Gil Guide by InfamousDS

This is a guide to making money without using the Auction House. It takes money to make money, and that couldn't be more true than on Final Fantasy XI. The money you gain from the following information can be useful in starting a craft or selling items on the Auction House, but they should be by no means primary sources of income until they can be done quickly, easily, and alone.
==General Tips==
* Firstly, the reason I give that warning at the top is non-Auction House money is excruciatingly slow with the exception of some things I'll point out in this guide. Mostly, the easy stuff is non-repeatable and the reward isn't worth the effort (unless you're already doing something in the same area) and the big money takes more than just one person to do until high levels.
* Kill Beast-men, the money may be low but the amount of walking you'll be doing will allow you to make some nice change to cover the cost of chocobo, airships, and outpost warping. Also, almost all Beast-men stand a chance to drop items which can be NPCed for some cash or desynthesized into rather valuable components. The best example that comes to mind is Goblin Helm, which can be turned into Iron Ingot or Steel Ingot with lucky HQ, using a Lightning Crystal.
* Crafting at high levels also allows you to make more of some stack-able items, which can be sold to NPC for profit. I did Alchemy, so I could make Deodorizer (which sells for almost break-even) and make a profit from extras. If you have a craft, look for these synths. If you don't, pick a craft you like and roll with it. If you find break-even synths, make them at higher levels and sell the extras.
* Many higher level Notorious Monsters drop large amounts of Gil, and thieves can mug them with no loss to the party's Gil drop. If your gonna make money, it might as well be helping a friend get a rare item.
* If you can't afford the auction house, don't feel bad about selling old gear to a shop. Until higher levels, all the gear is common enough for it to not matter anyway. Also, some items just NPC well anyway and you should keep your eyes out for them.
* This guide isn't an alternative to the Auction House, you probably know that already though. This is an assist to it. When you sell, try not to undercut by exorbitant amounts though. At most 5%, because any more for more than 1 item can mean the end of a reliable source of income for someone else.
* The "Myth of Mining" is a logical anomaly. It can be explained in plain language and make perfect sense, but can also be examined and found to be utterly false. It can also be called "The Myth of Farming" or "The Myth of Profit". This isn't directed at those of you who have published it here at the wiki, because most likely you heard it from someone else as well. It states that if you find a series of items worth 10000G and craft them into an item worth 6000G, you didn't save 4000G (the difference), you lost it. Pretty reasonable argument, until you look at costs. Hypothetical value is not the only defining factor in profit, mainly because "Profit = Market Value - (Cost of Materials + Cost of Labor)". In the instance of the mined item, using only what we are given in the myth, we get P = 6000 - 0, or a 6000G profit. There is no cost of materials because none were bought, and I assumed no cost of labor because it never says how much was spent on pickaxes. However, if we were to buy those same materials we'd see something familiar. P = 6000 - 10000, or -4000G. A 4000 gil loss, just like within the myth. My guess? The myth was invented by people who mined for profit but didn't want to invest in skilling up the crafts. They would see other miners who were skilling up and decided to tell them they were actually losing money, which roughly translates to them wasting time. The most efficient thing would be to let the profit miner work for them, i.e. the crafter buys the ores instead of mining themselves. This empties out the mines for the profiteer, reducing competition, and allows the crafter to spend time on other things... like earning the money for the ores. That conclusion is all speculation though. That isn't to say you shouldn't sell the more valuable components, but if you have the skill and are actively mining/farming (not just finding it as you wander around), the ability to turn 1-8 inventory slots into a single slot is very useful. Especially if what you are finding doesn't stack and what you can make does. Bottom line: there is no myth, go ahead and do what you want. It may have been true years ago, but the markets seem to have evened out since then and it is more feasible to find what you need if you are willing (or able) to put forth the effort.
=The Guide=
Note: This could be considered a quest guide, very much like the Quick Reputation guide. However, this guide sticks exclusively to profitable quests. Just letting you know.
Note 2: Minimum requirements as listed are for the entire quest/quest series. Level will be listed as it is needed (and not just for the quest), and will be the lowest I feel you could solo easily.
Note 3: For quest series, reward is for all related quests. For single quest where you can use stackables, reward is in terms of stacks.
=== Beastmen Gil ===
In a new and spirited endeavor, Gil has been graciously placed on the individual Beastmen's pages. Please refer to them for exact drops. Here is some hints though:
1) As a rule, level effects the amount. This was done to prevent newer characters from becoming millionaires in a really short time, although that can be done if you know what to do....
