Eorzea was destroyed by a force of unimaginable power raining down from the sky. It is the dawn of a new age!
Guildleves are small, rectangular plates made of stained crystal set into a frame of precious metal, each depicting a virtuous deed of one of Eorzea's patron saints, also known as "guardians". When issuing tasks or quests, guilds will often provide adventurers with these plates, allowing their bearers "leave" to take whatever steps necessary to complete the jobs, including entry into normally restricted areas, hunting or harvesting on private lands, the confiscation of goods, even negotiations with those considered enemies of the city-states.
Upon assessing an adventurer's skills, a guildmaster will provide a selection of several different leves, taken from the guild's stock. After weighing risks against rewards, fame against fortune, adventurers may then select the leves that they feel best suit their needs.
Of course, there are no regulations stating that tasks must be completed alone. Adventurers are free to call on their companions to join them, as only one leve is required to take advantage of the benefits and privileges provided to its bearer. By coordinating the levels of multiple party members, adventurers can even plan grand campaigns built around several different quests.
Leves are divided into three basic types: Battlecraft leves, Fieldcraft leves, and Handcraft leves, for the Disciplines of War and Magic, Disciplines of Land, and Disciplines of Hand, respectively. When you arrive at the Adventurer's Guild to select a leve, there are two different people to speak to. One handles regional leves, which deal with leves for outside areas, and the other deal with local leves for crafters.
Every 12 hours (Earth time) players will earn four "leve allowances" (up to a maximum of 99) which can be exchanged for guildleves at Adventurers' Guilds. Failed guildleves can be retried on the spot, but doing so will use another allowance.
Leve Plates[]
Leve plates.
Leve plates are made of stained crystal which makes it easy for the aetheryte and the leve plate to resonate due to the fact that they are both manifestation of the planet’s lifeblood, which is made up of aether. These plates contain only the issuing city state name and the "theme" of the guildleve; all other information is shared with the adventurer directly from the person at the adventurers' guild counter.
Momodi and other NPCs tell adventurers, that within aetheryte exists the key to unlocking the power of guildleves. In order to carry out duties outside of the city-state, or that are very far away, a magic seal is applied to leve plates.
The aetheryte and aetherial gates function as a key, and by having them resonate when an adventurer complete your duties it is possible to open an aetherial node to return with.
This is standard amongst adventurers, so even for duties within city-states that don’t utilize aetherial nodes, the same thing takes place when the leve begins. This is a kind of "wish" that you will complete your duties safely and return.
Battlecraft leves[]
A Battlecraft Guildleve.
Battlecraft leves are the guildleves for Disciples of War and Disciples of Magic. They will always give gil or Guild Marks upon completion, as well as treasure, and require the player to slay a certain amount of monster within 30 minutes.
Initially, only Level 1 leves will be available, with a new set set being available when any class (even a Disciple of the Land / Hand) reaches level 5, 13,23 and 33.
While the main idea behind every battlecraft guildleve is simply "slay all monsters before time runs out", there are certain types with special gimmicks:
- "Diligence" - the guildleve plate portrays the scene of Saint Tothor the Ratcatche, a Lalafell holding two slain moles. This kind requires the players to kill certain monster(s) to acquire a specific loot, randomly dropped. If all initial monsters are killed, new ones will spawn until time is over or all items are gotten.
- "Valor" - the guildleve plate portrays the scene of Saint Daniffen and the Basilisk, a Lancer impaling the monster with his spear. This kind is simply a "kill all monsters" leve.
- "Tenacity" - the guildleve plate portrays an Elezen archer riding a chocobo in a forest. These leves always feature a monster that runs away—sometimes very far from his original place—and must be followed by the players to a certain spot, where more monsters will spawn and attack. Note that even if the fleeing target is killed before he reaches the reinforcements, those monsters will still have to be killed as well.
- "Veracity" - the guildleve plate portrays a female Lalafell posing next to a statue. The true levequest target will be "hidden" and must be uncovered either by using a special item dropped by a specific monster also present on the leve or by attacking - if it's the target, it will disappear and turn into the real monster.
