Beastmaster Is Live in FFXIV
Beastmaster is a playable limited job, introduced in patch 7.56 and updated in 7.57. It begins at level 1, currently caps at 50 and fights alongside captured familiars. It is a melee DPS job using Monk and Samurai gear, with no associated starting class.
Start by checking the account and quest requirements below, then learn the difference between assessing a beast, capturing it and assigning it to a battlehorn. Those are separate steps. This guide has been refreshed from its earlier pre-release coverage so you can use it for the live job.
Key Takeaways
- Dawntrail must be registered to the service account to unlock Beastmaster.
- Unlock Strangers in the Wood in New Gridania after The Ultimate Weapon, using a level-50 Disciple of War or Magic.
- Gauge checks a beast’s capture eligibility and difficulty; Capture requires defeating it while the applied status is active.
- Assign a captured familiar to a battlehorn in the Master’s Bestiary before summoning it.
- Beastmaster has limited-job duty restrictions and cannot use role actions.
- The Crucible unlock begins at Beastmaster level 30 after Master of the Lhu; ranked participation has additional requirements.
Unlock and combat rules follow Square Enix’s current Beastmaster job guide. The release and current fixes are documented in the 7.56 and 7.57 patch notes.
Beastmaster Unlock Requirements and NPC
Switch to an eligible level-50 combat job for the unlock conversation. Having another level-50 job does not mean Beastmaster itself starts at that level.
| Requirement | What to check |
|---|---|
| Account entitlement | FINAL FANTASY XIV: Dawntrail registered to the service account |
| Unlock quest | Strangers in the Wood |
| Starting job requirement | Disciple of War or Magic level 50 |
| Main scenario prerequisite | The Ultimate Weapon completed |
| NPC and location | Excited Adventurer, New Gridania (X:11.8 Y:13.6) |
| New job level | Starts at 1; current maximum is 50 |
If the quest is missing, check each condition independently: the correct account entitlement, MSQ completion, current job and NPC location. Buying equipment or traveling to the Crucible does not substitute for the initial job quest.
Gauge, Capture and Your First Familiar
You learn Gauge and Capture at level 1. Gauge tells you whether a pact can be forged with a target and how difficult it may be. It is an information step, not the capture itself.
- Target the beast and use Gauge to check eligibility.
- Weaken the target when appropriate; this improves the capture chance.
- Apply Capture, then defeat the beast while its capture status is active.
- Check the Master’s Bestiary for a successful pact before assuming the familiar is available.
Weakening a target increases the chance of success but does not guarantee every attempt. Do not interpret a failed capture as proof that the job is broken when the status expired, the target was ineligible or the attempt simply failed.
| Symptom | Check first |
|---|---|
| The beast cannot be captured | Use Gauge and verify that this target is eligible. |
| The target dies but no pact appears | Confirm Capture was active at defeat; some attempts can fail. |
| The familiar is in the Bestiary but cannot be called | Assign it to a battlehorn, then use the matching Battlehorn action. |
| A different familiar disappears on summon | Only one familiar can be summoned at a time. |
| A Stay-commanded familiar failed an attack in an older guide | Patch 7.57 changes facing before Tempered Release and Parting Blow. |
Kornago gourds provide another way to form pacts without combat. They are obtained through remnants of resilience, with more varieties becoming available through job-quest progress. Do not assume every gourd is available immediately after unlocking the job.
Assign Familiars to Battlehorns
Open the Master’s Bestiary from Character in the main menu. Review the familiar’s abilities and habitat, then use its subcommand to assign it to a battlehorn. The corresponding Battlehorn action summons it.
The Bestiary also provides appearance-size settings. These affect your own screen rather than changing how everyone else sees the familiar. Use them for readability without expecting a combat advantage.
TP and the Inner Compass
Player and familiar actions build TP. At 100 TP or more, the relevant instinctual skills become available. Chaining instinctual skills within seven seconds creates a combo; moving clockwise through the four affinities creates an intentional combo.