2) Gigas are the first Beastmen family to drop 3-digit Gil in terms of level, but are highly camped because of their importance to Fields of Valor. Goblins are very common and can be found just about anywhere, and their armors can be turned into very nice things. If you go out to farm Gil, I recommend these 2 beastmen families. At higher ends of Smithing desynthesis, Quadav become reasonable sources of income because their armors drop much more often and desynth into almost exactly the same things. The only difference is Quadav Backplate HQ3 into Darksteel, where Goblin Mail HQ3 is Steel.
3) ALL beastmen drop Gil, no matter what. Desperation will lead you to take advantage of this fact, but planning will allow you to exploit it to your advantage. Like Quadav Helms (see below).
===Glyph Hanger and subsequent Quests===
Minimum Requirements: Windurst Fame 4
Rewards: Map of the Horutoto Ruins, Map of Fei' Yin, 7300 Gil
Just run around taking to people and getting Books. First and fourth quest is started by Hariga-Origa at (F-8) of Windurst Waters. Second and Third are started by Tosuka-Porika at (G-8) of Windurst Waters, and needs a Silver Beastcoin and easy access to San d'Oria, respectively. Very straightforward and relatively simple, just very long travel times.
===Rycharde the Chef and Subsequent Quests===
Minimum Requirements: Windurst Fame 6
Rewards: 8,100 Gil (or 7,600 Gil, you'll see why), Map of the Toraimarai Canal, Tableware Set, Tea Set
In terms of amount of time you have to spend waiting just to do the quests, this one is the king. Every quest in this series requires a wait of 8 game days (440 minutes, or 7.33 hours), which can have you working for several days for a rather small reward. I will point out the exceptions. However, the long wait time does give you the opportunity to farm the items before you need them. The actual pages give much more detail, but I'm gonna list what you need in general here.
Rycharde the Chef: Dhalmel Meat x2
Way of the Cook: Dhalmel Meat, Beehive Chip (Careful of the 3 game day time limit, reward is reduced to only 1,000 Gil if you fail to meet the time limit) 
Unending Chase: Puffball (Wait 2 full game days after previous, cannot be started with puffball in inventory)
His Name is Valgeir: Key Item from Rycharde
Expertise: Land Crab Meat, Scream Fungus (Started by Take in Selbina)
The Clue: Crawler Egg x4 (Back to Rycharde)
The Basics: Key Item from Rycharde, then Popoto which Valgeir gives you.
===Toraimarai Turmoil and previous quests===
Minimum Requirement: Moderate Windurst fame, 60+, Friends(only for 1 quest)
Rewards:1000 Gil, Power Gi, 900 Gil(repeatable), 3600 Gil + Blue Ribbon, 4500 Gil (repeatable) + Toraimarai Canal Access
This is a nice way to get cash in general, but you'll need friends and time until you get to the very end. Be warned that if you have not finished Say It with Flowers, you cannot do these quests. Here's the list!
Food for Thought: Go feed the Rhinostery, get some Pamtam Kelp, Tortilla, Grilled Hare, Hard-Boiled Egg, and Windurstian Tea. 1000 Gil reward, break-even if you buy everything from NPCs.
Overnight Delivery: Deliver the package, easiest way is to simply set your HP in Waters and warp back after picking up the item. Power Gi is a nice low level body as well.
Water Way to Go: Replenish the Fluoro-Flora by fetching some water. 900 Gil reward, can be repeated as much as you want for fame.
Blue Ribbon Blues: Remember how I said you'd need friends? This is where (and why). First speak to Kerutoto, then look for Roberta, who will give you a purple ribbon. Take that back to Kerutoto, who will pay you for it (3600 Gil), and tell you to wait. You must wait exactly 24 game hours (not day change) after you trade it to pick it back up and be scolded by Kerutoto, who will say either purify or return it to its rightful owner. Seems like you decide both, as you go to The Eldieme Necropolis to do just that. Be sure you have a friend to open Odin's/Shiva's Gate for you, and look for the Hume Bones to fight Lich C Magnus in the basement. If your friends need it, make them trade it to him too, provided you opened the door for them once inside the gates. Your efforts net you a Purple Ribbon, and access to the next quest.
Toraimarai Turmoil: And here we are, the real reason to do these chores. This quest requires you hunt down Starmites, and while the 4500 Gil is nice, the reason for doing this is access to the canal, regardless of national allegiance. Why bother? Fenrir lives there, and its a nice place to exp for certain jobs and levels. If your more interested in the money though, Starmites are beetle-type mobs that are level 59-61. Roughly 6 live there, and if your lucky enough you can farm beetle jaws as well as their unique shells.
