http://www.ffxivcore.com/topic/16656-gladiatorthaumaturge-build/
Editting this to quote it so people don't complain or sort.
Quote:
GLADIATOR/THAUMATURGE BUILD
Version 9.15 PM
A Guide and Observations
Compiled by Isador Nikocles
Information by FFXIVCore Forum Members
Contributors Listed at Bottom; Names in Blue Bold Text
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Please don't be a gawping Coblyn and quote the entire first post!
And be sure to read the rest of the thread for more advice!
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Hey fellow swordsmen,
So if you looked at the Cross-Class Skills thread, you probably saw the glowing review of the GLA/THM build. I, myself, was completely taken with the concept and have been spending the Open Beta figuring out how it is I want to go about things. I think I'm at a point where I've almost got a plan going, and wanted to bounce some ideas off everyone. So, without further ado, here are my observations, coupled with the forums' say on the matters.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
- The Concept (GT1)
- The Spells (GT2)
- The Abilities (GT3)
- The Stats (GT4)
- Races (GT4a)
- The Fall Backs (GT5)
- The Hand and Land Disciplines (GT6)
- The Plan (GT7)
- The Bare Bones (GT8)
No talking, just abilities/spells
-Too Long; Didn't Read (GT9)
Acknowledgments, updates, misc.
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The Concept (GT1)
A GLA/THM is one part tank, one part soloer. With solid stats and abilities, the GLA/THM can both grab hate easily as well as survive on the battlefield. The GLA/THM's mainstay is an array of enfeebling and buffing spells learned from Thaumaturge which, when coupled with the Gladiator's high HP, allows the GLA/THM to effectively enrage the enemy while keeping themselves safe. The damage taken as a GLA/THM is never for naught, as they will reflect damage, gain HP and MP from enemy attacks, steal stats, and generally enfeeble the enemy while buffing themselves.
The Spells (GT2)
Amongst the GLA/THM's key spells, first there is Punishing Barbs at Rank 10, which gives a ratio of damage taken=damage dealt ratio, though the specific ratio is under debate (any information on this would be appreciated!). Any damage the enemy does to you, you both get to take. Make sure to have plenty of HP for that! The second key-spell is Stygian Spikes, at Rank 16. These spikes give you MP to a certain percent of damage taken, therefore giving the GLA/THM nearly infinite MP. No need for Exaltation or Aetheryte! The final spells are a quartet learned at Rank 18, the Absorb spells. Take Attack, Accuracy, Defense or Evasion and watch as the gab between your damage and hits compared to the enemy's widens. For when you aren't hitting hard or often enough! Terraheart writes, "Save absorb spells for tough fights/ long grinds. You won't notice their benefits in short fights."
Other helpful spells include the Siphon spells (make your enemy's X-Points your own!), status inducers (Poison kills you too efficiently, why not them too? Though they aren't effective in groups, let the main THM use them), as well as Sacrifice (grants Regen on yourself and nearby party members, scales with MND), and cross-class-wise you could always use Cure (heals yourself, the recast time is negligible, the Action Point requirement is low, AND it generates healthy hate!). Shock Spikes also works well with the GLA/THM-style of play, giving you more damage output.
Lugen writes, "If you are wondering about Stoneskin, it's not worth it at all. The amount of damage blocked is rather small, less than the amount regained by Cure which has the same action cost."
TerraHeart writes, "Moves like slow, poison etc are great but put them away when grouping as the THM can cast em quicker, better and on a THM the move is radial (i.e. in an arc so multihiting)." In addition, on casting, "Always cast spells behind the safety of guard."
The Abilities (GT3)
Naturally, the THM-aspect of the build is its strong point, but there is a reason that GLA is chosen as the pair-up: it utilizes the best abilities currently available to the current disciplines. From a tanking-perspective, Rampart at Rank 4 couples nicely with Defender, allowing you to lessen the amount of damage taken. While you have Punishing Barbs and Shock Spikes enabled the reduced strength is somewhat bypassed, but the damage reduction is still very noticeable and not to be used all the time. Phalanx at Rank 8 grabs hate and does damage, no reason not to have it. I'm sure you FFXI-ers saw this coming but Provoke at Rank 10 is a mainstay for tanks. Several attacks also require MP, which Stygian Spikes supply.
Obsess will boost your defense against single enemies, great for solo combat. Just be wary when there are multiple targets, since the damage from those will increase! Later on we've got other tank mainstays such as Cover and Sentinel, but that's a way's off and aren't as exactly GLA/THM-specific, though helpful. Don't forget, you also have your trusty shield with you! Guard should be up constantly, as it allows you to block enemy attacks and keep that extra bit of damage off you. Aegis Boon, also from your shield, reduces damage taken, as well as convert damage from blocking to HP.
