Poor White Mage's Equipment Guide

Category:Guides 
You know what really bugs me about equipment guides? You go and look at them and they either have you changing gear every two levels, or they pick the pieces that cost millions of gil, like we're all RMT's or something. Of course that piece that's 2.5 mil is gonna be the best thing you can wear... but who can afford it? I want someone to tell me what I should realistically look at purchasing for the ordinary leveler. Besides, if I could afford any and everything they put on them, I'd just stand in front of the Auction Houses and pick out whatever I wanted. 
So I put this together... Always remember, if there's a +1 piece and you can afford it, by all means get it. The purpose of this guide, though, is to show you what you can get by with at a bare minimum and still be an effective White Mage, especially since spells are our first priority, and as you level and spend thousands on your scrolls, you probably can't afford nice stuff. Well here it is... enjoy.
P.S. Don't email me with that crap.. "Oh well, such and such is better", because I don't care; this is the cheap good stuff and I know there is a ton that is better. But if by perchance you notice that I can add another awesome piece for under 10k, let me know. And I realize BCNM gear is free, but this guide is pretty much the gear you can just go "pick out" at any time from vendors or the Auction House. You pretty much need to be geared for BCNM's and/or spend hours/days killing/seeking to get that one item, so I wont include those here.
~ Herkybirdy
__TOC__ __NOEDITSECTION__
 REMEMBER, FOCUS ON BUYING YOUR SPELLS FIRST THEN EQUIP WITH MND AND MP and ENMITY -
==Weapons:==
===Clubs:===
:Lvl 1 Maple Wand Keep in mind, you aren't melee. Clubs are for melee and will look tempting. Grab a wand for the stats. If you want a club and deal damage, go level something else.
:Lvl 9 Willow Wand 
:Lvl 10 Pilgrim's Wand A free piece if you camp the NM Nunyenunc. Consider it a mini-Dark Staff. May seem insignificant, but during the lvls prior to Refresh, all the MP+ you can get is nice.
:Lvl 18 Yew Wand The +1 of this is usually pretty cheap as well.
:Lvl 28 Eremite's Wand I held on to this one until I got my elemental staves. The rest listed are for skillups or soloing. Past level 51, you really have no use for wands in parties.
:Lvl 41 Blessed Hammer Artifact Weapon; with this, you won't need another weapon until you obtain your elemental staff. It will save money in the long run and be helpful to keep for BCNM fights.
:Lvl 50 Tactician Magician's Wand Don't waste cash on this. If you have a surplus of Conquest Points go ahead, it will be good for skill ups, BCNM50's, and/or until you can afford your Elemental Staves.
:Lvl 50 Lilith's Rod Recently it has become inexpensive; if you can't afford it, you can camp the NM in The Eldieme Necropolis. This club can become very useful if you decide to PL or farm Clusters because it has MP drain. (i personally stuck with this club till i obtained my elemental staff - lide)
:Lvl 57 Darksteel Mace Another one for soloing and skillups only. Can get pricey (ie. busts my 10k rule at 15k) if you're still poor by now.
:Lvl 65 Darksteel Maul Same as Darksteel Mace Solo and skillups.
All the rest is pretty much expensive and/or end game stuff... Refer to the expensive guides.
===Shields:===
Pretty much the only time you use these, obviously, is with a wand, and since you don't melee, you don't need to update these often, so I only buy a new one if I have money and nothing better to blow it on.
:Lvl 1 Lauan Shield
:Lvl 8 Maple Shield
:Lvl 13 Elm Shield
:Lvl 20 Mahogany Shield
:Lvl 30 Tortoise Shield 1 of the only shields that gives +1 int and +1 mnd. Great for whm and the blm who can't use many shields. Kill nm in Pashhow.
:Lvl 36 Oak Shield
:Lvl 40 Light Buckler One of the few shields really worth having with the +5 Shield Skill, because again, when better shields become available, we won't be using shields anymore . A must-have if one is available.
:Lvl 42 Spellcaster's Ecu An amazing new shield from the recent updates, converts 15 HP to MP and MND+2. Drops off Mucoid Mass, an easy timed-spawn NM.
:Lvl 50 Holy Shield This item has also become inexpensive recently, and can be very useful since it's for WHM only, and absorbs more DMG since its a kite shield. (I used this with Blessed Hammer and Lilith's Rod, good combo! - lide)
From here on, you're gonna be using staves ones again. If you're skilling up clubs, sub NIN and dual wield for max skillups. If you insist on using clubs past 51, you're on your own for the shields.
===Staves:===
You're pretty much not going to use these until level 51, because you should be focusing on stats and def. Most staves are for attack power, elemental resistance, or +MP. If you want to, you can pull one of these out every few lvls and skill it up so you don't get to lvl 51, have 0 skill in staves, and have to spend 10 lvls skilling it. If you so choose to blow cash on these, I'll list a few so it's not a complete waste.
