Levling as a Whitemage/Conjurer Low on MP

[Sagittarian]

This is exactly what i meant, doing main scenario, or FATEs where there are often long combat and I actually have to do dps. (Mostly when leveling without a group/party in general).

Do the level 30 quest in Camp Tranquil to allow your chocobo to fight with you and start giving it dps/tank skills. It can't help in instanced battles but it can be a substantial damage help for fates and other non-instanced things.

[Niwashi]

For damage, Stone II gives more damage, so is faster at killing things, but your original Stone spell is more MP efficient, so try alternating them or switching to Stone whenever your MP starts running low. I had the same problem shortly after unlocking Stone II, when I was essentially just replacing Stone with Stone II. In this game, the higher powered skill isn't always the best choice, since you have to balance that power against a significantly higher mana cost. The same basic rule applies to both Stone II and Cure II. You'll often find Stone and Cure work as well and leave you in better shape for the remainder of the fight. Use the higher powered skill when you really need that extra burst (and can afford to pay for it in MP).

[odie]

My mana issues went away at some point over 50. My newbie mistakes were ditching medica for medica II and ditching cure for cure II. Understanding the differences between them and making good use of stone skin will go a long way MP wise. I never call on my bard unless people just simply can't stay out of stuff and start sponging heals. If you have a pretty good team you shouldn't have to struggle.

[zl0gic]

If you're going solo, you're really gonna get a lot of help from your companion chocobo. Stone1 is your best bet for DPS, it costs less mana than stone2 plus it grants heavy status on the target and the difference in damage is negligible. I use stone2 in groups tho because i usually don't get chased by mobs. Aero2 I find to be used only on occasion, usually in boss fights when things are going well and I have time to stand and wait for cast time. Other than that, when I'm in a group I only use Aero1 and the occasional Stone2. When soloing missions, you do want to keep the NPC's up while still doing damage so practice your stance dancing, using cleric stance to go between DPS and heals.