Pitting your character against the biggest, baddest summons in the franchise’s history—and more than a few original enemies—are a staple of Final Fantasy XIV’s trials. This game mode is a true test of your party’s cooperation and understanding of the game’s mechanics. However, not all trials are made equal. Some are extremely fun; others feel like pulling teeth.
So without further ado, here are a few of our favorite trials, and a few more we hate to play.
Love: Akh Afah Amphitheatre - Shiva
Let’s talk leitmotifs. Musically speaking, it takes a lot of bravery to transition from an orchestral song to a low, growling rock track in the same boss fight. Shiva doesn’t just make the change, she welcomes it with style. The transition from Ishgardian choir to garage band rock is heralded with a snap of her fingers and one of the game’s most memorable ultimates, Diamond Dust.
Many players often stop attacking right before Shiva casts her ultimate in order to emote, because once Diamond Dust is cast, the entire party will be frozen mid-action, which can make for fantastic photo opportunities. Then Shiva brings her foot down on one lucky party member, and cue the screaming guitars! All in all, Shiva’s fight makes great use of her ice motif in its AOEs and attack patterns, and when combined with her awesome theme, makes for an encounter players will be happy to get on their daily trials.
Hate: The Chrysalis – Nabriales
The Chrysalis has three distinct mechanics, two of which often result in full party wipes when too many party members don’t understand what to do.
Unfortunately, the mechanics in this trial are not friendly to new players. One of them involves Nabriales summoning two types of shadow balls that slowly drift towards where he floats. Allowing too many orbs to reach him will result in his ensuring arena-wide attack to do massive amounts of damage; however, players who don’t know this will reasonably attempt to dodge these orbs and let them slip.
Nabriales's final phase is even more punishing to new players, and most wipes occur here. Naturally, failing right at the finish line is extremely frustrating, and players who are new to this trial often have to do it at least twice before completing it. No thank you.
Love: Emanation - Lakshmi
Lakshmi's boss fight feels like something a member of the dev team pitched after binging a couple of Bollywood movies, and we love that. Musically speaking, Lakshmi's theme is incredible, and can’t be mistaken for any other track in the game. Furthermore, with the way Lakshmi drops her AOEs and targeted attacks, fighting her almost feels like a choreographed dance.
That goes hand in hand with the kind of goddess Lakshmi is believed to be in the FFXIV universe. Her trial is beautiful and flowery, with imaginative mechanics and a constant, frenetic energy that will leave you almost disappointed to finish the trial.
Hate: The Limitless Blue – Bismarck
You’d expect a boss with such a cool design to be fun to fight, right? Unfortunately, Bismarck being a giant, island-eating flying whale is the exact reason why his trial is such a pain. Players don’t get to engage with him. Instead, Bismarck continuously smashes against the island players stand on and summons several rounds of trash mobs to occupy the players as he flies.
The most interaction players get to have with Bismarck is to reel him in with dragon-slaying harpoons and then whaling (ha!) on his armor and corona to down him. Limitless Blue is very unmemorable and about as engaging as smacking a boat. No thank you.
Love: The Jade Stoa - Byakko
Byakko’s trial sets the scene with a funky electronic beat that is almost at odds with the misty bamboo forest the trial takes place in. His trial is just mechanic after mechanic, and while the pace may be frenetic, the trial (at least, until you unlock Extreme) never comes off as punishing.
Featuring plenty of moving AOEs to dodge, hasty stack mechanics, and a very fun section where Byakko tosses you miles into the air and fights you while falling, there’s no denying that Jade Stoa is a trial to remember. The theme is incredible as well and is a stark reminder that you are facing a creature so powerful and long-lived that it’s become divine.
Hate: Dragon’s Bridge – Gilgamesh
Gilgamesh is the antagonist of the first and third Hildebrand questlines. His first trial is naturally as slapstick-y as Hildebrand himself, and while it may be fun at first, after a certain point Gilgamesh’s gimmicks just get… annoying.
For one thing, he debuffs your party constantly. Someone is going to get turned into a frog and chased around by Enkidu, Gilgamesh’s neon green chicken. Someone is going to be minimized and do approximately no damage for about 30 seconds. Not only that, but Gilgamesh will stop the fight and run away after his first phase, which means that you’ll have to fight him again at full health during phase two.
Love: The Dancing Plague – Titania
Titania is the king of pixies in the First, as well as the proud owner of what might just be the most beautifully dissonant theme in the game. Their theme is a gentle, waltz-like song with soft, almost child-like singing and lyrics along the lines of Ring-Around-the-Rosie.
It’s a song that very much fits the tone of Titania’s fight. Titania makes players splash in puddles, dance around the arena to avoid AOEs, and as befitting a fairy creature, makes them fight several giant trees. All in all, their trial has a rhythm that rivals Lakshmi's, and is very much deserving of its “Dancing Plague” name.