In Final Fantasy XIV, equipment is rated by its “item level.” Your character’s overall item level will be based on the sum of the levels of all of their equipment.
In all honesty, XIV has a plethora of gear to choose from. In these cases, a stroll down the street can feel like it’s bringing you a brand-new wardrobe.
Now that A Realm Reborn has altered the leveling process.
Rapid clothing changes will be followed by storage in your Armory Chest (which is just a separate inventory that contains weapons, armor, and jewelry).
To check your item level, either go to your character screen and look at your general item level or click over an item to see its specific item level.
When Should I Worry About Item Level?
Until you reach the later parts of the game, it probably won’t be a big deal.
Because your total item level is used to “gate” access to different materials in addition to measuring the quality of individual items. Unless you are doing something very wrong, this will not be an issue in A Realm Reborn.
As you go through the game and reach the current content, such as Shadowbringers and the post-story patch content, you will encounter item-level gates more frequently.
It’s possible that at that point in the game, you’ll have to put in a little extra effort to advance to the next level.
How Do I Increase My Item Level?
The truth is, we’ve all been there.
You’ve progressed to the right part of the story, but for some reason, you still can’t access the dungeon or trial you’ll need to complete.
The door is right there, but you can’t enter since your item level is too low.
I suggest seeing one of Rowena’s Representatives first if you encounter this issue before Shadowbringers.
After reaching level 50, you may have earned a sizable wealth in Allagan Tomestones, which you can put to good use by purchasing and equipping their items to increase your item level significantly.
A trip to the dungeons might be in order otherwise.
If your only goal is to increase your items’ levels, then you should focus on the quests that are most closely related to your current storyline.
Of course, this choice relies on random chance; the items you need might not drop at all, and if they do, another player in your party might need them.
Fighting through them isn’t a waste of time because you can gain experience.
If neither of those appeals to you, you can always visit the market board in any sizable city. In this realm, players can just use real money to purchase better equipment without having to farm it or make it from scratch.
However, this can get quite expensive in the long run, so if you find yourself stranded in Shadowbringers, I recommend grinding out your Duty Roulettes for the most recent Allagan Tomestones.
If you have enough of those, you can visit Eulmore and buy high-level items from the merchants in the building’s upper levels.
Though it will take some time, you will be able to use that gil toward more worthwhile endeavors.
Examples include the opportunity to wait outside a house for twelve hours in the hopes that the game will allow you to buy it, or the glitzy appearance you so desire.
Anything Else I Should Know?
Since every XIV player has access to all jobs, keeping track of your equipment can be full-time work in and of itself.
It’s very simple to wear yourself out carrying all that gear around for a few different tasks.
The final result is that you’ll have a lot of it.
Some are urgently required, while others may be useful down the road.
It’s a lot to take in if you’re also considering the item level.
Fortunately, XIV provides a wide variety of options for arranging and optimizing your equipment.
Above your current equipment in the character screen is a button that, when clicked, will immediately change your equipment to the optimal settings for your current class.
This is a time-saving method of automatically equipping the best goods from your chest, rather than having to manually sort through the various categories.
When used in tandem with Gear Set, this allows you to switch between tasks without having to manually manage your inventory.
Additionally, configurations can be saved and mapped to hotbars for speedy access.
