FFXIV Zodiac Weapon Guide & FAQ

How to get your ZODIAC WEAPON. Atma Locations, Books, Atma & Animus Stats!

This page is now outdated, please go to our Consolidated Relic Guide.

This looks to be one long and grindy quest to “improve” on our old relic!

How do i Start my Zodiac Weapon Quest!?
The quest starts at Hyrstmill near Fallgourd Float – You need your Zenith Relic first. If you have your zenith, chances are you know who Gerolt is. You must have your Zenith equipped for you to begin the quest…

Navigation (By Step):
1. Fates & Atmas | 2. Upgrading | 3. Animus Weapon | 4. Novus

Zodiac Weapon Step 1 – FATES & Atmas!

Yup, this really sucks, but we need to FATE grind! There are 12 “Atmas” you need to farm, from FATES, in certain maps. These are dropped by ANY FATE IN THAT MAP (chance).

Atma Fate Locations:

AtmaLocation
Atma of the MAIDENCentral Shroud
Atma of the SCORPIONSouthern Thanalan
Atma of the WATER BEARERUpper La Noscea
Atma of the GOATEast Shroud
Atma of the BULLEastern Thanalan
Atma of the RAMMiddle La Noscea
Atma of the TWINSWestern Thanalan
Atma of the LIONOuter La Noscea
Atma of the FISHLower La Noscea
Atma of the ARCHERNorth Shroud
Atma of the SCALESCentral Thanalan
Atma of the CRABWestern La Noscea

 

Do I have to be my class to get Atmas? NO! But you must be wearing any Zenith. The Atmas you farm can then be used for another class if you wish!

How do I know if I’ve gotten an Atma!? You can’t miss it (see below)

ffxiv zodiac weapon acquisition interface

This page is now outdated, please go to our Consolidated Relic Guide.

Zodiac Weapon Step 2 – Upgrading!

The first person in our guild who got an Atma Weapon is a Bard (Rylai Ariamis), so we’re going to use Artemis Bow Atma as our example.

You can buy 9 books (3-3-2-1 kinds). Each book upgrades a certain stat. Each book costs 1500 tomestones of Mythology (!!).

zenith weapon books

There’s no customization involved here, just different ways to get to the final product. Each book required different stuff for it to “activate”. The interface is pretty cool

ffxiv zodiac weapon upgrade interface

But after that it just sinks in that you’re in for a grind, lol. After all nine books are purchased and “activated”, we assume the next step:

Zodiac Weapon Step 3 – Animus

After upgrading it to maximum, we assume at this point it will “turn in to” your Animus weapon. Here’s a chart of the upgrades from Atma -> Animus.

The total cost would be 13500 Tomestones.

Atma WeaponAnimus Weapon
PLDCurtana AtmaCurtana Animus
Holy Shield AtmaHoly Shield Animus
WARBravura AtmaBravura Animus
WHMThyrus AtmaThyrus Animus
SCHOmnilex AtmaOmnilex Animus
MNKSphairai AtmaSphairai Animus
DRGGae Bolg AtmaGae Bold Animus
SMNWiyu AtmaWiyu Animus
BLMStardust Rod AtmaStardust Rod Animus
BRDArtemis Bow AtmaArtemis Bow Animus

The next step is upgrading your weapon to Novus!

Novus Weapon Upgrading

This page is now outdated, please go to our Consolidated Relic Guide.

After your Animus is complete – the next step is to upgrade it to the Novus Weapon. How is this done? You get a Novus Scroll that you meld materia onto. We have some questions about these scrolls..

  • Are all scrolls the same per class?
  • Are scrolls materia requirements completely random?

Please chime in on the comments!

Navigation (By Step):
1. Fates & Atmas | 2. Upgrading | 3. Animus Weapon | 4. Novus

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FFXIV Lost City of Amdapor Guide

Diablos doors messing you up, ey? With our Lost City of Amdapor Guide, you won’t get shouted at in DF! Includes boss strategy and loot list!

Whoever said capping Soldiery ain’t easy – didn’t read this Lost City of Amdapor Guide!

Basics | (B1)Decaying Gourmand | (B2)Arioch | (B3)Diablos | Lost City of Amdapor Loot List

Basics

LCOA can be unlocked with the quest that starts in Mor Dhona.

Special Trash Mobs

Mold Colony / Tainted Mold / Hecteyes – this trio can often be found before first boss.

  • Mold Colony Should die first, but Tank should hold aggro on Hecteyes in the meantime.
  • Tainted Mold can be killed with any one attack. The do AoE poison so just let ranged/healer do it.
  • Finally, any Hecteyes Remaining should be killed

Baalzephon – Spawns with a pack of “Dirty Eye” and “White Magestone”. There is often confusion about what to do here..

  • Kill Dirty Eyes first. They do some damage so pile them up and AoE them down.
  • White Magestone should be killed second, since it heals Baalzephon. (These guys do no damage)
  • Baalzephon should be killed when it’s the last thing remaining.

