New player!

Hello to anyone that reads this. I have started a character on Shiva and currently I am lost. I bought the game last year with all the expansions, I thought it was a steal so I said "what the hell, why not". Bought the game played that first month and quit. Always heard great things and many more scary things about this game, but I still wanna take a go at it since I paid for it last year. So far I have my character as a level 18 WAR. Been using wiki's and google to get around but it's not the same if you got no one to talk to.

Just wanted to see if I could find an LS or something to play with. I do play FFXIV aswell, have nearly every class maxed over their. So I wanted to see where many of that games systems came from, so far I am enjoying my character and if I could meet someone ingame that would just make it that much better.

IGN: Yaroth

I can't help you to meet people on shiva, unfortunately, but I can offer some quick advice. Look up the Trusts page on BG wiki. And be sure to work your way through the Records of Eminence quests in the quest menu (you can have up to 15 active at any time, plus the limited time one). Many of them are good to combine, for eg, mobs in a particular zone, with defeat mobs (D) and defeat 200 mobs. Add to that the crystals dropped by whatever you're fighting and you'll find exp very easy to come by.

Yea I figured that out couple days ago. Level 23 so far on WAR, still trying to figure out how to get a chocobo and a support job but every where I read it tells me to go at later levels as the destinations are hard to get to. I started at Bastok, still kinda lost on how big the world is.
The fact that the quest's don't tell you what level they actually are don't help either, read about one that makes you travel back and forth through time, which is something I didn't even know about till now.

Support Job: Level 18.

Quest zone (2 options, but starting from Bastok, Selbina is best) Selbina.
Getting there: South gustaberg >>> all the way West then take the entrance to the north into North gustaberg >>> Go all the way north (over a bridge) and through the exit into Konschat Highlands >>> The first bit of Konschat highlands can be a bit awkward, especially if you haven't found the Map NPC for it yet (Bought from either of the following NPCs:
Karine - Bastok Markets (H-9)
Rex - Port Bastok (J-7))
But you're basically heading West initially, then head north when you reach the large clearing and then just follow the path around. Once out into the main area of the zone it's just basically north all the way to the zone point into Valkurm Dunes >>> Once in the dunes you can basically hug the left wall all the way to Selbina, though when you see the beach to the south of you, you can skip hugging the left wall and head straight West to bypass running along the shore. The next exit to the south takes you into Selbina. (Incidentally, the map for this area is bought from the same NPC and is called "Map of the San D'Oria Area"). Once in Selbina, have a look around, and speak to the NPCs here (don't forget to click on the home point, too!). The one that offers the SJ quest is located in the SW corner, down by the sea.

Note: There's a Moogle in Selbina, so if you have already levelled another job that you want to use as your Sub Job, you just have to zone out and back in again after completing the quest, and you can set it straight away.

The items required for this quest are: Crab Apron (dropped from Snippers in Valkurm Dunes); Damselfy Worm (Dropped from Damselflies in Valkurm Dunes); Magicked Skull (dropped from Ghouls in Valkurm Dunes, though since these only come out at night, if you haven't managed to get one before finishing the other 2, I suggest going back into Konschtat Highlands and heading East of the Crag. This will take you into Gusgen Mines where there are a lot more Ghouls to fight, just be careful though as you can easily be overrun in here without higher level help!).

OK, onto the next:

Chocobo License: Level 20

Area: Upper Jeuno

Getting there: From Konschtat highlands, take the NE exit to Passhow Marshlands >>> This is another annoying zone to get through. The mobs here are about the same level as in Valkurm, so I recommend using your trusts while you run through, in case anything agros you. If you bought the maps in Bastok then it's not too difficult, the path is basically an 'S' shape, starting by going easy a long way, then north and back west, then north again to the top, then east, then north a little way to the zone (Note, before the zone there's an NPC stood next to a portal. Now is as good a time as any to speak to him, and maybe even kill nearby rabbits for the item he wants before progressing any further. This opens up access to Monstrosity, which can be fun once you have levelled a few jobs) Then zone through into Rolanberry Fields >>> While this zone isn't too bad to navigate, the mobs here are a little higher level. Hopefully you've been doing the Records of Eminence Quests for each zone that you passed through (the kill 10 mobs ones) and you've gained enough experience to level up a few times. if not, I suggest killing some bees and crawlers near to the entrance to get another few levels (Unless you can afford Silent Oil from the auction house [under Medicines] in which case, pop a silent oil and get running! Goobbues, Quadavs and especially Ochus are mobs to be weary of (and there are some goblins at the north end of the zone - these will see you through Silent Oils and require Prism Powders) if you are not using Silent Oils. The agro range of them is fairly small, so they are avoidable with some skill, but you don't really want to die and return to your Home Point if you misjudge it. (another note here is that south of the Pashhow/Rolanberry zone, inside Pashhow was an Outpost. Clicking on the Survival Guide there will allow you to warp straight there from Bastok Mines Survival Guide). Anyway, the route here is basically follow the path as it winds it's way North, then around to the East. Eventually you'll reach an area with 3 paths leading to different zones. The one in the middle with the wall around it, is Jeuno. Here is (what used to be) the centre of all that is Vana Diel.

Wow! Thanks a ton for all that information. Every I kept looking up, people would say to wait till you hit 35+ or get a group or get higher level people to help you move around the areas. I'll try this next time I log in. Thanks a ton!