Corsair: A Guide By Keisho

Category:Guides
__TOC__	
==Introduction==
Hello and welcome to the under-construction Corsair job guide. My name is Keisho from Cerberus, and in this guide I wish to detail the job itself, how it works to it's strengths/weaknesses, how to play the job to the best of it's abilities and all-in-all, to provide a solid guide in which new Corsair's will be able to learn from and progress in the game. Please ignore the fact that there isn't much here right now, as this is still a work-in-progress. Thank you!
==Regarding Editing of Guide==
While I do appreciate the assistance in keeping my guide correct and fresh, it messes up my work that I keep offline until it's ready to post. Please let me know if i've made a mistake in the Talk:Corsair: A Guide By Keisho page (the most noticeable one happening to be my choice of a Sword in the 1-10 range, when Corsair couldn't use it. Oh well, late nights for you. Thank you, Hamtaru), if I have made one. Cheers!
==What is a Corsair?==
A Corsair is one of the extra three jobs added in the expansion pack, Treasures of Aht Urhgan. It's main purpose in a party is a hybrid between a 'Support' class (BRD) and a 'Damage Dealer' class (RNG). While being able to use party-wide enhancements ('buffs') such as Refresh, a Corsair is also able to utilize a Gun to increase a party's damage potential against monsters. Utilizing the unique ability Quick Draw, a Corsair is able to increase the potency of enfeebling spells cast on a monster by another party member, thus increasing their effectiveness, as well as being able to Sleep a monster and Dispel it's status enhancements. Sometimes referred to as a 'Bard with a Gun', Corsair brings a whole new dimension to a party with it's luck-based abilities (and the AF is some of the best looking in the game too!).
==Unlocking Corsair==
;Purchase & Register Treasures of Aht Urhgan
:As Corsair was one of the three jobs added in the new ToAU expansion pack, purchase of this product is necessary to travel to the locations required to unlock Corsair. The Treasures of Aht Urhgan expansion pack can be registered to your PlayOnline account via the 'Expanded Services' page. Keep your serial number (found in the back of your ToAU manual) handy!
;Unlock Treasures of Aht Urhgan Areas
:Even though you may have purchased the expansion pack, there is one quest that blocks you from entering the new areas straight away. This quest is named 'The Road to Aht Urhgan', and is recieved in Lower Jeuno's Tenshodo branch (inside the Neptune's Spire), from the NPC Faursel. You can find the relevant information for this quest by clicking here. You may skip the quest by giving Fausel 500,000 gil when he gives you the choice to do so, however you will be warped to Wajaom Woodlands at the end of the quest, which can potentially be dangerous. Completion of this quest by any means will allow you to travel to Aht Urhgan from the port based in Mhaura.
;Complete the quest, Luck of the Draw
:This is (naturally) the Corsair job quest. As Corsair is part of a group of Extra Jobs, a quest is required to unlock it, as with all of the other Jobs under this category. For information on how to complete the quest, click on the quest title above. Upon completion of this quest, you will be able to become a Corsair.
==Corsair: Strengths & Weaknesses==
===Strengths===
*A variety of powerful and some unique party-wide enhancements available from Phantom Roll, including Refresh, Double Attack+, Magic Attack Bonus, Critical+ and many more.
*Near equal Weapon Skill levels in Gun, Sword and Dagger, allowing for attacks utilizing three main weapons.
*The Corsair 2-hour ability Wild Card is one of the most powerful abilities in the game. While being luck based, it has a chance to restore large amounts of HP and MP, give TP ranging from 100%-300%, and restoration of all job abilities including the 2-hour ability of other party members within range, all depending on the card number you roll.
*Able to access Marksmanship weaponskills without use of a Ranger subjob. Also grants Marksmanship weaponskills to other jobs that set Corsair as a subjob, as would using Ranger as a subjob.
*A host of other unique abilities such as Random Deal and Quick Draw, both of which are extremely useful in their own right.
*Corsair Phantom Roll abilities nearly double in power over Bard songs when reaching the number 'XI', providing larger boosts to buffs. (Update: Aug 27/07)
===Weaknesses===
*Will often compete in the same support slot as Red Mage and Bard, who are often picked up over a Corsair for their ability to enfeeble and heal (RDM), and the ability to implement a wider variety of enhancements and debuffs (BRD). Many parties believe that Corsair is a pure support class, so will not invite it for it's damage.
*While not as expensive as a Ninja or Ranger to maintain, Corsair requires an investment of gil for bullets and elemental cards used in Quick Draw in order to fully utilize the abilities of the job.
*At levels 22+, the main damage from a Corsair will be through the use of a Gun. A 'B' skill ranking in this weapon will show it's flaws in later levels, requiring the use of more Ranged Accuracy+ equipment to maintain a decent hit rate without enhancement assistance.
===Additional Notes===
*A Corsair is unable to access the Ranger-only weaponskill Heavy Shot, even with Ranger set as a support job. Corsair will be unable to execute a Light Skillchain until obtaining the trial weaponskill Detonator.
