Summary:
The first two wings in the FFIII-themed Crystal Tower raid. Labyrinth
of the Ancients, Syrcus Tower. G’raha Tia. Unei and Doga.
---
Clearing the Way
I first unlocked the Crystal Tower raid waaaaay back in Part 15 of this series. I didn’t keep great notes on it then.
The gist of it was that a giant crystal tower looms over Mor Dhona, a relic of the ancient Allagan Empire. Cid wants my help exploring it.
-A mysterious miqo’te named G’raha Tia – who has one red eye - helps lead the expedition.
---
Labyrinth of the Ancients
-The first wing is the Labyrinth of the Ancients, with the Crystal Tower lying beyond it. This is clearly gonna be a Final Fantasy III-themed raid.
In FF3, the final dungeon was a series of 3-4 brutal dungeons. Ancients’ Maze, then the Crystal Tower, then Eureka as a side area with mini-bosses and loot, and World of Darkness as the final part.
-The whole labyrinth has a brilliant red and blue color scheme. I also like the sheer overwhelming size.
-I do this raid at level 70, and it’s pretty easy! We’re level-synced down to 50, but the gear you get at 70 still makes most players over-powered.
-The bosses are a cool mix from past FFs!
-Two bosses are regular enemies from the Ancients’ Maze, Bone Dragon and King Behemoth. I especially remember King Behemoth obliterating me with group lightning attacks.
-King Behemoth’s fight is the toughest. His main mechanic is dropping meteors that we have to hide behind to not get killed by his roar.
-Atomos is also a boss here. He splits into three for our raid to deal with, and like any good portal monster, summons a constant stream of enemies to distract and attack us.
Atomos is a bit of a weird inclusion, coming from FFV rather than FFIII.
-The wing’s final boss is Phlegethon, named Acheron in FFIII.
We sometimes have to flee to the outside of the room to avoid his Ancient Flare ultimate attack.
-Phlegethon goes down and the way to the tower itself opens.
---
Legacy of Allag
-The Allagans used the Crystal tower to store the sun’s energies.
-G’raha Tia has a “shall we say, ‘affinity’ for the lore of the Allagan Empire.” Is he himself a long-lived Allagan?
-Scene change. We see the rogue Garlean scientist (and Cid’s rival) Nero approach.
-UNEI AND DOGA ARE HERE! Students of Baldesion, scholars of the Allagan Civilization. OF COURSE they’re in an FFIII raid.
G’raha, Unei, and Doga.
---
Clearing the Way
I first unlocked the Crystal Tower raid waaaaay back in Part 15 of this series. I didn’t keep great notes on it then.
The gist of it was that a giant crystal tower looms over Mor Dhona, a relic of the ancient Allagan Empire. Cid wants my help exploring it.
-A mysterious miqo’te named G’raha Tia – who has one red eye - helps lead the expedition.
---
Labyrinth of the Ancients
-The first wing is the Labyrinth of the Ancients, with the Crystal Tower lying beyond it. This is clearly gonna be a Final Fantasy III-themed raid.
In FF3, the final dungeon was a series of 3-4 brutal dungeons. Ancients’ Maze, then the Crystal Tower, then Eureka as a side area with mini-bosses and loot, and World of Darkness as the final part.
-The whole labyrinth has a brilliant red and blue color scheme. I also like the sheer overwhelming size.
-I do this raid at level 70, and it’s pretty easy! We’re level-synced down to 50, but the gear you get at 70 still makes most players over-powered.
-The bosses are a cool mix from past FFs!
-Two bosses are regular enemies from the Ancients’ Maze, Bone Dragon and King Behemoth. I especially remember King Behemoth obliterating me with group lightning attacks.
-King Behemoth’s fight is the toughest. His main mechanic is dropping meteors that we have to hide behind to not get killed by his roar.
-Atomos is also a boss here. He splits into three for our raid to deal with, and like any good portal monster, summons a constant stream of enemies to distract and attack us.
Atomos is a bit of a weird inclusion, coming from FFV rather than FFIII.
-The wing’s final boss is Phlegethon, named Acheron in FFIII.
We sometimes have to flee to the outside of the room to avoid his Ancient Flare ultimate attack.
