Paladin Job Guide
Game: Final Fantasy XI
Platform: PC/PS2
Version: 0.9

Author: shadow conspiracy
FFXI Name: Kinean
Server: Lakshmi


 1 - Introduction
  1a - Intro
 2 - Paladin
  1b - Information
  2b - Unlocking Paladin
  3b - Job Combinations
   3ab - Race Controversy
  4b - Abilities and Spells
 3 - Tips for playing
  1c - How to be an effective Paladin
  2c - Armor/Weapon Strategy
   2ac - Weapons
   2bc - AF Armor & Quests
   2cc - JSE Armor
   2dc - Relic Armor
  3c - Path to becoming a Paladin
 4 - Ending Stuff
  1d - FAQ
  2d - Legal Mumbo-Jumbo
  3d - Credits

1 - Introduction
 |1a - Introduction

 Hi, I'm shadow conspiracy on GameFAQs, and Kinean in FFXI. Since I
love playing as a Paladin, I felt like I should write about being
one. I currently reside in Lakshmi, part of the PhoenixReborn 
linkshell; I'm a 64 PLD/ 32 WAR with a variety of different other
jobs leveled. I've had this game since the release date, and I
couldn't be loving it more. 

 You can reach me at if you have any questions.

 If there's an error in here or something I didn't add or whatever,
email me or contact me so I can change it. Thanks!

2 - Paladin
 |1b - Information

 This is the number one thing, the golden rule, about Paladins. You
are the tank. You save your teammates' lives. You have lowered
strength compared to other melee classes, excell with the 1H Sword/
Shield combination (1H Swords are NOT damage dealing weapons), and
have various White Mage to heal yourself and most importantly of all,

 If you can't keep hate, then you're not an effective Paladin,
because, to be truthful, that's the only thing they're good for. You
wouldn't want to choose a Paladin over a Dark Knight, Samurai,
Dragoon, etc. for their damage.

 Don't plan on being a Paladin if you want to deal damage. That's the
least of what you'll be doing.

 |2b - Unlocking Paladin

 To unlock the Paladin job, you must be atleast level 30. Go to
San D'Oria South and talk to Balasiel at F-7. This will start a
series of three quests that you must complete to unlock Paladin.
They are A Squire's Test, A Squire's Test II, and A Knight's Test.

 Talk to Balasiel to start A Squire's Test. He wants you to get him a
Revival Tree Root. This item drops off of various undead enemies.
Best place to go would be to go to King Ranperre's Tomb and fight
Spooks until it drops. Or... You could just get one at the AH. They
sell for around 200 gil, under the Materials -> Alchemy section. Go
back to Balasiel, trade him the tree root, and you will have
completed the first quest. He gives you a Spatha for your troubles.

 Talk to Balasiel again to start A Squire's Test II. This requires
you to go get a Stalactite dew from Ordelle Caves in La Theine. Go
to F-7 in La Theine to enter the Ordelle Caves. Enter the cave and
keep right throughout the cave until you reach a large room with
stalactites hanging down from the ceiling and a waterfall right at
the entrance of the room. You can select a ??? in the water, and
another ??? near the center of the room. You must click on the ???
in the water, and then run over to the other ???. You should have
gotten a stalactite dew if you did this correctly. If you didn't
get it, do it over again. It's a timed event. Go back to Balasiel
and trade him the dew. His gives you the Squire Certificate. 
Congrats! Only 1 more quest left to do.

 Talk to Balasiel one last time to start A Knight's Test. He gives
you a Book of Tasks. This passages means for you go to go the city
guards on the second floor of the wall and get books from them.
First go to Cahamure and get the Book of East. Then go to Baurise
to get the Book of the West. Next you must go to Davoi to get the
last item. To make this part TEN TIMES EASIER, get a WHM that's
higher that level 25 to help you. He can cast Sneak and Invisible
on you that will make getting through Davoi so much easier. Davoi
hosts monsters that are 40 and over; no way that you could fight
them unless you have some high level help.

