The world of Eorzea is full of fun things to do. Players will find so much content to explore in the game from slaying celestial bosses to raiding dungeons. While killing monsters is a fun endeavor, it is always lovely to sit back and relax by doing other activities, and what better way to spend the time than by gathering nature's bountiful harvest?
Botany has been one of the most chill and relaxing activities in Final Fantasy for a long time. From gliding from tree to tree to gathering high-quality materials, this life skill is enjoyable, especially for those looking to take a break from saving the world. Here is the guide on getting players from a botany grasshopper to an elite botanist:
How to Get Started?
Players who want to start their Botanical journey will need to satisfy two requirements. First, they should be at least level 10 in Disciple of War or Disciple of Magic. The second requirement is that they need to have access to Gridania. They will have no problem with the second condition for classes such as Lancer, Archer, Conjurer since they already start in that city.
To start their gathering career, gamers will need to interact with the receptionist of the Botanist's Guild in Gridania and become acquainted with Fufueha, the guild's leader. These interactions will make the levequests for the trade skill available for accepting.
Recommended Gear Per Level
Aside from progressing at the profession level, players should also upgrade the gear they are using. Aside from acquiring the right gathering skills, having the right equipment will have a significant impact on botanists' efficiency. Here are the recommended items per level or bracket:
- Level 10-15: Amateur's Doublet Set
- Level 15-22: Cotton Sheperd's Gathering Set
- Level 30-35: Velveteen Gown Set
- Level 35-42: Cotton Doublet Vest of Gathering Set
- Level 43-48: Boarskin Jerkin Set
- Level 48-53: Raptors Jerkin Set & Kudzu Set of Gathering
- Level 50-60: Botanist's Set
- Level 60-65: Serpentskin Gathering Set
- Level 70-80: Landking's Set
There are a lot of viable sets in the game, especially for Botany. These are only the recommended sets for players who do not want to spend Gil by upgrading their attire every few levels. However, these items are not set in stone so players can vary depending on their taste and strategy.
Level One to Level 20
Getting to level 20 from the start is certainly a breeze since players only have to gather common materials and do rookie quests. There are recommended gatherable materials for certain level brackets. Here are the ideal resources that newbies should consider starting with:
- Level One to Five: Maple Log (Central Shroud & North Shroud) and Earth/Wind/Water Shards (Central Shroud)
- Level Five to Eight: Ash Log (Central Shroud & North Shroud)
- Level Eight to 20: Crow Feather (Central Shroud)
Starting from level 5, players can actually begin to gathering Crow Feathers till they reach level 10 since the level requirement for this specific resource is not that demanding. There are certain quests that gatherers can take too to speed up the leveling progress. Here is the list of available quests per rank:
- Level One – Ways of the Botanist and My First Hatchet
- Level Five – Sap for Smiles
- Level 10 – Weapons of a Father
- Level 15 – Haste Makes Waste
- Level 20 – Dressed to Harvest
These quests will require botanists to gather tons of low-level crafting materials. For better inventory management, players can consider selling these resources at the marketplace, or using these items if they are also leveling their crafting profession.
NOTE: Do not try gathering materials above your recommended level. Trying to forage resources beyond your level will yield less output and will take longer to finish.
Level 21 to 40
At this point, players will benefit from accepting levequests from major cities since there will be a very noticeable spike in the leveling process. It is recommended that players just accept the ones in Carline Canopy since they will be spending most of their time in Gridania city-state. Alternatively, botanists can choose to do leves in Eastern La Nocsea and Costa del Sol.
Here are the recommended gatherable resources for each bracket:
- Level 20 to 24 – Yew Log (East Shroud)
- Level 25 to 31 – Gridanian Walnut (South Shroud)
- Level 32 to 36 – Oak Log (South Shroud)
- Level 37 to 40 – Mahogany Log (Eastern La Noscea)
Aside from the new recommended materials, here are the quests that players are advised to take to speed up their leveling progress:
- Level 25 – Aromatic Aspirations
- Level 30 – What Nature Giveth
- Level 35 – A Feast to Say the Least
- Level 40 – Crisis of Faith
Level 41 to 60
The leveling curve here will spike exponentially as the experience needed will significantly increase. Fortunately for players, levequests here are more rewarding and will help with the grind. At the same time, botany at this stage becomes more profitable.
Gatherers will also be able to acquire Company-issue Survival Manuals from their Grand Companies. These items can help ramp up the slow progression from 41 to 60 since they provide a 75% boost to the exp points obtained from gathering.
Best Leves Per Level
- Level 40 to 50 – Levequests at Mor Dhona and Saint Coinach's Find
- Level 52 onward – Warm in Their Bed, Does It Look Infected, No Rest for The Thicket, and Secondhand Smoke Screen
- Level 54 onward – Chewed Up and Snuffed Out, Your Mother is Medicine, and Your Father is the Wild, Hybrid Theories, and Exotic Memories
Players should note that Temple leves can be pretty expensive, but they provide the most exp points in the shortest time. Here are the recommended gatherable resources for this bracket:
- Level 45-49 – Mirror Apples (Coerthas Central Highlands)
- Level 50-59 – Rosewood Log (East Shroud)
- Level 60 – Camphorwood Log (The Churning Mists) and Bloodhemp (The Fringes)
Here are the recommended quests for each level in this botanist rank bracket:
- Level 45 – Botanist in a Bind
- Level 50 – Seeds of Hope & Call from the Clouds
- Level 53 – Onions of Life Bestowing
- Level 55 – Two Nations, One Seed
- Level 58 – Love for Harmony
- Level 60 – Seeds Know No Borders & Never Meet Your Heroes
Level 61 to 80
At this stage, the grind becomes a bit easier as players gain access to new features to help them level up their botany profession. At the same time, gathering becomes even more profitable since gamers gain access to higher-quality materials. The Firmament should also be unlocked as this provides gatherers with a new zone to gather in.
By level 60, players should switch from the Company-issued Survival Manuals to the Revised Survival Manuals. These items provide players 150% bonus experience points from gathering up until level 80. Once they reach 80, the effect is halved. With these buffs and the Firmament, gatherers do not need to follow any recommended gathering resources.
At level 70, the Crystarium will handle all the quests given to botanists. Deliverables also become available at this point which are class-shared quests. By this time, players should focus on upgrading their Landking's Set.
Recommended Leves
- Level 70 – Home is Where the Heart Is, Sought-after Spices, & Medicinal Herbs
- Level 76 – The Only Cure, Spiritual Venture, & Culinary Concepts
- Level 78 – Big Business, Good Business, & The Sweetest Things
Recommended Quests
- Level 63 – You Say Popoto, I Say...
- Level 65 – Walking for Walker's
- Level 68 – The White Death
- Level 70 – Edgyth's Winning Streak
Level 80 to 90
Though is no specific guide from getting 80 to 90 since almost every gathering activity is already worth doing. The main focus of botanists at this point is to gather collectibles since they provide millions of exp points. However, these resources will require more skill and timing.
There are also Stadium Deliveries that players can do. Unfortunately, these quests are shared with Miners and are not repeatable. Overall, the primary sources of exp at this stage are Deliveries, Collectables, and Old Sharlayan Levequests.
Once players have reached level 90, they are free to do whatever they want. They can go back to slaying foes in dungeons or continue making a profit from botany. They can also consider maxing out their mining profession!
