Getting Started

FFXIV is a beautiful hot mess of a game. The game has been running for +8 years and seems like the mantra of the development team has been "add, never remove." All of the systems are still in place and functioning, albeit many of them have less than ideal rewards nowadays.

The good thing is that you will never run out things to do. The bad thing is that you will never complete everything available. No chance, nada.

It's a good idea to focus only on the Main Scenario Quest (MSQ) quest chain to begin with as it will unlock a lot of things that makes doing other things easier such as teleport routes and flying mounts.

Avoid normal side quests at all costs, those that don't have the "unlocks a feature" icon with a key. I myself am a good example what will happen. I have well over 200 hours of in-game /playtime on-off playing between 2013 and 2021 and I haven't even completed all of Realm Reborn, the base game, I have complete each and every quest I get. You will probably never make it to the endgame if you start doing the side quests. Still working on it.

Leveling

Activate all the XP bonuses you can get easily only on your second job. Don't worry too much if you don't understand how to get them. You should be outleveling the content on your first job if you stick to just a single job.

• Focus on a single combat job, jobs after that will get Armoury Bonus for +100% XP.
• If possible, start on a preferred world to get "Road to XX" buff for 90 days.
• Keep food buff on at all times, you can buy cheap XP food from capital city vendors.
• Always logout at a sanctuary, the moon next to XP bar. You gain rested XP.
• Complete Hall of the Novice when it unlocks for Brand-new Ring to boost <30lvl XP.
• Gaining ranks and currency in your Grand Company opens access to Squadron Manuals which give +15% XP for 2h. Although, probably only worth for leveling alternative jobs.
• If you join a Free Company, they might have XP buff available.

What Gives Good XP?

Main Scenario Quest quest line is the best way to level your first combat job. Try to be one level higher compared to your current MSQ quest if possible. Should happen automatically with the current level scaling changes.

Challenge Log weekly challenges are good XP. Dungeon, FATE and Commendation weeklies at least worth when leveling jobs.

Current level Duty dungeons are good if queues are fast. Duty Roulettes are good; Leveling, Main Scenario and Alliance roulettes are the best. The others are decent.

What Gives Decent XP?

Deep Dungeons are a decent, but a boring way to level jobs. Palace of the Dead for up to 60 and Heaven-on-High from 60 to 70. Can get extremely boring though. You get a big chunk of XP every 10 levels you complete.

Grand Company Squadrons dungeons are decent. You need to get Second Lieutenant rank, which requires one combat job to be at level 47, complete the grand company hunting log and just generally follow the quests they give you. After you get your squadron, you still need to complete challenge log entries to recruit one more member so you are a full squadron. The leveling efficiency starts low but does get surprisingly good after you've leveled up your squadron. All of this hassle is the reason why most people would recommend only doing this on your second combat job.

Beast Tribes are decent in Heavensward and forward. Those are the NPC factions that give daily missions.

Trusts are a decent way to level from 71 to 80. These are similar to Grand Company Squadron dungeons. You should unlock them around level 71.

The Hunts are OK. Mainly nice for some variety when leveling. Nothing special.

Wondrous Tails weeklies are decent XP. You unlock this at level 60 and allows you to complete old content for extra rewards. Turning in a completed journal will reward you with 50% XP of your current level once per week.

What Gives Bad XP?

You can complete your class Hunting Log up to 20 if you feel like it. After that, don't even bother.

FATEs and Leves start decent but fall behind pretty fast. Only do these if you want some variation or want to grind of Grand Company currency.

Side quests are an abysmal waste of time. You should only consider doing the blue side quests with a plus sign as those unlock content.

Guildheist provide close to no XP after the first run. They are there only to teach you some basic mechanics.

Dungeons, Trials and beyond

Here I describe some dungeon in a couple of sentences. Mainly to remind myself what was the dungeon about as I get it on the Duty Roulette.

The map is your best friend when navigating the dungeons. It's quite easy to read where you should be heading.

Terminology:

• Tank-n-dodge: tank will tank target facing away from the party, healer will heal in range, DPS will do damage where they like; all roles should avoid the telegraphed attacks.
• Limit Break: what limit break button does depends on your role. Usually a melee DPS player will use the Limit Break on the last boss when it drops under 50% to make it die a little bit faster.

Sastasha:

• A linear dungeon with a few optional rooms, just follow the map.
• On one of the first rooms there is an optional thing to read, a Bloody Memo. The memo will mention a color to be used later e.g. green. If you don't click a coral of that color, you will get an extra debuff and an add to kill. But totally optional.
• All 3 bosses are tank-n-dodge, they might have mechanics but you can just ignore them.