 Enter Davoi and go to I-8 and drop into the river. Go south a
little bit and then keep heading west until the river ends (D-8).
At the end of the river, head south to (E-10) to find the well.
There might be some slimes there that you have to fight, but you
can handle them. Check the well, and you'll receive A Knight's Soul.
To get out, head back through the river up to (I-9) where you can
head north or south. Go south to (J-10). Walk back through the
eastern half of Davoi and then go back to Balasiel and trade him
the Knight's Soul. Balasiel will knight you and you will be given a
Kite Shield. Congrats! You can now play as a Paladin.

 |3b - Subjob Combinations
 Before I ramble on about each subjob for a Paladin, let me make this
clear. You never, ever, sub anything other than Warrior in parties.
QUESTIONS ASKED. Warriors have the best abilities and stats for a PLD
having Provoke, Defender, and Double Attack. Provoke is one of the
most important elements of tanking. You won't beable to control hate
effectively, or even at all, without Provoke.

 Warrior - 5/5
 Undoubtedly the best subjob for a Paladin. Provoke is essential to
Paladins. They get an Attack Boost (which never hurts), Defender
(but not until 50), and Double Attack (again, doesn't hurt).

 Monk - 0/5  
 Interesting combination. You'd have more HP and VIT with a MNK, but
a Monk's abilities doesn't really help a Paladin out very much. The
only really useful abilitiy is Dodge, but subbing Monk for it really
isn't worth it.

 White Mage - 2/5
 Actually, WHM is a decent subjob. I mean, I'd rather have a
PLD/WAR than a PLD/WHM, but PLD/WHMs are second best. More MP, but
less HP and VIT, but a Divine Seal + Cure II/III/IV is mega-hate.
Clear Mind and Auto Regen are certaintly helpful too. Plus, you
can cure yourself of any of those nasty status ailments that WHMs
might not get rid of in time.

 Black Mage - 0/5
 Paladins are not damage dealers. Subbing Black Mage doesn't change
that. Plus, using a level ~30 spell on 70 beastmen doesn't work. Only
reason you'd want to sub Black Mage is for Warp, but that wouldn't be
used in party situations. Just for quests maybe, say you want to get
back to someplace quicly.

 Red Mage - 0/5
 Extra MP, better HP and VIT than WHM sub, Fast Cast, and all their
ehnancing spells, but still not a very good choice.

 Theif - 1/5
 Theif's don't make a good sub for a Paladin in parties. None of
their abilities would help a Paladin out anyway. Only reason for
subbing Thief is for Treasure Hunter/Gilfinder/Flee when you're

 Dark Knight - 0/5
 Paladins take damage. Dark Knights deal it. Putting these two jobs
together doesn't make an uber character. It makes a terrible one. 
Black magic helps a Paladin out in no way whatsoever, and neither
do the Dark Knight skill, which will just decrease your defense.

 Beastmaster - 0/5
 You just don't sub beast, period.

 Bard - 0/5
 No instrument and you can only have one song. No helpful abilities
at all.

 Ranger - 0/5
 Nothing really to contribute. No good skills for a Paladin, and only
reason you would sub one is to pull (maybe??) but Paladins shouldn't

 Summoner - 0/5
 Um... I really don't know what to say about this. Besides that 
summoner only makes a good sub to WHM, BLM, and RDM. Save yourself
the trouble and don't.

 Samurai - 1/5
 Third Eye might come in handy once in a while, and Samurais don't
have that bad of defense, but Samurais deal damage, opposite of 
Paladins. No real useful abilities either, except Meditate at level
60, but again, Paladins are there not to deal damage, but to take

 Ninja - 2/5
 Not bad. A Duel Wield Paladin isn't bad, and Utsusemi doesn't hurt.
Decent sub for Paladin. Only useful for tanking HNMs.

 Dragoon - 0/5
 No wyvern. No defense at all. Just save yourself and don't.

 |3ab - Race Controversy
 Every race can be good at being a Paladin in their own way. I am a
Hume, and in my own opinion, I think they are the best race for them
(maybe I'm biased a little haha), but any race can play Paladin
effectively as long as they know how to play as a Paladin.

 Galka - Highest HP and Highest VIT out of all the classes. But you
 get barely any MP which can hurt alot in the long run.
 Elvaan - Second highest HP, Second VIT, double a Galka's MP. Most
 people think that Elvaans make the best PLD and they can easily.

 Hume - Second lowest HP, Second highest MP, and right in the middle
 of every other stat. Humes can make a great Paladin as long as the
 player knows how to be one.

 Mithra - Same as Hume, but lower VIT and higher DEX and AGL.

