New Player with more questions

[bloodwulf]

Hi All, since this seems like an extraordinarily welcoming community I have a few more questions I hope I could ask. I tried looking through the guide posts in the sticky but a lot of them seem outdated or even dead links. You guys helped me get over the 15-30 hump, and I was hoping you could provide me with some more direction. Here are the questions in no particular order.

• What is the point of Levquests? Other than a few early on, I have not done them and no real idea what they are for?
• Loot rules in matched groups? I am going under the impression from WOW that if its an upgrade I should Need roll, and everything else greed or pass. Well it seems like I win almost everything, and feel like a loothog, even when I greed. Is it generally expected I should pass stuff instead of greeding?
• Is the MSQ the only thing I should be doing for leveling my first job? Like I said, I have seen levquests and other side quests, but the MSQ seems to be enough alone (with the occasional fate grind to finish a level).
• Daily Roulette. I have seen people talk about this, yet I have not done anything with it. Is it only a high level thing?
• End Game. What is FF's endgame? Is it strictly raids (wow term)? I have seen people talk about tombstones and have no idea what those are.

Thanks and I am sure I will come up with more questions. I am just trying to enjoy the game, and some systems are not really explained well. That and the people I know that play the game don't play much, so I am mostly just playing by myself and have no one else to ask questions of.

[Faroth]

Hi All, since this seems like an extraordinarily welcoming community I have a few more questions I hope I could ask. I tried looking through the guide posts in the sticky but a lot of them seem outdated or even dead links. You guys helped me get over the 15-30 hump, and I was hoping you could provide me with some more direction. Here are the questions in no particular order.

Well let's hop right in!

What is the point of Levquests? Other than a few early on, I have not done them and no real idea what they are for?
In 1.0, they were the only quest and are kind of a hold over. They were decent for grinding out extra XP back in 2.0, but we've had a LOT of other features added that are better. They're still good for leveling crafting and gathering professions, though.

Loot rules in matched groups? I am going under the impression from WOW that if its an upgrade I should Need roll, and everything else greed or pass. Well it seems like I win almost everything, and feel like a loothog, even when I greed. Is it generally expected I should pass stuff instead of greeding?
Greed everything you want, need everything you can use. Items from dungeons and even raids can be turned in for Grand Company seals. A lot of people get capped and don't burn seals as often, so they pass rather than clutter their inventory.
At 69/70, I was doing the same thing as people were passing on everything. .....yet I never saw the ring upgrade I need. >_>

Is the MSQ the only thing I should be doing for leveling my first job? Like I said, I have seen levquests and other side quests, but the MSQ seems to be enough alone (with the occasional fate grind to finish a level).
MSQ was xp boosted to speed players along without needing the sidequests, levequests, etc. For your first job, it's definitely all you need. If you enjoy questing, feel free to do side quests and get more flavor of the NPCs and the area. I often save quests for second jobs, then don't wind up using them as other options are overall faster.
Also, under logs, check out the challenge log and hunt log. Those are great XP. And the Grand Company Hunt Log gives you seals, which will be useful later on to apply for rank promotions.

Daily Roulette. I have seen people talk about this, yet I have not done anything with it. Is it only a high level thing?
You have access to the leveling roulette and will have others accessable at 50. I definitely recommend using it. Upon completion of your first per day, you get massive xp, just like WoW. At max level, they reward tomestone currency (like badges in WoW back in the day).

End Game. What is FF's endgame? Is it strictly raids (wow term)? I have seen people talk about tombstones and have no idea what those are.
Tomestones are like Justice/Valor badges and you can acquire and gear up solely from doing 4 man dungeon roulettes if you choose. You can also join Hunt groups, which are similar to large groups doing FATEs, but for specific large enemy targets. You can get them from PvP as well.
There's 8 man raiding, which has a normal and a savage mode. Normal is pretty accessible and is done most often through duty finder (so matched groups).
There will ALSO be 24 man raids, which are FFXIV's LFR equivalent, but tend to be more fun with more mechanics that can wipe the group, especially the first week or two when people still don't know what's what. The 24 man is generally a catch up option gear-wise, but also tends to reward an item for the tomestone gear to be upgraded an additional 10 item levels, so everyone tends to run it regularly.

If you got hooked on crafting, there's also endgame crafting progression if you chose to abandon the tomestone grind and such.

[Anzaman]

What is the point of Levquests? Other than a few early on, I have not done them and no real idea what they are for?

