Blue Mage (BLU) in Final Fantasy XIV offers a unique and unconventional gameplay experience, especially when it comes to leveling. Unlike other jobs, Blue Mage begins at level 1 and caps at level 80, but its leveling journey is distinct. BLU excels at open-world combat due to a significant experience bonus (10x) against enemies encountered in the field. However, it cannot utilize the Duty Finder for standard roulettes. This means that grinding in the open world is not just viable, it’s the most efficient way to level your Blue Mage!
There are primarily three methods to level your BLU: powerleveling (being boosted by a higher-level player), solo powerleveling (utilizing game mechanics to boost yourself), and solo leveling (traditional grinding against appropriately leveled enemies). While all are options, manual solo leveling is by far the least efficient. It’s significantly slower and doesn’t offer any unique advantage in learning to play Blue Mage. The true Blue Mage experience begins at level 80, focusing on spell acquisition and unique content. Therefore, the goal is to reach level cap as quickly as possible. Consider the act of learning spells as the true “leveling” for this job; reaching level 80 is simply unlocking the full potential of your Blue Mage.
Below, you’ll find a comprehensive guide to the best locations for leveling your Blue Mage, complete with maps for each level bracket, ensuring a smooth and rapid ascent to level 80.
Optimal Blue Mage Leveling Locations
Level 80 Locations Level 70 Locations Level 60 Locations
Labyrinthos The Tempest Kholusia Azys Lla
Labyrinthos (Level 70-80)
For those aiming for the level cap, the northwest region of Labyrinthos (coordinates x:12, y:8) provides an excellent hunting ground. Caribou are the ideal enemies here; their melee-only attacks pose minimal threat, making them perfect for powerleveling. If the player being leveled hasn’t yet accessed the Endwalker expansion zones, it’s best to utilize the highest-level enemies available within their accessible areas.
Leveling Blue Mage to level 80 in Labyrinthos using Caribou enemies, marked on the map.
The Tempest (Level 70-80)
The “Rave Cave,” situated in the northwest of The Tempest, offers another effective leveling loop. This area is populated with level 79 enemies, providing substantial experience gains. This location is a great alternative to Labyrinthos, especially if the Caribou area is crowded or if you prefer a change of scenery.
Efficient Blue Mage leveling spot in The Tempest’s Rave Cave, featuring level 79 enemies.
Kholusia (Level 60-70)
The beaches of Kholusia are a prime location to level your Blue Mage up to level 70. Enemy density is quite high here, which can be both a blessing and a curse. Ensure your Blue Mage has adequate gear or a powerleveling partner to handle the numerous enemies effectively. This area is particularly useful for quickly gaining levels in the 60-70 range.
Kholusia beach marked as a good location for Blue Mage leveling up to level 70 due to high enemy density.
Azys Lla (Level 50-60)
The initial island in Azys Lla provides an ideal loop for leveling your Blue Mage from 50 to 60. Be cautious of the Fire Sprites in this area. At lower levels, they can be dangerous if your powerleveling partner isn’t swift in dispatching them. This zone is a classic choice for this level range due to its layout and enemy types.
Azys Lla’s first island highlighted as an effective leveling area for Blue Mage up to level 60, noting the presence of Fire Sprites.
Group Powerleveling: The Fastest Route
As mentioned, Blue Mage benefits from a significant experience bonus when defeating open-world enemies (excluding FATEs and duties). This bonus applies to any enemy up to level 80. A crucial mechanic in FFXIV is that the player who first engages (tags) an enemy receives full experience. Leveraging this, powerleveling becomes incredibly efficient. A low-level Blue Mage can tag a level 80 enemy, and a max-level player can then defeat it. The Blue Mage will receive the full experience, leading to rapid level gains.
It’s essential to understand that for optimal powerleveling, the Blue Mage should not be in a party with the max-level player. Being in a standard party will significantly reduce the experience gained. However, being in a cross-world party is perfectly acceptable as it doesn’t count as a traditional party for experience distribution. Furthermore, multiple Blue Mages can be powerleveled simultaneously if they are party members and close in level. When leveling multiple BLUs of varying levels, prioritize the lowest-level one first. As they catch up, they can join a party with higher-level BLUs, repeating this process until everyone reaches level 80.
Powerleveling Preparation
Minimal preparation is needed for group powerleveling. Learning Flying Sardine is highly recommended. This spell, a ranged attack with no cast time, is learned from Apkallu in Eastern La Noscea (x:27, y:35). These enemies are level 30, so assistance from your powerleveling partner may be necessary to learn it initially. Flying Sardine is ideal for quickly tagging enemies from a safe distance.
Powerleveling Process
Once you’ve selected a powerleveling location, the process is straightforward. The Blue Mage simply uses Flying Sardine to tag an enemy, and the max-level player defeats it. Repeat this process until you reach level 80. The specific job of the max-level player isn’t critical, as all classes are generally capable. However, shield healers like Paladin or Sage can provide extra safety with shields, and can resurrect the Blue Mage if needed. Ranged DPS jobs such as Machinist or Dancer are also excellent due to their high burst damage and mobility, allowing for quick enemy disposal while moving between targets. Ultimately, the time difference between different powerleveling jobs is negligible.
Gearing During Powerleveling
When being powerleveled, your Blue Mage’s gear is completely irrelevant! You can efficiently level from 1 to 80 without equipping any gear whatsoever. The max-level player handles all the combat, so gear for the Blue Mage is unnecessary.
Powerleveling Time Efficiency
Powerleveling from 1 to 80 typically takes around an hour. Utilizing experience buffs, such as expansion preorder earrings, battle manuals, and food, can further reduce this time, making the process even faster.