:Lvl 1 Ash Staff
:Lvl 11 Holly Staff
:Lvl 23 Elm Staff
:Lvl 29 Melampus Staff 
:Lvl 39 Oak Staff
:Lvl 50 Musketeer's Pole
:Lvl 51 From here all you NEED... emphasis on NEED... is, at a minimum, Light Staff and Dark Staff. I don't care if you have to spend all your remaining money and you sell everything you have.. these are your most important tools until you decide to quit WHM.
:Lvl 60 Battle Staff +1 This will be your solo/skill up staff. Go ahead and sell everything else, except your elemental staves.
:Lvl 73 Primate Staff Remember Pamamas.
All the rest is pretty much expensive and/or end game stuff... Refer to the expensive guides.
===Ammo:===
This slot is only going to be used for non-throwing items for WHM. If you get caught with Pebbles in here, you will be killed by the nearest player!
:Lvl 1 Fortune Egg You can only get this if your around during Easter. If you don't have one, wait till next year.
:Lvl 25 Morion Tathlum Get this off a spawned NM, Morion Worm, in Korroloka Tunnel. Might need help, but give it a shot.
:Lvl 35 Holy Ampulla Get your lvl 75 friend to help you. Another NM drop. Wuur the Sandcomber in Sea Serpent Grotto.
:Lvl 66 Phantom Tathlum Same as the Morion Tathlum, only better. Phantom Worm in Kuftal Tunnel.
==Armor:==
I recommend that if you're just starting out, just keep your starting gear and use it until level 8, when you can wear the Tunic Set. But if you have a little cash, you can pick up the lvl 1 sets from the armor vendors Guruna-Maguruna in Port Windurst, Ostalie in Southern San d'Oria, or Gelzerio in Bastok Mines, but most pieces are the same as your starting gear, just looks cooler... You can get the lvl 8 Tunic set from Kumama and Guruna-Maguruna in Port Windurst depending on current Conquest ranks.
===Head:===
True, we aren't looking at defense because you're a back-line job, but we might toss in a few defense pieces just so when you do get aggro, you don't keel over in one hit.
:Lvl 1 Circlet
:Lvl 5 Bone Hairpin
:Lvl 9 Compound Eye Circlet Use this if you depart from the Tunic. If you use the Tunic, obviously this doesn't matter because you can't wear head gear. Awesome quest item. You won't be able to get the quest at low levels, but because it's a quest item, it's usually fairly inexpensive. Don't break the bank just to pick this up... it's nice, but the Brass Hairpin at lvl 10 will do just fine for a while.
:Lvl 10 Brass Hairpin Use this or the Compound Eye Circlet if you depart from the Tunic and use the Doublet or Linen Robe.
:Lvl 14 Shell Hairpin Meh... you can upgrade to this if you want. Works well in Valkurm Dunes with the Water Resistance against crabs and pugs.
:Lvl 20 Silver Hairpin 
:Lvl 29 Seer's Crown Woot!!! Seer's Tunic Set ftw! 
:Lvl 40 Electrum Hairpin Word on the street is it's about 4k in Jeuno
:Lvl 50 Gold Hairpin Below or around 10k on most servers. 
You're good until Artifact Armor!
:Lvl 54 Healer's Cap -- White Mage Artifact Armor
All the rest is pretty much expensive and/or end game stuff... Refer to the expensive guides.
===Neck:===
Neck pieces are going to be few and far between for us WHMs. Also keep in mind jewelry is a small departure from my cheapness, but it can't be helped, this stuff is expensive. If you have complaints, go check out the other stuff I didn't put on here.
:Lvl 7 Justice Badge Easy quest item in Port Windurst and most important neck item for WHM for a very long time. A must have!!!
:Lvl 26 Holy Phial Inexpensive for its stats, and if you can't buy it, farm in from Ge'Dha Evileye in Beadeaux. Bring a friend.
:Lvl 38 Spirit Torque If you can afford it, get it... if not, no biggie. Just keep it in the back of your head when you get some unexpected cash.
:Lvl 40 Republican Silver Medal From the Wings of the Goddess quest Fire in the Hole. Free with good stats, but requires a fair bit of questing to obtain.
:Lvl 50 Beak Necklace And... you're done... spend the money on this one... may be expensive, but it's just as important as your Light Staff!
===Body:===
:Lvl 1 Robe Again, use your starting gear if you have absolutely no cash... otherwise this is the set mentioned above.
:Lvl 8 Tunic
:Lvl 11 Doublet This is what you'll use if you have to use headgear. Up to you.
:Lvl 12 Linen Robe Alternative to Doublet.
