Newbies “should do” list

Ah… there are many new players in my Tonberry FC now so I’m making a list of what to learn about as a newbie. Please note that these are just my suggestion, it is not mandatory. But many things in this list will make your life easier or at least more convenient.

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Update notes:
25 Jan 2017 – adding:
Hunting Log (lv 5),
Guildhest (lv 10),
Dye Quest (lv 15) and Ferry from Limsa,
Guildhest Roulette (lv 17),
Challenge Log (lv 17),
Gold Saucer, and <pos>
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*Note* Before you buy anything from the Markey Board, remember that people selling stuff on the marketboard usually aim for profits, so things are usually more expensive. If you want to buy extra equipment (besides the free equipment you will get from doing quests) you should browse shops and stalls in the market area where real NPCs are selling many kinds of stuff.

Level 1 – Do all the level 1-3 quests in your starting town. You can quickly open your Journal which is where you can view all your quests by pressing keyboard’s default shortcut key: J.

You should also go visit your “Mog Mail” at a Delivery Moogle (there’s a mailman moogle in towns and at most of the camps outsidde.)

*Remember* When you go away from keyboard (idle) or want to log out from the game, try to log out in the town or at Aetheryte if you’re outdoor, because these areas have Sanctuary effect which will grant EXP bonus after you stand in it for a very long time.

*Important* Try to touch (attune) to every Aethernet (mini aetheryte in the town) that you see. It will help you get to places in the town faster by using it to warp around.

Level 3 – By the time you finish all of these small quests from townsfolk, you will have have been introduced to all of the key locations in the town, and have visited all aethernets in your town. After attuning to all Aethernets in one town, you will see a pop up text saying you have unlocked other 2 or 3 Aethernet destinations as well. Earning these new destinations will let you exit the town to any of the desired gate, making you travel much faster using Aethernets.

Level 5 – By this time you should have already been familiar with your class (job) guild and you should take guild test quest every 5 levels, so that you can get free gear. These free level 5 gear from guild quests and sidequests will be important to you soon, because at level 5, there is a Main Scenario Quest (I usually call these MQ – Main Quest) or Story Quest that requires you to wear level 5 gear as a part of equipment inspection.  (Character and Equipment menu – Default Shortcut key: C)

Also, by finishing guild test quest of your class at level 5, the system will introduce you to a Hunting Log. (Default Shortcut key: H) This is a very good source of EXP. Open your Hunting Log and check to see what type of enemies you have to kill. When you complete the kill order, you will be rewarded with EXP. If you finish all the orders from level 1 to 10, and you level up to level 11, the Hunting Log will unlock next tier of list for you.

Level 6 – If you explore the map outside of the town far enough, you will reach an outdoor Aetheryte, we usually call it a Camp. These field Aetherytes serve as Teleport Destinations, just like the one in town.

When you’re exploring, if you need to meet up with a friend but they can’t find you, you can type <pos> in the chat to make it show coordinate of your current location. You can read other entry for more details here http://www.aleczan.com/FFXIVARR/2013/handy-coordinates-marker/

To open in-game map, you can either click inside the compass (mini map) on your screen, or use the default shortcut button: M)

Level 7 – Continue to explore for more sidequests and MQs suitable for your level. For leveling up, you might also want to try participating in F.A.T.E. outside of the town. FATEs happen on the map where there is a blue circle. The active help system in the game will pop up a window to explain about it when you join a FATE for the first time.

Level 10 – If you have been following the MQ and keep it up to your level, you will now be introduced to Levequest (I call it LQ) counter in the town, and will be allowed to access an Inn Room. But level 10 has many new things to learn, so I’ll list what you should get acquainted with:

• Levequest – Very good for EXP.
• Guildhest – Will explain below.
• Inn Room
• Chocobo Keepers – inside the town and at Aetheryte outdoor
• Rental Chocobo
• Chocobo Porter – very good for commuting, it is usually much cheaper than Teleporting
• Ability to switch class – You need to finish your guild test quest for level 10 in order to acquire this ability. The Guildmaster will tell you about it when you finish the quest. Then, you can visit other guilds and try other classes, including Crafting and Gathering classes.
• Gearset List – This will be unlocked after you unlock the first 2nd class.
• Cross-Class skills – in your Action & Traits menu (short cut button is P) you can see “Additional” tab which allows you to choose skills/spells from other classes you have leveled up. Make sure to check it every 5 or 10 levels to see if you get new available slot for cross-class skills.

Eventually, the Levemete at level 10 camp will ask you to visit a Battle Warden who will introduce you to Guildhest. It is very short duty where you can practice battle as a party. Some of the Guildhest duties also have specific objective, so please read the objective window that pops up at start, or pay very close attention to what the NPC says on your screen during battle. When you complete both the level 10 Guildhests, it will unlock level 15 ones, and when you finish those, you can go to level 20 ones and so on (when your current class meets the level requirement). You also get a “first time” EXP bonus when you win against that Guildhest on a specific class/job you’ve never used in that Guildhest duty before. So make sure to come back to doing low level Guildhests on your new class later, if you level up more than 1 class.

*Gear Check* Undergearing is bad. You have gimp stats and gimp damage. It will hurt the performance and hinder your party badly. Make sure to upgrade your gear, at least the main hand (weapon) and the big pieces on the left side of the equipment window (Head, Body, Legs, etc.) every 5 levels. For example, when you’re level 16, if you’re wearing gear from level 10, you will find it a little difficult to kill enemies. If you’re using level 10 gear, you should upgrade to a level 15 set when you’re level 15.

On the other hand, if you get green equipment or pink equipment from dungeons, those are a little superior to normal gear of the same level. So they give you stats that are about as good as normal gear that is 3 level higher. (I approximate things by my feeling, not by actual math or statistics). So these pink gear will stay decent for about 8 levels. If the gear is level 15, you should replace it with better gear when or before you hit level 23.

