Introduction to Eureka Orthos in FFXIV

A dungeon whose architecture changes each time players enter to explore, similar to previous iterations of Deep Dungeon.

Yoshi P noted that bosses will be more “boss-like,” which we currently theorize means they’ll be more like typical 4-person dungeon bosses with mechanics and likely more difficult than Heaven on High bosses.

Entry available for groups of 1-4, no role restrictions. The difficulty will be unaffected by party size.

A new type of potion called Hi-Potions will drop from bronze chests and killing monsters.

We don’t know yet how many floors Eureka Orthos will have, but it’s most likely going to follow in the footsteps of Heaven on High and go to floor 100.

Players must first complete the main scenario quest “Endwalker” and progress to floor 50 of Palace of the Dead. Must be level 81 or above to enter.

Accept the quest from Koh Rabntah in Mor Dhona. The entrance to the instance will be right outside of the Crystal Tower, also in Mor Dhona.

In the late Third Astral Era, when the ancient Allagan Empire was at the zenith of its glory, researchers toiled deep under the Crystal Tower to uncover secrets which might uplift their motherland to even greater heights. Their laboratory was dubbed Eureka Orthos, where impossible concepts of immortality, cloning, and dominion over the divine were made reality. So fantastic was this research that the legend of Eureka has endured through the ages─and it now falls to the star's foremost adventurer to bring the laboratory's buried secrets into the light of day.

This Pomander appears to be a combination of the rage and lust Pomanders from Palace of the Dead. It transforms you into a Dreadnaught and replaces your bar with two abilities, one that one shots opponents and knocks them back (can rendered useless with no knockback), and the other which puts up to five vulnerability stacks onto opponents.

First, a review of what the original Pomanders did in Palace of the Dead.

For the Rage Pomander, we utilized two main strategies. The most common usage was to use a Rage with Fortune for maximum kills and treasure chest gain, to get off the floor quickly and receive extra loot if possible. The second and more advanced strategy is what Deep Dungeon runners have dubbed the double dip. Use a Rage on one floor and teleport into the next floor to potentially clear two floors with one Rage, saving you an enormous amount of precious time. This strategy works knowing the average amount of kills you need to exit a floor and planning your route with minimal travel time.

For the Lust Pomander, there are three potential usage strategies. The most common strategy is to apply vulnerability debuff stacks on bosses to decrease time spent on it. This is extremely useful if not mandatory on a boss like the F180 Behemoth. A riskier strategy often utilized on tanks and healers use is a combination of Witching and Lust to serve as a pseudo floor wipe, as the cast from Lust is often more powerful than a tank or healer’s single attack. The final strategy is the most niche. Lust can be used to remove the Gloom defense buff from enemies. It can also be worth using a Lust to get one or two vulnerability stacks on a pull if you got an extra pick up to help you kill any given enemy just a little faster.

What will this mean for the new Dreadnaught Pomander which combines both of Rage and Lust in one Pomander? With the No Knockback debuff returning to Eureka Orthos, we will have to once again keep an eye on that debuff or our dreadnaught will be unable to get those one shot kills. But it doesn't make it a complete dud like it would a Rage Pomander. At the very least, the Dreadnaught can still cast vulnerability stacks on a single enemy.

Double Dips and Dreadnaught plus Fortune combinations are still in play, although now the Dreadnaught introduces a new strategy to consider; Transferring from floor 9 into the boss. For example, you clear Floor 9 as a Dreadnaught, transfer into the boss floor and get those vulnerability stacks on when you pull. If the bosses are a big time sink in Eureka Orthos, it might be worth the effort for that type of double dip.

The Demiclone Generator Pomander looks to be the new mechanic and replacement of Heaven on High’s Magicite, as it takes up the same spot in the Pomander list that magicite previously occupied. We can assume this will probably be obtained via Silver Chests and not Gold Chests as was the case in Heaven on High for Magicites.

For a quick review, Magicites in Heaven on High were the literal definition of a floor wipe. One button and a primal shows up and nukes the floor. Aside from the three common primals of Garuda, Titan, and Ifrit, there was also a rare fourth pick up, an Elder Magicite, or Odin.