- "Wisdom" - the guildleve plate portrays a bard playing as his ally fights the monster. These levequests are also known as the "Necrologos" leves, and has two different types. In the first one, the player must kill monsters that drop a "Necrologos Page", and upon finding all of them, a new monster will appear; killing him finishes the leve. The second type involves small pillars of light that appear on an area. Upon inspection, they will either reveal nothing, a "unexpected monster" or a "Necrologos Page". Again, getting all pages will spawn a final set of monsters that must be killed.
- "Justice" - The guildleve plate portrays a Roegadyn knight and an Elezen elder. These leves requires the player to search for the target monsters by interacting with light pillars; however, to do so a certain item is required, and can be obtained by killing other creatures around these lights.
- "Temperance" - The guildleve plate portrays a Miqo'te carrying a vase by a body of water. These leves requires the player to "patrol" certain areas, walking to certain lights and spawning the target monsters after he has done so.
- "Devotion" - The guildleve plate portrays a shirtless Hyur warrior armed with a sword and large shield. These leves requires the player to defend a certain spot for a few minutes, and then defeat one final set of monsters after the timer reaches 0.
A Devotion Guildleve.
To begin a battle leve, the player must go to the specified Camp Aetheryte or Aetherial gate and choose the levequest. Then, the difficulty level may be changed, ranging from one star (easiest) to five stars (hardest). Increasing the level will give extra gil and experience at the end, more exp per monsters and of course increase enemy stats and even enabling new enemy skills. After this, the player may also use the "Guardian's Aspect", a special bonus that increase the EXP gaining rate.
During the course of the leve, treasure chests may spawn on the way (which higher chance with more players on the party), always wielding gil and sometimes items and equipment may also be randomly placed on one of the party members' loot list.
At the end of a battle levequest, the classic Victory Fanfare will play.
Grand Company Battlecraft Leves[]
Promptitude levequest objectives.
Company issued guildleves are available to players of Private Third Class company. Those leves are not issued by the Adventurers' Guild, but by company officers stationed at several locations on the map. They are similar to Battlecraft Leves in nature, with the exception that they can be issued on location and commenced immediately and that they're all solo only. As with guildleves, accepting company leves will consume players' leve allowances.
Rewards for company leves consist primarily of company seals:
- "Promptitude" - the guildleve plate portrays a warrior mounting what appears to be an antelope. These leves require the player to kill as many enemies as possible during 15 minutes.
- "Equity" - the guildleve plate portrays a judge holding a balanced scale. The stained glass of the leve is split down the middle, on the left the feathered wing of an angel on the right the leathery wing of a devil. These leves require the player to use the /poke emote on certain creatures to find those holding an special item, then kill these creatures and use the item on the others to find the levequest targets.
Tutorial Battlecraft Leves[]
Tutorial leves are an easier type of battle leve, designed for beginners. They are always of the "Valor" type, are level 1 and wield significantly smaller rewards.
Fieldcraft Leves[]
Fieldcraft leves are the guildleves for Disciples of the Land. They will always give gil or Guild Marks upon completion, as well as treasure, and require the player to gather certain resources with a 30 minutes timer.
Initially, only level 1 leves will be available, with a new set being available when the correct Discipline of the Land reaches level 15,25 and 35.
They have two types:
- "Munificence" - the guildleve plate portrays a male Lalafell carrying many goods. These leves require the player to acquire a certain number of a specific item (usually 3) on the required time. The item will be found randomly at each try on the guildleve gathering nodes, not appearing on any other node of the map; also, gathering it gives around 3 times more exp than normal items.
- "Piety" - the guildleve plate portrays a Miqo'te fishing. These leves require the player to simply gather on three different nodes until they are exhausted.
To begin a field leve, the player must go to the specified Camp Aetheryte and choose the levequest. Then, the player may also use the "Guardian's Aspect", a special bonus that increase the exp gaining rate. However, it works slightly differently for each type: Munificence leves will grant bonus exp only for the levequest item, while in Piety leves it will grant bonus exp for every success.
