Palace of the Dead Guide for FFXIV

Last updated on Nov 27, 2021 at 14:00 by Lyra 2 comments

Palace of the Dead is one of two Deep Dungeons in FFXIV, where the layout of the dungeon is never the same each time players it. Here, you will learn about the systems of Palace of the Dead, how to progress, and rewards you can accrue.

1.

Palace of the Dead

The Palace of the Dead is an ever-changing dungeon whose architecture is never quite the same each time players enter to explore its depths. All players will begin at level one, and only by fighting the enemies within will they be able to gain the strength and experience needed to explore its shadowy depths.

2.

Overview

The Palace of the Dead (PotD) is a deep dungeon with a continuously changing layout. Similar to a roguelike, the main objective of PotD is to clear each floor by killing monsters to unlock portals to deeper floors. Throughout these floors, players will be faced with 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 find in the dungeon. Clearing certain floors will also reward the players with rare achievements, rewards, and titles, such as the Necromancer title, one of the rarest in the game!

2.1.

How to Unlock Palace of the Dead

To unlock PotD, players must be at least level 17 in a Disciple of War or Magic. Additionally, they must have completed the main scenario quest "Into a Copper Hell" that takes them through The Copperbell Mines dungeon. They can then undertake the quest "The House That Death Built" in New Gridania (x12.0, y13.1).

Location of PotD unlock
2.2.

Entering Palace of the Dead

Entering PotD

To enter PotD, players can talk to the Wood Wailer Expeditionary Captain in Quarrymill (x25.2, y20.6). There are no role or level restrictions when entering PotD. 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 50, players can choose to start from floor 51.

2.3.

Save Files

PotD Save File System

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.

3.

Palace of the Dead Systems

Palace of the Dead 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 return to their original state when exiting the dungeon.

3.1.

Palace of the Dead Progression

PotD is comprised of 200 floors, the layout of which is generated randomly upon loading into the floor. However, the types of mobs and the scenery is consistent within 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 have 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 PotD from floor 1, the level of all players is reset to 1. 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 60. This leveling process mirrors that of outside the dungeon, as players gain stats and skills when leveling up.

After completing floor 50, players can unlock further floors by completing the quest "What Lies Beneath" from the Wood Wailer Expeditionary Captain. Players can only progress past floor 100 in a fixed party.

3.2.

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 Cairns to progress further. There are two different types of Cairns.

  • The Cairn 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 Cairn of Return allows players to raise all KO'd players outside of combat.

These Cairns can only be activated once a certain number of monsters have been defeated. The progress can be viewed via the icon above the minimap.

Cairn of Progress
Cairn of Return
3.3.

Traps

Various invisible traps will appear randomly 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.
  • Toading traps inflict Toad on the player for 20 seconds. Toads have 30% reduced maximum HP and cannot use skills or items.
  • 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%.
PotD Traps

From left to right, these are Impeding, Toading, Landmine, Luring, and Enfeebling traps.

3.4.

Floor Effects

Every time players load onto a new 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 lower 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.
3.5.

Aetherpool

Apart from player level, Aetherpool dictates the strength of a player. There are two types of Aetherpool: Arms, which corresponds to increasing damage dealt, and Armor, which corresponds to reducing damage taken. 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 Aetherpool level that is applied, and any extra Aetherpool will not make the player stronger. Aetherpool can be traded for certain rewards.

The PotD Aetherpool system is separate from the Heaven-on-High Empyrean Aetherpool system.

3.6.

Treasure Coffers

Scattered throughout the floors in Palace of the Dead are treasure coffers of three varieties.

  • Bronze Coffers give Gelmorran Potsherd Icon Gelmorran Potsherd, Phoenix Down Icon Phoenix Down, or potions, the strength of which depends on the floor set.
  • Silver Coffers have a chance to increase Aetherpool Arms and Armor. The chance will increase based on the player's Aetherpool levels relative to the floor - the lower the player's Aetherpool, the higher the chance.
  • Gold Coffers have a chance to drop Pomanders, which are used to activate special effects within PotD.

While coffers have a chance to yield rewards, they also have a chance to spawn a Mimic. 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 40. Their Accursed Pox can be interrupted via interrupts, stuns, and witching.
  • Gold Mimics will spawn from Gold Coffers on any floor past 40. Their Accursed Pox can only be interrupted via interrupts.
3.7.

Pomanders

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 remove this status.
  • 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 Rage transforms the user into a Manticore for 60 seconds, replacing their action bar with Ripper Claw. This will kill all normal mobs in one hit. This does not work if Knockback Penalty is in effect.
  • Pomander of Lust transforms the user into a Succubus for 60 seconds, replacing their action bar with Void Fire II. This will deal damage to an enemy and all enemies around them, as well as inflict a vulnerability stack that increases damage taken by 10% up to 5.
  • 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 is only found past floor 50 and resurrects any party member that is KO'd. After a player is raised, the effect will then disappear.
  • Pomander of Resolution transforms the user into Kuribu for 60 seconds, replacing their action bar with Heavenly Judge, a skill that deals damage in an AoE and stuns enemies. This will instantly kill any undead mobs. Like Raising, this is only found past floor 50.

Proper utilization of pomanders is key to progressing through the lower floors!

3.8.

The Accursed Hoard

Rare items can be found in PotD. 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.

Accursed Hoard

Players can appraise these sacks for rewards at the Expedition Bishop in Quarrymill, near the NPC that grants entrance to PotD.

4.

Score

After every PotD 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 the Wood Wailer Expeditionary Captain, and scores above floor 100 can be ranked on the Lodestone.

5.