 Tarutaru - Lowest HP, but highest MP. They can survive long chains
 or long battles thanks to their MP. But they need more VIT and HP
 if you plan on being a Tarutaru PLD. Be sure to bring along
 Boiled Crab.

 |4b - Abilities and Spells

 Job Abilities (Active)
 Name        | Lvl | Cooldown | Length | Description 
 Invincible  |   1 |  2 hours | 30 sec.| Invulnerable to physical 
 Holy Circle |   5 |   5 min. |  1 min.| Increased resistance against
 Shield Bash |  15 |   5 min. |      - | Deals small damage and stuns
 Sentinel    |  30 |   5 min. | 30 sec.| Temporarily increase defense
 Cover       |  35 |   5 min. | 30 sec.| Takes damage in place of an
                                         party member
 Rampart     |  62 |   5 min. | 30 sec.| Increase defense of all party

 Job Abilities (Passive)
 Name              | Lvl | Desciption
 Undead Killer     |   5 | Increased damage against undead
 Defense Bonus I   |  10 | Increased physical defense
 Resist Sleep I    |  20 | Increased resistance against sleep
 Defense Bonus II  |  30 | Increased physical defense 
 Resist Sleep II   |  40 | Increased sleep resistance
 Defense Bonus III |  50 | Increased physical defense

 Name        | Lvl | MP |  Skill  | Description
 Cure        |   5 |  8 | Healing | Restores a small amount of HP to
 Banish      |   7 | 18 |  Divine | Deals light elemental damage to
 Protect     |  10 |  9 | Enhance | Raises physical defense.
 Cure II     |  17 | 24 | Healing | Restores a medium amount of HP 
                                    to target
 Shell       |  20 | 18 | Enhance | Raises magical defense.
 Cure III    |  30 | 48 | Healing | Restores a large amount of HP to
 Protect II  |  30 | 28 | Enhance | Raises physical defense.
 Banish II   |  34 | 74 |  Divine | Deals light elemental damage to
 Flash       |  37 | 25 |  Divine | Temporarily blinds target.
 Shell II    |  40 | 37 | Enhance | Raises magical defense.
 Protect III |  50 | 46 | Enhance | Increases physical defense
 Cure IV     |  55 | 96 | Healing | Restores a very large amount of
                                    HP to target
 Holy        |  55 | 100|  Divine | Deals light elemental damage
 Shell III   |  60 | 56 | Enhance | Raises magical defense.
 Banish III  |  61 | 130|  Divine | Deals light elemental damage
 Protect IV  |  70 | 65 | Enhance | Raises physical defense
 Raise       |  75 | 150| Healing | Revives a dead player

3 - Tips for playing
 |1c - How to be an effictive Paladin

 Lvls 1-16 - You'll be soloing most of this time, but once you do
 get into a party, here's what you should do. Start of the battle
 by Provoking the mob. Remember to Provoke every 30 seconds. Keep
 healing yourself with Cure. This should generate enough hate on you.
 Once you hit level 15, you can use Shield Bash to get the hate on
 you. Once the battle is over make sure to rest to get more MP. 

 Lvls 17-29 - Cure II is an excellent hate generator at this level.
 Start battle with Provoke - use it every 30 seconds. Do a Shield
 Bash either at the beginning or sometime during the battle. Then
 use Cure II to heal yourself and keep the hate on you. Keep using
 Cure II on yourself and the hate should be on you the whole time.
 Heal up after the battle to get MP.

 Lvls 30-36 - Start off each battle with Provoke -> Shield Bash/
 Sentinel -> Cure III. This will gain you good hate early on. Keep
 spamming Provoke every 30 seconds and keep using Cure III and you
 should be good.

 Lvls 37-49 - Now, you should get into a groove at the beginning of
 every battle. Provoke -> Flash -> Shield Bash/Sentinel, then
 Cure III for the puller if he took any damage. Provoke every 30
 seconds and Flash every 45 and you should keep hate easily this way
 along with any Cure IIIs needed along the way.

 Lvls 50-75 - Get used to this: Provoke -> Flash -> Shield Bash/
 Sentinel -> Defender -> Cure III. Keep spamming Provoke and Flash.
 Use Cure III plenty.

 |2c - Armor/Weapon Strategy
 -Note: These are just my reccomendations. This is how I've
  progressed through the levels. You might want to equip another
  piece of armor contrary to my opinion. It's your character. Play
  him/her as you like.

