how long does it take to level to 64?

i'm interested in getting the namazu mount but i've never done any crafting or gathering in the game, i'm also faily new (only done MSQ and group pve content) so i don't have acces to all of the exp optimization methods available

can anyone give me a rough estimate of how many hours it would take to level a gathering job to 64 so i can unlock the tribe quests? knowing which job is easier/more beneficial to level would also be helpful

That's a very difficult question to answer, depending how you level them... I guess the fastest way would be leves? But lvl 51-59 leves requires access to Ishgard, and lvl 61-69 leves requires access to Kugane... So your MSQ must be up to those points.

Please DO NOT straight up gather stuff to level up, it takes FOREVER... At least make use of Survival Manuals and Food to boost EXP. It's best to have resting bonus EXP as well (gaining from logging out in an Inn or FC house).

Diadem (from the Firmament) is also a reasonably fast way to level up while earning a huge amount of gil, but you need access to Ishgard first again (and please bring along your Survival Manuals/Food).

Grand Company Provision Missions are also a great source of EXP, but you can only do those once a day.

Collectables are also a reasonable way to level up, and these give you scrips which you can use to buy material / Hi-Cordial / gear.

So I think you should at least get your main battle quest to go through all the MSQ at least up to the point of reaching Kugane.

Also, personally, I find it best to level MIN and BTN together if doing leves, because the leves of their locations are very close by anyway. So why not grab both together from the same NPC, and do them together while on the same Survival Manuals/Food in the same region... all at once.

Assuming you have access to everything mentioned above, leveling 10 levels can take about 2 days' work to a week's work (depending how many hours a day you play).

Caimie's advice is always better then mine, ESPECIALLY in regards to crafting. If all you care about is the gathering job you can level the fastest, how long that would take, and i assume "how do i do that" would be the last question that you left unasked then there actually is an answer. Fishing. I havent personally done this, but would hazard a guess that you could probly do this much leveling on FSH in 5 hours or less. The key is Ocean Fishing. You can unlock the OF instances at level 1 FSH. If your goal was just to get to namazu levels ASAP, unlock the class and the OF system(both from the lower decks in Limsa). Look at the schedule and be on the dock ready to go before the next excursion sets out. Que immediately when the window opens. Ocean Fishing, im told, gives ridiculous exp. Getting to near level 20 on your first voyage is possible. If you are fast enough, you might be able to get a second voyage in before the window closes. After that, you have 90ish mins to do class quests, upgrade gear, and maybe get in a collectable or two(or just fish). What happens in 90ish mins? The next OF vessel goes out. Getting 3-5 runs, possibly with a bit of extra fishing in between, and you should be at the level you seek.

Downside to this method: You level FAR too fast to enjoy actual fishing. You will wind up with a ton of quests on backlog, and will need to finish them eventually to get all your job skills. You will need to gear yourself to actually DO any of the namazu quests(whether thru scrip, gil, or friends). And worst of all, you will have to do the namazu quests as a fisher(maybe the fishing RNG doesnt interact with the quests TOO poorly, but i was never willing to find out).

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Caimie_Tsukino

It's best to have resting bonus EXP as well (gaining from logging out in an Inn or FC house).

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Just to add:
No need to log out in an inn or FC house. You earn resting exp in every sanctuary - either a Camp, City or housing ward. The chat tells you when you enter one and you have a little crescent moon icon behind your exp bar.

Leveling BTN and MIN in the Diadem always struck me as ridiculously fast.
Plus you can turn in the mats for scrip to buy expensive dyes with.

At 60 you could also do the weekly custom delivieries for extra exp

Edit: Also daily deliveries for grand company give a lot of exp

Fishing boat gives stupid amounts of xp.

I went to the Diadem as a Lvl 15 Botanist dressed in HQ gear gear, with +50% XP buff from the gear (earings, headpiece).
I spent the whole time harvesting Lvl 10 items from the nodes -- the XP from the nodes goes up as your level goes up.
So 40 minutes later, with no gear changes an no need to stop for repair, I was at Botonist Lvl 32.

I'll need to change gear at Levels 60, 70, and 80 if I continue.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Silverbane

I went to the Diadem as a Lvl 15 Botanist dressed in HQ gear gear, with +50% XP buff from the gear (earings, headpiece).
I spent the whole time harvesting Lvl 10 items from the nodes -- the XP from the nodes goes up as your level goes up.
So 40 minutes later, with no gear changes an no need to stop for repair, I was at Botonist Lvl 32.

I'll need to change gear at Levels 60, 70, and 80 if I continue.

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By the Twelve, that's fast!
I still remember back in ARR in 2014, it took me stupid amount of hours of work to reach lv 30-ish just to get Mythril Ore from the Sagoli Desert!
That was the time when I just leveled MIN straight up by gathering stuff in the open world without any buff...

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Silverbane

I went to the Diadem as a Lvl 15 Botanist dressed in HQ gear gear, with +50% XP buff from the gear (earings, headpiece).
I spent the whole time harvesting Lvl 10 items from the nodes -- the XP from the nodes goes up as your level goes up.
So 40 minutes later, with no gear changes an no need to stop for repair, I was at Botonist Lvl 32.

I'll need to change gear at Levels 60, 70, and 80 if I continue.

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Update: I returned to the Diadem as a Lvl 15 Miner, and this time used a company-issued Survival Manual.
Mining level 10 items on the nodes, I made 20 levels (to level 35) in 30 minutes.
Shortly thereafter, the Survival Manual hit its 500K XP limit.