Square Enix have announced plans to make the Final Fantasy XIV Hildibrand Manderville side quests part of the future Endwalker Relics. Originally a comedic set of quests, the larger Manderville family has serious ties to the deeper lore of Ul’dah. They even have complete control of the Final Fantasy XIV Gold Saucer casino.
While Endwalker will have other strong options, the Relic will prove to be the most casual to obtain. Relic weapons in all Final Fantasy XIV expansions wind up becoming the strongest gear available. This allows non-raiders a way to create a powerful main arm with little stress.
The Manderville Relics are set to release in patch 6.25, which will go public sometime between August and September. The Hildibrand Adventures need to be completed at any point ahead of time. Players have the option of taking it slow and enjoying the questline or using cutscene skips and unsynced levels to make it all much faster.
Hildibrand Trials in Final Fantasy XIV
To fully complete the Hildibrand questline in A Realm Reborn, players will need to complete three Trial battles interwoven with the story. To queue, the part will need to be the standard makeup of two tanks, two healers, and four DPS. The minimum item level is 90, but the fights will be significantly easier at item level 130. Premade parties can also get a huge advantage by using the versatile Final Fantasy XIV job Blue Mage.
Battle on the Big Bridge
This fight is part of the side quest The Three Collectors received directly from Hildibrand in Wester Thanalan. The part will fight against Gilgamesh, though most of the battle is comedic rather than being dangerous. He has the ability to turn party members into toads, making them unable to attack and will take extra damage from attacks.
After taking significant damage, Gilgamesh will run away to a second arena. This time, many green chickens will also spawn and will deal high damage to those turned into toads. Gilgamesh himself can also change focus from the tank and instantly jump on anyone in the party. Healers should be on the ready to heal often. Defeating Gilgamesh will reward Final Fantasy XIV Tomestone currency and possibly the Gilgamesh Triple Triad card.
Dragon’s Neck
The second battle will unlock as part of The Coliseum Conundrum, a quest given by Briadien in The Steps of Thal. This will pit a full party against two iconic Final Fantasy VI villains Ultros and Typon. Tanks should separate the two foes to opposite sides of the arena. Typhon is the higher priority target, as it can blow players off the stage and make them temporally stunned.
In the second phase of the encounter, all four DPS will be turned into imps. At this point they must stand in front of Ultros and suffer damage from his Aqua Breath attack - this will also give them the wet status effect. At the same time, Typhon will constantly be spinning air currents around the stage and everyone will need to rotate around to avoid them. When the currents dissipate, all four DPS must use their Imp Punch attack on Typhon which is further enhanced by being wet. If eight Wet Imp Punches hit Typhon it will prevent the full party wipe. Repeat this process until Typhon is dead, then take out Ultros second.
Battle at the Big Keep
The final Hildibrand battle in Final Fantasy XIV A Realm Reborn is gained via Her Last Vow. This quest is given by Julyan in the Steps of Thal, though the fight itself is in Amdapor Keep. Players will once again fight against Gilgamesh who is joined by his ally Enkidu. The battle may even reward Enkidu’s Final Fantasy XIV minion form.
For the fight itself, players will need to focus on Enkidu first. This is both needed to enter the second phase, and negate Enkidu’s nasty attacks that inflict heavy, slow, and reduced healing. Once alone, Gilgamesh will start chaining individual players making them unable to participate until freed by the DPS. Dragon heads will also be summoned that players will need to constantly dodge. Most of Gilgamesh’s damage will be focused on the tank, but all other players should keep an eye out for area of effect markers and move accordingly.
Final Fantasy XIV is available on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, and PC.