Beastmaster (Final Fantasy XI)

These experts in monster research have trained tirelessly to communicate with—and even control—the animals of Vana'diel.

Official description

Beastmaster (獣使い, Kemonotsukai?) is an advanced job in Final Fantasy XI. The key ability of a Beastmaster is Charm, allowing them to bend the will of certain types of enemy creatures, mostly plantoids, lizards, vermin, and animals.

The races of Vana'diel each bring different strengths and weaknesses to the job of beastmaster. Tarutaru have the highest charisma, thus are able to charm with the greatest success rate, but low HP and Vitality means they are less survivable. Humes and Elvaan offer a more balanced approach to the job with no major perks and no major disadvantages. Mithra and Galka have low charisma, making charming creatures more difficult, but even as the weakest two race choices in that regard, increased agility for Mithra and large HP and Vitality totals for Galka help them be more survivable.

Becoming a Beastmaster[]

Since Beastmaster is an advanced job, players must complete a quest before they are able to level as a beastmaster. The beastmaster quest begins in Jeuno and takes the player all of one zone away to Qufim Island to inspect a coral outcropping. This is the easiest of all advanced job quests, requiring, at most, the player to be mindful of the Gigas, skeletons, weapons, and the Kraken that loiters near the actual coral outcropping. Upon returning to Jeuno after looking over the coral, the player will be able to level as a beastmaster.

Abilities[]

Job abilities[]

Job Ability	Level	Recast	Duration	Description
Familiar	1	1:00:00	0:30:00	Enhances your pet's powers and increases the duration of Charm.
Charm	1	0:00:15	—	Allows you to control your target.
Gauge	10	0:00:30	—	Allows you to judge whether or not a target can be charmed.
Reward	12	0:01:30(Recast can be reduced with Merit Points)	—	Restores your pet's HP. Special items required.
Call Beast	23	0:05:00(Recast can be reduced with Merit Points)	—	Calls a beast by using the contents of a jug.
Bestial Loyalty	23	0:20:00	—	Summons a beast without consuming the contents of the jug.
Tame	30	0:10:00(Recast can be reduced with Merit Points)	—	Makes target docile and more susceptible to charm.
Feral Howl	75(Only unlocked with Merit Points)	0:05:00	—	Terrorizes the target.
Killer Instinct	75(Only unlocked with Merit Points)	0:05:00	0:03:00	Grants your pet's Killer Effect to party members within area of effect.
Unleash	96	1:00:00	0:01:00	Increases the accuracy of Charm and reduces the recast times of Sic and Ready.

Pet commands[]

Pet Command	Level	Recast	Duration	Description
Fight	1	0:00:10	—	Commands your pet to attack the target.
Heel	10	0:00:05(Recast between Heel, Stay and Leave is shared)	—	Commands the pet to cease attacking and return to you.
Stay	15	0:00:05(Recast between Heel, Stay and Leave is shared)	—	Commands the pet to stay in one place.
Sic / Ready(The command Sic is changed to Ready when the pet is summoned by Call Beast)	25	0:02:00(Recast can be reduced with Merit Points)	—	Commands the pet to make a special attack.
Leave	35	0:00:05(Recast between Heel, Stay and Leave is shared)	—	Sets your pet free.
Snarl	45	0:00:30	—	Transfer enmity to a pet invoked with the "Call Beast" ability.
Spur	83	0:03:00	0:01:30	Grants "Store TP" effect to pets.
Run Wild	93	0:15:00	0:05:00	Your familiar will gain heightened powers, but will disappear when the effect expires.

Job traits[]

Job Trait	Levels	Tier	Description
Vermin Killer	10 / 76	II	Gives you an edge when fighting vermin.
Resist Slow	15 / 35 / 55 / 75 / 81	V	Increases resistance against slow.
Resist Amnesia	15 / 35 / 55 / 75	IV	Gives you a slight resistance against amnesia.
Bird Killer	20 / 79	II	Gives you an edge when fighting birds.
Amorph Killer	30 / 82	II	Gives you an edge when fighting amorphs.
Lizard Killer	40 / 85	II	Gives you an edge when fighting lizards.
Aquan Killer	50 / 88	II	Gives you an edge when fighting aquans.
Plantoid Killer	60 / 91	II	Gives you an edge when fighting plantoids.
Beast Killer	70 / 94	II	Gives you an edge when fighting beasts.
Beast Affinity	75(Only unlocked with Merit Points)	Varies	Increases the level of pets summoned with Call Beast.
Beast Healer	75(Only unlocked with Merit Points)	Varies	Enhances the Regen effect of Reward.
Stout Servant	78 / 88 / 98	III	Reduces damage taken by pet.
Fencer	80 / 87 / 94	III	Increases Critical Hit Rate when wielding with the main hand only. Grants a TP Bonus to weapon skills.