Sunstrider and Moonstalker are the two intentional-combo categories displayed on the Inner Compass. A higher chain count increases extra combo damage, and illuminating the full Compass may trigger a powerful attack. Learn the affinity relationships before trying to optimize a rotation around unfamiliar pets.
Tempered Release orders a familiar’s unique attack, while Borrow draws on familiar power for a separate player action. Read each familiar’s entry before treating pets as identical cosmetic choices. This guide does not present an untested best-familiar ranking.
Leveling and Limited-Job Restrictions
Beastmaster gains increased experience from FATEs. Unlike Blue Mage, it does not receive the same increased experience for fighting ordinary open-world enemies. Copying a Blue Mage leveling route without checking that distinction can lead to the wrong expectation.
Use preformed or unrestricted parties for eligible duties. Duty Roulettes, PvP, Deep Dungeons, Ultimate raids and several exploration or special-duty systems remain inaccessible. Beastmaster also has no role actions, cannot be assigned to a retainer and cannot simply switch into the job after entering a restricted instance.
Check the full current job guide for the duty you intend to enter. “Limited job” is a real access rule rather than a label that disappears after reaching level 50.
Unlock the Crucible of the Unbroken
At Beastmaster level 30, complete Master of the Lhu, then take Into the Crucible from J’yhuh Tia in the Central Shroud (X:22.9 Y:19.1). Speak with Lauda (X:21.9 Y:22.8) to challenge its boards.
Study the Board Layout and enemy weaknesses before choosing a familiar team. Player and familiar HP do not naturally regenerate inside. Recovery spaces and items matter: a defeated familiar becomes unavailable, while your own defeat ends the duty.
Snarl directs enmity and Cover to your familiar; Challenge draws enmity back and removes that Cover. Use the pair to manage who is taking damage, watching both health pools. Remnants earned from boards can be exchanged with the Kornago Merchant nearby at X:21.9 Y:22.6.
For the competitive rules, current score changes and October ranking start, use our dedicated Crucible rankings guide. A normal board clear is not automatically a ranked third-degree submission.
What Patch 7.57 Changes
Stay-commanded familiars now turn toward the target before Tempered Release and Parting Blow. The notes also improve battlehorn assignment for small Crucible teams and temporarily remember the selected Crucible mode until logout.
Elite-enemy score increases from 625 to 800, and Sleepless Survival from 375 to 1,000. Use the updated numbers when comparing scores to early 7.56 screenshots. The Crucible ranking season begins October 25 at 10 p.m. PDT, which is October 26 at 05:00 UTC.
FAQ
Is Beastmaster still an upcoming job?
No. It released in patch 7.56 and is playable now. This page has been updated for the live 7.57 rules rather than retaining the earlier announcement’s future tense.
Do I need Dawntrail to unlock Beastmaster?
Yes. The current official guide requires Dawntrail registration to the service account, a level-50 Disciple of War or Magic and completion of The Ultimate Weapon before taking Strangers in the Wood.
Can I queue for roulettes as Beastmaster?
No. Duty Roulettes are among the limited-job restrictions. Eligible duties can be entered with appropriate preformed or unrestricted parties, but some duty types remain unavailable altogether.
Why did Capture fail?
Check target eligibility with Gauge, the active Capture status at defeat and the chance of success. Weakening improves that chance but does not turn every attempt into a guarantee.
Can I summon several familiars at once?
Only one familiar can be summoned at a time. You can prepare battlehorn assignments through the Master’s Bestiary and use the appropriate action to call the assigned familiar.
Does reaching level 30 automatically unlock ranked Crucible scores?
No. Level 30 is part of the initial Crucible unlock. Ranked participation requires the later third-degree mode and the Participate in rankings option, with scores recorded on your Home World during the ranking period.
Maintained by WowCarry's editorial desk. AI-assisted source research; no first-hand gameplay testing is claimed. Last reviewed 2026-10-18. Live unlock and combat rules verified against the official job guide and 7.57 notes. Original URL and author retained; older pre-release framing replaced.
