New player question - Does this sound right?

I started the game shortly after Black Friday. I am really enjoying the questing experience (way more than I expected) but I seem to be reaching a point where my gear is seriously lagging behind my level, which I would guess is due to the seemingly huge experience bonus while leveling.

I am not complaining about the bonus (far from it) but I do fear that, at a certain point, I will become a terrible burden to other players in the dungeons that you NEED to do for the main story quest line. I am in the low 30s for level, but my gear is coming from level 20 quests... and nothing that I have seen so far would suggest that this will be getting better.

So my primary question is, is this normal?

I decided to try and craft my own gear (since I don’t exactly have the funds to buy gear from the market board). That has veered me WAY off course from normal leveling but, to be fair, I discovered that this game probably has the best crafting system that I have ever seen.

I am really enjoying the gathering/crafting but it does seem like a long way to go for general character leveling.

Thanks for any input.

You will get gear from quest and levequest.

https://ffxiv.gamerescape.com/wiki/Category:Levequest

You picked the sexiest race in the game too.

:)

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Originally Posted by Anienai

You will get gear from quest and levequest.

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Additionally, dungeon gears are good enough for leveling without having to buy or craft gears, especially for levels 51+, and then there are tomestone gears for levels 50/60/70/80.

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Originally Posted by Anienai

You will get gear from quest and levequest.

https://ffxiv.gamerescape.com/wiki/Category:Levequest

You picked the sexiest race in the game too.

:)

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Thanks for this information.

Do the Levequests give gear appropriate to my actual level? And do all of them grant gear?

If so, then that is probably what I am looking for.

If you check the Levequest before you accept it, you can see what sort of gear it's going to give you. The reward is based on the Levequest level and not your level so it may not always be a good pick up. It's basically free though so if it's something you want either for an upgrade or just for glamour, go right ahead.

Another great way to gear up as you go in the beginning is to use your Grand Company seals and buy the gear from them. It sort of jumps around a bit in required level (you might see a pair of pants for your class at level 25 but then nothing until level 32 or something) but it's often good enough to stick with until you get the next tier that they offer even if it seems like you're sitting on a "weaker" piece for a long time. The only major caveat to this is the highest level weapon they sell for level 50 which costs WAY too many seals for what is actually a relatively weak weapon.

Gear at lower levels is kind of funny in FF14 and doesn't really settle in until you hit level 50 where you get your full set of job gear and can use that as a baseline and improve from there. Just make note that at the big level breakpoints (50, 60, 70 and 80) you'll see various item power tiers all at the same required experience level. If you're looking at these on the player market you may not want to buy, for example, the first level 50 piece of gear you see because there are going to be multiple versions of level 50 gear and you may be able to get a better tier one for a relatively better price.

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Originally Posted by StriderShinryu

If you check the Levequest before you accept it, you can see what sort of gear it's going to give you. The reward is based on the Levequest level and not your level so it may not always be a good pick up. It's basically free though so if it's something you want either for an upgrade or just for glamour, go right ahead.

Another great way to gear up as you go in the beginning is to use your Grand Company seals and buy the gear from them. It sort of jumps around a bit in required level (you might see a pair of pants for your class at level 25 but then nothing until level 32 or something) but it's often good enough to stick with until you get the next tier that they offer even if it seems like you're sitting on a "weaker" piece for a long time. The only major caveat to this is the highest level weapon they sell for level 50 which costs WAY too many seals for what is actually a relatively weak weapon.

Gear at lower levels is kind of funny in FF14 and doesn't really settle in until you hit level 50 where you get your full set of job gear and can use that as a baseline and improve from there. Just make note that at the big level breakpoints (50, 60, 70 and 80) you'll see various item power tiers all at the same required experience level. If you're looking at these on the player market you may not want to buy, for example, the first level 50 piece of gear you see because there are going to be multiple versions of level 50 gear and you may be able to get a better tier one for a relatively better price.

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I joined the Grand Company at level 30, so when I got my first currency it looked to be giving out level 20-ish gear, which was not much better than I had. I took a couple of quests from NPCs in the vicinity of of the GC, but they just moved me to PvP stuff (which I am definitely not ready for at this point). At this point, I’m not sure where to even get quests from them to get more currency... and I am a bit worried that it will just lead me towards the same trap, where my level runs way too high for the gear I would earn.

If things slow down at 50, that might help help me get back on track though.

Thanks very much for the information.

The 'problem' you will run into at 50 is that by the time you are out of ARR and into Heavensward, you will likely be lvl 55 if not higher and you won't be able to get the level 51+ gear until you are in heavensward. But on the other hand, you really won't need it until you get there anyway, you will be doing LVL 50 stuff. I would recommend not doing many side quests at this point, save them for leveling other classes, because you don't need the exp on your main battle class.

Yeah, this is pretty normal if you are leveling faster than you can gear up. If you're really worried about it you can always buy some vendor gear or check out the MB to fill in the slots you are in serious need of upgrading until things level out, but if you are beyond lvl 50 and are still in lvl 50 content you will be fine until you reach HW to gear up. Or SB. Whichever comes first. lol Thankfully Poetics will be raining from the sky at lvl 50 so you can always buy gear from Mor Dhona's vendors or from Idyllshire if you wish to wait till lvl 60.

Don't worry about it. Your dungeon progress (and really, just about everything) is gated by main scenario progress, not level. So, you'll want to make sure your gear doesn't fall too far behind your latest MSQ, but if you're not caught up to where your level is that's fine.

You wont really upgrade much from the brand-new gear until level 45 and then 50 these days.

