How to prepare for Final Fantasy XIV Dawntrail

While you might be excited to jump into Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail as soon as early access drops on June 28, you won’t want to wait too long to finish all your Patch 7.0 preparations. In actuality, you only have until June 26 to finish packing.

Not sure if you’ll be ready to go when the servers go down for the 48-hour maintenance? We’ve got you covered. Here’s a comprehensive list on how to set yourself up for a perfect FFXIV: Dawntrail launch experience.

How to prepare for Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail

Cap your Tomestones of Causality and Comedy

A female xaela player character in Final Fantasy XIV looks at the Endwalker endgame Tomestone exchange vendors in Radz-at-Han — All the items at this counter will be available for Tomestones of Poetics after the update. Screenshot by Dot Esports

Once 7.0 drops, Allagan Tomestones of Causality and Allagan Tomestones of Comedy will no longer be valid currency. That doesn’t mean you should spend them while you can—in fact, it’s better to stockpile as much as you can. As with endgame Tomestones in other expansions, Dawntrail will offer the option to exchange Causalities and Comedies for Tomestones of Poetics, the basegame universal Tomestone currency.

And you’ll need it. Every item that used to cost Causalities and Comedies will cost Poetics instead. Additionally, all Credendum gear will be available at their fully augmented state. So instead of spending endgame Tomestones and augmentation materials, it’s better to wait until launch to just get the upgraded gear for Poetics alone. At ilvl 660, these Tomestone pieces will stay Best-in-Slot until you get gear drops from the level 95 dungeon.

Just make sure to exchange them before it’s too late. They’ll be removed from the game entirely in Patch 7.2.

Tip: don’t stop at capping tomestones

If you have extra time on your hands, it’s worth stocking up on other special currencies like Bicolor Gems and Sacks of Nuts. It’s not unheard of for new items to be added to Bicolor Gem or The Hunt vendors after a major expansion or patch.

Prepare gear for all your main jobs

A player character in Final Fantasy XIV poses while wearing a full set of Augmented Cryptlurker's Gear of Casting, the best gear available for Dawntrail's new Pictomancer job. — If you’ve been leveling Blue Mage, you might already have a level 80 Casting gearset ready to go. Screenshot by Dot Esports

With the level cap rising to 100, you’ll want to start off on the right foot with maxed-out level 90 gear to tackle all the new content as soon as servers go up. While you can technically do this after launch—especially if you’re saving up Tomestones to buy augmented Credendum gear—it’s best to at least make sure you have enough currency for immediate purchase instead of having to grind.

If you’re a crafter or gatherer, make sure to pick up a full set of Indagator’s gear (craftable set available on the marketboard) or Afflatus gear (Purple Scrip purchase from Rowena’s Representatives).

If you’re planning on picking up Viper or Pictomancer, make sure to grind out Poetics for a full set of Cryptlurker’s gear of Scouting and/or Casting (available at the Eulmore exchange counter).

Free up inventory space

A vexed Final Fantasy XIV player character stares at a chocobo saddlebag. — For many of us, this will be easier said than done. Screenshot by Dot Esports

Sell, desynthesize, or discard—however you want to do it, you’re going to need space for all the new items added to the game. If you’re a crafter or gatherer, you’ll want at least two pages of free space, but you may need more, depending on how many jobs you play. Omnicrafters and omnigatherers should consider clearing out one retainer entirely (or purchasing a new retainer altogether).

A cleanout is warranted even if you only play combat jobs. Toss out everything you don’t need in your Armoury Chest to make sure you have enough space for new weapons and gear. If you play a lot of jobs, go through your Glamour Dresser and clear out a few Glamour Plates to make enough space for new outfits. And most importantly, do a shuffle of your chocobo’s saddlebag to make sure you’ve got extra room on the go without having to run back to a retainer.

Tip: You can make or save a lot of money with a new expansion

All the level 90 expert recipe materials will probably be going for extra cheap on the marketboard just before launch, then get very expensive throughout Dawntrail’s patch cycles. Take advantage of this however you want—either grab them now to make level 90 bardings and weapon glams, or save your stockpile to profit later on. Remember: 7.0 will add new craftable weapon glams for Endwalker trial bosses that will use level 90 expert materials.

Stock up on Aetheryte Tickets

The Huntmaster of the Maelstrom Grand Company stands beside the Hunt Board in Final Fantasy XIV. — Even Hunt Marks from A Realm Reborn still have their uses. Screenshot by Dot Esports

With the new story spanning across a whole new continent, you can bet those teleport fees to and back home will be hefty. Why spend over a thousand gil on one trip when you can get it completely free for little to no effort at all? Aetheryte Tickets are basically a one-time voucher for a free teleport, and they’re easy to get in bulk.

You can get one Aetheryte Ticket for just five Allied Seals at your Grand Company HQ, or five Centurio Seals from the hunt exchange counter at the Forgotten Knight in Ishgard. Meaning, if you do all the weekly Elite marks from A Realm Reborn, Heavensward, and Stormblood hunt boards, you can earn 300 Seals for a stack of 60 Aetheryte Tickets. It’s a great deal for tracking down and killing three monsters. And if you choose to go after the daily hunt marks as well, you’ll be able to save up even more before you head to Tural.

Tip: it’s easy to unlock hunts if you don’t have them

You can unlock hunts by just being above the requisite level and talking to the Hunt Board NPCs a few times. Look for the blue quests at your Grand Company HQ, the Forgotten Knight, and the Shiokaze Hostelry in Kugane. Aetheryte Tickets aren’t offered for Nut exchanges, so hunts from Shadowbringers and Endwalker won’t get you any extra.

Finishing touches before the servers go down

A FInal Fantasy XIV player character stares at a huge map of Etheirys as well as a smaller map that includes Tural, the new continent that Dawntrail will take place in. — A whole new adventure awaits. Screenshot by Dot Esports

Before you log off for the final time before the game goes offline on June 26, you should:

Put the Aetherial Compass back on your hotbar for easy access in new areas.
Enter your personal housing to reset its demolition counter, just in case.
Save your Wondrous Tails to turn them in after launch for half a level’s worth of free EXP.
Spoiler-proof your UI by hiding Minion and player titles in your character settings, as well as creating a special chat channel that filters out Say, Yell, and Shout chat.
Park your character in either the Scion’s meeting room or your personal quarters at the Baldesion Annex—they’re close by to where the first Dawntrail quest will pick up and are single-player instances that’ll make it easier for you to load in.
Alternatively, go to Ul’dah so you can pick up a free Fantasia right away and adjust your character with the new graphics overhaul.

Finally, dress your Warrior of Light in a perfect Dawntrail glam for all the cinematic cutscenes you’ll likely be treated to within the first few story quests. If you’re planning on binging the MSQ as soon as it drops, take the downtime during maintenance to tidy your home and stock up on easy meals and snacks. And of course, don’t forget to get a good, early night’s sleep before Dawntrail goes live at 4am CT this Friday.