Heaven-on-High Guide for FFXIV
Heaven-on-High is one of two Deep Dungeons in FFXIV, where the layout of the dungeon is never the same each time players challenge it. Here, you will learn about the systems of Heaven-on-High, how to ascend its floors, and the rewards you can gain.
Heaven-on-High
Heaven-on-High is an ever-changing dungeon whose architecture is never quite the same each time players enter the tower. All players will begin at level 61, and only by fighting the enemies within will they be able to gain the strength and experience needed to explore its heights.
Overview
Heaven-on-High (HoH) is a dungeon that changes its layout every time players it. Similar to a roguelike, the main objective of HoH is to ascend the various floors by defeating monsters, which unlocks portals to higher floors. In Heaven-on-High, players will face strong mobs, traps, and hazards while progressing with the dungeon's own character systems. Players can join a party with up to three other players or challenge the dungeon solo.
Clearing a set of floors will reward players with experience, currency, and any rare items they may possibly find. Clearing certain floors will also reward the players with rare achievements, rewards, and titles, such as the Lone Hero title, one of the rarest in the game!
How to Unlock Heaven-on-High
To unlock HoH, players must be at least level 61 in a Disciple of War or Magic. In addition, they must have completed the main scenario quest "Tide Goes in, Imperials Go Out" as well as floor 50 in Palace of the Dead. They can then undertake the quest "Knocking on Heaven's Door" from Hamakaze in the Ruby Sea (x6.2, y11.7).

You can learn more about the first Deep Dungeon, Palace of the Dead, in our dedicated guide.
Entering Heaven-on-High

To enter HoH, players can talk to Kyusei in the Ruby Sea (x21.4, y9.2). There are no role or level restrictions when entering HoH. Players can opt to enter with a fixed party or a matched party. It is important to note that each player has only two save files to work with.
- A fixed party will have the player and their current party enter the dungeon by themselves. All players in a fixed party must stay on the same class they started on for the entire foray, and all players in the party must be present to enter.
- A matched party will match the player with three other players queued up for matched parties in the data center. Players in a matched party must stay on the same class they started on for the entire foray, but they can be matched with different players each time.
When players enter for the first time, they can only enter starting from floor 1. After clearing floor 20, players can choose to start from floor 21.
Save Files

Defeating the boss at the end of each set of floors will allow the player to record their progress on that run's specific save file. When a save is recorded, the player's Aetherpool is recorded across all save files, and the player's level, floor progress, party, and party KO amount is recorded in the specific save file. Players can have two concurrent save files at once, and they can have varying levels of progress.
Heaven-on-High Systems
Heaven-on-High has its own self-containing progression system when going through the dungeon. This includes level, experience points, strength, and stats. All changes inside the dungeon are temporary, and players will be returned to their original state when exiting the dungeon.
Heaven-on-High Progression
HoH is comprised of 100 floors, the layout of which is generated randomly upon loading into the floor. However, the types of mobs and the scenery is consistent for each set of floors, so players will generally understand what to expect. The floors are divided into sets of ten, with a consistent boss monster in a consistent arena at the end of each set. The player and their party has a time limit of sixty minutes to defeat this boss. Failure to do so will prevent the player and their party from proceeding.
When entering HoH from floor 1, the level of all players is set to 60. Again, this is a temporary change when inside the dungeon. As players defeat monsters, they will gain experience and level up to a cap of level 70. This levelling process mirrors that of outside the dungeon, as players gain stats and skills when levelling up.
Players can only progress past floor 30 in a fixed party.
Floor Progression
When players load into a floor for the first time, they will be given a map of their surroundings with only the room that they spawned in revealed. Players can explore the floor to find monsters, treasure, and Beacons to progress further. There are two different types of Beacons.
- The Beacon of Passage allows players to move onto the next floor once all players stand on the glowing circle for three seconds outside of combat.
- The Beacon of Return allows players to raise all KO'd players outside of combat.
These Beacons can only be activated once a certain number of monsters have been defeated. The progress can be viewed via the icon above the minimap.


