Final Fantasy XI Ninja Guide
When you receive your reward for a mission completed, go and spend it on something nice for yourself. You’ve earned it.
Copyright 2006.
Final Fantasy and Vana’diel are registered trademarks of Square Enix Co., Ltd.
Final Fantasy XI Ninja Guide
At Level 60, King Ranperre’s Tomb is the best place to fight both mobs and NM’s if you are mainly farming for gil. On the other hand, if you are primarily looking for XP, you will want to seek out more diverse mobs to fight in different areas.
At Level 70, you have your pick of virtually all areas in the game, but you will be spending most of your time in Dynamis. The Boyahda Tree, Sea Serpent Grotto and the Quicksand Caves are regular areas where you will find advanced NM’s.
The single most profitable NM in the game is Genbu, a turtle found in Ru’an Gardens. He is not to be soloed or even attempted until about Level 85. A NIN/BLM sub is the best bet against killing this NM and reaping the vast rewards.
13.6. Mining
Grab yourself a pickaxe and go into the mines of Bastok to get raw materials for crafting or stacking to sell. Mining can be a lot of fun, and there’s no company store to report to when the day is done. Mining requires you to have a PICKAXE equipped in your weapon slot. Different mines will yield different raw materials, and the best ones to start in are the Zehrun and Bastok mines??wait until you are at Lvl. 12 or so before venturing in to the Gusgen mines or the Palbourough mines, where you will have to fight as well as mine.
13.7. Rewards
Quests in FFXI will reward you with gil as you achieve each third rank, but there are also Missions that you can take on from NPCs that will frequently result in gil and items that you can keep or sell. The best way to trigger quests is to speak to NPCs as you go about your daily routine. Inns and public forums are usually the best places to find missions, such as open squares, restaurants or tournaments.
At first, rewards will be probably 100 gil at the most. Like NM’s, it takes until about Level 40 until you start getting quests that will be worth your while. However, you won’t get these profitable quests until your Fame ranking is high enough, which means paying your dues with low-paying quests. Never stop doing quests–you may be tempted after Level 60, but there is still plenty of XP and gil to be earned all the way up until about Level 70.
Final Fantasy XI Ninja Guide
13.5.1. Notorious Monster Information
Below you will find the NM’s listed by level, where to find them and tips for defeating them. This is one of the very best ways to get gil and gain experience at the same time, and a Ninja is particularly well suited to earning gil because it is easy to solo with this class until quite late in the game. Soloing NM’s is always the best bet, so there is no dispute over the drop. NM’s are rare and almost always have players “camped” where they spawn, so you must be quick in order to get the attack. Sometimes, several hours of waiting are involved. Those playing Japan have a better chance than those playing in North America because of a half-second server lag. Try playing in the early morning in North America??the middle of the night in Japan!
The very first NM you can fight in the game is Bloody Vrukwuk in the Gheselba Outpost. However, you will not find any NM’s that start paying out what you must put out in order to kill them until Level 40. There are two for Level 20+, about a dozen for Level 30+ and at Level 40 you begin to find one NM in most areas you visit. King Ranperre’s Tomb in the lower levels is thick with NM’s, as is the Sea Serpent Grotto and the Crawler’s Nest. These three areas are the most profitable for your efforts. If you are determined to fight NM’s at level 30+, the Valkurm dunes has six that are relatively simple to find and defeat, but their drops are not worth a terribly large amount of money.
After you hit Level 30, the best place to hunt NM’s is the Maze of Shakrami, where there are a variety of NM’s. The Gusgen Mines in North Gustaberg is also home to Asphyxiated Amsel, a relatively easy NM for a Level 30 Ninja. Pashow Marshlands have six NM’s that can technically be killed by a Level 30, but they are very difficult and I would wait until Level 38 or so.
At Level 40, move on to the Yhutunga Jungle if you are after NM’s, where many of them group together. Now is the time when hunting will actually become profitable. After Level 45, the Beaucedine Glacier in Xarcabard will be more challenging and you will find that these NM’s give very good drops.
