The more valuable Tomestones in Final Fantasy XIV are worth their weight in endgame gear, but what should you spend those FFXIV Tomestones of Poetics on? These much more common and less valuable Tomestones appear as rewards for all kinds of activities. You mostly get them for the Duty Roulette and running older dungeons, or by queueing into Roulettes as Jobs that haven’t reached their level cap yet. Sometimes you might even get an extra stipend for completing a Duty Roulette with a party member who hasn’t run a particular instance before. Even if that party member happens to be you.

All of this means Poetics pile up quickly. So, what’s the best use of Poetics before the FFXIV gods decide you’ve had enough? How do you avoid overcapping on the 2,000 Tomestone limit while still turning a profit? Most currencies in FFXIV have a similar limit and we always want to avoid wasting this stuff. That’s where this guide comes in! We’re here to help you decide what to spend your Tomestones of Poetics on in FFXIV.

sundry splendors ffxiv poetics

Leave It to Leveling Gear

If you’re leveling up alternate Jobs and need gear for them to progress smoothly through dungeons and other content, this is the best bang for your buck. Tomestones of Poetics are used to exchange for endgame gear from all previous expansions and the base game. In fact, this is the very same gear that’s included with its level skips you can purchase for real money on the Mog Station.

The gear in question also changes every 10 levels after A Realm Reborn. However, the Item Level (or iLvl) at each tier is strong enough to carry you through most of the following expansion. For instance, if you purchase the level 50 gear, you won’t need to upgrade again until you reach level 60 and head into the last few Heavensward quests. It’s actually flat-out better than some of the higher-level gear you can buy with Gil off the Market Board. It’s just that good — especially when you’re running older content anyway.

The issue is finding the damn stuff. Each tier of gear changes location to match wherever the endgame vendor resided during the corresponding FFXIV expansion. For example, Equipment that once was endgame-level in Stormblood is sold in Gyr Abania. Because that’s where players purchased their endgame gear in the Stormblood era. Making matters worse is that weapons and armor are split up between two different NPCs. The whole process isn’t as complicated as it once was, but it’s still a pain.

allagan tomestones of poetics ffxiv

That’s why this guide will break down where you can get your leveling gear. Note that this only applies to players Level 50 and above. That’s when you unlock the first tier of equipment and can start using it to power your way through to Level 60, then Level 70, and so forth. We’ve also included images and coordinates to help make it perfectly clear who we’re talking about. Just in case you can’t mentally separate your Auriana from your Bertana in your mind.

There are two options for every set of leveling gear: the easy way and the old-fashioned way. The easy way is to speak with one of Rowena’s Representatives. These identically named NPCs appear in every capital city. Though they sell different stock depending on which expansion they’re tied to, which is indicated by their chosen capital. Though every Rowena’s Representative is found right next to the central Aetheryte — further indicated by a blue, bag-shaped “Sundry Splendors” icon on the map. We’ll include their locations as well as the slightly more complicated vendors in greater detail.

ironworks gear ffxiv tomestones of poetics

Level 50: Augmented Ironworks Gear (Item Level 130)

A Realm Reborn representatives are found in the three base game capital cities.

Limsa Lominsa Lower Decks (X: 9.1, Y: 11.1)
New Gridania (X: 11.9, Y: 12.3)
Ul’dah – Steps of Nald (X: 9.1, Y: 8.3)

The old-fashioned method for the gear is found at Revenant’s Toll in Mor Dhona: a region most longtime players should recognize and that newer ones will learn to love (or at least tolerate). The appropriate vendors are found just a bit north of the Aetheryte, Aelina and Auriana (X: 22.7, Y: 6.7). As indicated in the image above, Auriana will sell you Augmented Ironworks armor, while Aelina sells Augmented Ironworks weapons. A complete set will be the last Level 50 gear your need for whichever classes can use it.

Shire FFXIV Poetics

Level 60: Augmented Shire Gear (Item Level 270)

Rowena’s Representative for Heavensward naturally resides in Ishgard (the only capital city for that expansion). Like the others, she’s right next to the Aetheryte when you teleport into town.

Ishgard – Foundation (X: 10.5, Y: 11.8)

The other way to find this next set of gear is in one of the significant zones for Heavensward: Idyllshire in Dravania. One of the most important NPCs here is Hismena (X: 5.7 Y: 5.2). She sells a good deal of items for Tomestones of Poetics, which we’ll get to later, but for now you just need to know she sells iLvl 270 Augmented Shire gear. On her left is Bertana, and she sells Augmented Shire weapons with the same item level.

