FFXIV Culinarian Leveling Guide L1 to 80 | 5.3 ShB Updated

5.25 Shadowbringers UPDATED! CUL L70 to 80 segment updated to account for the new skills, and added new rotations!

CUL Leveling Guide 70-80

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…

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)

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

Once more back into the frying pan… into the fire of Shadowbringers Culinarian Leveling! Let’s go!

L70 to L80 DoH Beast Tribe quests: Dwarf

5.3 introduced the Dwarf Beast Tribe, which is a very welcome form of “free and easy” EXP, while getting some cool cosmetic items to boot.

Unlocking Dwarf Beast Tribe

Here’s some basics on how to unlock Dwarf Beast Tribe.

  • Location: Lakeland (9, 13)
  • Quest Name: It’s Dwarfin’ Time
  • NPC: Affable Townsdwarf
  • L70+ Disciple of the Hand

Other unlocking requirements pretty much sum up to “the blue dwarf quests in this area”. Formally, it requires “Ronitt to the Rescue”, which requires “Wright for the Job” and “Learning to Lali-Ho”, and so on. If you can’t see the quest, then knock out the blue quests around the area.

I place this Beast Tribe reminder very far up this guide not only because it’s a mid-patch addition, but also because it’s such a help to push past the dreaded “Dead Zone”. It remains a great source of EXP at any point until you that to hit L80!


Culinarian L70 to L71 – The Deadzone

The first level of any new tier is a little brutal – and hard for me to account for since everyone has different stats coming in. The deadzone is caused by having subpar gear, and how it affects your possible activities to get past it. Fixing up your gear – getting Scrip gear – should be your highest priority at L70, as it will help ALL YOUR CRAFTERS push past the deadzone, and this gear is GOOD UNTIL LEVEL 80!

Suit up - Get Scrip gear ASAP

As mentioned above. It is SUPER VALUE to get this gear as it’s useful to you up until leveling to 80, and usable by all classes. Do Custom Deliveries to get scrip!

L70 CUL Gear Update
SlotItemNotes
Main HandKing-tier MainhandBest L70 Scrip gear – mandatory
Off HandKing-tier OffhandBest L70 Scrip gear – mandatory
HeadHandking’s TurbanBest L70 Scrip gear – mandatory
BodyHandking’s DoubletBest L70 Scrip gear – mandatory
HandsHandking’s GlovesBest L70 Scrip gear – mandatory
BeltHandking’s Tool BeltBest L70 Scrip gear – mandatory
LegsHandking’s BottomsBest L70 Scrip gear – mandatory
BootsHandking’s ShoesBest L70 Scrip gear – mandatory
EarringHandking’s EarringOptional, Only get enough to reach CP values
NeckHandking’s NecklaceOptional, Only get enough to reach CP values
WristHandking’s ArmillaeOptional, Only get enough to reach CP values
RingHandking’s RingOptional, Only get enough to reach CP values
RingHandking’s RingOptional, Only get enough to reach CP values

At least for the deadzone, I calculated a need of 1630 Craftsmanship, 1513 Control and at least 365 CP. 

L70 to 71 Deadzone Rotation 80 Durability

This rotation needs 365 CP – buy Handking accessories (or any cheap ones) and/or food buffs to reach that. It’s meant to accomodate all sorts of people entering the SHB tier (with likely lower CP). Feel free to upgrade this rotation if you have more stats.

Macro P1: “MSan L70/368C/80D A”

/ac Reflect <wait.3>
/ac Manipulation <wait.2>
/ac “Hasty Touch” <wait.3>
/ac “Hasty Touch” <wait.3>
/ac “Prudent Touch” <wait.3>
/ac “Prudent Touch” <wait.3>
/ac “Prudent Touch” <wait.3>
/ac “Prudent Touch” <wait.3>
/ac Innovation <wait.2>
/ac “Prudent Touch” <wait.3>
/ac “Tricks of the Trade” <wait.3>
/ac “Great Strides” <wait.2>
/ac “Byregot’s Blessing” <wait.3>
/ac Veneration <wait.2>
/echo Macro A done. Better than nothing, Mahiko San! <se.1>

Macro P2: “MSan L70/368C/80D B”

/ac “Careful Synthesis” <wait.3>
/ac “Careful Synthesis” <wait.3>
/ac “Careful Synthesis” <wait.3>
/ac “Careful Synthesis” <wait.3>
/ac “Basic Synthesis” <wait.3>
/ac “Basic Synthesis” <wait.3>

/echo Crafting done! Mahiko San, srsly, a six synth!? <se.3>

While ugly, it gets around 80% HQ given the average times Hasty Touch will miss. With 1 HQ material, it becomes ALMOST 100%

L70 to 71 Deadzone Rotation 40 Durability

This rotation needs 361 CP – buy Handking accessories (or any cheap ones) and/or food buffs to reach that. It’s meant to accomodate all sorts of people entering the SHB tier (with likely lower CP). Feel free to upgrade this rotation if you have more stats.

