If you’re a newbie or are just starting at the beginning of Final Fantasy XIV, it can get pretty overwhelming. If you aren’t familiar with what retainers are, they can help you collect materials and improve your game experience. Today, we’ll be discussing everything you need to know about retainers, including how to level and what to use them for.
What’s a Retainer?
Retainers assist you in better managing the resources you have in-game. Every Retainer can have a maximum of 175 items which can hold aspects like regular items, Gils, crafting crystals, and many more. It’s the primary source you need to sell your items and belongings to earn more Gil. This is a transaction where you sell your items, and another player buys your items in exchange for Gil. This Gil you receive will go directly to your Retainer, which you initially used to sell your items on the market board. So, in other words, retainers are really like your assistants or managers in a way.
How do you unlock Retainers?
Like unlocking dungeons in the game, you must complete the main story quest called “The Scions of the Seventh Dawn.” You’ll see this on level 17, and you shouldn’t have a problem since it’s effortless to level up at the initial stages in Final Fantasy XIV.
After completing the said quest, you can then hire retainers in three main cities during the initial stages of the game, by going to a Retainer Vocate. You can then summon your retainer by going to the Summoning bell, which should be located close by the Retainer Vocate. You can then assign tasks to your retainer using retainer ventures. The retainer can be sent to on missions to collect and bring back materials for you. This will take some time for them to complete.
How to hire and build your Retainer?
Visit the Retainer Vocate if you want to hire a retainer, which should be located by the market board in main cities. You should take note you can only hire a maximum of two retainers, but you can have more than this by purchasing retainers from Final Fantasy XIV’s Mogstation website. However, there’s a catch. You’ll be billed monthly for every Retainer you have that exceeds two.
Creating your Retainer is a fun thing you’ll experience as a player. Similar to designing and altering your character however you want it to look, the same goes for building your Retainer.
You get to have fun and fashion the looks of your Retainer however you want it to look. You can even choose a personality type for your Retainer, which includes how they respond and interact with you. Once you’ve created your preferred Retainer, you can begin equipping gear for the job of your choosing.
What are the best Retainer jobs/classes?
Frankly, this is the most anticipating and exciting part of having a retainer. You can choose a job for your retainers so you can level up faster and more conveniently. The only jobs you won’t level upon at all costs are carpenters or weavers. Of course, there’s an evident catch. You must have your chosen job leveled up using your main character first before anything else. In layman’s terms, your Retainer should follow your footsteps.
1. Disciples of war and magic Retainer
With this particular job, your options are to send them hunting for any valuable materials you can use by none other than killing monsters. Items you obtain with disciples of war and magic retains are consistent and never change. So you should expect to receive animal hides, feathers, ingredients, and other random objects.
2. Botanist Retainers
This job specializes in gathering all resources that align with plant life. It allows you to gather several crafting and gardening materials like plants, ingredients, and seeds. Having a botanist retainer can be highly beneficial, particularly if you have a weaver or culinarian, crafting class. This is because all the materials you’ve yet to gather are interconnected to these mentioned jobs. You must also remember that you should gather it once for your Retainer to have complete access to it for every item.
3. Miner Retainers
If you don’t know what miner jobs are, they control the mineral wealth behind the entirety of Eorzea. So it’s a gathering class where you should expect to gather materials like ores, rocks, and minerals. Having mineral retainers can be beneficial, particularly if you have a blacksmith or goldsmith. Again, similar to botanist retainers, this is because they’re related to these crafting jobs.
4. Fisher Retainers
Fisher retainers are behind the entire wildlife of Eorzea’s marine and freshwaters. It’s also the final class of the three gathering classes we’ve mentioned in this list. Expect that you’ll be collecting materials like shells, fish, corals, and other sea creatures. This is beneficial, particularly if you have a culinarian or alchemist since these materials can be used in these jobs.
How to maximize profits through Retainer
Among these mentioned above, the best profits you can get are from botanists, miners, and fishers. While these might seem boring and bland gathering classes, they’re guaranteed to be worth the grind. Gatherers are particularly known for bringing home the bacon, otherwise known as bringing home a lot of profit. This is because gathering materials are always in demand, so the more you gather, the more profit you also make. Also, all gatherers have a rate crafting item called unspoiled materials. These are rare items, which sell for a lot.
Takeaway
We hope you gained a complete insight on the importance of retainers and precisely how you can take advantage of their overall usage and benefit for you in-game. In conclusion, this is everything you need to know about retainers, including how to level and what to use them for. This is the best way to level up and gain profit simultaneously, especially if you’re just starting the game or are a beginner.