Final Fantasy XIVfeatures many types of content for players to engage in each expansion, and of the content in the game perhaps the most fun to participate in are Trials. These are the Final Fantasy XIV equivalent to boss fights and see eight players team up to take down a large foe. Each expansion features multiple Trials both in the story and optional content, creating dozens upon dozens of hours of content.
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With so many Trials in the game, one has to wonder which is the best. While the answer for this may ultimately be decided by which expansion is a player’s favorite, if one were to judge all the Trials in the game based on their story significance, gameplay mechanics and the music that plays during them, it becomes possible to construct the following list of the best Trials in Final Fantasy XIV.
10The Akh Afah Amphitheater
Cool as Ice
Topping off the list is The Akh Afah Amphitheater, the Trial where the player must fight against the iconicFinal Fantasysummon, Shiva. While Final Fantasy XIV’s boss battles would expand their range in later expansions, most battles in A Realm Reborn were spectacle fights against classic summons. Of these fights, the one against Shiva is easily the best, owed mostly to the fact that it’s the last one the player unlocks and thus is less tutorial-focused than the others.
For many people, the moment when the song Oblivion begins to play in this Trial was the first time the soundtrack of Final Fantasy XIV stood out to them. For others still, this is when it can be claimed that Final Fantasy XIV began to be a great game. Despite that giving this Trial a significant status in the history of this game, this Trial ranks at the bottom of this list as the game and how Trials are designed has advanced a lot since the release of A Realm Reborn, so most other Trials on this list come from later expansions.
9The Dying Gasp
A World’s End
After having him follow you around for almost the entirety of Shadowbringers, the player finally gets the opportunity to fight against the Ascian founder of the empire: Emet-Selch. This final Trial of Shadowbringers’ main story is naturally accompanied by its fantastic theme song and a grandiose battle filled with unique attacks for the player to learn the patterns of.
Although the mechanics of the fight aren’t that unique compared to other Trials in the game, they’ll still send each and every member of the party running around trying their best to survive. While it isn’t the best Trial in Shadowbringers, it’s still a fitting conclusion for the expansion.
8The Great Hunt
An Unexpected Crossover
While most Final Fantasy XIV collaboration events take the form of a short temporary sidequest or a Gold Saucer attraction, the collaboration between this game and Capcom’sMonster Hunterfranchise was a full level 70 Trial which has been permanently added to the game. Here, a group of players get to fight against the mascot monster, Rathalos.
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This Trial boss does a great job at incorporating various Monster Hunter mechanics into the gameplay of Final Fantasy XIV by giving each player ten healing potions to use, having local wildlife defend their territory, and even an ATE where the party will jump onto Rathalos’ back. While it isn’t the greatest Trial in the game, one can only hope that any future collaborations get the same treatment.
7The Mothercrystal
The Answer
Next up on the list is the trial where the party must fight against Hydaelyn herself: the Mothercrystal. While the story reasons for this fight don’t hold up the best under scrutiny, the spectacle of fighting the god-like entity the player has been in contact with since the start of the game is amazing in and of itself. While no mechanics here will throw seasoned players off their game, it will still require constant focus until the boss is down.
What truly makes the fight against Hydaelyn stand out to players is the music that plays during this fight, which uses elements of Answers from the original release of Final Fantasy XIV. This song has become a gaming legend ever since its use in the shutdown of 1.0, so hearing a reprise of it here raises this Trial and story moment from an average part of the game to an unforgettable scene. While the Trial itself isn’t amazing enough to be placed high on this list, it’s just one of many examples of what makes Endwalker’s Trials so great.
6Final Steps of Faith
A True Climax
While most post-expansion stories in Final Fantasy XIV are merely thematic continuations of the previous story or unrelated side stories, the post-expansion for Heavensward is the true finale for the patch. The battle against Nidhogg is a sight to behold and the soundtrack for this fight perfectly suits the moment.
This Trial is the first in the game’s MSQ to truly throw a lot of the mechanics at the player. With four phases which will have multiple healer and tank checks as well as raid mechanics like stacks, one may say that Nidhogg was a sign of how the Trials would evolve in the oncoming expansions, challenging players no matterwhich job they play as. While there are multiple better Trials in the game, it would be crazy not to include this one on the list.
