The Street Performer: Dancer Equipment Guide for the Stingy of Wallet

Category:Guides
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=Introduction=
: Dancers dance in battle to debuff the mob and to buff and heal the party. Street Performers dance on the streets to entertain and make money (and not starve). This is a guide for those Dancers who are short on money.
: Hello! This is my first time making a guide. There are currently very few (read: two) Dancer equipment guides out there, but none specifically for those on a limited budget, so being cheap and stingy myself, yet not wanting to resort to dancing in the streets shouting for money, I decided to write this guide. Not that writing this is going to earn me any money, so I suppose I did it just to have a guide with a ridiculously long name.
: 'THIS GUIDE IS CURRENTLY IN THE WORKS!', and does not yet include all of the new equipment added in recent updates. If you would like to contribute to the guide or toss me a suggestion or otherwise, feel free to do so and add your name in the credits section, or toss me a PM. I do reserve the right to re-edit your suggestions though if I feel it does not belong to this particular guide.
==Disclaimer==
DISCLAIMER #1: I am from San d'Oria and race Hume, so the guide is biased towards Sandy CP and Quest Items as well as Hume RSE gear. As the guide approaches completion I will research more on the viability of Quest and CP items from other nations and the usefulness of the other race's RSE. However, this guide was specifically written to equip the poor and needy (No shame in that, I'm one of them) and as such is NOT a comprehensive, all-inclusive guide of everything Dancer can wear. 
DISCLAIMER #2: I try to keep costs to a minimum, but equipment prices increase dramatically as you get to higher levels. Mid to high level DNC daggers still remain fairly cheap, but body pieces & accessories take a high jump in price during the mid-levels. If you cannot afford the standard equipment for higher levels, please do everyone a favor and just stop leveling the job. Unlike normal melees Dancers are relied on to back up or main heal, and without decent ACC gear you will just end up as a wasted spot in a dying party.
DISCLAIMER #3: This guide was written with the general support DNC in mind, not suitable as a guide for tanking gear or for subbing mage jobs. 
 
==Notes==
*First off you will probably notice right off the bat that the level divisions are kinda wonky. This is because key equipment changes occur at specific levels, and I tend to break it up according to these levels so you can do your equipment upgrades all at once.
*Secondly, if you have been leveling Dancer for awhile now, you have probably noticed the extreme lack of gear available to Dancers. We can wear about half of what Thieves and White Mages can equip, and a limited portion of normal DD equipment, but half of those again are items that either give no stat enhancements or are otherwise useless. This means that oftentimes, you will be wearing the same set of equipment for a lot longer than anyone else (Battle gloves, anyone?). However, this does NOT necessarily mean you are gimp, merely that there is simply no better alternative available to Dancers that is not a rare/ex drop or otherwise hard to get (e.g. CoP Rajas ring), and if someone tries to tell you that you're being gimp for still wearing Battle gloves at level forty-some (which you will be) then tell them to either STFU or go whine to SE to do something about it. 
*Notes on Notation and Abbreviations:
::A bolded item name generally indicates that piece of gear that is either highly recommended, is the +1 version, is pricier than normal but very worth it, or is a rare/ex drop off a Notorious Monster, which means it's free at the cost of effort.
::CP means Conquest Points
::Sandy = San d'Oria
::Windy = Windurst
::AH stands for Auction House. 
::HQ stands for "High Quality", which means the +1 version of an item
::NQ stands for "Normal Quality", which is the normal version of an item.
::ACC stands for Accuracy, your ability to successfully hit the mob.
::EVA stands for Evasion, your ability to avoid being hit by a mob.
=Stat Priority=
As a general, mostly support or mainheal and even a DD Dancer, your priorities in gearing yourself pre-level 50 will be:
:: 1. Accuracy
:: 2. +DEX when +ACC isn't available
:: 3. +STR, +Attack etc to prevent daggers from hitting for 0 against high-defense monsters, or if you often find yourself hitting for 0
:: 4. Evasion/AGI for survivability when you steal hate and soloing and also enmity down gear since waltzes can pull hate quite easily or when your tank just sucks
In the later post-50 levels, your priorities will become
:: 1. Accuracy & Haste Gear
:: 2. +STR, +Attack etc to prevent daggers from hitting for 0 against high-defense monsters, or if you often find yourself hitting for 0
:: 3. Evasion/AGI for survivability when you steal hate and soloing and also enmity down gear since waltzes can pull hate quite easily or when your tank just sucks
::For most higher level Dancers, you will gain TP in Haste+% gear while keeping ACC in slots that don't go towards haste+%, and Weaponskill in a combination of mostly Accuracy/DEX + some STR/Attack/CHR gear etc. This is because DNC's most potent weaponskills are all multi-hit skills, which means Accuracy is most important since no matter how hard you hit, you don't do any damage if you miss. Also, with multi-hit weaponskills, such as Evisceration, a 5-hit weaponskill, if you miss even just one hit, there will be a noticeable decrease in the overall weaponskill damage, so you will want to have enough accuracy to be able to land all hits reliably for consistent damage. 
::In other words: Being able to land all hits in Dancing Edge or Evisceration will deal more damage than loading up STR and Attack and only being able to land one or two hits. 
'WHY USING CHR+ GEAR IS NOT IMPORTANT FOR YOUR EARLY LEVELS (OR EVEN LATER ON):'
:*How much you cure for a waltz are affected by two things: your target's VIT, and your own CHR. 
:*However, if you examine the formulas for waltzes (See: Curing Waltz, Curing Waltz II, Curing Waltz III), the ratio of additional HP healed to additional CHR+ is less than one-to-one. It is 0.25 for CWI, 0.5 for CWII, and 0.75 for CWIII. 
:*This means that if you have invested in about maybe CHR+20 worth of gear, it would only translate into 4~15 additional HP healed for Curing Waltz I~III, which personally I think is really not worth it at all considering the amount of money and inventory space you'd need to sacrifice for it. 
:*The ratio of CHR+ to additional HP healed is exactly 1:1 for Curing Waltz IV, so it means however much CHR added through equipment is however much additional HP you'll heal for. This is slightly better, but not by much. It is up to you whether you want to invest in a CHR+ set. However, by level 60, macro'ing in your AF body for the 10% waltz potency boost into your waltzes should more than overdo any CHR+ you could add. 
== Low Levels 1-23==
During these lower levels, you have a lot more choices regarding weapons. If you sub MNK, definitely go for a Hand-to-Hand Weapon. If you prefer to use dagger or swords because of merits in either category then do so. I'm not saying to buy all the weapons here, just pick one and stick with it!
[Weapons]
:*Lv.10 Royal Archer's Cesti (Sandy CP item) ACC+3 Damage+2
::Lv.10 Legionnaire's Knuckles (Bastok CP item) ACC+2 Attack+3
::Lv.10 Royal Archer's Sword (Sandy CP item) - one of the best damage over delay swords for its level. 
:*Lv.12 Burning Cesti - Price isn't too bad for a HQ item with ACC. Averages 2k across servers
:*Lv.13 Knife - buy it from the NPC, don't use AH!
:*Lv.20 Mercenary's Knife (Windy CP Item) - this is a weird one. It's quite cheap on some servers, fairly tolerable on most, and sucks for you if you're on Diabolos. If you're on one of those unfortunate servers, ask a Windurstian friend to buy these with CP for you if you're not from Windurst. These will serve you well until level 30. 
[Head Equipment]
:*Lv.9 Compound Eye Circlet - Eva +5, will last you a long time if you don't have Empress Hairpin. Generally cheap on most servers, or you can do an easy quest in Windy to get it for free. Tip: try to buy it in Windy or Jeuno, it will be a lot cheaper.
