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Well, Momodi won't talk to us until we're level 4. So let's... go level up.
We'll be going out the Gate of Nald, which is where we first entered the city. Brendt is long gone, so we won't see our friend outside.
You're supposed to discover maps one little blotch at a time, but for whatever reason, we just discover the entire Central Thanalan map the second we step outside. 
Speaking of which, this is that map. Let me just...
FFXIV OST Thanalan Field Theme ( To The Sun )
Most importantly you probably notice the two orange circles nearby. Those mark the approximate locations of where we can find quest objectives. Because we have all the starter kill quests from Ul'dah, they're all in approximately the same location. Though the sharp eyed among you probably see that there's more objectives over in the Western Thanalan map.
Running up to a group of enemies, we can see that these marmots have the sidequest icon over top of them. This is a quick visual shorthand for things we need to kill for quests.
Let's set it on fire!
Casting fire once lit up our job gauge. The single orange-red pip on the left shows how many stacks of Astral Fire or Umbral Ice we have (in this case we only have one.) The gem in the middle with the 13 is a timer. It, shows whether we're in Astral Fire or Umbral Ice, and how long we have until the effect fades. The effect can be extended pretty much indefinitely by just casting a single fire or blizzard spell.
Because we're only level 3, we can only stack a single Astral Fire (AF) or Umbral Ice (UI). We'll gain the ability to stack more as we level up. The effect each grants becomes more pronounced as additional stacks are added.
Moving on, once we've killed our first marmot, we get some quest progress. We'll need to kill 5 in order to satisfy all our quest objectives.
All our starting newbie equipment also becomes bound to us when we get our first kill. We also find some meat and skin on that marmot. Don't worry, I won't be covering any loot we find in the future unless it's particularly interesting! However this illustrates a few points that I want to make:
First, that gear you wear becomes automatically bound to you the first time you get a kill while wearing it. Bound gear can't be traded to anyone else. And second, there is no looting corpses. Anything you earn from a kill gets hoovered into your inventory straight away. Thus the usual refrain of "why is my inventory so full of all of this crap?"
Eventually after setting enough harmless fuzzy critters on fire, we run low on MP. So...
While we're in AF, fire spells cost more mana to cast, but also deal a lot more damage. But when we swap to UI, blizzard spells have a reduced mana cost and our MP regen is greatly increased. Indeed, after a few seconds, we'll be back to 100% and ready to kick some ass. Though because we're so low level, swapping between the two is kind of awkward.
Think of AF and UI as being the opposite ends of a sliding scale. So if we have 1 AF stack, we need to cast two blizzard spells in order to enter UI. One spell removes the AF stack, and the next gives us a stack of UI. It's more than a little clunky.
After several more kills, we finally get our five marmots. Now for the bees!
The hornets have the "plus quest" icon on them to show that they're not part of a sidequest, but rather a job quest. Or some other sort of important quest.
The winged insectoid devils take no time to kill.
If you can't find kill targets in the area, look at your minimap. The game helpfully highlights enemies we need to kill on it!
Ah, here's the shrews we need to kill!
That didn't take too long, right? We're mostly out of the preamble quests, so I hope to start moving pretty quickly through the MSQ now that I don't have to slow down to show off every sidequest.
But we're not done with the killing yet. So let's return to town and go out the Gate of the Sultana, to the Western Thanalan. While we could walk over that way, it's full of high (to us) level enemies that I'd rather not tangle with right yet.
We can instead hop on the nearest aethernet shard and warp over!
Oh lord. The next time I record, I'm seriously thinking of creating a westernthanalan.jpg just to save Baldurk so many hundreds of megabytes of bandwidth of otherwise identical transitional images. We will be returning to this zone so goddamned much.
This feels more like a proper entrance to the city, even though the Western Thanalan is in the middle of nowhere. I guess the stairs give it more of an appearance of grandeur than a dirt path leading up to an unceremonious entrance.
Ladybugs are the scourge of the moment.