5The Final Day
A Song of Fire and Faith
Next up on the list is the final Trial of Final Fantasy XIV’s Endwalker expansion: The Final Day. This fight bills itself as the final boss ofFFXIV as a JRPGand it truly feels like it both from a story perspective and the fight itself. The Endsinger is the strongest foe the player has fought so far, tossing literal planets and reversing time briefly in an attempt to destroy your party. All culminating in the first phase ending with your party all being reduced to low health from a devastating attack.
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The second phase of this fight truly feels like a conclusion to Final Fantasy XIV as a whole as the Scions all give the player words of encouragement before the vocals of the song kick in. Although The Endsinger has now been powerscaled by later-game weapons, if your first experience with this fight is with players who are willing to stop attacking for a while so you can experience the story, this fight will be an unforgettable moment in your journey.
4Castrum Marinum
Mecha Action
The Final Fantasy franchise has always worn its love for the sci-fi genre on its sleeve. From naming two recurring characters in the franchise after Star Wars pilots to designing theWeaponsin Final Fantasy VII after various mechs from the Mobile Suit Gundam franchise. Even as far back as the original Final Fantasy this series has always had a sci-fi flare. Because of this, it felt only natural when the Post-Shadowbringers Trial series in Final Fantasy XIV was a full mecha plot.
These Trials have the player face off against the Weapons from Final Fantasy VII in name, but in practice, it feels more like fighting the actual mecha these enemies were originally based on. The best of these Trials is the fight against the Emerald Weapon, which contains multiple phases and even a great callback to the early parts of A Realm Reborn. This is one of thr few optional Trials on this list, so if you want a great fight against a mech, march yourself over to Ala Mhigo and unlock this Trial.
3The Dancing Plague
Unending Fun
Placing third on the list is The Dancing Plague, which is the boss fight against Titania, queen of the fairies, and the first trial in Shadowbringers. This Trial immediately starts off strong with the ever-looping song What Angel Wakes Me greeting the player as the boss itself unleashes multiple mechanics for you to learn and adjust to.
The Titania trial is one of the best featured in Shadowbringers with its unique mechanics which are easy to dodge at first, but slowly build up until the final phase of the fight which becomes pure chaos as she uses all of these mechanics at once, nearly covering the entire arena in damage zones until the last of her health is sliced through by the party. This pure chaos (especially in the extreme version) makes for a fun fight and a strong start for Shadowbringers’ Trials as a whole.
The Dancing Plague (Extreme) was the first ever MINE run I did with other players, so it has a special place in my heart.
2Hells' Kier
Be Ready to Run
Stormblood’s Four Lords Trial series isn’t talked about as much compared to other Trials in the game, but it does feature several excellent fights. The best of these is against Suzaku, the Firebird of Legend. This Trial begins normally, with the party simply needing to dodge the flaming bird’s attacks and get rid of the feathers she summons to dodge AoEs. Things truly begin to heat up though during the second phase.
The most-unique part of Suzaku’s fight is how during the phase transition she’ll begin to charge up energy unless the players stand in a specific direction, guided by arrows. This turns a normal FFXIV Trial into a miniature game of Dance Dance Revolution. While the price for the entire party failing this mechanic is instant death, success will grant the player ten damage-up buffs to shred through the rest of Suzaku’s health like it is nothing. It may not be the best Trial in the game, but it earns a placement on this list.
1The Seat of Sacrifice
The best trial of Shadowbringers doesn’t come from the main expansion itself, but rather the ending of its post-patch story. Here the player must face off against Elidibus as he takes on the form of the Warrior of Light (fittingly enough this boss uses the design of the Warrior of Light from Final Fantasy 1). The ensuing fight is a tense trial where Elidibus will himself use Limit Breaks to reduce the party’s HP and even briefly trap you in a dimension of darkness bound by chains.
Accompanying this fight is the fantastic To The Edge, which may be the best Trial song in the game as it perfectly encapsulates the emotions of this fight. While this finale isn’t as close to being the true ending to Shadowbringers as The Final Steps of Faith was to Heavensward, it comes close thematically and conceptually. Combine that with how cool the fight and Emet-Selch’s cameo in it is and you’ve got a recipe for one of the best Trials in the game.
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