Note that, when purchasing armor from Hismena, you need to select the option Allagan Tomestones of Poetics (DoW/DoM) II. The “II” is important. Her rank “I” gear is a different set altogether — with a different name and a lower iLvl. You don’t want or need that gear unless you’re specifically looking for the Glamours. In which case, have at it! Otherwise get the Augmented Shire gear set.

scaevan ffxiv poetics gear

Level 70: Augmented Scaevan Gear (Item Level 400)

Next we come to Kugane: the heavily Japanese flavored capital city of Stormblood. There actually aren’t a lot of reasons to come back to this place this days. Aside from the stray side quest, of course. Regardless, it’s the most convenient way to get the Augmented Scaevan equipment.

Kugane (X: 12.2, Y: 10.8)

For level 70 equipment, you can further head to Rhalgr’s Reach in Gyr Abania, which was the hub for endgame gear during Stormblood. You can buy Augmented Scaevan armor from Enna (X: 13.9, Y: 11.6) and Augmented Scaeven Weapons from Eschina right next to her.

It’s also worth mentioning Enna sells two tiers of gear, just like Hismena in Idyllshire. You specifically want the armor available under the “Allagan Tomestones of Poetics (DoW/DoM) II” menu option. Just make sure whatever you’re buying is iLvl 400 and says “Augmented Scaevan” in its name and you’re good to go.

Cryptlurker ffxiv poetics tomestones

Level 80: Augmented Cryptlurker Gear (Item Level 530)

Finally we have an ever-so-slightly different vendor. For lore reasons, this one is not referred to as “Rowena’s Representative,” but is otherwise exactly the same as the others. This is “Mowen’s Merchant” (and they still have a Sundry Splendors icon and still appear right next to the Aetheryte in the Crystarium).

Crystarium (X: 10.1, Y: 11.8)

Said gear is last but mathematically not least. It’s called Cryptlurker gear and can also be found on the top floor of Eulmore in Norvrandt once you’re sufficiently deep into the Shadowbringers campaign. The two relevant NPCs, Aymark and Fathard, are due southwest of the Aetheryte (X: 10.2, Y: 11.8). Aymark handles armor while Fathard sells the appropriate weapons under “Cryptlurker Gear Exchange.” As with the previous few NPCs, make sure you get the correct class of gear! Aymark also sells “Augmented Crystarium” which you don’t want. Get the Augmented Cryptlurker gear instead from the higher level of Allagan Tomestone exchange.

When all of that is done, you’re ready to make your way into Endwalker!

Deals on Grand Company Seals

Of course, you may not need new gear. Maybe you already have a complete set for every role in the game. Maybe you already have every class you want leveled up to the cap! Whatever the case, Tomestones of Poetics can still be used to purchase gear. Said gear can then be turned in via “Expert Delivery” at your Grand Company headquarters. In each of these areas you’ll find a Personnel Officer NPC to speak with, who will let you “Undertake supply and provisioning missions.” The last tab here is where you can turn in any unwanted gear for raw Grand Company Seals.

Here are the locations for each of the Personnel Officers, depending on which capital city’s Grand Company you belong to after choosing one in the main story:

Limsa Lominsa Upper Decks (X: 13.1, Y: 12.7)
Ul’dah – Steps of Nald (X: 8.3, Y: 9.0)
New Gridania (X: 9.8, Y: 11.0)

Seals can be used to purchase Ventures, Cordial, Dark Matter, and other basic goodies that save Gil or help you make Gil.

Relic Weapon Junk

Much like old leveling gear, old Relic Weapons (the catchall term for evolving, endgame weapons with their own questlines in FFXIV) have had most of their requirements relegated to Poetics. Put simply: old Relic Weapon quests ask you to buy a bunch of junk. You buy that junk with Tomestones of Poetics. While this doesn’t have any gameplay benefit (the old Relic Weapons are way out of date in terms of Item Level), you do get some of the best Glamours in the game out of it. The weapons glow and stuff!

You can obviously buy things as the quests ask you to, but there’s no reason not to stock up ahead of time! Even if you’re not on the hunt for glam yet, you might be one day, and getting this out of the way will save you from needing to active farm Poetics. Most of these items can be purchased from Hismena in Idyllshire. The others can be found with Auriana in Revenant’s Toll.

