Ferris Ullr's Day Off: A Guide to Ranged PLD

Last update: 10 Feb 2022
Compiled by Djjjdmm of Asura

Contents

1. Intro
2. What does ranged PLD bring to the table?
3. What do I need?
4. Weapons Overview
4-1. Mainhand Weapons
4-2. Shields
4-3. Bows n' Arrows
5. Gearsets
5-1. Pre-shot
5-2. Mid-shot
5-3. Weaponskills (Empyreal Arrow)
6. Food
7. Tips

~ * ~ * ~

1. Intro

First, a disclaimer: I don't have PLD levelled, but I have seen PLDs, and I've seen Yoichi SAMs, so it doesn't take much to put two and two together. I also know from the most recent incarnation of PLD in FFXIV that SE has always truly wished for it to be a ranged DD. On top of that, I've read a lot of forum guides and wiki pages, and I have to use Excel for work a lot, so I'd like to think I'm something of an expert despite my lack of practical experience.

Take a look at the ranged options available to PLD, and you'll see all the clues SE dropped about their deepest, darkest desires: PLD is on Kustawi +1, and now it's on Ullr.
Could it be any more obvious?

I won't lie to you - the path ahead is not an easy one. But by unlocking PLD, you've already taken the first step, and the first step is always the hardest.
There will be haters. There will be so-called "career PLDs" who only sneer when they should instead be supporting their brothers and sisters.
You will prove them wrong when you top the parse.

~ * ~ * ~

2. What does ranged PLD bring to the table?

Short answer: Empyreal Arrow with an Ullr.



It's historically well-known that ranged DDs tend to be squishy and can get reduced to a fine red mist as soon as a monster looks at them.
Ranged PLD, specifically PLD/RNG, is SE's answer to this problem: you bring ranged damage without compromising on defences.

People talk about PLD being the first and last line of defence, but there's an unfortunate tendency among players to think exclusively about the geographic first line of defence, e.g. melee range, at the expense of the "last line of defence" part. That is to say, shooting arrows from the backline while also being very physically tanky.

Another thing people often say is that Rune Fencer is an offensively-oriented tank while Paladin is a defensive tank. First, that's dumb because "defensive tank" is a tautology. Second, this view fails to truly appreciate that Rune Fencer is defined by everything that Paladin isn't. For example, have you seen the gear RUN has to wear for enmity or SIRD? A better way to look at "RUN vs PLD" is that RUN is the melee tank, dishing out damage with one-handed axe or sometimes a greatsword, while PLD is the ranged tank, bringing the pain with ranged damage. In fact, this perspective on RUN vs PLD is already dated, in that RUN hasn't had new gear for Resolution since Adhemar came out, while PLD relatively recently got a massive leg up with gear like Ullr, the Nyame set, and the Crepuscular accesories.

You heard it here first: DD RUN is dead as a doornail. RNG is in the ICU. Caladbolg PLD is super-dead.
The D in PLD stands for DD.

~ * ~ * ~

3. What do I need?

Above all, your first objective should be to pick up an Ullr from Ambuscade and you should coordinate all your resources toward this goal.

New or returning players can make do with a Kaja Bow until they get their free pulse from Deeds; depending on your progress, you might also be able to farm Escha T3s yourself for the pulse. In a pinch, you can use Exalted Bow +1, but this means you'll have to use Arching Arrow instead of Empyreal Arrow, and there's a risk that other players will underestimate your potential when they see you using that and lose interest. On the bright side, you can resell the Exalted Bow on the AH once you're done with it.
You will also want to level up Ranger and cap Archery skill if you haven't done so already (and if not, why not? Cursed Sphere is terrible damage and range, so please, stop subbing /BLU). Depending on how master levels progress, you'll significantly improve your contribution to the party with Dead Aim II, Damage Limit+ II and Wide Scan VI at level 60; in the meantime, Accuracy Bonus III, Dead Aim I and Recycle III are a great boost with /RNG at level 50 from the current state of master levels. And yes, RNG sub is obviously essential. As everyone knows, WAR sub on PLD in TYOOL 2022 is the sign of a noob. You absolutely need the JAs that Ranger offers, such as Velocity Shot, Barrage, Sharpshot, and Scavenge. Camouflage is great when soloing or questing.

