FFXIV: How to unlock facewear

How to get your hands on some fancy specs

Square Enix/GLHF

FFXIV facewear is finally a thing in the Dawntrail expansion, so you can customize your character’s eye glam independently of helmets in the MMO game. In typical FFXIV fashion, though, the process of actually getting the gear you need to get started is a bit vague. Despite a system message popping up and saying you have to unlock the feature, the process is straightforward and involves no questing at all.

Our FFXIV facewear guide explains how to unlock facewear and where to get some, if you don’t have any on you already.

If you’re looking to dive into more new Dawntrail challenges, check out our guides for how to unlock Viper and how to unlock Pictomancer.

FFXIV: How to unlock facewear

So close, but still unreachable / Square Enix/GLHF

Facewear is technically unlocked as soon as you download Dawntrail or the base game update that released alongside Dawntrail. The facewear cosmetic feature applies to all expansions, so you can use it even if you don't have Dawntrail.

Open your character menu as if you were going to equip something, and you'll see the "facewear" slot below the feet slot. If you click on it, a system message pops up and says you haven't unlocked facewear yet. You'll need one piece of facewear for the game to unlock this cosmetic option.

FFXIV facewear vendor locations

You can convert some Endwalker items into facewear at a Calamity Salvager - there's one in Limsa Lominsa, New Gridania, and Ul'dah - or purchase fancier facewear from the Golden Saucer. The least expensive option at the Saucer costs 30,000 MGP, but there's another, easier-to-obtain option if you don't mind starting with something basic.

Each of the three starting city-states has a vendor who deals in race-specific gear and other miscellaneous goods, including basic facewear. You're looking for:

Black Rabbit Traders: New Gridania (x11.5, y11.2, north of the Aetheryte)

Tucked away in a corner just off the Aetheryte Plaza / Square Enix/GLHF

Brugaire Consortium: Limsa Lominsa (x9.9, y11.4, right next to the Aetheryte)

A quest marker might be obscuring this vendor location on your map / Square Enix/GLHF

Independent Importer: Ul'dah (x10.5, y9.5 Ruby Road Exchange just up the steps from the main street)

Easy to miss, just sitting here in his stall in the shadows / Square Enix/GLHF

Each offers Simple Spectacles and Simple Monocle for 3,000 gil apiece. What you purchase will first end up in your inventory, so open that menu, select the facewear, and choose "use" to properly unlock facewear. You'll also have to "use" other facewear items to register them as equippable.

FFXIV: How to equip facewear

Free dye job / Square Enix/GLHF

Once that's done, you can equip facewear almost like any other item. Select the facewear slot to open your armory chest, where all activated facewear items live, and pick the one you want to open the equip menu. Here, you can select a color - basic ones, such as red, white, green, and so on - for your facewear, and then you can finally wear it.

Despite the facewear slot showing up in your equipment screen, facewear is only cosmetic. You gain no attributes from wearing it, and facewear gear has no item level.

If you're just getting started in Square Enix's massive RPG, head over to our FFXIV beginner's guide for some tips and make sure to get your mount as soon as you can.