Suggestions / advice

So I just resubbed a few days ago and have only logged in once (just to pop in). I will be installing Heavensward once it arrives.

For those who have stuck around since 2.0 launched or perhaps even those who only recently joined the game and are now end-gaming, I hope that you'll be able to provide some advice / suggestions.

I quit just after 2.4. I had end gear (not quite BiS) on my SCH for turn 10, but my static broke shortly after, and I ended up quitting for RL obligations.

Any suggestions for what to do to catch up? I've been reading the substantive patch notes to get an idea of what's changed, but some of the quests, etc. that they add most people never wind up doing anyway.

Thanks in advance!
Dae

Welcome back!

First things first, you'll have to do the Main Story Quest. As in ARR, many end game things in Heavensward are gated by it, so I'd get right on that. Periodically you'll be given decent gear throughout it and the MSQ for the patch content, so gearing up shouldn't be too much of a concern. I would focus on getting the MSQ done, then you can get into end game. The plot for Heavensward is actually pretty solid (in my opinion it far exceeds the story for most of ARR), so have fun with it!

Once you hit 60, you can start gearing up in various ways so you can enter the most recent dungeons, raids, and the like. I'd suggest grabbing dungeon gear along the way, and then saving up tomes of Scripture (the current tomestone) and spending tomestones of Lore (the uncapped tomestone) as you go. With that equipment you should be able to enter most endgame content.

Yeah, completing the MSQ first is key. From there you'll have a lot of HM dungeons to unlock for your various roulettes, but most can be unsynced with geared 60s now for easy first clears. After that it's time to farm tomes and clear Alexander.

What claymore65 said, do MSQ and you'll get i115 HQ crafted gears as a reward. BUT!!!!!! 1st thing 1st teleport to Gridania and to the Halloween event!!! it's like the best event yet!

thanks all! great advice. Out of curiosity, is the relic weapon still a thing? or has SE finally dropped that?

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Originally Posted by Daenerys_Sedai

thanks all! great advice. Out of curiosity, is the relic weapon still a thing? or has SE finally dropped that?

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It is. It's called an Anima Weapon now and it's more or less the same process as the old 2.X relic questlines.

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Originally Posted by Daenerys_Sedai

thanks all! great advice. Out of curiosity, is the relic weapon still a thing? or has SE finally dropped that?

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ohhhh the relic is still a thing lol.

Matter of fact, a new relic upgrade has dropped today. I am a relic junkie (as others has stated, this one is an Anima weapon...basically your weapon is a...well...spoilers ;)

But they have nerfed the first step considerably

Welcome back, as one who came back himself a not too long ago;

Like others said before me, finish the Main story quests, and unlock and do the different dungeons along the way.
Gear wise, once you unlock Heavensward, the main story line plus a couple of side quests should cover your basic needs but do unlock Clan Hunts at the Forgotten Knight as soon as you can for easy access to iLevel 200 gear once you reach level 60. This should give you the edge you need to easily start running the basic level 60 Heavensward dungeons quickly.
For leveling, Once you reach above the 50's the exp you need to level up skyrockets, the MSQ isn't enough and spamming side quests while possible, is slow. For that you can run Palace of the Dead, it gives a ton of experience points for every 10 floors you clear and aside from that can give you a nice iLevel 235 upgrade-able to 255 weapon to start with while you work on your Relic, if you even want to bother.

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Originally Posted by Daenerys_Sedai

thanks all! great advice. Out of curiosity, is the relic weapon still a thing? or has SE finally dropped that?

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Zodiac relics was swept under the rug and serve as glamours now. Although you can trade in your Zeta to skip the 1st step of the new Relic Quest

Upon being a lvl60, you can start a new relic quest line. The Anima Relic.

