New Player: How do I gear for BLM and RDM?

[Niwashi]

now a level 44 Black Mage and was wondering how do I actually get good gear in this game or how do I progress my gear? My average item level right now is 34 but I see all sorts of things showing item levels at over 200 and 300. O.o

Item level 34 when you're 44 is getting a little behind. I'd suggest checking either the Market Board or your Grand Company quartermaster for something in the 40's. (You'll get significant upgrades to your hat, gloves, pants, and shoes from your level 45 job quest, so don't spend too much on those four slots, but you might have a little trouble completing that quest if all your gear is 10 levels below you. Upgrade other slots, but just upgrade those 4 if it's cheap.)

Up until you hit level 50, the level you need to equip gear and that gear's Item Level stay fairly close to the same thing. There are a few particularly good pieces where the Item Level is slightly higher, but never by much. That changes at level 50, since that was the game's first level cap.

At 50, SE not only started with multiple levels of gear to be rewarded by increasingly tough content, but they continued bringing in new and ever stronger gear with each patch that was added. But since level 50 was the level cap at that point, all that gear shares that same required level to equip it. Though players going through it at the time as each came out went through a series of upgrades, you can now skip most of them and jump right from the item level 90 gear you get for your class quests (originally, we just got item level 50 and one piece of 55 from those quests) to the level 130 gear you can get with tomestones of poetics. With ARR content taking item levels so far above equippable levels, Heavensward started out with a major difference between the two even for its leveling content, and at its level cap of 60 the same thing happened, with another long series of upgrades most of which you can skip over now.

The result is a pattern of huge jumps in item levels whenever you hit one of the (former or current) level caps.

You get them automatically the moment you hit level 50 from the daily roulette's, or the higher dungeons, that you will have to run anyways to unlock the roulette's. Some of the daily beast tribes give out tome stones as well, starting at level 43? already I think, and then continue all the way till end game, that's another method if you chose to do that. However roulette's and the higher dungeons give the most tomes in comparison to other things.

A and S rank Hunts are another good source (also at levels 50/60/70). If you join an active hunt linkshell or a hunt train party that goes after one hunt mark after another after another, you can rack up quite a lot of tomes pretty quickly.

You can use a glamour dispeller to remove a glamour from an item, which is required if you decide you want to do a new glamour instead.

The dispeller is only required if you want to remove the glamour to get the item's natural appearance back. You can replace one glamour with another using just the glamour prism and item whose appearance you want. (You cannot, however, use a glamoured item as the appearance to transfer onto something else.)

[AphraelAmarantha]

Ok yeah, I kind of thought I was getting behind. I just bought some new stuff but I am still only at item level 38. If you look here, this is what I have. http://na.finalfantasyxiv.com/lodest...cter/18294391/

[KilimYolo]

Thanks. Cause i bought lvl 60 BLM and, while it have ok default gear that comes with it, my RDM is not impressed with child level trinkets and that ugly dress that comes with new RDM.
I havnt yet went into first expansion territory (doing main story quests).
My RDM, while doing story and some other things, managed to level to 54. And in lvl 54 RDM quest i for first time fealt super weak. Killing those 2 mages was not easy. I mean they was eating my health up fast and i was somewhat slow at killing them.
If my gear doesnt change, i take it i will rage at lvl 56 RDM quest, right?

[Frizze]

And in lvl 54 RDM quest i for first time fealt super weak. Killing those 2 mages was not easy. I mean they was eating my health up fast and i was somewhat slow at killing them.
If my gear doesnt change, i take it i will rage at lvl 56 RDM quest, right?

Your weapon is roughly 4-10 times more important then your other pieces of gear in terms of determining how much damage you do in battle. If you feel youre falling behind look here first. A quick character search shows that your gear is a little low. Your jewelry and belt are all way behind. But upgrading your rapier to the augmented ironworks would be a big step(alternatively, the level 55 dungeon drop rapier is exactly 1 tick better then said augmented sword - disadvantage to the dungeon sword is that its a drop rather then just a purchase in revanents toll). This sword upgrade alone would be roughly equivalent to getting an extra 100 points of intelligence(your attack stat). And if you similarly went to appropriate level 54 jewelry and a belt youd get roughly another 100-125 points of intelligence(and a little vitality for extra hp). I imagine that would make you feel more powerful.

[KilimYolo]

...

Thanks
If only i could somehow fast level my red mage to lvl 60 without suffering (i probly still would have to buy new sword before that) i would get my gear problem sorted on its own (BLM gear, except weapon afc...)

[Chrallmal]

Yes. All of the Shire gear you got from boosting BLM is usable by a level 60 RDM (and SMN for that matter).

Not including the weapon of course.

[AphraelAmarantha]

I've got one other question, is it possible to use a glamour for a different class on an item that is a different class? For example, a warrior outfit to be used as a glamour on a mage outfit?

[Niwashi]

I've got one other question, is it possible to use a glamour for a different class on an item that is a different class? For example, a warrior outfit to be used as a glamour on a mage outfit?

In most cases, no. Gear's appearances can only be shown on classes/jobs that would be able to wear that gear directly. So, for instance, some of the low level mage gear and most crafter/gatherer gear is equippable by "All Classes" which in turn also means that all classes/jobs can use it for glamour appearances while wearing gear whose stats are more appropriate. But when the gear limits who can wear it, that also limits who can display the appearance of wearing it.

This is particularly problematic when it comes to the Artifact Gear that's only wearable by a single job and is designed to match that job's iconic style. If for instance your best caster gear is for all caster jobs and you make it look like Black Mage AF gear while playing as BLM, the glamour won't work when you equip the same gear as SMN or RDM. It would appear with its original native appearances for those jobs. The same goes for tank gear if you want to look like a Paladin sometimes and a Dark Knight or Warrior other times, and so on. The result is that many of the best looking outfits in the game are sadly underutilized for glamour.

If, however, it's not so much a specific piece of gear you want the appearance of, but an overall style, you might find something wearable among the cosmetic gear that's set to level 1 and All Classes because its main purpose in the game is to use for glamour. There are a few armour plated cosmetic options (though not a lot) that would be available even for mage jobs.

[AphraelAmarantha]

In most cases, no. Gear's appearances can only be shown on classes/jobs that would be able to wear that gear directly. So, for instance, some of the low level mage gear and most crafter/gatherer gear is equippable by "All Classes" which in turn also means that all classes/jobs can use it for glamour appearances while wearing gear whose stats are more appropriate. But when the gear limits who can wear it, that also limits who can display the appearance of wearing it.

Doh, that sux. I like how some of the DoW gears look, but I don't want to play a DoW. D: The Glamour system is pretty limiting in this game huh? Oh well... D: