Lv 50 Archer then Bard????

[CocooBoy]

Hi, Im a lv 36 Archer and Lvl 0 Pugilist.
Should i become a Bard now(lvl up my puglist) or lvl my Archer to lv 50 then become a Bard?

[Guyver84]

IMO I would level up pugilist to 15 now and get bard, the main class for a job and the job itself share the same xp pool/level (the only thing that changes your class to a job is a spirit stone you equip).

Meaning if you got bard now it would be level 36 just like your archer and if you level as bard then archer levels too or if you level as archer then bard levels with it.

Also what ElHeggunte said.

[ElHeggunte]

For most Classes there's no real reason to not unlock and use your Job full time as soon as you get to 30. The only real downside is limiting the amount of skills you can borrow to 5 and limiting the Classes you can borrow those skills from down to two. Otherwise the stat boost from changing to a Job and the additional Job skills you'll learn typically outweigh shrinking your pool of borrowed skills.

[CocooBoy]

I've read somewhere that difference btw the highest class and the current class will boost exp bonus. The higher the difference in lvl, the more exp bonus we gain??? Is this true?

[ElHeggunte]

I've read somewhere that difference btw the highest class and the current class will boost exp bonus. The higher the difference in lvl, the more exp bonus we gain??? Is this true?

Yes, but it caps out at 50% and as far as I remember the class you're leveling needs to be at least two levels lower than your highest class. I don't know if the actual % changes as you close the gap since my monk has always been at least 30 levels higher than the rest of my classes so far.

[Tayders]

I did a test at level 30 and with same gear, I got a 10 dexterity/attack power buff on Bard.

Can anyone confirm?

[Bardo]

Can anyone confirm?

Yes, you do get a dex bonus when you equip Bard.

But more important than that, you get Bard AF at 45. That gear dominates anything you can get with Archer, so you will be gimping yourself a bit for your last 5 levels if you continue leveling without unlocking the job.
If you're soloing, then you can probably level to 45 and you won't notice much difference.
But if you're doing dungeons, you need to aim to have Bard unlocked by around 40 because Mage's Ballad and Army's Paeon can actually make a difference by then, even in 4 mans.

It really doesn't take that long to get pugilist up to 15 and you get a couple of FANTASTIC skills to help you level your archer/bard in Second Wind, Haymaker, and Internal Release.
Just be sure to put on your mog hat, eat food for the exp bonus, and go steamroll a starting zone.

[KittytheSheGeek]

Personally I hated leveling Pugilist, mostly because it's not really my style. But I got it to 15 in no time, and I use Second Wind all the time so I have no regrets. Bard is, in my opinion, an AWESOME class. Mage's Ballad alone is worth the trouble.