In the Stormblood expansion of Final Fantasy XIV, the low difficulty of the bosses has often been criticized. Our author Irie believes that a good fight requires more.
The primal and trial fights have always been one of the central aspects of FFXIV. The often spectacularly staged bosses shine not only with their appearance and variety but also with their combat mechanics and backstories.
In the Stormblood expansion, the developers tried out some new things with mechanics and battle design. Some of these were really cool, while others were less so.
However, they were all primarily criticized for the difficulty, which was kept low compared to earlier expansions, even in extreme versions. The following three trials show that difficulty is not the only thing that makes a good fight.
Warning: From now on, there are major spoilers regarding the FFXIV story!
Dragon Shinryu
Who is Shinryu? Shinryu is a huge dragon that players must fight throughout the Stormblood story.
He first appears at the end of the Heavensward expansion when he is summoned by Ilberd Feare through immense hatred and with the help of magical eyes from the dragon Nidhogg. Ilberd hails from Ala Mhigo, which has been occupied by the Garlean Empire for a long time.
To achieve his goals, he did not shy away from murder nor betrayal and certainly not from summoning the primal Shinryu, for which he sacrificed countless lives. He is one of the characters in Final Fantasy XIV that I would personally love to slay if I could.
Shortly after his summoning, Shinryu is embroiled in a fierce battle with the super weapon Omega, which was previously specifically used as an anti-primal weapon. Both overpowering beings unleash all their power against each other. Due to the force of the explosion, they crashed into Gyr Abania and vanished for the time being.
When players reach the end of the first part of Stormblood, they discover that Shinryu has been found by the Garlean and Prince Zenos yae Galvus merges with the primal to fight against the player character.
What makes Shinryu special? Shinryu is cool in many ways. His birth was triggered by one of the most brutal scenes in Final Fantasy XIV, and his first real appearance was accompanied by an action-packed cinematic. The battle between him and Omega is definitely one of my favorite scenes from the game.
As a player, you had to witness the creation of this monster and could do nothing about it. That was a really cool moment for me.
Although Shinryu did not possess as much character as some other primals and, for example, never spoke, he is still deeply rooted in the story of FFXIV.
The actual fight against Shinryu is also impressive. In terms of size, few opponents can measure up to him.
When a player runs onto the platform high above the royal palace of Ala Mhigo for the first time, it feels epic. I still remember watching the cutscene back then and thinking, “Now this could be something…”
Although Shinryu was a challenging encounter at the release of Stormblood, it is primarily the strong “Wow!” factor and the setting that make the battle so unforgettable. It is a worthy final battle that concluded the first chapter of the expansion.
Tsukuyomi
Who is Tsukuyomi? Tsukuyomi is also a primal who plays an important role in the Stormblood story. The NPC Yotsuyu, who transforms into Tsukuyomi, is introduced early in the game as one of the antagonists of the Stormblood expansion.
As the deputy regent of the nation Doma, which was long oppressed by the Garlean Empire, she spread fear and terror. At first, Square made me really hate the character, only to later transform that feeling into pity.
Throughout the story of Stormblood, the player learns more about how Yotsuyu became the merciless and cruel tyrant she is.
Her story is quite tragic. Despised by her adoptive parents and brother and regarded only as a tool, she was sold to a brothel while still a young girl. Through sheer force of hatred and defiance, she worked her way up and became the vice-regent of Doma.
It was clear from the beginning that this character would not get a happy ending. It was all the more difficult to watch as she builds a close relationship with the NPC Gozetsu after a memory loss. I knew something really bad was going to happen.
In the end, tricked by her adoptive brother, she transforms into the primal Tsukuyomi with the intent to take revenge on all those who made her the monster she has become.
What makes Tsukuyomi special? Besides the sad story of Yotsuyu, which leads to the fight against Tsukuyomi, the primal shines primarily through its design.
The Japanese development team has really put their muscles into play here. I was genuinely amazed to see that the battle seamlessly connects FFXIV’s story elements with the symbolism of Japanese Shinto religion and the language of flowers Ikebana.
The entire design of the fight harmonizes perfectly with its individual elements, and I am sure I have overlooked many subtle details.
The design is based on two strong motifs. The first is the moon. In Japanese Shinto religion, Tsukuyomi is the god of the moon, and this is reflected in the battle design:
- The battlefield splits for one mechanic into a dark and a light side, similar to the moon. In the extreme version of the fight, the arena even randomly switches between full moon and new moon.
- The primal Tsukuyomi itself is also half black and half white.
- She also has bunny ears, which are a symbol for the Japanese story of the rabbit in the moon (similar to how we have the man in the moon).
The second motif is the spider lily, which forms part of Tsukuyomi’s dress and is used multiple times as an attack animation in the battle.
- In the Japanese language of flowers Ikebana, the spider lily represents death, abandonment, and loss of memories. All three are characteristics that perfectly apply to Yotsuyu.
- The roots and leaves of the plant are toxic. This symbolizes that Yotsuyu was not only corrupted on the outside but also deeply within her soul, and that there could be no happy ending for her.
- The flower typically blooms at the end of the summer rainy season in Japan, a season also referred to as “Tsuyu”. Tsuyu was the nickname given to Yotsuyu by the samurai Gosetsu.
Honestly: Isn’t that awesome? These elements give the fight an added depth, and you can tell the developers really put a lot of effort into this, even though it is not that difficult.
It is certainly not the only fight where such elements occur. Sephirot is another good example of this, but with Tsukuyomi, the devs have taken it to a new level.
Beast God Suzaku
Who is Suzaku? In contrast to the two primals, Suzaku plays only a supporting role in the Stormblood story. She is one of the four beast gods who sealed the evil being Koryu together with her human friend Tenzen a long time ago.
Suzaku fell in love with Tenzen but never revealed her feelings to him. When he died in the fight against Koryu, she could not forgive herself for being too weak to protect him.
Many years later, when she meets the player character, she is on the verge of breaking down. To prevent her from transforming into a monster, players must engage her in battle.
What makes Suzaku special? The story of Suzaku is beautiful, but it definitely does not reach the drama of the two primals on our list. For me, the strengths and distinctions of Suzaku lie in the mechanics of her fight.
Suzaku’s humanoid form has a flute that she plays during the fight. The mechanics are therefore reminiscent of rhythm games like the “Dance Dance Revolution” series.
I remember shouting “No way, how cool is this!” during my first battle against Suzaku when I realized how the mechanics worked. It was a really funny moment.
On the battlefield, arrows appear that determine the direction players must look to execute the mechanic correctly. Later in the fight, the battlefield changes, along with Suzaku’s rhythm game.
She sends out a firebird that circles the arena and causes individual colored fields to explode. This also happens to a preset rhythm that players must adhere to.
Even though Suzaku is not the hardest boss, these “mini-games” within a boss fight are exclusive to her and unique in their own way.
Additionally, the woman has very high meme potential, which has been extensively utilized by the FFXIV community. This has also caused quite a few laughs during the farming of the extreme version.
I am also a big fan of battles with a high challenging difficulty level, but that’s not the only thing that makes a good fight.
What do you think are the coolest trials from Stormblood? Did you find other boss fights particularly well done? Let us know!
