Leveling: PotD or MSQ?

[HyoMinPark]

She'll still have to do a bit of 60 content to transition from 3.x to 4.0 once Stormblood is released, but it is far less than 2.x MSQ. It will just make it easier on her to have her bard soul stone so people don't give her crap over it. :3

Unfortunately you guys are on a different data center, because I wouldn't mind just taking you guys through the dungeons as you reached them to make it as quick and as painless as possible. XD But hopefully you guys have a nice FC to help you guys out with the necessary content clears.

[Yeol]

MSQ until she cannot progress though story because she doesn't meet the level required, then she can do few PotD runs.
Also, PoTD to level her Lancer and Pugilist (Cross class skills for BRD).

[Kethic]

Hrm. Very true. And the goal is to unlock SB as quickly and painlessly as possible, so the Bard Soulstone is probably a good idea after all. Maybe I'll grind out her cross-class stuff for her, and then we'll crash through the MSQ. Speaking of cross-class, it's sad that the Bard Soulstone locks you out of so many potential self-sufficiency cross-class skills. Would love for her to have Cure and Protect when she's out solo. Ah well.

[Lukha]

Hrm. Very true. And the goal is to unlock SB as quickly and painlessly as possible, so the Bard Soulstone is probably a good idea after all. Maybe I'll grind out her cross-class stuff for her, and then we'll crash through the MSQ. Speaking of cross-class, it's sad that the Bard Soulstone locks you out of so many potential self-sufficiency cross-class skills. Would love for her to have Cure and Protect when she's out solo. Ah well.

Protect is always nice, but unfortunately most classes don't have a high enough Mind stat for cure to be worth much anyway. I learned the hard way, since my first thought back when I started the game as a pugilist, was to go pick up a few levels in conjurer so I could heal myself while I was leveling.

[HyoMinPark]

Yeah most of the cross-class skills work that way once you get a Soul Stone though. It may help her when she's out soloing to have her chocobo with her. She can level it up (albeit slowly) and give it skills from a Choco healer skill tree. It can help keep her with little Choco Regens and the like. I use mine when I'm FATE farming usually. :3 Can't give her Protect but, better than nothing.

[Dameron]

My recommendation is to always do MSQ while queueing for your most recently unlocked dungeon. PotD does offer more exp, but keeping your gear up-to-date becomes important during high levels. I myself neglected to queue for these dungeons while leveling my Dragoon, and as a result I ended up having to do a lengthy gear-up grind by the time I had to do the Antitower.

[Kethic]

Great feedback, thanks. We picked up a Bard stone, started training her chocobo for healing, and now is the mad rush to complete 2.1 through 3.5 in 4 weeks. I'm a crafter, so gear shouldn't be an issue at least.

I appreciate that this was a pleasant forum thread. Thanks again.

[Kethic]

A quick follow-up. She started at 32, at the level 27 MSQ dungeon. Only doing MSQ. At level 40, she needed to hit PotD to make MSQ level requirements. Again at 42. Again at 44. So, it appears some supplimentation is mandatory, but it's going well.

[LalaRu]

I think at the status-quo of the game, the best way is:
- go ahead with MSQ until you can unlock Potd
- use potd to level your main to 30, and the alt class required for job change to 15
- job change and again potd until 60 + kinna weapon
- back the MSQ and complete it, along with all the missed job quests to unlock skills

You need notice some "must-have" xclass skills require you level other classes as well. One good example is get swiftcast for healers. All potd-able, 'tho.

Note: leveling tanks, potd vs duties havent that great difference, but potd gives you the 255 weapon and this cannot be overlooked at.

[HyoMinPark]

A quick follow-up. She started at 32, at the level 27 MSQ dungeon. Only doing MSQ. At level 40, she needed to hit PotD to make MSQ level requirements. Again at 42. Again at 44. So, it appears some supplimentation is mandatory, but it's going well.

I'm glad that things are going well. :3 Hopefully she'll reach end-game soon, and can begin truly playing with her crafters and gatherers. :3

Don't let her get too discouraged or burnt out during the 2.x MSQs. There are a bunch of them (over 100 MSQs before you reach Heavensward content), but it will probably take her less time if she isn't particularly interested in reading/watching cutscenes, or doing all the level 50 dungeons that you have to do via Sidequests.

I think at the status-quo of the game, the best way is:
- go ahead with MSQ until you can unlock Potd
- use potd to level your main to 30, and the alt class required for job change to 15
- job change and again potd until 60 + kinna weapon
- back the MSQ and complete it, along with all the missed job quests to unlock skills

You need notice some "must-have" xclass skills require you level other classes as well. One good example is get swiftcast for healers. All potd-able, 'tho.

Note: leveling tanks, potd vs duties havent that great difference, but potd gives you the 255 weapon and this cannot be overlooked at.

I really have to disagree with this post, and I am not aware of this, in any way, being an accepted status quo of this game, nor would I recommend it for any player.

Supplementing experience with PotD is fine; the MSQ does have several lulls where you need additional levels before you can unlock the next quest, and using PotD, if you don't feel like running dungeons, is fine for doing that. Same for leveling alternative classes to level 15 or for relative cross-class skills (THM to 26 is just painful most of the time).
However, running PotD until you're level 60, and then deciding to do the majority of the MSQ and your job quests? That is a lot of wasted MSQ experience, which only gets buffed more and more as the game expands. I do not recommend throwing that away.

PotD, with regards to some classes/jobs, is extremely different compared to actual dungeons. I think, in a way, it can apply to all jobs, but mostly this applies to tanks and healers. Incoming and outgoing damage in PotD compared to dungeons varies significantly, and leveling a tank in PotD especially, I feel, doesn't prepare you for content once you reach max level. Same thing for healers. With the current speed-run mentality surrounding PotD, I also do not feel like it provides a good learning environment for those who are not the quickest of learners. Leveling up the old-fashioned way, and getting your skills in a more paced manner, I feel allows you to learn how to better use them, if you choose not to supplement with reading guides and tips online.

Also, PotD monsters do not have positionals, so DPS jobs with positional requirements (MNK, HW DRG, NIN) do not learn the importance of how positionals can affect your damage. And a lot of mechanics present in dungeons or 8-mans or 24-mans, are not really present in PotD, and if they are, only very briefly during the boss fights, which are usually just cheesed to high heaven anyways.

Aside from getting a Padjali/Kinna weapon, you will also be sacrificing gear, which is needed for progression. If a player doesn't have the means to get crafted gear (friends, gil, etc.), then dungeon gear is the easiest way to gear up. I have met a lot of "PotD levelers" with gear so bad and so under-leveled that it makes some dungeon runs unbearable. And I know that they have to be PotD levelers, because they sport their Padjali/Kinna weapons in a dungeon like The Aery or The Vault, while still wearing a mixture of i90 or Unaugmented Poetics gear. When you're having to heal a tank like this, it is NOT fun.

Perhaps I am just old-fashioned, but I would not recommend to any new or serious player to use PotD as their sole way of leveling.