Question about weapon, returning player

[Veratic]

Hey, I've recently returned to the game, just finished the ARR main scenario and currently questing in Heavensward at 54.

My weapon is still Artemis Bow Atma ilvl 100, and I have no idea whether I should go back and continue something, or if something better turns up later in Heavensward, and what I need going into Stormblood.

Hope you can help

[negiman4]

By all means, finish your Artemis Bow if you want the glamour. But in Heavensward, ilvls start hiking at level 51, starting at i115 and ending at level 60, i150. The dungeon gear you earn in that time period will far exceed anything you earn in A Realm Reborn. Same holds true for the Heavensward to Stormblood transition. Only get high enough gear to be able to do the next dungeon, and move on. However, there is nothing stopping you from going back and doing the Zodiac and Anima quests or investing your tomestones in Rowena's gear if you really want to. But if you want to hit endgame quickly, just focus on raising your ilvl and completing the Main Story Questline. You can buy i115 gear in Ishgard or on the market board for cheap if your ilvl is low. level 60 gear stops at around i270 and I think the best Stormblood gear is i300.

Don't undertake heavy investments for gear that will be replaced with a dungeon drop. For example, you can farm tomestones of scripture for 2 weeks and get a micro tomestone which you can trade for an i260 weapon in Idyllshire, or you can wait and hold off for a bit and get an i270 weapon from a level 61 dungeon. That's the comparison here. Don't let your weapon be too weak comparatively to the duty you're doing though. Don't go into Sohm Al (Hard Mode) with your Artemis Bow Atma. At least keep your gear relevant.

[Veratic]

Think I'll just focus on main story and ilvl then, thanks for the info

[negiman4]

Yes, do that. The story is very good, so please enjoy it. Heavensward is where the game's quality is taken up quite a few notches. Stormblood even more so. The game only gets better as you go on, as does the story.

[Hasrat]

Depends entirely on your goals. If you're having fun taking your time in HW, it sounds like you might wanna upgrade the weapon by now. If you have plenty of Poetics to spare, you can buy the i120 Ironworks gear (which can be upgraded to i130). While the relic can probably be upgraded to equivalent (or maybe slightly better), it can be a bit of a grind, and by the time you get there, might not be worthwhile anymore. Progressing through the Bahamut raid can get you a weapon upgrade eventually, but, again, you'll be kinda backtracking for it rather than moving forward, and it might be obsolete by the time you get it. So, depends on whether or not you want to continue spending time on ARR content, really.

But, surely by your level you could also be hitting the first couple dungeons in HW looking for an upgrade.

Disclaimer, I'm stalling at the end of ARR, so can't offer much advice on what you could be doing in HW at your level or anything.

[Driavna]

Hey, I've recently returned to the game, just finished the ARR main scenario and currently questing in Heavensward at 64.

My weapon is still Artemis Bow Atma ilvl 100, and I have no idea whether I should go back and continue something, or if something better turns up later in Heavensward, and what I need going into Stormblood.

Hope you can help

In my modest stick to your MSQ, the gear you will need to progress will be granted as quest rewards.

[Rongway]

you can farm tomestones of scripture for 2 weeks and get a micro tomestone which you can trade for an i260 weapon in Idyllshire, or you can wait and hold off for a bit and get an i270 weapon from a level 61 dungeon.

Scripture tomes are no longer a thing.

You can acquire a 270 weapon easily at the cost of 600 tomestones of poetics. You will need to speak to Hismena and choose the Allagan Tomestones of Poetics (Other) category.

Purchase:
Micro Tomestone
10x Rowena's Token (Scripture)
Illuminati Deepest Gobdip

Talk to Bertana to her right and choose the category Shire Gear Exchange. Buy the Shire Longbow. Don't equip it yet.

Go to (6.7, 7.4) and talk to Seika. Choose Improve Shire Gear, then Shire Gear Augmentation (DoW) II. Exchange the Shire Longbow and Illuminati Deepest Gobdip for the Augmented Shire Longbow.


I don't recall if these NPCs will all have their shops available to you without finishing the 3.0 story, but consider doing this as soon as they're available. Upgrading to a 270 weapon will easily double your DPS, or more, compared to the Atma weapon (which is really a 90 weapon with 100 written on it in sharpie until you've finished all the books).

[LunaFaye]

Scripture tomes are no longer a thing.

You can acquire a 270 weapon easily at the cost of 600 tomestones of poetics. You will need to speak to Hismena and choose the Allagan Tomestones of Poetics (Other) category. Purchase:
Micro Tomestone
10x Rowena's Token (Scripture)
Illuminati Deepest Gobdip

Talk to Bertana to her right and choose the category Shire Gear Exchange. Buy the Shire Longbow. Don't equip it yet.

Go to (6.7, 7.4) and talk to Seika. Choose Improve Shire Gear, then Shire Gear Augmentation (DoW) II. Exchange the Shire Longbow and Illuminati Deepest Gobdip for the Augmented Shire Longbow.


I don't recall if these NPCs will all have their shops available to you without finishing the 3.0 story, but consider doing this as soon as they're available. Upgrading to a 270 weapon will easily double your DPS, or more, compared to the Atma weapon (which is really a 90 weapon with 100 written on it in sharpie until you've finished all the books).

Exactly that, could always go back to mor dhona and pick up the ilvl 120 ironworks weapon and upgrade it to 130, then you could keep that weapon till you're able to enter the The Aery at level 55 or the Vault at level 57. Or you could just go all the way to 60, even so I don't recommend it, but it would be a possibility if you don't want to rush your MSQ for weapon upgrades, or planning on maybe picking up some of the weapons for other jobs etc. and at 60, Rongway explained the now easiest route of obtaining an ilvl 270 weapon lol.

[MistakeNot]

Hey, I've recently returned to the game, just finished the ARR main scenario and currently questing in Heavensward at 64.

My weapon is still Artemis Bow Atma ilvl 100, and I have no idea whether I should go back and continue something, or if something better turns up later in Heavensward, and what I need going into Stormblood.

Hope you can help

(If you are in HW I assume you are level 54 rather than 64)
You will get plenty of gear as rewards from MSQ and some side quests, enough that you will not need to worry about gear until you hit level 60. At that point you should be able to spend a bunch of tomestones to get good i260 gear.
I think there are also NPC vendors now that sell basic i255 gear, which is enough to do all the level 60 duties and start Stormblood.

[Veratic]

(If you are in HW I assume you are level 54 rather than 64)
You will get plenty of gear as rewards from MSQ and some side quests, enough that you will not need to worry about gear until you hit level 60. At that point you should be able to spend a bunch of tomestones to get good i260 gear.
I think there are also NPC vendors now that sell basic i255 gear, which is enough to do all the level 60 duties and start Stormblood.

Ah yes, I'm 54, no idea why I wrote 64.

Thanks for all the help guys, pretty sure what to do now.