(Or, why "level your sub" does not mean "your u-boat is listing to the left")
1. What is a subjob?
When you first begin the game, you have only one job. This is referred to as your "main job." For the first 18 levels, you can have only this one job. Once you reach level 18, though, you can undertake one of two quests that will allow you to have a secondary job. The technical, in-game term for this is a "support job," but nearly everyone will refer to it as a "subjob" or "subclass."
A subjob adds most of the abilities and traits of a second job to your main job. For example, a black mage with a white mage subjob can case Cure spells, and a warrior with a monk subjob has a better hand-to-hand ability than one without. You also get bonuses to some of the attributes associated with your subjob. A warrior with a monk subjob has more hit points and STR, a white mage with a black mage subjob has more magic points, and a red mage with a white mage subjob has more MND. The most notable ability that you do not receive is the 2hr ability of your subjob.
Like your main job, your subjob has a level. The level of your subjob is the lower of the following two numbers:
When you gain experience, you only gain experience in your main job. Say you have WAR20 with 500 XP and MNK15 with 1000 XP. If you go out and fight for a while as WAR20/MNK10 and reach WAR20 with 3000 XP, you'll still be MNK15 with 1000 XP--MNK will not level up unless it's your main job. However, if you get enough experience to reach WAR22, then you'll be WAR22/MNK11--because the limit on the level of your MNK subjob went up when the level of your main job went up.
2. Why do I want a subjob?
There are several reasons to get a subjob:
a) Power. In general, having a subjob makes you more powerful. A WAR with a THF subjob can evade better. A THF with a MNK subjob has more HP and can hit harder. A WHM with a BLM subjob has more MP and a wider range of spells, while a RDM with a WHM subjob has more oomph to her Cure spells.
b) Versatility. With a subjob, you have access to a wider variety of abilities to use. A WAR with THF subbed might also be able to steal from enemies. A MNK with WAR subbed could provoke. A WHM with a BLM subjob now has the option of a few more offensive spells than Banish and Dia, and a RDM with a WHM subjob can cast the -ra series of buffs and (eventually) use Divine Seal.
That being said, there are limits to how far this versatility can go. A WAR with a WHM subjob can cast a couple of cure spells, but she still won't be an especially effective healer. A WHM with a WAR subjob is a better fighter than one with out, but neither of them will be particularly good at it, especially compared to a full melee type.
c) Party invites. If you have a well-maintained, appropriate subjob, you look more attractive to people who might want to invite you to their party. If you had to choose between a BLM with no subjob an a BLM with a WHM subjob, wouldn't you want the one who could backup heal? If you were picking between a WAR with no subjob and one with a THF subjob, wouldn't you want the one who can dodge a little bit better? The subjob also indicates that you've been around long enough to understand the ways of the game (especially when you're at lower levels) and have some experience in how things are done.
Keep in mind that some main job/subjob combinations maximize these benefits better than others. Adding a subjob that only minimally enhances your main job doesn't give you the best benefit of having that subjob--especially in a party situation, where the leaders are more likely to be looking for specialists (a WAR with a melee subclass, for example) than generalists (such as a WAR with a mage subclass).
3) How do I get a subjob?
When you reach level 18, you will be able to accept either one of two quests that will allow you to use a subjob. You'll only be allowed to accept one of the quests, so you should pick the one that you want to focus on before actually accepting either one. Each quest involves finding three items. The items are Rare/Ex, so you'll only be able to have one of each of them at a time, and you won't be able to buy or sell them. Because you can only accept one quest, it's probably a good idea to have all three items in hand before accepting the quest that you want to do.
One quest is called "The Old Lady." It is available from Vera in Mhaura (G-10). She asks for a wild rabbit tail, which is dropped by mighty rarabs, then a cup of dhalmel saliva, which is dropped by bull dhalmels, and a bloody robe, which is dropped by bogies. All of these monsters can be found in the Buburimu Peninsula.
The other quest is called "Elder Memories." It is available from Isacio in Selbina (G-10). He asks for a magicked skull, which is dropped by ghouls, then a damselfly worm, which is dropped by damselflies, and then a crab apron, which is dropped by snippers. All of these monsters can be found in the Valkurm Dunes.
Some of these monsters can also be found elsewhere (bogies and ghouls, specifically). You don't need to fight them in any particular location to get the drops.
Which one of these quests you choose is a matter of preference. Some will suggest that one is easier than the other; in general, the following points are worth considering:
Also note that, while Vera or Isacio will not give you the quest until you're level 18 or higher, you can collect the items you need at any time. Therefore, some people start searching for the items before they're eligible for the quests, so that they can get their subjobs as soon as they reach level 18.
4) How do I use a subjob?
To select a subjob initially, you need to go to your Mog House and select "switch jobs." In addition to the "main job" option that's been there all along, you'll now have a "support job" option available. You can select any job that you're eligible to use for your subjob. You can change subjobs freely, although it's worth a mention that, in order to swap your main job and subjob (say, switch from RDM/WHM to WHM/RDM), you'll need to change one of the jobs (either main or sub) to any other job first, and then set the proper main and subjobs (for example, RDM/WHM -> BLM/WHM -> BLM/RDM -> WHM/RDM).
Once your subjob is chosen, you can use any of the abilities of that job up to your level in it, except for the 2hr ability. You may also not be able to equip weapons that are exclusive to your job if it's only a subjob (for example, instruments for a bard subjob).
Your subjob is not "auto-leveled"--that is, it is not automatically half of the level of your main job. You need to level up a job as your main job in order to get more levels in it. If your subjob is less than half the level of your main job, you may hear someone tell you to level your sub. They're suggesting that you're not getting all of the benefit that you could be out of your subclass because it's not at the level cap for it. Party leaders often preferentially choose members with fully-leveled subjobs over those that aren't fully leveled.
5) Which subjob should I pick?
If you look around enough, you will see endless debates on "which subjob is best for X class?" This section is not meant to be the final authority on any of those discussions; rather, it's intended more as a guide to the factors that should affect your choice of subjob.
The most important thing to consider when selecting a subjob is, "What is my role?" Your role will change depending on your situation. If you're playing solo, you might want to sub WHM to your WAR in order to have a little extra healing boost when you need it. Or you might want to sub MNK to your BLM so you can take a few more hits. If you're in a party, though, you're more likely to be wanted as a specialist. A WAR in a party should have a healer to back him up, so he'll be better to have a melee subclass, like THF or MNK, than a WHM. Similarly, a BLM in a party shouldn't be getting into melee much (if at all), so she'd do better to take a subclass that boosts her magical ability, such as WHM or SMN.
Some jobs are inherently more difficult to use as subjobs than others; these tend to be some of the already more specialized advanced jobs. For example, a dragoon subjob isn't able to summon a wyvern, and a bard subjob isn't able to use musical instruments. This drastically decreases the effectiveness of these jobs as subjobs.
No main job/subjob combination is entirely unworkable; all of them may have some merit in certain situations. However, certain combinations may not be very effective in most situations. So, while the main goal of the game is to have fun, and you're welcome to play whatever combination is most fun to you, keep in mind that people interested in making the most effective party may have strong suggestions about what combinations you should and shouldn't be using in their parties.
Edit: updated for Lady Seryn's comments. Most gracious thanks, Lady Seryn!
Edited, Tue Apr 20 18:12:10 2004 by dajagr
Edited, Tue Apr 20 18:16:38 2004 by dajagr
