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Final Fantasy 14’s fifth expansion, Dawntrail, is almost upon us. Following the conclusion of the Hydaelyn and Zodiark storyline that has been in the works since A Realm Reborn, it’s finally time for the Warrior of Light to set off on a new adventure, towards the New World of Tural.
If you’re like us, you’re counting down the days until Dawntrail comes out, and the only thing that can satisfy your craving is to play more Final Fantasy 14. Luckily, there’s still tons to do to prepare before the expansion comes out. Below, we’ll take a look at a few of the best ways to prepare for Dawntrail.
Dawntrail Early Accesslaunches on July 15, 2025 at 2 AM PDT. The standard release date is June 10, 2025.
Catch Up In The Main Scenario
As always,the Main Scenario is the most important thing you can doin Final Fantasy 14. Dawntrail will follow immediately after thelatest story updates in 6.55, so you’ll definitely want to verify you’ve completed every MSQ that is currently out.
Dawntrail marks the beginning of anentirely new storyin Final Fantasy 14, so if you haven’t really been paying attention to the story, now is a great time to start. This story arc will likely bedeveloped through multiple expansionsin the coming years, so it’s a great time to get immersed in the story.
Clean Up Your Inventory
Keeping a clean inventoryis always a great idea, but it’s especially important before heading into a new expansion. As you play through the new story quests, complete dungeons, and maybe craft or gather on the side, your inventory willquickly fill upwith new items that you might have a hard time letting go of.
The obvious solution is to make space for all of these new goodies beforehand! Take stock of yourinventory, Chocobo saddlebag, armory, Glamour Dresser, and Retainer inventories, and ensure you’rekeeping only the essentials. If you can easily get more of it, then it’s not worth holding on to.
You cantrade in all your old gear to your Grand Company for Seals, which can be spent on useful items or gambled away for rare mounts or minions through theMaterial Container 3.0/4.0.
Hoard Dyes
That said, you may want to occupy all of your new-found inventory slots exclusively with dyes. With Dawntrail, we’ll be getting asecond dye channel on all gear. This means all colors of dyes will be invery high demand, so you could attempt to exploit this byselling stockpiled dyesas soon as the expansion goes live.
Alternatively, hoarding as many dyes as you can carry will let youexperiment with different color combinations, letting you create the perfect outfit for exploring the New World. The ability to dye armor with two different colors will open up many new possibilities, so having as many different colors on hand as you can will give you morecreative flexibility.
Prepare Leveling Gear For Viper Or Pictomancer
If you plan on playing either of the two new Jobs in Dawntrial,ViperorPictomancer, you’ll definitely want to prepare some strong gear beforehand.Both of these Jobs will start at level 80, so you’ll need to get to level 90 before you can start the new Dawntrail quests as either of these Jobs.
The best gear for level 80s is theAugmented Cryptlurkersetthat can be purchased forTomestones of Poetics in Eulmore. If you want a full set for either Viper or Pictomancer, you’ll need to spend4,055 Tomestones of Poetics. Luckily, you’re able to prepare this entire set in advance.
Viper uses Scouting gear, the same as Ninja, whilePictomancer will use Casting gear, like Black Mage, Summoner, Red Mage, and Blue Mage.
You can also useResistance Relic Weaponsfrom Shadowbringers, if you have them crafted.
Thefirst Viper job quest begins in Ul’dah, while thefirst Pictomancer job quest can be accepted in Gridania.
Use Fantasia Before Logging Out
If you plan onFantasia-ingto a female Hrothgar or any other race to play through Dawntrail,use your Fantasia before you log outbefore the servers go down for maintenance. This will ensure you won’t have to sit throughtwo queuesback-to-back just to change your character’s appearance.
Remember totake off all your gear before logging outafter using your Fantasia! you may’t edit your character otherwise.
If you use your Fantasia before logging out, you’ll be able to log in on launch day and edit your character, then you’ll only have to wait in the queue once to get into the game.
Keep in mind that with the release of Dawntrail, a quest will be added that will reward you with afree Vial of Fantasia. If you don’t mind waiting a bit longer, you can complete this quest once the expansion launches and change your character later.
Brush Up On Convocation Of Fourteen Lore
The members of theConvocation of Fourteenhave been majorly involved in the story since the beginning, and that may stay true through our upcoming journey to Tural. TheseAscianshave shaped the story of the game for years, whether as allies or antagonists.
In a recent interview, Yoshi-P was asked what players can do to prepare for Dawntrail, and he mentioned completing theMyths of the Realmraid series. He also asked if everyone remembersall the names of the Convocation of Fourteen.
While most of the Convocation of Fourteen have made appearances throughout the story, quite a few of them have only appeared inside contentthat you may not have completed yet, while some haven’t made any appearances whatsoever. Here’s a brief rundown on the entire Convocation of Fourteen’s current whereabouts.
Spoilers for all of the game’s story below!
So, only taking into account Ascians that are confirmed to not be dead, we haveLoghrif(Gaia),Pashtarot,Altima,Halmarut, andDeudalaphonas possible Convocation members that could return in Dawntrail.
Take A Break
Lastly, it’s important to always remember totake a break. If this list is looking more like work than fun, take a break instead! Giving yourself time off from the game will make you all the more excited to come back to Dawntrail.
Burning out just before the expansion arrives would make a terrible first impression on what’s meant to be the Warrior of Lights' new journey, so you should definitely try to avoid that if possible. Of course, if you’re still having a blast with the game and preparing everything you possibly can, by all means, continue doing just that! We’ll be right there with you in the New World.