*Using Corsair as a support job will reduce the number of Phantom Roll enhancements allowed to be cast on you and your party to one. Please also note that the power of these enhancements will be limited by the level of your current Corsair support job.
==Combat Skill Ratings==
 Skill 	Skill Ranking	Cap at Level 1	Cap at Level 37	Cap at Level 75
 Dagger 	B+ 	5 	109 	256
 Swords 	B- 	5 	109 	240
 	 	 	 	
 Marksmanship	B 	5 	109 	250
 Throwing 	C+ 	5 	105 	230
 	 	 	 	
 Parrying 	A+ 	6 	114 	276
 Evasion 	D 	4 	101 	210
==Support Job Selection==
While I could provide a massive section dedicated to the subjobs that a Corsair can use, there is already a guide on FFXIclopedia that explains everything you need. I may work on a subjob guide exclusive to this page, but there are more pressing matters than that right now, considering there's already a fully able one available.
For the Corsair subjob guide, visit: Corsair: Guide to Subjob Selection.
==Selecting A Race==
While all five playable races (Hume, Elvaan, Tarutaru, Mithra and Galka) are able to play Corsair without much difficulty, certain races have advantages over others. These advantages, while they can be noticable, should not be the deciding factor on which race makes the best Corsair, as all races can play this job to an acceptable level. Please also note that differences in needed stats for Corsair can be mostly nullified from equipment choices later in level stages.
===Hume===
Advantages
*Consistent, average stats; No stat needed by Corsair is low enough to be a burden at any level.
*A decently sized HP and MP pool allows them to survive attacks easier and assist in other forms of support.
Disadvantages
*Will never be the 'best' in anything (as stats are not geared toward certain jobs).
A Hume is understood to be the most balanced stat-wise of the five races, thus letting them play the job without any noticable downsides. Tied for HP and MP with the Mithra, a Hume has a decently-sized pool of the above stats, allowing them to stand longer in combat while under attack, and to better support a healer class with added Cure support if White Mage or Red Mage are used as a support job, than the Elvaan and Galka are capable of. Average helpings of STR, AGI, and DEX will allow ranged and melee attacks to hit for decent numbers, as well as enhancing the accuracy of Quick Draw (AGI).
===Elvaan===
Advantages
*High HP.
*Highest STR.
Disadvantages
*Lowest AGI.
*Lowest DEX.
*Low MP (Mage support job only).
A large HP pool allows this race to remain alive longer on the battlefield while under attack, however, this is offset by a low MP pool, which really only counts if you wish to provide healing and status removal support to a healer class. Since Elvaan have the highest STR out of the five races, they will be able to gain extra damage thanks to STR modifiers for weaponskills (only of a melee nature), but may possibly be let down by their extremely low AGI score, which affects Ranged Attack (in part), Ranged Accuracy, and Quick Draw accuracy. As their DEX is the lowest of the five races, they will find it harder to utilize accurate melee attacks than the other races at lower levels.
===Mithra===
Advantages
*Highest DEX and AGI.
*Decent HP/MP pool allows easier survival, and other forms of support.
Disadvantages
*Low STR.
Mithra have the highest DEX and AGI stats out of the five races, which gives them an advantage right from the get-go. As DEX affects melee attack accuracy, and AGI ranged attack accuracy (Quick Draw included), this makes Mithra a solid choice for Corsair. However, their low STR means that Weaponskills that use the stat as a modifier in damage (Sword) will tend to do lower damage than a race with higher. Being tied for HP and MP with the Humes is a bonus, too.
===Tarutaru===
Advantages
*High AGI.
*Highest MP. (Mage support job only)
Disadvantages
*Lowest HP.
*Lowest STR.
The lowest HP pool of the five races may present a problem for the Tarutaru if they should come under attack, but having the highest MP pool of the five races may come in handy when called upon for support of a magic-using nature. Their high AGI stat provides them with good-footing for a Gun-using Corsair. While having the highest INT stat of the five races, Corsair makes little use of this stat, making it near useless. A decent DEX stat means melee accuracy is nothing this race has to worry so much about in the early levels.
===Galka===
Advantages
*Highest HP.
*High STR.
Disadvantages
*Average AGI.
*Lowest MP. (Mage support job only)
The highest HP pool of the five races makes this race the ideal choice for those Corsair's that like to be smacked around like a rag doll (which may occasionally happen if you're good with that Gun), however this is offset by this race having the lowest MP stat in the game. Low AGI scores affect ranged attack accuracy and Quick Draw, and this race will suffer in early levels with ranged accuracy (moreso than any other race except Elvaan), but with the right equipment choices, this can mostly be fixed. Tied DEX with the Humes leaves them with decent accuracy in the early levels.
==Job Abilities==
===Wild Card===
*Has a random effect on all party members within area of effect.
