The FFXIV Occult Crescent survey points play a central role in Dawntrail’s expansive Field Operation, the Occult Crescent. These glowing interactables are critical for progressing key quests, unlocking your Phantom Job system, and accessing the large-scale dungeon The Forked Tower: Blood. In this expert-level article, we’ll walk through where they are, why they matter, and how to best locate and activate every one of them for maximum efficiency.
1. Introduction to Occult Crescent and Survey Points
The Occult Crescent zone—introduced in patch 7.25—takes FFXIV into the realm of large-scale exploration akin to former content like Eureka and Bozja. One freshly added mechanic is the survey point, visible as faintly glowing markers not shown on the standard map unless involved in the relevant quest. Each must be activated to unlock entries in your Occult Record collection and to fulfill story quests that lead to advanced content
Survey points are essential steps in quests such as “A Ruined Land,” “Common Thread,” and especially “Past and Crescent.” Completing these is mandatory if you want to access The Forked Tower, the 48-player raid at the end of your Crescent journey. Without activating these survey points, your quest chain—and reward access—simply won’t progress, so paying attention to them is critical
If you’re exploring the Crescent for lore, completion, or relic upgrades, survey points act as both narrative triggers and mechanical unlocks. Though not the only collectible in the Occult Record (clears from FATEs and quest completions also fill it), knowing where to find every glowing node simplifies your questing and unlock path significantly.
2. Unlocking the Occult Crescent & Starting Early Survey Point Quests
Before even thinking about survey points, you need to unlock the Occult Crescent itself. Requirements include at least one combat job at level 100 and completion of the Dawntrail main story. Once that’s done, head to Tuliyollal and pick up the quest “One Last Hurrah” from the Expedition Messenger to begin
Once inside the Crescent, you’ll land at the Phantom Village and Base Camp in the South Horn subzone. Interact with NPCs like Ketenramm and Archive—they’ll guide you through early quests that unlock your first Occult Records and initial survey points. For example, Phantom Village (X:6.1, Y:4.9) is one of the earliest survey locations to activate and triggers story progression
These early quests also introduce Phantom Jobs, your new optional hotbar-based mechanics that layer on abilities for survival and utility within the Crescent. Knowing where those initial survey points are—not just to activate them, but also to reinforce learning the new zone—is your first step toward mastery.
3. Complete List of Survey Points & Exact Locations
Polygon and other FFXIV guides have consolidated all necessary survey point locations in the South Horn. Here’s the full list tied to major quests:
Quests: A Ruined Land, Common Thread, Past and Crescent:
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Phantom Village Survey Point (6.1, 4.9)
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Expedition Base Camp Survey Point (38.5, 7.6)
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Lost Citadel Survey Point (31.2, 16.9)
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Vanishing Slope Survey Point (20.3, 12.3)
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Heathcliff Survey Point (23.3, 21.6)
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Fell Warren Survey Point (10.6, 22.4)
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Shadowed City Survey Point (24.3, 32.7)
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Eldergrowth Survey Point (18.6, 33.8)
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Abandoned Ascent Survey Point (15.6, 29.4)
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Silent Streets Survey Point (36.3, 33.8)
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Ancient Stoneworks Survey Point (36.1, 22.6)
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Wanderer’s Haven Survey Point (4.0, 5.9)
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The Brazier Survey Point (8.1, 35.7)
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Secluded Stacks Survey Point (Forked Towers dungeon)
There’s also a hidden survey point in the Phantom Village—up a western staircase—that isn’t shown on maps and often overlooked. Make sure you navigate that area thoroughly before moving on.
Activating each point will log the record and allow quest progression. Missing even one can halt your path to unlocking the dungeon, so plan systematically and cross-reference locations as you explore.
4. Why Survey Points Matter: Quests, Lore & Dungeon Unlocks
Activating survey points does more than just check boxes—they unlock deeper layers of the Zone’s story. Each point reveals entries in your Occult Record, giving you historical context about the Crescent, characters like Ketenramm and the Archive, and the lore of the Phantom Village
Survey points are also tied to progression quests like “Past and Crescent”. Once you’ve activated all required nodes and completed certain narrative tasks, the quest concludes by awarding the item needed to access The Forked Tower: Blood—a 48-player instance with unique loot and further relic progression
Without activating the necessary survey points, you cannot progress these quests, and you cannot participate in the dungeon. This makes survey point location and activation one of the most essential milestones for players aiming to complete the Crescent experience and move forward in Dawntrail’s meta goals.