We do hit level 4 just from killing monsters. I hesitate to call it grinding because it was all in the service of doing like four quests. But in the strictest sense, we did technically level grind off overworld enemies. Even better, we earned a new skill! Let's take a look...
Remember how I was just calling swapping between AF and UI "clunky"? Well consider that a permanent thing of the past. Now we can just hit the Transpose button to instantly swap between the two! It used to have a longer cooldown, but now it takes no time at all. This will be of much more importance much later on when it's imperative that we keep either AF or UI going at all costs.
That's well outside the scope of this LP, however. So just remember that Transpose is the "crap I need MP now!" button.
Well that didn't take long. That's all that we needed to kill out here. So let's go get our XP for murdering a bunch of harmless creatures.
We'll start with Wolkan in the GLD guild.
Back in one piece, are ye? It's about bloody time. I admit, ye look as though ye just picked up a sword yesterday. But ye handle yerself well enough, I'll give ye that. And here, I'll give ye this as well. Ain't worth a night in Ul'dah's finest pillowhouse, but I'm sure ye'll find a use for it.
He pays us with some gloves. Because we're a thaumaturge, we're interested in getting intelligence.
However, the equipment isn't put into our inventory. It, instead, is placed in our Armo(u)ry Chest. That is basically where we can put equipment we want to swap to at a moment's notice. Equipment in our armory chest can be considered by the "recommended gear" button on our character sheet.
Every slot that can have equipment has its own page in the armory chest, and each page can only hold up to 35 items each. This will be a source of many headaches. So. Many. Headaches.
Eevee's still idling in that spot, huh? Well, whatever floats his boat!
Speaking of the "recommended" button, let's click it. It's the little blue dude above our paperdoll. It recommends we equip the Ring of Fortune that Brandt gave us about 4 updates back. All that ring does is give us a marginal increase in points for a crafting job. Or gathering. I forget which. The bonus is so tiny that it's not worth remembering.
The blood, have you brought it? Yes, yes, this shall serve nicely. By virtue of your toil, I am one step further to publishing The Many Breaths of Thanalan. Thank you. Take this as recompense. Go now, and may the Traders smile upon you.
We get a pointy mage hat for giving this man animal blood.
Hm hm hm... You have the satisfied look of a mage who has utterly vanquished her foes. Ginger, I formally welcome you into the brotherhood of thaumaturges. The purpose of this trial was to gauge your capacity for wielding thaumaturgy; an innate quality the limits of which are bound by the level of aetheric energy flowing through your physical being. Aether-the very stuff of life-exists within all living creatures to a greater or lesser extent. Remember this, for it is the most basic law of arcane manipulation.
Now, I have here a tome that shall serve you as a hunting log. As the name suggests, its pages are to be filled with records of enemies you slay. The log also contains the names of such adversaries that will challenge and improve your skills as a thaumaturge. As your experience grows, so shall your reserves of thaumaturgical endurance. The wellspring of your magical might will also swell in response to moments of extreme terror and duress. When you find yourself seeking greater challenge, when next you crave the thrill of exquisite fear, that is when you shall know the time has come for you to visit me once more. Hm hm hm hm hm...
The next thaumaturge quest will be available from Cocobuki upon reaching level 5.
Each of the basic (read: A Realm Reborn) jobs in the game has an associated hunting log. These are basically freeform mini quests that offer a small amount of XP for each individual objective, and then a massive amount of XP for finishing a page.
Cocobuki gives us a wooden shield and a handful of raisins as a reward for taking his trial. Doing job quests as soon as possible is typically a good idea. The reward is either useful gear for the level you're meant to do it at or sometimes even new skills!
Filling out the hunting log is never a waste of time if you keep up with it. It can be very easy to outlevel the log sadly. But if you stick with it, it typically asks you to kill monsters near MSQ objectives for that level. It's free XP for killing stuff you're probably gonna be killing anyway, so why not stick with it?