* Obtained: Corsair Level 1
* Recast Time: 2:00:00
* Duration: Instant
Wild Card, depending on your luck, can be an extremely overpowered 2-Hour ability which will always restore standard job abilities (such as Berserk and Boost), at times can restore large amounts of MP, and can sometimes set your TP to various levels from 100% to 300% depending on the number that you roll with it.
The jackpots, however, are the 'V' and 'VI' rolls, which will both restore all job abilities (included the 2-hour of every party member in range), and provide a 50% or 100% MP restoration respectively. However, it cannot reset your own 2-hour ability, nor can another Corsair using the ability ever restore Wild Card. Please see below for the effects of each roll:
* I: Restores all Job Abilities (does not restore 2-hour Abilities)
* II: Restores all Job Abilities (does not restore 2-hour Abilities)
* III: Restores all Job Abilities (does not restore 2-hour Abilities), 100% TP Bonus
* IV: Restores all Job Abilities (does not restore 2-hour Abilities), 300% TP Bonus
* V: Restores all Job Abilities and 2-Hour Abilities, 50% MP Restore
* VI: Restores all Job Abilities and 2-Hour Abilities, 100% MP Restore
Please note that this information was retrieved from the Wild Card description page on FFXIclopedia, and has been slightly edited. I do not believe that this information is entirely right but is mostly so. I will perform more tests to provide the right information, and will update both this guide and the Job Ability description with my findings.
===Phantom Roll===
*Grants a beneficial effect to party members within area of effect.
* Obtained: Corsair Level 5
* Recast Time: 1 Minute
* Duration: 5 minutes
This one ability is the bread and butter of the Corsair job. Phantom Roll allows you to use numerous sub-abilities called 'rolls' that allow you to give party members in a specific area-of-effect the effect of several status enhancements. Starting off with Corsair's Roll at level 5, you are able to gain more Phantom Roll abilities over time with the use of Dice, which are equivalent to Magic Scrolls. Double-Up allows you to enhance the original number from your Phantom Roll, but can also remove the effect entirely (Bust), depending on your luck.
When using an ability under Phantom Roll, you will be presented with a series of numbered cards circling your character. After a short period of time, the spinning will stop, and you will be presented with a numbered card that will rise upward in front of your character, shortly followed by the ability animation. This is your starting number.
*Numbers & Their Effects on Phantom Roll
Each Phantom Roll ability has a set of special numbers associated with that roll (Lucky & Unlucky, read more below) that will either enhance the effect of your enhancement, or lessen it. Phantom Roll has a set of numbers that reach from I-XI (1-11). Staying between the borders of I-XI will ensure that your enhancement goes off, but recieving a number that goes over XI by using the ability Double-Up will result in a bust, which removes the effect from yourself and party members, and leaves a nice little 'Bust' icon in your status bar.
*Bust?
If you happen to Bust during your use of Phantom Roll and Double-Up, the enhancement from that roll will be removed from yourself and your party members, and give you (and you only) the 'Bust' effect. This can have a variety of effects (all negative) depending on the roll you Bust on. For example, you gain less Experience Points than you normally do even without the effect of Corsair's Roll (Experience Points bonus) when you kill monsters as a sort of 'punishment' for your bad luck. Going over the number 'XI/11' will cause you to recieve the Bust effect and will also cause you and your party members to lose the effect of that roll, so be careful, and proceed only if you're feeling lucky!
*Lucky & Unlucky Numbers
Each roll-ability has one 'Lucky' and 'Unlucky' number, both which can have exceptional effects on your roll. While landing on a 'Lucky' number (for example, Corsair's Roll's Lucky number is V/5), then you will recieve a larger bonus to your experience points than you would on any number besides XI/11. Landing on the 'Unlucky' number (IX/9 for Corsair's Roll), then you will recieve an extremely small bonus to your experience points, much less than any other number.
*Increased Phantom Roll Effect
The effect of a specific Phantom Roll ability can be increased with the presence of a job that is related to the ability is in your active party. This can often mean enhanced gain from those abilities.
For example: Evoker's Roll is Refresh, and will give 1-4 MP/tick to those in range without a Summoner in your party, depending on your roll. However, were you to have a Summoner in your party, the effect of this roll would be enhanced, to 2-5 MP/tick instead of the usual 1-4. This is because Evoker's Roll is tied to the Summoner job, and having said job in your party increases this roll's potency. This also makes Evoker's Roll the single most powerful Refresh ability in the game, depending on if you get lucky or not.
In parties, always look at the memberlist for what jobs your comrades are. Using rolls that are linked to that job will increase the potency of that roll and make your party that much better (Rogue's Roll with a Thief and Fighter's Roll with a Warrior turns your party into an army of mass Double Attacking, mass Critical-hitting machines of death and destruction.
*Removing Bust effects
You can remove a Bust effect by the use of the Merit Points job ability Fold, which will remove one Bust effect. Fold will also decrease the chances of receiving a Bust effect in the first place. Also, if you are near a zone-line and have nothing in the way of TP, you can zone out, and then back in. Doing so removes all dice rolls on your person, as well as all Bust effects, allowing you to use two Phantom Roll abilities again.