You may also desire to swap a spell or ability you rarely use out for a TP Attack Skill. Skills such as Red Lotus Blade's MP requirement, along with other MP-needing TP attacks becomes trivial thanks to Stygian Spikes. Circle Slash is great because it's an AOE, just be careful while soloing less you accidentally aggro that Iron Coblyn that was gawking. Heavy Slash has extra enmity creation, always a plus. TerraHeart reminds, though, that it has a high action use and is non-spammable. Other Skills are a nice way to fill empty slots, just remember not to use too many of your limited Action Points if there's a more core-GLA/THM skill available.
HecatesLover writes, "You are forgetting that you can only have 10 skills active on your bar at a time." This is not true: you have 30 separate slots between three rows of ten. You can set them in the Skills and Abilities window on any of the three layers, then cycle through them with on the keyboard using the normal directional arrow keys, <need confirmation on how to do so on a controller>. I suggest the skills you use most go in the top bar, then perhaps spells on the second tier and attacks on the last.
There are a few other melee class abilities that you may find helpful to have, but are not entirely necessary. First is the Pugilist's Second Wind, a nice HP restorer to help keep you going a bit longer. The PUG's Taunt isn't very helpful considering you have your own more potent Provoke, and you'll probably have enough hate-gain as is. Second is the Marauder's Defender, which will help keep you alive as a tank. Bloodbath isn't really helpful since you won't be focusing on Strength, and the other MRD abilities are fairly DPS-in-thought. Lancer and Archer don't have much in the way of helpful abilities for you.
HecatesLover writes, "Second Wind has proven to be quite disappointing when used cross class. It isn't a large amount when used as a Pugilist and with the cross class penalty it just isn't that useful. You will be much better off using Cure any time you want to heal yourself." On that subject, TerraHeart writes, "Second Wind is a very good heal, mainly because its free, but more importantly, because it's INSTANT. The 2 secs it takes for a cure to cast can kill you." (Isador0 suggests to test it out and decide for yourself.)
HecatesLover writes, "The second skill...Defender from Marauder. A defense boost is nice but you can't get the enmity bonus unless you are actually a Marauder as your main class."
TerraHeart writes, "Use predominantly gladiator only weapon skills - any cross class weapon skill's damage will be reduced by about 50%. Only take a cross class weapon skill for a debuff."
The Stats (GT4)
For those who haven't divined what the stats mean, here are the current definitions as of Open Beta (subject to change/specifying after retail release):
Strength: Physical Damage
Dexterity: Physical Accuracy
Vitality: Health Points
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Intelligence: Magic Damage
Piety: Magic Accuracy
Mind: Magic Points
Physical stats will require, naturally, the HP to keep yourself alive as the enemy contributes to your damage output and MP, so Vitality is a must. Strength and Dexterity are rather secondary, but important. Adjust as you may between those two. As for magic stats, SS will help keep your mana pool charged, but don't forget to keep some in there for when battles stall: a GLA/THM with no HP is just a GLA with little support. Since most of your magics are adverse, Intelligence becomes rather unnecessary. Piety will be required, so you don't spend half the battle trying to set up buffs and end up dead/too low in HP to count.
So in regards to this, I think that the stat spread per level should prioritize in this order: VIT; PIE; DEX/STR; MND; INT. The problem here lies with the fact that this kind of build won't help you as much while ranking up THM. You definitely will be outshone by pure mages like this, putting two magic stats low, and the GLA's abilities won't be of much help. So my suggestion would be to keep the stats relatively level for those first 18+ Ranks of THM, but keep a few points extra on those preferred ones. After you hit 18 THM, chances are that you'll be set for quite a while as a GLA/THM.
Starkaiser asks the question, "Do you need PIE for Absorb to work?" TerraHeart has observed that, with relatively low PIE, Absorb still works most of the time. It requires more testing as successful casting may still increase from extra PIE.
Races (GT4a)
Just the same as FFXI, here choosing your race gives you several small differences in base stat allotment. It's also the same as FFXI as these minor differences matter very little. A single point or two going either way will barely even matter at Level 1, if at all. Choose the race you wish to choose. But still, there are differences, and in such a spirit it might be helpful for those waffling on which race to choose. Make of each spread as you will.
Highlander Hyur have a 18;15;17;13;12;15 spread, making them melee-oriented.
Mindlander Hyur have a 16;14;15;16;16;13 spread, making them a jack of all trades-type.
