Overview - Character Creation - Sub-job Selection - Vital Spells - Job Rundown - Combat Tactics - Closing

There is nothing more vital to a party than a knowledgeable White Mage. Though the White Mage rarely ever even directly attacks the mob he indirectly determines whether or not each fight will be a success or a failure. In addition a well played White Mage can cut down times to minimal amounts allowing for faster killing and ultimately more experience for the party. While the White Mage may spend most of his time healing his compatriots he also is responsible for some very valuable monster debuffs such as Paralyze, Slow, and Dia. With this said, the life of the White Mage is definitely not for those seeking to fight solo. White Mage’s excel in parties and due to the low population of White Mages they have no issues getting a party when they wish to hunt.

"Experts in white magic that specialize in healing and recovery spells. Weak in close combat, and prohibited from using bladed weapons."

Like all jobs race plays an intrinsic role in determining how effective your White Mage will be. Whilst the Tarutaru boast the highest MP in the game the noble Elvaan are wise and high in MND allowing for more effective Cure spells. It is also important to take into account which other jobs you may be interested in playing before you commit to a single race, although all races are quite capable of being most jobs with the proper equipment. Here are a few quick run-downs on the races and the implications of using each race as a White Mage.

Tarutaru: My personal favorite for any mage job. While the Tarutaru may have slightly lower MND than the Elvaan they bolster a ridiculous amount of MP allowing them to require less rest time. In addition this increased amount of MP often proves vital when situations get out of control due to pulling too tough of mob. Ultimately I feel that the lower MND really doesn’t matter much when you consider that you rarely use the high level Cure spells. By this time you will easily be capping out on your lower, and more commonly used, Cure spells. The only small drawback is that while Tarutaru make excellent mages they require top notch gear to compete with the other races should you later choose to play a melee job.

Hume/Mithra: I lump the Hume together with the Mithra since they both are basically the same in regards to their abilities as a White Mage. With the second highest MP they can easily last a good amount of time before requiring rests to regain MP. They also have a slightly higher MND score than the Taru allowing them to cap their Cure spells a bit faster than their smaller Tarutaru friends. The real benefit of the Mithra or Hume though is that they are pretty good at most jobs which will allow you a bit more versatility on which other jobs you may choose to take up later on.

Elvaan: Commonly considered the second best race for a White Mage job the Elvaan have the highest MND score in the game which is an amazing 74 at level 70. The only major drawback to the Elvaan however is the lack of MP which means much longer downtimes for the party with which they hunt. Though many people suggest Elvaan for a White Mage I personally would definitely suggest that you look more towards the Hume/Mithra should you want a race that can effectively play as melee or mage.

Galka: I will keep this section short and sweet. Unless you really want to be unique I strongly suggest you never touch the idea of a Galka White Mage with a 10’ Onion Staff. At level 70 they have a mere 326 MP base, enough said.

While many people may choose to use a multitude of different jobs as their sub I will focus on the top three sub-jobs that will field the best and most effective White Mage. The top sub-jobs for the White Mage are those that will allow the White Mage more MP for healing.

Black Mage: Black Mage is by far the most popular choice for a White Mage sub-job. As a Black Mage sub you will be granted the best bonus to your MP and you will also be able to have access to some of the vital Black Mage debuff spells should your party not have a dedicated Black Mage or Red Mage. In addition, BLM as a sub will allow the WHM access to some very handy and time saving spells like Warp and Escape.

Summoner: While Summoner is commonly thought of as a great sub-job for mages it is only effective once you have reached LV50 White Mage. At this point your Summoner level will be 25 and you will have access to Auto Refresh allowing your White Mage to constantly be recovering both HP and MP. The only drawback is that with Summoner set as a sub you will only be able to summon avatars that are half your main job's level.

Red Mage: Rarely used the Red Mage will allow the White Mage to gain access to both Black Mage spells and Red Mage spells. The major drawback however is that you will have fewer black magic spells than if you had sub Black Mage and the Red Mage only spells really are not as efficient. The primary argument for Red Mage sub would be when the level cap is raised to LV80+ allowing the White Mage access to the coveted Convert ability and Refresh spell. Until then, I would recommend Black Mage over Red Mage to any aspiring White Mage.

