The blue mage has earned its reputation in Final Fantasy XI as arguably the game’s most versatile and complex job.
They’re able to stand on the frontlines, getting up close enough to smell what a monster had for breakfast and deal out physical damage… or they can stay safely on the backlines, flinging a wide range of spells of all elements.
They’re able to use enhancing spells to turn themselves (or their allies) into beasts, or use debilitating spells to weaken enemies into putty.
They can even heal when the need arises.
And when it comes to BLU magic, there’s over 180 spells!
It can be hard to know what to equip into your set, so let’s break some must-haves for a majority of your stay in Vana’diel.
10. Sinker Drill
Learnable at level 99
Sinker Drill is not only a quick and powerful physical blue magic spell, but it grants players the very rare Critical Attack Bonus trait.
This increases the amount of critical damage dealt by a percentage.
For this reason, it’s very sought after for physical-based blue mages.
Where to learn:
Mechanical Menace (Lv 80) in Abyssea – Uleguerand
9. Sudden Lunge
Learnable at level 95
Sudden Lunge is a fantastic spell for situations where the player needs to stun an enemy, or keep them inoperable for extended periods of time – especially if solo.
Sudden Lunge can actually stun for up to 7 seconds!
This offers invaluable time for players to recuperate if they’ve suffered heavy damage.
Or this can just prevent an enemy from using a strong attack or spell in the first place.
Where to learn:
Ladybug (Lv 45) in East Ronfaure (S)
Nannakola (Lv 80) in Abyssea – Altepa
Note: Most ladybugs will use this attack very rarely during the night, so it’s best to try and learn this spell during the day.
8. Subduction
Learnable at level 99
This wind-based spell is not only punchy and MP-friendly, but also very quick to cast and recast.
So this makes Subduction one of the most potent ways for a blue mage to deal magical damage.
This attack also comes equipped with the very desirable Magic Attack Bonus trait, which enhances magic damage inflicted by the player. Which only boosts its popularity even further!
Where to learn:
Asperous Marolith (Lv 103) in Cirdas Caverns
7. Cocoon
Learnable at level 8
Cocoon ages like fine wine.
It’s learnable very early on in a blue mage’s career, but will often find itself becoming a part of a blue mage’s spell set time and time again.
Specifically because Cocoon offers a massive +50% defense!
It also boasts a miniscule MP and blue magic cost, as well as a lightning-fast casting time.
Perfect to shoulder the brunt of physical damage!
Where to learn:
Crawler (Lv 7) in East or West Sarutabaruta
Conflagarant Eruca (Lv 101) in Moh Gates
6. Magic Fruit
Learnable at level 58
Magic fruit is a blue mage’s best healing spell, due to its fast casting and recast time, as well as its relatively small MP/blue magic point cost.
Especially when you compare this to the other healing spells in the blue mage arsenal, I’d say Magic Fruit clearly stands out.
It also has a distinctively pleasant sound when cast. So what’s not to love?
Where to learn:
Young Opo-opo (Lv 35) in Yuhtunga Jungle
Natty Gibbon (Lv 90) in Dangruf Wadi
5. Occultation
Learnable at level 88
Occultation is incredibly useful for minimizing the amount of damage a blue mage takes.
It works by creating shadows which absorb a single-target attack directed at the player, making it handy for situations where a blue mage already has an enemy’s attention.
While it does have a sizable MP cost (and is able to be wiped away easily by AoE attacks), with a very high blue magic skill, this spell is able to provide up to 12 shadows.
Where to learn:
Seether (Lv 38) in Promyvion – Dem, Holla, Mea or Vahzl
Livid Seether (Lv 85) in Promyvion – Dem, Holla, Mea or Vahzl
4. Nature’s Meditation
Nature’s Meditation (often abbreviated to Nat. Meditation) is an immensely useful spell for physical damage.
Not only does it offer a very potent +20% Attack Boost, but also comes with the invaluable Accuracy Bonus trait.
This is also a very MP-efficient spell, and is almost instantaneous to cast. So players can minimize the time they’re spending casting buffing spells, and put more time into sticking enemies with their swords.
It’s little wonder why it’s so popular.
Where to learn:
Calfcleaving Chapuli (Lv 100) in Yahse Hunting Grounds
Fernfelling Chapuli (105) in Ceizak Battlegrounds
3. Mighty Guard
Learnable at level 99
Long-time FF fans might be familiar with this spell from other titles in the franchise.
And rest assured, it’s just as good here!
This defensive spell has immense power, offering a large defense boost, magic defense boost, haste, and regen.
And it’s worth noting that its effects can also be spread to the entire party with a blue mage’s Diffusion ability.
You might be thinking, such a strong spell probably has a small caveat, right?
Well it can only be cast while under the effect of Unbridled Learning, a temporary ability that Blue Mages can activate once they reach level 95.
And it’s also quite difficult to learn, but entirely worth the effort.
Where to learn:
Shinryu (Lv 100+) in Abyssea – Empyreal Paradox
2. Molting Plumage
Learnable at level 99
This spell deals considerably high wind-based magic damage, but also grants blue mages the Dual Wield trait.
This invaluable trait allows them to wield two weapons at once, which massively improves their damage-dealing capabilities.
Molting Plumage is most commonly used for this exact purpose.
Where to learn:
Tulfaire (Level 106) in Marjami Ravine
1. Erratic Flutter
Learnable at level 99
In FFXI, speed is everything.
Erratic Flutter provides a very potent Haste effect, which players may already be familiar with.
Haste allows them to not only physically attack faster, but it also drastically lowers the recast time of spells.
So a spell with a 10 second recasting time might be halved to a mere 5 second recasting time, all thanks to Erratic Flutter.
Haste directly increases the amount of actions a player can take in a shorter amount of time, and with this blue mage spell, you’ll be able to perform your role a lot more efficiently.
Where to learn:
Wamoura (Lv 80) in Halvung
Wamoura (Lv 80) in Mount Zhayolm