Traps and Floor Effects
Various invisible traps will appear random on the floor. If a player steps over a trap, they will trigger it, inflicting the negative effect of the trap. Traps will never appear in the room players spawn in.
- Impeding traps apply silence and pacification to all players and mobs in a small area. Silence prevents abilities, and pacification prevents weaponskills.
- Otter traps inflict Otter on the player for 30 seconds. Otters have 50% reduced maximum HP and cannot use skills or items. Note that running into an Otter trap as an Otter will return the player back to normal.
- Landmine traps inflict 80% current health damage to all players and mobs in a small area. Landmines can also appear from treasure coffers.
- Luring traps summon 3 random monsters that can spawn on the floor. All three monsters will aggro onto the player who triggered the trap after a short delay.
- Enfeebling traps inflict a debuff to the player for one minute, increasing damage taken and decreasing damage dealt by 20%.

From left to right, these are Impeding, Otter, Landmine, Luring, and Enfeebling traps.
Floor Effects
In addition to traps, every time players load onto the floor there is a chance for the floor to gain up to three floor effects. These can be positive or negative and last for the entire duration of the floor. Negative effects can be particularly dangerous on higher floors.
- Auto-heal Penalty disables passive HP regeneration for all party members, both in and out of combat.
- Blindness reduces the accuracy of all party members.
- Damage Penalty reduces the damage dealt by all party members.
- Gloom fills the floor with Gloom, increasing the damage dealt and movement speed of all enemies while reducing their damage taken.
- HP Penalty reduces the maximum HP of all party members.
- Inability prevents the use of any abilities.
- Item Penalty prevents the use of all items, including pomanders.
- Knockback Penalty prevents all knockback and draw-in effects for both allies and enemies. Notably, this prevents the Pomander of Rage from one-shotting enemies.
- Sprint Penalty disables Sprint for all party members.
There are a few positive effects, and having one is sure to speed up the run.
- Haste decreases weaponskill recast time, spell recast time, and auto-attack delay for all party members.
- HP/MP Boost increases the maximum HP and MP of all party members.
- Sprint permanently enables Sprint for all players.
The Hall of Fallacies is a special floor effect which turns the floor into a single large room, with roaming and stationary mobs. Within the Hall of Fallacies, there will be several Beacons of Passage - only one will be real, and the rest will be traps. This can occur in addition to three floor effects.

Additionally, special NPCs called Auspices may sometimes appear in rooms. When approached, they will do an AoE that grants a buff to all party members standing inside that lasts for five minutes. The buff depends on the Auspice, and after casting once, they will not cast again for several minutes.
- Komainu (left) increases damage dealt.
- Inugami (middle) decreases damage taken.
- Senri (right) grants HP regen.

Empyrean Aetherpool
Apart from player level, Empyrean Aetherpool dictates the strength of a player. There are two types of Empyrean Aetherpool: Arms, which corresponds to increasing damage dealt, and Armor, which corresponds to reducing damage taken. Empyrean Aetherpool is gained from opening Silver Treasure Coffers. This level starts at 1 and has a cap of 99. Each set of floors has a maximum Empyrean Aetherpool level that is applied, and any extra Empyrean Aetherpool will not make the player any stronger. Empyrean Aetherpool can be traded for certain rewards.
The HoH Empyrean Aetherpool system is separate from the Palace of the Dead Aetherpool system.
Treasure Coffers
Scattered throughout the floors in Heaven-on-High are treasure coffers of three varieties.
- Bronze Coffers give
Empyrean Potsherd,
Phoenix Down, or potions, the strength of which depends on the floor set.
- Silver Coffers have a chance to increase Empyrean Aetherpool Arms and Armor. The chance will increase based on the player's Empyrean Aetherpool levels relative to the floor - the lower the player's Empyrean Aetherpool, the higher the chance. In addition, Silver Coffers have a rare chance of yielding Magicite, which can instantly clear out a floor.
- Gold Coffers have a chance to drop Pomanders, which are used to activate special effects within HoH.
While coffers have a chance to yield rewards, they also have a chance to spawn a Mimic instead. These Mimics will cast a point-blank AoE as well as Accursed Pox. Accursed Pox will inflict the Pox status, a nasty debuff that lasts for ten minutes, prevents HP regeneration, and reduces damage dealt.
- Bronze Mimics will spawn from Bronze Coffers on floors 1 to 30. Their Accursed Pox can be interrupted via interrupts, stuns, knockbacks, silence, or witching.
- Silver Mimics will spawn from Silver Coffers on floors 31 to 60. Their Accursed Pox can be interrupted via interrupts, stuns, and witching.
- Gold Mimics will spawn from Gold Coffers on any floor past 61. Their Accursed Pox can only be interrupted via interrupts.
Pomanders

