Results 1 to 7 of 7

Thread: New Adventurer Guide (Levels 1-50)

  1. #1
    Not responsible for WWI Citizen Bleys's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2000
    Location
    The Wired
    Posts
    8,502
    Articles
    7
    Blog Entries
    60

    FFXIV Character

    Bleys Maynard (Sargatanas)
    Contributions
    • Former Administrator
    • Former Cid's Knight

    Default New Adventurer Guide (Levels 1-50)

    images courtesy of ffxi.gamerescape.com, prior to modifications


    Getting Started - Character Creation


    I'm going to assume that you've read about the basics of the game, here on EoFF or elsewhere and you've already decided on a starting race and nation. Now that Outpost warps aren't lost when changing nations, I strongly advise choosing the nation that your race is native to: Windurst for Tarutaru and Mithra, Bastok for Hume or Galka, or San d'Oria for Elvaan. This provides you with a Level 1 RSE (Race-Specific Equipment) that gives you bonuses condign to your race.

    If the nation you want doesn't match with the race you want, you can always switch for 4,000 gil when the nation you want is in third place in the conquest ranking, and you get to keep your Outpost warp and RSE ring. Since Sarutabaruta, Ronfaure, and Gustaberg rarely change hands these days, make sure you get the appropriate outpost warp before changing allegiance.

    On Job Selection: Before creating a character, it is a good idea to decide which of the 20 jobs in FFXI is going to be your main job. What is unique about FFXI is its job system. You do not only have a main job at any given time, but a support job (subjob) that is 1/2 the level of your main or the highest level you've achieved on it, whichever is less. Your main job will determine what subjobs are needful.

    As an example, a Beastmaster (BST) main, like most melee jobs, will usually sub Dancer (DNC). Both BST and DNC are Advanced jobs that you cannot select during character creation. However, in order to sub DNC, you have to get it to level 49 in order to have a fully-levelled sub when your BST reaches level 99. In order to get DNC to 49, you need a sub for your sub. Fortunately, both of the best subs for DNC are starter jobs: Warrior (WAR) and Monk (MNK).

    Second example, for mage types: Assume you want to be a Black Mage (BLM) main. Your main subjob after level 82 will be Red Mage (RDM) for the Refresh spell, but up until then, depending on playstyle, you may want to sub White Mage (WHM), Scholar (SCH), or Ninja (NIN).

    So, for example 1, I'd advise starting as a MNK, and for example 2, I'd advise starting as a WHM. WHM is very expensive as a first job, though; not only are some spells incredibly expensive (fortunately the super-expensive teleports can be quested), but DNC sub isn't that great since you'll be healing yourself with magic for skillups; For soloing whm before 75, your ideal sub would be Ninja (NIN), and that's also very expensive, both in terms of acquiring NIN's signature spell Utsusemi and the ninja tools needed to cast it. Utsusemi is why you'd want to WHM/NIN for solo, so you can't really skip it.

    If there is any indecision involved in what job to start with, take MNK -- The Level 95 cap is a breeze with 5 Monks and 1 Summoner (SMN) with the Alexander avatar. Alexander is extremely difficult to get for a starting player, and Monk is very easy to level with very little gil. Once you get a high level job (90+), you will find it much easier to finance levelling new jobs by converting the Cruor you gain while levelling into gil. This, too, is beyond the scope of this document.

    For the purposes of this document, my example player will be a Monk main as that's the simplest to explain and will make this document less intimidating.

    Avoid mage jobs when first starting unless you're a real keener, because the cost of spells is prohibitive. Some spells cost over a million gil for a single spell!



    Welcome To Your Town


    When you start in your town of choice, you will immediately be given an Adventurer's Coupon that can be exchanged for 50 gil; The NPC giving you the coupon will show you a map with the location of the person who can exchange it, but this marker is only available when the starter NPC shows you the map, so mark it well.

    For this document, we will be assuming that you are starting in Windurst, a city selected essentially at random. I'm also assuming that you have selected monk as your first job and are either Tarutaru or Mithra, so mentally adjust as needed if any of these assumptions is off.

