Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker ends the Hydaelyn and Zodiark story and raises the level cap to 90. If you’re moving a job from 80 to 90, you’ll want a plan — I’ve leveled multiple alts and I’ll share what actually worked for me.
Want to hit 90 fast? Read the tactics I use (and why they work). Some of it is obvious, some of it surprised me. There are exceptions, and yes, it depends on your role and playtime.
- 🚀 Key XP boosts (apply before you get the reward)
- MSQ or side-content: which to do?
- ⚔️ Dungeon grinding, role matters
- 🎯 Daily roulettes — don’t skip these
- Beast Tribes & Weekly Challenge Log
- Advanced tips: use systems deliberately
- Quick checklist (before you play)
- Practical rotation: what I do (example code)
- What I disagree with commonly advised
- Final practical notes (short)
🚀 Key XP boosts (apply before you get the reward)
Buffs must be active when you receive XP. I’ve noticed people lose free gains by activating buffs too late. Use rested XP, Armory Bonus, FC buffs and food in the right order.
| Source | XP | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Armory Bonus | +50% (levels 80–90) | Automatic when another job is higher; essential |
| Rested XP | +50% | Gain while logged out in city/housing; use on big XP |
| Free Company Heat of Battle III | +15% | Ask your FC to keep it running (FC credits) |
| Food | ~+3% | Cheap vendor food works fine (e.g., boiled eggs) |
| Recruit-a-Friend / Novice ring | Variable | Only applies for low-level ranges; check your account |
Why this order? Rested and Armory multiply the largest base XP, so use them where raw numbers matter — MSQ or roulettes, not tiny FATEs.
MSQ or side-content: which to do?
The MSQ gives huge XP and gear. For your very first job, do the MSQ — it unlocks areas and systems. For alts, MSQ is often wasted effort; side quests and roulettes beat it for speed. Controversial? Maybe, but I’ve sped through three alts by skipping chunks of MSQ. Don’t tell the lore purists! 😅
MSQ at high levels often hands out 400,000–1,200,000 XP per quest (exact values change with your level and buffs). If you have rested XP, put it on MSQ runs. Why? Because it applies to the large, single XP payouts and yields more absolute XP than on tiny chores.
⚔️ Dungeon grinding, role matters
Queues are the bottleneck. Tanks and healers get near-instant queues, so dungeon runs scale excellent. DPS queues are long; use that downtime.
I recommend running the highest-level dungeon you can unlock. Higher base XP outweighs slightly faster low-level clears. DPS players: during the queue, hit FATEs, finish a quest, or do a Beast Tribe task — don’t sit idle.
Typical XP per endwalker dungeon run (with normal buffs): 1.8M–2.8M. Rested and FC buffs push that higher. One level every few dungeon runs is realistic for tanks/healers.
🎯 Daily roulettes — don’t skip these
Daily roulettes are massive. The Leveling Roulette is the best single daily XP source for many levels; MSQ Roulette can be enormous (if you have 45–60 minutes). Alliance and Trial roulettes give excellent returns too. Always queue for as many compatible roulettes as you can.
“Do the Leveling Roulette first, then the MSQ if you have time.” — practical advice I use weekly.
Question: Why are roulettes so good? They have built-in bonus XP that scales with your level and gives large lump sums once per day. That’s why they’re the backbone of efficient leveling.
Beast Tribes & Weekly Challenge Log
Beast tribe dailies are predictable XP you can do between queues. I treat them as filler — steady gains for little effort. Arkasodara and Omicron quests (Endwalker zones) give reliable XP and materials.
Weekly Challenge Log entries give substantial bonus XP when you plan your routine around them. Complete the entries that line up with what you already do — it’s free extra XP.
Advanced tips: use systems deliberately
Rested XP: use it on big payouts. FC Heat of Battle: ask for it (many guilds will run it). Food: cheap vendor food is sufficient. Why? Because relative percent gets multiplied against large base XP; a small percent on a big number = meaningful XP.
Food that improves accuracy or vitality can speed up runs — accuracy reduces downtime from missed mechanics, vitality helps solo MSQ bosses. So pick food for the activity, not just the percent.
Quick checklist (before you play)
- Activate food
- Check FC buff status
- Confirm rested XP
- Queue for multiple roulettes when possible
Practical rotation: what I do (example code)
// My evening routine
1. Log in, check rested XP.
2. Turn on food; confirm FC Heat of Battle.
3. Queue Leveling + Trial + Alliance (if available).
4. While waiting: Beast tribe dailies or FATEs.
5. Do MSQ with rested when queue windows are long.
Oddly enough, sometimes the fastest path is not the most obvious. Skipping a short MSQ chapter to finish a roulette can net more XP per hour. It’s counterintuitive, but we found it worked.
What I disagree with commonly advised
Some guides say Palace of the Dead / Heaven-on-High are great for speed. I disagree for 80–90 leveling unless you’re queue‑starved or enjoy the floors. They can be slow XP per hour compared to roulettes and dungeons (depends on your niche).
Also: grinding only FATEs won’t work the way you expect if you ignore buffs and roulettes. Use combination approaches.
Final practical notes (short)
Leveling efficiently is a mix of planning and consistency. Do roulettes, use rested on large payouts, keep food and FC buffs active, and choose activities that fit your role and patience. I’m a woman who’s leveled many alts; these methods saved me hours. Try them — tweak for your schedule. There are exceptions, but this will get you to 90 faster than random grinding.
— Me (played since 2014, still queuing for fun). 🙂
Details above reflect current mechanics as of November 26, 2025. Some exact XP numbers vary with patches; check patch notes before assuming a figure is fixed.
