Not sure where to go...

Hello, folks,

Back when Endwalker came out, I had boosted my Paladin to 80, but then some life happened and I had stopped playing until now.

Now I have no clue what zone I should go to for level appropriate content/mobs... can you help please?

Google searches don't seem to provide the answers, only fastest ways to level to 90, which I don't care about. Spam duties, spam dungeons, etc, etc, I just want to know what zone(s) to go to for overland content/quests when that's what I'm in the mood for.

Thank you very much for your time and help.

Did you use a level boost, a story boost, or both? EVERYTHING is locked behind some amount of main scenario quest (MSQ) progress so just spamming dungeons to hit 90 ASAP is pointless.

If you have a main scenario quest (MSQ) active, go do it, and keep doing the MSQ til you're done. If you don't have a main scenario quest active, there should be a thing on your screen telling you where the next quest is.

I think... operative word being "think"... that I used the level and MSQ boost because I hate forced grouping, and while I love playing my Paladin and White Mage, I hate playing the Tank/Healer roles in a PUG... too much hatred spewed towards Tanks & Healers even if/when a wipe is NOT their fault.

I asked about that very thing ages ago here and the responses were that while that happens to a lesser degree here vs some other games, <coughWOWcough>, (the community overall is nice), it still happens, so pugging as a Tank/Healer is a hard pass for me unfortunately.

I have to agree with Brightamethyst, whereabouts in the main story are you up to? If you're not yet up to EW's story, you could try running earlier dungeons through Duty Support, which are NPCs - Duty Support is actually quite useful for learning the mechanics of dungeons as the npcs move according to the mechanics so you can just follow their lead.

But yeah, level relevant content is unlocked by completing the main scenario (and the EXP the quests alone give will probably overlevel you), so go back and pick up the main scenario from where you left off and just follow it through (if you're not sure where you are up to in the story - there should be a guide in the top of the screen that lists the current main scenario quest available or active and where to go, but if you don't have this, just open your journal and see what your last completed story quest was, as the next one will be available at that same npc or nearby at least.

Well, fancy that... I DO have an MSQ waiting, thank you both.

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Originally Posted by Rokal

I had boosted my Paladin to 80

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Boosting a job to level 80 is not the same as skipping up to the level 80 MSQ. The MSQ is what actually gates your ability to access higher level areas and content.

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Now I have no clue what zone I should go to for level appropriate content/mobs... can you help please?

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Most likely, you mean the MSQ. Check the Scenario Guide at the top and left of the screen, which should say the quest name you are up to. If it's not there, you can enable it in the character configuration UI settings.

Hmmmm... still a problem.

Yes, I have some MSQ, but they take me out to the Fringes where mobs are level 60'ish... where do I go for upper 70's into 80+ mobs?

If you're still storying in the Fringes you won't have access to places with higher level mobs.
You'll unlock them as you go through the story.

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Originally Posted by Canadane

If you're still storying in the Fringes you won't have access to places with higher level mobs.
You'll unlock them as you go through the story.

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^ This.
In FFXIV your level is almost irrelevant in regards to what content you can access or what zones you should visit.
What matters is your progress in the MSQ. That is what unlocks content and opens up zones.
So don't bother looking for "level appropriate content" - follow the MSQ instead and it will take you where you need to go.

I know from experience Stormblood and on won't allow you access to zones you haven't unlocked via the main story so you won't see any lv 70 mobs until you reach the final zone of Stormblood. You also won't see any lv70+ mobs until you've entered the Shadowbringers story zones. Outside of hunt marks that is.

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Originally Posted by SannaR

I know from experience Stormblood and on won't allow you access to zones you haven't unlocked via the main story so you won't see any lv 70 mobs until you reach the final zone of Stormblood. You also won't see any lv70+ mobs until you've entered the Shadowbringers story zones. Outside of hunt marks that is.

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Yes, I realized that when I had boosted to 60, I had also gotten that story skip, but when I boosted to 80, I hadn't bought the most recent story skip... I did so ast night, and can now access level 80 zones/mobs.

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Originally Posted by Rokal

So, I bought the latest story skip last night, and I'm now able to access level 80 mobs.

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There's no real value to having access to "level 80 mobs" for their own sake, though.

Either you play level 80 group content, in which case you don't need to level further, or you level yourself to 90 in the level 80 zone and still only have access to level 80 content.

If you want to do level 90 content, you need to complete the level 80-to-90 MSQ by following Endwalker's story, and you will level up to 90 just by doing those quests.