::Alternatives: (but honestly, just stick with the Cmp. Eye Circlet, it's better than any of these below)
:*Lv.10 Royal Footman's Bandana - AGI+1 
:*Lv.14 Cotton Headband
:*Lv.15 San d'Orian Bandana
[Body Equipment]
:*Lv.1 Race Specific Equipment
:*Lv.10 Royal Footman's Vest (Sandy CP Item) - Water resistance +5
::Lv.10 Legionnaire's Harness (Bastok CP Item) - Fire resistance +5
::Lv.10 Doublet
::LV.10 Brass Harness - these level 10 pieces all have the same DEF so get whatever's cheapest, although the CP items offer elemental 
::resistance which can be useful in the dunes (Fire resistance against gobs and water resistance against pugils and snippers!)''
:*Lv.15 San d'Orian Vest or
::Lv.15 Legionnaire's Harness, whichever is cheaper, these are the only lv15 Body pieces that aren't overly expensive that DNC can equip. 
:*Lv.17 Lizard Jerkin
:*Lv.21 Beetle Harness +1 - although slightly on the pricey side, I strongly recommend getting the +1 set for the evasion bonuses because you won't be getting anything new until lv.30. The HQ set isn't that much more expensive than the NQ, and is definitely worthwhile. Since DNC doesn't get a lot of equipment choices, at times we are forced to buy the Higher Quality of lower-level items to tide us through the higher levels. If money is an issue, by the NQ first, and upgrade to the HQ Body by level 25 at the latest. 
[Hands Equipment] 
:*Lv.1 Race Specific Equipment
:*Lv.10 Royal Footman's Gloves - Attack+3
:*Lv.14 Battle Gloves - I am not kidding you when I say you literally NEED these. Yes, they are pricey for the level (Price range from about 4k~17k across all servers, averaging around 10k) but hey, you can basically wear these until AF hands, which are level 52. That's like spending only 264 gil per level on your hands until level 52. They can be farmed from the chests in King Ranperre's Tomb for free, the keys have a half-decent drop rate with TH1 and I've gotten these gloves 3 times out of 10 tries so it's not that rare. Do NOT skimp on these gloves! you are 16 levels away from your first Accuracy Bonus trait, you have no A skill in any weapon, you will need these, badly.
:*Lv.17 Lizard Gloves - Don't buy these. Get the Battle Gloves.
:*Lv.21 Beetle Mittens +1 - Don't buy these!!! GET THE BATTLE GLOVES!! Sell about 20 stacks of crystals and you'll get them!!
[Leg Equipment]
:*Lv.1 Race Specific Equipment
:*Lv.7 Leather Trousers - buy from NPC, don't buy from AH, and sell it back to AH for profit after you're done
:*Lv.11 Brais or
::Lv.11 Brass Subligar. Both are quite equally ugly.
:*Lv.17 Lizard Trousers
:*Lv.20 Royal Footman's Trousers if the Beetle Subligar is too expensive. 
:*Lv.21 Beetle Subligar/Beetle Subligar +1 - this one you can get away with buying the NQ version since you get a pants upgrade at level 25, but I'd still recommend the +1. Don't worry, this item actually looks like pants, not panties.
[Feet Equipment] 
:*Lv.1 Race Specific Equipment
:*Lv.7 Bounding Boots - drops off Leaping Lizzy, which IMO is even more of a pain in the arse to camp than Valkurm Emperor. However, if you have these they pretty much will last you until AF. For the less fortunate, we have the other options below:
::Lv.7 Leather Highboots
:*Lv.10 Royal Footman's Boots (Sandy CP item) - the Bastok equivalent has 1 less DEF, wouldn't recommend it, if you can't get these choose one of the level 11 and 12 options, other wise just stick with these until lv.15 or 17
:*Lv.11 Brass Leggings \
::Lv.11 Gaiters > these all have the same stats, check whichever is cheapest at your local AH. No need to upgrade until lv. 15 or 17ish
::Lv.12 Holly Clogs /
:*Lv.15 San d'Orian Boots
:*Lv.17 Lizard Ledelsens
:*Lv.21 Beetle Leggings +1 - if you don't have bounding boots I DEFINITELY recommend you get the +1 because you can basically keep these until level 50 if you wanted. The next viable alternative is at level 30 and even still, it's not even an improvement, just an alternative.
[Ranged/Ammo Slot]
:*Lv. 1 Happy Egg - obtainable for free from the annual Easter egg-hunt event. 
:*Lv.1 Orphic Egg - if you have a BRD or a COR in party, also obtainable from the Easter Egg hunt.
:*Lv. 15 Rogetsurin - I highly highly recommend you get this. Very easy to camp and it's a 100% drop. Mob pops on new or full moon in Konschtat Highlands and easily soloable by a level 30 job, which you should have if you've unlocked DNC. Not only is it the earliest ranged weapon DNC can equip, it also offers a nice AGI+1. I actually get asked to pull on Dancer quite often, so it's rather important that you have it, and will last you until your level 40 AF weapon. It's honestly not that hard to camp and not to mention it's FREE!
[Waist]
:*Lv.1 Blood Stone - HP+5 pick either this or the lv.7 belt, they're about equally useful IMO
:*Lv.7 Leather Belt - buy from NPC, don't buy from AH, and sell it back to AH for profit after you're done.
:*Lv.15 Warrior's Belt/Warrior's Belt +1 - definitely worth getting, you won't need a new belt until Lv.30, don't bother with the lv.17 Lizard Belt if you have this. 
:*Lv.17 Lizard Belt - don't get it if you have the warrior's belt.
[Back]
:*Lv.4 Rabbit Mantle - personally I wouldn't bother with a back piece until level 13 one, but if you really want it and don't have a travelers, it'll last til Lv.17
:*Lv.12 Traveler's Mantle - Pricey so go camp it. Drop rate is around %15 but Spook pops up to 3 times every game day and is easily killable by a level 20 character so go get yourself one, it's quite nice and will last you until Lv.24 or possibly beyond.
:*Lv.17 Lizard Mantle if you didn't get the Traveler's. 
:*Lv.18 Dhalmel Mantle if you didn't get the Traveler's or the Lizard. 
[Neck]
:*Lv.3 Pile Chain - HP+3 and ACC+1, can be found in Brown Treasure Caskets in East Sarutabaruta. This can last you from level 3 all the way to the Spike Necklace if you're lucky enough to get it! 
:*Lv.7 Wing Pendant - Very easy Sandy quest item, so it's free!
:: Alternatives if you have them lying around: 
::Lv.7 Regen Collar
::Lv.7 Justice Badge 
::Lv.7 Leather Gorget 
:*Lv.10 Green Scarf
:*Lv.15 Bird Whistle - honestly, you can get away without bothering with neck pieces until Spike Necklace, so if you're really on a budget, don't bother buying a neck piece at this level unless you already have it.
:*Lv.21 Spike Necklace - Don't even touch the NQ version (Fang Necklace), while being the HQ this is a fairly standard piece of gear for all melee and this will last you a long time. Make the investment, it's affordable at this level for most servers (ranging from a mere 2.2k~10k across all servers, averaging at about 7.5k).
[Rings]
:*Lv.14 Amethyst Ring/Balance Ring x2 - The Balance rings may be a little pricey for new players, so in that case get the Amethyst Rings and upgrade to the Balance rings by level 25. I see many dancers wear STR rings for some reason even at high levels and it's such a shameful waste. They focus only on STR and Attack trying to equip DNC like a normal DD and then complain that they can't hit the mob or land a step. Newsflash: Even normal DDs like WARs and DRKs need accuracy before attack/STR. STR rings will do diddly squat for you when you can't even land hits consistently enough to be useful. 
[Earrings]
:*Lv.10 Optical Earring - a 100% drop from Maighdean Uaine in North Gustaberg. This item gives you ACC+1 but Attack -2. As long as you're not hitting for 0 frequently, this could carry you through Beetles. 
:*Lv.21 Beetle Earring +1 x2 - I would insist on getting the HQ. Although they have -evasion, these will help prevent you from hitting for 0 and are melee/DD earrings that are acceptable to wear until very high levels, so get the HQ now and you pretty much won't have to worry about upgrading until very later when you start to get serious about your gear in the end-game levels. 
