Updated for Stormblood 4.01!
Going to keep this guide quick and easy! Below I’ve listed the priority in which you should be leveling if you’re looking to level your DoW/DoM jobs most efficiently. With that said, if you’re not worried about efficiency, play what you enjoy 🙂
Please note: While these are solid numbers, there are many variants that can affect them (queue times, completion time, chain exp, roulette, etc). With that said, please use these as guidelines, rather than strict rules.
1-50
Job Quest > MSQ > PotD > Dungeons (Tank/Heal queue) > FATEs > Frontlines
No real need to go into much explanation here. PotD wins when it comes to how to efficiently leveling from 1-50. With that said, don’t burn yourself out – mix it up every now and again.
51-59
Job Quest > MSQ > PotD > Dungeons (Tank/Heal queue) > FATEs > Frontlines
There was some speculation about if dungeons in this bracket were more efficient experience in 4.0, so I did some quick calculations after doing a few test runs. The numbers below are at level 51, with Heat of Battle III FC perk (15% combat exp), food buff (3% exp), rested exp (50%), and the Armory bonus (100%).
Please note: It’s worth understanding that Dungeons will become more efficient than PotD during this range. You may want to consider starting dungeon grinding at 55 if you have a quick queue.
- Palace of the Dead:
- 453,600 exp in 15 minutes (42.86% of a level)
- 30,240 exp per minute (2.86% of a level)
- Dungeon:
- 530,609 exp in 20 minutes (50.13% of a level)
- 26,530 exp per minute (2.50% of a level)
60-70
Job Quest > MSQ > Dungeons (Tank/Heal queue) > FATEs > Frontlines > PotD.
I did some quick napkin math to discern the Dungeons vs PotD. The numbers below are at level 61, with the Heat of Battle III FC perk (15% combat exp), food buff (3% exp), rested exp (50%), and the Armory bonus (50%):
- Dungeon:
- 1,760,947 exp in 19 minutes (36.14% of a level)
- 92,681 exp per minute (1.90% of a level)
- Palace of the Dead:
- 583,200 exp in 15 minutes (11.97% of a level)
- 38,880 exp per minute (0.80% of a level)
Summaries
Dungeons
Dungeons, in general, are a very quick way to level with one requirement – a quick queue. Grinding dungeons will yield gear while you’re leveling up, but is only worth grinding if you have a tank/heal queue for low downtime between dungeons (Party Finder is your friend).
Once you finish daily roulette, simply grind the highest level dungeon you’ve unlocked and enjoy the experience. Making a Party Finder group to grind with is generally a good idea.
FATEs
Not only are FATEs viable as an exclusive means of leveling at 60+, but they also serve as a good filler if you’re dealing with queues. If you’re exclusively grinding FATEs, make sure you join a Party Finder group and enjoy the zerg.
Frontlines
In 4.0, Frontlines were great experience. However, in 4.01, PvP experienced was nerfed. Experience now varies for wins, losses, and time of match. Frontlines are no longer as efficient in regards to experience. With that said, feel free to use as a filler or to mix things up.
MSQ
While MSQ (Main Scenario Quest) doesn’t exactly provide the best experience, it’s a main blocker for much of the content in FFXIV. If you’re a new player or just getting started on Stormblood content, make sure you stay up to date with your MSQ. This will unlock things such as awesome story lines, trials, and dungeons you’ll use for your level grinding.
PotD
Ahhh, Palace of the Dead, my old friend. PotD is by far the most efficient means of leveling from 1-60 and doesn’t require any gear. Please note, PotD leveling is not very efficient from levels 60-70. Refer to my Palace of the Dead Leveling Guide for more on leveling 1-60!
While leveling in Dungeons with a quick queue is more efficient at 51-60, it is also viable to continue leveling to 60 using PotD if you don’t want to deal with upgrading gear – just note it’s slightly less experience per hour.
Experience Gear
There are a few pieces of gear you can equip for earlier leveling. Please note, these do not affect PotD completion reward experience. I’ve listed them below, along with how to acquire:
- Friendship Circlet – Head armor increasing experience by 20% when level 25 and below (all classes). You obtain this by recruiting a friend, or being recruited, and them subbing for 30 days.
- Brand-new Ring – Ring increasing experience by 30% when level 30 or below (DoW / DoM). You obtain this by completing Hall of Novice at the Adventurer’s Guild.
- Ala Mhigan Earrings – Earrings increasing experience by 30% when level 50 or below (all classes). You obtain these by pre-ordering Stormblood.
Notable Mentions
- Denmo helped flesh out some of the experience gains for 8v8 Feast here(4.0).
- Cheers to the FFXIV Reddit community for being so awesome in supporting this content <3!