First of all: thank you reading this guide!

But what is it even about and who is it written for?
This guide was mainly written for players who already created their Final Fantasy XIV characters and now want to take their first steps into the world of Eorzea. This guides covers topics like the different quest types & which types you should prioritize, why your item level is important, why you shouldn't by a story or level skip, what's to know about travelling & mounts, the differences between instanced content as well as giving general tips & tricks for beginners.

I originally only published a German version of this guide back in 2019. You're currently reading the translated version, done by myself, which is - of course - including all the revisions made to the original guide. The latest revision of this guide took place during patch 7.0 (July 2024), which means that changes made by the latest expansion (Dawntrail) are also included. However, despite my best efforts, I might've overlooked broken links or outdated information while updating this guide for three (!) expansions now - so if you spot any errors, I'd be happy if you could leave a comment so that I can take care of them!

I want to stress again that the intended audience for this guide are for players who just started playing the game. If you're wondering about what to purchase to play this game, how to create your own character, what class to choose or what server to pick instead, I'd suggest reading my previous guide, Final Fantasy XIV for Newcomers, first:
https://steamhost.cn/steamcommunity_com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2548423968
However, even players who put a lot of time into the game already might discover something new here as well! Still, in order to allow everyone to skip topics they're already familiar with, I subdivided this guide into multiple chapters, each dealing with one particular matter. As such, feel free to use Steam's chapter function to skip topics you already know about!

But enough of the long preface, let's get started!

Usually, the beginning of an MMO is the hardest part in the entire game: As a newcomer, you're thrown into an unknown world: You'll have to learn about the story and characters as well as getting accustomed to the gameplay. The first cities are usually swarming with high-level players, wearing impressive gear with even more impressive stats. You'll encounter dozens of tutorials and instructions. All of this might feel overwhelming at first but don't worry, this is a pretty common experience. Of course, the important question is how to get past that initial shock and what's the best way to get into the game.

My first advice is a simple one: Continue playing Final Fantasy XIV for a while. The game will take it's time to slowly introduce its world, characters and gameplay to you. It doesn't expect you to know anything beforehand, even newcomers to the MMO-genre have nothing to be afraid of. So, before you go ahead and look up too much information online, keep playing first. Maybe the game will answer your questions itself?

If you prefer to read up on everything before, I'd suggest checking out the official Final Fantasy XIV website for further information. Especially the following parts:

• The game manual[na.finalfantasyxiv.com] of Final Fantasy XIV. As the, well, manual for the game it includes everything the creators think you need to know about Final Fantasy XIV. This includes topics like how to control your character or how to play together with others.
  
  
• The job-guide[na.finalfantasyxiv.com] lists all job actions for your jobs/classes - however, it unfortunately doesn't feature sufficient information on how to actually play your class/job. Still, a great way to get an overview about everything the different classes/jobs offer.
  
  
• Additionally, there's the UI-guide[na.finalfantasyxiv.com], teaching players how to use and customize their user interface. While the standard UI-layout might serve you well, customizing might make it even more useful!
  
  
• Lastly, there's an official Starter Guide [starter-guide.finalfantasyxiv.com]in videoform now, made by publisher Square Enix themselves.

These official online resources already cover a lot of topics, which are not going to be repeated in this guide. Instead, I want to focus on additional topics and information that I'd like to have known about as a beginner in the world of Final Fantasy XIV. As such, if you feel like certain topics are missing (e.g., how to create a party), they might already be covered on the websites I listed. For this guide, after we go over the question if you should play Final Fantasy XIV with mouse & keyboard or a controller, we're starting with the different quest types!

As many MMO-games only ever release on PC and don't make an appearance on consoles at all, there's usually no choice but to play with mouse & keyboard as they usually don't offer (proper) controller support. However, as Final Fantasy XIV was developed for the PlayStation from the beginning as well, the question is: Should I play the game with mouse & keyboard or with a controller?

The answer to this is a boring one: It's up to your preferences. Both, mouse & keyboard as well as a controller, work well for playing Final Fantasy XIV and they are both used by the community. Most people on PC are probably using mouse & keyboard and many console players are using their respective controllers (even though consoles support mouse & keyboard as well).

I mainly wanted to include this sections to showcase both methods a little. I used to play Final Fantasy XIV with mouse & keyboard for a long time and never thought a controller could replace them for me. That was until I actually gave it a decent try and since then I've made the switch to a DualSense controller. I feel like I should've informed myself about how playing Final Fantasy XIV with a controller is like much sooner, which is why I'll go over the pros and cons right now, so you may not repeat my mistake.

First of all, mouse & keyboard - the default PC input option. Thanks to the sheer amount of keys on the keyboard as well as the precision of a mouse, you got a lot of control over how you want to play Final Fantasy XIV. Having a keyboard is unsurprisingly very useful for chatting as well, using a virtual keyboard with a controller can take some time. There's also the option to click on your skills instead of pressing the associated keyboard buttons - though this input method is a controversial one, as it is deemed too slow by many players.

Example: Moving the mouse from skills on the right to skills on the left and clicking them can take more time than pressing the associated buttons on a keyboard/controller.