You should also make sure that you have a coordinated party of players who know how to actually play their jobs and have the right gear. That means getting Bolster Indi-Precision/Geo-Slip, crooked Hunter's/Chaos rolls, etudes and preludes, Flurry II, Distract II, Boost-AGI, Shield Break and Quick Step to maximize what your Archery skill provides - SE was careful not to make PLD/RNG too OP, but like with all jobs, you just need the right buffs to see results. Most of this should be easily achievable with a standard PLD/RNG party with RDM, COR, BRD, GEO and WHM. For alliance content like Omen or Dynamis Divergence, any WAR, DRK or RUN worth their salt should be supplying Shield Break on your current target. Your mileage may vary with pick-up groups, but over time you should be able to coordinate with like-minded players.

~ * ~ * ~

4. Weapons Overview

First up, if you want to go off-piste with defensive/melee sets for PLD, see the "First and Final Line of Defense v2.0" guide. Because PLD is naturally tanky, most of those sets are ultimately icing on the cake, so focus on those sets only after you've got your ranged gear locked down and can achieve your main role in the party. That said, if you're already a seasoned PLD who hasn't updated ranged gear for a few years but has defensive/melee sets down, you'll have saved yourself a lot of work for the odd situation where you'll need to be in melee range, or situations in which you peel monsters off the tank with your Empyreal Arrow.

4-1. Mainhand Weapons

Kustawi +1: Augmented with Lustreless Hides, this gives PLD an incredible +65 ranged accuracy and +36 ranged attack. -Enmity helps mitigate some of the hate build-up from your Empyreal Arrow so that you can maintain ideal distance. SE really threw PLD a bone with this one. Once you've got your Ullr ready, you should be pouring Lustreless Hides into this. For some reason, SE put RUN on Perun +1 instead of PLD - I guess it came out back when RUN was an up-and-coming melee tank for sickos and SE wanted to poke fun at them by including RUN on what is obviously a ranged DD item, and in the process, accidentally left off PLD. Anyway, this means that the Kustawi is basically your only option. Fortunately, it's a fantastic option in its own right. Never take this off unless Invincible is on cooldown and you're in danger. In which case...

Burtgang: Expensive and time-consuming, but you don't need to afterglow it - much like with Idris, only a pervert would do that. This is for PDT II -18% and is to be swapped in for your defensive idle set in emergencies. You'll lose TP by doing this, so make sure the emergency is an actual emergency lest you tank your DPS (and the party's DPS!) for no reason.
Malignance Sword: Similar role to the above in a debuff-heavy situation. Pair with Carrier's Sash to improve ailment resistance and tacitly throw shade at the other DDs.



Honorable mention: Thibron
This is PLD's TP bonus sword. You will be giving up ilvl and a lot of ranged accuracy/attack to use this, so I recommend using this with PLD/NIN rather than PLD/RNG. You will still gain Archery skill from /NIN, but you will miss out on useful /RNG traits and JAs, so bear that in mind when gearing - make sure you you're dual-wielding this with Kustawi +1 at the very least.

4-2. Shields

Seems pretty strange to me that PLD isn't on Nusku Shield, seeing as PLD is THE shield job. I guess it's just one of those crazy SE decisions like that time they put DRG on Naegling but not Xoanon, depriving newbie DRGs of an option outside of Reikikon to Cataclysm cleave Dynamis Divergence W1. Come to think of it, why isn't PLD on Xoanon either? Does SE think Reikikons just fall out of the sky? Anyway, that's the GEO's job, and we're here to talk about shields.

Blurred Shield +1: Comes with a staggering +7% weaponskill damage at the cost of ranged stats like AGI, but it's well worth it.

Other shields to look at:
Srivatsa: Easily obtained from /yell. An option for your defensive swap set with Burtgang; again, bear in mind that you'll lose TP. Don't get baited by Ochain or Aegis; they're not ilvl and you won't need them on the back line. Priwen will do.
Musketeer Commander's Shield: Comes with AGI+3, helping to buff your ranged accuracy and your Empyreal Arrow damage, but Blurred Shield +1 will outperform it if you don't need the extra AGI. Blurred is a little expensive, though, while this one only costs Conquest Points, so it's also an option if you've depleted your finances augmenting Kustawi +1.
Astral Aspis: Comes with AGI+3, but you'll lose 25 HP and the DEF is no great shakes. However, it is an NM drop, so the only cost is time. That said, the time spent doing an assessment of the value of your time may mean you'd actually *gain* money by just getting the Srivatsa from a {Clear Mind} party.

