Guide to BST/NIN by Ctownwoody/Page 3

__TOC__
<< Page 2 | Location Guide>> 
=BST/NIN Equipment Guide=
The Guide only goes from 1-60. After 60, you should be familiar enough with your style to be comfortable researching yourself.
Generally, the format is by type. Equipment for Charm is in . Equipment to only use in parties is ; that stuff draws too much hate or there is something that's better for soloing at the same level range.
*Note on Augments: I won't include them here because the random effects might mess with the set-values here. If you get effects with +CHR, -Emnity, +Evasion, +AGI, etc, things that work well solo/charm, then use them as such. If you get effects with +STR or other DD-enhancements, use them as such as well. Just don't rely on the process.
*Note on new +pet items: I don't include them because they weren't around when I made this guide, much less when I was these levels, for the most part (only Herder's Subligar and Askar Dirs, really). But the new options let you customize your pet approach between pet survivability/durability, pet attack, pet accuracy, etc. 
==Weapons (Axe)==
*Bronze Axe (Level 1): Starting weapon. Don't worry about HQ.
*Orcish Axe (5): R/E drop from Orcs in West Ronfaure. It has -CHR but that won't be a factor yet.
*Brass Axe (8): Upgrade. HQ isn't a big deal.
*Light Axe (11): Quest reward in Sandy. Earn it if you haven't or find it on the AH there.
*Bone Axe (13): Another upgrade.
*Bone Pick (16): At this point, you might want to consider cost/benefit analysis for NQ vs. HQ.
* (17): This has +8 CHR at level 17, so it is a very large boost. However, BST has no native Staff skill and this isn't a good weapon even if BST had A+, so this is 98% optional (100% not required, but 102% made of awesome). Thankfully, prices have dropped significantly so that this is marginally affordable and it does resell. 
*Battleaxe (20): You'll be using at least one of these until level 32, so get at least one HQ.
*Military Pick (28): Best axe for 30-cap events, but relatively more expensive than other gear at this level. I managed without one as do most BSTs.
*Warrior's Axe (32): Get two as soon as you hit 32, if not before because they are great upgrades.
* (40): Your AF Weapon. You can solo the quest but friends help a lot here. It has +2 STR and CHR, so it actually is very very helpful even DD-ing.
*Combat Caster's Axe (40): Your mainhand weapon at 40 and 40-cap events; get at least one.
*Viking Axe (48): Get two, use them for 8-12 levels at least. +10 Accuracy each is incredibly helpful.
* (51): This has +1 CHR, and a hidden effect of +10% Charm success. Never try to charm after you hit 51 without using this if possible.
* (56): +7 Str is a big big boost for Weapon Skills. Some people off-hand this weapon until end-game for that boost. 
*Kabrakan's Axe (59): A very nice weapon, but more designed for /whm than /nin. However, this, Wrath Tabar and Tungi are the Terrible Trio for BSTs of 60-70: any two of them are perfectally acceptable. Also, on Earthsday, this weapon will have a slow effect proc often, which is really great solo.
*Tungi (60): R/E drop off a popped NM in Quicksand Caves. The pop item takes 2 hours to respawn. Oh, and it's not 100% drop. However, the DPS on this item, and it's low delay make this a near-perfect off-hand weapon from 60 until end-game (Juggernaut, Temperance Axe, etc).
* (60): Off-hand strap for your Light Staff at 60 for that extra +1 CHR. The NQ is just as good as the HQ for your purposes but HQs are more common on the AH than NQs.
==Head==
*Bronze Cap (1): Starting piece, HQ not required.
*Leather Bandana (7): Upgrade only.
*Faceguard (10): Upgrade again.
* (11): Your first +CHR item for the head. R/E drop from a Too Weak NM rabbit in East Sarutabaruta. I decided to get in the habit of picking up easy +CHR gear early on, but I think you can skip it if needed.
* (14): An upgrade for Charm gear from Entrancing Ribbon, with one extra CHR. This is your first must-have, because it will last you a long time.
*Cotton Headband (14): Your solo head gear at this level. The +Evasion helps more than extra defense against EM-T mobs.
*Beetle Mask +1 (21): An upgrade for the headband. The extra defense outweighs the Evasion boost.
*Empress Hairpin (24): Your second must-have for this slot. Alternate between this and Noble's Ribbon between 24 and 56 for solo play.
* (42): A DD-oriented upgrade from your Emp Pin. However, for solo play, the Emp Pin still rules.
* (56): Your AF head. At this point, the +Charm is better than the Noble's Ribbon's +CHR. Best of all, the time spent camping the coffer aside, it's free.
==Neck==
*Wing Pendant (7): EX item from a Sandy-based quest. Marginal benefits but nothing much in the neck department before then.
* (15): First, and largely only, +CHR piece for the neck you'll need or use. Must-have, as a result.
*Spike Necklace (21): Pretty good for solo and must-have for DD. There's nothing close that's easy to get until 60, really.
