Starting As a PLD

Category:Guides
This guide is intended for getting people new to the game started down the path to PLD. Starting as a PLD has a large number of benefits. It introduces you to the game as a job that gets rapid invites, and is in high demand for parties until endgame. Further, it allows you to skill up defensive skills like Evasion and Parry in parties, which can really boost survivability in any job. Additionally, until level 75, there really is only one subjob for PLD, meaning that you don't need to do a lot of leveling in preparation. There are downsides, however: You need to keep up on gear a lot more than other jobs. Falling behind too far can lead to severe issues. This means that you're likely to do a lot of farming. Another problem is the lack of a place for PLD in endgame. It sucks to hit 75 for the first time, finally be able to merit, and suddenly people avoid you like the plague. Starting as a PLD is just a suggestion, but I believe it's a great idea. It's very linear, and doesn't suffer from some of the mid-levels backtracking for subjobs that other jobs experience.
==Tanking Basics. Or: PLD 101==
For those of you who are already a PLD and are just looking for tips and tricks, let me fill you in on some of the ins and outs of tanking properly. To start with the most pressing issue: What do you do in a party, I have prepared a continuum of Tankness!
*Not a Real Tank: Provokes at the start of the fight, and then never again. Uses job abilities in a seemingly random manner, with no regard for getting or keeping hate.
*Bad Tank: Provokes only when hate has been lost. Use of other job abilities is self-serving. (Only casts cure on self, or only uses Flash when they're taking a lot of damage.)
*Mediocre tank: Provokes about every 45 seconds. Use of other job abilities is self-serving.
*Good tank: Provokes every 30 seconds. Uses other job abilities, but only when hate has been lost. Casts cure on others, but often after the WHM has cast a cure on them.
*Great tank: Provokes every 30 seconds. Uses other job abilities that gain hate often. Use of job abilities is focused on getting hate. Casts cure on others in party.
*<Paladin> <Impossible to gauge!>: Provokes every 30 seconds. Uses job abilities that gain hate very frequently, and most often when they are most tactically advantageous. (Example: Uses Shield Bash to keep hate when mob tries to run for mages, or when the mob attempts to use an AoE move.) Cures others when they steal hate before the WHM can.
One important thing to notice is that this depends on your performance, not on your ability to actually HOLD hate. PLD tanks can hold hate like nobody's business until about level 50 or so. Once you start fighting birds, it gets iffy. Birds are very 'squishy' monsters. They take a lot of damage really fast, which means that you will lose hate, and be unable to do anything about it. It can be disorienting, but roll with it. Your job becomes keeping the hate on you higher then the weaker jobs, like the mages. SAMs have Seigan and Third Eye, WARs have Defender and get most of their power from job abilities that they can cancel, and DRGs get High Jump and Super Jump. Those guys can mostly take care of themselves. Just keep provoking on time, keep using job abilities, and be careful about using Provoke right before the mob dies, because if another one is coming in to camp, it could be a big problem if you don't have recasts up on anything that can get hate.
One of the major pitfalls of being a PLD is your small MP pool. At early levels, your mages won't be able to keep up with the party, either, so you'll get to rest for MP frequently enough to keep going. However, the time will eventually come when the mages can rest for MP between cures, and keep going for a long time. In order to compensate, you need to keep Signet up at all times, and rest for MP as soon as the mob is dead. Unless you have a BRD with Ballad, there is no other way to recover MP, short of carrying around Ether. Keep an eye out for blue treasure caskets while you're in areas where they can pop, because they can contain MP recovery items, like Ethers and Juices. Try and grab them quick before someone useless does, like a DRK or a DRG/WHM. As early as possible, try to get equipment that gives MP Recovered While Healing and create a macro set that switches between that gear and your regular gear. At early levels, you can use Ginger Cookies, but at later levels, when you need to use real food, you won't be able to count on it.
Speaking of food, here's the sort of stuff you should be using. Keep in mind that you don't actively need food until about level 25 or so, but any food that you do use will make life a lot easier on you.
*Levels 1-20: For most people: Meat Jerky. It's too early to be using expensive defense foods. Nobody expects you to use any foods at all, so nobody will complain about you having a little more firepower. These will help immensely at low levels to increase your damage output, which helps you hold hate, and can help you finish fights off when you're soloing at these levels. If you take a lot of damage, consider picking up Boiled Crayfish to boost survivability. This can be a real help for Tarutaru PLDs at low levels.
*Levels 20-40: Boiled Crab or Steamed Crab. This is the first good defense food, and can carry you a long way. The Steamed version is pricier, but lasts an hour, and gives more protection, so it is a better investment at higher levels, if you can afford it. At about level 35, stop buying these, and use up whatever you have left, because, while this food remains helpful, the next food starts to be useful to you.
*Levels 35-55: Fish Mithkabob or Fish Chiefkabob. This is a solid defense food. There's some question about when to start using it, and I advise that you should start using Fish Mithkabobs when the damage dealers start using Meat Mithkabobs. However, that seems to be getting earlier and earlier. Steamed Crab will still give more Vitality then a Mithkabob, and until you get to a high enough level, that will help you more than the increased defense. Around 40 is best. At 35, buy a stack of Steamed Crab, and use them until you run out. Then switch to Mithkabobs. For the more confident among us, Shallops Tropicale is an incredible PLD food, but lasts for 3 hours, and if you die, it's gone. If you're getting the stuffing kicked out of you, the extra MP, Vitality, and Defense can help you turn the game around, and ease the load on your WHM. But if it doesn't save you, it may end up going down the drain.
*Levels 55-60: NOTHING. At these levels, you'll be fighting Colibri, who use Snatch Morsel. If you feed a bird +100 Def and +4 Vit, you turn a quick fight into a drawn-out nightmare.
*Levels 60+: Tavnazian Tacos! Best food EVAR! 8D It gives a huge boost to defense, one that you'll have trouble capping out until 75, as well as a large Vitality boost. Other significant bonuses are HP, MP, Dex, Agi, and Chr. It even improves HHP and HMP. Anytime you aren't fighting birds, use these. The HQ version, Leremieu Taco, only gives more time, and a slightly higher defense cap. Alternatives include Tavnazian Salad, which lasts 3 hours and gives most of the same effects. Shallops Tropicale or Seafood Stew are still viable from 60-65 or so, but aren't as good. There are other foods that are useful, depending on your mood: Dorado Sushi gives Enmity+, Black Curry Gives Vitality, Defense, And Evasion, among other bonuses. Urchin Sushi gives a great amount of Vitality, and a big bonus to accuracy, but no defense.
Subjobs:
*Warrior is the only subjob you will ever need from 1-75. Provoke, Defender, and Warcry make this the subjob of choice for any tank that isn't WAR main already.
*White Mage is useful for 3 things: From 1-5 PLD/WAR, you can't cure yourself. With /WHM, you can. If you are doing a mission or camping an NM, and you aren't going to tank, /WHM increases your MND, and gives you access to spells like Poisona, making you a better backup cure. The other reason is for powerleveling people.
