Leveling is stupid.

[Dualgunner]

It is so profoundly stupid that I can only level one class by questing, and that's if I do the MSQ with it. Side quests do not give enough experience to level, even when combined with hunting logs, which also give a pointless about of experience.

The fact I am FORCED to use palace of the dead to level any class other than my first is just stupid. To get to level 50, it's over a hundred runs of palace. How do you expect people to do that and not get burnt out?

Where on earth did you get *that* number?

I took a MCH from 30-60 in three days of PotD grinding, couldn't have been more than 50 runs of Palace. Definitely less than a hundred to go 0-50.

[edwind]

Dungeon and roulette queues might seem long at first, but you can do something productive while waiting for them. Side quests, fates, leves, hunts for example, none of these require you to stop queueing. I much prefer doing that than speed running PotD for days.

[Njorde]

Several people have mentioned beast tribes? I've never heard of any quests involving them that didn't involve genocide.

[MsQi]

Several people have mentioned beast tribes? I've never heard of any quests involving them that didn't involve genocide.

Beast Tribes are the "rep grinds" of this game. I haven't found them to be a great source of Exp, but I've only worked on the ARR ones so far (Ixal are good for leveling crafters). I believe they all (ARR ones) start with quests around the the GCs. The Exp is there if you're going to do them anyway and they each have their own storyline and give you access to a new mount, among other things.

[Iscah]

For beast tribe quests, you'll need to visit the three Grand Company buildings and pick up some Lv40-ish quests (plus one Lv.1 quest for the crafting-based Ixals) that will unlock daily quests from "friendly" outcast groups of the beast tribes: sylphs, Ixal, Amalj'aa, Sahagin and kobolds.

(You might have already stumbled across some of them while questing, and the sylphs are the same group from earlier in the MSQ.)

As well as EXP, you unlock access to mounts, minions, crafting materials and dyes you can't buy elsewhere.

[Njorde]

Unfortunately not 40 yet but ill keep an eye out. Are side quests worth doing at all? From what I can see they give almost no experience.

[Iscah]

Sidequests are probably best for leveling a second class at around that level, or getting extra EXP into your main class if you need to level up before you can continue MSQ. They also often reward gear.

From a story perspective, it's better to do them at the time, as they're written to be happening alongside the MSQ of the same level.

I did everything as I went along, but I was always leveling at least two classes at any time.


Edit to add: if your highest-level character is above the current MSQ level, you’ll see higher-leveled sidequests available in some places. Don’t go running off to distant towns just to pick up sidequests - wait until the story takes you there.

[Sheriyana]

Do dungeons and the roulettes, that's how any sane person does their leveling, you can do fates while waiting in the queue. I refuse to use PotD or HoH to level because of how mind numbingly boring it gets.

[Sigma-Astra]

Honestly, this gripe sounds like you're not using all of the tools available to you in order to level up at a decent pace and instead just ignoring everything and throwing yourself into PotD. I'm not sure how you think the Hunting Log is poor experience when doing it all at least nets you a full level or two in the end.

Small increments do add up in the end and if you're going to ignore other options simply because you think the payout is too low, then I'm not sure how it's entirely the game's fault when you're ignoring things purposely meant to help you.

[spf1200]

Run the highest level dungeon you can and do fates while waiting in line. Also use food that is how I did it and I found it rather fun.