Macro P1: “MSan L70/361C/40D A”

/ac Reflect <wait.3>
/ac Manipulation <wait.2>
/ac “Hasty Touch” <wait.3>
/ac “Hasty Touch” <wait.3>
/ac “Prudent Touch” <wait.3>
/ac “Prudent Touch” <wait.3>
/ac “Prudent Touch” <wait.3>
/ac “Prudent Touch” <wait.3>
/ac Innovation <wait.2>
/ac “Prudent Touch” <wait.3>
/ac “Tricks of the Trade” <wait.3>
/ac “Great Strides” <wait.2>
/ac “Byregot’s Blessing” <wait.3>
/ac Veneration <wait.2>
/echo Macro A done. Thank you Mahiko San! <se.1>

Macro P2: “MSan L70/361C/40D B”

/ac Observe <wait.3>
/ac “Focused Synthesis” <wait.3>
/ac Observe <wait.3>
/ac “Focused Synthesis” <wait.3>
/echo Crafting done! Mahiko San, I am forever your slave! <se.3>

This one is weirdly OK. Hovers at roughly 80% HQ given the average times Hasty Touch will miss. With 1 HQ material, it becomes 100%

Rotation Notes

As you can see, the amount of synthesis you need here is brutal – the debuff for trying L71 as L70 is huge. It’s called the deadzone for a reason.

Also, these contain the anti-poor RNG Tricks of the Trade – which prevents your Byregot from landing on poor at all times.

The rotations are somewhat long, 2-button, and not even 100% – but that’s the nature of the deadzone for you! Let’s get out of it ASAP!

TLDR: Updating your gear is key to getting out of the deadzone, and when you do – you can use this rotation to help push out of it.

Beating the Deadzone: Sources of EXP

Here we outline the practical (or hopefully practical) sources of EXP to help muscle through this tough stretch. While many of these do not require the scrip gear mentioned above (Custom Deliveries, and easier tier GC Submissions), they will certainly help with some other activities (IE Grinding, making your own levequest items).

CUSTOM DELIVERIES!!!

Custom Deliveries.

Ok, this is valuetown right here and one of the prime methods to get out of the deadzone – BUT IT RESETS WEEKLY, so choose wisely. Personally, I didn’t use this on any class above 71 until all were 71 or more. You also get large amounts of scrip to update your gear with!

5.3 update: Ehll Tou from The Firmament joins Kai Shirr from Eulmore, as both the L70+ ShB Custom Delivery clients, so they’re your best option for maximum rewards at this point. Try to use all your allowances between them if you’re leveling 70 to 80.

You have 12 deliveries a week spread between:

  • Kai Shirr in Eulmore
  • Ehll Tou in The Firmament
  • Zhloe Alpaioh and Adkiragh in Idyllshire
  • Mnaago in Rhalgr’s Reach
  • Kurenai in Ruby Sea

Note that these 12 allowances are shared between ALL DOH/DOL classes.

Daily GC Submission

From here and into the untold ages to come, the Daily GC Submission is VALUE. It’s, on average, worth more than the usual levequest. The starred entries are too massive to even describe.

Even if you can’t make these yourselves, check the MB for deals or buy them straight up NQ from NPC’s if you’re desperate.

To check these, click CTRL+U (default) > Next Mission Allowance.

Levequests!?

Levequests are, of course, the main method of EXP gain as always – If you upgraded your gear, and use the rotation above (IDEALLY WITH 1 HQ MATERIAL TO PUSH FOR 100%) you can pretty reliably make them yourself.

One trick is to grind on 40 Durability “ingots”, and
use the HQ’s for your 80 Durability crafts!

If you’re lazy or don’t have the gear – you’re either forced to buy from the MB or NPC’s. This feels really bad, and if you’re on a budget this is not the way to go. Hopefully, you find some good deals!

If you CAN make stuff then the deadzone ain’t so dead after all.

Grinding

Use Revised Engineering Manuals!

Can be pretty okay, honestly! You don’t need to hit HQ! Just get the best quality you can on any “ingot type” craft, for future use on levequest items or your stockpile.

In the case of Culinarian L70, you can try out Frantoio Oil and Garden Beet Sugar – both of which are very usable.

One trick is to grind on 40 Durability “ingots”, and
use the HQ’s for your 80 Durability crafts!

And finally one more source of EXP worth mentioning in its own segment…

Unlock Crystarium Deliveries “Class Quests”

This is a new thing (not to be confused with custom deliveries), that acts like a shared class quest between certain classes. In the case of Culinarian, shares with Alchemist in the Facet of Nourishing.

UnlockingHow does it Work?

It’s a 2 quest process to unlock this.

  • 1st Quest: The Crystalline Mean (L70) – Area: The Crystarium
  • Requires: MSQ “The Crystarium’s Resolve (L72)”.
  • 2nd Quest: Friends of a Feather (L70) – Area: The Crystarium
  • Requires: The Crystalline Mean (the 1st quest listed above)

You can submit SIX ITEMS PER TIER PER FACET – shared between your facetmates. So try to save them up to burst through shitty tiers.

After six submissions your esteem goes up, and they’re gonna ask for a new set of six items at L73, 75, and 78.

