There's nothing quite like strolling through verdant forests in search of sturdy branches and tasty foodstuff. For some of us, it's living the dream. "Tree-huggers," they might say, but we're proud of it. We're Final Fantasy 14's most naturally gifted class, Botanists.

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Have you thought about getting into Botany for years, but felt a pang of frustration every time you've seen higher-level players break through trees like nobody's business? Like any crafting or gathering class, the early hours can feel terribly limiting. It's a push to the next job quest, a grind to the next best gear set.

Our guide will steer your scythe in the optimal direction, so you can gather to your heart's — and inventory's — content.

Getting Started and Leveling to 20

To become a Botanist, two requirements must be met. First, you must first reach level ten in either a Disciple of War or Disciple of Magic class. Put plainly, you just need to get your starting class to that point.

The other prerequisite is that you have access to the city-state of Gridania. This will automatically be the case should you choose the Lancer, Archer, or Conjurer job; if your job places you in Ul'dah or Limsa Lominsa instead, it will be several hours before you can make the trip to Gridania. (On the flip side, you should be well past level ten by then.)

Head to the Botanist's Guild in Gridania when you're ready. Speak with the receptionist and you'll soon become acquainted with Fufucha, the guild's stalwart leader.

Starting out, it's a good idea to focus on these level one through 20 guild quests, but they won't quite be enough on their own to get you racing through the ranks. We've included some great gathering suggestions for each range, so head out to the Central Shroud for this batch, and you'll get to 20 in a mere handful of hours.

What Should I Do With All These Gathering Items?

Since our guide suggests gathering certain items in order to expedite the leveling process, you might be wondering what to do with them all. There are two approaches. If you're also leveling a crafting class, check to see if you can use them in your recipes. If nothing else, you'll almost certainly find a use for the elemental shards.

If you're sticking to just gathering for now, consider selling excess materials on the marketboard. Early-level fare won't be worth more than a few gil, but then, it's better than nothing. As you advance, you'll find there's more profit to be made by the forties and fifties.

What Should I Be Wearing?

There are many gear options available to Gatherers. However, those who are strapped for coin will probably want to avoid buying them all. Even if you've got the gil to burn, upgrading your attire every few levels can be a pain. We'll list our main recommendations for each level range. Stick with these if you're feeling thrifty.

Should I Do Leve Quests?

At this level? Honestly, not really. You can do a few if you'd like to get the hang of them, but they're not going to get you to 20 faster than simply spending some time out in the Black Shroud plucking our recommended items.

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Leveling to 40

From 21-40, there's a visible degree of slowdown in the leveling process. There are still some great items to grind-gather, but leves become more appealing in this phase. You can find them in any major settlement, but since you'll be in Gridania often anyway, there's no harm in sticking to the ones you'll find at the Carline Canopy. These will take you to 25, whilst your travels in nearby locales such as Quarrymill and Camp Tranquil will bring you higher.

Leveling to 60

This is arguably the slowest phase, but on the flip side, your horizons have expanded considerably. With Botanist quests in Ishgard and eventually out in the Far East, you will have plenty of opportunities to sign up for local leves and the like.

One thing we should emphasize: Company-issued Survival Manuals. Your Grand Company can help you en route to level 60, after which point you'll want to turn to Revised Survival Manuals. (You can find those in Kugane, Crystarium, and several other locales.)

What these do, and it's really quite marvelous, is they boost your experience gain for all gathering classes by 150 percent up until the tip of their individualized level range. They're not even entirely useless afterward; you can still activate one for a 125 percent boost instead. At this point in your Botany journey, you'll likely have the Gatherers Scrips to save up for the good stuff.

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Leveling to 80

Good news! Things tend to pick up now. The doldrums of the mid-range are behind you, and thanks to Stormblood and especially Shadowbringers, there are more ways than ever to hike up those levels.

The Firmament

By now, those of you who are following the main scenario quests at approximately the same level (and, obviously, those of you who are done with all that already) should be able to unlock the Firmament. Here in Ishgard, crafters can go ham building all sorts of stuff; but don't discount the opportunities to help out as a gatherer. A brand new zone awaits, chock full of materials that can't be found elsewhere.

With a few Revised Survival Manuals, you could feasibly grind it out via Firmament quests without ever needing to chase after specific overworld items. For this reason, we're not listing recommended grinding spots in the conventional sense.

The Crystarium

After level 70, your Botanist quests will be handled at the Crystarium. Shadowbringers, you see, condensed things such that there are a handful of NPCs present who each cover multiple classes. In your case, you'll be searching for a mythical dinosaur — not exactly what most of us tend to think when we first pick up the hatchet, but here we are.

Gaining experience in this manner is fairly easy. Boost your Landking Set's capabilities with some materia and it should keep you going the whole way through, though if you're willing to drop more gil to stay completely ahead of the curve, at least wait until the level 75-ish gear becomes available.

Leveling to 90

Sweet victory is in sight now. Unless we've forgotten to update this to reflect the follow-up expansion to Endwalker further down the road, in which case it isn't. But hopefully it is.

Far and away the most important thing to note now is that Studium Deliveries form the backbone of your final stretch. You'll find them at the Studium in Old Sharlayan. While you'll need to progress a few hours into Endwalker's main story before they can be tackled, you'll know for certain when that changes because a cutscene will pop up informing you to go speak with a Miqo'te named Qih Aliapoh.

The Studium Delivery quests are spearheaded by an impressionable young lady named Hinagashi. Sit back, enjoy the romantic comedy (or don't), and just bear in mind that a few of the missions Hinagashi sends you on will require that you progress further into the main scenario so that you can unlock the third, fourth, and fifth Endwalker zones.

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