But wait. Stop the phone. Hold the presses. A new challenger appears.



Forget what I said about Nusku Shield.

Svalinn: Easily obtainable from Cirdas Alluvion Skirmish. With perfect augments, this gets 8 AGI, 4 STP, and your choice of either 20 ranged accuracy, 20 ranged attack, or 15 ranged accuracy/ranged attack. With its customisability, extra AGI, and higher STP, Svalinn blows Nusku Shield out of the water. COR and RNG are crying. Use this if you can't capitalise on Blurred Shield or you need the extra ranged stats and STP to improve WS frequency. Bear in mind, however, that Svalinn is a dangerous weapon in the wrong hands because it has a high +Enmity stat.

4-3. Bows n' Arrows

Ullr: Ullr, Ullr, Ullr. Get this. Get it literally before doing anything else if you can. This is everything you're working towards. This is your final form.

Other options (but not really):
Kaja Bow: Usable while you're working on a pulse weapon to upgrade to Ullr, but once you have it, you should be exclusively working on pulse farming, so you can consider this your Urmahlullr weapon. If you're a new or returning player, you may wish to consider getting a Srivatsa from /yell so that you're eligibile to pop Urmahlullr yourself.
Exalted Bow +1: Okay option that is easy to acquire for new or returning players, but you should look to replace it as soon as possible as you'll be severely limited in weaponskill choice. That is to say, you won't have Empyreal Arrow +50%, which is profoundly suboptimal.
Mengado +1: A little off the beaten path - with lustreless scale augments, this nets you +47 ranged accuracy before Unity gains, but if you're so desperate for accuracy that you're giving up Ullr and Empyreal Arrow, you should be looking at where your support is falling short first. Regen+3 during daytime helps boost your natural tankiness a little, though, so it's worth picking up one for your Regen idle if losing TP isn't a problem - town gear, probably.

For arrows, you'll mainly be using Beryllium Arrows, but Raetic Arrows are your best DPS option if you've got deep pockets and good luck with Recycle - make sure you're using Scavenge on cooldown. On Asura, Raetic Arrows are rare, so you may wish to take a few minutes out to skill up Woodworking and be self-sufficient. If you're desperate, there's always Chapuli Arrows.

While levelling, you can start your PLD/RNG journey from level 1 with a Shortbow (bought with Sparks) paired with Stone Arrows (Curio Moogle); if Shortbow +1 is available on the Auction House, it'll be your best DPS weapon for a while until you can equip most other bows. I recommend going back to town and checking for new bows at the Sparks vendor whenever you level up - it may not be optimal for speedrunning through the levelling process and you won't always have an upgrade, but I think it's an important way to appreciate just how many bows PLD has been blessed with over the life of FFXI. And if you're not here for the nostalgia, what are you here for? Tweaking Gearswap LUAs?

~ * ~ * ~

5. Gearsets

I don't actually know how to format gearsets, so I'll just list what you need and maybe I'll fix it later once I've got a degree. I also wasn't able to find a PLD/RNG spreadsheet to run the numbers; however, as mentioned before, I have seen a Yoichi SAM, so I've got a pretty good idea of what the best gear and augments to chase are.

5-1. Pre-shot

Grab an Acro set from Yorcia Alluvion Skirmish and augment with Snapshot/Rapid Shot +5 (both of them, they're different stones). Add ranged attack and accuracy if you're using this for midshot too, but you should only do this if you're low on inventory space from having RDM. The Yorium set doesn't get these augments, by the way. It's easy to be confused because SAM isn't on it, but it's mainly for tanks like WAR.

If the randomness of Skirmish drops isn't kind to you, the entire Volte set from Dynamis Divergence Bastook may be easier to obtain.

Note: Snapshot is quite difficult to stack on PLD, but it's a necessary evil to properly balance the game and avoid invalidating RNG as a main job. Any worthwhile PLD/RNG party should have an RDM to provide you with Flurry II.

Other items you'll need include Crepuscular Ring and an Ambuscade cape augmented with Snapshot +10.

5-2. Mid-shot

You can reuse your Acro set if you're desperate for space, or simply wear the Volte set mentioned before if it's too difficult to obtain or land perfect augments.
Ideally, farm an entire second Acro set and try to land perfect ranged accuracy/attack, STP, and STR and AGI augments.
The Nyame set can also help out for ranged stats if you're missing slots, but you'll sacrifice STP.