:* Pre-21 there aren't really many earrings that are either 1) useful to DNC or 2) worth the price and/or the short duration of time in which you can wear it. If you happen to have earrings lying around, wear them, but I wouldn't, say, buy HQ Bone Earrings for the sole purpose of gearing DNC when you can party or even solo from level 16 to 21 in a blink of an eye. 
*TIP: Buy equip with your nation's CP if it's something you can use. If you need a CP item of another nation, try to ask a friend from that nation with points to spare to buy it for you, and/or offer to get them CP items from your nation in return. If you have to buy CP items with gil, always ALWAYS go to the nation to buy it. CP items in the nation that offers it will ALWAYS be cheaper. Also, low-level equipment such as Lizard gear oftentimes sell for much cheaper in Jeuno/Whitegate than in starter cities (Sandy, Windy, Bastok); if you do not have Jeuno/Whitegate access, but have a friend who does, send them money and ask them to buy it for you there and send it to your delivery box to save money.
==Mid Levels 24-49==
This is the time to start switching to daggers, as your low skill rating in H2H and Sword really start to show; you'll be having a hard time getting TP otherwise. Take advantage of your native Dual Wield trait and wield that extra dagger for the additional ACC boost. /RNG is a good sub up until you hit 30 and get your own ACC bonus trait, otherwise /NIN is ideal for pulling, soloing, or if your tank sucks at keeping hate.
[Weapons]
:*Lv.25 Windurstian Knife - ACC+2 and Attack+3, these also tend to be on the cheaper side, and may be cheaper than Mercenary's Knifes for some servers. They will last you til level 34 unless you really want to upgrade early at level 30. 
:*Lv.30 Mercenary Captain's Kukri (Windy CP Item) - ACC+3 each or to save your wallet you may want to keep on to your Mercencary or Windurstian Knifes and hold out 4 more levels for the Windy Kukris.
:*Lv.34 Windurstian Kukri ACC+2 and also Attack+5 in nations not under your control. These will last you until lv.46. With the exception of Titan and Valefor, these knives are quite affordable on most servers, averaging 5~10k. If you are already dual-wielding Merc. Cpt Kukris, you can skip this.
:*Lv.46 Bone Knife +1 - ACC+5 Attack +5. GET THE HQ. NO ARGUING. GET IT. Even the +1 is dirt cheap across all servers for the stats it gives. This is basically good until 59.
[Head Equipment]
:*Lv.24 Empress Hairpin - If you can get it. Dropped off Valkurm Emperor which is soloable by most 35+ jobs. May be hard to camp but persistence will pay off and it is really worthwhile, being the best mid-level head piece for all melee jobs. If you are lazy, or don't care, stick with your compound eye circlet.
:*Lv.25 Precision Bandana - An amazing new piece added in the recent update, ACC+3 makes this even better than the empy hairpin for Dancers. The price ranges wildly across servers, anywhere from 10k to 150k, so it's easier just to go farm the NM, Herbage Hunter in Tahrongi Canyon, which can be solo'd easily by any mid-to-high level job. 
:*Lv.30 Mercenary Captain's Headgear - if you are unlucky with drops and too cheap or lazy for the precision bandana.
:*Lv.39 Dobson Bandanna - drops off Carmine Dobsonfly; you will need access to Riverne - Site A01.
[Body Equipment]
:*Lv.30 Mercenary Captain's Doublet - Windy CP Item, good 'til Lv.45
:*Lv.45 Brigandine - the price is quite nice for it's stats. Can technically last you until the mid-50s. 
 
[Hands Equipment]
:*Lv.14 Battle Gloves - Hi, you're still wearing these. You might be sadface, but your wallet will be happy.
:*Lv.27 Custom M Gloves/Custom F Gloves - Hume RSE (not sure about other races), has less ACC than battle gloves (1-handed weapons: 3DEX=1.5ACC), these also have STR+3 and a little hp/mp boost. STR and DEX are fairly common WS modifiers if you ever need to WS on DNC. Also increases attack and critical hit rate slightly at the expense of -1 to VIT and AGI which shouldn't make much of an overall difference. Worthwhile if you don't have a problem hitting and can live with about 2 less ACC and are looking to improve overall DOT.
:*Lv.30 Combat Mittens/Combat Mittens +1 - another new piece of gear added in the recent update. The NQ tend to be cheaper than Battle Gloves so if you somehow-for-no-good-reason decided to skip getting those you better have these on until AF. These give ACC+4 and the HQ version of these offers an additional Attack+1.
[Leg Equipment]
:*Lv.25 Republic Subligar - better for exp Party/DD setup
::or
:*Lv.25 San d'Orian Trousers/Kingdom Trousers - better for solo/evasion gear setup
These will be on the pricey side for this level. In most situations the Republic Subligar is the better investment, but also more pricey. These (except the San d'Orian Trousers) are actually both +2 blue box pants, which means they're the HQ of an upgrade, which is why they're expensive for the level. However, there really isn't any other pants for DNC this level that isn't completely useless. Pleeeease buy one of these pants, unlike other jobs, you don't get a reasonable alternative until level 50, and even then these pants can last you until AF pants (Lv58), so you need a pair that will tide you over until that time. If you need time to farm up enough money, stick with the Beetle Subligar +1 but definitely upgrade into one of these by level 30 at the very latest.
[Feet Equipment] 
:*Lv.7 Bounding Boots/Leaping Boots - if you have them
:*Lv.30 Mercenary Captain's Gaiters - DEF:5 AGI+1, or you could actually just stick with your Beetle Leggings +1 if you prefer. IMO the Beetle Leggings +1 is the better option because AGI+1 is only 0.5 evasion. 
:*Lv.45 Carapace Leggings +1 - if you really insist on upgrading. The NQ provides no worthwhile stat boosts and is not worth it, and the HQ essentially does the same thing as Beetle Leggings +1 with a tiny bit more defense, so not really worth the price in my opinion; there is a much better upgrade at level 50, and the difference in defense is incredibly insignificant.
[Ranged/Ammo Slot]
:*Lv.1 Orphic Egg - if you have a BRD or a COR in party
:*Lv.30 RSE Sachets
:: Attar Sachet (Elvaan F}
:: Olibanum Sachet (Elvaan M)
:: Millefleurs Sachet (Hume F)
:: Balm Sachet (Hume M)
:: Sweet Sachet (Tarutaru M&F)
:: Musk Sachet (Galka)
:: Civet Sachet (Mithra)
:*Lv.40 War Hoop (Dancer AF Weapon) - Yay, free stuff. 
[Waist]
:*Lv.30 Mercenary Captain's Belt - Windy CP Item, which will last you until level 40, when you get
:*Lv.40 Tilt Belt - ACC+5 nomnomnomnomnom. This is dirt cheap across all servers, get it NAO. It will last you 8 levels. The Evasion-5 should not be a point of concern, even if you are tanking, being able to land your steps and melee hits to gain TP will help your survival more than the loss of 5 evasion, and if you're not tanking, you shouldn't be taking hate, and a good puller with utsusemi up should always be able to pull mobs without getting hit.
:*Lv.48 Life Belt - ACC+10 "So good and yet quite cheap. Buy one now if you can use it, no excuses." -- Raenryong of Bahamut.
::Yes, it IS worth it to upgrade to the life belt from tilt belt. Life belt starts to get in the 10-20ks (30~40k on some unfortunate servers) But it will last you a LONG time and as a Dancer you can get away with using this instead of the much more expensive Potent Belt at Lv.60 or the hard to get Swift Belt.
[Neck]
:*Lv.33 Peacock Amulet/Peacock Charm - I am putting this item here purely for the reason that you will look at the AH prices for this thing and be exceedingly grateful for the existence of equipment guides that do not assume that all players possess gil in astronomical numbers. On the other hand, if you do have this, you have a lot more leeway when it comes to picking and choosing your other equipment.
