Dawntrail is already shaping up to be an incredible FFXIV expansion, but you must complete a few things before diving in. Here are 10 things every FFXIV player must do before playing Dawntrail.

Top 10 activities FFXIV to complete before Dawntrail

I’ve loosely ordered these activities in priority order, but only the first two are mandatory. Everything else will make the transition into Dawntrail a little smoother but don’t feel like you have to complete everything here to enjoy the expansion on day one.

Reach level 90

The largest barrier to entry into Dawntrail is you must be level 90. This step is non-negotiable, although you will be at the appropriate level by the time you finish Endwalker.

At the time of writing, there’s no way to skip Endwalker, although you’ll be able to pay for that service when Dawntrail releases.

Square Enix has traditionally offered fast-tracking, but I strongly recommend against doing so. If you play through the expansions the intended way, you’ll understand the story and your abilities will be drip-fed at a comfortable rate. In my opinion, it’s not worth skipping if you don’t want to be overwhelmed.

Finish the Endwalker post-game patches.

You’ll be level 90 when you beat Endwalker, but don’t skip the post-launch content. Any unfinished story content will appear in the top left corner of your screen.

If you’ve missed this content after the Endwalker credit crawl, don’t worry. You can power through these final few quests in under four hours, although if you watch the cutscenes, it will take much longer.

Farm Bicolor Gemstones

You can earn Bicolor Gemstones by completing FATEs in Shadowbringers and Endwalker areas. Dawntrail will bring tons of new items on which you can spend this currency.

The Bicolor Stone cap will increase to 1,500, up from 1,000, so it’s a great time to stock up. If you want to enjoy shiny new toys from the expansion first, this is the fastest way to do it.

Spend your Yellow Scripts

If you’re into crafting in FFXIV, you likely have a sizeable collection of Scripts. This currency is being overhauled for Dawntrail, but the most significant change is we’re losing Yellow Scripts.

With this in mind, spend all your Yellow Scripts, as they will be lost when the expansion drops. If you’ve got time, it’s a good idea to max out your White and Purple Scripts for Dawntrail crafting.

Complete Wondrous Tails

You can unlock Wondrous Tails by completing the Keeping Up with the Aliapohs quest (blue logo) in Idyllshire.

Wondrous Tails gives you a small selection of tasks to complete, including Trials, Raids, and PvP. Once you’ve completed nine tasks, you’ll earn stickers that will give you rewards.

One of the most sought-after is a level booster, which you can immediately spend on the upcoming Viper or Pictomancer jobs.

If you want a headstart, pick up a Wondrous Tail before Dawntrail, but don’t turn it in when you finish the quest. Wait until Dawntrail launches to hand in the quest for a cheeky level boost.

Don’t forget to pick up a new Wondrous Tail when you hand this one in so you can repeat the process.

Farm Tomestones

Tomestones are traditionally used to purchase weapons, armor, and accessories. These Tomestones can be used in Dawntrail, so you can start stocking up early.

You can typically get Tomestones by completing Dungeons, daily roulette, and even organized hunt trains.

This is especially handy if you’re picking up one of the new classes. Weapons typically cost 700 Tomestones each, and you can gather these now instead of waiting.

Farn Irregular Tomestones for the Moogle Treasure Trove

You can get Irregular Tomestones from listed events, including Trials and Dungeons.

You can check that list through the Duty menu by selecting Collections and then Mogpendium.

The issue is you won’t be able to earn the currency after Dawntrail launches. At the time of writing, the only way to obtain the Emerald Carbunkel Earings is with 100 Irregular Tomestones. We have no idea if this will change in the future, so it’s a good idea to stock up.

You don’t have to spend your Tomestones immediately as the vendor will remain post-Dawntrail.

Finish grinding the Yo-Kai Watch Collab event

There are a ton of unique cosmetics and gear tied to the ongoing Yo-Kai Watch event. The bad news is the event will finish when Dawntrail launches, and there’s no telling if or when it will return.

There are dozens of weapons and minions up for grabs on top of free mounts. Fortunately, you only need to beat specific FATEs to earn currency for gear, and those events are still popular.

Unlock the Arkasodara and Pixie Tribes

While you can technically do this after Dawntrail launches, I recommend you do it before, as the unlock quests are pretty long. The questlines themselves are pretty straightforward and can be started at the following locations:

• Pixie Tribe – Lydha Lran in Il Mheg
• Arkasodara Tribe – Svarna in Thavnair

The Arkasodara and Pixie Tribes give you three daily quests each for a respectable XP boost. The extra XP is great if you want to level up the new jobs in Dawntrail.

Fortunately, the daily quests are usually quick, and it’s easy to incorporate them into your FFXIV routine.

Preorder the Dawntrail Expansion

This is completely optional, but there are a few reasons to consider preordering before Dawntrail goes live. The main reason many players will preorder is to take advantage of the early access period. XP boosting earrings are also up for grabs if you’re below level 90.

If you preorder, you can play Dawntrail on June 28 instead of July 2. Honestly, this form of monetization is pretty scummy, but you’ll undoubtedly want to preorder to avoid spoilers.

You can preorder on the official Square Enix website, and there are a couple of versions to pick from. Please ensure you’re preordering for the correct version and region, as it may not be possible to change if you make a mistake.

There are enough activities on this list to keep even the most avid Warrior of Light busy. If you’re short on time, I’d prioritize the Yo-Kai Watch event, unlocking the Tribes, and spending your Yellow Scripts if you have any.

If you know a Final Fantasy super fan, there’s an incredible amount of FFXIV merchandise up for grabs from both official and unofficial sources.