The First of Dawntrail’s Alliance Raids has arrived in Final Fantasy XIV in spectacular form, with ample references and inspiration taken directly from Final Fantasy XI. If you’re about to dive in to Jeuno: The First Walk, here’s everything you need to look out for.
Jeuno: The First Walk is set up in much the same way as any other Alliance Raid in FFXIV, with three main bosses, a bunch of trash mobs to pick through, and one mini-boss-trash-mob combination fight to work through. At the time of release, it takes about 45 minutes to one hour to complete, depending on party wipes and iLvl of players.
Prishe of the Distant Chains walkthrough
After the first trash mob is taken down on the main street of Jeuno, you’ll be flung directly into the first boss fight of the raid and you’ll be facing off against Prishe. She has some very hard hits, and an interesting charge-up mechanic that has previously been seen in The Sil’Dihn Subterrane.
The one thing you need to really pay attention to during this fight is Prishe’s voice lines. When casting certain attacks, she will display three telegraphs rather than one, and then she will begin to say “Wait for it…”. Each wait for it corresponds to one of the telegraphs for the attack, with a maximum of three, and you’ll need to place yourself accordingly to deal with the incoming brutal attack.
Prishe’s main attacks are as follows:
| Attack | Explainer |
| Knuckle Sandwich | Targets a location on the ground to slam, with three circles each slightly larger than each other. Prishe will say “Wait for it…” up to three times, with each time corresponding to one of the circles. However many times she says “Wait for it…”, stand outside the corresponding circle. |
| Nullifying Dropkick | Very brutal tank-buster designed to be shared between all three tanks. Time for a group hug! Make sure to use your abilities to mitigate damage. |
| Banish Storm | Three staves appear on the ground with arrows pointing outwards. After a short moment, moderately sized AoEs will begin to cascade out from the staves in the direction of the arrows. |
| Crystalline Thorns | Marks a large portion of the arena with red, creating lethal spikes that cannot be stepped on. This move will always come before Auroral Uppercut. |
| Auroral Uppercut | All players will be targeted with a knockback attack similar to that seen performed by Black Cat in the first Arcadion raid. Three telegraphs will be shown, so listen for Prishe’s “Wait for it…” count and adjust your position to ensure you land in a safe location. |
| Banishga IV | Orbs begin to cover the arena, swelling up in sequence. Remain near the smaller orbs as the larger ones cause large AoEs, then move into the newly safe space. |
Fafnir the Forgotten walkthrough
Fafnir is a very large dragon who is intent on causing as much damage as it can, and the attacks from this boss come incredibly fast. The first time you go through this battle, it will seem like complete chaos, but it’s perfectly manageable once you’ve figured out the patterns.
A couple of things to note about this fight are the fact that Fafnir will periodically cast Hurricane Wing, which will cause damaging wind to whip up across the entire arena. This can blow players around, and also cause some hefty damage, so Healers will need to be on their toes during this.
Tanks need to pay attention as well, even if they’re not Main Tank. During Hurricane Wind, Fafnir will also summon a number of Darters that need to be picked up and felled before continuing.
Other than Hurricane Wind, Fafnir’s main attacks are as follows:
| Attack | Explainer |
| Offensive Posture | Offensive Posture can take three entirely different forms, and you’ll need to pay attention to Fafnir to figure out how to ride out the oncoming attack. These can come immediately after one another in any pattern, so stay on your toes: Head Charged: – Fafnir will breath fire along the edge of the arena in a clockwise direction. The fire will fade in the same pattern as it was cast, so stay near the beginning of the circle, because you’ll need to move into that space to avoid the follow-up cast of either Tail Charged or Feet Charged Offensive Posture. Tail Charged: – Fafnir will swipe the arena behind it, causing a 270 degree AoE. The only safe spot for this attack is directly in front of Fafnir’s head. Feet Charged: – Fafnir will slam the ground, creating a large AoE around itself. Only the very edge of the arena will be safe during this attack. |
| Baleful Breath | High-damage stack that hits multiple times and spreads damage across all players it hits. Stay together as a group and only leave the stack when the attack is over. |
| Winged Terror | Fafnir’s will move to the edge of the arena and it’s wings will begin to grow purple, slamming down to the left and right after a short moment. Only the center of the arena in front of Fafnir’s head is safe. |
| Absolute Terror | Much like Winged Terror, Absolute Terror is performed while Fafnir is at the edge of the arena. It’s body will start to glow purple before shooting a large AoE through the middle of the arena in front of it’s head, so make sure to stick to the sides. |
After you’ve worked through Fafnir, you’ll encounter a single stone Talos type enemy on your way to the next encounter. This enemy has an interruptible Tank Buster, so make sure to use Interject while it’s being cast.
The Ark Angels walkthrough
The Ark Angels are a group of five enemies who need to be fought together, and they all have their own attacks and AoEs to dodge. Alone, these attacks would be remarkably simple to avoid, but grouped together, these five definitely pose a bit of a challenge.
