I posted this on FFXIV Builds and just thought I'd share it over here too, if people haven't been checking that site out.
This is the first time I’ve written such a guide, so in addition to any tips you have relating to the subject matter, I’d appreciate any advice you have on the guide itself.
The inspiration behind this build comes primarily from two sources. The first is,
They really are my favorite weapons, and like many others I hope for two handed and dual wielding versions. For now, we have our one trusty blade. Gladiator tanks are pretty common, but I've been coming up short in my searches for a DD build.
Second, I enjoy role playing as well as hunting things down and stabbing them to little pieces. With my character in mind, it becomes a tool to help me focus on what’s important, and hell, not like I can’t swap things out later, gotta that love flexibility.
Point Allotment In order of importance:
Strength
Dexterity
Vitality
Mind
Intelligence
Piety
Elemental Stats:
Fire/Lightning
Below I separate the cross class skills used into two stages thus far. Stage One includes skills from ranks 1-10 of classes. Stage Two will include skills from ranks 12-26
Primarily, the purpose of this build is to deal damage in a few different ways. Mostly in melee, but with some potential to use distance magic attacks. The build should also be good for solo play, with some abilities serving as backup in party play.
Gladiator: Ranks 1-16
Due to it being the primary class, I wouldn’t worry too much about the ranks and skills. Tailor to taste, though I recommend:
Lv2 - Red Lotus
Invoke the power of flame and strike, dealing fire damage.
Cast time 0
Recast time 10
Mp cost 10
Tp cost 1000
I plan to pump my fire element stat so this skill will see greater and greater damage in time along with the increases in strength. I always find it helpful to have an elemental based attack up my sleeve just incase.
Lv4 - Rampart
Fight to protect yourself, increasing defense and magical defense.
Cast time 0
Recast time 300
Boost defense and magic defense, why yes, I will have some.
Lv6 - Circle slash
Spin your weapon fiercely, dealing damage to nearby enemies.
Cast time 0
Recast time 10
Tp cost 1000
If you have to deal with multiple targets, but remember you aren’t the tank, and if this isn’t a concern, I’d leave it out.
Lv12 - Spinstroke
Feint and then strike, dealing slashing damage to the target. Increases attack power when the target is not engaging you.
Cast time 0
Recast time 10
Tp cost 1000
Good damage, if you aren’t tanking, even better damage.
Lv16 - Howling Vortex
Sound a haunting howl with your weapon, dealing slashing damage and temporarily lengthening the target's cast times.
Cast time 0
Recast time 10
Tp cost 1000
Not as much for damage, as it is to increase cast times. Keeping enemy specials locked down as much as possible.
Cross Classes and Skills Stage One
Archer
Lv4 - Raging strike
Strengthen your grip, increasing the attack power of your next attack.
Cast time 0
Recast time 30
Personally I think this is better than the lancer’s Ferocity, as it has a shorter cool down time, and doesn’t cost HP to use. Admittedly the HP loss is a miniscule 22hp, but really, I want to keep all the HP I have, I’m just miserly like that. (The important thing here is really the shorter CD)
Marauder
Lv6 - Bloodbath
Revel in the blood of an enemy, converting a percentage of the damage dealt by your next successful attack into HP.
Cast time 0
Recast time 60
A good way to heal without using MP if you have the setup time. Best when used with Lancer’s Ferocity (rank 4) or Archer’s Raging Strike (rank 4) the boost to damage will be a boost to hp.
Lv8 - Skull Sunder
Strike an enemy in the head, dealing slashing damage and additional damage over time. Attacks enemies in a cone before you while under the effect of steadfast.
Cast time 0
Recast time 10
Tp cost 500
The AoE effect won’t help you if used as a cross class skill, as only the Marauder has the steadfast ability. What we’ll be using it for is for its low TP usage and DoT effect.
Lancer
Lv8 - Moonrise
Frustrate an enemy's tactics, dealing slashing damage and reducing the target's Tp generation.
Cast time 0
Recast time 10
Tp cost 1000
Should combo well with Howling Vortex.
Conjurer
Lv4 - Cure
Restores Hp of allies within area of effect.
Cast time 2
Recast time 5
Mp cost 12
Quick healing for you and your friends, costs MP, but most of our attacks won’t cost any. More reliable than Bloodbath, but if I have the setup time, I’ll be using Bloodbath first to conserve my MP for other things.
Lv8 - Shock spikes
Armors party members within area of effect with spikes of lightning, granting the ability to stun and deal lightning damage to attacking enemies.
Cast time 3
Recast time 10
Mp cost 8
I love this skill. Enemy attacks, they get damaged and stunned, what’s not to like? Well first if you are in a party with a tank and a main Conjurer, but for solo play I highly recommend this. I plan on increasing my lightning element stat to better use this skill.
Lv10 - Radiance
Sear an enemy with brilliance, dealing astral damage. grants the caster MP in proportion to the damage dealt.
