Killer Guides has added another unofficial guide to their website. Their unofficial leveling guide is a new guide that promises to get your class to the level cap in 7 days or less.Aside from leveling advice it also delves into equipment and skill rotations as well as some Gil-making options and questing advice.
Given my limited spare time and a desire to spend that time playing FFXIV instead of researching it, I decided to give it a shot and see if the guide lives up to the hype.
Why Killer Guides?
Before deciding to buy a guide, I wanted to see who actually is behind it. As it turns out, all guides on killerguides.com are written by independent authors. Unlike authors of official guides, they didn’t just get an assignment, but are genuinely passionate about the game, having spent an inordinate time leveling their own characters. Their writing is based on the perspective of hardcore gamers and it shows. They aren’t on some developer’s payroll, and their information isn’t edited or limited by what a game publisher might want or not want to reveal about how to play their game.
When you buy a game from Killer Guides you can also be sure that the information is accurate and authentic. Too many independent guides are just slapped together dribble, detailing some random author’s bumbling attempt to beat the game. The Killer Guides editors ensure that a guide contains true and useful information. It has to be more than just a narrative of a play-through. It has to contain real, useful information and well tested and thought out play strategies.
What Kind of Information Can Be Found in the Guide?
While it seems to be marketed as leveling guide, it’s actually a complete guide to FF14. Just about every aspect of the game has a section devoted to it. Everyone can agree that the Final Fantasy world is rich, and the games that come from it have plenty of depth and content. FF14 is no exception to this. The game has many class combinations for character building, thousands of quests and an in-depth crafting system. Each of these elements has a sizable number of pages devoted to mastering them.
Leveling Up Fast
For most players on the look out for an MMO guide, it’s about leveling faster, getting better equipment and not wasting time getting stuck on mundane quests or less rewarding ones.
In the leveling department, this Final Fantasy XIV guide definitely meets the expectations. It details the most efficient way to reach the level cap, including the top quest lines and the most efficient leveling locations.
However, it’s not only about quests and locations. In FF14, the key to an effective character also includes getting skill rotations right. This guide offers a variety of different styles of play and details the tskill rotations that will maximize leveling progress for a wide range of class combinations.
It makes a pretty big claim in that it can get players to the level cap in as little as seven days. I like to switch a lot between alt classes, so while I wasn’t able to test that yet in full, I definitely noticed that I progressed at a much faster pace using the provided leveling guide.
Quest Walkthroughs
No guide would be complete without a detailed walkthrough of quests, and this guide is no exception. It is based on multiple run-throughs of the game and aside from walkthroughs of the main story quests it also provides a very good coverage of additional side quests. Quest walkthroughs are presented in a logical structure and easy to follow steps, so players can easily proceed according to the guide as they progress through the game.
Character Creation
FF14 has a detailed character creation system that can leave new players puzzled and veteran players wondering if there is a killer combination they have missed. FF14’s character generation system means you have a lot of different choices when it comes to getting your race and class combination right. While there are downright right or wrong ways to set up your character, there are definitely a number of considerations that players might fret over. This guide details each choice and how that class will be played optimally. This allows players to choose the combination that fits them best.
Crafting and Money
It’s a material world, and acquiring material things is a goal of many players in the FF14 world. This guide details the best Gil making strategies and promises remarkable increases in players’ incomes if they do them correctly. The crafting system, including resource locations and a comprehensive list of recipes, is also included. At the time of writing there are some serious money makers provided in the guide and – if they guide keeps getting updated – it might be one of the best Gil-making tools out there.
Presentation
This unofficial guide is presented in electronic format. It can be downloaded as either a PDF or eBook file. Inside the guide looks likes any paper guide you might find in the store. It has colorful in-game images and text. Overall, it is presented as professionally as any official game guide.
Overall Impression
There were times where I was happy to sift through forums for hours on end, trying to find some hidden gems or the next secret leveling spot. I believe those times were around 1999 when EverQuest was still a thing and I still in high school. Nowadays, I’d rather go and pick up a single, one-stop reference that includes all the essentials – as long as it does live up to what it promises. Considering the time this guide has saved me – by not having to search, trying things out (before noticing they no longer work) or just doing it the traditional way of trial and error – it definitely was the right choice. As far as boosting game process goes, it pretty much lived up to its promise (though more maps would have been nice). All in all I can wholeheartedly recommend to get your own copy of Killer Guides’ FFXIV Guide.