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In FFXIV's long-term progression system, Relic Weapon has always held a special place. It's not just equipment that enhances stats, but also a long-term progression path that records player investment and growth. Therefore, every adjustment to Relic Weapon system sparks considerable discussion.

From Endwalker to Dawntrail, Relic Weapon has gradually shifted towards a lighter design, relying heavily on points for progression. Before the announcement of Evercold, the producer hinted that the next expansion's Relic Weapon system would take a different approach, but the official changes have not yet been announced.

While the answer to the new system remains to be seen, Cosmic Exploration in the current expansion may have already revealed some design concepts worth learning from for the future Relic Weapon.

Inspiration from Cosmic Exploration

A closer look at Cosmic Exploration reveals that it actually integrates the strengths of several past large-scale progression systems.

Similar to Eureka and Bozja, it features dedicated areas, recurring quests, and long-term progression goals. However, it doesn't completely replicate the high-intensity grinding of the past, instead striking a better balance between efficiency and investment.

In FF14's Cosmic Exploration, players continuously complete quests to earn Research Points and gradually upgrade their Crafting and Gathering Tools.

As tool levels increase, players not only gain stronger equipment effects but also unlock new progression stages. The biggest advantage of this process is that players consistently feel their investment is yielding results.

Compared to simply accumulating Final Fantasy XIV Gil to exchange for equipment, Cosmic Exploration offers a more defined progression experience. Players aren't endlessly repeating tasks for a last reward but gradually improving their equipment as they complete objectives.

I believe this is precisely the design philosophy that the future Relic Weapon should adopt. Relic Weapons don't necessarily need to revert to the lengthy and stressful crafting methods of the past, but it should at least make players feel like they are cultivating a special weapon, not completing a routine exchange.

Relic Weapons Need a Sense of Progression

Currently, in FFXIV, Relic Weapons are typically crafted after reaching the level cap, creating difference of opinion between crafting and character progression. Players often need to level up and upgrade their equipment before investing time in crafting Relic Weapons.

However, by referencing the progression system of Cosmic Exploration, future Relic Weapons could be integrated into the character progression process.

For example, Relic Weapons could gradually strengthen as the character's class level increases, allowing players to advance their weapon's progression while leveling up their new class. This would give sub-class development an additional objective, rather than simply grinding for experience.

Of course, this design needs to avoid forcibly binding characters to a specific class. Past Relic Weapon quests required players to use a specific class to complete content, which could feel restrictive.

A more reasonable approach would allow players to gain basic progress regardless of their class, while equipping and using the corresponding Relic Weapon would provide greater efficiency.

This design retains freedom while allowing Relic Weapon to truly become a companion throughout the character's progression.

Point Redemption Isn't the Final Answer

In recent years, FF14 has increasingly relied on the point system, its biggest advantages being stability and freedom. Players can acquire resources like Final Fantasy XIV Gil through various content, without being confined to a single gameplay style.

However, for Relic Weapon, relying solely on point redemption always presents a problem: a lack of independent experience.

Relic Weapon is special because it represents the completion of a long journey for the player. If it ultimately boils down to daily quests, accumulating resources, and then redeeming upgrade materials, the entire process easily loses its sense of ritual.

Future expansions don't need to completely abandon the point system. A more ideal solution is to make points the basic path, while adding gameplay content specifically designed to support Relic Weapon's growth.

Players who prefer a relaxed progression can complete the game at their own pace, while players who want to focus on developing their Relic Weapon will have clear and challenging goals.

If Evercold were to reintroduce similar special areas, the design focus shouldn't solely be on repeatedly grinding FATEs or defeating special enemies. Truly excellent Relic Weapon areas should possess their own quest logic and exploration value, making players feel like they're embarking on an independent adventure.

Addressing the Crafting Pressure of Multiple Classes

As the number of classes in FF14 continues to increase, the crafting pressure of Relic Weapons becomes increasingly apparent. Future expansions will feature many combat classes; if each Relic Weapon requires the same amount of time, most players will ultimately only craft a few.

Research Bonus mechanism in Cosmic Exploration provides an excellent solution to this problem. As players complete more tools, the crafting speed for subsequent tools will significantly increase. This design effectively rewards long-term investment and encourages players to continue trying new goals.