*Red Mage is a great endgame subjob. I've heard of people using it after 68 for Stoneskin, Blink, and Phalanx in EXP parties, but they were obviously infested with brain worms or something. When employed in endgame, the above defensive spells are used to reduce damage taken to ridiculously low amounts. Holding hate is a slight problem, but spike spells, en- spells, and spamming enfeebling spells can counteract this. This is great for mobs that hit too fast for /nin, use TP moves that make /NIN pointless, and hit too hard for /war. Don't use this in exp or merit parties.
*Ninja is only usable at endgame. Using Utsusemi spells for shadow images, NIN/WAR can tank (kinda). Using Utsusemi spells for shadow images, PLD/NIN can become indestructible. However, there are issues holding hate, which calls for enmity+ gear, food, and merits. This is great for mobs that are impossible to tank conventionally due to really painful hits. Sometimes, PLD/NIN is just the only way to deal with an NM. This is a combination that can be used in Merit parties, with practice.
*Blue Mage is a rarely used alternative to Red Mage. Blue Mage gets defensive spells like Cocoon and Metallic Body, which can be useful if you don't have RDM leveled, or can combo spells for particularly beneficial job traits. Don't use this in parties ever. In fact, if you use this, go /anon so that people can't see what you're doing.
*Samurai is only useful if you are using a Staff. Spirit Taker is a staff weaponskill that gives you back MP. Add Seigan, Third Eye, and Store TP, and you can become a solo machine, given the right staff. Don't do this in any party ever, unless you're just joking around.
*Dancer is a new job, so its uses as a subjob haven't been fully explored. It could replace /WAR in endgame, using Flash and Animated Flourish for hate, and using Waltz dances as an alternative to Chivalry. However, I don't think it could fully replace /WAR, because /WAR doesn't depend on accuracy to land Steps in order to be able to get hate. I think this subjob would be better suited to smaller parties, such as duos or trios, after level 50, when a PLD/DNC acquires Divine Waltz.
==Starting Out. Or: Punch it!==
When you start the game, the first job you should level is... No, not Warrior, that comes later. You should start out as a Monk! Monk is one of the most common starting jobs, because it allows you all manner of versatility as a subjob from 1 to 30, with bonuses to HP, and the ability Boost. If you started out because a friend introduced you to the game, they'll probably help you out with acquiring gear. If not, it's not that much harder to go to the monk page and find an equipment guide.
One problem you might have as early as your first level is money. There's a wide variety of items that you can make money by selling at the Auction House. Some popular ones for lower level adventurers are Beehive Chips, dropped by bee type mobs, or Silk Threads dropped by Crawler mobs outside Windurst. However, you ought to look around. Hoard the items you get, and find out what sells on the Auction House, and what sells well to Merchants. Additionally, you may benefit from searching your starting city for quests that pay in cash (Or useful gear like the Justice Badge!) that are easy, repeatable, and/or require items that are easily acquired from low-level mobs.
One thing to remember (For every level you'll ever have!) is to find your Conquest Overseer and get Signet every time you go out to kill things. While you have Signet active, resting your HP (with the command /heal or by pushing in the left analog stick) won't reduce your TP (When you have enough skill with your weapon, you can perform Weapon Skills using your TP) and every time you get exp, you will be awarded a number of Conquest Points, with which you can buy various useful things, like Scrolls of Instant Warp and Instant Reraise. However, they aren't particularly useful until you get to level 20 or so. Also, when you kill monsters while you have Signet, they will drop elemental crystals. When you get 12 of one type, you can sell them on the auction house for a pretty penny. Some types sell better than others, but all of them sell. Some sell for a lot of money, while others sell for very little. Don't worry about why for now. That'll come up later. However, you may want to hold on to Water Crystals you find. They can be rather useful.
Basically, as a MNK, you shouldn't have much trouble starting out. Find mobs and punch them to death. I've seen people do this with and without weapons (Though you ought to have a weapon at level 5, or you'll have trouble with it) The Bronze Harness Set is something you ought to try to pick up a few parts off, because it can be worn by most jobs at level 1, and gives more defense than your RSE (With the exception of the gloves and boots, which are the same as your RSE)
So, go out and punch things. Get some levels, get some stuff, and try to get some gear. You can follow other guides for tips on how to deal with the first 10 levels as a MNK. These are the only levels where no one else will care about your gear, because it doesn't affect them. Once you hit level 10, things change.
==Parties, Ho! Or: Yes, you have to do this three times, and then again when you want to do any other job.==
Things to be sure you do to prepare for the next trip: Get your hands on enough gear to get you as high as possible. The longer you can go between visits to town, The better off you'll be. With recent updates, you will be able to get at stuff in your Mog House using the Nomad Moogle in Selbina, however, it's a long hike to Bastock or San d'Oria to get new gear. And trying to travel back to Windurst ought to be avoided. Also, try to have at least 1 stack of 12 Silent Oils. They can be a lifesaver. Prism Powder can also be useful, but if you can survive without it, a penny saved is a penny you can spend on gear.
If you began in Windurst, you may be in a bit of trouble. See, there are two areas for parties level 10-20. One of them is within easy reach of Windurst. Unfortunately, few people party out there anymore. If someone introduced you to the game, ask them to help you get to Mhaura on the other side of Buburimu Peninsula (Also, make sure they swing you by the Crag of Mea in Tahrongi Canyon for your teleport crystal). Once in the villiage of Mhaura, 200 gil will get you on a ferry to Selbina. Anyone who started in San d'Oria or Bastok will only need to travel across one simple zone to reach...
VALKURM DUNES! DUN DUN DUNNNNNN!
When you start off, you will want to be on the Konschtat Highlands side of the tunnel. The tunnel is full of horrible Bats that will eat you if you don't cross it with a party to help fight them, or a higher level player to clear them out, or with Silent Oil to avoid their attention entirely. Other things to watch out for are goblins and Skeletons at night. You ought to learn to avoid goblins by avoiding being seen. However, the undead provide a bigger challenge, since they aggro by sound, which can only be avoided by keeping your distance. In the menu, select Party. Then, set yourself to "Seek Party" in order to have the little icon pop up telling people you're looking for a party. As a MNK, you may have trouble finding a party, but it'll happen eventually.
Until it does, however, you can kill monsters in Konschtat Highlands! Be sure to use "Check" to determine if you ought to fight it or not. Goblins are usually a bad idea to attack, while Sheep should wait until you're a little higher level. The Worm mobs in the area near to the "SAM Job Quest" spot are a great place to level. The only thing to worry about is the ghost that spawns at night next to the tunnel. Worms will 'Link', meaning that if they see you fighting another worm, they will attack you also, so be sure they aren't too close together, or you'll have more worm than you can handle. If all else fails, they're kind of stuck in the ground. Fleeing is an option (As long as they don't bind you!)
When you get invited to parties, do as your party leader says. Basically, you'll be punching monsters while someone else provokes it, and a White Mage cures them. Other guides will go into detail for what a MNK should and shouldn't do in parties, and some guides disagree on the topic. Basically, you should wait where everyone else is for the monster to be brought into camp, and then auto-attack it. Keep up with it, and use Boost right before Combo when you have 100 TP. If your party asks you to do anything different, take it into consideration. You're learning how to play here, so take any criticism as advice to improve your abilities.
