Miner is one of the three main gatherers in Final Fantasy XIV. Use the Miner to gather rocks, dust, and other materials that are useful in crafting.
Are you not sure how to start your mining journey in the game? Follow along for all the info you need.
Recommended Read: How to Desynth Items in FFXIV
To mine in FFXIV, click on a node and choose the material you want to gather. Use abilities to increase the quality and quantity of the material.
Table of Contents
- Where to Learn Mining
- How to Mine in Final Fantasy XIV
- How to Level Up Mining to 90
- Tips for Leveling Miner
Where to Learn Mining
Mining in FFXIV is available to any player who has completed at least one level 10 class quest. Head to Ul’dah to find Linette.
Linette is the Guild Receptionist who starts you on the first Miner quest, which unlocks the Miner Class.
Continue on this quest to unlock new abilities, gear, and tools. The last Miner quest is currently a level 70 quest.
How to Mine in Final Fantasy XIV
To mine in FFXIV, equip mining gear. There is no Soul of the Miner, so just equip any pickaxe to get started.
Now, all you have to do is find a node to mine. Almost any non-city area has some type of node to mine.
Before you begin, turn on Prospect (unlocked at level 1), which will allow you to see mineral deposits. Small pickaxes appear on the mini-map to show you where nodes are located.
At levels 3, 5, and 46, there are “upgrades” to this, but all you need is the basic Prospect to see where you can mine.
Once you find a node, click on it, and you will see options. The options show you what you may mine from the node.
Though you can use abilities to increase your chances of getting rare materials and such, you don’t need to use anything except “basic attack”.
How to Level Up Mining to 90
The higher level you get as a Miner, the harder it is to level up. But there are always methods that work for each level.
Class Quests – Level 1 to 70
On average, class quests are set up to give you one level per quest if you are the exact level of the quest.
While this doesn’t sound like much, it’s good practice to keep up with class quests. They unlock unique abilities and keep you up to date on gear.
Levequests – Level 1 to 90
Levequests aren’t ideal for gatherers, but they work when you don’t have anything to do. Start in Western Thanalan.
Ensure that you do not over-level the levequests you’re undertaking, or you will waste time.
For Miners, you can either buy the items you need for the turn-ins on the marketboard or mine them.
The items you need are always available somewhere near the levequest area. So, gathering them is not difficult or time-consuming.
Collectables – Level 50 to 90
Collectables only spawn twice a day if you’re not doing a Custom Delivery. They are only available after you complete the level 50 MSQ The Better Half.
From there, you must complete the side quest Inscrutable Tastes to unlock Collectables.
Then, you can begin by checking the Collectables menu or talking to a Collectable Appraiser to see what they want.
The abilities you use for Collectables are different than those you use to gather other materials. For Collectables, a new set pops up when you interact with the node.
The aim is to mine the material with the highest quality possible. The higher the quality, the more experience and Scrips you get.
For a deeper guide on Collectables, check out our Collectables guide.
Beast Tribe – Level 70 to 90
There are two Beast Tribes that only allow gatherers to do quests – the Qitari in Rak’tika Greatwood and the Omicron in Ultima Thule.
Unfortunately, you need to be level 70 and 80, respectively, to start them, but it’s well worth it to add to the daily routine. It’s possible to level from 70 to 90 with little else.
Diadem – Level 10 to 80
The Diadem is one of the best ways to level Miner in Final Fantasy XIV. To unlock it, head to Ishgard.
All you need is a level 10 Miner to enter the Diadem and take part in a mini-game of gathering, which can easily take you from level 10 to 80, but not to 90.
The Diadem is different than other methods, but it’s easy. Just enter the Diadem by speaking to Aurvael at the Firmament.
Then, gather everything you see. Once you’re ready to leave, just abandon the duty and exit the Diadem.
Take what you gathered to Flotpassant, who stands next to Aurvael to receive Skybuilders’ Scrips as he turns your gathered materials into Collectable materials for Isghardian Restoration.
Custom Delivery – Level 60 to 90
Custom Deliveries are like Collectables but for certain NPCs. There is a weekly limit that you can use for your Miner rather than other gatherers or crafters.
These quests unlock the same way that Collectables do. To track them, open your Gathering Log or Custom Deliveries menu.
Each NPC wants something different each week, so make sure you check before you start. Then, go to the location where the item is located, gather it, and bring it back to the NPC for scrips and XP.
Tips for Leveling Miner
The basics of leveling Miner are to do the above methods. But a few tips to speed things up make your life a lot easier.
Survival Manual
It’s good practice to always have a survival manual active if you’re leveling miner. But only if you’re leveling them through gathering.
You can buy the Company-Issued Survival Manual through your Grand Company. This increases the amount of experience you get by gathering.
Food
There are plenty of foods that increase your gathering skill in FFXIV. If your Culinarian is a high level, make some food with it.
If not, search the marketboard for foods that grant GP and Perception bonuses. This will stack with other non-food bonuses.
Gear
Keeping your Miner gear updated is a good way to speed up the process. The better your gear, the better materials you get.
The gear you have doesn’t matter much until around level 50. From there, it’s a good idea to upgrade it every ten levels or so.
Gear is a good thing to spend your gathering scrips on that you get from Collectables. But if you’re not doing Collectables, you can buy it off the marketboard or craft a set.
Daily Routine
This is what the daily life of a gatherer that isn’t max level might look like. If you follow these steps religiously, you will be a max-level Miner in no time.
- Eat food that grants bonuses to GP and Perception every 30 minutes.
- Use a Survival Manual once a day or as needed.
- Do the Grand Company Supply and Provisioning. This is a daily turn-in of a requested item that grants great XP, but you can only do one per class.
- Do the Qitari and Omicron if you’re a high enough level, maxing them out at three quests per.
- Custom Deliveries have a weekly limit (12 total) you can do in one day or spread out for the week.
- Collectables that are separate from Custom Deliveries can be mined twice a day.
- Fill the rest of your time with Diadem, Leveqeusts, and keeping up with class quests.
Now you know how to mine in Final Fantasy XIV!
Do you have any hacks or quick leveling methods to add to the list? Let me know in the comments!
