7 best ways to prepare for Final Fantasy 14 Dawntrail

Final Fantasy 14 Dawntrail kicks off in just a few weeks, but there’s still plenty of time to prepare for the next great adventure. Whether you’re a new player or an active/returning veteran, there’s a wealth of things left to do if you want to be as ready as possible. In this article, I will share all the things I either have done or am in the process of doing on my character as well! While FF14 is a pretty forgiving game, there are a few things more frustrating in MMOs than not being prepared.

These are, of course, not must-dos. If one or two of these don’t apply to you as a player, by all means, don’t bother with them. However, there is one extra honorable mention I recommend: Complete the Manderville sidequests! Once you’ve caught up on them in Endwalker, you unlock an incredible relic weapon.

It’s easy to do and worth the time investment. Other than that, here are some tips to get you as ready as possible for Final Fantasy 14 Dawntrail, when it begins.

Note: This article is subjective and reflects the writer's opinion.

---

What to do to prepare for Final Fantasy 14 Dawntrail

1) Finish the MSQ of Final Fantasy 14 Endwalker (including patch updates!)

Take the time to finish the story first! (Image via Square Enix)

I had to make sure to update the title for this section of the Final Fantasy 14 Dawntrail prep guide - because there’s more than just the main story! This is a lesson I learned back when I first reviewed Heavensward - I had taken a break from the game and had not done any of the other MSQ updates that were added. Don’t forget to do these! They aren’t long or difficult. At best you’ll need to do a dungeon or two.

If you want to start the Dawntrail story as soon as Early Access begins, it’s important to do the whole story right away. As long as you’ve done this, you’ve completed the minimal prep work necessary to play through Final Fantasy 14 Dawntrail.

---

2) Make sure you have gear that's item level 630+

Radz-at-Han has the best gear if you want to spend tomestones (Image via Square Enix)

I recommend an item level of 630+ for your main job because that’s what we had access to during the preview session. It was relatively easy to get through all the content we had access to, but you don’t have to stop there if you don’t want to. It’s easy to get 640 gear, whether you craft it, buy it on the Market Board, or through Tomes. You can get this gear through Raids as well.

However, if you want the fanciest gear you can get right now, that has to be Augmented Credendum gear - this is item level 660. This requires you to have bought the Crendum Gear with Allagan Tomestones of Comedy, and then upgrade it in Radz-at-Han if you have the right materials. It’s the best gear in the game right now, but if you don’t want to put that work in, you can get 640 gear through crafting/tomestones/gil.

---

3) Gather up Viper and/or Pictomancer gear

Eulmore has excellent gear for Pictomancers and Vipers - plus it looks stylish! (Image via Square Enix)

This is certainly one of the easiest things you can do to get ready for Final Fantasy 14 Dawntrail, that’s for sure. You probably already have a solid set of level 80 casting gear, not to mention level 80 Scouting gear. If not, use some Tomestones of Poetics to grab Augmented Cryptlurker Gear in Eulmore (from Aymark).

Since all magical casters use the same equipment, it won't be hard to find equipment for your Pictomancer, either. Thankfully, the Level 80 gear in Eulmore is incredibly inexpensive - not to mention it’s easy to get Tomestones of Poetics. I always complain I never have anything to do with them - now I can replace my Neo-Ishgardian level 80 gear with this stuff if I didn’t before.

---

4) Start gathering up Materia from Tribal Dailies

Tribal Dailies are a great source of easy materia (Image via Square Enix)

Materia is important - and can be very expensive in Final Fantasy 14 Dawntrail. We’ll undoubtedly get new Materia somewhere down the line, but if you want to slot some into your current/future gear, why not be prepared? You don’t even have to spend money on them if you’re doing your Tribal Dailies.

Tribal Dailies are one of the best ways to level your classes, and the currency you get from them just piles up once you’ve bought the Pet/Mount from each Tribe. Whether it’s the Omicron, Akrasodara, or the Loporrits, it’s a good idea to do these, to grab crafting materials if needed, and especially whatever Materia your gear requires.

---

5) Cap Your Tomestones/Scrips

Do your Roulettes! It's a good idea (Image via Square Enix)

This is more for future-proofing, or picking up extra gear/crafting materials you might want/need later. It’s easy enough to start capping Tomestones and Scrips. Do your daily content, and this will happen naturally. This is just a good practice to be in, not only at the start of an expansion but also all the way through it. If you’re taking the time to farm up your various Tomestones, you don’t have to spend gil on increasingly more powerful/more expensive gear throughout an expansion.

However, if you’re loaded on gil and that’s not a big deal for you, that’s fine! Doing your Roulettes and things of that nature in Final Fantasy 14 will help you future-proof yourself, as well as level up classes that you might not have at level cap just yet.

---

6) Sort your Inventory and Glamour Chest

Look, I don't have a problem - I can stop buying/stocking dyes anytime I want (Image via Square Enix)

If you’re anything like me in Final Fantasy 14, you have an absolute mountain of items to sift and sort through. Whether it’s stacks of dyes, your glamour closet, or the gear that is tucked away in your inventory/your Retainer’s inventories, it’s time to sort through it and find the stuff you never use for anything and get rid of it!

Why? Dawntrail is almost certainly going to have awesome new cosmetics and glamour choices for players to use. You don’t want to have to worry about running out of space a few weeks into the expansion, now do you? This is especially true for your Armory Chest - you’re going to run out of slots fast with all certainty. Make sure to check inventory, armory chest, glamour chest, and your chocobo saddle!

---

7) Always log off in places that grant Rested EXP

Never a bad idea to stop and make sure you have Rest EXP (Image via Square Enix)

This is another tip that you should just be doing anyway in Final Fantasy 14 - unless I suppose all of your classes are at level cap. That will change in Dawntrail though, so it’s better to start gathering up that rest exp while you can. It won’t last forever, but it will certainly make the start of the expansion a little faster.

You can also prepare a Wonder Tails tome in advance to turn in, and complete/but don’t turn in level-capped side quests, to turn in once the expansion starts. That way, you’re piling up free exp, and start with just a little bit of a boost. You get rested exp anytime you log off in a Sanctuary - a good example is the Inns in the main three capital cities. However, as long as you're in a capital city, you'll gain rested exp when you log out. If you see a crescent moon by your EXP bar, you're good to go.

---

Final Fantasy 14 is set to launch on July 2, 2024, with Early Access beginning on June 28, 2024. It brings with it the start of a brand-new story arc, new jobs, places to explore, and so much more.