In the beginning, it might also be easier to start out with a mouse, since it's easier to select menus/enemies/etc. by mouse than through buttons alone. Simply clicking on an ally instead of switching through the group list to select them can be quite helpful if you're just starting out.

That said, there are a couple of disadvantes when playing with mouse & keyboard as well. Movement using the WASD-keys isn't as precise as using a joystick on a controller. And while there are a lot of buttons on a keyboard, not all of them are easily accessible, meaning you might have to perform quite some hand/finger movements on fully-levelled characters, which is certainly not for everyone. For that reason, "MMO-mice" are quite popular with MMO-players, as they feature a lot of easily accesible buttons on the side of the mouse.

Moving on to controllers, their biggest advantage would easily be the accessible buttons. On the flipside, they don't offer many buttons, which means accessing all your skills works a bit differently than using a mouse & keyboard. Let's take a look at the setup I'm using:

Example: Using the left trigger button (L2) on my controller, I can access the middle-left crosshotbar-menu (marked L1). If I want to perform one of these skills, while holding L2, I have to either use the D-Pad (left side) or action buttons (right side). Tapping L2 twice grants me access to the upper left crosshotbar-menu - if I use the D-Pad/action buttons now, I'll activate the skills there.

This is just one possible way for a hotbar layout but you see where I'm getting at: With a controller, you'll switch between your hotbars a lot in order to still use all actions with your limited set of buttons. This does admittedly take some set-up time and practice at first, but becomes quite intuitive after a while. Personally, I prefer it a lot to using a keyboard, since there's more of a flow to it.

Navigating menus with a controller is also quite easy, as Final Fantasy XIV was designed with that in mind. You'll find out that it can be quite as fast as clicking through them with a mouse - not in all instances but certainly most of the time. Again, it might take some practice at first compared to using a mouse, but after a while it comes off almost naturally.

In the end, you'll have to decide for yourself what fits you better. You can also try out both, of course! As for my personal setup, I'm using a DualSense controller for most of the game and a keyboard for the occasional chat. For my controller setup I used and - apart from the official resources [na.finalfantasyxiv.com]- highly recommend the controller guides by Squintina. There's a general (written) one over at Akhmorning[www.akhmorning.com] as well as her YouTube channel going over individual class layouts. She also created a GoogleDoc[docs.google.com] if you're just looking for her hotbar layouts.

Similar to RPGs or other MMOs, you'll spend a lot of time in Final Fantasy XIV completing tasks (quests) for Non-Player Characters (NPCs). These quests are going to differ quite a lot in what they offer and how long it takes to completes them. You might get a quest just asking you to kill a few monsters, for example. But another one might actually offer a few follow-up quests (a "quest chain"), slowly building up a bigger threat to take care of.

Thankfully, Final Fantasy XIV split its quests into different types, marked by different icons. That way you know what to expect, when accepting news tasks to complete. Let's take a look at the types of quests Final Fantasy XIV offers:

1. Main Scenario Quests.
Recognizable by their "flame" icon. The most important quests in Final Fantasy XIV. They're continuing the main story of the world and its inhabitants. Don't neglect completing them, as story progression is often a requirement for unlocking new content.


2. Feature-Quests.
Sidequests, that aren't part of the Main Scenario but still unlock new content, usually dungeons, trials and raids. To prevent confusion: Yes, the same icon is used for your class and job quests, which offer new class or job actions.


3. "Normal" Side-Quests.
Side-Quests, that aren't part of the Main Scenario and don't unlock new content. The usual rewards are Gil, experience points and maybe some gear pieces. In a few rare cases, it can also be a new minion or emote.


4. Repeatable Quests.
Are exactly what the name makes them sound like. They are only really used for specific side content, like the Beast Tribes or Relic Weapons. Turning them in daily is raising your reputation with a specific Beast Tribe for example.


Lastly, a unique quest type we'll take a more detailed look at later:


5. Leves.
Require leve allowances to be started. Your character automatically receives three leve allowances every twelve real-time hours.

Keep in mind that the quest icons change depending on your quest progress. For example, if all that's left to do to finish a quest is turning it in, the quest icon will be coloured green. If you're unable to accept a quest - maybe because your character level isn't high enough - the quest icon will be red. But you'll quickly get the hang of this by playing the game, it's not complicated.

Now that you know how to differentiate the quest types - which ones should you consider doing?

In advance: The answer to this question is, of course, a subjective one. If you want to know everything about Eorzea and its inhabitants, you're probably going to spend way more time doing quests than someone who just wants to get to the hardest content in the game as soon as possible. But whichever your style of play might be, there are a few details to consider.

First, no matter if you want to engage with the main story of Final Fantasy XIV or not, you'll have to prioritize those Main Scenario Quests (MSQ for short). Why? Because new game content is only unlocked by progressing in the main story.

Example: The areas, jobs, quests, etc. of the first expansion, Heavensward, are only available once the main scenario of a the base game, A Realm Reborn, has been completed - including the story quests of the patches that arrived before Heavensward!