Plainsfolk Lala'fell have a 13;17;13;16;16;15 spread, making them accurate and slightly mage-oriented.
Dunesfolk Lala'fell have a 12;15;12;16;18;17 spread, making them fairly mage-oriented.
Sea Wolf Roegadyn have a 17;13;18;12;14;16 spread, making them solid melee tanks.
Hellsguard Roegadyn have a 15;12;16;15;15;17 spread, making them a jack of all trades-type.
Wilwood Elezen have a 14;18;13;17;16;12 spread, making them accurate and slightly mage-oriented.
Duskwight Elezen have a 15;15;14;18;16;15 spread, making them a jack of all trades-type.
Sun Seeker Mi'Qote 16;17;15;13;15;14 spread, making them melee-oriented.
Moon Keeper Mi'Qote 13;16;12;14;17;18 spread, making them mage-oriented.
The Hand and Land Disciplines (GT5)
This is, of course, a melee build that focuses on the front lines, so you'll be wanting your big suits of heavy mail and plate armor once again. As such, Blacksmith, Armorer and Goldsmith are all helpful for creating and maintaining your weapons and armor. You may need some use in Weaver for both your low-level gear as well as your mage-gear. I find the other Hands to be helpful, but not required unless you feel like picking them up. Though keep in mind none of these are 100% un/necessary, as you have the repairman in Ul'dah as well as the shops and bazaars for gear and items. If you don't want to spend any more time leveling things that aren't GLA/THM (can't blame you, there really is a lot to do), and you're all right with over-paying for gear, they can be ignored.
As for Land, I heartily endorse Mining as a discipline for you. First off, you're going to be getting materials you can use to both fix and create armor. Secondly, the Guild Leves for Miner are pretty easy. So long as you know how to work the gauge, most Leves can be completed in 10-15 minutes with little chance of enemy aggro (I, myself, only had one aggro in Gridania). The Leves also pay well: Rank 1 pay around 500-1000 gil, while Rank 10 pay around 5000-10,000 gil along with bonus items, and that's without bonus pay. The last perk is the increased income from mined items you don't need, which can easily reach around 10,000 gil after a few Leves. You don't even need to be Rank 10 for the Rank 10 missions: I completed them while still Rank 6! The end result is a heap of money, experience, and helpful synthesis items. As for Botanist and Fishing, that's more for the unnamed Hands, though it is fun to fish off the back of the boat to/from Limsa/Ul'dah. All in all, the usual message, do as you please.
The Fall Backs (GT6)
Naturally there will be some level of difficulty with these sorts of things, it's just to be expected. First and foremost, there is quite a but of time invested. You'll need to level three extra disciplines to at least Rank 10, your effective sub-discipline will be near Rank 20, and that's all discounting your Hand and Land disciplines! Most classes could do from this, though, so don't feel like being a GLA/THM makes you the odd-man out in terms of job-grinding. It'll also be hard for you to keep up with other mages as you rank up THM while still trying to keep your GLA/THM build. It is also difficult to strike the correct balance between reducing damage while ensuring your buffs stay useful, as well as the required time before/during battle to buff yourself. Your attack bar will also be chock-full and limited in action.
You also have to realize that there are other tank-builds out there: GLA/MRD or vice-versa will be a common and deserving pure melee tank, there's talk that the shield-only Sentinel discipline will be added in future expansions, and then there's those wacky blink tanks. You will also have trouble with dealing with multiple enemies, considering your lack of AOE and the like. There's also the fact that you have to keep your stat-spread more wide than pure-melee or pure-mage builds, effectively meaning you'll have lower more averaged stats. All this on top of a hard-to-use build means that GLA/THM is not for everyone.
The Plan (GT7)
(Disclaimer: this section is rather subjective and more useful as suggestions than a codex)
Let's focus first on what you do after starting. I suggest not starting as GLA or THM, but instead focusing on a Hand or Land discipline. Choosing one will help you earn the money you'll need to get started, as well as help you get a leg-up on disciplines you'll need to keep your gear up-to-date. Remember to start off with the first story line mission to earn a few easy thousand gil, though you will probably need to earn enough to buy a weapon before that to finish off the low-level-nasties in the story quests. After that, do. Not. Blow. Your. Money. Think ahead: buy crafting materials or gear before you need it. Whatever's left over, feel free to experiment with. Just keep in mind most discipline base-items cost at least 500 for the main hand, as well as an extra 500-1500 for the sub, so don't buy them all unless you really need to/are willing to use them at all to earn back that money.