(Special Trash Mob – Mold Colony – spawns in the area before first boss)

Boss 1 – Decaying Gourmand

Affectionately known to us as “Advanced Gobbue”. This guy is pretty basic, but you have a few mechanics to look out for.

Prey – His main mechanic. A link will appear to a random non-tank raid member. After a few seconds the target will be eaten. Simply kill the “Voracious Maw” that spawns shortly after (Kind of like Titans Heart). The consumed party member will take heavy damage, so free them quick! After

He has various skills that give Poison. Just esuna/leeches them away.

Decaying Gourmand also leaves dangerous Pollen on the ground that you should just avoid.

Overall, a pretty easy boss, shouldn’t give you much trouble!

 

Boss 2 – Arioch

The boss begins quite differently: You cannot target it. There are adds (Ranch Wamoura), when killed give a debuff that “attracts” the boss to you. Which is pretty much the main mechanic of this fight. Ideally, the tank should be the only target of the debuff. Party should just move away before the Ranch Wamoura dies! If you’re not a tank, but the boss

The debuff is called Scale Flakes, and will attract the boss to you for 45 seconds. It has no aggro table, so stuff like provoke will not work. If you’re a non-tank, but attract the boss, it’s not the end of the world. His damage isn’t too big, but make sure to use some defensive abilities. Take note that while Arioch has no target, it will heal quickly.

His abilities aren’t too special or hurt too much. He leaves a growing ground AoE that should be avoided. Aside from that, nothing much.

(Special Trash Mob – Baalzephon – spawns in the area between Arioch and the next boss…)

Boss 3 – Diablos

Ahh, I foresee alot of frustration with PUGs here…

Ruinous Omen – A massive nuke that can be avoided doing the doors correctly.

Diablos Main Mechanic – Diabolical Gate (AKA Doors)
These doors appear right at the start, but wont have any significance till later. There are 4 types of doors

  • Green “Butterfly”
  • Red “Ahriman”
  • Yellow “Lion”
  • Blue “Gobbue”

Opening two of the same kind during Ruinous Omen channel makes your party avoid it!

His other abilities aren’t that noteworthy.

Graviball leaves a sphere on the ground which you should avoid.
Nightmare is a mapwide Sleep.
Ultimate Terror never really came out, we just kept stunning that one… (Will do this for science later)

All his channeled skills can be interrupted (except Ruinous Omen).

Lost City of Amdapor Loot List

Like most dungeons in this tier, alot of chests drop 2.1 Crafting Materials – stuff like Coke & Peacock Ore.

Lost City of Amdapor also drops Darklight Accessories (Neck, Ear, Wrist, Ring)(i7o) for all classes.

Found some loot we didn’t? Want something to add? Hit the comments below!

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Amaljaa Beast Tribe Guide (+Vendor Items)

All you need to know about the Amaljaa Beast Tribe Quests! What items you can get, tips on quests and more!

The Amal’jaa are one of the beast tribes you can gain reputation with in FFXIV:ARR. Their home (and Beastmen Daily questing hub) is located in Southern Thanalan, (Coordinates: 23,14). The nearest Aetheryte is Little Ala’Mhigo.

Amaljaa Vendor Item List

ItemPriceReputation
Bronze Rivets13Neutral
Bronze Plate32Neutral
Iron Ingot68Neutral
Iron Rivets73Neutral
Iron Plate157Neutral
Steel Ingot258Neutral
Steel Rivets313Neutral
Steel Plate610Neutral
Steel Rings389Neutral
Mythril Ingot514Neutral
Mythril Rivets583Neutral
Mythril Rings617Neutral
---
Coeurl Yellow Dye216Recognized
Seafog Blue Dye216Recognized
Raptor Blue Dye216Recognized
---
Raisin Brown Dye334Friendly
Peacock Blue Dye334Friendly
Currant Purple Dye334Friendly
---
Wind-up Amalj'aa25000Trusted
Drake Horn120000Trusted
Amalj'aa Supply Carriage26136Trusted
Amalj'aa Pavise Shield21780Trusted

 

Picture of Amaljaa items

The mount and minion are the “key” rewards for beast tribes in patch 2.1. If you need help deciding what to focus on first – here’s a picture of the Amaljaa Drake mount, and Wind-up Amaljaa Minion!

amaljaa drake mount wind up amaljaa minion vendor rewards items

Check out the Other Beast Tribes
Amal’jaa | Sylph | ???

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Sylph Beast Tribe Guide (+Vendor Items)

 

The Sylph are one of the beast tribes you can gain reputation with in FFXIV:ARR. Their home (and Beastmen Daily questing hub) is located in East Shroud, (Coordinates: 22,26). The nearest Aetheryte is Hawthorne Hut.

