FFXIV Patch 7.5 Raid Guide: Windurst, Savage, and Ultimate

Square Enix revealed Final Fantasy XIV Patch 7.5, Trail to the Heavens, on March 13, 2026, during the 91st Letter from the Producer LIVE broadcast, and released it on April 28, 2026. It opened the final patch series of the Dawntrail expansion, and the follow-up 7.5x updates rolled out through October. With the next expansion, Evercold, now dated for February 23, 2027, this guide covers everything the 7.5 series added for raiders and where Dawntrail’s high-end content stands as of November 2026.

The Patch 7.5x Release Schedule

Patch	Released	Content for raiders
7.5	April 28, 2026	Windurst: The Third Walk (alliance raid), The Unmaking (Normal and Extreme trial), the Clyteum (dungeon), Shinryu’s Domain (Unreal)
7.51	June 2, 2026	Dancing Mad (Ultimate)
7.55	July 28, 2026	Occult Crescent: North Horn, conclusion of the Phantom Weapons quests
7.56	September 8, 2026	Beastmaster limited job; weekly restrictions removed and the Echo enabled in AAC Heavyweight (Savage)
7.57	October 13, 2026	Same-region matchmaking on Japanese data centers; adjustments to the Crucible of the Unbroken

Echoes of Vana’diel Part 3: Windurst: The Third Walk

Square Enix billed Windurst: The Third Walk as the final installment of the Echoes of Vana’diel alliance raid series, which draws on Final Fantasy XI. Alliance raids are FFXIV’s large-format raids: you can enter as a party of eight or as a full alliance of 24 players. According to the 7.5 notes, Windurst requires level 100 and an average item level of 755, with a 120-minute time limit. Patch 7.56 added it to the Alliance Raid duty roulette.

For a first visit, Windurst is a useful introduction to large-group mechanics through matchmaking. Read the unlock and item-level requirements first, then tell the party you are new. Keep enough time for the full duty rather than treating its 120-minute entry limit as an expected clear time.

The Unmaking and Other Patch 7.5 Duties

Patch 7.5 also added a new trial, The Unmaking, which the press release describes as a fight against Enuo in Normal and Extreme modes. The Normal version is an eight-player duty with an average item level requirement of 755. The Extreme version can only be accessed through the Raid Finder, and as with other Raid Finder duties, item level restrictions and role requirements do not apply when you register as a full party.

Two other additions matter for raiders gearing alts or catching up: the Clyteum, a four-player dungeon (average item level 750) that can be run with Trust or Duty Support NPCs, and Shinryu’s Domain (Unreal), which brings the Stormblood fight up to level 100.

Dancing Mad (Ultimate)

Patch 7.51 arrived on June 2, 2026, with Dancing Mad (Ultimate), which Square Enix calls the seventh installment of the Ultimate raid series. The duty is framed as the Wandering Minstrel’s retelling of the tale of “a phantasmal harlequin.” According to the 7.51 notes:

• It is an eight-player duty for level 100 Disciples of War or Magic, with a 120-minute time limit
• It is unlocked by speaking with the Wandering Minstrel in Tuliyollal after clearing AAC Heavyweight M4 (Savage)
• It can only be entered through the Raid Finder by a party of eight who have all cleared AAC Heavyweight M4 (Savage)
• Clearing it earns a separate reward once per week, exchangeable for Palazzo Diamond weapons

Square Enix has continued to adjust it; patch 7.55, for example, made the elemental icons in the Celestriad mechanic larger and moved them higher for visibility.

Dancing Mad follows Futures Rewritten (Ultimate), Dawntrail’s first Ultimate. RPG Site’s review of that fight argued that it dialed the difficulty back after Dragonsong’s Reprise and The Omega Protocol, which it described as the hardest Ultimate fights at their release, and called that the right call for the health of the raid scene at the time. The same review notes that clearing an Ultimate brings essentially no loot advantage, so the motivation is the challenge itself.

AAC Heavyweight (Savage): Current Tier Status

The current Savage tier is AAC Heavyweight, the third and final Arcadion tier of Dawntrail. The normal-mode raid, Arcadion: Heavyweight Division, launched with patch 7.4 (Into the Mist) on December 16, 2025, but the Savage version did not unlock until Tuesday, January 6, 2026, a longer gap than for previous tiers. The 7.4 notes list an average item level of 770 to enter the third and fourth floors. Savage coffers contain item level 790 gear, and the fourth floor drops item level 795 weapons.

