A) Don't worry about the quests. Except for a select few, they suck. They barely bring you any money or rewards of any sort. The only good ones I can think of are the Sub Job Quest (do it or die), Dangruf Wadi Map quest in Bastok (trade the dancing old man in Markets a bone chip), or all of the quests to get the prestige classes. Try and stay to the missions and increase your rank. One could be up to mission 2-3 by the time they're level 10 if they do it right (though...it's recommended one does mission 2-3 at lvl 25 with a nice, fairly balanced party (you are fighting a big dragon after all) so the 15 lvl difference might take a bit to make up).
B) Don't buy anything you don't need, and save your money. Only buy equipment when you've reached a lvl you can use it. And, here's some tips for making money in Bastok:
1) Goldsmithing Guild - Join up, grab some fire crystals, and start making stuff. At first, only make bronze ingots, which sell for about 700 at AH each (stacks of 12 for 7000). Then, when you're good enough, move up to Brass Ingots. These sells up to 1000 at AH each (stacks of 12 for 10000). And remember to try and find the zinc ores from worms outside bastok, and the same of the fire crystals from vultures and some goblins. Don't buy any from others or AH unless you know you can make a profit from it in the end.
2) Crystal Stacks - Whenever you go outside of town, have the guard cast signet on you. Then fight stuff. Every so often you'll get a crystal. Keep harvesting em till you get em in stacks of 12, then sell em in the AH. Earth and Wind Crystals can fetch you around 500-1000 per stack, Water Crystals around 500 per stack, and Fire Crystals (which seem to be the most useful other than Dark Crystals or Light Crystals for those fisherman who got their Lu Shang rod broken) for about 5000. Lots of money here if you don't craft anything.
3) Other crap - Things like Quadav Backplates and Fetich items can fetch 500-1000 in the AH. Also, sell your old equipment to the AH. Unless you know you can make more from the merchants, you'll probably make the amount you paid for it, or more.
4) Conquest Point Items - The Guard who casts signet on you will sell you conquest point items for conquest points (which you get by killing enemies with signet on). The lower level items (that only cost about 1000 Conquest Points) will fetch you about 4000+ in the AH, so if you're not planing to save em up and buy a Rank 10 item and sell it when you're lvl 75, it's a great way to make money.
5) BCNM - Burning Circle Notorious Monsters, save your beastman seals, preferably in groups of 40, in your Mog House. BCNM's are Notorious Monsters (monsters with a unique name) that can be summoned by an orb (which is bought with the Beastman seals). The BCNM's lvl is equal to the amount of seals spent for the orb. Any BCNM under 40 are worthless essentially, since they don't drop items that are worth anything. So save those beastman seals, you'll be glad you did.
6) Rice Cakes - You know those moogles that have been around the towns lately? Form an alliance of 6 boys and 4 girls, and talk to the bastard. He'll give you 3 of each Rice Cake type (which turn you into a little girl of the specified race, something that Jimmy would like to do), and put them all in your private bazaar for 1k each. Then shout out some advertisements such as these:
"Selling Rice Cakes, Become a Little Girl Like in your Sick and Twisted Dreams" - Rice Cakes in General
-or-
"Become that little Taru Prick Bastard that Stole Your Money in Mages School!" - Taru Rice Cake
-or-
"Ever want to be cute, lovable, and puntable by football players? Then buy some of my rice cakes!" - Referring, again, to the Taru Rice Cake.
I used em the other night, and sold most of my rice cakes to those who laughed at my advertisements.
Well thats about all I can suggest. If you need anything else, just ring a bell, though I've only been playing since the beginning of January, so I don't know everything yet
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