FFXI Wiki - User contributions [en]

Linux Installation Guide

2026-06-14T13:32:46Z

Pryce: Typo

{{disambiguation|Mac Installation Guide|Install Guide}}
{| style="width: 100%; max-width: 1600px;"
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__ToC__
|<div style="margin: auto; max-width: 1200px; text-align: center;" class="img-scaler">{{Guide}} [[File:Linux PlayOnline.png|link=]]</div>
|}

=Video Guide=
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=18o8jF1hnz0

=Introduction=

{| role="presentation" class="toccolors mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="width:94%"
| colspan="2" style="text-align: left; background-color: #ccf;" | Overview
|-
|
This guide aims to get [[Final Fantasy XI]] running on any/most Linux distros. Whether you're a Linux guru or a noob, fear not! We'll get you slaying dragons in no time. The guide was crafted on Manjaro (Arch), but should work on most distros with a DE, like Fedora, Ubuntu, and their quirky cousins Nobora and Cinnamon.
|}

=Steam Deck=

{| role="presentation" class="toccolors mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="width:94%"
| colspan="2" style="text-align: left; background-color: #ccf;" | Steam Deck Steps
|-
|
To get the game working on your Steam Deck, you'll need to follow these steps:
* Set your Steam Deck into Desktop Mode.
 
[[File:Steam Deck.png|200px|thumb|right|Behold! The Steam Deck in all its glory, running FFXI.]]
 
|}

=Install Lutris=
First things first, we need a trusty launcher to get things rolling. As the game isn't officially supported on anything outside of Windows (typical!), we'll call upon [https://lutris.net/ Lutris], the hero of our Linux gaming saga.

== How to Install Lutris ==
There are several ways to summon Lutris to your side. The easiest is to use [https://nobaraproject.org/ Nobora], as it's bundled with the distro. For other cool distros, like Arch, you'll need to do some manual summoning.

{| role="presentation" class="toccolors mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="width:94%"
| colspan="2" style="text-align: left; background-color: #ccf;" | Install Lutris
|-
|
* First, dive into the Discovery Store.
* Use the almighty Flatpak (it's like a magic spell!).
 
[[File:Discovery Store Linux.png|200px|thumb|right|Behold! The mystical Discovery Store. Your icons may vary, depending on your theme settings.]]
 
[[File:Linux Install Lutris Flatpak.png|200px|thumb|right|Flatpak Installation - as simple as brewing a potion!]]

|}

== Setup Lutris & Install Final Fantasy XI ==
* Ready to roll? Open Lutris.
* Click the '''[+]''' icon and select the '''Lutris website for installers''' option.
* Type '''Final Fantasy XI Online''' and choose the top-tier option.
 
{| role="presentation" class="toccolors mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="width:94%"
| colspan="2" style="text-align: left; background-color: #ccf;" | Setup Lutris & Install Final Fantasy XI
|-
|
* Open Lutris and prepare your search magic.
* Click the '''[+]''' icon and select the '''Lutris website for installers'''.
* Type '''Final Fantasy XI Online'''.
 
[[File:Lutris search game.png|200px|thumb|right|Select Final Fantasy XI Online]]
 

[[File:Lutris FFXI Install.png|200px|thumb|right|Installing FFXI: Like mixing potions, but with more pixels.]]

* Choose: download fresh files or use local files if already downloaded from [https://www.playonline.com/ff11us/ Playonline].
 
[[File:Lutris FFXI Install 2.png|200px|thumb|right|Installation strategy: Choose wisely!]]
 
* Await the magic to finish its work.
 
Congratulations! You're now the proud owner of a Linux-powered FFXI gaming setup!

[[File:Lutris Installation Log.png|200px|thumb|right|Installation Log: The chronicle of your victory!]]
|}

=Install Compatible Proton QT/Wine Version=
If you need to upgrade or downgrade your magical tools like Proton or Wine, don't fret. Follow these steps:

{| role="presentation" class="toccolors mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="width:94%"
| colspan="2" style="text-align: left; background-color: #ccf;" | Install Compatible Proton QT/Wine Version
|-
|
* Install '''ProtonUp-QT''' from the Discovery Store.
* Launch '''ProtonUp-QT'''.
 
[[File:ProtonUp-QT.png|200px|thumb|right|ProtonUp-QT: Your trusty tool for upgrading magical essentials.]]
 
* Select Lutris from the drop-down list.
* '''Add version'''.
 
[[File:ProtonUp-QT Add Version.png|200px|thumb|right|Select version.]]

* Choose '''GE-Proton8-26''' and let the magic do its thing.
* Restart Lutris.
* In Lutris, right-click '''Final Fantasy XI Online''', select '''Configure''', and upgrade your '''Wine version''' to '''GE-Proton8-26''' under the '''Runner''' tab.
 
|}

=Install Windower=
If you wish to use Windower, follow these steps:
 

{| role="presentation" class="toccolors mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="width:94%"
| colspan="2" style="text-align: left; background-color: #ccf;" | Install Windower
|-
|

Note: Using other fonts than ''Arial'' might not be displayed properly or at all

* Install Windower through Lutris:

* Click the '''[+]''' icon and select '''Search Lutris website for installers''' again.
* Search for '''Final Fantasy XI Online''' and select '''Windower 4 Live'''.

* After the installation is complete, you'll find two '''Final Fantasy XI Online''' entries in Lutris. Rename the Windower one for clarity (Should be the second one).

[[File:Lutris Install FFXI Windower.png|200px|thumb|right|The Windower installation: Bridging the realms!]]

[[File:Lutris Install FFXI Windower 2.png|200px|thumb|right|Windower installation, part 2: Mastering the art.]]

|}

=Remove FPS Counter=
To remove the DXVK FPS counter:

{| role="presentation" class="toccolors mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="width:94%"
| colspan="2" style="text-align: left; background-color: #ccf;" | Remove FPS Counter
|-
|
* In Lutris, right-click your '''Windower 4''' entry. Choose '''Configure'''.

* Navigate to '''System options''' tab and under the '''Environment variables''' under '''Game execution'''.

* Highlight '''DXVK_HUD''' key and click '''Delete'''.

* Click '''Save'''.
 
|}

=Limit FPS=
On a Windows PC you can control the max FPS in nVidia control panel, on Linux we don't have access to this application, but we can tell Lutris and DXVK to control it for us.

{| role="presentation" class="toccolors mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="width:94%"
| colspan="2" style="text-align: left; background-color: #ccf;" | Limit max FPS
|-
|
* In Lutris, right-click your '''Windower 4''' entry. Choose '''Configure'''.

* Navigate to '''System options''' tab and under the '''Environment variables''' under '''Game execution'''.

* Create a entry '''DXVK_FRAME_RATE''' with the ''key value'': 60 (or whatever max FPS you wish to add, 60-61 seems to be the sweetspot to avoid weird visual behavior when moving).

* Click '''Save'''.
 
<div style="border: 1px dashed #FF8C52; border-radius: 5px; background: #FFEEE5; padding: 5px; margin: 5px 5px;">
'''Note:''' An alternative to this is using '''Mango HUD'''. We won't go into details for that here as its not in scope but if you're interested - Visist their '''[https://github.com/flightlessmango/MangoHud Github]''' page for more details.

</div>

|}

=Resources / Credit=
* [https://lutris.net/ Lutris Website]
* [https://docs.windower.net/linux/ Windower Install Instructions]
* [https://www.discord.gg/invite/Windower Windower Discord] (For Windower support)
* [https://www.reddit.com/r/ffxi/comments/19371z0/a_dream_come_true/ Steam Deck Image, Reddit user (SuperKing1o3)]

[[Category:Guides]]

New Player Leveling Guide

2026-06-01T16:48:08Z

Pryce: Changed the trust macro example to <wait 6> since this misled me for a long time thinking 8 was the bare minimum that would work.

{{disambiguation|Returning to Vana'diel{{!}}The guide for players looking to return to Vana'diel after a long absence}}
{{Collaborative Guide}}
{|__ToC__|}
==Level 0: Questions and Answers==

FFXI is an enormous game. Twenty years of even slow growth adds up, and there's plenty of content to see. This guide aims to tell you about things you should do, with occasional mention of things you can do. 
Fundamentally, FFXI is an old Everquest-style MMO. Do whatever you want. This guide's goal is to start with a brand new half-naked level 1 idiot with a big red question mark over your head and end with a fully-fledged level 99 idiot who has lost their question mark. Like an awful mobile game ad, but with more crystals.

===Acquiring and Installing the Game===
While FFXI does have [https://na.store.square-enix-games.com/final-fantasy_-xi_-free-trial---digital a free trial], it's [https://support.eu.square-enix.com/faqarticle.php?id=455&la=2&kid=60224&ret=faqtop&c=4&sc=0 far more limited] than many other games' free trials. (A recently announced update to the free trial will remove the 14 day time limit and expand the level cap to 75, though there is no set date for this as of yet.)

Free trial limitations include: 
*Level cap of 50
**Gil held cap of 100,000
*Only base game areas accessible (not even the Rise of the Zilart expansion, which was present during the NA launch of the game)
*No trading items with other players, sending or receiving items in the mail, buying from the [[Auction House]], or buying from players' Bazaars
*Very limited chatting with other players (only short-range say chat, linkshell chat, and replies to direct /tell messages sent by non-trial players)
*Can't start a party of players (but can join them when invited by a non-trial player)

[https://store.na.square-enix-games.com/en_US/product/280817/final-fantasy-xi-ultimate-collection-seekers-edition-pcdownload The full game] goes on sale on SE's official store for $9.99 USD at least twice a year.
*That link is to the non-Steam version, because there's no real benefit to Steam integration and you can get additional issues from adding another launcher and set of servers to the mix. FFXI runs on ancient, decrepit PlayOnline and that's bad enough.

Once you've purchased the game, head over to the [[Install Guide]] to get it up and running.

===Some Frequently Asked Questions===
'''Q''': Which server should I play on? 
'''A''': It's important to point out that there are no regional servers for Final Fantasy XI. All servers are based in Japan. As such, there is a mix of NA, JP, EU, OCE, etc. players across all servers. The community has developed a tool based on Auction House history to '''estimate''' the number of active '''characters''' (not distinct humans) on each server, located [https://www.ffxiah.com/database here ]. A recent large influx of new players into the community and backend issues caused SE to close new account creation on the three most populated servers: '''Asura, Bahamut, and Odin''' as of March 10, 2026, with no ETA on reopening. These three servers comprise the bulk of the game's player base, with all those below them being substantially less populated. '''Phoenix''' and '''Fenrir''' will now be the most active open servers for those looking for player interaction. Others such as '''Bismarck''' or '''Shiva''' are serviceable if not quiet.

'''Q''': What's a [[Gold World Pass]]? 
'''A''': [[Gold World Pass]]es are invites created by existing players that rewards both players for remaining subscribed for certain lengths of time. Rewards include unique [[Furnishings]] for your [[Mog House]] or cosmetic [[Lockstyle]] items. Players may create characters on any server they choose, with the exception of locked servers, regardless of whether they have an invite or not.
* Prior to the recent update to [[Tutorial Quest]]s, Gold World Passes were highly popular for their initial rewards for the invited player. However, new players may quickly obtain valuable items such as [[Echad Ring]] and [[Warp Ring]] from these quests without the need to wait for a Pass.
* Gold World Passes are not available for closed servers (Asura, Bahamut, and Odin).

'''Q''': What job should I start with? 
'''A''': The one that calls to you the most! Every job, including the ones you unlock later, begins at level 1, and you can switch jobs as often as you want without penalty in town. Scroll down a little bit to find more info about how each of the six starting jobs plays. Jobs such as [[Thief]], [[Warrior]], and [[Monk]] will be much more simple starting out, while jobs such as [[Red Mage]], [[Black Mage]], and [[White Mage]] will require you to purchase [[Scrolls]] to learn spells. No matter what you choose, your NPC party of [[Trusts]] will fill the gaps in your team.

'''Q''': I've heard this game can be brutally difficult, to the point that a guy played FFXI for 18 hours straight and then puked and passed out and ''still'' didn't beat [[Pandemonium Warden]]. How much of this game can I get done if I'm a normal human being? 
'''A''': All of it. If you've got an hour a day to spend, you can accomplish almost anything in the game eventually. The infamous grind (which ''did'' exist) has been toned down, and the inflation in player power levels combined with marginally more considerate game design means that you can chip away at anything you truly want to do. Are there still grinds? Absolutely, but they're not mandatory.

'''Q''': I'm only interested in the story, how much of it can I solo with Trusts? 
'''A''': All of it is soloable with Trusts. Some fights much later on might give some players trouble depending on their gear or job, but with a few exceptions you can outlevel and outgear almost all the story content in the game. Don't hesitate to ask for help with those few exceptions!

'''Q''': How do I start the story? In what order should I complete them? I'm told [[Rhapsodies of Vana'diel]] spoils parts of other stories, how can I avoid that? 
'''A''': Story content in FFXI is broken down into independent [[Mission]] lines which can (mostly) be completed non-linearly at will. For example, you could complete [[Bastok]] Missions up to Rank 7, get stuck and head off to do some [[Treasures of Aht Urhgan]], then begin [[Wings of the Goddess]] to unlock a job, and return to Bastok later. Check out the [[Missions]] page for detailed guides on how to start various storylines. Many players like to tackle the stories in release order, while others prioritize Rhapsodies of Vana'diel for the huge bonuses it provides. This guide will do the latter, but how you want to play is up to you. Rhapsodies Missions require specific progress in other Mission lines in order to advance, and they do adapt slightly to where you have been and what you have done to avoid spoilers. That said, you can meet some characters a bit earlier than you normally would, making things perhaps feel disjointed. If you're still interested in the bonuses but want things to make the most sense, check out [https://www.reddit.com/r/ffxi/comments/upfga9/chart_on_how_to_go_through_rhapsodies_of_vanadiel/ this guidance chart].

'''Q''': Should I be using [http://www.windower.net/ Windower] or [https://ashitaxi.com/ Ashita]? Aren't third party tools against the Terms of Service? Will I get banned for using them? What plugins or addons should I use? 
'''A''': Windower or Ashita comes down to personal preference, though Windower is much more commonly used. Other players prefer to play completely vanilla! It's all up to you. Though technically against Terms of Service, you are ''extremely'' unlikely to be punished for using either application. Bans for third party tools primarily are used on those who use blatant cheat tools, almost nobody is being banned for running Windower just to get a minimap. Some recommended plugins/addons include: 
*The '''FFXIDB''' plugin provides a highly useful minimap that can be used even in areas which you don't own the map for.
*The '''Findall''' addon is substantially better than vanilla item search.
*The '''MountMuzzle''' addon will silence the "riding on a mount" music, which is one track that never varies by zone, to let you hear FFXI's (excellent) regular zone background music instead.
*The '''Treasury''' addon will automatically sort your inventory and discard anything on a user-configurable trashlist. It's vanilla autosort taken to the next level. You'll want it.
*For those on keyboard, the '''DelayMeNot''' plugin makes it far easier to use in-game macros.
If you are keen on customizing your UI:
*The '''Balloon''' addon will be enjoyed by players who want the NPC dialogues to appear in speech bubbles. It may greatly enhance your immersion in the narrative, compared to reading dialogues from a log window.
*The '''Nameplate''' addon allows customization of character nameplate and damage number. You can change the font and font size to your liking so that you may see things more clearly (and who doesn't like big damage numbers, right?).
*The '''XIVHotbar''' (for keyboard users) and '''XIVCrossbar''' (for controller users) addons essentially transform the play style to be more like an FFXIV one, where you no longer need to navigate through the ability menu or macro book to use your abilities. Note that this does require quite a lot of initial setup.
Beyond those, there are plenty more tools available in the Windower launcher. Take a poke around if you find yourself wanting to resolve a specific pain point.

===Starting Jobs===
Here's a brief overview of each of the six starting jobs. As mentioned in the Q&A, each is totally viable, and you can swap between any job at any time, so you can level as many as you like. 

{| style="text-align: center; margin: auto; width: 100%; max-width: 1000px;"
| style="background: #A6DBFF; text-align: center; width: 10%;"|
'''Job'''
| style="background: #A6DBFF; text-align: center; width: 90%;"|
'''Description'''
|- style="background: #e5e5e5;"
| '''[[Warrior]]''' [[File:Pummeler's Mask icon.png|link=Warrior]]
| WAR is a good all-rounder melee job, can hit hard and is fairly survivable. Can buff its attack by sacrificing defense, temporarily buff the group with [[Warcry]] and [[Blood Rage]], and natively gets [[Double Attack]], giving it a chance to attack twice per auto-attack swing. It's proficient with almost any weapon, but specializes in [[Great Axe|Two-Handed Great Axes]] and [[Sword]].
|- style="background: #F3F3F3;"
| '''[[Monk]]''' [[File:Anchorite's Crown icon.png|link=Monk]]
| MNK is primarily offensively-oriented and more selfish compared Warrior, using [[Hand-to-Hand]] weapons and abilities like [[Impetus]] to dramatically increase damage and critical hit rate. It also gets some weird utility stuff like the ability to [[Chakra|heal itself]] or [[Chi Blast|attack at range]], and eventually gets [[Kick Attacks]]!
|- style="background: #e5e5e5;"
| '''[[White Mage]]''' [[File:Theophany Cap icon.png|link=White Mage]]
| WHM is the stereotypical healer, with tons of supportive and healing spells. While it does have some offensive spells with [[Dia]], [[Banish]], and [[Holy]], overall it doesn't deal much damage, and may not be a great choice for a first job because of this. Mainly uses [[Club|One-Handed Clubs]] or [[Staff|Two-Handed Staves]].
|- style="background: #F3F3F3;"
| '''[[Black Mage]]''' [[File:Spae. Petasos icon.png|link=Black Mage]]
| BLM is the stereotypical nuker, with tons of high-damage spells. Generally doesn't bring much else to the table beyond high-powered nukes, but hey, blowing stuff up is fun! Like WHM, it uses [[Club|One-Handed Clubs]] early and transitions to [[Staff|Two-Handed Staves]] later.
|- style="background: #e5e5e5;"
| '''[[Red Mage]]''' [[File:Atrophy Chapeau icon.png|link=Red Mage]]
| RDM is the jack of all trades job: it has decent melee capabilities and access to a range of both white and black magic. It has a lot of buffs and status effects, and can enchant its weapons to deal extra elemental damage with [[Enspell|En-Spells]]. Can handle most any situation, but affording all those spells can be pricey. Mainly uses [[Sword|One-Handed Swords]] or [[Club|Clubs]].
|- style="background: #F3F3F3;"
| '''[[Thief]]''' [[File:Pillager's Bonnet icon.png|link=Thief]]
| THF deals less damage over time than WAR or MNK, but specializes in burst damage with its positional-based Sneak Attack and Trick Attack, which each give a huge buff to damage when you position properly. Thief also has [[Treasure Hunter]], which passively increases item drops from monsters - making it great for playing solo. Thieves mostly use [[Daggers]] or [[Sword|One-Handed Swords]], and at later levels can [[Dual Wield]] them.
|}

===Races and Nations===
Pick any race you want for your character. It's been almost solely aesthetic [http://forum.square-enix.com/ffxi/threads/41117-Apr-8-2014-%28JST%29-Version-Update?p=501575&viewfull=1#post501575 since 2014], when SE reduced the (originally enormous) stat differences between races. With modern equipment, the tiny race stat differences aren't even noticeable.
*Should you regret your race choice, a [http://www.playonline.com/ff11us/envi/racechange/ race change] option was recently implemented for a fee.
*Alternatively, Windower addons like DressUp allow you to change your race at will, though this will only be visible on your end. Everyone else will see you as the race you initially chose.
Your starting nation doesn't lock you out of any content (you can [[Allegiance_Changer_NPC|change your nation allegiance]] later for a pittance of gil). However, it will be your home base for your first 20 levels and determines which storyline you start with - each nation has a different set of missions for the original game's main story which all converge for the "final" boss fight.
{| style="text-align: center; margin: auto; width: 100%; max-width: 1000px;"
| style="background: #A6DBFF; text-align: center; width: 10%;"|
'''Nation'''
| style="background: #A6DBFF; text-align: center; width: 90%;"|
'''Description'''
|- style="background: #e5e5e5;"
| '''[[Bastok]]''' [[File:Bastok-Flag.jpg|45px|link=Bastok Missions]]
| Vaguely Industrial Revolution, complete with [[Metalworks|smokestacks and soot]] and an underclass of manual laborer [[Galka]] whose culture is being systematically exterminated, right down to the [[Hume]]s giving them [http://www.playonline.com/ff11eu/guide/development/vt/19/index.html new names that they can pronounce]. Also, [[Cid]] lives here!
|- style="background: #F3F3F3;"
| '''[[San d'Oria]]''' [[File:San d'Oria Flag.jpg|45px|link=San d'Oria Missions]]
| A city built by snooty, vaguely Catholic [[Elvaan]] with [[Alphollon_C_Meriard|long names]]. If you've played FF14, they're basically a proto-Ishgard, though surrounded by forest rather than snow. Has a [[Prince_Trion|dumb yet honorable]] prince who is totally not going to end up married to his [[Curilla|loyal knight who hides her scarred face]].
|- style="background: #e5e5e5;"
| '''[[Windurst]]''' [[File:Windurst-Flag.jpg|45px|link=Windurst Missions]]
| [[Mithra]] and [[Tarutaru]] living mostly in harmony in and around [[Heavens Tower|a giant tree]]. Led by [[Star_Sibyl|a line of prophetesses]] that taught them how to [[Fenrir|summon magical superweapons]] to fight [[Tzee Xicu the Manifest|a living bird-woman god]]. Features FFXI's Dissidia rep, the bloodthirsty rhyming archmage [[Shantotto]].
|}

===Having Fun===
If at any point you want to just go ''do'' stuff, go do it! Sure, it's easier to wait to get a [[mount]], or cheap ways to cast [[Silent_Oil|Sneak]] and [[Prism_Powder|Invisible]] on yourself, or be higher level - the best three ways to avoid aggressive monsters - but there's something to be said for white-knuckled exploration. Walking somewhere like it's 2004 is always technically ''possible'', even if teleportation is almost always ''faster''. This guide will give both options for travel to most places early on, and only mention teleports later. Once you're that far in, if you want to walk, you'll have the toolkit to plan it out and make it happen.