Buy the gil online and I'll hunt you down, use your identity to DDOS the gil-seller's sites, then upload your photo to a dating website for former inmates ♥ Keep our virtual economy healthy! Don't buy gil!
PSA aside, be sure to pick up your shield as well, which you'll need at Rank 8 GLA. You can buy it (Ul'dah has a stand to the right of the main gate that sells 43,000 and 95,000, yikes), craft it (check the web/eventual player's guides), or purchase in the bazaar for a fraction of the NPC retail. You probably won't need your actual armor for some time, as gear earned through Leves as well as the general easiness of enemies allows it. After you have your money in order, I suggest first leveling THM or CON first, as it is arguably harder for mages at first and better to get out of the way (also, your melee skills won't help your mage skills all to much usually).
Feel free to take your time: you won't be needed as a tank for quite some time quest-wise, so don't feel any urgency. You might have a goal, but you're still playing a game. If you get tired of gridning one, try another discipline, etc. Also, it's in your best interest to travel to all three opening City States so you can warp between them. South from Gridania is Ul'dah, then West from there is a small port which you can take a boat to make it to Limsa. TerraHeart suggests leveling THM to 20 to gain access to Sacrifice and Siphon MP. I might also suggest leveling CON to Rank 4 first instead to get Cure, then later to at least 8, at most 16. You'll need to get your THM to at least 18 before leaving it for a while.
A good time to level THM again would be when you start having empty action points in GLA, since you will then finally have the room for new spells. Though I suggest leveling MRD and PUG to Rank 10 before that happens if you want their skills. That's right: I say level GLA last. Considering it will be your main job, having all the bells and whistles ready for you ahead of time will make your journey that much easier. Character-level-wise you'll be more than a formidable foe at this point, able to rise through the lower ranks with ease. Still, there's no reason in waiting til last if it'll take several Ranks to even have enough room to fit all the requisite spells and abilities into your action macros, so if you want to mix it up be my guest.
There's no real one way to go about this. Just do whatever keeps you entertained and make sure to keep looking ahead for new gear. Trust me, it'll be months before you're ready to go back and start leveling THM again. Well, maybe weeks for some people, but really, you know what I mean. Sorry this section was so much more random, but the concept of how to start is all fairly subjective. You might even want to create a throw-away character first to learn the ins-and-outs of the game first hand and make your mistakes then.
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The Bare Bones (GT8)
Too much text for ya'? Here, have a list of the core of what's suggested for GLA/THM.
Gladiator (GLA)
- Rampart (4) [DEF and MAG DEF up]
- Phalanx (8) [Damage and enmity up]
- Provoke (10) [Enmity up]
- Heavy Slash [Damage and enmity up]
Shield (???)
- Guard [Chance to block attacks]
- Aegis Boon [DEF up and blocked attacks heal]
Pugilist (PUG)
- Second Wind (10) [Restore some HP] [Debatable; not necessary]
Marauder (MRD)
- Defender (10) [DEF up, ATK down] [Debatable; not necessary]
Thaumaturge (THM)
- Sacrifice (4) [Regen; Costs HP]
- Punishing Barbs (10) [Damage taken = Damage dealt]
- Stygian Spikes (16) [% of Damage taken to MP]
- The Absorb Spells (18) [Enemy stat down, your stat up]
Conjurer (CON)
- Cure (4) [Heals HP]
- Shock Spikes (8) [Deals lightning damage when struck]
Stat Spread
- Isador's stat spread: VIT; PIE; DEX/STR; MND; INT
- Got your own? Suggest it!
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Too Long; Didn't Read (GT9)
Did you get all that? Those were my findings, and my current plans. Got any tips or discrepancies? PLEASE tell me! If I got anything wrong, or there is a better way of going about something, I'll more than happily edit it and give credit! This is as much for potential GLA/THM as it is for me. Stat builds, helpful abilities, it's all useful information. Special thanks to TerraHeart for getting this idea going! Contributors and their contributions are to be listed below.
Acknowledgments:
- TerraHeart: Concept; Information on Abilities and Spells;
- Hecateslover: Information on Second Wind and Marauder
- Starkaiser: Bringing up question of whether PIE is needed for Absorb
- Lugen: Information on Stoneskin
- kodo2: Bringing up Punishing Barbs ratio question
Version
- September 12th: Creation; minor editing
- September 12th AM: Added Hecateslover, Starkaiser and Lugen input; minor editing.
- September 12th PM: Added TerraHeart's input; minor editing; added "Races"
- September 15th PM: Edited Punishing Barbs; replaced all instances of "GLD" with "GLA"; replaced all instances of "Leave" with "Leve"; added information in Bare Bones; formatted The Plan.
