Multiple/All Jobs 50 going into ARR – What city/class will you start on?

[Cynthis]

You don't have to do the side quests so starting in Grid, doing a few main/class quests and then flying over to Limsa for Arcanist wouldn't hurt one bit. You'll still have all of Limsa's side quests aswell as all of Uldah's and Gridanias. Also Arcanist won't be available until launch so all of phase 4 you won't have much to do except reorganize your character, level up some crafts/gathers(if applicable) and quest missing class/job skills.

Hmm, I never thought about that I won't have the option in phase 4 to play ACN... That might be what I need to sell myself on the idea of sacrificing those initial main scenario experience points. Of course, the other side of that is that I already played a chunk of the Gridania main scenario in Alpha and then the Uldah main scenario in beta which kind of makes me tempted to try the Limsa one now.

Regardless, I will always be an Adder!

- At my leisure, complete the sidequests up to level 15 in La Noscea and put the experience on Culinarian (currently level 2).
- At my leisure, complete the sidequests up to level 15 in Thanalan and put the experience on Weaver (currently level 2).

Thanks for this write up. Saves me doing it myself. Is there an EXP penalty for doing battle type sidequests and handing in as DoL/DoH?

[Myranda]

You don't have to do the side quests so starting in Grid, doing a few main/class quests and then flying over to Limsa for Arcanist wouldn't hurt one bit. You'll still have all of Limsa's side quests aswell as all of Uldah's and Gridanias. Also Arcanist won't be available until launch so all of phase 4 you won't have much to do except reorganize your character, level up some crafts/gathers(if applicable) and quest missing class/job skills.

An option you may want to consider:

Start in Gridania. When you arrive in Limsa as part of the main scenario, unlock Arcanist and take the time out to play through the sidequests that resident Lominsans had played in their first fifteen levels. By the time you're done, you should have Arcanist leveled to around Level 14 and be ready to take your letter to Merlwyb. Then play as Arcanist for the rest of the main scenario and sidequests.

No reason to have to work your way up to 15 to use the airship to get there. If you really want to be as quest EXP efficient as possible, you can run over to the other cities on foot even at Lv1. Yes, even to Limsa, because the ferry does work; they only set the cost of a ferry ticket to an obscene amount for phase 3.

So you can start in Grid or Ul'dah, run over to LL and grab arcanist (and sync to the aetheryte!), do the first class quest(s) to unlock your hunting log, then head back to your original city to do the main scenario while on ACN. Teleport back to LL whenever you want to do a new class quest, but you could even hold off on that since it's only crucial at Lv15 when it gives you a new ability.

[rina_inverse]

Thanks for this write up. Saves me doing it myself. Is there an EXP penalty for doing battle type sidequests and handing in as DoL/DoH?

not actually a penalty, but the exp reward usually scaled up to your current level, the one you use to finish the quest
at least that what happen in 1.0

[Deli]

No reason to have to work your way up to 15 to use the airship to get there. If you really want to be as quest EXP efficient as possible, you can run over to the other cities on foot even at Lv1. Yes, even to Limsa, because the ferry does work; they only set the cost of a ferry ticket to an obscene amount for phase 3.

So you can start in Grid or Ul'dah, run over to LL and grab arcanist (and sync to the aetheryte!), do the first class quest(s) to unlock your hunting log, then head back to your original city to do the main scenario while on ACN. Teleport back to LL whenever you want to do a new class quest, but you could even hold off on that since it's only crucial at Lv15 when it gives you a new ability.

/nod rental chocobo can bring you from grid directly to LL almost in 1 section. my rental stopped at the last tunnel to the harbor at beta3. I rent it at grid.

[Aldora]

I'm a Gridanian in heart and soul, which make me quite happy that both my main class (Archer) and 2nd favorite class (Conjurer) are located in that particulate City-State. From all the Grand Companies, i like the Twin Adder most, which is another bonus for me. (^_^ ) I like Botany and Woodworking. The bonuses keep stacking up!