Cast time 0
Recast time 10
Tp cost 1000
An attack that is good for keeping other MP using abilities up and running. Thaumaturge has the umbral damage equivalent. My thinking in using this over Damnation (Thaum rank 10) is based on using the banish ability (Thaum rank 1) to lower a targets resistance to astral damage. Eventually when we learn Luminous Spire (Glad rank 24) we can use banish as a prep for that skill.
If it turns out that Banish/Scourge are useless or just taking up space on our action bar, then this could be kept or replaced with Damnation.
I want to mention that certain spells; Fire and Thunder may have some use if you’ve been pumping up your elemental stats, I haven’t tested it extensively myself, and fear that without putting a lot of points into INT and using a magic weapon, the spells aren’t worth it. Same goes for the rank 12 skills Burn and Shock. If Banish is useless, and these spells are wastes of MP, then I wouldn’t level Conjurer past 8.
Thaumaturgy
Lv10 - Damnation
Haunt an enemy with visions of the hells, dealing umbral damage. grants the caster MP in proportion to the damage dealt.
Cast time 0
Recast time 10
Tp cost 1000
The umbral damage equivalent of Radiance.
Lv10 - Punishing barbs
Channel your pain to an enemy, redirecting a portion of damage dealt to you back to its source.
Cast time 0
Recast time 180
Much like Shock Spikes, in that we use this to make whatever is hitting us regret it got out of bed that morning.
Pugilist
Lv6 - Second Wind
The thrill of battle exhilarates you, restoring HP.
Cast time 0
Recast time 60
Tp cost 250
Might be shocked to see this down here rather than the first skill in the list. Reasoning for that is I’m not entirely sold on this skill just yet. It is valuable as a cheap and instant heal, but as a cross class skill it has a long cool down and just doesn’t heal us much. Gladiator HP is not skimpy, and if you’ve been putting points into VIT then you may not even notice the hp healed during a fight. Conversely it may get a boost in the future (I read that its bugged in open beta) and if nothing else, could act as a damage buffer or a desperation move, up to you if it’s worth the space it’ll take up.
Stage Two is under construction, as I haven’t been able to reach the needed ranks in those classes, nor have I examined everything yet. But some of the skills I’ve been considering are:
Marauder: Foresight (12), Fracture (14), Murderous Intent (26)
Lancer: Invigorate (14), Leg Sweep(16) possible replacement for circle slash. Feint(20)
Thaumaturgy: Stygian Spikes (16)
Stage Three... might just be figuring out a cool name for the 'class'
This is the first time I’ve written such a guide, so in addition to any tips you have relating to the subject matter, I’d appreciate any advice you have on the guide itself.
The inspiration behind this build comes primarily from two sources. The first is,
“I like swords.â€Â
They really are my favorite weapons, and like many others I hope for two handed and dual wielding versions. For now, we have our one trusty blade. Gladiator tanks are pretty common, but I've been coming up short in my searches for a DD build.
Second, I enjoy role playing as well as hunting things down and stabbing them to little pieces. With my character in mind, it becomes a tool to help me focus on what’s important, and hell, not like I can’t swap things out later, gotta that love flexibility.
Point Allotment In order of importance:
Strength
Dexterity
Vitality
Mind
Intelligence
Piety
Elemental Stats:
Fire/Lightning
Below I separate the cross class skills used into two stages thus far. Stage One includes skills from ranks 1-10 of classes. Stage Two will include skills from ranks 12-26
Primarily, the purpose of this build is to deal damage in a few different ways. Mostly in melee, but with some potential to use distance magic attacks. The build should also be good for solo play, with some abilities serving as backup in party play.
Gladiator: Ranks 1-16
Due to it being the primary class, I wouldn’t worry too much about the ranks and skills. Tailor to taste, though I recommend:
Lv2 - Red Lotus
Invoke the power of flame and strike, dealing fire damage.
Cast time 0
Recast time 10
Mp cost 10
Tp cost 1000
I plan to pump my fire element stat so this skill will see greater and greater damage in time along with the increases in strength. I always find it helpful to have an elemental based attack up my sleeve just incase.
Lv4 - Rampart
Fight to protect yourself, increasing defense and magical defense.
Cast time 0
Recast time 300
Boost defense and magic defense, why yes, I will have some.
Lv6 - Circle slash
Spin your weapon fiercely, dealing damage to nearby enemies.
Cast time 0
Recast time 10
Tp cost 1000
If you have to deal with multiple targets, but remember you aren’t the tank, and if this isn’t a concern, I’d leave it out.
Lv12 - Spinstroke
Feint and then strike, dealing slashing damage to the target. Increases attack power when the target is not engaging you.
Cast time 0
Recast time 10
Tp cost 1000
Good damage, if you aren’t tanking, even better damage.
Lv16 - Howling Vortex
Sound a haunting howl with your weapon, dealing slashing damage and temporarily lengthening the target's cast times.