For accessories, you'll be looking at Crepuscular Ring, Paqichikaji Ring or augmented Cacoethic Ring +1, Crepuscular Earring, Telos Earring, Reiki Yotai (or Eschan Stone (or Oneiros Cest for more STP if you can spare the ranged accuracy)), Ambuscade cape augmented with AGI, ranged attack, ranged accuracy, and STP, and probably throw a Combatant's Torque on for Archery skill and STP.

5-3. Weaponskills (Empyreal Arrow)

For obvious reasons, I'm only going to be looking at Empyreal Arrow here; I don't think anything else is optimal for PLD/RNG, but I welcome any corrections.

Sometimes, SE really tips their hand when they release an All Jobs item. The Nyame set is perhaps the greatest example of this; no ranged job can truly capitalise on it more than PLD does. This set is SE saying "pick up your bows, PLDs, your time has come" in big red letters, as if Ullr by itself wasn't enough to get the message across.

The Nyame set comes with a staggering range of PLD/RNG-oriented stats before you even augment it, and it's great defensively too. Seriously, once you see the stats on this set, you'll truly understand what PLD/RNG's true potential is, was, and always has been.

This development also makes Empyreal Arrow breathtakingly easy to gear for: full (ranked-up!) Nyame, Thrud Earring, Moonshade Earring, STR/R. Atk/R. Acc/WSD ambuscade cape, R25 Beithir Ring, Regal Ring, and Fotia neck/belt. If you're still working on the Beithir Ring, try Karieyh (+1) or the more accessible Epaminondas's Ring.

"But what about Sakpata's?" What about your mum's Sakpata's. Entirely bereft of ranged stats, Sakpata is trash for what you're trying to achieve here. Use it in your idle set or for a lockstyle (more on this later), I don't care.

~ * ~ * ~

6. Food

Grape Daifuku: This is the food you're already using 100% of the time on all your other DD jobs and it's just fine on PLD/RNG too.

Other options:
Riverfin Soup: Daifuku on steroids and lasts for three hours. You won't lose this unless you eat an Antacid, because you have Invincible.
Pork Cutlet Bowl: Great ranged attack option.
Altana's Repast: A fantastic option that gives you tonnes of basically everything you could ever want. A bit dear but easily affordable if you use Holy Circle on your party and then demand church tithes.

~ * ~ * ~

7. Tips

Odyssey segment farms:
People will often expect you to tank in segment farms, but for PLD/RNG, that's like putting a square peg into a round hole. Make your own party that can supply the buffs listed above in this guide. You will need a GEO with proper gearsets, because they will be supertanking on GEO/BLU. Have the support buff the GEO with minnes, mambos, gallant/ninja rolls. The GEO will be buffing themselves with Cocoon and Indi-Barrier, so while that only leaves Entrust Indi-Precision for you, their DEF will skyrocket. The GEO's tanking set should include full Nyame, DEF accessories like R15 Loricate Torque, and a Genmei Shield paired with a VIT, Eva/Meva, Enmity+ and "Blocking rate" augmented Ambuscade cape. All of this is easy to obtain. The GEO should also have an enmity set in case things go south and they need to tag mobs; this will include items like Petrov Ring, Eihwaz Ring, and Searing Sash, but as this is a PLD guide and not a GEO guide, I won't go into further detail.
At any rate, if the GEO does have to tag mobs, then once they're secured, the RDM should be ready to Manifestation Bio III to get -20% attack on the pack, then /assist you to get Dia III on your current target. (Make sure you've pulled it out of Bio III range, because Dia III won't overwrite it.) If the COR and BRD are DDing, make sure to let them know to hit different targets so that they don't interrupt your ranged attacks while you build up TP.
If the COR and BRD insist on DDing and are also uncooperative about optimising party damage - and this goes for any content where you've got knuckleheads screwing up the parse by killstealing your TP fodder - you can speed up your TP gain by wearing an Opo-opo Necklace and using a Sleeping Potion. When you're ready, swap in a Berserker's Torque to wake up and fire off that Empyreal Arrow you've been saving up. You may need to bring a couple of stacks of potions in this scenario, but if you run out, try to keep a monster that has sleep TP moves or spells alive for as long as possible instead. Once your party sees the parse, they'll thank you for it.
As a last segment farm tip, make sure someone in the party other than you and the GEO has sub /DNC in case you get Chigoes.