So, if you want to reach the endgame of Final Fantasy XIV, the newest content, you'll have to clear all Main Scenario Quests up to that point. Neglecting these quests and thus the main story means you're going to hit a point in time where you are unable to progress any further - sooner or later.

Tl;dr: If you want to progress in Final Fantasy XIV, you are required to clear the Main Scenario Quests.

This might not be a surprise to those who came from single-player RPGs. But in the MMO genre, there actually are games that allow you to skip the main story - or at least huge chunks of it. That's a feature Final Fantasy XIV also offers - if you pay real money for it. That's something I would not recommend but more on that later.

Almost as important as completing the Main Scenario Quests would be completing your Class or Job Quests. You'll unlock one every few class/job levels (1, 5, 10, etc.) & they will show up in your Main Scenario Guide (upper left corner of your screen). These quests offer new actions for your class or job and thus should be completed as soon as possible. More actions = performing even better in battle.

Not as necessary but still recommended would be doing the Feature Quests. Simply put, they'll expand your game with new features, dungeons, raids, trials and so on. Some of the quest chains also feature characters from the main story, so even lore enthusiasts should consider playing them.

"Normal" Side-Quests are something you can honestly ignore entirely. They are not very efficient for levelling and the rewards are usually not worth the trouble either. It might seem weird to ignore the dozens of !-icons at first but trust me, if you're going to try and finish all of them, you'll quickly burn out instead. The very few Side-Quests I actually recommend doing are listed in my next guide to keep this section short.

Lastly, before we take a look at leves, the Repeatable Side-Quests. As they're only part of special side activities (Beast Tribes, Relic Weapons, etc.) to begin with, you'll decide if you want to tackle them or not.

Tl;dr: Absolutely necessary are the Main Scenario Quests as well as you Class and Job Quests. Feature Quests are highly recommended. Ignore "normal" Side Quests and Repeatable Quests unless you really want to do them.

Before we finish talking about the quest types, there's one special type I need to address: Leves.


Again, the leve symbol is shown on the left. They are usually in the same level range as the zone they can be found in. Consider unlocking all of them during your A Realm Reborn playthrough, it won't take long.

To unlock leves in general, you'll need to finish a level 10-Main Scenario Quest, which is located in Gridania[na.finalfantasyxiv.com], Limsa Lominsa[na.finalfantasyxiv.com] or Ul'dah[na.finalfantasyxiv.com] - depending on the city your character originally started in. To unlock leves in a specific zone, you'll need to finish a short "unlock leve" for the levemaster of each zone. Important: Leves of higher-level zones can only be unlocked once the leves of lower level zones have been unlocked. As for leves in the expansions, it's usually enough to talk to a NPC to unlock all of them.

But what are leves to begin with, you might ask. Generally speaking, they're short, repeatable tasks that are offered by levemetes all around Eorzea. Basically, you turn in some leve allowances to complete a "mini-quest" under specific conditions and get some rewards in return. As previously mentioned, your character automatically gains three leve allowances every twelve (real-time) hours, up to a maximum of 100.

Leves come in three categories: Battlecraft, Tradecraft, Fieldcraft.

Battlecraft leves are only useful for very early levelling and have been discontinued after Heavensward. They can be ignored, for the most part.

Tradecraft and Fieldcraft leves are more interesting. They can be used for levelling crafting and gathering jobs: Just turn in specific items (crafted or gathered or, well, bought from other players) and you'll get some experience points in return. If you turn in multiple items or items that are of high quality, you'll receive even more! To tell the full story however, these leves have long been surpassed by another levelling method, the Ishgardian Restoration[na.finalfantasyxiv.com] (Heavendward spoiler!). While this method can only be used once the Heavensward main scenario is finished, it's considered the most efficient levelling method and thus the most popular one.

So, in the end, leves are usually neglected by players. Some people use specific Grand Company Leves to receive Grand Company Seals - but I personally prefer using another method: Turning in old gear at certain Grand Company representatives for Grand Company Seals. Less work and I get rid of the junk in my inventory, a win-win situation.

Tl:dr: While leves are a bit special compared to the other quest types, they're unfortunately not exactly useful. You may unlock them but don't expect them to be an important part of your gameplay loop.

After all the information about quests, let's focus on your character instead. Specifically, the gear of your character. You most likely already know that you should constantly try to get better gear in order to perform better. But there's more to that.

The different quests in Final Fantasy XIV always have a level requirement, a certain level your character must have reached in a job in order to accept the quest. A level 15 quest can only be accepted by a character that's at least level 15 and so on. Another requirement is usually a specific progress in the Main Scenario Quests.

Instanced content (dungeons, raids, etc.), similar to quests, requires your character to have a specific level and Main Scenario progress. However, and so do some quests, it also asks for a specific item level (iLvl for short). What's that? Each gear piece your character wears has an item level. These are not to be confused with the character level that's needed to wear a piece of gear, it's a separate stat. For example, gear pieces for character level 80 might have an item level of 400+.

