It's been so long since I've been through the low levels. How bad is the leve situation? I know by the time I got to HW (shortly after 4.0 dropped), leve exp almost seemed excessive. As a completionist that really wanted those green ticks, completing all of those would've practically negated the need for moogles.

But it can also be understandably unpleasant to need to find all the materials needed for all that crafting, when the beast tribes can just hand out what you need.