Exp Level & MSQ

[Thistles_Leaf]

It's true that if you do anything other than the MSQ, at all, you will probably get overleveled. There is typically a gap of 1-3 levels at the end of ARR and each expansion that requires just a little bit of leveling via other means (such as FATEs and sidequests), but it's usually not that much.

From Endwalker onwards, they made the MSQ itself enough without sidequests.

You can do roulettes on other classes (since you can switch to them by changing weapon then saving a gearset). They are mostly intended for secondary classes.

Alternatively, you can just ignore that you are a higher level because it doesn't matter. The story will "sync you down" to the level of the MSQ for all duties, dungeons and trials. You virtually can't do content higher than the level of the MSQ in most cases due to the MSQ gating new areas and its associated content, so your "real" level is the level of the Main Scenario Quest, in most cases.

I started 10 days ago as well. At first i did the MSQ only. Till i started doing the additional quests thinking i might be building some rep like they have in wow. So i did quite a few outiside of the MSQ line. I cleared whole shrouds of quests and did a few fates.

I should have done the blue quests but did nto touch them for some reason.

When i picked up the MSQ again and started doing that i got to a point were i was 28 and had to get more XP from other sources as i did not have enough to do the next MSQ which requird that i be 30.

So even though i did tons of outside quests and fates for XP i was still well short of progressing the MSQ at 30.

[SentinelBasch]

An update on this - still working on ARR and will be for a while. Dragoon is 95 and White Mage is 92.

It's unbelievable the difference that Double XP makes. For my crafters, I'm having great success with only doing their recipes through Lv. 15, for which 99% of the mats are buyable from the guild vendors, and then doing the Lv. 1, 5, and 10 leves. This puts me at about Lv. 30, and I've been able to take classes from 30 to 50 just by doing the daily Ixal quests. I do like to complete all the "recordable as complete" recipes at least once, and this will make that process so much faster with Lv. 50 gear.

I'm also able to solo Rank A marks with ARR gear, which is great.

I'm also gradually getting more used to playing with a controller, although my double taps, L2+R2 and R2+L2 are still occasionally sticking, which is frustrating. I also wish there was an option to disable R1 hotbar cycling, as I have big fingers and I occasionally press it inadvertantly, then wonder why my heal isn't going off. Those couple of seconds until I realize can make a big difference in some content. But it's still much better overall than it was.

[Iscah]

For my crafters, I'm having great success with only doing their recipes through Lv. 15, for which 99% of the mats are buyable from the guild vendors, and then doing the Lv. 1, 5, and 10 leves.

Possibly too late for you, but once you get above the materials provided by the guilds, you can then go to the material suppliers in the housing district to take you up to level 25ish materials.