In the case of CUL 70, I’d suggest simply splitting it up between CUL and ALC – to help get out of the deadzone faster.

Culinarian L70 Levequests

I’ll put the levequest table here, but I’ll repeat it in the next segment with complete discussion (I’ll put a basic recommendation here) – since not all L70 crafters will be able to reliably make it themselves…

CUL 70 Levequests

Again, discussion for these is in the next major segment, L71.

Level 70 Culinarian Levequests Comparison
LevequestSlippery ServiceMeet for MeatCure for What Ails
Item3Frantoio Oil3Grilled Rail3Purple Carrot Juice
RECIPERECIPERECIPE
Components5Frantoio1Rail Tenderloin3Purple Carrot
2Frantoio Oil6Pixie Apple
1Abalathian Rock Salt
1Solstice Garlic
EXP50812217784271016244
Leve TypeSingleSingleTriple
Triple EXP?3048732
Gil160024002400

Hopefully the Deadzone wont stress you out too much. There’s quite a few ways to push past it, but it definitely is one of the more difficult parts of leveling in a new tier, Shadowbringers to L80 is no exception.

Collectables: Be on the lookout!

You should always be looking to submit “value” collectables if you’re looking to preserve leves and/or farm scrip. CULINARIAN is one of those classes that seemingly always have a viable option for collectables – so be vigilant! Seriously, CUL AND COLLECTABLES GO HAND IN HAND, and if you find a “value” one, feel free to override my advice to chase it!


Culinarian L71 to 72

A lot goes on in this level so bear with me even if it’s a bit lengthy. A majority of your setup ALL THE WAY UNTIL L80 CUL happens here so it’s worth it. Most noteworthy are a stat-check or gear update and a new rotation that works very well until L80!

CUL L71 GEAR UPDATE

This gear update is similar to the L70 one. You need to get all the L70 Scrip armor, and as many accessories as you need to reach the CP requirements (370~).

Scrip Gear

This is merely a copy of the L70 gear update. If you didn’t update or incompletely updated your gear at L70, then you MUST do it now. Of course, if you have any gear that beats this – go for that instead.

Mainhand and Body are MANDATORY – the rest can be substituted for L71 crafted if you like (more notes in the next tab)

L70 / L71 Gear Update
SlotItemNotes
Main HandKing-tier MainhandBest L70 Scrip gear – mandatory
Off HandKing-tier OffhandBest L70 Scrip gear – mandatory
HeadHandking’s TurbanBest L70 Scrip gear – mandatory
BodyHandking’s DoubletBest L70 Scrip gear – mandatory
HandsHandking’s GlovesBest L70 Scrip gear – mandatory
BeltHandking’s Tool BeltBest L70 Scrip gear – mandatory
LegsHandking’s BottomsBest L70 Scrip gear – mandatory
BootsHandking’s ShoesBest L70 Scrip gear – mandatory
EarringHandking’s EarringOptional, Only get enough to reach CP values
NeckHandking’s NecklaceOptional, Only get enough to reach CP values
WristHandking’s ArmillaeOptional, Only get enough to reach CP values
RingHandking’s RingOptional, Only get enough to reach CP values
RingHandking’s RingOptional, Only get enough to reach CP values

The mandatory CP values are around 370, the other stats aren’t so strict.

No Scrip for Scrip Gear?

Then simply substitute any crafted L71 gear in their place. Generally speaking not all pieces are equal – you definitely prefer scrip in some places. Some pieces have better crafted (accessories) but are largely unnecessary. Consider these only if you’re short on scrip. 

TLDR: Only get and meld crafted L71 gear IF YOU HAVE NO SCRIP,
Or rather spend GIL instead of scrip.

Here’s what you should and shouldn’t consider:

L71 Crafted Gear VS Scrip?
SlotBetter TypeNotes
Main HandSCRIPScrip gears stats are too far ahead
Off HandEITHER C>SEqual stats, crafted has a slot but meh.
HeadEITHER S>CMelded crafted only edges above, but not really worth
BodySCRIPScrip gears stats are too far ahead
HandsEITHER S>CMelded crafted only edges above, but not really worth
BeltEITHER S>COnly get crafted if you really have no scrip.
LegsEITHER S>COnly get crafted if you really have no scrip.
BootsEITHER S>COnly get crafted if you really have no scrip.
EarringEITHER C>SCrafted blasts scrip – but the extra stats don’t really matter.
NeckEITHER C>SCrafted blasts scrip – but the extra stats don’t really matter.
WristEITHER C>SCrafted blasts scrip – but the extra stats don’t really matter.
RingEITHER C>SCrafted blasts scrip – but the extra stats don’t really matter.
RingEITHER C>SCrafted blasts scrip – but the extra stats don’t really matter.

Scrip Mainhand and body are mandatory – everything else just depends on what resource you’d rather spend. For most people I’d imagine that’s scrip (instead of shelling out gil)…

CUL L71 ROTATION UPDATE: 80 DURABILITY

The “L71 Mahiko San Synthesis: God’s Touch ™ – 80 Durability” is a ONE BUTTON macro (so it’s thankfully short), while being ABSOLUTE TRUE 100% (baits poor procs with Tricks of the Trade) while also being BUFFLESS.