Version 9.15 PM
A Guide and Observations
Compiled by Isador Nikocles
Information by FFXIVCore Forum Members
Contributors Listed at Bottom; Names in Blue Bold Text
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Please don't be a gawping Coblyn and quote the entire first post!
And be sure to read the rest of the thread for more advice!
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Hey fellow swordsmen,
So if you looked at the Cross-Class Skills thread, you probably saw the glowing review of the GLA/THM build. I, myself, was completely taken with the concept and have been spending the Open Beta figuring out how it is I want to go about things. I think I'm at a point where I've almost got a plan going, and wanted to bounce some ideas off everyone. So, without further ado, here are my observations, coupled with the forums' say on the matters.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
- The Concept (GT1)
- The Spells (GT2)
- The Abilities (GT3)
- The Stats (GT4)
- Races (GT4a)
- The Fall Backs (GT5)
- The Hand and Land Disciplines (GT6)
- The Plan (GT7)
- The Bare Bones (GT8)
No talking, just abilities/spells
-Too Long; Didn't Read (GT9)
Acknowledgments, updates, misc.
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The Concept (GT1)
A GLA/THM is one part tank, one part soloer. With solid stats and abilities, the GLA/THM can both grab hate easily as well as survive on the battlefield. The GLA/THM's mainstay is an array of enfeebling and buffing spells learned from Thaumaturge which, when coupled with the Gladiator's high HP, allows the GLA/THM to effectively enrage the enemy while keeping themselves safe. The damage taken as a GLA/THM is never for naught, as they will reflect damage, gain HP and MP from enemy attacks, steal stats, and generally enfeeble the enemy while buffing themselves.
The Spells (GT2)
Amongst the GLA/THM's key spells, first there is Punishing Barbs at Rank 10, which gives a ratio of damage taken=damage dealt ratio, though the specific ratio is under debate (any information on this would be appreciated!). Any damage the enemy does to you, you both get to take. Make sure to have plenty of HP for that! The second key-spell is Stygian Spikes, at Rank 16. These spikes give you MP to a certain percent of damage taken, therefore giving the GLA/THM nearly infinite MP. No need for Exaltation or Aetheryte! The final spells are a quartet learned at Rank 18, the Absorb spells. Take Attack, Accuracy, Defense or Evasion and watch as the gab between your damage and hits compared to the enemy's widens. For when you aren't hitting hard or often enough! Terraheart writes, "Save absorb spells for tough fights/ long grinds. You won't notice their benefits in short fights."
Other helpful spells include the Siphon spells (make your enemy's X-Points your own!), status inducers (Poison kills you too efficiently, why not them too? Though they aren't effective in groups, let the main THM use them), as well as Sacrifice (grants Regen on yourself and nearby party members, scales with MND), and cross-class-wise you could always use Cure (heals yourself, the recast time is negligible, the Action Point requirement is low, AND it generates healthy hate!). Shock Spikes also works well with the GLA/THM-style of play, giving you more damage output.
Lugen writes, "If you are wondering about Stoneskin, it's not worth it at all. The amount of damage blocked is rather small, less than the amount regained by Cure which has the same action cost."
TerraHeart writes, "Moves like slow, poison etc are great but put them away when grouping as the THM can cast em quicker, better and on a THM the move is radial (i.e. in an arc so multihiting)." In addition, on casting, "Always cast spells behind the safety of guard."
The Abilities (GT3)
Naturally, the THM-aspect of the build is its strong point, but there is a reason that GLA is chosen as the pair-up: it utilizes the best abilities currently available to the current disciplines. From a tanking-perspective, Rampart at Rank 4 couples nicely with Defender, allowing you to lessen the amount of damage taken. While you have Punishing Barbs and Shock Spikes enabled the reduced strength is somewhat bypassed, but the damage reduction is still very noticeable and not to be used all the time. Phalanx at Rank 8 grabs hate and does damage, no reason not to have it. I'm sure you FFXI-ers saw this coming but Provoke at Rank 10 is a mainstay for tanks. Several attacks also require MP, which Stygian Spikes supply.
Obsess will boost your defense against single enemies, great for solo combat. Just be wary when there are multiple targets, since the damage from those will increase! Later on we've got other tank mainstays such as Cover and Sentinel, but that's a way's off and aren't as exactly GLA/THM-specific, though helpful. Don't forget, you also have your trusty shield with you! Guard should be up constantly, as it allows you to block enemy attacks and keep that extra bit of damage off you. Aegis Boon, also from your shield, reduces damage taken, as well as convert damage from blocking to HP.