The iLvl that's required to join instanced content or start quests is not focused on specific gear pieces. Instead, it's the average iLvl of all your currently worn gear pieces. If you wear a high iLvl helmet and low iLvl boots, you might still be able to join higher level content for example. Of course, I'd recommend taking care of your gear pieces in equal measure though.

If you want to know your current average iLvl, simply open your character window and it's shown above your character (red arrows). In my example, the average item level is 480. The better my gear, the higher my item level.

While we're already looking at my screenshot: Notice the blue vertical bars next to my equipped gear pieces? It's an indicator for the gear durability. Are the gear pieces completely repaired, the condition is marked as 100% and the bar is blue, as shown in the picture.

However, as you play, you're going to notice that your gear is wearing down, through battles for example. The bar is going to turn green and then red, depending on the condition of your gear pieces. What does that mean?

If the durability of one of your gear pieces reaches 0%, meaning the bar is entirely red, the gear piece is considered unusable/broken.


Don't worry, you gear piece is not completely destroyed or something like that. If your gear is broken, all the stat improvements your gear piece normally provides are temporarily gone - until it's repaired. That results in your character being able to take or deal less damage in combat for example.

You don't want that to happen, of course, and thus you should always keep your gear repaired. How? You either do it yourself[na.finalfantasyxiv.com] or - much easier - visit a mender. These NPCs are usually found in almost every city or village, marked with a hammer symbol on the map. For a small Gil fee, they'll repair your gear!

More information about gear can be found in the official UI-Guide[na.finalfantasyxiv.com], especially the tips about equipping recommended gear and creating gear sets are very useful.

Tl;dr: Always make sure your item level is high enough for quests and instanced content. Always keep your gear repaired, it the durability of your gear pieces reach 0%, they're basically useless.

Playing through all those Main Scenario Quests, levelling my character and now I also need to take care of my gear? That sounds like a lot of work. What, if I just want to jump into the newest content Final Fantasy XIV has to offer? Those might be thoughts that crossed your mind.

And there is indeed a way to skip levelling and/or the story. Over on the official Final Fantasy XIV website[na.finalfantasyxiv.com], so called "Tales of Adventure" are sold for real money. And especially when starting out and seeing all the high-level players, it might be tempting to buy them.

However, I don't recommend doing so. In fact, I'd say buying them is going to make your game experience a lot worse - thanks to a couple of reasons. Let me explain.

Let's start with buying a story skip. That way, you're able to see the latest content Final Fantasy XIV has to offer: the most recent expansion. The first problem? You're probably not going to be able to actually play the new content, as your character level isn't boosted as well. The second problem? The Main Scenario of Final Fantasy XIV is the heart of the game. You will need to complete Main Scenario Quests again but this time, you'll neither know the characters nor what's going on. You missed a lot of cutscenes, dialogues, twists and turns, you missed your opportunity to slowly be introduced to the world and story.

Thanks to a few Shadowbringers updates, Final Fantasy XIV received a New Game+ option, meaning you're able to replay certain old quests (without getting any rewards again, that is). So technically, you're still able to catch up on what happened. However, thanks to boosting, you'll already know about what happens to some of the characters, areas and so on. You missed on the experience to see everything for the first time. As such, buying a story skip should only be taken into consideration if you really, 100% don't care about the Main Scenario and just gameplay instead.

Now let's talking about boosting classes/jobs. These boosts are not affecting your story progress, they're just raising the level of a class/job as well as providing the gear needed. They do skip your class/job quests as well but thanks to New Game+, you're going to be able to replay them. The bigger problem here is going to be ...yourself.

Or rather, your lack of experience with your boosted job. When normally levelling jobs, you'll slowly get an understanding of how to play them while they become more complex with each level. If you boost, you'll end up with an UI filled with tons of unknown job actions. Entering high level content like this is going to be quite a treat for your party members.

If you still want to boost your class/job, out of consideration for your future party members, please try getting acquainted with your new job first. Use training dummies, consult online resources, practice your rotation in low level content. And once you feel like you're getting the hang of it, only then try joining high level content. Still, the optimal way to learn how to play a class/job, is to start from the beginning.

Tl;dr: Don't buy the story skip unless you absolutely don't care for the story. If you consider buying a level skip, which I also wouldn't recommend, try getting acquainted with your new job before doing group content.

The world of Eorzea is big, very big. And you'll visit many parts of this world, of course. Which begs the question: What's the best way to travel?

You'll start your adventure on foot and that's technically enough to visit many parts of Eorzea. However, that's going to take a long time. Instead, you'll want to get a mount which allows you to traverse more quickly. Details on getting your first mount will follow in the next chapter. For now, let's look at other ways of travelling.

Especially early in the game, you'll encounter the Chocobo Porter service. Here, you are able to chart a Chocobo to take you to predetermined locations. It's faster than running and you won't get attacked by monsters - but you're also not able to properly control where you want to go.