At Level 50 you will stay in Xarcabard. At this level the NM’s grow sparse, but I suggest completing your AF Quests before you continue farming. Your gil will stay about the same.
Final Fantasy XI Ninja Guide
At first, you’ll be fishing for actual fish and items like Rusty Buckets to sell for gil or use for food bonuses. As the game progresses, however, you’ll be using fishing for another reason–to aggro mobs.
After Level 40, this is what you will fish pretty much exclusively for, and in places like Sea Serpent Grotto you can fish to your heart’s content and stack items from one particular mob for a good, solid income supplement or raw materials for crafting.
13.5. Farming
Hunting monsters in FFXI is called farming, and you can stack items and sell them in bazaars or auctions, or use them for crafting. Not a whole lot of money in farming, but you’re going to be killing monsters anyway and you might as well make some gil at it. Tailor your kills so items will stack and fetch more money at the AH. Generally Goblins, Quadavs, Yagado and Orcs will have the most gil and the most expensive items on them.
At the early levels of the game concentrate on stacking items from the same mobs, which will give you the same amount of XP each time. Sell your stacked items at auction and learn crafting with them.
As you advance you will want to go to your local AH and find out which items are going for the most money. Post Level 20, you will begin hunting monsters almost strictly for XP and selling item drops for gil. You will also need to gain more raw material for crafting because between Level 20 and 30 is the time you need to work the hardest to advance your craft skills so you are not left in the dust at the high levels of the game.
Post Level 50, you will be making most of your gil from AF Quests and hunting NM’s. Killing regular mobs will no longer be very profitable or give you very much XP. Be selective, and try to target only NM’s or quest monsters.
Once you go to Dynamis, however, the drops will become better and better and you will, in a way, be back where you started in the game–making good gil from mob drops and stacking items like there’s no tomorrow. You can make up to 20,000 gil easily in Dynamis, and if you kill mobs that drop things like 100 Byne Bills or the Bomb Core at Level 70+ of the game, your gil will increase exponentially.
Final Fantasy XI Ninja Guide
13.3.5. Goldsmithing
Like Bonecrafting, Goldsmithing isn’t as useful to Ninjas as Smithing. If you want to make serious gil, get good at Goldsmithing and sell everything you make. However, this trade is VERY expensive to get started in and only recommended for high-level players who have synth experience. You will also make more mistakes in this craft than you will in Smithing, which translates into high overhead when you are getting started. If you are mainly playing the game to make money OR if you are subbing a class like BRD or WHM, jewelry to enhance your magic use can be very useful. If you are subbing a melee class like WAR or MNK, however, I would focus on Smithing. At higher levels of the game, Goldsmithing can yield you some truly spectacular pieces. Again, if you are a Ninja who is looking to make money, craft some high-level pieces and sell them to other players who have use for them. Don’t develop this skill before or higher than Smithing, but at Level 40+ it can become a steady source of gil when you are in cities with AH’s.
13.3.6. Clothcraft
Making clothes is more useful if you are subbing a MNK or WHM job where you can wear robes and capes that give you bonuses. Otherwise, this job isn’t really worth the time and money. It can help you slightly in making your Relic Katana but it is very hard to get good at this trade, as I can attest to, having given up when my crafting skill was about at Level 5 out of pure frustration. Only recommended if you are subbing a BRD, WHM or MNK. Not a moneymaker by any stretch of the imagination, because almost everything you can Craft with cloth already drops from mobs in the game. I’ve also found that it’s usefulness peters out at higher levels of the game, when everyone begins wearing armor no matter what their job. Still, if you are starting as a MNK or WHM this can save you some money.
13.4. Fishing
Fishing is more art than science and finding the right combination of bait and rod can be a long process. There are four basic kinds of rods??for deep water, fast water, big fish and all-purpose rods. Specializing in rods and bait will make your catches more worthwhile in the long run. When fishing, make sure you have a rod equipped in your RANGED slot and the bait in your AMMO slot. Check what kind of water you’re fishing in??fresh or salt, moving or static, and see what other fisherpeople around you are catching. Are the fish carnivorous, small, large? This will help you tailor your bait and rod for the best catches.