==Levels 1-5: Getting Started==
{|style="background:#FFFBF3; border:2px solid #E2B553; line-height:10x; padding:2px; max-width: 100%; margin: auto; vertical-align: top;"
| '''Goals''':
|-
| style="vertical-align: top;"|
*'''Survive'''
:*FFXI has absolutely garbage tutorials.
| style="vertical-align: top;"|
*'''Configure Settings'''
:*Under "Config" in the main menu.
| style="vertical-align: top;"|
*'''[[Home Point]]s and [[Survival Guide]]s'''
:*Touch any that you see to unlock them for teleportation.
| style="vertical-align: top;"|
*'''[[Records of Eminence]]'''
:*Start completing [[RoE]] objectives.
| style="vertical-align: top;"|
*'''Level Up'''
:*Reach level 5.
|}

===First Steps Forward===
After the opening cutscene, you will find yourself in a random spot somewhere in your chosen city. 
Move with WASD / the left Analog stick. Hit R on the keyboard or L1 on controller when running to turn on autorun and continue running in the same direction. 
(I'll be using Playstation's default button mappings throughout when describing controllers. ABXY isn't consistent between Microsoft/Nintendo controllers, so it's the easiest way.) 

The default button to open the main menu is '''"-"''' (the '''minus''' key. Either the one next to 0 or the top-right one on the numpad works) or the Square button. There's a second page in the main menu if you use the left/right arrow keys to change pages.

This menu lets you do all kinds of stuff, including:
*trade with NPCs and other players
*show a map (typing "/map'" in the chat box and hitting enter also works)
*open your inventory (Ctrl-I also works)
*view and change your equipment (Ctrl-E also works)
*mess with your settings (the option for this is "Config")
*see random information that you need once every ten hours (like "Profile" and "Conquest")

The "Config" settings are mostly self-explanatory, aside from the two-chat-window text splits and the subsequent [https://forum.square-enix.com/ffxi/threads/60429-February-10-2023-%28JST%29-Version-Update chat filters added in 2023], which often require trial and error to get just right. 
Some early recommendations for configuration settings: 
'''Automatically stacking items in your inventory as you acquire them'''
*Config → Gameplay
**Autosort ON

'''Splitting the chat log into two windows and turning off its awful, slow, animation effect'''
*Windows → Shared
**Effect OFF
**Multiwindow Horizontal or Vertical as preferred
**Window 1/2 Adjust Width to fit your screen

'''Segregating messages by window'''
*Log → Window 1/2
**Select ON to display in the associated window, and OFF to filter from it

'''Font color adjustment'''
*Font colors

===Fast Travel - Home Points and Survival Guides===
Once you're good with movement and you've messed with settings to your heart's content, open your map ("/map" in chat, or "Map" in the - menu) and find the nearest blinking blue crystal, which is a '''[[Home Point]]''': 
[[File:Homepoint.jpg|x300px|link=Home_Point]]

These blue beauties allow you to set your character's home point (where you return to when you die or use [[Warp]]) and also let you teleport to any other HP that you've previously touched.
*This currently costs you 1,000 gil, so there's no shame in going places on foot instead.
*'''Teleporting to another HP in the same city is free''', so teleport around your home city at will.
*Now that you've used that Home Point, it won't blink on the map anymore. That's how you can tell whether you've already touched one!

[[Home_Point|The Home Point page on this wiki]] has a list of every home point, and you should keep it (or this guide) open whenever you go to a new area for a while. Always make it your first priority to hit a Home Point when you arrive somewhere new, because you don't want to leave and have to make that trip all over again.

Similarly, and equally visible on the map, there are floating books called '''[[Survival Guide]]s''': 
[[File:SurvivalGuide.jpg|x300px|link=Survival_Guide]]

These have the same ability to teleport you to each other, so you want to interact with them the instant you find them. 
They usually come paired with another book, like a [[Grounds Tome]] or [[Hunt Registry]], so be sure you’ve actually touched the [[Survival Guide]].

===Destrier Beret and Chocobo Shirt===
[[File:Festive Moogle.jpg|x300px|link=Festive_Moogle]]

So you redeemed all your codes, including a promise of the {{tooltip|text=[[Destrier Beret]]|tooltip=[[File:Destrier Beret description.png]]}} and {{tooltip|text=[[Chocobo Shirt]]|tooltip=[[File:Chocobo Shirt description.png]]}} when purchasing the Ultimate Collection Seekers Edition. These two items are huge benefits for your character whenever you're on a job that's below level 31. Your items won't be directly added to your inventory or anything like that. Instead, you'll have to make your way over to a [[Festive Moogle]] in your starting town to collect your treasure. You should always be wearing these below level 31! There's nothing better in those slots.

===Records of Eminence - The First Step Forward===
Once you've gotten comfortable with running around, maybe talked to some NPCs, possibly traded (use the - menu and select "Trade" once you have targeted them) the appropriate NPC your {{tooltip|text=[[Adventurer Coupon]]|tooltip=[[File:Adventurer Cpn. description.png]]}} for a measly 50 gil, it's time to start playing in earnest.

Open your menu, go to the second page, select "Quests", and go to the full list of "[[Records of Eminence]]". These are small quests with surprisingly big rewards added relatively late in FFXI's life. Since they were added so late, they're hidden away here, but they're a big deal. You will have done a lot of them by the time you're level 99.

To start, open "Objective List → Tutorial → Basics", then select '''"First Step Forward"''' to activate it. These NPCs will be marked on the map, and you will receive a chat notification stating it would behoove you to speak to the NPC when you first zone into the area they reside in. Complete the objective by talking to [[Records_of_Eminence#Locations|the Records of Eminence NPC in your starting city]].
*You'll be heading back to this friend for new gear while leveling and once weekly to get lots of gil, so keep them in the back of your mind.

Note that most RoEs don't track progress '''unless they are activated'''. This means you should be sure to activate whatever you want to complete before you complete it!
*One exception: there are [[Records_of_Eminence#Limited-time_Challenges|limited-time objectives that change once every 4 real-life hours]]; like "Vanquish Vermin" or "Open Treasure Caskets". These automatically activate themselves and don't count towards your limit of 30 active objectives. These objectives are, for the most part, not worth your time to pursue. The only special case is '''"Gain Experience Points"''', which is a fantastic way to earn extra experience and farm Sparks at the same time. (It rewards an additional 1,500 experience and 300 sparks every time you earn 5,000 experience.)
*Second exception: Milestone-related objectives, such as reaching a specific level on a job or completing a certain Mission, will complete themselves as soon as you undertake them should you already have met the requirements.

Once you have completed your first objective, you will have unlocked access to a plethora of new ones. Re-open the Objective List and check it out. Get used to this system, because it is going to be a primary source of income throughout your adventure to 99, as well as a fantastic source of passive Experience Points. The sheer number of objectives can be overwhelming, and you can have 30 active at one time. Here are some recommended objectives to flag before you continue on outside: 
*Tutorial → Basics
**Heal Without Using Magic
**Vanquish One Enemy
**Call Forth an Alter Ego (You can't do this until you're level 5. See below.)
**Undertake a FoV Training Regime
**Assist Channel
*Combat (Wide Area) → General
**Vanquish Multiple Enemies I
**Deal 10-20 damage
**Total Damage I
**Total Damage Taken I
**Weapon Skills I
*Combat (Wide Area) → Spoils I
**Spoils (Fire Crystal)
**Spoils (Water Crystal)
**Spoils (Ice Crystal)
**Spoils (Earth Crystal)
**Spoils (Lightning Crystal)
**Spoils (Wind Crystal)
**Spoils (Light Crystal)
**Spoils (Dark Crystal)
*Combat (Wide Area) → Spoils II
**This will depend on which starting city you chose. If you picked [[San d'Oria]], select objectives such as:
***Spoils (Flint Stone)
***Spoils (Rabbit Hide)
***Spoils (Bat Wing)
**If you picked [[Bastok]], select objectives such as:
***Spoils (Honey)
***Spoils (Sheepskin)
***Spoils (Lizard Tail)
**If you picked [[Windurst]], select objectives such as:
***Spoils (Rabbit Hide)
***Spoils (Honey)
***Spoils (Flint Stone)

As you complete objectives, you may unlock access to new ones or higher tiers of previously completed objectives. Always keep an eye out for new objectives to flag.

===Going Outside===
Finally, it's time to leave town! As you attempt to walk out the gate, a [[Tutorial_NPC|Tutorial NPC]] will stop you and give you a quest line that eventually provides some excellent rewards, including a {{ItemIcon|Warp_Ring|22}} {{tooltip|text=[[Warp Ring]]|tooltip=[[File:Warp Ring description.png]]}} and an {{ItemIcon|Echad_Ring|22}} {{tooltip|text=[[Echad Ring]]|tooltip=[[File:Echad Ring description.png]]}}.

The first quest in this series is to obtain [[Signet]]. Near each town exit you should see a [[Conquest Overseer]] NPC, identified by having "W.W", "T.K", or "I.M" in their name. Speak to them and ask to receive the [[Signet]] effect (be sure to set the weekly "Signet, brb" RoE under "Vana'versary 15 I" first). You should always be sure you have this buff active when leveling in [[Conquest]] areas. 

[[Signet]] gives you a currency called [[Conquest Points]] when you kill monsters. It's not super important anymore, because the best Conquest Points item is the Warp Ring, which you're about to get for free.

To use the {{tooltip|text=[[Warp Ring]]|tooltip=[[File:Warp Ring description.png]]}}, equip it, wait for its 8-second cooldown to tick down to zero, then either go into your Inventory, select it, and select "Use" or just type '''/item "Warp Ring" <me>''' in chat and hit Enter. 
(This guide will get that down to a single button soon. Ctrl-F for "macros" if you can't wait.) 

The third quest gives you a {{KI}} [[Conquest promotion voucher]], which you should exchange for an {{ItemIcon|Empress_Band|22}} {{tooltip|text=[[Empress Band]]|tooltip=[[File:Empress Band description.png]]}}, which you can use to increase your EXP gain.
*The {{tooltip|text=[[Empress Band]]|tooltip=[[File:Empress Band description.png]]}} only has seven charges, but it can be recharged once per week for 100 CP per charge by trading it back to the [[Signet]] NPC.
**This is cheaper than throwing it out and buying a new one! (Also "recharging" and "buying a new one" share the same weeklong cooldown, so you can't get clever.)
**"Once per week" means "once per IRL week", which in FFXI rolls over at Japan time midnight on Sunday. (8:00 a.m. (PDT) / 3:00 p.m. (GMT) / 4:00 p.m. (BST)) Whenever someone says "week", what they mean is "Sunday JP 12:01 AM to Saturday JP 11:59 PM". (This is the same time that [[Conquest]] status is calculated, [[Sparks]] spending limits are reset, and so on.)
*The other two options for this voucher are a {{tooltip|text=[[Chariot Band]]|tooltip=[[File:Chariot Band description.png]]}} and an {{tooltip|text=[[Emperor Band]]|tooltip=[[File:Emperor Band description.png]]}}, each of which give less total experience.

Now, go outside of town for real and get ready to rumble! If you haven't already, make sure you equip your weapon and use the free scroll that you were given if you chose a mage job.

FFXI is an old game. Combat is slow at the best of times, and level 1 is nowhere near the best of times. You just auto-attack until you get your combat skill level high enough to learn a [[weaponskill]]. And then you auto-attack enough to fill your [[TP]] bar to 1000 to spend it all on a single use of that weaponskill... and then repeat.

If you picked a job with [[spells]], combat is different... but only because you can also cast your single starting spell, until you run out of [[MP]] and have to sit down for half a minute to regenerate it.
*You won't actually need to sit for MP in this section, because leveling up restores you to full HP and MP.

===Introduction to Combat===
Just outside the city, you'll see a book called a [[Field Manual]]. Examining it, then picking "Read about individual training", then selecting "Page 1" (or any later page) will activate [[Fields of Valor]] objectives. Killing the listed targets gives you bonus experience and a currency called [[Tabs]] that you can spend on buffs to help you level faster, like HP regen and defense boosts.

Now that you have entered your first field zone, you have unlocked access to a Records of Eminence objective to defeat enemies in it. Head to Quests → Combat (Region) → Original Areas 1 and undertake this new objective. As you enter new areas, be sure to flag this objective type to maximize Spark and Accolade earnings while traveling.

Selecting a monster and typing '''/check''', or hitting Enter and selecting Check from the menu that pops up, will tell you its level. "Even Match" is the same level as you, and "Tough" is only a few levels above. Higher-level "Very/Incredibly Tough" enemies will be difficult for now. (Later, you'll deliberately aim for higher level targets to get more experience per kill.) The output of /check only tells you two things:
*the target's level and a comparison to yours
*a relative comparison of the monster's evasion and defense to your accuracy and attack.

As you hit enemies, you will gain [[Combat_Skills|combat skill]] levels, which display in your log with a message like “[[Dagger]] skill rises 0.1 points”. When you get enough, you will automatically unlock [[weaponskill]]s. A weaponskill spends 1,000 or more TP (up to a maximum of 3,000) to do damage. Some also do other things like restore MP, heal you, or inflict status ailments. Spend your TP as you get it once you have a weapon skill unlocked, since they deal more damage than autoattacks.

===Selling Stuff===
With [[Signet]] on, you also get {{ItemIcon|Water_Crystal|22}} {{tooltip|text=[[Crystals]]|tooltip=[[File:Water Crystal description.png]]}} as drops from defeating enemies.
*These are consumables used for [[crafting]], so they're always in demand. You can sell full stacks of 12 at the [[Auction House]] for some walking-around money.
*There's also a set of repeatable [[RoE]] objectives (under '''Combat → Spoils I''') for obtaining each type of Crystal, which you should probably keep active for a while.

Between the [[Auction House]] and the [[RoE]] rewards, you should be able to fund your [[Home Point]] teleportation habit until it becomes 80% cheaper pretty soon.

To sell something on the [[Auction House]] (or "AH"), interact with any of the points named "Auction House" located on the windows of the physical AH building in town. 
AHs are labeled on your map, and can be found in [[Bastok Markets]]/[[Bastok Mines]], [[Southern San d'Oria]]/[[Port San d'Oria]], and [[Windurst Woods]]/[[Windurst Walls]]. 
Once you open the little menu, go to "Sell" and select your (single or full stack of 12, nothing in between) item to set a price - you’ll see the history of the last ten sale prices for that item to give you an idea of what to set your price to. 
Once the item sells, go back to the "Sale Status" menu and select the item (which will "helpfully" have turned yellow rather than green) to remove it from your "items for sale" so that you can sell more items. (Yes, this is obtuse as hell.) 
*You only have 7 [[Auction House]] slots, so you can only sell 7 stacks of {{ItemIcon|Water_Crystal|22}} {{tooltip|text=[[Crystals]]|tooltip=[[File:Water Crystal description.png]]}} at once.
*You can free up inventory space by depositing the rest with an [[Ephemeral Moogle]]. Trade the Moogle any amount of Crystals and it will store them for you until you talk to it to get them back.
The money from sales, or any returned item that didn't sell, goes to your [[Delivery Box]], which you can access from your [[Mog House]].

===Managing Your Inventory===
Chances are you are noticing that your inventory space is tight. Fortunately, you have more space available at the start than you might think:
*Inventory, referred to in-game as a [[Gobbiebag]] or "bag"
**'''30''' initial slots, can be [[Gobbiebag Quests|expanded]] to 80 slots
*[[Mog Safe]] 1, located in (and only accessible from) your [[Mog House]] or a [[Nomad Moogle]]
**'''50''' initial slots, can be [[Give a Moogle a Break|expanded]] to 80 slots
*[[Mog Satchel]], given for free to players who have enabled two-factor authentication via the Square-Enix security token, accessible anywhere in the world from the menu option named "View House" or by typing ''/satchel''
**'''30''' initial slots, expands with your inventory
*[[Mog Case]], immediately available upon character creation, accessible anywhere in the world from the menu option named "View House" or by typing ''/case''
**'''80''' slots, cannot be expanded
*[[Mog Wardrobe]] 1 & 2, immediately available upon character creation, the caveat is only weapons, armor, and ammunition can be stored here; accessible anywhere in the world from the menu option named "View House" or by typing ''/wardrobe'', ''/wardrobe2'', etc.
**'''80 slots each''', you may purchase more Wardrobes (up to 8 total) for an additional $2 per month 
This makes a total of 350 inventory slots you can use right away, and there are more bags you can get access to before level 30 (specifically, [[Mog Safe 2]], [[Storage]], and [[Mog Sack]].) See the [[Inventory 101]] guide for more details. It's recommended you unequip your armor and weapon and stuff them in a Wardrobe. Store items that you are unsure of their value or use in your Safe, Case, or Satchel for later use or disposal.

===Finding Other Players===
[[File:Linkpearl icon.png||24px]] [[Linkshell]]s are the colored pearl icons you see next to other players' names. A linkshell, or LS, is FFXI's equivalent to a guild or free company, but is essentially only a dedicated chat channel. Finding a linkshell is typically how you should go about meeting other players in game. You can equip up to '''two''' [[linkpearl]] items at once for two chat channels.

To find a linkshell to join, you can check the [[Linkshell Concierge]] in your home nation. It will have a list of recruiting linkshells, along with their languages. '''E''' means it is primarily an English linkshell. The three NPCs don't share available linkshells, so check all three when you visit the other two nations in the future.

The NPC will give you a {{tooltip|text=[[Linkpearl]]|tooltip=[[File:Linkpearl description.png]]}} item. (Yes, it really is an item in your inventory!) To equip a Linkpearl, go to Menu → Linkshell. You must hold the Linkpearl in a universally available inventory bag (Inventory, Satchel, Sack, or Case) in order to equip it, but it doesn't have to be in specifically your Inventory. Once equipped, you can chat with other players with the commands <code>/l</code> or <code>/l2</code> (that's lowercase L, for linkshell), depending on which slot you equipped it to.