I really like the look of this cute wooden shield. While I do think the swap to using staves was ultimately for the better, losing little wooden planks like this is a sad casualty.
Jajakuta here is our contact for the last sidequest.
Back already, are you? Come, let us see what you've brought. Exceptional! These are fine shrew pelts indeed! Well done, my friend. The Pugilists' Guild is among my largest clients. I fear what would have come to pass had this order been delayed any longer. Take this, hm? You've more than earned it.
For whatever reason, there's now sideqeusts in The Quicksand. Sure, why not?
<pant> Pray let me...<pant>...catch my...<pant>...breath. <pant> I went all the way to Scorpion Crossing for a package, <pant> but only just now I realized I've returned with the wrong one. <pant> The way back is so far... <pant> I can't... I simply can't. <pant> Would you make the trip back in my stead? <pant> I'm sure some poor soul at Scorpion Crossing is missing this package. <pant> I haven't the breath left to tell you the way. <pant> Go and see... <pant> Mimishu.
This guy will give us a new shirt for being an errand girl. Looks like word about Ginger's capability is getting around! 
Mmm...sure, darlin'. You can come for a ride... ...Huh? Where am I? Who're you? And more importantly, where'd she go? ...Ah, bugger...did me shift start already? The hells with it. I'm bleedin' exhausted anyway. Mind takin' this to Giginasu at the Dispatch Yard, outside the city? He'll probably give you somethin' for the trouble.
These two quests are pointers. The "go to Scorpion Crossing" quest points us at a hub full of sidequests, while Kekezani here wants us to go to the next MSQ destination. So we'll just hold onto this one for a bit.
Just to save time, we'll also accept Momodi's quest now. But we won't be doing it until the next update.
Well, younglin', how are you findin' our fine Ul'dah, then? Got your bearin's about you yet? If so, mayhap it's time you ventured beyond the city walls. The bustlin' streets of Ul'dah are one thing, but the wilds of Thanalan-that's another altogether. I know a bloke you might fancy speakin' to, and he you. Name of Papashan. You'll find him over at the Ul'dah Dispatch Yard. No doubt he'll have some work for you. The Dispatch Yard's over in central Thanalan. Just head out the door across the hall and you'll see the Gate of Nald staring right back at you. Pass through it and head east. You'll come upon it 'fore long. There's dangers beyond the wall, though. More than I'd care to count. Nothin' too terrible, mind you, but feisty enough to attack if you draw near. Don't say nobody cared enough to warn you.
We've already been somewhat near Papashan when we were killing Shrews earlier.
Just to ensure we stay up to date with future quests...
Let's put our finger on the scale when it comes to XP. The Friendship Circlet isn't very useful beyond the additional XP it grants, but the Aetheryte Earring is amazing until Shadowbringers due to its scaling stats.
Here it is again. The stats in yellow are its base stats, and it gives proportionally less as it's synced down to our level. The game has a sync system for lower leveled content. So if you're, say, level 30 and the dungeon finder places you in a level 20 dungeon, you won't be a demigod. You'll instead be a level 22-23 whatever with marginally higher stats because of your higher level and better equipment. This earring in particular is a creative use of the system in that it's super high level equipment that's permanently synced to your level. And because of the high item level, it's damn near best in slot until level 70... and even then, the slight loss in stats is worth the extra EXP until level 71.
Come level 70, we'll be able to get the full benefit of the item, which won't happen for the entirety of this LP, the entirety of its sequel, and then the first half of the one after that. It's a ridiculously good item and you bet your ass we'll be using it.
Let's return to the Western Thanalan and do a few more sidequests. Starting after this update, I'm going to be trimming out non-important sidequests just to help this LP's already-glacial pacing issues.
Scorpion Crossing? The way couldn't be simpler. Pass through this gate and head west until you come upon it. Delivering a package, are you? In that case, you'll want to speak to Oswell when you arrive.
Our destination is the little green mark in the middle of the zone.