*Phantom Roll Enhancements
Certain Equipment will allow you to enhance the range of Phantom Roll (Update: August 27/07). While this equipment is not currently known, it will be listed here when more information becomes available after the update.
Each Phantom Roll or Bust effect lasts for five minutes (not including Winning Streak and Fold effects).
{|border="1" width="100%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2"	Level 	 Roll	Lucky #	Unlucky #
05	 Corsair's Roll	5 	9 	
08	 Ninja Roll 	4 	8 	
11	 Hunter's Roll 	4 	8 	
14	 Chaos Roll 	4 	8 	
17	 Magus's Roll 	2 	6 	
20	 Healer's Roll 	3 	7 	
23	 Puppet Roll 	4 	8 	
26	 Choral Roll 	2 	6 	
31	 Monk's Roll 	3 	7 	
*Click on the name of the Roll to find out more information (i.e. effects of the roll, where you are able to buy it, etc).
===Double-Up===
*Enhances an active Phantom Roll effect that is eligible for Double-Up.
* Obtained: Corsair Level 5
* Recast Time: 8 seconds
* Duration: 45 seconds
This ability is used in conjunction with Phantom Roll to allow the card number you have rolled using Phantom Roll to be increased. Double-Up cannot work on it's own as an ability, therefore a Phantom Roll must be active upon your character and you'll need the 'Double-Up Chance' status effect on your status bar. Using this ability rolls another number from the same set of cards, and the number you roll is added to the total number from your original roll.
For example; Using Corsair's Roll, you recieve a IV (4) as your original number. You use Double-Up, the cards appear again, and you recieve a I (1) from that roll. The I is added to the IV to create a V (5) total for the roll. You can use Double-Up as many times as you want until you recieve a number that you are happy with, or Bust.
*Bust using Double-Up
You can only bust on a roll when you use Double-Up. If you use the ability and recieve a number that, when added to the original number you started with, exceeds the total of XI, then you will Bust. See above, in the Phantom Roll section, for the effects of Bust status.
===Quick Draw===
*Shoot a bullet charged with the magical energy of an elemental card. Special items required.
* Obtained: Corsair Level 40
* Recast Time: 1 minute 
* Duration: Instant
Something particularly different to your usual job abilities, Quick Draw allows you to instantly strike a foe with the elemental properties of a card. There are 8 types of cards in total, one for each element present in the game. Quick Draw will do a static amount of damage to a monster depending on your level, and depending on if the element is resisted. You can buy cards from the Auction House, from the NPC Jajaroon in Nashmau for around 48 gil each, or synthesize them.
A 'hidden' trait to Quick Draw is that depending on the card you use with the ability, a debuff of the same element applied to the monster already will be enhanced beyond it's usual power.
For example: A Red Mage casts Paralyze which lands on the monster without a resist. The Corsair then uses Ice Shot, which deals damage to the monster, but also enhances the effect of the Paralyze spell cast by the Red Mage previously. This increases the power of the Paralyze debuff, and you will notice an increase in the 'Name is paralyzed' messages, which can only help your tank and your party as a whole by reducing the damage everyone takes. This works for every debuff on the monster, if you use the card of the same element as the debuff. Using the appropriate 'Shot' means you can enhance Slow effects on the monster, as well as enhance Poison DoT, enhance Sleep duration, and many, many more! Ask your party enfeebler as to what elements their enfeebles are, and try it for yourself to see what works best for your party.
Each 'Shot' requires that you are using a Gun in your Ranged slot, and have the appropriate card tied to that element. Each Shot will use one card, but does not use bullets (though you must have some equipped, because the ability won't work without their presence).
Two different 'Shot' abilities are Light Shot and Dark Shot, which will Sleep the monster and Dispel it's status enhancements respectively. Both of these will not deal damage to the monster, but will still enhance debuffs of that particular element on a monster.
Quick Draw is affected by Magic Attack Bonus items, which will increase it's damage. Resistance rates are affected by AGI, so try to stock up on this particular stat to make sure the resistances to your cards are as low as possible.
===Random Deal===
*Has the possibility of resetting the reuse time of one random job ability for each party member within area of effect.
* Obtained: Corsair Level 50
* Recast Time: 20 Minutes
* Duration: Instant
Random Deal is an interesting ability. It can restore a job ability belonging to yourself or any other party member with the area of effect, but this is not guaranteed. It unfortunately cannot recover 2-Hour abilities like Wild Card can, and the ability itself is not affected by the 'Random Deal' effect (meaning that it cannot restore itself, or be restored by another Corsair's Random Deal). Random Deal also has a habit of attempting to restore Job Abilities that are already active and waiting to be used, which can often result in no abilities at all being restored to you or your party. This, however, can be somewhat fixed with the use of the Merit Points job trait Loaded Deck, but it will still have a chance of failure. Random Deal will show the message 'Partymembername evades.' when the party member in question has no job abilities to restore.