Skill ratings[]

Combat Skill	Rank	Caps by Level
Combat Skill	Rank	49	99
Dagger	C+	139	378
Sword	E	124	300
Axe	A+	150	424
Scythe	B-	144	388
Club	D	133	334
Evasion	C	139	373
Shield	E	124	300
Parrying	C	139	373

Familiars[]

Main article: Call Beast

Pet	Jug	Level	Cap	Type	Family	Job	Duration
Sheep Familiar	Herbal Broth	23	35	Beast	Sheep	WAR	1:00:00
Hare Familiar	Carrot Broth		35	Beast	Rabbit	WAR	1:30:00
Crab Familiar	Fish Broth		55	Aquan	Crab	PLD	0:30:00
Courier Carrie	Fish Oil Broth		75	Aquan	Crab	PLD	0:30:00
Homunculus	Alchemist Water		75	Plantoid	Mandragora	MNK	1:00:00
Slippery Silas	Wormy Broth		99	Aquan	Toad	BLM	0:30:00
Flowerpot Bill	Humus	28	40	Plantoid	Mandragora	MNK	1:00:00
Flytrap Familiar	Grasshopper Broth			Plantoid	Flytrap	WAR	1:00:00
Tiger Familiar	Meat Broth			Beast	Tiger	WAR	1:00:00
Eft Familiar	Mole Broth	33	45	Lizard	Eft	WAR	1:00:00
Lizard Familiar	Carrion Broth			Lizard	Lizard	WAR	1:00:00
Mayfly Familiar	Bug Broth			Vermin	Fly	WAR	1:00:00
Funguar Familiar	Seedbed Soil		65	Plantoid	Funguar	WAR	1:00:00
Beetle Familiar	Tree Sap	38	45	Vermin	Beetle	PLD	1:00:00
Antlion Familiar	Antica Broth	38	50	Vermin	Antlion	WAR	1:00:00
Lullaby Melodia	Singing Herbal Broth	43	55	Beast	Sheep	WAR	1:00:00
Mite Familiar	Blood Broth			Vermin	Diremite	WAR	1:00:00
Keeneared Steffi	Famous Carrot Broth			Beast	Rabbit	WAR	1:30:00
Flowerpot Ben	Rich Humus	51	63	Plantoid	Mandragora	MNK	1:00:00
Saber Siravarde	Warm Meat Broth	51	63	Beast	Tiger	WAR	1:00:00
Coldblood Como	Cold Carrion Broth	53	65	Lizard	Lizard	WAR	1:00:00
Shellbuster Orob	Quadav Bug Broth		65	Vermin	Fly	WAR	1:00:00
Voracious Audrey	Noisy Grasshopper Broth		75	Plantoid	Flytrap	WAR	1:00:00
Ambusher Allie	Lively Mole Broth	58		Lizard	Eft	WAR	1:00:00
Chopsuey Chucky	Fragrant Antica Broth	63		Vermin	Antlion	WAR	1:00:00
Lifedrinker Lars	Clear Blood Broth			Vermin	Diremite	WAR	1:00:00
Panzer Galahad	Scarlet Sap			Vermin	Beetle	PLD	1:00:00
Amigo Sabotender	Sun Water	75		Plantoid	Sabotender	WAR	0:30:00
Turbid Toloi	Auroral Broth	75	99	Aquan	Pugil	WAR	2:00:00
Nursery Nazuna	Dancing Herbal Broth	76	86	Beast	Sheep	WAR	2:00:00
Crafty Clyvonne	Cunning Brain Broth		90	Beast	Coeurl	WAR	2:00:00
Dapper Mac	Briny Broth		99	Bird	Apkallu	MNK	2:00:00
Dipper Yuly	Wool Grease			Vermin	Ladybug	THF	2:00:00
Lucky Lulush	Lucky Carrot Broth			Beast	Rabbit	WAR	2:00:00
