FFXIV Mining Guide - Unearthing Gemstones and Ores in FFXIV

Final Fantasy XIV mining guide

Welcome to FFXIV Mining Guide. Miner is one of the Disciples of Land classes in Final Fantasy XIV. Mining works very similarly to botany. The mechanics behind both of those classes are identical. The differences can only be seen in nodes, obtained materials and used tools. At the same time fishing significantly differs from both of them. Miners use pickaxes/dolabras and sledgehammers to mine mineral deposits and rocky outcrops.

As a miner, you will be able to gather different kinds of ores and raw materials. Miners can gather components for armorer, blacksmith, goldsmith, and alchemist.

For some more general overview of gathering FFXIV check out our Gathering Guide, if you already have some knowledge and you’re set on creating a miner, keep reading this text, because you’ll find some useful tips here. We’re going to talk about the best ways of leveling a miner as well as some of their skills and mechanics.

The base stats that you're going to use while mining is called Gathering, Perception and Gathering Points. The first one is definitely the most important during the early levels, as it increases your chance of a successful attempt. The second one is responsible for gathering high-quality items - perception rating will be important on higher levels. Gathering Points are the resource that you spend on using abilities. Upgrade your gear regularly to get more of them.

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Class quests

Every class in Final Fantasy XIV has its questline and miner is no exception. All those quests require you to turn in certain items. The truth is that the guild master doesn’t care whether you gathered them all by yourself or bought them from someone.

That being said, it’s generally the best to collect those materials, because it will provide you with some extra experience. Also, spending Gil to level your miner is somewhat counterintuitive. After all, people play those classes to make money, not to lose it. Here is the list of miner’s class quests:

We recommend collecting necessary items before the quests are even available to you and that’s how this guide is written (it’s impossible after level 63, but you can do it until that point). We believe that actually gathering these objectives is good for both the experience gains and getting used to playing as a miner and using this class’ skill set.

The other sources of experience will be Levequests and Gathering Log, they should help you get to level 50 pretty quickly. At that point, you should start looking at Beast Tribe Quests and collectible scrips for some really nice and quick gains.

If you’re at the same time leveling a crafting class, then you can gather the materials you will later make use of. This is extremely important because leveling some crafting and gathering classes at the same time is great for increasing efficiency and saving time. Also, if you don’t like some of the gathering levequests or you’re running out of leve allowances, you can simply collect the materials for your crafter. It makes you gain miner experience a little slower, but it’s the quickest method of leveling up multiple classes. It’s also good for your in-game wallet because Levequests are a great source of experience, but you can't say that about Gil.

To unlock the miner class, you first have to get level 10 on your combat class and go to the Miner’s Guild in Ul’dah. The first quest is just talking to the guild’s receptionist who sends you to guild master Adalberta.

The most important skills in the miner class are almost identical to the ones botanists have. Prospect and Auto Prospect allow you to find the right node. Sharp Vision is the equivalent of Field Mastery. It increases the chance of successfully gathering an item. It has three levels and the higher ones boost the ratio more significantly, but their Gathering Points cost is higher.

If possible, you should try to keep the success rate between 90% and 100%. Overcapping it is a waste of Gathering Points and keeping it too low results in more failed attempts. At level 15 you unlock Unearth that can boost your chance of getting high-quality items.

Sharp Vision – increases gathering success rate by 5% for 50 GP

Sharp Vision II – extra 10% success rate for 100 GP

Sharp Vision III – extra 50% for 250 GP, it’s a very powerful boost with the highest GP cost

Unearth – additional 10% chance of getting an HQ item for 75 GP

Level 1-5

After getting the miner class, you should focus on gathering all necessary items for level 1 and level 5 class quests. Both the Copper Ores and the Bone Chips can be found in Central Thamalan. After you get them you should easily have level 5, but if you don’t have it, just do something from your Gathering Log or mine whatever you want. During lower levels, it's also good to remember about Grand Company turn-ins, since they can provide you with decent rewards.

Level 5-10

For the next class quest, you’re going to need 99 chunks of Obsidian. They can be found in Hammerlea in Western Thanalan. If you need more experience to hit level 10 after collecting them, you can complete some tasks from Gathering Log. At this point, you can also start looking at Levequests. The ones worth looking at in this tier are: Do They Ore, Don’t They and Vanishing Point.