Another transport opportunities are ferries and airships, which are also going to take you from one specific location to another. You'll probably quickly find better ways to travel, either using your mount or teleporting - but there is one ferry to keep in mind:

As part of the Final Fantasy XIV story, you'll often have to travel to a location called "The Waking Sands". Many players choose to teleport to the nearby village Horizon and use their mount from there to get to the Waking Sands. However, there is a actually an even quicker way to get there, using the ferry I was hinting at. Starting in Limsa Lominsa, next to the Arcanist Guild (use the miniature Aetheryte!), the ferry is heading directly to Vesper Bay, where the Waking Sands base is located. If you want to save time and teleportation money, use the ferry!

If we're already talking teleportation: Using Aetherytes is probably the fastest way to get across Eorzea. To do that, however, you'll need to be attuned with the Aetheryte you want to travel to. This is achieved by interacting with an Aetheryte for the first time (right click when standing next to one). Once you're attuned with an Aetheryte, you'll always be able to chose it as your teleportation destination. So if you see an unknown Aetheryte in the open world, don't forget to "activate" it!

To teleport to an Aetheryte, click on the specific Aetheryte symbol on your map or use the "Teleportation"-action (can be found in your action list). Depending on the distance between you and the Aetheryte, a certain amount Gil has to paid as travel costs. You are also able to choose an Aetheryte as your home point (by interacting with it, can be changed later), allowing you to use the "Return"-action to teleport to your home Aetheryte for free every 15 minutes.

Big cities (Gridania, Limsa Lominsa, Ul'dah, etc.) each have their own miniature Aetheryte system. You can use them as a fast travel option for the districts of each city (no Gil fee here!) - after you've been attuned with them, of course. As with the big Aetherytes, as soon as you come across a miniature Aetheryte you haven't seen before: interact/attune with them!

Those who travel must also rest. Gridania, Limsa Lominsa and Ul'dah all offer Inn rooms (free of charge!) in their respective Adventurers' Guild. Inn rooms come with a lot of useful features, like a bed for logging out, an Orchestrion, a Crystal Bell to call the Aesthetician (once unlocked), minigames and - most important for fashion[ffxiv.consolegameswiki.com] - a Glamour Dresser.

Speaking of rest, if you want to log out, always do so in so called "sanctuaries" - basically the areas around big Aetherytes. You'll be able to recognize if you're currently standing inside a sanctuary when a crescent moon symbol appears next to your experience bar:



If you did log out in a sanctuary, take a look at your experience bar the next time you're logging in. Depending on how long you logged out, you'll recognise that the experience bar turned blue (just like the screenshot) in some parts. That's the rested experience bonus, providing 50% bonus experience[ffxiv.consolegameswiki.com] for applicable activities. It's important to note that the maximum rested bonus can be reached after logging out for just 4 days (1.5 experience bars), so being offline for weeks doesn't pay off in that regard.

Tl;dr: Fast - Running. Faster - Using your mount. Fastest - Teleportation by Aetheryte. Always attune yourself with new Aetherytes! If you need to get to the Waking Sands, take the ferry near the Arcanist guild in Limsa Lominsa! Use the Inn rooms, they're free! Don't forget to log out near sanctuaries for the rested experience bonus!

Final Fantasy XIV wouldn't be a Final Fantasy game if there weren't any yellow-feathered Chocobos around. They can be used as mounts, they can fight by your side and they can even be used for races[na.finalfantasyxiv.com] in the Gold Saucer casino.

If you always wanted to have your own Chocobo, you're in luck, as A Realm Reborn is providing one pretty early in the game. After you cleared the level 20 Main Scenario Quest A Hero in the Making[na.finalfantasyxiv.com], you'll get the choice to join one of three Grand Companies. Once you've made your decision, you'll soon get a quest titled "My Little Chocobo". Finish it and you'll be able to ride your own, named Chocobo. A more detailed explanation can be found in the UI-guide[na.finalfantasyxiv.com].

Once you reached level 30 with your character, you'll also get the chance to fight side by side with your Chocobo (not in instanced content, mind you). Clear the quest My Feisty Little Chocobo[na.finalfantasyxiv.com], given out by Docette in the South Shroud (X: 17.0, Y: 28.2). More information on how to fight with your Chocobo buddy can be found in the UI-guide[de.finalfantasyxiv.com].

Of course, there are many, many mounts besides Chocobos, some have to be bought, some have to be earned. One example is using your Achievement Certificates to trade with Jonathas in Old-Gridania[na.finalfantasyxiv.com] (X: 10.6, Y: 6.3), who offers mounts (like a Behemoth) and minions in return. For a complete list of Final Fantasy XIV mounts and how to obtain them, see the Final Fantasy XIV-Wiki[ffxiv.consolegameswiki.com].

However, while riding your mount is certainly faster than walking, you're probably wondering something else: How do I fly with my mount? You'll probably already have seen a few high-level players just taking to the skies like it's nothing. That's got nothing to do with bragging, it's just that flying is even faster than riding your mount. Your riding speed can be increased[ffxiv.consolegameswiki.com] but even then, it's slower than flying - not to mention the problems of getting through difficult terrain.

