We’re so close to the FF14 Dawntrail launch now. The lands of Tural beckon; the Viper’s dual blade and the Pictomancer’s paintbrush invite thoughts of their exciting new potential; and, of course, newcomer Wuk Lamat and her fellow female Hrothgar have plenty of stories to tell. But why wait to return to the critically acclaimed MMORPG? Especially when, right now, you can return and play for free without having to renew your subscription.
With the FF14 Dawntrail release date set for Tuesday July 2 (with early access on Friday June 28 for pre-orders), we’re all ready to sail off to pastures new. But rather than leaving everything to the last minute, you might want to jump back into the MMORPG and make sure you’re ready to go when the new expansion lands. Fortunately, thanks to the return of the Final Fantasy 14 free login campaign, you can do exactly that – and you won’t even need to resubscribe yet.
In order to take part in the free login campaign, you’ll need to be a returning subscriber. Of course, if you’re a new player then you can already play FF14 for free right the way through the Stormblood expansion. But if you’re eyeing up Dawntrail then you’re likely a past subscriber who’s already finished Endwalker and then canceled your subscription to do other things – something Naoki Yoshida and the dev team seem to actively encourage.
Now, however, the time to return is upon us, and it’s best to get ahead of the game – you don’t want to be log in come Dawntrail launch day and have to sort out your inventory, clean up those post-Endwalker patch quests, and wonder what you’re going to wear when you step on the boat to Tural.
Are you caught up on the full post-Endwalker MSQ through patch 6.55? You’ll need to see that to completion to start your Dawntrail adventure, and while it might feel a bit like a side story right now, we all thought the same about that post-Heavensward deviation with the Warriors of Darkness, which would later evolve into one of the game’s best storylines.
Beyond that, have you finished the optional quests Yoshi-P recommends completing before Dawntrail? I asked the director at Fanfest London which side stories he thought all players should take the time to see before the new expansion lands. He recommends the Heavensward Warring Triad quest series and the Eden raids from Shadowbringers. There’s also the ongoing Moogle Treasure Trove event to earn some bonus rewards, and the returning Yo-kai Watch crossover event is still live if you missed it last time around.
The Final Fantasy 14 free login campaign is available from Thursday May 23 through Thursday June 20. In order to join, you must have previously purchased and registered Final Fantasy 14, and your registered service account must have been inactive for at least 30 days. Once you log in, you’ll have four days to play for free (including the day you first log in), which lasts until 11:59 PDT on the fourth day. For more details, simply head over to the official FF14 Lodestone site.
While you’re there, make sure that you’ve got your FF14 Island Sanctuary looking its best before you sail off to Dawntrail with our handy guide. You’ll also want to keep an eye on the FF14 server status and planned maintenance times to make sure you don’t accidentally miss out on any potential game time.
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