The Tam-Tam Deepcroft:

• A linear dungeon with a few optional rooms, just follow the map.
• You will be destroying some magical barriers, nothing too complicated.
• 1st boss; tank-n-dodge.
• 2nd boss; kill spawning adds indicated by a purple link, they make boss immune.

Copperbell Mines:

• A linear dungeon with a few optional rooms, just follow the map.
• Use keys to open doors.
• Use explosives to blast yourself forward at some point.
• 1st boss; tank-n-dodge.
• 2nd boss; the slime boss is almost immune before he has split to 8 smaller slimes. You use the device at the center of the room to spawn bomb creatures, bring the slime(s) to the bomb creature and let the bomb self-destruct. Do NOT kill the bomb creatures. Also avoid the blast yourself as it can one-shot players.
• 3rd boss; fight boss, kill adds as they spawn or they will spawn more adds. High damage teams can just nuke the boss though.

Halatali:

• Watch out for bomb creatures, they can explode.
• 1st boss; healer and ranged should kill the adds otherwise they explode for AoE damage.
• 2nd boss; tank at the edge of water, don't stand in water when it is electrified, kill adds as they spawn.
• 3rd boss; when boss goes immune, kill adds. Healer and ranged can kill the small adds.

The Bowl of Embers (Ifrit):

• Tank and Dodge

Thousand Maws of Toto-Rak:

• Collect green balls while you run forward following the map. There are 2 terminals which each need 4 green balls to open.
• 1st boss; poisons group, not lethal so remove if you wish.
• You will have to run around looking for more green balls, return to terminal after you get 4.
• 2nd boss; poisons group, spawns adds, you can easily ignore the adds.
• Fleshy pods will explode so watch out.
• 3rd boss; it's recommended to destroy pods that spawn at the start, kill 1st wave of adds, kill boss tail when spawns, ignore 2nd wave of adds.

Haukke Manor:

• Very confusing dungeon to navigate so better not to be the tank on your first run.
• Go to the left corridor, enter the first room on the left to get a tiny key.
• Circle following the same corridor until you encounter a boss after a few turns and after opening one door.
• 1st boss; tank-n-dodge.
• Loot the green key and go back where you came, there will be a basement door that opens now.
• Circle around the basement corridors following your left. The last room will have a yellow key.
• Continue and after a small jump, you can enter the door using the yellow key.
• 2nd boss; 2 bosses, kill the imp first as the other is a tank, nothing special.
• Use your "Return" action to teleport to the start of the dungeon, or run back.
• Go up the stairs to the big room.
• 3rd boss; each corner of the room will have a void lamp that needs to be shut down as they activate, kill adds as they come

Brayflox's Longstop:

• In one of the "rooms" around the first big area there is a goblin pathfinder you need to talk to.
• 1st boss; tank-n-dodge with adds.
• 2nd boss; tank-n-dodge with an add.
• 3rd boss; it places a bubble on a party member so DPS destroy that bubble.
• 4rd boss; it spits venom on ground; don't stand in it or let boss stand in it.

Sunken Temple of Qarn:

• Always kill any bees and wasps, they do -75% health attack.
• 1st boss; tank-n-dodge with bee adds. When you get DOOM debuff, run to the tile that is glowing to remove the debuff.
• Kill stone heads on top of glowing tiles to open doors.
• 2nd boss; focus Golem Soulstone when it's alive then the other part.
• 3rd boss; kill stone heads on tiles. Will spawn small turrets that you should kill as they come. Damage dealers run to black zones as they spawn and kill the rod as everyone outside of those will get silenced.

Cutter's Cry:

• Watch out for sand animations on the ground, they explode from time to time.
• 1st boss; tank-n-dodge with adds.
• 2nd boss; tank-n-dodge with a dot healer should remove. If boss goes under sand, try to dodge and avoid the center of the room.
• 3rd boss; if boss emotes "dragon's eyes glow violet" go to the boss, if boss emotes "ram's eyes glow blue" run away from the boss. If you get a "targeted" animation, run away from the upcoming projectile.

The Stone Vigil:

• This dungeon has a lot of patrols so take it easy.
• 1st boss; tank-n-dodge, if boss runs the the side of the room, go next or behind it to avoid damage.
• 2nd boss; tank the boss at the door, use cannon when boss appears in one of the the windows.
• 3rd boss; get ready to dodge 1/3 of the area AoEs when boss starts flying and don't stand in ice.

Dzemael Darkhold:

• Always fight in the purple fog near the crystals.
• Stand near blue magic circles to open doors.
• 1st boss; immune to damage if not in the purple fog areas near the crystals.
• Watch out for orange crystals, they explode.
• 2nd boss; tank-n-dodge but quite intense dodging.
• 3rd boss; tank-n-dodge, destroy orange crystals when boss links to them.

