"Where do I start?" A race/job discussion thread for new players.

[LocoColt04]

The first question that every new player faces is which race and job to choose.

There are a lot of •guides online• with various suggestions, but let's open this up to discussion as a Q&A type of thing. For those looking for our opinions, let's answer these basic questions.

Does race matter? A lot of people will tell you no. I am one of them. You can pick ANY race and do ANY job well, using equipment to balance out your natural deficiencies. Proficiency with a character is based on the skill of the player, not the race of the character. However, if you tend to lean toward certain play styles, some races will offer you more bonuses than others.

Humes are very mid-line, average stat builds. Very good if you want to dabble in everything.

So, to pick your race, see the following points.

• Attacker - If you think you'd prefer to beat the crap out of everything all of the time, your strongest race in this category would be Elvaan, followed by Galka and then Hume. Elvaan have crap for accuracy though, so Hume may be better out of the starting gates.

• Healer - If you're into playing savior, the Tarutaru have the MP that just can't be beat. At the same time, Elvaan have the highest Mind rating in the game, which makes your cures more potent at higher levels. Mithra also makes a good choice for this play style.

• Nuker - If you're the asplodey type, choosing a class with a high MP pool and Intelligence rating would help. Tarutaru, though tiny, pack the most power out of all the races in this category. Mithra will have higher MP than Humes, and they have comparable INT.

• Striker - If you're into D&D-style rogues (hit hard, hit fast, get the hell out of dodge), you just can't beat Mithra. You've got the highest Agility in the game, which controls both accuracy and evasion. Mithra are pretty awesome for a lot of these jobs.

• Tank - If you're into punishment, Galka have the highest Vitality in the game. Elvaan and Hume are also great for this.

Again, keep in mind that these are just suggestions. Any race can do any job.

Once you've decided on a style, let's pick your starting class. You have the choice of Warrior, Monk, Thief, White Mage, Black Mage, and Red Mage. There are 20 jobs total in the game, but only these are available until you reach level 30 with something.

At level 18, you can do a quest that allows you to unlock "subjobs," which let you sub a secondary job class to gain various bonuses. The list below suggests taking a starting class to level 18 that will then become your subjob for the style you want to play.

• Attacker - Goal; Warrior, Monk
Start with: Monk, Warrior, Thief

• Healer - Goal; White Mage, Red Mage
Start with: Black Mage, Red Mage, White Mage

• Nuker - Goal; Black Mage, Red Mage
Start with: White Mage, Red Mage, Black Mage

• Striker - Goal; Thief
Start with: Warrior

• Tank - Goal; Warrior, Monk
Start with: Monk, Warrior

Red Mage is a special class. Like Hume is to races, Red Mage is the jack of all trades for jobs. For Red Mage, you would want to sub the job that better suits you; White Mage to have stronger enhancing and curing magic, or Black Mage to have stronger nukes and enfeebling magic. There are other sub choices, but honestly there aren't any good ones out of the starting jobs.

It seems like a crude setup, but once you unlock the secondary jobs, the possibilities REALLY open up to you. I would suggest playing ALL of the six starter jobs at the beginning just to get a feel of what you'll end up liking. Keep in mind that you won't have a true feel for a job until you hit level 10. Everything before that is mostly just a starting grind.

When I first started the game, I thought I would be an Attacker. And I was, for a year and a half. But when I picked up White Mage on a whim, I became a Healer, and it's been my major playstyle since then. You never know what you'll be into unless you try a bit of everything.

If you have any questions, there are a lot of us here who have been playing for over two years (it's been four years for me as of last month) and we'll all be more than happy to give you some pointers throughout - and after - character creation.

If you're interested, the bulk of us are on the Alexander server.

[Samasi]

Can you give me a link too?

[LocoColt04]

There's already a link in the top of the first post.

[Copperfire]

Wow. Followed the link in the start of the thread and this game sounds very complex. But that also sounds like part of the fun.

We never bought it because we didn't want the fees associated with online games.

[loaf]

It's a great Final Fantasy experience but it takes some time to get used to.

[Trodorne]

be a professional Japanese to English translator or a gold farmer, best careers in the game. earn lots of money, get anything you want from the auction house. flexable hours. down side is everyone else hates your guts. plus side is your always cruzin in the latest fashion.