Also, what is your actual final goal in the game if you don't like forced grouping? Do you have friends to play with? Again, if you want to join them doing level 90 content then MSQ is the only way to get there.

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Originally Posted by Iscah

There's no real value to having access to "level 80 mobs" for their own sake, though.

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Yeah. Again, EVERYTHING is locked behind the MSQ so grinding for levels is not only pointless, but actually detrimental.

The game is designed around using the MSQ to level. You can grind to level cap if you want but it you're just wasting your time if you do. You'll still be stuck in level 80 content until you complete the MSQ.

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Originally Posted by Rokal

Yes, I have some MSQ, but they take me out to the Fringes where mobs are level 60'ish... where do I go for upper 70's into 80+ mobs?

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Not sure why you care about the level of the mobs. That isn't how you level in this game. You do the MSQ (main scenario quest) for your main class, and you do things like roulettes, deep dungeons, fate farming, beast tribe quests or hunt bills to level other classes.

If you still want to do the Main Scenario Quest despite having skipped it, you can unlock New Game+ just outside the Waking Sands near Vesper Bay in Western Thanalan. Except your higher level should allow you to do the older content solo with the Unrestricted setting in Duty Finder.

Content is mostly unlocked at the main city states of each expansion. There are typically 2 of these in each expansion.

Most content is group content or in an instance but there are some solo things, specifically...

1. Deep dungeons (Palace of the Dead, Heaven-on-High, Eureka Orthos).
2. Variant Dungeons.
3. Hunts.
4. Beast tribes.
5. Side quests.
6. Fates.
7. A lot of things in Eureka and Bozja can be done solo, although not everything.
8. Relic grinds for each expansion.
9. The blue mage job, which learns spells from enemies. You can get the Basic Instinct spell to help you solo dungeons up through level 70 (and soon, level 80). There is an endgame content of its own called the Masked Carnivale.

Whether these things are fun to you I couldn't say but they aren't as fun as the group content. I mostly found blue mage, hunts, eureka, bozja, beast tribe stories good, and the rest just kinda doing them for whatever reason.

I care about mob level because I simply enjoy exploring areas & mob grinding, (without one/two shotting things) ... I'm not into the story, I won't PUG, (especially on my tanks and healers, which are the classes I enjoy most... too much vitriol tossed at tanks/healers for wipes even when it's not their fault).

I have 2x sub 30 classes for exploring sub 30 content, 2x 30 jobs for exploring 30 - 40 content, 2x 50 jobs for exploring 50 - 60 content, 3x 60 jobs for 60 - 70 content, 1x 70 job for 70 - 80 content, and 2x 80 jobs for 80 - 90 content.

I only get to play 2 - 4 hours per week, and I have RL friends who play on a different server. When our schedules align we have a static group we play together; I'm the healer, lv 23 Conjy. This is where I do the story/MSQ, and why I skip it on my "main" character/server.

This is just how I enjoy my game time

If you don’t mind me asking, what bad experience did you have that made you swear against pugs? From my experience, most players are decent enough and if a wipe happens, people will tell you why and move on from it.

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Originally Posted by SannaR

I know from experience Stormblood and on won't allow you access to zones you haven't unlocked via the main story so you won't see any lv 70 mobs until you reach the final zone of Stormblood. You also won't see any lv70+ mobs until you've entered the Shadowbringers story zones. Outside of hunt marks that is.

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Thank you, but I bought the most recent story skip the other day, and am now able to access areas with level 70/80 mobs.

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Originally Posted by Rokal

Thank you, but I bought the most recent story skip the other day, and am now able to access areas with level 70/80 mobs.

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You still won't be able to actually do anything with those levels though. Without the story you'll be stuck in old zones forever. You can't even access any of the level 80-90 zones without doing at least some of the MSQ.

I suppose there's technically nothing stopping you from spending a million hours solo grinding your way to 90 on Tempest FATEs or whatever, but for the life of me I can't imagine why anyone would want to do that.

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Originally Posted by Brightamethyst

You still won't be able to actually do anything with those levels though. Without the story you'll be stuck in old zones forever. You can't even access any of the level 80-90 zones without doing at least some of the MSQ.

I suppose there's technically nothing stopping you from spending a million hours solo grinding your way to 90 on Tempest FATEs or whatever, but for the life of me I can't imagine why anyone would want to do that.

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I started doing the MSQ that took me to some beachside town, where I'm fighting some level 80 giant turtles along the beach.