:*Lv.21 Spike Necklace - just use this. It's still good.
[Rings]
:*Lv.30 Shikaree Ring - drops off Stroper Chymes in Ordelle's Caves, but be warned this is a painfully rare drop, and most jobs can't solo these at level 30. 
:*Lv.30 Rajas Ring - if you have it (Ring from completing CoP missions)
:*Lv.34 Venerer Ring - this can be gotten for free from a CoP (Chains of Promathia) quest Chasing Dreams if you are that far into the CoP missions. Otherwise, it can be bought on AH and is a cheaper alternative to the Woodsman Rings.
:*Lv.35 Jaeger Ring - drops from the Carmine Dobsonfly NM; you will need access to Riverne - Site A01.
:*Lv.36 Deft Ring - DEX+3 rings, if you cannot afford any of the ACC rings
:*Lv.40 Woodsman Ring - drops off ENMS. If you are using DEX rings still, and cannot get a Shikaree or a Venerer's, then start saving up for at least one of these. Aim to get one by level 50 or sooner!
:*Lv.49 Ecphoria Ring - dropped off Skogs Fru in East Ronfaure (S). A very worthwhile investment, this ring gives Store TP+1 as well as ACC+4. This NM can take up to 3 hours to pop, and is soloable by a 75 job, but you may need help if you are lower level. Definitely look into acquiring one of these either by camping the NM or buying it off the AH, price-wise this ring is much more affordable compared the Woodsman, Archer's or Sniper Rings, less than half the price of woodsmans on most servers. -Another very imortant thing to note about this ring: If you find yourself fighting mobs that inflict Amnesia, a negative status effect that renderes you unable to use Job Abilities or Weapon Skills, then this ring is a must have due to its 'Cure Amnesia' enchantment. The Ecphoria Ring is currently the only known 'cure' for this status ailment.-
[Earrings]
:*Lv.21 Beetle Earring +1 - are still the best choice for general DD/support party situations.
:*Lv.29 Dodge Earrings - If you have them lying around from leveling Ninja, but I would say the Beetle Earring +1s are the better choice. 
:*Lv.36 Drone Earrings - Can be swapped in if for some reason you wish to use the Weaponskill Cyclone, which has an AGI modifier (good for farming). 
[Back]
:*Lv.24 Nomad's Mantle - logical upgrade from the Lv. 13 Traveler's Mantle. Lasts you well into the Mid-high levels.
:*Lv.26 Exactitude Mantle/Exactitude Mantle +1 - Acc +1/Acc +2. The NQ averages between 10-30k, though at 10k it may be even cheaper than the Nomad's Mantle on some servers. The HQ is quite expensive and the NQ can be pricey on certain servers as well, so if you have a Clothcraft friend it is very cheap to just farm the materials and ask them to make it for you. Finding a crafter shouldn't be difficult since it only requires 20 skill to synth.
==Mid-High Levels 50-64==
Note that as you are nearing 60 you will start missing considerably more; particularly because the main exp mobs (colibri) at this level are highly evasive, so *do* stock up as much ACC as you can during these levels. Once you get the scorpion harness and get your Accuracy Bonus Trait at level 60, however, it's a good time to start letting go of your lower level ACC-boosting daggers in favor of heavier base damage daggers. A general rule is to pick heavier damage over lower delay at this point (level 59+). 
Heavier base damage will serve you much better in terms of avoiding the dreaded hit for 0 and allowing for better Weapon Skill damage and better DPS/DOT (Damage Per Second/Damage Over Time). For this reason, I would not recommend the Lv.53 Darksteel Knifes or the Lv.60 Cermet knives. 
At level 50, /WAR starts to become a decent DD subjob (again, only when if you're not pulling and when your tank is very good at holding hate); you'll benefit from Double Attack and Berserk and later on, you'll also get Attack Bonus. /SAM becomes viable at level 60 by allowing you access to Meditate to give you that extra TP during times of need.''
 
[Weapons]
:*Lv.46 Bone Knife +1 - ACC+5 Attack +5. Depending on what's available on the market/AH and your needs, you can still be using these if need be. If you have a pair of decent ACC rings now you can probably afford to move on to the higher base damage daggers; however, if you are still having ACC problems, keep one in offhand and mainhand the higher base damage dagger. 
:*Lv.57 Avis - Added in a recent update and more expensive than other knives on the AH. The DMG is higher than Darksteel Kukri, and the latent of Acc +6 is activated by having a Samba active on yourself, which should be full time for any decent dancer! The NM appears every 90 minutes in Fort Karugo-Narugo and is fairly easy to solo as a 75 job, or by getting a friend or two to help camp.
:*Lv.59 Darksteel Kukri - cheap daggers for this level range with good base damage and decent delay. I used the +1 until level 70 when I swapped to the Behemoth knife+1.
:*Lv.62 Cermet Kukri - about the same price as Darksteel Kukris, but have same base damage and only 6 less delay, which equates to 1/10th of a second faster....not worth it in my opinion! If you want to upgrade, upgrade to the Darksteel Kukri +1 or Cermet Kukri +1, which will last you until Lv.69/Lv.70.
:*Lv.62 Sleight Kukri - Attack+3 and Subtle Blow+3, but most importantly the lowest delay dagger available for Dancer making it an excellent excellent choice to offhand! 
[Head Equipment]
For TP/fulltime wear:
:*Lv.24 Empress Hairpin - If you can get it. Dropped off Valkurm Emperor which is soloable by most 35+ jobs. May be hard to camp but persistence will pay off and it is really worthwhile, being the best mid-level head piece for all melee jobs. 
:*Lv.25 Precision Bandana - An amazing new piece added in the recent update, ACC+3 makes this even better than the empy hairpin for Dancers. Drops from Herbage Hunter, an easy NM in Tahrongi Canyon and droprate doesn't seem too terrible. 
:*Lv.39 Dobson Bandanna - drops off Carmine Dobsonfly; you will need access to Riverne - Site A01.
For Macro/swap-in wear:
:*Lv.54 Dancer's Tiara - Your AF Head piece. These have to be bought by trading materials to Matthias. You really can't avoid buying these, but it's only going to get more expensive from here on out. Give the job a rest and farm if you need to, the rest of your AF pieces will be even more expensive, not to mention the accessory upgrades you will need past the 60s will cost even more, and you will need them to be able to perform your dancer duties. You will obviously want to wear this for your sambas, but I would also suggest swapping it in during waltzes for the enmity down. Please don't fulltime wear or TP in this head piece, it sucks. Even a Mercenary Captain's Headgear would be better than wearing your tiara fulltime.
[Body Equipment]
:*Lv.50 Rapparee Harness - This is "technically" free, but involves a long, arduous quest and access to Phomiuna Aqueducts, and money to buy the outfit that Brygid asks you to wear. The armor that Brygid requests for you to wear can be sold right back to the Auction House after you finish the quest for only the loss of Auction House fees, but the problem with this is that she often asks for rare, high-level and pricey crafted-only items, which can be a problem. You won't actually lose much money to get this piece, but you will need sufficient base funds (and patience in waiting for things to become available/get sold on AH) in case she asks for something retarded. So why go through all this trouble? The haste+4% on these piece makes it a hands-down winner, not to mention it looks really cool as well.
:*Lv.55 Jaridah Peti - if you can't afford the Scorpion Harness in time for level 57 this is a cheaper alternative, but it's really considered embarassing to be seen past lv.57 without an SH. 
:*Lv.57 Scorpion Harness - a whopping +10 to both ACC and Evasion. Who can say no to that? For the high demand and the great stats to this piece the price is actually fairly reasonable, although it might take awhile to save up for. With accuracy being the lifeblood of Dancers, this is definitely an essential, if not the most important piece of gear in these levels, particularly since your next level of Accuracy Bonus trait isn't until level 60, so you will noticeably start to miss a lot more in the late 50s even eating sushi, and will need all the ACC you can get to get you to 60. This is honestly the only real piece of expensive-ish equipment that I would consider a DNC gimp for if they don't have it, so don't level to 57 until you have enough money to afford it! Farm farm farm farm farm!