Another thing you'll want to do is be friendly and social. This is especially true if you didn't start this game because someone else showed it to you. One of the most useful tools in the game is a linkshell. It's basically a big party that you can always chat with. Being friendly with an LS is very helpful to you in the long run. Especially once you hit level 18...
There are three items you'll want to get when you are level 18. Crab Apron, Magicked Skull, and a Damselfly Worm. As you party, you will fight crabs and flies. The skull is the one that is difficult to acquire. Get help, either from a party, a friend, or your Linkshell. They're used for the Elder Memories quest to unlock the ability to get a subjob.
==WAR! Huh! Yeah! What is it good for? Or: Second verse, same as the first!==
Now, either go back to your starting city, or go back to any city for that matter. Go change your job to Warrior and set your brand-new subjob to Monk. The way this works is that, at all times, you have all the abilities of a monk 1/2 your current level added to what you have now (Basically) in order to boost yourself. Now, people vary in opinion of what you should do now. Most say that you should get a sword and shield if you want to be a Paladin. This is the cheaper option. While most will point to the benefits of having Sword skill when you start leveling Paladin, the only real value of this comes from having bought all the swords you'd need. Other people will tell you to use Axe and Shield if you want to be a Paladin, because you'll get Shield skill ups, but still do the higher damage of an axe. Still others will tell you to eschew the shield altogether and just use a Greataxe. If you enjoyed being a damage dealer as a MNK, and have a good source of income, I suggest alternating between Axe and Shield, and Greataxe. Axe and Greataxe are the weapons used by Warriors who intend to stay Warriors. If you don't have them skilled up, then you'll be in for a hard time if you ever come back to WAR at a later time. If you're hard up for cash, but still have a good grip of how to farm for it, you ought to go with Axe and Shield. If you do come back to WAR, you will likely be WAR/NIN, and using Axes, not the Greataxe. However, if you're strapped for gil, and really don't like farming, it's alright to use a sword and shield this early. Just remember not to sell them back when you're done.
Basically, this should go the same as before, just a little smoother, since you are stronger, tougher, and now have a better grasp of the game. Other guides can help you narrow in on what gear to buy, since most of the best MNK gear can't be worn by WARs.
==Welcome to Tanksville. Or: Anger Management==
When you come to the dunes this time, people will expect you to do something completely different. Remember that one guy who was provokeing the mob and getting beat on? That's you now! And will be you for the next 112 levels! Now, here's what you need to know to be a good tank:
:Provoke is the best hate-grabbing ability in the game. You get it at WAR 5, and get access to it again at PLD 10.
::It should be the first thing you do to get a mob's attention.
::Provoke has a recast timer of 30 seconds. Once 30 seconds are up, how long it takes you to Provoke again is the difference between a good tank, and a bad tank.
::Provoking every 30 seconds should keep hate for the whole fight up until around level 40. For the most part, if you provoke on time, then if someone else is getting hit, it's their fault, not yours.
:While /MNK (Using MNK as a subjob) boost is available to you.
::Boost gives a respectable amount of hate. About 6 of them are equal to one Provoke.
::Boosting every 15 seconds is the difference between a good tank and a great tank.
:As you acquire (or regain access to) other job abilities, try to keep track of which ones give good amounts of hate, and try to keep track of recast timers. When in doubt, look it up on the wiki!
As a tank, you also need to keep yourself outfitted with updated gear. Wearing sub-par gear is much more severe than it is for other jobs. Mages can get away with wearing almost anything, as long as they have their spells, and Damage Dealers can get away with wearing the same gear for several levels, as long as they can do their job properly. Tanks, however, must keep up with things. Being a few levels behind results in you dying. Fast. And when you die? The party wipes. There are guides on the appropriate job's page to fill you in on what you should be wearing. Try to keep up. The best way to save money is to spend it in large amounts. The Kampfplatte Armor Set is a HQ set, and is very expensive, however, you will be able to keep it for a lot longer than almost any other piece. I know that I wore that whole set of gear for about a dozen levels as PLD. I'm pretty sure that I wore the feet until I got my AF at around 50. I put it on at 29, and I kept it for more than 20 levels. That's just an example. Buying (or camping, in the case of Notorious Monster drops) the best gear possible can often mean that you can keep that gear for many, many levels.
Tips and tricks that every tank should know:
:The name of the game is self-sacrifice. If everyone is zoning, make sure that you are the monster's target, and don't zone until everyone else is safe. (Or at the last second before death)
:Dia and Bio are two spells that can't be on the mob at the same time. Dia lowers the monster's defense, where Bio lowers the monster's attack. If you are getting the stuffing kicked out of you, INSIST on Bio. If the mob is lasting too long for the party's healing capacity to keep up, INSIST on Dia. If neither seems particularly beneficial, always default to Dia. Dia will mean that all the damage dealers will do more damage, speeding up your exp.
:Black Mages get nifty Elemental Debuffs. Try requesting Rasp and/or Drown. They both stack (They also stack with Frost) and will improve your survivability. Rasp will decrease the target's DEX, making it less likely to score a hit. Drown will decrease the target's STR, lowering its damage output. (Frost lowers AGI, which will make it an easier target to hit)
:ANY Damage over Time effect will make the victim unable to /heal. If a mob has a cone-type AOE that inflicts Damage Over Time, try to stand in such a way that you will be the only one hit by it. Especially avoid standing where the mages can get hit.
:BRDs and CORs give wide AOE buffs. While this saves them a lot of time, it means that you probably won't get the buffs you want. Be a little understanding, and don't freak out because you have Sword Madrigal and Valor Minuet instead of Knight's Minne, or that you have Fighter's Roll and Hunter's Roll rather than Gallant's Roll. When you're a PLD, you can afford to be a little snippy about wanting to have Mage's Ballad or Evoker's Roll, but don't outright yell and demand it. It's harder than it looks, especially in areas where there's risk of aggro.
:Your mage is a person, too. If you are missing a buff, stay cool. If you can provoke twice before you get it again, THEN ask for it. Spells have recast timers (sometimes long ones!) and they may have just cast it on themselves, or someone else. (This is most true of Haste and Refresh)
:Damage over time effects are very unpleasant when you need to /heal between fights. However, they can be used to your advantage against mobs that have a Sleep spell or job ability. If you have a DoT effect on you, you will wake up from sleep once you take damage. Against Mandragora mobs, don't ask for Poisona unless you are taking a break between fights.
:Your party can't see your status effects. Tell them if you are Poisoned, Diaed, Paralyzeed, Slowed, or anything else that you know the mages can remove. Also, tell them IMMEDIATELY if you are aSleep and someone is awake who can Cure you to wake you up.
==Doing it again... Or: WAR Machine!==
Once you're in the dunes again, you'll get your first taste of tanking very quickly. The only job in higher demand than a tank is a white mage. So, take this opportunity to learn the ropes. This time, be vocal in your party. If you think you can survive tanking a Goblin, speak up and say so! If the party says it's going to pull something that you aren't sure of, feel free to speak up and say that you aren't sure you can survive. If you didn't get a linkshell as MNK, your odds are way up to get recruited if you are a vocal tank.
