there should be a time line / dungeon chart

[LineageRazor]

It might be 2.5 instead of 2.4, but the first time you meet Estinian in the MSQ is definately before steps of faith. He is introduced by Aymeric at a meeting, and if you have beaten the DRG questline, he will acknowledge you as a fellow azure dragoon.

Edit: Nvm, Cilia explained it far better than me

Guess I was misremembering that scene as a 3.0 cutscene. I do remember being acknowledged by Estinien, but I thought it came later on.