Solo Powerleveling: Leveling Independently
For those who prefer to level without direct assistance, an intriguing method of solo powerleveling exists in The Tempest. Just north of The Ondo Cups, you’ll find Leeches and Clionids. When Leeches approach Clionids, the Clionids consume them, and if you’ve tagged the Leech first, you gain the experience! The strategy is to aggro Leeches and lead them into the vicinity of Clionids.
Solo Powerleveling Preparation
Similar to group powerleveling, minimal preparation is required. Flying Sardine remains helpful for tagging Leeches from a distance. Having some defensive spells or gear to withstand occasional attacks is also beneficial, especially at lower levels. This method might be slightly challenging starting from level 1 without some initial levels or assistance.
Solo Powerleveling Process
The process is simple: aggro a Leech, guide it towards a Clionid, and let the Clionid defeat the Leech. Ensure you tag the Leech with Flying Sardine before it’s consumed to secure the experience. Be cautious not to feed a single Clionid too many Leeches in quick succession; they can grow larger and potentially one-shot you.
Solo Powerleveling Time Efficiency
Solo powerleveling using the Leech and Clionid method also allows you to reach level 80 in approximately an hour, similar to group powerleveling speeds. Experience buffs will further accelerate this process.
Solo Leveling: The Traditional Approach
Traditional solo leveling for Blue Mage involves defeating enemies at or above your level until you reach level 80. This method is broken down into phases, primarily dictated by the spells you acquire as you progress.
Solo Leveling Process
Solo leveling is generally more time-consuming and repetitive. We can divide it into three phases based on spell acquisition: Pre-1000 Needles, 1000 Needles Phase, and Post-1000 Needles Phase.
Pre-1000 Needles (Levels 1-20)
The initial goal is to reach a level where you can learn 1000 Needles. If you have assistance to learn it at level 1, you can expedite this phase. Otherwise, you’ll need to defeat enemies around your level until you reach approximately level 20. Focus on learning basic offensive spells during this phase to make combat more efficient.
1000 Needles Phase (Levels 20-??)
1000 Needles is a unique spell that deals exactly 1,000 damage, evenly distributed among all nearby enemies. At lower levels, 1,000 damage is often enough to defeat enemies in one or two casts, even those considerably higher level than you. This makes it an effective tool for faster solo leveling.
1000 Needles is learned from Sabotender Bailaors in Southern Thanalan (x:16, y:15). These enemies are level 25-27, making them accessible to learn around level 20. Once acquired, this spell becomes your primary leveling tool.
During this phase, your main strategy is to use 1000 Needles to defeat enemies. Initially, it will one-shot enemies, but eventually, it will require two casts. For added safety and to ensure uninterrupted casts, you can use Sleep to incapacitate enemies or Swiftcast to make 1000 Needles instant cast.
Continue this process until standard single-target spells with a potency of 220 or higher become more damage-efficient than 1000 Needles. At this point, you transition to the final solo leveling phase.
Post-1000 Needles Phase (Level ??-80)
1000 Needles has a damage per second (DPS) of approximately 167 (1000 damage / 6-second cast time). Once a standard 220 potency spell surpasses this DPS, it becomes more efficient to use. Considering a standard 2.5-second recast time, a 220 potency spell does 88 DPS, so you’ll want a spell with at least 417 damage per cast to outpace 1000 Needles in single target situations. However, for general leveling against multiple enemies, 1000 Needles remains useful for longer.
For single-target damage, consider using The Ram’s Voice. This spell not only deals damage but also freezes enemies for 15 seconds, reducing incoming damage.
Around level 50, you can learn The Ram’s Voice for defense) becomes your primary leveling rotation until level 80.
Solo Leveling Locations by Level Range
Finding ideal solo leveling locations mostly involves identifying zones with enemies around your current level. An easy way to gauge appropriate zones is by checking the level of FATEs within that zone. Here are some suggested zones for different level ranges:
- Levels 1-15: Western Thanalan
- Levels 15-20: Western La Noscea
- Levels 20-30: South Shroud
- Levels 30-35: Eastern La Noscea
- Levels 35-40: Coerthas Central Highlands
- Levels 40-45: East Shroud
- Levels 45-50: Mor Dhona
- Levels 50-55: Dravanian Forelands / Churning Mists (Dravanian Forelands is generally better due to chocobo synergy with Choco Meteor later on)
- Levels 55-60: Sea of Clouds / Azys Lla (Azys Lla preferred for consistent enemy density)
- Levels 60-65: The Peaks / Yanxia (Yanxia offers diverse enemy types)
- Levels 65-70: Yanxia / The Lochs (The Lochs has higher level enemies for faster progression)
- Levels 70-75: Amh Araeng / Kholusia (Kholusia offers densely packed enemy groups)
- Levels 75-80: Rak’tika / The Tempest (The Tempest is ideal for its high-level enemies and efficient loops)
Gearing for Solo Leveling
Once you progress beyond the 1000 Needles phase, ensuring you have level-appropriate casting gear becomes important for survivability and damage output. Utilize vendor-purchased or crafted gear up to level 50. From level 50 onwards, Tomestone of Poetics gear becomes readily available and highly effective. At level 50, Ironworks gear (Poetics) is excellent, and at level 60, Shire gear (Poetics) is the next upgrade. Continue acquiring and upgrading your gear as you level to maintain combat effectiveness.
Solo Leveling Time Investment
Solo leveling to level 80 is significantly more time-consuming than powerleveling methods. As previously mentioned, there is no practical advantage to leveling this way. It is presented as an option, but it’s crucial to recognize that it should be avoided if faster methods are accessible. Expect to spend many hours reaching level 80 through solo leveling.
Changelog
- 23 May 2023: Checked for Patch 6.4.
- 24 Feb. 2023: Guide added.