    Go first to the location you saw on your map during the opening cutscene and Trade your Adventurer's Coupon to the specified NPC, which will very with what city you start in and which part of the city you're randomly deposited in. That NPC will then direct you to the New Adventurer's Guide for your city. Locations are as follows:

    San d'Oria: Alaune, Southern San d'Oria map square (G-10)
    Bastok: Guildago, Bastok Markets map square (D-11)
    Windurst: Selele, Windurst Woods map square (K-10)

    In all 3 cases, the Tutorial NPC is located near a town exit.

    Levels 1-11: Tutorial NPC




    First, Selele will ask you to activate Signet on your character. This is good practice as you should have Signet active at all times unless you are in an Aht Urgan or Wings of the Goddess area much later in the game. You can get Signet from Harara, W.W. who is standing right beside Selele. Talk to Selele again for 6 strips of meat jerky.

    Now eat a strip of meat jerky by selecting it from your inventory and choosing "Use." Talk to Selele again, and she will ask you to master a Weapon Skill. It's time to go outside.

    Right outside the gates of Windurst, you will see a Field Manual. "Talk" to it and select training regimen, page 1. This will ask you to kill 6 Mandragora. Every 6 Mandragora you kill you will get bonus exp. Keep on killing them until your weapon skill level reaches Level 5, whereupon you will get your first Weapon Skill, Combo. Unleash this weapon skill on a mob, finish your page, and head back on into Windurst. At this point you will only be Rank One, so Signet doesn't last very long. It is advised you reapply it every time you leave town from here on. Ranking up is beyond the scope of this document. For ranking up, refer to ffxi.gamerescape.com if it's up, or ffxiclopedia.org if it's not. Both sites have the same information, but ffxiclopedia is plagued by the galaxy's most irritating ads.

    Upon talking to Selele, you will be given a Water Crystal, a Bird Egg, and a Pot of Honey. Select the Water Crystal from your inventory, and drop in the egg and the honey and hit OK to synthesize a Mug of Honeyed Egg, which you can eat for stat boosts, much like the Meat Jerky you got earlier on. The Honeyed Egg is better for mages, and the Jerky is better for melee.

    Selele will then direct you to the Auction House. Go there and browse the merchandise, but don't buy anything. You probably don't have a stack of crystals to sell yet, so really just look, close the window, and go back to Selele, who will give you a voucher for an EXP-boosting ring. She says to get a Chariot Band, but don't.

    Talk to Harara, W.W. again, and select "I want to spend my conquest points" even though you don't have any conquest points to spend. Select Emperor Band from the list, and you'll get it in exchange for the voucher. Emperor Band has fewer charges, but provides a bigger exp boost, and if you have a job or school, you're probably only going to use 3 charges a week anyways.

    When used, the Emperor Band will give you a 50% boost in Experience Points gained up to a maximum of 2,000 bonus exp. It has a 20-hour cooldown period, but when you use your third charge, you can recharge it for 600 Conquest Points (which you will have by this point). When you recharge it, the cooldown period is reset to zero, so you will be able to reactivate your bonus exp as soon as it wears off.

    Assuming you're playing Saturday and Sunday, you'll want to go into Saturday with 2 charges left; use one on Saturday. On Sunday, before heading out to level, activate your exp ring, then recharge it. Duration doesn't stack, so don't activate your second charge until the first one wears off.

    Selele now asks you to get Level 4, which you probably have already done, so just talk to her again for a Raising Earring. If you've bought the game new from S-E's site, you have a Destrier Beret that gives you auto-reraise, but that only lasts until level 30, so keep the earring to use later on.

    Now, if you're not already level 10, you'll want to go back out to Sarutabaruta and do pages until you are. Selele's next task is to go to Tahrongi Canyon and kill a monster. Absolutely anything will do, so just kill the first thing you see.



    While you're here, head north to the Crag of Mea -- it should be marked prominently on your map, which you should have had included if you started in Windurst. On the north side of the crag, you'll see a giant teleport crystal. "Talk" to it to attune yourself to the Crag. This will allow you to teleport straight here later through the White Mage spell Teleport-Mea. WHM teleports aren't used as much anymore, but you'll need to be attuned to Mea for the next quest.

    Return to Windurst and talk to Selele once for a bonus 800 EXP. Your next task will be to gain level 10. You've already done this unless you, at your peril, ignored my advice. Talk to her again for 1000 gil. This will come in handy if and when you decide to change nations.