==Corsair Merit Abilities==
Usable after attaining level 75, you will have to earn these extra enhancements to COR by spending Merit Points. For more information on merit points, click on the 'Merit Points' link earlier in the sentence. (:P)
All job ability/trait merits require 3 merit points to unlock, 4 merit points to attain a higher level of the ability, and 5 merit points to 'cap out' that particular ability/trait. Upgrading them further will increase the effect or reduce the cast time.
===Snake Eye===
*Your next roll will automatically be a 1.
* Obtained: Corsair Level 75
* Recast Time: 15 Minutes
* Duration: 1 Minute or next Roll
Snake Eye can be somewhat useful should you happen to be stuck with IV on a roll that requires V to be lucky. If you happen to be rolling a lot, you'll often find that you can end up stuck in such a position, only to Double-Up and get a II instead of the I you need, or higher. This, every 15 minutes, will remove the chance of that happening. 
It has it's uses but it's main drawback is it's recast time. To gain a better-than-average/lucky roll every 15 minutes can be handy but considering you are able to use Phantom Roll every minute, the next time you are able to use the same roll effect again, you may hit that Lucky number you want. As such, in my opinion it's usefulness is limited, but can be handy when you desperately need a Lucky roll or need to get away from an Unlucky number.
===Fold===
*Erases one roll or bust effect. Targets self-cast effect with the longest remaining duration.
* Obtained: Corsair Level 75
* Recast Time: 15 Minutes
* Duration: Instant
This can be particularly handy if you happened to hit a Bust on an important roll. As it says, this ability will remove the last Roll/Bust you played, leaving you a free Phantom Roll slot, allowing you to play the last roll again should you wish, or play another. This ability will also remove the effect from all surrounding party members. Perfect for getting rid of an unlucky roll or nasty Bust effect!
I find that this ability is a lot more useful than Snake Eye but again the recast time can be a bit of a bummer, though you can always reduce it by five minutes though by capping the ability using merit points.
Update: Fold will now decrease the chance of recieving 'Bust' effects, thanks to the August 27/07 update. It is unknown how potent this will be, but results will be given on this page when discovered.
===Winning Streak===
*Extends the duration of Phantom Roll effects.
* Obtained: Corsair Level 75
* Job Traits are always active.
* Each additional merit increases the duration of Phantom Roll by 20 seconds. 
Winning Streak can be pretty nice if you'd like more breathing room between Phantom Roll uses. Capping this job trait using merit points will extend Phantom Roll ability timers an extra minute which is enough time to perform other duties or use another roll if you wanted to. Other than that, there isn't really anything else to say on this job trait.
===Loaded Deck===
*Focuses effect of Random Deal on abilities waiting on recast. Has a chance to fail if only one ability is waiting on recast.
* Obtained: Corsair Level 75
* Job Traits are always active. 
* Each futher merit reduces the chance of failure by 10%.
Obviously used in conjunction with Random Deal, Loaded Deck does exactly what it says on the tin. Though it may sound good, sometimes I rarely even notice the effect myself. I will provide more text and information here when i've done sufficient testing.
==Starting Out==
As a Corsair, you are unable to use a Gun in your early levels, so you will have to make do with either a Dagger or a Sword. Unlike several jobs, you also have no abilities, which can make life a little difficult but nothing you shouldn't be able to handle. So, out we go to the three cities' personal little starting areas, Ronfaure (San d'Oria), Gustaberg (Bastok), or Sarutabaruta (Windurst). 
Note: This Starting Out guide is from my experience, and what I did during my time as a low-level Corsair. It may not be the best means of doing things, but it does get the job done.
===Levels 1-10===
*Phantom Roll Abilities: Corsair's Roll (5), Ninja Roll (8)
*Exceptional Equipment: None
*Rare/Useful Equipment: Leaping Boots/Bounding Boots (7)
*Recommended Subjob: White Mage
My personal suggestion is to use a Sword throughout the early levelling stages over Dagger, as while you may have less skill in a Sword, the damage at that level can often make up for it. Unfortunately, the only sword available to a Corsair from level 1 is the Onion Sword, which I used anyway, upgrading to a Xiphos/+1 at level 7. If you want to make this sprint easier, possibly invest in a Pamama au Lait or other au Lait products, or maybe some Selbina Milk. Both will give you the effect of Regen and is useful for the early stages. Selbina Milk is also extremely cheap, too, but does not provide as much HP recovery as an au Lait. Subbing White Mage will allow you to Cure yourself also, to provide an easier trip.
Since you just happen to be in a starting area, it does not particularly matter what you kill as long as it doesn't happen to be Incredibly Tough, Very Tough, some Toughs, etc, etc. Just start poking some things with your weapon of choice, and you'll be flying through the levels in no time.
At level 5, you will gain access to Phantom Roll and Double-Up. The first roll you are able to use is Corsair's Roll, so make sure you have the die you recieved from the job quest with you. Using the die will allow you to access Corsair's Roll under the Phantom Roll ability, and the increase in Experience Points will make these levels just that much quicker.