Sylph Vendor Items List

ItemPriceReputation
Straw9Neutral
Cotton Yarn22Neutral
Undyed Cotton Cloth52Neutral
Undyed Velveteen169Neutral
Linen Yarn186Neutral
Undyed Linen411Neutral
Sylphic Silk693Neutral
Crow Feather21Neutral
Wildfowl Feather259Neutral
---
Aldgoat Brown216Recognized
Shale Brown216Recognized
Lime Green Dye216Recognized
Marsh Green Dye216Recognized
---
Qiqirn Brown Dye334Friendly
Acorn Brown Dye334Friendly
Cactuar Green334Friendly
Turquoise Green334Friendly
---
Wind-up Sylph25000Trusted
Laurel Goobbue Horn120000Trusted
Sylphic Lamp Tree26136Trusted
Sylphic Lamppost21780Trusted

 

Picture of Sylph items

The mount and minion are the “key” rewards for beast tribes in patch 2.1. If you need help deciding what to focus on first – here’s a picture of the Sylph Gobbue mount, and Wind-up Sylph Minion!

sylph gobbue mount wind up sylph minion vendor rewards items

Check out the Other Beast Tribes
Amal’jaa Sylph | ???

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FFXIV Turn 4 Strategy Guide (Elevator Gauntlet)

“I’m tired of these @#$% Robots, in this @#$% Elevator!” How to beat BCoB Turn 4!

ffxiv elevator gauntlet turn 4 guide binding coils of bahamut

 

Welcome to our T4 strategy guide! BcoB Turn 4 doesn’t exactly have a “boss”, but instead SIX phases of varying combinations of ADDS, each with their own abilities! The challenges in this turn is familiarizing yourself with each phase, and positioning properly!

“I’m tired of these @#$% Robots, in this @#$% Elevator!”
– FFXIVGuild raid team 1, prior to first down.

Phase 1 – Spiders

turn 4 - phase 1turn 4 - key

The first thing you encounter here is called “Clockwork Bug“, but we will be calling them Spiders from here on! 6 Spiders spawn and do nothing until you pull them. The “timer” starts from the second you aggro the spiders.

Spider Abilities – Spiders don’t have any abilities themselves, but when they are near a Dreadnought, they will be “eaten”, granting the Dreadnought extra healing and presumably damage.

Just stack them all up in the middle and AoE them to death.

Phase 2 – Knights & Soldiers

turn 4 - phase 2 turn 4 - keySay hello to your new friends, the Clockwork Knight and Clockwork Soldier. Main and off-tank need to pull 1 pair each.

Knight Abilities – Does Headspin (small PBAoE). MAGIC DPS against the knight damages it’s caster.

Soldier Abilities – Does Headspin (small PBAoE). Has STONESKIN that blocks only Physical damage. This Stoneskin refreshes itself after a set amount of time upon breaking. Don’t let this happen!

Given the abilities of these guys, Physical DPS should focus on Knights first. Magic DPS focus on Soldiers.

Here’s the strategy we use: Physical DPS goes for the Knight of Tank 1. Magic DPS goes for the Soldier of Tank 2, then switch. Why? It’s much easier to manage aggro this way.

Help, we have an imbalance of DPS classes (Too much Magic, or too much Physical)!

It’s okay, just keep doing the recommendation above. The only thing you guys should consider is having the MT Add-free for the next phase. For example, if you have 1 Physical, have him kill the MT’s knight first, then the MDPS kill the OT’s Soldier. The MT’s Soldier should be dead by the time the first Dread spawns.

Phase 3 – Dreadnought + Spiders

turn 4 - phase 3 turn 4 - keyFor lesser geared teams, it’s normal to have 1 add still alive from the previous phase entering this one. Spiders will spawn on the far side of the room, and must be fed to the Dreadnought.

Dreadnought Abilities – Seemingly cleaves on every attack. Does Rotoswipe, a massive cleaving attack. These guys hit hard! For each Spider a Dreadnought consumes, it gains a significant HP Regen + increased damage.

This is the first “significant” DPS race in the game. The Dreadnaught, having eaten 4 Spiders, is pretty strong and regenerates health quickly. For lesser geared teams, using Stat Potions would be a good idea here. The Dreadnought MUST DIE in 1 minute. Otherwise, the Spiders that will spawn next phase will heal it, likely resulting in a wipe.

 

Phase 4 – Rooks + Spiders

turn 4 - phase 4 turn 4 - keyA new type of baddie appears in this phase. The Spinner Rook. 2 of these guys appear, along with 4 spiders.

Rook Abilities – Does Pox, a nasty frontal cone AoE, which reduces max HP and does a DoT. Don’t get hit by this!

Stack all EVERYTHING in the middle, enemies and allies, with only the tanks outside, so Pox has no risk of hitting anyone else. Tanks must dodge Pox by moving inside with everyone else, then moving back out once Pox is done casting.

Focus down the rooks first, then AoE the spiders down. These spiders must die before the next phase, or else the Dread that will spawn next phase will be tougher.

Depending on gear/group, using AoE magic Limit Break here is an option, but better saved for later on.

