A Question about leveling

[Lanatir]

So, i recently gave this game a new try, after long absence. Fresh character on a fresh server. Now, my ultimate goal is to combine EVERY class in this character, if this is remotely possible.

My question is: When i begin, what makes most sense? Stick with one class for as long as possible, maybe even get to 60 and then start leveling all the other classes for the xp bonus? Or try to get to an advanced classs to make the leveling itself easier? What should i do?
Fyi: I do currently play an Arcanist. Is it even possible to go through the game in a basic class?

[Anova]

Because of the class system, it is very possible to level every class and job on a single character. Crafters tend to do this a lot to make the most of their class synergies.

In general, the game encourages players to level many classes. You get the xp bonus for any class lower level than your highest level class.

Generally, you will level 3 classes on your way to max level. This is to gain access to useful cross-class abilities and to qualify for advanced jobs that are available starting level 30. Those jobs require a level 30 in your base job and level 15 in a secondary job. Most players ignore the secondary job after reaching level 15, but there are some benefits for specific classes. For example, the ability to cast a spell like raise without cast time or to instantly summon a pet is invaluable.

As an arcanist, I would recommend leveling thaumaturge for swiftcast (no cast time on one spell every minute) and conjurer (protect and stoneskin for additional tankiness). They will also help you unlock your jobs, scholar (healer) and summoner (magic dps).

[Shougun]

Edit: Due to some fun we three had, Anova looked up armoury bonus (posted below) so you will get a 100% exp bonus on characters below your highest leveled character until level 50 and then it will be 50% so long as you have a higher leveled character.

I still think it is easier to level one job and its subclasses and then double back on other jobs, but this is a preference based on gearing and item management time. I think this because the main story line will help take one job to level 60 and spreading it across jobs can increase the amount of pauses you experience (needing to level for the next big exp quest). Also unless you level all jobs in ideal tandem you will have multiple levels of the same types of sets increasing your inventory burden, depending on how many jobs you level and how far apart they are. Finally, having a higher leveled character can get you access to more options, like beastmen quests, gil generators, and gear generators. You will however not go wrong leveling everything a little bit if you want, I did it for the first real part of my play time in FFXIV and I had a lot of fun!

I do not recommend trying to play the game as a class all the way to 60, a lot of very powerful abilities are locked behind jobs and you get a stat bonus for being a job. You can though, I've seen it lol (level 50, haven't seen anyone do it level 60 yet).

You can go back and level whatever you want whenever, on one character, and that is a great feature of FFXIV; however, one more tidbit to add about leveling a single job first is that the main story quest is enough to take one job through without many pauses but if you separate all the exp across many classes and jobs at once you can experience a great deal of pauses on your way to end game.

At this point I have all jobs at 50 and one job at 60, I'll begin my plan to level everything else to 60 soon .

[Anova]

Sorry Shougun, I was under the impression that all classes below level 50 gained a 50% bonus to leveling since the expansion came out. This bonus then stacks with the 50% armoury xp bonus for leveling a class lower leveled than your highest level class.

Otherwise, great point on getting the job. The class actually stops learning new abilities at level 50, so leveling from 50 to 60 is impossible as the arcanist class (you will seriously get booted from dungeons for trolling because you are so far below everyone else in damage and utility). One exception is possibly with FATEs, but that is probably the single, most boring fraction of the game to use to level (it is fast though).

[Niwashi]

You get the same XP bonus regardless of whether your higher class is one level higher or 50 levels higher, so that doesn't really suggest an advantage either way for leveling them in tandem or one at a time.

Managing your gear can be a bit easier if groups of classes that share the same types of gear are leveled together.

But it's mostly a matter of personal preference.

Oh, and as to whether you can go through the whole game as a base class, while technically possible you'd be drastically gimping yourself and essentially need to get carried through all the higher level content that's designed to be done with jobs rather than classes. For most classes, you really should switch to your job before hitting the level 32 dungeon. There's a couple of the DPS classes that can maybe put it off a couple more levels, but everyone should be on their job by the time they hit the level 34 trial or 35 dungeon and every dungeon/trial thereafter.

[Shougun]

Really? I mean that would be great news Anova, but at least when it was first introduced it was more like Niwashi describes, jobs below your current level. Which is why I recommend getting one job through the story, go far enough and you could be getting that 100% vs 50% bonus. Also you'd manage the bonus much easier, riding the main story line for exp you can make leveling the lower level classes less about thinking "do I have the bonus?" and just reaping the reward.

Was there a specific post on this, would hate to be spreading misinformation!

[Niwashi]

I'm mostly familiar with how it used to work before HW was added. I've heard about the increase in the amount of the bonus for the first 50 levels, but I thought the pattern of whether you get it or not stayed the same. (It's possible I'm wrong on that, though. I've been playing on my level-locked jobs lately, so haven't seen the changes first hand.)

[Anova]

I just checked the 3.0 patch notes where they mentioned it. We were all slightly wrong.

Armoury bonus from 1 to 50 has been increased to 100% if you have a higher level class. If you level from 50 to 60, you get a 50% xp bonus if you have a class at a higher level. You don't need to reach level 50 or 60 to activate any of these bonuses, but just a combat class/job at a higher level.

Your highest level class doesn't get any armoury bonus though, so feel free to spend quest xp and don't forget the first time guildhests and exploration xp.

[Shougun]

I just checked the 3.0 patch notes where they mentioned it. We were all slightly wrong.

Armoury bonus from 1 to 50 has been increased to 100% if you have a higher level class. If you level from 50 to 60, you get a 50% xp bonus if you have a class at a higher level. You don't need to reach level 50 or 60 to activate any of these bonuses, but just a combat class/job at a higher level.

Your highest level class doesn't get any armoury bonus though, so feel free to spend quest xp and don't forget the first time guildhests and exploration xp.

Rofl. Teamwork~ lol

Thanks for going the extra mile . Was about to look and then a rank S popped.. and you don't wait to think when that happens, at least on Balmung all hunts have an official timed life of 5 seconds.

[Niwashi]

I just verified it on an alt whose highest class is level 26. His level 24 class gets the full 100% Armoury bonus (in addition to 50% rest XP, so it showed up as +150%). Neither level 60 nor 50 are required. All you need is something that's higher than your current one, the same as before.

I guess this comment should more properly have gone in this thread.