One key thing to remember is to keep an eye on what other party members are doing, as well as which direction the monster is facing. As a WAR, your 2-hour ability isn't that good for handling emergency situations, so if you don't know what's going on, you don't have any "Trump Card" to pull at the last moment. If things are going poorly, your 2-hour will help with finishing the fight, but it won't do you any favors for survival, or pulling hate quickly.
Once you hit level 20 (or 18, or 19, depending on your temperament) you will need to go to Jeuno. It's a long run, and you will either need help, or a lot of Silent Oil and Prism Powder. Once you get there, set your home point at the blue crystal. Don't move it anywhere else. Go to Upper Jeuno and go to the chocobo area, down the stairs. Do the quest Chocobo's Wounds as soon as possible. Once you have your Chocobo License, you have a quick, easy, SAFE way to get just about anywhere!
The first thing to do when you get a chocobo license is to go to the three crags (Mea, Dem, and Holla) and get your crystal shards. Having these three shards is ESSENTIAL to life in FFXI. It's the easiest way to get to the three major cities, and it can take hours off of travel time. There are three other gate crystals, but people aren't too finicky about you having them for a while yet.
Your next leveling area is Qufim Island. Bring Silent Oil and be sure that your home point is set in Jeuno! The trek out there is dangerous, as the tunnel is infested with Dancing Weapons, which aggro to sound in the narrow passageway. Furthermore, once you get out there, it's a long walk across dangerous territory to get to the Worm Camp. Gigases aggro to sight, like goblins, and the worms in this area aggro to sound! Furthermore, keep an eye on the clock, because undead spawn all over the place!
In the middle of the zone, there is a pond, with a small area around it. In this area, Worms pop up. This is probably one of the only times you, as a tank, will need to move around. Make sure that you watch your surroundings, because these worms link and aggro. Furthermore, they pop right out of the ground! keep an eye out for a second worm appearing and attacking your party. A quick and well-placed Provoke could save the whole group.
You also need to watch out for the Goblin Bounty Hunter that circles the water. You will fight him later, but when you arrive in Qufim, he can easily slaughter your party, if you get aggro while already fighting a worm. But most dangerous is the nighttime. Banshees spawn in the area, and the surrounding exits house spawn points for Wights. Most parties will retreat to the entrances to these canyons, and wait for daylight, but some keep fighting, while others bring along high-level friends to handle the undead.
There's a lot of different camps in this area. You can fight just about anything in the zone, besides the undead. There are crabs, Pugs, and gigases. In later levels, you may end up inside the tower, fighting goblins, giants, and bats. This is one of those times where you should just go where the party leader takes you, and do your best.
At some point during these levels, you will probably get your Defender ability. It gives a very small amount of hate, so don't stress about it for that. But it can be used every 3 minutes, and lasts 3 minutes. The attack reduction can hurt if you're having trouble keeping the monster's attention, but if you're holding hate like a champ, the defense boost can take a huge load off your White Mage. You have probably already figured out by now that Berserk isn't what a tank should use, but keep it in mind if you're ever a damage dealer for a party.
==You know where you are? You're in the jungle, baby! Or: You gonna diiiiie!==
You're approaching the point at which WAR/MNK becomes less viable as a tank. If you've been stingy with your gear, you'll feel it here very badly. The Mandragoras here hit hard, and they hit twice at a time. You'll need to keep on top of things in order to hold hate, since the damage they do to you negates hate faster than if they only hit you once.
The tricky part is getting here without help. It's impossible. You need an Airship pass for Kazham, and you can't get one of those without help. If you're lucky, you might find someone friendly enough to help you, but if you aren't, asking for help from a higher-level friend in your LS is really the only way. The mobs that drop the three keys you need are about the same level as you, and very capable of kicking your butt. Alternately, you could farm 150,000 gil and buy the key, but that is a good chunk of cash. With that much money, you could buy the entire Kampfplatte Armor Set here on my server. It has to get done, because there's nowhere else you can level. But take it easy. It's almost over.
The trickiest part of the jungle is after a couple of levels, you'll need to go to the farther zone. The jungles are basically mazes of tunnels, holes, and trees. Getting to the zone is hard, without a guide to get you there. Maps of the area are more or less useless, except to help you locate the rest of your party. Give it time, though. It won't take long for you to remember where the camps are... Just stay on your chocobo until you're certain you're where you want to be. And be sure to bring a scroll of Instant Warp purchasable from any of those signet guys! It's a long walk back without one.
There's some divergence after this. At level 30, party invites will dry up very quickly for a WAR/MNK. Without very up-to-date gear, you take too much damage, and there are more useful Damage Dealers out there. I managed to get to level 32 before I couldn't do /MNK anymore, and I really suggest that you try to get at least that far. At level 32, you're done with the jungle, and (probably) won't need to come back here when you need to finish getting WAR to 37. Besides, after the jungle, where you go tends to vary based on your party leader's preferences. There's Garlaige Citadel, Western Altepa Desert, and others. You're unlikely to be a tank at these levels, so party invites will be slow, and even slower if you only have /MNK as a subjob. When I came back to finish WAR, I made sure I had Thief to 18, which got me more invites, and I ended up finishing it off in Crawlers' Nest, of all places. But more on that later.
==Paladin Job Quest. Or: On Being an Elvaan's Errand Boy.==
Okay, now you need to get to San d'Oria, and locate Balasiel at F-7, and do basically whatever he tells you to. The quests you need to complete are A Squire's Test, A Squire's Test II, and A Knight's Test. These ARE doable alone. A Squire's Test II will require a Silent Oil, because mobs inside the room the quest location is at will aggro on you at level 30, and will kill you. You will need a LOT of silent oil and prism powder for A Knight's Test. I do not recommend doing A Knight's Test by yourself. I did, but it took a lot of luck. It's possible, I assure you. But don't try it unless you're brave, stupid, or, most likely, desperate. But once done, you're a paladin! Put away that shield (you'll probably use it later) and get yourself outfitted for level 1-10 all over again! It's Paladin time!
==It's Paladin Time! Or: I swear, just once more! Really!==
Now, you're a Paladin! Be sure to set your subjob to Warrior, and off you go! Unfortunately, this makes levels 1-10 more frustrating than it was as WAR, since you don't have the attack or STR to really cut loose... But once you hit level 5, be sure to buy a scroll of Cure, and cast it on yourself whenever you need to. If you haven't, I heartily recommend setting up some Macros for PLD. It's possible to get along without them when all you have are Job Abilities and Weapon Skills, but once Magic comes into the equation, you'd have to be crazy to do everything by hand. There are other useful macros out there, besides command options. /target <bt> will automatically put your cursor on the last monster your party claimed, which is great for getting locked on as fast as possible, especially in crowded areas. At any rate, things will be exactly the same as they were for warrior. If you were using anything other than a sword and shield, start using a sword and shield now. Aren't you glad you kept your hands on all that gear? Everything you wore as a WAR, you can wear again as a PLD.