Final Fantasy XI Ninja Guide
13.3.2. Woodcraft
Staves, furniture and musical instruments will grow under your hands from the rough wood of the forest. Unless you, as a Ninja, care to make furniture for your Mog House, Woodcrafting isn’t going to pay off for the time and materials you must invest in it. You must either fight mobs that drop wood, which are generally at more advanced stages of the game, or you must spend time logging in the forest. Unless you are subbing the RNG, you will probably want to purchase your wood at an AH. Woodcrafting is not a moneymaker for a Ninja, pure and simple. It can SAVE you some gil on Staves, ect, if you chose to level that Weapon Skill, and extra storage in your Mog House is a good thing, but this skill should probably be last on your list if you are concerned with making gil.
13.3.3. Bonecraft
Make bone armor and jewelry. Bone jewelry has some great benefits, especially if you are subbing a dark job like BLM or DRK. Decide which sub job you plan to have and see if you can benefit from the bone jewelry’s enhancements before getting started on this skill. You can get started with Bonecraft at about Level 10 in the game, especially if you are starting in Bastok and kill Onery and Mad sheep, which will drop Teeth that you can use in your jewelry making. If you are subbing a mage job in general, bone hairpins can be very useful. Overall, this job is only for Ninjas if you are subbing a mage. The return on gil here is slightly higher than Woodworking, but don’t get into this one for the money.
13.3.4. Alchemy
Potions and all things mystical are in the realm of alchemy. I recommend this job for a Ninja simply because it will save you a ton of money and potions are hard to come by, in Bastok especially. Alchemy will also aide you if your job level is 63 or higher when you are making your Relic Katana. You can make gold and silver items to aid you in saving money on Goldsmithing, if you so desire, but I simply wouldn’t waste time with these unless you are upgrading your skill to be able to make potions. Potions also sell for a hefty sum at AH’s because there are not many good Alchemists in Vana’diel. This is a excellent timesaver, money-maker and all around great skill to have. It is also one that comes in more handy at Level 50+ than all other skills except Smithing if you are playing as a Ninja.
Final Fantasy XI Ninja Guide
they will lose their signature??trade them directly to other players from your Bazaar or in Trade mode.
At low levels of the game, pre-Level 25 or so, crafting is not going to make you much money. If your skill goes high and you succeed almost every time, you will be able to sell stacks of raw materials, but you will also need to put some of those back into your crafting.
At Level 40 you will start to break even, because you will be able to make weapons and armor with your Smithing skills to sell at the AH. When your Craft Skills are this high, you will notice that advancement begins to slow down. Before going on your AF Quests, you will want to spend as much time as needed to raise your Craft Skills high enough to help you out as the game grows more combat intensive and you need more gil.
Post-Level 60, your Craft Skills should all be in the high 80s. For your Relic Quest you will need a Smithing skill of at least 97 to avoid having to spend a huge amount of gil. Getting that 97 Smithing skill will save you so much time and effort, that the effort expended to attain it pays off almost instantly.
In conclusion, no matter what Craft Skill you chose to increase, you will make the most money with it before Level 50 of the game. After you begin questing for Artifacts, you will be relying on mob drops and rewards for most of your gil.
13.3.1. Smithing
The art of making ingots and weapons from raw ore mined or bought at the AH, Smithing is an excellent skill for anyone to have, and if you get it to Level 63 or above you will save some serious gil making your own components for your Relic Katana. You must be at Level 97 to craft the Relic Steel needed for the first upgrade. You can also synthesize materials and eventually weapons to sell for good money. Mining and fighting mobs will provide you with plenty of material for Smithing as a Ninja. Worms, especially, as well as most subterranean mobs will always drop raw materials suitable for Smithing, especially before Level 40 when it is too costly to purchase all of you raw materials.