Rewards

The rarest rewards come from the deepest floors of Palace of the Dead, but many items acquired from an Accursed Hoard sell for a good price on the marketboard.

5.1.

Floor Completion Rewards

Completing a floor will grant the player with experience points for the class or job they entered the dungeon, in addition to gil and tomestones if applicable. 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 Level 50+ Rewards Level 80+ Rewards
10 1000 10 Allagan Tomestones of Poetics 20 Allagan Tomestones of Allegory and 10 Allagan Tomestones of Revelation
20 1500 20 Allagan Tomestones of Poetics 40 Allagan Tomestones of Allegory and 20 Allagan Tomestones of Revelation
30 2000 30 Allagan Tomestones of Poetics 60 Allagan Tomestones of Allegory and 30 Allagan Tomestones of Revelation
40 2000 30 Allagan Tomestones of Poetics 60 Allagan Tomestones of Allegory and 30 Allagan Tomestones of Revelation
50 3000 50 Allagan Tomestones of Poetics 100 Allagan Tomestones of Allegory and 50 Allagan Tomestones of Revelation
60 2000 30 Allagan Tomestones of Poetics 60 Allagan Tomestones of Allegory and 30 Allagan Tomestones of Revelation
70 2000 30 Allagan Tomestones of Poetics 60 Allagan Tomestones of Allegory and 30 Allagan Tomestones of Revelation
80 2000 30 Allagan Tomestones of Poetics 60 Allagan Tomestones of Allegory and 30 Allagan Tomestones of Revelation
90 2000 30 Allagan Tomestones of Poetics 60 Allagan Tomestones of Allegory and 30 Allagan Tomestones of Revelation
100 3000 50 Allagan Tomestones of Poetics 100 Allagan Tomestones of Allegory and 50 Allagan Tomestones of Revelation
110+ 2000 30 Allagan Tomestones of Poetics 60 Allagan Tomestones of Allegory and 30 Allagan Tomestones of Revelation

When completing floors 50 and 100, players will earn one Gelmorran Potsherd Icon Gelmorran Potsherd and gain one Aetherpool level. Additionally, when players complete floor 200, they will receive a special reward: either the Firecrest Icon Firecrest or the Glass Pumpkin Icon Glass Pumpkin. This can be traded in for special cosmetic rewards.

5.2.

Gelmorran Potsherd Rewards

Gelmorran Potsherds can be traded in for potions and rewards from E-Una-Kotor in Quarrymill. Of note are the Sustaining Potions, which are used for self-sustainment in PotD.

Item Type Potsherd Cost
Wind-up Sasquatch Icon Wind-up Sasquatch Minion 3
Hecteye Icon Hecteye Minion 3
Disembodied Head Resonator Icon Disembodied Head Resonator Mount 10
Piety Materia V Icon Piety Materia V Materia 1
Heavens' Eye Materia V Icon Heavens' Eye Materia V Materia 1
Savage Aim Materia V Icon Savage Aim Materia V Materia 1
Savage Might Materia V Icon Savage Might Materia V Materia 1
Battledance Materia V Icon Battledance Materia V Materia 1
Quickarm Materia V Icon Quickarm Materia V Materia 1
Quicktongue Materia V Icon Quicktongue Materia V Materia 1
Fog of Phantom Orchestrion Roll Icon Fog of Phantom Orchestrion Roll Orchestrion Roll 5
Blasphemous Experiment Orchestrion Roll Icon Blasphemous Experiment Orchestrion Roll Orchestrion Roll 1
Notice of Death Orchestrion Roll Icon Notice of Death Orchestrion Roll Orchestrion Roll 10
20 Sustaining Potion Icon Sustaining Potion Potion 1
5.3.

Firecrest and Glass Pumpkin Exchange

You can also exchange the floor 200 rewards with E-Una-Kotor for special cosmetics or housing items. You can also exchange two of one item for the other.

Item Type Firecrest or Glass Pumpkin Cost
Firecrest Trophy Icon Firecrest Trophy Housing 1
Glass Pumpkin Trophy Icon Glass Pumpkin Trophy Housing 1
Firecrest Earring Icon Firecrest Earring Glamour 1
Firecrest Bracelet Icon Firecrest Bracelet Glamour 1
Firecrest Choker Icon Firecrest Choker Glamour 1
Firecrest Ring Icon Firecrest Ring Glamour 1
Glass Pumpkin Earring Icon Glass Pumpkin Earring Glamour 1
Glass Pumpkin Bracelet Icon Glass Pumpkin Bracelet Glamour 1
Glass Pumpkin Choker Icon Glass Pumpkin Choker Glamour 1
Glass Pumpkin Ring Icon Glass Pumpkin Ring Glamour 1
5.4.

Exchanging Aetherpool for Aetherpool Arms

Players can also exchange their Aetherpool for Padjali or Kinna weapons. After players have cleared floor 50, they can exchange 30 of each Aetherpool stat for a Padjali weapon, such as the Padjali Greatsword Icon Padjali Greatsword. After players have cleared floor 100, they can exchange 60 of each Aetherpool stat for a Kinna weapon, such as the Kinna Greatsword Icon Kinna Greatsword. One weapon of each type exists for every job, and Paladin players will receive both a sword and a shield.

5.5.

Accursed Hoard Rewards

Players can also receive rewards from Accursed Hoards. The loot pool depends on the rarity of the Accursed Hoard, with Gold-trimmed Sack Icon Gold-trimmed Sack giving the best rewards. This includes the rare Night Pegasus Whistle Icon Night Pegasus Whistle, which rewards players with the coveted Night Pegasus mount.

6.

Changelog

  • 27 Nov. 2021: Guide added.
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