When doing leves, always remember two things. First - you can run our of allownces if you don't manage them well. Second - turning in high-quality items grants you a significant amount of bonus exp free from allowances cost.

Level 10-15

For the level 15 class quest, you’re going to have to gather high-quality materials. It might actually be a good idea to wait until level 15 before starting to collect them. At level 15 you will get access to Unearth – a skill which increases your chance to obtain HQ materials. It can make quests quicker and less frustrating. You can mine HQ Cinnabar at Horizon’s Edge in Western Thanalan.

To unlock Unearth as fast as possible, you should do leves. We recommend three of them in this tier: That’s Why They Call It Fool’s Gold, Break It Up and We Do This the Hard Way.

Level 15-20

The next class quest requires 99 units of Grade 1 Carbonized Matter. Botanists in this tier have to collect the exact same thing. To get it to go to Three-malm Bend in Middle La Noscea. The best Levequests around this level are A Man’s Gotta Dream and The Doom That Came to Belah’dia.

Level 20-25

In this tier, you’re going back to gathering high-quality items, which means using Unearth. HQ Effervescent Water can be found on the Upper Paths in South Shroud. There’s one leve that’s clearly better than the rest and it’s called Look How They Shine for You.

Level 25-30

The next thing to do is traveling to Wellwick Wood in Eastern Thanalan and gathering 15 chunks of HQ Wyvern Obsidian. The best Levequest in this tier is Fool Me Twice. Remember, if in any tier you’re able to gather some materials that you need for crafting, you can ignore leves and just do that.

Level 30-35

Level 35 class quest will require you to get 20x high-quality Raw Amethyst. It can be mined in Sorrel Haven in Central Shroud. The recommended level at this level is I Kidd You Not.

Level 35-40

Now it’s time to make your way to Dragonhead in Coerthas Central Highlands and mine 20 chunks of high-quality Jade. Besides that, Levequests remain the fastest way of getting experience. The best ones in this tier are Mythril Madness and Rocks for Brains. At level 35 you unlock Unearth II that increases the chance of successfully gathering high-quality items by 30%.

Level 40-45

In this, the items required for the class quest are 20x high-quality Electrum Ore. It can be gathered in Bronze Lake in Upper La Noscea. The most efficient Levequests at this moment are Nature Is a Monster and Not Losing Our Heads This Time.

Level 45-50

You can’t really preemptively collect the Darksteel Ore necessary for level 50 class quest. It can be found in Haldrath’s March in Coerthas Central Highlands, but you need level 50 to gather it. In order to get, you can keep doing Levequests. The best ones in this quest level tier are Metal Has No Master and Hybrid Hypotheses.

Level 50-53

After finishing all the class quests for Adalberta in Miner’s Guild at Ul’dah, you will be directed to Ishgard. This is where you’re going to get new class quests. Another important thing to do in Ishgard is a quest Inscrutable Tastes. This way you’ll unlock the collectible scrip turn-ins. There are red and yellow Gathering Scrips, they can provide you with different rewards. If Levequests started to get boring - we have great news for you. Post 50 scrips are a better option for leveling.

The scrip system allows you to get rewards for gathering collectible items and turning them in. To do that, you have to use the 50 level skill – 

Collector’s Glove. You will definitely use it on Unspoiled Nodes, some other abilities that are very useful when harvesting them are called Toil of the Mountaineer and Discerning Eye. They are very important for gathering collectibles.

Unspoiled Nodes are a special kind of nodes that spawn every 12 hours and last only two hours in Eorzean time. That means roughly 35 minutes between spawns and a little less than 6 minutes duration. The best way of keeping track of it is using a special website, their multiple ones designed specifically for that purpose.

Scrip turn-ins are the most efficient way of getting experience after level 50 and the material rewards are also great. In general, you should only prioritize the class quests over the scrips.

Level 53 class quest requires 10x HQ Mythrite Ore, they can be mined in Gorgagne Holding in Coerthas Western Highlands. You can still do leves, but they’re far less efficient experience-wise. The best ones in this tier are Taken for Granite and The Merits of Upcycling. After level 50 you will get your class quests and new Levequests more often.

