DAWNTRAIL Guides! Dawntrail L90-100 Miner Leveling, Botanist Leveling
Dawntrail Normal Raid Guide (Quick, Spoiler Free)
See: Viper STARTER Guide / Rotation | Pictomancer Starter Guide / Rotation
Piercing through the early game? If you’re going to thrust yourself to level a Lancer, you’ve found the right place. Hopefully, our Lancer Leveling Guide helps you out!
While this page focuses on Lancer info like skills, traits, rotation, and playstyle notes. The GENERAL PROCESS that you follow is outlined in our FFXIV General Leveling Guide – use it alongside this guide. Looking at that, we’re in the “A Realm Reborn Tier” as we’re only looking to level our Lancer up to 30.
This guide has three major segments:
- Lancer Leveling Rotation & Skill Changes – How new skills affect your play.
- Lancer L1 to L16 – General reminders and notes.
- Lancer L15 to 30 – General reminders and notes.
- I’ll mention it again, knowledge from General Leveling Guide is REQUIRED.
I put rotation changes up top as you might reference it often. Without further ado, let’s get to it.
Lancer Rotation for Leveling, Skills, Traits, Etc.
In this segment we run down how each skill and trait affects your Lancer’s rotation during the leveling process.
L1 Skill Unlocked True Thrust – Your basic attack and very first skill! Spam this until you unlock the combo skill at L4.
L4 Skill Unlocked Vorpal Thrust – This combos from True Thrust. Combo actions need to be pressed within a certain timeframe or else the combo opportunity falls off.
L6 Skill Unlocked Life Surge – Causes your next weaponskill to do increased damage and heal you. Basically, always use this right before your most powerful weaponskill – at this point that’s Vorpal Thrust.
L8 Role Action Unlocked Second Wind – A personal, instant self-heal. Useful both in soloing and leveling, dungeons, raids, ANYTHING! For the purpose of this guide, Second Wind will definitely help you in the leveling process. One habit to get into is, USE IT EARLY so you can use it again soon (for example, when soloing a FATE boss).
L10 Role Action Unlocked Leg Sweep – An instant OGCD stun. Interrupting enemy spells is the most basic use case here, but honestly keep in mind that in dungeons stunning an enemy will greatly reduce the damage your tank receives, and helps your healer out.
L12 Role Action Unlocked Bloodbath – Your third “self-heal”, this one essentially gives you a “lifesteal” effect that scales on your own DPS. This is actually great. Again, it’s better to use these kinds of skills early if you know you’re soloing a long fight, or just to help your healer out.
L15 Skill Unlocked Piercing Talon – a ranged attack that’s typically only used if you’re not in range of your enemy. Generally speaking do not use this simply when “approaching” an enemy as it’s typically a DPS loss compared to just using your skill straight up.
L18 Skill Unlocked Disembowel – Gives you an increased damage buff that you have to try and keep up at all times!
L22 Role Action Unlocked Feint – Reduces an enemy’s physical damage dealt. Almost useless in soloing (reduces mostly auto attacks and the rare physical boss skill). Of course, very good in terms of group mitigation options in a group scenario. In the leveling process, however, this will almost never be used.
L26 Skill Unlocked Full Thrust – Your combo finisher! Anytime you would press Vorpal Thrust
L30 Skill Unlocked Lance Charge – A straight up damage steroid. In solo, leveling, and dungeon type content simply use this early and often. Not much to optimize here right now, but optimizing DPS cooldowns are something you will grow into over time.
Completing this quest and unlocking Windbite marks your final class quest as Lancer. You now have the right to become a Dragoon!
Lancer Rotation – L1 to 30 SUMMARY
Here’s an overarching shot of what your LNC rotation is in the early leveling process. Adjust to your currently learned skills.
LNC L30 Single Target Rotation
- Lance Charge if you have the opportunity to maximize its duration.
- True Thrust > Disembowel – Keep this buff up at all times!
- True Thrust > Vorpal Thrust > Full Thrust – is your basic filler.
- Life Surge + Full Thrust, is pretty much the only time you should use it.
LNC L30 AoE Rotation
- None
Not even kidding, there’s no AoE skill for Lancers at L30. You’ll wait a while, sadly.
Lancer Leveling: L1 to 30
As per the general leveling guide, this tier is divided into two sub-chunks. So I’ll be sub-chunking the following segments into two “tabs” as well. These two tabs represent A) L1 to 16, and B) L16 to 30.
Lancer Leveling L1 to 30 Activity Flowchart
A rundown of things you can do to gain EXP – again split “to 16”, and “to 30”.
LNC Leveling Activities to L16
Remember the universal truths: Main Scenario Quest is king, and always have your passive EXP buffs (FC, Food, Chocobo, etc)
Renewable EXP sources
- FATES (Great when you're in queue)
- Levequests (Actually good EXP but better saved for DoH or DoL)
- Deep Dungeon -Palace of the Dead (Repetitive, terrible for LOW levels)
Burst EXP sources
- Challenge Log* (Complete passively until nearing reset, then force it)
- Guildhests (First completions per class is mega bonus EXP)
- Hunting Log (Great source of EXP this early on)
- Sidequests (Personal preference. Better if in tandem with MSQ!)
- Duty Roulette: Guildhest (Pretty irrelevant...)
