FFXIV Alchemist Leveling Guide L1 to 80 | 5.3 ShB Updated

Shadowbringers UPDATED! Alchemy Leveling to 80 in no time! ALC Levequest Items comparisons and value moves per tier!

MIN & BTN Leveling Guides updated. Other notes...

Botanist Leveling to 90, as well as Miner Leveling to 90 are updated for the Endwalker tier. Older tiers needs some fixing, although I modernized what I could quickly – I placed the important notes on the top of the aforementioned guides reflecting the major things that you need to take note of.

I will post a personal update soon, for those that are curious…

Exchanging Equivalence in Shadowbringers?
Level your ALC to 80!

ShB 5.3 UPDATED! Dwarf Beast Tribe and Ehll Tou

Recent Update Log

5.3 Updates

  • Dwarf Beast Tribe quests added in ShB tier as a notable EXP source.
  • Ehll Tou added as Custom Delivery client option.

Previous updates

  • Kai Shirr added as Custom Delivery client option in ShB tier.
  • L70 to L80 section essentially revamped: New Skills & Rotations! 5.2ish was a clusterF. Skills changed TWICE in a short span of time. All is well now!
  • L70+ Gear recommendation:  Yellow Scrip gear is now recommended, for a number of reasons (Mainly, barely need stats for 70 to 80 leveling)

If you’ve been here before and need quick navigation:
ALC Leveling Guide – Navigation: [0-15] | [15-35] | [35-50] |
[50-60] | [60-64] | [64-70] | [70-80]

So, you’ve gone full metal and decided to Alchemy it up, ey? This Alchemist Leveling Guide will hopefully make your journey to 60 quick and easy!

First page is very long – use our quick scroll to: Basics | Leveling begins!

Before you begin…

Where is the Alchemist Guild? How to become an Alchemist?
You can become an Alchemist by visiting the Alchemists’ Guild in Ul’dah. If you have at least L10 in any combat class – you’re good to start mixin’!

Ok, so we’re in the middle of updating ALL crafting guides – We recommend the use of a few guides during your leveling process, in varied current state of usefulness:

Alchemist Levequests List: A table featuring all levequests for ALC 01 to 50. (100% updated)

Crafting General Leveling Tips: This guide was made back right after beta. It’s not updated, but it’s missing two key features: Ixal and Challenge Log. (Old but still useful). 

Crafting Gear Guide: is still useful, but written a long time ago. It’s messy but contains a great table as to when you can and should update core pieces. (Old guide, kinda messy)

Alchemist Class Quest Item Reference:

ALC 01: Distilled Water
ALC 05: 3x Antidote
ALC 10: 12x Beeswax
ALC 15: Potion of Intelligence, Potion of Dexterity
ALC 20: Engraved Hard Leather Grimoire (Materia Enhanced)
ALC 25: (HQ) Natron
ALC 30: (HQ) 3x Weak Blinding Potion
ALC 35: (HQ) Hi-Ether
ALC 40 :(HQ) 3x Hi-Potion of Strength
ALC 45: (All HQ) Mega-Potion of Intelligence / Mind / Vitality
ALC 50: (HQ) Budding Rosewood Wand (Melded with: Quicktongue III Materia)

Just use the above as a quick reference if completing multiple Alchemist class quests at once. 50 to 60 is found in that segment of the guide.

How to use this guide?

Each listed tier has some self-explanatory sections such as:

  • Next class quest Item required.
  • Relevant Alchemist levequest locations.
  • ALC Levequests items discussion (tier specific).

We will be using a few amount of ‘codes’ here to make your life easier, as long as you understand them.

  • [H] : HOMETOWN which, in ALCs case, is Ul’dah.
  • [L] : LOCAL levemete. This changes every tier.
  • [C] : COURIER LEVE. From [H] to [L].
  • [RC] : REVERSE COURIER. From [L] to [H].
  • [R] : REPEATABLE or a “Triple”.

Basic [H] and [L] leves are the BASELINE for value. [C] and [RC] give more than the basics, but require travel time. [R] gives the most of all, but is a massive time and material sink.

In this guide I will try to recommend the best levequest for each type.

Useful links to have open: ALC Leves List | DoH Gear Guide

 

Ixal Beast Tribe Daily Quests: Bonus Crafting/DoH EXP !

Putting it here to remind or notify you that such a thing exists, but:

I SUGGEST USING THESE ON CRAFTERS L15+ (use on low level if forced)
Since the early levels are quite easy. (But you can unlock it asap)

Starting Quest: A Bad Bladder
NPC & Location: Scarlet at New Gridania (9, 11)
Prerequisite MSQ: Pursuit of the Past

These dailies are best used to push past “bad tiers”, or simply on your highest level non 50 crafter. I suppose you can also use them on crafting classes which are lagging behind for one reason or the other.