You may also desire to swap a spell or ability you rarely use out for a TP Attack Skill. Skills such as Red Lotus Blade's MP requirement, along with other MP-needing TP attacks becomes trivial thanks to Stygian Spikes. Circle Slash is great because it's an AOE, just be careful while soloing less you accidentally aggro that Iron Coblyn that was gawking. Heavy Slash has extra enmity creation, always a plus. TerraHeart reminds, though, that it has a high action use and is non-spammable. Other Skills are a nice way to fill empty slots, just remember not to use too many of your limited Action Points if there's a more core-GLA/THM skill available.
HecatesLover writes, "You are forgetting that you can only have 10 skills active on your bar at a time." This is not true: you have 30 separate slots between three rows of ten. You can set them in the Skills and Abilities window on any of the three layers, then cycle through them with on the keyboard using the normal directional arrow keys, <need confirmation on how to do so on a controller>. I suggest the skills you use most go in the top bar, then perhaps spells on the second tier and attacks on the last.
There are a few other melee class abilities that you may find helpful to have, but are not entirely necessary. First is the Pugilist's Second Wind, a nice HP restorer to help keep you going a bit longer. The PUG's Taunt isn't very helpful considering you have your own more potent Provoke, and you'll probably have enough hate-gain as is. Second is the Marauder's Defender, which will help keep you alive as a tank. Bloodbath isn't really helpful since you won't be focusing on Strength, and the other MRD abilities are fairly DPS-in-thought. Lancer and Archer don't have much in the way of helpful abilities for you.
HecatesLover writes, "Second Wind has proven to be quite disappointing when used cross class. It isn't a large amount when used as a Pugilist and with the cross class penalty it just isn't that useful. You will be much better off using Cure any time you want to heal yourself." On that subject, TerraHeart writes, "Second Wind is a very good heal, mainly because its free, but more importantly, because it's INSTANT. The 2 secs it takes for a cure to cast can kill you." (Isador0 suggests to test it out and decide for yourself.)
HecatesLover writes, "The second skill...Defender from Marauder. A defense boost is nice but you can't get the enmity bonus unless you are actually a Marauder as your main class."
TerraHeart writes, "Use predominantly gladiator only weapon skills - any cross class weapon skill's damage will be reduced by about 50%. Only take a cross class weapon skill for a debuff."
The Stats (GT4)
For those who haven't divined what the stats mean, here are the current definitions as of Open Beta (subject to change/specifying after retail release):
Strength: Physical Damage
Dexterity: Physical Accuracy
Vitality: Health Points
----------------------------------------------
Intelligence: Magic Damage
Piety: Magic Accuracy
Mind: Magic Points
Physical stats will require, naturally, the HP to keep yourself alive as the enemy contributes to your damage output and MP, so Vitality is a must. Strength and Dexterity are rather secondary, but important. Adjust as you may between those two. As for magic stats, SS will help keep your mana pool charged, but don't forget to keep some in there for when battles stall: a GLA/THM with no HP is just a GLA with little support. Since most of your magics are adverse, Intelligence becomes rather unnecessary. Piety will be required, so you don't spend half the battle trying to set up buffs and end up dead/too low in HP to count.
So in regards to this, I think that the stat spread per level should prioritize in this order: VIT; PIE; DEX/STR; MND; INT. The problem here lies with the fact that this kind of build won't help you as much while ranking up THM. You definitely will be outshone by pure mages like this, putting two magic stats low, and the GLA's abilities won't be of much help. So my suggestion would be to keep the stats relatively level for those first 18+ Ranks of THM, but keep a few points extra on those preferred ones. After you hit 18 THM, chances are that you'll be set for quite a while as a GLA/THM.
Starkaiser asks the question, "Do you need PIE for Absorb to work?" TerraHeart has observed that, with relatively low PIE, Absorb still works most of the time. It requires more testing as successful casting may still increase from extra PIE.
Races (GT4a)
Just the same as FFXI, here choosing your race gives you several small differences in base stat allotment. It's also the same as FFXI as these minor differences matter very little. A single point or two going either way will barely even matter at Level 1, if at all. Choose the race you wish to choose. But still, there are differences, and in such a spirit it might be helpful for those waffling on which race to choose. Make of each spread as you will.
Highlander Hyur have a 18;15;17;13;12;15 spread, making them melee-oriented.
Mindlander Hyur have a 16;14;15;16;16;13 spread, making them a jack of all trades-type.
