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Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail Patch 7.2 Gets Date, More Details

by Alex Fuller · Published March 14, 2025 · Updated March 15, 2025

Square Enix held the latest Letter from the Producer presentation for MMORPG Final Fantasy XIV. As with previous editions, the presentation with producer and director Naoki Yoshida showcased new media and details for the newest upcoming major post-launch patch for the game’s Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail expansion. The update is set to launch on March 25, 2025, with a new trailer and screenshots viewable below alongside the full presentation.

As revealed in the previous Letter from the Producer, the update will feature new main story quests, including new dungeon The Underkeep and new trial Recollection, as well as the next part of the eight-player raid series, The Arcadion: Cruiserweight Tier, and new Unreal difficulty trial, Hells’ Kier (Unreal). Other new content includes new Hildibrand quests, new Allied Sociey quests, new Allgan Tomestones, inclusion of the Sunken Temple of Qarn in the duty Support system, and a new PvP series.

The game’s large-scale PvP content will receive some notable updates in the patch. First is the addition of new Role Actions exclusive to the large-scale PvP Content, which include the ability for healers to create a barrier around themselves and nearby part members or for melee DPS to earn a short period of increased movement speed plus immunity to status effects and knockbacks. The selected action can be changed during a match at its starting area. The 72-player, three-team Borderland Ruins (Secure) Frontline PvP challenge will return with changes.

The presentation also focused on the new Cosmic Exploration content for gathering and crafting jobs, which will launch with Patch 7.21 update on April 22, 2025. It is available for all of those who have completed the Endwalker expansion’s main story scenario (up through the “Endwalker” quest) for all Disciple of the Hand/Land jobs level ten and above. It sees players collaborating as they explore different stars, completing missions and events while building up their base of operations, with a new star to be added with each major Patch 7.x update. Players will have a separate inventory for Cosmic Exploration. Players obtain two different currencies from missions: Cosmocredits can be exchanged directly for rewards, while Lunar Credits can be used to purchase a lottery system called cosmic fortunes or exchanged to join “mech ops”.

Mech ops are regularly occuring events that puts players in two roles, mech pilots and ground support, which coordinate to gather minerals and remove obstacles. Up to five of the players who apply to be a pilot using Lunar Credits are randomly selected as mech pilots, with an unlimited numbers of players permitted to act as ground support. There may also be special Critical Missions, which are caused by unusual weather phenomena and require players to work together to complete objective within a time limit.

Cosmic Exploration will include a Star Contributor award for each game world. Players’ contributions are tallied every other 24-hour period (reseting at 9am GMT), with the player who contributes the most being awarded the Star Contributor status. Those who attain this status will have their name and a hologram of themselves displayed in base camps, as well as getting a visual effect within the Cosmic Exploration mode for the next fourteen days (during which time they will be ineligible to receive the award again). Cosmic Exploration will be used for the tool enhancement quests with new cosmic tools. These tools can be enhanced by completing missions and do need to be equipped to receive enhancements. Star development within Cosmic Exploration will progress separately by game world, with exploration and surveying only able to be performed on a player’s home world.

Other new content is the Occult Crescent, which will arrive with the Patch 7.25 update on May 27, 2025. This sees players explore the region, and is split into instances of up to 72 players each; those who join as part of a party will all join the same instance. Players will need to be level 100 to enter the Occult Cresent and have finished the “Dawntrail” quest. The Occult Crescent uses its own levelling system called knowledge level, with the difference between that of the player and enemies greatly impacting damage received and dealt. At knowledge level 5 and above, players who are incapacitated will lose knowledge experience, which may see them lose a level. Defeating higher level enemies will give players greater rewards, and a party defeating multiple in quick succession can initiate an EXP chain for greater rewards, provided their current knowledge levels are sufficiently balanced.

The Occult Crecent has its own set of F.A.T.E.s that only need a smaller number of playes to complete, as well as special critical encounters where unlimited number of players can join forces for a large-scale battle against a powerful boss. Critical encounters are indicated on the map before they begin. It also includes the Forked Tower, a special dungeon for up to 48 players that requires using a special item to gain entry. As they explore, players can obtain ciphers; when sixteen or more players use these ciphers at a certain location, this activates a node that teleports them to the tower.

In the Occult Crescent, players will gain access to unique Phantom Jobs, which grant additional actions to use along with their main job. For example, a Warrior with the Monk Phantom Job gains new offensive abilities, while the Bard Phantom Job grants supportive abilities. Further Phantom Jobs available include Geomancer, Ranger, Berserker, Time Mage, Chemist, and Cannoneer. New Phantom Jobs will be released as part of the Patch 7.4 updates, with additional Phantom Jobs and a new area coming in Patch 7.5.

Taking place after the events of Endwalker, and marking the start of a major new story arc for the game, Dawntrail sees the Warrior of Light’s help requested for Tural’s contested rite of succession. The expansion adds two new Jobs: melee DPS role Viper and ranged DPS role Pictomancer. It also includes a new level cap of 100, new dungeons, new locations, new side content, and more. Those looking to read more about Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail can check out RPGamer’s review of its PlayStation 5 version.