Things are basically the same as when you were a WAR when partying, too! With two exceptions: One: You will always tank. No one will ever ask you to damage deal. And Two: You now have spells. You need to pay money for them. Some useful things to know about spells is which ones you need, and how to use them. Any time that you can learn a new Cure spell, learn it. Period. You can stand to be without the highest-level available to you for about 3 to 5 levels, but after that, it'll hurt your parties to be without it. Shell you can forget about. If you need it, the healer can cast it. The exception is Shell III, for reasons we'll get to later. Protect is very useful to have, so that if it wears in mid-combat, you can put it back on ASAP, if you need to, however, it's unlikely you'll have any burning need to have it. Get it if you have the spare monies on hand, but don't worry too heavily. Get Protect III at all costs, though, and Protect IV is pretty nice, too. Banish, Banish II, and Holy can be forgotten. I suggest you get Banish, because you will probably use it if you farm pre-37, in order to pull mobs that are out of reach of Provoke, or maybe for a first hit on Skeleton mobs to reduce their slashing damage resistance, but don't use it if you're in a party. The only time you'll use these light-damage spells in party is if you're screwing around with friends and do a skillchain that has a light element component, and have the MP to try to Magic Burst on it for a laugh. When you hit 37, you will NEED to buy Flash. Don't party without it. I bought my copy when I hit level 35, and kept it on me at all times until I used it. It's basically a mini-provoke. And at level 50, Raise is very useful to know. You won't use it much, but when you do, you'll be glad you have it. Reprisal is so awesome, I call it an MP-consuming job ability rather than a spell. If you don't have the gil to buy it as soon as you can get it, you ought to be farming, not partying. But most of this is far in the future.
Another thing to remember is when to cast. When you're casting a spell, if a monster hits you, you have a chance to be interrupted. Start casting immediately after it hits you, or even while it's mid-swing, and most cure spells will finish before they swing again. Some mobs are faster than others, so it takes practice, and sometimes even then it won't work 100%.
The last huge difference is your MP. MP is the reason why, at level 75, most people prefer Ninja tanks. When a paladin runs out of MP, the only really effective way to get it back is to stop and rest. At later levels, there are things that can help you recover MP without resting, (Auto Refresh, Refresh, Parade Gorget, Hercules' Ring, and the like) but at any level, you'll never be able to fight indefinitely without a rest or break. At low levels, especially. Remember to let your healer know when you have a Damage over Time effect that is causing you to be unable to heal for MP.
And yeah, basically, do everything you were doing for Warrior. Healing gives a lot of Hate, so do it whenever possible. Especially if someone else pulls hate off of you. Casting cure on a monster's target is the surest way to get it's attention, especially if you're provoking repeatedly, and keep up on your other job abilities. Every job ability a PLD gets besides Holy Circle gives great hate. And now your two-hour is Invincible, the best damn non-mage 2-hour there is. It gives you a BOATLOAD of hate, often pulling it off of anybody else no matter what they just did. And it makes all physical attacks do 0 damage. It doesn't protect against magic damage, though, so don't expect it to save you from magic-using mobs.
You'll notice a few things when you get back to parties in the dunes: First of all, invites are a lot faster. I mean, really. A lot. They will stay that way until the late 60s, and even then, they only taper off a little. Second of all, tanking seems to go a lot smoother. Being able to cure yourself helps, but the biggest part of it is that you aren't getting hit near as hard. The big drawback to being a PLD is that you'll do poor damage in comparison to how you did as a WAR. This means that you'll need to go double time on the Provokes to keep hate. Curing gives hate, too, so be sure to cure yourself when possible, as long as the mages aren't already mid-cast. Learn your timings for cure here. Pay attention to when you start casting, or else you will be interrupted.
At level 15, you will gain Shield Bash. This job ability gives about as much hate as Provoke, but has a long recast timer. The real reason to use it is for the stun effect. When fighting mobs that use painful AoE attacks (Such as a goblin's Bomb Toss) this can interrupt it if timed properly. If the mobs you're fighting don't use these sorts of moves, pull this move out whenever you lose hate. The stun will prevent it from attacking its target for a moment, and give you a good amount of hate. The pause can potentially give you time to provoke again, depending on how long the stun sticks.
==Okay, That Wasn't So Bad... Or: Yes, Yes it Was.==
When you move on to travel back to Qufim Island to tank some more, make sure that you have Cure II. It's more of the same here. If you really want me to tell you what to do, just go up and re-read the part about this on WAR. The pointers don't change when you change jobs... Except that you won't get Defender. It sucks, but instead, you'll get Shield Mastery, which is even better. Your shield blocks will give you TP, and will stop spells from being interrupted. Try not to depend on it to save you, but it makes emergency cures go a lot smoother, especially against mobs that attack fast.
Keep going where the XP leads you. Eventually you'll get parties in the jungle, where you will be a commodity of the highest order. Your ability to tank despite the Mandragoras' One-Two punches puts you one-up on every NIN and /NIN tank out there. These are the levels where WAR/MNK starts to become impractical as a tank, while you're just coming into your prime.
At level 30, you get two of your best friends. Cure III and Sentinel. Cure III is the second-highest level cure you'll get, and if there was a mileage counter on your spells, this one would be the one that keeps on ticking the highest. And Sentinel is the best job ability a PLD could ask for. It gives about as much hate as provoke, and gives you damage reduction. Your reduction is lowered over course of 30 seconds, until the effect wears off. The big draw, however, is the Enmity bonus. Anything you do to get hate while Sentinel is active is twice as effective. Since it has a 30 second duration, you should get a Provoke off during this time. If you decide to start a fight with a simple Provoke, wait 20 seconds, Sentinel, cure yourself of what damage you've taken, and then Provoke again, you can walk away to get a soda without worrying about hate. It has a long recast though, just like Shield Bash. One option to consider is staggering them. Use Shield bash to start one fight, and then Sentinel to start the next. Depending on how long fights are taking, you may be able to keep the process going. Another option is to reserve these two job abilities for times when you lose hate. Only Shield Bash when you lose hate or see a powerful spell or TP move charging up, and only Sentinel when you lose hate, or when you're taking a lot of damage and want to get that damage reduction to help you out. Both options are equally viable.
About that time, you'll be getting too big for the jungle. I suggest you stop by San d'Oria, and put the Water Crystals I told you to save up to good use: Crafting. Specifically, crafting Antidotes. It's an easy craft, and you can get everything from NPCs in San d'Oria. Just do it, okay? It'll make sense soon.
==Gar! I hate this damned lag! Or: OH SH-==
Welcome to Garlaige Citadel. Yes, there are two places you can level after the jungle, but Garlaige is probably your only option for now. The other camps are in the Altepa Desert. To get to it, you'd need a lot of Sneak, and some Invisible, and either someone with Raise to come help, or a lot of patience. You need to go through Korroloka Tunnel to get to the desert. Then, you have to cross it to get to the teleport crystal, and activate it to gain the ability to be teleported here. Then you have to find your way all the way back to Jueno. Some parties will still want you to come to Garlaige, but now you can be teleported to Altepa if a party needs to go there.