==Levels 5-10: Building Trust==
{|style="background:#FFFBF3; border:2px solid #E2B553; line-height:10x; padding:2px; max-width: 100%; margin: auto; vertical-align: top;"
| '''Goals''':
|-
| style="vertical-align: top;"|
*Acquire [[Trust]]s
:*Get a party of NPCs to back you up.
| style="vertical-align: top;"|
*Join a [[Unity Concord]]
:*Grind another currency, and get a good [[Trust]] too.
| style="vertical-align: top;"|
*Begin the Story
:*Do the first few missions for your home nation.
|}

===Rhapsodies of Vana'diel===
When you enter a main city zone for the first time after reaching level 5, you will be prompted to begin [[Rhapsodies of Vana'diel]], a Mission line that ties together all the other story Missions and provides incredibly valuable permanent character boosts. Many players choose to progress this Mission line as quickly as possible to gain all the quality of life benefits from it, such as reduced teleportation fees between Home Points, permanent percentage-based Experience Points bonuses, more Trust party slots, and much more. Other players prefer to postpone progression in this Mission line, as it does tie together stories that you may not be familiar with yet, and introduces some characters earlier than you may normally meet them. The decision is yours on which path to follow. Note that if you defer the Mission line, the game will direct you to the Tales' Beginnings floating book should you wish to resume the Mission at any time, and it will be marked on your map.

===Trust Magic===
Now that you're level 5, you can activate and complete the incredibly important [[RoE]] objective '''Basics → "Call Forth An Alter Ego"''' to unlock the “[[Trust]]” system. 
Trusts are SE's answer to a declining number of lower level players. Since FFXI was designed to be multiplayer, a lot of content assumes that you have a varied group of other players. As the playerbase became more top-heavy, less players were interested in participating in lower level content, so [[Trust]]s - summonable party member copies of various NPCs throughout the game - were invented to pick up the slack. 
For now, you're limited to three active at once, but you will eventually get two [[Rhapsody key items]] from [[Rhapsodies of Vana'diel]] missions that give an additional Trust slot each for a full party of six.

To unlock trusts, talk to [[Trust#Acquiring_Trust_Magic|the appropriate NPC in your city]] to start a quick quest called '''"Trust: [city name]"'''. 
Completing that quest involves learning, and casting, your first Trust spell. 
These can only be cast outside of town, and are located under '''Magic → Trusts''' in the "-" menu (or Ctrl-M → Trusts, or target anything - including yourself - hit Enter, and select Magic → Trusts.)

Once you cast your first Trust, you will complete that RoE objective and unlock the next objective in the category, '''Alter Ego: Valaineral'''. 
You also receive a {{ItemIcon|Cipher-_Valaineral|22}} [[Cipher: Valaineral]], which you can trade to your city's Trust NPC to obtain the spell that summons [[Valaineral]]. In order to trade the Cipher, select the NPC, open your main menu, and select Trade. You may then place the Cipher in the Trade Window and complete the trade. 
Go outside and summon [[Valaineral]] to complete that objective, unlocking another objective to summon another Trust, and continue until you have the [[Joachim]] Trust and no Alter Ego objectives left. 
(This Trust NPC does nothing but unlock Trusts with the Cipher items. Since there are a lot of Trusts, you should be prepared to come back here once in a while.)

Now that you've obtained a Trust, talk to the [[Tutorial NPC]] again to continue their quest line and get your free {{ItemIcon|Warp_Ring|22}} {{tooltip|text=[[Warp Ring]]|tooltip=[[File:Warp Ring description.png]]}}.

===Joining a Unity===
[[Unity Concord]] expands the RoE system, and is unlockable once you have completed '''10 RoE''' objectives of any kind. It grants additional objectives and a new currency you can earn with many RoE objectives called [[Accolades]]. Activate the RoE objective Tutorial → Basics → '''"All For One"''' and talk to one of the Unity NPCs (found near the RoE NPCs) to join a Unity:
*[[Urbiolaine]] in [[Southern San d'Oria]] (G-10)
*[[Igsli]] in [[Bastok Markets]] (E-11)
*[[Teldro-Kesdrodo]] in [[Windurst Woods]] (J-10)
*[[Yonolala]] in [[Windurst Woods]] (J-10)

By aligning with a selected Unity, you can earn the ability to summon that Unity's leader as a Trust. It's generally agreed upon that the best options to choose from are either [[BGWiki:Trusts#Yoran-Oran_(UC){{!}}Yoran-Oran (UC)]] or [[Apururu (UC)]]. They are both excellent healers and can be used all the way up to, and at, item level.
*Once you have obtained competitive healer trusts - typically [[Monberaux]] or [[Cipher: Ygnas|Ygnas]], both of whom take RL months to get - consider switching to [[BGWiki:Trusts#Sylvie_(UC){{!}}Sylvie (UC)]], the only [[Geomancer]] trust.
*You are able to switch Unities once a week. No regrets!

You won't be able to summon your Unity trust immediately, however: you must earn 5,000 [[Accolades]] within one Conquest Tally (one week.) 
Once you do, they will automatically and silently appear in your trust list. They will vanish again if you don't gain 5,000 Accolades for two weeks in a row, but reappear again when you meet the requirements again.

Being part of a Unity also unlocks access to a [[Records_of_Eminence#Unity|daily rotation of Records of Eminence objectives]]. Some of them are as simple as vanquishing a certain number of enemies while your Unity Leader Trust is summoned, and are easy sources of more Sparks, Accolades, and Experience Points.

Finally, the Unity system allows transportation to areas which are home to Unity Wanted battles. The fights themselves are level 75-140 content, but the Warp system is available as soon as you join a Unity. This will allow you to instantly to travel to areas you haven't been to yet, which is incredibly useful to streamline traveling and will be mentioned frequently later in this guide.
*Note that you can't Unity Warp to places with entry requirements, like [[Aht Urhgan]] or [[Tavnazia]], until you've unlocked direct access to such areas. If you haven't walked somewhere you ''could'' have walked, you can warp there. If you ''can't'' get there, you can't warp there yet.

===More Trusts (or not)===
Next, check this month's [[Repeat Login Campaign]] to see if there are any Trusts available. If you can afford them, they should be your first priority to purchase. 
Trusts particularly worth noting from the campaigns are:
*[[Cipher: Shantotto II|Shantotto II]] (the best damage-dealing trust in the game, and it's not close)
*[[Cipher: Qultada|Qultada]] (an excellent support - the only [[Corsair]] trust who actually uses the Corsair's signature ability, [[Phantom Roll]]) (sorry, Luzaf)
**Qultada will use the experience-bonus-granting [[Corsair's Roll]] whenever you have the buff from the [[Empress Band]], [[Echad Ring]], or other experience-granting items.
*[[Cipher: Amchuchu|Amchuchu]] (a good tank)
*[[Cipher: Zeid II|Zeid II]] (fairly good at dealing damage, and also casts [[Stun]] on enemies)
*[[Cipher: King|King of Hearts]] (a Red Mage who focuses on buffing the player and removing status ailments from the party, along with an AoE WS.)
*[[Cipher: Koru-Moru|Koru-Moru]] (also a Red Mage, but buffs all party members)
*[[Cipher: Kupofried|Kupofried]] trades a functional party slot for a +20% experience buff. (This is generally not worthwhile since it's only additive.)
You'll want to get every Trust eventually to boost Trust stats later on, but for now grab what you can.

For now, your Trust setup should be:
*[[Cipher: Valaineral|Valaineral]] for tanking and annihilating low-level enemies with [[Uriel Blade]].
*[[Cipher: Mihli|Mihli Aliapoh]] is an okay starting healer, though you may find there's not much need for her services with Valaineral around. Once you have access to them, your [[Unity]] leader will be your go-to for healing.
**Windurst players can use the superior [[Cipher: Kupipi|Kupipi]] from the Windurst Trust Initiation quest, but other players don't get her until Rank 3, likely long after their Unity trust.
*Your favorite damage dealer. (If events gave you [[Cipher:_Shantotto_II|Shantotto II]], use her. Otherwise, pick whoever.)

A few notes on Trust mechanics:
*Trusts are summoned with full HP and MP. This means that you can deliberately unsummon and resummon them to fully heal them, as long as their summon spell is not still on its three-minute cooldown.
*The chat command '''"/refa all"''' will unsummon all your Trusts. To unsummon only a specific one, target them and use '''"/refa"''' or select them, hit enter, and select "Release".
*Trusts' levels are equal to your level at the moment that you summoned them. This matters when you're low level and advancing quickly - if you level up a few times, you should probably take a quick break to unsummon and resummon your team so that they also instantly level up - but stops mattering almost immediately when your leveling pace slows down.
*'''Trusts will only act on enemies that you have engaged and performed at least one melee attack (hit or miss) against. They will disengage from an enemy when you do. You cannot order them to attack or retreat independently of your actions. Therefore, even as a job like White Mage or Black Mage, you will need to engage in melee combat against every enemy you wish your trusts to fight.'''

===Macros: A User's Guide===
Personally, I am very lazy, so now that I have Trusts, I'd streamline summoning them with '''macros'''! Hold Ctrl or Alt to see your macro bars, or L2/R2 for controllers. Now let go of that button and go edit them under "Macros" in the - menu.

Macros have their own "fun" syntax. If you're a [[Black Mage]] and you want a macro to cast [[Stone]] on the currently targeted enemy, the macro would read: 
'''/ma "Stone" <t>'''

That's:
*'''/ma''' for "use Magic"
*'''"Stone"''', the full name of what you're casting (the quotes are not necessary for single words, but will be for "Stone II" and onwards)
*'''<t>''', your current target, who you're casting it on

Other categories for the first option include:
*'''/ja''' (job abilities like [[Berserk]] or [[Steal]])
*'''/item''' (items like [[Potion]] or [[Antidote]])
*'''/ra''' (a Ranged Attack with your equipped ranged weapon)
*'''/ws''' (weapon skills like Fast Blade or Wasp Sting).

The second part in quotes can be any spell, ability, or item in the game.

Other categories for the third option include:
*<me> (you, the player)
*<pet> (a [[Beastmaster]], [[Dragoon]], [[Puppetmaster]], or [[Summoner]]'s pet)
*<st> (brings up a subtarget selection arrow to pick a target)
*<p2> (the person in the second slot in the party).

So if you want to summon Valaineral, you'd make a macro with one line: 
/ma "Valaineral" <me>

But let's say you're even lazier. You don't want to hit three macros to summon your Trusts, you only want to hit one. 
The missing piece is the <wait X> command, which pauses for X seconds before executing the next line. You can put it on the same line as an action, so your Trust macro can be all one button and look like this: 
/ma "Valaineral" <me> <wait 6> 
/ma "Yoran-Oran (UC)" <me> <wait 6> 
/ma "Tenzen"<me>

Note that your Unity leader Trust has "(UC)" for (Unity Concord) at the end of the spell's name, even though it isn't in their name on the party list or over their head on the overworld.

While you're making a macro, you might also want to make a Warp Ring macro: 
/equip ring1 "Warp Ring" <wait 9> 
/item "Warp Ring" <me>

Warp Ring has an eight second cooldown, so the <wait 9> makes sure you wait long enough before you try to use it. Ring1 is the left ring slot and ring2 is the right ring. (If you look at your character's equipment window, you'll see why - they're in that left-to-right order and labelled.)

Another useful macro is the basic one to use a weapon skill, which looks like: 
/ws "Fast Blade" <t>

This one uses <t>, for "current target", rather than <me>, because you use WSes on enemies.

'''Windower users''': to have a macro directly input a Windower command, use /console before the command. For example, "/console mh" would be the same as typing "mh" in the Windower Console, which is the command to tell MyHome to use {{tooltip|text=[[Warp Ring]]|tooltip=[[File:Warp Ring description.png]]}}. You can replace the {{tooltip|text=[[Warp Ring]]|tooltip=[[File:Warp Ring description.png]]}} macro above with that single line.

===Actually Leveling Up===
Go back outside and kill stuff with your new party! You'll marvel at the difference in kill speed with Valaineral! Also, the other Trusts are there too.

There's a small red dot labeled "[[Outpost]]" on the map of one of the two areas immediately outside your city. (Specifically, [[North Gustaberg]], [[West Ronfaure]], or [[West Sarutabaruta]]) Try going there and interacting with the [[Survival Guide]]. When you're done, you can use it to warp back to the Guide in town. Poke your nose into the next area for more levels if you want, but don't go too far, because you've got a main plot to progress.

Once you're level 10, zoning into your [[Mog House]] and talking to your Moogle will start the [[A Moogle Kupo d'Etat]] missions. Just so you're not wondering why you got that cutscene. Also, while you're in your Mog House, feel free to drop things off in your Mog Safe.

===Starting a Story===
Now it's time to start the actual storyline. Near the [[Conquest Overseer]] you receive [[Signet]] from will be another NPC known as a [[Gate Guard]]. These NPCs will be your purveyor of most story Missions. 
Specifically, accept the only one you have available, Mission 1-1, and then complete it.
*[[File:Bastok-Flag.jpg|27px|link=Bastok Missions]] [[Bastok_Mission_1-1|Bastok Mission 1-1]]
*[[File:San d'Oria Flag.jpg|27px|link=San d'Oria Missions]] [[San_d'Oria_Mission_1-1|San d'Oria Mission 1-1]]
*[[File:Windurst-Flag.jpg|27px|link=Windurst Missions]] [[Windurst_Mission_1-1|Windurst Mission 1-1]]

Then do Mission 1-2. Mission 1-3 takes you to a dungeon-esque area full of beastmen near your city. Before you go, you should buy a map of that area at your local [[Map Vendor]]!
*[[File:Bastok-Flag.jpg|27px|link=Bastok Missions]] [[Bastok_Mission_1-3|Bastok Mission 1-3]] is inside [[Palborough Mines]].
*[[File:San d'Oria Flag.jpg|27px|link=San d'Oria Missions]] [[San_d'Oria_Mission_1-3|San d'Oria Mission 1-3]] is inside [[Ghelsba Outpost]].
*[[File:Windurst-Flag.jpg|27px|link=Windurst Missions]] [[Windurst_Mission_1-3|Windurst Mission 1-3]] is inside [[Giddeus]].

Completing Mission 1-3 will raise your Rank to 2, and then you can {{ItemIcon|Water_Crystal|22}} [[Rank_Points|trade Crystals to the mission guard]] to fill your Rank bar again. If you have any extra crystals at this point, you might as well sell them - you'll need more once you're Rank 3, but you'll also have killed a bunch of stuff to level along the way, and gil is likely tighter than crystals for you right now.

===Making Money===
Speaking of, there's a far better and faster method of making gil than selling {{ItemIcon|Water_Crystal|22}} {{tooltip|text=[[Crystals]]|tooltip=[[File:Water Crystal description.png]]}} on the [[Auction House]]. As you've been completing [[RoE]] objectives, you've been acquiring [[Sparks of Eminence]] and [[Unity Accolades]]. Each of these can be used to purchase items that sell to NPCs for gil.

You can talk to the [[Sparks_Of_Eminence#Merchants|local Sparks Merchant]] to purchase equipment for Sparks (ignore the non-equipment items until you're 99, if ever - they're all very overpriced.) 
Since you're level 10 now, you can buy and equip a higher-level weapon and set of armor. Come back every five levels or so if you want to stay up to date.

When it comes to earning raw gil, an item's purchase price in Sparks is determined by its sell price in gil. Every item has the same Sparks:gil ratio of about 1:10. This means you can spend Sparks on literally any piece of gear (except the level 99 Rare/EX stuff), then sell it to a NPC for ten times as much gil as you spent in Sparks. Thanks to bots that did this 24/7/365, Sparks got capped - you can "only" exchange 100,000 total Sparks per week, resetting on Sundays, for a total of about '''one million free gil every week'''. The highest-price item is the level 75 {{ItemIcon|Acheron_Shield|22}} {{tooltip|text=[[Acheron Shield]]|tooltip=[[File:Acheron Shield description.png]]}}, if you want to burn your Sparks at maximum speed.

There's a similar method of spending [[Unity Accolades]]. Buy {{ItemIcon|Prize_Powder|22}} {{tooltip|text=[[Prize Powder]]|tooltip=[[File:Prize Powder description.png]]}}s for 10 Accolades each and sell them for 100 gil each. (This is also capped at 100,000 Accolades per week for the same bot-related reasons.) Think of this as a two million gil per week UBI!

Don't spend all your Accolades! You can also use them to warp to zones, even ones you haven't been to yet, and it's really convenient. That said, blow some if you need a little walking-around money.

==Levels 10-18: Making Progress==
{|style="background:#FFFBF3; border:2px solid #E2B553; line-height:10x; padding:2px; max-width: 100%; margin: auto; vertical-align: top;"
| '''Goals''':
|-
| style="vertical-align: top;"|
*Acquire a [[Subjob]]
:*And also level it up.
| style="vertical-align: top;"|
*Travel far from home
:*(But not far from a [[Home Point]].)
| style="vertical-align: top;"|
*Touch some Crystals
:*This is a Final Fantasy game, after all.
| style="vertical-align: top;"|
*Complete 2-1 [[File:Bastok-Flag.jpg|27px|link=Bastok Missions]][[File:Windurst-Flag.jpg|27px|link=Windurst Missions]][[File:San d'Oria Flag.jpg|27px|link=San d'Oria Missions]] Missions
:*Continue your story
|}

===Leaving Home===
The main goal for this band of levels is to unlock your [[subjob]] at 18. [[Subjob]]s are a second job, capped at half the level of your main job, that grants its abilities and stats to your main job. However, there's no such thing as a free lunch - you'll have to spend time leveling up another job to have those levels when the job is set as your subjob. Otherwise you'll find yourself a THF99/WAR1 without any sweet benefits. The bright side is that you ''only'' need to level them - no other forms of horizontal progression impact your subjob's performance.

To that end, this section will have you leveling to 18 in zones further out from your starting city and completing a few [[Rhapsodies of Vana'diel]] (or "RoV") missions to be rewarded with the ability to set a subjob and the first of the {{KI}} [[Rhapsody key items]], which have really, really varied (and also really strong) benefits.

Your exact path varies by starting city, but your goal is one of the twin cities of [[Selbina]] and [[Mhaura]]. (There's a [[Ferry_-_Mhaura/Selbina|ferry that runs from one city to the other]] three times every Vana'diel day, or [https://www.pyogenes.com/ffxi/timer/v2.html once every 19 minutes and 12 seconds real time], and takes about the same time to make the trip. The correct phrase is actually "sister cities", because they're similar and far apart, not geographically neighboring.)

Get {{ItemIcon|Signet|22}} [[Signet]] before you go, because you will also be leveling up along the way and it has a really long duration.

Each Nation's 2-1 Mission will ask you to travel through one of the following areas, so go ahead and accept the associated Mission. Don't bother heading back to turn it in right away, our destination of Selbina or Mhaura is more pressing. Once you do make it back to turn in, you will be left with a choice. All Nation 2-2 Missions can be skipped, so it's up to you if you want to do so. None are particularly difficult, nor do any of them have much actual story involved. Either way, we are going to put off Mission 2-3 until a bit later.

*[[File:Bastok-Flag.jpg|27px|link=Bastok Missions]] [[Bastok]] players:
**You're going northwest from [[North Gustaberg]]...
**north through the [[Konschtat Highlands]] (which has a [[Survival Guide]])...
**south through the [[Valkurm Dunes]] (which has another [[Survival Guide]])...
**...to [[Selbina]].
*[[File:San d'Oria Flag.jpg|27px|link=San d'Oria Missions]] [[San d'Oria]] players: You're going south from [[West Ronfaure]]...
**south through the [[La Theine Plateau]] (which has a [[Survival Guide]])...
**south through the [[Valkurm Dunes]] (which has another [[Survival Guide]])...
**...to [[Selbina]].
*[[File:Windurst-Flag.jpg|27px|link=Windurst Missions]] [[Windurst]] players: You're going northeast from [[East Sarutabaruta]]...
**east through the [[Tahrongi Canyon]] (which has a [[Survival Guide]])...
**southeast through the [[Buburimu Peninsula]] (which has a [[Survival Guide]])...
**to [[Mhaura]]
***...and eventually you'd take the ferry to [[Selbina]] if you wanted to level in [[Valkurm Dunes]] like it's 2004. (Sorry, Windurst players. Just use the faster method in the next paragraph if you ''do'' want to go there.)

