The Final Fantasy XIV Dawntrail expansion is almost upon us, and if you want to get as ready as possible for this massive update, you should definitely do these things we’ll be listing right here to get a massive start ahead.
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How to Get Prepared for FFXIV Dawntrail Expansion
The Dawntrail expansion arrives officially on July 2nd, with Early Access starting on June 28th. Pre-ordering the expansion allows you to enter during Early Access, while also giving you the Wind-up Zidane minion and the Azeyma’s Earrings, which increase all Experience obtained from defeating monsters up to Level 90.
Maintenance goes from June 26, 2:00 a.m. PDT to June 28, 2:00 a.m. PDT, so make sure you complete this list before the servers are closed!
Complete the MSQ (And a Few Side Quests)
Being caught up with all the current quests is mandatory if you’re willing to experience the new storyline as soon as possible. If you see the “To be continued…” message on your MSQ indicator, you’re good to go. But if you’ve been postponing those last few quests, it’s time to go and finish them once and for all.
And while they’re not mandatory, some Side Quests could greatly enhance your experience in the next expansion if you’re a lore fan or are still trying to learn more about the world. Game director Naoki Yoshida mentioned a few notable questlines during an interview back in 2023, and here’s where you can start them.
- Gods of Eld – The Pillars (X:11.7, Y:11.5), with Torsefers
The Warring Triad questline introduces the namesake group from the Heavensward Trial series, composed of Sephirot, Sophia and Zurvan. They’re directly inspired by Final Fantasy VI, which is also a huge inspiration for Dawntrail, so maybe we can learn a bit more about their origins during the newest MSQ.
- In the Middle of Nowhere – The Crystarium (X:9.7, Y:12.3), with Anxious Crystarium Guard
The Eden questline is a Normal Raid series that puts Ryne in the spotlight following the Shadowbringers MSQ, while also introducing Gaia. The Futures Rewritten Ultimate Raid (releasing on Patch 7.1) will be based on this series, so players can get to know more about the characters involved and, of course, what kind of encounter awaits them.
Gear Up Your Main Jobs
It goes without saying, but you should have the best equipment available for your favorite Jobs as soon as Dawntrail hits. Judging by the patterns from previous expansions, the currently maximum iLvl (665) will carry you up until the end of the third new dungeon. From this point onward, you’ll need to get new equipment from other sources. But don’t worry, though, as the MSQ always gives you some pieces of equipment to keep up with the challenge.
Related: FFXIV Yokai Watch 2024 Event Guide
You can get the strongest equipment available through Savage Raids drops or by purchasing them with Allagan Tomestones of Comedy. The best-in-slot is always a mix of those two, alongside the complete Manderville Weapon. If you’re not a raider already, the full Tomestone set is enough, so don’t worry about trying to learn those difficult fights at the end of the expansion.
Get Ready for Viper/Pictomancer
Viper and Pictomancer are arriving in Dawntrail, and it’s completely possible to do the new MSQ with them if you’re dedicated enough to level them to 90. They both start at Level 80, and you can do a few things to make your road a bit easier.
- Buy the correspondent Lvl. 80 Tomestone equipment beforehand at The Crystarium with the Mowen’s Merchant (X:10.1, Y:11.8). Viper uses the same gear as Ninja, and Pictomancer uses the same as any other Caster (Red Mage, Summoner or Black Mage).
- Complete as many Lvl. 80 yellow quests as you can to use them on VPR/PIC. Up to 30 quests can be saved on your Quest Log, but leave one space empty for the Job’s starting quest.
- Log out at the starting city for the Job’s quest. This is Gridania for Pictomancer and Ul’dah for Viper.
Spamming Dungeons is great for hitting 90 quickly, but you need some gear and to be at least 81 to enter the first Endwalker dungeon. Queues can also be a problem, so you can do some FATEs around the map while you’re waiting.
Alternatively, you can head to the third Zadnor zone (unlocked through the Save the Queen questline from Shadowbringers), where you can level up by doing Critical Engagements with others. This can be slower by the time you’re around 87, but you completely avoid the queuing problem.
The Wondrous Tails Trick
Wondrous Tails is a weekly book you get from Khloe in Idyllshire (X: 5.7, Y: 6.0). You get seals by completing the duties indicated in it, and delivering the book with 9 seals gives you exactly 50% of the experience needed for your next level.
Making lines with your seals gives you extra rewards, and you can use the Second Chance points (obtained as first-time bonuses when clearing duties) to shuffle these lines or to be able to do completed duties again.
You can get one book per week, but each book lasts for two weeks. Thanks to that, it’s possible to complete two books during the same week. If you grab a Wondrous Tails from June 18th to June 24th and complete it before the maintenance on the 26th but don’t deliver it, you can use it later when Dawntrail arrives to get half of your Level 91 (or Level 81, if leveling Viper or Pictomancer) experience done.
After this, immediately grab another Wondrous Tails (as you haven’t got the current week’s book yet) and clear lower-level duties (such Level 50 ~ 60 Trials and Raids) alone with the Unsynced Party option ASAP, then use your Second Chance points to reset them and clear them again until you get 9 seals. Deliver the second book to get a whole level done in less than 15 minutes.
In a similar vein, you can abuse the server’s reset timers if you manage to log in early. Daily Roulettes and Tribal Quests reset at 8 a.m. PDT, but servers will be open by 2 a.m. PDT. If you’re able to log in before that, you can squeeze Daily Roulette: Leveling for its bonus EXP before the reset, then do it again later that day. Tribal Quests work in the same way, with the Arkasodara (Level 80 Tribal Quest from Endwalker) being the best experience-wise.
Related: FFXIV Reveals All Upcoming Dawntrail Job Actions
Clean Up Your Inventory/Glamour Dresser
This is a tip for life, but especially huge for the pre-expansion period. As hundreds of new crafting items and gear pieces will be added with the expansion, this is the time to get rid of those you know you won’t be using anymore. We only have so much space for Glamour gear, so it’s important to know when to let go of older pieces.
If you’re a crafter, you know exactly how crazy inventory management gets while leveling up, so your best bet is to start right now so you don’t have to worry about it later.
Avoid Server Congestion
Login queues are the bane of every big release, and FFXIV is unfortunately not an exception. Queues were particularly bad during the Endwalker release, so Square Enix has added certain safety measures to avoid those 3-hour-long queues on release. The main addition was the creation of new Data Centers, giving players more alternatives to where they want to log in. NA has Dynamis, while EU has Shadow.
You can travel to either of these before the maintenance. This will likely give you faster queues on the expansion’s release, and you can eventually make your way back to your regular Data Center after the congestion is reduced a few days later. Some hours will be easier to log in than others (usually mornings), so try to enter the servers around these times if you can.
Make Some Space on Your Hardware
Whether you’re playing on a PC or console, the Dawntrail expansion will bring a significant increase in total file size due to the graphical update. Not to mention the new areas, models and all of the other usual stuff of a new patch. The Steam page recommends at least 140 GB for the update, so if you’re running low on free space, it’s time to get rid of unused software and games.
Preload times weren’t revealed just yet, but it’ll most likely be available way before the servers are officially open, so you’ll have plenty of time for that. Have fun in Dawntrail!
Final Fantasy XIV Dawntrail will be available officially on July 2nd. Early Access begins on June 28th.
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