Realm Reborn MSQ List: Every Quest to Reach Heavensward

Final Fantasy XIV stands as a titan in the MMORPG landscape, and its foundation is built upon A Realm Reborn (ARR). For players navigating Eorzea in 2026, the Main Scenario Quest (MSQ) is the primary engine for progression, unlocking everything from your first mount to the ability to fly. Since the streamlining efforts in Patch 5.3, the journey through the base game is more cohesive, yet it remains a substantial undertaking. This list covers every mandatory quest in the 2.0 series and the subsequent Seventh Astral Era patch cycle.

The Starting City-State Arcs (Levels 1–15)

Every journey begins in one of three city-states depending on your starting class. These early quests introduce local politics, the threat of the Garlean Empire, and the rising danger of the Primals. You will remain in your starting region until level 15, at which point the stories converge.

Gridania Path (Lancer, Archer, Conjurer)

Coming to Gridania
Close to Home
To the Bannock
Passing Muster
Chasing Shadows
Eggs Over Queasy
Surveying the Damage
A Soldier's Breakfast
Spirit Hold Broken
On to Bentbranch
You Shall Not Trespass
Don't Look Down
In the Grim Darkness of the Forest
Threat Level Elevated
Migrant Marauders
A Hearer Is Often Late
Salvaging the Scene
Leia's Legacy
Dread Is in the Air
To Guard a Guardian
Festive Endeavors
Renewing the Covenant
The Gridanian Envoy

Limsa Lominsa Path (Marauder, Arcanist)

Coming to Limsa Lominsa
Close to Home
On to Summerford
Dressed to Call
Lurkers in the Grotto
Washed Up
Double Dealing
Loam Maintenance
Plowshares to Swords
Just Deserts
Sky-high
Thanks a Million
Relighting the Torch
On to the Drydocks
Without a Doubt
Righting the Shipwright
Do Angry Pirates Dream
Victory in Peril
Men of the Blue Tattoos
Feint and Strike
High Society
A Mizzenmast Repast
The Lominsan Envoy

Ul'dah Path (Gladiator, Pugilist, Thaumaturge)

Coming to Ul'dah
Close to Home
We Must Rebuild
Nothing to See Here
Underneath the Sultan Tree
Step Nine
Prudence at This Junction
Out of House and Home
Way Down in the Hole
Takin' What They're Givin'
Supply and Demands
Give It to Me Raw
The Perfect Swarm
Last Letter to Lost Hope
Heir Today, Gone Tomorrow
Passing the Blade
Following Footfalls
Storms on the Horizon
Oh Captain, My Captain
Secrets and Lies
Duty, Honor, Country
A Matter of Tradition
A Royal Reception
The Ul'dahn Envoy

The Unified Journey (Levels 15–30)

Once you complete your respective Envoy quest, you gain access to the airship and travel to the other two major cities. This marks the beginning of the Scions of the Seventh Dawn storyline.

Level 15: Call of the Sea
Level 15: It's Probably Pirates (Unlocks Sastasha)
Level 16: Call of the Forest
Level 16: Fire in the Gloom (Unlocks Tam-Tara Deepcroft)
Level 17: Call of the Desert
Level 17: Into a Copper Hell (Unlocks Copperbell Mines)
Level 17: The Scions of the Seventh Dawn
Level 18: A Wild Rose by Any Other Name
Level 19: Unsolved Mystery
Level 19: What Poor People Think
Level 19: A Proper Burial
Level 19: For the Children
Level 19: Amalj'aa Wrong Places
Level 19: Dressed to Deceive
Level 19: Life, Materia, and Everything
Level 20: Lord of the Inferno (First Trial: Ifrit)
Level 20: A Hero in the Making
Level 20: The Company You Keep (Choice of Grand Company)
Level 20: Sylph-management
Level 21: We Come in Peace
Level 21: Sylphic Studies
Level 21: First Impressions
Level 22: First Contact
Level 22: Dance Dance Diplomacy
Level 23: Forest Friend
Level 23: Presence of the Enemy
Level 23: Brotherly Love
Level 24: Spirited Away
Level 24: Druthers House Rules
Level 24: Never Forget
Level 24: Microbrewing
Level 24: Like Fine Wine
Level 24: Sylphish Concerns
Level 24: Nouveau Riche
Level 24: Into the Beast's Maw (Unlocks Thousand Maws of Toto-Rak)
Level 24: A Simple Gift
Level 24: Believe in Your Sylph
Level 24: Back from the Wood

The Titan and Garuda Sagas (Levels 30–50)

This segment of the realm reborn msq list involves heavy world-building across the South Shroud, Eastern La Noscea, and eventually the cold peaks of Coerthas.

