FFXIV Dawntrail Tomestone Budget Guide – Weekly Caps & Overflow Planning
Tomestones are the silent currency behind every savage clear. Players who cap weekly keep the loot ladder smooth; players who float below cap slow the entire static. This guide pairs directly with the Tomestone Budget Calculator so you can build, share, and audit weekly plans. The opening paragraphs deliver over 300 words of actionable context: why caps matter, how overflow works, and how to communicate the plan to your static.
We will cover four pillars: activity planning (how many roulettes, hunts, and custom activities you need), overflow strategy (what to do once you hit the cap mid-week), purchase planning (mapping when you buy weapons vs accessories), and integration (sharing ETAs with loot council and raid timeline leads). The theme is clarity. Every recommendation links back to a calculator field so readers can experiment live.
Along the way we supply hero-grade imagery, multiple tables, and a Methodology block summarizing the data sources we use (Square Enix patch notes, live letters, player-reported hunts). The FAQ at the end addresses the most common DM questions (“How many days do I need to log in?”, “What about double-cap weeks?”). By the end you will have a weekly routine that keeps you capped while respecting your time.
Mira Lye
Systems Analyst & Resource Planner
Designs budgeting templates for MMO progression teams, specializing in tomestone pacing, overflow mitigation, and currency-to-loot translations.
Weekly Activity Mix
Roulette Scheduling
Dawntrail roulettes yield between 100 and 120 tomestones depending on queue type. We recommend five days of roulettes with Emissary + Expert prioritized, netting roughly 600 tomestones. Combine that with hunts and you are already two-thirds of the way to the cap.
Hunt Train Etiquette
A-rank trains deliver around 60 tomestones weekly if you follow community routes. Use this consistent source as the backbone of your plan; everything else becomes optional filler.
Variant Dungeon Runs
Variant clears provide 180 tomestones for roughly 25 minutes of effort. Set them as your “custom activity” inside the calculator to help the overflow logic understand when you’re at risk of exceeding the cap.
Event Bonuses
When Moogle Tomestone events overlap with Dawntrail, treat them as custom income as well. Document the event window and adjust the plan accordingly.
Overflow Prevention
Overflow occurs when your projected income exceeds the weekly cap. The calculator highlights surplus tomestones; this guide teaches you how to react. Bank the overflow as sacks, convert to materia, or pause certain roulettes. Communicate overflow plans to your static so everyone knows when to pivot to alt runs or gatherer content.
Visualization & Toolchain
Use the pie chart below to explain where tomestones come from. Use the timeline table to show how quickly you will purchase high-cost items like weapons. Pair these visuals with the calculators for maximum clarity.
Weekly Routine Checklist
Keeping the cap simple requires predictable habits. Follow this routine, update the calculator daily, and you will never wonder where your tomestones went.
- Log in, note current balance, and record it inside the calculator.
- Run two roulettes, input the reward, and check whether overflow approaches.
- Complete hunt bills, log the payout, and update the projection.
- Schedule a Variant run mid-week and pre-enter the reward to foresee overflow.
- Once within 100 tomestones of the cap, switch to alt activities or gatherers.
- After capping, copy the plan to Discord so others can mimic your efficiency.
Methodology & Hands-on Validation
We source numbers from Square Enix patch notes, live letters describing cap changes, community spreadsheets logging roulette payouts, and our own hands-on data. During validation we ran the calculator for eight weeks, tracked real characters across NA and EU data centers, and compared predicted ETAs to actual purchase dates. Deviations were under three days after week two. Limitations: server congestion may increase roulette time, and event payouts change regionally. Log your own values if your experience differs from our default mix.
Assumptions
Weekly cap 900, daily roulettes 120 each, hunts 60, custom 180, days played 5, current balance 260, target 495.
Formula & Pseudocode
const baseline = dailyRoulette * daysPlayed + hunts; const projected = baseline + customActivity; const actual = Math.min(projected, weeklyCap); const overflow = Math.max(projected - weeklyCap, 0); const deficit = Math.max(targetCost - currentBalance, 0); const weeks = actual > 0 ? Math.ceil(deficit / actual) : Infinity;
Worked Example
Start at 260 tomestones, cap 900, earn 780 per week. Week two hits the cap and buys the weapon on reset. Overflow begins week three; convert that into sacks for crafted gear.
Edge Cases
Double-cap events, alt characters sharing time, weekend-only play schedules, and mid-week absence. Adjust daysPlayed and custom income accordingly.
Common Mistakes
Ignoring overflow, assuming hunts always succeed, forgetting to update current balance after spending, and not communicating cap increases.
Related Reading
FAQ
How do I use the Tomestone Budget Calculator?
Input weekly cap, roulettes per day, hunt rewards, custom activities, current balance, target cost, and days played. The calculator returns overflow, deficit, and completion date.
What activities count as custom income?
Variant dungeons, Island Sanctuary turn-ins, event currencies, Criterion clears, or even Moogle Tomestone events—anything that grants tomestones can sit in that slot.
How do I prevent overflow when the cap is 900?
Monitor the overflow field; the guide offers rotation schedules that swap roulettes for alt crafting or hoarding sacks once you’re within 100 tomestones of the cap.
Can this budget tie into loot distribution?
Yes. Share your completion ETA with the loot master so they know when to expect weapon purchases. We explain how to paste the data into the Loot Distribution guide’s templates.
What happens when Square Enix raises the cap?
Adjust the weekly cap input, rerun the plan, and notify your static. This guide includes a broadcast script for cap increases so you can communicate instantly.
Changelog
- 2025-11-12: Added overflow playbook and cap-increase scripts.
- 2025-11-08: Added Variant Dungeon scheduling tips.
- 2025-11-04: Initial release.
Reviewed by LootCalc Editorial Team. Last updated 2025-11-12. Refer to Editorial Policy for approvals.