Remember to hit the [[Map Vendor]] again before you go!

'''Faster travel alternative''': While I genuinely do recommend making this trip on foot - partially because the lowest-level mob in [[Valkurm Dunes]] is level 11, so it may be rough to continue leveling there without some intermediate killing in the areas between - you can get there faster by using a "[[Unity Warp]]". 
Talking to the [[Unity Concord]] NPC in your home city and selecting "bring me to a Wanted Encounter area" will let you teleport directly to [[Unity_Concord#Unity_Wanted_Notorious_Monsters|a broad variety of locations]]. 
Specifically, there's an arrival point at (G-8) of [[Valkurm Dunes]] under "Level 119". From there, take a few steps south and you're in [[Selbina]].

You will begin to find level 10+ monsters once you hit the second zone on your journey, so you can continue to kill appropriate targets appropriately and gain more levels. 
Also, you will need [[Rhapsodies_of_Vanadiel_Mission_1-4|three of a specific monster's drop to complete Rhapsodies mission 1-4]], so making this walk lets you farm them along the way.
*If you're going to [[Selbina]], you need three {{ItemIcon|Bee_Pollen|22}} {{tooltip|text=[[Bee Pollen]]|tooltip=[[File:Bee Pollen description.png]]}}, dropped from [[Huge Wasp]]s in either [[Konschtat Highlands|Konschtat]] (near the Crag, the better spot to farm these) or [[La Theine Plateau|La Theine]] (in many of the valleys, though they mostly require going through [[Ordelle's Caves]] to get down there).
*If you're going to [[Mhaura]], you need three {{ItemIcon|Mandra._Dewdrop|22}} {{tooltip|text=[[Mandragora Dewdrop]]|tooltip=[[File:Mandra. Dewdrop description.png]]}}s, dropped from [[Pygmaioi]] in Tahrongi. (By "going to", I mean "setting foot in first". That locks you into needing this item, rather than the other one.)
**To make your life easier, either farm these as [[Thief]] or bring a trust such as [[Cipher: Lion]] for [[Treasure Hunter]]. Also, don't forget to set some [[Records of Eminence]] objectives, such as your chosen zone's '''Conflict: x''', '''Spoils (Honey)''', and '''Spoils (Beehive Chip)'''

To find these enemies near you even when they're not close enough to be immediately visible, open your Map and select the "[[Wide Scan]]" option. This shows all monsters within about a map square radius of you, sorted by internal ID rather than anything sensible like "name" or "monster type", and lets you select a specific monster to "track" on the small in-game compass on your HUD. This is super convenient and used to be exclusive to [[Ranger]]s and [[Beastmaster]]s (who still get an expanded radius on their Wide Scan, because this is FFXI) for the first decade of the game's life.

Once you arrive in [[Selbina]] or [[Mhaura]] (and get a Rhapsodies cutscene), open your map and beeline for the [[Home Point]]. Be sure to use it so you don't have to take another walk back. Now you can teleport back to your home city if you need to do some shopping! (If you'd like to change jobs or need to access anything in your [[Mog House]] other than [[Storage]], you can do so by talking to the nearby [[Nomad Moogle]], so you don't have to travel just for that.)

===Subbing In===
If you're not level 18 yet, head back outside and grind until you are. Now talk to [[Naillina]] in [[Selbina]] or [[Numi Adaligo]] in [[Mhaura]] and finish their Mission to receive {{KI}} [[Gilgamesh's_introductory_letter|"Gilgamesh's Introductory Letter"]], which you then give to another NPC - either [[Isacio]] in Selbina or [[Vera]] in Mhaura by talking to them twice. Now you have your [[subjob]]! (Wide Scan also works on NPCs, in case you're having any trouble finding them.)

Before going any further, take a brief detour to do [[Rhapsodies_of_Vanadiel_Mission_1-6|two more Rhapsodies missions]] to get the {{KI}} [[Rhapsody_in_White|"Rhapsody in White"]] key item, which gives, among other benefits:
*'''another Trust slot''' in your party
*+30% EXP earned forever
*+100% weapon skill up rate
*the ability to buy {{ItemIcon|Silent_Oil|22}} {{tooltip|text=[[Silent Oil]]|tooltip=[[File:Silent Oil description.png]]}} and {{ItemIcon|Prism_Powder|22}} {{tooltip|text=[[Prism Powder]]|tooltip=[[File:Prism Powder description.png]]}} at any [[Curio Vendor Moogle]] (a consumable, non-magical, source of [[Sneak]] and [[Invisible]] for exploration)
*'''-80% teleportation costs''' at [[Home Point]]s and [[Survival Guide]]s

First, buy a map of [[Norg]] from either [[Lombaria]] in [[Selbina]] or [[Ludwig]] in [[Mhaura]]. Then talk to [[Pacomart]] in Selbina or [[Tonasav]] (I-9 in Mhaura) and let them take you to [[Norg]], the secret city of pirates. Examine the Oaken Door at K-8 twice, watching a cutscene each time, and get your Rhapsody KI. Be sure to hit both of the [[Home Point]]s and the single [[Survival Guide]] while you're here - it will be much more challenging to return to Norg later on without these fast travel options.

Now that you have your subjob, you can also finish off the [[Tutorial NPC]]'s questline back in your home city for your free {{ItemIcon|Echad_Ring|22}} {{tooltip|text=[[Echad Ring]]|tooltip=[[File:Echad Ring description.png]]}}. Enjoy the free experience!

==Levels 19-30: To Jeuno, Other Jobs, and Starting Abyssea==
{|style="background:#FFFBF3; border:2px solid #E2B553; line-height:10x; padding:2px; max-width: 100%; margin: auto; vertical-align: top;"
| '''Goals''':
|-
| style="vertical-align: top;"|
*Go to [[Jeuno]]
:*It's a nice city.
| style="vertical-align: top;"|
*Reach level 30
:*And swap to a new [[Job]] if you want.
| style="vertical-align: top;"|
*Meet [[Joachim]]
:*(even though he already [[Cipher:_Joachim|Trusts]] you.)
| style="vertical-align: top;"|
*Cultivate your [[Mog Garden]]
:*(or at least enter it.)
|}

===Moving Out===
Head back into whichever of [[Selbina]]/[[Mhaura]] you were at and grind up to level 20 in [[Valkurm Dunes]] or [[Buburimu Peninsula]]. Now you're good to move on to brighter pastures - the Grand Duchy of [[Jeuno]] awaits!

It's a bit of a hike. It can be a dangerous walk if you don't pay attention, it's but mostly just long. You have two options, one of which trivializes the trip:

*If you want to use a modern convenience, talking to the [[Unity Concord]] NPC in your home city and selecting "bring me to a Wanted Encounter area", Level 125 → [[Batallia Downs]] will plant you right next to a wall with a gate in it. Go through the gate and walk directly into the city of Jeuno!
**From this point forward in the guide, I will simply be saying "use the level 125 Unity warp to [[Batallia Downs]]" rather than repeating the full explanation every time.
*If you want the classic 2005 FFXI experience, walk instead! Buy some {{ItemIcon|Silent_Oil|22}} {{tooltip|text=[[Silent Oil]]|tooltip=[[File:Silent Oil description.png]]}} and {{ItemIcon|Prism_Powder|22}} {{tooltip|text=[[Prism Powder]]|tooltip=[[File:Prism Powder description.png]]}} from the [[Curio Vendor Moogle]] in your hometown. You can use these to cast self-targeted [[Sneak]] and [[Invisible]]. We had those in 2005, and they were always recommended for stuff like this, so it's not cheating.
*If you're walking, teleport back to a [[Survival Guide]] you touched earlier and continue onwards via one of these routes:
**[[File:Bastok-Flag.jpg|27px|link=Bastok Missions]] [[Bastok]]: [[Konschtat Highlands]], and northeast to
***[[Pashhow Marshlands]], and northeast to
***[[Rolanberry Fields]], which connects to [[Lower Jeuno]]
**[[File:San d'Oria Flag.jpg|27px|link=San d'Oria Missions]] [[San d'Oria]]: [[La Theine Plateau]], and east to
***[[Jugner Forest]], and northeast to
***[[Batallia Downs]], which connects to [[Upper Jeuno]]
**[[File:Windurst-Flag.jpg|27px|link=Windurst Missions]] [[Windurst]]: [[Tahrongi Canyon]], and northwest to
***[[Meriphataud Mountains]], and northwest to
***[[Sauromugue Champaign]], which connects to [[Port Jeuno]]

===Welcome to Jeuno===
Welcome to Jeuno! Near where you entered, there's a [[Home Point]]. The other end of the zone has another [[Home Point]], a [[Mog House]] entrance, and sets of stairs connecting all four of Jeuno's zones and [[Qufim Island]], where you will shortly be leveling. Along with two Home Points in the Upper/Lower/Port Jeuno, there's also four and a [[Survival Guide]] in Ru'Lude Gardens.

Entering Lower Jeuno specifically gives you a cutscene starting the [[A Crystalline Prophecy]] missions. You may elect to opt out of this Mission line and resume it at a later time. It, along with [[A Shantotto Ascension]] and [[A Moogle Kupo d'Etat]] are side-stories which are not canon to the other Mission lines. The rewards for these Missions provide some very niche augmented gear which isn't really a priority at this time.

Settle in, hit the Mog House, sell some stuff on the Auction House, whatever you want, though note that there are no Unity or Sparks NPCs in this region. Before you do anything else, get a rideable [[mount]]! Mounts are faster than running and prevent you from being aggroed by monsters, which is great. This quest is why the recommendation is to specifically hit level 20 before coming to Jeuno, as that's a prerequisite.

===Catch a Ride===
Go to [[Upper Jeuno]]. If you don't already have the {{KI}} [[Map of the Jeuno area]], talk to [[Rusese]] inside the shop at H-6 and buy it. It's a prerequisite for the mount quest for some reason. Grab [[Home Point]] #3 while you're here. 
After that, talk to [[Brutus]] at G-7 (down the stairs) to start the quest [[Chocobo's Wounds]]. This quest requires you to acquire 4 {{ItemIcon|Gausebit_Grass|22}} {{tooltip|text=[[Gausebit Grass]]|tooltip=[[File:Gausebit Grass description.png]]}}, which are either about 10k gil each on the [[Auction House]] or drop from [[Wadi Hare]]s in [[Dangruf Wadi]] (a Bastok area, past [[South Gustaberg]]) or [[Crane Fly|Crane Flies]] in [[Meriphataud Mountains]] (on the Windurst path to get to Jeuno, connected to [[Tahrongi Canyon]]). 
Once you get them, trade them to the sick chocobo and receive the {{KI}} [[Chocobo_license|Chocobo license]] key item. This license... lets you buy Chocobo rides from vendors, FF6-style. One ride per purchase, and the instant you dismount (or after 20 minutes) it's gone. It's useless, but it's a prerequisite to the real deal!

Talk to the nearby Taru in a chocobo suit, [[Mapitoto]], to start the quest [[Full Speed Ahead!]]. After a (frankly awful) raptor riding tutorial mission, you will unlock Mounts.
*Don't worry about failing the quest the first time, you can repeat it as many times as you like until completion, and even get offered a lower difficulty after the first failure. 
Now you can ride the raptor any time by either selecting Abilities → Mount or using the text command "/mount Raptor". I'd just make a macro for the latter. 
[[:Category:Mounts|Other mounts]] are available from login campaigns and quests. (Personally, I'm fond of [[Omega_Mount|Omega]] and the cute lil' [[Xzomit_Mount|Xzomit]].)

===Two Great Trusts===
Now's the time to get Rank 3! Not because you particularly derive benefits from the intended reason to do so, but because being on your nation's Mission 2-3 lets you pick up two powerful trusts. Now that you've got your mount, head back to your home city and accept Mission 2-3. Remember, you can, and probably should, skip Mission 2-2. 
Doing 2-3 will require you to visit the two starter cities that you didn't start in. Again, you can either use the [[Unity Concord]] NPCs or walk:

For example, to get to [[Windurst]], you have to either:
*go back to [[Selbina]]
*take the boat to [[Mhaura]]
*walk [[Mhaura]] → [[Buburimu Peninsula]] → [[Tahrongi Canyon]] → [[East Sarutabaruta]]
*and finally arrive in [[Windurst]]

...or, '''far easier''': talk to the [[Unity Concord]] NPC in your home city, tell them to "bring me to a Wanted encounter area", and select Level 75 → [[East Sarutabaruta]]. Then just stroll right into the city.

For [[San d'Oria]], it's [[Selbina]] → [[La Theine Plateau]] → [[West Ronfaure]] → [[San d'Oria]], or the level 75 Unity Warp to East Ronfaure.
And for [[Bastok]], it's [[Selbina]] → [[Konschtat Highlands]] → [[North Gustaberg]] → [[South Gustaberg]] → [[Bastok]], or the level 75 Unity Warp to South Gustaberg.

While you're in the progress of doing Mission 2-3, talk to two specific NPCs for two new trusts:
*To get [[Cipher:_Semih|Semih Lafihna]], talk to [[Kupipi]] behind the desk in [[Heavens Tower]] in [[Windurst Walls]].
*To acquire [[Cipher:_Halver|Halver]], talk to Halver himself just inside [[Chateau d'Oraguille]], north of [[Northern San d'Oria]].

Replace whatever non-Shantotto II DPS Trust you were using with Semih forever. Like Valaineral, she's just a cut above everything else you have access to right now.

While you're doing Mission 2-3, you will have to go into two beastmen-controlled dungeon-esque areas near the cities. 
Before you go, hit a local [[Map Vendor]] to get maps to save yourself some pain, and once you're in there, make sure to hit the [[Home Point]]s at the end of each, even if that requires a detour for one of them.

===Reaching Level 30 and Doing Stuff===
Once you're ready to continue leveling - ideally after a quick trip to spend some [[Sparks]] on a new weapon and some armor - grab {{ItemIcon|Signet|22}} [[Signet]] from one of the guards near the Jeuno exit gates. 
Head to [[Port Jeuno]] and go down the stairs near the [[Mog House]] (not the ones leading up to [[Lower Jeuno]].) You should see a NPC named [[Oboro]] at the bottom, possibly with a crowd of AFK players selling items in their Bazaars nearby. Ignore him completely until you're level 99 and go through the doorway to zone into [[Qufim Island]]. 
[[Sneak]] through the tunnel here (figuratively or literally) and head for the lake at H-7 to kill Land Worms, then move on to Clippers, Land Pugils, and Gigases of various types. Grab the [[Home Point]] nearby and the [[Survival Guide]] outside [[Lower Delkfutt's Tower]] to the northeast while you're here, because you'll be coming back for Missions fairly soon. 
When it's feeling like the experience gain is slowing down, pop inside [[Lower Delkfutt's Tower]] - getting a cutscene to start the [[Chains of Promathia]] Missions - and hit the [[Survival Guide]] here while continuing to kill everything in sight until level 30.

===Starting Some Clocks===
Once you're Rank 3, go to the "Mog Dinghy" in [[Port Bastok]] (K-11) / [[Port San d'Oria]] (I-8) / [[Port Windurst]] (C-8) and interact with it to be taken to your [[Mog Garden]]. 
This is a private instanced zone where you can gather materials a set number of times per day - some of which are valuable enough to bother selling on the AH. The only way to be able to gather more times per day is to purchase key items that are gated behind having already gathered a fixed number of times, so you want to start early! 
(You may not want to spend gil on the level-up key items from the nearby [[Skipper Moogle]]s, since there's another currency you can use for payment once you reach [[Adoulin]]. If you have extra gil, go for it, otherwise wait to use the Adoulin currency, [[bayld]], to buy the same items from [[Zenicca]].)

Once you're level 30, you can - '''and immediately should''' - start the [[Abyssea]] storyline. Zone into [[Port Jeuno]] on your level 30 job for a cutscene, then talk to [[Joachim]] at H-8. After this, you have to enter [[Abyssea]] exactly once to start the {{KI}} [[traverser stone]] accumulation timer. The fastest way to do this is to teleport to the [[Valkurm Dunes]] [[Survival Guide]] and examine the nearby [[Cavernous Maw]] at I-9 to the southeast. 
Once you enter [[Abyssea]], head back out the way you came, go back to [[Port Jeuno]], and talk to [[Joachim]] again. Now your [[traverser stone]] accumulation timer has started ticking (at a rate of one stone per sixteen IRL hours) and you can ignore [[Abyssea]] until you actually care about it!

===Quality of Life===
There's also a few minor stops you should make now for quality-of-life purposes. In no particular order:

The other way to get to the Mog Garden is exiting directly from your Mog House after completing an individual city's [[:Category:Mog_House_Exit_Quests|Mog House Exit Quest]]. These quests are pretty simple (just a single item traded to a NPC) and have a great reward - not only do they let you exit from your [[Mog House]] out to any zone in a city regardless of the zone you entered from, but they let you go to the Mog Garden as well

Better yet, completing all three of the starter nations' quests also unlocks your [[Mog Safe 2]] to store up to 80 more items in. I mention this here, rather than in an earlier section, because the flowers for the three starter city quests can be bought for 120 gil each from [[Areebah]] in [[Upper Jeuno]].

Speaking of item storage, Jeuno is also the location of the ten [[Gobbiebag_Quests|Gobbiebag quests]], each of which expands your Inventory by 5 slots to a final total of 80. You may need more [[Fame#Quickest Claim To Fame|Fame]] to start them, so check that page for information on the quick repeatable quests to use ([[Mandragora-Mad]] for [[Windurst]] and [[Only the Best]] for both [[Bastok]] and [[San d'Oria]] simultaneously.). Take the "Item Required Comparison" list on each Gobbiebag quest page with a grain of salt; on some servers, the items required for any given quest may be more expensive in total than a [[Goblin Stew 880]] or one or more of the required items may not even be in stock at all. Check the Auction House first for all four items before buying any of them!

You can also buy a [[Mog Sack]] from the [[Artisan Moogle]] in [[Ru'Lude Gardens]] at (I-9) for 9,980 gil. This is another bag, the same size as your Inventory (talk to the Moogle again every time you finish a Gobbiebag to have it expand the Sack to match), that works just like every other inventory.

Once you're Rank 3, you can get the [[Cipher:_Ayame|Ayame trust]] by talking to Ayame in [[Metalworks]]. She's not as good as Semih Lafihna, but she opens [[skillchains]] for you. This is especially useful if you already have Shantotto II, because all you want to do is get her to Magic Burst early and often.

===Early Advanced Jobs===
Also at 30, the [[Job Quests]] for [[Paladin]], [[Dark Knight]], [[Beastmaster]], [[Bard]], [[Ranger]], [[Samurai]], [[Ninja]], [[Dragoon]], and [[Summoner]] open up. Later on you'll have access to a few more Advanced Jobs, but we'll go over those as they come up. If you're interested in one of these, feel free to take some time off and get ''that'' to 30 and hey look, your new main job. Have fun! 