Flowerpot Merle	Vermihumus			Plantoid	Mandragora	MNK	3:00:00
Discreet Louise	Deepbed Soil	79		Plantoid	Funguar	WAR	2:00:00
Fatso Fargann	Curdled Plasma Broth	81		Amorph	Leech	WAR	2:00:00
Presto Julio	Chirping Grasshopper Broth	83	93	Plantoid	Flytrap	WAR	2:00:00
Audacious Anna	Bubbling Carrion Broth	85	95	Lizard	Lizard	WAR	2:00:00
Mailbuster Cetas	Goblin Bug Broth	85	95	Vermin	Fly	WAR	2:00:00
Swift Sieghard	Mellow Bird Broth	86	94	Lizard	Raptor	WAR	2:00:00
Faithful Falcorr	Lucky Broth	86	99	Bird	Hippogryph	THF	2:00:00
Bloodclaw Shasra	Razor Brain Broth	90	99	Beast	Coeurl	WAR	2:00:00
Bugeyed Broncha	Savage Mole Broth	90		Lizard	Eft	WAR	2:00:00
Gorefang Hobs	Burning Carrion Broth	93		Beast	Tiger	WAR	2:00:00
Gooey Gerard	Cloudy Wheat Broth	95		Amorph	Slug	WAR	1:30:00
Crude Raphie	Shadowy Broth	96		Lizard	Adamantoise	PLD	1:30:00
Droopy Dortwin	Swirling Broth	99	103(Item Level)	Beast	Rabbit	WAR	2:00:00
Sunburt Malfik	Shimmering Broth		104(Item Level)	Aquan	Crab	PLD	2:00:00
Warlike Patrick	Livid Broth		104(Item Level)	Lizard	Lizard	WAR	2:00:00
Scissorleg Xerin	Spicy Broth		105(Item Level)	Vermin	Chapuli	WAR	2:00:00
Rhyming Shizuna	Lyrical Broth		107(Item Level)	Beast	Sheep	WAR	2:00:00
Attentive Ibuki	Salubrious Broth		109(Item Level)	Bird	Tulfaire	WAR	2:00:00
Amiable Roche	Airy Broth		110(Item Level)	Aquan	Pugil	WAR	2:00:00
Brainy Waluis	Crumbly Soil		113(Item Level)	Plantoid	Funguar	WAR	2:00:00
Herald Henry	Translucent Broth		113(Item Level)	Beast	Coeurl	PLD	2:00:00
Headbreaker Ken	Blackwater Broth		115(Item Level)	Vermin	Fly	WAR	2:00:00
Redolent Candi	Electrified Broth		115(Item Level)	Plantoid	Snapweed	WAR	2:00:00
Caring Kiyomaro	Fizzy Broth		116(Item Level)	Beast	Raaz	MNK	2:00:00
Hurler Percival	Pale Sap		116(Item Level)	Vermin	Beetle	PLD	2:00:00
Blackbeard Randy	Meaty Broth		117(Item Level)	Beast	Tiger	WAR	2:00:00
Generous Arthur	Dire Broth		119(Item Level)	Amorph	Slug	WAR	2:00:00
Threestar Lynn	Muddy Broth		119(Item Level)	Vermin	Ladybug	THF	2:00:00
Alluring Honey	Bug-Ridden Broth		119+(Item Level)	Plantoid	Snapweed	WAR	2:00:00
Brave Hero Glenn	Wispy Broth			Aquan	Toad	WAR	2:00:00
Sharpwit Hermes	Saline Broth			Plantoid	Mandragora	MNK	2:00:00

Gameplay[]

In terms of damage, Beastmasters have the best Axe rating and are very proficient with the use of scythes as well. They have moderate HP and no MP unless they have a subjob that grants them MP.