A similar mechanism could be adopted for combat Relic Weapons. After completing the first Relic Weapon, subsequent weapons should receive an efficiency boost, making collecting weapons for multiple classes a positive cycle rather than constantly repeating the same tasks.

The core of Relic Weapon system should be to encourage players to explore more classes, not to discourage them due to high costs.

Enhancing the Collectible Value of Weapons

In FF14, the appearance of equipment has always been more important than its pure stats. Many players craft Relic Weapons not because of their combat advantages, but because of their unique design and collectible value.

Therefore, future Relic Weapons may not need complex combat mechanics. More promising than minor stat boosts are exclusive visual effects.

As new expansions add more animation-related content, if Relic Weapons possess independent skill effects, special attack animations, or richer visual effects, it will undoubtedly become a significant motivation for players to craft multiple weapons.

For FFXIV players, a truly collectible weapon is the greatest reward in itself.

A Relic Weapon shouldn't just be a piece of equipment in an expansion, nor should it become a challenge only a few players can persevere in. It should be a personal growth experience for the player, and this is perhaps the correct direction Evercold Relic Weapon system should strive for.

FF14 Patch 7.5 will officially launch on Tuesday, April 28th. This update continues the main storyline of Dawntrail and follows the standard patch structure to advance the story.

Patch 7.5 not only brings new raids and weapon upgrade paths but also introduces several system optimizations and gameplay expansions.

Whether participating in Alliance Raids, progressing through Phantom Weapons, or exploring upcoming new areas, planning will help players integrate into this update more efficiently.

The following will detail the core updates of Final Fantasy 14 Patch 7.5 from several aspects, including story quests, combat content, weapon systems, exploration gameplay, and optimizations.

Story Quests

FFXIV Patch 7.5 continues the main storyline of Dawntrail, following the previous patch structure. If players have not completed all main quests up to the current version, they will immediately encounter an obstacle preventing further progress on the update day.

Therefore, ensuring that your main story progress is completely up-to-date is a prerequisite for experiencing 7.5 version's story.

Version 7.5 introduces brand-new Capstone rewards for all existing Allied Society quests, building upon players' existing progress. It is strongly recommended to complete all current Allied Society quests before the update.

In addition, for players who enjoy lighthearted and humorous side quests, completing the existing Hildibrand quest chain is equally important, as it allows for a seamless transition to the new sequel in the series after an update, without interrupting the experience.

Combat Content

FFXIV Patch 7.5 will introduce Alliance Raids Echoes of Vana'diel: Windurst, The Third Walk. This is the third part of the series, and players must complete the first two parts to unlock it.

The rewards from the first two raids will be combined with coins from the new raid after the update to upgrade Tomestone gear. While this upgrade path has weekly acquisition limits, players don't need to hoard large amounts of old coins before the update, as there will be ample time to complete them after the patch goes live.

This update provides more ways to enhance equipment. Previously idle Sack of Nuts will be available again on Tuesday. Players can use Surgelight Twine to upgrade Bygone gear at regular NPCs in Tuliyollal or Solution Nine.

The most efficient way to obtain these materials remains participating in A Rank Hunt Trains, which not only yields the aforementioned upgrade materials but also accumulates Tomestones and other valuable items.

Upgraded Tomestone gear combined with Savage gear, along with the final stage of Phantom Weapons, will form the pinnacle of gear strength in Dawntrail version, laying a solid foundation for subsequent content.

Weapon System

Phantom Relic weapons are a key focus in FFXIV Patch 7.5. The current Obscurum stage requires 1200 Crystal Pastes, which are physical items stored in the player's inventory. Completing daily random quests, repeatedly challenging leveling random quests, and participating in FATEs are efficient ways to obtain Crystal Pastes, while also helping classes that haven't reached level 100 continue leveling.

Players are strongly advised to begin preparing for Phantom Weapons as early as possible, especially those still at Demi-Ozma stage or earlier.

The first round of quests in each new stage is always a single farming phase, followed by the process of submitting Tomstones materials for each class. The final form of Phantom Weapons is likely to become the most powerful weapon players will equip in the next expansion, making the time invested in preparation worthwhile.

