint and Keen Fury are the only skills you've unlocked that could be cross-classed as an archer. (2) You need an available cross-class slot for the class you want to use it with. (For instance, you'd assign a lancer skill to an archer cross-class slot in order to use it as an archer, or assign an archer skill to a lancer cross-class slot in order to use it as a lancer.)

You gain a cross-class slot each five levels (with classes) or 10 levels (with jobs). So when you reach level 5 as an archer, you'd get one slot in which to assign one of your lancer skills. By that time, you'll also have learned two archer skills (Straight Shot at level 2 and Raging Strikes at level 4) that you can assign to a couple of your Lancer cross-class slots. Then you'll be a lancer who can use Straight Shot and Raging Strikes in addition to all your lancer skills, and an archer who can use either Feint or Keen Fury (whichever you assign to the cross-class slot, I'd recommend Feint) in addition to all your archer skills.