At level 8, you will be able to use the Phantom Roll ability Ninja Roll, which is acquired through the use of a Ninja Die. These can be purchased from the Auction House, or by scrolling up and selecting the vendors under the 'Phantom Roll' section. Use of this ability will give you a slight Evasion Boost, which you can use along with your Experience Points bonus. Apply this roll now so that you have two enhancements on your person, and continue on the ride to 11.
===Levels 11-20===
*Phantom Roll Abilities: Hunter's Roll (11), Chaos Roll (14), Magus's Roll (17)
*Exceptional Equipment: Bandit's Gun/+1 (15) Bone Ring/+1 x2 (16)
*Rare/Useful Equipment: Traveler's Mantle (12)
*Recommended Subjob: White Mage, Warrior, Ranger
You know what time it is, don't you? Yes, it's time for the joyous, funtime Valkurm Dunes! Yes, I do understand it's hell on earth but as Corsair isn't the best solo class in the world (in fact one of the worst at this point), we're just going to have to bite the bullet. Or the die. Whatever floats your boat.
Consider obtaining a Ranger Die and Dark Knight Die prior to your entrance here, and consider obtaining a Blue Mage Die also. Hunter's Roll (Ranger) and Chaos Roll (Dark Knight) increase Accuracy/Ranged Accuracy and Attack respectively, and is what you will usually be using throughout your Valkurm stay (although sometimes, parties may want you to use Corsair's Roll instead). Magus's Roll increases Magic Defense, and while useful, is not nearly as useful as the other two at this point. So if you find yourself short on gil, buy the Ranger and Dark Knight die first.
Also, upgrade your equipment to the usual level 10 standard stuff, consider taking equipment for 15+ here, and consider upgrading to a Royal Archer's Sword if you happen to be a Sword user. Daggers at this point are somewhat pathetic and should only be used if you do not have decent skill in Sword. You will also be able to use your first gun in this stage, the Bandit's Gun. However, Bronze Bullets are the only type of bullet available to you at this stage in the game, thus you will not be getting much damage from it (nor will you have that good Ranged Accuracy, either). At this point, I don't recommend wasting your money unless you have to level up your Marksmanship skill (pack some Bone Rings, or +1 if you can afford it. The Ranged Accuracy will help). If it is already capped, try not to fall on it as your main means of attack just yet.
Tip: If you have a Ranger, Ninja, or Thief of higher level, consider using a Gun/Crossbow (depending on job) on those jobs to increase Marksmanship skill ahead of playing Corsair, as trying to increase this skill without makes it particularly difficult, since your first Gun is available at level 15, leaving you 15 levels worth of skill to catch up on.
Ranger is good here if you'd like to use Sharpshot to increase your Ranged Accuracy, but with no Accuracy Bonus job traits until 20, Sharpshot is all this subjob has going for it. Warrior will help to increase your melee damage threshold, and will allow you to Provoke in a dire emergency. I don't recommend tanking though!
White Mage is useful here for it's ability to cure several status effects (such as Poison), and also to provide a small amount of healer-support with Cure. Your damage will not be as large as with a Warrior subjob, but the difference at this level is negligible. White Mage is an excellent subjob for helping your main healer save their MP for more important things (such as casting Cure spells while you can cure Poison and Paralyze).
Slog through the Valkurm Dunes killing the usual fare, Lizards, Crabs, Damselflies, Pugils, Goblins, etc, and try and make it through. Do not worry. Go forward to the next stage at level 20, as the Experience Points in this zone will drop like a brick at that point. Oh, and in the next stage that little Gun of yours is due for an upgrade..
==Corsair's Prime==
===Levels 21-30===
*Phantom Roll Abilities: Healer's Roll (20) Puppet Roll (23) Choral Roll (26)
*Exceptional Equipment: Beetle Ring/+1 (21), Pirate's Gun/+1 (27), Archer's Knife (28), Noct Doublet Set (30), Gun Belt (30, /RNG only), Beater's Earring (30, /RNG only)
*Rare/Useful Equipment: Emperor Hairpin/Empress Hairpin (24), Military Gun (30)
*Recommended Subjob: Ranger 
First up, it's time for Qufim Island! Slightly better than the good ol' Dunes but still potentially dangerous. Consider upgrading to a Small Sword here, and remember to pack equipment for levels 21+, as well as obtaining some Beetle Rings, or hopefully the +1 version. Your Gun is about to get a LOT more powerful. Remember to pick up the die for your new Phantom Roll abilities, and it's time to go play.
Healer's Roll is excellent if you have a White Mage in your party, though melee party members will not like it placed on them. This is typically the first instance where you will have to make sure your party members are split up and not bundled together, as melee do not particularly like the effect of Clear Mind (though a Paladin might).