Exploration Gameplay

This patch may introduce a new exploration area called Occult Crescent. While it's not entirely certain whether it will launch on April 28th alongside the rest of the content, this area is expected to take a significant amount of time to complete, especially involving maxing out Phantom jobs.

Players looking to save time can consider using Final Fantasy XIV Gil to acquire potions, food, or finished gear.

It is highly speculated that maxing our Phantom jobs will affect North Horn region, resulting in a significant overall power boost. Meanwhile, South Horn region will continue to provide stable progress support for Phantom Weapons, regardless of the player's current weapon stage.

FXIV Patch 7.5 will also introduce new content for Cosmic Exploration, including new star routes and field operations. Players planning to participate in this mode should prepare in advance, ensuring their gear and progress are ready.

Optimizations

PvP players need to complete their current PvP series progress before the patch goes live, as the old series will end with patch 7.5, and a new series will begin immediately.

The new Crystalline Conflict arena and its corresponding rewards will be a focus of future PvP events. Completing the current series in advance ensures obtaining all desired rewards and allows for immediate entry into the new season after the update.

FXIV Patch 7.5 also makes several optimizations to system convenience. Firstly, the storage and Glamour systems have been improved; the new storage and Glamour features allow gear to be combined into sets, significantly saving space.

Secondly, Sightseeing Log system has been optimized, making tracker and completion conditions easier, allowing players who haven't yet completed their logs to do so efficiently.

FFXIV Patch 7.5 is a large-scale update packed with content, covering the main story, Alliance Raid, Phantom Weapons upgrades, new exploration areas, Beast Mastery class, and numerous system optimizations.

Completing the main story, Allied Society, and Hildibrand quests ahead of time, clearing your inventory, and preparing upgrade materials will ensure the smoothest experience after the update.

Whether you're aiming for challenging combat, casual exploration, or economic gains, this patch provides ample opportunities. Enjoy the weekend before the update and prepare for the new chapter of Dawntrail.

Buy Final Fantasy XIV Gil from EZG.com to be fully geared on April 28th, the day the patch goes live, and seamlessly experience Alliance Raid, the final stage of Phantom Weapons, and all the new systems.

The market price of items typically increases by 20%-30% three days before a patch, making it more cost-effective to stock up with Final Fantasy XIV Gil in advance. Visit EZG.com for safe, ban-free service that supports all servers. 

In FFXIV Dawntrail 7.25, a new batch of Relic Weapons, Phantom Weapons, were added to the game. They are level 100 Dawntrail Relics, and they look cool, and have two maxed-out secondary properties, making them much more useful than your EX weapons.

While they may not be the most powerful weapons yet, they will do the job of farming in the wild and will help you get through to the next DLC, and most importantly, who can resist the cool looks of these weapons?

How To Start Phantom Weapons Quest?

To get Phantom Weapons, you need to meet the following conditions:

• Reach player level 100.
• Have the Disciple of War or Disciple of Magic title.
• Complete the Dawntrail main quest.
• Reach Unfamiliar Territory in Occult Crescent questline.

After meeting the above conditions, you can go to Phantom Village (X:6.6, Y:7.1) to start Phantom Weapon quest line.

Step 1

Phantom Weapon is made in two steps. The weapon you can get in the first step is the item level 745 Phantom Weapon Penumbrae. After obtaining this weapon, you will need 3 Arcanite to convert it into the weapon you need.

The first part of the quest that players have to do is Arcane Artistry. Players need to collect 6 types of Demiatma, three of each. It will appear in the following areas:

• Fates in Dawntrail zones
• Occult Crescent: South Horn

Demiatma cannot be exchanged with other players, nor can it be exchanged for FFXIV Gil at merchants, so you can discard the excess Demiatma.