:*Lv.60 Dancer's Casaque - finally, the last piece of your Artifact Armor set! Please do not full time your AF bodypiece, it is a horrible horrible choice. Like your AF Tiara, it functions best as a macro-in piece. The AF body is in every way inferior to the benefits of a Scorpion Harness, a Jaridah Peti or the Rapparee Harness, and by this level you DEFINITELY should have at least one of those peices. The DEX+2 from the AF body is a puny ACC+1 and is easily overshadowed by the ACC+10 of the SH. The STR+2 of the AF body only equates to +1 attack and means diddlysquat if you can't hit the broadside of a barn with it on. No, being able to land one hit out of ten does not count. Unless you have a Peacock Charm/Peacock Amulet in combination with one or more of the following: Woodsman or Sniper's Rings x2, Optical Hat and don't NEED more accuracy in a body armor (which, if you are reading this guide, I seriously doubt that you do), there is zero benefit in full-timing DNC AF bodypiece in parties when there is the Scorpion or Rapparree Harness and Jaridah Peti available. The enmity down from the body piece isn't going to benefit you since if you're fulltiming the AF body you won't be able to land enough hits/steps/gain enough TP to even make pulling hate a possibility anyway. That being said, don't forget to swap this piece in for your waltzes! 
 
[Hands Equipment]
:*Lv.14 Battle Gloves or *Lv.30 Combat Mittens/Combat Mittens +1 - will both still work at this stage. The Combat Mittens are the better choice for partying, and Battle Gloves work better for solo. 
:*Lv.50 Crow Bracers - CAN be an option, but only for macro-in with waltzes to help reduce enmity, the extra EVA+2 isn't good enough to wear full-time at the expense of losing the ACC from the Battle Gloves or Combat Mittens. It really isn't worth it, since you get to wear AF Bangles in 2 levels. 
:*Lv.52 Dancer's Bangles - YAY FINALLY YOU CAN CHANGE YOUR GLOVES! Unfortunately, these are not quested. You have to pay a pretty penny for them. However, if you don't get them, you're losing out on a very important, if not essential piece of equipment for Dancer. These are pretty much good to wear full-time, unless you prefer to keep your Battle Gloves or Combat Mittens on and just macro these in during steps. The bonus from the AF bangles is reportedly +15 step accuracy.
[Leg Equipment]
:*Lv.50 Crow Hose - A great lifesaver if you find yourself pulling hate often. However, since you get AF legs in 8 levels, you could also just stick to your Lv. 25 Republic Subligar or Kingdom Trousers if you wish. 
:*Lv.58 Dancer's Tights - Yay, your AF pants! And these can be quested = FREE! These are good to fulltime/TP in; the ACC will help you gain TP and the CHR and enmity down will help with your waltzes.
[Feet Equipment] 
:*Lv.7 Bounding Boots/Leaping Boots - if you have them.
:*Lv.50 Crow Gaiters - Evasion+4 Enmity-4. Nice to have, but since you get your AF shoes in 6 levels it won't matter terribly much if you choose to skip over it. If you have leaping boots, I would still TP in those and just swap these in during waltzes and sambas etc to reduce enmity. 
:*Lv.56 Dancer's Shoes - These, sadly, have to be bought. But at least with them on your jigs won't completely suck anymore. The Attack+5 and Evasion+5 are also nice. These are acceptable to wear fulltime in both party and solo situations. The later alternatives for this slot will get very expensive (Dusk).
[Ranged/Ammo Slot]
:*Lv.40 War Hoop - can just stick with this.
If you're not pulling: 
:*Lv.1 Orphic Egg - if you have a BRD or a COR in party
:*Lv.50 Optical Needle - Accuracy +1, obtained from BCNM Idol Thoughts and also a rare logging item from Fort Karugo-Narugo (S). Averages between 20k-50k on most servers, but up to 100k on certain servers.
:*Lv.54 Smart Grenade - Hidden effect: Attack +4. Quite nice to put into the ammo slot and best of all can be obtained for FREE from the quest Message on the Wind.
:*Lv.58 Tiphia Sting - pain in the butt NM to kill, but droprate doesn't seem too terrible. It's only rare, so it can be bought off the AH, but averages around 200k.
:*Lv.60 Sonia's Plectrum - for swap in with waltzes, but only gives +1% outside of campaign battle. Note that if you only change the ammo slot, you will not lose TP, so, for example, if you have more than one ammo equipment you could use Tiphia Sting for TPing and switch it out to the plectrum during your waltzes.
:*Lv.70 White Tathlum - HP +15 Store TP+2 Enmity -2, drops off Serket in Ghoyu's Reverie. Extremely expensive, best to camp the drop yourself if you want this.
:*Lv.70 Astrolabe - STR +1, Accuracy +3, drops off Marquis Sabnock in Castle Zvahl Baileys. The NM can be soloed by a well-equipped evasive 75 job.
[Waist]
:*Lv.44 Headlong Belt - One of the new items, gives Attack+4 Haste+3%. Drops off Chonchon in Meriphataud Mountains (S). I like to call this one "The Lazy Man's swiftbelt". Not as good as the actual swift belt, but much easier to obtain.
:*Lv.48 Life Belt - Told ya you could keep this for a long time. 
:*Lv.50 Swift Belt - Can be time-consuming, but is obtained from a forced pop NM in Sacrarium. Pop item is a Fomor Codex which can be bought in a Bazaar, or farmed. Much less accuracy than a life belt, with an attack penalty, but as for as NM, rare/ex items go, this one isn't too hard to get (see: Joyeuse =\). If you've got your Rapparee Harness, this will get a little more Haste out of your set -- if this is your only Haste piece, the difference may be negligible. Listing it here because this is the range it falls in -- I couldn't argue with a DNC using a life belt well past this range, but this plus a Walahra Turban (can be free gil-wise) and a Raparee Harness (see above) makes for a great start to a Haste build. With other pieces being expensive or hard to obtain (Etoile Tights, Dusk Gear), you probably wanna hunt this down at some point, but it's certainly not a stop-leveling-DNC-until-you-have-it thing.
:*Lv.54 Virtuoso Belt - Another great new item added in the recent NM update. ACC+12 Attack+4, it's like an upgraded version of the life belt farmed off Belladonna in West Sarutabaruta (S), and I would say is better than the Potent Belt if you have the patience to farm this. 
:*Lv.60 Potent Belt - obtainable with 10,000 Leujaoam Sanctum Assault Points. However, if you are unable to do Assault missions you may have to buy it off the AH and it costs upwards of 100k on most servers. A nice piece to upgrade to though, but if you're tight on gil, it's fine to stick with your Life Belt.
[Back]
:*Lv. 60 Bushido Cape - is quite a good investment as a TP piece for DNC, even if you don't sub SAM, you still get the full benefits of the cape. It is less than half the price of an Amemet+1 on 90% of all servers, although the NQ Amemet is much, much cheaper if your budget is tight. A good choice if you'd like to invest some money in a good DNC backpiece but don't want to spend as much as an Amemet+1. However since it would only be a TP piece (Amemet Mantle is better for Weapon Skills and DDing) the price may not justify its more limited use. 
:*Lv. 61 Amemet Mantle - STFU about the +1. To quote some comments on FFXIAH, 
:: " you should not be considered gimp for having NQ version of this piece. It still offers a lot of great stats for a price that's unheard of. I used this piece until I decided it was time for me to own a +1 version. Nevertheless it's a great piece to own." --shamelessly plucked from Hitetsu of Sylph.
::"This is ideal for someone who CAN'T afford the 250k for +1. It's a great back piece for the price of it, anyone who denies that is either stupid or..well stupid. There is nothing wrong with using this item, especially if you're running low on gil until you can get some spare for it." --quote stolen from Darkgoliath of Fairy.
