Final Fantasy 14 is not an MMO that engages in half-measures. The Warrior of Light's epic quest to save the world begins in one of three sovereign nations and expands into epic fantasy and even a semblance of space opera. Square Enix's commitment to impressive scope continues with its crafting classes, each of them rich with content.

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Whether you seek to strike it rich by offering endgame gear at competitive prices or you simply aim to be a self-sufficient adventurer through and through, the Disciple of the Hand class Leatherworker is a fine addition to your avatar's set of skills. Let our guide lead you from level one all the way on to 90, starting out in scenic Gridania and ultimately going global like some JRPG Amazon Prime.

Unlocking Leatherworker and Leveling to 20

Getting Started

Your leather-clad tale begins in Gridania, at the aptly named Leatherworkers' Guild. It is here that, so long as you've got yourself a spiffy Disciple of War or Disciple of Magic class to the reasonably low level of ten, you can impress upon the (rather stern!) leadership that you'd like a chance at the trade.

If you've started the game in either Limsa Lominsa or Ul'dah, you'll probably be well past level ten with your primary job before you arrive in Gridania. As such, you'll be able to slide straight into the fun. If, on the other hand, Gridania is your home turf, just go questing outside in the Shroud for a couple of hours, and you'll be good to go.

Leveling to 20

You won't hit 20 without getting your hands dirty a handful of times, but it's an easy enough grind. First and foremost, always focus on your job quests. Not only are they a terrific source of experience points, but your rewards will keep you geared without breaking the bank.

One of the lovelier aspects of FF14's crafting classes is that everything you do pushes you forward in some fashion. Just crafting the necessary items to complete these early quests will level you up. The experience rewards are like a big bonus to the proceedings.

The Leatherworker's Guild, like all guilds, sports an NPC ingredient supplier. Not only will you be able to purchase most of your early crafting materials through them, but you should invest some gil in purchasing a bunch of bits and pieces so that you can craft up a storm. Be sure to make some cash back by selling everything you don't need.

Challenge Log

Every week, your Challenge Log fires up anew. This log will reward you for oh so many things, including crafting. You shouldn't obsess over this too much — unless you find that fun, in which case, by all means — but give it a glance on occasion to see if you're close to any pertinent accomplishments.

Levequests

Even at this stage, you can technically partake in leves. These are a form of cyclical sidequests that can be found in a job's home city (in your case, Gridania) as well as out in the field at various settlements. Gridania will have a small selection for each level range, whilst the settlements will focus on a specific level range per that area's inhabitants.

We don't recommend getting wrapped up in leves until at least the next portion of the leveling process, 21 to 40. The time expenditure isn't really worth it when you can craft basic materials instead.

Best Early-Game Gear

Consider decking yourself out accordingly for some prime boosts that'll ease your Leatherworker workload. We focus on armor sets because merchants who sell these will also sell tools and accessories of similar quality.

Easy Recipes

For each section, we'll include some advice on what to craft "en masse" in order to grind experience points and jump swiftly from level to level. Most of our recommendations are very simple pieces; while you'll gain more experience for more complicated fare, you'll use these ingredients in so much of that stuff that you ought to have a steady supply.

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Thick-Skinned: Leveling to 40

Leves are now worth the hassle. Sure, you can still technically get by crafting dozens upon dozens of items, but they're starting to become more intricate now, and you're nowhere near the point at which they'll sell in the market for a respectable haul. You'll find Leatherworker leves in your current rank in Quarrymill, Costa del Sol, and eventually Coerthas' Observatorium. Check them out as your story wanderings permit.

Easy Recipes

Best 21-40 Gear

Grand Companies

At level 20 in the main scenario questline, you will be forced to choose a Grand Company. There's no right or wrong answer here — go with your favorites and know you can swap between Grand Companies later.

From a crafting point of view, the important thing about joining a Grand Company is that you'll gain access to Supply and Provision Missions. Basically, your headquarters will award you tons of experience for turning in your crafting creations. Spend your GC points on Company-issue Engineering Manuals to up your earnings 150 percent and you will positively fly to level 40.

Hard-Boiled: Leveling to 60

Your last couple of Gridania-centric quests will take you as far as Outer La Noscea, so you'll want a combat class of approximately the same level unless you plan on purchasing your necessary materials from other players.

Now more than ever, leves are your friend. You will find the bulk of them in Foundation, which quickly becomes convenient as your contact for the level 53 through 60 quests, Elde, can be found at the Jeweled Crozier in Ishgard.

By now, your Company-issue Engineering Manuals will no longer provide that beautiful 150 percent experience boost. (They're still useful, but their effect is halved.) The good news is that you can acquire Company-issue Engineering Manual 2 through your Grand Company once you've ascended the ranks a few stages. Since one hand feeds the other here, you'll accrue Grand Company points through those precious Supply and Provision quests, so this shouldn't be too great a challenge.

The Company-issue Engineering Manual will take you to 70 before dropping off in strength, at which point you'll want to swap to Commercial Engineering Manuals available through Rowena.

Easily Craftable Recipes

Best 41-60 Gear

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Crystarium Crisis: Leveling to 80

Keep at it with those Commercial-issue Engineering Manuals to reach 80 at 1.5 times the speed you'd otherwise suffer. Final Fantasy 14's main story tilts toward Othard at this stage, and its crafting classes follow suit. Your last batch of traditional Leatherworker quests will take you to a handful of locations, though your base of operations returns to Gridania.

Of note, you'll earn three Commercial-issue Engineering Manuals from the 'Mounting Expectations' quest. Save them for a time you know you'll be online for several hours and savor that sweet swiftness.

Easily Craftable Recipes

Best 61-80 Gear

The Crystalline Mean

At level 70, everything changes. You'll need to have reached the beginning of the Shadowbringers expansion's storyline to proceed, but once you do, you'll soon find that traditional class quests have been removed in favor of a more condensed — though arguably more fun — system.

Head to the Crystarium and meet with that plucky Recording Node we've snapped a pic of up in the section header. The Recording Node offers your next phase of Leatherworker quests, as well as those for Carpenters and Weavers. What a tidy little bot.

Leveling through Shadowbringers isn't so bad at all. The Recording Node's quests allow you to hand over multiple items in the form of deliveries, which is a concept you'll become quite familiar with throughout the (current) remainder of the game.

Studium Deliveries: Leveling to 90

Once you've arrived at the starting stages of Endwalker, you can progress to the final leg of Leatherworker leveling. You're almost there, and Old Sharlayan Studium Deliveries will bring you up to par in largely the same way as the Crystarium's before them.

Just like before, Leatherworker quests are lumped alongside Carpenters and Weavers. You'll need to seek out Jude at the Studium. Jude's in charge of the Department of Astronomy, and while astronomical science and boots-made-for-walking don't appear to have much in common on a surface level, don't let that stop you from having a good time.

Easily Craftable Recipes

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