The types of Demiatma offered by South Horn Fates And CEs are as follows:

Azurite Demiatma:

• A Prying Eye
• Rough Waters
• The Golden Guardian
• Crawling Death
• Scourge of the Mind
• The Unbridled

Verdigris Demiatma:

• A Delicate Balance
• Sworn to Soil
• Leading Pots
• Calamity Bound

Malachite Demiatma:

• An Unending Duty
• Flame of Dusk
• Trial by Claw
• From Times Bygone

Realgar Demiatma:

• Brain Drain
• The Winged Terror
• With Extreme Prejudice
• Shark Attack
• Cursed Concern

Caput Mortuum Demiatma:

• Serving Darkness
• Company of Stone
• Eternal Watch
• On the Hunt

Orpiment Demiatma:

• Fatal Allure
• King of the Crescent
• Persistent Pots
• Noise Complaint
• The Black Regiment

Demiatma types that drop randomly in FATE in Dawntrail area:

• Azurite Demiatma: in Urqopacha or the southeast of South Horn
• Verdigirs Demiatma: in Kozama’uka or the southwest of South Horn
• Malachite Demiatma: in the caves of Yak T’el or the west of South Horn
• Realgar Demiatma: in Shaaloani or the northwest beach of South Horn
• Caput Mortuum Demiatma: in Heritage Found or the eastern castle of South Horn
• Orpiment Demiatma: in Living Memory or the central plains of South Horn

Demiatma has a low drop rate, and it is possible that you will have to farm for more than an hour to get one Demiatma. But if you want to get other weapons, you will not need to repeat the first step.

Step 2

After getting enough Demiatma, you can return to Phantom Village to find Ermina and exchange 3 Arcanite with her. Arcanite is not traded with FFXIV Gil, but with Allagan Tomestone of Heliometry.

Each Arcan requires 500 Allagan Tomestone of Heliometry, and if you want to unlock all weapons, you need 31,500 Allagan Tomestone of Heliometry.

Allagan Tomestone of Heliometry is a higher-level currency than Gil. Players can drop it in level 100 dungeons, team instances, trials, and other activities. They can be traded for armor or various potions. Players can carry up to 2,000 Allagan Tomestone of Heliometry at a time.

This means that you can only craft one Phantom weapon at a time, and then you have to farm Tomestone of Heliometry again. So if you plan to unlock all Phantom weapons, it will waste a lot of your time.

Phantom Weapon

Each class has a corresponding Phantom Weapon. Here are all Phantom Weapons:

• Phantom Sword Penumbrae: Paladin
• Phantom Kite Shield Penumbrae: Paladin
• Phantom Knuckles Penumbrae: Monk
• Phantom Bardiche Penumbrae: Warrior
• Phantom Spear Penumbrae: Dragoon
• Phantom Harp Bow Penumbrae: Bard
• Phantom Crook Penumbrae: Ninja
• Phantom Staff Penumbrae: White Mage
• Phantom Index Penumbrae: Black Mage
• Phantom Codex Penumbrae: Summoner
• Phantom Cleavers Penumbrae: Scholar
• Phantom Guillotine Penumbrae: Dark Knight
• Phantom Arquebus Penumbrae: Machinist
• Phantom Star Globe Penumbrae: Astrologian
• Phantom Blade Penumbrae: Samurai
• Phantom Rapier Penumbrae: Red Mage
• Phantom Bayonet Penumbrae: Gunbreaker
• Phantom Terpna Penumbrae: Dancer
• Phantom War Scythe Penumbrae: Reaper
• Phantom Pendulums Penumbrae: Sage
• Phantom Twinfangs Penumbrae: Viper
• Phantom Flat Brush Penumbrae: Pictomancer

Do You Need To Get A Phantom Weapon?

For players who are deeply involved in FFXIV, Phantom Weapons are not very attractive. They are usually considered to be catch-up weapons. If you have just played FFXIV for a short time, or you are a returning player, building a Phantom Weapon can allow you to get various materials and Gil, and close the gap between you and the top players.

After the next expansion is released, they may be obsolete, but they are enough to meet most of your needs, not to mention they have cool light effects. Even if you don’t use them, these weapons have collection value.

Some time ago, Final Fantasy 14 Dawntrail released a new Chaotic mode in the original very popular World of Darkness, which allows the entire alliance to fight against the 100-level version of Cloud of Darkness, which appeared in the story of A Realm Reborn. But the battle you experience here will be more difficult than before, because the enemy level has been increased by 50 levels and has added some additional attacks. So just be more vigilant when challenging it and coordinate the whole team. The difficulty of this boss is only at the medium level of the current game content.

