This guide will go over Final Fantasy XIV‘s Occult Crescent quests, including where to start this questline and how to complete the steps without quest markers.
Unlocking Occult Crescent
There are two main requirements to start Occult Crescent. The first is that you have completed the main story quest “Dawntrail”. As hinted at by the name, this is the last quest for the base Dawntrail expansion — you don’t need to have completed any of the story content in 7.1 or 7.2.
The other is to have a battle job at level 100. Unlike the Bozja Field Operation content in Shadowbringers, you cannot enter below max level and gain experience. However, you can still switch jobs freely while in Occult Crescent, as long as they’re at level 100.
You can pick up the starting quest in Tuliyollal at X:17.1, Y:11.8 from the NPC Expedition Messenger. Talking to the nearby NPC after this will start your journey in Occult Crescent. This area at the docks in Tuliyollal is also the only way to access Occult Crescent, as there isn’t a regular Aetheryte teleport point.
Occult Crescent: South Horn Map
Occult Crescent: South Horn Quests
For quests that have markers, we’ll only briefly go over their contents
One Last Hurrah
This quest reintroduces you to Ketenramm, letting you talk to some of the crew aboard his ship as you journey to the mysterious Shades’ Triangle.
If you leave the boat at any point before reaching Occult Crescent, you can return via the docks in Tuliyollal where the quest started.
The Phantom Village
Simply head to each of the markers and then return to Ketenramm in the main plaza. Along the way, there’s a Survey Point at the top of the starts to the north. This unlocks Occult Record 2, though it’s not required for the main story.
Unfamiliar Territory
This is the last quest before you can enter properly enter Occult Crescent: South Horn. Before you head into the main zone, make sure to go back into the plaza and talk to Lydirceil to start the quest Arcane Mastery. This will let you work on Phantom Weapons while progressing through Occult Crescent.
New Job, Old Tricks and The Ancient Arts of War
Once in the zone, you’ll be able to unlock your first Phantom Jobs. These give you access to extra actions and traits, though each has their own level that goes up from killing mobs and completing Fates or Critical Encounters.
You’ll eventually want to level all of these, though any of three you unlock are better than the starting Phantom Freelancer (though this one can be used to check for treasure chests later).
Creatures of the Crescent
Ketenramm and the Archive task you with killing three different mobs in Occult Crescent: South Horn. These are all marked on the map, and are not far from the main camp — make sure to interact with the Aetheryte before heading out.
Like other Field Operation content in Final Fantasy XIV, you’ll have a separate level while inside Occult Crescent. This Knowledge Level will determine your strength against enemies, so try not to take on anything that’s more than a couple levels above you unless you’re in a party.
All three enemies are Knowledge Level 1 so they wont be that tough. Just remember to throw in a few uses of whatever Phantom job action you have access to, as they’ll speed things up.
Southern Ruins
Once you complete Creatures of the Crescent, the Archive will ask you to visit the ruins south of the encampment. The next quest is locked until you do so, and there isn’t a quest marker either.
The ruins in question are to the south like they say, but the actual spot you want to go is more southwest at X: 31.3, Y: 17. There’s a Survey Point by the entrance to the ruins, unlocking Occult Record 7.
A Ruined Land
After heading back to the Archive, they’ll then send you to the ruins once more to acquire a sample of aether-imbued stone. This is marked on the map, but requires you to avoid a few higher level enemies.
Make sure to stay out of their line of sight, and run if you’re spotted and not within a few Knowledge Levels of the enemy (you have to run further in Occult Crescent to have enemies de-aggro compared to regular zones). You can also make use of Ninja’s stealth to avoid enemies too.
Three Distinct Civilizations
After returning with the stone, you’ll once again be tasked with finding your way without any quest markers. This time, there are three different Survey Points to find:
- Occult Record 9 – X: 20.2, Y: 12.2
- Occult Record 13 – X: 10.2, Y: 22.5 (this one can be dangerous due to all of the enemies inside the cave)
- Occult Record 15 – X: 24.2, Y: 32.8
A Common Thread
More quests, more stones to give to the Archive. Like A Ruined Land, A Common Thread will take you back to the places you already went to unlock the Occult Records.
While all three locations are marked on the map for this quest, some don’t give you much room to avoid enemies. This is best done with a friend, either to have them distract enemies or revive you if you die.
Unexplored Ruins
The previous Occult Records weren’t quite enough for the Archive, though you’ll only have to find one more to unlock the next quest.
Occult Record 19 can be found via the Survey Point at X: 15.7, Y: 29.4. It’s slightly south of the small tower, away from most enemies.
Past and Crescent
Unlike the previous quests, this one requires you to complete a Critical Encounter. These are essentially harder Fates, popping up less frequently but offering better rewards.
When a Critical Encounter spawns in the zone, a message appears to notify you, along with a timer at the bottom of the Occult Crescent menu. You must head to the Critical Encounter and stand inside the blue marker, with the fight starting once the timer finishes counting down.
Calamity Bound
The Critical Encounter Calamity Bound appears at X: 14.7, Y: 37.8, pitting you against the chained up Cloister Demon. It has a few main attacks to look out for:
- Tidal Breath: Move to the sides or back to avoid the frontal cone AOE
- Great Ball of Fire: Pairs of fireballs that explode in a large circle AOE after some time. If positioned correctly, you can still hit the boss while in melee range
- Blazing Flare: Great Ball of Fire combined with a number of expanding AOEs that appear on the ground.
- Seal Asunder: Circle markers appear on the floor, requiring four players to stand in them at a time to dispel them. Bomb enemies occasionally spawn and must be killed quickly, otherwise they explode.
Mysteries Abide
This is the last quest for Occult Crescent: South Horn, with no extra requirements to complete. However, it does unlock access to The Forked Tower: Blood, a high level raid that requires Knowledge Level 20 to enter.
Returning to Ketenramm in the Phantom Village, and then heading back to the final NPC in Tuliyollal will finish this leg of the Occult Crescent storyline. You can still head back into Occult Crescent: South Horn to level up your Knowledge and Phantom Jobs, or obtain some of the new gear at the camp vendors.