Lockstyle:
Speaking of expectations, people may get the wrong idea about you if you're hanging around town in a common PLD lockstyle with what appears to be a Kustawi on your waist. Reputation still matters in XI, especially as server populations are dwindling, so it's best to avoid giving people negative impressions like this. I recommend setting up your lockstyle to include Perun +1, Nusku Shield, and Hunter's Beret to make it clear that you understand your job right from first glance. (Note: You will have to make sure your town idle set has a one-handed axe so that you can lockstyle Perun +1. You cannot use Perun for this. There are several level 1, All Jobs axes you can use to achieve this.) Sylvan Gapette is also acceptable and easier to obtain, but the beret is best in slot and well worth the effort. DON'T use Corsair chapeaux; PLD obviously doesn't do Marksmanship and it's a big red noob flag that I see from a lot of inexperienced PLDs.

Mog Garden:
Look into monster rearing at your Mog Garden. Memento cheers will help you out a lot; for example, you can get a Woodworking skillup buff to help you on your way to making Raetic Arrows faster, and there are some other useful buffs too, like AGI and CP bonuses, which will help you out in job point parties if you haven't mastered PLD yet. Make sure you get Ionis, too - Apex Bats are a great target for PLD/RNG, as they're weak to piercing and one of the benefits of PLD is that you suffer less from their Attack Down than other DDs do.

Enmity:
Be careful if you're using an off-the-shelf LUA. PLD's defensive abilities, like Invincible, will for some reason spike your enmity as well. Personally, I don't understand why SE designed it so that the button you press when you don't want to get hurt only provokes the monsters into hurting you more, but this game is known for its quirks, as well as the breathtaking sadism of its developers. At any rate, it's not unusual for a LUA to have an Enmity set, nor is it that unusual to attach enmity-generating JAs to Enmity sets as a side effect of PLD historically being used as a tank. Make sure you load as much MINUS Enmity and not PLUS Enmity gear into this set as you can to help out the tank.

Skillchains:
No PLD/RNG is complete without some Skillchain Knowledge.



Your Nyame WS set is loaded with Skillchain Damage, making PLD/RNG a top-tier choice for closing skillchains. You'll often notice other DDs using Savage Blade in content - this is because Empyreal Arrow can close Light from Savage Blade. I've listed a few example skillchains using common weaponskills that you can close with Empyreal Arrow. All of these also work with Arching Arrow if you're still at a very early stage of your PLD/RNG journey.

Savage Blade > Empyreal Arrow: Light
Ground Strike > Empyreal Arrow: Light (DRK is a great opener for PLD/RNG throughout your journey)
Resolution > Empyreal Arrow: Light
Dimidiation > Empyreal Arrow: Light (If you have a sicko RUN/DRK instead of an actual DRK.)
Ukko's Fury > Empyreal Arrow: Light
Camlann's Torment > Empyreal Arrow: Light (For content that needs a wyvern tank.)
Blade: Metsu > Empyreal Arrow: Light
Blade: Kamu > Empyreal Arrow: Light
Tachi: Kaiten > Empyreal Arrow: Light
Tachi: Shoha > Empyreal Arrow: Light
Tachi: Fudo > Decimation (Fusion) > Entropy (Gravitation) > Savage Blade (Fragmentation) > Empyreal Arrow: Light
Black Halo > Empyreal Arrow: Light
Victory Smite > Empyreal Arrow: Light
Extenterator > Empyreal Arrow: Light
Mordant Rime > Empyreal Arrow: Light
Cloudsplitter > Empyreal Arrow: Light
Apex Arrow > Empyreal Arrow: Light
Trueflight > Empyreal Arrow: Light

Note that you cannot close anything higher than a level 2 skillchain off Scythe Weaponskills with Empyreal Arrow, so DRKs and BLMs are better off using a greatsword in PLD/RNG parties or alliances.

~ * ~ * ~

That's all for now. I hope this helps you on your journey to success with ranged PLD!
If you have any tips or recommendations I've overlooked, please feel free to share them.



Don't let the haters win!

~ * ~ * ~

Bonus: Community Sets

ItemSet 383668

PLD/NIN-style set using Thibron (TP bonus sword), courtesy Boposhopo
(Consider accuracy swaps for the Moonlight Ring like paqichikaji ring or augmented cacoethic ring +1)