Leveling a new job or class in Final Fantasy 14 can feel like a grind, but it doesn’t have to be. While there’s no single “right” way to level, some methods are definitely more efficient than others, especially if you’re aiming to level up quickly without relying on job boost potions. This guide will walk you through the best strategies to maximize your leveling speed in FF14, focusing on proven techniques and helpful tips to reach level 90 in no time.
It’s important to note that if you’re still progressing through the Main Scenario Quests (MSQ) with your first character, simply following the MSQ is still the most effective way to reach level 90 for your first job. The MSQ provides a wealth of experience, and you’ll rarely encounter level roadblocks.
However, this guide is tailored for players who are leveling a secondary job after already completing a significant portion of the game. If you find yourself hitting level plateaus during the MSQ, double-check the “Experience Buffs” section below, and then navigate to the level range relevant to your current situation. Consider this guide your go-to resource for efficiently leveling any job beyond your initial playthrough in Final Fantasy 14.
Updated and enhanced for patch 6.5 and beyond.
Maximize Your XP Gains: Essential Experience Buffs
Before you start slaying monsters, make sure you’re taking full advantage of all available experience buffs. These bonuses stack, significantly boosting your leveling speed.
First and foremost, always have a food buff active. Food provides a consistent +3% experience boost from combat. Don’t worry about expensive meals; for leveling purposes, the stat bonuses are negligible. Grab inexpensive options like Antelope Steak from NPC vendors. You can find these vendors in housing districts or visit the Alehouse Wench in Gridania (X:17.9, Y:19.7) or Grege in The Gold Saucer (X5.0, Y:6.5).
Next, leverage Free Company buffs. Request your Free Company leader to activate an experience buff. The Heat of Battle II is easily accessible, offering a +10% experience boost for 24 hours for 7,000 company credits. Heat of Battle III provides a more substantial +15%, but these are crafted items and may be less readily available. Access Free Company buffs at the administration area in Gridania, Limsa Lominsa, or Ul’dah.
Utilize Rested EXP by logging out or spending time in Sanctuary locations (any area with an Aetheryte). Rested EXP accumulates passively, up to 1.5 levels worth, and provides a +50% experience bonus on defeated enemies until depleted.
If this is not your first job to level, you’ll benefit from the Armoury Bonus. This bonus automatically applies to secondary jobs: a massive +100% bonus for levels 1-79 and +50% for levels 80+. Reaching level 90 on one job unlocks this bonus for all subsequent jobs, making it incredibly efficient to level multiple classes.
Don’t forget about experience-boosting items. While character stats aren’t crucial for leveling content, the experience bonuses from these items are invaluable. Level-boosting items include:
- Moogle Cap – +20% EXP (level 10 and below) – Pre-order bonus for A Realm Reborn, no longer obtainable.
- Helm of Light – +20% EXP (level 10 and below) – A Realm Reborn Collector’s Edition bonus.
- Friendship Circlet – +20% EXP (level 25 and below) – Recruit a Friend campaign reward.
- Brand-new Ring – +30% EXP (level 30 and below) – Completing all Adventure Guild Trials at the Hall of the Novice.
- Ala Mhigan Earrings – +30% EXP (level 50 and below) – Pre-order bonus for Stormblood, no longer obtainable.
- Aetheryte Earring – +30% EXP (level 70 and below) – Pre-order bonus for Shadowbringers, no longer obtainable.
- Menphina Earring – +30% EXP (level 80 and below) – Pre-order bonus for Endwalker, no longer obtainable.
Finally, consider the Preferred Server Bonus. Transferring to a Preferred Server (lower population servers) grants a significant experience boost for 90 days, up to level 80. This is a great option if you’re willing to switch servers temporarily.