Levequests are great way to level up crafting and gathering jobs. Especially when you turn in high quality version of the item for double reward.

Loot rules in matched groups? I am going under the impression from WOW that if its an upgrade I should Need roll, and everything else greed or pass. Well it seems like I win almost everything, and feel like a loothog, even when I greed. Is it generally expected I should pass stuff instead of greeding?

Pretty much yeah, tho some people use need on everything simply because they want grand company seals. If you find yourself getting everything with using greed, it's most likely low level dungeon and people aren't that interested in them due low seal / Gil (money) value of said items.

Is the MSQ the only thing I should be doing for leveling my first job? Like I said, I have seen levquests and other side quests, but the MSQ seems to be enough alone (with the occasional fate grind to finish a level).

I'd say that up to you, if you find MSQ to be enough and don't want to go side-quests, go for it. I'd still recommend doing sidequests that show "+" icon on it as they unlock stuff, such as dungeons.

Daily Roulette. I have seen people talk about this, yet I have not done anything with it. Is it only a high level thing?

There are multiple roulettes such as; Expert, 50/60, Leveling, Trials, Main Scenario, Guildhests, Frontline, and Mentor. Leveling roulette is the first one you'll unlock after completing first two dungeons - doing it daily gives high amount of experience.

End Game. What is FF's endgame? Is it strictly raids (wow term)? I have seen people talk about tombstones and have no idea what those are.

Tomestones are currency earned from higher level dungeons to purchase equipment. There are those that have no limitations and you can farm as many as you want, and those with weekly caps placed on them. You don't need to worry about those until you reach original level cap of 50, and even then you can pretty much ignore them all the way to level cap.

[Katchii]

Hi All, since this seems like an extraordinarily welcoming community I have a few more questions I hope I could ask. I tried looking through the guide posts in the sticky but a lot of them seem outdated or even dead links. You guys helped me get over the 15-30 hump, and I was hoping you could provide me with some more direction. Here are the questions in no particular order.

• What is the point of Levquests? Other than a few early on, I have not done them and no real idea what they are for?
• Loot rules in matched groups? I am going under the impression from WOW that if its an upgrade I should Need roll, and everything else greed or pass. Well it seems like I win almost everything, and feel like a loothog, even when I greed. Is it generally expected I should pass stuff instead of greeding?
• Is the MSQ the only thing I should be doing for leveling my first job? Like I said, I have seen levquests and other side quests, but the MSQ seems to be enough alone (with the occasional fate grind to finish a level).
• Daily Roulette. I have seen people talk about this, yet I have not done anything with it. Is it only a high level thing?
• End Game. What is FF's endgame? Is it strictly raids (wow term)? I have seen people talk about tombstones and have no idea what those are.

Thanks and I am sure I will come up with more questions. I am just trying to enjoy the game, and some systems are not really explained well. That and the people I know that play the game don't play much, so I am mostly just playing by myself and have no one else to ask questions of.

Since @Faroth has already answered quite well I'm only going to touch on the bolded. I recently (just before Stormblood released) leveled a new character from 1-50 to see the ARR story again. The MSQ is by far the most efficient for providing xp, unfortunately it is not quite enough to level you up by itself as there will be a few times throughout the leveling experience, but primarily during the level 35-50 range where doing JUST the MSQ will leave you a little shy of the level required to begin the next MSQ since each quest has a minimum level requirement to accept it. Levequests, Roulettes, Side Quests, Dungeon grinding, FATE grinding or Palace of the Dead are all viable ways of getting that extra xp needed. Since I had already played the game, I didn't do any side quest that didn't have a "+" on it and focused entirely on using Palace of the Dead (quest to unlock becomes available ~level 16 after doing the Copperbell Mines MSQ from an NPC at the Inn in New Gridania) to level quickly as it is by far the most efficient way to gain xp outside of the MSQ.

For first timers I highly recommend doing every side quest they come across because the world is rich and full of life and that is showcased through the side quests and secondary jobs can be leveled through other means much more effectively since Side Quests honestly give very little xp, but they usually make up for it with how many there are sometimes. No need to slog through them though if you just don't want to, but they do provide some additional information, lore, and context to the world, locations and stuff and many of them give gear as a reward that the MSQ doesn't so if you're wanting for gear, check them all out.

Also, as you're running around you'll see FATEs pop up, and those give decent xp so I recommend taking part in them as you run across them.

Hope this helps!