 Lvls 1-6 
 Weapon: Bronze Sword
 Shield: Lauan Shield
 Head: Bronze Cap
 Body: Bronze Harness
 Hands: Bronze Mittens
 Legs: Bronze Subligar
 Feet: Bronze Leggings
 Back: Rabbit Mantle (LVL 4)

 Lvls 7-9*
 Weapon: Xiphos Sword
 Shield: Lauan Shield -> Aspis Shield (LVL 9)
 Head: Leather Bandana 
 Body: Leather Vest
 Hands: Leather Gloves
 Legs: Leather Trousers
 Feet: Leather Highboots
 Neck: Justice Badge
 Waist: Leather Belt
 Back:  Rabbit Mantle

 Lvls 10-16
 Weapon: Xiphos Sword -> Bee Spatha (LVL 11)
 Shield: Aspis Shield
 Head: Faceguard
 Body: Scale Mail
 Hands: Scale Finger Gauntlets  
 Legs: Scale Cuisses
 Feet: Scale Greaves
 Neck: Justice Badge
 Waist: Leather Belt -> Warrior's Belt (LVL 15)
 Back: Rabbit Mantle
 Ring1: Amber Ring (LVL 14)
 Ring2: Amber Ring (LVL 14)

 Lvls 17-29
 Weapon: Bee Spatha -> Longsword (LVL 18)
 Shield: Aspis Shield -> Decurion's Shield (LVL 20) -> Kite Shield 
         (LVL 28)
 Head: Lizard Helm -> Iron Mask (LVL 24) or Brass Mask (LVL 27)
 Body: Lizard Jerkin -> Chainmail (LVL 24) or Brass Scale Mail 
       (LVL 27)
 Hands: Lizard Gloves -> Chain Mittens (LVL 24) or Brass Finger
        Gauntlets (LVL 27)
 Legs: Lizard Trousers -> Chain Hose (LVL 24) or Brass Cuisses
       (LVL 27)
 Feet: Lizard Ledelsens -> Greaves (LVL 24) or Brass Greaves (LVL 27)
 Neck: Justice Badge -> Holy Phial (LVL 26)
 Waist: Warrior's Belt
 Back: Rabbit Mantle -> Dhalmel Mantle (LVL 18) -> Wolf Mantle 
       (LVL 28)
 Earring1: Beetle Earring (LVL 21)
 Earring2: Beetle Earring (LVL 21)
 Ring1: Amber Ring
 Ring2: Amber Ring

 Lvls 30-39
 Weapon: Centurion's Sword OR Strider's Sword (LVL 32)
 Shield: Kite Shield
 Head: Centurion's Visor 
 Body: Centurion's Scale Mail
 Hands: Centurion's Finger Gauntlets 
 Legs: Centurion's Cuisses
 Feet: Centurion's Greaves 
 Neck: Holy Phial
 Waist: Warrior's Belt
 Back: Wolf Mantle -> Cavalier's Mantle (LVL 37)
 Earring1: Mercenary Earring or Drone Earring (LVL 35)
 Earring2: Beetle Earring or Drone Earring (LVL 35)
 Ring1: Amber Ring -> Sphere Ring (LVL 36)
 Ring2: Amber Ring -> Sphere Ring (LVL 36)
 - Note: Strider Sword is about half the price of Centurion's Sword
 at the AH, is only missing the extra ACC and ATK of the Centurion's
 Sword, but the AGL +3, coupled with the AGL bonuses of the
 Centurion's Armor, will evade many enemy attacks. Or, you could get
 Centurion's Sword, and then the Hunting Sword at level 34.

 Lvls 40-49
 Weapon: Honor Sword (LVL 42)
 Shield: Kite Shield -> Heater Shield (LVL 43)
 Head: Iron Musketeer's Armet 
 Body: Breastplate or Royal Squire's Chainmail -> Brigandine Armor
       (LVL 45)
 Hands: Gauntlets or Iron Musketeer's Gauntlets 
 Legs: Cuisses
 Feet: Plate Leggings or Iron Musketeer's Sabatons
 Neck: Holy Phial
 Waist: Warrior's Belt -> Life Belt (LVL 48)
 Back: Cavalier's Mantle
 Earring1: Mercenary Earring/Drone Earring
 Earring2: Drone Earring
 Ring1: Sphere Ring
 Ring2: Sphere Ring