Strategic Roulette Usage for Maximum Leveling Efficiency
Final Fantasy 14 Snowcloak Dungeon
Daily Roulettes like Leveling Roulette, Alliance Raid Roulette, Trial Roulette, and Normal Raid Roulette offer substantial experience rewards for your time. While they unlock at different level milestones, strategic use is key for maximizing their impact, especially if you plan extended leveling sessions. Level 50/60/70/80 Dungeon Roulettes are also available, but their rewards are generally less efficient for leveling unless you specifically need the associated Tomestones.
PVP Roulettes, particularly Crystalline Conflict, are now incredibly efficient. Queue times are minimal, and matches are quick, often lasting only a few minutes. PVP roulettes offer a fun and fast alternative to traditional PVE leveling.
The optimal strategy is to save Roulettes for “even” levels. For example, when leveling in the 70s, avoid using roulettes at level 75. New dungeons typically unlock at odd levels. If you’re grinding from level 70 to 80, repeatedly run the highest available odd-level dungeon (e.g., level 71, 73, 75 dungeons) until you reach level 76. Once you hit an even level like 76, use your daily roulettes to propel you towards 77, and then resume dungeon grinding. This maximizes the experience boost from roulettes by using them to bridge the gaps between dungeon unlocks.
Leveling Breakdown: Efficient Methods by Level Range
Levels 1-15: Fate Grinding in Starting Zones
For the initial levels, there’s no need to overcomplicate things. Activate your experience buffs and engage in FATEs (Full Active Time Events) in the starting zones surrounding Gridania, Limsa Lominsa, or Ul’dah. This is the quickest path to level 15. While leveling with a friend can speed things up slightly, solo FATE grinding is perfectly viable.
Avoid delving into Palace of the Dead at this stage. While it becomes highly efficient later, it’s less optimal in these early levels compared to the speed of overworld FATEs. If your current job has a Hunting Log, complete those entries for bonus experience, but don’t deviate significantly from FATE grinding. Check your Challenge Log (obtained from I’tolwann in Limsa Lominsa Upper Decks (X:11.4, Y:11.0)) for FATE-related challenges, offering additional experience rewards.
Levels 16-30: Palace of the Dead (Floors 51-60)
At level 16, Palace of the Dead (PotD) becomes incredibly efficient. You don’t need a pre-formed party; the Duty Finder will quickly match you with a group. To unlock PotD, start the quest “The House That Death Built” in New Gridania by speaking to Nojiro Marujiro (X:12.0, Y:13.1). Enter PotD by speaking to the Wood Wailer Expeditionary Captain in South Shroud’s Quarrymill (X:25.2, Y:20.6).
While Palace of the Dead has 200 floors, for leveling from 16-30, focus exclusively on floors 51-60. These floors offer the best experience-to-time ratio at this level range. Simply reset your progress after completing floor 60 and re-queue for floors 51-60 to repeat the process.
Levels 31-60: Palace of the Dead, Dungeons, and Leveling Roulette
Leveling slows down around level 50. For DPS classes, Palace of the Dead remains the most consistently fast method until level 61, when Heaven-on-High becomes available. Dungeon and Roulette queues for DPS can be lengthy, making PotD’s near-instant queues a significant advantage.
However, if you are leveling a Tank or Healer, consider dungeon grinding from level 50 onwards. Tank and Healer queues are typically very short, often instant. Dungeons provide better experience per run compared to PotD, though PotD remains a viable alternative if you prefer its repeatable, randomized nature. For dungeons, stick to the highest available Heavensward dungeons at odd levels (51, 53, 55, etc.). Supplement dungeon grinding with Leveling Roulette on even levels, saving your roulette until just before the daily reset for maximum efficiency.
Levels 61-70: Heaven-on-High, Dungeons, and Leveling Roulette
Final Fantasy XIV Namazu Beast Tribe Stormblood
Apply the same strategy as levels 31-60, but now Heaven-on-High (HoH) replaces Palace of the Dead as the Deep Dungeon of choice. Unlock Heaven-on-High in The Ruby Sea by speaking to Hamazake (X:6.2, Y:11.7) and accepting the quest “Knocking on Heaven’s Door.” Note that you must have reached floor 51 in Palace of the Dead to unlock Heaven-on-High.