It's not that I don't want to do any of the MSQ, but not really for the story, just as a means to an end as you've all mentioned... and at least nowadays, if I understand correctly, I can do the "forced grouping" parts with NPCs who won't be a$$ hats towards me even if a wipe is my fault, lol.

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Originally Posted by Rokal

and at least nowadays, if I understand correctly, I can do the "forced grouping" parts with NPCs

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Yeah. You can do the dungeons with NPCs filling in the other party slots. You'll still need to party up for the 8-man trials though. Can't do those (with one exception) with NPCs.

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Originally Posted by Rokal

who won't be a$$ hats towards me even if a wipe is my fault, lol.

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To be fair, 99.8% of other players won't do that either, especially if you tell the party you're new when you join. The sprout/flower icon and the first timer bonus help a lot to immediately temper expectations. No one will expect you know everything, or even anything, the first time you run a given dungeon. In leveling dungeons no one really cares what you do or how good a player you are as long as you have the basics down (don't stand in AoE, stack for stack markers, etc.)

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Originally Posted by Brightamethyst

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To be fair, 99.8% of other players won't do that either, especially if you tell the party you're new when you join. The sprout/flower icon and the first timer bonus help a lot to immediately temper expectations. No one will expect you know everything, or even anything, the first time you run a given dungeon. In leveling dungeons no one really cares what you do or how good a player you are as long as you have the basics down (don't stand in AoE, stack for stack markers, etc.)

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Thank you, but I'm not so sure about that part.

I actually asked here awhile ago if that was a thing in FFXIV, and the vast majority of responses were, yes it is... Tanks/Healers catch a ton of sh#* from other party members if there's a wipe... so I just don't, won't, do it.

I'll figure out the 8 man thing later... or maybe wait til the next expansion and buy another story skip

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Originally Posted by Rokal

I actually asked here awhile ago if that was a thing in FFXIV, and the vast majority of responses were, yes it is... Tanks/Healers catch a ton of sh#* from other party members if there's a wipe... so I just don't, won't, do it.

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Brightamethyst is right. When it comes to the Duty Finder in normal content, people just want to get in, get done, and get out. As long as you have an understanding of your job and show a willingness to correct mistakes, you'll be just fine. Party wipes are also incredibly uncommon in normal content, and in most cases someone will be willing to explain what went wrong and be keen to try again. Almost all of us understand that this is indeed a game, and don't treat everything as a personal insult. If you're struggling, don't be afraid to call for a pause and ask for advice.

As far as player interaction, you'll be lucky to get a "o/" at the start and a "gg" at the end. Just remember that nobody likes to drag dead weight, but most players are geared and experienced enough to carry you, as long as you're making a decent effort. There's nothing to it but to do it.

All that "you'll be just fine!" nonsense out of the way, this really doesn't seem like your cup of tea. You don't care about the story, you don't want to do instanced duties... I mean, that's the game. The overworld has almost nothing worthwhile. Personally, I wouldn't want to keep throwing money at the Mogstation to make a game I didn't like tolerable.

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Originally Posted by Rokal

Thank you, but I'm not so sure about that part.

I actually asked here awhile ago if that was a thing in FFXIV, and the vast majority of responses were, yes it is... Tanks/Healers catch a ton of sh#* from other party members if there's a wipe... so I just don't, won't, do it.

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With all due respect, that's just part of being in an online environment. ffxiv is miles ahead of other gaming communities but the simple nature of being on the internet means you're going to come across abrasive people every now and then. Even if you play a dps or even here on the forum, you will find people who disagree with you and aren't very kind about it. My point being if you're comfortable enough to be making a post like this, you shouldn't worry about that as nearly as much as you are.

That being said, you do you. If you're getting enjoyment out of the game that way, all to you. I personally just feel like it's a bit of a waste since you're cutting out so much of the game but to each their own.

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Originally Posted by Kennar

... All that "you'll be just fine!" nonsense out of the way, this really doesn't seem like your cup of tea. You don't care about the story, you don't want to do instanced duties... I mean, that's the game. The overworld has almost nothing worthwhile. Personally, I wouldn't want to keep throwing money at the Mogstation to make a game I didn't like tolerable.

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It's just that I like exploring MMO worlds/zones, and as mentioned earlier, it's not that I don't completely care about the story, it's that I'm going through it on another server with RL friends when our play schedules align... and I hate repeating content which is why I love the FFXIV way of all roles/jobs on one character so much.

If I'm in the mood for melee solo'ing... I've got various melee jobs... feel like playing a caster, I can switch with the touch of a button, easy peasy.

This game IS for me, just not in the way it probably is for most people.