Rotation MacroSuccess Rates & Notes

Macro P1: “MSan 365C/L71/80D”

/ac Reflect <wait.3>
/ac Manipulation <wait.2>
/ac “Basic Touch” <wait.3>
/ac “Preparatory Touch” <wait.3>
/ac Innovation <wait.2>
/ac “Preparatory Touch” <wait.3>
/ac “Tricks of the Trade” <wait.3>
/ac “Great Strides” <wait.2>
/ac “Byregot’s Blessing” <wait.3>
/ac Veneration <wait.2>
/ac “Careful Synthesis” <wait.3>
/ac “Careful Synthesis” <wait.3>
/ac “Careful Synthesis” <wait.3>
/ac “Careful Synthesis” <wait.3>
/ac “Careful Synthesis” <wait.3>

Mahiko Sans “God’s Touch” ™ 80 Durability Success Rate
Recipe L71Recipe L72Recipe L73Recipe L74Recipe L75
DoH L71100% HQ100% HQ100% HQ100% HQ100% HQ
DoH L72100% HQ100% HQ100% HQ100% HQ100% HQ
DoH L73100% HQ100% HQ100% HQ100% HQ100% HQ
DoH L74100% HQ100% HQ100% HQ100% HQ100% HQ
DoH L75100% HQ100% HQ100% HQ100% HQ100% HQ

Even if you somehow could make L76+ recipes – this still 100%’s it.

This rotation works from L71, crafting the most difficult possible recipe you can craft at this point (L75). You unlock more recipes at 75 but that’s a different story.

Again, being a ONE BUTTON, TRUE 100%, and BUFFLESS macro is something I’m proud of, and great news for you. 

CUL L71 ROTATION UPDATE: 40 DURABILITY

The “Mahiko San Synthesis: God’s Touch ™ – 40 Durability” Shares many similarities to its 80 Durability counterpart. True 100% success, while being another One Button Macro, and also BUFFLESS. It’s a 364CP rotation – so it’s quite light still.

Rotation MacroSuccess Rates & Notes

Macro Name: MSan L71/364C/40D

/ac Reflect <wait.3>
/ac Manipulation <wait.2>
/ac “Preparatory Touch” <wait.3>
/ac “Prudent Touch” <wait.3>
/ac “Prudent Touch” <wait.3>
/ac Innovation <wait.2>
/ac “Basic Touch” <wait.3>
/ac “Tricks of the Trade” <wait.3>
/ac “Great Strides” <wait.2>
/ac “Byregot’s Blessing” <wait.3>
/ac Veneration <wait.2>
/ac Observe <wait.3>
/ac “Focused Synthesis” <wait.3>
/ac Observe <wait.3>
/ac “Focused Synthesis” <wait.3>

Mahiko Sans “God’s Touch” ™ 40 Durability Success Rate
Recipe L71Recipe L72Recipe L73Recipe L74Recipe L75
DoH L71100% HQ100% HQ100% HQ100% HQ100% HQ
DoH L72100% HQ100% HQ100% HQ100% HQ100% HQ
DoH L73100% HQ100% HQ100% HQ100% HQ100% HQ
DoH L74100% HQ100% HQ100% HQ100% HQ100% HQ
DoH L75100% HQ100% HQ100% HQ100% HQ100% HQ

Even if you somehow could make L78 recipes – this still 100%’s it.

Again, being a ONE BUTTON, TRUE 100%, and BUFFLESS and works up to the maximum level of recipe you can craft for now. What’s not to like!?

Culinarian L70 Levequests

Level 70 Culinarian Levequests Comparison
LevequestSlippery ServiceMeet for MeatCure for What Ails
Item3Frantoio Oil3Grilled Rail3Purple Carrot Juice
RECIPERECIPERECIPE
Components5Frantoio1Rail Tenderloin3Purple Carrot
2Frantoio Oil6Pixie Apple
1Abalathian Rock Salt
1Solstice Garlic
EXP50812217784271016244
Leve TypeSingleSingleTriple
Triple EXP?3048732
Gil160024002400
CUL L70 Levequest Discussion

Frantoio Oil – a PDO leve (Great if you’re Poor, Desperate, or Overcapped on leves). They serve a purpose!

Grilled Rail – If you want maximum EXP per item…? Ultimately, I wouldn’t consider this since the triple is pretty good this tier.

Purple Carrot Juice – Is a NINE ITEM craft, so its cost can be deceptive… It shouldn’t be so expensive. Either way, it’s likely to be the best levequest in this tier.

All leves decent. Purple Carrot Juice > Frantoio Oil (if PDO) > Grilled Rail (Best EXP/Item ratio)

What to do in this tier?

All of the levequests have a purpose, but I would think Purple Carrot Juice should be the “default leve choice”. If you’re tight on budget, you can opt for the Frantoio Oil if you’re flat broke, or the Grilled Rail.

Grinding is not bad either, as you can easily make the next tier’s levequest items, Frantoio Oils or Garden Beet Sugars – supported by engineering manuals.