Level 30: Shadow of Darkness
Level 30: Highbridge Times
Level 30: Where There Is Smoke
Level 30: On to Little Ala Mhigo
Level 30: Tea for Three
Level 30: Foot in the Door
Level 30: Meeting with the Resistance
Level 31: Killing Him Softly
Level 31: Helping Horn
Level 32: He Ain't Heavy
Level 32: Come Highly Recommended
Level 32: The Bear and the Young'uns' Cares
Level 33: Wilred Wants You
Level 33: Big Trouble in Little Ala Mhigo
Level 33: Back to Square One
Level 34: Terror at Fallgourd
Level 34: Ziz Is So Ridiculous
Level 34: Rock of Rancor
Level 34: Seeing Eye to Winged Eye
Level 34: Power of Deduction
Level 34: Secret of the White Lily
Level 34: Skeletons in Her Closet
Level 34: Wrath of the Titan
Level 35: Tales from the Tidus Slayer
Level 35: Hungry Hungry Goobbue
Level 35: The Lominsan Way
Level 35: Nix That
Level 35: A Modest Proposal
Level 35: Trial by Turtle
Level 35: The Perfect Prey
Level 35: When the Worm Turns
Level 35: There and Back Again
Level 35: The Things We Do for Cheese
Level 35: What Do You Mean You Forgot the Wine
Level 35: An Offer You Can Refuse
Level 35: It Won't Work
Level 35: Give a Man a Drink
Level 35: That Weight
Level 35: Battle Scars
Level 35: It Was a Very Good Year
Level 35: In the Company of Heroes
Level 35: As You Wish
Level 35: Lord of Crags (Trial: Titan)
Level 35: All Good Things
Level 36: You Can't Take It with You
Level 36: Bringing Out the Dead
Level 36: Bury Me Not on the Lone Prairie
Level 37: Eyes on Me
Level 38: He Who Waited Behind
Level 38: Cold Reception
Level 38: The Unending War
Level 39: Men of Honor
Level 39: Three for Three
Level 39: The Rose and the Unicorn
Level 40: The Talk of Coerthas
Level 40: Road to Redemption
Level 40: Following the Evidence
Level 40: In the Eyes of Gods and Men
Level 41: The Final Flight of the Enterprise
Level 41: Ye of Little Faith
Level 41: Factual Folklore
Level 41: The Best Inventions
Level 41: Influencing Inquisitors
Level 41: By the Lights of Ishgard
Level 41: Blood for Blood
Level 41: The Heretic Among Us
Level 41: In Pursuit of the Past (Unlocks Stone Vigil)
Level 42: Into the Eye of the Storm
Level 42: Sealed with Science
Level 42: With the Utmost Care
Level 43: A Promising Prospect
Level 43: It's Probably Not Pirates
Level 43: Representing the Representative
Level 43: The Reluctant Researcher
Level 43: Sweet Somethings
Level 43: History Repeating
Level 44: The Curious Case of Giggity
Level 44: Better Late Than Never
Level 44: Lady of the Vortex (Trial: Garuda)

The Finale of 2.0: Operation Archon

This final stretch leads to the assault on the Garlean strongholds and the conclusion of the initial base game story.

Level 44: Reclamation
Level 45: Casing the Castrum
Level 45: Eyes on the Empire
Level 46: Footprints in the Snow
Level 46: Monumental Hopes
Level 46: Notorious Biggs
Level 46: Come-into-my-castrum
Level 46: Getting Even with Garlemald
Level 46: Drowning Out the Voices
Level 47: Acting the Part
Level 48: Dressed for Conquest
Level 49: Fool Me Twice
Level 49: Every Little Thing She Does Is Magitek
Level 49: Escape from Castrum Centri
Level 49: The Black Wolf's Ultimatum
Level 49: Operation Archon
Level 50: A Hero in Need
Level 50: Hearts on Fire
Level 50: Rock the Castrum (Unlocks Castrum Meridianum)
Level 50: The Ultimate Weapon (Unlocks The Praetorium)
Level 50: The Ultimate Weapon

The Seventh Astral Era (Post-ARR Patches 2.1–2.55)

Completing "The Ultimate Weapon" triggers the credits, but you aren't in Heavensward yet. You must complete the patch quests, which bridge the story between ARR and the first expansion. This is often the point where players feel the "grind," but these quests lay the critical foundation for the Ishgardian conflict.

