Question about item level.

So, I'm level 54 WHM and right now I am in the process of getting the complete Ironworks set and then upgrade it to ilvl 130, but with the big difference in normal level and ilvl I don't really know what the ideal level ilevel ratio is in Heavensward. Until when is ilvl 130 okay? When I look at the dungeons description in Heavensward it only says the level you should be, but not the item level.

I probably wouldn't worry too much about upgrading the ironworks gear. Once you hit around 55ish the quest gear is going to exceed it. I don't think there is any real ratio of gear to character level. Most people that are at 60 are going to be above ilvl 180. Depending on what your end game goals are really depends on how much grinding you want to do for the max ilvl gear, as of now its 210. The level 60 dungeons give out 160 gear.

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Originally Posted by Uhm

So, I'm level 54 WHM and right now I am in the process of getting the complete Ironworks set and then upgrade it to ilvl 130, but with the big difference in normal level and ilvl I don't really know what the ideal level ilevel ratio is in Heavensward. Until when is ilvl 130 okay? When I look at the dungeons description in Heavensward it only says the level you should be, but not the item level.

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Well HQ crafted lvl 54 equip is lvl 133, lvl 53 dungeon gear is 136 i think - that gives you a pretty solid idea what's good for the level (not recommended but good) - while lvling you should be able to outfit your class every 2 levels by quests and sidequests - just use that, worked fine for me the first time i went through 3.0 story ^^

In general, you will want to upgrade your weapon whenever the magic attack and physical attack is increased. a +1 in damage is equal to a +10 in your primary stat. The same applies to armor. With accessories, there's a lot more leeway, but you usually focus on the primary stat when leveling. You worry about secondary stats at endgame when you're comparing items of the same ilevel.

Also, L53 dungeon gear (from Sohm Al), is i130. lv.54 gear will actually be marginally better than the augmented Magitek gear (You'd prolly replace armor and weapons, but leave accessories alone), and the lv.55 dungeon gear is just flat out better in every possible way. After that point, you should begin replacing all your gear when you get something of a higher level.

Everyone's explanations are pretty much spot-on, but I feel like they keep dancing around the issue. Let me spell it out simply...

In general, with very few exceptions: the higher the item level of a piece of gear, the more stats that piece has, and the stronger it is.

Actual level requirements for wearing gear don't really matter when it comes to stats. Just go by item level.

Note: In general, what I stated above is true. But not always. Item level is a value that determines a gear piece's maximum stats, not its base stats. Very few pieces of gear have stats that match its maximum stats. In the case of NQ white gear, for example, they may only be around 80% of the way toward their max stats. So, unless you intend to perfectly meld materia into that white gear, it will never reach the potential stats that its item level implies. Due to this, some green, blue, or purple gear (which have base stats closer to their stat caps than white gear does) can have higher base stats than white gear of a higher item level.

Ultimately, though, you don't need to know all this. As long as you follow common sense - higher attributes (and item level) are better - you'll be set with your gear for all but the hardest of content.

ilv130 2.0 gear (ironworks and dreadwyrm) are roughly equal to nq lv58 (ilv139)crafted heavansward gear in regards to weapon dmg/primary stat, and in some cases still better than the 60 crafted. The break even on greens is 55-57lv depending on job.