As it happens, getting from the ‘end‘ of the base game to the start of Heavensward takes quite a bit of time.
Not only are there a ton of busywork main storyline quests between them, but there’s also a massive amount of previously endgame content to plow through (if you’re so inclined). Enough that if you’re normally in the habit of accepting all sidequests this game just might be able to break it. I ended up clearing every non-grind sidequest except Extreme Garuda/Shiva (which I’ve had trouble finding a party with the requisite teamwork for; got lucky finding a highly competent tank for Extreme Ramuh), though for obvious reasons I cheated (by advertising an unsynced run to attract some level 80 players) to get the Bahamut questline cleared.
Had to ultimately upgrade from free trial to full game to deal with the twin issues of the 300k money cap and dwindling inventory space. Being able to access the marketplace and use retainers makes a world of difference (unlocking Red Mage was certainly a welcome bonus as well).
- Some general thoughts on the pre-Heavensward content:
– The main quests start out a bit interesting, get sketchy, and then go completely to shit around level 30.
– The class quests are much better, but some (like Leatherworker, Botanist, and Blue Mage) have cringey/annoying themes.
– The sidequests range from utter dreck to surprisingly competent (Hildibrand, several later Moogle Delivery quests).
– The main questline alone gives more than enough experience to level a single class to 50.
– You’ll want to rush completion of the Seventh Umbral Era quests in order to unlock faster travel speed and flight ASAP.
Time to see if all those claims about the quests “getting better in the expansions” have any truth to them.