I’ve run Wondrous Tails for years and I’ll be direct: it’s a weekly lottery that rewards you for playing across Final Fantasy XIV’s content. Honestly, I prefer it to many other weeklies because it pushes you back into content you might’ve forgotten and can hand you mounts you can’t get anywhere else. In my experience, that mix of nostalgia and risk is what keeps people coming back.
What is it? You get a journal each week with nine tasks. Complete a task and you earn a sticker placed randomly on a 4×4 board. Form full lines of four stickers horizontally, vertically, or diagonally to claim prizes. You can reshuffle sticker positions twice per journal. That’s the mechanic. Simple to explain, tricky to master.
How to start
Talk to Khloe Aliapoh in Idyllshire (X:7.0, Y:6.0). Requirements (as of 2025): level 60 on any combat job and the Heavensward MSQ completed. This doesn’t always work the same for every account if SE changes requirements, but that’s the current unlock.
Pay attention during the initial talk — she runs a short tutorial and gives tips about easier tasks. I’ve noticed many players skip that and then wonder why they miss simple lines later.
Why it’s useful (and what to watch for)
Wondrous Tails keeps old content relevant and hands out MGP, mounts, minions, and materials. Why follow a schedule? Because consistency stacks value: doing a modest journal every week beats sporadic perfect runs over months. That said, there are exceptions—if you only play once a month, chasing the three-line mount might not make sense for you.
Controversial take: it favors players with time to grind and groups who coordinate. Some say it’s unfair to casuals, and I’ll admit—there’s truth there. Another debatable point: obsessive use of shuffles sometimes feels more luck than strategy. You’ll see both sides.
Activity types and time
| Type | Examples | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Roulettes | Leveling, MSQ, Alliance | 15–45 min |
| Specific Dungeons | Any expansion dungeon | 15–30 min |
| Trials | Normal Primals | 5–20 min |
| Extreme/Savage | Current tier fights | 30–90 min |
| PvP/Alliance | Frontlines, raids | 10–60 min |
Tip: you can sometimes double-up progress. For example, running a specific dungeon through Leveling Roulette can clear both tasks at once (if both tasks exist). Watch this: it saves time and reduces RNG exposure.
“Prioritize easy roulettes early, then use shuffles later if you need to optimize.” — my weekly SOP
Grid, probability, and shuffles
Grid basics: 16 spots, 9 stickers. Random placement. Aim: make lines. You get two shuffles per journal. Use them carefully—shuffling when you already have a promising line can backfire!
4Ă—4 positions:
1 2 3 4
5 6 7 8
9 10 11 12
13 14 15 16
Diagonals: 1-6-11-16, 4-7-10-13
Unexpected insight: sometimes leaving a sticker uncompleted early lets later stickers fall into place for a three-line. Sounds odd, but I’ve pulled a three-line by postponing a short task. There are exceptions, though—this trick won’t work every week.
Rewards and chances
| Lines | Typical reward | Chance |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Line | MGP, consumables | Common |
| 2 Lines | Minions, higher MGP | Uncommon |
| 3 Lines | Exclusive mounts/minions | ~1–2% |
Practical why: knowing prize rotation matters because some weeks are worth more effort (rare mounts drop rarely, so plan accordingly). If you want the top-tier reward, you must accept heavy RNG and time investment. Want it? Then plan with friends.
Weekly schedule and a practical plan
Reset: Tuesday maintenance at 01:00 AM PDT (08:00 UTC). Mark it. Set goals for the week.
- Tuesday: collect journal, run easy roulettes.
- Midweek: tackle dungeons and trials (short runs).
- Weekend: coordinate for Extremes/Savages with friends/FC.
- Monday night: decide on final shuffles and turn-in.
Community coordination matters. I’ve found a small Free Company group raises your three-line odds dramatically. To be fair, solo players can still get lucky—just expect more runs.
Final practical tips (fast)
- Complete easy tasks first to lock stickers quickly.
- Save at least one shuffle for late-week decisions.
- Track which activities spawn often for you—patterns appear if you pay attention.
- Don’t let perfect optimization ruin your fun. Seriously.
One last note: if you chase only the highest rewards, Wondrous Tails can feel punishing. But if you treat it like a weekly scavenger hunt (a bit like collecting stamps), it becomes fun again. Between us, I still get a thrill when stickers line up—don’t you?
—Marin (she/her)