Patch 2.1: A Realm Awoken

The Price of Principles
Moving On
All Things in Time
Laying the Foundation
It's Possibly a Primal
Hail to the King, Kupo (Trial: Thornmarch)
You Have Selected Regicide
On the Properties of Primals
The Gifted
Build on the Stone

Patch 2.2: Through the Maelstrom

Still Waters
A Sanctioned Requisition
Shifting Sands
An Invitation from the Emperor
The Mother of Exiles
The Direstraight
Into the Heart of the Matter
The Evil That Men Do
Waves of Change
To Catch a Tide
Through the Maelstrom
The Second Wave
Lord of the Whorl (Trial: Leviathan)
Into the Mark

Patch 2.3: Defenders of Eorzea

The Gift of the Archon
The Incorruptible
Brave New Companions
Growing Pains
Seeds of Dissent
The Admiral's Resolve
Striking Bolt (Trial: Ramuh)
The Scion's Scout
Receding Waters
The Rising Chorus

Patch 2.4: Dreams of Ice

The Instruments of Our Deliverance
For the Enthrallment of All
ThereqParams of the First
The Path of the Righteous
The Man from the North
The Secrets of the Ice
The Akh Afah Amphitheatre (Trial: Shiva)
The Price of Freedom
The Parting of the Ways

Patch 2.5 & 2.55: Before the Fall

Game of Chess
The Sound of Distant Thunder
The First Entry
A Fine Vantage
The Interceptor
An Unwelcome Guest
The Steps of Faith (Trial: Steps of Faith)
The Light of Hope
The Scions' Choice
The Parting Glass
Before the Dawn

Critical Unlocks via MSQ Progression

Navigating the realm reborn msq list isn't just about reading the story; it's about expanding your character's capabilities.

Airship Travel: Unlocked at level 15 after the Envoy quest. This allows free movement between the three main cities.
Dyeing and Glamour: While technically side quests, they are available in Vesper Bay, a location the MSQ frequently sends you to around level 15.
Mounts: At level 20, after joining a Grand Company, you will receive a quest called "My Little Chocobo." Completion requires 200 Company Seals, which you can earn via FATEs or the Grand Company Hunting Log.
Materia Melding: Around level 19, the MSQ leads you near Central Thanalan where you can learn to attach materia to your gear.
Flying in ARR: Upon completing the level 50 quest "The Ultimate Weapon," you automatically unlock the ability to fly in all 2.0 zones. This was a major quality-of-life update that removed the need for Aether Currents in the base game areas.
Hard Mode Primals: After the 2.0 credits, you can unlock Hard Mode versions of Ifrit, Garuda, and Titan. These are mandatory to progress through the Seventh Astral Era quests.

Efficiency Tips for the 2026 Player

With the release of Dawntrail and subsequent patches, the level cap is much higher than ARR's level 50. If you find yourself over-leveled, don't worry—the MSQ will sync your level down for all instanced duties and trials.

Focus on the quests with the distinct "meteor" icon. Any quest with a blue background and a plus sign (+) is a feature unlock quest. While not part of the MSQ list, quests like "The Crystal Tower" raid series are now mandatory for the main story and must be completed before you can finish the Patch 2.55 content. This three-part raid (Labyrinth of the Ancients, Syrcus Tower, World of Darkness) provides essential context for future expansions, specifically Shadowbringers.

Additionally, utilize the "Main Scenario Guide" UI element, usually located in the top-left corner of your screen. It will always display the name of your next mandatory quest. If you have finished the current MSQ and meet the level requirements, it will also show your next Job Quest, which is vital for unlocking your class's powerful abilities.

Completing the ARR MSQ is a rite of passage. While the 2.1–2.55 section can feel slow due to the political maneuvering, the payoff in the final cutscenes of "Before the Dawn" is widely considered one of the best narrative moments in the game, perfectly transitioning the player into the snowy heights of Coerthas and the expansion, Heavensward.