[Kazgrel]

- Levequests are a weird way of how they handled daily quests...although they don't have a daily reset, per se. You amass what are known as Leve Allowances; you get 3 every 12 hours, last I checked, so at most 6 in a 24 hour span. These can accumulate up to 100. You use those allowances to do levequests; one levequest consumes 1 allowance. As of Stormblood, they no longer offer levequests for combat jobs; they are only present for gatherers and crafters for leveling 61 to 70. On the gathering/crafting note, leves are a very potent way to gain levels in those jobs, provided you have allowances available.

- For most content, it's a need/greed system where you can only need roll an item if you're on a job that can equip said item; aka a tank can't need roll healer gear, so their only hope of obtaining it is if the healer greed rolls or passes. If something drops and you can use it, no one will bat an eye if you need roll it. If a minion or mount happens to drop, it's fully expected that you need roll it if you don't already have it. Pretty much everyone in my experience will at least greed roll gear unless someone specifically requests an item (like a tank wanting a healer item that the healer already has).

- MSQ will be the bulk of your xp for leveling up your first combat job; it'll also shower you with gear for said job, so you can pretty much stick to it exclusively if you desire.

- Aside from MSQ, you may also want to do the leveling roulette (which will unlock around level 18 or 20, I believe, whenever you complete the first three dungeons available). It provides a very large amount of xp once a day. There will be other roulettes that can be unlocked later on; those also have value for various reasons. Expert roulette is often a great way to obtain tomestones.

- There's raiding, pvp, gathering/crafting, just to name a couple of things. Tomestones will come into play starting at level 50; think of the tomestone system akin to how WoW once had Justice and Valor Points; that's probably the closest thing to it (or I suppose it's more like how the badges were handled in Wrath).

I'm happy to elaborate as needed; I just don't want to provide info overload right out of the gate.

[bloodwulf]

Appreciate it everyone. I am trying to get to the pre SB cap just so I can get a feel for the game. I have not committed to buying the expansion yet strictly because as of late is has been basically a single player game for me. The group that had originally asked me to play are not logging in, and the Free Company I joined with them is basically quiet all the time. I am only still in it for the 10% xp bonus.

I will say this community is incredibly nice. I have a ton of questions about the game (like why it periodically says something along the lines of "with your search criteria XX groups meet your settings" when I don't think I queued anything) but don't have many people to ask them to.

[Katchii]

Appreciate it everyone. I am trying to get to the pre SB cap just so I can get a feel for the game. I have not committed to buying the expansion yet strictly because as of late is has been basically a single player game for me. The group that had originally asked me to play are not logging in, and the Free Company I joined with them is basically quiet all the time. I am only still in it for the 10% xp bonus.

I will say this community is incredibly nice. I have a ton of questions about the game (like why it periodically says something along the lines of "with your search criteria XX groups meet your settings" when I don't think I queued anything) but don't have many people to ask them to.

What server are you on? Maybe folks from MMO-Champ are on the same server and can make your stay a little more interesting or fun =)

[bloodwulf]

What server are you on? Maybe folks from MMO-Champ are on the same server and can make your stay a little more interesting or fun =)

I think the name is Siren. Outside of matched groups, I have only done Palace of The Dead as group content with the 2 people that encouraged me to try the game. I am not looking to impose on anyone. Now that I got more than 5 abilities the game is getting more interesting. Thinking after I cap Dragoon, if I decide to keep playing I will buy a pot to cap another one, maybe a tank role.

[Katchii]

I think the name is Siren. Outside of matched groups, I have only done Palace of The Dead as group content with the 2 people that encouraged me to try the game. I am not looking to impose on anyone. Now that I got more than 5 abilities the game is getting more interesting. Thinking after I cap Dragoon, if I decide to keep playing I will buy a pot to cap another one, maybe a tank role.

I play on Excalibur and have an alt on Exodus, nothing on Siren I don't think...I made a bunch of characters on different servers when the game first released to check things out so not really sure where I have characters tbh.

You wouldn't be imposing on anyone if you tried matched content, this IS an MMO and group content is the main purpose of the game, right behind the story IMO. Others may switch those priorities, both are correct it just depends on what your focus is.

I highly recommend having a tank or healer leveled to reduce your wait times in the Duty Finder for the dungeons/trials that are required for the MSQ. I leveled as a Summoner and when I got to the level 45-50 range there are a few main scenario dungeons that already have very few people queuing for them but as a DPS I had wait time upwards of 30+ minutes, whereas a tank or healer would have considerably lower wait times. It's totally up to you though, I personally can't stand waiting around for 20+ minutes for something that is gating my progress or just in general...I'm somewhat impatient.