*Challenge Log won't be unlocked in this tier if it's your first time around. While you need to be L16 to initially unlock it, it can be used by any level character thereafter.
Well, there’s not much to point your bow at this early on, but here’s where the arrow falls nonetheless. It’s slim, but you gotta start somewhere.
Of course, adjust this to your own personal preference.
LNC Leveling Activities to L30
Remember the universal truths: Main Scenario Quest is king, and always have your passive EXP buffs (FC, Food, Chocobo, etc)
Renewable EXP sources
- Dungeons (Stable, "fun", massive EXP easpecially with rested bonus)
- FATES (Great when you're in queue)
- Deep Dungeon -Palace of the Dead (Repetitive, but fast)
- Levequests (Actually good EXP but better saved for DoH or DoL)
- Beast Tribe (EXP is meh, but great for getting cosmetic items)
Burst EXP sources
- Duty Roulette: Leveling (The ultimate EXP source until L50)
- Challenge Log (Complete passively until nearing reset, then force it)
- Guildhests (First completions per class is mega bonus EXP)
- Hunting Log (More for completionism or first timers, it's "alright")
- Sidequests (Personal preference. Better if in tandem with MSQ!)
- Duty Roulette: Guildhest (Pretty irrelevant...)
A few adjustments to your leveling mentality here, mainly the addition of Duty Roulette: Leveling, as a daily burst, and straight queuing Dungeons as an option as well.
Of course, adjust this to your own personal preference.
Important Notes (LNC L1 to 30)
Here’s the straight and pointy about what to keep in mind during the leveling process.
LNC L1 to 30 Gear Updates: Needed?
TLDR: Not really significant. This applies to both sub-tiers. Just make sure to pick up whatever along the way, or find dirt cheap upgrades in the MB or wherever (quests etc).
Important notes to keep in mind
As always, Main Scenario Quest takes the highest priority.
There are too many skills that get unlocked here for me to talk about individually, which is why the skill unlock / rotation segment above should be your guiding light in that regard.
Limited Burst EXP sources take priority: Newly unlocked Guildhests, Challenge Log entries, Hunting Log.
Renewable EXP sources if you need to grind: FATE’s are great, followed by Levequests and if so you choose, Sidequests. (Deep Dungeon: POTD – can you zone it from Level 1? Even if you could, I don’t think I would…)
At level 15 you get access to your first Dungeon, Sastasha, but I don’t see much reason to grind there, unless you wanna burn rested EXP and want to hit 16 ASAP.
At 15 you should catch up and do your class quests, as you do get a skill form it – Piercing Talon. Just use it if you can’t reach your target. Don’t use it when “approaching”, it’s not optimal.
A note on Levequests: Can be an attractive source of EXP. Every tier has “good and bad” levequests so it’s up to you if you wanna go try them out. Main downside is using them up in place of DoH / DoL. Consider using them if you’re at or near the Levequest allowance cap!
As always, Main Scenario Quest takes the highest priority.
Starting L16, you open up Duty Roulette: Leveling, which is you should be doing everyday! This is an important source of EXP – it’s a huge daily burst! Also at L16 you can unlock Challenge Log if you haven’t already.
Overall, the same concept applies. Daily and Weekly bursts of EXP > Basic Renewable EXP sources of your choice > Other side activities to alleviate boredom or monotony.
Renewable EXP sources? At this point it’s Dungeons, FATES and Deep Dungeons, and maybe some Levequests. Burst EXP sources? Roulettes, new Guildhests, Hunting and Challenge Logs.
As a DPS class, you’ll likely queue up for dungeons or POTD then do FATES and “other activities” while you’re in queue.
at L20 If you haven’t unlocked your Companion (combat Chocobo), do so now. You can begin the process now – it entails getting your first mount as well (at least for most new players).
At level 30 get your class quests done, as it’s one of the prerequisites to transform into Dragoon!
Levequests notes, same as usual. Sad to take ’em away from crafters and gatherers, but it’s viable EXP. Definitely use them up if you’re overcapped on allowances.
Stop at Level 30! Unlock your advanced job as soon as you can!
(LNC turns into Dragoon at Level 30)
Lancer L30 Onward: Unlocking Dragoon
STOP WHAT YOU’RE DOING ONCE YOU HIT Lancer LEVEL 30.
Unlock Dragoon ASAP!
How to become a Dragoon? Unlocking Dragoon requires a Level 30 Lancer, and completion of the L30 LNC Class Quest. From there, return to your guild and it should point you to the quest! See: Unlocking all jobs.
The reason we unlock ASAP is, not only to get a new skill at L30 (In your case, the famous Jump skill – your first of many), but most if not all new skills and traits going forward are for DRAGOON and not LANCER, so you have no reason to stay as an LNC any longer.
Lancer Leveling – Related Reads
Some good reads and related links here:
- General Leveling Guide – Oft mentioned here, but bears mentioning again.
- Lancer General Basics Guide – Basic info regarding the LNC class.
- Dragoon General Basics Guide – Basic info about LNC advanced job, DRG.
- Unlocking all Jobs and Classes – Summary on how to become the various jobs.
- Melee DPS Role Actions – Use cases and further info on your Role Actions.
Summary and Closing
And with that YOU’RE DONE WITH LEVELING Lancer! Congrats! Hopefully our Lancer Leveling Guide helped you out. As you enter into the Dragoon tier, I wish you luck in your literal flight.
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