[Neck]
:*Lv.59 Spectacles - cute, funky, and lots of ACC! Accuracy+7 Ranged Accuracy+7. Can be obtained in various ways including BCNM, Campaign Ops and Assault, but if you want to buy it, it's one of the best "Bang-for-the-buck gear" in the game. Averages around 75k across servers but can be found for as low as 17k on certain servers.
:*Lv.60 Chivalrous Chain - STR+3, ACC+5, Store TP+1. This one is tricky. You can get it with 8,000 Lebros Cavern Assault Points (i.e. FREE!) but if DNC is your first 75 job, the AH price can be quite daunting, ranging from 130k~200k across all servers. However, it's really kind of embarrassing to be still wearing a spike necklace at this point, so save up and then say bye-bye to your hard-earned gil. If it's any consolation, this will last you to 75 and you can use it for all melee jobs. Alternatively, you could try asking a friend with points to spare to get it for you, or leech off friends in assaults until you get enough points to get it yourself.
[Rings]
:*Lv.55 Lava's Ring & Kusha's Ring - when worn as a set, gives Accuracy +12 Attack +6, which is great as this gives more accuracy than 2x Woodsman/Snipers rings and doesn't give any negative stats. These drop from Hyakinthos and Lamina respectively, but expect heavy competition camping them. Both rings must be worn as a set to receive the bonus, don't be seen wearing only one or the other, that's rather embarrassing.
:*Lv.57 Toreador's Ring - obtainable by doing the EMN Pulling the Plug, but it is an extremely rare drop. Making note of it here, in case you get lucky. It's even more expensive than a Peacock Charm. 
[Earrings]
:*Lv.55 Fang Earring/Spike Earring - Attack+4 Evasion-4/Attack+5 Evasion -5; upgraded versions of Beetle Earring +1. The high combined evasion down means you may not want to full-time them while soloing or tanking NMs. 
:*Lv.63 Coral Earring/Merman's Earring - Attack+5 Evasion-5/Attack+6 Evasion-6 and magic damage taken -1%/2%; these tend to be on the more pricey side. Coral earrings average at around 20k across all servers, Merman's on the other hand range from 200-300k. Keep in mind that on most servers, Spike Earrings cost less than Coral Earrings while having essentially the same stats, so if you are wearing Fang Earrings thinking about upgrading to Coral, be sure to compare the prices of Coral and Spike earrings first. 
== High Level 65-75 (IN PROGRESS)==
If you have decided to take Dancer this high, chances are you are starting to be more serious about your gear and are considering taking steps to make it the best it can be. To reflect this the gear choices in this guide from this point on will also start including pricier items that you may consider upgrading to, in addition of course to the cheaper yet still very useful alternatives to cater to your wallet's considerations. 
[Weapons]
:*Lv.68 Kard - A great knife for its level, decent damage and delay, and a nice CHR+5 boost, but is a rare drop from Soulstealer Skullnix from Labyrinth of Onzozo. Unless you happen to have it already or if you are really really determined to get it for that level, I wouldn't bother with it because the Behemoth Knife easily replaces it as a mainhand weapon. However, due to its low delay and +5CHR boost to Dancing Edge damage and waltzes, it's a nice dagger to offhand.
:*Lv.70 Behemoth Knife - Very, very cheap. Very, very worthwhile. Hurray for overrated +1s making equally decent NQs so much more affordable for the stingy of wallet! Recommended to go for the Behemoth Knife +1 for DNC/SAMs or Dancers subbing anything other than NIN. DNC/NINs are fine with dual wielding two NQs or offhanding a low delay dagger, but suggested to upgrade main weapon slot to the Behemoth Knife +1 eventually, particularly since most of the decent weapons after this level are either really expensive or only obtainable from BCNMs or other similarly difficult means. 
:*Lv.70 Joyeuse - due to its ability to almost constantly attack twice, arguably the best offhand weapon for best TP gain for Dancers. It's free since you can't buy it, but good luck camping this! However due to DNC's low sword skill rating it is not advisable to still offhand this for ITG mobs or any high evasion mobs.
:*Lv.71 Cinquedea - One of the lowest, if not the lowest possible delay dagger available for dancers. The latent of Store TP+5 is activated when your TP is over 100%, which is more useful for main-healing dancers rather than DD Dancers, but either way the dagger remains an excellent dagger to offhand. Drops off Aynu-kaysey from Caedarva Mire.
:*Lv.71 Cobra Knife - 20,000 Allied Notes in Windurst, and you need to have an Emblem in your Campaign rank. If you can find it on the AH, the price varies -wildly- across servers, but it may be cheaper to go that route. Has a very low delay, a nice MP boost if you're subbing a mage job, and if you level sync a lot, the delay sticks through a sync, and even at level 20, it does NOT!!! do gimp damage like some weapons do when synced. 
:*Lv.72 Augmented/Gully - Unaugmented, it has DEX+2 and VIT+2 HP+10 stats which is nice for soloing and for the small DEX boost. However, the one that drops from the ANNM Scythefang Liger has the possible augments of 
:: *Attack +4~5
:: *Delay -2~8%
:: *Agility +2
:: *Charisma +1~2 
:: which makes it a decent offhand dagger, particularly if you get a delay -% augment. A normal Gully is also not bad of a choice for a second dagger, however, the price is at least twice of the Behemoth Knife on all servers and unaugmented the delay tends towards the higher side. 
:*Lv.72 Ermine's Tail - arguably one of the best daggers for Dancers out there. It has the 2nd highest base damage (34) as well as highest DPS rating of all daggers equippable by DNC, as well as a delicious evasion+8. It is a rare weapon drop from Moblin Mazes, so it's very hard to obtain.
:*Lv.72 Adder Jambiya/Adder Jambiya +1 - A very good dagger for DNC, but crafted only and terribly expensive. The +1 costs around 20 mil and the NQ version hovers around close to 2 mil on all servers. It also has evasion+4 and additional effect: Impairs evasion which are both great to have. However, if you must have a super expensive dagger, between this and the Azoth the Azoth is the better choice.
:*LV.72 Papilio Kirpan - Has Latent Effect of DMG:35, Attack+14 Accuracy+5, which is active when TP < 100% (includes Weapon Skills), drops off Scylla in Beaucedine Glacier (S). These stats make it a prime choice to mainhand for a pure DD build. It has less to offer for a main healing or support DNC since you will probably be hoarding more than 100% TP most of the time.
:*Lv.73 Heart Snatcher also a decent dagger IF the latent is broken. It has fairly good DPS but if you're looking to upgrade to a better damage dagger the Behemoth Knife +1 or even the NQ is a much better choice. Note that the crit hit rate becomes pretty much useless if you choose to offhand this dagger since the critical hit bonus won't affect your weaponskill damage when offhanded.
:*Lv.75 Azoth - highest base damage dagger that DNC can equip, arguably the best or at least one of the best daggers to mainhand. Being a drop from Dark Ixion the price has been fairly high but has fallen as of late to between 700k~1 mil, making it cheaper than the Adder Jambiya.
:*Lv.75 Ogre Jambiya - the new Dancer Job-specific weapon that can be augmented a variety of ways by doing the quest Succor to the Sidhe. Possible augments include but are not limited do, Store TP+, Subtle Blow+, Double Attack +, DMG+ as well as a variety of additional effects.
[Shields]
:*Lv.71 Airy Buckler - a ridiculously nice shield with CHR+2, ACC+2, Store TP+2 and Haste +1%. Comes from Campaign Ops Cracking Shells meaning it is very, very difficult to get.
[Head Equipment]
:*Lv.68 Cobra Cap - part of the Cobra Cap Set from Windurst (S), requires 40,000 Allied Notes or 60,000 Allied Notes if you're from another nation and a campaign medal in the Emblems category. You can earn Allied Notes by participating in Campaign: Quickstart Guide (Requires Wings of the Goddess expansion pack). A great piece to add to your TP set, the entire Cobra Unit set is well worth it so even if you don't campaign often, it's worth it to do so just to get this set.