Getting a level boost potion for a tank or healer would be quite helpful for you. Just make sure to spend time learning the class because the boost potion puts you at level 60, and most classes are pretty complex by that point and take some practice to understand it, how to play it, how best to set up your hot bars, etc...

Regardless, good luck with your game time, it's a great game so I hope you find a home. We're all here if you need any help.

[Nikkaszal]

I would NOT recommend doing sidequests on your first toon, unless you happen to fall behind the level requirement to progress the MSQ, unless you are a completionist or massive lore nut.

The entire game is gated by the MSQ - it's not like WoW where you hit level cap then jump straight into endgame prep. You must complete ALL of the MSQ to progress, as basically everything is unlocked through it. You won't even be able to access the expansions until you have completed the entire MSQ story from the previous content.

This is significant for two reasons:

1) it takes a LONG time. Like, a REALLY long time, even if you're skipping every cutscene and chatbox (NOT RECOMMENDED FOR YOUR FIRST TIME, you'll have no idea what's going on). The more time you spend doing sidequests, the less time you're spending progressing MSQ.

2) the intervals between ARR (the base game) and Heavensward (the first expac), and between HW and Stormblood (the second expac) where you would have been level capped - 50 and 60, respectively - have additional stretches of MSQ. ARR additional story in particular is staggeringly long. I started playing after the release of Heavensward, and I was level 54 purely through the MSQ before I even set foot in the HW areas. With that kind of lead, you will never ever find a situation where you fall behind the level requirement

[Eleccybubb]

I would NOT recommend doing sidequests on your first toon, unless you happen to fall behind the level requirement to progress the MSQ, unless you are a completionist or massive lore nut.

The entire game is gated by the MSQ - it's not like WoW where you hit level cap then jump straight into endgame prep. You must complete ALL of the MSQ to progress, as basically everything is unlocked through it. You won't even be able to access the expansions until you have completed the entire MSQ story from the previous content.

This is significant for two reasons:

1) it takes a LONG time. Like, a REALLY long time, even if you're skipping every cutscene and chatbox (NOT RECOMMENDED FOR YOUR FIRST TIME, you'll have no idea what's going on). The more time you spend doing sidequests, the less time you're spending progressing MSQ.

2) the intervals between ARR (the base game) and Heavensward (the first expac), and between HW and Stormblood (the second expac) where you would have been level capped - 50 and 60, respectively - have additional stretches of MSQ. ARR additional story in particular is staggeringly long. I started playing after the release of Heavensward, and I was level 54 purely through the MSQ before I even set foot in the HW areas. With that kind of lead, you will never ever find a situation where you fall behind the level requirement

At least do Hildibrand. Those side quests alone are worth the humor.

Right OP. I'll go through all your questions and help you best I can.

What is the point of Levquests? Other than a few early on, I have not done them and no real idea what they are for?

Mostly just a way of alternate levelling while giving you an allowance to avoid mindlessly spamming them. There are standard ones which are for DOW/DOM jobs that are basic kill/fetch/escort ones, Gatherer ones that can include things such as farm this specific mat or evaluation where you have to farm nodes and the higher your score the more bonus XP you get and as for Crafting I have not delved too much into this but I am sure there are turn in ones where you craft an item and hand it in.

Loot rules in matched groups? I am going under the impression from WOW that if its an upgrade I should Need roll, and everything else greed or pass. Well it seems like I win almost everything, and feel like a loothog, even when I greed. Is it generally expected I should pass stuff instead of greeding?

Simple Need before Greed loot rule. If it's an upgrade then need as you said. There's a nice form of personal loot in 51-59 and 61-69 dungeons where you are guaranteed a piece of gear for your Job at the end.

Is the MSQ the only thing I should be doing for leveling my first job? Like I said, I have seen levquests and other side quests, but the MSQ seems to be enough alone (with the occasional fate grind to finish a level).

Me personally I do a bit of side stuff and always over level myself by the MSQ by a few levels so I don't end up hitting a dead end because I'm not a high enough level to continue. I wouldn't go crazy with side stuff though. However at 50 I would recommend you do a short side quest series called "Hildibrand". One of the most comedy filled set of sidequests ever imo. It basically takes the mess out of Inspector Clouseau.

Daily Roulette. I have seen people talk about this, yet I have not done anything with it. Is it only a high level thing?

Sort of. There are low level ones as well like Guildhests and Levelling. Basically they award a nice chunk of XP at the end. Like RDF does in WoW.

