A closer look at FFXIV: Heavensward's dungeons

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Ah, dungeons. A precious MMO mainstay and home to vicious fiends, teamwork and sweet, sweet loot. A realm reborn already has a Behemoth-load of them to slice your way through including the likes of the Tonberry-filled Wanderer’s Palace, and The Lost city of Amdapor - an ancient civilization overrun by poisonous spores and the final resting place of FF series mainstay Diablos. Each one a perfectly pitched challenge for you and three of your fellow adventurers to fight your way through.

The upcoming Heavensward expansion will be no different, with eight new dungeons being added to start with, and likely more to follow in future patches. From fortresses frozen solid in the harsh climes of Coearthas, to floating Islands plagued by tornados, there will be a lot of variety on offer come 23 June. Here’s a closer look at two of them.

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The first, currently nameless dungeon sees you start out in a small forest of sorts, though the plant life is anything but friendly, with thorn-covered flowers wanting nothing more but to see you dead. You soon enter a flame-filled cavern however where a dragon swoops down to cause you grief by burning the ground beneath your feet while you attempt to take down the rest of the local wildlife. Part way through you’ll a dinosaur-like creature that has a fondness for collecting slimy blobs and throwing them at you. It’s a tough fight that you’ll really need to stay on your toes for as you’ll need react quickly to stay on top of things.

The Sharlayan Library meanwhile takes a more atmospheric approach. It feels dark and musty despite it’s jazz-like soundtrack, it’s walls creaking with books - some of which want to take more than just a little nibble out of you. As you make your way through, clearing rooms of perilous page-turners, you’ll find yourself passing through bookcases hiding secret passages. Part way through you’ll find yourself coming across a particularly impressive tome, a demon spilling forth from its humongous pages, with a particularly nasty surprise in store. Forget what you know about any Demon Walls you’ve seen before, this is a very different fight.

With another six dungeons to discover, as well as the Alexander raid there’s plenty to look forward to for all the loot-lovers out there.

This is a sponsored post presented by Square Enix.