*Peacock Charm (33): Well, incredibly hard to camp or incredibly rare BCNM drop, or just incredibly expensive. Good if you got it already, but don't worry if you don't.
*Republican Silver Medal (40): A new R/E item from Wings of the Goddess Quests for Bastok. For solo play only, as the -2 Enmity is good for engaging mobs.
*Chivalrous Chain (60): The upgrade from Spike Necklace. Only took 39 levels.
==Body==
*Bronze Harness (1): Starting gear.
*Leather Vest (7): Upgrade.
*Scale Mail (10): Upgrade.
*Bone Harness +1 (16): If soloing, the HQ is very much advised.
* (18): Has +1 CHR, but expensive. Up to you if it's worth it.
*Beetle Harness +1 (21): Another upgrade, and the HQ is worth it.
*Chainmail (24): Another upgrade. Again, just an upgrade.
*Mercenary Captain's Doublet (30): A good upgrade, with some helpful stats for melee.
*RSE Armor (33): Consider based on your race and the stats. Galka, Hume and Mithra have +CHR; Mithra and Taru has +STR.
*Brigandine (45): Another upgrade. Nothing too special.
*Crow Jupon (50): The Crow Jupon Set, minus the cap, is all but made for BST/NIN. +Evasion and -Emnity let you engage in melee almost immediately without fear of taking hate and offer you good bonuses to avoid being hit if you do take hate. I cannot recommend this enough.
* (50): CHR+3 for Charm although this piece is better suited for /WHM than /NIN.
*Scorpion Harness (57): Another wonderful upgrade. This time, though, this is something to wear with pride, as the +10 Accuracy is a big help for party situations too.
* (58): The hardest AF to get, because it's in Beadeaux. Also, this is really your first body piece to consider Charm gear.
* (59): If you are doing a lot more Parties than solo work (which is unusual in the 50s), this is a better pick than the Scorpion Harness. However, the attack-based stats and -Evasion will hurt you in solo play. I'd advise picking one and sticking with it.
==Hands==
*Bronze Mittens (1): Level 1 gear.
*Leather Gloves (7): An upgrade
*Scale Finger Gauntlets (10): Another upgrade.
*Battle Gloves (14): These are incredibly useful from 14 to at least 27. Don't level without them.
*RSE Hands: Depending on race. The Hume and Taru gloves are incredible DD, but not much else is good here.
*Royal Squire's Mufflers (30): Best of the 30-options for BST/NIN. I'm not a fan of Gigas Bracelets at this level.
* (40): Okay, now you can begin using the Gigas-Bracelet series for DD purposes. The +STR outdoes the -DEX and -AGI. But don't use when soloing.
* (50): An upgrade in the series. Again, DD only situations.
*Crow Bracers (50): This is what you should use when soloing between 50 and 54. Again, the Crow Jupon Set was almost custom-made for BST/NIN.
* (54): For solo work, these hands acutally stand up well when engaged as well. The +Dex is nice for accuracy and the +Parrying Skill is always a nice bonus.
* (60): This is the last upgrade in the series that I use. The level 70 ones cost 350K+ on Asura, so I skipped them.
==Legs==
*Bronze Subligar (1): Yes, it is a subligar, but suck it up.
*Leather Trousers (7): Upgrade.
*Scale Cuisses (10): Another upgrade.
*Bone Subligar +1 (16): Upgrade, yet again. HQ does matter.
*Beetle Subligar +1 (21): Upgrade, yet again. HQ does matter.
*Republic Subligar (25): Pretty cool stats, but not enough for DD-only status. However, when doing capped events as a DD from 30-40, this is what I used.
*Herder's Subligar (25): Very recent addition, not at all easy to get, because of the number of Treasure Caskets required. The exact bonus is not defined yet but Pet Accuracy is no small matter. There are most helpful when pet-swapping DC/EMs against T/VTs starting when you get Leave all the way to end-game (I will merit using Flamingos against Groundskeepers in Sky). However, only use them if you aren't engaging the enemies as there are better armors for this slot in those situations.
*Centurion's Cuisses (30): Possible upgrade. Not as nice as the Republic Subligar for DD, though.
*RSE Breeches (31): Hume and Galka have +CHR, Taru get +STR. Not much else stands out, though.
*Royal Squire's Breeches (40): Upgrade over Centurion's for solo but not Republic Subligar for DD.
*Iron Ram Breeches (45): Newish piece from Campaign. If you get this for solo and DD, you might want to consider getting more pieces for the set bonuses.
*Crow Hose (50): After hearing me wax poetic about the Crow Jupon Set, do I really have to repeat myself?
*Royal Knight's Breeches (55): I'm tempted to put this as DD-only but the bonuses don't add up to anything scary enough to keep them off when soloing.
* (60): Your final AF piece, and one that you cannot solo. It has +CHR and +Charm and a nice +Killer effect boost.
==Feet==
*Bronze Leggings (1): Starting EQ.