:Lvl 29 Seer's Tunic +1 If you can afford the +1 of this, get it, because you will keep this piece until your Artifact Armor. If not, save up for it. 
:Lvl 40 Holy Breastplate Depending on your server, this piece may be inexpensive. If you don't plan to PL, don't waste your money on this piece, but it is useful for its DEF. This can be useful until you obtain AF body.
You're good until Artifact Armor!
:Lvl 58 Healer's Briault
All the rest is pretty much expensive and/or end game stuff... Refer to the expensive guides. (Hint: start saving for your Noble's Tunic.)
===Hands:===
:Lvl 8 Mitts Don't waste money on the level 1 Hands. They are exactly the same as your starting gear.
:Lvl 11 Zealot's Mitts Another very cheap, nice piece.
:Lvl 16 Scentless Armlets Pick these up if your having problems with pulling aggro. Otherwise, keep the Zealot's Mitts.
:Lvl 25 Mycophile Cuffs Use these if you can get someone to help you pop the NM Mycophile in Carpenters' Landing. 
:Lvl 27 Devotee's Mitts Very nice pair of gloves. Cheap at AH. 
*RSE (depending on your race) can be useful; not all of it comes cheap, but it's easily obtained through a quest:
:Lvl 27 Savage Gauntlets For Mithra only
::Magna Gloves For Elvaan female only
::Magna Gauntlets For Elvaan Male only
::Elder's Bracers For Galka only
::Custom F Gloves For Hume Female only
::Custom M Gloves For Hume Male only
::Wonder Mitts For Tarutaru only
You're good until Artifact Armor!
:Lvl 60 Healer's Mitts
===Waist:=== 
Just like Necklaces... few and far between.
:Lvl 1 Blood Stone If you're strapped for cash, don't waste your money, but a lot of people like the extra 5 HP for the beginning levels.
:Lvl 14 Friar's Rope Do the quest in sandy.
:Lvl 20 Mohbwa Sash Lower level of the qiqirn sash (below).
:Lvl 40 Druid's Rope, or Qiqirn Sash if you can find it.
:Lvl 71 Hierarch Belt
All the rest is pretty much expensive and/or end game stuff... Refer to the expensive guides.
===Legs:===
:Lvl 8 Slacks Don't waste money on the level 1 Legs. They are exactly the same as your starting gear.
:Lvl 11 Brais
:Lvl 15 Windurstian Slops Again, don't worry about these if you're broke...
:Lvl 23 Cotton Brais
:Lvl 29 Seer's Slacks +1 This +1 isn't as important. The only difference is +1 MP and 1 Def. If you can afford the +1 of this, get it, because you will keep this piece until your Artifact Armor. If not, save up for it.
*same as hands for RSE
:Lvl 31 Savage Loincloth For Mithra only
::Magna F Chausses for Elvaan female only
::Magna M Chausses For Elvaan Male only
::Elder's Braguette For Galka only
::Custom Pants For Hume Female only
::Custom Slacks For Hume Male only
::Wonder Clomps For Tarutaru Only
You're good until Artifact Armor!
:Lvl 56 Healer's Pantaloons
All the rest is pretty much expensive and/or end game stuff... Refer to the expensive guides.
===Feet:===
:Lvl 8 Solea Don't waste money on the level 1 Feet. They are exactly the same as your starting gear.
:Lvl 13 Light Soleas
:Lvl 20 Mage's Sandals
:Lvl 29 Seer's Pumps +1 If you can afford the +1 of this, get it, because you will keep this piece until your Artifact Armor. If not, save up for it.
*RSE for certain races can also be used in place of Seer's Pumps.
:Lvl 29
::Magna F Ledelsens for Elvaan female only
::Magna M Ledelsens For Elvaan Male only
::Elder's Sandals For Galka only
::Custom F Boots For Hume Female only
::Custom M Boots For Hume Male only
You're good until Artifact Armor!
:Lvl 52 Healer's Duckbills
All the rest is pretty much expensive and/or end game stuff... Refer to the expensive guides.
===Back:===
:Lvl 7 Cape
:Lvl 10 Mist Silk Cape Depending on prices on your server, this is a very good buy. It will last you for a very long time! You can also try camping the NM Spiny Spipi in East Sarutabaruta to get this for free. 
:Lvl 32 White Cape If you bought the Mist Silk Cape, skip this one. 
The levels in between these two there are several capes to suit different play styles and to assist in shoring up individual player weaknesses. My recommendation is to do your own research here.
:Lvl 39 Tundra Mantle I was stuck with this because everything else wasn't in stock or was too expensive - lide
:Lvl 43 Red Cape - Also consider the Red Cape +1, I used it for a long time - Bri
:Lvl 60 Invigorating Cape If you have access to Assault, you can get this for free as a reward.