Here’s the basic checklist (excluding quest items not purchased with Tomestones of Poetics):

10 Unidentifiable Bones
10 Unidentifiable Shells
10 Unidentifiable Ores
10 Unidentifiable Seeds
5 Aether Oils
60-80 Umbrite
60-80 Crystal Sand
50 Singing Clusters
15 Pneumite
1 Archaic Enchanted Ink
4 Thavnairian Scalepowder

The “Unidentifiable” items alone will set you back 6,000 Poetics. That’s three times more than you can hold at once, so saving up ahead of time is a great way to save time. Most players passively accrue Tomestones of Poetics as they play, so there’s little reason not to bank them before you reach the maximum of 2,000 and start overcapping.

Also know that the first 10 items in this checklist are part of the long, interconnected questline between the Level 50 and Level 60 Relic weapons. The last item on the list, Thavnairian Scalepowder, is used to acquire your first “Resistance Weapon” in Gangos. This is the start of its own questline, mostly tied to the Bozjan Southern Front and Zadnor zones past the Doman Enclave. Yet the principle is the same; you need 1,000 Tomestones of Poetics to get all four units of Thavnairian Scalepowder necessary to start.

Making More Money

I already mentioned in my “How to Make Gil” guide that Tomestones of Poetics can be converted into a decent amount of money. For the sake of completeness, though, I’ll include most of that information here as well. The basics remain the same. Not to mention part of this should be familiar if you read the section on acquiring leveling gear. We just need to head to Idyllshire.

The NPC Hismena, in Rowena’s Center for Cultural Promotion, doesn’t just give out Augmented Shire armor. She also sells Goblinol and Goblacquer for just 10 Poetics apiece. This is under a different section of her stock: the “Allagan Tomestones of Poetics (Other)” category. Either item can be sold to any junk vendor found throughout the world for a respectable 64 Gil. “Respectable” is relative here, of course. Most loot in FFXIV earns pennies when sold to NPC vendors. But this still adds up to 12,800 Gil per 2,000 Tomestones. Note that this is the best raw Gil exchange. In case you missed the memo, Demicrystal prices were nerfed.

Another way to profit is by picking up Grade 3 Topsoils for gardening players. Hismena sells both Unidentifiable Shell and Unidentifiable Ore (used in the Relic Weapon quests above). These can be exchanged, one-to-one, for Grade 3 Shroud Topsoil and Grade 3 Thanalan Topsoil, respectively. The NPC to her left, Bertana, will make the exchange.

Here’s the very basic breakdown:

Unidentifiable Shell (Hismena, Special Arms) → Grade 3 Shroud Topsoil (Bertana, Uncanny Knickknacks)
Unidentifiable Ore (Hismena, Special Arms) → Grade 3 Thanalan Topsoil (Bertana, Uncanny Knickknacks)

These items can only be purchased up to 13 at a time, for 1,950 Poetics in total. Topsoil prices on the Market Board vary, just like everything else, but we often see these two types hover around 1,000 Gil apiece. That’s roughly 13,000 Gil per full stack of Poetics for those keeping count. One nice thing is that Topsoils are consumable. Gardeners always need more of them to produce their (much more valuable) crops. They’re always in demand and prices sometimes shoot up even higher.

Mathematically, these need to sell for at least 961 Gil per Topsoil on the market to be more cost-effective than simply selling Goblinol and Goblacquer to a trash vendor. Even then you’re only making fractionally more. Remember that time is money in FFXIV. Time spent putting the item on the market, waiting for a buyer, and potentially fiddling with prices to avoid getting undercut is time you could spend doing something else to make Gil. Check the market and only purchase Topsoils when you can reliably sell for at least 1,000 Gil. Preferably more. Otherwise, the Goblinol or Goblacquer are more efficient. Especially if you sell them to the Doman Enclave. Instructions on how to unlock that feature can also be found in the Gil farming guide linked above.

Extra Goodies

Finally we come to the… random toys. Many of the NPCs mentioned above also sell Orchestrion Rolls, minions, and other miscellaneous cosmetics. Don’t expect to make a bundle selling these on the market. Most players who even know they exist, much less care about them, know where to get them for Tomestones of Poetics. They’re basically just for completing your collection. I’m a particular fan of the “Dust Bunny” minion sold by Auriana, myself, but everyone will have their preferences.

And that’s it for now! Remember that the FFXIV Poetics grind changes with the tides (or at least every expansion). These basics should serve you well for quite some time to come, however. Best of luck!

Grade 3 Carbonized Matter Overview

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