Slog it through til 22 (usually on Worms), remembering to keep your Marksmanship skill capped if it isn't already. The moment you ding 22 is when you become a considerably more powerful damage dealer. At 22, the Bullets make an appearance and with a MUCH higher damage rate than the old Bronze Bullets, these things will put a sizable dent in the backside of any monster you point your Gun at. The only problem is having the Ranged Accuracy to pull it off. Subbing Ranger here will help you if you haven't already been doing so, and so will the Beetle Rings/+1 I mentioned for you to buy.
Remembering to keep Phantom Roll enhancements on your party (Hunter's Roll is good here, as it will also help your Ranged Accuracy), you can begin to sit back and start taking shots at monsters for damage. Of course, you can still run up with the melee fighters of your party, but your Gun takes over as your main source of damage now. You'll also start being asked to pull for parties sometimes. Bleh.
Take your rolls and your Gun (hopefully at least a Bandit's Gun by now) and fight your way to level 25, where it's time for the next step of pain: Yuhtunga Jungle. Level 24 works too, whatever floats your boat. I hope you remembered that Archer's Knife!
*Yuhtunga Jungle: The Joys of Angry Goblins
Welcome back to Hell, part 2. The Mandragora here are particularly easy, and you will probably see an increase in the damage from your Gun here. You will unfortunately still more than likely be suffering in the Ranged Accuracy department. That will soon change, however.
Pay attention in Yuhtunga Jungle. The Goblin Smithy's can get particularly close depending on the campsite of your party, and often can (and will) decide to come rip a chunk out of you. You will REALLY start feeling the effects of the Goblin's Bomb Toss here, especially if they decide to drop it near full HP. And Goblin Rush can be particularly nasty too.
If you can find a party, do so and take Mandragora near and around the entrance of Kazham for a ride for about three levels (You may be asked to visit places far away from Kazham for your party. In this event, either have Prism Powders, someone who will accompany you back to Kazham, or a form of Warp. The Goblins will not let you back if you decide to hoof it without any of the above).
On that note, whether you choose to go at level 27 or wait until level 28, it's time for the next stage: Yhoator Jungle.
*Yhoator Jungle: The Joys of Angry Goblins Pt. 2
The Mandragora here are higher level than monsters of the same type in Yuhtunga Jungle, and will last you until about level 30, maybe level 31. These will be the main course, though several wandering Goblins may be added into the mix (either by choice, or not).
Continue along the same path, using Phantom Roll abilities on the party members who need them, and using your Gun for damage. That Archer's Knife will be helping you out quite a bit by this point. Carry on to level 30, where you'll obtain the rest of your Ranged Accuracy pieces, the Noct Doublet set, and two other items (but only if you are following the guide and use Ranger as your subjob).
Now, I believe that only three pieces of this set are particularly good for Corsair. Those three being the Noct Doublet, Noct Gloves and Noct Brais. All three pieces give a good amount of Ranged Accuracy to help you further. If at all possible, try to obtain the HQ (+1) versions of these pieces, as they are incredibly good for the level and all will last you a long time. The Noct Beret and Noct Gaiters are decent, but should not be used if you have anything better for those slots (Emperor/Empress Hairpin & Leaping/Bounding/Winged Boots).
The Gun Belt and Beater's Earring are slightly different as their effects (+5 Marksmanship skill which equates to around +5 Ranged Attack and +5 Ranged Accuracy, and +3 Ranged Accuracy respectively) are only activated should you have the subjob that correlates to them (AKA Ranger). If you do not sub Ranger, do not bother obtaining these items as they have no effect on you without it. But if you do sub Ranger, definitely consider obtaining these two pieces as they will last you a long time. The Military Gun, while useful, should only be used if you are maintaining a good hit rate on your enemies at this point. If you have a Pirate's Gun +1, consider keeping it over this, as the extra RACC can often give you a hand over the extra damage (it's not that much). If you have an NQ Pirate's Gun, you may want to consider the Military Gun if you can afford it, or go with the +1.
Continue poking the usual mix of Mandragora and Goblins, and you'll hit 31 in no time!
===Levels 31-40===
*Phantom Roll Abilities: Monk's Roll (31), Beast Roll (34), Samurai Roll (37), Evoker's Roll (40)
*Exceptional Equipment: Horn Ring/+1 (35), Drone Earring (35)
*Rare/Useful Equipment: None
*Artifact Equipment: Trump Gun (40)
*Recommended Subjob: Ranger 
Starting at 30 at this section of the guide, you will probably still be enjoying the sights of Yhoator Jungle. Continue on the same route of dealing with Yhoator Mandragora's and Goblin Smithies. When you attain level 31 you will gain the ability to use Monk's Roll if you happened to bring the appropriate die with you.
Monk's Roll, in my opinion, isn't very good. The Subtle Blow+ is nice but should never be touched if you do not have a Monk in your party, and it's usefulness is questionable even if you do happen to have one, as there are far better abilities than this one at this point (Hunter's Roll and Chaos Roll). Subtle Blow will reduce the TP each member of your party will give to a monster upon striking it, which therefore reduces the amount of TP attacks it will use throughout the fight. May sound good on paper, but it's not as drastic as it may seem.
