Having trouble leveling 20-30

[Niwashi]

The leveling roulette in Duty Finder is (once per day) your biggest XP source. After that, queuing for any of several dungeons will generally get you in quicker, which can be more significant than the general rule of wanting the one nearest your level. You can select up to five at a time. (After your roulette is done, though, for additional runs just select dungeons, not trials. Trials give barely any XP unless they're done through the Roulette.)

For the Novice rewards (including that ring that gives a 30% XP bonus and a +3 to every primary stat), you can either go to the Hall of the Novice in Western La Noscea (across from the entrance to Sastasha), or you can talk to the Smith NPC in the Adventurer's Guild of any main city. That unlocks the training, which can then be initiated from anywhere by selecting it in Duty Finder. (The training is solo, so always immediately available, not a group instance like everything else DF is used for, so there's no queuing involved.)

[Powe]

The details on moving server were not just for doing fates, the original poster also mentioned that they had problems queuing for dungeons, their guild seemed empty and also the server that they are on during their playtime. Given that, the advice to consider a change of server to one better populated during their playtimes is I think a valid one.

But being on a server doesn't affect the wait time for duty finder. Going as a dps is always a long wait for the low level dungeons.And maybe the can find a free company that's more active during their time.

[Gemina]

Hmm. Don't hate me for saying this, but I have actually spread out my exp between three different classes to slow down my leveling. I had nearly an 8 year hiatus from gaming, and I really wanted to ease back into things as I found myself leveling too quick for comfort in this game. Exp bonus food and rings have stayed in my armory for the most part.

It might be my server, but exp has been VERY easy to come by. Main story quests, your class quests, side quests, levequests, hunting logs, fates, dungeon runs, good 'ol fashioned grinding and farming in a zone, etc. I'm on level 24 with the main story quests, and I have three classes at level 26 and still have my level 3 hunting logs, Halatali and the lv 24 dungeons to wrap up, but which time, all three of these classes will be near or @lv30.

I've heard the 25-30 phase is pretty brutal exp wise, but heard things speed up again post 30.

[SigurdF]

Mhm, definitely check your language setting. Personally I just stayed sued for dungeons, keep a good buff up, doing hunting logs sporarically, and grind fates. I actually haven't touched a single side quest except for dungeon unlocks, dying, glamour, etc (going to save the rest and start taking them out methodically until they're all done buahaha) and I haven't used leves for battle class's. So far I have 2 classes to 60 and everything else at 30 hehe.

Definitely get the ring for sure. That will help a lot

[Sucuri]

No one does FATEs on your server, but you are an arcanist? Use the Topaz Carbuncle to tank, and your battle chococbo (level 30 quest) to heal, you DPS, things die pretty fast. Arcanists are a group onto themselves!

I also read somewhere the higher your main class is compared to the alt class you are leveling makes exp bonuses better? Not 100% sure on that end. I do know there is a really nice lvl 1-30 exp ring you get if you finish your Novice Trials (part7 rewards it).

Check out your challenge log as well, bonuses exp all over the place in that thing, and resets weekly! The roulettes are nice exp, make sure you unlock the side quest related dungeons! (easy to miss those).