Phase 5 – Dreadnought + Knight & Soldier

turn 4 - phase 5 turn 4 - keyHave DPS kill the Knight and Soldier as fast as possible. When they die, start beating up the Dreadnought (We will call this guy Dreadought A). This phase is kind of quiet, and a lot of extra time can be had in preparation for the final phase, which will probably kick your butt the first few (many) times you see it.

 Phase 6 – Double Dreadnought + Knight & Soldier + Rook + Spiders

turn 4 - phase 6 turn 4 - keyAlso known as “EVERYTHING”. Have your MT pick up another dread (yep). and OT picks up everything else, except the Rook. Here’s a summary of what you need to do in this phase.

  • Kill Rook
  • Kill Dreadnought A
  • Feed Spiders to Dreadnought B
  • Kill Knight/Soldier
  • Kill Dreadnought B
  • After some time, the enrage timer activates, doing AoE damage to the entire raid.

Your first goal in this phase is Killing the Spinner Rook. Have any DPS tank this guy and just to to town on it. Some groups use Melee Limit-break here.

This phase sounds ridiculous when first getting through t4. “TWO DREADNOUGHTS” is just nuts. Having the tank survive this onslaught is key in this phase. Here’s what we do.

  • Tank Limit-break helps greatly here.
  • Have all defensive cooldowns up for this point. Line them up, don’t stack them up.
  • Don’t forget about healer cooldowns! Rouse, Divine Seal, Presence of Mind…
  • Sacred Soil & Eye for an eye are champs here.

The off-tank also takes significant damage here. Eye for an Eye helps alot in that end. Once Dreadnought A dies, a lot of pressure goes away, and you’re pretty much home free. Feed spiders to the remaining dreadnought and have your DPS kill the Knight and Soldier.

Once the final Dreadnought is the only enemy remaining, stack behind it and kill it ASAP. For lesser geared groups, defeating it DURING the enrage timer is quite normal.

Here’s a compiled image with all the phases.

turn 4 big

Turn 4 Loot List

TankHealerCasterMNKDRGBRD
Weapon------
Off-Hand------
Head---Allagan Visor of StrikingAllagan Visor of Maiming-
Body-Allagan Tunic of Healing---Allagan Curias of Aiming
HandsHeavy Allagan Gauntlets-----
Waist-Allagan Rope Belt of HealingAllagan Rope Belt of CastingAllagan Tassets of Striking--
Legs--Allagan Breeches of Casting---
Boots-----Allagan Sollerets of Aiming
Neck-----Allagan Choker of Aiming
Earrings--Allagan Earrings of Casting---
BraceletsAllagan Bracelets of FendingAllagan Bracelet of Healing----
Ring-Allagan Ring of Healing-Allagan Ring of StrikingAllagan Ring of Maiming-

Well, that’s it and good luck killing deez robots!

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FFXIV Beast Tribe Daily Quest Guide & FAQ

What are beastmen daily quests?

Beastmen daily quests are repeatable quests which give decent rewards and an opportunity to get reputation with certain beast tribes. The higher reputation you have – the more rewards you can obtain from them.

How many can I do in a day?

You’re given 6 allowances every day. At Neutral reputation, you may only spend 3 allowances per tribe a day. You can spend all 6 on a tribe once you have reached Recognized or above.

What are the currently implemented beastmen i can gain reputation for?

Tribe – (Map) – [Nearest Aetheryte] – X:Y

Amaljaa – (Southern Thanalan) [Little Ala Mhigo] – 23:14
Sylph – (East Shroud) [Hawthorne Hut] – 22:26

What are the beast tribe daily quest rewards?

While reputation is what you’re really after here – quests give other little rewards shown below.

Quest RankReputationGilEXPVenturesMythology
Neutral+5500~9000~15
Recognized+7700~9700~17
Friendly+10800~10500~110
Trusted-----

 

Strangely, Sylph quests are 1 level lower than Amaljaa…

What do beast tribe vendors sell?

Various crafting items, Unique dyes and eventually Minions & Mounts. For beast tribe specific vendor item info – visit the respective pages:

Amal’jaa Sylph |

How long does it take to rank up in reputation?

Neutral to Recognized takes 10 days regardless. (3 quests a day)

After Neutral you unlock the Recognized quest giver.  You can actually spend all 6 quests on one beast tribe if you wish to focus on them!

Recognized to Friendly (focus on one) takes 10 days.
Friendly to Trusted (focus on one) takes 10 days.

Splitting the quests between tribes gives more TOTAL reputation, but slower to rank.

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FFXIV Crystal Tower Guide (Loot List & FAQ)

Crystal Tower Loot list, Boss Strategy and General FAQ

Crystal Tower General Information

How to unlock Crystal Tower? You must complete the quest chain that starts with “A Legacy of Allag” from Mor Dhona.

“CT” is a the first 24-man instanced dungeon released in Patch 2.1. You may enter as an eight-man group in the Duty Finder, and be matched with 2 more random 8-man groups. You currently cannot queue as a 24 man group. You can chat to the other groups using Alliance Chat by pressing “alt+a” (default).