{| style="text-align: center; margin: auto; width: 100%; max-width: 1000px;"
| style="background: #A6DBFF; text-align: center; width: 10%;"|
'''Job'''
| style="background: #A6DBFF; text-align: center; width: 90%;"|
'''Description'''
|- style="background: #e5e5e5;"
| '''[[Paladin]]''' [[File:Rev. Coronet icon.png|link=Paladin]]
| PLD is the classic [[Sword]] and [[Shield]] knight, and the best tank for reducing physical damage or handling large numbers of enemies. Not only that, PLD can keep their party alive with surprisingly potent healing spells! It does tend to lack damage, however.
|- style="background: #F3F3F3;"
| '''[[Dark Knight]]''' [[File:Ignominy Burgeonet icon.png|link=Dark Knight]]
| DRK is all about offense! It hits slow and hard, and can sacrifice its own HP and defenses to power up its attacks. It also has a small suite of black magic spells to add some extra utility. DRKs mostly use [[Great Sword]]s and [[Scythe]]s.
|- style="background: #e5e5e5;"
| '''[[Beastmaster]]''' [[File:Totemic Helm icon.png|link=Beastmaster]]
| BST is the first dedicated pet job on the list. It can [[Charm]] enemies into doing the fighting for you (or use special [[Jug]] items to summon unique pets) - which can be very powerful and provide a wide array of damage and debuff options. The BST itself doesn't have as much going on, but can deal decent damage with one-handed [[Axe]]s.
|- style="background: #F3F3F3;"
| '''[[Bard]]''' [[File:Brioso Roundlet icon.png|link=Bard]]
| BRD is a dedicated support job, using a wide range of songs to provide powerful buffs to their party. They don't deal much damage on their own, but can drastically improve the damage of those around them - and have a few debuff songs to boot! They primarily wield one-handed [[Daggers]].
|- style="background: #e5e5e5;"
| '''[[Ranger]]''' [[File:Orion Beret icon.png|link=Ranger]]
| RNG spends its time standing back and tearing enemies up with ranged attacks from [[Bows]], [[Crossbow]]s, and even [[Guns]]. It provides very little party support beyond its damage - but wow, does it deal damage. That damage comes at a (literal) price, though, as you'll need to buy ammunition for your ranged attacks.
|- style="background: #F3F3F3;"
| '''[[Samurai]]''' [[File:Wakido Kabuto icon.png|link=Samurai]]
| SAM specializes in gaining lots of TP quickly. It can generate it out of thin air with [[Meditate]] and preserve it with [[Sekkanoki]], letting you use [[Weapon Skills]] fast enough to [[Skillchain]] solo! SAMs are the only job to specialize in [[Great Katana]]s, though they can also use [[Bows]] for ranged attacks.
|- style="background: #e5e5e5;"
| '''[[Ninja]]''' [[File:Hachiya Hatsuburi icon.png|link=Ninja]]
| NIN is a flexible job with a wide range of options. It can deal decent physical damage, and can cast [[Ninjutsu]] spells to add a bit of magic damage as well. It can also be a decent tank, as its [[Utsusemi]] ninjutsu allows it to automatically evade most attacks - even many single-target spells! It primarily dual-wields one-handed [[Katana]]s, and uses [[Shurikens]] for ranged attacks.
|- style="background: #F3F3F3;"
| '''[[Dragoon]]''' [[File:Vishap Armet icon.png|link=Dragoon]]
| DRG gets a pet wyvern! Or is it a dragon...? Either way, it's mostly automated, so no need to worry about micromanaging. DRG is one of the more active jobs, with a variety of [[Jump]] abilities to generate TP very quickly. Its wyvern pet also can provide utility depending on your subjob - it can even heal! DRGs primarily wield two-handed [[Polearm]]s, like spears and lances.
|- style="background: #e5e5e5;"
| '''[[Summoner]]''' [[File:Convoker's Horn icon.png|link=Summoner]]
| SMNs can control the classic Final Fantasy summons (Shiva, Ifrit, etc) as pets. These summons can be difficult to attain, but are extremely powerful - providing a ton of damage, buffs, debuffs, and even other utility such as healing. However, much like in other classic FFs, SMN is easily the weakest physical class, relying entirely on the summon to do their dirty work for them. They wield two-handed [[Staves]], but don't expect to be dealing much melee damage with them.
|}

==Levels 30-50: Home Points, Survival Guides, Missions, and So On==
{|style="background:#FFFBF3; border:2px solid #E2B553; line-height:10x; padding:2px; max-width: 100%; margin: auto; vertical-align: top;"
| '''Goals''':
|-
| style="vertical-align: top;"|
*Reach level 50
:*And find yourself level capped.
| style="vertical-align: top;"|
*Touch a bunch of Home Points and Survival Guides
:*Or don't. It's your life.
| style="vertical-align: top;"|
*Reach Rank 4
:*...it's high enough 4 now.
|}

By end of this large section, you should be level 50. 
At this point you can begin and make good progress in several different Mission storylines. These will take you to new areas with new currencies, NPCs, foes, and game systems. By no means are you required to start any of these Missions now, you are free to defer them until later if you like. If you just want to level up, head on down to the "Enough Distractions, Let's Level Up" section.

===Home Points and Survival Guides===
If you're interested in going on a bit of a world tour to explore and gather fast travel options, this section is for you. Otherwise, feel free to skip ahead. In general for these trips, you want to be mounted in every zone you can be to avoid aggro. If you can't be mounted, break out the [[Silent Oil]] and [[Prism Powder]]. 
Some enemies (though it's rare, and mostly [[Notorious Monsters]] with unique names) are still "true sight", so you may have to run from some stuff if you aren't mounted. 
[[Undead]] also have "blood aggro" so make sure your HP is not in the yellow or below - if you're not fighting, this is generally easy, but be careful if you're swapping gear. 
Some other mobs are "magic aggro", so don't cast [[Sneak]] or [[Invisible]] around them if you're on an actual mage job! Oils and Powders are fine, just no spells. Magic aggro is generally restricted to [[Arcana]] - [[Golem]]s, [[Magic Pot]]s, [[Cardian]]s, and [[bomb]]s - and [[elemental]]s. Give or take some random other stuff.

In no particular order, here's all the destinations:
{| class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="width: 100%; max-width: 1600px; background: #EFEFEF;"
! style="background: #E8E8E8; min-width: 600px;" | Home Points and Survival Guides
|-
|
*You went to the end of the beastman areas near the two cities you didn't start in for Mission 2-3. However, you may not have explored to the end of your starting city's area ([[Palborough Mines]], [[Yughott Grotto]] [attached to [[Ghelsba Outpost]]], and [[Giddeus]]), which also has a Home Point.
*Unity warp to [[Yuhtunga Jungle]] (level 119) and ride a chocobo generally northward (although there's a tunnel where you have to go a bit east along the way) to the [[Kazham]] zone line at G-5 for the Home Point in Kazham.
*Unity warp to [[The Boyahda Tree]] (level 125) to be dropped into the middle of the dungeon. From here, run south to the zone line to the [[Cloister of Storms]] and touch the Home Point next to it.
*Pick up the [[Dragon's Aery]] Survival Guide while you're here: from the Cloister, head back north to the lake, drop down to the west, take the passage in the northwest of the room you arrive in, and keep following it without falling down until you find the zone line.
*All three of the ones with Crags ([[Konschtat Highlands]], [[La Theine Plateau]], and [[Tahrongi Canyon]]) have a Survival Guide at one of their exits. They also each connect to a nearby dungeon ([[Gusgen Mines]], [[Ordelle's Caves]], and the [[Maze of Shakhrami]]) that has a Survival Guide at its entrance.
*The "middle" zones on the path to Jeuno ([[Pashhow Marshlands]], [[Jugner Forest]], and [[Meriphataud Mountains]]) also have a Survival Guide each at their outpost and an attached beastman stronghold zone each ([[Beadeaux]], [[Davoi]], and [[Castle Oztroja]]) with a Survival Guide at the entrance.
*All three of the zones adjacent to Jeuno ([[Sauromugue Champaign]], [[Batallia Downs]], and [[Rolanberry Fields]]) have a [[Survival Guide]] right next to their Cavernous Maw.
**These are [[Shadowreign]] Cavernous Maws, not [[Abyssea]], so don't bother touching them yet.
**'''However''' - Sauromugue Champaign's maw is actually up on a mesa you can't climb. You have to go through [[[Garlaige Citadel]]], and it kinda sucks. I'd save that one for later so you only have to make the trip one time, sometime after you've started [[Wings of the Goddess]] so you can use the Maw.
**Each of those three zones also has an attached dungeon ([[Garlaige Citadel]], [[Eldieme Necropolis]], and [[Crawler's Nest]]) with a Survival Guide inside it near the entrance.
*Since you're rank 3, you can enter [[San d'Oria]]'s [[Chateau d'Oraguille]] and go to (I-8) and down a flight of stairs to enter the [[Bostaunieux Oubliette]]. Walk forward, take the hallway on the right, go through a Wooden Door, and talk to a nearby NPC to descend into the sewers. The Survival Guide is visible from there. You'll be back here to level up around 50, it's small but nice.
*[[King Ranperre's Tomb]], just off of [[East Ronfaure]], has a Guide at the entrance.
*Unity warp to [[Carpenters' Landing]] (level 119) and backtrack to the entrance at (J-10) to find a Survival Guide. (Alternatively, you can walk there from [[Jugner Forest]]. The entrance from [[Northern San d'Oria]] does not directly connect to this part, you have to take an in-zone ferry. Because FFXI.)
*Walk into [[Zeruhn Mines]], directly connected to [[Bastok Mines]], and grab the Guide right there. Kind of a weird place to put a Survival Guide, honestly. But heck, I use it.
*The western entrance to [[Oldton Movalpolos]], at [[North Gustaberg]] (J-6), has the Movalpolos regional outpost and its accompanying Survival Guide immediately north down the tunnel.
**The connected zone of [[Newton Movalpolos]] has a Home Point that's a pain to get to and past large numbers of level 70 mobs and requires operating switches and stuff that make you drop Invisible. It can wait.
*[[East Sarutabaruta]], just outside [[Windurst]], connects to the [[Inner Horutoto Ruins]] via a staircase in the visible tower on the map at J-7 (among other places.) There's a Guide at that entrance.
*[[Meriphataud Mountains]] has an exit in the northeast to [[The Sanctuary of Zi'Tah]], which has a Survival Guide at its regional outpost. Alternatively, Unity warp directly to Zi'Tah (level 122) and walk northwest.
*Once you hit the Survival Guide in Zi'Tah, go all the way north to enter [[Ro'Maeve]], then run north up the stairs to the zone line with a Guide there. (For some reason you can mount up in Ro'Maeve. So do that. Otherwise, [[Silent Oil]] is your friend here, since the enemies aggro both Sound and Magic.)
*Unity warp to [[Bibiki Bay]] (level 119) and hit the Survival Guide at the entrance. (Alternatively, Bibiki is on the southwest side of [[Buburimu Peninsula]] - go down onto the beach and walk west on the shoreline below the cliff.)
*Walk out of the Bay back to Buburimu Peninsula, head up the ramp from the beach you're currently on, and then go to the other beach at (K-7). There's a cave in the north cliff face that leads to the [[Labyrinth of Onzozo]], which has a Survival Guide at its entrance. (There's also a Unity warp to Onzozo, but it drops you off deep in the zone with level 60 mobs and you're already here. No point being stupid about it all.)
*Unity warp to [[Beaucedine Glacier]] (level 125) and head up several ramps (go west, north-then-west, southwest-then-north) to reach the outpost and Survival Guide.
**Alternatively, walk through [[Ranguemont Pass]], located in the NE corner of [[East Ronfaure]], but watch out for the level 80 goblins they added so that people could level here at 75, which nobody ever did.
*While you're here, continue north, then west to reach the zone line to [[Xarcabard]]. Head west to the outpost and touch another Survival Guide.
*Now head west and up all the ramps to [[Castle Zvahl Baileys]], which has a Survival Guide at the entrance. You'll be coming back here and climbing to the very top of Castle Zvahl for Mission 5-2, so you can skip the Home Point at the top for now.
*Unity warp to [[Eastern Altepa Desert]] (level 122) and head to the southwest corner of the map, where the outpost has a Survival Guide. Directly east of the tetris-Z shape on the line between (G-6) and (G-7) is a zone line at (I-6) into the [[Western Altepa Desert]] with a Survival Guide on the Western side.
*Western Altepa Desert connects to [[Rabao]] at (K-5)/(L-5). Rabao's an actual town! It has two Home Points and a Survival Guide. Use the [[Nomad Moogle]] or put some more stuff up on the AH while you're here if you need to.
*Leave Rabao the way you came in, then head south and west and north again to (H-4) to enter [[Kuftal Tunnel]], which has a Survival Guide at the entrance.
*Now that you've got the Survival Guide for [[Kuftal Tunnel]], immediately leave and Unity warp right back to Kuftal Tunnel (level 125) to arrive at the opposite end. (Alternatively, walk through it, but that's not nearly as funny.) Head north into [[Cape Teriggan]] and go to the outpost at (G-8_ for a Survival Guide.
*From there, head north to (F-7) (the little westward protrusion) and take a path not shown at the map to eventually reach the Home Point outside the [[Cloister of Gales]].
*Now back out and head to (J-8), into a tunnel heading east. Zone into [[Valley of Sorrows]] and pick up the Survival Guide near the entrance. You're done with the desert for now! Let's go to the beach instead.
*[[Valkurm Dunes]] has a tunnel starting at (C-6) and heading south that isn't shown on the map. Going through it will eventually put you at the zone line to [[Gustav Tunnel]], which has a Survival Guide right at the entrance. (This tunnel connects to [[Cape Teriggan]].)
*Unity warp to [[Behemoth's Dominion]] (level 135) and walk east through the tunnels to reach the Survival Guide at the entrance of the zone at (L-9). (Alternatively, walk through a hidden tunnel in [[Qufim]] slightly north of the Survival Guide there.)
*Unity warp to [[Quicksand Caves]] (level 125), head south, drop down on the east side of the drop, head south to a room, then west, then drop down on the west side of the next drop, and arrive at the [[Cloister of Tremors]] Home Point. If you mess up either of these drops, Warp out and try again.
*Unity warp to [[Yhoator Jungle]] (level 122), then walk west into a clearing and south through a tunnel to reach the Outpost at (I-8), which has a Survival Guide.
*From there, head west through a tunnel, then north to a westward tunnel at (H-8), then slightly west to a northward tunnel in (G-8), then north to the [[Ifrit's Cauldron]] zone line at (G-5). There's a Survival Guide just inside this entrance to the Cauldron.
*Warp to the [[Norg]] HP or Survival Guide (they're in the same place), then walk out into [[Sea Serpent Grotto]]. Walk forward and through the door in the wall, then hug the left wall until you exit into [[Yuhtunga Jungle]]. Walk forward until you get out of the tunnel, then turn North running up to F-10, take the NE exit to G-9/10, then south to the outpost at (G-11), which has a Survival Guide.
*Warp back to [[Yhoator Jungle]]'s Outpost via that Survival Guide, then head south to a tunnel at J-10. Once you're through that, hug the right wall and continue past the first tunnel you see. Go down the second tunnel at the bottom-left corner of (I-11) to zone into the [[Temple of Uggalepih]]. Touch the Survival Guide at this entrance.
**Congratulations! You now have every Survival Guide that doesn't require expansion mission progress.
*Unity warp to [[Attohwa Chasm]] (level 125) and then - bearing in mind how bad the default in-game map for this area is - follow the tunnel north until you hit a canyon at (H-9) and go north without crossing the canyon until you see the second tunnel on the left. Take that second tunnel and go north until you hit a chasm at (H-8). Cross over to the north side of this chasm and go north to enter a tunnel. Take the left path at both forks you come to until you arrive at the chasm again at (G-7). Now head north, then take the tunnel to your right to finally reach a Home Point at the zone line to [[Boneyard Gully]].
*Unity warp to [[Fei'Yin]] (level 128) to arrive at the entrance. Go through the first room and take the exit on the right side of the second room. From here, take a ⊃ shaped path by going east into a room and then west out the other exit of that room, then run straight ahead. Ignore a path on the right that you will return to in the next bullet point and go down some stairs at (G-9) to arrive on a second map. Continue on until you hit a room, then hug the left wall until you hit an even larger room. Take the exit in the northeast corner of this large room at (H-5) and continue through some small rooms to find a Home Point outside the [[Cloister of Frost]].
*Now retrace your steps all the way back up those stairs to get back to the first map. This time, take the path immediately to your left (formerly right, because you were running the other direction) that you ignored before. Go north into a large room at (H-8), then go east out of that room and continue straight through a four-way intersection. Once you hit the next room, there are two exits to the left and right. This bit is symmetric, so you can take first the left exit, then the right exit from the next circular room, or take the right exit and then the next left. Either way, you end up in a hallway at (K-8) with a small door on the wall. Behind that door there is a Home Point at the zone line to [[Qu'Bia Arena]].
*First, you must complete the [[Open Sesame]] quest in [[Eastern Altepa Desert]] (G-7) to obtain {{KI}} [[Loadstone]], which is required to unlock the door later. And then take the Survival Guide to [[Western Altepa Desert]]. You're going to want to have bought the map (or have it open in a browser) for this one - continue heading southwest through the winding zone to get to a hidden underground entrance to [[Quicksand Caves]] in the southwest of [[Western Altepa Desert]] at (D-12), via a tunnel at (C-11)/(D-11). The Home Point is right there.
*There are five(!) home points in [[Uleguerand Range]] at five distinct entrances to [[Bearclaw Pinnacle]]. Either walk there from [[Xarcabard]] or Unity warp (level 128) and walk south to the entrance, then proceed around counterclockwise and upwards. Every time you hit a HP, warp back and repeat (or find your way out of the maze of underground tunnels it's in and resume from your previous location.) In order:
**There's a path at (H-8) (blocked by ice during Snow weather) to a HP at (H-7).
**Drop down a hole at (J-9) to a HP at (J-9).
**Drop down a hole at (K-6) to a HP at (K-7).
**Drop down a hole at (I-5) to a HP at (H-5).
**Once you have climbed the entire mountain, look very carefully over the edge to the south to see a teeny tiny little ledge on the west side of the big slope. Slide down and land on it, then go into the tunnel you find there for the final HP. The slide actually rocks, even if I hate the rest of this zone. I'm a sucker for a good fall.
*Unity warp to the [[Den of Rancor]] (level 128). Head straight north through the big room to (H-6), and take the path on the right to go back up to the first level. Once there, take a left at (H-4), enter a big room and take the first exit on the left at (H-6). Go straight ahead, through a large room, to (J-7), where there's a hole. Drop down it and walk northeast to the Home Point outside the [[Cloister of Tides]].
*Unity warp to [[Ifrit's Cauldron]] (level 125) and walk east to change maps. Follow the only path straight south until you change maps again at (G-12)ish. Walk to (H-7) and deliberately fall south onto the lower path. Then walk north until the path forks at (H-6) and go west to the Home Point outside the [[Cloister of Flames]].
*There is a home point at the top of [[Upper Delkfutt's Tower]]. Personally, I'd wait until going there for [[Zilart Mission 8|Rise of the Zilart Mission 8]].
*There is a second home point in the [[Den of Rancor]] that requires killing level 62-65 Tonberries for an item... or having someone else let you through the door. Personally, I'd wait until [[Zilart Mission 4]] and then make someone else help, because it takes ten seconds of their life to save ten minutes or more of yours.
|}

===Going to Adoulin===
You can start the [[Seekers_of_Adoulin_Mission_1-1|Seekers of Adoulin]] Missions by talking to Darcia in the Chamber of Commerce in [[Lower Jeuno]] at (H-7). Once you get to [[Western Adoulin]] proper (mission 1-5), talk to an NPC named [[Task Delegator]] (closest one is right next to you at Western Adoulin E-8) to begin accruing [[imprimatur]]s a rate of one per 6 hours real-life time. The cap is 15, so you'll want to burn some every few days to slowly work towards completing every [[Coalition Assignment]]. Since you're not level 99 yet, use them on the [[Inventors' Coalition]] (buy items off the AH) or the [[Couriers' Coalition]] (teleport to a nearby [[Waypoint]] and interact with a NPC) rather than the others, which require more work or even combat.

[[Seekers_of_Adoulin_Mission_1-6|Adoulin Mission 1-6]] is gated behind a combination of Adoulin fame and imprimaturs spent (you will have to spend at least 11 imprimaturs even with maxed Adoulin fame.) Theoretically, you don't have to fight anything until [[Seekers_of_Adoulin_Mission_2-7-1|Adoulin Mission 2-7-1]]. In practice, there's a lot of sneaking in between and some traveling on foot aided by key items that require level 99. Adoulin has two Home Points in each of [[Western Adoulin]] and [[Eastern Adoulin]] plus a Survival Guide in [[Eastern Adoulin]] close to the second home point.

===Chains of Promathia===
The [[:Category:Promathia_Missions|early Chains of Promathia missions]] used to be level capped and intended for full parties. You can get up to [[Promathia Mission 3-3]] at level 50 solo with Trusts. Chapter 1 originally capped at 30 and Chapter 2 originally capped at 40, so if anything you're ahead of the intended power level. 
These missions will open up Home Points in [[Tavnazian Safehold]] (three of them), [[Misareaux Coast]], and [[Riverne - Site A01]], plus Survival Guides in [[Tavnazian Safehold]], [[Lufaise Meadows]], [[Misareaux Coast]], and [[Phomiuna Aqueducts]].