During the course of the leve, treasure chests may spawn on the field, always wielding gil and sometimes items and equipment that will be randomly placed on the player's loot list.
At the end of a fieldcraft levequest, the classic Victory Fanfare will play.
Tutorial Fieldcraft Leves[]
Tutorial leves are an easier type of fieldcraft leve, designed for beginners. They are always of the "Piety" type, are level 1 and wield significantly smaller rewards.
Faction Leves[]
Faction leves are a special type of levequest, that can be either a battleleve or a fieldcraft leve. To get a Faction Leve, the player must spend Faction Points that are earned after every completed guildleve. They give a higher amount of gil than a "normal" leve of the same level, and may also give Unique pieces of equipment, most of them which can be upgraded into very strong equipment.
The battle-faction leves can be either of the "Valor" or "Tenacity" type, and have stronger monsters than normal, including some specific foes not seen anywhere else. They have a 40 minutes timer and the player must speak with a specific NPC after beginning and finishing the leve. Other than that, it's the same as a battlecraft leve.
At the end of a faction levequest, the classic Victory Fanfare will play.
- "Hability" (Horn and Hand only) - The guildleve plate portrays a shepherd leading his flock, with a villainous figure lurking behind a tree. These leves require the player to sneak on a creature, until it reaches a certain point; if the player is spotted, the target will return to the start point.
- "Industry" (Horn and Hand only) - The guildleve plate portrays a man crafting what appears to be a golden plate. These leves require the player to search for certain items scattered around an area.
Local Levequests[]
A Local Levequest.
Local levequest leves are the guildleves for Disciples of the Hand. They will always give gil or Guild Marks upon completion, and require the player to craft items and deliver them to a NPC.
Initially, only level 1 leves will be available, with a new set set being available every 5 levels.
Those leves have two different types:
- "Constancy" - the guildleve plate portrays the scene of Saint Moergynn and the Edgeless Blade. The materials required are given to you as soon as you begin the quest.
- "Ingenuity" - the guildleve plate portrays Hyur female giving bread to another Hyur. Unlike the Constancy leves, the player must first talk to the levequest NPC to receive the materials.
After getting a local levequest, the player may craft it anytime (or after receiving the materials) he wants. To do so, just choose "Quest Synthesis" when crafting, and then pick the desired levequest. The crafting process is the same as normal, and the quest is completed when making the required amount of items. However, the player does not need to stop crafting if he makes all items and still has materials for more; it is actually advisable to use up all materials anyways, since it is pretty much free exp.
After crafting all items, the player has to talk with the marked NPC and deliver all items. The reward will be based on his "Performance" (which is based on the quality stat from each synth) rating, generally being gil / guild marks, shards and materials, with bonus materials and shards awarded every 100 performance points.
Guild Marks[]
Randomly, a guildleve's money reward will be replaced with Guild marks, being roughly 10% the normal gil amount from that leve (10.000 gil becomes 1.000 guild marks). To gain these marks, however, the player must not switch classes during a battlecraft or fieldcraft leve. Doing so at any moment will forfeit the guild marks. As for localleves, there's no penalty in changing classes, and it's more likely to get marks with a higher performance rating.
Guild Marks will start appearing as a reward in level 20+ guildleves, but only in the same city that harbors the Class' guild (IE: Archer marks are only obtainable on Gridania guildleves). Also, any class that is 10 levels below the levequest's level is eligible to gain marks.
Since patch 1.20, Guild Marks have been removed from the game.
Leve History Evaluation[]
Whenever a player has 6 to 8 battle or faction leves in his "history", he can ask for a evaluation of those leves on the guildleve counter to get a new levequest. Depending on the leves carried, he will get a gil bonus for that levequest.
This bonus can be increased by having leves from different city states, different types, company leves or faction leves. The highest known bonus is 90.000 gil, obtained by having at least all five Coerthas faction leves and three factions from the other city states, and getting this bonus is the only way known to get a lodestone achievement for obtaining 100.000 gil from a levequest.