*Bounding Boots (7): If you are lucky, you have these and can use them until nearly end-game.
*Leather Highboots (7): For those not as lucky, a basic upgrade.
*Scale Greaves (10): Upgrade again.
*Bone Leggings +1 (16): Upgrade again. HQ matters.
*Beetle Leggings +1 (21): Upgrade again, HQ matters.
*RSE Feet (29): Mithra get +CHR, Taru get +STR, nothing else of note.
*Centurion's Greaves (30): Upgrade yet again.
*Crow Gaiters (50): Depressing but this is the next upgrade worth your time. Very nice, but only for two levels.
* (52): Sadly, as your options are that bad, this is what you'll wear all the time, even in parties. You can solo the quest from start to end but it'll take hours longer that way.
* (59): Yeah, the first DD gear for BST feet is at 59. The slot frankly lacks any good options until the very end-game.
==Back==
*Rabbit Mantle (7): Basic gear.
*Traveler's Mantle (12): You'll get some use out of this because of the Evasion.
*Night Cape (21): Upgrade. The extra +2 DEF is decent.
*Nomad's Mantle (24): If you didn't upgrade to Night Cape, upgrade to this. There's not a whole lot of difference between the two.
*Wolf Mantle +1 (28): More defense and elemental resistance vs. extra Evasion...truly optional.
*Bat Cape (46): The cost makes this optional to consider.
*Jaguar Mantle (47): Some questing involved, first option that adds to DD-capacity, but not enough to be a DD-only piece.
*Republican/Royal Army Mantle (55): Okay, I guess. Not much is added to your DD ability, especially considering the Conquest point cost.
* (61): Okay, I said this was 0-60, but this is the exception. This is the only DD-back piece that is worth your money and a must-have.
==Waist==
*Warrior's Belt +1 (15): First belt worth getting. The +VIT and +HP are okay for soloing. It'll last until 40.
* (18): First DD-belt. It'll last until 40 and is marked as DD-only because you want to solo with Warrior's Belt +1 and party with Brave Belt but it won't be the end of the world if you don't.
* (40): This is the be-all and end-all of CHR belts until your Relic Accessory. However, the negative stats for melee mean you need to macro it in and out when soloing.
*Tilt Belt (40): Your new melee belt after Brave Belt.
* (43): If you are partying at this level a lot, very much worth the cost. Not a piece I would recommend for using when soloing, however.
*Life Belt (48): This is incredible, especially considering that you get Viking Axe at this level. +30 Accuracy means you can eat meat for some massive attack boosts.
*Swift Belt (50): If you got it, this is so much better, however. I am a gigantic fan of Haste-gear.
*Potent Belt (60): Debatable if it is a DD-only piece over the Life Belt or if you really need one if you get the Swift Belt, but very much worth looking at.
==Rings==
*, Balance, and (14): Your basic choices of CHR, DEX and STR rings at 14.
*Rajas Ring (30): I got mine, so I'm boasting here. But after completing CoP, this should be your choice.
* (37): Upgrade from Hope Rings. These last.
*Woodsman Ring (40): Expensive, especially for two of them, but my choice to replace your Balance/Courage Rings, especially since they can pull double-duty as solo and DD gear.
*, Ulthalam's Ring (50): The first can be an upgrade for one Woodsman at 50, if you don't have Rajas Ring, or not. The second, when you complete most of ToAU Missions, is the replacement for one Woodsman.
* (54): Upgrade again for Loyalty Rings. I got away with not getting these but I think I did suffer some because of it.
==Ears==
*Cassie Earring (1): If you have this incredibly rare or expensive item, use it. If not, don't worry.
*Hope Earring (10): If you want them, use them. If not, their absence shouldn't make a life/death difference.
*Beetle Earring +1 (21): As the first real earrings, these add some attack and substract some evasion. I wouldn't consider them DD-only but you won't be scorned for taking them off in solo play.
*Reraise Earring (24): Putting this in here for reference. I don't use one often, but some people always have one on them.
*Dodge Earring (29): These are solo-only and should replace your Beetle Earring +1s for solo work.
*Heims Earring (49): If you have the gil to burn, this exists as the best option. 100k on Asura.
*Stoic, Velocity Earring (50): Your solo play upgrades. I also used them for 50-cap work due to their Resist traits.
* (55): Your first true, DD-only earrings. They get supplanted at 63 but are worth it until then.
*Assault Earring (58): 400k earring of incredible 'teh awesome'-ness. Just putting it out there.
=Personal List of MY End-Game Gear=
This is my Super-Secret, Super-Special and Super-Personal End-Game Gear List That I Made, so take with a grain of salt, and take as a pesonal process. By 60, you should be 100% comfortable with what your style of play is. You may notice that I emphasize +CHR more than +Charm; that's because I prefer pet-swapping to getting a EM-T mob for a longer time and fighting beside it.
=Continued...=
Continued at Guide to BST/NIN by Ctownwoody/Page 4 for information on places where I have gained XP...