Cast time 0
Recast time 10
Tp cost 1000
Not as much for damage, as it is to increase cast times. Keeping enemy specials locked down as much as possible.
Cross Classes and Skills Stage One
Archer
Lv4 - Raging strike
Strengthen your grip, increasing the attack power of your next attack.
Cast time 0
Recast time 30
Personally I think this is better than the lancer’s Ferocity, as it has a shorter cool down time, and doesn’t cost HP to use. Admittedly the HP loss is a miniscule 22hp, but really, I want to keep all the HP I have, I’m just miserly like that. (The important thing here is really the shorter CD)
Marauder
Lv6 - Bloodbath
Revel in the blood of an enemy, converting a percentage of the damage dealt by your next successful attack into HP.
Cast time 0
Recast time 60
A good way to heal without using MP if you have the setup time. Best when used with Lancer’s Ferocity (rank 4) or Archer’s Raging Strike (rank 4) the boost to damage will be a boost to hp.
Lv8 - Skull Sunder
Strike an enemy in the head, dealing slashing damage and additional damage over time. Attacks enemies in a cone before you while under the effect of steadfast.
Cast time 0
Recast time 10
Tp cost 500
The AoE effect won’t help you if used as a cross class skill, as only the Marauder has the steadfast ability. What we’ll be using it for is for its low TP usage and DoT effect.
Lancer
Lv8 - Moonrise
Frustrate an enemy's tactics, dealing slashing damage and reducing the target's Tp generation.
Cast time 0
Recast time 10
Tp cost 1000
Should combo well with Howling Vortex.
Conjurer
Lv4 - Cure
Restores Hp of allies within area of effect.
Cast time 2
Recast time 5
Mp cost 12
Quick healing for you and your friends, costs MP, but most of our attacks won’t cost any. More reliable than Bloodbath, but if I have the setup time, I’ll be using Bloodbath first to conserve my MP for other things.
Lv8 - Shock spikes
Armors party members within area of effect with spikes of lightning, granting the ability to stun and deal lightning damage to attacking enemies.
Cast time 3
Recast time 10
Mp cost 8
I love this skill. Enemy attacks, they get damaged and stunned, what’s not to like? Well first if you are in a party with a tank and a main Conjurer, but for solo play I highly recommend this. I plan on increasing my lightning element stat to better use this skill.
Lv10 - Radiance
Sear an enemy with brilliance, dealing astral damage. grants the caster MP in proportion to the damage dealt.
Cast time 0
Recast time 10
Tp cost 1000
An attack that is good for keeping other MP using abilities up and running. Thaumaturge has the umbral damage equivalent. My thinking in using this over Damnation (Thaum rank 10) is based on using the banish ability (Thaum rank 1) to lower a targets resistance to astral damage. Eventually when we learn Luminous Spire (Glad rank 24) we can use banish as a prep for that skill.
If it turns out that Banish/Scourge are useless or just taking up space on our action bar, then this could be kept or replaced with Damnation.
I want to mention that certain spells; Fire and Thunder may have some use if you’ve been pumping up your elemental stats, I haven’t tested it extensively myself, and fear that without putting a lot of points into INT and using a magic weapon, the spells aren’t worth it. Same goes for the rank 12 skills Burn and Shock. If Banish is useless, and these spells are wastes of MP, then I wouldn’t level Conjurer past 8.
Thaumaturgy
Lv10 - Damnation
Haunt an enemy with visions of the hells, dealing umbral damage. grants the caster MP in proportion to the damage dealt.
Cast time 0
Recast time 10
Tp cost 1000
The umbral damage equivalent of Radiance.
Lv10 - Punishing barbs
Channel your pain to an enemy, redirecting a portion of damage dealt to you back to its source.
Cast time 0
Recast time 180
Much like Shock Spikes, in that we use this to make whatever is hitting us regret it got out of bed that morning.
Pugilist
Lv6 - Second Wind
The thrill of battle exhilarates you, restoring HP.
Cast time 0
Recast time 60
Tp cost 250
Might be shocked to see this down here rather than the first skill in the list. Reasoning for that is I’m not entirely sold on this skill just yet. It is valuable as a cheap and instant heal, but as a cross class skill it has a long cool down and just doesn’t heal us much. Gladiator HP is not skimpy, and if you’ve been putting points into VIT then you may not even notice the hp healed during a fight. Conversely it may get a boost in the future (I read that its bugged in open beta) and if nothing else, could act as a damage buffer or a desperation move, up to you if it’s worth the space it’ll take up.
Stage Two is under construction, as I haven’t been able to reach the needed ranks in those classes, nor have I examined everything yet. But some of the skills I’ve been considering are:
Marauder: Foresight (12), Fracture (14), Murderous Intent (26)
Lancer: Invigorate (14), Leg Sweep(16) possible replacement for circle slash. Feint(20)
Thaumaturgy: Stygian Spikes (16)
Stage Three... might just be figuring out a cool name for the 'class'