The tier has since become much easier to catch up on:

• Patch 7.5 removed the weekly restriction on rewards in the normal-mode Arcadion: Heavyweight Division (except the Heavy Holoblade from the fourth fight) and cut the Heavy Holoblades needed for a Universal Tomestone from 7 to 4.
• Patch 7.56 removed the weekly restrictions on AAC Heavyweight (Savage). Treasure coffers now always appear with no reduction for players who already cleared, there is no weekly entry restriction, and players can go straight to any floor. It also granted the Echo, which raises maximum HP, damage dealt and healing potency by 12 percent. Square Enix said it made the Echo stronger than usual because Savage launched later after its patch than previous tiers did.

The removed weekly limits and active Echo make this a useful time to learn or revisit the tier. Clearing M4 (Savage) also satisfies the raid-clear prerequisite for Dancing Mad.

Beastmaster and the Crucible of the Unbroken

Beastmaster, Dawntrail’s limited job, arrived in patch 7.56 rather than 7.5, together with its exclusive duty, the Crucible of the Unbroken. You need to complete the main scenario quest “The Ultimate Weapon” first. Limited jobs follow their own rules: the 7.5 notes changed certain quests to exclude limited jobs and list the quest types a limited job can progress. It is a separate progression path rather than a raid job; the Crucible has its own ranking seasons on the Lodestone.

How to Approach FFXIV Raiding Now

Catch up on Heavyweight Savage. With the weekly limits gone and the Echo active, a Party Finder group can clear floors that were demanding at launch, and coffers now appear on every clear.

Use Windurst for a level-100 catch-up route. Meet its item-level and quest requirements, then queue for the duty. Alliance Raid roulette can also serve eligible leveling jobs, with the duties available to that job’s level and unlocks.

Decide whether Dancing Mad is your goal. It requires every party member to have cleared M4 (Savage), a fixed group of eight, and a schedule that suits long progression sessions; each entry has a 120-minute time limit.

Stay within the rules. Producer Naoki Yoshida has stated that third-party tools are prohibited by the FINAL FANTASY XIV User Agreement, so build your raid knowledge from the in-game tools and official resources.

Plan around Evercold’s release. The expansion launches February 23, 2027, with preorder early access scheduled for February 19. Use that calendar to agree on the remaining Dawntrail goals: a first Savage clear, a completed gear set, or a dedicated Ultimate progression schedule.

For general preparation that applies in any game, see our raid night prep checklist, the tank, healer and DPS guide and the MMO raiding guide. To compare FFXIV with other games, read our best MMOs for raiding.

Patch details are from Square Enix’s official patch notes and announcements as of November 1, 2026.

Sources

1. Square Enix Press — Final Fantasy XIV Patch 7.5: Trail to the Heavens Revealed for April 28 Release — reveal date and 7.5x content list
2. FINAL FANTASY XIV — Patch 7.5 Notes — Windurst, The Unmaking, the Clyteum, Heavyweight Division changes, 7.5x schedule
3. FINAL FANTASY XIV — Patch 7.51 Notes — Dancing Mad (Ultimate)
4. FINAL FANTASY XIV — Patch 7.55 Notes — Occult Crescent: North Horn, Dancing Mad adjustments
5. FINAL FANTASY XIV — Patch 7.56 Notes — Beastmaster, Savage restrictions removed, the Echo
6. FINAL FANTASY XIV — Patch 7.57 Notes
7. FINAL FANTASY XIV — Patch 7.4 Notes — AAC Heavyweight Tier, Savage unlock date and rewards
8. FINAL FANTASY XIV — Patch Notes and Special Sites — full patch list
9. FINAL FANTASY XIV — Evercold Releases February 23, 2027
10. Square Enix forums — Naoki Yoshida: Regarding the Use of Third-Party Programs and Player Safety
11. RPG Site — Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail’s Futures Rewritten Ultimate Raid Was What the Raid Scene Needed, for Now — opinion on Futures Rewritten’s difficulty