:*Lv.70 Optical Hat - stupendously awesome piece of gear, stupendous amounts of work required to get it, and stupendously ridiculous-looking to boot. 100% drop from defeating the Hakutaku NM, but the money you may end up spending in the process of beating that NM may be considerable. Farm the eyes yourself and make a Master Alchemist friend to reduce costs. Knowing a few good BSTs will also come in handy. 
:*Lv.72 Etoile Tiara - part of Dancer's Relic armor, obtainable from Dynamis. +5% waltz potency to swap in for your cures but doesn't offer too much as a fulltime piece. Unless you have enough ACC to pull it off, I would still suggest TPing in any of the other headpieces here.
:*Lv.72 Panther Mask - haste +2% as well as a decent +5 boost to your CHR (good for Dancing Edge if you don't have Evisceration unlocked!). Great piece to add to your haste gear, but often overlooked since it is usually easily replaced by the Walahra Turban in three levels.
:*Lv.72 Enkidu's Cap - this is part of the Enkidu's Harness Set that drops from ZNMs (Zeni Notorious Monsters), so they are very difficult to get since these NMs typically require a full alliance to beat.
:*Lv.75 Walahra Turban - There is a good reason why you see 90% of DDs wearing this. The 5% haste makes this a winning piece for TPing in, or for reducing the casting and recasting time of Utsusemi for tanking. Haste is a stat that gives increasing returns, so for those not familiar with mathematical jargon it basically means every % you can get counts and the more you have, the more benefit you get from it. If you have the Aht Urghan expansion and exp in AU areas a lot, this is fairly easy, if not tedious, to get. Basically you have to trade 1000 Imperial Bronze Pieces to an NPC in Whitegate. Bronze Pieces can be bought using Imperial Standing (the "conquest points" equivalent for Aht Urghan areas) for "free" or you could buy the Aht Urgan currency off the AH/other players which could be much more expensive. 
[Body Equipment]
:*Lv.50 Rapparee Harness should still be an integral part of your TP set, it is the only body piece with haste that dancers can wear and a very fine piece of gear that is useful regardless of whether you are a healing-oriented or DD-oriented (or even tanking) dancer.
:*Lv.57 Scorpion Harness - it's perfectly acceptable to still be wearing this or your Rapparee Harness at this level, since most of the other body pieces are hard to obtain and cannot be bought.
:*Lv.68 Cobra Harness - part of the Cobra Cap Set, requires 75,000 Allied Notes or 112,500 Allied Notes if you're from another nation and a Starlight medal. Very delicious stats and definitely a worthwhile upgrade or replacement to the Scorpion Harness if you have the time and patience for campaign, however the Scorpion Harness will be better for soloing/tanking due to the evasion +10 it gives.
:*Lv.72 Enkidu's Harness - part of the Enkidu's Harness Set that drops from ZNMs (Zeni Notorious Monsters)
:*Lv.75 Etoile Casaque - part of Dancer's Relic armor, obtainable from Dynamis.
[Hands Equipment]
:*Lv.65 Tabin Bracers +1 Attack+3, ACC+3, Evasion+3. An upgrade from Battle Gloves if you prefer. The NQ is not worth it as they only give +1 attack and ACC; might as well just fulltime your AF bangles. These tend to be cheaper than the Finesse gloves, but at level 72 Dusk Gloves will be better for a TP/Haste set.
:*Lv.65 Finesse Gloves - ACC+5 and Evasion+2. Depending on your personal needs and playstyle, you could go with either the Tabin Bracers for slightly more DD potential or these if you are still having accuracy issues. Would also be nice gloves to macro in for your Dancing Edge weaponskill. For those still needing to conserve the wallet, sticking with your AF bangles is fine. 
:*Lv.68 Cobra Mittens - ACC+4 Store TP+3 Enmity-3. Part of the Cobra Cap Set, requires 40,000 Allied Notes or 60,000 Allied Notes if you're from another nation and an Emblem medal. Remember, when choosing hand equipment consider the fact that it will mean you will be blinking every 15 seconds (AF1 bangles and/or Etoile toe shoes should be macro'd in for steps, which you should be doing every 15 secs on the dot) which may cause problems when others are trying to target you for cure and buffs. 
:*Lv.71 Etoile Bangles - Obtainable from Dynamis, but is easily one of the weakest pieces of Dancer's Relic armor, although it gives evasion+5 and Attack+5 I'm not really sure what you want to do with the enmity+2. Is easily overshadowed any of the other equipment listed for this level range. I would really only get this piece just to be able to store the whole set, it doesn't offer too much as a fulltime piece except as part of an evasion set. 
:*Lv.72 Dusk Gloves - Attack+5 Haste+3%, very very worthwhile to have but the entire Dusk set is quite expensive, so be prepared. These are great to add to your TP set, though if you're running away from a monster remember to take them off.
:*Lv.72 Enkidu's Mittens - part of the Enkidu's Harness Set that drops from ZNMs (Zeni Notorious Monsters)
[Leg Equipment]
:*Lv.68 Cobra Subligar - ACC+5, Store TP+3 and Enmity-4. Part of the Cobra Cap Set, requires 50,000 Allied Notes or 75,000 Allied Notes if you're from another nation and a campaign medal in the Wings category. A logical upgrade from your AF1 Pants and one of the best pieces to wear until you can obtain the relic pants. 
:*Lv.72 Enkidu's Subligar - part of the Enkidu's Harness Set that drops from ZNMs (Zeni Notorious Monsters)
:*Lv.74 Etoile Tights - part of Dancer's Relic armor, obtainable from Dynamis. The haste+3% makes this a great piece to have and will put you another step closer towards capping out on haste if you also have the Rapparee Harness, Swift Belt and Walahra Turban.
[Feet Equipment] 
:*Lv.68 Cobra Leggings - part of the Cobra Cap Set, requires 50,000 Allied Notes or 75,000 Allied Notes if you're from another nation and a campaign medal in the Wings category. 
:*Lv.72 Dusk Ledelsens Attack+4 Haste+2%, a great piece to replace your AF feet with. However, as with any other piece of the Dusk Jerkin Set, they are very expensive, and crafted only. 
:*Lv.72 Enkidu's Leggings - part of the Enkidu's Harness Set that drops from ZNMs (Zeni Notorious Monsters)
:*Lv.73 Etoile Shoes - part of Dancer's Relic armor, obtainable from Dynamis. The step accuracy bonus it gives does stack with the step accuracy bonus you get from Dancer's Bangles, so there is no reason not to macro both pieces in for your steps.
:*Lv.74 Setanta's Ledelsens - STR+3 DEX+4 ACC+3 Eva+3 Haste+2%, a fantastic alternative to Dusk feet if you get lucky fighting the very difficult fomor NM Lugh.
[Ranged/Ammo Slot]
:*Lv.54 Smart Grenade - Hidden effect: Attack +4. Obtained for FREE from the quest Message on the Wind.
:*Lv.58 Tiphia Sting - Dropped from Demonic Tiphia. Can also be bought off AH, but pricey.
:*Lv.60 Sonia's Plectrum - for swap in with waltzes, but only gives +1% outside of campaign battle. Note that if you only change the ammo slot, you will not lose TP, so, for example, if you have more than one ammo equipment you could use Tiphia Sting for TPing and switch it out to the plectrum during your waltzes.
:*Lv.70 White Tathlum - HP +15 Store TP+2 Enmity -2, drops off Serket in Ghoyu's Reverie. Extremely expensive, best to camp the drop yourself if you want this.
:*Lv.70 Astrolabe - STR +1, Accuracy +3, drops off Marquis Sabnock in Castle Zvahl Baileys. The NM can be soloed by a well-equipped evasive 75 job.