It's not a long trip. Once we get down all the stairs, we're 90% there!
These quests are all super short and local, so they have a pretty fast turnaround compared to the ones we did in Ul'dah.
It's gone, I just know it. Gods, as if I hadn't enough problems already. You took the wrong package, Botulf, you bloody oaf!
*hands over package*
The Horizon package! You're a Twelvesend! You've spared me quite a headache, friend. Thank you. If only there weren't so many other misplaced shipments plaguing me these days...
While we're here, let's offer our help for some pocket change.
You've time to spare, don't you? Make yourself useful and help me find my missing crates! The manifest clearly states that three crates bound for the East Aldenard Trading Company were included in the latest shipment from Vesper Bay, but I can't seem to find the bloody things. They ought to be around here somewhere, but I can't waste any more time looking. If you find the crates, bring them to me!
Running an import/export business must be very stressful.
No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no! This can't be happening! There's no time to send for more, and no- <gasp> You there! Please, you must help me. Go kill as many cactuars as you must to gather four bottles of their blood. I don't care if you have to hunt the little green bastards to extinction! Please, there's no time to explain! Just know that my very life hangs in the balance. For the love of the gods, hurry, woman!
Cactuar murder? Sure!
You, there! Yes, you. You're an adventurer, are you not? You travel about Eorzea slaying beasts and finding treasure-that sort of thing? I've need of help. I must travel to Horizon where my cargo awaits, but my chocobo, Slugger, won't move an ilm. I tried to have a closer look, but I saw a vile pair of antennae protruding from his feathers and lost my nerve. I love Slugger with all my hart, but bugs... Bugs I cannot do. I fear he may have a parasite ladybug that's gorging itself on his blood. Check him for me, would you? And if you find a ladybug dug in there somewhere, kill the damned thing.
This one's easy enough. We just need to keep talking to the chocobo.
Kweh! Kweh!
That's a big ladybug. These things suck blood? 
Kweh kweh kweh kweeeh!
Slugger says thank you, and you've my thanks as well! I was sure as sunup it was a parasite ladybug. Must have latched itself on somewhere along the road, but how the bloody thing managed to stay concealed at that size is a complete mystery. In fact, I'm not even going to question it. I'd just like to move on and put this all behind me. If we don't keep our chocobos healthy, cargo won't be able to move over land. We owe these birds a great debt-I wish more folk would see that.
Whenever we hit a level with a new job quest, we get this little notice. For A Realm Reborn, it's every 5 levels. But once we get into Heavensward, that changes. Like the MSQ stuff, we'll tackle that in another update because it actually kickstarts the THM guild plot.
And Imme has a new quest for us straight away. This one wants us to visit The Goblet. This is solely to introduce us to player housing. As such, I'll be skipping going over it. The story here is that Imme wants land she feels she's owed, and this is player housing, so it's only open to Adventurers.
I just saved us 5 minutes of effort. Finishing this quest allows us to teleport to the housing wards from the Ul'dah Aetheryte network.
Let's instead do something more productive... like track down missing cargo.
Great job, friend! These will make the next wagon thanks to you! The shipments never stop coming, day in and day out. Just keeping track of everything is enough to give me migraines. Business is good, true, but what use is money if you haven't the time to spend it? I haven't downed a pint with friends in weeks!
This outfit looks kinda hot for the desert.
This sidequest is actually another pointer quest, but we can't tackle the rest of the quests it's pointing at yet. We need to be around level 8 or so to do that. But we can accept it nonetheless.
Boxes, crates, barrels... Lifting, moving, stacking... There's no end to it. I'm tired. So very tired. Say, friend, do a hardworking stranger a kindness, would you? See this letter safe to Kikipu at the Silver Bazaar. I'd call on her myself, but I haven't the time, and I doubt these weary legs would carry me there even if I did. I'd like to send her something nice along with it. Could I trouble you to scrounge up, say, five hammer beak tailfeathers? Gods know you can find the beasts around here easy enough. Kikipu's a dear old friend. She's called the Silver Bazaar home for...well, for far too long. There's been ill rumors of the place of late. I'd just like to make sure she's well, is all.