Also, CUL is always a great class to scout collectables on. So always be on the lookout for some efficient ones.

Lots of options for CUL here and there’s no bad choice.

Culinarian L72 to 74

There’s a rotation upgrade at 73, which I talk about below the levequest discussion.

CUL L72 Levequests

Level 72 Culinarian Levequests Comparison
LevequestSoup for the SoldierHis Dark UtensilsSweet Tooth
Item3Broad Bean Soup3Spaghetti al Nero3Caramels
RECIPERECIPERECIPE
Components1Rail Tenderloin2Squid Ink3Garden Beet Sugar
4Broad Beans1Frantoio Oil1Fermented Butter
2Buffalo Beans3Vermicelli3Sour Cream
1Highland Spring Water3Blood Tomato
1Ala Mhigan Salt Crystal
EXP19444982222284833356
Leve TypeSingleSingleTriple
Triple EXP?2500068
Gil255634082556
CUL 72 Levequest Discussion

This tier is WEIRD.

Broad Bean Soup – Horrific… RNG pricing… EXP isn’t even that great. I would rather do the previous tiers Grilled Rail than this.

Spaghetti al Nero – Great EXP per Item, but… the cost! On average, the cost of this levequest will be crippling compared to the others.

Caramels – Gives LESS EXP than the previous tiers triple (Purple Carrot Juice), but has the POTENTIAL TO BE DIRT CHEAP (if you make all the materials yourself).

Caramels (super cheap triple) >>>>>
Spaghetti Al Nero (Great EXP, but pricey) >>>>>>
Broad Bean Soup (RNG price, last tiers Grilled Rail “better”) 

L73 Rotation Upgrade (40 & 80 DUR)

These rotations are TECHNICALLY optional. But they are SHORTER – saves time.  More importantly completes virtually any item 100% HQ until leveling to 80 (read notes for specifics). There’s no point to hold off upgrading rotation now… It’s also rated for higher L76 / L78 items.

L73 80 Durability Rotation Update

Rotation MacroSuccess Rates and Notes

Macro Name: MSan L73/367C/80D

/ac Reflect <wait.3>
/ac Manipulation <wait.2>
/ac “Preparatory Touch” <wait.3>
/ac “Standard Touch” <wait.3>
/ac Innovation <wait.2>
/ac “Preparatory Touch” <wait.3>
/ac “Tricks of the Trade” <wait.3>
/ac “Great Strides” <wait.2>
/ac “Byregot’s Blessing” <wait.3>
/ac Veneration <wait.2>
/ac Groundwork <wait.3>
/ac Groundwork <wait.3>
/ac “Careful Synthesis” <wait.3>
/echo DONE! 13 Steps? Why thanks, Mahiko San <se.2>

For 80 Durability, this rotation is what you’ll be using until L80.

Mahiko Sans “L73 Divine Creation” ™ 40 Durability Success Rate
DoH L73DoH L74DoH L75DoH L76
Recipe L73100% HQ100% HQ100% HQ100% HQ
Recipe L74100% HQ100% HQ100% HQ100% HQ
Recipe L75100% HQ100% HQ100% HQ100% HQ
Recipe L76100% HQ100% HQ100% HQ100% HQ
Recipe L77100% HQ100% HQ100% HQ100% HQ
Recipe L78100% HQ100% HQ100% HQ100% HQ
Recipe L79100% HQ100% HQ100% HQ100% HQ

Well, this is the end of the road. True 100% success rate, only 13 Steps, and will cover your butt for EVERYTHING EXCEPT LEVEL 80 CRAFTS – of which are largely irrelevant for leveling.

L73 40 Durability Rotation Update

Rotation MacroSuccess Rates and Notes

Macro Name: MSan L73/352C/40D

/ac Reflect <wait.3>
/ac Manipulation <wait.2>
/ac “Prudent Touch” <wait.3>
/ac “Prudent Touch” <wait.3>
/ac “Prudent Touch” <wait.3>
/ac Innovation <wait.2>
/ac “Preparatory Touch” <wait.3>
/ac “Tricks of the Trade” <wait.3>
/ac “Great Strides” <wait.2>
/ac “Byregot’s Blessing” <wait.3>
/ac Veneration <wait.2>
/ac Groundwork <wait.3>
/ac “Careful Synthesis” <wait.3>
/echo DONE! Thanks Mahiko San, 13 Steps only! <se.2>

Mahiko Sans “L73 Divine Creation” ™ 40 Durability Success Rate
DoH L73DoH L74DoH L75DoH L76
Recipe L73100% HQ100% HQ100% HQ100% HQ
Recipe L74100% HQ100% HQ100% HQ100% HQ
Recipe L75100% HQ100% HQ100% HQ100% HQ
Recipe L76100% HQ100% HQ100% HQ100% HQ
Recipe L77100% HQ100% HQ100% HQ100% HQ
Recipe L78100% HQ100% HQ100% HQ100% HQ

This rotation obliterates any 40 durability item you will encounter during your leveling process while being only 13 steps, having true 100% success rate. Not bad.

If you need more CP, remember to just buy as many Scrip accessories as you need, or craft as many L71 right-sides and meld as you need. It’s very easy to reach these CP values, and you can easily choose your path to obtain it.