The items dropped from Crystal Tower are item level 80. Check our loot list below.

What is the Crystal Tower Loot System? You may only obtain 1 item per week from CT. Whether you got it from a need or greed roll doesn’t matter. After getting an item, you can still go to CT with your friends, but you will not be eligible to roll on items.

Crystal Tower Boss Strategy

Bone Dragon

As you may know by now, the raised platforms prevent you from getting hit by poison. Bone Dragon should be ideally tanked in the middle of the room.

The main mechanic in this fight are Skeletons called “Platinal

Skeletons will spawn periodically during the fight. Skeletons do a bunch of nasty things, but make sure this is followed:

  • Drag each skeleton as far as possible from bone dragon, and kill it.
  • Make sure there are no skeletons alive when bone dragon dies.

When Bone Dragon “dies”, the skeletons will raise at the location of their death, then run towards the corpse of the Bone Dragon. If one reaches, a huge painful AoE will pulse, damaging everyone.

(Mini-boss) Atomos

The three alliances have to split up to take one hallway each. On each hallway there is a platform which activates when 4 people are standing on it. Standing on your platform makes the next alliances boss lose invulnerability. So in essence, you must have 4 people to kill Atomos, and 4 people standing on your platform at all times.

Adds periodically spawn during this time, and any tank should bring them close the the group in the platform. If 3 adds remain alive at one point, their stats become boosted, and will quickly result in a wipe.

 

Thanatos Strategy

Each Alliance has a “Magic Pot” that they must protect. Keep in mind they can be Healed, Stoneskinned, Regenned, or anything that hits a regular player pretty much. Adds will try to destroy your pot, so make sure to keep and eye on it!

Only people who are “Invisible” will be able to hit Thanatos. Invisibility is granted by the Pot, so it’s quite important they stay alive.

(Mini-boss) Vassago + Allagan Bomb

There will be 3 Vassago in the map, and an Allagan Bomb in the middle. Each alliance should tank and focus on killing their own Vassago, then helping others when theirs is dead. Some adds spawn during this fight:

  • Balloon – an basic add that doesn’t do much. Kill it anyway.
  • Napalm – Kill these ASAP, they slowly walk towards the middle Allagan Bomb and make it bigger.

The Allagan Bomb located in the middle is sort of a “time limit” to this fight. Once it reaches maximum size, it will burst – killing everyone. Two things charge the bomb.

  • The links of the Vassago continually charge it. The closer they are, the faster it charges.
  • A Napalm reaching it charges it by a large amount. Don’t let this happen!

After all Vassago die, the raid must focus down and kill Allagan Bomb before it blows. As long as minimal Napalms reached it – it wont be a problem.

King Behemoth Strategy

Entering King Behemoths map, everyone automatically gets a DoT. This cannot be avoided, however…

There are 4 towers on the map – you must interact with them each time they start glowing to “discharge” them. Failure to do so will result in AoE damage. Bomb-looking adds (Purophoros) will spawn and attempt to attack towers. If they destroy a tower, the passive DoT damage increases.

Iron Giant is an add that spawns and SHOULD be picked up by a tank and faced away from the raid. It does a huge painful cleave.

Comet – A Green marker on your head indicated you are going to get hit by Comet. Don’t worry this ability isn’t so strong. Make sure to get hit a medium distance away from Behemoth because the fallen rock will be used later on for…

Elliptic Meteor –  Behemoths Ultimate move, a KO unless you’re hiding behind a fallen Comet! Keep in mind comets get destroyed if people continually hang around near them.

Acheron Strategy

Acheron, the Final Boss, has some very flashy looking AoE abilities! It’s pretty simple, just avoid the colorful spots on the ground and you should be fine. Except…

Ancient Flare – Each lit platform must have 4 players on it to “activate”. If 3 platforms are active, the shield goes up. Needless to say, without the shield the entire raid will wipe. During this shielded phase, an Iron Giant will spawn for each alliance. On the second shield phase, an Iron Giant + Claw will spawn. Once all adds are down, the shield will deactivate, and Acheron can be engaged again.

Claws act like Titans Granite Gaol, but continually damage the person trapped within. Break them out as soon as you can.