The only "downside" is that the Culinarian and the Arcanist guild are both located in Limsa Lominsa. Ow well, since it doesn't cost much to take the Airship to Limsa Lominsa, i'm perfectly happy traveling to Limsa Lominsa to level those classes. I can live with that. (^_~ )

[JillyBean]

I am loving reading your responses here. Especially loving that many of you plan to stay true to your city regardless of the potential sacrifice.

I have all of my Disciples of War/Magic to level 50, but as much as I'd like to start on ACN, I would never ever eveeerrrr not start in Gridania. I love it way too much and am much too attached to it to start anywhere else! Plus, like you, it suits my character and her story to be starting in Gridania again. I can't imagine her anywhere else. It had such a cool story in 1.0 and I always felt really welcome there because Miounne was always contacting my character on the linkpearl during the starting story and always giving me advice and stuff on where to go/what to do! It always made me feel really involved and it was such a cool experience the first time I played! Compared to the other two city-states in 1.0's starting stories, I think I had the most fun starting in Gridania. And even though I've played through the new story fifty times during these betas, it gets more interesting each time, from finally showing us the full cutscenes in Phase 3 to voice acting in Phase 4! Also because I'm a tried and true Adder and Kan-E-Senna's my homegirl, so I wouldn't ditch her even if someone paid me a million gil.

I'd probably pick CNJ to start since WHM's like my secondary job next to THM and then switch back to THM as soon as I can since the experience from those quests isn't really going anywhere anyways. I'll most likely end up running through the story quests that keep you in Gridania and then maybe see if I can run to Limsa after the level 15 quest, get ACN, make a mad dash out of Limsa (because I have no doubt it's gonna be like so laggy and crowded with everyone and their mom starting on ACN.), and then level ACN to 15 or whatever with the non-story quests and maybe some FATES I missed in Gridania, then continue on with the story so I don't need to be level-synced for everything.

If you really want to level ACN you could probably do the same and try to rush to 15 after you're able to get to Limsa; there are a BUNCH of sidequests to level you up no matter where you are.

Fleurette, I think you have become my homegirl!

Not a complete waste!
While the Level Cap is still 50, you now gain EXP towards the next Level.

Example:

Lv50 45.000 EXP / 565.000 EXP

You can see this in the last Producer Letter No. 48 (EXP bar).

I certainly hope this turns out to be true, but I have my doubts.

and will those help? considering well not getting new level cap in short time

anyway, it doesnt really matter since I have all class capped, but Im still gonna roll up in Ul'dah, finishing all main storyline asap, then looking for something new to do

If it turns out to be true, it is way better than going completely wasted.

I will be beginning in Gridania. My plan is as follows:

- Start as Archer. Get through the first two or three quests in order to escape instanced content.
- Visit my retainers and the calamity salvanger. Sort out my gear and setup my skill bars on all classes (not yet jobs). Buy a bottle of orange juice.
- Visit Archer's guild and complete class quests up to Level 30 to unlock skills. Do the same for Conjurer and Lancer.
- Get as far as I can on the Leatherworker, Botanist and Carpenter class quests (I will hit a roadblock with the materia-relevant quest, but no rush).
- Walk to Thanalan, tagging aetherytes along the way.
- Visit Mutamix Bubblypots and unlock any sealed Materia-content.
- Continue to Ul'dah. Do class quests for Pugulist, Gladiator and Thaumaturge. Again, get as far as I can on Miner, Alchemist, Goldsmith and Weaver.
- Walk to Vesper Bay, tagging aetherytes along the way. Give the orange juice to the not-really-colour-coorindated quest NPC and unlock gear dying.
- Catch the Ferry to Limsa Lominsa (regardless of the expense). Get as far as I can on class quests for Marauder, Fisher, Blacksmith, Armourer and Culinarian.
- Purchase a Weathered Grimoire and unlock Arcanist. Do the first class quest to make sure the hunting log is working.
- Buy some dyes. Get colour-coordinated.
- Teleport back to Gridania. Start the main scenario quests and Gridanian sidequests playing as arcanist (by now, the low level areas should not be swarming with players).
- After catching the airship to Limsa, complete the Arcanist quests up to level 15.
- Run Sastasha, the Tam-Tara Deepcroft and the Copperbell Mines. Continue to follow the main scenario, defeat Ifrit and rejoin the Order of the Twin Adder.
- At my leisure, complete the sidequests up to level 15 in La Noscea and put the experience on Culinarian (currently level 2).
- At my leisure, complete the sidequests up to level 15 in Thanalan and put the experience on Weaver (currently level 2).
- Go nuts with whatever, including job-related content.