Aurum Vale:

• Follow left-hand side to the 1st boss. Otherwise a linear dungeon.
• 1st boss; eat Morbol Fruit from the ground when you get 2 stacks of the debuff.
• 2nd boss; tank-n-dodge where some abilities one-shot you so dodge them.
• 3rd boss; eat Morbol Fruit from the ground when you get 2 stacks of the debuff and kill adds that spawn.

Cape Westwind:

• a single boss trial, tank-n-dodge, ignore any adds

Castrum Meridianum:

• Healers and DPS activate 2 Searchlight Terminals while running.
• 1st boss; tank-n-dodge, ignore adds, healers stand in melee.
• Healers and DPS activate a Searchlight Terminal while running.
• Go to the water plant and interact with the two Unstable Panels.
• 2nd boss; tank-n-dodge, ignore adds, healers stand in melee.
• Pick up key that the boss drops.
• 3rd boss; tank-n-dodge, switch to adds while purple beams are active, otherwise just nuke the boss.
• Pick up the key.
• Use keys to open door.
• Healer follows the tank to the left tower and activate a Searchlight Terminal.
• Healer follows the tank to another tower on the further left and activate a Terminal.
• Some cannons spawn down below, DPS should use those to shoot the airship down.
• 4th boss; use missile piles to reload cannons, shoot the boss with a cannon when it glows red, if you get aggro keep the boss in the middle of the room, kill adds. After boss loses the armor; tank-n-dodge, ignore adds.

Praetorium:

• Run past mobs to use Magitek Terminals to teleport forward twice. Some terminals requires keys that the nearby pack drops.
• 1st boss; tank-n-dodge.
• Remember to interact with a key reader to allow you to pilot those Magitek suits later. Use those to destroy walls and arm units from range.
• 2nd boss; tank-n-dodge, run back in if you get knocked back, DPS should kill claw adds if you see one but it should be fine without that too.
• 3rd boss; tank-n-dodge, maybe dodge the blue X projectile if you spot it.
• 4th boss; don't do damage until a white flash happens, dodge hand laser blasts, dodge to middle, dodge to edges, the usual stuff. If you get targeted with explosions, run away from the group. Later "bits" will spawn, maybe kill a few now but they don't do much damage. Run away from green orb. Large red telegraph is for an airship drop so get far away from it.
• 5th boss, tank-n-dodge.

The Wanderer's Palace:

• You must keep up the pace as there is a big Tonberry following the party and will wipe you if it reaches you. He will follow you until the end of the dungeon but there are some safe zones here and there. Tanks usually pull everything up until next door.
• 1st boss; tank-n-dodge.
• Pick up all oils that the Tonberries drop. You use this to oil on rusted devices.
• The next big area has 4 rusted devices that need oiling.
• Ignore the big Tonberries roaming around the big area.
• 2nd boss; tank gathers the adds, DPS AoEs them down, if boss targets you, run.
• 3rd boss; tank tanks all adds, avoid killing the adds as the boss gets stacking damage buff on each add killed.

Amdapor Keep:

• A linear dungeon, follow the map.
• 1st boss; kill the first Stone Marionette add, try to interrupt Void Thunder, try to avoid the later adds.
• 2nd boss; avoid dark area the boss places on the ground, kill adds if they spawn.
• 3rd boss; flank the boss because of a tail swipe, hide behind statues on Imminent Catastrophe, kill adds that spawn.

Pharos Sirius:

• A linear dungeon, follow the map.
• Zombie Barber mobs have Putrid Cloud that should be interrupted.
• 1st boss; spread out, kill adds fast as they inflict a stacking debuff, healing heavy fight.
• Watch out for falling crystals on the next rooms.
• 2nd boss; ignore eggs first, some of them is later marked purple and then burst those down. Killing too many eggs will buff the boss.
• 3rd boss; ignore adds and just kill the boss.
• 4th boss; stay in the center, kill sergeants first as they stun, keep everybody topped as <100% hp players get charmed. When the boss disappears it will either 1) dash through the room or 2) do a AoE that can be dodged to the middle of the room. Interrupt Lunatic Voice.

Copperbell Mines (Hard):

• Smash your way through the rocks while adds keep spawning behind you.
• 1st boss; don't stand in fire, kill bomb creatures that are spawned as they will self-destruct if they reach the burning ground killing everyone.
• One more gauntlet, 1 DPS stays destroying the rocks while others kill the spawning adds.
• 2nd boss; the boss will roam autonomously around the room. 1 player uses Improved Blasting Device to spawn Waymaker Bomb and then use that to place it in the path of the boss to damage it.
• 3rd boss; don't stand in front of the boss, avoid splashing sand animation. When text about "abyss worm" pop up, one player must pick up a rock and place it somewhere on the sand to avoid party wipe.