Either way, Beetles will be the big prey here. In Garlaige, there will be bats, too, but beetles are harder. All the mobs here hit pretty hard, and have their own pitfalls. Sometimes literally. Both mob types link like bad habits. You will need a good puller to not get at least one link on bats. Beetles are harder to link, because their spawn points are so far apart, but if it happens, be ready to run away. The big problem with linking comes from the holes in the pathways inside the citadel. If your puller tries to pull across a hole that the bat can't get around, it will drop down into the area full of level 50+ mobs, and link all the bats down there, and then run up the stairs and back to your party, linking every bat along the way. If your puller comes into camp, and there isn't a mob chasing them, be prepared for the worst. Additionally, be careful with beetles. They hit hard, but they're harder to hit. They have a TP move that grants an evasion bonus. Once it's used, expect the damage done to it to plummet. Here's where spells like Frost, Gravity, or other agility-reducing magic comes in handy better then Bio or Dia. Just be prepared to tank beetles for a long while. Keep that in mind in Altepa, too, where beetles are basically all you'll fight.
Later on, you'll probably fight mobs farther in Garlaige. Keep your excitement peaked for 35! You gain your FAVORITE JOB TRAIT EVAR there! Auto Refresh is a godsend. Every couple of seconds, you gain 1 MP. Yes, it isn't much, but all you need to do is wait, and you'll get enough MP to cure. You no longer have to cast a couple of Cure IIs because you are 5 MP short of Cure III! Yes, it is awesome. It's not as awesome at later levels, when you need MP a lot faster to keep up, but it stacks with any other Refresh gear or effects, so it'll always give you a little something. You also gain Cover. Cover is a great job ability, but very underused. Decide early if you want to use it a lot, or if you want to sweep it under the rug for emergencies. Basically, when you use it, you have to target a party member. For the duration of the effect, if you are standing between the party member and any monster, the monster's attacks will be re-directed to you. The duration is pretty short, but it could be long enough to get a Provoke off, and protect a party member from a few hits. If you use it often enough to make a macro for it, be sure to include a line for "/p <Stop!> <Cover>!" because a majority of PLDs don't use it, so many players don't actually know how it works. I once had a party where the damage dealers were firing off Weapon Skills so frequently, that I found myself using Cover almost every time the recast was up. The party apparently had never seen Cover before, but adapted quickly. Or so I thought. When the Tarutaru DRK pulled hate when he was low on HP from using Souleater, he ran behind me. I quickly used Cover. Satisfied, he ran back to where he was standing, instead of staying behind me for the duration. Just goes to show you that just because you know what your job abilities are for doesn't mean that anybody else in your party does.
==The Closest to Hell You'll Be for 25 Levels or: Oh! That's Why!==
Remember those Antidotes? You kept them, right? Good. Welcome to Crawlers' Nest. See those big yellow caterpillars? The ones that shoot poison out their mouths? You're tanking those. Have fun. Here are some things to remember regarding cone attacks: Crawlers have two forward cone attacks. Sticky Thread is a pretty big threat to damage dealers and mages, but not much to you. Poison Breath is a huge threat to everybody. Sticky Thread gives a Slow effect. Only Erase or Haste can really help get around with it. Slow will muck up your timers on job abilities and spellcasting, but not so bad you can't tank with it on. Poison Breath deals a good chunk of damage (Dependent on the mob's current HP) and inflicts a deadly poison. Crawler poison, if you fought them at low levels, you'll remember, lasts a long, long time. The first few times you get poisoned, ask for Poisona. If you don't get it quick, that's why you have the antidotes. It's not a necessity to remove the poison instantly, because the mob will probably use it again during the fight. Only use it at the end of the fight. You can't rest for MP when you're poisoned. If your healer is spread too thin for Poisona, Antidotes can help fill the gap to let you recover MP. Because if the mages don't have the time or MP to cast Poisona, you're going to need all the MP you can get to cure yourself. They also have Cocoon, a nasty move that raises their defense considerably. This can make a fight drag on horribly, opening you up to more Poison Breath, and cutting into the exp.
At 37, you get the spell Flash. Think of this as the spell version of provoke. It only costs about 25 MP, and it blinds the enemy. It has a 100% success rate, as far as I've seen, though on very high-level mobs, the blindness won't have much of an effect, and then it will wear off immediately. The real benefit is the hate it produces. It doesn't produce as much hate as provoke, but about half of the hate produced by Flash is Cumulative Enmity. That means that it won't go away over time, for example, if you get paralyzed, or if the mob uses a defense/evasion boost move and you can't hit it. Flash also has a longer range than Provoke. Use Flash as soon as you can when the puller brings the mob to camp. Not only will you get hate off of the puller faster, but the hate you get from it won't dissipate very easily. Depending on your race and gear, you may want to use Flash sparingly, or at every opportunity. Tarutaru PLDs will want to flash all the time, since they have the MP for it (and stand to benefit the most from blinding the mob) while Elvaan and Galka PLDs may want to only flash once at the start of a fight, and when they lose hate, because of their small mp pool. Galka don't need the blindness to help survive, and an Elvaan's higher STR means that their damage output can compensate for the loss of enmity from skipping Flash. Hume and Mithra PLDs should use Flash at their own discretion, depending on their gear. If they have plenty of MP, they should use it whenever possible. If they don't, they should use it sparingly. Flash usage is a matter of personal preference, regardless of race or gear. The only way to be doing it wrong would be to never do it. ALWAYS use flash at the beginning of a fight. How often you use it after really depends on your personal preferences.
At some point around 37 to 39, you'll move downstairs. Make sure you insist that someone comes and gets you to bring you down there if you join a party and they are already down there. Crawler's Nest is a big maze, and the quest to get the map is very long and painful. When you get down there, there are a few things you'll be tanking. At first, it will be beetles, but you will also tank the flies, crawlers, and funguars. I have already discussed crawlers and beetles, and flies should be familiar enough to you from your time in the dunes. In case you don't recall, flies have two dangerous TP moves. One of them is a poison cone attack, which you should know how to handle by now, after all of those crawlers, and the other is a water-based AoE move. It deals very high damage in a small area around its target. Make sure that you keep these guys under control at all times. If it runs at the mages, and then uses Cursed Sphere, it could spell doom for the whole lot of you. Funguars, on the other hand, use almost nothing but status ailment TP moves. While most of them are single-target, two are cone attacks, and it is very important that only you are hit with them. With regards to the status ailments inflicted, remember to hesitate when you are paralyzed. If you try to Provoke while paralyzed, there's a chance that it will not go off, even though the timer will reset. This is especially annoying when using abilities like Sentinel and Shield Bash, with their large recast timers. I once was severely paralyzed, and the party was dying. I tried to use Invincible, but the paralysis stopped it, but the two hour long recast was tripped! Additionally, be sure to tell your mages when you are silenced. They may not be able to help you (they may be too busy curing, or might not have the spell) but if they know you can't cure yourself, they'll help you out.