-Phlegethon goes down and the way to the tower itself opens.
---
Legacy of Allag
-The Allagans used the Crystal tower to store the sun’s energies.
-G’raha Tia has a “shall we say, ‘affinity’ for the lore of the Allagan Empire.” Is he himself a long-lived Allagan?
-Scene change. We see the rogue Garlean scientist (and Cid’s rival) Nero approach.
-UNEI AND DOGA ARE HERE! Students of Baldesion, scholars of the Allagan Civilization. OF COURSE they’re in an FFIII raid.
G’raha, Unei, and Doga.
-I was right. G’raha’s red eye is an Allagan trait.
-The tower has a sturdy gate. Cid hasn’t been able to make a dent in it.
-The gate has an etching of a man and woman on it. Unei and Doga are the key.
???: “Piercing the heavens and gathering the light, a symbol of mankind’s glory and might.
It’s virtue guarded by gates impregnable,
Only to those of royal blood answerable.”
Hi, Nero! He’s kind of an asshole, but I like how much he annoys Cid. (I ship the FUCK out of those two.)
-Unei and Doga are not actually Allagan royalty. “They are imitations of royalty – living keys born of Allagan ingenuity.” They’re clones, not Students of Baldesion after all.
-The Crystal Tower stood as a symbol of Allagan ingenuity. It also brought energy and prosperity.
UNEI: “That prosperity, however, bred decadence, and the empire began to show signs of stagnation.” A common problem for prosperous civs. The empire dwindled and fell into disrepair.
-The technologist Amon, advisor to Emperor Xande, devoted himself to restoring Allag to greatness. WOOT XANDE! One of the primary FFIII villains.
-As part of his plan, Amon resurrected Xande. Xande turned to a new power source: darkness. Syrcus Tower was his primary research facility. He still lives there, even now.
-Oh my god this place is BEAUTIFUL!
-The game even shows us a preview of Xande sitting atop the Crystal Tower:
-The Crystal Tower was falling. Amon managed to stop time and put things into stasis, Xande included. The Calamity reawakened him.
-Gr’hei wonders if he’s a clone like Unei and Doga, but nope. He got the trait from his dad, and clones can’t have kids. He’s actually part-Allagan.
I can’t get over the sheet beauty of the color schemes around this raid.
-More Unei and Doga clones exist. However, most are mindless automatons. The real Unei and Doga imbued these particular clones with purpose: to stop Xande. #NotAllAllagans
-The tower has a sturdy gate. Cid hasn’t been able to make a dent in it.
-The gate has an etching of a man and woman on it. Unei and Doga are the key.
???: “Piercing the heavens and gathering the light, a symbol of mankind’s glory and might.
It’s virtue guarded by gates impregnable,
Only to those of royal blood answerable.”
Hi, Nero! He’s kind of an asshole, but I like how much he annoys Cid. (I ship the FUCK out of those two.)
-Unei and Doga are not actually Allagan royalty. “They are imitations of royalty – living keys born of Allagan ingenuity.” They’re clones, not Students of Baldesion after all.
-The Crystal Tower stood as a symbol of Allagan ingenuity. It also brought energy and prosperity.
UNEI: “That prosperity, however, bred decadence, and the empire began to show signs of stagnation.” A common problem for prosperous civs. The empire dwindled and fell into disrepair.
-The technologist Amon, advisor to Emperor Xande, devoted himself to restoring Allag to greatness. WOOT XANDE! One of the primary FFIII villains.
-As part of his plan, Amon resurrected Xande. Xande turned to a new power source: darkness. Syrcus Tower was his primary research facility. He still lives there, even now.
-Oh my god this place is BEAUTIFUL!
-The game even shows us a preview of Xande sitting atop the Crystal Tower:
-The Crystal Tower was falling. Amon managed to stop time and put things into stasis, Xande included. The Calamity reawakened him.
-Gr’hei wonders if he’s a clone like Unei and Doga, but nope. He got the trait from his dad, and clones can’t have kids. He’s actually part-Allagan.
I can’t get over the sheet beauty of the color schemes around this raid.
