FFXIV: Why The Diadem Is Ishgard's Best-Kept Secret - CBR

The release of Final Fantasy XIV's Endwalker expansion has brought in tons of new players, many of whom are exploring the Crafting and Gathering classes for the first time. Going out into the wilderness and sneaking around dangerous monsters to gather items to craft is the most straightforward way to gain experience points in FFXIV. However, many new players probably don't know that there's a much faster and more efficient way to level up their Crafting and Gathering classes: the Diadem.

Players who don't focus on completing the blue marked quests that indicate a dungeon, opportunity, or new ability are likely to miss out on discovering the Diadem. Once players unlock the city of Ishgard at the beginning of the Heavensward expansion and complete the Dragonsong story, they can access the Firmament by speaking to Thomelin inside the Ishgard Aetheryte Plaza and unlocking the blue quest called "Towards the Firmament." After completing it, speaking with Augebert inside the Firmament gate will unlock a dialogue action with Aurvael, the NPC who will send players to the Diadem via the Duty Finder.

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The Diadem requires that a Gathering class be at least level 10 before players can enter, although the gathering items themselves require level 20 and above. Upon entering, Miners, Botanists, and Fishers can gather their respective class items from all around the floating islands. As long as the player is the minimum level of the item, they're guaranteed a gathering attempt and the max experience points for that attempt.

Additionally, the beasts that lurk between the isles leave valuable drops such as crystals, which are a catalyst in every crafting recipe. Mobs won't attack players and can be slain in one hit by a Diadem-specific weapon called the Aetheromatic Auger, which charges up as the player spends time gathering. After leaving the Diadem, Gatherers can get their items approved by the Resource Inspector and earn Skybuilder Scrips, a Firmament-exclusive currency that can be used to purchase special clothes, mounts, and emotes.

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Players can use approved materials to craft Ishgard Restoration items in Crafting Logs. The first bonus to Restoration crafting lets players advance several levels within minutes. A level 20 Weaver with an experience requirement of 24,300 points can gain a minimum of 26,696 points just from crafting one Skybuilder's Rope. Craft a better quality Rope with higher collectibility, and that same item will yield 67,771 EXP at the highest tier -- a whopping three levels of experience points from just one Skybuilder's Rope. As these items are turned in, players get a Kupo stamp as well, which are used to randomly draw a rare furniture item or minion from the mini-game called Kupo of Fortune.

The second bonus to crafting Restoration items is that all the resources for crafting recipes come directly from the Diadem, except for straw or another cheap item. This is a godsend because the biggest problem Crafters face is that more complex recipes call for a variety of items, most of which can't be made by the same class. For example, a Weaver may need an iron ingot, but Weavers can't make that item themselves. They would need to buy it from the Market Board or level up their Blacksmith class to access the crafting recipe for it. Purchasing from the Market Board gets expensive quickly, especially if the player is only focusing on one class at a time.

The Diadem and the Firmament are underrated locations among new players, and when used in tandem, are the best places to level up both Crafting and Gathering classes at the same time. Players should take advantage of the massive amount of experience points and reap the benefits that these locations have to offer. After all, it's little secrets like this that makes Final Fantasy XIV one of the best MMOs out there.