It can feel pretty chaotic, but to make things easier, it’s possible to tank all five enemies in a group and simply AoE attack them to death. It’s slower, but it definitely makes things a little less stressful for all involved.
Here are the main attacks to look out for with the Ark Angels:
| Attack | Explainer |
| The Decisive Battle | Upon commencing the battle, the three tanks will become tethered to one of the three Ark Angels that are present, applying the Epic Hero Effect. Players will only be able to damage the Ark Angel with the matching effect. If you’re unsure, stick with your Alliance’s tank. |
| Meikyo Shisui | A Number of different AoE attacks will go off in quick succession: – Checkerboard ice AoE – Glowing orb that must be looked away from – Part one of a flower attack causing a large AoE – Part two of a flower attack causing a small safe zone that all players must run to – A large crystal that shoots six cones of lightning from the center of the arena This bit is a little chaotic, and on the last part, remember that the safe cone of space is actually smaller than it appears once the attack goes off, so it’s safest to stand directly in the middle of a safe cone. |
| Meteor | Ark Angel TT begins a lengthy cast that must be interrupted using Interject before it goes off to prevent catastrophic raid-wide damage. |
| Guillotine | Ark Angel TT moves to one side of the room before performing a few large cleaves in front of him. Stand directly to his sides to avoid the attack. |
| Utsusemi | Ark Angel HM creates four clones that will tether to a player before chasing them around the arena. Keep a distance from them, and other players should avoid getting caught in the tethers. |
| Mijin Gakure | This is possibly the most vital mechanic of the raid, as failing this can cause a wipe. Ark Angel HM begins casting Mijin Gakure, while Ark Angel EV creates an Ark Shield. Focus all attacks on the shield and, when it’s defeated, someone must use Interject to interrupt Mijin Gakure to prevent a wipe. |
| Rampage | Ark Angel MR will dash around the arena, causing three large linear AoEs before jumping up and slamming down to create a large circle AoE that should be avoided. |
Like I said, this fight sounds like complete chaos, but it’s mostly avoidance techniques. As long as you can master the art of interrupting Mijin Gakure, you should get through this in one try.
Shadow Lord walkthrough
The big baddie of Jeuno: The First Walk, and the final boss, is Shadow Lord. His ability to use both magic and brawn make him a worthy foe, and he also calls upon clones to make things even more complicated. On the plus side, this is once again a lesson in avoidance and after the first go, you’ll pretty much know what you’re doing, although this fight will test your memory somewhat.
Here’s all of Shadow Lord’s main attacks and how to deal with them:
| Attack | Explainer |
| Giga Slash | Two sweeping swords will appear around Night Lord before disappearing, leaving a small safe zone that won’t be affected by the incoming cleave AoEs. The attacks won’t happen until after the second telegraph, so make sure to stand in the first safe spot and then very quickly move to the second. |
| Giga Slash: Nightfall | Exactly the same as Giga Slash, except a third telegraphed attack will be added. Make sure to dodge and weave accordingly. |
| Umbra Smash | Shadow Lord smashes the ground in a straight like AoE. These line AoEs will then cascade outwards from themselves, so run into a safe spot created by a previously executed AoE. |
| Implosion | Shadow Lord lifts an orb in each hand, each creating a half circle AoE around him. One of these orbs will grow bigger, and you want to stand on the opposite side of the arena to avoid a half arena-wide AoE. |
| Chthonic Fury | Shadow Lord transform the arena, dealing raid-wide damage and beginning a new phase. |
| Dark Nebula | After the arena is turned into four circles with interconnecting passages, Shadow Lord will create a knockback line AoE on one side of the arena. Make sure to stand on the side that gives you enough space to fly back into a safe spot. Later on in the fight, four will happen in quick succession, sending you in a complete circle, but you’ll need to remember the order. |
| Dark Sigils | Circular and square telegraphs appear around the arena with thorns appearing on either the outside facing outwards, or inside facing inwards. The AoEs that goes off when this cast finishes will follow the direction of the thorns, so adjust your position accordingly. |
| Shadow Spawn | Shadow Lord creates two clones of himself that will use Giga Slash or Implosion, following the order that the two attacks are performed by Shadow Lord himself. |
| Binding Sigil | Three sets of circular sigils will appear on the ground in sequence, detonating to create large AoEs at the end of the cast. You’ll need to remember the order and figure out the safe spots, running into previously detonated AoEs to avoid damage. |
Once you’ve defeated Shadow Lord, you’ll be able to claim your spoils. Good luck rolling on the Nano Lord minion, and if you’re lucky enough to win one of the Tattered Sheet Music items, remember to head to Jeuno to trade it for FFXI inspired Orchestrion Rolls by talking to the Peculiar Goblin.
Published: Nov 14, 2024 12:26 pm