Final Fantasy XI Ninja Guide
13. Making Money
Gil. We all need it, and these are some of the best ways to make it. All jobs are good at different ways of making gil, but there are a few universal money-makers.
13.1. Auctions
The single easiest way to make money in FFXI is to sell items you craft or find at auction. This is a no-fuss, no-muss way to make gil with a small transaction fee being the only drawback. Think of it as a giant, MMORPG e-Bay. Tips: Always check the price history of items you are thinking of selling by clicking BID, clicking on the item you have and then clicking PRICE HISTORY. This can be tricky??I find that setting your price at about 100 gil less than the most recent sale will almost always result in a quick sell. If items are 500 gil or less, don’t bother doing this. Go with the most recent price. Stacked items (groups of 12) always sell for more than single items. You might consider killing a specific type of monster until you have a stack of their item if you need cash quickly. Check your server’s AH frequently to check price fluctuations so you can plan your kills accordingly.
13.2. Bazaars
Just like Auctions, except the items remain in your inventory and you can move around while you are open for business. Most useful outside of populated areas where other players can’t readily access an AH, or for selling a certain type of item if your selling slots at the AH are full. You won’t gain any inventory slots from your Bazaar, so keep track of how many items you have for sale, and as a rule don’t try to exceed half your inventory.
A brief side note about mules: if you purchase a second content ID from PlayOnline you will be able to have two characters in Vana’diel??one to level up and one to hold/sell items. If you have some spare real-world cash mules can be a great cash cow (no pun intended) but wait until you’re about Lvl. 35-40 and have some good items to sell before investing your hard-earned real world dollars.
13.3. Crafting
Make items from raw materials you mine or farm and sell them, at auction or directly to other players as a commission. The real money starts rolling in when your crafting skill level goes high enough to make signed items. If you try to sell signed items at auction
Final Fantasy XI Ninja Guide
down his HP with melee attacks. If you focus just on this, however, you’ll find yourself quickly dead after his high evasion causes your best Weapon Skill to miss.
So balance as I’ve advised and you should do just fine. It won’t be easy, but you will be victorious.
Final Fantasy XI Ninja Guide
12. Strategies for Defeating Maat
As FFXI draws to a close for your high-level character, you will face Maat, the closest thing this game has to a big boss. He looks like a nice little old man, but Maat’s a nasty character and he wants to smack you down pretty bad, but a wily Ninja like you shouldn’t have any problems with him. At least not if you read carefully and remember three important hints: Breathe. Don’t panic. Kick his butt. Breathe. Don’t panic.
12.1. Pre-Battle Preparations
Make sure all your powders are full and that you are prepared to cast your Ninjitsu upon entering battle. All buffs you cast before entering the arena will be negated, so if you plan to buff yourself you will have to cast it immediately upon entering the ring. I really don’t recommend buffing against Maat because there is the 50/50 chance your spell will be interrupted and you’ll lose a valuable turn in combat and lose HP that will not be replaced because healing is the hardest thing to do against Maat. Use mainly Hi-Potions and Elixirs during this battle.
Have plenty of Hi-Potions and Elixirs and at least one Scroll of Reraise. Take a deep breath and remember that you’ll do fine.
12.2. During Battle
Immediately cast Utsusemi and let Maat pick off your copies while you cast your double Ninjitsu spells (remember the right order!) and hand him elemental damage. Remember that you may only get one turn to do this because all of your copies could possibly be dead after his first attack.
He may shrug off a lot of your Ninjitsu, but don’t worry. Cast Kurayami and Hojo to take away some of the power of his attacks. Only AFTER you have beaten him into the ground with Ninjitsu should you attack physically. By now your TP meter should be full, so use your most damaging weapon skill. After using your Weapon Skill, knock him around some more with your weapons, re-casting Utsusemi as necessary. Finally, finish him with another volley of your double spells. The trick to Maat is to alternate and balance between physical and magical attacks. Timing is everything, and I can’t stress staying calm enough. If you don’t let yourself get flustered and keep an eye on your HP, you will win this battle. Maat has high, high resistances to magic so you must rely primarily on taking