Crystal Tower Loot List

TankHealerBardCasterMonkDragoon
Crown of LightRoyal CrownBallad CrownCrimson CircletFuma GantaiOnion Mask
Royal VestBallad CorseletCrimson VestFuma KoromoOnion Armor
Gauntlets of LightRoyal C. GlovesBallad GauntletsCrimson C. GlovesFuma TekkoOnion Gauntlets
Belt of LightRoyal SashBallad SashCrimson SashFuma ObiOnion Tassets
Breeches of LightRoyal BreechesBallad SarouelCrimson BreechesFuma HakamaOnion Sarouel
Sabatons of LightRoyal ShoesBallad BootsCrimson ShoesFuma KyahanOnion Boots
Which Boss?HeadChestGlovesBeltLegsBoots
TankAcheron (4)Behemoth (3)Bone Dragon (1)Bone Dragon (1)Acheron (4)Thanatos (2)
HealerAcheron (4)Behemoth (3)Bone Dragon (1)Bone Dragon (1)Acheron (4)Thanatos (2)
MDPSBehemoth (3)Acheron (4)Bone Dragon (1)Thanatos (2)Behemoth (3)Thanatos (2)
MonkBehemoth (3)Acheron (4)Bone Dragon (1)Bone Dragon (1)Behemoth (3)Thanatos (2)
DragoonBehemoth (3)Acheron (4)Bone Dragon (1)Thanatos (2)Behemoth (3)Bone Dragon (1)
BardAcheron (4)Behemoth (3)Thanatos (2)Thanatos (2)Behemoth (3)Bone Dragon (1)
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FFXIV Ultima Weapon : The Minstrels Ballad

Ultima Weapon (“Hard/Extreme” Mode) Strategy Guide and Loot List

Ultima Weapon Teaser Video

*Still the teaser vid -> will be updating soon.
*Guide still under refinement

Ultima Weapon has a bajillion abilites, and a very entertaining fight!

Ultima Weapon Phase 1 – Primal Phase

Garuda / Titan Phase

Two main abilities happen here:

  • Garuda appears on the screen then releases a HUGE AoE cone in the direction she’s facing. Don’t linger on the edges, or you might not make it to safety.
  • A Vortex appears in the middle, once it vanishes, move towards the edge of the stage in preparation for Titans “Geocrush”

Due to the nature of these abilities, it’s best not to stay too near the edges of the stage.

Ifrit / Titan Phase

  • In/Out Plumes – The usual outer ring / inner cluster plume formation. Keep the same positioning mentality as the Garuda phase.
  • Plumes + Crimson Cyclone – This is a pretty fun one. Radiant Plumes happens while a single Ifrit does his “Line Rush” skill.

 

Ultima Weapon Phase 2 – “Machines!”

Magitek Ray – Much like piercing laser from ADS. A thick randomly targetted line AoE.

Magitek Bit – Little adds that point and shoot lasers at random targets. The first pattern they spawn in is a circular group of.

Freefire – AKA Airship bombs. The glowing cross-air on the floor represents its epicenter, and the further you are from it, the less damage you take.

Ultima Weapon Loot List

Ultima Weapon drops Item Level 80 Chokers and Bracelets.

Chokers

Tank – Ultima Choker of Fending
Healer – Ultima Choker of Healing
Bard – Ultima Choker of Aiming
Caster – Ultima Choker of Casting
Melee – Ultima Choker of Striking

Rings

Tank – Ultima Band of Fending
Healer – Ultima Band of Healing
Bard – Ultima Band of Aiming
Caster – Ultima Band of Casting
Melee – Ultima Band of Striking

Don’t get caught in a laser!

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Garuda Extreme Mode (FFXIV: ARR)

Garuda Extreme Mode strategy guide and Loot List!

Garuda Extreme Mode Teaser Video

Garuda EX Abilities

Some of the usual suspects return for extreme mode:

Slipstream: Avoidable cone stun that does extreme damage.
Friction: The usual targetted AoE
Wicked Wheel: Garuda does Wicked Wheel whenever the adds are alive. It’s extremely powerful and should be avoided.

Whenever Garuda disappeard from the map, a large spread of AoE’s will follow in her last location. They deal moderate damage, and cause Windburn (Wind DoT).

Adds (Suparna, Chirada) Abilities

Suparna (Red):

[Special] Wicked Wheel: Suparnas Wicked wheel is extremely powerful. For a non-tank, it’s a potential KO. It’s avoidable so GTFO.
Slipstream – Channeled Frontal Cone stun.
Friction
: The usual targetted AoE
Downburst: A medium strength cone attack.

Chirada (Green):

[Special] Downburst: Chiradas downburst is extremely powerful. It’s a cone attack. The target is marked by a crosshair.
Slipstream – Channeled Frontal Cone stun.
Friction: The usual targetted AoE

While either Chirada or Suparna are alive: Garuda cannot be damaged.

Razor Plumes: Like before, they target a stone pillar or guy, and will explode dealing damage after a set time.

Spiny Plumes: The “Key” add to this fight. Upon killing it, releases an AoE which causes Windburn (Wind DoT). A short time after it’s death – it will put up a “Safe Zone” wherein Garudas Reckoning will do significantly less damage to those inside. The initial target of Spiny Plume seems to be the second Highest Enmity (and in some rare cases – the MT).

Spiny Plumes give a stacking debuff to its target. If it reaches 3 stacks it will do “Super Cyclone” dealing tons of damage (Likely a KO) to everyone. Provoking the Spiny Plume before its target reaches 3 stacks is important, and is one of the main reasons many groups will wipe.

 

Garuda EX Phase 1 – Stone Pillars

Reminiscent of Garuda Story and Hard Mode. Nothing special here. The first sub-phase, every non-melee should be in dead-center of the pillars. Preserving the stones are your goal for this phase. It has 3 Sub-phases:

Starting Phase – All non melee stack dead center to avoid Friction hitting rocks. Once she vanishes, hide behind the rocks old-school style.