What to do in this tier?

Its either you go for triple Caramels from this tier’s leves (a possible cheaper option) or a previous tier leve (Purple Carrot Juice triple or Grilled Rail single). If you’re PDO – there’s the good ‘ol Frantoio Oil.

As always, when leveling CUL – check out how good the collectables are.

Culinarian L74 to 76

Culinarian L74 Levequests

Level 74 Culinarian Levequests Comparison
LevequestCan’t Eat Just OneOne Last MealMixology
Item3Night Vinegar3Mushroom Saute3Blood Tomato Juice
RECIPERECIPERECIPE
Components5Royal Grapes1Creamtop Mushroom1Golden Honey
1Frantoio Oil3Blood Tomato
1Abalathian Rock Salt1Heavens Lemon
1Fermented Butter
EXP94047628214281880952
Leve TypeSingleSingleTriple
Triple EXP?5642856
Gil271218082712
CUL 74 Levequest Discussion

Night Vinegar – PDO leve, which gives quite good EXP. Not bad for the “Poor, Desperate, or Overcapped”.

Mushroom Saute – The best single leve so far in any tier! Not bad if you want maximum EXP per gold spent.

Blood Tomato Juice – Hmmm… price can be semi-random, but overall it’s yet another viable triple for CUL. Great EXP.

What to do in this tier?

Every triple mentioned so far is VIABLE. You can choose whichever you like. Caramels is probably cheapest, Blood Tomato Juice gives the most exp. If you want singles, this tier’s Mushroom Saute is great. Personally, I used Blood Tomato Juice triple here.

I feel like you have to TRY HARD TO MESS UP leveling CUL in SHB. The only terrible leves are some of the singles.

As usual – be on the lookout for collectables with CUL! If you need to save leves for other classes.

Culinarian L76 to 78

Start it off with a truly optional rotation update…

L76 Rotation Update *40 DUR Only*

I have a very minor rotation update for L76 40 DUR that simply reduces it to 12 steps. It’s not the end of the world if you don’t switch, but i’ll throw it out there anyway

Rotation Macro

Macro Name: MSan L76/347C/40D

/ac Reflect <wait.3>
/ac Manipulation <wait.2>
/ac “Delicate Synthesis” <wait.3>
/ac “Delicate Synthesis” <wait.3>
/ac “Delicate Synthesis” <wait.3>
/ac “Delicate Synthesis” <wait.3>
/ac Innovation <wait.2>
/ac “Basic Touch” <wait.3>
/ac “Tricks of the Trade” <wait.3>
/ac “Great Strides” <wait.2>
/ac “Byregot’s Blessing” <wait.3>
/ac “Careful Synthesis” <wait.3>
/echo Craft finished <se.2>

Notes and Success Rates

I don’t think I need to put it, but here it is anyway…

Mahiko Sans “L73 Deific Speed” ™ 40 Durability Success Rate
DoH L76DoH L777DoH L78DoH L79
Recipe L76100% HQ100% HQ100% HQ100% HQ
Recipe L77100% HQ100% HQ100% HQ100% HQ
Recipe L78100% HQ100% HQ100% HQ100% HQ
Recipe L79100% HQ100% HQ100% HQ100% HQ

12 Steps. True 100%. You’ve seen the quality I aspire to in previous rotations and this is no different.

Culinarian L76 Levequests

Level 76 Culinarian Levequests Comparison
LevequestOn a Full StomachA Good OmenTeetotally
Item3Sausage Links3Peppered Popotoes3Masala Chai
RECIPERECIPERECIPE
Components1Ovim Meat1Sausage Links1Amber Cloves
1Sheep Casings2Russet Popoto1Underground Spring Water
1Garden Beet Sugar1Curly Parsley1Coerthan Tea Leaves
1Table Salt1Abalathian Rock Salt1Steppe Milk
1Night Pepper1Night Pepper1Cinnamon
EXP362000043440003620000
Leve TypeSingleSingleTriple
Triple EXP?10860000
Gil286828682868
CUL 76 Levequest Discussion

Sausage Links – If you’re into single leves (max EXP per gold spent), this is the best (most stable) one so far. (But this gives equal EXP to this tier’s triple).

Peppered Popotoes – Ehhh… if NQ Sausage Links are cheap, this is pretty efficient… otherwise… meh..

Masala Chai – Godly EXP for a triple levequest!!! If you can at all afford crafting these – go for it. It’s simply a huge step up from any other triple leve.

What to do in this tier?

If you can afford Masala Chai triple leves – do it. The EXP is massive and the cost isn’t so bad. I wouldn’t consider the low level triples at this point.

If you wanna do single leves… I guess Sausage Links ain’t so bad if you want maximum GOLD/EXP ratio.

Collectables if you need to save leves for other classes. CUL has some great ones. I hate to say it again, haha.

Culinarian L78 to 80

You’re at the last stretch! Keep going!