[Waist]
:*Lv.48 Life Belt - if you are still poor.
:*Lv.50 Swift Belt Acquired from Sacrarium; see Swift Belt Guide by Ilean. An excellent TP piece. Do remember to swap this out when you weaponskill, with any of the other belts listed here, to avoid the -4 attack.
:*Lv.54 Virtuoso Belt - Accuracy +12 Attack +4, drops off Belladonna from West Sarutabaruta (S).
:*Lv.60 Potent Belt - STR+3 ACC+8 - free with assault points!
[Back]
:*Lv.70 Etoile Cape - part of Dancer's Relic armor, obtainable from Dynamis. This is quite the amazing backpiece that was simply made to be used in your Dancing Edge weaponskill macro! Every bit of stat in there (ACC+5, DEX+5 CHR+5) will boost the damage of Dancing Edge and the Evasion+5 helps make this a good piece for soloing/tanking in also.
[Neck]
:*Lv.72 Soil Gorget - increases weaponskill accuracy and damage for weaponskills with a Scission skillchain attribute. In other words, it will work for Dancing Edge, Evisceration, Pyrrhic Kleos, and (less importantly) Viper Bite and Wasp Sting. The ACC and DMG+ only works during WSes so it is a swap-in piece only. You need Al'Taieu access and several Aern organs in order to get this. Average weaponskill damage increase is around 200-300 so it is definitely very worthwhile to have. 
:*Lv.73 Love Torque - need Al'Taieu access, a drop from Jailer of Love; not very easy for the average player to obtain, but something to keep in mind if you are highly active in endgame sea events. It's a fairly common drop from JoLand the relevant stats are DEX +5 Dagger skill +7 (skill meaning it gives both ACC and Attack), thus giving a total of 9.5 ACC including the dex bonus and +7 attack, making it more useful than a Peacock Charm. This is a great piece to TP in and the DEX+5 will also factor in as additional damage for Dancing Edge making this a good piece to WS in also, but if you have a Soil Gorget, that will still be better for your dagger weaponskills.
:*Lv.74 Tiercel Necklace - haste+1% and subtle blow+5 makes this a winning piece to TP in. Comes from the Shadowlord BCNM Fiat Lux.
[Rings]
:*By now you should have upgraded to the "better" ACC rings, please don't be seen still wearing DEX rings at this point unless you're sporting a Rajas. 
:*Lv.30 Rajas Ring - if you have it (Ring from completing CoP missions)
:*Lv.35 Jaeger Ring - drops from the Carmine Dobsonfly NM; you will need access to Riverne - Site A01.
:*Lv.40 Woodsman Ring/Sniper's Ring - snipers is much more expensive, but may be worthwhile to invest in if you do a lot of soloing/tanking since it doesn't give the evasion down that woodsman does. 
:*Lv.49 Ecphoria Ring - dropped off Skogs Fru in East Ronfaure (S). Store TP+1 ACC+4. The NM can take up to 3 hours to pop and is soloable by a 75 job, but you may need help if you are lower level. Price-wise it is much more affordable compared the Woodsman, Archer's or Sniper Rings, less than half the price of woodsmans on most servers. Its enchantment is also the only known 'cure' for Amnesia.
:*Lv.55 Lava's Ring & Kusha's Ring - ACC+12 Attack+6 Must be worn together to receive the set bonus, they are worthless unless worn as a pair. They drop from NMs Hyakinthos and Lamina.
:*Lv.57 Toreador's Ring - if you get lucky doing Pulling the Plug.
[Earrings]
:*Lv.55 Spike Earrings or Lv.63 Coral Earrings are still okay to wear if you have not finished Zilart and CoP missions.
:*Lv.72 Suppanomimi - AGI+2, Enhances "Dual Wield" effect which basically acts like a free 5% haste for when you sub Ninja. The sword skill+5 also comes in handy for Dancers who offhand Joyeuse. Obtained from Rise of Zilart mission Divine Might.
:*Lv.75 Brutal Earring - obtainable from Limbus or buying and trading Ancient Beastcoins. Double attack+5% and Store TP+1 makes this an excellent TP/DD earring.
=Level 76-90 (Coming Soon)=
= What NOT to Buy =
:*Lv.20 Trump Crown - It may look tempting, but it's totally not worth it for that price, unless you are subbing WHM for whatever reason. The added CHR+ will do diddlysquat for your waltzes at this level. However, if you happen to have this lying around from a mage job, it's an acceptable headpiece, but don't buy it for the sake of DNC.
:*Lv.35 Leggings, Lv.38 Ebony Sabots - Wtf NO. Anyone not completely retarded will know that a lower-level item with stat boosts is better than a higher level item with none. Just because DNC can equip this doesn't mean it's useful. You can't stack enough DEF on DNC to make it make you less squishy, your best chance at survival lies in Evasion gear. While these are dirt cheap, this is not a How-to-Dress-your-DNC-in-Gear-That-Have-Absolutely-No-Usefulness-Guide, this is a How-to-Spend-the-Least-Amount-of-Money-on-Your-DNC-While-Not-Appearing-Completely-Worthless-Guide.
:*Lv.38 Cuir Armor Set - This has got to be the single most useless set of armor DNC can wear. I cry a little any time I see a dancer, or actually, ANY job, wear this. It's an armor set that gives ONLY straight DEF that offers zero bonuses whatsoever, and even so there are other pieces at that level that gives more defense so this entire set is a complete waste of gil and pixels.
:*Lv.74 Dagger, Azoth - As this is a guide for leveling DNC on the cheap, and this section in particular is what not to -buy,- while the Azoth is touted as a high-damage, must-have dagger for a Dancer, as far as your gil-to-output ratio, this one's in the dumps. While it has a very high damage, this is only seen if you're having trouble hitting for damage/TP (which, at level 75, before I had dagger merits, was never a problem), or you weaponskill often. The Agility/Accuracy/Evasion boosts are all nice, especially on a weapon, but the delay is very high as well -- Dancer gets Accuracy Bonus II (+22 Accuracy), and if you have some of the other gear listed on the guide (Scorpion Harness, Cobra Unit Harness, Accuracy Rings), you're gonna be shelling out a million gil on most servers for a stat you might not need to boost any higher. I bought mine as soon as these hit 1.5million, sold it back for only a million, and wish I had that extra half a million to spend on getting the Ogre Jambiya to augment, food for dancer, and a codex for a Swift Belt (which you can also farm for free). If you get the drop...and you can keep it...that's one thing. If you're debating if you should save up and buy yourself an Azoth...this Dancer recommends you don't! --Vyenpakakapaka 14:55, 10 August 2009 (UTC)
= Credits & Thank Yous =
FFXI AH for Cross-server price research
Dancer: Guide to Weapons and Armor Guide and the
Dancer Equipment Guide Chart for providing a basis to reference off of. 
Thanks to that one Quintessential WHM Equipment guide written for the poor. It was a great guide for WHMs on a budget and had some really great humor, and was a strong source of inspiration for this guide. I can't seem to find it anymore though...
Thanks as always to Penty of Phoenix, who never fails to give me invaluable advice of just about everything in game, and whose knowledge and experience of high-end equipment made many helpful suggestions to me both in the making of this guide and when I was leveling Dancer, and who staticed his Red Mage with me to help get my DNC to 75!
Special thanks to Laude of Phoenix, a friend and 75 DNC mentor for helping me out with the higher level parts of this guide. 
Special thanks also to Sixtythree of Phoenix, another 75 DNC friend who was a source of inspiration and who is very passionate and skilled at this job. When I had doubts of what I was capable of as a dancer, he was able to teach me and prove me wrong time and time again. An incredible dancer indeed!
Thanks to any and all who have contributed to this guide: Southerncomfort76, Killercat_Bis, Illek(Hume rse hands), Vyenpakakapaka (Azoth, Cobra Unit Knife, Swift Belt), Wesa (Pile Chain, Optical Earring) ... (Feel free to add your name here.)