Level 53-55

For the next class quests, you’re going to gather 10 pieces of high-quality Titanium Ore in Chocobo Forest inside the Dravanian Forelands. Besides that, keep doing scrips. The best Levequest at level 52 is Permit for Destruction of Religious Property. At level 54 the good options are From Creepers to Squatters and Talk About Boundaries.

Level 55-58

The items to collect for the next class quest are 10 pieces of high-quality Hardsilver Ore. They can be mined in the Makers’ Quarter in the Dravanian Hinterlands. The best level 56 Levequest is Mortarin’. Level 57 also grants you access to an interesting skill called Single Mind.

Level 58-60

The class quest for level 60 will require 3x high-quality Adamantite Ore. Mining it on lower levels requires good gear, but it’s definitely possible, so go to Beta Quadrant of Azys Lla and do it if you can. The recommended Levequests for this tier are Dragonproofing and Sticking It Out.

Level 60-63

At this moment in the game, you unlock another good source of experience for gathering classes. It’s a set of dailies called Namazu Beast Tribe Quests. Getting access to them requires completing a chain of side quests, but when you’re done with that, you can easily get solid experience gains, without any risk and cost. You can and should still use the scrip system and sometimes complete Levequests. The best ones in this tier are Cermet Breaker and Axe to Grind. Of course, gathering collectibles is still a great option. 

Level 60 class quest is the last one that you can finish preemptively because the later ones will require having the quest active to gather the items.

Level 63-65

The first thing to do when you hit level 63 is the class quest. It will require you to mine three chunks of Beggar’s Mythril Ore in the Striped Hills in The Fringes. Besides that, you should look at the collectible scrips, Namazu dailies, and leves. The best Levequest at this point is Ready Ore Not.

Level 65-68

For the next class quest, you’re going to need 5x high-quality Feather Iron Ore. You can mine it in the Ruby Sea. The best Levequests in this tier are No Stone Unturned and Simply Marble Us.

Level 68-70

The level 68 class quest requires 8x high-quality Serpentine in The Gensui Chain in Yanxia. The best level 66 Levequest is called Dunes of Our Lives and the 68 ones are Mine All Mine and The Ores Have It. For the level 70 quest, you have to get 5x Pummelite at The Slow Wash in Rustrock.

FFXIV Miner

As you can see, Square Enix takes the non-combat classes in FF14 very seriously. The game has eleven of them and each one has its own unique class quest line as well as leves and Beast Tribe quests.

Playing miner you’ll be able to make extra Gil get rich in the endgame. Furthermore, if you like playing Disciples of War, you might gather a lot of materials necessary to craft their gear. Overall, the miner is a great choice for one of the first non-combat classes, especially if you level them up alongside a crafting class that can use the ores and minerals. It's also a good stand-alone gathering class that can get some nice Gil selling mats on the market. 

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Final Fantasy XIV

Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn is a Japanese MMORPG by Square Enix, where players can complete multiple missions, clear dungeons and do much more in the magical realm of Eorzea. Traveling from one wonderful zone to the other, players can enjoy a wide variety of locations and NPC. The game gets a major update on a regular basis. First expansion - Heavensward has been released in 2015, then Stormblood in 2017 and now Shadowbringers is coming in July 2019, which may cause even more players to return to the game.

The game attracted a friendly and loyal community of players, making it one of the top MMORPGs. Eorzea is full of many people who enjoy the beautifully designed world and an interesting endgame, with a lot of horizontal progressions and collecting items. Of course, there's a number of other things like dungeons, raids and tons of different content - there's plenty to do after you reach the late game!

Alongside multiple battle classes and jobs, there also are 11 crafting gathering professions. The three Disciples of Land able to gather resources are miner, botanist, and fisher. At the same time, there are 8 Disciples of Hand, who can take those ingredients and create various items of any specific type. 

If you want to read more guides and news about FFXIV check out what's posted in the Final Fantasy XIV category on our site. Our blog covers all the main titles in online gaming with new posts appearing all the time!