    The final thing Selele asks you to do is get the Mea Gate Crystal. If you listened to me, this, too, is done. Talk to her one last time for your final reward: 1000 bonus EXP and 3 Chocopasses which you'll never use because they don't last long enough to be worthwhile.

    The Tutorial NPC will only be available when you first start; For levels 1-11 on subsequent jobs, just do pages in Sarutabaruta, Ronfaure, or Gustaberg.

    Your First Grind: Level 11-30/31 - King Ranperre's Tomb

    Protip: These levels really suck. It gets better, it does.

    Now it's time to head to San d'Oria. If the Super Kupower Ease of Exploration is active, you can pay the Explorer Moogle outside of the residential area in Port Windurst 300 gil to be teleported straight there. If not, the trip there is outside of the scope of this document because it's going to take a while. It's worth the trip, though, since the level 11-30 options around Windy are pretty trash.



    Exit Southern San'Doria from the Eastern exit and go straight south until you come to King Ranperre's Tomb. Right inside, you will see a Grounds Tome. This is essentially a Field Manual on crack. You still get exp rewards every time you finish a page, plus gil and tabs once per Vana'diel day, but the rewards increase with every page you complete as long as you stay in the same zone.


    Levels 11-15/16: Worms and Bats (Page 2)
    Start with Page 2, which sends you after 4 worms and 2 bats. You'll find 2 of the worms on the way to the bats. Kill the 2 worms, then follow the left wall until you find a wind bat. Be careful as a Tier 2 goblin (Ambusher, Butcher, and Tinkerer) will be patrolling that area and it will utterly destroy you at level 11. Keep running back and forth between the bats and the 2 worms until level 15 or 16. There are more worms past the bats, but the goblins make killing them problematical, since goblins are aggressive.


    Levels 15-23/24 Tier 2 Goblins (Page 3)
    Once you reach Level 15-16, you'll want to switch to Page 3 -- fortunately there's a Grounds Tome right in the tunnel leading to the Wind Bats and Tier 2 goblins are. Your target is now the Tier 2 goblins themselves; This is annoying, since you'll need 2 of each of the 3 types of goblins, and there's always one type of goblin that won't spawn, forcing you to kill hordes of mobs that don't count towards your page. It will be tough going at first, but you'll plow through them quickly as you level. You'll want to stay on Tier 2 goblins until about level 23 or 24, when they start becoming Too Weak and stop giving exp.


    Levels 23-30/31 Tier 3 Goblins (Page 5)
    At level 23-24, you'll want to switch to Page 5 and head upstairs to fight Tier 3 goblins (Muggers, Leechers, and Gamblers) They have the same problem as the Tier 2s, with one type of gob failing to spawn at all times. By now, though, you should have built up enough prowesses and exp bonuses that you'll be able to tear through levels 24-30 in jig time.

    Depending on how long you've stayed in the Tomb without leaving, you may want to stay til level 31 before zoning out and losing your cumulative exp bonus.

    Level 30: An Interlude

    At level 30, the game opens up a bit; If you're going to continue levelling, you'll want to travel to Jeuno and set your homepoint there, then skip ahead to the section Back to the Levelling

    Getting your Support Job
    You can get your subjob as early as level 18 -- and if you ignored the early part of this guide and did some levelling in a Gusgen Mines party, you may already have it. If so, skip ahead.

    By level 30, regardless of job, you should now be able to defeat the monsters dropping the items you need for your subjob by yourself. First, you want to head to Gusgen Mines (entrance in Konschtat Highlands in the Zulkheim region). Take your first right and then hug the left wall. You'll want to fight any of the skeletons carrying shields. Try to dodge the dogs and the skeletons with scythes as much as possible, and if you see a big brown blob (Haunt/Ghost/Bogy type), run. It will destroy you. Keep killing the shield-toting skeletons until you get a Magicked Skull.

    Now you'll need two more items, both of which can be farmed in the Valkurm Dunes. The first is a Crab Apron, which drops from the crabs on the beaches in Valkurm, and the second is a Damselfly Worm, which drops from...oddly enough, Damselflies, the giant yellow dragonfly-looking bugs to be found north of the beaches. By level 30, you should face little to no aggro from the goblins around here, but you still need to watch out for the Bogy mobs that spawn at night. Magicked Skulls can drop in Valkurm, but only at night and it's much faster to run to Gusgen.

