Here is what changed across the 7.4 cycle and what it means for crafters and gatherers in Dawntrail.
Cosmic Exploration is Final Fantasy XIV's cooperative progression system for Disciples of the Hand and Land, introduced in Patch 7.21 (April 22, 2025). The 7.4 cycle's biggest addition, Oizys, went live with Patch 7.41 on January 27, 2026. While combat players push through savage raids and ultimate challenges, crafters and gatherers travel to planetary zones and take on Stellar Missions via the in-zone Exotablet terminal. Completing missions feeds a server-wide initiative progress bar that develops the zone over time.
Three core loops run across every planet:
As of the 7.4 cycle, three planets are live: Sinus Ardorum (the Moon, Patch 7.21), Phaenna (Patch 7.31, September 2, 2025), and Oizys (Patch 7.41, January 27, 2026).
While Patch 7.4 "Into the Mist" (December 16, 2025) announced the Oizys content, the planet itself went live with Patch 7.41 on January 27, 2026. Oizys is visually striking: shattered floating rock formations and ruins of an unknown civilisation suspended in space. Unlock it by completing the quest "Mission of Gravity" at the NPC Searchingway on Phaenna (X:27.2, Y:13.8).
✏️ Tip: "Mission of Gravity" requires your Disciples of the Hand or Land job to be at least level 10 into the Cosmic Exploration progression chain. If the quest is greyed out, check your current crafting or gathering job progress on the Exotablet before looking elsewhere.
Oizys introduces Artifact Search, a layered reward loop exclusive to the new planet:
A Gold Ancient Record exchanges directly for the Cosmic Countenance mount. Gold Records are a low-probability appraisal outcome, but the loop is repeatable across weekly sessions. The mount is also available on the Market Board once supply builds up from other players clearing the content.
📌 Common mistake: Players skip the drone-deploy step and wonder why no scan points appear on the map. Deploy the drone at Kaede before searching for artifacts. The scan points do not appear without an active drone in the field.
The Cosmic Tools relic weapon progression extended with the 7.41 update. The item level cap rises from 750 to 765 across three enhancement steps beyond Phase 14. The upgrade material is Research Data earned through Stellar Missions, with no separate relic questline required beyond having Phase 14 tools already complete.
Fully enhanced Cosmic Tools carry a +35% regional credit bonus on top of job-specific bonuses to crafting stats or gathering yields.
✏️ Tip: Prioritise EX and EX+ Stellar Missions for Research Data over standard Class A runs. The EX tier gives roughly triple the Research Data per time spent, and the Consecutive Gold Star Bonus added in 7.41 rewards back-to-back completions on the same star. Stack runs on a single star rather than hopping between them.
Five mounts entered the reward pool with the Oizys launch, all tradable on the Market Board:
| Mount | Source |
|---|---|
| Cosmic Countenance | Gold Ancient Record via Artifact Search on Oizys |
| Alert Red Warp Loader | 20,000 Cosmocredits |
| Rapid-fab Vacuum Suit | 20,000 Cosmocredits |
| Cosmic Armored Weapon | 60 Oizys Token Booklets (EX+ Stellar Mission grind) |
| Volatile Gravity Vacuum Suit | Cosmic Fortune draws or Mech Ops pilot RNG |
The 7.41 minion is Droningway, obtainable through Cosmic Fortune draws or the Market Board. Cosmetics include the full Star Admiral's outfit, Holospecs and Holovisor facewear, the Powersuit set, nine furnishing items, and the "The Uncharted Road" orchestrion roll. Grade 11 and 12 crafter and gatherer materia round out the Cosmocredit vendor catalogue.
Players focused on mount collection can browse FFXIV mount options if grinding Cosmocredits or RNG drops feels like the longer route.
For crafter and gatherer mains — yes, without qualification. Cosmic Exploration is the only Dawntrail loop that upgrades your tools, pays out Grade 12 materia, and feeds a cosmetic catalogue unavailable anywhere else. The weekly time commitment is a single Red Alert window plus three to five EX Stellar Missions; the return scales with how aggressively you push into EX+.
For combat-first players, the calculus is different. Oizys requires no savage progression to access, but the Stellar Mission system rewards players who have levelled their Disciples of the Hand or Land. If your crafter jobs sit below level 100, the EX+ missions are blocked and the Artifact Search loop slows considerably. A short burst of gatherer levelling opens the full reward loop.
The Market Board is a valid exit for every reward in the 7.41 pool. All five mounts are tradable, so check prices a few weeks into the patch cycle when supply peaks and costs settle.
⚠️ Note: The Cosmic Armored Weapon at 60 Oizys Token Booklets is a multi-week commitment. Each EX+ Stellar Mission awards a fraction of one booklet, so expect 10 or more weeks of consistent clears before reaching 60. The Volatile Gravity Vacuum Suit depends on Cosmic Fortune RNG. For those two specific mounts, the Market Board is often the practical choice.
Cosmic Exploration launched in Patch 7.21 (April 22, 2025) with Sinus Ardorum. Phaenna followed in Patch 7.31 (September 2, 2025), and Oizys arrived in Patch 7.41 (January 27, 2026). The base Patch 7.4 "Into the Mist" (December 16, 2025) announced the Oizys content; the planet itself launched in the follow-up 7.41 patch.
Yes. Cosmic Exploration is exclusive to Disciples of the Hand and Land. Combat jobs cannot enter the planetary zones or accept Stellar Missions. Any DoH or DoL job at the appropriate level can participate, and the Cosmic Tools relic progression is job-specific.
Complete the Artifact Search loop on Oizys: earn dronebits via Stellar Missions, exchange them for drone modules at Kaede (X:17.3, Y:24.1), deploy a drone to reveal scan points, collect unappraised ancient records, and appraise them at Kaede for a chance at a Gold Ancient Record. The Gold Record exchanges directly for the Cosmic Countenance mount. It is also available on the Market Board.
The Cosmic Tools item level cap is 765 after three enhancement steps beyond Phase 14, up from 750. Research Data earned through Stellar Missions is the upgrade material.
All five mounts from the 7.41 reward pool are Market Board tradable: Cosmic Countenance, Alert Red Warp Loader, Rapid-fab Vacuum Suit, Cosmic Armored Weapon, and Volatile Gravity Vacuum Suit. Prices fluctuate by server and tend to drop over the first few weeks of a patch cycle as supply increases.
Cosmocredits are the primary zone-wide currency in Cosmic Exploration, shared across all three planets. They purchase mounts (Alert Red Warp Loader and Rapid-fab Vacuum Suit at 20,000 each), Grade 11 and 12 crafter and gatherer materia, cosmetic gear, and furnishings from the Cosmic Exploration vendor.
No. There is no weekly lockout on Stellar Missions or Mech Ops; they can be run as many times as you like. Red Alerts trigger on the zone's own schedule rather than a player-side lockout. Faux Hollows (a separate system) does have a weekly lockout; Cosmic Exploration does not.
Last reviewed 2026-05-29 against Patch 7.41 and Patch 7.5 "Trail to the Heavens". Maintained by WowCarry's FFXIV team.