Alternately, you might end up in Quicksand Caves. In Quicksand Caves, there's a few hazards to be aware of: First of all, the first targets are beetles again. Ugh. You know the drill there. But by now, most DD jobs have more than a few job abilities and other tricks to up their damage output. I think Dispel comes into play around here, allowing your mages (or bard) to remove the beetle's Evasion Boost effect. The next thing you would have to deal with is spiders. Spiders are dangerous enemies. They have three main TP attacks. One is a poison cone (okay, what DOESN'T have a poison cone?) one is an AoE slow. Like the Crawler's sticky thread, a spider's slow is hard to deal with, and a royal pain in the butt for DDs. Make sure that if you level off spiders, you keep an eye on how close the mages are so they don't get hit with this debilitating effect. The primary danger from spiders is Sickle Slash. It's a single hit TP move with high damage and a very high critical strike chance. Tarutaru PLDs at full HP can be one-hit-KOed by this move! Even Galka PLDs can be taken out if this move hits at the wrong time. Spiders don't aggro, thankfully, so expect to see them wandering around in camp unmolested while fighting beetles, but if you camp somewhere where spiders wander about, be very careful about fighting other spiders. Spiders link. They also mind-meld with each other. No joke.
Sand Spider uses Sickle Slash!
Inept takes 326 damage.
Sand Spider uses Sickle Slash!
Inept takes 603 damage.
Inept is defeated!
(Inept) What.
Yeah. Bad. What's even worse is Anticans. I know what you're thinking: "This guy doesn't know what I'm thinking! Incidentally, what could be worse than being one-shotted with ease by a small moon with legs under it?" Anticans are a type of beastmen up in the desert and down in Quicksand Caves. They aren't found anywhere else in the world. Thank god, because they're nasty. They have a large number of TP moves, and a couple are worth noting. One of them inflicts an incredibly severe poison. Once you get hit by it, don't hesitate. Use an Antidote. The TP move is not accompanied by a giant bright green stream, so you can't count on Poisona every time it goes off, and every tick that you wait for poisona after asking for it you lose a good chunk of your HP. This can be enough to bring a PLD down after the fight if it is left untreated. Worse than this is Jamming Wave. AoE silence. If you remember from the funguars, silence renders you unable to cast spells. Make sure that while tanking, you hold the mob FAR away from the mages. Anticans also have a move for evasion boost and defense boost, so don't count on the party being able to bring them down quickly if things turn sour. Sandstorm, an AoE Blind attack, really compounds the problem. The worst one, though, is Sand Trap. The Antican will jump up, and when it lands, everyone in the immediate area is petrified for a short time, and the mob will forget all about you idiots and go over to kill the mages. Basically, it petrifies you, so that you can't react or even move for a split second, and then it resets the hate of everyone who was petrified. Basically, there's nothing you can do until Petrification wears off, and once it does, you have to be ready to Provoke, Flash, Sentinel, or drop a Cure III on any convenient target lickety-split. But that's the worst there is. And they're the only mobs you're likely to ever fight in party that do that. Almost any other mob capable of such a move is frequently deemed too much trouble to camp for exp. The only thing that comes close to that level of severity is the little gift that the BLM anticans can concoct for you. If you party with BLMs frequently, you may occasionally have seen a big blue oval appear over a mob and then explode, dealing massive damage. If you're still in Quicksand Caves, it's unlikely, but maybe you have. That's Freeze. It is one of the first in a line of Black Mage spells called Ancient Magic. Ancient Magic takes a long time to cast, costs a lot of MP, and deals truly epic damage. Neat, huh? Yeah. Antican Signifiers are high enough level that they can cast Ancient Magic like Freeze, Flood, Quake, and Tornado. One of these spells going off will usually have twofold effects: First: you will take a lot of damage. A LOT of damage. You'll probably fall over dead immediately. Second: If you don't immediately die, you will lose a lot of hate. This is a little bit hit-or-miss. If the melee jobs were doing a lot of damage, the mob will take you to almost dead, and then turn away because it 'got even' with you. If the mage jobs have done a lot of healing (or damage, in the case of a BLM), the mob will run off after them, and if you dare to Provoke or Flash, you will either fail to pull hate back (Because they'll cure you and take hate back from you) or you will take hate back, and then die. The only way to prevent it is to keep your eyes open for Ancient Magic. If the mob is casting for a long time, or if you actually see "The antican signifier starts casting Tornado" that's your cue to LEAP INTO ACTION! Spam your Shield Bash macro for all you're worth. If that's not ready (for example, if you just used it 2 minutes ago to stop the mob from casting Flood) then your only hope is Flat Blade, a weapon skill that stuns its target. If you don't have TP, attempt to cure yourself to full, while announcing that the mob is casting Ancient Magic. Other jobs have stunning weapon skills, and DRKs and BLMs get the spell Stun. Additionally, the use of regular weapon skills has a pretty high chance of causing magic to be interrupted, too, if you don't have Flat Blade (For shame!), or don't want to lose out on the great damage of Red Lotus Blade if the mob is nearly dead already.
You can get past the Quicksand Caves levels just fine by sticking in Crawler's Nest, but eventually you need to level in Kuftal Tunnel, and you need to go to the desert to get there. The crabs in Kuftal Tunnel are one of the only bridges between 50 in Crawler's Nest, and 55 in Wajaom Woodlands, so unless you plan on Level Syncing and missing all of your shield skill ups right before you need them the most, you really ought to get access out there.
By the way, back at level 41, Red Mages become your best friends in the whole wide world. Remember how awesome it felt when you got Auto Refresh? Red Mages have the spell Refresh. As a friend of mine once put it, for a PLD, Refresh is "...like a two and a half minute orgasm." Refresh gives you 3 MP per tick, which stacks with the one MP per tick you get from Auto Refresh. Basically, it will be another ten levels before the mobs get strong enough that you'll need to rest for MP from curing yourself, as long as you party with a RDM. You can do just fine with a WHM, just remember not to get too used to Refresh. It's not always there for you to depend on.
==Quest Pause or: Free Gear and Headaches Courtesy of the San d'Orian Royalty and an Old Man==
Alright. This are some things to do in the middle of the next section, and partway through the previous one. I just wanted to get the whole thing in its own section. Artifact Armor is a set of job-specific gear, consisting of a weapon, and one armor item for every visible equipment slot except for shield and ranged weapon. There are some exceptions to the 'weapon' department: RNG and DNC get ranged weapons and no melee weapon, and SCH gets a spell, and no weapon at all. NIN gets two weapons, also, the bastards. However, Paladin Artifact Armor (specifically called Gallant Armor) is some of the best Artifact Armor in the game. With the exception of the weapon, you can wear almost every piece of it from when you get it to 75. Only the legs, weapon, and gloves can be easily replaced, and that's something like 15 levels after you get them!