Plainsfolk Lala'fell have a 13;17;13;16;16;15 spread, making them accurate and slightly mage-oriented.
Dunesfolk Lala'fell have a 12;15;12;16;18;17 spread, making them fairly mage-oriented.
Sea Wolf Roegadyn have a 17;13;18;12;14;16 spread, making them solid melee tanks.
Hellsguard Roegadyn have a 15;12;16;15;15;17 spread, making them a jack of all trades-type.
Wilwood Elezen have a 14;18;13;17;16;12 spread, making them accurate and slightly mage-oriented.
Duskwight Elezen have a 15;15;14;18;16;15 spread, making them a jack of all trades-type.
Sun Seeker Mi'Qote 16;17;15;13;15;14 spread, making them melee-oriented.
Moon Keeper Mi'Qote 13;16;12;14;17;18 spread, making them mage-oriented.
The Hand and Land Disciplines (GT5)
This is, of course, a melee build that focuses on the front lines, so you'll be wanting your big suits of heavy mail and plate armor once again. As such, Blacksmith, Armorer and Goldsmith are all helpful for creating and maintaining your weapons and armor. You may need some use in Weaver for both your low-level gear as well as your mage-gear. I find the other Hands to be helpful, but not required unless you feel like picking them up. Though keep in mind none of these are 100% un/necessary, as you have the repairman in Ul'dah as well as the shops and bazaars for gear and items. If you don't want to spend any more time leveling things that aren't GLA/THM (can't blame you, there really is a lot to do), and you're all right with over-paying for gear, they can be ignored.
As for Land, I heartily endorse Mining as a discipline for you. First off, you're going to be getting materials you can use to both fix and create armor. Secondly, the Guild Leves for Miner are pretty easy. So long as you know how to work the gauge, most Leves can be completed in 10-15 minutes with little chance of enemy aggro (I, myself, only had one aggro in Gridania). The Leves also pay well: Rank 1 pay around 500-1000 gil, while Rank 10 pay around 5000-10,000 gil along with bonus items, and that's without bonus pay. The last perk is the increased income from mined items you don't need, which can easily reach around 10,000 gil after a few Leves. You don't even need to be Rank 10 for the Rank 10 missions: I completed them while still Rank 6! The end result is a heap of money, experience, and helpful synthesis items. As for Botanist and Fishing, that's more for the unnamed Hands, though it is fun to fish off the back of the boat to/from Limsa/Ul'dah. All in all, the usual message, do as you please.
The Fall Backs (GT6)
Naturally there will be some level of difficulty with these sorts of things, it's just to be expected. First and foremost, there is quite a but of time invested. You'll need to level three extra disciplines to at least Rank 10, your effective sub-discipline will be near Rank 20, and that's all discounting your Hand and Land disciplines! Most classes could do from this, though, so don't feel like being a GLA/THM makes you the odd-man out in terms of job-grinding. It'll also be hard for you to keep up with other mages as you rank up THM while still trying to keep your GLA/THM build. It is also difficult to strike the correct balance between reducing damage while ensuring your buffs stay useful, as well as the required time before/during battle to buff yourself. Your attack bar will also be chock-full and limited in action.
You also have to realize that there are other tank-builds out there: GLA/MRD or vice-versa will be a common and deserving pure melee tank, there's talk that the shield-only Sentinel discipline will be added in future expansions, and then there's those wacky blink tanks. You will also have trouble with dealing with multiple enemies, considering your lack of AOE and the like. There's also the fact that you have to keep your stat-spread more wide than pure-melee or pure-mage builds, effectively meaning you'll have lower more averaged stats. All this on top of a hard-to-use build means that GLA/THM is not for everyone.
The Plan (GT7)
(Disclaimer: this section is rather subjective and more useful as suggestions than a codex)
Let's focus first on what you do after starting. I suggest not starting as GLA or THM, but instead focusing on a Hand or Land discipline. Choosing one will help you earn the money you'll need to get started, as well as help you get a leg-up on disciplines you'll need to keep your gear up-to-date. Remember to start off with the first story line mission to earn a few easy thousand gil, though you will probably need to earn enough to buy a weapon before that to finish off the low-level-nasties in the story quests. After that, do. Not. Blow. Your. Money. Think ahead: buy crafting materials or gear before you need it. Whatever's left over, feel free to experiment with. Just keep in mind most discipline base-items cost at least 500 for the main hand, as well as an extra 500-1500 for the sub, so don't buy them all unless you really need to/are willing to use them at all to earn back that money.
Buy the gil online and I'll hunt you down, use your identity to DDOS the gil-seller's sites, then upload your photo to a dating website for former inmates ♥ Keep our virtual economy healthy! Don't buy gil!