===Abyssea===
Take trips to briefly enter the [[The_Truth_Beckons|rest of the Abyssea Cavernous Maws]] in:
*[[Konschtat Highlands]] at (I-12)
*[[Tahrongi Canyon]] at (H-12)
*[[La Theine Plateau]] at (E-4)
*[[Jugner Forest]] at (J-8)
*[[Buburimu Peninsula]] at (F-7)
*[[Valkurm Dunes]] at (I-9) (This is the one I recommended touching earlier. In case you used another, I'm listing it here too.)
*[[Xarcabard]] at (H-8)
*[[South Gustaberg]] at (J-10)
*[[North Gustaberg]] at (G-7). (There are two different Cavernous Maws in North Gustaberg.)
By "briefly enter", I mean "enter, watch a cutscene, talk to the [[Conflux Surveyor]] to get Visitant status, then leave". Visitant status is essential, otherwise you will be locked out of reentering [[Abyssea]] for an hour after you leave. Now you can use [[Horst]] (next to [[Joachim]]) to teleport back to these Maws for [[cruor]] later, once you have cruor.

===Join the Mob to get to Aht Urhgan===
Talk to [[Ghebi Damomohe]] inside the totally legitimate "Neptune's Spire" in [[Lower Jeuno]] and complete a brief quest to [[Tenshodo_Membership|officially join the Tenshodo]], Vana'diel's finest organized crime syndicate.

Now that you're in the mob, go down to their secret basement bar coincidentally located just below this legitimate establishment to get yourself [[The_Road_to_Aht_Urhgan|a mercenary license]]. 
If you have been completing Rhapsodies of Vana'diel Missions, it's recommend you take the "advanced" path: Trading Coffer Keys, which you can purchase from the [[Curio Moogle]] for 5,000 Gil if you have the {{KI}} [["Rhapsody in Umber"]]. Otherwise, the "beginner" path will be the easiest, as it tasks you with farming all six of the old [[subjob]] items. 
Once you complete this quest, you unlock [[Aht_Urhgan_Mission_1|the first of the Aht Urhgan missions]]. You can get through Mission 11 without any combat. 
*This opens up four Home Points in [[Aht Urhgan Whitegate]], plus one each in [[Nashmau]], [[Bhaflau Thickets]], [[Halvung]], and [[Mount Zhayolm]], along with Survival Guides in [[Aht Urhgan Whitegate]], [[Wajaom Woodlands]], [[Mamook]], [[Aydeewa Subterrane]], [[Halvung]], and [[Nashmau]].
*There are also Home Points and Survival Guides in [[Caedarva Mire]] and [[Arrapago Reef]], but they require a lot of stealth and navigation, so I'd personally skip them for now.

===Rank 3 Missions===
You shouldn't have any trouble with these at this level. 
Mission 3-2 is skippable.

===Navigation Key Items===
Speaking of key items that open doors, there's some more of those designed to skip doors that would otherwise require three players. It's wise to pick all of these up now, since you will need some (possibly all) of them later for some combination of [[In_Defiant_Challenge|Limit Break 1]], your [[Artifact Armor]], and [[Zilart Missions]]
*{{KI}} [[Pouch of weighted stones]] - Lets a solo player open the Banishing Gates in [[Garlaige Citadel]].
**Interact with a ??? in [[Garlaige Citadel]] on map 1 at (G-8) to obtain this. (Not the one in the ceiling.)
*{{KI}} [[Magicked astrolabe]] - Allows a player to pass through the gates in [[Eldieme Necropolis]] solo.
**Pay [[Churano-Shurano]] in [[Windurst Waters]] (North) (F-8) 10,000 gil to obtain this.
*{{KI}} [[Loadstone]] - Lets a solo player open the weighted doors in [[Quicksand Caves]], even if they're not a Galka.
**(This is somehow not a joke. They're heavier, so they can open the door solo.)
**Complete the quest [[Open Sesame]] to obtain this.

===Some More Missions===
You can technically start the [[Cavernous_Maws_(Mission)|Wings of the Goddess missions]] now, but the first fight wants you to be level 75+. That said, there's four [[Home Point]]s and twenty [[Survival Guide]]s in the past if you truly desire.

You can similarly start any or all of [[A Crystalline Prophecy]], [[A Moogle Kupo d'Etat]], and [[A Shantotto Ascension]]. 
Each rewards the players with a piece of customizable augmented gear. All of them are very niche, however. Beastmasters will enjoy the [[Call Beast]] recast reduction on [[Mirke Wardecors]], Corsairs will enjoy the [[Phantom Roll]] recast reduction from [[Desultor Tassets]], and Dancers will enjoy the [[Waltz]] recast reduction from [[Anwig Salade]]. Again, these are all very minor benefits. The stories themselves are considered non-canon, and more of a "what if...?" scenario for various storylines.

Starting [[Rhapsodies_of_Vanadiel_Mission_1-7|RoV Mission 1-7]] temporarily locks you out of [[Escha_-_Zi'Tah|Escha - Zi'Tah]], which is a very popular leveling area. You'll have to clear [[Rhapsodies_of_Vanadiel_Mission_1-9|RoV 1-9]] at around level 45ish to get back in there, and you'd start leveling there at 40 at earliest, so it's not '''much''' of a problem, but it's enough of one that I'm noting it here for the second time.

===Some More Advanced Jobs===
Now that you have access to all the expansion areas, you also have access to all the jobs! Here are the newly-available advanced jobs. 

{| style="text-align: center; margin: auto; width: 100%; max-width: 1000px;"
| style="background: #A6DBFF; text-align: center; width: 10%;"|
'''Job'''
| style="background: #A6DBFF; text-align: center; width: 90%;"|
'''Description'''
|- style="background: #e5e5e5;"
| '''[[Blue Mage]]''' [[File:Assim. Keffiyeh icon.png|link=]]
| BLU use enemy skills to be able to do almost anything from deal damage to tank to heal - all depending on which specific spells you decide to "equip". However, learning spells can be time consuming, and will take you all over the world. They also can deal decent melee damage with [[Sword]]s, and later on can dual-wield them.
|- style="background: #F3F3F3;"
| '''[[Corsair]]''' [[File:Laksamana's Hat icon.png|link=Corsair]]
| COR is a gambling buffer, playing a quick push-your-luck minigame to give AOE buffs to their party. Bad luck can cause a '''Bust''' though, which removes the buff from the party (and debuffs you). They primarily use [[Guns]] for ranged attacks, but can wield [[Dagger]]s and [[Sword]]s when getting close.
|- style="background: #e5e5e5;"
| '''[[Puppetmaster]]''' [[File:Foire Taj icon.png|link=Puppetmaster]]
| PUP has a customizable [[Automaton]] pet that is very cute - and very strong! How you decide to deck out your little buddy determines what they can do - tank, heal, nuke, deal damage, you name it they can do it! The PUP itself can dish out solid damage using [[Hand-to-Hand]] weapons as well.
|- style="background: #F3F3F3;"
| '''[[Dancer]]''' [[File:Maxixi Tiara icon.png|link=Dancer]]
| DNC is a flexible and busy job. Managing a unique resource called [[Finishing Moves]], it uses [[Sambas]], [[Waltzes]], [[Steps]], and [[Jigs]] to generate free TP, deal big burst damage, debuff enemies, and even heal party members! They almost exclusively dual-wield [[Dagger]]s.
|- style="background: #e5e5e5;"
| '''[[Scholar]]''' [[File:Acad. Mortarboard icon.png|link=Scholar]]
| SCH can flip-flop back and forth between specializing in White and Black magic. It uses a unique resource called [[Stratagem]]s to power up its large suite of spells in unique ways, and can be either a potent healer or nuker - or both, if your fingers are fast enough. Like other mages, it primarily uses [[Staves]].
|- style="background: #F3F3F3;"
| '''[[Geomancer]]''' [[File:Geomancy Galero icon.png|link=Geomancer]]
| GEO is a support job that can place down "bubbles" that provide powerful buffs and debuffs. These [[Luopan]] bubbles are technically pets, though there is very little micromanagement required - they're mostly set-and-forget. GEO can also provide fairly powerful AOE nuke spells, which can be buffed by proper positioning! They primarily use one-handed [[Club]]s, and cast magic using [[Handbell]]s.
|- style="background: #e5e5e5;"
| '''[[Rune Fencer]]''' [[File:Runeist Bandeau icon.png|link=Rune Fencer]]
| RUN is a tank that can imbue itself with elemental runes to resist magic damage and status effects. It has a wide range of job abilities to provide extra defenses or deal damage, all based around what runes you decide to harbor - so you'll need to change up your runes on the fly depending on what you're fighting. Despite the name, they wield [[Great Sword]]s - though as a tank, don't expect to deal tons of damage.
|}

===Enough Distractions, Let's Level Up===
First of all, don't forget {{ItemIcon|Signet|22}} [[Signet]]. 
You've got a few reasonable options and infinite mediocre ones. Since you're starting to punch a little further up, you may want to consider purchasing {{ItemIcon|Jack-o'-Lantern|22}} {{tooltip|text=[[Jack-o'-Lantern]]|tooltip=[[File:Jack-o'-Lantern description.png]]}} from a [[Curio Vendor Moogle]] for +10 accuracy. At 400 gil for 30 minutes of food buff, they can help bridge the gap into a new area without putting a serious dent in your finances. (After completing RoV Mission 1-11, you can buy {{ItemIcon|Pepperoni_Slice|22}} {{tooltip|text=[[Pepperoni Slice]]|tooltip=[[File:Pepperoni Slice description.png]]}} instead and get attack as well as accuracy.)

*[[Bibiki Bay]] - levels '''30-38''' - walk through the zone starting at the entrance, fighting Rarabs and Efts and then also Goblins and Birds. Don't go too far.
*[[Yuhtunga Jungle]] - levels '''30-34''' - Ivory Lizards and Jungle Coeurls at K-8. A little awkward to navigate, but nothing extra-dangerous.
*[[Attohwa Chasm]] - levels '''30-38''' - An uncommon choice, but there's never anyone here so it’s always full of enemies. Zone in from [[Maze of Shakhrami]] and fight your way to the surface through the tunnels, killing all the Worms and Hecteyes on the way (Hecteyes aggro, Worms link.) Once you make it out into the open, you’ll have gained a few levels and be able to handle the roaming Antlions and Goblins. Don't go far into the narrow rocky areas, as hidden underground Antlions will ambush you, and watch out for the Scorpions who are stronger than the other enemies in the area.
*[[Crawler's Nest]] - levels '''32-42''' - A time-honored camp from 2004. Start at the entrance and proceed forward, killing Hornets in the tunnel, then Crawlers in the tunnel, then Crawlers and Lizards down the drop, then Crawlers and Lizards and Beetles down the tunnels.
*[[Garlaige Citadel]] - levels '''32-42''' - Another classic. Start with Bats and Beetles near the entrance, then Skeletons slightly further in, then "everything that moves upstairs". Don't fall down a hole...
**[[Garlaige Citadel]] part two - levels '''42-50''' - ...until you hit about 42, at which point you can drop down the first hole on the left from the entrance, then walk north to the stairs and kill Citadel Bats there. Do '''not''' go anywhere else in the basement, because it's all level 60+.
*[[Eastern Altepa Desert]] - levels '''34-40''' - exit from [[Rabao]] and proceed forward. Start with Worms and Spiders, then add Beetles and Dhalmels as you level.
*[[The Sanctuary of Zi'Tah]] - levels '''37-42''' - warp to the [[Survival Guide]] and kill everything in sight.
*[[Labyrinth of Onzozo]] - levels '''40-47''' - warp to the [[Survival Guide]] and kill nearby Goblins and Leeches.
*[[Eldieme Necropolis]] - levels '''40-50''' - warp to the [[Survival Guide]], start with the nearby Hounds and Skeletons, then go further in and move up to Ghosts and Shades as well.
**Most of this zone is Undead that aggro to both sound ''and'' low HP, so watch out... but Valaineral has your back.
*[[Gustav Tunnel]] - '''levels 44-50''' - [[Survival Guide]] warp to the entrance and kill everything in sight
*[[Yhoator Jungle]] - '''levels 45-50''' - warp to the [[Ifrit's Cauldron]] Survival Guide, then walk back out and kill everything in sight.
*[[Bostaunieux Oubliette]] - '''levels 46-50''' - warp to the [[Survival Guide]] and kill the four nearby bats repeatedly.
**While this is definitely a one-person camp, I personally really like it.
*[[Escha - Zi'Tah]] - '''levels 45-50''' - see the above note! You will lock yourself out of this mission if you begin RoV 1-7.
**Once you're inside, kill Worms, Obdellas, and Crawlers near the entrance - they're higher level than you typically want to target, but not by much. You should be okay.
**Note that mobs in Escha can spawn [[Notorious Monster]]s when killed. You may or may not eat it to [[Hugemaw Harold]]. There's a temporary item called a [[Mollifier]] that stops this... but it doesn't work when [[Trust]]s, rather than players, land the killing blow, which they almost always will at your level. Just part of the cost of doing business, sadly. This will be true for all Escha leveling.

==Levels 50-55: Breaking Limits and Doing Deeds==
{|style="background:#FFFBF3; border:2px solid #E2B553; line-height:10x; padding:2px; max-width: 100%; margin: auto; vertical-align: top;"
| '''Goals''':
|-
| style="vertical-align: top;"|
*Break the level cap
:*...for the first of many times.
| style="vertical-align: top;"|
*Reach level 55
:*And get capped again.
| style="vertical-align: top;"|
*Figure out what you're doing with your life.
:*(And how many months of it include FFXI.)
|}

===Limit Break 1===
Beginning at 50 (and every 5 levels after) you have to complete a [[Limit Break]] quest to raise your level cap by 5 before you can go higher. 
These quests are given to you by a spry old chap named [[Maat]] at (H-5) in the very back of [[Ru'Lude Gardens]]: 
[[File:Maat.jpg|x500px|link=Maat]]

At 50, you will have to complete [[In Defiant Challenge]], a collectathon of one dropped item or three (much easier) static ???-point items from each of [[Garlaige Citadel]], [[Eldieme Necropolis]], and [[Crawler's Nest]]. (The ??? points were added in 2015. Casting the highest lot in your party to get that [[Ancient Papyrus]] was a rite of passage in 2005. Just go find those ??? points.)

For the subsequent Limit Break quests, you become eligible to begin them when you're one level past the former cap. This means you can start LB2, [[Atop the Highest Mountains]], as early as 51 or wait until you're capped at 55. It's a pretty quick one - just pick up three items from ??? spots in [[Xarcabard]].

===Important Note on Experience Gain===
If you didn't already, go complete '''[[Rhapsodies_of_Vanadiel_Mission_1-9|Rhapsodies Mission 1-9]]''' by checking the entrance to [[Escha - Zi'Tah]] right next to the [[Home Point]] in [[Qufim Island]] and defeating the enemy that spawns there. 
Then do two more RoV missions. Completing [[Rhapsodies_of_Vanadiel_Mission_1-11|Rhapsodies Mission 1-11]] rewards you with {{KI}} [[Rhapsody in Umber]] for another '''+30% experience gain'''.

===Deeds of Heroism===
Now that you're this deep, you know whether or not you're in FFXI for the long haul. If you aren't, no shame. You can skip ahead to the next section.

If you are, now is the time to check the [[Records_of_Eminence#Monthly_Objectives|Monthly Records of Eminence objectives]]. Each of these four objectives rewards 10 [[Deeds|Deeds of Heroism]], which earn you rewards from the [[A.M.A.N. Validator]]s located in each starting city. You'll also obtain a [[Trust Primer]] for each completed Objective, providing up to 80 alter ego points per month to be used to boost Trust stats. 
These objectives rotate once per month (after server maintenance) and there are four objectives active per month.

Short-term, aim to get 70 total deeds (month 2, at earliest) for a {{KI}} [[Deed Voucher]], which saves a fair chunk of time and effort reforging a job's [[Artifact Armor]]. 
The most important long-term goal is 480 deeds (12 months of full deed completion, at earliest) to obtain the [[Cipher:_Monberaux|Monberaux Trust]]. You know, that guy you totally remember from the rank 2 missions and his clinic by [[Upper Jeuno]] [[Home Point]] #3. Best healer [[Trust]] in the game.

Some Deeds objectives can't be done at level 50 - the [[High-Tier Mission Battlefield]]s start at level 99, the lowest level [[Wanted]] fights are level 75, and [[Walk of Echoes]] content starts at level 70 - but it's still good to be aware of Deeds now rather than later.

These objectives also reward {{ItemIcon|Trust Primer|22}} {{tooltip|text=[[Trust Primer]]|tooltip=[[File:Trust Primer description.png]]}}s. Hang onto these until you hit level 99, when you can use them. Don't throw them out, because they're limited in quantity by IRL monthly gates like Deeds!

===Five More Levels===
Don't forget {{ItemIcon|Signet|22}} [[Signet]]... except for the areas where you should. See below.

*[[Bostaunieux Oubliette]] - levels '''50-54''' - [[Survival Guide]] and the same four bats at the entrance. Again.
*[[Escha - Zi'Tah]] - levels '''50-55''' - Worms, Obdellas, and Crawlers near the entrance. Again.
*[[Wajaom Woodlands]]/[[Bhaflau Thickets]] - levels '''54-55''' - Getting here requires completing [[Aht Urhgan Mission 2]], but it's definitely worth it.
**[[Lesser Colibri]] are located just outside of [[Al Zahbi]] in Wajaom, and slightly north of the [[Al Zahbi]] exit in Bhaflau. Colibri are ''great''. They were the developers' gift to melees in 2006 and they haven't changed. 
**They are so good that I'm not messing with other options here like Robber Crabs and Sand Lizards in [[Kuftal Tunnel]].

Since Wajaom and Bhaflau are [[Aht Urhgan]] areas, you don't want Signet, you want {{ItemIcon|Sanction|22}} [[Sanction]]. It's the ToAU version of Signet, giving you [[Imperial Standing]] instead of [[Conquest Points]]. 
The easiest NPC to get Sanction from is [[Asrahd]] in the central square of [[Aht Urhgan Whitegate]] by [[Home Point]] #1.

==Levels 55-60: Beating the Game==
{|style="background:#FFFBF3; border:2px solid #E2B553; line-height:10x; padding:2px; max-width: 100%; margin: auto; vertical-align: top;"
| '''Goals''':
|-
| style="vertical-align: top;"|
*Finish Mission 5-2 and finish the game's storyline
:*ok you're done you can leave now
| style="vertical-align: top;"|
*Reach level 60
:*And get capped... again.
| style="vertical-align: top;"|
*Get stylish
:*[[Brygid]] thinks it's long overdue.
|}

===To Rank 6===
Now that you're level 55, you can complete the rank 4 and 5 missions with Trusts, culminating in the [[Shadow Lord]] fight at the end of [[San_d'Oria_Mission_5-2|Mission 5-2]]. 
This was a huge deal back in the day - it wasn't even beaten for the first time until they raised the level cap to 55! 
Don't forget to hit the [[Home Point]] outside the [[Throne Room]] in [[Castle Zvahl Keep]], because it's a long walk and you'll have to come back a few times for other missions.

You can certainly do the Rank 4 missions earlier than level 56, but here's the clever part:
*[[Windurst_Mission_4-1|Mission 4-1]] (identical for every nation) requires you to go to deep parts of [[Davoi]], [[Beadeaux]], and [[Castle Oztroja]]. 
*Limit Break 3, [[Whence Blows the Wind]], requires you to go to... [[Davoi]], [[Beadeaux]], and [[Castle Oztroja]].
**Admittedly, using different zone lines in different directions.
*Pick up the quest from [[Maat]] at level 56 and you can double dip.
Once you complete LB3, your new level cap will be 65.