Razor Plumes – Razor Plumes show up and target random rocks. Kill them asap. Again try to stack in the middle as much as possible, with the exception of tank and melee. This mini-phase has the usual “Vortex” mechanic.

Initial Adds – The first time adds spawn. You should memorize what to do here, for the next time adds spawn:

  • MT picks up Suparna(Red) and Garuda.
  • OT picks up Chirada.
  • Chirada must be tanked ACROSS the map from the others. If they’re too near each other -> they gain immense defense.
  • Ranged DPS and healers should stay in a place where friction wont hit rocks.

There are things you have to note here:

  • Downburst will hit the OT for heavy damage, but shouldn’t be much of an issue.
  • On the MT side, WICKED WHEEL becomes a “one hit KO”. Make sure melee DPS and MT avoid this. Using virus on both Garuda and Suparna is a good “insurance” in case tank gets hit. All forms of damage reduction / mitigation should be used in preparation.
  • Chirada uses Downburst simultaneously with the Wicked Wheel on the other side. This always happens after Friction!

If you have enough rocks alive, Reckoning shoudn’t kill you! On to the next phase…

Garuda EX Phase 2 – Vortex

Wind surrounds the outer ring of the stage, and players should remain near the middle, or suffer a pushback + large damage.

Spiny Plume makes its first appearance here, along with a bunch of Razor Plumes. Your goals here are simple:

  • Kill all Razor Plumes
  • Leave Spiny Plume at a low HP%.

A rather simple phase, with no heavy incoming damage. A great time to use Mages Ballad, as you’ll be needing max DPS next phase.

Once Garuda disappears, destroy the Spiny Plume and seek refuge inside the safe-zone it generates. (Remember to avoid the initial death AoE of spiny plumes)

Garuda EX Phase 3 – Tornado

5 Tornados spawn in static locations on the map, forming a cross-like (T) formation. The safe spots are located near the brown markings on the map (Where the pillars used to be).

Chirada and Suparna show up during this phase. As usual, MT takes both Garuda and Suparna. Off-tank takes Chirada. And again, Suparna should be the first target. There are some things to note during this phase. The main difference in this phase is Tornadoes + Spiny Plumes.

  • The MT’s position should be loose enough that the melee dps and himself can get away from the “Double Wicked Wheels”.
  • Healers and Ranged DPS should stay at the very tip of the center tornado, to be in range of everyone.
  • Like last phase, leave Spiny Plume at a low HP%, and destroy it at phase transition.
  • There are four safe pockets – Ranged and healers should have a good spread.

Travelling between “safe-zones” through tornadoes can be done using the following:

  • Sprinting along the edges (Recommended for casters…)
  • Dragoon jumps
  • Monk Shoulder Tackle.

Remember not to kill the Spiny Plume too early, or too late!

If you pass this phase, You go back to the Vortex Phase -> Tornado Phase -> Vortex Phase, repeats until Garuda is dead!

Garuda Extreme Mode Loot List

Garuda EX drops iLevel 90 Loot:

Tank – Vortex Ring Of Fending
Healer- Vortex Ring Of Healing
Melee – Vortex Ring Of Striking
Bard – Vortex Ring Of Aiming
Caster – Vortex Ring Of Casting

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FFXIV Gathering (DoL) Gear Guide

Don’t waste time worrying about your Gathering Gear – and get that DoL class to 50!

Confused about when or what DoL / Gathering gear you should get? When and what are the best gathering gear upgrades, and why? Find out all about that here – and save money on your road to a level 50 gatherer!

Why upgrade your Gathering gear?

Moreso than crafting, better gathering gear = faster levelling. We all know how “exciting” it is levelling a gathering class, ey?

The importance of high Gathering Stat:

Striking at a node and not getting anything means ZERO exp, BROKEN CHAINS and ultimately, wasted time (and money! since you could have gotten the item!) So first and foremost you’re going to want as much gathering as possible.

Gathering is insanely useful in maximizing Levequest EXP. more on this later…

The importance of high Perception Stat:

If you’re doing a lot of grinding, Perception becomes very useful in boosting you EXP gains. Why? At max, you have a 15% chance to gather HQ items without a buff. Let’s compare a gatherer with 0% HQ chance versus 15% HQ chance: 100+[(2*100)*0.15] (HQ percent chance) = 30% Average EXP Bonus.

If you aren’t a level 50 calculator, then it’s fine. All you need to know is that being capped in perception gives you quite a sizeable exp bonus. 30% is not a joke, and it stacks with chains, food and rested EXP.

Perception however, isn’t useful if you’re planning to use levequests… why?

Gathering gear, Levequests and You:

Since getting HQ items is impossible during leves, Perception is useless during a leve attempts. Gathering becomes the single most useful stat, with GP as a supporting stat.

