Unlocking Phantom Jobs in FFXIV’s Occult Crescent: A Guide

Alright, so here’s the deal with FFXIV: Dawntrail and its Occult Crescent field ops. Ever heard of Phantom Jobs? They’re like these weird little mini-quests that spice up combat with new skills. The catch? They all level up individually with EXP from, you guessed it, the Occult Crescent. Fun, right? Anyway, as of patch 7.25, there are 13 of these bad boys.

Now, here’s a funny thing. The tutorial booklet—yeah, that dusty thing you toss aside—mentions you get “soul shards” from treasure chests, among other things. But, honestly, I’ve snooped through countless chests, and nada. Maybe I’m missing something? Or maybe it’s just a cruel joke. Who knows? If you actually find one, consider yourself lucky!

And everyone kicks off as a Phantom Freelancer. Sounds fancy? Don’t worry, there’s a bunch more to unlock if you’re into that kind of thing. I’ll break it down, not like we’re in a rush or anything.

Completing Occult Crescent quests

So, quests. It’s what everyone’s doing, right? Unlocking Phantom Jobs starts here. It’s kind of a tutorial or whatever, so you’re just waltzing around, chatting up NPCs, and ticking it off your list. Super intense.

Complete “New Job, Old Tricks” and boom, three jobs unlocked: Knight, Monk, and Bard. Pretty neat, huh?

Buying them for silver and gold coins

Who doesn’t love shopping? Head over to the “Expedition Antiquarian” at base camp, and they’ve got job shards for sale. Pricey, of course, but hey, what isn’t these days? They hide under the “battlecraft items” tab because who even names things logically?

Once you snag job shards, use them like you would any other item. Like a minion or potion. Easy peasy.

Completing specific critical encounters

Then there are these critical encounters. They have maps marked and all that jazz. But don’t count on getting a drop every time. I swear, shards drop 50% of the time, though maybe my math is way off. Just keep going, and you’ll snag a soul shard eventually. Perseverance, my friend.

Got extra soul shards? Flog them back to the “Expedition Trader.” They only give you 10 silver pieces each, which isn’t exactly going to fund your next big purchase, but hey, better than nothing, right?

And there you have it. The weird world of Phantom Jobs. Go out there, grab your shards, and maybe, just maybe, find some weird treasure chest giving them out. Here’s hoping!