===No More Rhapsodies For Now===
[[Rhapsodies_of_Vanadiel_Mission_1-16|Rhapsodies Mission 1-16]] is a level 80ish fight against [[Siren]], so you can't clear it solo right now. If you're willing to ask for help from another player, clearing it lets you go as far as [[Rhapsodies_of_Vanadiel_Mission_2-13|RoV 2-13]] with just that one fight. 
*Completing [[Rhapsodies_of_Vanadiel_Mission_1-16|Rhapsodies Mission 1-16]] gets you {{KI}} [[Rhapsody in Azure]] for +30% exp. 
**Completing the following [[Rhapsodies_of_Vanadiel_Mission_1-17|Rhapsodies Mission 1-17]] (which is just a cutscene) gets you [[Cipher:_Zeid_II|Zeid II]], a DPS trust who's typically stronger than any other except Shantotto II. You probably want to use him on your climb to 99, even over Semih Lafihna if necessary.
*Going further and completing [[Rhapsodies_of_Vanadiel_Mission_2-13|Rhapsodies Mission 2-13]] grants {{KI}} [[Rhapsody in Crimson]] for another +30% exp and your fifth and final Trust slot. This requires: 
**Clearing [[Promathia_Mission 3-2|CoP 3-2]] to progress past [[Rhapsodies_of_Vanadiel_Mission_2-2|RoV 2-2]].
**Clearing [[Aht Urhgan Mission 12]] to progress past [[Rhapsodies_of_Vanadiel_Mission_2-7|RoV 2-7]], which is just killing some level 62-65 enemies for a dropped item.

===Lookin' Good===
Once you're level 60, consider taking a break. Your friendly [[Sparks]] vendor no longer offers you armor options for levels 50 and beyond - and I bet you're a fashion disaster too. Let's change that. It's time for [[Artifact Armor]], or "AF": 
[[File:Warlock's_Armor_Set.jpg|x300px|link=Warlock's_Armor_Set]] [[File:Drachen_Armor_Set.jpg|x300px|link=Drachen_Armor_Set]]

AF is a set of armor pieces at levels 52, 54, 56, 58, and 60, designed to look like a classic FF version of your specific class and with specific stats (supposedly) designed to go with the job. Of course, these are stats from pieces of mid-level 2004-era equipment, so they'll be obsolete quickly... until you hit 99 and reforge each piece up to five times to bring it up to modern standards. And it's quite the difference! For example:

{| style="text-align: center; margin: auto; width: 100%; max-width: 1000px;"
| style="background: #FFFFFF; text-align: center; width: 40%;"|
| style="background: #FFFFFF; text-align: center; width: 20%;"|
| style="background: #FFFFFF; text-align: center; width: 40%;"|
|- style="background: #FFFFFF;"
|[[File:Warlock's_Gloves_description.png|x300px|link=Warlock's_Gloves]]
|becomes
|[[File:Atro._Gloves_%2B4_description.png|x300px|link=Atro._Gloves_+4]]
|}

There's also a level 40 AF weapon. Acquiring it is a prerequisite to start the armor quests, but feel free to immediately throw it away. Or keep it for [[lockstyle]] if you like the look of it.

Consult the [[Artifact Armor]] page to find your quests. 
Once you've completed the level 52 quest for the hands, "[[Borghertz]]'s [adjective] Hands", you can also open two additional '''coffers''' in the zones indicated for the leg and body pieces. 
You may already be familiar with Treasure Chests in some dungeons, but it's important to know that these are different from Treasure Coffers. Each chest type uses a different type of key, so make doubly sure you are picking up the right key when hunting these coffers. 
[[Treasure Coffer]]s spawn at fixed points in each zone that has them - there's only one in existence at a time, and a new one spawns five minutes after the last one was opened. 
To open the coffer, select it and then "Trade" it the '''appropriate key'''. You can buy the keys directly from a [[Curio Vendor Moogle]] since you have {{KI}} [[Rhapsody in Umber]]. 
While you could stumble around at random, I'd recommend using each zone page's map to see possible spawn locations. It's not inherently stated in all zone's maps, but the blue squares represent Treasure '''Chests''' while the reddish/purplish squares represent '''Treasure Coffers'''. Knowing all this, it's simply a matter of checking each possible spawn location one-by-one until you find your prize. 

===Back to the Grind===
Now that you've got your new sweet gear, you can keep leveling! Remember{{ItemIcon|Sanction|22}} [[Sanction]] for ToAU areas.

Leveling for 56-60:
*[[Wajaom Woodlands]]/[[Bhaflau Thickets]] - levels '''55-60''' - Still Lesser Colibri. Love those birds.
*[[Caedarva Mire]] - levels '''55-60''' - Attacking [[Wild Karakul]] at (I-8), but the real kill target is the [[Chigoe]]s they spawn when they use a TP move.
**Summon Valaineral and Semih Lafihna and have them clean up with AoE WSes while you attack the Karakuls. This can go so fast it feels like cheating if you're lucky with the Chigoe spawns.
**Don't forget the "Conflict: Caedarva Mire" [[RoE]] objective in the category "Combat (Aht Urhgan)", since rapid Chigoe kills make it even better than usual.
**Watch out for [[Peallaidh]], who looks identical and spawns ''2'' Chigoe at a time... but also kills you pretty quickly because it's higher level.
*[[Escha - Zi'Tah]] - levels '''55-60''' - Worms and Crawlers right next to the entrance first, then Dhalmels, Coeurls, and Weapons by portal #2 to the north.
**Portals in Escha work like [[Home Point]]s, but cost [[silt]] that you earn by killing mobs.
**You have to touch them to activate them before you can use them.

==Levels 60-65: Getting into the Grind==
{|style="background:#FFFBF3; border:2px solid #E2B553; line-height:10x; padding:2px; max-width: 100%; margin: auto; vertical-align: top;"
| '''Goals''':
|-
| style="vertical-align: top;"|
*Reach level 65
:*At least this Limit Break's easy.
|}

Honestly, I haven't got much to say here. Push through to 75 and you'll hit the level cap that lasted longest in FFXI's early history.

===An Easy Limit Break===
At level 61, you can complete Limit Break 4, [[Riding on the Clouds]], to raise your level cap to 70. It just requires talking to some NPCs and turning in four [[Kindred's Seal]]s. 
If you don't have Kindred's Seals, but do have [[Beastmen's Seal]]s, you can trade them all to [[Shami]] in [[Port Jeuno]] at (H-8) to store them, then talk to the completely different NPC [[Shemo]] right next to Shami to exchange one variety of Seal for another. 
*This will likely come up again later when you need different Crests for later Limit Breaks.
*In general, Seals drop off any mob that gives you experience once every 5 real-life minutes, and which Seal or Crest you get is determined by the mob's level:
**The lowest level mobs drop Beastman's Seals, then Kindred's Seals, [[High Kindred's Crest]]s, and finally [[Sacred Kindred's Crest]]s.
*If you somehow have managed to avoid getting any Kindred's Seals, you can also trade 5 [[Login Points]] each for them.

===The Grind Continues===
Remember {{ItemIcon|Sanction|22}} [[Sanction]] for ToAU areas.

*[[Bhaflau Thickets]] - levels '''60-65''' - Target the [[Marid]]s at G-8, but again, you're aiming for the [[Chigoe]]s that spawn when they use weaponskills.
**Again, Valaineral and Semih Lafihna will do the heavy lifting.
**Don't forget the "Conflict: Bhaflau Thickets" [[RoE]] objective in the category "Combat (Aht Urhgan)", since you'll be churning through kills rapidly.
**And again, watch out for [[Peallaidh]].
*[[Wajaom Woodlands]]/[[Bhaflau Thickets]] - levels '''60-63''' - [[Lesser Colibri]] can take you all the way to 65, but they slow down a lot near the end.
*[[Bostaunieux Oubliette]] - levels '''60-65''' - Bloodsuckers in the water at the back end (watch out for the higher-level Notorious Monster with the same name but a blue sprite.)
*[[Labyrinth of Onzozo]] - levels '''60-65''' - far north, kill Coeurls and Manticores.
*[[Escha - Zi'Tah]] - levels '''60-65''' - still Weapons, Dhalmels, and Coeurls to the north by portal #2.

==Levels 65-70==

{|style="background:#FFFBF3; border:2px solid #E2B553; line-height:10x; padding:2px; max-width: 100%; margin: auto; vertical-align: top;"
| '''Goals''':
|-
| style="vertical-align: top;"|
*Reach level 70
:*This is getting repetitive.
| style="vertical-align: top;"|
*Beat up an old man
:*Fifteen times if you want to take [[Maat's_Cap|his hat]].
|}

===Yet More Leveling===
You may want to be a little more adventurous when selecting your targets for this level range, as you are going to need a [[Testimony]] item for your next limit break quest. Try to pick a location which has enemies who provide adequate experience points but are also near foes which drop your desired job Testimony to save time farming later if possible. For example, [[White Mage]]s may want to head to [[Cape Teriggan]], targeting Raptors and Cockatrice for experience, and [[Goblin Alchemist]] for their Testimony. However, if you'd prefer to focus solely on experience, here are some locations:

*[[Bhaflau Thickets]] - levels '''65-70''' - As above, [[Marid]]s at G-8, killing the [[Chigoe]]s which spawn whenever the Marid uses a TP skill. Valaineral and Semih Lafihna continue to carry.
**Remember {{ItemIcon|Sanction|22}} [[Sanction]] for ToAU areas.
*[[Bhaflau Thickets]] - levels '''65-70''' - Colibri at F-8. They're like Lesser Colibri, but greater. Lot of nostalgia just seeing those doofy beaks. (Feel free to also kill the nearby Crawlers and Trolls if they start giving you grief.)
*[[Bostaunieux Oubliette]] - levels '''65-68''' - Bloodsuckers again, until the experience gets slow and you should move on.

===Level 70 Limit Break===
At level 66, you unlock Limit Break 5, [[Shattering Stars]], which you should probably wait until level 70 to do. 
This was an infamous quest back in the day - a one-on-one fight against [[Maat]] which required a lot of preparation and, for some jobs, lots of consumables. 
Not so much these days. With {{KI}} [[Rhapsody in Umber]], you can summon [[Trusts]] during the fight to turn it into a six-on-one. Good job ganging up on an old man.

Getting into the fight requires a [[Testimony]] for your specific job. Fight beastmen that have that job until they drop one - there's a list over on the [[Shattering Stars]] page.
*'''Exception''': If you're a '''Thief''', you have to ''[[Steal]]'' the [[Thief's Testimony]] from a Thief beastman. 
**Exception to the exception: [[Thief's Testimony]] does drop from the [[Tonberry Tracker]], which is located in the depths of [[Den of Rancor]] and an absolute pain to get to. Just go [[Steal]] it somewhere easier.
Then give the Testimony to Maat, tell him that you're ready, let him teleport you to the arena, and win the fight.

If you think Maat's hat is stylish, good news: All you have to do is [[Beyond_the_Sun|level the first 15 jobs to 70 and beat him another 14 times]] and you too can have your own [[Maat's Cap]]!

==Levels 70-75==
{|style="background:#FFFBF3; border:2px solid #E2B553; line-height:10x; padding:2px; max-width: 100%; margin: auto; vertical-align: top;"
| '''Goals''':
|-
| style="vertical-align: top;"|
*Reach level 75
:*You're done! Wait, this isn't 2006.
| style="vertical-align: top;"|
*Unlock [[Merit Points]]
:*and then give them away for Limit Breaks repeatedly.
| style="vertical-align: top;"|
*Do some missions, if you want
:*But only if you want, you've got more power to gain.
|}

===Merit Badges===
'''As soon as you reach level 75''', talk to the [[Nomad Moogle]] next to [[Maat]] in [[Ru'Lude Gardens]] at (H-5) to receive the {{KI}} [[Limit breaker]] key item and unlock [[Merit Points]]. 
Merit points convert each 10,000 experience earned when at level cap into 1 Merit Point, which you can then spend on increasing your skills and attributes and various job-specific benefits. 
Personally, my preferred way to do it is keep the setting (under Status → Merit Points → Mode Switch) set to "Experience Points". 
That causes you to gain experience points until you hit your level cap, where you'll end 1 short of the next level (39,999/40,000) and automatically earn Merit Points instead of experience - and you'll dynamically switch back to earning experience if you die and lose some or raise your cap later!

You will have to turn in some '''unspent merit points''' to complete the next few Limit Break quests. 
Specifically, right now you need 3 unspent merit points and 5 [[Kindred's Seal]]s for Limit Break 6, [[New Worlds Await]]. 
You will need another '''19''' unspent merit points total for all future Limit Breaks if you want to farm them all at once. 
Again, if you don't have enough Kindred's Seals, you can also trade 5 [[Login Points]] each for them.

===Level 75: This game has content?===
You're level 75. Congratulations! If you want to take a break and do some actual content, the game was capped at level 75 for so long that you can do some missions at 75:
*Rank 6 to 10 [[Missions]] might still offer some challenges even at 75 with Trusts. The fights were designed for full parties of humans, they feature lots of enemies. Aside from Valaineral, Trust tanks are bad at grabbing and keeping hate on multiple enemies, and your Black Mage Trusts won't properly Sleep the mobs. You can try them, but don't get discouraged if you fail, just come back later.
*[[Zilart Missions|Rise of the Zilart]] is mostly doable at 75. The last few fights are rough, so you may want to come back at 80 or so with better gear. The more difficult version of [[Divine Might]], which you certainly can't solo at 75, rewards you with the [[Suppanomimi]], which melee jobs can comfortably use even at level 99. You may want to come back for that one.
*[[Promathia Missions|Chains of Promathia]] was similarly capped at 75 at the time and should be similarly doable up until the end - and, if you can manage it, also rewards you with the [[Rajas Ring]], which is great for melee jobs until a while after hitting 99. Again, the postscript fight, [[Apocalypse Nigh]], is not doable at 75. And again, don't hesitate to come back if you find it too much of a wall.
*[[Aht Urhgan Missions|Treasures of Aht Urhgan]] was 75 cap content as well. The final fight is definitely too difficult at exactly 75 with only Trusts, since it was designed for six humans and it shows, but the rest is doable now.
*[[Wings of the Goddess Missions|Wings of the Goddess]] came out around the same time they were raising the level cap from 75, so it expects fairly well-geared 75s. You'll want to hold off on doing the latter half of it for now, but completing up to [[A Nation on the Brink|the fight in Mission 14]] is more than enough to let you continue progressing through [[Rhapsodies of Vana'diel]].
*[[Adoulin Missions|Seekers of Adoulin]] can wait. The fight for [[Seekers_of_Adoulin_Mission_2-7-1|Adoulin Mission 2-7-1]] expects you to be level 99.
*[[Abyssea]] is also post-level 75 content. Sorry.
*You can do [[A Moogle Kupo d'Etat]], [[A Crystalline Prophecy]], and/or [[A Shantotto Ascension]], if you want to. At 75 the final Mission for each storyline presents a battlefield which may be a challenge, even with Trusts.

===Start One More Clock===
Once you hit 75, '''be sure to talk to a [[Voidwatch Officer]] in any starting city'''! 
[[Voidwatch]], like [[Abyssea]], has a real-life timer element to it. You want to start accumulating [[voidstone]]s every 20 hours sooner rather than later.

===Getting to 75===
Don't forget {{ItemIcon|Signet|22}} [[Signet]] if you're using [[Zeruhn Mines]].

*[[Zeruhn Mines]] - levels '''70-75''' - Everything in sight (Worms, Bats, Crabs, and Leeches). This camp is great, because it has little pockets of enough mobs for at least three people. If you're on Asura, you will likely have company. Check the southeast if both the north and south halves of the "main" room are taken.
*[[Escha - Zi'Tah]] - levels '''70-75''' - the various undead (Corses, Warriors, Sorcerers) and Vultures (killing birds is still the best) north of teleport #4 at (H-8)ish. Watch for blood aggro, but also Valaineral can tank like five of these without major issues with at least a few HP vorseals, which are gained by total trash mob kills in any Escha zone (the first ones are at 10, 50, 100, and 500 kills.)

==Levels 75-80==
{|style="background:#FFFBF3; border:2px solid #E2B553; line-height:10x; padding:2px; max-width: 100%; margin: auto; vertical-align: top;"
| '''Goals''':
|-
| style="vertical-align: top;"|
*Reach level 76
:*Flex on all those nerds from 2006.
| style="vertical-align: top;"|
*Reach level 80
:*You've still got a ways to go.
| style="vertical-align: top;"|
*Get some new armor
:*Honestly, probably for the last time before 99.
|}

Limit Break 7, [[Expanding Horizons]], requires 5 [[Kindred's Crest]]s and 4 unspent [[Merit Point]]s. 
You will need another '''15''' unspent merit points total for all future Limit Breaks if you want to farm them all at once. 
Like Kindred's Seals, if you don't have enough Kindred's Crests, you can also trade 5 [[Login Points]] each for them. 

===New Armor From [[Abyssea]] and Long-Forgotten [[:Category:Limbus/Original|Limbus]]===
Original [[:Category:Limbus/Original|Limbus]] was a piece of content from Chains of Promathia that recently got removed from the game altogether and revamped into a new high-level version. However, it had lots of level 75 and 99 equipment rewards which got moved to the [[Curio Vendor Moogle]] and are now purchasable for gil.

So grab your wallet - if you're low on gil, go trade some sparks for {{ItemIcon|Acheron_Shield|22}} {{tooltip|text=[[Acheron Shield]]|tooltip=[[File:Acheron Shield description.png]]}}s again - and get yourself... well, either something very nice, something mediocre, or nothing at all.

The {{ItemIcon|Homam_Corazza|22}} {{tooltip|text=[[Homam Armor Set]]|tooltip=[[File:Homam Corazza description.png]]}} is significantly better than AF for the five jobs on it: [[THF]] / [[PLD]] / [[DRK]] / [[DRG]] / [[BLU]]. 
And the {{ItemIcon|Nashira_Turban|22}} {{tooltip|text=[[Nashira Attire Set]]|tooltip=[[File:Nashira Turban description.png]]}} is at least marginally better than AF for its five jobs: [[WHM]] / [[BLM]] / [[RDM]] / [[SMN]] / [[BLU]]. 
Yes, that's BLU twice. Go with 5/5 Homam, because [[Haste]] is the best stat until you hit the cap of 25% from gear and the body has 5% [[Triple Attack]] instead of only 3 [[Haste]]. 
No, there's really nothing here for [[WAR]], [[MNK]], [[BST]], [[BRD]], [[RNG]], [[SAM]], [[NIN]], [[PUP]], [[COR]], or the post-CoP jobs. I didn't know why at the time and I still don't twenty years later. 
A full five-piece set will run you 50,000 gil. (That's a little more than 5 [[Acheron Shield]]s.)

For the rest of us - and, frankly, for the Nashira armor wearers too - hold on for three more levels. '''At level 78''', you can buy armor from [[Cruor Prospector]] NPCs in [[Abyssea]]. 
However, you're new. You probably don't have 18,000 [[cruor]]. You could trade 18 [[Copper Voucher]]s for 1,000 cruor each, but that's kind of a waste when there are two other relatively easy options:
*If the [[Adventurer_Campaigns#Abyssea_Battle_Content_Campaign|monthly Abyssea Adventurer Campaign]] is currently active, the blue chest next to [[Horst]] and [[Joachim]] in [[Port Jeuno]] will give you a one-time gift of 100,000 cruor.
*Yell in town. Established players likely have millions of unspent cruor - ever since SE nerfed the vendor sell price of [[Chocobo Blinkers]] (formerly the best way to convert cruor into gil) there's not really much to spend it on (except entry into [[The_Wyrm_God|a fight]] that's been obsoleted by [[:Category:High-Tier_Mission_Battlefields#Abyssea|another fight]].)

Heavy armor jobs get the {{ItemIcon|Perle_Hauberk|22}} {{tooltip|text=[[Perle Armor Set]]|tooltip=[[File:Perle Hauberk description.png]]}}, slightly less pearly than the name implies. 
Light armor jobs get the {{ItemIcon|Aurore_Beret|22}} {{tooltip|text=[[Aurore Attire Set]]|tooltip=[[File:Aurore Beret description.png]]}} in a shade of pale pink. 
Mage jobs get the {{ItemIcon|Teal_Saio|22}} {{tooltip|text=[[Teal Attire Set]]|tooltip=[[File:Teal Saio description.png]]}}, which is, as you'd expect, somewhat teal-ish.

