Struggling with intro - what level does the game change?

[Mashugana]

Someone told me you had to invest in FFIX and get to at least level 35 because that is when the game opens up. Does this seem right? The first few hours of gameplay have really been frustrating - lots of go fetch quests, no combat, running around instanced parts of confusing cities, random quests everywhere that send me on more confusing paths, etc

I've played many MMOs and I've never struggled to enjoy a game like this. Everyone raves about this game and I want to see what is so great. But the intro seems to be taking forever.

I want to roam, fight, see the story, and get the whole experience.

So...do you think level 35 sounds right? Are there aspects of the intro to the game (e.g. the guild quests, the 'earn about town quests) that I can skip?

Thanks for any advice.

[DrWho2010]

get to level 50 at least. everything up to then is the tutorial

[Raldo]

I would've said level 30, but yeah once you get a few dungeons under your belt, you should be able to decide if you're into it.

It can definitely feel like an overabundance of quests when you're just starting out. If you prefer, you can stick to just...
the main story quests
the "important" ones (little plus sign next to the !)

If you're overwhelmed by the quests, just skip most of them (they aren't going to go anywhere, and you can do them later if you feel like it). Generally speaking, the boring side quests are mainly there to help you level other classes.

[Niwashi]

Seconding Raldo's post. The main scenario quests (ones with the flaming circle around the quest icon) and your class quests are the important ones, along with a few others that have the plus sign by the quest icon to indicate they unlock game features. There's still going to be some rather basic fetch quests within the main story, but they're intermixed with more exciting stuff, and just the fact that they are part of a story helps to keep them interesting.

The plain sidequests you can skip (or hold off on them until you're leveling other classes). That should eliminate a lot of the running around town stuff you get in the early few levels.

[Mashugana]

Thank you! Just knowing I can skip some quests without missing the story is huge. I'll focus on the main story and important quests and see if it moves faster

Thanks all!

[Daniolaut]

You dont have to do quests at all if youre getting sick of them.

Why would you want to do quests if you're tired of them? If you want to go roam and fight, go roam and fight. The only restriction to roaming is if you started in Limsa, which according to your data, you started in Ul'dah, as a Thaumaturge which later becomes black mage.

Basically at level 15 you unlock airships so you can travel between all starter cities.

Best advice is do not do every single quest you see. Especially if youre getting sick of them and youre not even level 30.

Go out and have fun, if youre doing something that isnt fun, change it up. There is an insane amount of content, duties, ways to level, FATEs, challenge log (level 15) the list goes on. Dont bottle neck yourself and get burned out before you even get started.

View Raldo's post, those are the only important quests. the rest are all optional.

[Frizze]

Thank you! Just knowing I can skip some quests without missing the story is huge.

Skip away. The non-highlighted side quests are essentially filler. They fill in little bits of exp here and there, and they fill in little bits of lore here and there. If you find yourself someplace interesting and want to know a little more about the area and people then you can get little details from some of the side quests. None of that will really effect the main story being told, and you can always fill in those gaps later(such as leveling up a second or third class). The main story will contain all the information you need to understand whats going on, and the main action will revolve around it. If you think of it like a book, right now youre the new adventurer who just arrived in town. The first 15 levels of story(a chapter or two of the book of you) have you rise in local prominence, introduce a few important NPCs and themes, and finally get pulled into some of the greater goings on of the world. As you prove yourself capable more dangerous and more important tasks will be put before you, and if you continue to succeed then in time you could grow to become a great hero that people the world over sing the praises of. But no one starts out as a world-renowned savior, they have to work their way up to that.

[Iscah]

Something worth noting when people say "level 15", level 35", etc: all story quests have their own level, separate to your character's level. This is listed on the "title cards" you see when you accept it.

You're not able to undertake quests that are higher than your character's level, but you can level your character well above the current quest level. Technically you could grind all the way to Lv70 on FATEs while still at story level 5, without unlocking any of the features you're supposed to have at that point.

A side effect is that a lot of sidequests become available (as they appear based on your actual level) long before you're actually intended to do them. So you might feel like you need to go running off to distant corners of the map because you can see quest icons, when actually you don't and shouldn't.

If you want to do sidequests as you go, only pick them up from the location where you have currently been sent by the MSQ storyline. But it's fine to leave them and come back later.



From memory, major things that will unlock at certain levels of the MSQ:
Lv10: Guildhests - your first access to multiplayer content. Short-form battles with a specific objective or gimmick.
Lv15: Access to other cities. A sidequest in Ul'dah unlocks the "Gold Saucer" minigame casino.
Lv15-17: Your first three dungeons. Somewhere around here (I believe after being told about the first dungeon) there is a "blue icon" sidequest that will unlock the Challenge Log, a weekly list of activities that will give you lots of bonus gil and EXP for completing objectives.
Lv20: Join a GC, start earning their specific currency, and gain access to mounts.

You'll also want to keep up with your quests from the Thaumaturges' Guild (and any others you join) - finishing the Lv10 quest allows you to join other guilds, extra skills are unlocked by quests at Lv15 and Lv30, and then you progress to the 'job' of Black Mage.



Also, a couple of things that do unlock by your level rather than MSQ level:

At Lv15 you gain access to the "Hall of the Novice" which will get you some nice gear and a ring that boosts EXP gain.

Also at Lv15 you can get access to using dyes and glamours, and start making your gear look nice! Go to Vesper Bay in Western Thanalan and do the blue sidequest there.

At Lv30, as long as you've unlocked mounts, there's a sidequest at Camp Tranquil in the South Shroud that lets you summon a chocobo companion in battle. This is a good damage boost for solo play and they can also cast healing spells.

[Shurrikhan]

When first leveling a PLD, I felt it getting bearable back around Brayflox. On Dragoon, at level 40. But those had the advantages of being a perfectionist tank and doing FATEs when mobility was damn useful for tagging.

Sadly, that may not be true today, with some 10% at most of the players in ARR zones back in ARR and slower dungeon queues.

[Urthdigger]

I would've said level 30, but yeah once you get a few dungeons under your belt, you should be able to decide if you're into it.

It can definitely feel like an overabundance of quests when you're just starting out. If you prefer, you can stick to just...
the main story quests
the "important" ones (little plus sign next to the !)

If you're overwhelmed by the quests, just skip most of them (they aren't going to go anywhere, and you can do them later if you feel like it). Generally speaking, the boring side quests are mainly there to help you level other classes.

I would recommend actually checking the ones with a standard quest icon, and seeing if it has a fancy image in the quest description. The ones that do have more in-depth and better lore, and often reward you with gear to keep you geared up as you level. The ones with a normal icon and no fancy image though? By all means ignore them XD