New CNJ with questions

[Wanderlust]

My wife and I are making our way through the main questline and are wondering, do we need to do our individual class quests? I understand that there is no longer a need to level up two jobs to combine into a WHM, but should I still keep doing CNJ quests? What are the reasons?

She is an Archer, with same question.

Thanks!

[Zaddi]

Hi Yes, you do need to do your class quests to unlock WHM (or BRD in your wife's case). The class quests give gear, sometimes skills, and exp, so try to do them when you can

[Kuurei]

Also something important to note with your class quests -- the characters and stories are continued each expansion anyways, so if it's a job you've come to enjoy, it's best to keep up on them anyway. And in addition, the level 70 class gear pack you get at the end of your 60-70 story can be upgraded several times to remain relevant as you delve deeper into content.

[Wanderlust]

Ah, well in that case we'll keep at them. Thanks guys. Appreciate any additional tips you have for this brand spanking new healer (which I'm enjoying quite a bit, btw).

[Risvertasashi]

Ah, well in that case we'll keep at them. Thanks guys. Appreciate any additional tips you have for this brand spanking new healer (which I'm enjoying quite a bit, btw).

While we could write endless tips and tricks... the most relevant starting out, I think, is keep your gear up to date. Especially your weapon.

Brayflox will punish a tank or healer that have been too neglectful of their gear pretty hard, and it only gets worse from there. Much further in, The Vault is another important milestone, and really any expansion pack's dungeon past the midpoint (55+, 65+, soon to be 75+). Make sure you're geared* going into these, and hope your tank is too.

*Wearing tomestone gear (the level 50/60/70 stuff) is undergeared at this point.

[Wanderlust]

Thanks, we'll keep up the gear. In other MMOs we generally didn't worry about gearing up while leveling, it just came and was quickly obsoleted by ongoing drops. We notice a lack of drops in this game, and sometimes long gaps between quest gear.

How do you recommend we gear up while leveling? Rely on quest gear? Buy from the MB? Vendors?

Thanks again

[Kuurei]

Thanks, we'll keep up the gear. In other MMOs we generally didn't worry about gearing up while leveling, it just came and was quickly obsoleted by ongoing drops. We notice a lack of drops in this game, and sometimes long gaps between quest gear.

How do you recommend we gear up while leveling? Rely on quest gear? Buy from the MB? Vendors?

Thanks again

Generally, it's either quested, dungeon dropped from continuously queuing up for the same dungeon till you get a worthy piece, or in the case of 50/60/70, Tomestones earned from dungeons are always an option. Another option that works really well, and might be a bit easier to manage since you're both playing together, is taking relevant gathering/crafting choices early on. As a Conj, Weaver and Carpenter are both good ones for you and for an Archer Leatherworker/Carpenter or Leatherworker/Goldsmith to prevent overlap would work. One or both of you would need to keep Mining and Botany apace with your crafting levels to make this one work, though. Splitting the work never hurts.

[Kalise]

Thanks, we'll keep up the gear. In other MMOs we generally didn't worry about gearing up while leveling, it just came and was quickly obsoleted by ongoing drops. We notice a lack of drops in this game, and sometimes long gaps between quest gear.

How do you recommend we gear up while leveling? Rely on quest gear? Buy from the MB? Vendors?

Thanks again

Up to level 50, you can use vendor gear to top up your stuff if it's getting a bit dated and you haven't gotten much from dungeons. (Though, Accessories from the vendor stop at like level 30 or something silly... Meaning the only place to get upgrades is the Marketboard and the occasional quest...)

After level 50, the MSQ's will generally let you get a full set of HQ gear every few levels, with maybe a handful of pieces being from Sidequests. This, in addition to the occasional drop from dungeons should keep you up to date.

Gearing tends to be a larger concern when leveling jobs after your first, since you won't be able to get the free handouts from the MSQ for them - Which is something to keep in mind if you plan on doing such a thing. Though this can be alleviated by holding onto your gear for alternate jobs in the role (I.e. As a Conjurer, most of your gear will also be usable by Scholar and Astrologian, while an Archer will share gear with Machinist and accessories will also be shared with Ninja). Outside of that, your sources are Vendors, Marketboards and Dungeons.

[Maeka]

Also, when you get Level 50, do the Main Scenario Roulette (once per day) once you've unlocked it.

You get 300 Tomestones of Poetics, and it only takes about 2,200 tomestones for a full set of Level 50 gear (sans weapon, which you can buy in Ishgard or the Market Board) which will last you through the first two dungeons.

Alternatively, or maybe in addition to that, all Heavensward and Stormblood Leveling Dungeons (51-59 and 61-69) are guaranteed to drop 1 piece of gear that goes straight to your inventory (nobody can roll on it, you automatically receive it). So, what you can do, is keep running, say, Dusk Vigil until you fill your entire equipment screen with that gear (though that's kinda overkill). You could also build up 2,000 Tomestones and then buy Level 60 gear in Idyllshire when you get there, that way the moment you ding Level 60, you'll have an almost-full suit of 260 gear from that vendor which will give you a nice leg up for when you are doing the Level 60 cap dungeons and fights.

So if you end up in The Vault and you're not geared well enough, go back to Sohm Al and run that a few times to get gear. It will never give you duplicates, and you might have other gear drop that you can roll Need on as well.

EDIT: Also, since you're a healer, do the Trials Roulette once per day too -- oftentimes you'll bump into Newbies and anytime that happens, that's another 75-100 Tomestones on top of the 15-20 the Trial would normally give, and you can also get 50-60 tomestones out of Level 50/60 Dungeon queue.

EDIT2: You could also level up to Level 50 in Palace of the Dead (in Quarrymill) to Level 50 and get an FC person to drive you up to Mor Dhona with a passenger mount and you can buy Level 50 Tomestone Gear to skip the whole gearing up thing altogether. Suppose you could also maybe do the same thing with Idyllshire once you get access to Ishgard; have someone fly you to Idyllshire and buy the Lv60 gear there, and then level up to Level 60 in PotD. That way you'll be Item Level Sync'd in pretty much every dungeon and trial you run until almost the end of Heavensward.

[Seraphor]

"Also, when you get Level 50, do the Main Scenario Roulette (once per day) once you've unlocked it."

That's a sure fire way to get someone to quit the game due to burnout.

Usually the latest dungeons available of the previous level cap will give a bunch of poetics. For example Baelsars wall and Sohm Al Hard give 100 poetics past level 60, plus smaller amounts for the individual bosses, and potentionally newbie bonus.
So things like Keeper of the Lake should give a fair amount at level 60 too.