If your normal gear is a High-Quality version, however, it will last about 5 levels longer than NQ (normal-quality) version of itself. So you can probably wear these HQ gear for about 10 levels. For example, your level 15 HQ gear might be fine when you’re level 24, but when you’re level 25 you should replace it and get a gear from level 25 set instead.

At low levels, right side (rings, earring, etc.) stuff and belt are difficult to find due to level restriction and level gap, so it is alright if you can’t fill your right side equipment. “The Hall of Novice” trainings will give you a VERY GOOD free ring, though. So, I highly recommend finishing the trainings.

Level 15 – Make sure to visit an NPC named “The Smith” who is located next to inn room NPC. You can get FREE EQUIPMENT for level 15 for your type of class (Physical DPS or Mage or Tank) from finishing all the Training sessions with him in “The Hall of Novice.”  These level 15 equipment will be good until about level 22.

Also, when you start the “Envoy” quest, you will be able to ride the Airship to any of the 2 other starting towns. Remember to touch the Aetheryte of the new town you visit. Now is a good time to explore and test the “Save as favored destination” function in your Aetheryte menu.

From here, you will be introduced to your first Dungeon (after “Call of the Sea” main story quest) and you will have to enter and finish 3 dungeons before you unlock new facility.

*Tips* Duty Finder default shortcut key is U button on the keyboard.

*Before going into the dungeon* make sure you finish your class’ guild test quest for a level 15 reward, which teaches you an important class ability/skill/spell.

At level 15, you can also take a quest at Vesper Bay to enable using Color Dye on your gear. If you want to experiment with different colors on your equipment and be fashionable, you should do this quest! Quest is from NPC Swyrgeim at Western Thanalan ( 12, 14), quest name is “Color Your World” and the NPC will request a bottle of Orange Juice from you. If you do not have any Orange Juice in your inventory, turn around and visit a Vendor NPC near the spot (name is Merchant & Mender, he’s inside a small tent near there) and check his shop (select Purchase Items) and buy a bottle of Orange Juice from him for 7 gil. When you finish the dye quest, you can select any dye-able gear and use a bucket of dye to change it to a color you like. You can buy dyes from NPC shop in a market area in any of the towns. 

Also, if you have already finished the Envoy quest, the pier in Limsa Lominsa Lower Decks, near Arcanist Guild, will allow you to pay for a Ferry ride from Limsa to Vesper Bay. This is much shorter and faster route than using Horizon teleport and walk/run/chocobo to Vesper Bay.

Level 17 – After finishing all 3 required dungeons through story quests, there’s a level 17 MQ that will reward you with an access to Retainer Service. A Retainer is your storage. You can “hire” 2 retainers for free.

What does a retainer do?

• Keep your stuff, so your person’s inventory won’t explode.
• You can deposit money with them (you get no saving’s interest, though, duh!)
• You can put items up for sale on the Marketboard.
• If you do a specific quest, you can send your retainer out to hunt for items, they will level up and have access to more items if you keep sending them out to hunt.
• You can select a class (job) for your retainer. You can also dress them up for fun and for stats.

By finishing your first 3 dungeons (or maybe you only need 2 from 3, I’m not sure), you now can do Duty Roulette: Leveling. This is a very very powerful tool to gain EXP (and money). It will give you a huge chunk of EXP when you finish a dungeon using this Roulette. The reward can be claimed only once a day. 

You can also use Duty Roulette: Guildhest to earn your daily rewards (bonus EXP, gil, and Grand Company’s Seals if you have joined a Grand Company).

Finishing the first 3 dungeons will also grant access to Challenge Log. This is yet another wonderful way to earn EXP and gil. You have to finish a short quest named Rising to the Challenge from Limsa Lominsa Upper Decks, in the same room you spoke with Baderon. The Challenge Log have a ton of objectives with a mountain load of rewards attached. It resets weekly on Tuesday, so if you finish all objectives that you can, you can have them again next week . You can even get rich in Manderville Gold Saucer Points (gambler’s currency, hahaha!!) by doing the Gold Saucer objectives. (You can access Gold Saucer by doing a quest on the street in Ul’dah, at around Ul’dah – Steps of Nald ( 9  , 9).)

Level 20 – A Main Quest of level 20 will eventually reward you with an ability to choose a “Grand Company” (GC, for short). You can switch to join other GC later of you wish.

At this point you should do FATE battle or do GC Levequests for GC Seals. For a CHOCOBO license!!!! Buy  Chocobo Issuance (cost 200 GC Seals) from a Quartermaster at your GC office and finish the “My Little Chocobo” quest at the commander in the same room. Chocobo is a mount which will let you travel faster in the field.

Level 25 – Not much new information to learn here, or I just can’t recall anything important (sorry, the memory is hard to retrieve because it’s been a VERY long time since I started). You should, however, try to visit different camps (field Aetherytes) in order to take quest at Levemates to unlock the camp’s LQ. Remember, LQ is a great way to level up.

Level 30 – Time for joy! Now you can get the quest to unlock a Battle Chocobo, the quest is called “My Feisty Little Chocobo” and can be found at Camp Tranquill in The Black Shroud region. This quest requires level 30 and a long travel, and a few fights. But it will really worth it. Your Chocobo Companion can be summoned (with Gysahl Greens) to help you fight in the field and in FATE. It will help A LOT for sidequests and Main Quests.

At level 30 of a specific class, you can also unlock “job” system, which will require you to level up a specific 2^nd class as “sub class” before taking the guild test quest. Your class, when upgraded to a job, will be more powerful in battle. Your cross-class skill choices, however, will become more specific and limited.

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That’s all I could write for today. If I recall something else, I will come back to write more.