Returnee; been gone almost two years

[Illmaeran]

Heya folks,

I left the game after completing the original HW content (3.0?) before Alexander was opened up. Has SE said anything about beginning gear ilvl in Stormblood? I'm trying to find out what ilvl gear I should have to avoid being too far behing to actually kill things and not get facerolled by mobs when starting SB. I think I'm currently sitting around 170 on my two main classes.

Thank you kindly,
IQ

[DrWho2010]

Current average gear item level at endgame now is 270 with a 275 weapon. It is very easy at this point to get yourself to 270 with the increased scripture tome limit and tokens to upgrade. Being at 270 will probably last you until levels 65-67 if SB progression is anything like HW progression was.

[Naria]

You have to be ilvl 230 in order to complete the last Heavensward MSQ and enter Stormblood, so that would be the absolute min.

[Ferth]

Centurio seals can get you gear up to ilvl 200 (and upgrade items to bring that up to ilvl 210.) Which will get you access to the first 24 man raid and the first tier of Alexander as well as most of the level 60 4 man dungeons.

You can get Centurio seals from daily/weekly clan marks outside the Forgotten Knight as well as from level 60 A and S rank Hunt mobs.

Tomestones of Lore will allow you to purchase gear with an ilvl of 230 which is the base requirement for the two expert 4 man dungeons and will allow you to access the most current 24-man raid.

Tomestones of Scripture will allow you to purchase gear with ilvl 260.

Palace of the Dead is also something you can do. It's a good way to level up lower level jobs but if you enter at level 60 you also get tomestones of poetics (level 50 gear) lore and scripture. POTD is also a relatively easy way to get ilvl 230/255 weapons.

[Illmaeran]

I've started running PotD recently (just resubbed two days ago) to get the tomestones.

It sounds like ilvl 230 is my target, with anything above that being gravy. The follow up question would be, are raiding and currency such as tomestones the only way to get the 230 gear or does it drop in dungeons unlocked while doing the MSQ line?

Thank you,
IQ

[TarynH]

You can also do PvP to obtain Garo gear, during the Garo event. It's all i235, and very easy to obtain by doing frontline, as well as picking up the daily frontline roulette for a free 1000 wolf marks. Having all of that will get you through the Void Ark raids to get i260 gear in Dun Scaith. Which now has no weekly restrictions on gear.

[Naria]

You would be able to get up i225 gear from dungeons (although no weapons past i160 drop in dungons). The current highest level dungeons drop i245, but you need i230 to enter them. Diadem can drop i265 gear as well (its random and rare), and the 24-man raid Weeping City of Mhach drops i230.

[Frizze]

The PotD weapon is higher then 230, so thats sorta a dungeon. The anima relic also goes higher then that, but you need tomes at various points to complete it. PvP, tomes, and raids(24 man shadow of mhach series and 8 man alexander series) are the main ways of getting gear at the higher tiers(and to a certain extent, ex primals for the weapons though these also have entry requirements). Diadem is lesser used, but an option if youre the lucky sort. Theres also a crafted set at ilvl 250/255, if you have gil(would have added if you craft, but these are 4 star recipes so youd have to gear up just to try making them).