Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker’s first trial, the Dark Inside, is against Zodiark, the original Primal and Ascian’s god. While the trial comes early in the story-heavy FFXIV expansion, it is a fairly challenging two-phase fight. Players will find themselves in a square arena, floating in a void, and they can fall into that void if they venture too close to the edge. Zodiark will be at the North end of the arena. In phase one, the boss will use his six moves in order and then randomize them. In order, his moves are Kokytos, Exoterikos, Ania, Paradeigma, Phlegeton, and Styx.
Zodiark’s power Kokytos will immediately lower everyone’s HP to one. Healers in Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker will need to help the party recover from this unavoidable move. Exoterikos is a purple beam that shoots toward one side of the arena, causing either a triangle or square symbol to appear. To avoid damage, if the symbol is a triangle, players should stick to the outer edge of the arena. If the symbol is a square, they should run to the opposite side of the arena. Then, the move Ania will target one member of the party with the highest enmity.
After Ania, the move Paradeigma causes either two glowing behemoths or two snakes to appear in the arena. Either way, FFXIV players should avoid their target areas to prevent damage. Phlegeton will cause circles to appear under the party, and players should continue moving to avoid taking damage. Finally, Styx requires every character to stack in one place and not move, or Zodiark’s target will be hit six times for significant damage.
FFXIV: Endwalker Zodiark (The Dark Inside) Phase Two
As phase two of the Dark Inside FFXIV Endwalker trial begins, Zodiark will transform into a fallen angel. There will be large, glowing arrows on the side of the arena that the FFXIV Endwalker boss will use for his six unique moves. Zodiark will use Astral Flow, Adikia, Triple Esoteric Ray, Algedon, Astral Eclipse, and Trimorphos Exoterikos intermixed with the six moves from phase one of the trial. Continued damage avoidance and attacks to the boss will eventually lead the player to victory.
Zodiark’s Astral Flow causes the arena to spin a quarter turn in the direction the arrows are facing just before the attack Paradeigma lands. Accordingly, players will need to calculate where to stand to avoid taking damage before the rotation begins. Adikia is a physical attack from Zodiark himself, and players should stand under his chin or at the exact opposite end of the arena to avoid damage. Triple Esoteric Ray summons three glowing green portals, with one portal launching a beam of energy followed by beams from the other portals. Players should attempt to dodge these beams.
Algedon is a move that covers most of the arena and can knock the player backward, so they should quickly head to an opposite corner from Zodiark. Astral Eclipse has Zodiark flying around the arena counter-clockwise and creating constellations. The newly created stars will then begin quickly falling on the arena. This is Zodiark’s most challenging move to avoid. Players will want to have a high DPS job character in their party to deal sufficient damage to Zodiark.
The final new attack in phase two of the Zodiark trial of Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker, Trimophos Exoterikos, launches three Exoterikos symbols that players can handle like a standard attack, remembering the order they were placed. Players should note that, if they forget the order, the three Exoterikos are slightly different shades of purple.
Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker is now available for PC, Mac, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation 5.