PSA aside, be sure to pick up your shield as well, which you'll need at Rank 8 GLA. You can buy it (Ul'dah has a stand to the right of the main gate that sells 43,000 and 95,000, yikes), craft it (check the web/eventual player's guides), or purchase in the bazaar for a fraction of the NPC retail. You probably won't need your actual armor for some time, as gear earned through Leves as well as the general easiness of enemies allows it. After you have your money in order, I suggest first leveling THM or CON first, as it is arguably harder for mages at first and better to get out of the way (also, your melee skills won't help your mage skills all to much usually).
Feel free to take your time: you won't be needed as a tank for quite some time quest-wise, so don't feel any urgency. You might have a goal, but you're still playing a game. If you get tired of gridning one, try another discipline, etc. Also, it's in your best interest to travel to all three opening City States so you can warp between them. South from Gridania is Ul'dah, then West from there is a small port which you can take a boat to make it to Limsa. TerraHeart suggests leveling THM to 20 to gain access to Sacrifice and Siphon MP. I might also suggest leveling CON to Rank 4 first instead to get Cure, then later to at least 8, at most 16. You'll need to get your THM to at least 18 before leaving it for a while.
A good time to level THM again would be when you start having empty action points in GLA, since you will then finally have the room for new spells. Though I suggest leveling MRD and PUG to Rank 10 before that happens if you want their skills. That's right: I say level GLA last. Considering it will be your main job, having all the bells and whistles ready for you ahead of time will make your journey that much easier. Character-level-wise you'll be more than a formidable foe at this point, able to rise through the lower ranks with ease. Still, there's no reason in waiting til last if it'll take several Ranks to even have enough room to fit all the requisite spells and abilities into your action macros, so if you want to mix it up be my guest.
There's no real one way to go about this. Just do whatever keeps you entertained and make sure to keep looking ahead for new gear. Trust me, it'll be months before you're ready to go back and start leveling THM again. Well, maybe weeks for some people, but really, you know what I mean. Sorry this section was so much more random, but the concept of how to start is all fairly subjective. You might even want to create a throw-away character first to learn the ins-and-outs of the game first hand and make your mistakes then.
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The Bare Bones (GT8)
Too much text for ya'? Here, have a list of the core of what's suggested for GLA/THM.
Gladiator (GLA)
- Rampart (4) [DEF and MAG DEF up]
- Phalanx (8) [Damage and enmity up]
- Provoke (10) [Enmity up]
- Heavy Slash [Damage and enmity up]
Shield (???)
- Guard [Chance to block attacks]
- Aegis Boon [DEF up and blocked attacks heal]
Pugilist (PUG)
- Second Wind (10) [Restore some HP] [Debatable; not necessary]
Marauder (MRD)
- Defender (10) [DEF up, ATK down] [Debatable; not necessary]
Thaumaturge (THM)
- Sacrifice (4) [Regen; Costs HP]
- Punishing Barbs (10) [Damage taken = Damage dealt]
- Stygian Spikes (16) [% of Damage taken to MP]
- The Absorb Spells (18) [Enemy stat down, your stat up]
Conjurer (CON)
- Cure (4) [Heals HP]
- Shock Spikes (8) [Deals lightning damage when struck]
Stat Spread
- Isador's stat spread: VIT; PIE; DEX/STR; MND; INT
- Got your own? Suggest it!
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Too Long; Didn't Read (GT9)
Did you get all that? Those were my findings, and my current plans. Got any tips or discrepancies? PLEASE tell me! If I got anything wrong, or there is a better way of going about something, I'll more than happily edit it and give credit! This is as much for potential GLA/THM as it is for me. Stat builds, helpful abilities, it's all useful information. Special thanks to TerraHeart for getting this idea going! Contributors and their contributions are to be listed below.
Acknowledgments:
- TerraHeart: Concept; Information on Abilities and Spells;
- Hecateslover: Information on Second Wind and Marauder
- Starkaiser: Bringing up question of whether PIE is needed for Absorb
- Lugen: Information on Stoneskin
- kodo2: Bringing up Punishing Barbs ratio question
Version
- September 12th: Creation; minor editing
- September 12th AM: Added Hecateslover, Starkaiser and Lugen input; minor editing.
- September 12th PM: Added TerraHeart's input; minor editing; added "Races"
- September 15th PM: Edited Punishing Barbs; replaced all instances of "GLD" with "GLA"; replaced all instances of "Leave" with "Leve"; added information in Bare Bones; formatted The Plan.