Upon reaching levels 27 and 33 I will need to make a decision about continuing the main scenario as an Arcanist, or swapping to marauder or lancer respectively, because these are my current levels on those non-50 classes and I'll need to pick my priority class.

An option you may want to consider:

Start in Gridania. When you arrive in Limsa as part of the main scenario, unlock Arcanist and take the time out to play through the sidequests that resident Lominsans had played in their first fifteen levels. By the time you're done, you should have Arcanist leveled to around Level 14 and be ready to take your letter to Merlwyb. Then play as Arcanist for the rest of the main scenario and sidequests.

Catapult, your list is awesome and so well thought out. It might not be how I end up going about things, but it’s certainly food for thought! And a good reminder about the things we can do along the way. One thing I wondered, can you put EXP on craft/gather classes from the Quests around town/Shroud? Some of them are killing things.

Catapult, your ideas just get better and better. I am so torn between your sensible, yet somewhat slow plan to get things done and not waste quests/EXP, and racing thru to Ifrit so that I can re-join Adder and be able join/make FC.

I know when my other half reads through this, he may start trying to convince me that we should perhaps forgo speeding to re-join GC in lieu of a wider, more sensible path, getting a bit more done yet perhaps not being able to join Adder for :gasp: maybe a month. Oh decisions, decisions! But with no Arcanist until launch, that does narrow it a bit. Arcanist is the only job he does not have maxed. When he reads this, I want him to know, one thing that will not change is ... we start in Gridania, no matter what! This cannot change.

To take it slow, and take it all in; or not to take it slow and re-join my beloved Adder ASAP. That is the question.....

One thing is, I have a few days off here and there planned as to Phase 4/Launch time, but after that, it's pretty much back to business as usual and I won't have gigantic huge blocks of time to play. I don't want to get left behind, GC/FC-wise. I would be SO SAD!

[Niqote]

Ok,

I plan to start in my lovely Gridania... do the first few CNJ quests, then run my little tail to Camp Horizon where I can hop the boat to Limsa Lominsa where I can unlock ARN and then D4 back to do all my Gridanian quests

And if ARN is not out for phase 4 then I'll just do what I did every Beta Pinky, try to beat the other instance spammers.

[Fleurette]

Fleurette, I think you have become my homegirl!

d'aww, shucks...thank youuuuuuuuuuu! <3

As for your question about crafting classes getting the quest EXP...that's a really good question...I didn't think of that. o.o I never started as a DoH/DoL in 1.0 on any character I made, but I assume the experience you got from story quests actually counted there...so it might be worth a try if you have a crafting quest up to the level that the quest finishes! I don't think the "kill x number of this monster" quests would count towards crafting exp, but the story ones might.

[Nix]

Honestly I'm not sure where I'll end up D:

My character has been in Gridania since day one, everything revolved around grid but now after getting to see Limsa I'm really torn. D:

I may start Gridania and then do everything in my power just to get to limsa and make that my home base so I don't break with tradition!

[Cynthis]

So you can start in Grid or Ul'dah, run over to LL and grab arcanist (and sync to the aetheryte!), do the first class quest(s) to unlock your hunting log, then head back to your original city to do the main scenario while on ACN.

Speaking of the hunting log, I only played THM in the beta and that only had mobs in the hunting log for Ul'dah for the levels I played. If it's the same for all classes I assume that if I pick up ACN the hunting log for that will only contain mobs for LL so if I do the main scenario and sidequests for Gridania that will not help my hunting log fro ACN...