===An Explorer's Footsteps===
Minimum Requirements: Level 18, Selbina Fame 1, Any method of quick travel, preferably cheap.
Rewards: 18,000 Gil without bonus tablets, additional 20,000 Gil with them, Map of the Crawler's Nest
See the actual guide for this one, I'm just pointing it out. Probably the longest quest on this page.
===Seeing Spots===
Minimum Requirements: Access to Southern San d'Oria (S), Level 50
Reward: 9,000 Gil
This is repeatable, and needs 4 Ladybug Wings per quest. Because of the high reward, the ladybugs in East Ronfaure (S) are highly camped by farmers and killed by experience parties and soloers. If you can kill them fast enough to avoid competition, go for it.
===Tiger's Teeth===
Minimum Requirements: Level Varies based on area, San d'Oria Fame 3
Reward: 8,400 Gil
A repeatable quest that's fairly easy to profit from. Collect Black Tiger Fangs, turn them in to Taumila, enjoy the gil. Jugner Tigers can be killed 30+, Batallia Tigers 40+, Glacier Tigers 60+. Just double-check the AH fist to make sure this is the better option.
===Only the Best===
Minimum Requirements: Selbina Fame 1, Level 30-35(depending on job)
Reward: 200 Gil, 480 Gil, or 7,200 Gil
Yes, you did read that right. A quick check of Jeuno's Auction House will quickly reassure you of what I just said. The items (from left to right) are La Theine Cabbagex5, Millioncornx3, and Boyahda Moss. Obviously this is only notable because of the moss, which can be farmed rather easily (although not as commonly as others) from Goobbue in Pashhow Marshlands. I never once ran into other people camping them, even for Jolly Green, and in a mere 3 days (12 hours total), I had Level 4 Jeuno Fame and around 80,000 Gil. Here's another neat fact: This quest is repeatable infinitely, and you can still make a nice profit if you buy your stacks at around 6,800. If I recall correctly, the total profit from Jeuno Fame 0 to Jeuno Fame 9 was 169,000ish, if all the moss is farmed.
===Vengeful Wrath===
*Note: This stems from the Farming Suggestions guide. Credit is given to it's author for noticing this.
Minimum Requirements: Bastok Fame 3
Rewards: 900 Gil
I'm not 100% sure of the level where the Quadav near the Pashhow Marshlands zone stop being aggressive, but that would be the best level for this quest. They are not aggressive to a 50DNC/25NIN, because I recently took a trip to Beadeaux for The Rescue. The basic idea is just kill Old Quadav as you see them. They drop Quadav Helm with a roughly 30% rate, and nothing else. Take those helms to Bastok Mines and give them to Goraow. They don't stack, but this is definitely a great way to kill 2 birds with one stone. This can be repeated without zoning, although you have to speak with Goraow again when you come back. Alternatively, you can just desynth the helms (Smithing 49) and sell the ingots on the auction house, but that isn't the point of this guide.
=== The Darksmith ===
Minimum Requirement: Bastok Fame 2
Reward: 8000 Gil
If you have no money or can't get to Jeuno, this is where your Darksteel Ore should go. However, it goes for a loss if you buy the ore and the ore isn't really common enough to use up like this if you have the Smithing skill. Good news is that it can be repeated for fame.
=== Minesweeper ===
Minimum Requirements: Bastok Fame 1
Reward: 600 Gil
This is the quest you do to offset Pickaxe costs while mining in Zeruhn Mines. Other than being a nice fame quest, it isn't really good money unless you started out in Bastok and need to get some cash to get yourself going. Kill Tunnel Worm for Zinc Ore, since its rather uncommon, and trade any soot you get for the money.
=== Mandragora-Mad ===
Minimum Requirements: Windurst Fame 1
Reward: 120 Gil, 200 Gil, 250 Gil, 1,200 Gil, or 5,500 Gil
This is a so-so quest for money, depending on where you party and whether or not you actually find these items. They are (left to right) Four-Leaf Mandragora Bud, Cornette, Yuhtunga Sulfur, Three-Leaf Mandragora Bud, and Snobby Letter. The first 3 can be found right outside Windurst, from Mandragora (not Tiny Mandragora) and the Cornette is the only non-R/Ex item there. The 3-leaf bud is found at Yuhtunga Mandragora, and the snobby letter is from Mourioche in the Boyahda Tree. Since all the items except the cornette are R/Ex, it would be best to kill the Mandragora near Windurst and give those to him. If you choose to do this for fame, they can be bought for minimum 219 Gil in Bastok. If you choose to craft (in the interest of Skill-ups or HQ), then it needs Bonecraft/Goldsmithing 14. You won't make any money by buying the brass, but you should scrape to around break-even if you buy the bone chips.