Culinarian L78 Levequests

Level 78 Culinarian Levequests Comparison
LevequestSuper Dark TimesA Happy EndA Cookie for Your Troubles
Item3Risotto al Nero3Paella3Coffee Biscuit
RECIPERECIPERECIPE
Components1Squid Ink2Bomba Rice1Upland Wheat Flour
1Bomba Rice1Rose Shrimp1Coffee Beans
1Curly Parsley1Frantoio Oil1Garden Beet Sugar
1Blood Tomato2Maneater Clam
1Frantoio Oil1Paprika
1Ala Mhigan Salt Crystal1Heavens Lemon
EXP467856852633892339284
Leve TypeSingleSingleTriple
Triple EXP?7017852
Gil403240323024
CUL 78 Levequest Discussion

Risotto al Nero  & Paella – I have the same feelings about both of these levequests. They can be a little expensive, but give TITANIC EXP. If you’re in the market to maximize your EXP per gold, you might wanna look at one of these.

Coffee Biscuit – is a “budget option”. While this triple doesn’t give much EXP, it’s dirt cheap.

What to do in this tier?

Any of the previous three triples (Blood Tomato Juice, Masala Chai, Coffee Biscuits) are all viable. Masala Chai is chunkiest and Coffee Biscuits are cheap – so it’s up to you.

If you want mega EXP per ITEM, any of this tiers singles are fine, too, if you aren’t too strapped on leves.

If you ARE strapped on leves – it’s time for me to remind you, yet AGAIN, of CUL and it’s amazing collectables.

You got many options, and it’s hard to choose wrongly.
See you at L80 soon!

L80+ Culinarian, What next?

Congratulations! Well, that’s it for the Shadowbringers‘ tier. I have yet to decide if I will revive the end-game guides, lets see. But for now enjoy your L80 Culinarian and go level your other classes!!!

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


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74 thoughts on “FFXIV Culinarian Leveling Guide L1 to 80 | 5.3 ShB Updated”

    1. Shards are like “super RAW materials” that often get overlooked. They’re the crystal looking things in the upper part of your recipe. They’re not normally considered “part” of a recipe when talking about ’em, haha.

  1. Love the guide, but I have to say you should include doing the collectible Pixie Apple Pie at 74 if you have no leve allowances left. Mats are easy to obtain except for the yak milk for the butter, which I broke down and bought, but you could always use retainers to get enough. From 74-80 you only need roughly 100 collectibles using your 100% rotation.

  2. For the leg of 40 to 50, I have found the Rolanberry cheese to be the best option, simply because other players sells stacks of 99 for very reasonable price.
    If not on your own server, shop around.

    This tip is valid for those with limited leve allowances.

  3. Night Milk can be purchased from the Sahagin vendor for 84 gil each and if you gather your own rolanberries, that may make it the best for grinding from 40-45 and makes the leve even more attractable.

  4. Here to point out that with Shadowbringers, Yak Milk is now buyable in Crystarium for 617 gil. This makes Ishgardian Muffin *buyable*

  5. Unfortunately it’s true as of June 23, 2019. The Levequest is now called Gegeruju Gets Down with the objective of 3 pieces of cornbread to Ririphon.

  6. For the Lv 40 Leves, I would definitely reconsider doing the rolanberry cheese leves. You only need two resources, requires only 5 for a turn-in and one of the highest XP at 55,774 (NQ). Pastry fish need six resources, requires 9 pastry fish for a turn-in, and its XP is the lowest at 32,049 (NQ).

  7. For people lazy like me, for levels 45-50. You can buy mulled tea from a vendor in the Kugane markets. I got a stack or 99 for about 25k gil, which was about enough to get from 45-50. Only downside is that this costs more leves.

  8. I don’t understand why you would use hasty touch 2 over hasty touch 1, it’s only 10% more success for a whole 7cp i haven’t personally really found it worth the cp

  9. Should change lvl 20 Culinarian Guild Quest item name be Dried Prunes/Plums for some people who doesn’t know English or doesn’t read the dialogues.

  10. Did the triple walnut bread leve get nerfed? It only gives 5000 exp for me. Seems very wasteful when it’s asking for so much.

      1. When the muffin is the collectable it requires 1900 points to qualify. Using HQ Yak Milk starts you at 2040, so it is prime for using a macro to mass produce them while saving leves for other craft skills.

  11. So a quick Question: The 0-15 set only gets me to lv 12. That is with making half of everything by hand then quick synthing the rest. Also lacking the Company-issue Engineering Scroll.

    Recommend adding that if you fall short, buying some Tiger Cod off the market (can also be bought in Limsa for 36gil but market for me has always been far cheaper) and making salt cod helps close the gap, can also go for lavender oil and cider if you’re also BTN or if the lavender and apples are cheep on the markets.

    1. The math doesn’t add up for 0-15. You need 130,580 EXP for 0-15. The list calls for the creation of 260 items. That’s just over 500 EXP each as a reward. Half of these will not give 200, even boosted with the CG Scroll (Salt, Syrup, Sugar). You will be to level 5 before finishing the salt.

      I did this, exactly as described above, with the CG Scroll. I also completed each of the guild missions when they became available (crafting the additional Grilled Trout and Grilled Dodo…as well as a stack of Olive Oil. Still level 12.