The first piece you get is the weapon (AF1, though AF1 is also used to describe the Gallant Armor set) for which you must complete the quest Sharpening the Sword (If you didn't, you have to do the quest Father and Son first) Sharpening the Sword will require that you get to PLD40 or higher, and get help from either someone higher level, or a group of someones of similar level. You need to defeat Polevik, an earth elemental notorious monster. As an elemental, he takes very little damage from physical attacks, and as a Notorious Monster, his spells and attacks to a LOT of damage. This particular one has good magic defense, also, so don't bring 5 BLMs and expect an easy win. Come prepared, or you'll be toast. Get a high level LS buddy (or two) to come help, if you can. The Honor Sword itself is really nice. The bonuses are spectacular, and you can use it for a long while. I used mine until I ponied up the cash for Gluttony Sword. You can go for quite a while with your Honor Sword, so don't replace it unless you are sure you want to, or unless you feel like you really need to. (Which you should before about 60 or so).
The next piece is the most important, and can be acquired as early as level 50, though you can't wear them until 52. The Gallant Leggings (AF2, though AF2 is also used to refer to the Relic Gear, also known as the Valor Armor set) are the best PLD feet pieces period. The quest, A Boy's Dream, is a tough quest, so I really recommend bringing someone who's 75. What you'll need to do is get a Giant Shell Bug, either from the AH, or from an NM in Crawler's Nest. After showing it to the kid (Make sure you show it to him, or you'll need a new one before you can finish the quest!), take it, and a fishing rod, to Castle Oztroja. The quest page has directions, all you need to do is fish where it tells you, and supply a level 75 barrel of butt-whoop for Odontotyrannus. (I suggest you do some fishing before doing this quest! If you aren't familiar with the mini-game, you might accidentally throw away your Giant Shell Bug!) This is one mean fish, and you will NOT be able to take him on alone, or with people of similar level to you. Once you finish the quest, you'll get the first cutscene for one of the next two. The feet you get are the best feet you can wear without devoting a LOT of time to endgame pursuits. They give one of the largest boosts to Shield Skill in the game, making them a vital part of your tanking arsenal. You can wear them at level 52, and you better only take them off to change jobs. Period.
At this point, the quest tree branches. The 'third quest' which is started after getting your Gallant Leggings (As long as you were on PLD when you turned in that quest, otherwise, be sure to switch back to PLD to get your cutscene from the prince) is the quest for the last piece of your Artifact Armor you can wear: the Gallant Surcoat. (AF3, and there is no other meaning for AF3) The quest, Under Oath is complicated, and requires some high level help to get one of the appropriate coffer keys, and get to the coffer safely. (You may want to do part of the other AF quest while you're there, but we'll mention that later.) There's some running around to do, and then you need to fight some NM orcs. Once again, bringing help is necessary. With that done, the rest of the quest is a couple of cutscenes and a chocobo ride! The Gallant Surcoat is one of the best PLD body pieces in the game. There is better stuff out there, but it requires a lot of work in endgame, or millions of gil. The only piece that is easy to get that is a possible replacement is the only marginally better Adaman Cuirass, and is still quite expensive. (50,000 gil on my server, when I last went shopping. And for only +5 DEF and +1 Enmity? Yeah, it's nice, but not 50K nice.)
The other quest is basically the quest for everything else. Borghertz's Stalwart Hands is the PLD quest for your Gallant Gauntlets wearable at level 54. Basically, get some help acquiring the appropriate coffer keys, and use silent oil and prism powder to get to your coffers. For the gauntlets, however, you basically need to ask your LS if anyone's willing to help you kill Dark Spark. It's not a hard fight for a higher level character, so you should be able to find someone to help. I recommend that you coordinate this with your trip to get your Gallant Surcoat, because it's the same zone. The gauntlets are pretty nice. They're better than most other things at that level, and they're free. But don't expect them to carry you to endgame, like the boots and body piece can. The last two pieces are acquired by getting the correct coffer key and getting the treasure coffer. Personally, I think the headpiece, the Gallant Coronet (acquired in Garlaige Citadel, is worth the trouble, but you can spend the time you would spend getting help key farming and coffer hunting by farming instead, and get some gear that's not too much worse. Pieces from the Sipahi Jawshan Set can stand in easily, once you can wear them. I actually wore the pants of that set for almost all the way to 75. I wore the headpiece for a while, too. The Gallant Gauntlets and the Gallant Breeches are the weakest part of the Gallant Armor set: Their only strength is the +Enmity they both have over other gear at the same level. I won't harp on you about gear choices, but know that you can definitely get by without these three pieces. (Although Gallant Coronet is good enough to be taken to 75. There aren't a lot of good PLD headpieces that aren't Rare/Ex)
Alongside these quests, you'll be doing another few quests. If you're in a great party when you hit 50, and manage to sweep through the whole level in one go, you'll notice something odd. You're 1 TNL! Yay! And you'll finish off the next mob... And not level. WTF? So the party will finish off the next one... And still no dice. Don't worry, though! I have a friend who can clear that right up for you! Meet Maat. He will either be your most respected teacher, or worst enemy, for the rest of your drive to 75. Get help, either from a party or from a high leveled friend (You should be able to call them friends now, after all they've done for you...) and start with In Defiant Challenge. Once you level to 51, you can start the next one, Atop the Highest Mountains, which will need more help. (By the way, start saving Kindred Seals that you get. If you turn them in, you can't get them back, and you'll need a couple for part of this questline.) After that, Whence Blows the Wind can be started once you hit 54, and you will need help from people who have done these quests before... (I also know that being Rank 5 helps immeasurably, too...) Once you level to 61, you can go Riding on the Clouds, one of the only ones of these quests that is not a pain in the rear. Remember those Kindred Seals you saved up over the last 5 levels? You need those. Just go talk to the people Maat describes for you, and you'll be ready to go. And once you hit level 66, you get the notorious Shattering Stars quest. If you hate or love him, you have to beat the stuffing out of Maat. Alone. I'll talk about this quest later, but know that it's coming, and it is a considerable challenge. (Also, get some help farming a Paladin's Testimony when you start to get closer to this milestone! You might need more than one, so the sooner you get your first, the better.)
==Mirror Game or: This is the Last Day of the Rest of your Life==
There are alternatives to Kuftal tunnel. In the deeper part of Quicksand Caves, there are some mobs that are high enough for good exp for a while. But they're pretty tough. In Quicksand Caves, there's lizards and crabs. Both mobs you've fought before in Valkurm Dunes, but it's nice to have a refresher, especially when they're so much tougher than usual. If you fight lizards, there's really only one thing to worry about. Baleful Gaze. You might remember it from being in the dunes, but if you never saw it: It petrifies you and only you for a fairly long time. If you press in your left analog stick while fighting, it will remove the "Locked" status, and allow you to move without staying facing the monster. If you're very fast, you can unlock and look away from the monster. If a mob uses a gaze attack, and you aren't facing it, it will automatically miss. Otherwise, it has a low chance for you to evade it. A lot of people won't fight lizards at higher levels because of this ability. If it uses it near the start of the fight, the mob might be dead before you can attack again. Even if not, it's unlikely that you could jump in at the end of a fight and get hate back with any hope of success. Once you've established hate, and the mob is not going anywhere petrify or no petrify, you can relax. But until then, stay alert.
To be continued... Gah, this is taking forever...