If you don’t have such conditions at present, don’t worry too much. This guide will introduce you to how to deal with this terrifying dark cloud from two aspects: pre-battle preparation and combat strategy, so that you can kill it as quickly as possible and get a lot of loot.

Pre-Battle Preparation

You unlock the location of this boss, World of Darkness (Chaotic), after completing the level 100 Dawntrail quest called How the West Was Sung. In addition, you will need to complete the main story in Patch 7.0 and speak to Wandering Minstrel in Tuliyollal (X: 11.2, Y: 14.7) to gain access to the raid where you fight Cloud of Darkness.

Although the developers stated at the time of release that it was technically possible to do this raid with only 12 players, after actual testing by many players, you and a group of 24 players will be the best team to complete this raid, including six tanks, six healers, and 12 DPS. Most importantly, everyone must be at item level 710 or higher, which can be achieved by completing Echoes of Vana’diel raid.

Strategy In Battle

Although Cloud of Darkness is fierce, it does not use any new attacks that have never appeared in FFXIV or Shadowbringers or Endwalker expansion. If you have completed those Savage-level raids before challenging it, it will be very easy to predict the next move of this boss and react more accurately.

However, it should be noted that Cloud of Darkness has a very fast attack speed, even one of the best in the game, and can complete an overwhelming attack on you by performing multiple moves. It is precisely because of this potent combination of attacks that this raid has earned the title of chaotic. So when facing this boss, you need to make sure to spend some FFXIV Gil to make your build very flexible, so that there is a certain possibility of getting through this difficult time.

Another thing to note is that Cloud of Darkness will automatically attack all three tanks first. These attacks are very fierce and will greatly reduce the tanks’ resistance to subsequent damage. So in the three-tank build, you should use Provoke as much as possible to protect your partners, which is also a common ability of tanks in the game. In addition to the bleed damage it can cause to you and your companions, the ability to heal health and use Ensua is also very important to complete the fight.

Main Attacks

Now let’s take a look at what attacks Cloud of Darkness will use in the fight with you and what strategies you should use. When starting the fight, it will use its one hand to split a large area of ​​the current arena and slam the ground in front of it. Like most boss attacks in FFXIV, there is a high-level warning to remind you of what is coming next. So you can dodge by standing under the other arm that is not raised and avoid the melee attack damage it will cause from the front.

Next, Cloud of Darkness will perform two moves at the same time. First, many lasers will spawn from the south and east of the arena. At this time, please turn your camera to find and avoid all lasers. Then a random number of players on your team will be marked with Stillness markers, which have appeared in previous raids. During this time, one of your tank teammates will have 3 tagged Flares, which may help Cloud of Darkness attack you. When they start to attack you, try to stay away from untagged teammates, especially those who can provide ranged DPS, and use defensive cooldowns to mitigate the damage you take.

In addition, Cloud of Darkness also has two different mechanics, pushing outward from the center and pulling inward. If a blue circle appears in the arena, it means that it is now a push-out mechanic, so try to get as close to the circle as possible to avoid being knocked out of the arena. If it is a black circle, it means that it is a pull-in mechanic and you need to move away immediately to avoid being killed immediately. It is best to run to the center to avoid follow-up attacks. When Cloud of Darkness reaches around 70% of health. It will summon three Stygian Shadow clones, one each to the west, south, and east of the arena. If you’ve experienced Eden’s Promise raid in FFXIV Shadowbringers, you’ll notice that these enemies are pretty much the same.

The tank here is just moving around to avoid all the enemies, the off-tank can try to disable them, and the ranged DPS can destroy them as quickly as possible to relieve the tank. Meteor pads will appear at various points around the arena, requiring 3-4 players to stand on them to avoid spreading damage to the raid. Once you’ve done enough damage to the three Stygian Shadow clones, Cloud of Darkness will reset back to its original state. If your team has strong DPS, it’s easy to get this boss down to around 20% health, and with just a few minutes of fighting, you’ll win the raid and earn the Cloud Strife achievement for all players.

The above are the specific methods and strategies for you to defeat Cloud of Darkness in World of Darkness in FFXIV Dawntrail. Although some of this boss’s attacks may seem complicated, in fact, as long as your build is flexible enough, you can completely avoid most of its moves that can cause tremendous damage. I wish you a happy game!