Odin was special because while it did the same thing as the previous three magicites in terms of killing all the floor enemies, it was the only one capable of one-shotting bosses. Garuda, Titan and Ifrit would only do a fixed amount of damage on bosses if you were so bold to use one.

The main strategies for Magicite usage were as follows:

• The most common use was for the time save on a floor.
• Check some chests, fish out some mimics, and nuke the floor as soon as you can.
• It was a great Pomander to use if you got a "No Item" debuff along with a second or third debuff to save a Pomander of Serenity.
• If you had an Odin, it was fairly common to save that specific Pomander for the final Boss, Floor 90 Onra, for the big time save no matter the job because you can just defeat him in one shot.
• If you encountered the Hall of Fallacies, or a big room as the community likes to call it, it was a pretty good idea to Fortune and Magicite for potential Pomander replenishment.

Magicites were not very common on your average run, so planning when and how you'll use them was crucial for going for a clear.

A big difference between the Demiclone Generator and a Magicite is they will summon a helper NPC instead of just blow up the floor in one go. This NPC does not have a timer, so it seems it will stay with you until you travel to the next floor. Whether the NPC sticks around after the player dies is also a mystery, assuming you had a Pomander of Raising on.

The Demiclone demonstrated by Yoshi P was Doga, a black mage NPC that only attacked mobs after the player engaged them. For those fimilar with the Crystal Tower lore, Doga should be very familiar. The Doga demiclone cast Petrification followed by a damage over time, into Fire IV for big damage. Whether that's its rotation or if it adjusts to multiple enemies we are currently unsure.

There are a couple thoughts and ideas for this new Demiclone Generator Pomander. If we get Doga as one, we can expect Unei as at least one of the other ones, who would be a healer type via the lore of Crystal Tower. While this is currently pure speculation, we might be seeing the three main roles covered as the "common" Demiclone pick ups; Doga as a DPS, Unei as a Healer and mystery Tank. What they will do can very much adjust how they will be used based on the situation. Is a Tank Demiclone good for big pulls, will the Demiclones be useful on bosses?

The demiclone could also be a way to make up a weakness of a specific role you are using especially in solo. If Doga is considered a DPS, maybe that will help tanks and healers go through floors much faster. Maybe Unei being a healer could really help a DPS in survivability or maybe buffs like haste. This could open a door where catering your pickups to benefit the job you are playing may modify climbing strategy. Also another big question is will we be seeing a special fourth Demiclone, similar to the Elder Magicite, and what will that Demiclone do? Lots of interesting possiblies and potential strategy applications as these new Pomanders are unlike anything we've ever seen. Magicites in Heaven on High were pretty straight forward in their application. Demiclones on the other hand could provide a deeper thought process to get the most out of them.

• Since we'll all be starting with 0 arm and armor, find a group of 2-4 players to farm aetherpool with on release.
• Craft some Hyper-potion to facilitate easier climbing until Eureka Orthos potsherds can be farmed.
• Make sure you meet the entry requirements listed above.
• If soloing, take the job you are planning to go for the first clear on into Heaven on High and Palace of the Dead to practice time management, good Pomander use, and utilizing the transformation Pomanders.

If EO is similar to Heaven on High in how hard monsters hit, then the safest bet for a first solo attempt would be one of the tank jobs.

If you prefer to take in dps jobs like Machinist, Summoner, and Reaper, which are popular in both Palace of the Dead and Heaven on High, you'll benefit from having prior knowledge or PoVs to refer to as they take a lot more hits and have to play more strategically to avoid death. Knowing what enemies do allows you to know what to pull and what to avoid. Those three jobs, amongst many others, may become popular as time goes on and our knowledge of Eureka Orthos increases.

If healer is your preferred role and the one you'd like to first climb on, your damage might comparatively low, but at least you will have a much easier time living compared to DPS jobs. Level 90 healer kits are much more fleshed out compared to level 60 and 70, so it might make for an interesting choice.

All 19 jobs have cleared both Palace of the Dead and Heaven on High, and we believe the Deep Dungeon community can do the same in Eureka Orthos. Metas and preferences will form over time, but don't let that sway you if you really want to get the title on your favorite job.