If you’re planning on grinding, both Perception and Gathering are important. However, Gathering is still your most important stat. Why? Again, ENSURING exp gains and ENSURING chains is your first goal. Then once that’s fulfilled, modify it with Perception for massive exp gains.

So we can conclude, during leveling up, Gathering is the most important stat, whether you choose to grind or use leves. And if you’re planning to do a bit of both, getting Perception is a great bonus to grinding. So what does this mean in terms of gearing up?

GP – How useful is it?

Going to level 50, GP isn’t exactly a sustainable resource to rely on. It’s a welcome boost, but not exactly necessary. At 50 though, that’s a completely different discussion…

Gathering gear upgrade strategy

Okay so you want Gathering, no matter how you level up. In terms of gear slots that would be the: Main Hand, Off-hand, Chest (coincidentally they also give huge perception, and are considered critical upgrades). So you want these no matter what you’re going to do. Upgrade as often as possible.

Two more pieces give Gathering: Gloves and Pants. These are less critical, and you should upgrade if you can afford it. Gloves are more powerful than pants! Around 50% more gathering is found on gloves compared to pants! Keep this in mind when buying upgrades.

Now for Perception… The most important pieces were already mentioned above (MH, OH, Chest). The rest are: Helmets, Boots and Belts. Again when thinking of bang for buck – Helmets are the best investment, which are usually 100% more powerful than boots. And belts are the worst investment, as they’re only half as powerful as boots typically!!!

Overall, a cost-efficient upgrade path will be discussed in the end of this post, before that – tables of what level you get upgrades…

Gathering Critical Upgrades – What Level?

The table below represents the levels you get a new DoL chest, Miner main and off-hands, Botanist main and off-hands, and fishing main hand. (All possible critical upgrades)

LevelChestMIN MainMIN OffBTN MainBTN OffFSH Main
1xxxxxx
2
3
4
5
6x
7
8xxx
9x
10
11xxx
12xxx
13
14x
15xxxxx
16
17
18x
19xxx
20xx
21x
22xx
23x
24xx
25xxx
26x
27x
28xx
29xxx
30x
31xx
32xx
33x
34xx
35xx
36
37x
38xxx
39xx
40x
41x
42
43xxxxx
44x
45
46x
47xx
48xxxx
49
50xxxxxx

 

Disciple of Land (DoL) Body pieces

The table is sorted by (at least in my opinion) importance. The left side being more important and more worth the investment, and gets less important as you go right. Gear marked (G) gives gathering, and (P) gives perception. So ignore the Perception pieces if you’re primarily thinking of getting to 50 using Fieldcraft Leves.

LevelHands (G)Head (P)Legs (G)Feet (P)Waist (P)
1xxxxx
2
3
4
5xxx
6x
7
8
9x
10xx
11xx
12x
13x
14
15xxx
16x
17x
18
19xx
20xx
21
22x
23x
24
25xxx
26
27xxx
28
29
30xxx
31x
32
33
34
35xxxxx
36
37x
38x
39x
40xxxx
41
42x
43xxxx
44x
45xx
46x
47x
48xxxx
49
50xxxx

Disciple of Land (DoL) GP pieces (Accessories)

While not super important while leveling up… you cant really be “sad” to have more MAX GP.

LevelNecklaceEaringsBraceletRing
1
2
3
4
5x
6
7xx
8
9
10
11
12
13
14x
15
16
17xx
18
19
20x
21
22
23
24x
25
26
27xx
28
29
30
31
32
33
34x
35
36
37xx
38
39
40x
41
42
43
44x
45x
46
47xx
48
49
50x

Summary: DoL Cost-efficient upgrade path

First of all – Everything below level 15~ is negligible. and you don’t need to really think about your gear before then.

Main HandOff-Hand and Chest should be upgraded when you can afford it.

As a side upgrade to Gathering: updating your Gloves are a good idea every now and then. Legs are less imporant. Here’s our suggestion for a cost-efficient upgrade path:

  • Gloves: (16) (25) (35) (45)
  • Legs: (15) (27) (40). The level 27 ones are from ANY Grand Company, and are pretty worth it.

If you need more Perception, Helmets are the best investment. Helmets generally come from weavers or armorsmiths. The weaver ones are typically more expensive. So here’s a pretty cost-efficient path:

  • Head: (13) (19) (31) (35) (42) (47). Want something in the 20’s? (27).
  • Boots are okay, and you probably wont need more than: (15) (30) and (40).
  • Waist is even less important. (17) and (37) should be fine.

Of course feel free to pick anything up you can afford, and check the Market Board when you reach the levels in the tables above.

Be sure to check out our Mining Leveling Guide, and Botany Leveling Guide, which make great additional resources to this guide.
Also, Mining Node/Material Locations, and Botany Node/Material Locations [Mining is 1-50, BTN is in the proces of being updated…]

Whacking at nodes got you to 50, huh? Then it’s time to gear up. Check this out: Gathering End-Game Gear (+Max Melds) Guide.

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