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After saving the world, nay, the universe, it is time for some well-deserved vacations. And what’s better than a trip to the sunny and gilded lands of Tuliyollal? FFXIV: Dawntrail is launching soon, and everyone should start their preparations for it. While most people who’ve played the MSQ should be ready to embark on these new shores, there are a few other things you should prepare before boarding another boat with your favorite Scions.
10. Finish the MSQ
I know this might seem like an obvious thing to say, but let’s remember we’ll get an influx of new players for this expansion. The launch on Xbox opened the doors of Eorzea to many players who might not know how this MMO works. Contrary to others like WoW, you can’t play the new expansion right away. FFXIV puts everything behind its main story, and if you’re a new player, you need to finish everything up to the last quest of patch 6.55, which is “The Coming Dawn.” After that, assuming the process is the same as in previous expansions, the MSQ for Dawntrail will unlock automatically.
9. Empty Your Inventory
This goes for my fellow hoarders out there. During an expansion’s lifetime, we tend to grab all the materials we can find for crafting or upgrading certain weapons. Right now, my inventory is full of Pandaemonium tokens and high-end crafting materials, which will eventually become obsolete once Dawntrail arrives. So, you can do two things. First, put it all in the Market Board and hope it sells, or just give it to one of your Retainers in case you want to craft old stuff in the future. Regardless, start emptying your pockets before filling them with Tural’s new goodies.
8. Get To Item Level 630
According to recent Media Tour coverage, the item level you should aim for at Dawntrail‘s launch is 630. This is due to the first dungeon requiring that item level, which isn’t hard to get right now during Endwalker. Still, this should be almost on top of your list of preparation tasks for FFXIV: Dawntrail. The easiest way to reach this item level is by crafting any Diadochos Armor set for your job or grinding tokens at Pandaemonium: Anabaseios, which you can exchange for 640 gear. Personally, I prefer the latter option as certain crafting materials are extremely expensive or challenging to get.
7. Finish Myths of the Realm
According to Yoshi-P, one thing we should finish before heading into Dawntrail is Endwalker‘s Alliance Raid series, Myths of the Realm. He mentioned it is important to complete the whole story to understand some of the things we’ll see in the new expansion. Furthermore, even without it being a soft requirement for Dawntrail, the series is amazing. It has some fantastic fights against Eorzea’s pantheon of gods, which is something those avid lore fans will enjoy.
6. Buy Cryptlurker Gear for Viper and Pictomancer
If this is your new rodeo for a FFXIV expansion, you should know that the new jobs aren’t “expansion-ready.” What do I mean by this? They won’t be level 90 and ready to tackle Dawntrail. Viper and Pictomancer will start at level 80 and will get their respective questline for each job that goes from level 80 to 90, and after that, you can take them to the new content. To make leveling much easier, start buying Cryptlurker gear, which is item level 530, and you can purchase it by spending your normal Allagan Tomestones of Poetics. You’ll need a set of Scouting for Viper and Casting for Pictomancer.
5. Unlock Bozja and Tribal Quests
Continuing with the preparations for Viper and Pictomancer in FFXIV: Dawntrail, I recommend unlocking Bozja and Tribal Quests. Back in Endwalker, grinding Bozja was the easiest way to get Reaper and Sage to level 80. I imagine Bozja will be equally popular during Dawntrail‘s launch as the experience gains aren’t too bad, and you can tackle things fast while in a group. For Tribal Quests, it is imperative you unlock Arkasodara daily quests. These provide a lot of experience, and finishing your dailies should give you a whole level of experience for your Viper or Pictomancer.
4. Hold On To Your Wondrous Tails
Believe it or not, Wondrous Tails in FFXIV are a great way to level up. Most people tend to ignore this weekly activity, but with a bit of planning, you can get almost two full levels for your new job during Dawntrail‘s early access. First, grab one book at the start of the week prior to Dawntrail‘s early access, which is on June 18. Complete all tasks, and don’t hand the book in until June 28, when the early access begins. After that, grab a new one, complete the tasks, and you’re set. It should give you a lot of experience for your brand-new job.
3. Choose Your Main Job
Since the job actions trailer for FFXIV: Dawntrail is already up, another preparation you can get out of the way is choosing your main class for the expansion. While you can swap between all the jobs you have at any moment, it is good to have one or two main jobs to take with you through the leveling process. Usually, I tend to bring a DPS and a Tank. The former is for the MSQ, and the latter is for faster dungeon queues. With the new jobs being DPS, you should level up a healer or tank if you want to enter certain instances faster.
2. Use The New Game Plus Feature If You Need a Refresher
With such a long story in FFXIV, it is normal to forget a few things. If you took a break during the content drought, returning to Eorzea and jumping into a new story arc could be a bit daunting. Also, Yoshi-P recommended we remember the names of the Convocation of Fourteen, which might be important for Dawntrail. If you want to experience the story again, use the New Game Plus feature under the Duty menu to play any or all the Endwalker quests whenever you want.
1. Prepare Your Dawntrail Glamour
I know, I know, it sounds like a strange thing to put at the top of our preparations list for FFXIV: Dawntrail, but let’s face it: the true endgame is fashion. How many of us have waited for the two-dye system? I know I have. Yes, it even excites me more than some of the new story beats or jobs. Since there’s still plenty of time, start grabbing your favorite glamour, buy the necessary pieces, and prepare your dyes because fashion in Eorzea will become much better once Dawntrail arrives.
Ultimately, if you miss any of these tips, it won’t be the end of the world. However, they are quite helpful, especially if you’re a new player. An expansion’s launch is a huge deal and can catch many off-guard. Furthermore, with so many new things to collect, do, and find, it is better to prepare everything for your first trip to Tuliyollal.