      1. It’s not meant to get you there 100% of the time. RESTED + MANUALS + some good exp on manual crafts should get you up there (I cannot account for RNG). Also, it provides mats that weren’t buyable (I think you can buy table salt now) which you should have a stock of. It’s more of a value move.

  12. For scrips at Lv 58-60, if you’ve got botanist levelled up, and ESPECIALLY if you’ve been muffin spamming and so have way more yakmilk than you started with: Frozen Spirits actually is lower level than Marron Glace, and yields more scrips.

  13. So for the 20-25 tier, you suggest the walnut bread triple turnin. This will give about 15.5k exp nq. However, this also requires 9 walnut breads per turnin, making this option not at all material efficient. I found it best to continue to use the walnut bread courier from the 15-20 tier, as this option onky uses 1 walnut bread for turnin, and still gives 13k exp.

    Loce your guides! This is probably the 4th or 5th I’ve used for crafting/gathering. Keep up the good work!

    1. During the 20-25 tier, the walnut bread turn-in [H] works really well in conjunction with Grape Juice [H] since they’re picked up from the same NPC and turned in to the same NPC. It nearly doubled my speed. Not to mention grape juice is very cheap to craft, making the material to EXP cost fairly low. The bread, as you mentioned, is not though. I turned in left-overs for dat easy exp.

    1. I’m going to assume you were able to HQ Ishgardian Muffins at 52? I’m finding it a bit hard ;( (I have the old 2.0 gear) 359 Craftsmanship/344Control 340CP

  14. For levels 15-20 the Leve called Rustic Repast in Aleport is by far the best way to go. You can buy the Chicken and Mushrooms from an NPC for 37 gil. The leve gives 12218 exp and 185 gil and is a quick run from the leve giver to the receiver.

  15. ok so from what im noticing, courier leves are the best EXP of any tier, meaning if you were to have someone helping you level rather than doing it alone, would you consider purely sticking to couirer leves as they give the most bang:buck ratio in terms of leves:exp?

    1. For the most part, yes. If cost is not an issue, courier leves are great. One thing courier sucks at? TIME. At level 35 onward, courier leves are slow as hell since they are NOT NEAR ANY AETHERYTE, and can increase “time spent” to level by up to 10 times.

      1. I tried cornmeal but I find dark vinegar to be better. It uses the same grapes I was making juice out of and pays over 90k for hq

  16. In the level 1-15 guide you need 99 rye to make 33 rye flour not 33

    awesome guide man really helped me out keep up the good work

  17. With Night Milk purchasable from the Reputation Vendor (Sahuagin) now, it makes Rolanberry Cheese for level 40-45 and the Rolanberry Lassi for 45-50 great choices. Highly recommend doing those now.

    1. ABSOLUTELY!!!! I was going to comment this, I have been using this guide and I was looking at Pastry fish and I cannot see how that is going to be easy whatsoever. Good guide but I really didn’t have to follow it exactly as I had lvled botany and had kept many things handy with retainer space especially HQ items.

  18. Haven’t made any comparision with the others, but the Gridanian Walnut’s has severely jumped up in price (at least on my server), especially since they long back ago (10/15/2013) removed them from the Shopkeep in Drybone. Is it still the best, and most valid choice to skill up on (lvl 15-20)?

    1. First off sorry for the super late comment! I also noticed the oddly high price of the walnut, making walnut bread a less ideal choice for those without (or too lazy to fetch with) botanist.

  19. Salt Cod Puffs aren’t as bad as the guide makes it seem, since NQ salt cod can be bought from either the potwatch or independent culinarian npc near each town’s market board for 15g.
    Other than that, great guide!

  20. I’m not sure what/when it changed, but the levemete in St. Coinach’s Find for level 45 leves asks for “cups of Rolanberry Lassi” instead of Tomato Pie. The description still sounds like Tomato Pie, but the objective itself states otherwise.

    1. Also! Thank you for the awesome guide =) With it’s help, and 99 leve allowances, I got from 1-50 in about 3 days and a total of ~12 hours.

      On my server, I was actually able to MAKE money buying leve items off the market boards and just running leves from 25-50. I literally did not have to craft a single thing during that time and I made ~15,000g profit. Crazy.

    2. It could possibly have changed in a recent patch due to the difficulty of tomato pies craft. I will investigate!

  21. Even while using a scroll and manually crafting every single thing I still only made it to the very start of level 12. (Second to last pie made me level) I think they may have changed some stuff around in the latest patches.

    1. Crafting the same item won’t yield the same EXP each time! The more quality you manage to get, the higher exp you will receive! In the case of not reaching 15, you may want to use the Courier leve of your tier, and the “reverse courier”

    2. I was lvl 11 and just got on my pie dough grind. I bought enough material’s to make 99 of them (less then 2000 gil). I’m now lvl 14 about to run it back.also I’m not using scroll’s

  22. This is superb, thank you for spending the time to compile and write this up. Very much looking forward to the guides for other trades. Just hope that it’s not too affected by the Leve XP changes in 2.1 (some singles bumped up, triples bumped down?).

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