All the rest is pretty much expensive and/or end game stuff... Refer to the expensive guides.
===Earrings:===
:Lvl 10 Energy Earring
::Hope Earring
::Onyx Earring
:Lvl 24 Mythril Earring x2 if you're having problems keeping hate off you, but keep the Energy Earring and Hope Earring.
:Lvl 29 Dodge Earring Just replace one of your Mythril Earrings if you can't afford 2. Again, use this only if you're having problems keeping hate off you. I usually keep one or two Evasion earrings on me during these low levels because there are a lot of tanks still struggling to keep hate. By no means should you get rid of your Energy Earring and Hope Earring yet!
:Lvl 31 Black Earring Easy to obtain depending on your server
:Lvl 40 Enhancing Earring This has become very cheap on my server; if you can't afford it, you can obtain it in a BCNM
:If you are needing more MND + stuff as I was, you can get a Geist earring or two, price on AH has varried greatly, so good luck! Jata2
:Lvl 50 Antivenom Earring and Insomnia Earring These two may be the biggest purchases on this list.. but it's what all the cool WHMs are doing! If you have access to Assault, you can get both earrings for free as a reward.
All the rest is pretty much expensive and/or end game stuff... Refer to the expensive guides.
===Rings:===
:Lvl 1 Windurstian Ring
::San d'Orian Ring
::Empress Band
::Emperor Band
::Anniversary Ring
::Ascetic's Ring Depending on which nation you started in, use the nation ring. If you screwed up and didn't pick Windurst or San d'Oria, or didn't match up the race selection with the nation, then just use Ascetic's Ring x2.
*Note: the Empress Band and Emperor Band wont be accessible until you've accumulated enough Conquest Points.
*Note: Anniversary Ring can only be obtained during the Adventurer Appreciation Day; there are only 10 charges on it, so don't use it all up at once; you can only get it once a year!
:Lvl 10 Saintly Ring 
:Lvl 14 Tranquility Ring x2 If you can't afford these, don't worry. They just help a lot with the water mobs in Valkurm Dunes
:Lvl 40 Electrum Ring x2 Pay for these as you can afford them. These will be worn until end game.
:Lvl 40 Ether Ring Depending on the server the price may vary, in Ragnarok they're selling for 30,000G.
:Lvl 50 Medicine Ring Depending on your server, can depend on the price. I see many WHMs wearing this. Check the latent effect before you buy!
All the rest is pretty much expensive and/or end game stuff... Refer to the expensive guides.
==Edits:==
If you would like to add something to this page, add below this text with a brief explanation of why it is easy to obtain or why it should be included.
==User:==
If you edit this page, please sign below here with name and main job...
This guide was created by Herkybirdy - White Mage 70 on Fenrir Server.
Edited By Lide at 17:55 June 24, 2008 for additions and corrections on items and a few comments. (UTC) Lide white mage
Edited for spelling and grammar (mostly). Check source for additional comments. TwoTogether 04:08, 27 April 2008 (UTC) White Mage
Edited by Stonedaru 23:06, 3 May 2008 (UTC)Stonedaru White mage (odin)Stonedaru 23:06, 3 May 2008 (UTC)
Edited spelling, grammar, and added notes on how to obtain a few items. Blendercat 11:51, 4 May 2008 (UTC), White Mage
Edited, added Pilgrim's Wand to the list. FFXI-Revenant 23:29, 13 May 2008 (UTC) Main job Drk and Whm 75.
Edited by Stonedaru 00:01, 6 June 2008 (UTC) WHM lvl 50 Odin
Edited Brass Hairpin. (It's lvl 10, not 11)
Pyrros 14:51, 26 June 2008 (GTM)
Edited for grammar and spelling by Darkstarr, RDM25/WAR15, 1:50 PDT 5/Sep/2008. (I also recommend Compound Eye Circlet and Justice Badge for BKM & RDM as well!! Easy to get, and very useful for us spellcasters! ^_^)
Added a cape Bri 00:33, 8 September 2008 (UTC)
Edited, added Republican Silver Medal, item obtainable free from a long quest series, but good stats for the level. Considering if Sol Cap should be added as well (useful stats, but requires bringing someone into the game with a Gold World Pass. --FFXI-Guppy 01:20, 14 September 2008 (UTC)
Added Ether Ring, I think it's cheap and worthy.
Added Gold Hairpin, it's below 10k on some servers and should be affordable by the time you get to that level. Also added Spellcaster's Ecu, shield drop from a time-spawned and easy to kill new NM Mucoid Mass. --Hi-chu 23:17, April 23, 2010 (UTC)
Added [[Melampus Staff], its 4-5k in AH, cure potency +3% and MND +2 comes in handy