Here it is. The most important fight of the Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers expansion. We’re due a couple more patches before the unannounced next expansion, but this patch 5.3 trial will nudge the story off into its next destination, making this last battle against one of the game’s longest-standing antagonists, Elidibus, the expansion’s conclusion.
The last of the unsundered, Elidibus has made countless sacrifices over the years that have left him blind to the job he set out to do. Clinging onto whatever mission fogs his mind, he takes on the form of the first Warrior of Light to finally vanquish you, the Warrior of Darkness. Here’s how to fight back.
Further Reading
- Final Fantasy XIV patch 5.3 quest locations guide: How to get started
- Ruin Yoko Taro’s day by mastering The Puppets’ Bunker with this FFXIV raid guide
- How to fight the spectral spooks of FFXIV’s Heroes’ Gauntlet dungeon
Phase One — Imbued
Without batting an eye, the Warrior of Light reduces everyone’s HP to one with Terror Unleashed. Healers will want to ready a few party-wide cooldowns to prep. Solemn Confiteor will then drop four red circles on four random party members. Hug the boss to dodge the first Coruscant Saber, then get clear of him to avoid the second.
Then comes the main repeating mechanic: Absolute Fire and Absolute Blizzard. These are denoted by red or blue markers above every player’s head, respectively. The markers count down from three, at which point the corresponding effect goes out. Whether you should move during this or not depend on whether it’s Blizzard or Fire.
- Absolute Blizzard — move to avoid being frozen and damaged over time
- Absolute Fire — Stop all actions until the debuff wears off to avoid burning over time
He’ll then imbue his weapon with one of the two elements, causing any imbued-prefix spells (exclusively Coruscant in Normal mode) thereafter to gain the effect of the declared element. For example: If imbued with Blizzard, you’ll want to keep moving within the safe area of Imbued Coruscant to avoid freezing as the cast resolves.
Sword of Light will then soon come out. The phantom weapon draws a path within the arena. Step out of the inside of the traced area before the sword completes its run. Bahamut dashes will cover the supposed safe zones before the trace is complete, though, so you’ll want to step back into the traced zone after it explodes to avoid the charge.
Healers will want to top those hit before Elddragon Dive damages the team. He’ll then imbue with another element and repeat phase 1 until he reaches 50% HP.
Phase 1.5 — How to clear the ATM
This active time maneuver “Will of Defiance” messes some teams up. Once you’re all tethered in the void, you just want to spam buttons for 15 seconds to keep your individual meters from depleting. Again, you’re not mashing to empty them. You’re hammering those keys to keep it up, so don’t go thinking you’ve done a good job if it empties.
The reason for this clarification is that if even one person lets their meter dry up, it’s game over for the team, and you’ll be sent back to the beginning of the fight. You can’t resurrect a warrior of darkness lost to the void.
Controller users can make this easy by just rolling their thumbs along the face buttons and D-pad.
Phase Two — Limit Broke
Thanks to Azem, you’ll spawn back into the arena, the ghostly ancient basically flipping Elidibus off as it leaves. The baddie absorbs a bunch of Warriors of Lights summoning, gaining access to limit breaks. Have a tank use theirs, and you should just about survive his. Healers will need to get to work.
Now it’s back to imbuing with elements before summoning in a couple more warriors beside him; namely a Black and White Mage duo who call in falling meteors for players to soak.
The mechanics these summons trigger depend on their class. More come later, and they might be random in the Extreme mode of this fight, but for now, you’ll always see the same summons at the same point in the fight.
Imbued Coruscant will go out right as these first summon effects resolve, so pay attention to the element Elidibus imbued with beforehand. Top up before another Elddragon Dive finishes off those who make a mistake.
After this, not only will Bamahut come back down following Summon Wyrm, but two growing void markers will essentially split the arena in two. The random target with a spread marker should take one far corner, leaving those with the stack to soak the hit in another.
The Bitter End, tank buster, comes out shortly after. Our tank used Hallowed Ground to ignore it, but healers should shield the target just in case.
Phase 2.5 — To the Limit
Limit Break One
Elidibus’ use of To the Limit fills a bar of his limit gauge, which he then uses to deliver a conal strike to three players. The three targeted will want to aim it far from each other to avoid certain death from an overlap.
Limit Break Two
After a quick charge, the second limit break then goes out. It’s the ranged one, so have the party split in two to soak two railgun-type attacks.
Avoid attempting to join the other team if you’re struck first. You’ll have a vulnerability on you that could cause a second hit to be fatal. This is nothing we haven’t seen before.
Limit Break Three
Limit Break number three is little more than four very large area-attack markers on the team. Affected players should simply take these to each far corner, creating a safe spot for the team in the middle section of the map. Healers might want to shield the team as these go out. Just in case.
Phase Three — Warriors of Light
Now it’s time for a new pattern from Sword of Light that renders all but the true north and south sections safe. You’ll need to deal with an Absolute Fire/Blizzard as it resolves, with another Elddragon Dive threatening to finish a few off thereafter. Healers will need to get back to the center to heal through this fast.
The Warrior of Light will imbue his weapon again, but won’t use it before a few other moves: Notably, a tidal wave knockback from a summoned Ninja. Don’t bother negating the knockback with Arm’s Length or similar, as a stack marker goes out during it that you’ll all want to be in anyway.
After another simple Imbued Confiteor, players tether to the four summoned wyrms will want to angle the attacks out toward the area edge to avoid cleaving the team with conal flames. Another warrior of light, this time an actual Warrior, will then perform an alternating umbrella area attack from the middle of the arena.
Absolute Fire/Blizzard should happen at the same time, as well as a tank buster. Everyone will need to stay on their toes as these attacks go out, as a final Elddragon Dive can cost the run if too many are hit.
At this point, things should repeat from the start of the phase. The Warrior of Light will teleport back into the center to imbue his weapon again, and summon the Black/White Mage combo, repeating the fight from right after his phase two transition dunk.