You might pick up a piece or two in dungeons, or a chest piece from the msq/blue sidequests, but the majority of it will be the class gear at 45 and 50 from your class quest, and then the msq post-50 will toss right side gear at you.

It's not so important to keep your gear equal to your level, but rather keep it equal to the current quest level.

Dungeons will synch you down to the level of the quest that unlocked them, so as long as you're geared appropriately for that lower level, it won't be an issue that your gear doesn't match your real level!

For earning GC seals, a good way at this point is doing the daily "supply missions" that request crafted and gathered items (one per class) and reward you with seals. You also get them from the leveling and guildhest roulettes (with a good bonus for being the role currently in need), FATEs, GC levequests, and once you reach a certain rank you'll be able to trade in the aetherial gear you get from dungeons.

Also, a word of warning if you're using a tank class (gladiator/marauder): DON'T use the "recommended gear" button for these classes without double-checking that the recommended upgrades are actually a defence boost! It judges based on the vitality stat, and can get confused by higher-level-but-lower-defence gear intended for other roles. This is only an issue up to Lv50 where the gear system changes to have more rigid categories for each role, and mage gear stops being marked as equippable by all classes.

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Originally Posted by Tyssyn

The 'problem' you will run into at 50 is that by the time you are out of ARR and into Heavensward, you will likely be lvl 55 if not higher and you won't be able to get the level 51+ gear until you are in heavensward. But on the other hand, you really won't need it until you get there anyway, you will be doing LVL 50 stuff. I would recommend not doing many side quests at this point, save them for leveling other classes, because you don't need the exp on your main battle class.

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I started out doing the side quests but ended up dropping them pretty early after I noticed my gear starting to slip. Since about level 20, it’s just been MSQ, class quests, and the stuff for my mount.

I just finished the mount chain, and it’s great to no longer be running everywhere. Overall, the game has been great.

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Originally Posted by Vahlnir

Yeah, this is pretty normal if you are leveling faster than you can gear up. If you're really worried about it you can always buy some vendor gear or check out the MB to fill in the slots you are in serious need of upgrading until things level out, but if you are beyond lvl 50 and are still in lvl 50 content you will be fine until you reach HW to gear up. Or SB. Whichever comes first. lol Thankfully Poetics will be raining from the sky at lvl 50 so you can always buy gear from Mor Dhona's vendors or from Idyllshire if you wish to wait till lvl 60.

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I have picked up a few pieces of vendor gear but the stuff that I have seen in the MB is way out of my price range. Way, way out... I could afford maybe 3 pcs before going completely broke. I am hoping that I have a few things worth selling in the MB, but at my level I doubt it (based on previous games that I have played).

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Originally Posted by Dmoloth

I have picked up a few pieces of vendor gear but the stuff that I have seen in the MB is way out of my price range. Way, way out... I could afford maybe 3 pcs before going completely broke. I am hoping that I have a few things worth selling in the MB, but at my level I doubt it (based on previous games that I have played).

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If you can't afford it then don't worry about it too much. You will catch up eventually just by doing the MSQ.

Another thing you can do is make friends with a crafter, I would happily make gear for people!

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Originally Posted by Anienai

You picked the sexiest race in the game too.

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The mugshot photographer is not the best, maybe a replacement over the holidays, but... I can't see the bunny ears!

Theheeeehee*cough*

The equipment is not that important in the earlier levels; the dungeons (and healers) are often pretty forgiving. As a Duty Roulette Scholar, I've seen people without their advanced professions (with no "job crystal") in Level 30-50 dungeons and those are kinda forgiving, so I just took more care of them. Everything from 50 onwards should be put more care into though, but again, a competent team will sponge some problems.

You might also keep track of your item level (the number in your character information window; it is in corner of the preview of your character) and the requirement item level of the dungeons around your current level.

Sincerely,
https://imgur.com/9mjol58.png

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Originally Posted by Dmoloth

I started the game shortly after Black Friday. I am really enjoying the questing experience (way more than I expected) but I seem to be reaching a point where my gear is seriously lagging behind my level, which I would guess is due to the seemingly huge experience bonus while leveling.

I am not complaining about the bonus (far from it) but I do fear that, at a certain point, I will become a terrible burden to other players in the dungeons that you NEED to do for the main story quest line. I am in the low 30s for level, but my gear is coming from level 20 quests... and nothing that I have seen so far would suggest that this will be getting better.

So my primary question is, is this normal?

I decided to try and craft my own gear (since I don’t exactly have the funds to buy gear from the market board). That has veered me WAY off course from normal leveling but, to be fair, I discovered that this game probably has the best crafting system that I have ever seen.

I am really enjoying the gathering/crafting but it does seem like a long way to go for general character leveling.

Thanks for any input.

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one thing tho, marketboard can be more expensive than npc price.

sometime the thing you buy on marketboard for 10k also sold by npc for a fraction of it, say 2k. if you hover at the item, you can see their npc selling price (if it sold by npc) on the lower left.

If you'd like to do all side quests (IMO, some of them make more sense if done at the proper point in the MSQ) but don't want to overlevel too much, you can use multiple classes. One of the best features of this game is that it allows you to have all classes on a single character. Pick up a second and maybe even third class, and alternate between them while doing quests. If they are different roles, you'll get the bonus of having some flexibility when queueing for dungeons as well.

Just buy gear from vendors, its good enough.
At lvl 50 you will have unlocked tomestones of poetics which you will be able to buy gear from tomestone vendors but first thing first you should go through your main story quest as far as you could. After

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Originally Posted by MrKusakabe

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I needed this after a loooong day.

Thx :)