The Main Scenario Quests (MSQs) are the core story quests in Final Fantasy XIV that guide you through the major plot points of the game. They unlock as you progress through the levels and expansions. As the game evolves and you can skip earlier content, the MSQs are still a critical part of the leveling adventure no matter what expansion you start with.

The MSQs will be your primary source of experience points (XP) as you level up, especially for your first job. You’ll get tons of XP rewards from completing these quests, which makes leveling up smooth and straightforward. We have another leveling guide focused purely on the first 70 levels, whereas this guide is for anywhere in the game that you may be.

My advice for new players is to focus solely on the MSQs when starting out. Don’t get distracted by side quests or other activities, just follow the main story. This will get your first job leveled up efficiently. The MSQs will unlock all the important content, dungeons, trials, raids, features and areas of the game. Completing them unlocks everything you need to progress no matter where you are in the game and where you choose to start.

The MSQ tracker on the screen shows your current main story progress and where to go next. Just follow the meteor icon quest markers to move through each chapter of the story. Please also take the time to enjoy the story and cutscenes at your leisure. Never feel rushed to move past a cutscene.

MSQ Leveling Strategy

Here are some tips to optimize MSQ leveling:

Equip any XP boosting gear like the Brand-New Ring from the Hall of the Novice. This gives an extra 30% XP from quests.
Do your daily Leveling, Alliance, Main Scenario, and 50/60/70 dungeon roulettes via Duty Finder. The bonus XP from these stacking with MSQ XP will help a lot.
Always eat cheap food to get the 3% XP boost.
Join a Free Company for heat of battle/food XP bonuses.
Use XP boosts from Restoration campaigns if available.
Don’t neglect your Hunting Log for easy bonus XP during early levels.

The MSQ rewards will be more than enough to level your first job to the cap. You shouldn’t need to grind. If you find yourself falling behind, just do your daily roulettes before proceeding with the story.

Alts and MSQ Leveling

For leveling alternate jobs (alts), the MSQ rewards can help a lot. The main thing is not to out-level the MSQs too quickly on your first job, or else that wasted XP is lost. It’s ideal to reach the end of each expansion’s storyline when your main job is around that expansion’s cap.

Here are some tips for optimizing MSQ XP for alts:

Switch to your alt job before turning in major MSQ quests with big XP rewards.
Always be queued for your daily roulettes on your alt job when proceeding with MSQs.
Buy some cheap XP boost gear from vendors for your alt.
Join a preferred world for huge XP bonuses.
Use food/FC buffs that boost XP gain.
Do your challenge log each week for bonus XP.
Unlock and run Palace of the Dead on alt jobs under level 60.

With this strategy, you can easily get 2-3 jobs leveled up quickly through the MSQs. Just be careful to not let your main over-level the content too quickly. The key is pace yourself and share that MSQ XP with alts!

Leveling Tips

Here are some other tips to help you level up swiftly in FFXIV:

Complete your daily “Leveling” roulette on any jobs below the level cap. This gives a big chunk of XP.
Run guildhests at least once each for the XP bonus. These are quick mini-group duties that teach mechanics.
Help out friends and FC members with low level dungeons and trials via Duty Finder. You’ll get good XP for syncing down.
Use food buffs for 3% bonus XP gain, they are cheap from vendors and last 3 hours.
Join a Preferred World for double XP gains to shoot up faster. Great for new characters.
Always log off in a Sanctuary zone for bonus rested XP when you return.

Stick to the MSQ, supplement with daily roulettes and activities, and use food buffs for a quick and easy leveling experience.

Leveling Multiple Jobs

One of the great things about FFXIV is you can level all jobs on one character. Here are some tips for efficiently leveling multiple battle jobs:

Level one job primarily through MSQ, supplement with daily roulettes.
Once your main job is 20+ levels above MSQ, switch to an alt job for turning in quests.
Unlock and run Palace of the Dead for quick leveling 15-60. Focus on one job at a time.
Use daily Leveling, Alliance, and 50/60/70 roulettes to earn lots of XP on lower level jobs.
Look for Armory/Brand New Ring bonus codes online for XP boosting rings.
Work on your challenge log each week using different jobs for variety.
Fate farm in early zones while queued for duties to quickly gain levels.
Squadron missions are great leveling up to 50, as are beast tribe quests.
Join a Preferred World for huge bonuses if starting fresh jobs.

The key is using MSQ, roulettes, Palace of the Dead, and other activities to share XP across jobs. Rotate jobs actively and don’t neglect your challenge log. Take advantage of bonuses from preferred worlds, food, FC buffs, and rested XP. Plan things right and you can level multiple jobs together through the MSQs!

Final Tips

Here are a few final tips for fast and fun leveling:

Do your class/job quests every 5 levels, these unlock key skills! Don’t neglect them.
Move your chocobo companion to healer stance for easier soloing and questing.
Gear up using poetic tomestones of XP appropriate for your level.
Explore and do side content like Hildibrand quests for fun along the way!

Hopefully these tips help provide an efficient yet enjoyable leveling experience. Let the MSQ be your guide, supplement it smartly with roulettes and activities, use all bonuses, and switch jobs often. Experiment, swap roles, enjoy the story, and level up multiple jobs together. Most importantly, have fun on your adventures in FFXIV!