After fighting an amalgamation of friends mushed into one hot warrior, now’s the time to face a fusion of Final Fantasy XIV enemies past and present. The result isn’t quite the same. In fact, it’s downright horrifying. Eden’s Promise, a self-titled Utopian Vision, is trying to start a fight while being downright diabolically displeasing and, quite frankly, not deserving of a future. Are we the bad guys? No. We’re just protecting one world against some ancient civilization’s vision to return it to the state of one that clearly wasn’t as perfect as they thought.
If you’re itching to put this abomination and it’s many arms down for the count, you’re going to need to think back on the fights you’ve fought along the way. Here’s how to beat Eden’s Promise, the Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers boss of E12, and the final of the Eden raid series.
Moveset
Phase 1
- Maleficium: Deals raid-wide damage.
- Cast or Stock/Release: Uses a set move from one or two chosen Primal images respectively:
- Titan: Permits the use of Junction Titan (Only used in Phase 2).
- Leviathan: Knockback on the flanks. Stick to the front or rear of the boss to avoid.
- Garuda: Conal strike on cardinal directions. Get to intercardinal positions to avoid.
- Ramuh: Large AoE under and around the boss. Get out of melee range to avoid.
- Ifrit: Large conal strike to the front and rear. Get to the immediate absolute flanks to avoid.
- Shiva: Permits the use of Junction Shiva (Only used in Phase 2).
- Formless Judgement: Tankbuster on each tank.
Phase 2
- Junction Shiva: Allows the use of Diamond Dust, which deals heavy raid-wide damage and adds slippery frost to the arena floor.
- Junction Titan: Allows the use of Earthern Fury, which deals heavy raid-wide damage and summons two lots of four rock bombs that explode in sequence.
- Rapturous Reach: A 270-degree strike with eight red markers (during Junction Shiva) or a single stack marker (during Junction Titan).
Phase 1: Cast
The primary mechanic of Eden’s Promise is its ability to cast a single spell from any one of six Primal memories from past Eden fights; Leviathan, Garuda, Ramuh, or Ifrit. While present on either side, Shiva and Titan are reserved for Phase 2.
When you see it casting “Cast”, take note of which crystal image Eden’s Promise tethers too — that’s the Primal skill it’ll finish the skill with. This happens four times in sequence typically after a Maleficium and is ultimately followed up with Formless Judgement at the end, blasting both tanks for significant damage.
Chances are, the fiend will then continue to use Cast after Cast until around 70% HP. It’s a great way to familiarize yourself with each potential skill, but it can get bland.
Phase 1.5: Treasured Memories
After another hard-hitting Maleficium, Eden’s Promise summons a bunch of additional platforms, each with a “Memory” that needs to be protected. As soon as you regain control of your character, jump into the glowing circle before the platform is beaten to a pulp to join the rest of your team on the first Memory platform. Defeat the Lissom Sculptures here as fast as you can before they can chip off too much of the Gaia’s Memories gauge.
Once they’re defeated, a laser targets the Treasured Memory with a blue linear attack marker. The team should get into this to soak the damage about to hit the crystal. Two conal strikes will target anywhere outside that point, too, which can kill off the party members needed to complete the glorified DPS check. After that, take the resulting teleporter up to the next Memory platform.
As soon as you land, both healers are targetted with stack markers. Split these up and away from the Treasured Memory. Use cooldowns to focus the two resulting Chiseled Sculptures down and the central crystal should survive the large knockback that comes out soon after, saving the gauge from a much bigger hit. Take the next teleporter up to the final memory.
Everyone should feel free to blow their biggest and best AoE attacks on this pack of Beastly Sculptures. They can chip the Treasured Memory down to the deadly 75% mark fast if left too long. After they’re defeated, stack under the crystal to survive the knockback. Take the next teleporter up. Healers and tanks, heal up, and pop mitigation once the whole party arrives. There’s a big hit coming.
Phase 2: Stock/Release
You know how it goes. If the music changes, it’s time for dread to settle in. From now until it dies, Eden’s Promise will use Stock in place of Cast, grabbing the attacks of two Primal images simultaneously. Worse yet, it won’t “Release” the spells until after another — like Formless Judgement or Maleficium. Try your best to imagine the safe spots of each potential move, then lay the second Cast choice on top to picture the safe spot that remains.
It’s possible there won’t even be a safe spot. For example: If Leviathan and Ifrit are chosen, their combination of attacks will cover the entire arena. What you need to do here is ensure you only take one hit and, in the case of Leviathan, don’t get knocked off by the pushback. Healers need to keep everyone topped up to deal with unavoidable damage and Vulnerability stacks, while any damage mitigation skills and shields will go a long way in ensuring things go smoothly.
After the first instance of Stock, the next will include either Junction Shiva or Junction Titan, enabling Eden’s Promise to cast either Diamond Dust or Earthen Fury respectively; which it’ll waste no time doing. Remember which Primals were Stocked. They’ll be back soon.
Junction Shiva
Diamond Dust deals heavy raid-wide damage and causes characters to slip and slide around by turning the arena floor to frost. This makes positioning for additional attacks that much harder. Rather than using Release right away, the use of Diamond Dust brings its own set of markers targeting four DPS/Healers, and a stack marker to get the team back together on literal thin ice before it disappears.
Junction Titan
If the boss decides to go with Titan, Earthen Fury takes the spot before the next Release. This deals immense raid-wide damage with its initial burst and drops big and small rocks around the outer edges of the arena in two lots of four. Take note of which four drop last: They’ll blow last. Stand by one and head to a spot that opens when the first set explodes. Size, aside from potential damage output, doesn’t seem to matter here.
Rapturous Reach
After either Junction sequence, a skill called Rapturous Reach is used at the end, cleaving a 270-degree space on the field and, in Shiva’s case, giving each and every party member a red marker to take away. For Titan, it’s a single stack marker after the cleave instead. Now it’s Release time. Let’s hope you remembered which Primals were stocked.
With that, Eden’s Promise reverts to using Cast over Stock for a time, while retaining the ability to use two skills at once — that means they’ll come immediately after being grabbed again. After two lots of these (and a Maleficium), Stock resurfaces, sending the whole of Phase 2 into a repeating cycle until the boss is quelled.