Speaking of mount speed: All mounts have the same base speed. A few mounts, like the store mount SDS-Fenrir[store.finalfantasyxiv.com], already got riding speed enhancements unlocked. However, they're not faster than other mounts with the same riding speed enhancement. So just choose a mount you like, there's currently no mount that's faster than others and I doubt this is going to change.

The most important question though, is of course how you're going to be able to fly with mounts.
To fly in the A Realm Reborn zones, you'll simply have to finish the level 50 Main Scenario Quest The Ultimate Weapon[na.finalfantasyxiv.com]. If you want to fly in zones added in the expansions, more effort is needed. First you'll need to obtain an Aether Compass by finishing the level 50 Main Scenario Quest Divine Intervention[na.finalfantasyxiv.com]. Once obtained, you will need to use that Aether Compass to find & attune yourself with all Aether Currents in each zone. After you attuned yourself with all Aether Currents, flying for that zone is unlocked (forever).

Since the expansion Stormblood it's also possible to dive in certain parts of Eorzea (with or without mounts). This ability can be unlocked by finishing the level 63 Main Scenario Quest In Soroban We Trust[na.finalfantasyxiv.com].

Tl;dr: Obtain your first mount, your own Chocobo, by completing a level 20 Main Scenario Quest. Your Chocobo buddy can help with fighting once you completed a level 30 quest. All mounts share the same base speed. Flying and diving can be unlocked after fulfilling special requirements.

Over the course of your journey, your character is going to face all sorts of enemies. However, there are going to be encounters you just can't win by yourself. Thankfully, other adventurers (players) are going to help, so you all can beat even the toughest enemies. This type of group content is what this chapter is going to be about.

To be more specific, this chapter is about instanced content. Some group content is happing in the "normal" overworld, like FATEs or The Hunt. "Instanced content" (or instances), however, are seperated from the overworld. Only set groups of players ("parties") can enter an instance together (it is also possible to enter as a party of one: by yourself). Meaning, while you might encounter unknown players in the overworld all the time, you'll only encounter players in your instance that entered the instance with you.

If you read my first guide, you might remember me explaining the different roles inside a party and what each role must do. As a reminder:

• Light Party - 4 players. One tank, one healer, two damage dealers.
  
• Full Party - 8 players. Two tanks, two healers, four damage dealers.
  
• Alliance-Raids - Three "Full Parties", meaning 24 players in total: Six tanks, six healers, twelve damage dealers.

Should players leave the party during an instance, it's possible to fill the empty slot with a new player, using the Duty Finder[na.finalfantasyxiv.com]. As I already mentioned, it's also possible to enter instances with fewer players than intended by the game (Duty Finder→ Cog in the upper left corner → Undersized party) - this does come with a few restrictions though, like no experience gained from defeating enemies.

To enter instances, either interact with their entrance in the overworld (nobody does that) or use the Duty Finder (everyone does that instead). Details on using the Duty Finder can be found in the game manual[na.finalfantasyxiv.com].

Now that we talked about what instances are and how to enter them, what type of instances does Final Fantasy XIV offer?


Dungeons. With currently 89 different dungeons (Patch 6.48) in the game, the most varied instanced content. As a light party, you usually fight groups of enemies and three bosses.



Raids. Can be separated into "normal" raids (= Full Party) and "Alliance-Raids" (= three Full Parties, meaning 24 players total). "Normal" raids usually only offer one fight/area per instance while Alliance Raids are filled with way more fights.



Trials. The currently 85 different trials (counting the different difficulties as well) in the game are all about beating one tough "boss fight" as a Full Party. As the bosses usually have quite a health bar, prepare for a longer fight without any checkpoints.



If we list these types of instanced content according to player count, we'd get the following order:
Dungeons (4 players) → Trials (8 players) → "Normal" Raids (8 players) → Alliance-Raids (24 players)

It's fair to take the group size as an indicator for how tough the instances are going to be. While dungeons can normally be finished without any previous knowledge about boss tactics and so on, trials and raids usually demand more coordination from all players. Each player has to make sure they act according to their role in order to successfully complete the instances. That doesn't mean that making mistakes is automatically ending in a defeat, don't worry. But that's also why the first raids only unlock at level 50 and not earlier.

Doing instances with others, working as a group, might sound scary at first - especially for MMO newcomers. However, be assured, Final Fantasy XIV will take its time to teach you everything before slowly ramping up the difficulty. For example, the game offers you "Guildhests" as (optional) interactive tutorials. These are extremely short (few minutes at most) instances for up to four players, designed as an introduction to group content. Currently, there are
14 of these Guildhests[de.finalfantasyxiv.com], ranging from level 10 to 40.

You can unlock Guildhests through a level 10 Feature Quest as soon as you initially unlocked leves. The associated quest, Simply the Hest, can be found in (Gridania[na.finalfantasyxiv.com], Limsa Lominsa or [na.finalfantasyxiv.com], Ul'dah[na.finalfantasyxiv.com]) - depending on your starting city. Once you clear a Guildhest, you'll unlock the next one.