Setting a cactus on fire doesn't sound like a great idea.
Also I want to point out another marker. Do you see this little icon above the ladybug? That means it's an entry in our THM hunting log. If we kill a number of them, then we'll get an XP reward!
And even though they were also quest targets, these cactuar were also hunting log entries. So we can get some quick bonus XP for a few moments of work. We got 97 XP for each individual kill, plus another 360 for finishing the entry. More than 600 XP out of the 2300 it takes to get to to level 6 just came from killing three cactuars!
Page 1 of the THM log is worth 2500 bonus XP. While the bonus for ladybugs is actually worth less than we get from killing another one (thanks to XP bonuses), you can see that they quickly become worth more! Like I said, treat it as free XP for killing stuff you'd be hunting anyway.
Phew, you've saved my hide, friend. Just stopped to give my cargo a check on the way to Ul'dah and saw that all my bottles of Radz-at-Han skin tonic were as empty as a Garlean promise. Looks as though the lids shook off in transit and the whole load spilled right out. But I refuse to have it said that Guntram failed to make good on a delivery. Cactuar blood is supposed to help keep the skin supple. I'll just use what you've brought to fill the empty bottls, and all those lovely Ul'dahn ladies will be none the wiser. Oh, don't worry about getting found out. Radz-at-Han skin tonic is still a rare find, all the more so this far south. I'd venture none in Ul'dah would even know it from an ampoule of their own piss.
To be honest, I'm fine with this.
Let's start winding down. This is pretty much the end of my first recording session. But along with the promise of more MSQ next time, let's also take the job quest.
Hm hm hm... Your burgeoning power strains against the confines of your untried mortal shell. Another trial you mus have! From this day forth, your tasks and challenges will be shaped by the teachings found within Thaumaturgy: The Yaning Abyss, a tome penned by the renowned thaumaturge Zozomaya. My brothers who have not once tasted the bitter draught of defeat will instruct you on the vital lessons to be gleaned from the four extensive chapters that comprise this exemplary work. Much shall you learn about the threats with which a practitioner of our art must contend.
The first chapter, "The Threat of Intimacy," falls within Cocobygo's purview. It is only fitting that one so... averse to being approached should teach you the wisdom to be uncovered therein.
Aaargh! Ah, yes, Ginger. I've been expecting you! Allow me to read to you the pertinent passages from the opening chapter to Zozomaya's guide. Ahem.
"The Threat of Intimacy. Ah, how magnificent the potent power we wield. Roaring flames, piercing ice, and shocking bolts are matched not by fist or sword or spear. But the burly warrior waxes fearsome with every closing step. Fists shatter bone; blades slide through flesh; spears puncture soft bellies. Know you this threat, and stand you apart from such men."
<shiver> Ugh, that last part makes me queasy no matter how often I recite it... The lesson, however, should be obivous: keep your distance from your foes. APart from the agony of being hit... or stabbed... or worse, you'll have a devil of a time completing an incantation with an enemy flailing his weapons at your person. Thus the wise thaumaturge always strikes from afar... the farther the better. Now, let us proceed with your trial. Take this dried fish and set it down in the vicinity of the Silver Bazaar. Next, simply draw back to a comfortable distance and wait for a vulture to swoop in to feed.
That's when you ambusht he nasty creature with a barrage of deadly spells! Once you have slain the scavenger, be sure to retrieve a generous slice of vulture meat for Fafafono. He doesn't mind us conducting trials so close to his shop, so long as he's properly compensated. ...Yes, Ginger, we pay him in sorcery-blased bird flesh.
Gross. Anyway, we'll do that another time. Like, say, when we're busy doing other stuff near the Silver Bazaar.
And that's it for now! See you guys next time when we continue Ginger's journey to greatness!