New player question - Does this sound right?

[Dmoloth]

I started the game shortly after Black Friday. I am really enjoying the questing experience (way more than I expected) but I seem to be reaching a point where my gear is seriously lagging behind my level, which I would guess is due to the seemingly huge experience bonus while leveling.

I am not complaining about the bonus (far from it) but I do fear that, at a certain point, I will become a terrible burden to other players in the dungeons that you NEED to do for the main story quest line. I am in the low 30s for level, but my gear is coming from level 20 quests... and nothing that I have seen so far would suggest that this will be getting better.

So my primary question is, is this normal?

I decided to try and craft my own gear (since I don’t exactly have the funds to buy gear from the market board). That has veered me WAY off course from normal leveling but, to be fair, I discovered that this game probably has the best crafting system that I have ever seen.

I am really enjoying the gathering/crafting but it does seem like a long way to go for general character leveling.

Thanks for any input.

[Anienai]

You will get gear from quest and levequest.

https://ffxiv.gamerescape.com/wiki/Category:Levequest

You picked the sexiest race in the game too.

[linay]

You will get gear from quest and levequest.

Additionally, dungeon gears are good enough for leveling without having to buy or craft gears, especially for levels 51+, and then there are tomestone gears for levels 50/60/70/80.

[Dmoloth]

You will get gear from quest and levequest.

https://ffxiv.gamerescape.com/wiki/Category:Levequest

You picked the sexiest race in the game too.

Thanks for this information.

Do the Levequests give gear appropriate to my actual level? And do all of them grant gear?

If so, then that is probably what I am looking for.

[StriderShinryu]

If you check the Levequest before you accept it, you can see what sort of gear it's going to give you. The reward is based on the Levequest level and not your level so it may not always be a good pick up. It's basically free though so if it's something you want either for an upgrade or just for glamour, go right ahead.

Another great way to gear up as you go in the beginning is to use your Grand Company seals and buy the gear from them. It sort of jumps around a bit in required level (you might see a pair of pants for your class at level 25 but then nothing until level 32 or something) but it's often good enough to stick with until you get the next tier that they offer even if it seems like you're sitting on a "weaker" piece for a long time. The only major caveat to this is the highest level weapon they sell for level 50 which costs WAY too many seals for what is actually a relatively weak weapon.

Gear at lower levels is kind of funny in FF14 and doesn't really settle in until you hit level 50 where you get your full set of job gear and can use that as a baseline and improve from there. Just make note that at the big level breakpoints (50, 60, 70 and 80) you'll see various item power tiers all at the same required experience level. If you're looking at these on the player market you may not want to buy, for example, the first level 50 piece of gear you see because there are going to be multiple versions of level 50 gear and you may be able to get a better tier one for a relatively better price.

[Dmoloth]

If you check the Levequest before you accept it, you can see what sort of gear it's going to give you. The reward is based on the Levequest level and not your level so it may not always be a good pick up. It's basically free though so if it's something you want either for an upgrade or just for glamour, go right ahead.

Another great way to gear up as you go in the beginning is to use your Grand Company seals and buy the gear from them. It sort of jumps around a bit in required level (you might see a pair of pants for your class at level 25 but then nothing until level 32 or something) but it's often good enough to stick with until you get the next tier that they offer even if it seems like you're sitting on a "weaker" piece for a long time. The only major caveat to this is the highest level weapon they sell for level 50 which costs WAY too many seals for what is actually a relatively weak weapon.

Gear at lower levels is kind of funny in FF14 and doesn't really settle in until you hit level 50 where you get your full set of job gear and can use that as a baseline and improve from there. Just make note that at the big level breakpoints (50, 60, 70 and 80) you'll see various item power tiers all at the same required experience level. If you're looking at these on the player market you may not want to buy, for example, the first level 50 piece of gear you see because there are going to be multiple versions of level 50 gear and you may be able to get a better tier one for a relatively better price.

I joined the Grand Company at level 30, so when I got my first currency it looked to be giving out level 20-ish gear, which was not much better than I had. I took a couple of quests from NPCs in the vicinity of of the GC, but they just moved me to PvP stuff (which I am definitely not ready for at this point). At this point, I’m not sure where to even get quests from them to get more currency... and I am a bit worried that it will just lead me towards the same trap, where my level runs way too high for the gear I would earn.

If things slow down at 50, that might help help me get back on track though.

Thanks very much for the information.

[Tyssyn]

The 'problem' you will run into at 50 is that by the time you are out of ARR and into Heavensward, you will likely be lvl 55 if not higher and you won't be able to get the level 51+ gear until you are in heavensward. But on the other hand, you really won't need it until you get there anyway, you will be doing LVL 50 stuff. I would recommend not doing many side quests at this point, save them for leveling other classes, because you don't need the exp on your main battle class.

[Vahlnir]

Yeah, this is pretty normal if you are leveling faster than you can gear up. If you're really worried about it you can always buy some vendor gear or check out the MB to fill in the slots you are in serious need of upgrading until things level out, but if you are beyond lvl 50 and are still in lvl 50 content you will be fine until you reach HW to gear up. Or SB. Whichever comes first. lol Thankfully Poetics will be raining from the sky at lvl 50 so you can always buy gear from Mor Dhona's vendors or from Idyllshire if you wish to wait till lvl 60.

[Urthdigger]

Don't worry about it. Your dungeon progress (and really, just about everything) is gated by main scenario progress, not level. So, you'll want to make sure your gear doesn't fall too far behind your latest MSQ, but if you're not caught up to where your level is that's fine.

[Barraind]

You wont really upgrade much from the brand-new gear until level 45 and then 50 these days.

You might pick up a piece or two in dungeons, or a chest piece from the msq/blue sidequests, but the majority of it will be the class gear at 45 and 50 from your class quest, and then the msq post-50 will toss right side gear at you.