    Once you have your three items, head to Selbina in the south-central part of the Valkurm Dunes and talk to Isacio. He will ask for each of the 3 items, one at a time. When he asks for each, trade them to him. You can now designate a support job! Problem is, you have to level it.

    Unlocking Advanced Jobs
    Now that you are Level 30, you can activate the quests necessary to unlock the 14 jobs that are not open to you at the start of the game. Consult ffxiclopedia or gamerescape for in-depth walkthroughs of the jobs that you want to unlock.

    If you are a new player that bought the combo pack, you'll have a Destrier Beret--this is great for unlocking advanced jobs, as some of them involve very dangerous activities such as trekking through aggro-filled areas. Just flag the quest you want, switch to a job that is level 30 or below, and equip the Destrier Beret; the auto-reraise on this item will allow you to breeze through dangerous areas by automatically bringing you back to life whenever you're killed. Since there is no exp lost when killed below level 30, there is no penalty whatsoever!

    For most new players, I strongly advise unlocking the Dancer (DNC) and Beastmaster (BST) jobs. Dancer is a great all-around subjob for almost any class (except WHM and BLM for reasons beyond the scope of this document) and Beastmaster has quite possibly the easiest Maat fight at level 70. In addition, BST is an overpowered job--if you're having trouble with any quests or missions, you can just switch to BST and easymode it.

    Abyssea
    At level 30, you should also start getting rid of abyssea by going to Port Jeuno for a cutscene and talking to Joachim. Then travel to a Cavernous Maw in La Thene, Konschtat, Tahrongi, Valkurm, Jugner, Buburimu, North Gustaberg, South Gustaberg, or Xarcabard to start accumulating Traverser Stones. You'll be glad you did when you get to level 75. Abyssea itself is a topic that warrants an entire article on its own. Expect to see it soon.

    Back To Levelling

    Back? Got a subjob levelled to at least 25? Good. From here, our next goal will be to reach level 50 with 1 exp tnl (To Next Level) for your main job, and level 49 for any job you're levelling as a subjob. Levelling gets to be easier and more fun from here on because there are no more bloody goblins.



    Level 30-40: Lower Delkfutt's Tower (Page 2)
    From Port Jeuno, head downstairs just before the Mog House to zone into Qufim Island; Delkfutt's Tower is located at the far north. You're going to be doing the same page for ten levels. It's a Grounds of Valor zone, though, so the last few levels will fly right by. Once you activate page 2, head east, then north past 2 rooms of goblins. Your target will be 3 members of the bat family and 3 members of the gigas family. When you first come in, you'll be getting good exp from the kills, and towards 40 you'll be getting good exp from the pages. At 40, though, you start hitting target mobs that are too weak to give exp.

    Level 40-42 ???
    There are really no good solo levelling options from 40-42. If you can find a duo partner, head to the next camp, otherwise you're pretty much stuck puttering around in Korroloka Tunnel for 2 levels, which will probably take as long as 30-40 did.


    Level 42-50+: Crawler's Nest Bees & Bugs (Page 1)
    I cannot emphasize enough how highly I advise getting a duo partner and starting here at 40. A Nest levelling experience usually starts with walking in alone and either finding a group in progress or teaming up with another soloist, and then another, and then another until you have a full-blown alliance. Solo, the exp starts to be bad at around the level 50 mark, but once you get a group rolling, you can easily get to 55+ just doing bees and bugs. 50, however, is the end of the scope of this document. Be looking for an Intermediate guide covering levels 50-75, including breaking the level caps, coming soon.

    Wrapup

    Once reaching 50 on your main job, it's a good idea to identify what subjobs you are going to want to use and level them to 49 before going on to your level cap quests; For one thing, being capped gives you an excuse to leave one of those impromptu Nest parties at 50 without being even a little impolite, and for another, once you start hitting high levels, you are not going to want to come back to level a subjob, even though gil will be easier to come by and you can equip a new job with much more ease. Once you are ready to break your level cap, be looking for the next in this series of articles.

  2. #2
    Zachie Chan Recognized Member Ouch!'s Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2002
    Location
    Miami
    Posts
    7,652
    Articles
    3

    FFXIV Character

    Swygwyrd Eryistyrmstn (Sargatanas)
    Contributions
    • Hosted Screenname Competitions

    Default

    I... this game has changed.

