Worth it?

[VydarrTyr]

Both are better, if you can level them both to 50.

Right now, Thm is considered the most powerful class for end-game stuff like NMs. They're the only class of which I'm aware that can actually solo NMs. Their huge cone-shaped AoE makes them the best healers; their DoT spells do not scale down on high level mobs, so they can do (by far) the most damage per second on NMs (plus, Shadowsear is a killer); and they've even got Emulate, which makes them effective as tanks (!!). But, as in everything else, the actual answer depends on what you enjoy doing most.

As for the OP, the advice I've been giving to friends is, the game is still undergoing huge changes. They're adding content every month. So if you can wait a few more months, the game will have more content, and the content that's there will be more polished.

That's not to say that it's unplayable now. Far from it. I've been playing since CE, I've been enjoying it. And the game has absolutely gotten better. And, of course, we'd love to have you join those of us still playing. But I'd hate to have you come back and the game hasn't changed quite enough to keep you around. We want you in for the long haul.

If you do come back, then if I may be so bold, a couple pieces of advice:

1) Join a linkshell as quickly as possible. That way, you'll have people to socialize with, people to party with, people who can help you out, and people who can offer advice if you need it.

2) When choosing your starting city, I'd suggest starting in Uldah, or getting there as soon as you can. Most of the players have migrated to Uldah, so it's the best place to find other people to interact with, and the market wards have by far the most goods for sale.

Good luck!

[Actus]

This has no merit on this thread. However, it is funny and I am slightly inebriated.



P.S. I was doing this pre-nerf.

[Advocatus]

So thaumaturges are basically the best at everything, short of physical damage.

Perfect. Now I just have to pick a world, and go through the process of creating a new character, plus fixing up the stuff in the Config menu. Tutorials would be great.

[Viridiana]

While I haven't actually played a caster substantially and therefor can't offer first-hand advice, I would like to point out one thing I haven't seen mentioned. The AoE shapes are different for the two classes. THM gets a cone-shaped AoE in front of them, whereas CON gets a circle around their target (please correct me if that's somehow wrong). It's probably not a big deal, but I have heard people in my LS complain about it, so I thought I'd toss it out there.

[Catapult]

On the topic of statistics.

Conjurers care more about INT (nuking power) where as Thaumaturges care more about PIE (successfully landing damage over time statuses).

VIT = HP. MND = MP. Neither of these are to be neglected by any mage.

[Umo]

VIT = HP. MND = MP. Neither of these are to be neglected by any mage.

I totally agree. On a side note, take into account that this isn't the case for stats on the equipment.

[Actus]

On the topic of statistics.

Conjurers care more about INT (nuking power) where as Thaumaturges care more about PIE (successfully landing damage over time statuses).

VIT = HP. MND = MP. Neither of these are to be neglected by any mage.

I totally neglect Mind. More points for VIT and PIE. XD

[Advocatus]

Somehow, I don't like the idea of boosting physical stats as a mage of any sort. I think I'd leave my VIT alone, and boost only PIE, INT, & MND.

What about elements?

[Kidkaze]

The only thing that seems to work in what you listed is MND. Actus and I disagree over this point, but I believe it is not necessary to put any more than 100 points into PIE and INT (especially INT), as I've tested and found that the there is negligable difference in amount of dmg output and how long spells stick for, but Actus swears he sees a higher output. I personally would just focus on VIT and MND and get mag. acc + and mag. pot + gear (oh and try to get them HQ too).

[Crowley]

VIT is very important for solo play and just plain survival at lower levels. You can scale it back once you have a static party in favor for higher caster stats. Top stat for tanking build.

INT is for Conjury, which is used a great deal by all higher ranked THMs, but until you rank up CON you can keep your INT low.

MND Good for 2:1 for +heal potency and some extra max MP. If you go mainly DD then you can keep this low as Siphon MP and your rank 1 MP regen move should keep you with excellent MP regen. Max MP isn't that great of a stat. Top stat for healer.

PIE People either avoid it, or go real big if a DD spec. Magic accuracy stat is far superior than PIE but they are cumulative. Speculation whether it has no effect once you meet a certain target number vs mob. Makes sense, its your hit cap. PIE also increases Siphon MP potency.

DEX and STR are pretty useless. Some tanking builds might add STR some for damage mitigation with a shield. But the only real (party) tanking you can do is vs mobs that use elemental damage, which you can Emulate, to match their resistance.

Here's the skills and elemental affinities for your spells: http://ffxiv.yg.com/skills?f=c=2.22

THM AoE can be superior, but it come with the potential of pulling insane amounts of adds from offensive casts.

CON AoE is more surgical in that respect, but sometimes it can be too small to hit all engaged mobs. Healing definitely takes more finesse with this AoE.

CON does have Resonance which is unmatched by any THM selfbuff. You can drop a Cure III on someone like 80' away. (can be borrowed, but still only functions on CON spells)

Gil is easy to make, so purchase a high quality chest piece and a weapon after 20. The "stars" scale at % of base stats so those pieces you gain the most from, jewelry for example, is the lowest.

FYI I got LNC to 20 well into my mage career, but I would recommend ranking it up earlier for Fleet of Foot. It lowers your "downtime" considerably by allowing you to move fast in active mode. All that sheathing/unsheathing really adds up over the course of one's adventures in Eorzea.