 Lvls 50-59
 Weapon: Tactician Magician's Espadon -> Gluttony Sword (LVL 57)
 Shield: Royal Knight Army Shield -> Royal Guard's Shield (LVL 55)
 Head: Iron Musketeer's Armet -> Gallant Coronet (LVL 56)
 Body: Iron Musketeer's Curiass or Mythril Breastplate (LVL 49) ->
       Royal Knight's Chainmail (LVL 55)
 Hands: Iron Musketeer's Gauntlets or Mythril Gauntlets (LVL 49) ->
        Gallant Gauntlets (LVL 54)
 Legs: Iron Musketeer's Cuisses -> Gallant Breeches (LVL 58)
 Feet: Iron Musketeer's Sabatons or Mythril Leggings (LVL 49) ->
       Gallant Leggings (LVL 52)
 Neck: Iron Musketeer's Gorget (LVL 55) or Royal Guard's Collar
       (LVL 55)
 Waist: Life Belt
 Back: Cavalier's Mantle -> Republican Army Mantle (LVL 55) or Beak
       Mantle (LVL 58)
 Earring1: Mercenary Earring/Drone Earring
 Earring2: Drone Earring
 Ring1: Chrysoberyl Ring (LVL 54)
 Ring2: Chrysoberyl Ring (LVL 54)

 * - Depending if you party at level 7 through 10, you'll want the
 Leather Armor Set. If you solo to 10, skip the Leather Armor and go
 directly to Scale Armor.

 Amber/Stamina Ring - Both will work between levels 14 and 36. If you
 have the money, and the AH has the Stamina Rings in stock, then go
 ahead and get them. Otherwise Amber will work fine, and if you have
 the money/ability to change it then do so.

 |2ac - Weapons
 Besides the standard sword and shield, there are other weapons that
a Paladin can use effectively. But let's get this straight...


 I hope I have made myself clear. Here's why:

 - You will always use a Shield in EXP parties, therefore, you can't
   wield a 2H weapon.
 - Paladins have an A+ rating in Swords, and that means with a capped
   skill you'll hit the enemy more often compared to other 1H weapons
 - Swords hit faster than an 1H Axe, and have just a slighly lower
   damage than axes.
 - Swords hit harder than clubs. Always.
 - At level 55, Spirits Within becomes your best friend in EXP
 Paladins have the following skill ratings:

 Dagger: C-
 Sword: A+
 Great Sword: B
 Spear: E
 Club: A-
 Staff: A-

 Never use a dagger or club. They're just not worth it. Before the TP
nerf, Spear were idea for higher level farming (55+), but after, it's
not worth it.

 This brings us to Great Swords and Staves. Great Swords could be
used for farming, but their DOT eventually becomes equal to a
Sword's. Great Swords: Fun to play around with, don't take them

 So that leads us to Staves. At level 51, there becomes available
eight different elemental staves that have different stats on them.
There are two that a PLD should carry around.

Dark Staff - D30/366, All stats +1, Light+15, MP recovered while
 healing +10, Additional effect: Darkness damage 
Earth Staff - D30/366, VIT+4, Lightning+15, 
 Physical damage taken -20%, Additional effect: Earth damage

(+1 of these weapons are Pluto's and Terra's Staff respectively)

Dark Staff helps alot in EXP parties to recover your MP faster. It
also makes farming go faster with the MP recovery.

Earth Staff shouldn't be used in regular EXP parties, but for big NMs
and for tanking HNMs, you should definitely use this weapon. When the
enemy is hitting you for 150, 200+ damage, 20% less is alot.

 Even though Paladins can fool around with other weapons, they should
always come back to one... The Sword. 

 |2bc - AF Armor
 Body: Gallant Surcoat
  DEF:47 HP+20 VIT+4 
  Divine Magic Skill +5
  Lvl 60

 Legs: Gallant Breeches
  DEF:34 HP+15 AGL+3
  Enhancing Magic Skill +5
  Lvl 58

 Head: Gallant Coronet
  DEF:24 HP+12 MND+3
  Enhances "Cover" Effect
  Lvl 56

 Hands: Gallant Gauntlets
  DEF:16 HP+11 DEX+3
  Light+10 Enmity+2
  Lvl 54

 Feet: Gallant Leggings
  DEF:14 HP+15 CHR+5
  Shield Skill +10
  Enhances Holy Circle effect
  Lvl 52

 Weapon: Honor Sword
  DMG:28 Delay:240 VIT+2 MND+2
  Lvl 42


 Pre-requesites: Must complete "Father and Son" quest in Northern
 San d'Oria and give the boy the fishing rod back.