-More Unei and Doga clones exist. However, most are mindless automatons. The real Unei and Doga imbued these particular clones with purpose: to stop Xande. #NotAllAllagans
---
Syrcus Tower
-The first thing that hits me is the music. It’s a soft choral piece with an operatic female voice. It fits the grand, crystalline feel of this tower.
-The first boss is Scylla, a woman with three dog heads. One of the Eureka bosses in FFIII.
-She has a cool orb mechanic. Ice orbs freeze players, fire orbs melt the ice orbs, and you stand in the resulting puddle to negate her Ancient Flare attack.
-This dungeon is purely vertical. Each boss, each trash pack, leads us up and up.
-The next boss is Glasya Labolas, a giant. I remember when I first saw that enemy type in FFII: Soul of Rebirth. (It killed me a LOT.)
-The third boss is Amon, Xande’s scientist. The arena looks almost like an opera house.
-I love the boss’s look, just like FFIII! Like an undead musketeer.
-And awaiting us at the top is Emperor Xande himself. Again, at our gear level, it goes down easily.
-The Tower’s dark magic is still active. A small void nodule hangs above the throne.
UNEI: “The power that Xande sought to obtain comes from the void – the World of Darkness.”
-Voidsent – XIV’s version of demons – come from there. Xande bought their loyalty by opening a portal to our world. They feed on aether, and Eorzea is rich in the stuff.
Only Unei and Doga, of the emperor’s bloodline, can annul the pact.
???: “The covenant… is everlasting.” The voice comes from the void node, which opens into a tear.
-Some enemies charge through, gray-skinned puppets people with red eyes. Echo flashback time!
XANDE: “And so Meracydia is brought into the fold. Soon all the world shall be united under Allagan rule.” We learned about Meracydia in the Bahamut raid, a fallen dragon culture.
“And yet with every dream that becomes reality, the memory of death grows ever more vivid. An endless void, bereft of light and warmth.”
-He’s cheated death before. Now, he’s terrified of it and follows a route trod by so many past FF villains:
embrace nothingness. Free everyone from this fear.
“Let the Cloud of Darkness come and engulf the world, devouring all life, hopes, and dreams. Let all be returned to nothingness.”
---
Next time: the end of the Crystal Tower raid.
Syrcus Tower
-The first thing that hits me is the music. It’s a soft choral piece with an operatic female voice. It fits the grand, crystalline feel of this tower.
-The first boss is Scylla, a woman with three dog heads. One of the Eureka bosses in FFIII.
-She has a cool orb mechanic. Ice orbs freeze players, fire orbs melt the ice orbs, and you stand in the resulting puddle to negate her Ancient Flare attack.
-This dungeon is purely vertical. Each boss, each trash pack, leads us up and up.
-The next boss is Glasya Labolas, a giant. I remember when I first saw that enemy type in FFII: Soul of Rebirth. (It killed me a LOT.)
-The third boss is Amon, Xande’s scientist. The arena looks almost like an opera house.
-I love the boss’s look, just like FFIII! Like an undead musketeer.
-And awaiting us at the top is Emperor Xande himself. Again, at our gear level, it goes down easily.
-The Tower’s dark magic is still active. A small void nodule hangs above the throne.
UNEI: “The power that Xande sought to obtain comes from the void – the World of Darkness.”
-Voidsent – XIV’s version of demons – come from there. Xande bought their loyalty by opening a portal to our world. They feed on aether, and Eorzea is rich in the stuff.
Only Unei and Doga, of the emperor’s bloodline, can annul the pact.
???: “The covenant… is everlasting.” The voice comes from the void node, which opens into a tear.
-Some enemies charge through, gray-skinned puppets people with red eyes. Echo flashback time!
XANDE: “And so Meracydia is brought into the fold. Soon all the world shall be united under Allagan rule.” We learned about Meracydia in the Bahamut raid, a fallen dragon culture.
“And yet with every dream that becomes reality, the memory of death grows ever more vivid. An endless void, bereft of light and warmth.”
-He’s cheated death before. Now, he’s terrified of it and follows a route trod by so many past FF villains:
embrace nothingness. Free everyone from this fear.
“Let the Cloud of Darkness come and engulf the world, devouring all life, hopes, and dreams. Let all be returned to nothingness.”
---
Next time: the end of the Crystal Tower raid.