For referencing spell names and effects please take a look at the WHM Spell Listings found here.

The concept of the White Mage is fairly simple. Keep the tank alive and the party healed while also making sure to drop a few vital debuffs on the mob you are currently fighting. This being said, there are a few vital pointers and tips that will allow you to shine above other less knowledgeable White Mages. This greater knowledge of your job will allow you to be more efficient and well known amongst your peers.

Passive Job Traits: As far as job traits go the White Mage receives 3 Magic Defense Up traits as well as Clear Mind and Auto Regen. The benefit of Clear Mind means you will receive more MP per cycle when resting (aka healing). Auto Regen will make it so you will always be regaining HP so that should you take a few hits as the White Mage you need not instantly worry about healing yourself since you gain more hate from healing yourself than healing others.

Active Job Abilities: Besides the two-hour job ability Benediction the White Mage receives the extremely val uable job ability, Divine Seal. Divine Seal will allow the White Mage to heal for double the amount on his next Cure spell. This is especially effective for reducing downtime with used with Curaga allowing the whole party to be healed for double the amount of HP.

Macros: As a White Mage it is vital that you are able to quickly heal your party members should the battle turn sour. A late Cure spell could cause the death of your tank which ultimately could lead to a full party death. With this in mind I will present a few examples of macros that I personally use when playing my White Mage.

*Note: I personally choose to use /p lines for all my Cure spells. While some people may feel this adds unnecessary spam to the chat channel it also allows you inform your party what you are doing and also prevent double healing should you have more than one mage healing. A further benefit is that you can use the auto-translate feature so that you are easily understood in foreign parties.
**Note: For all /p lines, text enclosed in () signify that the word is used via the auto-translate feature.

Cure Macro: This is a simple Cure macro that I use. While informing your party of the target for your Cure you also allow them to see the current % status of your MP.

/ma “Cure II” <t>
/p (Cure) 2 >> [ <t> ] MP: <mpp>

Ready Macro: I primarily wrote this macro to use with foreign parties so that they know when I am ready for pulling after a long downtime.

/p << (Ready!) [ MP: <mp> (<mpp>) ] <call18>

Let’s Rest Macro: Used to inform the party that you are in need of rest and to hold pulls. Once again, this macro is primarily used to better inform foreign parties what you are doing.

/p << (Let’s rest for a while.) [ MP: <mp> (<mpp>) ] <call19>

No MP Macro: The name says it all. Use this to inform your party that they best not expect any heals from you for the rest of the battle.

/p << (No MP)!!! <call3>

Protectra Macro: The idea of this macro can be applied to any “-ra” macros where you need to notify your party members to stay close to you so they will be effected by the spell.

/p (Gather Together) for (Protectra)! Casting in 5 seconds! <call18>
/wait 5
/ma “Protectra” <me>

When playing as a White Mage it is always important to remember that you are the life line of the party. Missed heals and improperly timed debuffs can spell doom for your tanks who are working hard to keep the agro off the White Mage. The general fundamentals of the White Mage are quite simple. First, always keep your tanks buffed up with Protect and Shell (should be easy with the “-ra” spells). The added bonus to defense really helps the tanks out. Second, try to land your debuffs early in the battle so that the tanks can make the most of them. While debuffing make sure that you also watch the health of the party members and switch to a Cure spell should anyone need it (you’re the healer first, debuffer second). Lastly, always try to stay away from the battle so that you will not be effected by AoE (area of effect) abilities or spells. Should the White Mage be hit with the Sleep spell it could spell doom for the whole party if there isn’t someone to remove it. With these basic tactics you should be able to effectively hunt with nearly any party while also being as efficient as possible.

Ultimately the path of the White Mage is one that I have found to be quite rewarding. You are rarely ever without a party and are highly respected should you know how to properly work within the party. As you build a reputation your ability to get parties will only grow as will your name. Just always be careful and try to be humble and bestow a sense of prestige for the White Mage community. In closing, should you have any further information or questions regarding this guide or the White Mage job feel free to e-mail them to editor@warcry.com and I will do my best to provide you with an accurate and timely response.

See you in Vana’diel....

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