If you’re super fresh and have all low level crafters, and happen to unlock it early – you CAN do them now. While I don’t recommend it, I suppose it’s better than them just disappearing!

Alchemist: the beginning!

[H] 1x Leather Grimoire: NPC BUYABLE MATERIALS (See notes)
[H] 3x Quicksilver: NPC BUYABLE MATERIALS
[C] 3x Growth Formula Alpha: Recommended due to large EXP.
[RC] 1x Maple Wand: Recommended due to large EXP.
[L] 3x Animal Glue: NPC BUYABLE MATERIALS
[L] 3x Antidote: NPC BUYABLE MATERIALS

“What is the Courier, Reverse Courier Cycle?” A courier levequest starts from your Hometown (in ALCs case: Ul’dah) and ends in the local levemete (in this tiers case: Scorpion Crossing). The idea is to get, complete, get, complete in a circle to maximize the EXP of your travel time.

So ALC 01 tier – it’s getting the quest from Ul’dah to submit 3x Growth Formula Alpha in Scorpion Crossing, then taking the reverse courier quest from Scorpion Crossing and then submitting 1x Maple Wand in Ul’dah. This is by the way the fastest+least hassle way to get out of the early tiers.

The other way to spend leves in these low tiers is to “spam the best single leve”. In this tiers case, is to buy materials from the ALC supplier and craft>submit Leather Grimoires in Ul’dah. Why? Speed… If you prefer any of the triple crafts (Quicksilver, Animal Glue, Antidote), for more manual crafting EXP, choose any – they’re all quite similar.

You can of course just randomly grind to level up a bit, too.

“How do I get to Scorpion Crossing!?” It’s a non-aetheryte town located right out of Ul’dah. From Ul’dah aetheryte, go towards the Gate of Sultana and exit to Western Thanalan.

Alchemist 05 to 10

All levequest items below have 100% NPC Buyable Materials.

[H] 3x Eye Drops: Unnotable.
[H] 3x Distilled Water: Recommended, easiest to craft and cheapest.
[C] 1x Whispering Maple Wand: Recommended due to large EXP.
[RC] 1x Maple Picatrix: Recommended due to large EXP.
[L] 3x Beeswax: Unnotable.
[L] 3x Rubber: Unnotable.

Like in any 5 tier, there’s only 2 choices:

The Courier  <-> Reverse Courier cycle: Maple Picatrix isn’t a huge problem (materials from ALC guild vendor), but it does require 2 synthesis (Ink). Whispering Maple Wand, while seemingly a hassle – you can buy the basic Maple Wand and Growth Formula alpha if you don’t wanna make those (from Gridania and Ul’dah Merchant Strip, respectively).  A tiny hassle, but the EXP rewards are huge.

Or the best single: Cheapest and easiest to HQ is Distilled Water. I mean seriously, the mats are so cheap they may as well give it for free.

Alchemist 10 to 15

All levequest items below have 100% NPC Buyable Materials.

[H] 3x Ether: Unnotable
[H] 1x Budding Maple Wand: Avoid
[C] 1x Ash Picatrix: Recommended due to large EXP.
[RC] 1x Roof Tile: Recommended due to large EXP.
[L] 3x Growth Formula Beta: Unnotable
[L] 3x Potion: Recommended.

Like in any 10 tier, there’s only 2 chocies:

The Courier  <-> Reverse Courier cycle: The materials for the Ash Picatrix and Roof Tile are all buyable from the ALC supplier. Picatrix is just a tiny hassle due to crafting the ink. Otherwise, good ‘ol C-RC leves.

Or the best single: Avoid the wand is the only fast rule I have for you here. The others are all similarly chumpy, but if I were to recommend one – Potion. Yep, basic as bones potion. You can buy ready-made Distilled Water from Merchant Strip. Or you can quicksynth ‘em.

Summary of this chunk

Courier / Reverse Courier is best in the early tiers:

Level 1:  Growth Formula Alpha / Maple Wand [Scorpion Crossing] Level 5: Whispering Maple Wand / Maple Picatrix [Scorpion Crossing] Level 10:  Ash Picatrix / 3x Roof Tile [Horizon]

Of course, we also can recommend the best singles:

ALC 1 Leve Recommendation: [H][1] – Leather Grimoire
ALC 5 Leve Recommendation: [H][1] – Distilled Water
ALC 10 Leve Recommendation: [H][1] – Potion

ALC Leveling Guide – Navigation: [0-15] | [15-35] | [35-50] |
[50-60] | [60-64] | [64-70] | [70-80]

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