Generally, instances go like this: The tanks are making sure that enemies hit them and not the rest of the group. The healers are taking care of everyone's health. And the damage dealers are responsible for getting rid of the enemies as soon as possible. Keeping that in mind and paying attention to the game tutorials should make sure that everything goes well. It's also worth mentioning that all story dungeons can now be played with NPCs instead of real players through the Duty Support[na.finalfantasyxiv.com], meaning you can practice your class and combat easily.

However, it also has to be said that - especially during high level trials and raids - there are battles that require more specific knowledge about their individual mechanics. For example, players might need to perform specific actions or attack certain enemies and so on - different from the usual attack-dodging, etc. While some people might say that they can still immediately figure out what they or the group needs to do, that's certainly not the case for everyone.

This can be especially problematic if you enter instances with a lot of veterans, who (usually) know what's going on and act accordingly. In that case, don't be afraid to tell them that you're running an instance for the first time or ask them if you need to know some specifics for the upcoming fights. Everyone was new to the game once and as such there's a good chance that you're going to receive some kind answers.

Of course, especially when playing as a tank or healer, you might want to know about all tactics before even entering an instance. In that case, feel free to consult the (dozens of) online guides beforehand. The most important part of playing Final Fantasy XIV is to have fun and if you want to enter an instance well-prepared instead of just winging it, by all means, do so. I know I did for some of the raids. But again, as I don't want to scare you: Most content (especially dungeons) can be finished without any problems even at first try & without reading up on it beforehand.

Tl;dr: Instanced content is where the different classes & jobs really come together. It's here where you can show just how good you are at the game, working together with other players to triumph even over the biggest foes.

If we're already talking getting help and paying attention to tutorials, let's talk some details.

I already mentioned the official online guides, which are worth taking a look at. There are also the Guildhests for a nice (optional) introduction to instances. But there's one last side activity I need to talk about, that you should definitely take a look at: The Hall of the Novice[na.finalfantasyxiv.com], also designed to teach you party combat.

The Hall of the Novice can be visited as soon as you reach level 15. Don't worry, the game will tell you about it. If you want to enter the Hall of the Novice, speak with the Smith NPC located at the Adventurers' Guild in each city (Gridania, Limsa Lominsa, UI'dah) or other locations. The Hall of the Novice consists of a few combat scenarios you're guided through, separated between tanks, healers and damage dealers.

What's going to make your visit even more worthwhile are the rewards for completing the Hall of the Novice for one role. The Brand-new Ring[na.finalfantasyxiv.com], for example, offers a 30% experience bonus when at or below level 30. In addition, you're also going to be rewarded with a pretty nice level 15 gear set (iLvl 17).

The Final Fantasy XIV community can also offer a lot of help. I'd suggest joining a Free Company (FC for short). They are player operated organizations that can offer your advice or even buffs like cheaper teleports or more experience gained in combat. If you want to, you can even create your own[ffxiv.gamerescape.com], of course!

Another way to get advice would be by joining the Novice Channel[na.finalfantasyxiv.com] after getting invited by a mentor. Mentors, recognizable by the crown symbols next to their names, are experienced players that want to help guide new players. To become a mentor, specific requirements[ffxiv.consolegameswiki.com] have to be fulfilled, so expect them to have spent quite a few hours in Final Fantasy XIV.

So, if you have any questions or want to join the Novice Channel, just ask a mentor! The Novice Channel is a global chat where players can ask all sorts of questioned and get them answered by mentors. Ideal for everyone who doesn't know any game veterans themselves!

Finally, there are of course dozens of online guides and tutorials available, covering all possible aspects of Final Fantasy XIV. Thank you for reading mine! But don't forget others have made great guides too, so give them a try as well!

Tl;dr: Check out the Hall of the Novice! Don't be afraid to ask questions! Join the Novice chat! And if everything else fails, try online resources!

This chapter is basically a collection for all kind of tips & tricks I deem important but couldn't fit in anywhere else.

• The Bestiary, unlocking once you joined a Grand Company, rewards killing specific enemies with Gil, experience and Grand Company Seals. As such, it's a great levelling addition your low-level characters.
  
  
• Don't forget that Final Fantasy XIV offers a lot of different experience boosts, making levelling much easier. While some require specific (paid) items, others are easily accessible like eating any kind of food - which in turn provides a 3% experience boost.
  
  
• If you want to automatically skip transportation and instanced content cutscene you already watched once, go to Character configuration → Control settings → General → Cutscene skipping
  
  
• While we're already talking about skipping cutscenes: Yes, the group will have to wait for you while you're watching the introduction cutscene of a dungeon for example. No, that does not mean you should feel obliged to skip them. If you want to watch them, do so.
  
  
• Should you still decide to skip a cutscene but want to check it out later, you can do so: Many cutscenes can be rewatched using the Unending Journey[na.finalfantasyxiv.com]. This book is part of every inn room (which are located in cities) and does not also include Main Scenario Quest cutscenes for example.
  
  
• Want to speak to a quest NPC but a group of other players are swarming them, leaving you barely able to see them? Hide players near quest NPCs using Character configuration → Control settings → General → Quest Progression Settings!
  
  
• Battle effects look great! But especially with a lot of players fighting at the same time, they might look a little too good - making it hard to see what's actually going on. As such, I'd recommend limiting battle effects using Character configuration → Control settings → Character → Battle Effects. You can still keep them on full display for your own character though, don't worry.
  
  
• Don't be afraid of changing the HUD! For the know-how, visit the official UI-guide[na.finalfantasyxiv.com]. I'd recommend changing everything according to your own preferences. I like the standard layout as well, but I like it even more after making some adjustments. It might also be a good idea to use a different UI layout for different jobs, the healer might need a more accessible party list than a tank and so on.
  
  
• Your HUD and a lot of other settings aren't saved online but locally. So, if you want to switch PCs for example, you might considering doing a back-up of your settings[na.finalfantasyxiv.com] in order to use them elsewhere as well.
  
  
• Want a more accurate display of the remaining enemies' health? Visit Character configuration → UI settings → HUD → Display target's remaining HP percentage and a % estimate will be shown right no the target's health-bar!
  
  
• You would rather listen to the soundtrack of each zone when riding your mount? Turn off mount music under Character configuration → Sound settings → Sound Settings → uncheck Play music when mounted
  
  
• The altitude warning keeps popping up while flying around? Turn it off under Character configuration → Log Window Settings → General → uncheck Display altitude error messages
  
  
• If you're already changing the Log Window Settings, I'd suggest setting up the different chat channels as well. I personally use three, one for all notifications & chat messages, one for party/alliance messages and one for trading - but set them up as you want them to be!
  
  
• So many players standing around an NPC that you can't even interact with them anymore? Hold the "X" key to temporarily hide player names![na.finalfantasyxiv.com]
  
  
• If you want to see your entire inventory[na.finalfantasyxiv.com] at once when hitting the assigned inventory key, go to Character configuration → Item settings → Inventory settings
  
  
• Your inventory is filled all the time? Don't forget to use your Chocobo Saddlebag or Retainer Inventory[na.finalfantasyxiv.com]!
  
  
• Dying your gear pieces, changing the look of your equipment, becoming the ultimate fashionista? Final Fantasy XIV got you covered, the phrase "fashion is the true endgame" does not exist for nothing. For detailed information about your character appearance, check the UI-guide[na.finalfantasyxiv.com]!
  
  
• Want to practice your combat rotations? Use the training dummies scattered all over Eorzea! They're indestructible, allowing you to train to your hearts content! One training dummy that you can get to especially fast is located in Middle La Noscea at the Summerford Farm (Aetheryte available!). Good to know: Right-clicking your training dummy and selecting "reset enmity" is going to end your combat state immediately, no need to run away!
  
  
• Using so-called "macros", it's possible to execute a chain of different actions with a simple button press. However, macros should not be used in combat, for example as a replacement for chaining a combo yourself. Here's a guide[ffxiv.consolegameswiki.com] explaining why, how macros work and in which ways they should be used instead.
  
  
• The sprout icon next to your character name marks you as a beginner in the world of Final Fantasy XIV. That way, experienced players will know when you might be running an instance for the first time, for example, so they might offer helpful tips. Your sprout symbol will automatically disappear after 168 hours of playtime and finishing a great chunk of the Main Scenario. However, if you want to get rid of your icon even earlier, you can do so using a text command[de.finalfantasyxiv.com].
  
  
• See the Gil icon in the lower right corner of your screen? With a right-click you're able to change it to different currencies! That way, you're able to keep track of your Manderville Gold Saucer Points for example.
  
  
• Enemies, players or spots on the ground can be marked, which can prove very useful in some instances. Check the UI-guide[na.finalfantasyxiv.com] for details!
  
  
• Unfortunately the game doesn't do a great job teaching players about Limit Breaks[ffxiv.consolegameswiki.com]. Essentially, they're ultimate group activities that can be unleashed after the Limit Break Gauge Bar has been filled to a certain degree. A limit break can be performed by one (!) group member before the Gauge Bar needs to be recharged. Read more about the etiquette of using Limit Breaks ("LBs") in this guide[www.mmorpg.com] for example.
  
  

You've reached the end of this guide, congratulations! Now, that might've been a lot of information, but I still hope you might remember a thing or two. Maybe you even learned something entirely new?

If you're still interested in further information:
I wrote one last guide, called "Final Fantasy XIV for advanced players".
It's mainly intended for players who just finished A Realm Reborn or are about to do so. The guides covers topics like which important Side-Quests to complete, what optional instances you should unlock, how to quickly raise your iLvl, profiting from Retainer Ventures, getting into crafting & gathering and more:
https://steamhost.cn/steamcommunity_com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2551550799
Lastly: Thank you for reading through this guide!
If you liked it, please consider upvoting or it adding it to your favourites! ♥
If you have any questions or feedback, feel free to leave a comment!

• 05.08.2021: First release
  
• 19.02.2022: Added statement regarding the timeframe this guide was created in
  
• 01.08.2022: Small fix regarding one image missing
  
• 21.08.2023: Slight rework to keep guide updated
  
• 06.07.2024: Added tip regarding the newly introduced setting to hide players near quest NPCs