End Game. What is FF's endgame? Is it strictly raids (wow term)? I have seen people talk about tombstones and have no idea what those are.

Very PvE centric. There are harder mode versions of trials called "Extreme" which is 8 players, Normal and Savage mode raiding which again is 8 players and I guess you can work out Savage is the harder mode which get's updated with a new 4 boss wing every even numbered patch and there are 3 24 man raids over the course of the expansion that are released 1 at a time ever odd numbered patch. The 24 mans are aimed at a more casual audience.

PvP wise the game isn't stellar. There are 2 big modes at 70. Feast which is an 8v8 Deathmatch mode with a mechanic similar to Murderball. And there is a 72 man called "Fields of Glory" where it is more objective based. There are tomes that spawn around the map which grant points when killed and the team that gets to 1600 first wins.

[bloodwulf]

Thanks for all the help. This community is definitely an improvement over the normal communities with games. I think I will boost a tank job with the potion once I complete the MSQ. I have hit a point where it is starting to drag a bit again, it seems like I am in a bad point of doing nothing but "talk to X, now talk to Y, now talk to X".

[Katchii]

Thanks for all the help. This community is definitely an improvement over the normal communities with games. I think I will boost a tank job with the potion once I complete the MSQ. I have hit a point where it is starting to drag a bit again, it seems like I am in a bad point of doing nothing but "talk to X, now talk to Y, now talk to X".

What level are you and what is the name of your current quest?

There is admittedly a lot of that kind of stuff in lots of the story because they are used to try and give context and gravity to your actions. To me, most of those could have been alleviated by using the Linkshells everyone has. But from a game context, you're forced to leave an area so things within the zone can change while you're gone and you come back to the updated version that progresses the story.

The stretch between ARR and Heavensward, which takes place after the MSQ dungeon Praetorium is a bit of a slog, as is the stretch between Heavensward and Stormblood that takes place after the trial Final Steps of Faith. Those stretches are FULL of story progression, but are also filled with a ton of mundane "fetch" quests where nothing but clicking and talking takes place. All for the purpose of the story, but still.

[bloodwulf]

I am in the mid 30s right now (sorry don't know the exact info because I had a lot of work come up in the last few days and no time to play). My last dungeon was the one in a jungle type environment and ends with a dragon that drops poison badzones on the ground that heal it. I am about an hour or two after that.

[Resiak]

I am in the mid 30s right now (sorry don't know the exact info because I had a lot of work come up in the last few days and no time to play). My last dungeon was the one in a jungle type environment and ends with a dragon that drops poison badzones on the ground that heal it. I am about an hour or two after that.

I believe you are in what many consider the worst section of the game. I'll even admit, and i am a bit of a fanboy at times, that that was a rough patch. After titan, things pick up a lot, when you get into Coerthas the story picks up a lot.

[Scufflegrit]

The term tomestone is actually kind of funny. A tome is a book, so a tomestone is a book made of... stone? Or more likely very durable plastic and metal. They are from the Allagan empire, which existed over 5000 years ago. Basically we're using ancient memory cards as money.

Just a little bit of lore but I always found that to be very funny, and could almost see people doing that in a post-apocalyptic version of our future.

[Faroth]

The term tomestone is actually kind of funny. A tome is a book, some a tomestone is a book made of... stone? Or more likely very durable plastic and metal. They are from the Allagan empire, which existed over 5000 years ago. Basically we're using ancient memory cards as money.

Just a little bit of lore but I always found that to be very funny, and could almost see people doing that in a post-apocalyptic version of our future.

I have one at home! It's the USB from Fan Fest.

[Scufflegrit]

I have one at home! It's the USB from Fan Fest.

An Ancient Sqenixian Tomestone of Festivities?!?! Only 819 more and you can buy a shirt!

[Katchii]

I am in the mid 30s right now (sorry don't know the exact info because I had a lot of work come up in the last few days and no time to play). My last dungeon was the one in a jungle type environment and ends with a dragon that drops poison badzones on the ground that heal it. I am about an hour or two after that.

Yeah, you're getting to the level range where just doing the MSQ will leave you just shy of the next MSQ, this is particularly bad once you reach Coerthas Central Highlands (snowy area). It's up to you, but it was during this range where I did every side quest and used Palace of the Dead to level all the way to 50 so I wouldn't continuously hit that wall because the MSQ picks up a lot during this range so having to wait to continue can be frustrating because once you hit 50 you're good until you get to Heavensward.