Pomanders are special items that can only be acquired from Gold Coffers. When used from the menu, Pomanders have various beneficial effects to the player and/or their party. A party can only store up to 3 of each type of pomander.
- Pomander of Safety removes all traps from a floor.
- Pomander of Sight reveals the mini-map of the floor, in addition to all traps on the floor.
- Pomander of Strength increases the damage and healing of the user by 30% for eight minutes.
- Pomander of Steel decreases the damage taken by the user by 40% for eight minutes.
- Pomander of Affluence will increase the amount of coffers on the next floor.
- Pomander of Flight reduces the amount of mobs required to open the Cairn of Passage on the next floor.
- Pomander of Alteration changes all the enemies in a random room on the next floor to either Mimics or Mandragoras, the latter of which dies in one hit.
- Pomander of Purity removes the Accursed Pox debuff inflicted by Mimics. This is the only way to do so.
- Pomander of Fortune increases the chance that enemies on the current floor drop coffers.
- Pomander of Witching turns all mobs within a medium radius into chickens, toads, or imps. They are unable to use actions and deal 60% damage for imps, 30% for chickens, and basically no damage for toads. This lasts for 30 seconds and does not trigger aggro.
- Pomander of Serenity removes all the floor effects on the current floor.
- Pomander of Frailty inflicts a debuff on all mobs on the floor for three minutes, increasing the damage they take and decreasing the damage they deal by 30% each.
- Pomander of Concealment shrouds the party, turning them invisible. This effect is cancelled upon taking any direct damage, using any ability, or using any item.
- Pomander of Intuition reveals the location of an Accursed Hoard, if applicable. It will stay in effect until the next Accursed Hoard is found.
- Pomander of Raising resurrects any party member that is KO'd. After a player is raised, the effect will then disappear.
- Pomander of Petrification petrifies all current enemies on the floor for 30 seconds. A petrified enemy will die to any ability in one attack.
Magicite
Silver Coffers will rarely drop Magicite, of which a party can hold up to three at a time. Magicites come in four varieties: Vortex, Crag, Inferno, or Elder. When used, they grant the entire party invulnerability for ten seconds and kill all mobs on the floor. The Elder Magicite is special in that it can also instantly kill bosses when used, and it is the only magicite that can do so.
The Accursed Hoard
Rare items can be found in HoH. These can be found when players remain stationary on a spot where the Accursed Hoard has spawned. This will give the party an Accursed Hoard, which they will receive upon successfully defeating the boss. Pomanders of Intuition will reveal the location of an Accursed Hoard, but they can still be received without using one if players are lucky! The rarity of the Accursed Hoard depends on the floor the player is on.
Silver-haloed Sack is rewarded from floors 1-30.
Gold-haloed Sack is rewarded from floors 31-70.
Platinum-haloed Sack is rewarded from floors 70 and above.