===Catching Up on Rhapsodies===
If you didn't get outside help with [[Siren]], once you're wearing the new level 78 gear you're good to clear that fight with Trusts.
After Siren, you can progress [[Rhapsodies of Vana'diel]] until you complete [[Rhapsodies_of_Vanadiel_Mission_2-13|RoV 2-13]] and get two more {{KI}} Rhapsodies, including [[Rhapsody in Crimson]] for your long overdue fifth [[Trust]] slot and another +30% experience.
* This also gives you access to [[Cipher:_Zeid_II|Zeid II]], a DPS trust who's usually stronger than anyone but Shantotto II and maybe Valaineral. You probably want to use the extra Trust slot on him.

===Leveling in Style===
Don't forget {{ItemIcon|Signet|22}} [[Signet]].

*[[Zeruhn Mines]] - level '''75-78''' - still Worms, Bats, Crabs, and Leeches.
*[[Misareaux Coast]] - level '''76-80''' - Seaboard Vultures right outside the north exit from [[Tavnazian Safehold]]. Slow, but mindless.
*[[Gusgen Mines]] - level '''78-80''' - Worms on the second map at (F-8). It's a bit of a hike.
*[[Escha - Zi'Tah]] - level '''75-80''' - Goobbues, Wasps, and Snapweeds south of portal #4.

==Levels 80-85==
{|style="background:#FFFBF3; border:2px solid #E2B553; line-height:10x; padding:2px; max-width: 100%; margin: auto; vertical-align: top;"
| '''Goals''':
|-
| style="vertical-align: top;"|
*Survive the Limit Break
:*They start to get really obnoxious here.
| style="vertical-align: top;"|
*Reach level 85
:*That's all I got.
|}

Limit break 8, [[Beyond the Stars]], requires 10 [[Kindred's Crest]]s and 5 unspent [[Merit Point]]s. 
You will need another '''10''' unspent merit points total for the next Limit Break if you want to farm them all at once. 
You also have to play rock-paper-scissors, because this is when SE decided to make these quests actively waste your time. 
Recall that you can trade 5 [[Login Points]] each for Kindred's Crests if you don't have enough.

===Leveling Spots for Levels 80-85===
Don't forget {{ItemIcon|Sanction|22}} [[Sanction]] for ToAU areas.

*[[Mount Zhayolm]] - level '''80-85''' - Orichalcumshells south of the Home Point on the beach at (C-9). If you don't have the [[Home Point]], you can use the level 135 Unity warp to get here, and then tag the HP for when you come back.
*[[Caedarva Mire]] - level '''80-85''' - Slough Skua at (F-9) on map 1. They're birds, so they're weak to piercing (Halver and Semih thank you), and the same level as those Orichalcumshells. [[Home Point]] and walk east.
*[[Maze of Shakhrami]] - level '''80-85''' - Warren Bats and Crypterpillars on the east side of map 1 by the Buburimu Peninsula one-way exit at (J-8). From the [[Survival Guide]], go to (G-6), down to map 2, to (I-6), back up to map 1, and and you're there. Long walk, but a nice dense camp. and bats are birds (Calvin and Hobbes reference goes here.)
*[[Escha - Zi'Tah]] - level '''80-83''' - still Goobbues, Wasps, and Snapweeds south of portal #4. Personally, I prefer the crabs or the birds, and even if you like Escha this slows down substantially for lack of high-level target mobs.

==Levels 85-90==
{|style="background:#FFFBF3; border:2px solid #E2B553; line-height:10x; padding:2px; max-width: 100%; margin: auto; vertical-align: top;"
| '''Goals''':
|-
| style="vertical-align: top;"|
*Endure the Limit Break
:*It's literally a poop joke.
| style="vertical-align: top;"|
*Reach level 90
:*So you never have to sit through that limit break again.
|}

===A Crappy Limit Break===
Limit Break 9, [[Dormant Powers Dislodged]], is one giant poop joke. I'm not speaking figuratively here. It's literally a joke about [[Parike-Poranke|the "Brown Mage"]] from [[Lower Jeuno]] helping you poop so hard that you break your level limit. 
You will need 1 [[Kindred's Crest]] and 10 unspent [[Merit Point]]s. 
Additionally, as you can see on the quest's page, you will have to acquire a random item used for another quest. I hope it's an easy one! (None are that bad, really.)

===Leveling Spots for Levels 85-90===
Don't forget {{ItemIcon|Sanction|22}} [[Sanction]] for ToAU areas.

*[[Mount Zhayolm]] - level '''85-87''' - still the same Orichalcumshells at (C-9). They can only take you so far.
*[[Caedarva Mire]] - level '''85-87''' - the same Slough Skua at (F-9). Still probably faster than Orichalcumshells, still slowing down rapidly.
*[[Maze of Shakhrami]] - level '''85-88''' - still Warren Bats and Crypterpillars. You can watch the experience gained slow down in real time.
*[[Vunkerl Inlet (S)]] - level '''87-90 ''' - Duriumshells on the island at (H-7). There are a million of them, they respawn fast, and they're crabs.
**You may have accuracy issues at 87, but your trusts should be fine.
**The Shadowreign version of [[Signet]]/[[Sanction]] is called {{ItemIcon|Sigil|22}} [[Sigil]], and it gives ''zero'' combat benefits for free, so don't bother with it unless you've got [[Allied Notes]] to burn as each bonus (Regen, Refresh, Meal Duration, similar to [[Sanction]]) requires an additional 50 [[Allied Notes]] to enable.
*[[Meriphataud Mountains (S)]] - level '''87-90''' - Condors in the southwest corner from (F-9) to (F-11), ish. There's a few clumps. Again, birds, so piercing.

==Levels 90-95==
{|style="background:#FFFBF3; border:2px solid #E2B553; line-height:10x; padding:2px; max-width: 100%; margin: auto; vertical-align: top;"
| '''Goals''':
|-
| style="vertical-align: top;"|
*Break your final limit
:*This one's another fight.
| style="vertical-align: top;"|
*Reach level 95
:*The end is in sight!
|}

===The Final Limit Break===
The last Limit Break quest, [[Beyond Infinity]], is a Maat-style fight. You will want to have 50 unspent [[Login Points]] before starting.
* Or you can farm all these items yourself! But it's a lot more convenient to use the Login Points.
* First, use 5 [[Login Points]] to buy a [[Seasoning Stone]] to complete the prerequisite quest, [[Prelude to Puissance]].
** While you're in the Login Points menu, don't forget to check for Trusts again if it's a different month than when you started playing!
* For LB10 proper, wait until level 95, then start the quest.
* Use 45 more [[Login Points]] to buy three each of [[Seasoning Stone]], [[Fossilized Fang]], and [[Fossilized Bone]]
** Trade one of each to [[Degenhard]] in [[Bastok Markets]] to make an [[Olde Rarab Tail]]. Then make two more.
* Enter the fight, summon your Trusts, use a Tail on the Taru, and start attacking.
** Use the second Tail when the first wears off two minutes later, and if it lives long enough use the third when the second wears off. It's not worth the risk of losing to save 30 [[Login Points]].

===The Last Leveling Spots===
For Adoulin regions, you want {{ItemIcon|Ionis|22}} [[Ionis]]. Ionis is really, really good. It gives '''+10% experience gain''', about 10 attack/accuracy, and a bunch of other little perks.

*[[Vunkerl Inlet (S)]] - levels '''90-92''' - you can use these Duriumshells for another few levels if you don't like your accuracy at 90, but Ionis is better enough that you should probably relocate.
*[[Meriphataud Mountains (S)]] - levels '''90-92''' - similarly, these Condors can last a few more levels if you don't like your accuracy at 90, but Ionis is better enough that you shouldn't stay here. That said, there's a non-Ionis option too...
*[[Fei'Yin]] - levels '''90-94''' - Balayang in the four small rooms north and west of Home Point #1. They're bats, so again they're vulnerable to piercing. This is likely faster than the Ionis suggestions at 90, but will drop off much faster because they're level 95-97 mobs, rather than the level 102-104 mobs in the below camps.
*[[Yahse Hunting Grounds]] - levels '''90-95''' - [[Pinetorum]] near the beaches at (K-7) to (K-10). You'll miss a lot at level 90, and they put your entire party to sleep frustratingly often, but these fights aren't at all dangerous or difficult and you can sleepwalk (heh) through them all the way to 99.
** Valaineral's cures are AoE, so if he has hate the Pinetorum will hit him and then he will cure himself and wake everyone up at once. This is great.
*[[Ceizak Battlegrounds]] - levels '''90-95''' - [[Blanched Mandragora]] near the beaches at (J-8) to (J-10). Same family and level of enemy as Yahse in similar spots, but with a different name and sprite.
*[[Rala Waterways]] - levels '''90-95''' - [[Depthswalker Crab]]s and [[Barnacle Crab]]s near the entrance from [[Western Adoulin]] at (K-8). These tend to go slower than the Mandragoras for the first few levels, especially at 90, but faster later.

==Levels 95-99==
{|style="background:#FFFBF3; border:2px solid #E2B553; line-height:10x; padding:2px; max-width: 100%; margin: auto; vertical-align: top;"
| '''Goals''':
|-
| style="vertical-align: top;"|
*Reach level 99
:*Good job!
| style="vertical-align: top;"|
*Do whatever you want
:*Vana'diel is your oyster.
|}

You're so close! Just grind it out. 99 lets you equip item level 119 stuff and makes everything better.

===I Said They Were The Last Leveling Spots===
You still want {{ItemIcon|Ionis|22}} [[Ionis]].
*[[Rala Waterways]] - levels '''95-99''' - [[Depthswalker Crab]]s and [[Barnacle Crab]]s near the entrance from [[Western Adoulin]] at (K-8). Now that you're 95, these are not nearly as slow as they were at 90. Finish strong, old-school style.
*[[Yahse Hunting Grounds]] - levels '''95-99''' - [[Pinetorum]] near the beaches at (K-7) to (K-10). They still put your entire party to sleep frustratingly often.
*[[Ceizak Battlegrounds]] - levels '''95-99''' - [[Blanched Mandragora]]s near the beaches at (J-8) to (J-10). These also cast [[Dream Flower]] a lot. Just go kill crabs.

===I'm Level 99! Now What?===
'''Before you do anything else''', go back and talk to that [[Nomad Moogle]] next to [[Maat]] in [[Ru'Lude Gardens]] one last time to get the {{KI}} [[job breaker]], unlocking the ability to earn [[Capacity Points]] and convert them into [[Job Points]] for permanent upgrades. You'll definitely want to wait until you have better gear to farm these in earnest (see [[:Category:Apex_Monster|Apex]] for more information) but it's very important to get it unlocked before you forget.

'''Immediately after that''', go into the house behind [[Maat]] and talk to [[Syndella]] at (H-5) to get the {{KI}} [[Cipher bracelet]], which unlocks the [[:Category:Trust#Alter_Ego_Points|Alter Ego Points]] system. These are like merit point stat boosts, but for your trusts, and mostly gated by the RL-monthly rate of acquisition of the [[Trust Magic Primer]]s.

After that, probably beeline finishing [[Rhapsodies of Vana'diel]]. [[Ambuscade]] is a great way to get item level gear to get you there. There's a couple guides in the section below this that I strongly recommend reading. But above all, have fun! You can do all the storylines now, and you have the tools to begin gearing up to do whatever later content interests you.

==Other Guides for the Fresh 99==
The [[Endgame Progression Guide]] will be one of your next best resources.

There's also the [[Fresh_99/RoE_Intermediate_Quest/119_Gear_Guide#Achieve_Level_99|Fresh 99]] guide, which is a more detailed look at specifically the "Intermediate" [[Records of Eminence]] objectives. That should be the next thing you start doing anyway, so it's a good time to have a detailed guide.

=='''BONUS SECTION''': I need help!==
===I have no gil!===
You can cash out up to 99,999 [[Sparks of Eminence]] per week at a [[Records_of_Eminence#Locations|Records of Eminence NPC]] into equipment that you can sell to any NPC for about a million gil total. Since every item has the same sparks:gil ratio of around 1:10, the fastest way to do this is purchasing the most expensive item, {{ItemIcon|Acheron_Shield|22}} {{tooltip|text=[[Acheron Shield]]|tooltip=[[File:Acheron Shield description.png]]}}s. To spend exactly 99,999 Sparks, you can buy 36 {{tooltip|text=[[Acheron Shield]]|tooltip=[[File:Acheron Shield description.png]]}}, 2 {{tooltip|text=[[Battle Bow]]|tooltip=[[File:Battle Bow description.png]]}}, and 1 {{tooltip|text=[[Poison Cesti]]|tooltip=[[File:Poison Cesti description.png]]}}.

If you've already used your [[Spark]]s for the week, the slightly slower but about equally profitable method is to spend up to 99,999 [[:Category:Unity_Concord#Unity_Accolades|Unity Accolade]]s at the similar [[Unity_Concord#Unity_Service_NPCs|Unity NPCs]] to buy {{ItemIcon|Prize_Powder|22}} {{tooltip|text=[[Prize Powder]]|tooltip=[[File:Prize Powder description.png]]}} and sell that to any NPC for another million gil total.

After that, it's [[Auction House]] time. While stacks of {{ItemIcon|Water_Crystal|22}} {{tooltip|text=[[Crystals]]|tooltip=[[File:Water Crystal description.png]]}} don't sell for much, they tend to move quickly. (Don't forget that you can use the [[Ephemeral Moogle]] to turn Crystals into Clusters. This lets you sell 144 Crystals in one AH slot and likely get more gil into the bargain, because people - especially rich crafters - will pay for convenience) Check other items in your inventory as well, but if all else fails, just wait until next Sunday and cash in more Sparks/Accolades.

Once you're level 99 (and ideally your character is at least 45 IRL days old), look into the following for some (mostly RL-time-limited) AH gil options:
* [[A.M.A.N. Trove]]
** Most of the really good stuff here is not tradable, but you can occasionally get 5m raw gil and often get crafting materials that will sell.
* [[Odyssey]]
** Specifically, farming {{ItemIcon|Lustreless_Scale|22}} {{tooltip|text=[[Lustreless Scale]]|tooltip=[[File:Lustreless Scale description.png]]}}s or {{ItemIcon|Lustreless_Hide|22}} {{tooltip|text=[[Lustreless Hide]]|tooltip=[[File:Lustreless Hide description.png]]}}s used to augment [[Unity Rewards]] (1,191 of these are required to fully augment a single item.)
** Likely with [[Thief]], using {{ItemIcon|Skeleton_Key|22}} {{tooltip|text=[[Skeleton Key]]|tooltip=[[File:Skeleton Key description.png]]}}s to open the Chests/Coffers.
* [[Omen]]
** Specifically, farming {{ItemIcon|S. Astral Detritus|22}} {{tooltip|text=[[S. Astral Detritus]]|tooltip=[[File:S. Astral Detritus description.png]]}}, ideally with [[Thief]] but if you need [[:Category:Paragon Job Card|Omen cards]] for another job it's still free money for a grind you're doing anwyay.
* There's always demand from other players' [[Ultimate Weapons]].
** Specifically, {{ItemIcon|Alexandrite|22}} {{tooltip|text=[[Alexandrite]]|tooltip=[[File:Alexandrite description.png]]}} from [[Salvage]]/[[Ambuscade]]...
** ...and {{ItemIcon|Beitetsu|22}} {{tooltip|text=[[Beitetsu]]|tooltip=[[File:Beitetsu description.png]]}} from [[High-Tier Mission Battlefield]]s tend to be the best sellers.
** There's also {{ItemIcon|Heavy Metal|22}} {{tooltip|text=[[Heavy Metal]]|tooltip=[[File:Heavy Metal description.png]]}} from [[Voidwatch]], but the drop rate on that is putrid, so don't go beyond the [[Ambuscade]] monthly quota.

===What is a "Unity Warp"?===
Each of the three starter cities has a [[Unity Concord]] NPC, used to join or switch Unity Concords, who also offers other features. 
Talking to this NPC and selecting "Bring me to a Wanted Encounter area" gives you options to teleport directly to [[Unity_Concord#Unity_Wanted_Notorious_Monsters|a broad variety of locations]]. You can teleport to these places even if you haven't been there yet. It's very convenient.

===I don't know what I'm doing!===
When in doubt, level up. You can do it pretty easily - this very wiki has [[Fantastic_EXPs_and_Where_to_Find_Them|a separate guide dedicated entirely to leveling locations]], which includes spots not mentioned in this guide - and it carries obvious and tangible benefits.

But if you really don't know... just go with what feels right. This isn't a job, it's a game. Have fun!

[[Category:Gameplay Guides]]

User:Pryce

2026-05-20T00:43:54Z

Pryce: Created page with "{{All Home Points Checklist  |Complete-Color = green |Default-Color = blue   |Southern #1 (E) = Complete |Southern #2 (A) = Complete |Southern #3 (M) = Complete |Southern #4 = Complete  |Northern #1 (E) = Complete |Northern #2 = Complete |Northern #3 (M) = Complete |Northern #4 = Complete  |Port San d'Oria #1 = Complete |Port San d'Oria #2..."

{{All Home Points Checklist

|Complete-Color = green
|Default-Color = blue


|Southern #1 (E) = Complete
|Southern #2 (A) = Complete
|Southern #3 (M) = Complete
|Southern #4 = Complete

|Northern #1 (E) = Complete
|Northern #2 = Complete
|Northern #3 (M) = Complete
|Northern #4 = Complete

|Port San d'Oria #1 = Complete
|Port San d'Oria #2 (M) = Complete
|Port San d'Oria #3 (A) = Complete


|Mines #1 (A) = Complete
|Mines #2 (M) = Complete
|Mines #3 =

|Markets #1 (E) = Complete
|Markets #2 (A) = Complete
|Markets #3 (M) = Complete
|Markets #4 =

|Port Bastok #1 (E) = Complete
|Port Bastok #2 (M) = Complete
|Port Bastok #3 =

|Metalworks #1 = Complete
|Metalworks #2 = Complete


|Waters #1 (E) = Complete
|Waters #2 (M) = Complete
|Waters #3 = Complete
|Waters #4 = Complete

|Walls #1 = Complete
|Walls #2 (M) = Complete
|Walls #3 (A) = Complete

|Port Windurst #1 = Complete
|Port Windurst #2 (E) = Complete
|Port Windurst #3 (M) = Complete

|Woods #1 = Complete
|Woods #2 (E) = Complete
|Woods #3 (M) = Complete
|Woods #4 (A) = Complete
|Woods #5 =


|Gardens #1 = Complete
|Gardens #2 (M) = Complete
|Gardens #3 (A) = Complete

|Upper #1 (E) = Complete
|Upper #2 (M) = Complete
|Upper #3 (A) = Complete

|Lower #1 (E) = Complete
|Lower #2 (M) = Complete

|Port Jeuno #1 (E) = Complete
|Port Jeuno #2 (M) = Complete

|Tavnazian Safehold #1 =
|Tavnazian Safehold #2 =
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|Aht Urhgan Whitegate #1 =
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|Aht Urhgan Whitegate #3 (A) =
|Aht Urhgan Whitegate #4 (M) =
|Bhaflau Thickets #1 =

|Western Adoulin #1 (A) =
|Western Adoulin #2 (M) =
|Eastern Adoulin #1 =
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|Yughott Grotto #1 =

|Selbina #1 = Complete

|Palborough Mines #1 =

|Giddeus #1 =
|Toraimarai Canal #1 =

|Mhaura #1 = Complete

|Attohwa Chasm #1 =

|Fei'Yin #1 =
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|Pso'Xja #1 =

|Castle Zvahl Keep #1 =
|Uleguerand Range #1 =
|Uleguerand Range #2 =
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|Qufim Island #1 = Complete
|Upper Delkfutt's Tower #1 =

|The Boyahda Tree #1 =

|Quicksand Caves #1 =
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|Rabao #1 =
|Rabao #2 =

|Cape Teriggan #1 =

|Kazham #1 =
|Norg #1 =
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|Den of Rancor #1 =
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|The Shrine of Ru'Avitau #1 =

|Newton Movalpolos #1 =

|Riverne - Site B01 #1 =
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|Al'Taieu #1 =
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|Grand Palace of Hu'Xzoi #1 =
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|Southern San d'Oria (S) #1 =

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|Ra'Kaznar Inner Court #1 =
}}