The leveling process in Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn is definitely an enjoyable one, assuming you aren’t FATE farming the entire time. However, like most successful MMO’s, reaching the max level is simply an appetizer for the meaty entree that is end game. This guide serves as a means of providing you with paths as you obtain level 50, finish your story/class quests and reach the max Grand Company rank for 2.0 – enjoy!
Prep for end-game PvE
So you’ve reached 50 and you’ve got your Artifact armor(ilvl 50/55). At this point, I would recommend doing the following:
- Purchase your Grand Company weapon – Once you are max rank(as of 2.0) with your Grand Company, you will be able to purchase a level 50 weapon(ilvl 55). This is a good idea to start off with as you hit 50.
- Pick up your Relic weapon quest – Head to Vesper Bay, west of Horizon and find Nedrick Ironheart. He will have a quest called “Weaponsmith of Legend.” Begin this quest and continue as you’re able to. This is a long quest chain, but will ultimately yield a reward of your Relic weapon(ilvl 80), which can later be upgraded to +1(ilvl 90).
- Farm Amdapor Keep for Tomestones of Mythology – This is a level 50 dungeon that yields 40x Allagan Tomestones of Mythology. This is a currency that is used to purchase item level 90 gear from an NPC named Auriana in Mor Dhona. You are limited to earning 300x Tomestones of Mythology per week (resets on Mondays); so once you reach the cap, move on to the next step. Finding a Tank that is capable of doing speed runs is the way to go. You will need 900 of these to upgrade your Relic weapon to +1.
- Farm Amdapor Keep for Tomestones of Philosophy – This dungeon also yields 80x Allagan Tomestones of Philosophy. This currency is used to purchase Darklight armor(ilvl 70), also purchased from Auriana. There is no weekly cap for these, so you can farm them to your heart’s desire. You will need 900 of these to complete the final quest of your Relic weapon.
- Defeat Hard Mode Primals – As you progress your end game storyline, you will be asked to defeat Primals at a higher difficulty. These Primals drop weapons and are as follows, increasing in difficulty each boss: Ifrit(ilvl 60), then Garuda(ilvl 70), then Titan(ilvl 70). Once all Primals are defeated for each quest, you will unlock the Binding Coil of Bahamut.
- Enter the Binding Coil of Bahamut – This is the first true end game raid. It is said to be extremely difficult as of 2.0 and you should not venture into this raid unless you are completely ilvl 70+. Please note, you cannot use the Duty Finder to queue for the raid at this time – only established, experienced groups should attempt these encounters.
Level another class
FFXIV has adopted a system in which your single character can swap to any class/job in the game simply by changing weapons. There is also a very powerful cross-class ability sharing mechanic, which opens up many possibilities when looking to increase the potency/usefulness of your character.
- Battle Classes – When it comes to combat in FFXIV, there are definitely classes that compliment others via cross-class abilities. It would be wise to do some research in what compliments your main class and level up those classes accordingly to unlock that key ability.
- Gathering Classes – Disciples of the Land are classes that involve going out into the world of Eorzea and gathering crafting materials from the wild. Whether you’re using these materials to compliment one of your crafting classes or simply looking to make some money off the Market, gathering materials is always a good idea – especially when trying to save up for player housing.
- Crafting Classes – Disciples of the Hand are classes that involve crafting items using materials. This can get expensive if you are not farming the materials yourself, so keep that in mind. Crafting classes also yield the ability to meld materia onto certain items as you level the class up – this is extremely important in end game.
Build the community
Okay, so you’re 50. You enjoyed the hell out of the leveling process. The storyline was absolutely amazing and left you wanting more. However, you want a break from questing or doing dungeons for a little bit. Well, why not take some time to help others and build the community?
- Write guides – As you can tell, this is one of my favorite things to do in an MMO. Once I feel comfortable with a topic and an opportunity presents itself, writing a guide or article on a topic is the best way to educate others and help people understand. Personally, it also helps me grasp the topic more as well.
- Help a lowbie – FFXIV not only brings in non-legacy players, but also Final Fantasy fans who have simply never played an MMO before. Take the time to answer a question in /shout, help a lowbie with a quest or dungeon and simply be kind to people. The community is the most important part of an MMO – never forget that.
- Do research – This game has an immense amount of depth and there is always something you can know more about. Whether it’s diving into advanced crafting or becoming more familiar with the abilities and rotation of another class, educating yourself with more knowledge about the game is always a wise choice.