As players explore Final Fantasy XIV, combat prowess is one element that can be used to show off and compete, but players’ personal style is also the key to comparison in the game. No matter what stage of exploration progress you are in, your character can show off your unique personal taste to other players.

Among those things that can be shown off are carefully matched costumes, some are weapons with unique combat abilities obtained from some of the game’s most arduous battles, and some are various cute and interesting minions obtained through different quests. And in the first major patch of FFXIV Dawntrail, Patch 7.1 Crossroads, there is a minion that is very worth collecting, called Spinettesaurus Minion. If you haven’t put in the effort yet, why not get it as quickly as possible using the methods provided by this guide?

What Is The Use Of Spinettesaurus Minion?

In fact, Spinettesaurus Minion has no actual use, only to be collected and admired by others. But you can tell from the rich graphical detail it has that the developers have put a lot of effort into FFXIV’s new graphical capabilities.

This Spinettesaurus Minion’s actions are classified as independent in the game, so besides watching, you can also send it to Gold Saucer mini-game Lord of Vermillion to complete various objectives on your behalf and collect a large amount of FFXIV MGP for your gambling.

How To Get Spinettesaurus Minion?

In the current game content, you can get this very cute Spinettesaurus Minion in two ways: Voyages and Marketboard. Now let us introduce them to you one by one. You can choose the method that best suits your needs.

Voyages

Voyages in the game are exclusive to Free Company guilds, so make sure you have joined them before you start exploring. Alternatively, you can create a Free Company guild yourself, as long as you reach level 25 and join a Grand Company.

Then you can talk to Free Company administrator and select Found a Free Company tab it offers you. After you upgrade Free Company guild you created to the specified level, you can start exploring the voyage.

You’ll need to enter a small workshop and send out submarines or early airships to collect random materials. Airships and submarines can be deployed at the same time, but there is a limit to the number of airships and submarines that can be deployed at the same time.

It is worth reminding you here that the more advanced the equipment you use, the more valuable rewards you are likely to get. It’s also important to note that the combination of parts you used to build your submersible will determine how far it can travel, as well as the rewards you get from that voyage.

Because a new location added in Patch 7.1 Crossroads allows you to cross to a higher level location, you can explore in a lower level range first, and then cross to Central Blue destination where Spinettesaurus Minion is located. But it should be noted that you need to send your submarine to Voyagers’ Reprieve in advance to unlock its reveal.

This requires multiple attempts. If the attempt fails, you can first farm some FFXIV Gil in the low-level exploration area so that your character’s defense and survivability can be improved. Then, launch the exploration again after a period of time or the next day. At this time, because the drop rate of all items will be refreshed, you may find the servant you want more easily.

In Central Blue destination, in addition to obtaining Spinettesaurus Minion, you can also find some botanist logs and a Stuffed Axolotl Eft if you are lucky. But more often, you will get Acacia Log, Claro Walnut Log, Dark Mahogany Log, Acacia Lumber, Claro Walnut Lumber, Dark Mahogany Lumber, which are also very valuable items.

Marketboard

Of course, you can also directly obtain Spinettesaurus Minion by trading with other players at Marketboard. Here is a reminder that the more free companies that work hard to hone these voyages, the higher the frequency of its appearance on Marketboard.

You can also sell this minion on Marketboard for 600,000 or 700,000 FFXIV Gil if you need it urgently, but the price may drop if the supply of it on Marketboard exceeds the demand. So if you don’t like the look of this Spinettesaurus Minion and don’t plan to keep it as a collectible, you can sell it as soon as possible when the price is high after you get it, otherwise you may face some losses.

These are the two specific ways you can get Spinettesaurus Minion in Final Fantasy XIV Dawntrail. Hopefully, you can get this interesting minion smoothly and easily with the help of this guide. In general, we recommend that players obtain most of the collectibles in the game through actual exploration, because this not only allows you to experience the ultimate gaming experience but also because you can place it on Marketboard for trading for more Gil. If you only want convenience at the beginning, you will miss a very worthwhile transaction. I wish you a happy game!