 AF 1 Quest: Sharpening the Sword
 AF Obtained: Honor Sword (Weapon) 

 Talk to Ailbeche (J-8) and he'll tell you that he needs a stone
to sharpen a sword with. Head to Ordelle Caves, go to (H-10) and look
for a stalagmite there. Once you select it, Polevik, and NM will 
spawn. Kill him to get him drop the stone. Return to Ailbeche, trade
him the stone, and congrats! You have your first piece of AF armor.

 Notes: Polevik is a level 45 earth elemental who loves to cast -ga
spells. You need to be (or bring along) two people who are level 55
or higher, preferably a melee and a white mage. As long as the WHM
can keep Polevik silenced, you should survive.

 AF 2 Quest: A Boy's Dream
 AF Obtainted: Gallant Leggings (Feet)

 After completing the Sharpening the Sword quest, and once you're 50,
you can get your AF 2 quest. Talk to Ailbeche (J-8) in Northern
San d'Oria. After talking to him, talk to Ailbeche's father, Exorache
who can be found in Rosel's Armour Shop (K-7/8). Then go back and
talk to Ailbeche again. He wants you to get a Giant shell bug
(fishing bait) for him. It can be found off a NM in Crawler's Nest
called Dreadbug at (H-9) by selecting the ???. To kill the Dreadbug,
a party of level 52s will be fine, but higher level help won't hurt.

 Once you kill the Dreadbug and get the Giant shell bug, go back to
Ailbeche and trade him one of the Giant shell bugs. He'll tell you
that you can catch the big one in Castle Oztroja.

 Go to (H-9) and they'll be a pond where Oozes spawn. Clear out the
oozes first or else they'll aggro during battle. Equip the Giant
shell bug as bait, and fish in the pond. You must be atleast level 5
in fishing to catch the fish, Odontotyrannus. If you aren't a level 5
fisher, you can trade the bug to someone else and have them fish. 

 Once you catch it, kill it and it'll drop an item, Odontotyrannus. 
A well balanced party around level 52-54 should beable to take it 
down, but again, high level help doesn't hurt. 

 Return to Ailbeche and trade the Odontotyrannus to him. He'll send
you to Selbina to talk with the Master Fisher there. Trade the item 
to Zaldon. You'll get A Knight's Boots, a key item. Now go to the
Chateau d'Oraguille, and go to Prince Trion's room and talk to him.
After the cutscene, you'll receive your AF2, Gallant Leggins. 

Also, right after you finish your AF2, you can start your AF3 quest,
Under Oath. But you can't complete it right now, due to the fact that
you need a full alliance of level 60s to kill 2 Orc NMs. 

 AF 3 Quest: Under Oath
 AF Obtained: Gallant Surcoat (Body)

 AF 4-6 Quest: Borghertz's Stalwart Hands
 AFs Obtained: Gallant Gauntlets (Hands), Gallant Coronet (Head),
               Gallant Breeches (Legs)

 Once you get your AF 4 quest, you can get get your coffer chest AFs.
It doesn't matter what parts you get first, your gauntlets, coronet,
or breeches. Once you have this quest you can get all of them at any

 To get your AF 4 quest, you must have received AF 2. Once you've
done that, go to Upper Jeuno, and talk to Guslam in the Durable 
Shields shop. He'll send you to the Eldieme Necropolis to get a
coffer key and coffer. 

 To defeat the enemies that drop the coffer key, you'll need atleast
a full party of level 54-56s. A WHM with Raise 2 is nice, and of
course, high level help never hurts.

 Go to Batalla Downs, and go to the Eldieme Necropolis location at
(I-10). The entrance will be under a hill. Once you're in Eldieme,
you'll need to get to a good camp. To get to the best one, and safest
also, you need to go to the middle of the first level of Eldieme,
then drop down, and run east. To get to the middle of the first level
you need someone to pull a switch located at (H-8). To get there,
everyone will need Sneak. Start going into Eldieme, taking a left
wherever possible. Once you reach (G-8), there will be a closed door.
To open it, you need to pull the switch at (H-8). To reach the switch
from the entrance, take a left at the first intersection, then go
right at the second intersection. You'll be in a big room. Go to the
west side of the room, where a small path will be. There's an Azer
there who aggros to sight and magic, so be careful. Go farther until
you see the switch. Once you hit it, the door at (G-8) will open. 
Once you hit the switch, go back to (G-8). The door will be closed 
again. But inside, there's a switch that can open the door too. Have
somebody hit the switch, and you'll beable to get into the room.