Players can appraise these sacks for rewards at the Confederate Appraiser in the Ruby Sea, near the NPC that grants entrance to HoH.
Score
After every HoH run, players will be able to record their score, which is calculated based on time spent, mobs killed, and areas explored. Players can check their high score when interacting with Kyusei, and scores above floor 100 can be ranked on the Lodestone.
Rewards
The rarest rewards come from the highest floors of Heaven-on-High, but many items acquired from an Accursed Hoard sell for a good price on the marketboard.
Floor Completion Rewards
Completing a floor will grant the player with experience points for the class or job they entered the dungeon in, in addition to gil and tomestones. This experience is static based on the floor and does not scale, but the armory bonus applies to the EXP gain. The chart below shows what rewards are obtained cumulatively at each level.
Floor | Gil Reward | Poetics Reward | Level 80+ Reward |
---|---|---|---|
10 | 1000 | 10 Allagan Tomestones of Poetics | 20 Allagan Tomestones of Allegory and 10 Allagan Tomestones of Revelation |
20 | 1000 | 20 Allagan Tomestones of Poetics | 40 Allagan Tomestones of Allegory and 30 Allagan Tomestones of Revelation |
30+ | 1000 | 30 Allagan Tomestones of Poetics | 60 Allagan Tomestones of Allegory and 30 Allagan Tomestones of Revelation |
After completing floor 30, players will earn one Empyrean Potsherd
and gain one Aetherpool level. In addition, when players complete floor 100, they
will receive a special reward, the
Empyrean Reliquary. This can be traded
in for special cosmetic rewards.
Empyrean Potsherd Rewards
Empyrean Potsherds can be traded in for potions and rewards from the Confederate Custodian in the Ruby Sea. Of note are the Empyrean Potions, which are used for self sustaining in HoH.
Item | Type | Potsherd Cost |
---|---|---|
20 ![]() |
Potion | 1 |
![]() |
Materia | 3 |
![]() |
Materia | 3 |
![]() |
Materia | 3 |
![]() |
Materia | 3 |
![]() |
Materia | 3 |
![]() |
Materia | 3 |
![]() |
Materia | 3 |
![]() |
Materia | 6 |
![]() |
Materia | 6 |
![]() |
Materia | 6 |
![]() |
Materia | 6 |
![]() |
Materia | 6 |
![]() |
Materia | 6 |
![]() |
Materia | 3 |
![]() |
Minion | 10 |
![]() |
Orchestrion Roll | 10 |
![]() |
Emote | 10 |
Empyrean Reliquary Exchange
You can also exchange the floor 100 rewards with the Confederate Custodian for special cosmetics or housing items.
Item | Type | Empyrean Reliquary Cost |
---|---|---|
![]() |
Glamour | 1 |
![]() |
Glamour | 1 |
![]() |
Glamour | 1 |
![]() |
Glamour | 1 |
![]() |
Housing | 1 |
Once you have acquired all four Empyrean accessories, you can speak with the
Cast-off Confederate NPC to receive the title True Hero and a Juedi Horn!
Exchanging Empyrean Aetherpool for Empyrean Aetherpool Arms
Players can also exchange their Empyrean Aetherpool for Empyrean weapons.
To do so, players must trade in 10 of each Empyrean Aetherpool stat for an
Empyrean Aetherpool Grip. 10 of these (so 100 levels) can be traded in
for any Empyrean weapon, such as the
Empyrean Greatsword. One weapon
exists for every job, and Paladin players will receive both a sword and a shield.
Accursed Hoard Rewards
Players can also receive rewards from Accursed Hoards. The loot pool depends
on the rarity of the Accursed Hoard, with Platinum-haloed Sack giving
the best rewards. This includes the rare
Dodo Horn, which rewards
players with the coveted Dodo mount.
Changelog
- 27 Nov. 2021: Guide added.
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This guide has been written by Lyra, one of the Administrators on the Balance Discord. He is also an accomplished raider and has written raid guides for FFXIV for the past four years. You can follow him on Twitter and he streams raids on Twitch.
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