Let's delve into the recently released Viper Weapons in FFXIV Dawntrail Benchmark. An interesting thing that some may overlook is the option to select a gear set when creating your character in the Benchmark. This choice affects the weapon your character starts with in the Benchmark.

Viper Weapons Overview

As a Viper, you may be particularly intrigued by the variety of weapons available, including some unexpected ones. Let's explore them together.

• Level 100 Artifact: This is the iconic weapon often seen in promotional material. It's likely the starting weapon players will receive when selecting their initial gear. This weapon will likely be used to open the Coffer at Level 80 when unlocking the job.
• Edenmorn Weapon: An intriguing addition as it introduces weapons from older raids, a departure from previous patterns.
• Omega Set: Despite being from an older raid, it offers a unique weapon set, adding variety to the choices available.
• Genji Set: Featuring an ornate weapon, this set originates from mid-tier Stormblood raids, showcasing the creation of entirely new weapons for this set.
• Grand Company Set: This set could serve as a leveling weapon or potentially be the Level 90 artifact obtainable from the vendor in Sharlayan, as seen in previous expansions for new jobs.
• Alexander Weapon: While also part of the Dwarven set, its inclusion in multiple sets suggests a desire to offer more options to players.
• Ironworks Weapon: An unexpected inclusion, given its Level 50 gear designation. Its presence for a Level 80 job raises questions about its relevance.
• Dreadwyrm Set: A classic addition from previous expansions, maintaining its presence in the lineup.
• Hellhound Set: Originating from PvP content, its appearance in the Benchmark adds an interesting dynamic to the available weapon sets.

Expected Weapon Set

Let's outline the weapons that players can expect to see:

• Deep Dungeon Weapons: Each job typically receives weapons from deep dungeons such as the Palace of the Dead, Heaven-on-High, and the Eureka Orthos weapon set. These sets are consistent across all jobs.
• Level 80 Weapons: Players can anticipate weapons from various sources at Level 80, including the Edenmorn, Omega, and starting weapons. The Augmented Cryptlurker, obtained from Tomes, will probably be a favored choice upon unlocking drops.
• Endwalker Weapons: As players progress through Endwalker, they can obtain weapons from dungeon drops like the Tower of Zot, Tower of Babil, Vanaspati, and Ktisis Hyperboreia. Crafted weapons will also be available between these dungeon drops.
• Level 89/90 Artifact Weapons: Depending on game design, players may acquire Level 89 or 90 artifact weapons either through quests or from a vendor in Sharlayan, where they obtained their Level 89 gear in Endwalker.
• Level 90 Tome Weapon: This Augmented Credendum weapon will become the new standard at Level 90, accessible through current Tomes.
• Orthos & Enaretos Weapons: These weapons from Eureka Orthos will also be part of the weapon lineup.

Old Ultimates Weapons

Regarding these unexpected weapons, like the Edenmorn weapons and the Omega weapon, is that they serve as base weapons for new ultimate weapons in the future. Obviously, the Omega weapon would make sense as a reward for top content. It could be a base weapon for that in the future. Similarly, the Edenmorn weapon is likely a base weapon for the new Eden Ultimate that's forthcoming.

However, things get interesting when we consider other weapons. For instance, the Genji weapon，which is not something expected from a leveling weapon. This could potentially be a base weapon for DSR, if this trend continues. It's possible that we might see weapons for every Ultimate for every job, as currently, some jobs don't receive rewards for certain Ultimates.

The Alexander weapon could be a reward, serving as the base weapon. The Ironworks and Dreadwyrm weapon are likely base weapons as rewards. I believe the developers might start providing rewards for these new jobs in Old Ultimates.

Recently, Final Fantasy XIV was finally confirmed to release its expansion, Dawntrail, on July 2, 2024. And in this expansion, the character’s level cap will be increased from 90 to 100. So, as the release date gets closer, it’s urgent that we quickly upgrade our characters from level 80 to level 90.

That’s where this guide comes into play. Here, we’ll provide some ways to help you farm XP and help your character reach the current level 90 cap as quickly as possible. Whether you’re new to FFXIV or a veteran returning to the new expansion, this guide will help.

Before jumping in, I want to remind you that purchasing some FFXIV Gil in advance will make your upgrade process twice the result with half the effort! Without further ado, let’s get started!

Leveling Roulette Dungeons

First, our priority is to participate in Leveling Roulette. Leveling Roulette in FFXIV contains a variety of dungeons and is one of the best ways for you to earn XP, Gil, and Company Seals.

Especially later in your journey, Leveling Roulette dungeon will also be a significant source of Allagan Tomestones. This is also key to getting powerful gear for other jobs you decide to upgrade.

In addition, this is also a good way to complete the weekly challenge log, as challenging “Feeling Lucky” and “Dungeon Master” can be a good experience point increase. Just run it every day to get rewards, and you’ll also get tons of XP from challenge log entries.

However, the downside is that you need to queue to enter the dungeon. Don’t worry though, the best way to shorten your queue is to join right after the daily reset, as this is when the most people are online.

Complete Daily Reputation

While you’re waiting for the queue to pop up, you can start with priority two, Daily Reputation quests. However, there are only two reputations you need to focus on: Pixies from Shadowbringers and Arkasodara from Endwalker. If you’re lucky enough to complete Leveling Roulette dungeon before completing your daily reputation, join Frontline Roulette now.

Frontline Roulette

Frontline is a large-scale PVP mode that features three teams of up to 24 players each.

But many friends are hesitant to join PVP, worried about wasting time because of failure. But actually joining the queue with 23 other allies, there’s absolutely nothing to worry about. Because no matter what, over 80% of people join this queue just to get Roulette reward.

And adding Frontline is a benefit for everyone, since it requires 72 people to start the game. So, put one of your spells in your hot bar, follow the crowd, and you’ll be fine.

Spam Dungeons Of Similar Levels

Let’s move on to the next leveling method, which is finding the dungeon closest to your level and spamming it. The only enemy here is queue time. Likewise, joining immediately after the daily reset will significantly reduce queue times.

There is an option here to use AI for teammates, which I recommend doing if you plan on upgrading multiple jobs.

Essentially, you have to level them up from level 71 to level 90 by running dungeons with them. It’s called Trust system and you can find it under Duty Menu.

Some dungeons allow you to sync them to the desired level, so you can spam a level 89 dungeon, for example, even if you’ve never accessed them before.

Bozjan Southern Front

Finally, for those of you who are complete strangers, there is a somewhat hidden place called Bozjan Southern Front. This is level 71 Field Operations introduced by Shadowbringers. What can you do there that’s worth your time?

You can do this by finding a group in chat and start doing FATEs with them. Normal FATEs, also known as Skirmishes, award you a small amount of XP, while Big FATEs, also known as Critical Engagements, award you a large amount of XP.

The nice thing about it is that you can grind as much as you want in there. I need to remind you that many people have focused on farming Bozjan Clusters but have not been awarded XP because XP only comes from completing FATEs.

That’s all for today. If you’re a veteran and find yourself here, be sure to share your own tips on how to level up effectively! Good luck!