 Make sure everyone has sneak on. Go to the center of the room, and
walk onto the pebble surface. You'll fall down to the second level of
Eldieme. Run east, until you get to a four way intersection with a
pile of Hume bones in the middle. This will be your camp.

 The enemies that you need to kill for the coffer key are Tomb Mages
and Tomb Warriors. Also Spriggans drop the key, but unless you have
high level help (level 60+), you won't beable to take them. Tomb
Mages and Warriors are located along the path from (N-10) to (N-8).
To beable to pull the Tomb enemies, you have to clear a room
containing a Lich and 2 Fallen Knights, but they shouldn't pose any
problems. Along the path at (N-10), they'll be 3 Tomb enemies. With
the spawn rate of the Liches and Fallen Knights, that's just about
how many Tomb enemies you can kill before the Liches and Fallen
Knights spawn again.

 Keep killing Tomb Warriors and Mages until you get an Eldieme Coffer
Key. This drop is extrememly rare, it really is luck. I've spent
around 15 hours in Eldieme so far, and we've only had 3 key drops.

    Barfo ( sent me a suggestion for another,
    possibly better camp for Eldieme keys:
What you do is go on the first floor to the
big South room and drop through the center dirt hole,
to get to teh map that goes to the secret island, etc.
 Rather than going towards the island, though you take
a north at (H-8) and camp in the corner at (H-7) witht
he fight happening a little bit up the stairs around
the corner.  In the small little rooms at (I-7) there
are one tomg warrior and one tomb mage each (4 key
mobs total).  Theres about 2 lichs and two fallens
that spawn in that whole corridor but often times they
are past the little rooms (closer to the corner past
the rooms) and you can easily pull while only haveing
to fight 1-2 of these guys mostly.  Im not sure if
they actually drop a lot more there or if i got really
lucky, but my LS camped this spot for about 5 hours
spread over two days with a 6-party of level 54-55 and
got 4 coffer keys.

 Once you get your coffer key, you'll need to find the coffer chest.
The coffer chest spawns at these locations. On the first level:
(E-8), (F-8), (G-6), (G-7). On the second level: (M-10), (M-11),
(L-9), (L-12), and (E-6). The (E-6) coffer spawn is only accessible
from the Beaucedine Glacier entrance to Batallia Downs, so hope it
doesn't spawn there. To get to the (L-9) and (L-12) coffer spawns, 
you need to drop down from the rooms on the first level at (G-6) and
(G-9) respectively. While searching for the coffer chest, it's almost
required that you have a friend standing at the switch that can pull
it to open all the doors you need to cross. If you don't have a mage
sub that can cast Sneak, or a mage friend that's searching with you,
you need to buy atleast a stack of Silent Oils.

 Once you get your coffer and the item from it, go back to Guslam in
Upper Jeuno and talk to him. He'll send you to Port Jeuno, and talk
to the ??? near the Duty-Free Shop. You'll see a short cutscene. Now
only one more thing to do. Kill Dark Spark.

 Dark Spark is a level 55 bomb NM in Castle Zvhal Bailey. To get to
his location, you'll need to Sneak and Invisible your way through. If
you don't have that many mages in your party, it's a great idea to
bring along Prism Powders and Silent Oils. It'll make the short, but
possibly very long trip, easier. Go along the path until you reach an
intersection at (G-8). Keep going west until you hit a gate. Don't
worry, the ahrimans behind the gate won't aggro you. It's a good idea
to clear the immediate area of demons so you won't get aggro while
fighting Dark Spark. Once you're ready to fight him, have one person
touch one of the torches there. Remember which torch he touches. Once
Dark Spark is killed, touch the same torch that the person touched to
spawn Dark Spark. You'll get a key item. Now go back to Port Jeuno,
talk to the ??? again, and you'll receive your Gallant Gauntlets. Wow
wasn't that fun?

 AF 5: Garlaige Citadel Coffer
 AF Obtained: Gallant Coronet (Head)

 Remember, to beable to get your AF out of the coffer chest, you must
have your AF 4 quest activated (just activated, not completed).

 To get your Gallant Coronet, you must travel to Garlaige Citadel and
get a Garlaige Citadel coffer key and find the coffer chest and open
it. The enemies that you have to fight for the coffer key are Fallen
Officer, Fallen Mage, and Fallen Major. A full level 54 party can
handle them with no easy. Weapons also drop the key, but they require
high level help, so skeletons are your best chance.