5. Locating Survey Points Efficiently: Tips & Best Practices
Finding survey points can feel tricky because they don’t appear on your minimap unless quest highlighted, and their glow can be subtle in dense terrain. Here’s how to navigate efficiently:
a) Unlock Aetheryte-like Teleports First
Once in South Horn, unlock all teleport shards scattered around—even those unrelated to your quest. These let you quickly circle back to discovered survey points and maximize your coverage. Since unlocking them requires no Knowledge Rank, prioritize gathering these early
b) Follow Quest Markers, But Search Nearby
Quests often point roughly toward clusters of survey points, but not exact locations. When you arrive, scan the area for subtle sparkles or glowing stones—they’re often near ruins, paths, or hidden steps. Don’t forget the western stairs in Phantom Village for the hidden point
c) Use Online Maps or Guide Tools
Tools like EorzeaWorld’s interactive maps or forays.info highlight survey locations alongside FATEs and encounter spots. These visual aids help guarantee you don’t miss any coordinates. They’re especially helpful for mapping dense patterns around centers like Shadowed City or Eldergrowth
Bringing a checklist of coordinates and ticking them off as you go significantly reduces backtracking. If you notice the same locale has already triggered a glowing marker, it’s safe to move on.
6. Survey Points & Expedition Strategy: Combining with FATEs & Chains
Once you start activating survey points, it’s wise to combine this route with other core Crescent activities for efficient progression:
FATEs & Critical Encounters
Participating in routine FATEs often triggers Critical Encounters, high-reward battles that grant tons of Knowledge EXP and sometimes rare items like Phantom Job unlocks or tokens (e.g. Demiatmas). Align these spawn areas with survey point hunting to kill two birds with one stone
Knowledge XP Chains and Gold Farming
When you chain kill mobs near Survey points, you level your Knowledge Rank faster, unlock Phantom Jobs, and build gold currency—all while activating lore nodes. This makes for efficient farming loops before finally finishing the quest “Past and Crescent.”
Party Synergy & Reviving
Since death costs you knowledge XP after rank 5, traveling in groups ensures fewer returns to base. If a player dies, ask for a raise rather than returning manually—this preserves your progress and keeps survey point momentum going
7. Survey Points and Phantom Job Unlocks
Activating survey points early ensures you proceed quickly to Phantom Job unlock quests like “The Ancient Arts of War,” which are keyed to these records. Each record or survey point unlock may open a new Phantom Job at exp costs or encounter drops
For example, reaching the Lost Citadel survey point ties into unlocking Phantom Knight, and other specific points may be tied to later jobs like Monk or Chemist. Missing survey points slows this progression and delays your ability to use job-specific tools in critical fights.
Since these jobs significantly improve survivability and damage output, maximizing your Phantom hotbar early gives you an easier time in high-level FATEs and dungeon content later on.
8. After Survey Points: Accessing The Forked Tower
Once you’ve activated all required survey points and completed key story tasks like the “Past and Crescent” quest, you’ll earn access to the 48-player dungeon The Forked Tower: Blood. The final survey point (Secluded Stacks) appears within the Tower during the instance, rounding out the Occult Record
This dungeon offers relic weapon upgrades via Demiatma drops, rare cosmetics, and high-end gear useful both within Crescent and beyond. It’s the capstone of the zone—a reward and challenge wrapped in one. Without survey point completion, you simply can’t start it, so your early mapping work pays off directly.
9. Troubleshooting Common Survey Point Issues
Even with detailed coordinates, players may run into hiccups. Here’s how to resolve them:
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Survey point doesn’t activate? Make sure you’re on the correct quest step—check your journal and reload the location to trigger the sparkle.
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Invisible survey point or missing node? Phantom Village stair point is easily missed—walk the stairs and interact manually even if no glow is obvious.
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Repeated activations not logging? Try re-logging or zoning back in—sometimes the Occult Record fails to update immediately.
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Quest won’t complete despite activating all points? Some story checkpoints require defeating a specific Critical Encounter after activating the survey nodes. Confirm the FATE/CE is done before returning to Base Camp
10. Expert Tips to Master Survey Points & Crescent Progression
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Prioritize unlocking all teleport nodes first, then follow a path grouping survey points with familiar FATE spawns.
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Join or form knowledge chains to accelerate rank progress near survey zones, making travel easier and leveling faster.
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Swap Phantom Jobs between areas depending on content: e.g., Bard for buffs during FATE trains, Knight or Monk for CE fights.
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Use community maps or in-game pin tools to chart which survey points you’ve completed—seems small, but prevents wasted detours!
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Engage group play—revives preserve XP, and parties help locate hidden survey spots more quickly.
Conclusion: Why Survey Points Elevate the Crescent Experience
The FFXIV Occult Crescent survey points may seem like small glowing markers, but they’re the backbone of Crescents’s narrative flow, Phantom Job unlocking, and dungeon eligibility. Skipping even one can block your quest chain, delay access to The Forked Tower, and hold back relic progression.
By combining methodical exploration, helpful community tools, teleport unlocking, and chain-killing tactics, you can clear every survey node with minimal fuss—or deaths. Treat survey point hunting as a strategic activity, tied closely with FATEs, knowledge leveling, and Phantom Job deployment.
With this guide in hand, you’ll not only complete the required quest objectives—you’ll enjoy a smoother, smarter journey through patch 7.25’s most expansive field operation yet. Good luck, adventurer—may your surveys be swift and your knowledge ranks climb fast!