===Prime Avatar Battles===
Minimum Requirements: Fame of 6 in EVERY city, Level 75(depending on job)
Rewards: Rare Weapon(s) (Related to Avatar), Rare Accessory(s) (Related to Avatar), Special Key Item, 10,000 Gil, Ability to Summon defeated Avatar
These Prime Battles can be redone once every day, but the walk hardly makes it seem worthwhile. Also, this focuses on the six main avatars, and not Fenrir, Diabolos, or Carbuncle. These are 6 different quests, each completely unrelated to each other. They can be repeated at the passing of Japanese Midnight. It is worth noting that these fights CAN be extremely difficult if your unprepared. However, the 10,000 Gil reward may be just enough incentive to not fail. The following is a list of the avatars and their respective Tarutaru. After getting a tuning fork, head to their respective Cloister to start the battle. Avoid the day that is the same as the avatar, try to fight on the day opposite if your aiming for the ability to summon. Check the actual page for directions to the Cloister.
Garuda: Agado-Pugado, (G-9) in Rabao (Trial by Wind)
Ifrit: Ronta-Onta, (J-9) in Kazham (Trial by Fire)
Leviathan: Edal-Tahdal, (H-9) in Norg (Requires Norg Fame of 4, not 6!!!) (Trial by Water)
Ramuh: Ripapa, (I-9) in Mhaura (Trial by Lightning)
Titan: Juroro, (I-8) in Port Bastok (Trial by Earth)
Shiva: Gulmama, (E-7) in Northern San d'Oria (Trial by Ice)
===Chests/Coffers===
Minimum Requirement: Varies by area, but exclusive to dungeons.
Reward: Also varies, often maps first, Gil later. Some OK Items as well.
This is a general category of money-making. Only a few areas offer less than 1000 Gil as a coffer drop, and areas in the higher levels will often get you coffer keys just by partying there. Of note is the fact that Beastmen will more than likely stand a chance to drop your key, so feel free to kill them if your trying for a key for the extra money. You can also attempt to pick the locks if you have Thief leveled, but be wary of Mimics or weakened status.
===A Discerning Eye===
Minimum Requirements: Airship Pass
Reward: 500 Gil
Just ride the airship all day, you only have to pay once. Takes a lot of time and errors result in no pay, but can be lucrative once you are good at the quest.
===The Elvaan Goldsmith===
Minimum Requirements: Bastok Fame Less than 2 OR completing the following Father Figure and The Return of the Adventurer
Reward: 500 Gil (2200 and Cotton Headband for the non-repeatable portion)
Simple 180G per Copper Ingot turned in. Synth your Copper Ore drops from pickaxes alongside doing Minesweeper in Zeruhn Mines, and if you don't want to AH them, you can turn them in once per zoning in. Added by Alydra.
===Gourmet===
Minimum Requirements: Bastok Fame 1
Reward: 100, 200, or 350 Gil
Turn in Treant Bulbs and Wild Onions for 200 and 350G respectively at the proper times, 100G otherwise. For the Wild Onions, the quest is only worthwhile if you turn them in between 12:00 and 17:59, otherwise just hold on to them. Repeatable with zoning. Added by Alydra.
===Fear of the Dark===
Minimum Requirements: San d'Oria Fame 1
Reward: 200 Gil
Simple, another decent enough low level quest due to the abundance of bats in starting areas. Turn in two Bat Wings at a time for 200Gil and easily repeatable Sandy fame. Added by Alydra. 
===Paying Lip Service===
Minimum Requirements: Windurst Fame 1
Reward: 200 Gil (or 150 Gil)
This is a very similar quest to Fear of the Dark but with a far less abundant drop requirement. While farming Mandragoras for Cornettes, kill the River Crabs for Remi Shells, and turn them in two at a time for 200 Gil. You can also turn in 3 Beehive Chips for 150 Gil if you're fully desperate for Gil, but I would leave those to the AH. Added by Alydra.
That's all I can think of at this time. If you know of any other easy (and I can't stress this enough, legal) ways to make money without the Auction House, feel free to add them to this page. Please do not, however, edit my work. Sign yours or make suggestions in the Talk Page, and I'll do my best to get them in this guide. InfamousDS 21:21, 20 March 2009 (UTC)