Haukke Manor (Hard):

• Follow the linear path upstairs, picking up keys and unlocking doors.
• 1st boss; tank-n-dodge, interrupt casts, ignore adds.
• On the void lamp corridors, collect all adds and run past them to a safe spot for the kill.
• 2nd boss; dodge heavy, dispel the debuffs as they slow people down.
• 3rd boss; dodge heavy, spread out in the final stages, burst down the adds or they will buff the boss. Save melee limit break for Lady Amandine add as it spawns.

The Lost City of Amdapor:

• Drag mobs out of tainted ground so they can be killed.
• 1st boss; destroy the maw when a player gets eaten to free them.
• 2nd boss; kill the bugs so that only tank is in front of them. When a bug dies, frontal players will get a stack of debuff and boss attacks the one with the most stacks. Pull more bugs to tank before the debuff drops.
• In the dark area of the dungeon, kill adds first, then kill the mage stones and then the final mob.
• 3rd boss; there are 8 doors with 4 pairs of symbols. Somehow mark the pairs as the symbols will disappear and you need to open a pair when halfway boss casting Ruinous Omen at the center of the arena. Otherwise you will wipe.

Halatali (Hard):

• 1st boss; when boss casts 1000 Tonze Swing, find a lever in the room and run to the Mammet telegraphed. When boss casts. Dodge Piercing Glower to the side. Dodge 100 Tonze Swipe through boss or the the flank.
• 2nd boss; when boss casts Demonic Eye, each player must activate one of the 4 orbs to not to be killed. Nuke the eye when it becomes targetable.
• 3rd boss; first some mobs, kill them, Lancer has no enmity table. Then 2 bosses come, kill the Lalafel first, then the demon. Use Thal's Scepter when people become chained to free them.

Brayflox's Longstop (Hard):

• 1st boss; kill spawning sniper adds and dodge AoE.
• Find and free 3 goblins.
• 2nd boss; don't stand in pools or let the boss stand in pools. Kill adds as they spawn.
• 3rd boss; attack bombs after they spawn to push them away from the center of the arena. Kill adds as they spawn. Nuke big bomb quickly when it spawns.

Hullbreaker Isle:

• Avoid bear traps, they stun.
• Kill hornets, they sting.
• 1st boss; when the boss pounds his chest, spawn a banana and don't let adds touch it. Kill adds as they appear.
• Find three stone tablets.
• 2nd boss; first avoid bubbles, then jump into the bubbles when the boss does a room AoE.
• 3rd boss; stay together and kill tentacles. When you get a green icon over your head, jump to a different platform and jump back when the tornado lands. Switching platforms removes the ink debuff.

The Stone Vigil (Hard):

• 1st boss; kill the adds as they spawn, they will run for the healer. Tank the boss in the corner and don't kill adds next to the boss if possible. Has a no-indicator attack that tank should dodge.
• Use the cannons to keep the dragon away.
• 2nd boss; each player controls a cannon with two abilitie on the pet bar. The first is a simple attack to deal damage, the second is a stun to interrupt an room AoE. Kill adds as they spawn. When boss glows, don't shoot it as it will reflect the shots.
• 3rd boss; boss targets party members pretty randomly. Everybody should stay at the flanks of the boss. When the boss spawns a copy of himself, ignore it.

Tam-Tara Deepcroft (Hard):

• 1st boss; ignore the zombies, if you get targeted run around/or to the middle, if you get marked by an arrow, run to the zombies.
• 2nd boss; intercept orbs that float to the middle, you take some damage for each orb.
• 3rd boss; kill zombies before they reach the middle.

Snowcloak:

• 1st boss; kill bomb adds as they spawn. When you reach 4 stacks of the debuff, you are stunned for a while.
• 2nd boss; tank should turn boss that his frontal cone attack also hits the spriggans to turn them into snowballs. When the boss is casting room AoE, hit the snowballs to stop the cast. Snowballs deal a great deal damage to the boss so use them. Kill the bigger adds as they destroy the snowballs. The snowballs can merge to bigger ones and the boss can cleave to destroy the snowballs.
• 3rd boss; drops icicles and you need to go behind an icicle on Lunar Cry cast. Icicles also explode after some time.

Sastasha (Hard):

• 1st boss; spread out and remove the Slime debuff ASAP. Stun Tail Screw cast as reduces target to 1%. If tank gets Prey debuff, run to a DPS player to pass it to them.
• 2nd boss; kill adds as they spawn. Nuke the boss when he shoots somebody as he will continue shooting until enough damage is dealt.
• 3rd boss; focus Kraken's Arms > Kraken, and ignore tentacles. When 6 Arms pop up, just try to survive. You can ignore the Ink Jet AoE cast.