 To get to the best camp spot, enter the Citadel, and run until you
get to the first intersection. Take a right here, then keep going. At
the next intersection, take a right and fall down the hole there.
This will bring you down to the bottom level. Here, because of bats
and beetles because they will aggro you on sound and sight 
respectively. But if you get aggro, taking them out shouldn't be a
probelm. Go to (H-8) where there's a little pathway. This is your
camp spot.

 Beyond this pathway, is a room full of Fallen Majors, Fallen Mages,
Wraths, and Hellmines. Fallen Majors, Mages, and Wraths drop the key,
but Wraths will be too strong for you, unless you have high level
help. All weapons and Magic Urns also drop the coffer key. Hellmines 
don't drop the coffer, but the chest key. You need the coffer.

 All the coffer spawns are located behind Banishing Gate 2 and 3.
The locations behind Banishing Gate 2 are at (E-8), (G-8), (H-8), and
(I-7). The locations behind Banishing Gate 3 are at (G-6), (I-5), and
(I-7). Once you have your key, and find the coffer, you'll get your
Gallant Coronet!

 AF 6: Beadeaux Coffer
 AF Obtained: Gallant Breeches (Legs).

   Jacob Lefeu has a suggestion for Beadeaux Coffer camp site
Beadeaus coffer key you'll need a party of lvl 58-60.  Maybe lvl 60
more so.  You go to k-6 to a lower area, and then to m-7, at that area
between 4 quadav areas.  This key has a very low drop rate, so it can
take some time.
 |2cc - JSE Armor
 JSE Armor stands for Job Specific Armor. This armor is obtained from
crafting a high level armor. Obviously, you need to have a high level
craft skill to do so. Like RSE, JSE can also be bought and sold at
the AH. Right now, the only PLD JSE available right now is the body
piece, Lord's Curiass. The stats are: DEF:49 VIT+5 CHR+1 Light+10
Dark+10 Converts 25 MP to HP.

 |2dc - Relic Armor

 Relic Armor is bascially an upgraded version of AF armor. The only
way it can be obtained is through mobs dropping the AF piece in
different Dynamis areas. Not only does Relic armor have better stats,
but it also have a graphical enhancement (read: looks awesome).

 Head: Valor Coronet
  DEF:28 HP+18 Enmity+3
  Healing Magic+10
  Enhances Rampart effect 

 Body: Valor Surcoat
  DEF:55 HP+23 DEX+3
  Enhances Cover effect

 Hands: Valor Gauntlets
  DEF:22 HP+16 VIT+5
  Enhances Shield Bash effect

 Legs: Valor Breeches
  DEF:43 HP+20 STR+4
  Spell interruption rate down 10%

 Feet: Valor Leggins
  DEF:19 HP+18 MND+3
  Enhances Sentinel effect

 |3c - Path to becoming a Paladin

 The best job to start out with is Warrior. PLD/WAR is the most
effective job combination. Level up warrior to 18. Once you hit 18
and get a subjob, level up whichever job you would like to 15. MNK or
WHM would be the most effective subjob. THF wouldn't hurt. BLM and 
RDM won't really help you, so I can't reccomend you to sub either or.

 Depending on where you start, you'll level to around 12 there. At
12, you should to go Valkurm Dunes until you hit 19. At 19, head over
to Qufim and stay there until you're 25 or 26. Do the Kazham Key
Quest to level from 25/26 to 30+ (trust me, you don't want to stop at
30, get a few more levels). Once you're past 30 (I reccomend 35), do
the Paladin Flag Quest.
4 - Ending Stuff
 |1 - FAQ
 Nothing yet. Any questions or anything, email me at:

 |2 - Legal Mumbo-Jumbo
 This may be not be reproduced under any circumstances except for
otherwise distributed publicly without advance written permission.
display is strictly prohibited, and a violation of copyright.

 These websites have permission to post this guide on their site:

   GameFAQs -
   XUnleashed -

 |3 - Credits

 Square-Enix - Another great game guys, keep them coming!
 GameFAQs ( - Yeah.
 Occupants of Lakshmi Server - You guys know who you are.
 FFO Warcry ( - General FFXI Info
 Allakhazam ( General FFXI Info
 FFXI MysteryTour ( - General
  FFXI Info
 One Winged Angels ( - General
  FFXI Info
 Skil-Cap Chart 
 Various Music Bands - For keeping me sane during this and all my   
  FFXI play time

 Barfo - AF4 and AF5 correction.
 Jacob Lefeu - Reminding me about Rampart, equipment suggesions, AF6