How am I meant to level with a friend now?

[Dubont]

The exp needed per level is way less in XI than in XIV, and the amount you get per mob is comparable - higher when you count getting an extra 1-2K exp every 5-8 mobs you kill for pages.

Of course the exp needed, NOW, is lower. You should have seen Xi when the level cap was 50. Now, let's say...in XI, you need..what..40k to reach a level? Before the cap increase, that 40k was around 60k.