  3. #3
    Not responsible for WWI Citizen Bleys's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2000
    Location
    The Wired
    Posts
    8,502
    Articles
    7
    Blog Entries
    60

    FFXIV Character

    Bleys Maynard (Sargatanas)
    Contributions
    • Former Administrator
    • Former Cid's Knight

    Default

    Yes it has.

  4. #4
    Omni-Odin's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2005
    Posts
    461

    FFXIV Character

    Omni Odin (Sargatanas)

    Default

    Hey how's it going? I'm about to start this game for the first time and wanted to know if this guide would work with any characters other than a Tarutaru or Mithra? I'd like to use this guide for my first playthrough but just hate the look of both of those. Shallow I know, but I don't want to be tiny or a female.
    Final Fantasies defeated
    Playing

    I, II, III, IV, IVAY, V, VI, VII, VIIDoC, VIICC , VIII, Tactics, TA, TA2, IX, X, X-2, XI, XII, XII:RW, XIII, XIII-2, XIII:LR, XIV, Type-0, XV

    FavoriteToLeastFavorite : VII>X>Tactics>IX>IV>VIII>XV>VI>XII>X-2>XIII>TA2>V>XIII-2>III>I>LR:FFXIII>II

  5. #5
    Feel the Bern Administrator Del Murder's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2001
    Location
    Oakland, California
    Posts
    41,604
    Articles
    6
    Blog Entries
    2
    Contributions
    • Former Cid's Knight
    • Former Administrator
    • Hosted the Ciddies

    Default

    The guide works for all races. Any race can excel at any job class with the appropriate gear and skill. The difference between the races is not game-breaking, but there will be a bit more struggle in the early goings with certain combinations, such as a Galka with a mage job due to the low MP pool.

    Proud to be the Unofficial Secret Illegal Enforcer of Eyes on Final Fantasy!
    When I grow up, I want to go to Bovine Trump University! - Ralph Wiggum

  6. #6
    Not responsible for WWI Citizen Bleys's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2000
    Location
    The Wired
    Posts
    8,502
    Articles
    7
    Blog Entries
    60

    FFXIV Character

    Bleys Maynard (Sargatanas)
    Contributions
    • Former Administrator
    • Former Cid's Knight

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Omni-Odin View Post
    Hey how's it going? I'm about to start this game for the first time and wanted to know if this guide would work with any characters other than a Tarutaru or Mithra? I'd like to use this guide for my first playthrough but just hate the look of both of those. Shallow I know, but I don't want to be tiny or a female.
    The only part of this guide that's nation-specific is the tutorial NPC. There are tutorial NPCs in all 3 starter cities that follow more or less exactly the same path. I picked Windurst because I'd just started a new Windurstian at the time of writing.

    Look for the following:
    San d'Oria: Alaune, Southern San d'Oria map square (G-10)
    Bastok: Guildago, Bastok Markets map square (D-11)

    Both San d'Oria and Bastok have Field Manuals just outside the exit by the tutorial NPC. Alaune will send you to La Theine instead of Tahrongi, and Guildago sends you to Konschtat, so you don't wind up investing any more travel time to get through the tutorial NPC's tasks based on what nation you start in.

    Assuming you're going to take my advice and pick your starter city based on race, the guide is actually easiest to follow if you pick Elvaan -- Post Tutorial NPC, I've found that no other solo levelling grounds from 12-31 hold a candle to King Ranperre's Tomb, located just outside of Sandy.

  7. #7
    Omni-Odin's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2005
    Posts
    461

    FFXIV Character

    Omni Odin (Sargatanas)

    Default

    Thanks for this and the reply on the other thread. Can't wait to get into it.
    Final Fantasies defeated
    Playing

    I, II, III, IV, IVAY, V, VI, VII, VIIDoC, VIICC , VIII, Tactics, TA, TA2, IX, X, X-2, XI, XII, XII:RW, XIII, XIII-2, XIII:LR, XIV, Type-0, XV

    FavoriteToLeastFavorite : VII>X>Tactics>IX>IV>VIII>XV>VI>XII>X-2>XIII>TA2>V>XIII-2>III>I>LR:FFXIII>II

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •