Progression through Eorzea
I'm having quite a hard time looking for leveling spots in Final Fantasy XIV, and I was wondering if you guys can recommend an 'order of zones'.
Solution 1:
In the old 1.x version of the game, there was no "order of zone progression" as in other MMOs like World of Warcraft or The Old Republic; each starting region has levequests, quests, and monster camps appropriate for players of all levels. There was content appropriate for levels 1-50 in each of the three nations, so it was entirely possible to level all the way to cap without needing to leave one's home region. It wasn't uncommon for various activties (storyline missions, faction levequests, parties, etc) to take a player to Coerthas and Mor Dhona, but strictly in terms of leveling, it wasn't necessary at all.
As this was a particular complaint among many players, all of the zones have been completely redone in A Realm Reborn. All of the regions are broken into smaller unique, more traditional "zones", and provide an intended order of progression as you move through the main story content. Figuring out this order isn't too complicated, as the main storyline and your class's hunting log will both guide you to the proper zones where you can find content appropriate for your level. Here's a rough list:
1-15: Depends on your starting city. Limsa Lominsa: Middle La Noscea, Lower La Noscea, Upper La Noscea; Ul'dah: Central Thanalan, Western Thanalan, Eastern Thanalan; Gridania: Central Shroud, North Shroud, East Shroud
15-20: Dungeons (Sastasha, Tam-Tara Deepcroft, Copperbell Mines); Eastern Thanalan, East Shroud, Upper La Noscea
20-25: South Shroud, East Shroud, Upper La Noscea
25-30: Southern Thanalan, North Shroud
30-35: Eastern La Noscea, Southern Thanalan, South Shroud, Central Shroud
35-40: Coerthas Central Highlands, Eastern La Noscea, Upper La Noscea
40-45: Coerthas Central Highlands, Mor Dhona, Northern Thanalan, Upper La Noscea
45-50: Mor Dhona, Northern Thanalan, Outer La Noscea
Solution 2:
Someone (not me) created this map with the level ranges of each part of the zones.
It is primarily only useful for your 2nd or 3rd class, as going through the main story quests should get you the levels needed.