Steps:
1. Farm Luminous Elemental Crystal (18 total) by doing fates in HsW zones. Or trade in your Zeta Relic. (get i170)
2. Complete 10 dungeons with your new relic. (get i200)
3. Unidentified items + crafted items to progress (i210)
4. Farm 5x Aether Oil with tomes or "Gift of Archmagus" (i230)
5. Farm Umbrite from tomes and Crystal Sands from multiple other means - this is the customizing stat phase (i240)
6. Farm 50 singing cluster with tomes, daily duty roulette and weekly leveling roulette quest (i260)

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Originally Posted by Shirai

Clan Hunts at the Forgotten Knight as soon as you can for easy access to iLevel 200 gear once you reach level 60.

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To add to this, you can also get the items to upgrade the gear to 210 from Centurio Seals as well, minus one of the rings (unique items so you can't stack the same ring). That will get you into pretty much every four man dungeon besides the two most recent, and you'll likely have the upgrades you need anyway before you unlock them.

Thanks again everyone! great advice. definitely going to go through MSQ first!

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Originally Posted by Deus_ex_Machina

Zodiac relics was swept under the rug and serve as glamours now. Although you can trade in your Zeta to skip the 1st step of the new Relic Quest

Upon being a lvl60, you can start a new relic quest line. The Anima Relic.

Steps:
1. Farm Luminous Elemental Crystal (18 total) by doing fates in HsW zones. Or trade in your Zeta Relic. (get i170)

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So I could technically keep my relic (heh far from zeta) and just start anew? are there quest pre-reqs? Is the drop rate for the crystal as mind number as atmas were when they first released once upon a time? x.x

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Originally Posted by Daenerys_Sedai

So I could technically keep my relic (heh far from zeta) and just start anew? are there quest pre-reqs? Is the drop rate for the crystal as mind number as atmas were when they first released once upon a time? x.x

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Aye, you can start from anew.
From what I understand, which made me drop the quest as I have no interest in a long term commitment for yet another relic weapon with the available alternatives, the first part is pretty much Atma farming again.
Fate grinding, with a small chance of the fate dropping one of the crystals you need.

The only pre-reqs I have seen are a level 60 job, and completing the main Heavensward scenario.
See: http://ffxiv.gamerescape.com/wiki/An...ected_Proposal

Thanks, that helps!

I just want to point out SE is better about giving us options for our weapons now verses back in 2.4.

You can grind Palace of the Dead, farm the latest Extreme Primal (Sophia, right now), save your lore and hit Alexander (the Heavensward version of Coil.)

Trading in your Zeta weapon is just to skip this initial FATE farming step as a reward for doing the old relic. If you want to keep it for vanity, you can buy a new one, I believe, from the Calamity Salvager NPCs.

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Originally Posted by Shirai

the first part is pretty much Atma farming again.
Fate grinding, with a small chance of the fate dropping one of the crystals you need.

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They've made it better than it originally was. I've been farming the crystals for my WAR's anima while I level my AST and so far I've gotten all three in less than 10 FATEs.

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Originally Posted by Violyre

They've made it better than it originally was. I've been farming the crystals for my WAR's anima while I level my AST and so far I've gotten all three in less than 10 FATEs.

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I totally believe you, but I'm still going to refrain.
Farming those crystals is only the first step of several, and with my playtime it'll probably take a couple of months before I get the weapon at the stage where I can actually start using it as my main.

Perhaps when they introduce yet another Relic quest when the new expansion hits I might climb on the train again, but as I've only started to play actively again a few weeks ago (I've been on a >2 year hiatus) and I'm not planning to actively engage in hardcore content I'll take the quicker to obtain alternative. :)

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Originally Posted by Daenerys_Sedai

Is the drop rate for the crystal as mind number as atmas were when they first released once upon a time? x.x

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the drop rates has been buff, by a lot. when it 1st came out, i got all 18 crystals with in 2 days when EVERYONE was spamming fates. And got a second set of crystals for my 2nd relic within 4 days by myself 5 months later.

PLEASE NOTE: you do not need to be the class you are doing the relic for. Meaning if you are doing the your SCH (lvl60) relic. you could switch to NIN (lvl50) and do fates. Killing 2 birds in one stone! also just PF the fate party, people will join for level.