Once unlocked, enter Heaven-on-High by speaking to Kyusei in The Ruby Sea (X:21.4, Y:9.2). Grind Heaven-on-High using floors similar to PotD (floors 21-30 are generally considered efficient, but experiment to find what works best for you) until level 70. Again, for Tanks and Healers, dungeon grinding (Stormblood dungeons at odd levels) and strategic roulette usage remain strong alternatives.
Levels 71-80: Dungeons and Roulettes
Palace of the Dead and Heaven-on-High become less efficient at these levels. Focus on dungeons and roulettes. While DPS queues might be longer, it’s still more experience-efficient to queue for Shadowbringers dungeons than to run Deep Dungeons. Utilize the roulette strategy outlined earlier: save roulettes for even levels and grind the highest available Shadowbringers dungeon on odd levels.
Levels 71-80: FATEs and Relic Grinding (Alternative)
Final Fantasy XIV Shadowbringers Beast Tribe Dwarves
Shadowbringers FATEs offer a viable alternative, particularly if you’re interested in crafting materials, Triple Triad cards, or minions. Shadowbringers FATEs reward Bicolor Gemstones, which can be exchanged with NPCs in each zone for various items. While not the absolute fastest leveling method, it allows you to pursue other goals simultaneously.
To maximize Bicolor Gemstone gains, achieve Rank 3 reputation in each Shadowbringers zone by completing 60 FATEs within that zone. Track your progress in the Travel menu under Shared Fate.
Furthermore, if you’re working on your 5.x relic weapon, The Bozjan Southern Front offers excellent experience while progressing your relic questline. This can be a very efficient way to level secondary jobs from 71-80 while making progress on your weapon. Start the Bozja questline with “The Bozja Incident” from Cid in Rhalgr’s Reach (X:11.8, Y:11.8), followed by “Fire in the Forge” from Gerolt in Gangos (X:6.3, Y:5.1). Enter Bozja itself by speaking to Sjeros in Gangos (X5.5, Y:5.4).
Levels 81-90: FATEs, Trusts, and Roulettes
Endwalker’s Main Scenario Quests provide substantial experience, making MSQ progression the fastest route for your first job. For secondary jobs, FATEs in Endwalker zones are a highly effective leveling method. They offer excellent experience and contribute to zone progression, unlocking rewards like mounts and faster travel within those zones.
Trusts, dungeon runs with NPC allies introduced in Shadowbringers, are another option. While slower than party dungeons, Trusts allow you to learn dungeon mechanics at your own pace and are a reliable way to clear dungeons for experience.
Duty Roulettes, as always, remain a valuable daily source of experience. Combine FATE grinding, Trust dungeons (if desired), and daily roulettes for efficient leveling from 81-90.
Levels 81-90: Eureka Orthos and Tribal Quests (Alternative)
Eureka Orthos, the latest Deep Dungeon introduced in patch 6.35, offers another leveling path from 81-90. However, be warned: Eureka Orthos is significantly more challenging than Palace of the Dead or Heaven-on-High. It’s designed as challenging content and may require a pre-made party for deeper floors.
Arkasodara Beast Tribe Quests in Thavnair are another excellent option. These Endwalker Beast Tribe quests provide good experience and are specifically designed for combat jobs. Consider incorporating Omicron and Loporrit Beast Tribe Quests as well, although these are primarily focused on Gathering and Crafting jobs, respectively.
Lastly, for secondary jobs, Sightseeing Logs in Endwalker zones can provide a supplementary experience boost. Sightseeing locations scale with your job level and are unlocked in Endwalker zones once you reach level 80, making them a convenient way to gain extra experience while exploring the new expansion areas.
By utilizing these strategies and focusing on efficient methods like FATE grinding, Deep Dungeons, and strategic roulette usage, you can significantly accelerate your leveling process in Final Fantasy 14 and quickly reach level 90 with any job.
