Pre-Heavensward Gearing

[SuperFlorinjin]

So I've gotten my Botanist and Miner to level 50, wearing mostly the class specific greens. I was wondering if I still need to go through the trouble of doing the grind for the gear you can buy in Mor Dhona (forager's I think?) or can I just run right into Heavensward and get new gathering gear there? And where would I grab the starter gear since the vendors in Foundation don't seem to sell anything.

Same goes for my crafting classes too I guess.

[cgbspender]

You can rush into Heavensward. You will get to gear yourself in Western Coerthas, where you'll be taken almost right away after you reached Ishgard.

[Anova]

Not at all. There is an initial hurdle at level 50 where you probably won't hq anything, but once you hit 51, the hq % shoots up from 10% to 80% and it only gets easier from there (when you can actually use the new Heavensward gear).

When you're 53, you will essentially be kitted at the same level as the forager gear. If you want to get the Mor Dhona stuff, there's nothing stopping you. However, be aware it will cost you a lot in terms of money, gil, and time than leveling to 53 on those classes.

If you do get Mor Dhona gear, I would recommend the following order: off-hand, accessories, main-hand, body/pants/etc.
Those will give you the most return for your time and money.

[SuperFlorinjin]

Thanks! I'll probably skip the Mor Dhona stuff then.

[coldheart21]

What kind of gear should you be in for the 50-52 hurdle? My botanist is my first gathering class about to be 50

[Anova]

I had HQ versions of the lv.50 crafted AF set, Militia accessories/offhand, and the lv.50 quest reward mainhand. I got about 75% on the lv.50 nodes in West Coerthas and on the lv.50 leves there, without slotting materia in (you can use any grade 1 or 2s if you have trouble. They're cheap to get).

You get immediate body upgrades at 51 and a mainhand upgrade at 52 that can shoot it up to 80 and 90% at 52. Your offhand and accessories and body upgrades becomes available at 53, which should be equal to the top tier forager gear you get from Mor Dhona.