Strengths[]

High axe rating means Beastmasters have potentially high accuracy and high damage.
Charm can be used to deal with aggressive adversaries without fighting them or to bind beastmen, allowing a Beastmaster to run away.
Beastmasters are able to tread where parties fear to go and fight enemies most parties would not consider fighting, providing a very unique experience.
Soloing does not require expensive gear or food, and leveling beastmaster can be potentially very profitable.

Weaknesses[]

Beastmasters offer no beneficial abilities to a party, only miscellaneous damage.
Beastmaster's pet, if greater than the Beastmaster's or groups greatest level, will figure into the experience equation as the party's level, reducing experience.
Soloing leaves very little margin for error, resulting in slow experience gain and many deaths.

Soloing and Duoing Strategy - Playing to Strengths and Weaknesses[]

Soloing is a style of play where the Beastmaster is alone, without a party to support them. This is what most Beastmasters do to gain experience. It is a slow and often painful process, one not conducive to most player's tastes. The general strategy for most is to try to charm a creature of an "even match" or "decent challenge" type and then fight a creature with the aid of the charmed creature that is either an "even match" or "tough" or possibly even "very tough".

Once engaged with a creature, most Beastmasters allow the charmed creature to fight at least a few moments to help it gain enmity. The idea is to make sure that the charmed creature takes the lion's share of the damage. Then the Beastmaster will engage in the fight personally, attacking the monster along with the charmed creature.

When the creature is close to death, with less than 10% of its health remaining or less if possible, the charmed creature will be dismiss. This is used to capitalize on the maximum amount of experience since if the creature is killed while the Beastmaster has a pet, he will only receive 70% of the experience he normally deserves although through further updates this experience loss has been removed so now a Beastmaster loses no exp from having a pet. Most Beastmasters will save all of their TP for a weapon skill at the end to quickly finish off the remainder of the creature's life. This is the manner in which the Beastmaster engages most creature types.

Beastmasters vs. Self-Destructing Creatures[]

Beastmasters may also fight other types of creatures, like Goblins with bomb toss or Bomb-type creatures. With the latter, especially, there is an entirely different type of strategy. Basically, the Beastmaster will try to charm a pet with a sufficient amount of HP to survive a protracted battle with a bomb. Eventually, generally somewhere below 50% of its experience, the bomb will use self destruct. Basically, the Beastmaster will stand around at a distance so he does not get hit by the blast. The blast will often kill the pet. The pet will not be dismissed because it will interrupt the self-destruct action. Generally, a Beastmaster can do this fast enough to gain experience in chains while remaining relatively safe even with the 30% experience penalty from having a pet on the off chance the pet survives.

Subjobs[]

The following are some of the most common subjob types for Beastmasters. There are other viable combinations including Paladin, Samurai, or Warrior that are simply not used often or have only circumstantial usefulness. Considering that Beastmaster is almost exclusively a solo job, it is left completely up to player preference how to run their character.

White Mage[]

White mage is probably the most common of all subjobs for Beastmasters who are soloing or duoing, which would account for the majority of Beastmasters. The subjob mainly offers useful spells for physical and magical protection, negative status ailment removal, and of course curative and regenerative magic. The job traits clear mind and auto regen are both also helpful for Beastmasters.

Ninja[]

Ninja really is one of the only real choices for Beastmasters in a party. The majority of Beastmasters will use axes, since they have a higher axe rating. Dual wield, a ninja job trait, allows them to wield an axe in both hands thus increasing damage over time. Utsusemi will also help negate damage from incoming hits by providing the status effect blink.

Blue Mage[]

Blue Mage is something of a novelty subjob, largely stemming from the amusement of being able to throw monster magic back at monsters while simultaneously controlling other monsters to do the Beastmaster's bidding, but the job is not without its own merit. Blue magic can be combined to create traits useful to the Beastmaster, including some killer effects either not available to the Beastmaster job normally or available earlier to blue mages. There are also defensive magic spells that could prove quite useful, including phalanx-like and Stoneskin effects, and curative enemy magic.

Red Mage[]

Red mage as a subjob offers similar spells when compared to white mage (Protect, Shell, Cure and Regen) but at the loss of all spells that help remove status ailments. The red mage subjob would, instead, gain Bio to help weaken enemy attacks, spikes to give a weak damage shield, and Phalanx to further mitigate damage. It would not be a bad choice for the second Beastmaster in a Beastmaster duo.