Upon attaining level 32, you have three locations to head to (I visited all three, hence their listing): Garlaige Citadel, Eastern Altepa Desert or (G-7) in Sauromugue Champaign. Here's the lowdown:
*Garlaige Citadel: The Holey-Land. Get it? No? Fine. Go away.
While not as horrific as before a certain patch which stopped hordes of mobs making the entrance their permanant home for several hours, it can still be a pain in the backside. However, there is one advantage to Garlaige, and that's the fact that those bats just happen to be weak to the Gun you should be hauling around. Ding ding.
Upon starting to party in Garlaige Citadel, start off with the Siege Bats only. More than likely the Beetles roaming around will give you the kicking of your life at this point. Continue along the same old repetitive route of using your Phantom Roll abilities (probably still Hunter's/Chaos Roll for the melee, and Healer's Roll for the mages), and enjoy the extra damage your Gun should be doing at this point.
*Eastern Altepa Desert: Say hello to Rapido!
The Altepa Desert is usually not a first stop on the 30's road for many parties, simply because it can be hard to get to if you are low level, and don't know the route. This camp needs the 'Altep' Teleport Crystal, which means if you don't have it, you're going nowhere unless you possess the want to go get it (which I highly recommend). You can get to the Altepa Desert going through Korroloka Tunnel.
Your camp will usually be near the zone to Western Altepa Desert. Monsters of choice at first are beetles. There's only one kind of them here so you don't have to get confused. Dhalmel's will be particularly hard at this point so I do not recommend playing with them just yet unless you happen to be EXTREMELY desperate, so do so at your own risk.
You will find your Gun won't do so much damage to these beetles than it would on Bats and Flies. Goes with the territory, unfortunately. Beetles also like to mess you up further by activating Rhino Guard, an Evasion Bonus TP technique that does exactly what it says on the tin. It can be an almighty pain for the undergeared or underskilled Corsair and can affect a tip-top Corsair's accuracy also. Luckily, it can be removed by a Red Mage (Dispel), Bard Magic Finale, or Summoner Lunar Roar, so if you have one of those, thank your lucky stars.
Beetles are, as I said, on the menu for now until maybe level 34/35 (or less, depending on the skill of your party). Then, you can start to play with the main course. The Dhalmels. Oh yes, you're in for fun times!
Dhalmels have a variety of particularly annoying TP attacks, one of the most prominent being Healing Breeze. Depending on the TP of the Dhalmel at the time of it's using, it can bring back a large amount of it's lost hit points, essentially nullifying the damage you'd done to it before it was used. This can be extremely annoying, especially if you're attempting to take the Dhalmel out for a high chain, as this can remove your chain if you aren't quick enough to take it down. The other particularly annoying one (though it can often be a huge blessing) is Berserk. This is pretty much like the Warrior's form of Berserk, and will reduce the Dhalmel's defense dramatically at the cost of enhanced attack. Combined with Dia/II, the defense of the Dhalmel will be near non-existant. Take this time, along with your party, to hit the Dhalmel with your weaponskills and damage-related job abilities as they will do particularly large amounts of damage (don't be surprised to see your Gun hit a Dhalmel under Berserk effect for over 100 a shot, maybe more!).
You will see the experience points from Dhalmel's begin to disappear at level 37, where most players generally stop taking their jobs any higher, usually for support job use. At this time, it's best to move on.
*Sauromugue: Something a little different!
Not many parties notice this camp spot, so it can be useful if the other areas are quite crowded. This is unfortunately offset by the fact that you can't stay here for long. It's a nice filler in between levels 30-32, however, and it in some cases allows you to shave a level off the hell that is Garlaige Citadel. Unfortunately, this camp can only really support one party for decent Experience Points.
The prey here just so happens to be the Evil Weapons you may have bumped into on your travels to Garlaige or further. There's a melee type (WAR), and there's a mage type (RDM) of these enemies, but aside from the usual magic-casting difference between the two, there's not much else different about them. They don't have any resistances to your weapons, but they do not have any vulnerabilities, either.
(G-7) is your camp, so head there. You'll probably come to realise it's the tunnel leading into the Diving Beetle camp sometimes used by parties going from levels 18 to 20. Your camp is this tunnel and your prey is just outside, climbing or hanging around the white-colored 'spines', along the entire length of it.
This is a small but handy alternative to Garlaige Citadel and the Altepa Desert as nowhere near as many parties let this register on their camp radar. It is usually free, though some parties can be smart and take this camp, thus probably forcing you to find a different camp in the above two areas as this area does not have enough enemies to go around. This camp is fine til around 32, but at that time you will want to consider moving to another location as the Experience Points here will sadly begin to wane.
Still Working!
==Last Updated==
24th August 2007. Sorry for the slow updates, but life is pretty hectic right now. Please bear with me, it will get better soon.